Stumbling into a Showdown?

Mu You had never expected the Werewolf to dare linger near the crime scene after an entire day and night.

What was he after?

Had he figured players would come to investigate and lain in wait here?

That didn't make sense either. If he was lying in wait, why hide on the rooftop?

Without the Pumpkin Lantern, Mu You could never have found this place.

Besides, the flicker of surprise on the Werewolf's face hadn't looked like an act. That meant he hadn't expected anyone to show up here either.

So what exactly was the Werewolf hiding here for?

And what had caused those wounds on his body?

A string of questions flashed through his mind in a split second.

But Mu You had no time to think. The Chain Claw still held him fast, dragging him toward the Werewolf at breakneck speed.

The Werewolf ahead wore a blank expression. With the chained Meat Hook in his left hand and a bone cleaver in his right, his entire body drenched in blood, he looked like a butcher roaming through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forever hunting fresh flesh with hook and blade, the very embodiment of cruelty and death.

Meanwhile, the Chain Claw restrained Mu You's right arm, leaving him unable to exert any strength. His fingers were so close to the Pocket Watch in his pocket, yet that tiny gap might as well have been an impassable chasm!

Despair filled Mu You's eyes as he hurtled toward the Werewolf.

The Bone-Cleaver in the Werewolf's hand was already swinging down at him...

Whoosh!

Just as Mu You thought he was certain to die, the Werewolf's blade hand suddenly paused. As if sensing something, he hurriedly rolled backward.

The instant he rolled clear, a searing pillar of flame roared upward, engulfing the spot where he had just stood.

Was that... magic?

Mu You froze, never expecting such a sudden reversal when death was staring him in the face.

There was no time to dwell on it. Taking advantage of the Werewolf's retreat, he grabbed the Meat Hook embedded in his right arm and ripped it out in a spray of blood and flesh. Then, enduring the agonizing pain, he thrust his right hand into his pocket and slammed the button on the Pocket Watch.

Time shifted. His wound, the scattered blood and flesh, the surrounding scenery-everything began rapidly rewinding.

When he opened his eyes again, he was five seconds in the past.

Mu You was back at the edge of the rooftop, following the footprints, less than five meters from the corner ahead.

He hastily stopped, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Of course, Mu You didn't dare continue forward. Instead, he steadied his breathing as best he could and backed away with silent steps.

Only after retreating several dozen meters into the shadows on the other side of the rooftop did he stop.

"At this distance, I should be safe for now..."

Mu You breathed a sigh of relief. Only when he relaxed did he realize that cold sweat had soaked his back.

No wonder. He had truly come within a hair's breadth of death just now, and he silently berated himself for his carelessness.

Mu You had to admit that everything had gone smoothly since he became a player. Having an outrageously powerful item like the Time Pocket Watch had inevitably made him a little complacent.

What happened today had taught him an unforgettable lesson: whenever he did anything risky in the future, he absolutely had to keep the Time Pocket Watch in his hand!

"So what exactly is going on here?"

Shaking his head, Mu You collected himself and hurriedly pieced together the current situation.

That final pillar of flame had clearly been magic cast by someone, aimed straight at burning the Werewolf to death. It had forced the Werewolf to stop attacking and retreat, saving Mu You's life!

In other words, another player was hiding somewhere on this rooftop!

Who?

The little girl from the game?

Mu You wasn't sure, but the burns on the Werewolf's body had most likely been inflicted by this player.

In that case, the two had probably already fought on the rooftop. They might have been taking a brief pause just now, each warily watching the other, when Mu You came up...

In other words, he had unwittingly stumbled into a showdown between two players!

Who the hell was he supposed to complain to about that?

Once he figured it out, Mu You didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Still, this wasn't such a bad thing!

Now he understood the situation and knew where the Werewolf was, while neither the Werewolf nor the other player knew he existed!

When the two started fighting again, he might be able to strike from hiding and help the other player subdue the Werewolf. Or he could wait until they were both nearly dead, then step in to finish things. Failing that, he could at least slip safely away while they were too caught up in their fierce battle to spare him any attention...

In short, the initiative was now his!

With that settled, Mu You stayed hidden with an easy mind, patiently waiting for an opportunity.

All movement on the rooftop ceased. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the occasional sound of the night wind, reminding them that time was still passing.

After nearly ten minutes of waiting, the battle finally erupted!

The Werewolf struck first!

The Werewolf suddenly charged out from behind the corner, rushing straight toward a pile of discarded wooden furniture in the distance. Leaping into the air, he raised his heavy blade and brought it crashing down.

Bam!

With a tremendous crash, several wooden boards shattered instantly, sending splinters flying.

A small figure suddenly leaped out from behind a wooden cabinet, rolled across the ground, and sprinted away without hesitation.

From the other side, Mu You saw her clearly. The figure that had suddenly jumped out really was a little girl!

She looked about ten years old, wearing a pointed wizard's hat and a loose wizard's robe. Despite her mage's attire, she moved like an agile rogue, nimbly bounding over and between the obstacles on the ground, swiftly putting distance between herself and the Werewolf.

"That... must be a skin..." Mu You's expression turned slightly odd.

Once players equipped a skin, their build and appearance changed to match it.

This person had clearly equipped the game's "Wizard Apprentice" skin, which was why she looked like a little girl. How old was she really? Was she actually male or female? There was no way to tell yet.

But if this little girl was still alive, who was the person who had died in the building below?

Could the Werewolf have mistaken an ordinary person for the little girl and killed them by accident?

Mu You frowned and considered it for a moment, then quickly gave up.

That question could wait. The fight came first!

Across the rooftop, the Werewolf was chasing the little girl as she fled.

Mu You guessed that the little girl must have invested heavily in agility. Using all kinds of obstacles, she led the Werewolf around in circles, moving with unbelievable nimbleness.

But that also showed she wasn't good at close combat. Faced with the Werewolf's relentless pursuit, she could only use her size and speed to escape.

Mu You noticed that the little girl tried several times to pull a Magic Wand from inside her robe, only for the Werewolf to interrupt her every time.

Clearly, the Werewolf also knew how formidable her spells were and had no intention of giving her a chance to cast them.

Under his relentless pursuit and slashing attacks, the little girl's stamina drained rapidly, and her escape grew increasingly desperate. Several times, the blade nearly struck her, and she only narrowly dodged it.

"Still running? Heh. You stole from the organization and fled. Did you really think you could get away?" Even as he chased her, the Werewolf sneered and taunted her.

"Hmph!"

The little girl merely snorted coldly in response. She said nothing, focusing solely on her escape.

Listening from afar, Mu You was startled.

From the sound of it, they knew each other-and even belonged to the same "organization"?