"Miss Memokeeper, are you certain the target location is here?"
Sunday asked in a sincere tone.
The masked Memokeeper, whose face was completely concealed, nodded.
"Correct. The last [memory] of Black Swan disappeared here. It's confirmed—there's a special force here that severs all connection with reality."
"Acheron is hiding here."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly grew tense!
Though there were many present—with the Family taking the lead and the Memokeeper guiding them—their opponent was none other than Acheron...
An enemy of Emanator-level strength!
Right now, many felt as though they were standing at the entrance of a weekly challenge dungeon. The moment they stepped in, an epic battle would begin.
Before the storm of blood arrived, they had to prepare as much as possible!
On the other side of the hotel corridor, a silver mechanical cowboy leaned against the railing. Seeing the Family members on high alert, he immediately rested his hand on his holster, ready to draw at any moment.
In the nearby floors, shadows flickered behind every door. Some peeked out cautiously, while others stood openly in their doorways, armed with all manner of weapons.
Clearly, the forces gathered to subdue Acheron were already in position. All that remained was for the Family and the Memokeeper to force Acheron out into the open!
Sunday's gaze swept across the surroundings. He realized that some of the "guests" here might not have come purely to help. At a time like this, there were bound to be those with ulterior motives.
But this was no ordinary situation.
The terror of Acheron outweighed everything else!
After reviewing the storyline with the Dreammaster, Sunday had reached a conclusion—
Acheron... was very likely an Emanator of [Nihility]!
Such an existence was a fatal flaw for the [Dream of Taiji]!
She had to be expelled!
Neither he nor the Dreammaster had revealed this truth to others. If word got out, the number of participants today would likely drop by half!
After confirming the target location, the Family didn't rush into battle immediately.
Sunday turned to his guard and asked, "What's the situation with the IPC?"
"At a time like this, they still refuse to declare their stance?"
As soon as he spoke, a lighthearted laugh echoed through the air.
Escorted by several IPC security personnel, Aventurine arrived on the scene.
"It seems Mr. Sunday misses us dearly?"
"No worries—as the IPC's representative, I, Aventurine, have arrived."
Sunday replied coldly, "I knew you wouldn't miss this opportunity."
"Since the 'me' in the game's storyline has already decided to eliminate Acheron, I'll trust that judgment."
Aventurine radiated confidence, as if he were attending a ball rather than a battle.
Sunday glanced behind him, confirming no other IPC personnel were present, then asked, "Just you alone? That's not much of a [bet]."
Aventurine removed his sunglasses, his expression turning serious.
In his hand, a cyan jade stone flickered briefly.
"Fortunately, my chips are still intact."
"And thanks to your magnanimity, unlike in the game's plot, you didn't confiscate my equipment."
Sunday narrowed his eyes slightly.
Indeed, influenced by the game's storyline, there was no time to deal with the IPC now.
The primary enemy at this moment... was Acheron!
---
Inside the hotel room, Kafka, who had been lounging lazily on the sofa, finally sat up with a serious expression.
"So many people..." she murmured.
Silver Wolf pulled up a holographic interface, displaying a 3D model of the Reverie Hotel. The nearby floors were densely packed with red dots—each representing a hostile presence.
"Strange. Why are there so many different energy signatures?"
As she mapped out potential escape routes, Silver Wolf frowned in confusion.
Once the barrier outside was breached, their presence would undoubtedly be exposed.
Three Stellaron Hunters—That was a trio of high-value targets!
Worth mobilizing such a force for.
But now...
Silver Wolf suddenly realized a critical problem.
"Oh no!"
"We've been dragged into this!"
"These people aren't here for us—they're here for our neighbor!"
Firefly blinked in confusion. "Our neighbor?"
"They haven't done anything, just concealed their location..."
Halfway through her sentence, Firefly gasped and covered her mouth.
"Don't tell me... it's that much of a coincidence?"
Kafka sighed helplessly.
"Silver Wolf, if I didn't know you picked this room randomly, I'd think this was all part of your plan."
"Our neighbor might just be... Miss Acheron."
"Out of all the rooms... we had to end up in this sector. It's like something straight out of a [Script]."
Firefly's expression turned grave. She tightened her grip on Sam's transformation device.
In the game, she had fought Acheron.
Who would've thought reality would mirror that?
However—Kafka walked over and placed a hand on Firefly's shoulder, signaling her not to transform just yet.
"There's one way we might get out of this."
"—By proving we're also here to subdue Acheron. That we're [allies] standing on the same side as everyone outside."
"We came to stop Acheron too—taking the initiative to locate her hiding place and monitor her in advance."
Silver Wolf rolled her eyes. "Do you even believe that yourself?"
Firefly also voiced her concern. "It's too much of a coincidence. They'll think we're working together."
"The Family will inevitably turn their focus on us too."
Kafka smiled faintly.
"So, we'd better use this last bit of time to figure out how to respond—to avoid becoming everyone's target."
"Neither the forces outside nor Acheron herself will be easy to deal with."
"Let's try not to get caught in the crossfire."
The current situation was perilous—and delicate.
Though the three of them were formidable, escaping unscathed would likely come at a heavy cost.
Just then—Silver Wolf's eyes lit up with excitement.
"It's here!"
"A turning point!"
"Yu Ling released Acheron's PV!"
"The people outside must've gotten the notification too. They'll definitely watch the video before making their move."
Firefly's lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Talk about perfect timing..."
"Quick! Let's watch it too—there might be crucial information!"
At the same time, everyone outside also received the news instantly!
Notification chimes rang out simultaneously across the area.
Any update from Yu Ling now held strategic value—practically everyone had set her channel to "special alerts."
For now, the momentum toward battle was briefly halted.
Sunday's expression darkened. He raised his right hand, and a large screen materialized in the circular space outside the corridor.
His voice, though not loud, carried to every corner.
"Since Yu Ling has released new content at this moment, let us all take a few minutes to watch it together before proceeding."
"Does that suit everyone?"
Aventurine's gaze fixed on the screen.
"No objections here."
The Memokeeper allied with the Family also nodded.
Voices from the crowd soon rose in agreement.
"Of course we're watching Yu Ling's video first!"
"It's Acheron's PV—it might reveal some of her abilities! Give us an advantage!"
"Why now? Is Yuling trying to warn us?"
"Play it already!"
"We can't wait!"
To be continued…