The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

"Listening to your tone, it seems you've made quite a few enemies."

"There are a few people..." Su Qi extended two fingers and pinched them together: "who have a bit of hostility towards me."

"A few people and you're scared? Pfft."

Bei Shenxing didn't take it to heart; he reverted to his own appearance. He didn't often disguise himself as others; he preferred to demonstrate his strength in his true form.

"Now, back to serious matters, are you really a Venerable... or one of the Heavenly Destiny People?"

"That's not a serious matter, but of course, I can answer you," Su Qi replied gently.

Bei Shenxing narrowed his eyes; he had realized from the beginning that Su Qi was no ordinary person, not just because of his Venerable status, but also for surpassing his own expectations at the previous school by conquering... the Gate World.

And now, after entering here, this guy was actually walking with the Current World Camp.

His gaze was sharp, and he listened intently.

"I am..."

Su Qi paused: "I am a Hustler."

"?"

Bei Shenxing was taken aback: "What?"

"A Hustler," Su Qi elaborated: "Centered around entertainment, unique amongst the Life of Ten Thousand Realms, unfazed by chaos or cruelty, always moving leisurely."

"..." Bei Shenxing: "Is that just another name for a lunatic?"

"Good comeback." Su Qi held up a finger: "You have the potential to become a Hustler and join The Hustlers Sect, but of course, you have to go through an evaluation."

"..." Bei Shenxing was somewhat silent and somewhat confused: "The Hustlers Sect, how come I've never heard of it?"

"A powerful organization beyond what you can imagine. I am one of its members, capable of walking on the edge of the Abyss and standing at the summit of the Present World," Su Qi said softly.

Bei Shenxing didn't respond; his brows were deeply furrowed.

He racked his brain trying to recall whether he had any memory of such an organization called The Hustlers, but found nothing in his ancient memories.

"However, if you want to join, I can give you a backdoor entry." Su Qi snapped his fingers softly: "Of course, then you'll owe me another favor."

Bei Shenxing: "... Aren't you a bit too shameless?"

Considering his own status, joining any organization would bring substantial benefits, and numerous organizations would vie for him.

And here with you, I have to apply first? Not only that, but according to this guy, I even have to use a back entrance?

"Anyway, you're now in the camp of those Current World people, right?" Bei Shenxing said calmly.

"That's not a good choice."

"How so?"

"I haven't just been wandering around for the past day and night, plus..." Bei Shenxing extended his hand as various items' ethereal images began to appear quietly, showing various parts of the City, all swapped by his ability, hidden from ordinary people.

"Being able to freely use abilities without ordinary people noticing suits me perfectly, and I've come to thoroughly understand through my own abilities."

Bei Shenxing said softly:

"This City has already fallen under the control of the Abyss; there's no possibility for you to turn the tables."

"And..." Bei Shenxing drew out a pocket watch.

"You must have one of these too, right? I swiped it quietly when I left the Abyss Stronghold, and this black is much denser than before."

"I can tell." Su Qi also took out his pocket watch: "And it seems they still have various trump cards they haven't used."

"I must warn you," Bei Shenxing said calmly: "Black and white aren't about who has more or less, but about limitless values... their massacre tonight will gain an unimaginable advantage."

"And look." Bei Shenxing gazed into the distance: "Their tactics are probably about to start."

"Beep beep beep!"

A multitude of vehicles were honking their horns because a crossroad up ahead was completely clogged, the traffic lights having started blinking randomly at some point.

Power outages were beginning in many streets, with various important buildings throughout the City plunging into darkness.

And various regions were descending into chaos because... several of the largest chemical plants had leaks, with vast amounts of toxic gases flooding in.

But this was only part of it.

Issues involving the economy, resources, security, and more were all bursting forth.

Su Qi's earpiece was also ringing; it was Black Cat.

"They've started."

Su Qi looked at the data Xiao Meng sent over, all the indices crazily dropping, with the Abyss index sharply rising, overwhelmingly surpassing the world index maintained by the Current World.

Bei Shenxing also picked up a pocket watch, "It's Friday today, isn't it? For the people of this City, it's truly a day of Darkness."

"And for you, Darkness is about to Descend."

Time passed by the minute, the opponent's various maneuvers were infiltrating from all directions, seeping into this riddled City.

With every ticking second, vast amounts of Abyss Index rose, and as time went on, it became even more absurd.

The opponent had prepared for too long, had laid the groundwork for too long.

The pocket watch was now covered in black, and after reaching a certain extent, it was no longer clear what level it had achieved.

However,

Su Qi could still see the index; the Abyss Index was nearly five million and counting. With three to four hours left until darkness fell, it was projected to reach ten million.

This was a terrifying number, especially since Black Cat was leading everyone to do everything possible to mend all the destruction on the Abyss's side.

But now... it was only around three hundred thousand.

"Xiao Meng, how's the progress?"

"The infiltration system is currently at 74%," came the update from Xiao Meng. Even if she had found a loophole, it still required time to decode and enter.

As time slowly crept by, the Sky Dome began to dim gradually.

"Aren't you worried at all?" Bei Shenxing looked at Su Qi as the two strolled down the street.

The City was in chaos.

Scores of people saw their funds plunge in an instant, countless investors faced liquidation, standees thronged roofs with nothing but losses to show.

Banks were witnessing all cash being frantically withdrawn, and wails filled the trading floors.

With the manpower that Black Cat had, it was entirely overwhelmed.

"What good does worrying do?" Su Qi said. "It's a... game of operations; all the dark moves are arranged over countless years. Now that it's erupting, we just have to accept it."

"Is that so?" Bei Shenxing paused. "You seem to be taking it quite easy. Perhaps you're right, it's better to just give up everything at hand now and start preparing for the big escape."

"It's not that bad," Su Qi looked at the evening sky. "Now is almost the right time."

Su Qi softly ordered,

"Gan Wencui, lead everyone to... take action."

Creating a loophole was simple, having the Shadow Army, which shouldn't exist, engage in transactions. The transactions would exist, but the people involved would disappear. The goods... would be taken back by the Shadow Army to the Spirit House, creating a brief chaos within the Ancient Gate.

And this bit,

Was enough for Xiao Meng to exploit the loophole, completing her cheat.

Of course,

It seemed easy, but the timing had to be right, considering the system was constantly updating, evolving every moment, repairing itself amidst the flood of information.

So, one couldn't act too soon... otherwise, the hacked data would be detected in an instant, restoring everything to its original state.

And it wouldn't do to act too late. Changing the game once the free-for-all had begun would be meaningless.

One had to seize that moment of timing!

And now,

The City's twilight glowed like a burning fire, yet grew dimmer, as if consumed by the flames.

A grey night was quietly approaching!

Yet unlike before, everything was still salvageable.

The hands on the pocket watch ticked away, but they were drowned out in the boundless Darkness.

Just before the hands on the watch moved to a particular moment, Su Qi softly began to speak.

"Xiao Meng."

Xiao Meng did not respond.

In the next instant,

The City's clock bells thundered, and all the chaos vanished in a moment.

The black and white pocket watch suddenly shattered!

Only boundless Darkness plummeted, accompanied by a voice from a cold, mechanized Black and White Bear.

[Night has Fallen]

[Judging is underway]