Chapter 004: Crescent Moon City

Back to the very beginning again...

On his fifth resurrection, this time Xiunan chose not to act recklessly. After running obediently out of the violet park, he used the cash from his wallet to flag down a bus and boarded it.

He quickly found an empty seat and sat down.

The bus moved smoothly along the road while the passengers chatted animatedly, their expressions lively and accompanied by a variety of unique gestures. Each person’s clothing was distinct, and the modeling was impressively detailed.

Xiunan was secretly astonished—this level of technology must have cost a fortune. It surpassed even the finest blockbuster games.

As the bus gently swayed, Xiunan pulled up the full map of Crescent City. Crescent City was divided into four districts: east, south, west, and north. The eastern district was lined with numerous factories, the north was government property, and the south was the financial and commercial center.

The west, meanwhile, was the residential area.

“Press ‘X’ to open the window.”

A cool breeze swept in, making the curtain flutter softly.

Xiunan maneuvered the character to turn his head, leaning back against the seat, gazing at the city’s exotic charm through the virtual world.

On the spotless, gray-white streets, evenly spaced black lampposts stood tall. On either side, stores of various styles were separated by tinted glass.

There was a café called “St. Fran’s Sunshine” and a flower shop named “Blossoming Fields.” Some streets were festooned with lanterns and streamers, celebrating the Kas Lemon Festival.

Classical Jonca light music drifted through the air.

But these were only details—the real marvel was that every festival shop, when hovered over with the mouse, displayed interactive icons.

This was unmistakably an open-world game!

Xiunan had checked the settings; time in the game flowed at a ratio of ten to one with real life. One hour in reality equated to ten hours in-game. That meant Xiunan had just over seven hours to complete his mission.

The bus continued steadily onward, the buildings gradually giving way to detached houses. He had entered the western residential district, with the occasional convenience store along the way.

At the Red Maple Street stop, the assassin Kashu stepped off the bus, slowly lowering his hand from his chest.

Three blood-soaked holes marred his suit.

“There should be a costume system in this game, right?” Xiunan muttered, guiding his character homeward, following the green marker on the mini-map.

He had barely taken a few steps when a subtitle scrolled across the screen:

“Within five hundred meters of the target, the detection system is now active. Scan radius: five hundred meters.”

A green circle centered on the assassin Kashu appeared on the mini-map, with three red dots quickly coming into view. Their names: Assassin A, B, and C.

All three were within Kashu’s house.

Zooming in on the mini-map, Xiunan saw the three red dots moving about inside—not lying in wait.

“Are they searching for something?” he wondered.

Xiunan’s guess was reasonable.

The other two assassins seemed to be elsewhere.

Guiding the character along the wall, Xiunan saw a detached house in the distance, ringed with a white fence and a heavy, black wrought iron gate at the front.

Looking up, he saw an old-fashioned brown-red gabled roof, glowing warmly in the sunlight. Lush green vines climbed halfway up the spotless white wall.

Beneath a protruding dormer, an ornate cast-iron sconce held a modern oil lamp.

Hovering the mouse, a wealth of information about the house appeared.

Kashu had deliberately built it in this vintage style because his late wife had loved it.

After waiting quietly for a moment, Xiunan saw the three assassins still searching for something inside. He directed Kashu to climb over the wall and land softly on the grass.

Ahead, a row of ornamental trees and shrubs provided ample cover. He crept along the narrow space between the wall and the bushes, circling the house.

Now within his home’s bounds, the mini-map automatically zoomed to the layout of the house. Xiunan quickly compared positions.

Assassin A and C were upstairs—one in Kashu’s bedroom, one in his daughter’s. Assassin B was in the living room near the kitchen.

Xiunan surmised that Assassin B was either keeping watch or had already searched the first floor.

Kashu slipped out from behind the bushes, moving in a crouch.

[Stealth Mastery (Novice)]

His steps were so light they made no sound at all. Kashu reached the side window.

A green dot indicated it was interactive.

“Press ‘F’ to unlock.”

[Lockpicking Mastery (Novice)]

Amazing—this wasn’t an assassin’s all-rounder kit, it was clearly a thief’s!

Did real assassins have to know so much? Xiunan was doubtful, but his hands didn’t slow down. While unlocking, the camera fixed behind Kashu, so Xiunan couldn’t see exactly how he was opening the latch—was he using a wire?

A quiet click; the sound was almost imperceptible.

He slipped inside as nimbly as a cat.

Though Kashu was forty-one, his physique outmatched that of most young men—his movements were crisp and agile.

Sunlight streamed in. This was the maid’s room.

The space was fairly large—a neatly made bed, two nightstands cluttered with odds and ends.

On the left stood a small wardrobe; on the right, near the window, a desk with a vase of carnations atop it.

The maid usually cared for Kashu’s daughter Robin from Monday to Friday, taking the weekends off.

Today was Saturday, and the house was empty.

Xiunan moved his character to the door, tiptoed it open, and slipped to the far wall.

A white corridor stretched before him, with a few rooms scattered to the left—storage, maid’s quarters, and so on.

A dozen meters ahead, a right turn led to the living room.

Assassin B appeared to be sitting on the sofa.

Kashu, still in stealth, slowed his breathing to a minimum and edged along the wall.

A thermometer-like icon appeared on the screen, representing Assassin B’s awareness.

At sixty percent, he’d become wary; eighty percent would trigger action; at one hundred, he’d call for backup.

“This is intense—I’m actually nervous!” Xiunan rubbed his sweaty palms in excitement, grabbing his iced cola and gulping down three big swigs before stopping.

The character models were lifelike, the graphics superb, the atmosphere masterfully crafted. Even as a veteran, Xiunan felt a long-lost thrill—what an incredible experience!

“Pant, pant...” His in-game breathing was suppressed.

“Thump, thump...” His heart pounded wildly.

The camera jostled as Kashu edged to the end of the wall; any further and his clothes would be exposed.

“Press ‘S’ to observe.”

Kashu’s head moved slightly, eyes sweeping past the sofa.

A young man sat sideways, fiddling with a dusty stone, with a few fragments on the coffee table.

[Awareness: 50/100]

Luckily, the man was facing away, his focus on the stone. If he’d been looking over, the awareness meter would have shot up past eighty, triggering an immediate attack.

“Close call!” Kashu stepped left a few paces.

“But from this angle...this is going to be tricky...”