The Bound Violet Hiyakura and Jasmine stood on a secluded street.
They anxiously looked around, searching for any sign of Violet.
As time ticked away, Violet still did not appear.
Hiyakura frowned and said, "Could it really be that 'ghost' who did this?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Clearly, she was frightened by the possibility.
Thinking about ghosts and monsters felt truly terrifying.
Jasmine shook her head and replied firmly:
"Don't think too much, Hiyakura. I don't believe in ghosts. Instead, I'm inclined to think this was a premeditated attack."
"A premeditated attack?" Hiyakura widened her eyes in surprise.
Jasmine nodded, holding up her communication device: "I just contacted the academy, but it seems the signal is blocked. I can't get through no matter how I try."
After hearing this, Hiyakura showed a distressed expression:
"Can't get through? Ah! I... I didn't even think to contact the academy…"
"In this situation, it doesn't seem like something a so-called ghost could cause." Jasmine continued to analyze, "Blocking communication signals requires quite professional equipment and skills. This is clearly man-made."
Jasmine furrowed her brows and muttered, "The enemy knows our position, we are in danger now…"
Suddenly, she looked up and said seriously to Hiyakura:
"From now on, we must stay together at all times and never separate. We don't know where the enemy is hiding; we must remain vigilant."
Hiyakura nodded, her face filled with worry: "Then… what should we do now?"
Jasmine took a deep breath and calmly analyzed:
"We need to find a way to leave this place first. Our top priority is to contact the academy or the city guard. Only with support can we safely investigate and find Violet."
Just as Jasmine made this decision,
the communication device in her hand suddenly rang.
Then, without giving Jasmine time to react, a shocking scene appeared before Jasmine, Hiyakura, and the other players in front of the screen.
Violet was tied to an old wooden chair, her mouth gagged with black cloth, struggling incessantly.
Surrounding her was a pitch-black space that looked like an abandoned warehouse.
Next to Violet were various equipment of unknown purpose, glowing ominously.
Suddenly, a voice processed through a voice changer came from the device, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female:
"I advise you not to act rashly, and certainly don't attempt to call for backup, or else…"
Before the voice could finish,
a hand in a black leather glove appeared on the screen, holding a sharp short katana.
The person gently pressed the blade against Violet's neck, a trickle of blood flowing down the blade, showcasing its sharpness.
Hiyakura turned pale, her body trembling slightly.
Jasmine's expression darkened, anger flickering in her eyes.
"Stop it!"
Hiyakura shouted urgently, "Let Violet go! If you want something, come at me!"
The eerie voice sounded again: "I've sent you a coordinate, and I'll only wait three minutes! If you don't arrive in three minutes, I'll have to leave a head for you."
With these words, a new mission prompt popped up on Sakura Fubuki's game interface:
[Emergency Mission: Life and Death Race]
Objective: Reach the designated location within three minutes
Description: Violet's life is in imminent danger; you must race against time! Navigate the complex streets, find the shortest path, and locate the destination within the time limit.
Sakura Fubuki immediately began to operate, controlling Hiyakura to run quickly in the game.
However, due to the fact that the current version of "Fairy Journey" has not yet launched the mount mechanism, players could only rely on their characters' legs to run.
This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the mission significantly.
It tested the players' understanding of the map and route planning abilities.
Sakura Fubuki maneuvered Hiyakura through the streets of the city, attempting to find the shortest path.
However, time flew by, and when the timer reached zero, the character Hiyakura controlled by Sakura Fubuki still hadn't arrived at the designated location.
A mission failure notification appeared on the screen, and the character automatically returned to the starting position.
The live chat went wild:
"Sure enough, you can't have any expectations of Snow Dog!"
"Damn Snow Dog! Give me back Violet! Waaa, give me back Violet!!"
"At this time, the importance of Tao Yao's three souls is highlighted! If Tao Yao were here, they would have made it in no time!"
"Streamer, you're just too weak; you can't even complete such a simple mission?"
"Violet is going to die, and it's all your fault!"
Facing the overwhelming criticism, Sakura Fubuki did not feel discouraged.
She said into the microphone, "Everyone, don't worry, let me use some consumables for a boost and try again."
After saying that, she used a few items to increase her character's speed.
Then, she attempted the mission again.
But it still ended in failure.
This time, speed was not an issue.
Sakura Fubuki had gotten lost.
Then at that moment,
the comments had become quite heated.
"I'm really done with this silly streamer. Weren't you just right next to it? Can't you see?"
"Is the streamer blind?"
"Getting lost with coordinates? That's quite something!"
Finally, with the comments heating up,
Sakura Fubuki finally found the location.
In the last few seconds, she controlled her character to rush to the designated spot.
This was an abandoned factory.
And this map hadn't been opened to players in the previous version; it was clearly added with this update.
"Success!"
Just then, in Jasmine's phone,
the voice processed by the voice changer sounded again:
"Good, you arrived on time. But the game has only just begun…"
As the voice fell, the door slowly opened.
Hiyakura and Jasmine stepped in slowly.
At the same time,
the voice continued to say:
"This place was once an abandoned meteorite mining factory in the dual city, and now I've transformed it into a small maze, with hidden wonders inside."
"To rescue your companion, you must pass through this maze. I can remind you that the maze is filled with traps."
"Remember, if you trigger a trap or take too long, your companion…"
Before the voice could finish,
Hiyakura interrupted.
"Isn't it interesting to be sneaky like this?!"
As a result,
the other party seemed unfazed by Hiyakura's feelings.
The screen on the phone cut back to the image of Violet tied to the chair, who was shaking her head continuously while struggling.
The short knife pressed against her neck again.
Blood continued to trickle down the blade.
"Good luck to you."