Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Five, The Chase

"Hey. What are you thinking about?" Shen Yixue gave Lu Yi a push.

Lu Yi snapped back to reality and glanced at Shen Yixue, then pointed ahead at the road. "Look, isn’t this street a bit too clean and tidy?"

The road before them was smooth and spotless, the cars parked along the curb all neatly aligned in their spots. Even the scattered trash bins were placed discreetly out of sight.

"It is a little too clean, now that you mention it. But isn’t that a good thing?" Shen Yixue nodded in agreement, then paused, a look of realization dawning on her face.

"You noticed too, didn’t you? This street is so immaculate, there’s not a single obstacle. If the Warden chases us here, we’d have no choice but to dart into one of the buildings," Lu Yi said, his expression growing serious.

"Exactly," Shen Yixue replied. "If the Warden is fast enough, it could easily turn into a straight-line sprint."

"That must be why the task is set for so long. This time is meant for us to shape the environment to our advantage," Lu Yi’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the cars along the curb.

"You want to use them to block the road? Good idea. As long as we leave a narrow passage, our sealing talisman should work," Shen Yixue said, her interest piqued.

Without delay, the pair chose a car. Lu Yi climbed in, but after checking the dashboard, he wore a look of resignation. "No gas. It won’t start."

"What a pity. Moving a car this heavy—six people might not even manage it," Shen Yixue said regretfully. "Just open the trunk and let’s move on."

Lu Yi nodded. Soon, he pulled something from the back seat, and upon seeing the information displayed, his expression became rather odd.

"Trajectory Setter: Select a nearby object and mark it. The bearer of the device then moves to a desired location, activates the corresponding mark, and the marked object will follow the device’s path. Current energy: 100."

"What’s that weird contraption you’ve got?" Shen Yixue, seeing Lu Yi hadn’t left the car, asked curiously.

Lu Yi read out the item’s description, instantly drawing Shen Yixue’s attention—and not just hers. Even the live stream audience erupted with amazement.

"Whoa, talk about luck! We were just saying that even if he thought of it, he’d need the right tool, and now he’s got it!"

"I’m Husky: Sending Lu Yi 10 ‘666’ gifts!"

With the device in hand, Lu Yi didn’t hesitate. The two split tasks—Shen Yixue went to search the buildings, while Lu Yi stayed outside to build barricades.

He maneuvered the parked cars, lining them up bumper to bumper to block the street, leaving a narrow gap for himself. As the energy in the trajectory setter gradually depleted, his barricade began to take shape.

"Ah, so close! What a shame," came the collective sigh from the main stage’s chat. The Warden had been chasing Liang Feisong, but he managed to escape. Suddenly, the timer on the left side of the main stage hit zero.

The Warden halted, floating slightly above the ground as a magic circle appeared beneath her feet. One by one, blood-red energy arms emerged, wrapping around her and slowly carrying her down into the circle.

"There, now I have three barriers—not only can I pass through, but I can also lead the Warden around them," Lu Yi said, clapping his hands in satisfaction.

Just then, a formation flared up not far behind him. Crimson arms unfurled like petals, and the Warden emerged.

"Lu Yi." Shen Yixue, arms full of items, stood on the second floor of a building. Just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of the scene below. "Careful!"

At her warning, Lu Yi dove to the side, just as a flower pierced the spot where he’d been.

He scrambled up and dashed through the gap he’d left, slapping a sealing talisman on the rear of a car as he went.

The Warden descended from the formation, humming a cheerful tune. She reached into her basket and threw another flower at Lu Yi.

"Right!" Shen Yixue shouted.

Lu Yi darted left at her cry, but a muffled grunt escaped his lips as a flower struck him just to the left of his right shoulder.

He glanced up at Shen Yixue on the second floor across the street.

She looked a bit embarrassed, waving her right hand. "I meant my right."

"I’m Husky: Hahaha, I thought she was just pretending to be confused, but she really can’t tell left from right!"

"Black Phosphor: Sending Lu Yi a tombstone—poor guy."

Lu Yi didn’t have time to complain. The Warden was already dismantling the sealing talisman.

With a grimace, he vaulted over the car’s hood. The Warden reached to grab him but was a second too late.

Separated by a barrier, Lu Yi leapt over several more cars, standing two obstacles away. He glanced back at the Warden.

He felt triumphant. Though the straight-line distance was less than ten meters, she’d have to wind through a long S-shaped path to reach him. By the time she did, he’d already be looping around through the buildings.

The Warden threw another flower, but Lu Yi dodged it easily.

"I’m Husky: Such a graceful lady! Looks like she can’t really hurt the streamer anymore."

"Handsome, You’re Naughty: Right? Even if she chases, she’s just being led in circles."

"Warm-hearted Man: Hah, you two must be new. You think the Warden only has one trick?"

"I’m Husky: Oh? What else can she do?"

"Warm-hearted Man: Heh, she’s only just arrived, so I don’t know, but whatever she tries next will surely surprise Lu Yi."

Lu Yi and the Warden faced off across several meters. She looked at the line of cars, then at Lu Yi, and smiled.

In Lu Yi’s eyes, the Warden seemed to grow taller. No, not taller—he realized a vine was lifting her up.

The vine hurled her forcefully, sending her soaring at an angle. She reached the peak, then plummeted toward Lu Yi at great speed.

His face changed at once. He leapt forward with all his might.

With a deafening crash, the Warden’s flower basket slammed onto the car’s roof. The roof caved in, the whole car bounced, then listed to the side.

Lu Yi rolled to his feet and sprinted for the nearest building.

The Warden stood on the crumpled car, tilting her head at him. She plucked flowers from her basket and hurled them at his retreating back.

Lu Yi zigzagged down the street, finally diving into a building as the Warden advanced at a measured pace.

He slapped a sealing talisman on the door, then dashed into another room. As the Warden broke through the barrier, he shielded his head and crashed through a window.

Tumbling to the ground, he quickly got up—only to hear a soothing, ethereal melody nearby. His scalp tingled in alarm.

He glanced at the source of the song. The Warden was leaning close, gently swaying as she hummed the tune.

Sensing his attention, she smiled at him.

The smile shocked Lu Yi back to his senses. He raised his hand, but the Warden was faster—a chop struck, and pain shot through his arm, which instantly went numb.

This was bad. Lu Yi activated his Wind Pendant, dashing away and vaulting over several cars, reaching the far end of the barricade in a flash.

Only then did the Warden leisurely lower her hand. She looked at Lu Yi, and another vine erupted from the ground, lifting and hurling her in his direction.

Having learned his lesson, Lu Yi no longer dared play a waiting game with the Warden. He sprinted to the end of the commercial street, slipped through a gate, and entered the park.

Once inside, he spun around and pressed his back to a wall, gasping for breath. Gradually, that haunting melody drifted to his ears.

He crouched low, covered his mouth and nose, and slowed his breathing. The song’s source moved nearby, searching for him.

He checked his watch—he’d been chased for six minutes. Four minutes left, but he had no room for error. The flower’s wound was sapping his strength, and with no healing items, his arm remained useless.

The melody faded—the Warden seemed to be moving away. Lu Yi cautiously poked his head out; seeing no sign of her, he finally relaxed.

"I found you," the Warden’s voice called out from above.

She stood atop a platform formed of tangled vines, beneath which a vine a meter thick coiled.

Lu Yi didn’t hesitate—he turned and ran as the Warden leaped down from her perch.

Suddenly, as he sprinted ahead, he twisted and veered out through the park’s gate.

The Warden frowned, watching as Lu Yi turned left and disappeared behind a wall.

"Not bad," the streamer Sickly Fairy commented in the live chat. "He knows to break line of sight. The Warden just used her vine lift, so that skill must be on cooldown." That was Lu Yi’s thought as well.

Warm-hearted Man replied, "Heh, what are you thinking? The Warden’s only used one skill so far—she has more up her sleeve."

Lu Yi kept running, but suddenly, a tree less than five meters ahead shook. The Warden emerged from it.

"What? The Warden can teleport via plants?" Lu Yi cursed inwardly.

This wouldn’t do. If she could leap and teleport, he’d be toyed with. As he racked his brain for a plan, he noticed—through the Evil Eye’s perception—the Warden’s body was covered in cracks.

He was startled, but then a thought struck him: was this Warden just a temporary doppelgänger? He’d had the Evil Eye active the whole chase and had never seen this before.

He touched the Sacred Lion’s Protection Ring on his finger, steeled himself, and decided to charge straight through. If he was wrong, he could always use a skill to escape.

Instead of dodging, he barreled straight at the Warden as she raised her hand to strike.

"Black Phosphor: What’s he doing? Trying to get himself killed?"

"Sweetheart Yiyi: Yeah, why not run? Why charge straight in?"

"Warm-hearted Man: Hah, must be desperation. Getting chased this early, poor guy."

As her hand chopped down, Lu Yi collided with her—and the Warden dissolved into a shower of leaves.

"Warm-hearted Man: What?! How did that happen?"

"Black Phosphor: How did the streamer know she was a fake?"

"Sweetheart Yiyi: He’s not simple after all. I want to see what he does next."

Just then, the real Warden emerged from the park, holding a flower and watching Lu Yi. But suddenly, she paused, then slowly floated into the air. Once again, blood-red energy arms enveloped her, drawing her down into the earth.

Lu Yi breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He knew the chase had finally come to an end.