Chapter 500: Soaking in the Water

Cheng Shuili's eyes froze.

Wolf Soul Immortal's formal tone suggests the matter is not simple.

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: Speak.

Wolf Soul Immortal: Boss, your information is fine; we just ran an internal check. This morning, when the servers merged, a user with ID "CoolCoolCool Boy" suddenly joined our faction channel. The information—that's what he leaked. That person's duel‑card channel has been occupied, so we don't have more details now.

Wolf Soul Immortal: Additionally, boss, I relayed the news you mentioned to the other factions within the Long Guo Alliance. After self‑inspection, we found that every faction channel has the opponent's eyes and ears!

All factions within the Long Guo Alliance have been infiltrated with eyes and ears…

What does that mean?

It means the opponent has long planned to strike the Long Guo Alliance; who leads them needs no introduction—what a dashing white‑tailed eagle.

Cheng Shuili forced herself to stay calm, her fingers rapidly tapping the virtual keyboard:

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: How many have you caught?

Wolf Soul Immortal: So far we have identified seven people, scattered across seven different factions, including our Great Wall Watch, Yanhuang, Little Azure Dragon…

Wolf Soul Immortal: Those factions keep member rosters, so checking them is relatively easy. As for the other factions… unless the numbers don't match, we can't even tell if anyone has infiltrated. But the factions are huge, with no clear records, so rooting out the eyes and ears isn't a simple task.

Cheng Shuili fully understood the situation Wolf Soul Immortal described.

Black Feather's roster was compiled by Guanghui, Xinxue, and Wan Yi—three people—recording who was wounded in which battle, or when and why someone died.

That counts as the most important record for a faction.

Therefore, Cheng Shuili assigned the matter to those three to handle together.

But now isn't the time to think about that; after a moment's thought, Cheng Shuili asked, "What's the current status of the ones we uncovered?"

Wolf Soul Immortal: We probed with the Designated Player Duel Card; like the infiltrator in Great Wall Watch, the road‑merge slots are all taken. As for private chats… we didn't tip off anyone.

Smart.

Cheng Shuili understood that such caution was necessary.

She thought a moment, then replied, "The flood is raging now; even if we could use a duel card it's useless. Even if we truly merged, would two people just soak in the water staring at each other?"

"As for factions that can't locate the opponent's spies… stay calm. They've planted so many eyes simply to track our movements and sow chaos."

"They already carried this out once today. Notify every faction in the alliance, especially those hard to audit, to immediately set up an internal information‑layering system. Core secrets should circulate only within an absolutely trustworthy small circle."

After sending the two messages, Wolf Soul Immortal's reply came instantly: "Yes! Boss!"

That reply…

Someone who didn't know might have thought Wolf Soul Immortal was also a member of Black Feather's group.

Cheng Shuili didn't probe the "Boss" title further, but sent another message with a hint of threat.

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: This time, the leak came from Great Wall Watch. But the uninformed are not guilty, so we won't dig deeper this time. Next time, whichever faction the leak originates from, its leader must personally apologize to each other faction's leader.

Wolf Soul Immortal was momentarily stunned when he saw the message, then realized that the so‑called apology was a threat to those who hindered the operation, and his mindset fully aligned.

The entire Long Guo Alliance is propped up by Black Feather; Wu Ya's word is law, which is considered normal.

Wolf Soul Immortal, regardless of what the other faction leaders think, decided that Great Wall Watch will simply blend in with Black Feather!

Wolf Soul Immortal: …Yes! We will definitely tighten management and never let the same thing happen again! Also, thanks for your magnanimity, boss.

Cheng Shuili looked at the reply, realizing the tension had been pulled tight, and only then felt truly satisfied.

She knew her words were a bit excessive and might provoke discontent among a few leaders.

But being allowed to join the Long Guo Alliance is already a selection.

Factions that cannot bear even this pressure and responsibility, or that resist the basic rules she set, simply aren't fit to remain in the alliance.

The protection and benefits Black Feather offers are not without cost.

Loyalty and execution are the most basic tickets.

She closed the private chat window with Wolf Soul Immortal, glanced at the sky now completely dark, and remembered to check the time.

It was already nearly midnight, and she still hadn't rested.

Cheng Shuili thought about what she'd been busy with today, then looked again at the now‑quiet Safe Zone, finally allowed herself a wash, lay on the bed, and prepared to rest.

At three p. m., the water level completely covered ordinary vehicles; only some that had been raised stayed above water, while the rest were submerged.

We originally thought the flood would, like in the real world, sweep everything away, but the Black Mist World's flood rose gradually, so the vehicles didn't float as regional‑channel users predicted; they sank to the bottom.

This disaster still left a hint of kindness: once the water rose enough to drown most vehicles, it stalled and stopped rising.

As long as a person stands on a vehicle, they won't be submerged.

It's uncomfortable, but since the Safe Zone is closed at night, players who can take refuge there during the day must endure the night standing on vehicles.

That's why tonight's regional channel is especially lively.

"My legs are numb from standing! This water is ice‑cold, feels like my lower body isn't even mine…"

"Who isn't? If only we'd clenched our teeth and saved more Game Coin in the afternoon to squeeze into the Safe Zone, at least we'd have a place to sit! I've been standing all afternoon, now I have to stand all night!"

"Come on, Black Feather's Safe Zone is also packed; it's not necessarily more comfortable than standing on a car roof."

"Standing while talking doesn't hurt the waist! At least the canned food is dry and warm! I'm on this car roof, the wind feels like knives, and I have to constantly worry about slipping!"

"By the way… isn't this water still? I tossed a piece of wood in, and it just floated there."

"Seems like… there's no current. The Black Mist World's flood is weird, just rising without flowing?"

"No current is a good thing! If it were as turbulent as in reality, we'd have no place to stand and would be swept away!"

"Bullshit! If the water doesn't flow, all the monster corpses, trash, and… who knows what else are just rotting in it. Can the water still be clean? We're still soaking in this water…"