Each Their Own Plight

If not for the mission constraints, Xu Lingqu would have gladly given everyone in that church a permanent, physical release.

Stepping outside, she noticed that time in this match map didn't align with the outside world—it was already evening here.

She tapped her earpiece and checked the panel. Several more Moye Military Academy students had dropped offline. Each person's initial mission difficulty varied; hers was roughly mid-tier.

The Sky Network system announced that it would periodically broadcast the remaining headcounts of both Moye and Dolanston Academy to everyone. After three broadcasts, the quarterfinal would end, and victory would be determined by the score of each side's remaining personnel.

A final note: after the second broadcast, the Decapitation mechanism would activate. If Jia Xiangying and Xu Lingqu had already died by then, the system would automatically select any surviving member from Dolanston or Moye to become the new commander.

The area where this church stood was presumably the slums of Sin City. Within just ten minutes of walking out, Xu Lingqu saw a corpse plummet from above—someone had thrown it off a building. A building to her left suddenly took an artillery hit and went up in flames. A gang of knife-wielding bikers roared past on the street.

This was Sin City.

Honestly, those lunatics in the church were probably the most normal NPCs in this whole city.

She opened the main channel.

"Report your current situations in communication-number order. I've completed my mission and unlocked my skill, so I can start providing assistance." In principle, although the chief commanders of both sides wouldn't be decapitated during the first four rounds, it was still best for them to find a sufficiently safe location to direct everyone from behind the scenes—or at least assemble a protective detail before acting.

That would ensure their own safety; otherwise, if something unexpected happened and a random commander was chosen in the fifth round, and that commander happened to be on the verge of death, it would all be over.

Dolanston could afford to operate that way, but Moye's situation didn't permit it.

Xu Lingqu needed to help a few people first, then have those people help others still trapped in their initial missions, opening up the situation as quickly as possible.

She listened while sidestepping, throwing a punch at a mugger who lunged at her, knocking him flat. She took his wallet and the butterfly knife he carried as a weapon.

The biggest problem right now was the lack of a terrain map—a city map. Without one, she couldn't efficiently coordinate aid.

But the analysts were all stuck in their initial missions, unable to do anything.

Xu Lingqu could only give them verbal guidance at the moment, not practical help. Just as she was about to enter a bookstore to see if they sold city maps, a car suddenly crashed through the storefront. In an instant, the shop was gone.

Sensing something, she turned around. Shen Shouli stood not far behind her, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal those light brown eyes.

Xu Lingqu was holding the two magazines that had survived the bookstore's destruction, both with Shen Shouli's face plastered on the cover.

Shen Shouli's role was the city's biggest celebrity.

"My mission's done—it was just a bunch of my rabid fans chasing me in cars and trying to kill me, and I had to survive." He glanced at the magazines in her hand, a little embarrassed, and quickly tried to change the subject.

The tactic worked. Xu Lingqu really did stop looking at the cover and asked instead, "What's your skill?"

"City-wide broadcast. I can make every screen in the city play whatever a single student is currently doing, for three minutes." Shen Shouli put his sunglasses back on. "We can use this method to find Jia Xiangying."

"Save it for now. No rush." Xu Lingqu flipped the magazine open again and found a city map on the last page. Since the great star Shen was holding a concert, the map was actually meant to show the city's residents the fastest route to his concert venue.

Shen Shouli glanced around. His celebrity status also came with a passive: once he showed his face, passerby NPCs would swarm him demanding autographs.

"Thanks to the big star, we've got a clear direction now." Xu Lingqu tore out the magazine's last page. The closest teammate to their location was Lin Xiao, who was at a gas station, tasked with preventing a massive explosion.

"Let's go." She looked up and gave the fully geared-up Shen Shouli a once-over. The only exposed part of him—his earlobes—was bright red. "Can you even see where you're going dressed like that?"

"...I can."

—

At the city police station, Liu Zheng sat in the interrogation room, holding a GF-60.

Her role was a police officer in this city. Across from her sat a serial killer, his face still painted in a comedian's makeup, flashing her a sinister grin.

Liu Zheng's mission was to break down his modus operandi through interrogation, get him to confess his crimes willingly, and submit to justice. She didn't understand why a single bullet had to be made so complicated.

The comedian's mental state suddenly spiraled into a frenzy. He burst into tears first, then laughter, hammering his shackled hands on the table, and finally fixed Liu Zheng with a smile uglier than a grimace.

"Do you know I just want to bring people joy! How hard is that? How hard is that?!" His voice cracked with accusation, and he was about to launch into a tirade about how all cops were lapdogs of the rich, how could they possibly empathize with scum like him—

But he choked on his words. Because Liu Zheng's face showed a look of profound agreement, one that came from the bottom of her heart, impossible to fake.

"I know exactly how hard that is." She sighed and nodded.

—

At the very heart of the wealthy district, the city mayor's mansion was hosting a grand banquet. Tonight, the mayor was showcasing his prized blue diamond, Heart of the Ocean, to all the guests.

Xu Xiqin's role was the apple of the mayor's eye in this household. Dressed in an evening gown, she walked from the entrance to the center of the banquet hall. Her mother NPC gave her a satisfied smile.

For a moment, she had the illusion that she wasn't participating in the military academy league at all—that she had returned to the Xu family estate.

The mother NPC hugged her affectionately, showing off to everyone how her daughter was courted by countless nobles, tycoons, and celebrities, as if Xu Xiqin herself were another treasure on display at tonight's banquet.

Finally, after the mother had said her piece, it was time for the true centerpiece of the evening—the mayor's Heart of the Ocean.

The hall's lights suddenly dimmed. When they came back up, the diamond in its case had vanished. Panic swept through the crowd.

Xu Xiqin made an excuse to her mother about going to the restroom.

Once inside, she deftly shed her evening gown, revealing the practical clothes underneath.

She was the one who had stolen the Heart of the Ocean—that was her mission. Completing it would unlock the Master Thief skill, allowing her to steal skill intelligence from Dolanston.

Xu Xiqin pushed open the window, secured a grappling hook to the sill, and leaped off the high-rise with the diamond.

She landed smoothly, the skill panel showing it had unlocked. The mayor's daughter had pulled off an inside job. Behind her, the high-rise descended into chaos.

Xu Xiqin was no caged bird. She was Moye Military Academy's ace scout.