Chapter Fifty-Nine: Shard of the Fallen Star
Chen Qi pondered for a moment. The reason these two elite players hadn’t joined the battle was either because their identities were relatively neutral and they hoped to profit from the chaos, snatching the victory for themselves, or because they saw no benefit in participating and simply chose not to fight. It couldn’t possibly be that the Fisherman and Phantom Thief were so honorable, agreeing to a man-to-man duel with no outside interference.
Yet the next second, the Fisherman’s furious roar slapped Chen Qi’s assumptions in the face:
“Are you coming or not, Phantom Thief? Single combat!”
Boom!
The Fisherman’s muscles surged like those of a seasoned old warrior, and he swung his fishing rod, slamming the Phantom Thief—bound by fishing line—from a hundred meters above straight into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
After this attack, the Phantom Thief finally stopped his taunts, lying motionless on the ground.
No, something was off… Chen Qi noticed the clues. Within the White Dove World, compared to the other two elite players, the Phantom Thief’s aura was far too weak.
Could it be a fake?
Seabird’s next words confirmed his suspicion:
“Old Yu, let it go. That’s an illusion. The Phantom Thief’s real target is the branch’s information. We’ve been lured away.”
“Lured away? That was an illusion?” The Fisherman’s pupils contracted in shock; the terrifying monster was merely a shadow.
A gust of wind swept through, making the Fisherman’s already gray, messy hair even more disheveled.
The shattered “Phantom Thief” on the ground slowly sat up and laughed:
“Fisherman, don’t you understand? The first beta test is nearing its end, and the world is about to face a new storm. Each of us is already caught within it.
Only those who dare to fight with all their might in the eye of the storm can reach the pinnacle!
I have the gift of power and, like you, belong to the same group, possessing knowledge and intelligence beyond other Wanderers.
In the days you grew complacent, I pushed myself every day to grow stronger. Perhaps once I was weaker than you, hunted to death by you!
But now, old man, you’re the one who’s fallen behind!”
With these words, the Phantom Thief’s illusion faded like ashes, leaving behind only a card bearing his smiling face.
Yu Xian, the Fisherman, looked at the fading illusion and shook his head; because of that monster, his mental resistance was fragile, and there were many dangerous places he could no longer go. He really had grown weaker.
Perhaps, as others said, he was only fit to fish, surf the web, and protect newcomers…
The Fisherman slapped his own face twice, shouldered his rod, and hurried toward the branch headquarters. The Disaster Messenger was gravely injured; he had to ensure the safety of the newcomers.
Seabird glanced at the distant branch building, its lights restored, and spoke to the Fisherman:
“The Phantom Thief didn’t truly make a move. His real intention was information. I can’t detect his presence nearby.
Old Yu, I’ll take my leave.”
Yu Xian replied with a sigh of resignation, “Thanks for your help. Otherwise, if he’d really come, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him.”
The White Puppet Master, Li, slung his coffin onto his back, cast a curious glance at Chen Qi’s white dove, and said, “Seabird, let’s continue this on the forum.”
With that, the White Puppet Master quickly vanished into the darkness.
The battle was over…
Chen Qi let out a breath of relief.
Although he had defeated Shadow of the Body, he didn’t know if it had managed to relay information before dying.
At this moment, he glanced at his phone; Yu Xian from the Sunwalkers was checking if he was safe.
Seabird, seeing everyone gone, rolled up his sleeve and checked his watch, preparing to depart.
Chen Qi responded to Yu Xian, assuring him of his safety, and was about to dissolve his white bird and leave for some rest.
Buzz, buzz!
Suddenly, Chen Qi was startled as his phone vibrated.
It was a notification from the New Sun game!
Could he have encountered danger along the way?
Whenever danger arises in the New Sun game, the phone sends various alerts, even waking you if you’re asleep.
Chen Qi promptly picked up his phone and checked New Sun.
A text unexpectedly popped up!
The message sparkled like stars, instantly turning his worry into excitement.
This…
[As the core of the Morning Star, you have come into contact with an outer fragment of the Fallen Morning Star, establishing a connection. Progress +1. Current progress: 1/2.]
“Oh-ho!”
The sudden surprise made him exclaim.
He had made contact already!? When did that happen!?
What was going on? It was so sudden!
Chen Qi looked around—no one was near him…
Wait!
He quickly shifted his view back to the white dove.
At that moment, the elite player Seabird was checking his watch.
That watch…
It was a blue mechanical watch set with a tiny white gemstone, which shimmered faintly.
It wasn’t eye-catching—might have been just a reflection—but Chen Qi felt certain, almost instinctively, that it was an outer fragment of the Morning Star!
Just seeing it counted as contact… The fragment was a gem on a watch…
An outer fragment of the Morning Star was on an elite player’s watch!
But the other didn’t give him much time to observe; Seabird, after checking the time, leaped away and vanished in an instant.
Chen Qi gritted his teeth and began to think.
He recalled that he’d gained his hidden talent because he owned a bracelet made from the Morning Star.
If that logic held… then others who possessed outer fragments of the Fallen Morning Star might also be able to use them to gain talents!
And possessing a good talent meant a better start, faster development, and a higher chance of becoming an outstanding player!
The outstanding ones were the leaders of organizations like the Holy Disaster Association, and those unique strong individuals—elite players!
Among elite players, there was a high probability they owned fragments.
Interesting…
The task of upgrading his talent, once clouded in confusion, suddenly became clearer: he needed to find ways to interact with elite players.
Yet elite players weren’t easy to approach. Today’s contact had been pure coincidence.
The organization of Wanderers was different from ordinary supernatural groups; there were too many ordinary people, and the whereabouts of elite players were secret—hard to track in such a vast world.
Many elite players were loners, only returning to headquarters when lacking money or medicine, or wounded.
Elite players communicated with elite players.
And ‘elite player’ was simply another name for the strong among the players.
In the end, his next goal remained—upgrade and grow stronger.
The first beta test was almost over, and he was among the last of this group…
Hiss… Chen Qi took out bandages from the game, wrapped himself up, and checked New Sun.
He had arrived at the Tower of Medicine.
[As you approach the territory of the Tower of Medicine, you give an order for the Shadow Fox to deactivate its giant shadow form.]
[Under your guidance, the Shadow Fox uses its Shadow Escape technique, slipping into the shadow between your clothes and body, hiding itself.]
[Then, you lead the little donkey back toward the Tower of Medicine. At this moment, the Flower Witch is speaking with foreign guests, while Blue Snowflake has just completed the assessment she was responsible for.]
[So soon? Blue Snowflake, seeing your return, looks at you with surprise.]