In the capital's old city district, inside a quiet siheyuan, a faint white light trembled in the courtyard. Around it gathered over a dozen participants for the National Fortune Game. Outside, military-region forces had sealed the area—reconnaissance talents combed the perimeter so thoroughly that not even a rat could slip through.
At the center of the group stood several imposing figures. Their leader was a young man with sharp brows, star-bright eyes, and a wolf-tail haircut. He wore a black windbreaker that snapped in the breeze, and what caught everyone's attention was the delicate silver mechanical glove fitted to his exposed palm, flashing with a cold metallic gleam.
Beside him, a narrow-mouthed man fussed over documents. "Captain, according to Chief Pei's list, everyone has checked in—except one.""Who's missing?""Zhou Xun.""Oh? Why him…?""Everyone who entered the siheyuan has been verified—identities are clean."
The sharp-mouthed man lowered his voice: "Captain, could the rumors be true? That the Mad Ghost Butcher fell out with the military region and refused to cooperate with the game?""Don't jump to conclusions. We'll see when Zhou Xun shows," the young captain replied.
This captain was no ordinary man. He was Cao Linxuan—Cao Baiqing's favored descendant, the third Divine General of the Huaxia Military Region. He carried three talents: SSS-rank magic [Thunder Tide], SS-rank skill [Five Thunderbolts], and S-rank skill [Thunder Charge]. As Huaxia's team leader for the National Fortune Game, his presence was critical to the nation's fate.
When Chen Xiao and the others passed checkpoints and entered the siheyuan, every eye tracked Chen Xiao. Pei Tianyuan smiled: "Everyone's here—let me introduce—this is Zhou—"Before he could finish, a terrifying force lunged forward: a fist the size of a sandbag, brimming with overwhelming power, shot straight at Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao only sneered and stepped back half a pace, placing Zhou Xun's bright lamp before him. The lamp's light spread; the fist's momentum vanished as if diverted into another dimension—the lamp's absolute defense neutralized it.
"Mhm. It's that Zhou Xun, always lugging that broken lamp around." murmurs rippled. "That lamp blocks eighty to ninety percent of attacks—top tier among artifacts. Lucky bastard.""If I had that lamp, I'd be ten times better," someone scoffed.
Cao Linxuan's mouth twitched but he remained composed. "Just revealing a lamp isn't enough," he said. "Duan Hailong, add pressure."
A burly, dark-skinned man in a white tank top surged forward at his command. With a low "Moo!" a deafening bovine roar exploded from him—an attack built from overwhelming sound waves.
For Chen Xiao the attack was trivial to repel, but neutralizing it directly would draw too much attention. Instead he activated [Eight Directions Slaughter] and loudly announced (in Zhou Xun's voice) the skill: "Space Reforging!"
The sound wave's path wavered, the dimensions it travelled through shuddered, and the stable trajectory splintered like a shattered mirror.
"So it's him," muttered someone. "Currying favor with Chief An's enough to qualify for the National Fortune Game?""Zhou Xun strong? Zhao Yu, are you kidding? Without that lamp he's nothing.""Do well in the Game and you become a wolf king; fail and you won't even know how you died."
After suppressing the sound wave, Chen Xiao planted himself and watched with sharp eyes. Pei Tianyuan's face tightened. "Cao Linxuan," he said formally, "as captain, you must protect Huaxia's interests and safeguard every team member. The military region is allocating two opportunities to you—keep them safe and use them when a teammate is threatened. Understand?"
"Understood!" Cao Linxuan snapped to attention. Pei reached for two wooden boxes and handed them over. "Don't let Old Master Cao down." Cao bowed: "Naturally, Uncle Pei."
Those wooden boxes drew envy—privileges of connections and power. Opportunities given in pairs, while everyone else scrabbled to survive. Chen Xiao's eyes flicked to the boxes too; he felt a faint, unhidden greed. Most would only covet such things in secret—Chen Xiao's appetite was blunter, and very different.
Cao Linxuan studied the assembled faces, then glanced pointedly toward the place where Zhou Xun stood: "I heard the Mad Ghost Butcher isn't here after all." He let the words hang.
An Xinning's expression hardened. "The roster we sent is stronger than the last two games combined. Whether he participates makes little difference to Huaxia." But Cao's look suggested he found the Mad Ghost Butcher's absence… interesting.
The courtyard simmered with tension. For everyone present, the Game was more than a contest—every move, every advantage mattered. The Thunderclap Divine General stood tall, a charged storm in human form, and above the siheyuan a single thought pulsed through the gathered minds: when the Blood Moon rose, nothing would be the same.