Fifteen
A moment later, the energy in my body was completely depleted, and the light weapon reverted to its ordinary necklace form.
Perhaps because it wasn't nighttime, or perhaps because I hadn't yet mastered its control, this activation had lasted less than a minute.
But I didn't dawdle. I quickly slipped the necklace around my neck.
This was a precious treasure, a lifesaver!
Being able to activate abilities during the day—this was huge for me!
What I couldn't figure out, though, was why a fragment of lunar meteorite would bear ancient Egyptian writing.
Could it be that the pyramids were actually built by a lunar civilization? And could this Holy Grail War be a scheme set up by them as a higher civilization?
If so, then it made sense why the trigger phrase for the lunar meteorite involved ancient Egyptian mythology.
Based on Sissy's description, Old Hu's class was Berserker, and his Abandoned Object was language ability—he could strengthen his physical body through others' speech.
Sissy's class was Caster, and her Abandoned Object was glass. She could remotely manipulate glass shards to shred her enemies.
Auntie Mae's class was, of course, Rider, with an automobile as her Abandoned Object. Unfortunately, she'd been backstabbed by my scheme before she could even use it.
Warren's class was Lancer, with water as his Abandoned Object—a versatile and extremely fast ability that responded to him like an extension of his own arm. But he'd been overconfident and died in the bathhouse he was most familiar with, surrounded by the very hot water he commanded.
As the Holy Grail War progressed to this point, only three players remained:
Me, class Archer.
Chloe Chen, class Saber.
And the delivery guy Lucas, hiding in the shadows, class Assassin.
But... I didn't even have a bow. Why was I classed as an Archer? I couldn't figure it out. What did they think I was, some Lunar Priestess preparing to fire Elune's Arrow from the mid-lane river all the way to the top-lane outer tower for a three-second stun?
Just then, an unfamiliar number called. I answered and heard a familiar voice on the other end.
Chloe's call finally came through:
"So? Have you dealt with Assassin and Lancer?"
Me: "No. One got away, and the delivery guy came looking for you in Hangzhou."
"Don't worry about it, let him look. I left my place three days ago, and I'm somewhere very well-hidden. His ability is troublesome, but it'll take him time to find me."
"Stop being coy and just tell me where you are!"
"It's not that I don't want to tell you—it's that I can't. I can't alter the game's established trajectory..."
"Can't alter what? What else are you hiding from me?"
Through Chloe's phone, I heard the sound of a window being pushed open, then the sound of water—a large body of water, with the hum of dense crowds below.
"Anyway, you need to familiarize yourself with using the lunar soil as quickly as possible. Use your brain—moonlight isn't just about injecting and enhancing power. Try transfer and emission too."
"I'll be waiting for you to come take me home. Don't make me wait too long."
After these cryptic words, the call ended again.
I calmed down and started sorting through the current intelligence.
First, Chloe had changed phones and left her residence, which meant she'd known two days ago that Lucas was coming to kill her.
For some reason, she couldn't tell me her exact coordinates. This might be a condition imposed by the game's mastermind, or the price for granting her "map access."
From start to finish, this game's orchestrator reeked of the kind of person who treated everything like a multiple-choice question.
Choose A, and you can't choose B. Choose sixty million, and you forfeit the moon.
Just like the little mermaid in the fairy tale—choose to become human, and you surrender your ability to speak to the prince.
This feeling of being led by the nose was indeed infuriating.
Going all the way to Hangzhou to rescue someone, and not even knowing where she was!
At least give me some kind of hint!
A hint? Hint...
I suddenly recalled Chloe's earlier words:
"I'm somewhere very safe right now. The view is wide open, there are hills and trees and a broken bridge. Don't worry about me—take care of things in Beijing first. I'll be waiting for you here."
Wide-open views. Hills, trees. A broken bridge visible. Step out the door and there's a vast expanse of water. Below, the crowd is buzzing.
No doubt about it. That was the place.
Chloe—she was at Thunder Peak Pagoda!
---
At that same moment, by the shores of West Lake, tourists thronged like weaving.
An elderly street sweeper was working his broom when he noticed a disheveled young man in a delivery uniform sitting motionless on a nearby bench, his messy hair obscuring his forehead, his eyes hidden from view.
The sweeper took pity on the young man—he looked like he'd lost his soul. A fellow drifter in a strange land. He set down his broom, went to a nearby stall, and bought a ten-yuan grilled sausage, then awkwardly offered it to the young man.
"Here, son, have a bite."
The young man didn't refuse. He took the sausage, devoured it in a few bites, and abruptly asked:
"Do you know Chloe Chen?"
The old man was taken aback. "Who's Chloe Chen? I don't know anyone like that. I just sweep the streets."
"What about your friends, your coworkers, your parents, your children—does anyone know Chloe Chen?" He raised his head, hair parting to reveal twin flames of gold in his pupils, like a demon lord descending on the world.
The old man didn't answer. He stared blankly at the young man's eyes. As the young man's hand came to rest on his shoulder, a purple mist rose from the depths of his gaze:
"Let me think. Let me go back and ask."
"They might know! They should know!! They MUST know!!"
The old man staggered away, as if possessed by something. Every person he encountered, he'd grip their shoulders with iron hands and ask:
"Do you know Chloe Chen?"
"Do you know where Chloe Chen is?"
Those questioned would first freeze in confusion. But as the old man's fingers made contact with their skin, the purple mist would spread from his fingertips to their bodies, and they too would become as frenzied as he was.
"Do you know Chloe Chen?"
"Do you know where Chloe Chen is?"
"Do you know Chloe Chen?"
"Do you know where Chloe Chen is?"
"Do you know Chloe Chen?"
"Do you know where Chloe Chen is?"
It was a bright, sunny day. Not just tourists but many neighborhood residents had gathered by the lakeside for a stroll and sightseeing. The crowd density was terrifying.
This undoubtedly made transmission far easier. The uncanny murmuring spread from person to person across the crowd like a contagion.
In no time, the entire West Lake scenic area was blanketed with these zombie-like hordes.
What was even more terrifying was that the infection was expanding outward from the scenic area. People crammed onto buses and subways, some simply running through the streets, asking everyone they met.
It was spreading through the entire city at an alarming speed.
Where was Chloe Chen right now?
In a hidden compartment room at the top of Thunder Peak Pagoda, the door was secured with a heavy iron lock marked "No Entry." Inside, cabinets and tables were shoved against the door as barricades, preventing any intrusion.
Chloe held a pair of high-powered binoculars, observing the purgatory below.
"This Assassin is something else... His Abandoned Object is a rare anti-army class weapon. Hangzhou is in serious trouble now..."
"But it'll be fine. After all, Archer's Abandoned Object is... that. In terms of quality, we still have the upper hand..."
"Where's my man? He can't possibly fail against these scrubs. Come find me, come save me already!"
"I'm going to be eaten by the bad guys!"
"It's not like I can fight like you people..."
As if on cue, the sound of blunt force striking wood erupted from behind her.
Chloe reluctantly lowered the binoculars and flipped an elegant little hourglass on the table. The golden sand within it gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight—a three-minute timer.
She glanced back at the door, which was being battered furiously. Wood splinters flew with each impact. It clearly wouldn't hold much longer.
She picked up a small knife and slashed her own wrist. Blood dripped from the pale skin onto the floorboards.
"Ow ow ow ow ow. This is why I hate this ability the most..."
Blood loss made her dizzy. She lay down on the bed, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes, grumbling:
"Just don't make me wait too long..."
---
Sixteen
In the taxi, the driver honked impatiently. The road ahead was gridlocked.
I stuck my head out to look. The street was clogged with an endless line of cars, every driver leaning on their horns. In the distance, massive crowds were surging. I pulled up the map app and saw that every route toward West Lake had turned into an oppressive black mass.
Was there some kind of city marathon going on today?