I Have a Golden Crow

In a tent outside the tower, the technical division was busy at work, and the soldiers gathered around the monitor were clicking their tongues in amazement, watching the footage transmitted by Du Yu via the micro-camera.

”A modern city?”

”This is a novelty...” The two soldiers seated at the console whispered to each other.

They had seen countless images of Demon Tamers entering the tower—deserted villages, ghost towns, and even ancient cities full of old-world charm.

Yet this modern, rainy-night street scene was a first for the soldiers. Through the screen, hearing the pitter-patter of rain at night, an inexplicable sense of eeriness crept in.

After all, outside the tower, it was bright with sunshine, blue skies, and white clouds.

Yet inside the monitored tower, it was flickering neon, a cold rainy night.

”How is it?” The tent flap was lifted, and Battalion Commander Liu entered with Yang Qingqing. Poor Fu Jianzhou had no access to this information and could only stand guard with the soldiers outside the tent.

Before the soldiers could respond, Yang Qingqing’s toes tapped lightly as she silently landed in front of the console.

She didn’t bother admiring the rainy street, but instead pressed a button and spoke softly into the microphone: ”Don’t trust anyone!”

In the footage, a couple walked toward him, chatting and laughing.

In the first-person perspective, a hand gripping a bow was also raised, and instantly a Fire Arrow blazed to life in the bow.

Upon seeing this, Yang Qingqing’s palm decisively left the button, fearing that even the slightest sound in the tent would disturb Du Yu’s battle.

At the same time, inside the tower—a rainy city street at night.

Du Yu watched the couple walking toward him warily, sidestepping a few paces to open some distance between their paths.

But the couple seemed unable to see Du Yu’s aggressive stance, walking calmly past. Even though their faces were clouded masses, Du Yu could still sense their intimacy and cheerful conversation.

Such a scene was bizarre to the extreme!

What on earth was happening?

The rainy night world regained its noisy bustle, as if that moment of frozen time was just Du Yu’s illusion?

And as Du Yu aimed his bow at the couple, then swept his aim behind him, he saw pedestrians on the street carrying umbrellas, also walking in his direction.

For a moment, Du Yu was at a loss.

The soldiers had said it would be an assassination. Master Qing also reminded him: don’t trust anyone! But there were too many pedestrians on this street. Which one was the assassin?

Wait!

A thought struck Du Yu: If I can’t tell who’s after me, then why not just kill all the fog people who approach me?

Thinking this, Du Yu looked at the oncoming pedestrian and immediately drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

”Whoosh!”

The swiftly fired Fire Arrow pierced through a cloud-faced being in an instant, and the fog person almost erupted into flames the next second.

It was obviously a cold rainy night, the environment chilling and damp to the bone.

But the gray fog that made up the head seemed like some flammable gas—once ignited, not only did the fog person burst into flames, they staggered backward, letting out shrill, miserable screams: ”Ahhh~ahhh!”

”What the...” Du Yu couldn’t help mumbling. Such a horrific scene, with that piercing wail, was playing out right on the street.

Yet all the gray pedestrians ahead and behind, and the cars passing by, seemed unable to see what was happening. No one stopped, not a single car paused.

This world was utterly unperturbed; everything kept running as if normal.

So normal it made your skin crawl...

The burning fog person was reduced to nothing. The mist was gone, but their gray coat and trousers quietly drifted to the ground.

”Clack~”

A black high-heeled shoe stepped on the coat. The woman seemed entirely unaware, continuing forward.

She wore black gloves and carried a black umbrella, its canopy dipped so low that only her jet-black felt coat could be seen.

”Click!” The sound of a door opening rang out abruptly.

Du Yu, like a frightened bird, scrambled sideways, instantly pulling his bow and nocking an arrow.

From a convenience store to the side, a gray-fog customer emerged, carrying a bag of food, pressing his hat with one hand as he stepped into the rainy night...

”Tap, tap, tap.”

The high heels were striking the wet ground, producing a heavy, muffled sound. The woman with the black umbrella was getting closer and closer.

”Du Yu.” A male soldier’s voice came through the invisible earpiece. ”Your world is a rare modern city—an unprecedented level of challenge within the Demon Taming Prentice Tier. It’s full of pedestrians. Anyone could be an enemy.

The fog people can’t be wiped out. Conserve your combat strength as best you can.

The Shadow Gu Tower is adept at beguiling the mind. Our analysis: the longer you stay here, the more chaotic and error-prone you’ll become, the easier it will be to lose yourself. We advise you to stay alert and act immediately, follow the clues you just found.”

”Roger.” Du Yu exhaled deeply, summoning his Demon Pets.

Du Yu scooped up the fallen Xiaoyan from his forehead, wrapped her around his neck, and set up the Fire Fox Cannon on his shoulder: ”Xiaoyan, watch my back. Ghost Firefly, stay with me in the air!”

”Ying~”

”Whoosh!”

”Du Yu, Du Yu~ Don’t forget me!”

Suddenly, Little Fen Yang’s playful voice echoed in his mind, warming Du Yu’s heart. He kept his distance from the pedestrians along the street, moving quickly toward the corner with utmost vigilance.

The short route remained uneventful, but as he turned the corner he immediately spotted, behind a standing restaurant billboard in the distance, a glimpse of a red hooded raincoat.

Du Yu’s eyes narrowed. His eyesight was excellent—he could see the little one’s face! She, too, was a mass of mist, but not gray fog—red fog?

Exactly matching her raincoat.

Seemingly noticing Du Yu, the ”Red Raincoat” quickly ducked her head, spun, and dashed into the alley beside the restaurant.

”Wait!” Du Yu hurried over, but as he reached the restaurant’s door, two fog people emerged, arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

Du Yu’s nerves tensed, and he instinctively sidestepped to dodge, but the two fog people ignored him altogether, continuing their dazed stagger forward.

”What the hell.” Du Yu cursed, fed up with these ever-present fog people. No need for real knives or guns—run a few laps around these night market streets and your mind will be shot.

He quickly rounded into the alley entrance, gritting his teeth and charging straight in.

For a moment, both Yang Qingqing and the soldiers were sweating with anxiety for Du Yu.

He’s got guts!

Such a dark, narrow alley—this kid didn’t hesitate at all, just dashed inside!

Battalion Commander Liu pressed the communicator down, hastily saying, ”Slow down, kid! Take it slow! Stay alert all around!”

On the monitor, the wildly shaking first-person perspective clearly showed Du Yu was glancing all over the place.

Strangely, during this hair-raising chase, Du Yu encountered not a single assassination attempt.

Du Yu grew more and more wary, sensing this was the calm before the storm, while the people in the military tent were utterly confused!

Other Demon Tamers in their worlds were frequently ambushed, but here, though peril seemed everywhere and fog people drifted all about, there hadn’t even been an ambush?

As Du Yu chased the Red Raincoat, the further they got from the city’s main avenue, the more distant the bustling sounds became behind them.

The surroundings grew ever darker,

The rainy night, ever more silent.

”Where exactly are you taking me?” Du Yu shouted, a torturous sensation in his chest—he couldn’t even catch up to her...

Just as Du Yu was about to stop and rethink his strategy, under the dim streetlamp, he saw the running Red Raincoat ahead suddenly stop.

Her little red-fog hand grabbed the iron gate’s railings, turned sideways, and squeezed her petite body through.

Du Yu caught up, grabbed the iron railing with one hand, and peered inside—the place was an abandoned residential compound.

In the center was a vast rectangular yard, overrun with weeds—clearly untended for a long time. The only two residential buildings stood tidy on each side of the yard, facing each other.

Of all the households, only one had lights on—a ghostly district.

”Clank clank!” Du Yu rattled the old, tightly locked iron gate hard, making ear-splitting metallic screeches. With his build, there was no way to squeeze through.

As Du Yu raised his head to size up the high fence on both sides of the gate...

”Crack!”

A bolt of lightning tore across the night sky, instantly illuminating the pitch-black and sinister compound.

Du Yu’s heart jolted. By the flash of lightning, he happened to spot, behind a window of a blackened house overhead, a figure in a cloak standing motionless.

The figure was precisely in the house next to the lit one inside the compound.

The lightning faded in a second; Du Yu instantly shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, his vision was covered with a pale red tint!

Almost like night vision, the darkness was crystal clear as daylight—but in that dim house, the shadow was now gone.

Was I seeing things...

Du Yu quickly closed his eyes, shook his head, not daring to overuse the Eye of Burning Sun, afraid his vision would become fuzzy.

”Du Yu, Du Yu!” Abruptly, Little Fen Yang’s anxious voice sounded in his mind.

Du Yu quickly rubbed his eyes, scanning his surroundings with vigilance, and in the next instant, his whole body froze in place.

Meanwhile, in the tower’s military encampment, the soldiers’ faces were equally grim: ”No wonder there were no assassinations on the way—they’re going for a direct encirclement! This...this isn’t right, why did the Shadow Gu Tower suddenly change tactics?”

Yang Qingqing’s brow was furrowed. As an expert advisor for the Demon Spirit Military, she had participated in the entire exploration of the Shadow Gu Tower.

But in every Demon Taming Prentice’s story, each one was wounded during endless assassination attempts, and then kicked out of the Ancient Tower.

To this day, she’d never seen anyone besieged!

On the screen, in Du Yu’s first-person perspective, dim streets on either side quickly filled with figures clad in black robes, closing in on the iron gate.

”Target the iron gate!” Du Yu immediately backed away, shouting, ”Number 1!”

”Ying!” Xiaoyan quickly gathered a fireball and spat it at the old iron gate.

Little You Ying hastily summoned a Wind and Fire Vortex, releasing it between her master and the gate to block the explosive shockwave of the Spark Splash, preventing it from blowing back toward Du Yu.

Strategy No.1 was of course something Du Yu and his Demon Pets had drilled in special training.

With a ”bang”, the iron gate shuddered, letting out a plaintive squeal.

Du Yu watched as the black-robed people closed in, nervously waiting a couple of seconds, then turned and charged straight through the flames, not expecting at all that he would slam right into the iron gate!

”Clang!”

Du Yu was bounced back several steps, utterly bewildered. What kind of gate was this?

Even Silver Level Spark Splash couldn’t blow it open or shatter it?

Don’t tell me this is the map boundary!

”Tap, tap, tap.”

The now familiar sound of high heels rang out again. Du Yu’s eyes widened a little, stupidly turning to look.

The black-robed people gathering around gradually paused.

Behind them, a woman in a black felt coat and holding a black umbrella stepped forward, one step at a time.

A few meters away, she stopped—it was unclear if she was facing the iron gate or facing Du Yu in front of the gate.

Her gloved hand slowly lifted the umbrella, finally revealing her true face.

In that moment, both Du Yu and the soldiers in front of the monitors were stunned. For her face was a mass of black fog—her features were even more sharply outlined.

”Snap! Snap! Snap!” The soldiers in the tent furiously hammered keys, capturing screenshots. This was a brand new scene, a new character, never before unlocked!

Staring down the mysterious woman, Du Yu realized—he must have run into the central figure.

All the fog people here had gray faces, even the black-robed attackers now had gray fog features.

Only the Red Raincoat wore a face of red fog. Only this woman in the felt coat wore a face of black fog.

No matter what tale the Shadow Gu Tower wished to tell him, this story would have to include her!