Chapter 282: A Thunderous Opening! The House Was Looted by a Thief!
"Hey, Shangshang?"
"Yeah, that's right, I'm in Penacony right now."
"Dangerous? What danger? There's no danger at all!"
"The players in Penacony are all talented, and they talk so nicely—I absolutely love being here!"
"The Iris Family even gave me a compensation fee earlier, so my travel expenses for this trip are basically all covered."
"Oh, right, I even ran into the Stellaron Hunters, Acheron, the Astral Express crew…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
"…we even swapped signatures and added each other as friends."
"All in all, this trip to Penacony is worth it!"
"You should come and vacation with me once your shift is over~"
"The immersion in the story here is top-tier!"
"Can't talk now, I need to get ready for the new story content!"
After hanging up the phone.
Guinaifen went to have a big meal inside the hotel.
Then she ordered one of Penacony's specialty milk teas.
Satisfied.
Everything was ready.
At 10:30.
The stream started right on time!
…
"Open the door and let me in!"
"Is everyone waiting?"
"Little Guizi is live!"
"Let me tell you all a secret: for this new story content, the Family has already stockpiled armed forces. Based on the plot clues from the Feather Spirit, we'll hit exactly where we need to!"
"Hasn't Gallagher already been confirmed?"
"But it still looks like there are a lot of suspicious points. According to the grapevine, there's going to be a twist in this event!"
"Still a twist? Forget Gallagher, there's no way that 'Something Unto Death' is getting redeemed, okay?!"
"Believe in the Family, believe in Sunday!"
…
Guinaifen waved at the livestream camera.
"Family, welcome to Little Guizi's channel!"
"There are 25 minutes left until the latest story content update that Feather Spirit promised!"
"No rush, let's go farm some Planar Ornaments for Acheron first."
"Simulated Universe, initiate!"
"Swish, swish, swish—"
A pile of materials and Credits burst out in the bottom left corner.
Arriving at the node.
Facing [ Event ] and [ Battle ].
Guinaifen chose battle without hesitation.
…
"Holy crap, this many snacks?"
"Good guy, Acheron's technique is just too awesome. A Simulated Universe run that used to take ten-plus minutes now takes five!"
"Isn't that a bit too bold for a turn-based game?"
"Acheron's true signature weapon: snacks."
"I used to fear battles and avoid them, but now: select all battles!"
"Battle, satisfying!"
"The Simulated Universe has become like this, and none of you sitting here are innocent!"
…
Five minutes left.
Guinaifen didn't do anything else.
She waited quietly.
Occasionally chatting with the stream chat.
Once the time was up.
Guinaifen immediately went on full alert!
Staring at the screen.
[ Breaking News: The Penacony Charmony Festival has entered the countdown stage. Accompanied by the ticking of Clockie, 12 system hours later, this festival will usher in its grand opening… ]
After the broadcast's voice faded.
What appeared wasn't the expected scene of Penacony.
It was the Astral Express, the Parlor Car!
Dan Heng, who was left behind on the train, had a grave expression on his face.
And on the other side, there was an uninvited guest!
He was currently holding a gun.
And the muzzle,
Was pointed right at Dan Heng!
…
"What's the situation!"
"Was the train hijacked?"
"Opening with a bang, holy crap!"
"Brother, how did you steal my home?"
"Dan Heng: I was eating hot pot and singing on the train, and suddenly I got hijacked!"
"This dude looks so familiar?"
…
Dan Heng was in a standoff with this mechanical cowboy.
Below.
Pom-Pom looked a bit flustered.
So anxious that they started speaking properly: "I told you already! Whatever the matter is, we can discuss it properly!"
"Sorry, little fuzzy one, I really have some urgent business to attend to, and I have no choice but to ask you all for a small favor this way."
The cowboy grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
"Since you know what you're doing, I must also remind you of the risks of doing so," Dan Heng said coldly.
"Brother, why so tense? Isn't pulling this thing out just to say hello?"
"Last time, state your identity and your purpose."
"The name's Boothill, I'm a Galaxy Ranger."
…
The Reverie Hotel, Dreamscape.
Boothill was drinking a special cocktail at the bar.
There were many other guests around with mysterious origins like him.
Everyone had come to hunt down Acheron before.
Now that they knew Acheron was an ally, some people had left Penacony overnight, while others thought, since they were already here, they might as well take a vacation in Penacony and see how the situation would develop.
There were a few TVs at the bar counter.
One of them was playing Little Guizi's stream.
At this moment.
Boothill looked stunned.
"What the hell!"
"They actually put me in the game?!"
"Don't even mention it, that standing posture, the angle of the gun, it's indistinguishable from the real thing!"
The gazes of some people around him also converged on him.
A busybody teased: "Not bad, cowboy, you actually dared to hijack the Astral Express?!"
"That's a pretty big job!"
"Buddy, you look like a total villain."
"Are you really a Galaxy Ranger?"
"I am, of course, a genuine Galaxy Ranger!!"
Boothill put one hand on his hip, holding the cocktail in the other.
Looking untamed and rebellious.
But in reality.
He was grumbling inwardly.
So many people came to hunt down Acheron first.
Why did they specifically put him into the story?
Wait!
Acheron seemed to want to tell me something before, but was interrupted by something.
Damn!
What the hell am I doing drinking here?!
I almost forgot the main business!
…
"I came here for this! Telling you is no harm. We Rangers are hunting down an imposter, a little cutie who's wearing our clothes and pretending to be one of us. She's in Penacony right now."
"My informant is a Memokeeper. Like all memetic entities, she appears suddenly and vanishes just as quickly. It's damn creepy. But she provided a crucial clue."
"That person calls herself Acheron. According to our intelligence, she's likely a… Nihility Emanator."
After hearing Boothill's self-revelation.
Dan Heng's eyes narrowed: "That's impossible."
"Never glancing at anyone—that's what makes sense. What reason would It have to grant power to a mortal?"
"Then you must know that Emanators can also hide their identities. For many, it's better that way, otherwise it means stepping onto the grand stage of galactic slaughter, or even… betraying the Path they walk."
"I was lucky enough to witness an Erudition Emanator—no, wait, an Elation Emanator. Just looking at the appearance, they were no different from that bunch of clowns. If I hadn't been lucky enough to get them drunk, I wouldn't have known their identity was so illustrious!"
"Even the purest Hunt has the Xianzhou Alliance in the light and the Galaxy Rangers in the shadows. Paths are ultimately concepts created by people; there must be external factors beyond your and my cognition."
"Thinking that Nihility has no Emanators… maybe it's just because we aren't 'Nihility' enough yet."
Boothill's words immediately caused quite a stir in the livestream!
…
"Woooo, reliable Teacher Dan Heng!"
"So much intel dropped at once!"
"This kid doesn't look like a good guy!"
"Note: He's probably referring to Black Swan here; the Memokeeper mentioned later is a different matter."
"No! Buddy! Are you sure you're here to [ hunt down ]?"
"With this build, I don't think he's enough for one swing of Acheron's blade."
"Good, good, good, another person here to test Acheron's strength."
"Although! The Galaxy Rangers actually have killed Emanators…"
"Killed a Lord Ravager, but paid a heavy price."
"These guys are too ruthless. No matter how big the power gap is, they really hold grudges and take revenge! They really dare to go for it!"