"What's going on!"
Chu Fu immediately flew toward the center of the village.
It wasn't just her—Xie Lin, Shen Chi, Jiaojiao Bu Jiao, and Suture Saint also rushed over.
As soon as she arrived, Chu Fu saw Zhimengzhe, her face flushed bright red, eyes red-rimmed, and her body trembling slightly.
She was stammering as she spoke, but it was clear she was absolutely furious!
She wasn't even good at arguing.
Yet she was fighting tooth and nail.
"It was your people, or else, or else how come these copper coins have been sitting here so long without anyone taking them? It was your people who took them! You won't admit it, so give them back!"
Zhimengzhe stammered out.
But the people from Youlong Studio couldn't care less. A few of them even muttered among themselves, flashing malicious grins.
Youlong Zhuye knew full well that there was a good chance someone from his studio had done it, but he wasn't about to admit it.
He shot a quick warning glance at his subordinates, and soon a chorus of denials rose up.
"You've got no proof! Maybe someone was waiting for our people to get close before taking them, just to frame us!"
"That's right, we never even got near here! How can you accuse us of stealing them?"
"You're just causing trouble, little girl. Look at you, all worked up, about to cry. Don't think that shedding a few tears will soften us up and make us give it to you—you're acting like a beggar."
"Hmph, if you care so much, why didn't you put them away? Why show them off out in the open? Isn't that just asking to be stolen?"
What had started as a spontaneous, heartfelt gesture among players
had been twisted by their relentless arguments.
Chu Fu stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Zhimengzhe, and stared coldly at the other group.
"Do you, Youlong Studio, want to start a war with the Thorn Guild?"
Youlong Zhuye was jolted wide-eyed with shock.
He'd just wanted to take advantage of the situation—he hadn't actually wanted to fight Chu Fu and her team. Most importantly, they really couldn't win.
His tone suddenly became much more respectful.
"Vice President Plant, we have no intention of going to war with the Thorn Guild. But you can't misunderstand us either! If you insist we stole those copper coins, you at least need evidence! Don't go pinning a crime on us like this."
Xie Lin sneered from the side.
"So, if there was proof, you'd be the ones wearing that crown, huh? Youlong Guild folks really are disgusting—you love wallowing in dirt!"
Youlong Zhuye turned to look at Xie Lin, noticing that he too was decked out in silver equipment, his weapon glowing with a golden light. Youlong Zhuye's face twitched.
Who's this big shot now?
The people of Wangxi Village were way too loaded.
One glance at the ID: Who You Calling Blind.
This guy was clearly in cahoots with Plantman and Wheelchair. With Plantman on his team, he was acting cocky, daring to go up against Youlong Studio.
Thinking about how the other guy was blind, Youlong Zhuye flashed a look of pity mixed with contempt.
No matter how good you are in the game, in real life, you're still a nobody.
Youlong Zhuye's face hardened.
"You people from the Thorn Guild have no manners. You have zero evidence—first you falsely accuse us, and now you start hurling insults! Is this the kind of atmosphere your guild fosters?"
That hefty accusation was practically saying the Thorn Guild was just stirring up trouble.
Chu Fu knew full well that a guild's reputation hugely affected its future development. Who wouldn't want their guild to stand on the side of justice?
Games amplify the worst in human nature while raising the bar for morality. Whether a guild had a good name or not would later determine if they could attract top-tier players.
But trying to pull these tricks on Chu Fu?
They had the wrong person.
Chu Fu's face was set, her eyes fixed on Youlong Zhuye like she could see right through him.
"Youlong Zhuye, you don't really think we have no evidence, do you? Remember, players from both servers were defending the village together today, and it was all livestreamed. You say your people never got close, and we say the same about ours."
"So if we just rewatch the livestream, we'll find the truth easily enough."
What Chu Fu said made perfect sense.
But Lin Haowan was sweating buckets right then, because he'd been searching, and so had the viewers in the livestream.
No one had spotted anything.
Chu Fu remained calm and unhurried.
"If neither side sees anything, then there's only one possibility—the culprit is an invisible unit, like an Assassin or Thief."
"Then we just need to look through the footage and see who went invisible around the time the coins vanished. That should reveal the culprit."
"And not only that—they might still be invisible out of guilt!"
With that, Chu Fu grabbed a handful of toxins and flung them into the air.
[Flash Scale Powder]
If Flash Scale Powder hit a target's eyes, it could blind and burn them.
But the game had an incredibly high degree of freedom, and Chu Fu had discovered that using her toxin-scattering skill could not only poison enemies but also had a unique effect—exposing hidden units.
Plus, with her current mental strength,
a single toxin-scattering could cover a 50-meter radius.
In an instant, any invisible players were revealed, covered in scale powder and poison.
Soon enough, a player with the ID Youlong Shendao appeared in everyone's line of sight.
He looked panicked and immediately tried to flee.
He was the one who had stolen the money.
His talent was extremely rare—an S-rank—allowing him to pick up items while invisible without being detected.
Moreover, as long as he didn't move or attack, his invisibility could last indefinitely.
The people at Youlong Studio had even built a strategy around his talent for future boss raids. Even if they didn't land the killing blow, he could still sneak in and grab the loot.
So when he saw that huge pile of copper coins, he'd gone invisible, approached them, and picked them up.
When a heap of copper coins was stacked together, a single pick-up action collected them all.
He had gotten 1 gold coin and 750 silver coins.
Since there were so many players in Wangxi Village, the in-game currency was consumed quickly. The exchange rate held steady at 1 copper coin = 1 real-world dollar.
After the 7:1 exchange rate had been bought out, the currency's value shot up even higher. To Youlong Shendao, this wasn't just 1 gold coin and 750 silver coins.
It was 1.75 million!
If the village defense event hadn't locked in players and prevented them from logging out, he would have quit the game and run off with the money right away.
He never expected that, while hiding perfectly in stealth, he would be exposed like this.
He stared at Chu Fu in terror, watching as this girl, pretty as a doll, raised her staff at him without a hint of mercy.
There was not only cold cruelty in those big, beautiful eyes—but also a flicker of excitement.
The same excitement a cat feels when it catches a mouse.
Chu Fu swung her staff, and a flash of sickly green light landed directly on Youlong Shendao.
[Toxicity]
He didn't last even a second before collapsing to the ground.
Instantly, a gleaming gold coin and a pile of silver coins burst out from his drop.
"Case closed."
