Sacrifice and Fire

Thick smoke quickly billowed into the sky. There was no need to check the surveillance footage; it was visible right outside the car window.

The members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation all looked grim...

Zhao Keke couldn't help cursing angrily. "Has that Wang Chuang lost his mind? There are thousands of people in the Diamond Building. How many will die in this fire?"

"Maybe killing thousands of people is exactly what he wants." It was Old Chen who spoke. His eyes were also filled with a chilling killing intent.

Fire was merciless. Every second of delay could mean more lives lost.

In the end, Zhou Xu calmly and decisively gave his orders.

"Notify the fire department, medical services, law enforcement, traffic control, and all other relevant departments immediately. Have them assist the Bureau of Occult Investigation in handling this emergency. Also, request support from our superiors. Get a player with an 'exploration' or 'tracking' ability here. No matter what it takes, we have to find Wang Chuang as quickly as possible."

"Okay, I'll notify the departments."

Old Chen ran out as fast as he could. The Bureau of Occult Investigation had considerable authority and could coordinate with various departments without going through the usual procedures, so things moved very quickly.

But asking the higher-ups to send a player with an "exploration" or "tracking" ability?

Zhao Keke didn't act immediately. Instead, she looked troubled. "Chief Zhou, players with exploration or tracking abilities are very rare. There are only five or six in Kyoto right now, and they're all on secret missions. The higher-ups probably won't agree."

"We don't have time to worry about that..."

Zhou Xu suddenly erupted. "There are thousands of people in the Diamond Building! Every minute we can't find Wang Chuang, their lives are in danger. Can any urgent mission be more urgent than saving thousands of lives? Call them now. If the higher-ups refuse, let me talk to them."

The call connected quickly.

When the higher-ups heard Zhou Xu's request for support from a player with "exploration" or "tracking" abilities, they were also in a difficult position. Those players were all on secret missions: some were hunting down vicious players, while others were searching for Old Day Items that had gone out of control.

But when they learned that thousands of people were in danger, they understood the gravity of the situation and promised support would arrive within five minutes.

Five minutes later,

A helicopter appeared above Diamond Plaza right on schedule.

"Huh, is something burning? Why does it smell so smoky?" Yang Qizhou frowned slightly, growing wary.

This was a time of danger on every side. Players from the World of Weirdness were active in the building, and according to the original course of events, Sister Xin and Little Bean were likely to die here. That meant he had to stay alert to anything unusual, no matter how insignificant it seemed.

Yang Qizhou moved closer to the mother and daughter, ready to save them if anything happened.

But just then,

Panicked screams suddenly rang out at the Animation Expo.

"Fire!"

The shout immediately caused a commotion. Sister Xin and Ding Xiaolan were among those who looked out the window and saw thick smoke already rising into the air.

The building's security staff had undergone several fire drills and knew how to respond. They quickly stepped forward to reassure everyone and began organizing the crowd to leave through the fire exits, keeping the situation from spiraling out of control.

But the calm didn't last long. A sudden piece of news shattered it.

"Which bastard locked the fire exits?"

"What? The fire exits are locked?"

"What about exits B and C? Hurry, get everyone over there!"

"No good! The fire exits at B and C are locked too, and someone's bolted steel plates over them. There's no way to force them open."

"Damn it!"

"Quick, turn on the fire pumps and put out the fire!"

"Manager, there's no water—not a drop! Someone must have shut off the main water valve!"

The temperature in the venue was already rising. There were no visible flames yet, but it was clear the fire wasn't far away.

Was Wang Chuang behind this?

Yang Qizhou's eyes turned icy as he recalled the familiar figure he had seen earlier. He hadn't expected that, in his attempt to eliminate the negative effects of the Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God, that bastard would go so far as to use everyone at the art expo as a sacrifice.

The raven on the back of his hand blinked. The moment Yang Qizhou saw Wang Chuang and considered whether to track him, a save point had already been created.

Now he was wondering whether he should reload and take care of this menace.

"The holder of the Old Day Item, the Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God, escaped from the Bureau of Occult Investigation. To counter its negative effects, he's preparing to carry out a mass slaughter. Sister Xin and Little Bean died in it too."

"It all makes sense."

"So much sense that I can't help thinking Wang Chuang is the real culprit behind Sister Xin and Little Bean's deaths. If I get rid of him, the mother and daughter should be safe."

"But there's one thing I still can't figure out."

"As the official organization responsible for handling everything related to the World of Weirdness, the Bureau of Occult Investigation must have extremely strict security measures in place wherever it holds criminal players. It might even have powers related to the weird."

"With security that tight, did Wang Chuang really escape on his own?"

"If someone helped him escape..."

"Who was it, and what were their motives?"

In the end, Yang Qizhou resisted the urge to use the Doom-Bringing Raven. He had a feeling there was more to what was happening today. Wang Chuang was just a puppet being put forward; someone else was pulling the strings.

He decided to watch a little longer.

After all, he still had two chances to reload today. If he turned out to be wrong, he could always use the Doom-Bringing Raven's ability later.

The scene was in utter chaos. Some people were furious, some despairing, some frantic, and others were crying...

Before long, thick black smoke poured into the venue.

Some people's eyes streamed from the smoke, others coughed violently, and still others cried out in despair. Fortunately, there were no casualties yet.

"Mom, I'm scared."

Little Bean clung tightly to her mother. The smoke made her eyes water, and her voice was thick with tears.

Zhao Xin held her daughter close and kept reassuring her. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Mom's right here. I won't let anything hurt Xiaolan."

Yang Qizhou was nearby and naturally saw the mother and daughter huddling together.

He knew he couldn't wait any longer.

In a fire, those who died from the flames themselves were actually in the minority. What really proved fatal was the harm caused by the smoke, such as oxygen deprivation, burns to the respiratory tract, and smoke inhalation.

The black smoke had already reached the Animation Expo, and people were starting to cough violently. If he waited any longer, someone was bound to die.

"Wang Chuang, you bastard. You've forced my hand. When I find you, I'll feed you to my two Root-Court Hounds."

Muttering to himself, Yang Qizhou took out a treasure that shimmered with silver light.

Silver Relic (Epic): ...

Active Effect: Can control the weather.