A long-awaited reunion, yet both stood in silence.
In the players' impression, most harmonizers were entities similar to NPCs. Oasis City was the sole exception—the only place where lifestyle players and combat players intersected daily. The body of the super AI program, Eva, was located at the very center of this city: the Spiral Court.
The Order Court family was the actual controller of this city of dreams. All significant reforms were issued from there, carried out through Eva's will across the entirety of Oasis.
Even the ruling families of Oasis could not directly modify the city's program tower to make the world operate under their absolute will.
"Long time no see, Youyou."
Just as Xu Xiaoyou was marveling at how small the world was—her dear Youyou being a harmonizer of Oasis City, saving her the trouble of retreating under player cover—she spread her arms, intending to give the black-haired girl a warm hug.
However, she saw that the girl could barely contain the excitement on her face as a sneer escaped her lips. "Yes, it has been a long time."
"Criminal."
Those two words were like a breeze, light and airy as they blew into Xu Xiaoyou's heart, scattering all her previous expectations and thoughts.
Criminal...
Criminal...?
Xu Xiaoyou thought she had misheard.
The other person had just called her a criminal?
She gazed into the girl's cold, wine-red eyes. Wearing the familiar pure white military uniform, her low ponytail was tied back, swaying gently like the pendulum of a clock, trapping Xu Xiaoyou's gaze within its rhythm.
A boundless chill rose from her heart.
Boom! Retreating at maximum speed, a heavy hammer smashed into the ground where she had stood, gouging a pit dozens of centimeters deep. Flying stone fragments grazed Xu Xiaoyou's cheek, leaving a small trail of blood.
"Wait, Youyou, is there some mistake? You must have misunderstood me," Xu Xiaoyou tried to speak, but the heavy hammer embedded in the ground flipped, whistling upward in a lethal swing aimed at her throat!
She could clearly see the internal structure of the hammer, Osiris. The gears were interlocked, surging with scalding steam. That hideous eyeball stared fixedly at her, with hot blood flowing through its swollen vessels.
The resulting gale sent her long hair flying wildly behind her.
"Hahaha..." Bai Youyou covered her face, suppressing the emotions erupting from the cracks within her. Her shoulders trembled slightly at first, letting out low, raspy chuckles, before she could no longer hold back and broke into a mad laughter, as if she had fallen into a demonic frenzy.
All the players present were terrified by the girl's state, each of them as silent as cicadas in winter.
Xu Xiaoyou's lips twitched. Perhaps because the girl she had met at the Mint Green Leaf Shop had been too peaceful and innocent, she had almost forgotten the other's original paranoid and crazed nature.
"Mistake?" Bai Youyou's expression gradually returned to calm. "No, no, no. I won't forget you as long as I live. My head is full of nothing but you right now, you liar of a criminal."
"Do you know how much I've looked forward to this day? The day I would see you again?"
"I've rehearsed in my head countless times what method I should use..."
"To send you to hell."
A drop of sweat rolled down Xu Xiaoyou's forehead. If she could, she really wanted to turn around and flee. But for the sake of her image in the eyes of these little sheep players, she had to maintain a calm facade as she looked toward the exit of the guild hall not far away.
The little sheep looked at each other, all seeing intriguing expressions on one another's faces. If they could, they actually wanted to pull up small stools and sit down to watch the situation unfold.
None of them expected that Miss Dark Gold Rose would have such an ambiguous past with the second young lady of Oasis.
Bai Youyou lifted her heavy hammer. Beneath that cold exterior was a soul trembling from the effort of suppressing her rage.
As was custom, she took out her identification and showed it to everyone present in the room.
"In the name of the association's three-winged investigator, the Order Court inquisitor, and the executive of Oasis City, I am here to apprehend a criminal. You have five seconds to choose to leave, otherwise you will be deemed accomplices of the criminal, and I have the right to process you as well."
"One..." Bai Youyou said in a light tone.
She tore the identification in her hand as everyone watched in horror.
"Five."
"You are now wanted."
In the next instant, the names above the heads of all the players present turned a glaring, bright red. An eagle-wing logo unfolded, and two bullet holes appeared on either side of the wings as a red targeting mark flashed with a bloody light.
The thirty-two players present collectively entered a red-name state.
Some guild recruiters who were just passing by and intended to watch the show were dumbfounded.
Setting aside whether it was a bit too casual to involve them in the love-hate relationship of these two, she clearly didn't intend to let anyone here leave at all. Who jumps straight to five after one?!
"Ha... the rules aren't important anymore." Bai Youyou turned the torn identification into ashes at her fingertips, shrugging helplessly.
"Whatever I say is the rule, is the rule."
"Run, Dark Gold Rose!"
Thinking they were wanted anyway, a guild recruiter rushed forward, wanting to prove himself in front of Dark Gold Rose. The downward-swinging heavy hammer instantly emptied his health bar, a sight that left everyone horrified.
"Run like you did before, you're different from them... Yuzu," Bai Youyou said, raising Osiris and walking slowly toward Xu Xiaoyou.
"After they die, they'll exit the wanted state. But you, I will catch you and lock you in an eternal prison of consciousness."
"Don't worry, I'll go to see you. I'll give you food and water. Just thinking about seeing your unwilling, numb, and desperate face every day makes me unable to wait."
Something was wrong.
Xu Xiaoyou's heart keenly sensed a discrepancy.
Her intuition told her that this Bai Youyou was also not right.
If the Bai Youyou she met at the Mint Green Leaf Shop was peaceful and still in a hazy, innocent state of exploring the world...
Then the one before her was in a superposition of chaos and madness, even placing her own will above the rules.
Xu Xiaoyou shook her head.
A giant pitch-black hand rose from behind her, let out a low, arrogant roar.
Her gaze turned cold. "In that case, Youyou, don't blame me for not showing mercy."
An auburn-haired girl clutched a steaming roasted sweet potato in her hands, passing through the bustling crowd on the streets of this golden city. As sweet steam wafted up, a look of happy satisfaction appeared on the girl's rosy face as she hummed a song.
Seeing the building ahead surrounded by law enforcement vehicles, Akabane Tsubaki was stunned. She chewed her food and stood on her tiptoes in the crowd of onlookers, hopping up and down to see what was happening.
That was strange.
Wasn't this the guild hall?
Yuzu should still be inside. Did she run into some trouble?
Not long ago, Xu Xiaoyou had given her two federal shields to coax the little family head into buying roasted sweet potatoes. Upon her return, she found the guild hall blockaded by law enforcement.
Could it be that Yuzu was in danger?
Terrified, Akabane Tsubaki hurriedly took another bite of her roasted sweet potato.
Boom! A wall suddenly exploded. Amidst the screams of the onlookers, a figure flew out from the building, rolling several times on the ground before stopping at Akabane Tsubaki's feet.
Meeting the girl's horrified gaze, Xu Xiaoyou sat up, rubbing her forehead with a helpless, bitter smile. "Plan B."
"What's Plan B?" Akabane Tsubaki asked.
"Ahead Four."
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