Chapter 803: Tampering

On the deserted street, the Assassin walked silently, his head bowed. He didn't look back at the two young prodigies, knowing they wouldn't pursue him. His emotions were complex at that moment; the successive "injuries" inflicted by Chen Ling, Jian Changsheng, and Sun Bumian had left him so shaken that he felt he'd need to kill a dozen ordinary participants just to regain a semblance of confidence.

As he racked his brain, recalling his past arduous training and reflecting on any possible idleness, a figure in a fluorescent robe slowly approached him from the opposite direction. It was a referee with "06" on his chest. He merely glanced at the Assassin before looking away and continuing straight ahead. Naturally, the Assassin had no other reaction, continuing on his way. The two passed each other in silence.

Meanwhile.

"Phew..." The exhausted Jian Changsheng slowly sat by the roadside, finally exhaling a long breath of relief.

"How about it? I saved your life. I guess we're even now, right?" Sun Bumian bent down, smiling as he looked into Jian Changsheng's eyes.

"You..." Though Jian Changsheng's anger had indeed largely subsided, seeing that grinning face inexplicably made him want to punch him. Perhaps it was the punchable quality of his smile, but Jian Changsheng found it hard to be calm. "Who said we're even?" Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth. "Your saving me this time only cancels out the grudge from you almost getting me killed by the Dragon Warrior last time... But that kick in the Grey Realm still hasn't been settled!"

Sun Bumian, somewhat helpless, spread his hands. "What else do you want? Want to fight again right now?"

"Now... not now." Jian Changsheng weakly waved his hand. "We'll fight next time. That grudge is still on hold."

As if remembering something, Sun Bumian conjured the four candied hawthorn skewers again, grabbing them in his palm. "Oh, right, I made these for you... Don't waste them."

"No, seriously, where do you hide these four skewers of candied hawthorn?" Jian Changsheng couldn't help but complain.

"Hehe, it's the Way of the Playful God. Conjuring small things is normal." Sun Bumian's eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled.

Jian Changsheng looked at him and the four skewers of candied hawthorn in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he took them. Maintaining his domain for so long had indeed drained Jian Changsheng considerably, so replenishing his energy would naturally be ideal. Jian Changsheng took a bite of the candied hawthorn and found it tasted quite good. After finishing one skewer, he kept another for himself and handed the remaining two to Sun Bumian: "Don't just watch me eat. You conjured these, so you should have two as well."

Upon hearing this, Sun Bumian's face suddenly went pale. After glancing strangely at the two bright red candied hawthorn skewers, his mouth twitched slightly...

—"Ugh!!" He immediately turned his head and dry-heaved.

Jian Changsheng: ???????? "Dude, what do you mean by that?!" "Is this candied hawthorn even proper candied hawthorn?! Huh?!!" Seeing Sun Bumian's reaction, Jian Changsheng immediately found the candied hawthorn in his hand unappetizing. For a moment, he didn't know whether to eat it or not.

As he deliberated, a figure as conspicuous as a firefly approached from a distance. "...A referee?" Jian Changsheng and the dry-heaving Sun Bumian both looked at the person, without much reaction. In the old district's struggle, referees were often seen. They wouldn't interfere with battles, only record events and notify the medical team to collect bodies. So, the two didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until they realized the referee was walking straight towards them that their hearts skipped a beat. "What's going on? We didn't break any rules, did we?" Jian Changsheng was puzzled. He suddenly looked at the candied hawthorn in his hand, turned to Sun Bumian, and, as if possessed, asked, "Did you put stimulants in these?"

"? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Under their bewildered gazes, the referee slowly stopped in front of them. His gaze first met Sun Bumian's for a long moment, then turned to Jian Changsheng. Whether it was young Jian's illusion or not, he seemed to perceive "disgust," "resentment," and a hint of "killing intent" in the referee's eyes... The referee raised his hand and patted Jian Changsheng's shoulder.

"You did well, my child."

Jian Changsheng: ?

After saying this, the referee ignored them and continued walking forward, his firefly-like robe gradually disappearing from their sight.

"That referee, he's so strange," Sun Bumian said, his eyes full of bewilderment. In contrast, Jian Changsheng, next to him, had transformed from puzzled to stunned. His pupils slightly constricted, revealing an expression as if he had seen a ghost! "He... he he he he... he actually..."

"What?" Sun Bumian asked, utterly confused.

"He he he..." Jian Changsheng stammered, finally managing to form his words and dropping a bombshell: "He was the Six of Hearts!!!"

Not bad, the kid isn't stupid after all. As Chen Ling walked away, he mused inwardly. After dispatching Referee 06 and taking his place, Chen Ling had used his knife to disfigure the original referee's face, then left him by the roadside and notified the medical team to collect the body. With the facial disfigurement, the medical team wouldn't be able to confirm the identity quickly. They would likely just assume it was some unfortunate participant, and by the time they restored the facial features and reported it, the struggle would probably be over. Even if his actions were discovered, it wouldn't matter; the handbook stated "by any means necessary," so he wouldn't be punished. Chen Ling had blurred the referee's face to delay his exposure because he needed this referee's identity to accomplish something more significant. As for Jian Changsheng... although Chen Ling harbored considerable resentment towards him, this wasn't the time for revenge. Subtly hinting at his current identity would benefit all of them—Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and himself—at least preventing a conflict among the three "Six-level" individuals.

A flicker of aurora flashed deep within Chen Ling's eyes, and voices immediately began to crackle from his walkie-talkie:

"Static..."

"It's been almost ten hours since the struggle began. How are things looking now?"

"Forty-six participants have been eliminated so far, all killed by a few specific individuals. Most are still hiding their strength, lurking in the shadows."

"Progress is a bit too slow... We need to give them some incentive."

"Has anyone found the 'Dark Palace' yet?"

"Not yet. Should we manually release the 'Dark Palace' early?"

"It's too early to release it now... Give it two more hours."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's eyes narrowed! He squeezed his fingers in the void, and the walkie-talkie signal he had intercepted mid-air was instantly tampered with, briefly cutting out before reaching the other referees' devices!

"Static..."

"Director, Director? Is your signal not very good over there?"

"Static... It's fine now, should be clear." The Director's voice resounded again in all the referees' walkie-talkies. "As I was saying, it's too early to release it now; we need to wait a bit... However, before that, it would be best to send someone to check the 'Dark Palace' setup to prevent any accidents."

"Understood, Director. Who should we send?"

"Send... Number 6."

Chen Ling held the walkie-talkie, a slight smile playing on his lips.