"Don’t worry about me for now, protect the Four-leaf Phoenix Tree." Lu Shuhang spoke immediately upon seeing the situation.

A few members of Assassin’s Creed hesitated no longer at his words, swiftly moving toward the Four-leaf Phoenix Tree to encircle and stop the frenzied Angelina.

Knowing Lu Shuhang as they did, he wouldn’t do anything too reckless.

"What makes you think you can face me alone?"

Xu Xiaoyou horizontally swiped her dual blades, spinning through the air, slicing through space, and attacked Lu Shuhang head-on.

The spinning blade clashed with the double daggers, escalating Power pressed the daggers downwards continually, the heavy force spreading along Lu Shuhang’s arm to the shoulder, and towards the fatal throat.

"I haven’t had a direct confrontation with Chairman Xu." Lu Shuhang spoke lowly.

"Or should I say, Dark Gold Rose... sir."

"Four Flaming Blades."

With a low shout, his daggers slashed forward, creating a blinding arc of fire and sharp cold light in fiery flourish, heading straight for Xu Xiaoyou’s face.

Xu Xiaoyou retreated a few steps, crossing her swords into a cross before her, deflecting the flying streams of fire in succession, yet one fire stream scratched her cheek - only upon closer inspection did she realize that the stream was composed of rapidly spinning shurikens.

In an instant, both had arrived at the edge of an unseen cliff, pebbles rolling into the abyss below.

During their brief standoff, Lu Shuhang suddenly activated the shielding device, a tournament feature for protecting participants’ privacy, which can be activated at any time during sensitive conversations.

"I’ve seen you." Lu Shuhang spoke calmly.

Xu Xiaoyou showed no expression.

"Northern Territory Bank."

"Rice Wine was by your side then, correct?"

"I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

Xu Xiaoyou advanced coldly, her dual blades crossed striking, persistently pushing Lu Shuhang’s position down. He narrowly resisted, occasionally bleeding, as his Life Value steadily decreased.

Though she did not know Lu Shuhang’s true intention for initiating this talk, she was certain he aimed to stall time; her Bad Girl Workshop had limited duration.

Dialogue was fine, but she would not pause her attack because of it.

"I always thought I must have seen wrong." Facing the enveloping blade light, Lu Shuhang raised his daggers before his neck, blood streaks appearing all over.

"In hindsight, I didn’t see wrong; Xinzhu captured your photo."

"You surprisingly didn’t try to conceal your actual appearance, looking exactly like reality – worthy of you, perhaps?"

Xu Xiaoyou horizontally slashed, cutting down all thrown darts from Lu Shuhang; electric light surged around her. In just one moment, she flashed before him again, gripping the Electric Sword tightly as it erupted with dazzling light.

"I won’t kick a man while he’s down, Chairman Xu."

Xu Xiaoyou was slightly taken aback; Lu Shuhang seized the opportunity, clashing dagger against Electric Sword, electricity surged and scattered. From his pocket, he threw out a ’Cloud Bottle,’ crushing it instantly. Within the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the enveloping mist, starting to move rapidly.

Xu Xiaoyou glanced around.

"Chairman Xu, those methods of yours were realized through ’wealth,’ weren’t they?"

"I imagine you’d leveraged unimaginably for this immense wealth. Once the bubble bursts, you’d fall to pieces."

Xu Xiaoyou saw Lu Shuhang emerge, reached out to clutch at his throat but grasped only mist.

She raised her hand high, flames swirling outwards from her palm, dispelling the mist only for it to surround again in an instant.

This ’Cloud Device’ is an Artifact from the league points store, unable to be dispelled by conventional means.

"I don’t intend to reveal all this, but the premise is that the winner of this match must be Assassin’s Creed."

"How is this different from kicking a man when he’s down?" Xu Xiaoyou lifted her head, chest high, lips lightly parted in what seemed like contempt or mockery.

"We’re unlike you, and unlike our glorious selves within Oasis. In reality, my team members and I are merely ordinary people."

Lu Shuhang said, thoughts swirling in his eyes.

Who would expect that the guild leader of Assassin’s Creed, one of Oasis’s top ten guilds, is merely an employee forced to resign due to the "Gloomy Blue Tide" invasion.

His girlfriend Xiao Xinzhu is merely an internet celebrity often sharing her everyday life on social platforms.

Yu Lan, who masters ’Death and Contract’ Mimicry, is in reality a hotel cleaner. Situated in Sin City Dickweldo, she cannot monetize her popularity nor expose her identity as her flamboyant style attracts the covetousness of others.

In that city where light doesn’t reach, upon awakening from the Oasis dream, she must rush to complete remaining cleaning work before the supervisor returns, often curling up in the cleaning room corner, staring at the world outside the skylight.

If she fails her work or the obese supervisor is in a foul mood, she and those around her must line up for endless verbal abuse.

No one would recognize her, just as no one cares about a dust-covered stone.

People passing by might grimace, pinching their noses, detesting the mildewed smell that clung to the girl, a smell one could never wash away...

In the dead of night, she gets captivated by the glamorous self behind the curtains.

Zhou Zhao from Alfas is a Mayfly struggling for sustenance, living day to day just for that elusive future.

Four-leaf Phoenix Tree is an Executioner in a nameless country, its government top-tier corruption driving it toward a self-destructive abyss. To change this, all the youth could do was walk alone in the dark.

Had fate’s threads not connected these five strangers, perhaps they would never meet in their lifetimes.

From caution intact to fighting side by side to inseparable friends, each drop of blood and tear, every argument and reconciliation, the shoulder pushes before the bonfire, the mutual support at dawn, each laughter and tear, Lu Shuhang remembers them all vividly - they are his most cherished possessions.

They all know, these times could very well be their last together.

The shift of Oasis’s Key means this virtual space will completely resemble the new holder’s vision.

Perhaps the world will change drastically; perhaps this space will close forever, forcing them back to reality, or... perhaps a long time later, they’ll meet again online, exchange a smile, then part ways once more.

Every time he imagines such a future, Lu Shuhang feels an emptiness so oppressive he’s unable to breathe.

He doesn’t want to see such a future, nor can he accept it.

He needs that Key.

This Key can change their destinies, make this journey longer and farther.

This match, 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

he must win no matter what.