Chen Shanshan didn’t discover Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo’s small movements. She thought for a moment before saying, “You can remember what happened when you were unconscious but don’t have any memories of Eve’s Reward. The black tower can do this…” Her voice stopped and the little girl raised her head. “Brother Tang, has anything changed from before the coma?”
“I seem to be stronger.” Tang Mo added, “My overall strength.”
Tang Mo didn’t conceal this point from his teammates.
Once he woke up, he vaguely realized that he might’ve become stronger. The enhancement of strength wasn’t props or abilities but… “My eyesight is better. Looking out the window, Fu Wenduo, where can you see up to?”
Fu Wenduo stood by the window. “The white billboard five kilometres away. It is Huawei’s latest phone.”
Tang Mo asked, “Can you see the name of the spokesman in the lower right corner?”
Fu Wenduo stared for a moment. “It is a bit blurry. But I have an impression from the celebrity on the photo. Since I know his name, I can tell the words when looking at it.” The implication was that if he didn’t know the person beforehand, Fu Wenduo wouldn’t dare say that he could see it.
Tang Mo told him. “I can see it. It isn’t that clear but I can see a few letters.”
Fu Wenduo wondered, “The Christmas tree branch?”
Chen Shanshan also asked, “Is it an upgraded version of the Christmas tree branch?”
Tang Mo smiled and shook his head. “Perhaps but I feel that it isn’t so simple. I can tell that my five senses have improved while my reaction ability and speed are also improved. As for other aspects…” Tang Mo paused before glancing at the man next to him. The two of them locked eyes and Fu Wenduo smiled. Tang Mo also laughed.
Xiao Fu looked a bit awkward. “Hey, what about other aspects? Brother Tang, why aren’t you saying it?”
Chen Shanshan smiled. “There is a basketball court behind this building. Do you want to go there and fight?”
Excellent!
The four people arrived at the basketball court. Tang Mo put aside his small parasol and Fu Wenduo also didn’t bring any weapons. The two people stood on opposite sides of the basketball court and watched each other. The next second, there was the sound of wind breaking apart. Two black figures slammed together at a speed difficult for the naked eye to follow and the ground shook.
The level of this fight was far beyond Chen Shanshan’s capabilities but she didn’t give up. She opened her eyes as much as possible and stared carefully. After a brief collision, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo swapped position. Tang Mo used one hand to support himself on the ground, sliding back three metres before stabilizing himself. He raised his head and saw Fu Wenduo’s surprise.
Tang Mo’s speed and strength had truly been significantly improved!
Fu Wenduo’s calm face showed a rare anticipation. He was looking forward to the next fight.
The man’s low voice was heard. “Come again?”
“Okay!”
The next moment, Tang Mo rushed forward again. He appeared to punch Fu Wenduo in the chest. The moment the two of them touched, he unexpectedly swept his leg towards Fu Wenduo’s lower body. Fu Wenduo used his hand to block this blow. His left hand was like lightning as he caught Tang Mo’s arm. Tang Mo quickly broke away and threw a left hook.
It was a bare-handed melee that was wild and violent, based on raising speed and strength to the limits.
There were continuous collision sounds. Both sides used their full power so there were bound to be some bruises. Suddenly, Fu Wenduo moved like a ghost and suddenly touched Tang Mo’s neck from the rear while his elbow while his other hand held Tang Mo’s neck. Tang Mo clearly sensed the breath of death. He realized that as long as Fu Wenduo used force, his neck would be broken by the other person.
It was the end of the battle. Fu Wenduo released Tang Mo and Tang Mo coughed twice before twisting his neck.
“What type of fighting skill was that just now?”
Fu Wenduo cleared his throat. “The naked twist.”
Tang Mo hadn’t heard of this move before. The skill was difficult to learn so Fu Wenduo hadn’t previously taught it to him. He didn’t know that the naked twist was a very lethal move in judo. Normal people would have difficulty breathing after they were caught by the neck and it was easy to fall unconscious. There were also many people who directly choked to death from this move.
Fu Wenduo hadn’t expected Tang Mo to force him to use this type of killing move. He thought about it and decided not to tell Tang Mo, lest it be remembered by Tang Mo.
Tang Mo found that his close combat strength was still worse than Fu Wenduo. He was really stronger than before but it was hard to beat Fu Wenduo.
The four people returned to the room and Tang Mo summarized it. “At present, Eve’s Reward seemed to be a physical improvement. It can be called an upgraded version of the Christmas tree branch.”
Fu Wensheng had a thought. “Eve’s Reward is a red apple. This is a bit of a peaceful fruit.”
In this way, it really could be related to the Christmas tree branch.
Chen Shanshan felt that this reward wouldn’t be so simple. There were no more than 20 players in the world who received this reward. If it was just to reward senior players and improve their physical strength then the black tower didn’t have to specifically set up a seven day Eve’s Game.
However, they had limited information and could only guess this much.
Tang Mo was unconscious for seven days and many things weren’t clear. Chen Shanshan told him the current situation in Beijing. “Xu Yusheng’s death significantly affected the returnees. In the past seven days, many players in Beijing were killed or eliminated in the game. However, there aren’t many accidental deaths of the less powerful official players.
Tang Mo quickly understood. “Xu Yusheng could be called the most powerful returnee in Beijing. Her death was a wake-up call for the returnees. Earth survivors aren’t as weak as they thought. Thus, they are afraid to kill so brazenly.”
Still, there were many players who died.
The returnees who came back to Earth were still bound by the time leaderboard and weren’t official players.
If they wanted to truly gain freedom and remove the golden number on their neck then they must eliminate Earth players. Killing was the simplest way. If it wasn’t for Tang Mo killing Xu Yusheng in such a public manner that the returnees were deterred then the situation in Beijing would be much more grim.
Now there was a delicate balance between the two sides.
Returnees must eliminate Earth players, which was the method that the black tower gave them to survive. However, they couldn’t arbitrarily kill people. This was too a degree that both sides could accept and it could even be said that the returnees were still at a disadvantage. They didn’t have any organizations and most of them were lone rangers constantly threatened by the time leaderboard.
Tang Mo crossed his arms, his fingers tapping his arms. He frowned for a long time before looking up. “What about Ning Zheng?”
That’s right, what about Ning Zheng?
Xu Yusheng had died and Ning Zheng was the most powerful returnee in Beijing.
The return to Earth was set and smart returnees would no longer fight alone. After seeing the strength of the Tian Xuan organization and Fu Wenduo, they would become united. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too united but Ning Zheng could use his influence to create a strong returnees organization to compete with the Earth survivors. This was probably what many returnees wanted to see.
But…
Chen Shanshan told him, “There is no news of Ning Zheng.”
Tang Mo was a big surprised and subconsciously glanced at Fu Wenduo. “There is no news at all?”
Fu Wenduo replied, “No.”
Tang Mo’s expression changed.
No news at all… as long as he made contact with people, there must be clues left behind. Ning Zheng didn’t eliminate Earth players to get rid of the identity of a returnee?
Meanwhile, Beijing West Sixth Ring Road, an abandoned clothing factory.
The sky was becoming darker when a faint white light flashed in the depths of the building. Soon, a white figure appeared in the factory. Ning Zheng was wearing a white coat with some blood on it. Once he returned to Earth, he gripped his weapon and looked around warily. He determined there was nothing strange and coldly walked out of the factory.
He had just stepped through the gates when he turned and threw a knife towards one side of the factory.
Next to the factory’s gates, a tall and skinny baby-faced youth moved his head to avoid the knife and shouted in an exaggerated manner, “Wow, throwing a knife when we just met. Aren’t you too fierce?” The baby-faced youth slowly smiled as he placed his hands in his pocket and glanced at Ning Zheng’s neck. “Hehe, did you just leave an instance? Your numbers are gone. Did you eliminate enough people?”
He discovered it instantly. Ning Zheng knew that this baby-faced youth must not be underestimated. He put his hand in his pocket and held a hidden prop.
Ning Zheng asked coldly, “Who are you?”
“You don’t know me?” The baby-faced youth’s mouth slightly opened, a look of surprise appearing on his face. “A week ago, you joined hands with Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo on the elevated road. Didn’t they tell you my name?”
Ning Zheng didn’t answer but his expression said, ‘If you are so important then why don’t you say your name?’
Bai Ruoyao, “…” He was silent for a moment before muttering, “I was afraid I would mess things up a week ago.” Then he smiled at Ning Zheng. “It isn’t too late to know my name now. I am Bai Ruoyao, Tang Tang’s good friend. I am also his biggest enemy. I would like to kill him and Fu Wenduo.”
NIng Zheng’s pupils dilated but he still showed no expression. “What do you want to say?”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend… don’t you want to kill them?”
Ning Zheng clenched his fingers before turning to leave.
Bai Ruoyao didn’t chased after him. He just stood there and grinned. “Ning Zheng, 62nd on the time leaderboard, you are embarrassed. Shall I call you in the future?”
Ning Zheng didn’t stop or walk back.
Bai Ruoyao’s distant laughter was like a rusty copper bell. It should be nice to hear but it was rusted and slammed into Ning Zheng’s heart, making him angry. However, he held back. He didn’t want to get involved with Earth survivors. He just wanted to survive until the end.
He was just about to reach the end of the road when Bai Ruoyao’s laughter stopped. He spoke again, his voice hoarse and magical. “Hey, I heard you have a twin sister? Hehe, does she really exist?”
Ning Zheng jerked and stared at the distant youth with a startled expression.
Three days later.
Tang Mo didn’t remember most of what he experienced when he was unconscious but as time passed, part of the lost memory gradually returned. He told Fu Wenduo, “We have to attack the tower.”
Fu Wenduo calmly asked, “Is this a message from the black tower?”
Tang Mo shook his head. “I don’t remember but my subconscious is telling me that we can only gain more things and know the truth by attacking the tower. We have to attack the tower as fast as possible. You also need to quickly attack the tower and get rid of your identity as a stowaway.”
Returnees needed to eliminate Earth survivors to gain freedom and become a player recognized by the black tower. The situation of stowaways wasn’t much better than returnees. Stowaways who participated in any black tower game would be coveted by the black tower boss. Fortunately, Fu Wenduo was a powerful stowaway. Many of the less powerful stowaways were eaten by the black tower bosses at the beginning.
The black tower monsters really ate people and never joked around.
Fu Wenduo smiled. “Okay.”
On the East Third Ring Road battle, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were the final winners. Since then, their shaky cooperation with Tian Xuan broke down and the two sides didn’t contact each other. Tang Mo didn’t intend to tell the other party the information he got from Eve’s Reward. He thought about when to challenge the black tower’s fifth floor and what preparations to make before that.
In the dark night, Fu Wenduo stood by the window and looked back at the young man in the house. Tang Mo held his chin with his left hand while his right hand held a pen. He drew a rough map of Beijing and then drew several circles on it.
These were all places where an instance or reality instance could trigger in Beijing.
Five minutes later, Tang Mo raised his head. “When will Shanshan and Xiao Sheng come back?”
Fu Wenduo replied, “It is just a regular instance. With their strength, they should come out in two days.”
Tang Mo nodded.
Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had never seen Chen Shanshan and Fu Wensheng as their subordinates. The two children were also powerful players. Their strength wasn’t high but Chen Shanshan’s mind and Xiao Fu’s healing ability were sometimes more important in the black tower games than strength. They would be core members in any organization or team.
Tang Mo couldn’t take Chen Shanshan with him into every game to protect her and it was the same for Fu Wenduo with Fu Wensheng.
The two children needed the chance to be independent.
Tang Mo had several plans in his heart. He intended to wait for Chen Shanshan to come back so they could discuss which instance the four people would enter next.
There was silence in the room, with only the faint sound of wind slamming into the window.
Fu Wenduo watched Tang Mo while his fingers tapped the windowsill. His eyes gazed at Tang Mo’s hand from time to time, seemingly thinking about something. He was just about to open his mouth when Fu Wenduo’s expression changed and Tang Mo suddenly looked up. Fu Wenduo took a small dart from his pocket and threw it out the window.
There was the sound of glass breaking in the building. The person outside the door escape the dart and smiled in a dissatisfied manner. “Hey, you say hello like this every time we meet Tang Tang, Major Fu. Aren’t we friends?” It was a relaxed tone but the man was quietly relieved when he avoided the dart.
Tang Mo got up, touched the small parasol tied to his waist and stared coldly at the baby-faced youth who shouldn’t appear here. His voice was cold as he called out the other person’s name. “Bai Ruoyao.”
Bai Ruoyao smiled and said meaningfully, “It turns out that you remember me, Tang Tang.”
Tang Mo sensed his tone but didn’t understand what was wrong with the other person. However, he wasn’t interested in guessing the thoughts of an abnormal person like Bai Ruoyao.
Bai Ruoyao was alone while Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were two people.
Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had no intention of starting it. The two people were very calm as they looked at the baby-faced youth outside the door. Bai Ruoyao couldn’t kill them but since he dared to come, he must have confidence that he could leave. Therefore, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had no intention of doing anything.
“What do you want?”
Bai Ruoyao made a sincere expression. “I missed you, Tang Tang.” Bai Ruoyao found that Fu Wenduo’s expression sank and thought he should generously share the taste. “Hehe, I also want (to kill) you, Major Fu.”
Tang Mo ignored the words. His fingers rubbed the handle of the small parasol, the warning self-evident.
Bai Ruoyao shrugged. “Aren’t we friends?”
Tang Mo glanced at him, wanting to directly attack the baby-faced youth and ask who was his friend!
Bai Ruoyao wasn’t angry but he retreated half a step. His face was hidden in the darkness as he said, “Yesterday, the black tower released an assembly instance. It is very interesting. Tang Tang, are you going?”
Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had planned to go but Tang Mo asked coldly, “Is it related to you?”
“Hehe, because I am going.”
Tang Mo, “…” He suddenly didn’t want to go.
Fu Wenduo spoke in a low voice, “You came here to say this?”
Bai Ruoyao didn’t answer and imitated the voice of the black tower. “Ding dong! The assembly instance is open for a limited time. The game location: the wonderful commercial street of the Underground Kingdom. Game reward: Unknown. Game boss: Santa Claus. June 6th, 6:6 a.m., asking the players to go to the Temple of Heaven in Dongcheng to participate in the game…”
His voice stopped abruptly and Bai Ruoyao’s smile became more brilliant.
“Tang Tang, Major Fu. Are you coming?” He paused and said, “By the way, I should say…”
“Do you dare to come?”
China, Guangzhou, the Guangzhou Tower next to Pearl River.
In the dark night, a full moon hung high in the sky.
This was the world’s second tallest tower, Guangzhou Tower. The sleek and slender design made the tower have a slim waist and it was also dubbed as the Guangzhou small waist. From the bottom of the tower, the height of the tower wasn’t visible and it was almost in line with the moon. Nobody knew that at this moment, a tall and slim figure with a ponytail was standing at the top of the tower, staring at the strange and familiar moon.
Mu Huixue reached out to touch the moon. Her eyes were reflected in the shallow moonlight and there was a golden six digit number on her neck.
The cold wind blew her black leather coat but she didn’t feel the cold or the height. She stood at the top of the tower and quietly watched the moon. After a long time, she whispered in Cantonese, “Go together to look at the moonlight’. Then she slowly retracted her hand.
She watched for a while until it seemed that she was tired of the moon. Mu Huixue wanted to lie down and bask in the moonlight but found that the sharp tip of the tower didn’t give her a place to lie down. She looked around in a depressed manner. It was impossible for her to lie down and sleep. If she really lay down then she would be poked by the spire.
She wanted to grab the designer’s collar and ask him why he didn’t design a platform for the moonlight. Mu Huixue sighed helplessly and her whole body suddenly fell backwards.
This action was too sudden as a black figure fell down from the top of Guangzhou Tower. A height of 600 metres and a falling time of 15 seconds. She closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the feeling of being shrouded in moonlight. Once she was 50 metres from the ground, she pulled the whip from her waist and twisted her wrists. The resilient whip smashed through a glass wall and wrapped around a pillar.
Mu Huixue borrowed the force to swing in a half a circle before stably landing.
She returned her whip to her waist and stepped forward to leave. She had just taken half a step when she stopped, not looking back as she talked to the man behind her. She spoke a few words before remembering that the other person probably didn’t understand Cantonese. She said again, “Don’t follow me. I am leaving Guangzhou today.”
In the bleak night, five players hiding behind a building were stunned. Among them were Earth survivors and returnees.
Mu Huixue put her hands in her pocket and strode away from Guangzhou Tower. She walked hundreds of metres and found there were still people following her. She raised her eyebrows. “Do you really want to kill me?”
The five people stopped and didn’t know if they should move.
Mu Huixue looked up at the moon and suddenly laughed. It was a joyful laugh, as if she had been carrying a heavy bag through the desert for three days and three nights before finally seeing an oasis. She didn’t care about life or death. Perhaps she cared more about freedom and liberation.
She said with a smile, “I am going to Beijing to find someone to kill me. You don’t have to follow me anymore.”
The five people were shocked by her words and didn’t move for a long time. By the time they reacted and looked up, she had long disappeared.
I’m going to Beijing.
…To find someone to kill me.
It sounded like a joke but the five people felt that Mu Huixue wasn’t joking. She sincerely wanted to find someone and ask that person to end her life. Even so, it was a bit of a wait.