Mu Anqi stood still on the stage. The moment the match began, she drew a complete arc toward the sky with her left hand while softly but sincerely uttering "Peace Year after Year." At the same time, her right hand freed her gun and aimed at the crocodile, which had just been about to talk tough but was immediately controlled. Three bullets were fired viciously, hitting the head.
Clearly, the crocodile's skin was not nearly tough enough.
The fight ended so quickly that the spectators in the arena hadn't even reacted. The black-eyed residents representing Mr. Black let out long sighs and boos, while the other half of the audience clapped as if waking from a dream.
"Outsiders always have so many tricks. That idiot even tried to trash-talk? These outsiders all look weak but possess strange and unusual abilities," one black-eyed spectator complained.
"She actually wants to challenge again?! Does this guy think we're all pushovers? Damn it, send a strong one up there to teach her a lesson!" When Mu Anqi chose to stay on the stage to continue the fight, the black-eyed audience erupted in anger, visibly annoyed.
"We represent Mr. Black; we can't keep embarrassing him like this!"
"Damn it, why hasn't the outsider Mr. Black chose arrived yet? Could it be that they came but are too scared to step up?"
Mu Anqi didn't care about any of this. She just wanted to collect as many contaminated residents as possible in the shortest time. The crocodile she had defeated was already being dragged away by the staff for processing. When she left, she could go to the loot storage area to retrieve the crocodile's head.
She rested briefly on the stage, and soon a new black-eyed "contaminated" resident stepped onto the arena. This time, the resident was somewhat similar to the "defective" one. Compared to the crocodile, this gray wolf resident had a circle of mechanical plates around its waist and abdomen, and its hands were fitted with brass knuckles, looking fully armed.
However… this one had no helmet. Its fluffy gray head was exposed, completely unprotected.
After the game began, Mu Anqi also raised her left hand, drew an arc toward the sky, and quickly uttered the blessing "Smiling in the Afterlife." This gray wolf was extremely fast, but its speed still couldn't surpass the speed of Mu Anqi's practiced blessing. Before the wolf's claws could almost hit her, its body twisted uncontrollably, spinning 1,440 degrees in place. At the same time, Mu Anqi aimed at its head and fired, killing it.
"? What's with this outsider! Does their skill have no limits?"
"How is this even a game? This is way too unfair."
"We need to send someone faster, a cheetah? Or have Mr. Falcon try?"
"Anyone with speed modifications should go up and teach them a lesson!"
Voices clamored from all directions; the spectators on Mr. Black's side erupted in anger. Compared to the furious and impatient audience, the animal residents who had undergone actual special modifications remained calm, planning to wait for two more rounds.
They all understood that the outsider would stay in Upside-Down City for seven days, and the opponents would gradually increase in difficulty. Moreover, this outsider's skill was truly peculiar—was it because of that left-hand movement? They had to restrict the outsider's actions before the movement…
In a corner of the audience stands, a figure completely concealed by a wide black robe and hood quietly observed the match on the stage. "Action control? Is it random or specified… interesting. Just raising a hand? Or does it require a movement combined with a spell… The handgun's damage seems high. I wonder what other tricks this player has left. Need to watch more."
Thinking this, he glanced at his wrist, where half of a white dove pattern had already appeared, and couldn't help but frown. His time here was limited, yet the player seemed to have just arrived… According to the arena rules, that player wouldn't encounter any particularly strong opponents in the short term. He touched the backpack hidden under his robe. When he first arrived, he hadn't received much information. After discovering two animals with eyes covered in white, he dragged them into a dark alley, killed them, collected their heads, and destroyed the bodies. It was only then that a guide crow came, informing him of relevant knowledge about the inner world.
Moreover, when he arrived at the arena, the black crow had already left.
He squinted at the white dove following Mu Anqi, feeling somewhat puzzled. Why was that? Could it be… that the corresponding BOSS on the white side was easier to deal with? That shouldn't be the case.
However, if the prerequisite was an action or words, there shouldn't be a problem.
There was no need to determine a winner on the stage; he preferred ambushing in secret to gain the initiative. It was only one day, and letting this player kill more contaminated residents was fine—he had seven days to work with. Thinking this, he quietly remained in the stands, continuing to watch Mu Anqi's performance.
"Hopefully stronger residents will appear so this player can fully display their skills…"
Unfortunately, this player was destined to be disappointed.
It wasn't that Mu Anqi didn't want to show off; it was mainly that she didn't have many skills worth displaying. Wealthy Aura? No need to activate. Ghost Grinding? There were no ghosts here, so no use for Guansi. Life-Buying Money? A limited skill, completely unnecessary. As for "Money Comes," the sudden windfall—there was even less reason to use it. Mu Anqi was treating that skill entirely as a group attack ability.
Thus, the black-side player quietly observed several matches and found that Mu Anqi only used that hand-raising circle to make her opponents perform strange but harmless actions, then killed them with her handgun.
"Is this the only control skill? Impossible… could the handgun itself also be one of her skills?" The player was incredulous, but no matter the opponent, none could escape this combination. If one shot didn't kill, then two; if two shots didn't work, then three—she would just keep shooting until the enemy died. Using bullets without concern for quantity made him suspect that the handgun itself was also a skill. After all… he knew the points required for the weapons store's handguns and bullets. "Those sent out are all defective, incapable of forcing her to reveal skills. Keeping them around is useless anyway."
After watching another match, again it was the same repetitive and uninteresting kill. Finally, the player could no longer sit still. He adjusted his black robe, stood up, and left the arena. The white dove pattern on his wrist was almost complete, only the final coloring left. Estimating the time, he hurried toward a small alley. As he brushed past a resident with completely white eyes at the alley entrance, he suddenly swung his robe, pulled out a bottle of gray potion from his pocket, and smashed it at the resident. Then, he leapt forward, "coincidentally" catching another resident who had fallen straight behind the first, dragging them into the alley.
This was a bird-type resident, small and light, so he was able to complete the whole series of actions with ease.
The bird in his arms was clearly alive, but unable to move or speak. The player seemed aware of his potion's duration; as soon as he entered the alley, he slit its throat with a dagger, then carefully used a corrosive potion to dissolve everything except the bird's head. Finally, he opened his backpack and stuffed the head inside.
"Time's about up. That's enough for today. Back… need to make more potions." He closed his backpack, placed his temporary residence permit on the mirrored road beneath his feet, and in the next instant disappeared into the inner world.
Mu Anqi was completely unaware of the player in the corner or their departure. She remained focused on using movements to confuse anyone possibly hiding in the shadows, then finishing off enemies with her handgun. Ordinary bullets were extremely cheap, five points per set of 100 rounds, so she had no qualms about using them.
She continued fighting in the arena until the crow pattern on her wrist began to be colored in (gradually turning black), at which point she stopped staying on stage to battle.
The heads…
Mu Anqi thought for a moment and took out a reusable plastic bag. She didn't want to put the heads directly into her storage ring—after all, she would still need it for food and water later, and even if they wouldn't touch, the thought was unpleasant. She placed the "trophies" one by one into the plastic bag. During this time, she fought nine contaminated residents in a row, collecting nine vouchers.
Mu Anqi wasn't sure how the daily consumption for clothing, food, and shelter was calculated—whether all together cost one voucher per day, or each service required separate payment. With nine vouchers in hand, even if each service had a fee, she could still last two days.
"White Dove Guide, will you return to the surface world with me?" Standing on the mirrored road, Mu Anqi asked as she stored the plastic bag into her storage ring.
"Not now. Next time you enter the inner world, if you behave well, I will appear again," said the white dove, and with a flap of its wings, it flew away.
Mu Anqi watched the white dove disappear, then took out her temporary residence permit, placed it on the mirrored surface, and likewise vanished into the inner world.
…
"My dear, you really are biased~" Mr. Black said in a tone both sad and jealous. "Isn't this a bit unfair?"
"We severed the token's connection with that player," Miss White's voice remained as calm as ever. "Only by doing so is it fair."
"That general really broke the rules, giving something like that to a player~" Mr. Black couldn't help but sigh. "Good thing you never recruit players; otherwise, I'd be upset."
"Hmph, it's just that I didn't find them suitable. You're just as picky as I am," Miss White remained unmoved. She looked at Mr. Black in the mirror, as if through it she could see Upside-Down City, see the real Shattered Mirror Continent. "That general is not easy to deal with. You go handle it."
"Why? Last time we played, I lost. It should be your turn to take charge of everything," Mr. Black protested, feeling wronged. "I also don't like dealing with that temperamental general; the killing aura on her is too strong."
"Before the game ends, the authority is yours," Miss White said. "Otherwise, don't even think about coming out again."
"My dear, you're always so heartless…" With Mr. Black's sigh, the white-robed Miss White, who sat quietly between the black and white squares, was gradually enveloped by a layer of black mist. When the mist dispersed, a masked man cloaked in black appeared. He first touched the mask on his face, then undid the black robe, straightened his sleek black suit, adjusted his tie, and put on a gentleman's hat. Finally, he conjured a black cane before elegantly stepping out of the black-and-white squares.
"Oh~ welcome, General from afar~ It's still game time here, so I do hope you won't interfere."