Chapter 56: The Script of the Master Thief
Hai City, inside an abandoned dockside warehouse.
The air was thick with the scent of seawater, salt, and the rot of rusted tal.
A pitch-black coffin stood silently at the center of the warehouse.
“Creak—”
Suddenly, the coffin lid was pushed open from the inside by a trendous force.
A naked man slowly sat up from within the coffin.
He gulped down the cold air, a smile of one who had narrowly escaped death spreading across his face.
“Alive again…”
“This feeling… damn it, it’s intoxicating.”
He ran his hands over his intact body and smiled.
Then, he picked up the communicator beside him and sent out a signal.
At the other end of the city, inside a dim underground chamber—
A masked man received the ssage through his communicator.
He raised the gun in his hand toward the hollow-eyed man bound to a chair by iron chains.
“Goodbye, true 【Thunder God】.”
“Bang!”
……
The icy sea breeze, thick with salt and dampness, swept across the rusted gantry cranes, producing a wailing sound like that of ghosts.
Su Wan stood alone at the edge of the abandoned dock, dressed in a black trench coat, quietly gazing at the churning darkness of the sea beneath the night sky.
Behind her, the young man who had risen from the coffin slowly erged from the shadows.
“Miss Su, you really know how to pick a place.”
Qi Jiang stopped about three ters behind her, speaking with respectful admiration.
His tone carried genuine reverence. “If not for your ‘invitation’, I wouldn’t be here to enjoy such a beautiful view with you.”
“Not to ntion, the ‘resurrection’ opportunity you lent .”
He emphasized the word “lent.”
“No need to thank .”
Without turning around, Su Wan said calmly, “I’m rely making an investnt in my own future.”
“Haha.”
Qi Jiang chuckled, taking a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, inhaled deeply, and exhaled smoke through his grin. “You’re too modest. You’ve changed my fate, Miss Su—I should be the one thanking you.”
“Thanks to you, I had the chance to join this grand ga, and toy with those self-righteous fools from the governnt and 【Radiance】.”
“Watching their expressions shift from confidence to terror and despair—it was more spectacular than the finest dramas in the world.”
Su Wan didn’t respond.
Seeing that, Qi Jiang changed the subject. “You once said that when I beca the victor, you’d tell your purpose.”
“Now that Radiance has started turning on itself, they’re no longer a threat. So, can you tell what your goal is?”
Su Wan nodded. “As the victor of the Jiang City ga, I obtained the qualification to permanently retain my Transcendent ability and beca a ‘formal player’…”
After winning her first ga, a new prompt had appeared in Su Wan’s mind.
【Congratulations, player Su Wan, on winning your first ‘Ga of Gods’】
【You have obtained the qualification of ‘Formal Player’】
【As a ‘Formal Player’, you will gain the following privileges:】
【1. All identity cards you acquire will beco permanently solidified. You may use your abilities without limitation in any world.】
【2. You may choose to voluntarily match with players to participate in the ‘Ga of Gods’.】
【3. You may obtain new identity cards, enhance existing ones, or acquire powerful Transcendent items by participating in and winning more gas.】
【Warning: The world of the ga is far broader than you imagine. Make every choice with caution.】
“‘Formal players’ can choose to actively join the ‘Ga of Gods’.”
“But right now, I’m the only formal player in the world, which ans I can’t match into a new ga.”
“Still, I can sense that the footsteps of that ‘god’ haven’t stopped. More gas—and more ‘formal players’—will erge in ti.”
“So, I want to prepare in advance.”
“That’s why, after this ga ends, I want you to join my organization.”
“Organization?” Qi Jiang was montarily stunned.
“That’s right.”
Su Wan lifted her gaze to the cloud-covered sky, her eyes deep and resolute.
“I refuse to accept that our lives, our fates, can be toyed with by so unknown being.”
“I hate that feeling.”
“So I’ll keep joining gas, and keep growing stronger.”
“Until one day, I have enough power to stand before that so-called ‘god’ and ask him in person—”
“—Why do you toy with life like this?”
Her words made Qi Jiang’s heart jolt violently.
For the first ti, he felt genuine awe toward the seemingly delicate girl before him.
He had thought himself mad and bold enough already.
Yet this woman… she intended to challenge god himself?
It was sothing he had never dared even imagine.
Su Wan looked back toward the sea, speaking softly. “That’s why I’ll continue to join more ‘Gas of Gods’.”
“And in the next one, I don’t know what kind of powerful opponents I’ll face.”
She turned her eyes back to Qi Jiang. “So, I need to establish my own Transcendent force—to aid in future gas.”
Qi Jiang imdiately understood her intent.
He smiled knowingly.
“I understand.”
“When I win this ga, I’ll join your Transcendent organization.”
He bowed deeply to Su Wan. “I will be the sharpest blade in your hand.”
“I’ll join more gas on your behalf, win more rewards for you—I’ll help you face the gods themselves!”
“Good.”
Su Wan nodded, then said calmly, “Now tell about your script.”
“I’m curious—how did you manage to make Radiance turn on itself?”
A trace of pride appeared on Qi Jiang’s face.
“You know my identity is the 【Master Thief】.”
“My ability is ‘Steal’.”
“As long as I make physical contact with my target, I can steal that person’s Transcendent ability and make it my own.”
“Of course, there are limits to ti and quantity. I can only possess three ‘stolen’ abilities at once, and each lasts for a limited duration.”
“At the start of the ga, I contacted you and ‘borrowed’ the resurrection power of the 【Mortician】 from you as my crucial life-saving card.”
“Then, luck favored . Soon after the ga began, I encountered one of my Shadow teammates—the 【Mind Controller】.”
Qi Jiang’s eyes glimred with excitent. “At the beginning of the ga, the 【Mind Controller】 located and successfully controlled the true 【Thunder God】 of this round—a man nad Lei Zhen, an electrician.”
“So the two of us hit it off imdiately and devised this plan.”
“I stole the 【Thunder God】’s ability from that poor man, and then had the 【Mind Controller】 hide him away.”
“After that, I disguised myself as the 【Thunder God】 and surrendered to Bureau 869, infiltrating the 【Radiance】 faction.”
“In the conference room, I pretended to warmly pat that man nad Shi Yuan on the shoulder—secretly stealing his ability without anyone noticing.”
“Then, at the height of Chen Mo’s speech, when everyone’s attention was fixed on him, I activated the ti-acceleration ability and killed Hailan.”
“I perfectly frad the one whose ability fit the cri best—【Ti Walker】 Shi Yuan.”
“After all, everyone believes only what their own eyes and judgnt tell them. Only soone with ‘ti acceleration’ could have killed Hailan using Li Wei’s dagger.”
“But once Shi Yuan died and his Radiance identity was exposed, I—who had been fanning the flas from the beginning—would naturally beco a pri suspect.”
“So, I used the 【Thunder God】’s ability to kill myself, making a grand exit while continuing to sow doubt within Radiance.”
“Then, from the ‘Immortal Coffin’ I had prepared beforehand, I resurrected unscathed and was reborn.”
Qi Jiang’s explanation pieced together every part of the conspiracy flawlessly.
Every link was seamless, every step deliberate.
He had exploited everyone’s psychology, the officials’ arrogance, and the Radiance faction’s paranoia.
Alone, he had toyed with both the governnt and Radiance alike.
“A splendid script.”
“【Mind Controller】, hmm? Quite an interesting ability.”
Su Wan’s tone remained calm as she gave her evaluation.
“Thank you for your praise.”
Qi Jiang smiled and bowed slightly. “Then, Miss Su, what do you plan to do next?”
“Shall I help you recruit my teammates?”
“No rush.”
Su Wan shook her head. “Wait until you’ve completely won this ga.”
With that, her gaze drifted once more toward the roaring sea.
“You’re right. For now, let’s see how my ‘teammates’ perform next.”
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