Chapter 428: No Abnormality

After realizing this, Cheng Shuili became even more confused.

She isn't claiming to have unified the jianghu now, but she could be considered "half-unified," right?

Black Feather is currently in the limelight; who would use such a lowly tactic against her, the leader of Black Feather?

Are you crazy?!

Moreover, looking at it now, this thing definitely cannot cause any actual harm.

Just as Su Rui said, this is practically a pure intimidation tactic.

As soon as that thought settled, another thought rose up.

Cheng Shuili frowned in thought, could it be those few leaders who left during today's cooperation talk?

Would they be stupid enough to go this far?

Just from the fact that Cheng Shuili thought of them first, it's obvious they're the ones acting now.

Moreover… those people probably don't have the courage to take on Black Feather.

At least before they cling to the thighs of other zone powers, they lack this courage.

Cheng Shuili temporarily suppressed those speculations.

The motive is questionable, but the threat itself is indeed real.

Whether it's a real monster or just a scare, this really happened; someone is definitely pulling strings behind the scenes.

Then we must investigate!

No matter who it is, she must ferret that person out!

Su Rui was startled by the sudden commotion, but Cheng Shuili's "We'll investigate" acted like a shot of adrenaline, gradually calming her racing heart.

She took a deep breath, and the steady composure of a veteran driver returned.

"Investigate! We must get to the bottom of this!" Su Rui gritted her teeth, her eyes sharpening again: "Who dares to play this trick on me on the highway? Whether it's a person or a ghost, if I don't dig them out, I might as well not hold this steering wheel!"

"Good!" Cheng Shuili gave her an approving glance.

Having said that, Su Rui was indeed quite frightened, and with it being almost eight o'clock, it really wasn't suitable to continue the journey.

Cheng Shuili had Suuri leave work early; upon hearing that today's work ended here, her smile finally became much more genuine.

She stood up, waved at Cheng Shuili without saying a word, and promptly returned to her territory.

Cheng Shuili: "……"

Is it just getting off work? Why so happy?

Cheng Shuili had completely forgotten how she felt after a hard day's work when she finally got off work.

However, she is different from her former boss; seeing Su Rui so happy, she also let out a faint smile.

The sunset sank completely below the horizon, the sky turned a deep purple-blue, and the first hint of night's chill quietly spread.

The highway seemed to be muted in an instant; the surrounding scenery froze, then gradually blurred, as countless monsters crawled out from somewhere, swarming in thick clusters, but held back by the protective shield, they could only prowl uselessly outside, howling, slamming their scalp‑tingling scraping noises against the vehicle's hull.

Night is the true face of this world.

Cheng Shuili is long accustomed to this.

She turned off the overly bright roof lights, leaving only a few necessary interior lights, letting the vehicle blend into the deeper darkness surrounding it, teeming with monsters.

Cheng Shuili didn't go to wash up right away; instead she headed straight to the sofa, found a comfortable spot to lie down, and then opened the private chat.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: Is Xinxue around?

According to her schedule, she should have just woken up now; we can probably reach her.

Moments later, a voice message came back.

Xinxue's voice, a bit lazy yet clear, came through, with the faint clatter of bowls and chopsticks in the background.

It's dinnertime now, but since lunch ended too late this afternoon, Cheng Shuili isn't hungry at all.

"Yeah, Boss, I just ate with Wan Yi and the others when I heard Su Rui mention something weird—what's going on?"

Cheng Shuili succinctly repeated Su Rui's description.

From the other end came the soft sound of chopsticks being set down; Xinxue's voice turned serious, tinged with surprise: "A faceless gray‑white humanoid that vanishes on contact with the vehicle? That sounds really spooky—if it weren't for you, Boss, saying it yourself, I wouldn't believe it."

Cheng Shuili also agreed: "If Su Rui hadn't seen it herself, I wouldn't believe it either. Have you heard of anything similar?"

Xinxue knows many people, so her information is more up‑to‑date.

The problem is right in front of us; Xinxue racked her brain but couldn't think of anything similar.

She hasn't even seen any device that could produce such an effect.

After Xinxue spoke frankly, Cheng Shuili wasn't surprised either.

Xinxue is indeed well‑informed, but it's impossible for her to know everything.

Still, this matter is indeed suspicious; Cheng Shuili pondered a bit, changed tack, opened a private chat, and contacted several Black Feather members who could gather intel, sending them to investigate the small factions that had left early.

These members were receiving their first personal assignment from the boss; each was fired up, pounding their chests and promising to handle the matter splendidly.

"Boss, rest assured! I'll make sure to… not their pants, but to get a clear grasp of their movements!"

"Exactly, exactly—whoever dares to play dirty with our Black Feather is just asking for trouble!"

Cheng Shuili found their enthusiasm a bit laugh‑worthy, but she still gave a serious reminder: "Stay safe, keep a low profile, focus on observation, not confrontation. Report any abnormality immediately."

"Understood!" they replied in unison, their voices holding back excitement and solemnity.

After arranging the preliminary inquiry, Cheng Shuili temporarily set the matter aside.

She knew it couldn't be rushed; whether gathering information or analyzing and judging, time was needed.

If this matter doesn't show up again later, still, if it does appear again…

…maybe that would be a good thing after all?

Cheng Shuili thought for a moment, shifted her posture, opened the regional channel, and relaxed for a bit.

After the zones merged, the most noticeable change was that entertainment options increased greatly; with more people, the competition became fiercer.

Now it wasn't just novels and manga anymore — even TV dramas had been produced.

However, because the system's built-in perspective was limited to one, these dramas all had a single viewpoint.

But as long as the subject matter was good enough, who could say they weren't entertaining?

Cheng Shuili had recently been hooked on one such TV drama; since it was pay-per-episode, she had anonymously gifted the creator quite a few basic materials.

Leisurely, happy times always pass in a flash.

When the sky lit up again, it was the fifth day of the week — the day the system had scheduled for the server-wide connection test.

The connection test was set for exactly 12 noon, lasting 10 minutes.

The news was announced in an early-morning popup, and the moment it appeared, the regional channel erupted into chaos, with nearly everyone discussing the grand spectacle that would follow the server merge:

"Great! After the merge there'll be something fresh, and we won't have to spend all day fighting the same old crowd."

"Does the person above have no brain? The pressure will be even greater after the merge!"

"What pressure? I think Long Guo is the strongest right now!"

"Aren't the strongest ones Black Feather and those big shots? Won't ordinary players like us just be cannon fodder?"

Cheng Shuili closed the regional channel, noncommittal about the chaotic discussions.

She looked at the reports sent back by the several Black Feather members she had dispatched last night — almost every report bore four prominent characters: "No abnormalities."

Even Ghost and the others, after leaving the meeting room, had done nothing but utterly ordinary things, with no suspicious transaction records whatsoever.

After returning, they were either reinforcing defenses or taking inventory — a posture of preparing for post-merge turmoil while absolutely not stirring up trouble proactively.

Cheng Shuili figured it probably really wasn't them.

But if she ruled out these most suspicious yet most cowardly insiders, who else could it be?

Forces from other major regions?

Across a regional barrier, using this almost childish method to frighten people?

Not to mention the cost being completely disproportionate to the purpose — what about the gain?

What were they after?

Cheng Shuili thought for a while and simply ruled out this option.

And after eliminating everything else... a name suddenly appeared in Cheng Shuili's mind.

Rat King!

Motive, ability, timing — he had all three.

Back then at Shou Ren Xiao Zhen, she had completed the contract in an almost crushing fashion — not only taking a portion of the munitions factory's profits, but also, under the watchful eyes of everyone, using a clean and decisive plague elimination to thoroughly shake the Rat King's authority in the town.

This kind of humiliation and substantial loss was enough to make the Rat King, whose heart was not exactly broad, hold a grudge.

He had a motive for revenge.

And as for ability...

The Rat King was the actual ruler of Shou Ren Xiao Zhen, with deep resources, and possessed some bizarre tools or methods unknown to players — it was entirely possible.

Moreover, that grayish-white figure had appeared from the roadside!

This manner of appearance was also identical to those beastfolk.

Just as Cheng Shuili was thinking, she felt the vehicle suddenly lurch, followed by a hard brake!

She immediately got up, and by the time she reached the cockpit, she saw Su Rui's pale, shaken face.

"Ahead... by the roadside ahead!" Su Rui pointed outside the windshield, her voice trembling with lingering fear, "It suddenly darted out! Grayish-white, just like last night's!"

Cheng Shuili immediately looked in the direction she was pointing.

Beside the sparse, twisted bushes by the roadside, a grayish-white humanoid figure with constantly fluctuating edges was slowly straightening up.

Its featureless face turned slightly, as if looking toward the vehicle, and then it raised an equally blurry arm, pointing straight at the vehicle!

Still completely soundless.

No roar, no attacking motion — just silently, eerily pointing at them.

Then, under Cheng Shuili's cold gaze and Su Rui's tense held breath, the figure began, just like last night, from its fingertips, rapidly dissolving into wisps of grayish-white smoke, dissipating in the cool morning air.

A few seconds later, nothing remained where it had stood, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

But both of them knew it was absolutely no illusion.

"It... it pointed at us?" Su Rui swallowed, her voice dry.

Cheng Shuili's eyes were sharp, fixed tightly on the spot where the figure had dissipated, then quickly scanning the surroundings.

It was already broad daylight, and the scene on the highway was clearly visible — apart from their vehicle and a treasure chest not far away, there was nothing unusual.

"It's marking, or rather... confirming," Cheng Shuili's voice was cold. "Last night was a scare; today is a clear pointing. Someone is telling us through this method that they've got their eyes on us."

"Got their eyes on us?" Su Rui's voice trembled slightly, and before her words had even fallen, her pupils dilated again as she raised a hand to point in a direction, "Lao... Lao Da, look."

Cheng Shuili looked in the direction she pointed — beyond the air wall by the roadside, a neatly formed squad of Rat People guards in leather armor was advancing unhurriedly toward Cheng Shuili's vehicle.

They were well-equipped and moved in perfect unison — clearly the Rat King's personal guard.

The Rat People captain at the front wore refined scale armor, his gaze sharp; through the reflective glass window, his eyes locked precisely onto Cheng Shuili's face.

The corner of his mouth seemed to carry a faint, almost imperceptible sneer, as if enjoying a good show.

But Cheng Shuili's expression seemed to exceed his expectations; that slight curve immediately dropped, and it took a good while before he averted his offending gaze.

Then, he stopped in his tracks and raised one hand; the Rat People guard squad behind him halted in unison.

The Rat People captain's motion was like a signal — the guard squad behind him split neatly down the middle, as if rehearsed a thousand times, making way for a passage.

At the end of the passage, the edge of the air wall seemed to distort slightly, like rippling water.

Immediately after, a short figure draped in a heavy dark-purple cloak with gold trim, leaning on an ornate cane topped with a dark gemstone, slowly stepped out from that distorted light and shadow.

It was the Rat King!

He did not fully step beyond the air wall, but stood at the boundary between beastfolk territory and the player highway's invisible barrier, gave Cheng Shuili a slight smile, and only then stepped forward.

With this step taken, he had officially entered the highway's territory.

The Rat King's thin, small frame looked all the more eerie against the oversized cloak, and the gloomy light at the tip of the gem-topped cane in his hand seemed to have grown slightly more visible.

Seeing that it was him who had come, Cheng Shuili got out of the vehicle without the slightest hesitation.

But apart from the act of getting out, she did not take a single step further; the Rat King likewise tacitly stopped, at a distance of about ten meters from the vehicle.

This distance was neither too far nor too close—outside the safe range, yet allowing both sides to clearly see each other's expressions.

Beneath the magnificent cloak, the Rat King's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze falling straight onto Cheng Shuili's face.

The smile on his face did not widen; instead, it carried a deliberately maintained reserve befitting one of superior status, along with a trace of ill-concealed venom.

"Little friend," he said, his voice dry and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing, "I've come to deliver the agreed-upon item to you in person."

Cheng Shuili twitched the corner of her mouth. She had met the Rat King this many times, but one with such a grand display—this was truly the first.

Moreover… wasn't that Rat People captain's expression simply hoping to see terror on her face?

Knowing so clearly what had happened before their appearance, who was responsible for this matter was already obvious at a glance.

Cheng Shuili raised her eyes and looked back into the Rat King's eyes, her tone flat and unruffled, betraying not the slightest emotion: "Lord Rat King personally escorting the delivery—quite the grand display. It seems this batch of goods is no ordinary matter?"

She made no mention of the grayish-white humanoid, nor showed any fear; she simply steered the topic back to the transaction itself, as if that eerie figure had never appeared at all.

She did not even show the slightest loss of composure.

?? Tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be taking a day off.

? Sunday I may also take off; it depends on how things go on Saturday.