The Earth is Online
chapter-74

Chapter 74

After daybreak, it was confirmed there were no players waiting in ambush around Nanpu Bridge. Then Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo cautiously returned to the mall. Tang Mo sued the moon flower to find out about the hidden game and also clear it to get the reward, pitting him against the other players. It was difficult for two fists to attack four hands. If the 10 players were really angry and decided to join forces, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo would find it hard to get away.

Night wasn’t good to see if there were enemies hiding nearby. The sun was bright during the day and it was obvious that players weren’t hiding.

Tang Mo returned to the mall at the fastest speed and said goodbye to Fu Wenduo at the entrance. The two of them had their own things to do, such as Fu Wenduo upgrading his weapon. Tang Mo didn’t know what Fu Wenduo’s weapon was. He watched Fu Wenduo fight and didn’t see him use any props. He just used his powerful force to confront the enemy.

Everyone had their own secrets, just like Tang Mo not telling Fu Wenduo about his abilities.

After entering the mall, Tang Mo found a hidden place in the underground parking lot, turned on the flashlight and took out the abilities book from the air. He turned to the last page and lines of black characters slowly appeared.

[Ability: Destroy you on behalf of the stars]

[Owner: Jin Jingyun (Stowaway)]

[Type: Four Dimensional]

[Function: Launches bullets with a tracking effect. Aim at the target and shout ‘checkmate’. The bullet will fly to the target area until hit or the bullet’s kinetic energy disappeared.]

[Level: 4]

[Restriction: Every bullet needs to be controlled by mental energy. Up to five bullets can be fired at a time. More than five will cause mental damage (repairable).]

[Remark: Knowledge, courage, beauty and intelligence. The wind steals from the ice star, go!]

[Tang Mo version usage instructions: Can be used once a day. Every time, three bullets can be fired. Before using it, you must shout, “Destroy you on behalf of the stars, checkmate!” while the other person has to hear you.  Jin Jingyun is the messenger sent by god. Her biggest task is to help Tang Mo punish the enemy on behalf of the stars after turning into a magical girl. Now she has finished her task. Comrade! Life is glorious, death is great!]

After experiencing the return my godfather ability and Grandmother Wolf’s small parasol, Tang Mo already had a high acceptance of shameful props and abilities. But this time, his eyes were fixed on ‘the other party has to hear’ him. After a long time, Tang Mo slammed the book shut and decided it wasn’t necessary to use this power!

Then Tang Mo muttered, “…I won’t use this ability unless it is a last resort.”

From a certain perspective, this ability was a bit unsuited for the current Tang Mo. If he didn’t need to shout the spell so that the enemy could hear it, Tang Mo would completely treat it as a stealth remote attack. He could hide in the dark and use the ability after firing a gun. This would definitely be a killing weapon.

It was a pity that it must be heard by the enemy. This meant that the moment he fired the bullet, Tang Mo’s position would be exposed.

However, if used in a melee, Tang Mo could release bullets to interfere with the enemy. It was a large killing ability. Tang Mo thought for a while before throwing the abilities book into the air and moving to the third floor of the underground parking lot. He knocked on the door of Luo Fengcheng’s office, who was drawing something inside.

Luo Fengcheng looked up at Tang Mo after hearing the knock. He smiled and said, “It seems that you and Major Fu have won the assembly instance?” He spoke in a certain tone. He didn’t doubt that Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had lost the game.

There was no need to hide it. Tang Mo walked to Luo Fengcheng’s table and sat down. “Yes, it was a difficult game to win.” He didn’t say that they were forced into a 2V21 game by the black tower. Tang Mo asked, “What is the date today?”

Luo Fengcheng replied, “February 13th. You entered the instance on February 1st and 13 days have passed.”

Tang Mo said, “We spend seven days in the Underground Kingdom.”

“This is normal. The time flow in the black tower instance and the real world isn’t the same. Sometimes the time flow is the same for both. Sometimes one day in the black tower will be two days in the real world. Sometimes two days will pass in the black tower while only one day has passed on Earth.”

Tang Mo understood Luo Fengcheng’s meaning. Let’s take the game he participated in. In the hamster game, the flow of the game was the same as the real world. Therefore, Tang Mo used it to learn that he lost time and cleared the game. But the Queen of Heart’s Gem Castle was different. Tang Mo was only there for a few hours but when he came out, two days had passed on Earth.

The two of them chatted for a while. Tang Mo explained in a simple manner what he countered with Fu Wenduo in the assembly instance. He didn’t talk about the specific game content or that they swindled 21 players. He mainly talked about the Strange Circus. “I heard about the Strange Circus in other games and it is the focus of this assembly instance. It is a very important organization in the Underground Kingdom. According to my speculations, there will be more black tower games related to the circus.”

Luo Fengcheng tapped a pen against the table and looked at Tang Mo. “The Banana Pub, the Strange Circus. These are the two largest organizations of the Underground Kingdom that we know about right now. Since the black tower’s 2.0 update, two assembly instances have been associated with them.” Luo Fengcheng suddenly picked up his pen and drew on a piece of paper. He seemed to be drawing a map but it was too abstract. Tang Mo couldn’t see the specific positions from these curved lines.

Luo Fengcheng stopped the pen and looked at Tang Mo. “The assembly instance isn’t the same as other instances. The assembly instances aren’t life-threatening. Even if the game fails, you will only receive a penalty and get a new task. After completing the penalty, you can leave the instance. Then using the assembly instances, we might be able to understand the black tower. At the very least, we can learn more about the Underground Kingdom and the Monster World.”

Tang Mo also agreed. “This time, I strolled through the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom. The assembly instance had no fixed area restrictions for players and they could move around at will. If the next assembly instance is in the monster world…” Tang Mo reached out and drew a circle on Luo Fengcheng’s map. “We can learn more about the black tower world.”

The two of them looked at each other.

“The more information we have, the more useful it will be in new games.” Luo Fengcheng laughed. “In the future, players can take advantage of the situation if conditions allow them to. Therefore, it is important to attend the assembly instances. It isn’t just boosting out strength but also gaining more information. Next week, Jack and Tang Qiao will go to challenge the black tower.”

Tang Mo was slightly surprised and soon said, “There should be no accidents with Jack and Tang Qiao’s strength. They should pass smoothly. All the players I met in this instance cleared the first floor of the tower. Some were strong but some of them weren’t as good as Jack.”

Luo Fengcheng seized the keyword. “It seems that you and Major Fu were the only players who cleared the black tower’s second floor?”

Tang Mo was stunned but soon admitted it. “Yes.”

It was both good and bad to talk to smart people. The advantage was that some things didn’t need to be pointed out. The other person would immediately understand the meaning and it was very convenient. But it also meant the other person could detect some information that wasn’t meant to be disclosed from the words.

Tang Mo just said that ‘all the players I met in this instance cleared the first floor of the tower’ and Luo Fengcheng immediately thought that Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo were the only ones who cleared the black tower’s second floor. If he thought more deeply, he might be able to guess Tang Moa nd Fu Wenduo’s game. This was the terrible thing about smart people. You must always been careful when talking to them or you could be exposed at any time.

But in the future, there would be no such opportunities.

Tang Mo quietly looked at Luo Fengcheng in front of him. Four months had passed since they first met. Without the black tower, Tang Mo would’ve never met this country’s secret personnel. After the earth went online, most of his time was spent in Shanghai. He met Chen Shanshan, the little fatty, Luo Fengcheng and Jack here.

It would be a lot easier if he decided to stay in Shanghai. He wasn’t a member of Attack but Luo Fengcheng and Jack didn’t treat him as an outsider. Tang Mo and Luo Fengcheng might be cautious towards each other and they weren’t heartwarming friends, but basic trust wasn’t a problem.

On one hand, Shanghai had Chen Shanshan, Luo Fengcheng and a familiar area. On the other hand, his friend in Beijing might’ve survived and there was Fu Wenduo.

Tang Mo stated, “Tomorrow, I will leave Shanghai with Major Fu.”

The smile on Luo Fengcheng’s face slowly disappeared. After a moment, he said, “I thought you would stay.”

Tang Mo was keenly aware something was wrong. “What is it?”

Luo Fengcheng explained, “You are going to team up with Major Fu for the black tower game right?” Tang Mo didn’t say this but it wasn’t hard for Luo Fengcheng to guess. He said, “It was Shanshan’s idea. Tang Mo, you aren’t a member of Attack. I don’t know what type of strength you have now but if you say, you won’t ignore what happens to Attack. If I fail to attack the tower in the future, you are likely to replace me as the leader of Attack.”

Tang Mo was shocked as he realized. He quickly calmed down and his brain was running fast. Two weeks ago, Luo Fengcheng recommended that Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo take part in the assembly instance and now they won the game.

Tang Mo said, “Two weeks ago, you deliberately told me about this assembly instance so that I would participate.”

“That’s right.”

“It was Chen Shanshan’s idea?”

Luo Fengcheng nodded. “It was her idea and mine as well. Once you leave, Attack’s strength will drop. This is my consideration. The little girl didn’t think as complicated as me. The little fatty and Shanshan just don’t want you to leave. She told me she had a hunch that if you and Major Fu take part in this instance, you will feel that the difficulty of the game soared after the two of you teamed up. You will hesitate to continue with Major Fu. This was the best chance to persuade you to give up on teaming up with Major Fu.”

The image of the forever calm girl’s face appeared in his mind and he felt a bit funny. He didn’t expect Chen Shanshan to use her super thinking ability in such a place. She guessed right. After he teamed up with Fu Wenduo, they triggered the ‘public enemies’ effect and the game difficulty increased to 21 players. Tang Mo did have some regrets. But in the end, he still decided to team up.

On one end, the difficulty of the game soared. On the other end, there was a good teammate.

The finale of the Strange Circus’ Surprise Night gave Tang Mo the best answer. A good teammate was more important than a difficult game.

Tang Mo asked, “Chen Shanshan and the little fatty, are they in the infirmary?”

Luo Fengcheng shook his head. “They are participating in a reality instance that was recently discovered, along with Jack and Tang Qiao. I’m afraid it will take them a few days to come back. Are you going to wait for them?”

Tang Mo would leave tomorrow while the children would be back in a few days.

Tang Mo was silent for a moment. “I won’t wait.”

Luo Fengcheng had already guessed the answer.

The two of them chattered for a bit. Then Tang Mo got up to leave. Luo Fengcheng looked at Tang Mo’s back and suddenly said, “If I have an ability, or if I pass the black tower and acquire an ability… Tang Mo, perhaps you and I will be very good teammates.”

Tang Mo paused and turned his head. Tang Mo saw the calm smile on Luo Fengcheng’s face and remembered the first time they met. At that time, he suspected Luo Fengcheng was a stowaway and doubted his black tower researcher status. Now four months had already passed.

Tang Mo thought about it. “You will get an ability. You will pass the black tower’s first floor and become stronger after gaining an ability, at least enough to protect yourself.”

Luo Fengcheng smiled. “I hope so too.”

The two men looked at each other with a fixed stare. A minute later, Tang Mo smiled and Luo Fengcheng returned it.

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

The door closed and Tang Mo left Luo Fengcheng’s office.

He rested in the parking lot for one night. Then the next morning, Tang Mo came to the clothing store on the first floor of the mall. Once he entered the clothing store, he felt something in his heart. A violent attack came from behind Tang Mo. Tang Mo jumped forward and rolled across the ground. He stabilized his body and aimed a kick at the man behind him.

The man dodged sideways and greeted him with a punch.

The fist hit the air, making a sharp blast of wind. They showed each other no mercy. The two men attacked each other in the clothing store at a terrible speed. Tang Mo kicked against the wall and somersaulted behind the man, aiming his right fist.

But this man was already prepared. He moved his head and his left hand grabbed Tang Mo’s fist while his right hand grabbed Tang Mo’s arm. Tang Mo’s eyes widened with surprise. By the time he recovered, he was pressed against the ground by Fu Wenduo, his limbs constrained.

The small parasol underneath him caused him a strange pain. Tang Mo twisted his neck and asked in a helpless manner. “…Is this weight bearing training, Major Fu?”

Fu Wenduo removed his hands. “The enemy won’t care if you are carrying a bag, sleeping or eating.”

Tang Mo raised himself up and patted the dirt off his clothes. He looked at Fu Wenduo. “Are we going to Beijing?”

Fu Wenduo paused before turning towards the door, his lips quietly curving. “Let’s go to Beijing.”

There were more than 70 players at the Pudong Mall. The departure of the two players didn’t cause a sensation and no one noticed their departure. Tang Mo carried a small bag with a small amount of water and food, plus a map of China from Shanghai to Beijing. Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo moved on the road.

They looked like ordinary friends and they walked in the sun towards the north.

Of course, it was impossible to go all the way to Beijing. Walking more than 1,000 kilometers would take at least one month. Fu Wenduo found an abandoned off-road vehicle on the road. He tried to start it up and the two people boarded it. Fu Wenduo took the driver’s seat while Tang Mo sat in the passenger seat with the map.

The car drove past a police station and Tang Mo quickly said, “Wait a minute, I want to go inside and see.”

Fu Wenduo glanced at him. “This place?”

Tang Mo nodded.

Fu Wenduo didn’t ask any more questions. He stopped the car and Tang Mo entered the police station. There was no one in the empty police station. The tables and chairs were disorderly and the police station was a mess. Tang Mo looked in the offices for a long time and didn’t find any guns. He quickly went to the third floor, found the ‘arsenal’ sign at the end of the corridor and immediately walked over.

The iron door had been knocked down and the arsenal was empty. There wasn’t even a stun stick, let alone a hand gun or sniper rifle. It seemed that after the earth went online, many players came here to take guns and other weapons.

Tang Mo searched carefully and still didn’t find a gun. He returned to the car where Fu Wenduo looked at him. “You didn’t take anything?”

Tang Mo shook his head. “I originally wanted to see if there was a gun. Unfortunately, they were taken long ago.

Fu Wenduo nodded thoughtfully. It was strange that Tang Mo was only looking for a gun four months after the earth went online. With his present strength, he didn’t need a gun to protect himself. He could threaten and handle his enemies without a gun. However, Fu Wenduo didn’t ask any questions. He calmly put his hand in his pocket. The next second, a silver light passed by Tang Mo’s eyes. Tang Mo stared at it and then looked at Fu Wenduo with amazement.

Sunlight shone through the window, giving Fu Wenduo a faint golden glow. He looked at Tang Mo and the beautiful silver handgun. He watched Tang Mo like the gun was an ordinary thing. His voice was calm as he spoke.

“You wanted a gun.”

Tang Mo’s heart thumped wildly at these words. After a long time, he grabbed the beautiful silver gun in Fu Wenduo’s hand and smiled. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I suddenly want a gun now?”

Fu Wenduo pressed his foot against the accelerator. “Do you want me to ask?”

Tang Mo looked at this beautiful handgun and didn’t answer. This gun was clearly not a mass produced weapon. The body of the gun was smooth and the handgun was rubbed so that nothing could be seen. It was obvious that the owner had used it a lot. The bottom of the gun handle had a small ‘V’ letter engraved on it.

Tang Mo vaguely guessed that this was Fu Wenduo’s personal item or an important item. After the earth went online, guns were no longer important to players. In particular, the gun wasn’t a powerful weapon for someone like Fu Wenduo. However, Fu Wenduo didn’t throw away the gun which showed that it was important to him.

Tang Mo became aware of this and suddenly remembered something. His expression changed.

Tang Mo instantly hid his emotions and turned to look at Fu Wenduo. The other side was unaware of any abnormalities. Tang Mo quietly put the gun into his pocket.

A black SVU moved across Huangpu River.

At four in the afternoon, Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo officially left Shanghai.

The author has something to say:

Tang Tang: Go to Beijing?

Old Fu: Let’s go to Beijing.

Fu Wensheng: QAQ Older Brother, Sister-in-law! Come find me first in Nanjing! Don’t forget me!

TL: For those who haven’t realized, Fu Wenduo gave him the gun on Valentine’s Day, which is why Tang Mo’s expression changed.

Chapter end