Chapter 42 You Yu: Damn, this guy is even more pretentious than me!
"Wonder?! Is he the guy who was able to steal the Heart of Night in Night City where the Sun Headquarters is stationed?"
From a distance, You Yu could hear the shocked exclamations of the members of the Mountain Group in black suits: "But isn't that guy's range of activities in Night City? Why did he suddenly come to Night Island?"
In a corner near the hot spring hotel, You Yu calmly looked at the thief in front of him who was only a few steps away from him but still far away, and quickly deduced the clues.
"Wonder, after the Night Heart incident, I roughly guessed that your goal was the legendary Ten Rings token. Now it seems... it is true. Who are you, and why are you so familiar with the official information of the Sun Law Enforcement Bureau?"
You Yu's voice lost its usual cheerful and smiling tone and became extremely cold, like a plaster statue filled entirely with rationality, which was the state he would automatically transform into when reasoning.
Wonder spread his hands. The Phantom Thief sitting high on the side wall shook his index finger and retorted sarcastically, "Do I need to remind you? Night City's famous detective, in order to give hope to the players who will participate in the reunion seasons, the DM has informed all players of the Ten Rings Token hint for the first season! Now the entire network is full of the Ten Rings Token hint. Why do you think that this information that can be easily found is exclusive to your Sun Headquarters?"
You Yu was not affected at all by Wonder's slightly sarcastic voice. The young detective touched his chin and even agreed: "You are right, but you have overlooked one point. It is only the first season of the reunion. Why do you think... [Knife] must be on Yedao?"
Wonder suddenly raised his head and met Youyu's golden eyes that almost sparkled like gold in the dark.
I was careless, Bai Ye thought. When I was a Phantom Thief, I didn't know that Red Heart provided the Squid Detective Agency with information that only the Sun Headquarters knew, which was about Night Island being the most likely location for the Ten Commandments token hinting at the [Knife].
Although as a phantom thief, even if he does not have the red heart, he still has the game cheat simulator t173 to help him spy on the main storyline of "The Wicked City", but this cannot explain the reason for his appearance here in front of the detective.
Fortunately, You Yu didn’t think of any dangerous places at the moment, and Bai Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
You Yu stretched out his hand and pointed at the Phantom Thief Wonder in a domineering manner: "You really didn't leave any traces of yourself, and your last theft performance was almost perfect, but you are too familiar with the information in the Devil's Game, as familiar as... an old player who has been wandering in the Devil's Game for many years. Although I don't want to admit it, Mr. Phantom Thief, you are now more likely to be a Devil's Apostle than the so-called astrologer."
You Yu said in a serious voice: "I haven't heard of anyone with similar skills as you among the people on the list now, but now, I have found a new direction. Maybe you are a hidden player, the kind of hidden player who chooses to pay a lot of points and not broadcast live."
In the devil game where everyone is a soldier, the DM system defaults to live streaming on the Eden App for players who join the game voluntarily or involuntarily as long as they enter the devil game, but there is a special type of player called hidden players.
Such players are usually extremely powerful and arrogant. They would rather pay points that can make them immune to death in the game and forcibly close the devil game. They can only be observed in other people's game live broadcasts.
Because of this, such players are usually players with special identities, such as Phantom Thieves like Wonder, some shadows of the Sun Law Enforcement Bureau who are performing special tasks, and... Devil Apostles who don't want their whereabouts to be known by the Law Enforcement Bureau.
"And..." You Yu took a deep breath and said seriously, "What did you mean by 'be careful with fireworks' when you gave me that tip before?"
"...Detective, the DM system is just a platform, a gaming platform that allows everyone to have the opportunity to realize their desires. As long as you have ambitions and ideas, and are willing to watch the fun and take risks, the DM system will give you opportunities. Having participated in so many devil games, I believe you have already experienced this."
Wonder did not directly face Youyu's words, without sarcasm or answer. He just stood up, and the cloak behind him fluttered in the night wind, creating beautiful traces of stardust.
You Yu was slightly stunned. Wonder's voice was very soft, even gentle. He didn't sound like a hostile thief, but more like a friend he had met after a long time.
But this tone is not unfamiliar to Youyu. The last time the Phantom Thief Wonder spoke in this tone was when he sneaked into the dormitory of Solomon College and told him to "be careful of fireworks."
"There is nothing to talk about between us. If you want to know the truth, go find it yourself. Don't question me here. Goodbye for now, detective. Let's see if you can protect the scabbard in my hands this time!"
Wonder snapped his fingers. Even though Youyu tried to stop him with the knight's sword, it was still of no avail. The messy special playing cards fell all over the floor. Youyu reacted very quickly, but he only had time to save one playing card that was flashing laser under the neon light.
“Although I don’t think you can do it.”
Wonder left behind a hateful chuckle before disappearing. It was the first time that Youyu met someone who was more pretentious than himself. He even felt a little speechless. It turned out that this was how everyone in the Squid Detective Agency felt when they saw him pretending... He finally understood.
The last poker card with the black sun pattern fell gracefully in the air and landed exactly on You Yu's swift sword hanging in front of him. It was cut into two halves by the sharp sword and fell to the ground shakily.
You Yu frowned, he half squatted down and picked up the half card covering the top of several playing cards, it was a spade.
A high-end hot spring hotel, Heju, where ancient swords are stored.
"Sir, this is the notice letter. After comparison and identification, it is the notice letter from Wonder, the Phantom Thief who has been in the limelight recently in the Night Heart theft incident."
The young man in a black suit bent down and respectfully explained to the person in front of him the information he had just collected. He was a subordinate of the Mountain Group's Intelligence Department and was also the unlucky person on duty at the scene when the warning letter appeared.
"It suddenly appeared, presented by electronic projection, but there was no visible electronic projection equipment around it. Its characteristics are exactly the same as the information sent by the Suzaku (members) in Night City."
The young man kept explaining the relevant information about wonder, while the object of his respect - the young man with a high ponytail and a long haori standing next to the display cabinet where the ancient swords were stored - just stood quietly in front of the display cabinet, his fingertips gently sliding across the display cabinet, with an oppressive feeling that could not be ignored.
The young man's face was rather gentle, but he was wearing a haori with a Ukiyo-e-style painting of the snowy scenery of the Tanghong Mountain and the purple Yamata-seed snake entwined on the mountain, which revealed his terrifying identity.
Only the senior members of the Yamagumi, and the senior members closest to the Yamagumi leader, the chief, and the samurai directly under the chief, can wear that special red mountain haori.
"Wonder... I've heard of him. He's just a lunatic with a showy personality who likes to attract attention. Is that enough to scare you like this? Even to the point of sounding the alarm?"
The hand of Izayoi, who was called Okinabu, never left the hilt of the sword at his side. The sword, which had almost become an urban legend in Yoshima and had killed several demon apostles, just stood there quietly, and there was a faint invisible smell of blood spreading.
"I can't remember when the Yamagumi's Musclemen had degenerated to this extent."
Izayoi sneered.
"My dear, my dear, but..."
The young man bent even lower, and he was obviously frightened by Izayoi's aura. He was about to explain, but was interrupted by the shouting of the security guard outside.
"You little brat! Do you know where this place is? How dare you barge in here! Stop right there!"
The ancient windows of Heju were opened, and the chaotic scene in the hall outside could be clearly seen from inside the house. A brown-haired young man with a beret on his head was seen flexibly moving between the mountain group and the hotel security, and was not touched at all by the dozen people chasing him from behind.
“Tsk…”
Izayoi made a displeased sound. He had long ago told the head of the family that they should not choose a hot spring hotel just for the good environment and class, but should choose a safe house under the Yamagumi. Unfortunately, the head of the family refused to listen. Now, the security of the hot spring hotel is extremely poor and anyone can break in.
He waved his hand, signaling the young man next to him to resolve the commotion as quickly as possible, but he heard the brown-haired boy in the hall shouting: "Listen to me, Wonder is here now!"
"Stupid kid! So many of us are patrolling to ensure the safety of the guests. How could we not see any trace of that guy? What nonsense! I think you look more like a suspicious person. What on earth were you trying to do outside the hotel just now?!"
The burly man in the black suit shouted angrily and stretched out his hand to hold You Yu down. You Yu explained helplessly: "He might have become someone else! I've said it before, if you have time to tangle with me here, you might as well go and wait for the ancient sword scabbard! The time on the notice is very close, and that guy must be near the ancient sword scabbard now--!"
"What kind of notice? Only Night City can't even protect against a thief—"
The burly man from the Mountain Group sneered and was about to pin You Yu down when he heard a "swoosh" from He Zhongzhong. Shizai, who had just been observing the situation in the hall, suddenly turned around, drew his sword in an instant, and slashed at the young man behind him without mercy. The young man, who had just been shrinking, curled up his lips into a confident smile. He disappeared on the spot, leaving only the black suit of the Mountain Group on the ground. The next second, the thief's cloak that looked like a sea of stars passed before Shizai's eyes. He used the opponent's sword to gain momentum and jumped up. With a simple snap of his fingers, the tempered glass box that contained the scabbard of the ancient sword, which was strong enough to defend against bullets, instantly shattered into pieces.
The Phantom Thief hovered in the air as lightly as a raven, and while spinning, he reached out and took the scabbard directly. After landing, he did not forget to leave a sentence with a smile: "Thank you for your care, many thanks!"
Then, under the watchful eyes of Izayoi, he jumped out of the ancient window of the house with smooth and beautiful agility.
At this moment, the fireworks of Yedao just lit up a gorgeous light curtain in the sky. The "Eight Cores", which represented the highest level of fireworks production in Yedao, almost illuminated the sky. The layers of color from the inside to the outside changed with the constant change of time and shape, just like neon lights in the sky.
A member of the Yamagumi wearing a black suit couldn't help muttering to himself: "It's really at the most brilliant moment of the fireworks that Wonder took away the "scabbard"..."
You Yu, who witnessed everything outside the hall:...Wow, wow, this hatred is simply textbook-level.
"That guy is Wonder!"
You Yu kindly called back the souls of the members of the Mountain Team who were staring blankly at the flying thief who jumped directly from the high place of the hotel lobby. He kicked the security guard who had been labeling him as an "outlaw" and said, "Go chase him!"
But it was too late. The thief had already grabbed the silk thread that appeared from somewhere in mid-air and jumped lightly out of the corridor window at the other end of the hall.
You Yu ignored the chaotic crowd around him and followed the traces of the thief's escape.
"Phantom Thief Wonder...good, good...you are so brave!"
Izayoi's brows were stern. He also jumped directly from the air into the hall. He snorted coldly and issued an order to the surrounding members of the mountain group: "Chase! When you catch him, deal with him the old way. Beat him into the cement pile at the newly contracted construction site and use him as a cushion for the head of the family to practice."
On the street surrounded by neon signs, Youyu ran at full speed, passing by the spectacular high-rise buildings in the core CBD area of Yedao.
Fireworks are blooming in the sky, and the figure of the thief is looming in the night. Wonder, who has installed countless ropes, is running across the buildings, making it impossible for Youyu to catch up with him.
"I'll give you another gift before I leave!"
The busy intersection blocked the detective's way. At the intersection where tall buildings intertwined, the thief's voice cut through the sky, carrying with it an unignorable proud smile of a winner.
The Phantom Thief laughed loudly as he swung across the sky at the intersection, scattering countless fluttering playing cards. As the playing cards rained down, the giant electronic advertising screens around him that had just been displaying various games or big-name advertisements instantly fell into a black screen state with chaotic data. After the white data line flashed for a moment, the same red and blue pixel preview letter as the one in front of the mountain group just now appeared on the screen.
The characters of the content of the preview letter flashed quickly on the screen, and finally stopped on the capitalized word "Phantom Thief Wonder".
"What is that?!"
"Oh my god, that's the declaration of Phantom Thief Wonder!"
"Where are the people from the Metropolitan Police Department? What is the Metropolitan Police Department doing? Why haven't they responded yet?!"
The noisy sound instantly exploded in the crowd. The people at the intersection lost their order, pushing and crowding each other, trying to escape from the dangerous scene, or squeeze to the front to admire Wonder's heroic figure up close.
"Wow... this performance is so gorgeous..."
Modified billboards, neon lights, colorful fireworks, and a flash of thief in the night sky among tall buildings.
Even You Yu had to stop and applaud the thief's performance from the bottom of his heart.
"Hey, it's still too little for me to chase him alone. The members of the mountain group are still behind and can't catch up. It seems that today's efforts are in vain..."
You Yu sighed and straightened his beret which was tilted due to running just now, but a pale hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"What the hell! Blood Butterfly?! Why are you here?"
You Yu screamed and was about to jump away, but suddenly she saw a blood-red butterfly flying behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm just curious, Wonder. I didn't expect that by following you, I could find Wonder. I've wanted to compete with you for a long time."
The girl with princess-like hair who fluttered in from the flock of butterflies put her fingers on the hilt of the long sword at her side, and her eyes showed a fighting spirit that even Youyu felt instinctively afraid of.
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