Chapter 188

Chapter 188. Traitor (2)

In China, there’s something called the Communist Youth League, managed by the Communist Party.

“The official name is the Chinese Communist Youth League.”

It is an organization for young individuals aged between 14 and 28, seemingly functioning as a kind of talent cultivation center.

The guy named Zhang Tianyu was affiliated with that very Youth League.

“Even his parents were involved in politics.”

Basically, this indicated that Zhang Tianyu was part of the Chinese establishment.

It was either thanks to this or because of it.

Conducting a background check on him was incredibly easy.

His name was well-known, plastered all over the place.

He even had a personal SNS flaunting a luxurious lifestyle.

“I wondered what in the world made him commit crimes without even bothering to hide his real name.”

It seemed like he believed he could handle anything that came his way with his background and power.

After all, that’s why he continued leading a lifestyle in Beijing without a hitch even after the attacks in Europe.

I used Invisibility to observe from the rooftop of the tallest building nearby.

Just then, Zhang Tianyu got out of a notoriously expensive supercar and entered the building.

Due to the height of the building, everything on the ground looked smaller than ants.

Despite that, the stench of thick, metallic blood was abound.

That was the effect of the title “Slayer”.

“This is stronger than those who disembowel their victims on site.”

The Slayer does not react to the smell of monster blood.

This means that woman killed humans herself. And not just a few, but an overwhelming number.

“So why.”

Why was there no bounty mission targeting Zhang Tianyu on the hidden mission board?

I scoured the mission list again, but found no targets matching Zhang Tianyu’s location.

“I thought one of the two in Beijing would surely be Zhang Tianyu.”

No, that’s not it.

“There’s no way she killed only civilians.”

During the game, it’s impossible that there were no conflicts with other players.

She must have clashed with the players sent from Europe just a fortnight ago.

“Maybe she didn’t engage in the battle?”

I stood still, staring at the spot where Zhang Tianyu had vanished.

Yet, I brushed off my thoughts before delving deeper.

The important thing right now was to catch Zhang Tianyu.

“It’s clear she’s not just some spoiled rich kid.”

Thus, a hunting ground to corner her needed to be chosen wisely.

Zhang Tianyu wouldn’t care whether there were civilians around or not.

Most ordinary players couldn’t do that.

They were only accustomed to slaying monsters.

“Neither am I nor she desensitized to killing.”

Considering all these factors, ambushing from outside was dismissed.

“It’s better to dig a trap and hide.”

Having organized my thoughts, I lightly pushed off the rooftop.

A newly built officetel in Chaoyang District, Beijing.

The high-pitched noise echoed as a supercar rapidly entered the underground parking lot.

Screech, boom!

The notorious supercar finally stopped after crashing into a parked foreign car.

A woman in her early twenties got out of the car which hadn’t even managed to park properly within the lines.

The eldest daughter of the central committee member, Zhang Yang, Zhang Tianyu.

“Damn it.”

Unable to suppress her bubbling anger, she slammed the door shut with force.

Consequently, the door of the vehicle crumpled.

“Hic.”

Coincidentally, an officetel resident who came down to the underground parking for an outing froze at the sight.

However, Zhang Tianyu paid no attention to his gaze and slammed the door shut again.

After all, it had been a month since the operation in Bihar had completely collapsed.

The Player Association, having confirmed her identity, was already pressuring the Chinese government using their international governments.

However, the government wasn’t simply about to hand her over.

No matter what, Zhang Tianyu was the player China had carefully nurtured over the past year.

Of course, this didn’t free her from the authorities’ investigations either.

Today, she found herself on the receiving end of mocking comments from Zhang Yang.

Violence accompanied the explosive reaction as a matter of course.

Once she realized that hitting him only hurt herself, she resorted to using a golf club.

“That bastard probably still thinks I’m under his thumb.”

She gritted her teeth, recalling the bending golf club upon contact with her body.

It seemed like her father needed a proper mental lesson.

“Snap his limbs, and he’ll come to his senses.”

Zhang Tianyu swallowed her anger as she replayed the moment her father Zhang Yang had dared to hit her.

At this moment, she considered turning back and could visualize crushing his bones to pieces, but…

“Now is not the time.”

The government’s atmosphere was unfavorable.

As the business collapsed, China had become a sort of public enemy in the game.

World leaders familiar with the game were full of plans to attack China using the current issue.

More importantly, all her funding sources had been cut off.

If she took action against Zhang Yang now, even politicians who couldn’t join the game might become wary of her.

“For the time being, I should act like I’m deferential to power.”

She needed to assess the political landscape for now.

“It’s hard to use the gate anyway.”

Just a bit more patience.

She swallowed her resentment, clenching her teeth, as she boarded the elevator.

“Damn it!”

Finally unable to suppress her anger, Zhang Tianyu uttered a curse through gritted teeth.

The sight of the elevator dented by her kick only fueled her rising anger.

Recalling the politicians, including her father Zhang Yang, who weren’t even players made it even harder to suppress her fury.

“Those who can’t even become players.”

Zhang Tianyu was someone who could demolish a building with a mere gesture, or crack the ground with a single kick.

Yet, now she found herself in turmoil because of those insignificant individuals.

“I miscalculated.”

She had planned to expand her business, secure funds, and seize control over the Chinese government.

Thanks to Zhang Yang, she could easily establish connections with the regime and steadily dispense bribes to prepare for a great undertaking in the future.

But now her business strategy had crumbled, and attacks from all sides made others turn away and ignore her.

If this delayed preparations until the promised day…

“Looks like there’s no choice now.”

She would have to forcibly seize power and then proceed with her plans.

Gnashing her teeth once again, Zhang Tianyu controlled her breath.

“Let’s not act hastily.”

There was still a chance.

“Retrieve the slaves held in Bihar first.”

She was negotiating with South American players and would soon launch a counterattack.

Once she retrieved the slaves, she would immediately reorganize her forces to overthrow the government.

“Most are trash at best, but they’re sufficient for killing ordinary people.”

Anyway, many of those involved had strong emotional entanglements or grudges related to family, so she couldn’t use them for long.

It was better to use this opportunity to dispose of them after exploiting them as cannon fodder.

“After promoting a few of the ones constantly reporting through chat to managerial positions, I can dispose of the rest, right?”

The vacant positions wouldn’t be much of a concern.

There were plenty of newly-selected players.

With the government even mobilizing public security police for searches, supplementing manpower wouldn’t be difficult.

As soon as she finished her headache-inducing thoughts, the elevator reached the top floor.

The moment she entered the officetel, she headed straight to the cupboard in the living room.

As soon as she opened the highest drawer, dozens of small zipper bags stacked within came into view.

It was Cratoll, which recently had an expanding distribution network.

Due to Zhang Yang confiscating everything she had brought along, she hadn’t been able to consume any on the way.

With eager hands, Zhang Tianyu opened a zipper bag and inhaled deeply.

“Ah.”

Her perfected gold-rank body reacted as soon as she absorbed the black powder.

Her pupils dilated, and black veins began to protrude from her neck and wrists.

While every cell in her body awoke, her consciousness was engulfed as if shrouded in mist.

Zhang Tianyu buried her nose in the zipper bag.

Then she suddenly tilted her head, staring at the empty zipper bag.

“Why am I here?”

Oh right, she had just gotten home after being summoned by Zhang Yang.

She retrieved a new zipper bag from the cupboard and sank onto the sofa behind.

“Ugh, this is awful.”

Her hazy consciousness expanded in a meandering stream.

Why did she have to suffer this stress?

It was all because of the fools who meddled in her affairs.

“Especially that bastard K.”

When she returned to Bihar, she planned to kill him first.

Waxing poetic about justice and righteousness.

She intended to deal with the Player Association, who prattled such nonsense.

And she would gut open the holy knights who killed her subordinates to set up her business again.

Hospitals all over China were eager for the organs she supplied.

Demand was sufficient to start anew if she could just get back on her feet.

“Yeah.”

Just start over.

Murmuring softly, Zhang Tianyu lounged on the sofa, gazing out the window.

The bright cityscape was spread before her eyes, but there was no particular impression.

It was just tedious.

As she let out a long sigh and opened another zipper bag, she muttered.

“I wish we could have uninvited night visitors like last time.”

Then, at least, she could play all night with those begging for their lives.

As she licked her lips in regret, she heard a voice.

“I should have come earlier if I knew I’d be waiting like this.”

Zhang Tianyu jumped off the couch.

As she quickly turned around, a shadow detached from the wall shrouded in darkness.

“What are you doing? This is the night guest you were waiting for. Why not pretend you’re glad to see me?”

As the unfamiliar voice trailed off, the surrounding mana fluctuated.

The spear, firmly gripped in the night guest’s hand, thrust toward her.

Zhang Tianyu, grinning with exhilaration, drew dual swords from her inventory.

As soon as she held the swords, she crossed them in front of her chest to block.

Because the opponent’s first move was a thrust, not a slash.

Moreover, it was a spear, not a sword.

The minuscule point, smaller than a fingertip, closed in at an unimaginable speed.

A normal person would have felt terrified at the approaching spear.

But Zhang Tianyu felt a thrill running from her hips up her spine to the back of her head, from the uncanny strike directed at her.

The moment she crossed her dual swords to intercept the spear.

Bang-!

The sound that echoed could have made one believe a bomb had exploded.

Such was the strength of the shockwave, and the items around the sofa where Zhang Tianyu had been seated were all launched.

Following an intensely fierce collision was the contest of strength.

“Ugh!”

Zhang Tianyu clenched her teeth, resisting the force pushing against her.

Consequently, her temples bulged with veins, and her muscles swelled.

It was her first time utilizing her body like this since becoming gold rank.

That’s why, whenever she engaged in a brawl or fight before, she always thought about the next move.

On this day, however, all she could focus on was blocking the spear pressing in before her.

It was at this subconscious, unperceived level that a warning light went off for Zhang Tianyu.

At that exact painful crunch.

As the enemy’s spearhead and Zhang Tianyu’s dual swords rubbed against each other, sparks flew.

Zhang Tianyu was overpowered.

Crack, crackle.

The smooth, glass-like red mana encasing her weapon began to crack.

“Heh.”

A faint gasp slipped from the man’s lips.

“I expected it to break, but it holds up?”

The intruder’s eyes gleamed with interest, and he tugged at his lips as he spoke.

“Let’s see if it withstands this too.”

Once his words ended, sparks ignited from the night visitor’s hand gripping the spear.

Before it could reach her like a spider’s web or snake climbing the spear shaft.

Zhang Tianyu smashed up with her dual swords, repelling the spear.

And she retreated a step, gritting her teeth.

The invader’s demeanor seemed to evaluate her combat power.

His confidence in his superiority irritated Zhang Tianyu, who twisted her lips.

Thus she ignored the instinctual warning lights activated earlier.

“Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts, you bastard!”

Zhang Tianyu, enveloping her swords with attribute mana, stomped the ground, cracking the officetel floor.

Wham-!

Despite wielding a long spear, the night visitor allowed Zhang Tianyu to approach.

He dodged her blade by bending back, causing the wall behind him to melt away.

It was the result of Zhang Tianyu infusing her swords with magma attribute mana.

Boom-!

Despite witnessing that, the night visitor gamely swung his spear to fend off her relentless strike.

Vast quantities of magma attempting to overflow along the spear shaft were repelled by sparks.

Actually, the molten substance flowed down to entangle Zhang Tianyu.

“Hmp!”

It was her first time clashing with a mana of higher rank than her attribute.

Her insides twisted, causing her to choke up blood.

She clenched her teeth, stubbornly enduring.

Fissures ran across the floor unable to withstand the tremendous forces pressing from both sides.

Though they rushed at each other to sever one another, only to momentarily back off and clash again.

Each continued collision snapped tables in two and cracked walls, exposing what should remain hidden.

With each exchange, the ferocious snarl of Zhang Tianyu’s expression stiffened more and more.

Considering the current circumstances, Zhang Tianyu held the upper hand.

Besides the opponent’s initial move, all he did was fend off and evade her strikes.

Thus it was clear that she should have the advantage…but…

“Then why.”

Could her swords not touch him?

Damned System