Chapter 132 Escape
Edward ran frantically, transforming into a large rat to weave through obstacles, then into a grey wolf to overturn walls, all in an effort to escape Black Raven Port.
He had seen too many people along the way. Some were Transcendent, but more were ordinary people, killing each other for reasons unknown, as if life were the most worthless thing in the world. Edward vaguely suspected they were all after this ominous black egg. Fortunately, not many people knew he had swallowed the ominous object. The few who did were already dead souls under his claws.
As Edward felt fortunate, he was suddenly tripped by a rope, falling face-first into the ground.
Damn it!
Edward detested whoever had carelessly thrown the rope by the roadside. Just as he was about to tear the rope to shreds, he noticed something heavy hanging from it. No, not something heavy… He realized the other end of the rope was in the sky. Looking up, he discovered the other end was tied to a person’s foot.
It was absurd: one end of a thick rope was nailed to the ground, and the other end was wrapped around a person floating in the sky. Edward tried to pull the rope, and the floating person was pulled towards the ground by his action. When Edward let go, the person immediately flew back up into the sky, like a falling heavy object released from the ground, making the rope taut.
Edward’s heart pounded violently. He suddenly realized that the floating person was already a corpse. He was wearing a familiar black coat, completely soaked, his face pale and serene, as if asleep.
He must have been too panicked; otherwise, how could he not smell such a strong scent of death?
“This is ‘Life Inversion,’ a forbidden magic controlled by the Lagovin Family.”
A steady, calm voice sounded by Edward’s ear. Edward looked around in terror and saw a young Mage standing beside him. He was right in front of him, but Edward couldn’t smell anything from him, as if he were just a false illusion.
“Not far ahead is the main battlefield for White and solo Players,” Li Lin guided Edward. “If you want to escape, you’d best avoid them and go around the back of that warehouse.”
Edward didn’t know what White was or what solo Players were, but he could tell this Mage was helping him… but why?
“You don’t need to ask why. You are an unlucky person, or else you wouldn’t be in this position. But I hope you can survive to the end,” Li Lin said with a slight smile. “Run now, while the Archmage of the Bird Association is tied up by the Lagovins, while the wolf packs are still en route, and before more troublesome characters join… Run desperately, escape this place, escape all of this…”
Edward could no longer hear what the person said. As soon as he said “Run now,” Edward bolted in the direction the Mage had pointed. He transformed into a wolf again, this time in his complete wolf form, possessing both strength and speed, making him unstoppable.
* * *
Bai Xingyishi swung his greatsword, cleaving the last Player’s health bar empty with a horizontal slash, sending them directly to resurrection.
He sneered. This group of weaklings didn’t even make him want to use his skills. The gap between Stage One and Stage Two couldn’t be bridged by technique, especially when their technique was worse than his.
“How are Chips and the others?”
Bai Xingyishi turned to look at his other teammates. Besides him, there were nine members in total, all top-tier Players from the Guild.
“They’re all heading this way,” said a rare Dwarf player. “The others are too.”
Bai Xingyishi was confident in the loyalty and sense of responsibility of the Guild members – except for the mole who had leaked the information.
“If I catch that damn mole!” Bai Xingyishi exploded with anger. If it weren’t for the mole, he would have already obtained the Divine Artifact and wouldn’t have to be stuck here.
Although White Star Fangs advised him that the Divine Artifact was more important and that the poster might not be from their Guild, Bai Xingyishi was still furious.
If not from their Guild, then who else could it be? The game developers?
“Leiser, who do you think among us is most likely this mole?”
Bai Xingyishi spoke loudly, with no intention of discussing it in secret. The Dwarf he asked looked embarrassed. Only the elites of the Guild knew the details of the mission, and most of them were standing here. No matter what was said, both the questioner and the answerer would easily incur hatred.
“Didn’t Brother Fang say it’s not necessarily from our Guild? Other Players might have learned about the mission from elsewhere…”
“Nonsense!” How could Bai Xingyishi, with his temper, tolerate this? “During the beta test, I worked my butt off, doing nothing but sucking up to those NPCs, warming them and showing concern to gain their favor before I could extract even the slightest detail. And you’re telling me others might know too? Do you think this is something you can find out just by asking around on the street?”
Did they know how the Lagovins acted? Did they know why he didn’t choose the human race in the beta test like before and instead chose the elves?
The Dwarf player gave an awkward laugh and quickly apologized.
Seeing his attitude, Bai Xingyishi couldn’t be bothered to interrogate further and smoothly changed the subject:
“Everyone be careful, don’t let any Player or NPC pass, and don’t let anyone in!”
The intelligence indicated that the Divine Artifact was on an NPC who could turn into a werewolf. Bai Xingyishi couldn’t be bothered to search for them one by one; it was better to wait here.
They were now blocking the only way out of Black Raven Port. Unless someone decided to take the sea route, anyone leaving or entering Black Raven Port had to pass through them.
By holding this position, Bai Xingyishi was confident he could obtain the Divine Artifact, no matter how many contenders there were.
After all, how many players worldwide could have reached Stage Two so far? Ten?
Just as he was lost in thought, a dazzling burst of fire suddenly lit up the sky, followed by an explosive shockwave and deafening noise.
Countless fireballs of varying sizes rained down from the sky, striking Black Raven Port.
The docks, warehouses, and open areas used for transit were all hit by fireballs. Several warehouses storing various unknown contents were directly ignited by the fireballs, erupting in orange flames.
A fireball coincidentally landed about ten meters in front of Bai Xingyishi. The heat generated at that moment instantly evaporated the rain, and the impact and heat of the explosion made Bai Xingyishi unable to open his eyes, his body burning.
A moment later, Bai Xingyishi recovered and found his health reduced by about 30%.
He looked up at the sky, where traces of fire still remained, completely bewildered.
What the hell was that?
Not just him, but everyone within the range of Black Raven Port, and even all the Transcendent in Leicester, took notice of the brilliant explosion.
Li Wen and Moria had just emerged from a narrow alley. One was responsible for dealing with Players, and the other with the ritual. They had already sealed four void rifts.
“What is that?” Moria asked, frowning as he looked at the light in the sky.
Li Wen glanced at it, then withdrew his gaze, saying carelessly, “High-level Mages are fighting.”
