Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 704 - 702

The Ghost of Hidden Eye opened his eyes.

At this moment, he was standing on a stone arch bridge spanning a river. The stone bridge was long and wide, its structure stable and robust. Leaning against the stone railings, he could look down to see the slowly flowing river or gaze up at the starry sky and bright moon, unobscured by clouds.

The ends of the Stone Bridge connected to riverbanks where willow trees seemed to be planted, their shadowy forms veiled in a thin mist.

The surrounding scenery was very familiar to the Ghost of Hidden Eye: the night, the bright moon, the Stone Bridge, the river, the mist.

He had received the same "Please go to sleep" note for three consecutive days. Tonight, after following the instruction to sleep, he appeared on the Stone Bridge for the third time.

But this time, something seemed different.

The mist had thinned considerably.

The Ghost of Hidden Eye looked around, suspicion blooming within him.

Based on his previous experiences, a vague, umbrella-carrying figure should have been standing not far ahead on the stone arch bridge. Each night, it had turned slightly, as if about to look back and meet his gaze.

But now, the space was empty.

What's going on...

The Ghost of Hidden Eye muttered to himself, a sense of unease stirring within him.

The next second, he sensed something, and an astonished look crossed his face.

On the previous two nights, he had been unable to use a player's special abilities, could not retrieve items from his inventory, and his physical prowess had regressed to that of an ordinary mortal.

But now, he could clearly hear the strong, steady beat of his own heart and feel potent energy coursing through his body.

He instinctively opened the player panel. His personal information wasn't greyed out, and the item and skill tabs were illuminated.

The restrictions are lifted?!

The Ghost of Hidden Eye's breath hitched, his eyes wide. He eagerly retrieved various pieces of equipment and items from his inventory, arming himself to the teeth. He also placed numerous devices and arrays around him to detect malice and scout for Energy fluctuations.

Just as Bai Haozheng had speculated, both the Ghost of Hidden Eye and the Black Holy Son hailed from South Korea; the former was the latter's bodyguard, subordinate, and devout follower.

Their organization, known as Higan, had close ties with Datura. It had been established even before the killing game officially began and had infiltrated every corner of South Korean society.

The hierarchy within the organization was clear-cut. The lower echelons handled dirty work in illicit sectors.

The middle echelons used the massive cash flow from below to establish legitimate fronts like media companies, factories, nightclubs, and bars. These served both to launder money and conceal illicit activities, while also providing operational bases and havens for the lower echelons' corrupt enterprises.

The upper echelons leveraged the Black Holy Son's mother—a shaman renowned for her accurate Divinations and her ability to help people avert misfortune—along with vast sums of laundered money. With these, they built a network in high society to shield the operations of the middle and lower echelons.

Although Higan wasn't as renowned as Datura, nor did it possess its own territory, mercenaries, or Transcendent army like the Brazilian King Seven Warlords, its strength lay in its long history of operation and deep entanglement with the local elite. The compromising material it held was enough to destabilize the country's entire political landscape. Consequently, not even the Global Occult Coalition, despite its supreme authority and official mandate, nor newly appointed local officials, could move to dismantle the Higan Organization.

As time passed, the Higan Organization moved beyond merely accumulating wealth. It began ambitiously building up its forces, aiming to emulate the United States' Prometheus Laboratory Company and grow into a sprawling conglomerate spanning multiple industries, possessing cutting-edge technology, and even its own armed forces.

As the Young Master of Higan, the Black Holy Son naturally enjoyed numerous privileges. Traditionally, during script missions, he would have been accompanied by multiple bodyguards sworn to protect his life at all costs.

However, a rebellion had recently occurred within the Higan Organization. Some agents had refused orders from Higan's leadership to eliminate test subjects from a genetic mutation engineering project. These subjects were children, rapidly developed from test-tube babies to an apparent age of seven or eight, born with Transcendent abilities like Telekinetic Power. This refusal triggered a purge and extermination campaign by the Higan Organization against the dissenting agents.

These agents fought back against the armed personnel sent by Higan, rescued the surviving child test subjects, and fled the remote island housing the experimental base, disappearing without a trace. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

A month later, these agents began assassinating high-ranking Higan Organization officials, with the Black Holy Son on their list.

At that time, he was on a private jet flying from the United States to London. He was to represent the Higan Organization in negotiations with local London underground factions, discussing an alliance for the upcoming Doorfront Struggle.

Before the private jet reached London, it was struck by a missile over the Atlantic. Although the Black Holy Son and his guards were Transcendents, their reaction speed was no match for the missile. Moreover, their assailants used a special item capable of temporarily Sealing their Transcendent abilities. Thus, the Black Holy Son and the others could only watch helplessly as the missile hit their plane, causing it to crash.

The Black Holy Son and the Ghost of Hidden Eye miraculously survived due to their Transcendent abilities. However, the pilots, attendants, and the many Higan guards onboard were not so fortunate. They were either consumed by the explosion and died instantly or managed to escape the aircraft only to plummet thousands of meters into the sea without any fall-mitigation equipment. They hit the water with a SPLAT, turning into a bloody pulp.

(Players engaged in combat cannot teleport directly from the real world to the game mall for refuge; they must wait for a period after disengaging from combat.)

The Black Holy Son and the Ghost of Hidden Eye, having crashed into the sea, were quickly hunted by the defecting agents. These agents, also players, were well aware of their targets' capabilities and tormented them from a distance with long-range attacks.

The pair struggled desperately to survive at sea, unstintingly using expensive items. They finally reached the waters of Great Britain, where they received support.

Before the enraged Black Holy Son could return to Higan for a reckoning, he and the Ghost of Hidden Eye received a script task notification. Thus, the master and servant duo arrived at the Dolphin Hotel without additional support, as all the guards who had applied to join their team had perished in the assassination.

However, the Ghost of Hidden Eye possessed an unwavering conviction that he would survive the terrifying and bizarre Dolphin Hotel. His Young Master, the Black Holy Son, was Higan's hope, mankind's future. Even if it meant an eternity in hell with no hope of release, he would protect his Young Master at all costs.

Since the restrictions on Transcendent abilities have been lifted, tonight should be when the fighting begins...

The Ghost of Hidden Eye muttered to himself as a series of CRACKLING and POPPING sounds emanated from his body. His bones lengthened, and his muscles expanded.

The Ghost of Hidden Eye's already tall and burly physique swelled even further. He grew to nearly three meters in height, with horns sprouting from his head and his skin turning blood-red. Prominent blue veins bulged across his skin, clearly visible.

A black, malevolent Evil Qi radiated from his entire being, making him resemble a legendary demon, exuding an aura of ferocious violence.

CLANG—

He gripped a gigantic Naginata, slamming it firmly into the ground. Its ninety-centimeter blade gleamed coldly, a long, narrow blood groove etched into its length. The hardwood shaft, over three meters long, towered even above the demonic form of the Ghost of Hidden Eye.

He was determined to see what kind of entity this umbrella-carrying figure, which had tormented him for the past two nights, truly was.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

The crisp, almost pleasant sound of wooden clogs echoed from the end of the Stone Bridge, drawing nearer with a steady, distinct rhythm.

The Ghost of Hidden Eye's pupils constricted. He clearly saw a figure holding an umbrella and wearing wooden clogs walking towards him.

A cold wind gusted, causing the willow branches on both banks to sway. A GURGLING sound came from the river as bubbles rose to the surface.

Countless fish floated to the surface, belly-up and motionless—dead.

It was as if the figure with the umbrella and wooden clogs was a messenger of death, spreading its plague...