Shattered Illusion Realm, Lamp Bearer

The same thing was happening to other members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation. They had all encountered Wang Chuang disguised as their companions, were caught off guard by his attacks, and sustained varying degrees of injury.

Only Zhou Xu, with his sharp intuition, swift actions, and decisive nature, managed to avoid the trap by shooting the fake Zhao Keke.

Is that the smell of blood?

One of the Bureau of Occult Investigation members has been injured.

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes; he was perhaps the only person in the residential complex who had not been attacked by "Wang Chuang."

Due to the effects of mysterious forces, Yang Qizhou could not observe the current status of the Bureau of Occult Investigation members, but with the power bolstered by Kanrui's Wizard Ring, he could still faintly smell the scent of blood.

"This 'Wang Chuang' is no ordinary player; he must be an expert who obtained a powerful item from the World of Weirdness."

"The Bureau of Occult Investigation has kicked a steel plate."

"Even if they manage to arrest him, I fear the cost in casualties will be heavy."

Moonlight mingled with streetlamp light fell upon him, making his figure flicker between light and shadow, appearing exceptionally mysterious.

The eerie screeching of the Doom-Bringing Raven echoed in his mind. Yang Qizhou prepared to perform a save-scum, erasing all traces and withdrawing from the current fate.

He had figured out what he needed to know, and many of his inner doubts had been answered. Remaining any longer not only carried the risk of his save file being overwritten but also the possibility of being dragged into the unfolding chaos.

In truth, Yang Qizhou actually had a rather favorable impression of the Bureau of Occult Investigation.

They lurked in the darkness, fighting against all sorts of strange horrors to protect the mundane world from being violated. If circumstances allowed, Yang Qizhou wouldn't mind giving them a hand.

But he had only just come into contact with the game, and even if he were stronger than the average player, it was limited. The risks brought by exposing his identity were simply too great.

Yang Qizhou could never bring himself to place his own safety in the hands of others' morality. Therefore, until he was strong enough to ignore all threats, he would hide himself as much as possible.

However, this movement of Yang Qizhou raising his hand startled the eyes in the darkness, leading the hidden figure to believe that this mysterious person who had followed him in was about to make a move.

"This is a matter between me and 'them.' I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, or I will kill you along with them." A voice came from an unknown direction in the night—low, evil, cruel, insane, and yet, carrying a hint of wariness.

Am I... being threatened?

Yang Qizhou stopped his hand, which was about to snap his fingers, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

"Wang Chuang?"

"Yes."

"Were you just threatening me?"

"That wasn't a threat, it was a warning. Of course, you can consider it a threat if you like."

The man hiding in the darkness was hunched over, clutching a strange, incomplete wooden statue. The carving seemed like a living thing, connected to countless hideous, vein-like vines that were densely burrowed into the man's arm, radiating a purple-black, evil aura that was both horrifying and insane.

In reality, "Wang Chuang" had long since discovered Yang Qizhou sneaking in. The reason he hadn't attacked him like he did the Bureau of Occult Investigation members was that he sensed a threat from Yang Qizhou.

However, Wang Chuang's mind had been corrupted by an Old Day Item, leaving him in a semi-insane state with limited remaining rationality.

So, when he saw Yang Qizhou move, he assumed the other party was going to meddle, and his attitude became as volatile as a cat with its fur standing on end, his words becoming extremely extreme.

Threatening me?

Yang Qizhou also smiled. Because of the fierce glint in his eyes and his tightly clenched, vein-popping fists, this smile appeared exceptionally ferocious.

"Actually, I am usually a very rational person. Seeking luck and avoiding disaster, analyzing pros and cons, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, a great man knows when to yield and when to stand tall—I can do all of these."

"I just have one flaw... I can't stomach being pushed around."

"I remember back in school, there was a bully who always picked on my classmates. At that time, I didn't want to cause trouble, and I didn't feel my relationship with those classmates was worth standing up for them, so I always avoided the bully. Until one day, the bully picked on me, saying he was going to take my pocket money and slap me across the face."

"Do you know what I did?"

"I grabbed a brick, held onto that bully, and just hammered him repeatedly. Even though the bully's dozen lackeys were punching and kicking me, they couldn't pull me off."

"The bully was beaten half to death."

A bronze lamp appeared in Yang Qizhou's hand out of nowhere, and a flame ignited within it, illuminating the deep night.

Ancient God Fire Lamp (Excellent): A tool used by the Fire-Stealing Villagers to steal fire. It requires "Fire Kindling" to ignite and activate. It contains a small amount of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God's divine power and can disperse the illusions in the fog to see the true landscape.

His voice also carried a touch of helplessness and ferocity.

"I just wanted to leave quietly. Why did you have to threaten me?"

On the other side.

At this moment, the situation for the members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation was dire. The power of the Old Day Item in "Wang Chuang's" hand was far too bizarre. First, he separated everyone into hiding, then occasionally disguised himself as a companion to launch surprise attacks when they let their guard down, or sometimes placed two members together, tricking them into killing each other under the belief that the other was an impostor.

Not only that, "Wang Chuang" also utilized psychological warfare, constantly informing the members of their partners' conditions—for instance, that Zhao Keke had been stabbed in the stomach and was bleeding profusely, or that Brother Chen had lost an arm, and so on...

"Wang Chuang, you bastard! If you have the guts, come out!"

Zhou Xu roared, though he felt deeply pessimistic. He hadn't expected the intelligence provided by the Bureau to be so inaccurate; although the "Old Day Item" in the target's hand was of the lowest grade, its level of activation was clearly very high.

Zhao Keke was losing a massive amount of blood, and the other members had all sustained varying degrees of injury. If this continued, everyone would die here.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

A bronze lamp appeared, illuminating the entire night. Even Zhou Xu couldn't fathom how a mere lamp could shine brighter than the sun.

The surrounding scenery twisted and shifted, as if a facade were being torn away to reveal the complete truth.

The Bureau of Occult Investigation members who had previously vanished reappeared in their field of vision.

"Chief Zhou, I've practically turned the entire residential complex upside down looking for you, and yet, you were right next to me the whole time."

"Stop with the nonsense and heal me already! If I keep bleeding like this, I'm going to die."

"That Wang Chuang is absolutely detestable! He actually disguised himself as Chief Zhou and ambushed me when I wasn't on guard. If my 'Sixth Sense Frequency'—gained from the Fate's Gift—hadn't issued a danger warning, I would've been a goner."

"Everyone, look over there!"

At this moment, the false illusion constructed by the "Old Day Item" in Wang Chuang's hands had completely shattered under the effects of the "Ancient God Fire Lamp," revealing the true scene to everyone present.

At the entrance of the residential complex, they saw a mysterious figure hidden in the night, bathed in moonlight. Because of the distance, his features were obscured, but he held a bronze lamp in his hand, its flickering flame making him appear exceptionally enigmatic.

He was retreating, his figure gradually being swallowed by the darkness, on the verge of disappearing entirely.

"Wait a second, brother..."

Seeing the mysterious man with the lantern about to vanish, Zhou Xu wanted to give chase in his anxiety, but he was a step too late; the other party had already merged into the night.

The mysterious man's bizarre methods left a significant impact on the members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation. They looked at one another, their eyes filled with shock.

"Chief Zhou, look, it's Wang Chuang."

One of the Bureau of Occult Investigation members suddenly discovered something, shouting with a voice full of shock.

Zhou Xu and the others instinctively looked over and saw a young man curled up in the corner, trembling all over. His face was covered in bruises, clearly having been beaten quite severely.

"Chief Zhou, that... that mysterious man really doesn't pull his punches. Looking at these injuries, he was beating him like he wanted him dead."

Zhao Keke said viciously, "I think it would be better if he were dead! I was almost stabbed to death by him; I have the urge to roast his heart alive."

There happened to be a member in the squad skilled in healing. After some treatment, her bleeding stopped and her strength returned, bringing her fiery temper back with it.

"Chief Zhou, that person just now didn't seem to be a registered player, and his strength was immense. He solved the illusion that had us completely helpless with such ease. Could it be that he is a member of a secret organization like the 'Secret Cultivator Society' or the 'Hermit Society'?"

It was Old Chen who spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

Zhou Xu shook his head, shifting his gaze to their target, Wang Chuang. "Let's take him back first. Be careful with the containment of the 'Old Day Item' and ensure no accidents occur."

"What about the mysterious man from just now?" Old Chen asked, and the others also looked toward Zhou Xu.

"Report it up. List him as an unknown 'player' with a provisional rating of A+, codename... Lamp Bearer."

A+?

Everyone present was somewhat shocked, as this rating was incredibly high. Among all the files of unknown players recorded by the Bureau of Occult Investigation, those rated A+ did not exceed ten, ranking just below the S-class, which existed only in legends and had yet to truly appear.

Yet, when they recalled the moonlight radiating from the mysterious man and the scene of the candlelight shattering the false illusion, they felt the evaluation was not an exaggeration.

Lamp Bearer... he was very strong.