Bai Qiu, clad in full armor, darted swiftly through the streets.
His iron boots struck the ground, producing a rapid "clack-clack-clack!" with every step.
He had just slain six elite monsters in a row, and thanks to the absurdly powerful "Living Sacrifice Lure" method, many people had witnessed his feat once dawn came.
However, since he was positioned so high and far away, no one could check his basic stats.
Seeing that swarm of monsters rushing like a tidal wave toward him, no one else dared to approach either.
If the aggro suddenly shifted to them, those barely equipped players—who normally had to avoid even small groups of five or six monsters—would be throwing their lives away!
By the time Bai Qiu had cleared out the massive horde of Dragonfang Soldiers, those who wanted to see who that "monster of a man" was had already lost their chance—he had vanished without a trace, not even a shadow left behind.
.........
Safe Zone No. 2236.
"Guys, did you see that?! Just now there was some Archer on a rooftop taking down Dragonfang Soldiers like it was nothing—his hand speed was insane! At least five arrows a second!"
"What?!"
"For real?!"
"I'm telling you, I saw it too! I don't know how he did it, but those Dragonfang Soldiers were rushing him like a flood—and with every shot, the sound was like thunder! He pierced through more than ten of them with a single arrow!"
"Ah—no wonder there are so few monsters outside today! So that's why! That explains it!"
"Was that person a player or an NPC? Can anyone really be that strong right now?"
"Just because you can't doesn't mean no one can. Maybe try working harder—leveling properly, optimizing your skills and cards?"
"Yeah? Then you go do it!"
Cross-Zone Channel (Zones 2200–2250):
"Holy crap! Holy crap!"
"Guys, guess what I just saw?!"
"Snow." (instant reply)
"Get lost! Look at this instead—I took a screenshot!"
The first player sent an image.
It showed a fully armored figure standing atop a tall building.
The distance made it impossible to tell their gender or face, but in their hands was a massive bow.
A dark, gleaming arrow shot forth, piercing through more than ten Dragonfang Soldiers in one go—the frame frozen at the moment their bodies were impaled, just before they turned into white light.
"Damn! I thought Lü Bu was already unmatched under heaven—whose subordinate is this?!"
"I saw it too! Took a pic, but not as clear as this one. Still—damn, that's insane!"
"Is that even human?!"
One after another, screenshots flooded the cross-zone chat, igniting a wildfire of discussion.
Everyone was talking about that iron-clad warrior—who was he?
While the rest were still grinding in parties, struggling to farm monsters, someone had already become a lone hero, cutting through entire safe zones single-handedly!
Zhang Shiyao stood within her safe zone.
She was waiting at the spot they'd agreed on last night.
Around her, people kept glancing her way, occasionally approaching to invite her to form a party—but she turned them all down.
Her reason was simple and direct: "I'm waiting for someone. No parties, thank you."
Out of boredom, she scrolled through the regional chat.
Finding nothing interesting, she decided to check the cross-zone channel instead—only to be instantly drawn in by the flood of messages exploding across the chat.
Scrolling upward, she looked at the earlier screenshots—and froze when she saw one of them.
"That's Brother Bai Qiu! It has to be! He's wearing more gear now, but that bow—I'd recognize it anywhere! Hardly anyone at this stage can even use that weapon!"
Zhang Shiyao recognized him immediately.
He had grown even stronger!
Judging by what people were saying, he must have killed tens of thousands of Dragonfang Soldiers—he was practically a walking artillery cannon!
She felt both joy and melancholy.
Joy, because Bai Qiu had become stronger and gained recognition from so many; melancholy, because compared to him, she was still too weak.
The gap between them kept widening, and she didn't even know how to close it.
That morning, she had risen early, put on the gear she crafted the night before, and spent the whole morning farming monsters outside the safe zone.
With her boosted stats, she could now fully draw her bow.
Her precision and bonuses combined made her range reach 150 meters—nearly every shot a hit—and each arrow could one-shot a Dragonfang Soldier.
Her farming efficiency far surpassed ordinary players.
With her range, damage, and mobility, she had become the undisputed Queen of the Hunt in Safe Zone No. 2233.
That was why so many people wanted to team up with her—don't be fooled by her small stature; in any team, she was the undisputed main DPS.
Bai Qiu rarely wandered around or farmed monsters inside the Safe Zone, so hardly anyone knew him.
He had never spoken in the chat channels either—one could say he was the very definition of low-key.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The sound of metal boots striking the ground echoed through the area, drawing Zhang Shiyao's attention—and everyone else's as well.
After all, finding even one person in the entire zone wearing a full suit of armor was already rare enough.
And Bai Qiu wasn't just wearing random pieces—his was a complete matching set.
Combined with the now-famous screenshots from the cross-zone channel, it didn't take long for the crowd to explode with excitement.
"Holy crap, holy crap—that's the Silver-Armored War God from the cross-zone channel, isn't it?!" someone shouted, pointing at Bai Qiu.
Instantly, dozens of heads turned.
"Damn, it really is him! Quick, take screenshots!"
"Boss! Over here! Wanna party up?!"
Bai Qiu blinked in confusion.
Why were these people suddenly acting so enthusiastic?
Their energy made him uneasy.
As he scanned the area, his eyes searched for Zhang Shiyao's figure.
He needed to find her fast—because at this rate, he might have to hide soon.
Just as the crowd was about to surround him, someone in a fluffy animal costume suddenly leapt into the air, soaring above the people and landing right in front of him.
"You are…?"
"Brother, come with me first!" Zhang Shiyao said quickly, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the black tower inside the Safe Zone.
"Everyone, disperse! Go level up while you can—I've got other matters to handle," Bai Qiu called out loudly as he scooped Zhang Shiyao up and jumped several meters high, clearing the crowd in one leap.
He set her down and gave the onlookers a quick wave before being pulled away again.
They soon reached the restaurant inside the Black Tower, where they sat down and ordered a few dishes.
"Well, well—looks like you had a good haul last night, kid!" said Wang Renfeng as he came over, surprised to see Bai Qiu.
"Thanks to you, Boss Wang, I managed to complete the first stage of the task given by the [Sage]," Bai Qiu replied with a smile—he was genuinely pleased.
"Hah! Don't be so modest, lad. I'll get your food started—won't take long!" Wang Renfeng chuckled, walking off toward the kitchen.
…
As soon as they'd entered the Black Tower, Zhang Shiyao had reminded Bai Qiu to take off his gleaming, attention-grabbing armor.
Bai Qiu glanced at her—dressed head to toe in a fluffy costume covered with long feathers—and nodded, doing as she said.
Zhang Shiyao's outfit was a Fiery Plume Hunter Set: a gradient of crimson feathers from head to toe.
Upon closer look, the lower part resembled warm leggings, while the top looked like a hooded sweatshirt—together, they almost appeared to be a single onesie.
The whole ensemble made her stand out instantly; she looked like a small, round, fiery bird—adorably plump and bright.
Honestly, with an outfit that cute, it was no wonder everyone had been trying to team up with her earlier.