"System Alert: This Instance will commence in one hour, with the designated area being the city center of Jerusalem. Those not selected for this Instance are advised to vacate the specified area before it begins. Lingering beyond the designated period within the Instance area will result in mandatory participation in this Instance."
Lun Tai, who had been cleaning his gun on the table, suddenly raised his head. In the room, Roddy at the computer, Qiao Qiao and Chen Xiaolian by the balcony, Xiaolei emerging from the restroom, and Soo Soo and Qimu Xi from their respective rooms all gathered in the living room.
After exchanging glances, their collective attention focused on Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian smirked, "Well then... Let's get ready. Everyone, double-check your equipment and daily supplies."
...
The sun had begun its descent towards the west as Shen walked out of the Gothic-style building.
Approaching his car, he gently opened the door and retrieved his phone.
"Yeah, it's almost time, right? It's about to begin."
After hanging up the phone, Shen glanced at the setting sun, a peculiar smile creeping onto his face.
"The night is about to fall... So, why not make it a bit darker?"
With a chuckle, he put on a pair of sunglasses and started the car, driving away.
...
"Dong! Dong! Dong..."
The sound of the clock tower's bells echoed out.
The time pointed to exactly 5 o'clock in the evening.
All the members of the Meteor Rock Guild, seated in the room, simultaneously stood up and looked at Chen Xiaolian.
"System Notification: Instance D039 is officially initiated. All non-selected individuals remaining within the Instance area, as well as teams, are forcibly brought into the Instance. The difficulty level of this Instance is rated B, with no restrictions on conventional weaponry. Energy-based weapons must not exceed A-level power; exceeding this level will result in forced power reduction.
In the first phase of the Instance, the objective is to locate the target individual.
Several target tasks are immediately distributed within the area, and the system assigns target individuals to the participants.
First-phase mission: Locate the target individual. The first three groups to find the target individual will receive priority access to a piece of Instance information.
First-phase time limit: 60 minutes.
Failure to locate the target individual within the time limit will be considered a failure, and participants will be forcibly ejected from the Instance and subject to penalties.
The Meteor Rock Guild has been assigned the following target individual:
Name: Will Rez Belia."
That was all the information available for now.
Chen Xiaolian and all the team members received the same message.
"Only one name, with no other hints?" Xiaolei couldn't help but exclaim, "How many people are there in this city? Millions? To find one person among millions, with just a name..."
"Calm down, rookie," Lun Tai cast a glance at Xiaolei, "Listen to the Guild Leader's orders."
Chen Xiaolian remained composed and looked at everyone. "Alright, now that the system has clarified the first-phase mission, let's begin our search... Roddy!"
Chen Xiaolian turned to Roddy, who had already taken a seat at the computer and was rapidly typing on the keyboard. Without lifting his head, Roddy spoke loudly, "I know, I've already started checking in the city's municipal system. Give me some time."
It was unclear how this guy managed to hack into Jerusalem's municipal system, but soon enough, Roddy raised his head with a frown. "I found it, but..."
"Go on," Chen Xiaolian urged.
"The municipal system shows that there are four residents in Jerusalem with the name Will, Rez, and Belia. They are all males, and their ages are... seven years old, twenty-three years old, forty-eight years old, and seventy-six years old."
Four of them?!
Chen Xiaolian was taken aback, his brow furrowing.
This was indeed troublesome.
Roddy exclaimed, "Three of them are local residents, and one is a foreign tourist. However, all hotel check-in systems are linked to the police, so we can check those too."
Roddy looked at Chen Xiaolian and asked, "What do we do? There are four people with the same name. Which one should we start with?"
Chen Xiaolian immediately made a decision, "Roddy, list the addresses! Find the two closest to us."
After a pause, Chen Xiaolian paced around the room for a moment, "Also, does the municipal system have photos? Can you hack into the municipal security surveillance cameras? I remember Israel faces a lot of terrorist threats, so their security surveillance systems should be well-developed. If we can hack into those systems, can we use them to locate the target person's photo for a more accurate identification?"
"I'll try. It should be possible. As long as it's a machine, I can manipulate it!" Roddy replied confidently.
Soon, two addresses were listed.
"One is 54 Alpha Street, with the seven-year-old target. The other is 38 Bonfret Street, with the seventy-six-year-old target."
Chen Xiaolian immediately took a look at the map.
Quickly, he made a decision, "We'll split into two groups! Lun Tai, you take Xiaolei and Qimu Xi! You go find the seventy-six-year-old target, which is only a fifteen-minute drive from our hotel. Qiao Qiao and I will go find the seven-year-old target, which is a thirty-minute drive away. If one group finds the target first, the system will surely provide a prompt, and the other group will converge towards the successful group.
If both groups are unsuccessful, then... the third target is closer to you, Lun Tai. You continue to search for the third one, while Qiao Qiao, Soo Soo, and I will go find the fourth one.
Roddy, you're in charge here. Use the surveillance system to locate the target. If you spot anything, notify us immediately!"
"No problem."
The team members quickly sprang into action. The two groups left the hotel room together.
When they reached outside the hotel, Chen Xiaolian and the others suddenly stopped in their tracks.
"Something doesn't seem right," Chen Xiaolian said, furrowing his brow.
Lun Tai looked at the empty street with a puzzled expression.
Despite it being evening, the streets were eerily deserted, devoid of any pedestrians.
"Where did all the people go?" Chen Xiaolian wondered aloud.
"This doesn't feel right!" Lun Tai sniffed the air.
"For now, let's not worry about that. It's probably something the system has created. We should focus on finding the target... We'll deal with the rest once we locate them. And, stay alert for safety!" Chen Xiaolian quickly instructed.
The two groups got into their respective vehicles and set off separately from the hotel.
...
"The SkyEye System is now online."
"All-city surveillance complete, covering 97.5% of the area, and personnel have been dispatched to cover the blind spots."
"Teams A, B, C, and D have departed to locate the target individual, with the fastest expected arrival in 18 minutes and the slowest in 34 minutes."
"Surveillance operators are in position."
"Combat-ready personnel are in position."
"All units, communication is clear."
"The overseer has assumed command."
Inside the Bentley Continental, Shen drove with one hand while his other hand rested on the temple of his sunglasses, where a miniature earpiece was embedded, allowing him to monitor the real-time status of the team's actions.
Then, he finally spoke.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am the overseer of this team's Instance, and I now assume overall command of this Instance operation."
The earpiece fell silent, and after a few seconds, an excited voice responded, "Is... is it Guild Leader, sir?"
"It's me," Shen replied with a smile. He drove the car around a bend and suddenly hit the brakes, bringing the car to a stop in the middle of the road.
He turned off the engine, then opened the car door and stepped out, standing on the side of the road, gazing at the empty streets.
"Now I command, aside from the four teams searching for the target individuals, all other combat-ready personnel, immediately leave your standby positions, mobilize, and enter the free attack phase. Your targets are... anyone who may appear to be non-participants in our team's Instance!
The SkyEye System activates instant city-wide surveillance. Gentlemen, take a good look, now, most of Jerusalem has become an empty city with no one in sight! So, anyone still outside, driving or rushing around, must be participants from other teams!
I order you, engage in free attacks!
Repeat, free attacks!"
...
Just as the car rounded a corner, Chen Xiaolian glanced at the time; it had been seven minutes.
It was at that moment that gunshots suddenly rang out in the distance!
Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat...
Chen Xiaolian's heart sank! Before he could exchange glances with Qiao Qiao, a massive explosion echoed in the distance!
The thunderous sound made the car windows hum! Through the buildings on the side of the road, they could see a blaze in the distance, a fireball shooting up into the sky...
It sounded as if there were people engaged in a firefight in the distance!
"Roddy!"
Chen Xiaolian immediately called out to Roddy, who was in charge of monitoring.
"I'm here!"
"What's happening? There's a firefight on the road!"
Soon, Roddy replied.
"About 1.5 kilometers from your location, there's a conflict. Two sides are exchanging gunfire at a crossroads, and I saw an armored vehicle using rockets... Oh, there goes another one!"
Boom!
At the same time, Chen Xiaolian heard another explosion.
Lun Tai also joined the conversation on the team channel, "I can hear gunfire here too, but it's far from us."
Roddy quickly said, "My monitoring shows that there are clashes happening in three different locations."
"What's going on?" Chen Xiaolian's heart sank!
In theory, the first phase was about finding their respective target individuals!
Why were they engaging in combat?
Moreover, according to the normal progression of Instances, at this point, only the Awakened should be inside the Instance, and players haven't entered yet!
In the first phase, the Awakened's priority should be to locate the target individuals. Why would anyone go out looking for a fight?
Furthermore, there were clashes in three different locations?
This... was no accident!
Someone was... stirring the pot?!
With this thought in mind, Chen Xiaolian immediately informed Roddy on the team channel, "Start monitoring our respective movements, me and Lun Tai. Keep an eye on our surroundings! If there are any suspicious individuals approaching, alert us immediately! Personal radar can't detect Awakened who haven't entered combat mode, so we need your assistance using the surveillance system."
"Understood, I'll pay attention..." on the team channel, Roddy quickly responded, "Lun Tai, you're very close to the target individual. I suggest you and the team abandon the vehicle and proceed on foot. The road ahead is a steep set of stairs, and the car won't be able to go through."
"Got it."
Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath and glanced at Qiao Qiao, who had already picked up a gun, lowered the car window, and pointed the muzzle outside, going on alert.
...
"At 4 o'clock, at 12 o'clock, and also..."
Tian Lie stood by the window of the hotel and suddenly chuckled, "It's quite lively, isn't it? The Instance has just begun, and it's already turned into a melee?"
Nicole huffed and forcefully put on a tactical vest, "Aren't you heading out? To find the target individual. Who's your target?."
"Some guy with a strange name," Tian Lie glanced at the clock, "No hurry, we have an hour, and it's only been... less than ten minutes."
Nicole gave him a sidelong glance, "I don't have time for you. I'm going to find my target individual. If you fail in the first phase and get forcibly kicked out of the Instance, you better wipe that smug look off your face!"
Nicole finished speaking and turned to jump off the balcony.
"Hey!"
Tian Lie suddenly stopped Nicole.
"What?"
"Tell me the name of your target individual."
"Why?" Nicole furrowed her brow.
"You better tell me, it might be beneficial," Tian Lie grinned.
Nicole snorted, then flipped over and jumped off the balcony.
However, just as her body disappeared from the balcony railing, Tian Lie still heard Nicole's voice uttering a name.
Tian Lie shrugged his shoulders and returned to the room. He opened his laptop and then grinned, extending a finger.
His fingertip quickly transformed into a shape resembling a computer interface and then plugged into the laptop...
...
Nicole had just opened the door of a car on the street and sat down when she suddenly heard her walkie-talkie ringing at her waist.
Annoyed, she picked it up and heard Tian Lie's annoying voice coming from the walkie-talkie.
"Smug Face calling Evil Bitch, Smug Face calling Evil Bitch."
"Damn it! What are you up to now?" Nicole snapped in frustration.
"Want to know the exact location of your target individual?"
"... How do you know?!" Nicole was taken aback. "How could you possibly know?!"
"I just know," Tian Lie chuckled. "Do you want to find out?"
"Spill it!"
Tian Lie grinned, "It's not that easy. Don't you know the rules of talking over the walkie-talkie? When I say 'Smug Face calling Evil Bitch,' you're supposed to respond with 'Evil Bitch receiving, please speak.'"
"I won't be as childish as you!"
"If you don't tell me, I won't tell you. Oh, by the way, your target individual isn't exactly nearby! You see, you're wasting your own time."
Nicole remained silent for a few seconds.
Tian Lie, sitting in the room with the walkie-talkie in hand, finally heard Nicole's voice on the walkie-talkie, suppressing her anger.
"Evil Bitch receiving... please speak!!"
"Hahaha!" Tian Lie burst into laughter. "Alright! Smug Face informs Evil Bitch, your target individual's coordinates are... XXXX Street... hurry up, it's not far from the hotel, just under twenty minutes."
With that, Tian Lie turned off the walkie-talkie and then leisurely shut down his computer.
He even took a quick bathroom break, washed his hands leisurely, and even combed his hair with a comb.
"Ah, the bald look is more spirited!" Tian Lie looked at himself in the mirror.
In no time, his appearance in the mirror transformed from "Da Gang" to "Tian Lie."
"Oh, a few more minutes have passed," Tian Lie checked the time, then left the hotel room, casually opening the door.
Surprisingly, he even had time to take the elevator, leisurely listening to the music playing inside.
As he walked out of the hotel lobby, this guy casually picked up a free newspaper from the hotel lobby service desk. He walked down the street, reading the newspaper at a leisurely pace...