"Not this one."
"And not this one."
Chen Kong frowned, looking at the messy vanity table he had just ransacked. Old Jack had said that Euphemia's "quantum flash drive," which contained a large amount of criminal information, was definitely in this room. He had searched every drawer, closet, and even the mattress's lining, but he couldn't find it.
However, he hadn't searched everything. He hadn't touched Euphemia's personal, lacy undergarments. After all, he didn't think a "quantum flash drive" could be hidden in something so flimsy and nearly transparent.
Thinking about his limited time and Euphemia's dangerous nature, Chen Kong, having found nothing, finally made a decision. Before, he had been restraining himself to avoid damaging the items in the room. But now, he had to get serious.
With this thought, Chen Kong decisively deactivated his Starlight Origin: Dreamer and fully activated his Starlight Core: Void Rune. Soon, a silver-white rune appeared on the back of his right hand. Although a similar scene had occurred before, the Void Rune on Chen Kong's hand now was much more complex and clear than it had been.
Seeing this, the dimensional viewers instantly understood.
'Holy crap! A Starlight Mark! Is our guy finally awakened?'
'No wonder he dared to break into the Gear Church alone. He leveled up!'
'He completed the Starlight Core awakening in just one month? That's our Chen Kong.'
That's right, after his special training with Yu Qianxia, Chen Kong had also completed his Starlight Core awakening, and the symbol of his awakening, the Starlight Mark, had appeared on his body.
[Starlight Core: Void Rune (First Awakening)]
[Basic Effect 1: Return to Dust]: Capable of assimilating all starlight energy it touches, turning it into a neutral, basic form of starlight energy.
[Basic Effect 2: Void Evasion]: Greatly reduces its own presence, evading all forms of perception to achieve a similar effect to invisibility (blurs its own image in all recordings).
[First Awakening Effect: Return to Dust - Micro]: The assimilation effect of "Return to Dust" can now affect a portion of matter containing starlight energy, altering its original material structure.
As Chen Kong activated "Return to Dust - Micro," he immediately pressed his right hand against the vanity table. The moment the Void Rune on the back of his hand lit up, the exquisite vanity table began to show gray-black marks, as if it were being corroded by a strong acid, and a large amount of debris began to fall away.
This wasn't an isolated incident. Chen Kong now looked like a ruthless "furniture shredding machine." Wherever his right hand touched, a special "decay-like" phenomenon occurred. The principle was that his "Return to Dust" could now penetrate into the objects themselves, directly assimilating the tiny starlight energy hidden within, thereby damaging the objects' structure to a certain extent.
Soon, after touching most of the items in the entire room, Chen Kong finally found the place where Euphemia had hidden the "quantum flash drive"—an ordinary-looking oil painting that concealed a secret.
Looking at the subspace node that was now exposed in the center of the painting, Chen Kong smiled. "No wonder I couldn't find it. It was hidden in a subspace."
Without any hesitation, Chen Kong walked straight into the painting. When he emerged from it again, he was holding a dark red flash drive and a black, semi-automatic starlight energy handgun.
"I didn't expect to have such a pleasant surprise."
Chen Kong weighed the black starlight energy handgun in his hand, his face filled with unconcealed joy. The gun body was about a third larger than a regular handgun, and the grip was wrapped in a special material woven from the nerve fibers of a starlight beast called the "Void Weaver." The effect of this was that the user didn't need to reload, making it a perfect cure for those who were addicted to reloading.
This was because the gun had no magazine!
[Name: Void Weaver]
[Type: Semi-automatic Starlight Energy Handgun]
[Effect 1: Void Magazine]: The magazine is not filled with physical bullets, but with the user's own compressed starlight energy.
[Effect 2: Void Extraction]: The gun is embedded with a fragment of the "Void Weaver" Starlight Core, allowing it to automatically draw in ambient starlight energy to recharge after each shot (current recovery efficiency - 25%).
[Hidden Effect (Activation conditions not met): ???]
[Commentary: "Seize your victory, even if it comes from the void!"]
Watching Chen Kong, who had come to find evidence but unexpectedly obtained an artifact, the dimensional viewers could sense the obvious intentionality of the production team. No matter how they looked at it, this gun was a perfect fit for Chen Kong. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was custom-made for him.
Although the dimensional viewers understood that it was the second season, and it was perfectly acceptable for the protagonist, Chen Kong, to get an upgrade, they still couldn't resist the urge to complain. Especially with the name of the handgun and the almost explicit commentary, the dimensional viewers instantly understood the mindset with which the Starlight production team had designed this weapon.
'It's the void again, and it's custom-made. I feel like the production team is hinting at something.'
'Seize your—I'm sorry, wrong show.'
'Who says a champion can't come from the void!'
Just as the dimensional viewers were going crazy with memes and their comments were flying, a cold voice came from the screen, interrupting their revelry and the joy on Chen Kong's face.
"I was wondering why the starlight energy spells I left in the room were disappearing one after another. It turns out a little mouse has snuck in."
Chen Kong looked up to see Saint Euphemia, who had appeared at the doorway at some point, blocking his escape. Looking at her frosty expression and unconcealed killing intent, Chen Kong knew he was in big trouble.
Good news: He got the loot.
Bad news: A villain blocked the exit!
Ignoring Chen Kong's grim expression, Euphemia walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Her red lips curled into a cold smile, and several thin, silver-white threads appeared on her slender fingers. She walked towards Chen Kong, toying with the threads in her hand.
"A certain important person has repeatedly warned me not to touch you, saying that your identity is unusual, which is why I have let you off the hook time and time again."
"But you chose to walk into hell even when the gates of heaven were open to you."
She stopped five meters away from Chen Kong. "Chen Kong, this time... I can't let you go again."
"After all, prying into a lady's secrets is not a very gentlemanly thing to do."
With that, Euphemia raised her hand. That single motion immediately put Chen Kong on high alert. He decisively raised the "Void Weaver" he had just acquired and fired in Euphemia's direction.
Bang!