Gaze from the Shadows

Before long, everyone had obtained their desired items or weapons, and they gathered in small groups to discuss their plans.

At this moment, Mu Fengyu clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Come, come, everyone look over here, I have an announcement."

"I likely won't be logging in for a while. I've decided to participate in the production of the next version and some racial job adjustments. So, if anyone is dissatisfied with their own race, you can come sign up with me now. I'll make sure to get you sorted in the next update."

"Me, me, me! I think my race's speed stat is completely unreasonable. Give me a buff."

"Pah, Herohero, that's going too far. You're a slime, where would you even get speed? You'd be better off buffing my Hanba defense. A Zombie King as fragile as paper is ridiculous."

"Hey, no matter what you say, I'm an Ancient Dark Slime. Is it reasonable for my speed to be this low?"

"Foster father, don't listen to them. Just buff my range. The Birdman race is terrible at melee and weak at magic; I can only barely survive by sniping from two thousand meters away."

Everyone chimed in with various opinions, and Mu Fengyu recorded them one by one. Whether they would actually pass depended on the production team.

"I've noted all your suggestions. I'll try my best to implement them later. I'm logging off now, you guys continue playing."

With that, Mu Fengyu dissolved into data and gradually disappeared. The others finished collecting their loot and went off to do their own things.

In the real world, Mu Fengyu took off his gaming headset, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

"Ha, that was a really satisfying session today."

Suddenly, the door opened from the outside, and a kind-looking woman walked in.

"Young Master Yu, I've reheated your late-night snack. Please eat something and get some rest soon."

Mu Fengyu glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost midnight. He scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled apologetically at the woman.

"I'm really sorry, Aunt Temari. Please don't wait up for me on purpose next time. You should get some rest when the time comes."

Mu Fengyu had never met his parents in this life; he had been raised by Aunt Temari since he was a child. He had once asked her why she took such good care of him, and she had explained that his parents had helped her escape the slums, so she volunteered to stay and look after Mu Fengyu after he lost them.

On the table sat a plate of saury, a dish of tofu, a few skewers of yakitori, and a bowl of rice. Although it was just a simple meal, it was a feast for a commoner who could only afford liquid food.

The two sat down, and Mu Fengyu picked up a skewer of yakitori, eating with relish and occasionally praising the woman's cooking.

After finishing the meal, Mu Fengyu said to her.

"Aunt Temari, I'm going to the Yggdrasil Corporation tomorrow to work on the next version of the game, so I'll have to trouble you to look after the house for a while."

"It's fine. I'm just an old woman with nothing to do anyway. I can help clean up while staying here. You be careful out there, Young Master."

"Mm, don't you worry about that."

The night passed without incident. The next day, Mu Fengyu rushed to the company to participate in the work for the next version and, incidentally, add some personal touches.

Meanwhile, within the game over the past two days, two pieces of news had spread across the entire world. One was that a marksman from the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup had been hunted by over nine hundred people for several hours and successfully escaped.

The other was that the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup had demolished a large guild in two hours, rumored to be because they possessed a World-Class Item.

According to reliable intelligence provided by those killed at the Storm Horn stronghold, Mu Fengyu of the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup possessed the World Guardian buff. The angelic projection that destroyed Storm Horn was highly likely a World-Class Item; after all, what else could directly destroy a large guild?

In an instant, the entire game sparked a campaign to find the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup's stronghold, so Momonga and the others had recently scaled back their plans for adventuring outside.

In Asgard, in the cliff dungeon area, there was a guild composed entirely of angels called "Tears of Angels." It was a special guild that only those of the Angel race could join, and everyone used the names of angels.

Their stronghold was designed on a steep cliff, converted from a level 70 dungeon. At this moment, a heated argument was taking place in their conference room.

The massive conference room contained one hundred stone pillars of varying heights, with a different angel standing on each. An angel in charge of intelligence gathering, "Feier," was sharing the information she had obtained with her companions.

"According to the data I bought from an information broker, the angelic projection used by the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup is indeed a World-Class Item named [Heaven-Supporting God]."

She looked at the guild leader standing on the highest pillar and said loudly.

"Guild Leader Michael, as an angel guild, are we just going to watch that group of disgusting heteromorphic players occupy the glory that belongs to us angels?"

"Think about it—holy angels are being defiled by those filthy monsters right now. Can you be content with that? As angels, [Heaven-Supporting God] should be our exclusive World-Class Item. We should go and bring it back here immediately. Only here is the holy Kingdom of Heaven."

Her speech successfully incited most of her companions. They were filled with righteous indignation, denouncing the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup for using despicable means to obtain a World-Class Item that should have belonged to them.

"Quiet."

Michael's majestic voice echoed throughout the conference room. He scanned all the angels present; most were filled with rage, looking as if they were ready to take back [Heaven-Supporting God] right now, while only a few remained indifferent, showing no intention of participating.

"Everyone, I understand your anger and unwillingness. As angels, how can we tolerate holy glory being defiled by those heteromorphs? However, we must think calmly; our actions cannot be blind."

He paused, looked at Feier, and continued.

"According to intelligence, the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup possesses powerful strength and mysterious items. We cannot act rashly. We need to formulate a thorough plan to ensure we can successfully retrieve [Heaven-Supporting God]. First, we must determine the location of their stronghold."

"Feier, tell us about their intelligence."

"Yes, Guild Leader."

Feier pretended to be calm on the surface, but inwardly she was overjoyed. As long as she could successfully obtain [Heaven-Supporting God] this time, she could advance further in the guild.

Then, she could turn around and sell the intelligence completely, and finally, backstab Michael to take the World-Class Item and retire successfully.

That's right, this guy was actually a mole sent by a rival guild. After three years and another three years, she had finally reached the position of intelligence officer. However, this was her chance to climb higher, so she was very attentive to this operation and had already scouted out a large amount of intelligence on the Nine-Man Suicide Subgroup.

"Most of the scouts I sent out lost their trail in Helheim, and a few lost it in a level 60 monster zone. Based on current intelligence, we can roughly determine that their stronghold is in this monster zone."

Michael nodded slightly and announced loudly to all members.

"I know some companions do not intend to participate in this operation. Of course, I will not force you to join, but do not leak our plans in advance."

"Feier, send out all scouts to search that area with full force. You must find them or determine their exact coordinates."

As he spoke, he looked at the few angels beside him.

"Members willing to participate in this operation can prepare now. For this operation, Gabriel, Raphael, and Sraosha, I authorize each of you to take two Divine-class weapons from the warehouse."

"You will lead the vanguard for this operation."

"Yes."

All the angels responded loudly to Michael's declaration. This time, they were determined to obtain [Heaven-Supporting God].