By the time the bizarre "Kidnapping Horror Story" came to a close, it was already late into the night.
The group returned to the base. Lawson, Dodge, and Katie stood side-by-side on a high overlook.
Below them, the city had finally shed its coat of desperate, scorched earth. After two rounds of baptism by fire and steel, the area around the base had welcomed a long-overdue tranquility.
The night wind brushed through the swaying trees, a warmth so luxurious it made one forget the piercing cold of the post-apocalyptic ruins.
This peace was a silence bought by countless life-and-death gambles.
Lawson's coat fluttered in the wind. He gazed at the full moon hanging over the distant mountains, a rare spark of joy in his eyes.
He whispered, "The night view here is actually so beautiful... I never noticed it before."
It was no wonder. For the Lawson of the past—a "corporate slave" struggling under the gears of daily life—the weight of survival had stripped away any room to breathe.
This kind of ordinary town scenery had once been a luxury even his dreams couldn't accommodate.
"Yes," Katie picked up the thought, her gaze soft as she looked into the distance. "With everyone's hard work, the town is slowly recovering. Look how bright the stars are... just looking at them fills my heart with hope."
Dodge broke the silence with a boisterous laugh.
"Hahaha! Since peace is restored, the fitness center must be operational now! It's been way too long since I hit the weights. My muscles are screaming for mercy, calling out to me! Perfect timing—I need to take my apprentice for some special training.I won't stop until I turn that boy into a 'Macho Sharpshooter' with an eight-pack!"
Dodge's soul as a former professional fitness trainer burned bright. With a "Whoosh!" of wind, he vanished before their eyes, clearly unable to wait to kidnap his disciple, Luther.
Silence fell once more. Lawson and Katie stared at each other amidst the wind.
At that moment, the same image popped into both their heads: Poor Luther being put in a headlock by the tower-like Dodge, forced to chug gallon after gallon of thick protein powder while Dodge roared, "ONE MORE SET!"
"...Luther, good luck," Lawson silently reserved a cremation spot in his heart for the one who was destined for tragedy before he even got his abs.
A moment later, Lawson looked toward the distant, lingering storm clouds and smoke. His heart tightened. "It's not over yet... What if the Shadow General attacks now and everyone gets hurt?"
His thoughts drifted back to the black-haired warrior's words. Thinking of the green, rookie warriors, he could almost see the red text flashing on a screen: [BAD END — STARS FALL, TOWN ERASED.]
"What are you thinking about!"
Katie stepped directly in front of him, her hands pressing firmly onto his shoulders, her unshakable determination crushing his anxiety.
"Soldiers will block the advance, and water will be met with earth! We have a 'Ten-Year Veteran' here, plus two sets of SS-Rank armor. How could we possibly hit a trash ending like that? I will protect everyone, and you will do the same. You won't back down, right!"
Lawson was stunned. The steady pressure on his shoulders seemed to penetrate his skin and reach his heart.
Looking into Katie's clear, unwavering eyes, the chaos in his mind miraculously settled. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, and his gaze sharpened. He placed his hand over Katie's.
"You're right. To think I was scared by a game I played for ten years... how pathetic. Since I'm the 'Ten-Year Veteran,' then I'm the one who decides how this story ends!"
He clenched his fist, staring into the distance, his voice no longer trembling.
"Let's go, Katie. Time to begin 'Operation: Shadow General Conquest'!"
With confident, fearless strides, they walked back toward the base, ready to go all out.
Inside the base hall, the collective gaze of the warriors was intense enough to burn. It was exactly like a group of Level 1 newbies encountering a Max-Level God-Tier player in the starting village.
Every eye was glued to the new resident—her skintight tactical suit traced a sharp, lethal silhouette that radiated an undeniable aura of slaughter.
Ester stepped forward to introduce her, her tone calm yet powerful. "This is an SS-Rank warrior from Sunrise Town. Due to special mission requirements, she will be temporarily stationed at this base..."
Ester squinted at her tablet, her brow furrowing into a knot. After a long pause, she blurted out: "Her name is... uh, something like... er..."
Seeing Ester's struggle with the name, the warrior decided to break the awkwardness herself.
"Edith Lablowestman Fortreiss. It's a bit long, but is it really that much of a tongue-twister?"
The hall fell into an eerie silence. Some subconsciously dug at their ears, doubting their hearing; others looked like skipping CD players, their lips moving without producing a single coherent syllable.
Edith looked at the petrified crowd and let out a helpless sigh."Forget it. Just call me Edith..."
"Hello there, Miss Edith! I'm Victor, Brother Lawson's official right-hand man!" Victor was the first to snap out of it, energetically promoting himself.
"I am Luther, Master Dodge's sole apprentice," Luther said, pushing up his glasses with a calm demeanor that contrasted sharply with Victor's energy.
When it was Emma's turn, she waved her hands frantically, terrified of being overlooked. "Me! Me too! I'm Emma, the cutest apprentice under Master Katie! And these two are Senior Valerie and Junior Phyllis!"
Without warning, she extended her "demon claws" and shoved her two companions forward. Valerie and Phyllis were caught off guard, their faces a mask of confusion as if asking, who am I, and where am I?
"Don't be shy! George, come over and say hi!"
The commotion on the side drew everyone's attention. Dodge's arm, thick as a construction crane, had reached out and literally "hoisted" George into the air.
George was covering his face with both hands as if trying to peel off his own skin, stubbornly refusing to socialize.
However, Edith's intuition was as sharp as a blade. The unique shade of silver hair overlapped with a figure in her memory.
She blurted out a name that had been intentionally hidden, yet was a household name in the Old World:
"Silver-Wing? So this is where you've been hiding, George."
George froze. Knowing he couldn't escape, he forced a voice out from between his fingers. "H-Hello... Miss Edith."
In an instant, the room's gaze hit him like a synchronized battery of floodlights. Aside from the clueless "outsider" Victor and the dismissive Phyllis, everyone's eyes burned with recognition.
Who hadn't heard of the superstar who took the gaming world by storm? And the woman before them, Edith, was the legendary Golden Manager who had personally pushed him onto his throne.
"Ah, the world is small indeed. Seems like everyone has some 'past business'?"
Lawson had appeared at the side, arms crossed like a seasoned spectator.
Compared to George's flustered state, Edith was composed. She brushed back her long hair, her gaze opens and vast.
"Relax, George. No need to be so stiff. Those titles were left in the Old World. Now... we are just warriors fighting side by side. It doesn't matter if your identity is exposed. This world no longer needs 'Superstars'—it needs heroes who can save others."
"Alright, now that the introductions are settled, it's getting late. Everyone, surrender to your blankets! I'm tired enough that my soul is about to leave my body."
Following Lawson's decadent "Fatigue Declaration," the tension in the air snapped like a broken bowstring. The exhaustion accumulated throughout the day flooded over the warriors like a dam breaking.
Muttering incoherent gibberish, they dragged their leaden feet toward the living quarters—their only remaining sanctuary.
Only Edith, the new resident, stood there like a lost fawn, looking around with uncertainty.
"Sister Edith! Leave this to me—the one who loves the living quarters the most!"
With a pitter-patter of light footsteps, Emma bounced over like a spirited deer, a healing smile on her face that could dispel any gloom.
As the "Number One Fan" of the Living Quarters, she ignored all social distance, linking her arm through Edith's and puffing out her modest but confident chest.
"Ta-da! 'Living Quarters Chief Guide' Emma, at your service! Leave everything to an expert like me! Let's go—!"
Before Edith could recover from the sweet scent of the girl's enthusiasm, the red-haired whirlwind had already pulled her toward the residential wing.