Chapter 70 (2/2): Shining Light Orb

Her proudest accomplishment was managing to pay the school fees for both herself and Xiaozhi, plus rent, utilities, and food.

Not a grand feat, but life became stable, no more homelessness.

No more damp bridge underpasses.

—Making money felt heroic!

Even now, she still felt that way.

The images kept rolling, little people rapidly replaying key memories in reverse…

The little figures kept shrinking, becoming younger.

She returned to the orphanage, to the place she first met Xiaozhi.

And then…

She had no memories from before, so why were the little people still playing scenes?

Strange.

Were these deep memories, or hallucinations from being tricked?

What was that?

Vines?!

A witch???

Space tore open.

Because it was reversed, Wu Xiaomi saw the vines stretch out and drag both her and Xiaozhi in.

The familiar courtyard, a young version of herself still swaddled.

Several people stood there, seemingly speaking.

Damn, why is this reversed?!

The voices were reversed too, incomprehensible!

She could only see five people in the courtyard—one woman holding Xiaozhi, another holding herself.

The woman holding Xiaozhi wore lavish clothes that showed status; no ordinary noble could own such attire and bearing.

The woman holding her was not lavishly dressed but elegant and refined, with an ethereal charm.

Perhaps this memory was so old the little figures flickered and trembled.

In this scene, all faces were veiled by white mist, impossible to distinguish.

Suddenly, everything cut off.

Wu Xiaomi stared intently at the image.

Before the fragmented illusion vanished, she saw the witch binding Xiaozhi and herself together with vines.

Chanting an incantation she couldn’t understand.

“Pfft—”

With a tremendous sound, the world exploded and everything returned to darkness.

She fell back asleep.

…….

The Butler glared at the human light bulb in front of him with a headache.

Use torture? Afraid she’ll explode.

Use knives? Afraid poison will spray and take everyone out.

How is this an interrogation?

They failed to interrogate, and lost a man in the process.

“All your fault! Damn it!” The Butler threw a throwing knife.

The Thunder Assassin Ciris clutched his throat in disbelief.

The knife pierced his windpipe precisely.

“You said… if I found her… then…”

“That was your idea, I never agreed, idiot.”

……

[Main quest failed: Target Thunder Envoy deceased. All players in area deducted 1000 strategy points.]

The sudden notification left everyone stunned.

How did he die???

Weren’t Thunder Assassins masters of stealth?

They’d practically turned Feisi City upside down but never spotted a trace of the Thunder Envoy…

And now you tell me he died suddenly?!

Damn! How did he die?!

[Compensation quest activated: Negotiate with the Thunder Assassin Organization and complete the mission in place of the deceased.]

“Headache.” Kang Jie rubbed his forehead. “Mission not even triggered yet and the guy’s dead. Which god or goddess did this?”

“No big problem. The compensation quest doesn’t conflict with our plan; we can proceed.” Han Nuo judged. “They’ve already withdrawn. We just wait for the organization to contact Lulutina. Someone has to replace the dead, and Lulutina is a good choice.”

……

In prison.

Lulutina was counting cockroaches by the bedside.

A pure white slip of paper flew into the cell.

Is it here?

She quickly picked it up.

【Escape at night. Prepare to assassinate Wilson’s Butler. After reading, eat the paper to avoid leaks—(Lightning symbol)】

Lulutina dusted off the paper and swallowed it.

The paper was made of sugar skin and melted sweetly in her mouth.

She contacted Bai Xiaozhi to report:

“Xiaozhi, they’ve contacted me. The target is to assassinate Wilson’s Butler, to be done after dark.”

[Received. We’re starting to make preparations too.]

……

Hachoo—

Half-dazed, Wu Xiaomi sneezed softly.

The Butler and the jailers instantly recoiled dozens of meters.

“Wait for Funeral Ancient Lord to interrogate personally…”

“You want to assassinate Funeral Ancient Lord, just say so!”

“…”

What now?

The girl’s body continued to pulse with rhythmic light, growing faster and faster.

That obviously accelerating flash rate made the Butler uneasy, doubting his decision to bring her back.

Even wearing full protective gear, no one dared approach! Who knows when she might explode?

“Maybe we should send this human bomb back.” The captain braced himself. “If she blows up the master’s estate, when the master returns…”

“…”

He had a point.

If the girl destroyed the mansion, as the order giver, he’d be the one taking the blame.

Everyone knew Wilson’s Butler was expendable.

No matter how glorious in public, if he failed to protect the master’s property, he could vanish at any time.

—Before moving her, the Butler hoped she’d wake up on her own so he could coerce or persuade her to give up self-destruction.

But the girl showed no sign of waking.

He dared not douse her with water or use torture to force her awake.

No room for negotiation!

What now?!

She’s flashing so fast; the only choice is to send her back!

“Truly… a strong one who severely wounded Wild Ancient Lord.” The Butler felt defeated, leaning against the wall. “So cruel, willing to turn her body into a bomb just to take Wild Ancient Lord down with her.”

“Should we call Wild Ancient Lord?”

“Of course not! This is obviously a trap! This is a strong enemy who wounded Wild Ancient Lord badly; if she self-destructs, the entire Feisi City will blow up!”

Those words turned everyone pale; they scrambled back desperately.

“Have you noticed her flashing frequency is rapidly increasing? I guess when the light becomes continuous and stops flashing, she will—”

Holy crap! Too scary!

“I suspected before that a strong one who seriously wounded Wild Ancient Lord would be easy to catch,” the Butler ground his teeth. “And after all our hard searching, we never found her trail. Yet some dumb thief was captured who knew her location… don’t you find that strange?”

After the Butler’s hint, everyone suddenly understood.

“It’s definitely a trap!”

“Yes, quickly send this thing back to the deity. Whoever brought her in must take her back.” The Butler ordered bitterly.

“Reporting, the two brothers who carried her here forgot to remove their gloves. One scratched his nose, the other his head — both have been sent for cremation.”

“Then replace them with two others!”

“Butler, all who have died so far are guards! If this keeps up, if assassins come at night, our defense holes in the mansion can’t guarantee your safety or the estate’s…”

“Enough nonsense! Move! If you don’t move her, the real threat is blowing up the master’s estate!”

“I wouldn’t dare…”

The captain inwardly cursed.

You ordered her brought here!

Now you see her flashing faster and go back on your word!

So.

Once again.

Wu Xiaomi was carried onto a stretcher.

“Move her quickly! Hurry! She’s flashing so fast I can’t open my eyes!”

……

Feisi Harbor.

As a merchant arriving from afar, Arakhan was stunned by the city’s prosperity the moment he stepped off the ship.

“Oh my god, is this the capital of the world or what? These buildings, these ships…”

But what shocked Arakhan most wasn’t Feisi City’s grandeur.

It was the dazzling street lanterns!

Night had fallen, and a group of men in standard uniforms sprinted wildly, carrying a blazing flower lantern.

Two sedan chair bearers led the front and back, working diligently— though drenched in sweat, they refused to stop for rest.

Their light illuminated the entire city, bringing warmth and brightness to the cold night.

…….

“What exactly are they doing?”

Kang Jie and company wore puzzled expressions.

They had just seen this group during the day, carrying a giant light bulb into Wilson’s mansion.

Now, they were urgently hauling it back.

Han Nuo’s brow furrowed: “Forgive me… I can’t figure it out.”

His intellect was stumped.

There was simply no logic.

“Is today a local festival?” Bai Xiaozhi asked.

“No, I checked.” Han Nuo shook his head. “No festival today, no major figures marrying, birthdays, or promotions…”

Then it was strange. Why such a spectacle?

Many outsiders misunderstood, thinking it was some big event.

They surrounded the light bulb, blocking passage, singing and dancing with a DJ…

“Forget it, let’s meet up with Lulutina and assassinate the Butler.”

This mission wasn’t supposed to be difficult— just contact an assassin and take out a tyrannical Butler.

As a second-phase quest, its difficulty was on par with the first phase’s Arrogant Noodle Tribe.

If the assassin hadn’t mysteriously died, it might have been finished already.

“Lulutina, did you escape?”

[Escaped. My Sequence was sealed, but a Dark Crow Tribe member in black helped me dig a tunnel.]

“We’re coming. Do you know what the Butler looks like?”

[My assassin bro who saved me gave me a photo; I’m sending it to you.]

Soon, Lulutina sent the Butler’s photo to Bai Xiaozhi, who passed it to Kang Jie and others, then distributed it to all members.

“…Doesn’t that old man look familiar?”

Indeed.

“Isn’t that the leader of the lighting crew who carried the giant light bulb?!”

Everyone looked up.

Hey~ it really is him!

All that age but still playing hard.

Old but young at heart— seventy and still hitting the club, huh?

“Don’t act rashly! There are many eyes around, and city guards patrol. Killing in the street will bring the entire crowd down on us.” Han Nuo lowered his voice. “Everyone gather. We’ll sneak into Wilson’s mansion and ambush!”

A veteran mercenary, Han Nuo had plenty of assassination experience.

He knew when to strike, when the target was most vulnerable.

The moment they felt safe.

Especially since the old Butler had taken most of the private troops with him, leaving the estate lightly guarded and perfect for an ambush.

“Ark members, follow me silently. No detection, no alerts. Others stay outside on standby!”

At his order, Ark members began climbing the wall.

They didn’t touch any bricks or tiles, using only their leg strength to leap over silently.

No alarms triggered.

“Professional…”

Only those close to the Ark, like Kang Jie and company, truly understood the gap between their ragtag soldiers and Ark members.

They were precise, meticulous, flawlessly coordinated.

Skills honed through countless life-or-death battles under real gunfire.

[Team Channel – Han Nuo: Group One, 3, 2, 1… move!]

Eight Ark members sprang from the shadows.

“Pfft—”

A single throat cut, eight guards collapsed simultaneously.

They carefully laid down the bodies silently.

Hid in the flower bushes, spraying a medicine that neutralized the blood’s scent.

[Team Channel – Han Nuo: Group Two, 3, 2, 1… move!]

Another strike.

The mansion’s front garden was nearly clear.

Only two sentries remained, completely unaware of the assassination.

[Team Channel – Han Nuo: Keep sentries distracted from the Butler; others change into guard uniforms. Strike as soon as the Butler enters.]

[Team Channel – Kang Jie: Get ready. Our informant just reported—they’re two blocks away.]

What a troublesome day.

The Butler dragged his aging frame slowly back to the mansion.

He left half his private troops behind to watch Wu Xiaomi, ready to capture her once her flashing stopped.

“Too vicious. If she can’t win, she self-destructs.”

Shaking his head, the Butler opened a Pineapple Pineapple.

Watching the girl dance gracefully on screen, he was puzzled.

“Such a cute girl, yet she’s so ruthless against herself. She’d rather turn into a poisonous bomb to take Funeral Ancient Lord down with her…”

The Butler muttered to himself.

But Bai Xiaozhi was lurking nearby, overhearing everything clearly.

She also saw the image in the Butler’s hand.

That girl…

A poisonous bomb?

Wu Xiaomi???

Wait…

Wu Xiaomi is that big glowing ball?!