Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 81 Shadow Play

The indoor doors and windows were tightly shut, with heavy curtains drawn together, making the entire room airtight.

Chai Cuiqiao lay on the living room sofa playing with her phone, her feet resting on the sealed aquarium that contained Zou Zhengze’s specimen. A cold yin energy radiated from her entire body, like a high-powered central air conditioner, bringing a chill to every corner of the room.

In the bedroom, Li Ang wore a white tank top shaped like a plastic bag on his upper body and a pair of blue, drafty boxers on his lower body. He sat comfortably in a chair with his feet in a basin full of water, playing on his computer.

Late summer was transitioning into early autumn, and by rights, the weather should have been gradually cooling down, but this year was different.

The sun blazed in a cloudless sky. The air seemed to stagnate, and the ground steamed as heat radiated upwards. The streets, once bustling with pedestrians, were now sparsely populated.

Yin City had broken its historical record for the highest autumn temperature. Air conditioners were selling out, and electricity bills for most households had multiplied. freёnovelkiss-com

And at night, the temperature would plummet drastically.

This weather is definitely not normal, Li Ang thought. I just don’t know if it’s related to supernatural factors.

"It’s so hot, I don’t even want to go out and trigger a mission," Li Ang complained, rolling his eyes as he browsed a player forum.

On the forum, only a few posts discussed the abnormal weather in Yin City—most players were still more focused on strategies for script missions or auctions for equipment on the black market.

It seems I can’t find any information about the Datura organization... He frowned and closed the webpage. Ever since completing the mission at Longheng Square, he had been searching for information about Datura.

They had been able to cultivate someone like Xu Tuoan, a unique individual, years ago before the start of the killing game. They also attempted to lay down a Yin Gathering Array within Longheng Square in Yin City. It didn’t matter what their ultimate goal was; it definitely wasn’t anything good.

After the mission was completed, the Special Affairs Bureau’s field staff quickly arrived at Longheng Square and conducted a sealed-off investigation that lasted two days.

To be safe, Li Ang had also anonymously sent an email to the Special Affairs Bureau two days later, vaguely suggesting the events at Longheng Square were related to the Datura organization.

As for how the Special Affairs Bureau reacted or what measures they took, that was beyond Li Ang’s purview.

On the sofa, Chai Cuiqiao turned over and lazily called out, "Hey, Li Ang, this specimen’s yin energy is almost drained!"

"I know," Li Ang shouted back without turning his head. "Conserve it for now. Let’s go out tonight."

"Going out" meant visiting places like hospitals and graveyards where yin energy was heavy, to allow the Soul-Inviting Banner to restore some Energy.

Keeping Miss Chai was a bit of a hassle; he always needed to ensure her supply wasn’t cut off. If he were raising a weaker ghoul, a few drops of blood each day would suffice. But for an old hand like Miss Chai, the daily amount of yin energy required to maintain her form was considerably large.

Zou Zhengze, who had died a gruesome death and whose body was subsequently preserved in formalin as a specimen, could only provide Chai Cuiqiao with a month’s worth of yin energy.

The Soul-Inviting Banner, capable of accommodating three ghouls, was actually quite a powerful item. Even in the early stages of the killing game, a low-level player could use this item to raise three ghouls of the same level, greatly boosting their strength. But the consequence was an incredibly high demand for yin energy.

Just one ghoul like Chai Cuiqiao was already stretching his resources thin; if the banner were to be filled with three... TSK TSK.

This was also why Li Ang didn’t pay much attention to the Soul-Inviting Banner as an equipment. It would be an early-game Divine Artifact for Tame Head Master Sects from Southeast Asia who specialized in studying bizarre techniques. However, for a player like Li Ang, living in the well-policed Yin City, its effect was much diminished.

"Oh," Chai Cuiqiao replied, glancing at the fish tank filled with formalin, feeling incredibly reluctant.

Having finally gotten accustomed to a life with abundant yin energy, the thought of returning to sneaking around graveyards, scrounging for scraps... It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance back to frugality. It’s tough, pal.

Yin City Red Star Compound Fertilizer Co., Ltd. was established in 2017. The company boasted a complete product structure, covering active fertilizers, bio-organic fertilizers, compound microbial fertilizers, water-soluble fertilizers, soil conditioners, and other new product series. With an annual production capacity of one million tons of compound fertilizer, it had conducted in-depth cooperation with Fortune Global 500 enterprises. It was a modern fertilizer group integrating research and development, production, sales, and technical services.

This introduction could be found on the official website of Yin City Red Star Compound Fertilizer Co., Ltd. Following the website address would lead to a building located in the southeastern corner of Yin City’s industrial park.

The building had eight floors and looked rather old. Its facade was covered with dark green curved glass, and its walls were clad in somewhat faded red bricks. Behind the building, a steel-framed factory blended in with the surrounding industrial park.

On the surface, this company seemed quite legitimate. The machinery in the factory ran nonstop during the day, trucks filled with fertilizer came and went, and there were frequent imports of high-end, upscale fertilizer-related machinery.

But two hundred meters underground, beneath the factory, lay a massive ten-story space: the headquarters of the Special Affairs Bureau.

Dressed in a gray employee uniform, Wanli Fengdao stepped out of the elevator, swiped his card to pass through the security door, walked through a long, narrow corridor, and arrived at the first-floor reception hall of the Special Affairs Bureau.

The reception hall was quite spacious. Green plants were placed on both sides of the entrance. The ceiling was fitted with specially made light tubes that simulated the feeling of natural sunlight. The floors were made of dark marble tiles that clinked crisply underfoot.

Above ground, it was a scorching summer day, but underground, it was cool and refreshing. At the far end of the hall was the Special Affairs Bureau’s reception desk, where three employees—one man and two women—sat. They were all exceptionally good-looking, with a dignified and professional demeanor, responsible for reception and processing relevant paperwork.

Despite being located underground, the hall was almost comparable in size to the lobbies of Fortune 500 companies.

The three employees at the front desk were processing paperwork for three visitors, while several people in various outfits sat waiting on long benches on either side of the hall. These individuals all wore masks or face coverings and held filled-out proof documents in their gloved hands.

They were Bounty Hunters from among the players.

As the killing game unfolded in stages, abnormal events occurred frequently. The Special Affairs Bureau, being an official organization, was limited by a lack of special combat personnel. Consequently, they could not resolve all abnormal events comprehensively and in a timely manner.

Therefore, the Special Affairs Bureau would post bounties on the forum. These bounties encouraged players to provide relevant clues for abnormal events or to assist the Special Affairs Bureau in pursuing fugitives involved in serious criminal cases.

After completing the mission at the Solitary Cold Temple, Wanli Fengdao had kept in touch with Xing Hechou. He had recently become a Bounty Hunter, resolving an abnormal event that posed a significant threat to public safety and property. Through this, he maintained a relationship with the Special Affairs Bureau that was better than good.

Perhaps, after some time, Xing Hechou would recommend him, and he would officially become a field agent for the Special Affairs Bureau.

Wanli Fengdao waited on a bench for a while before it was his turn.

"I just resolved an Lv5 abnormal event," he said, placing a portable camcorder on the reception desk. "This is the proof."

The young woman at the reception desk briefly inspected the camcorder. After confirming there were no issues, she handed Wanli Fengdao a form to fill out and a one-time pass.

The receptionist offered a thoroughly professional smile and said gently, "Please proceed to the Logistics Support Department on the fourth floor for evaluation. Once the evaluation is passed, you can receive your reward."

Indeed, even if players were just carrying out daily routine tasks and eliminated one or two insignificant monsters, they could still come to the Special Affairs Bureau for a portion of Game Coin rewards. Though meager compared to the System’s mission rewards, every little bit counted.

This mechanism might seem like a loss in the short term, but in reality, it was quite profitable. It not only incentivized players to actively solve abnormal events and assist the authorities in stabilizing the situation, but it also broke down barriers between players and the Special Affairs Bureau. This encouraged more players to join the official organization.

It was a classic ’loss leader’ strategy—an investment to earn goodwill and attract more talent.

Wanli Fengdao took the form and headed to the fourth floor. As soon as he exited the elevator, he saw a familiar face.

A burly man with a square face and a build like a bear stood there. His eyes were red, and his expression was haggard. Holding a medicine bottle in his left hand and a file bag in his right, he was walking out of the Logistics Support Department.

It was Xing Hechou, the captain of a combat team at the Special Affairs Bureau’s Yin City Branch.

Seeing an acquaintance, Wanli Fengdao smiled and walked over. "Brother Xing."

Xing Hechou, who had dark circles under his eyes, snapped back to reality. He didn’t recognize Wanli Fengdao at first glance. After shaving his beard, this man, born in the 90s, suddenly looked much younger, his apparent age regressing from over forty to somewhere in his thirties. Although, he still looked like a somewhat greasy middle-aged man.

"Brother Feng Dao, long time no see." Xing Hechou managed a faint smile. Seeing the form in Wanli Fengdao’s hand, he asked, "Are you here to claim a bounty?"

"Yes," Wanli Fengdao nodded. He glanced at Xing Hechou’s gaunt face and bloodshot eyes, then said hesitantly, "Brother Xing, are you alright? Do you need me to call someone?"

"I’m fine." Xing Hechou coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his fist. "I’ve been busy dealing with a case these days—COUGH, COUGH—haven’t had much sleep. I came over to get some medicine to help me sleep..."

A case? Wanli Fengdao’s brows rose with curiosity. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t press further.

Xing Hechou noticed the expression on Wanli Fengdao’s face and smiled, handing the file bag to him. "It’s just a serial murder case involving players. We’ve already posted the bounty on the forum. The difficulty is around Lv7. If you’re interested, you could give it a try."

Curious, Wanli Fengdao took the file bag, opened it, and read the text aloud: "Shadow... puppetry?"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ov𝒆l.com