166: Chapter 166 A Plan to Turn the Tide

As a genius possessing the highest intelligence, a flash of realization instantly flickered in Da Vinci's eyes when she saw the "Hassan of the Cursed Arm" on the screen drinking high-end whiskey.

However, instead of exposing him, she showed a sweet, intellectual smile.

"Oh my, Lord Hassan, it is truly reassuring to see an ally here."

Da Vinci followed the flow and cut into the topic, "Since you've been lurking in this Shinjuku demon realm for so long, you must have gathered a lot of top-secret intel? For example... that so-called 'Phantom Demon Alliance,' what is their ultimate goal for putting so much effort into creating all these monsters?"

At this direct question aimed at the core, the air in the Basement froze slightly.

The fake Hassan put down his glass. As if to demonstrate his value as a "powerful ally," he remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly in a low, oppressive tone:

"Since it is an inquiry from Chaldea, I will naturally tell you everything I know."

"You should have already noticed that something is wrong with this demon realm. The ultimate goal of that alliance is not to rule this city at all."

The fake Hassan paused and dropped a bombshell that made everyone's skin crawl: "Their goal is to destroy the entire Earth."

When these words were spoken, although PD had heard the Count's warning over the phone before, hearing it personally from this enemy executive still caused a surge of alarm.

Moreover, this indirectly confirmed that the intel provided by the Count was absolutely accurate!

"Destroy the Earth?!"

Da Vinci feigned surprise and covered her mouth. "How do they plan to do it? With what weapon?"

"The specific method..." The red eyes under the fake Hassan's mask flickered, clearly unwilling to reveal too many core secrets.

He waved his hand vaguely. "This topic is too heavy and involves the deepest Magical Foundation of this land. Let us rest for a bit and discuss it in detail later."

Then, the fake Hassan abruptly looked up, his skull-masked face turning toward the heavy iron door of the underground base, radiating a cold killing intent.

"Not good! Enemies are approaching!"

The fake Hassan stood up suddenly, his voice becoming urgent and anxious, "It's those Mechanical Hounds! There are many of them. It seems our tracks were accidentally exposed when we returned just now!"

Hearing this, PD subconsciously clenched his fists.

However, before he could command everyone to establish a defensive line, the fake Hassan spoke first.

"Leave these troublesome trash to me."

The fake Hassan turned to look at Jeanne dArc Alter and Saber Alter sitting on the sofa, his tone carrying a hint of "considerate" dissuasion, "The two knights have just experienced a great battle, and your mana must be nearly exhausted. Rest well here."

Immediately after, he walked straight to PD and extended that strange arm wrapped in bandages.

"However, there might be tricky Phantasms among the enemies outside. To ensure nothing goes wrong..."

The eyes under the fake Hassan's mask stared fixedly at PD as he made an utterly absurd suggestion:

"Master, please come out with me alone to face the enemy. As long as I have your mana support, I guarantee I can deal with them all within a minute!"

Letting an unarmed Master leave the protection of all the main Servants to go out alone with an assassin they just met (and who was full of holes)?!

And he even specifically instructed the other Servants "definitely do not follow"?!

This blatant trap was even more heavy-handed than that glass of whiskey from before!

The viewers in the live stream room instantly exploded:

"Holy crap! The fox's tail is showing way too fast!"

"The dagger is out! This is an open attempt to kidnap the Master!"

"Only a fool would go out with him! P-Boss, hurry and have Saber Alter slash him!"

PD was certainly no fool.

Looking at this fake Hassan lying through his teeth, he ranted inwardly: "Do you really think I'm a retard? This trap is so obvious even a blind man could see it!"

He was just about to refuse and was even prepared to flip the table and start the fight.

*Thump.*

Just then, the old man who had been standing behind him suddenly used the cane in his hand to give PD's lower back a firm nudge.

PD was stunned and turned his head.

He saw the old man winking at him frantically, his gaze revealing a hint of calculating cunning.

And on the other end of the sofa, Jeanne dArc Alter gave PD a cold glance from the corner of her eye while flipping through a magazine, giving a nearly imperceptible nod; Saber Alter, meanwhile, expressionlessly crushed a potato chip, her free left hand making a subtle "follow him" tactical gesture in a blind spot.

Seeing the signals being secretly passed by these three "villainous" big shots, PD understood instantly.

"Beating him at his own game to infiltrate the enemy camp?!"

PD swallowed, his brain working at high speed. "Right, if I expose him on the spot here, at most we'll just kill a lone Assassin, which won't help the overall situation!"

"Only by pretending to be kidnapped can I follow the trail to find the mastermind who intends to blow up the Earth!"

Thinking of this, PD took a deep breath.

As the top whale of the entire server, he displayed the courage and decisiveness a top player should have at this moment.

He hid the wariness on his face and replaced it with an expression full of trust and emotion.

"No problem! Brother Hassan!"

PD patted the fake Hassan's shoulder heroically, "You risked your life to protect me in Camelot; how could I let you face danger alone today? Let's go! We brothers will go out and crush them!"

With that, PD didn't even look back at the main Servants behind him and walked straight out of the abandoned subway station door following the fake Hassan.

The heavy iron door slowly closed behind them, completely cutting off the warm light of the safe house.

In the dark, damp underground passage, only the flickering incandescent lights overhead made a buzzing electrical sound.

It was dead silent all around; not even a shadow of a Mechanical Hound could be seen.

"Brother Hassan, where are the enemies?"

PD pretended to look around while his hand had already quietly moved toward the emergency distress button on his tactical terminal.

The fake Hassan walking in front stopped in his tracks.

"Hehehehe... Master of Chaldea."

A laugh full of pleasure and mockery echoed in the empty corridor.

The voice, which originally belonged to the raspy, low tone of "Hassan of the Cursed Arm," now became clear and arrogant, revealing an undisguisable sense of triumph.

"That innocent trust you have for your companions really makes one want to trample all over it!"

Accompanying this wild laughter...

The tattered black robe on the fake Hassan was instantly ignited by a flare of blue magical energy!

The iconic white bone skull mask also peeled away from his face, falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

The illusion faded.

A slender, leopard-like young man appeared before PD.

He wore a sleeveless martial arts outfit with a strong Eastern style, and his sturdy arms and chest were covered in large, magnificent, and wild peony tattoos.

A wicked smirk hung on the man's lips, and his eyes were like a venomous snake staring at its prey, locking onto PD.

When faced with obscure Western myths and urban legends, players might still need a pro like Chu He to look up information.

But at this moment, seeing such an iconic Eastern martial arts outfit and those magnificent peony tattoos, any Blue Star player even slightly familiar with Chinese classical literature felt their cultural DNA activate instantly!

Without needing any explanation from the pro, the tens of thousands of viewers in PD's live stream immediately began spamming the chat with knowledgeable comments:

"Holy shit!!! Peony tattoos! Chinese-style martial arts gear!"

"Is this... is this a hero from 'Water Margin'?! Nine Tattooed Dragons Shi Jin? No, Shi Jin has dragons! There's only one person with a back full of peonies!"

"Tenkyosei! Yan Qing the Wanderer!! He's actually a Chinese Heroic Spirit from our Huaxia!!!"

"Old Thief Gu is awesome! He actually put Water Margin heroes in the game!"

However, before the pride and celebration in the chat could last for even two seconds...

This "Wanderer" who had revealed his true form didn't give PD any time to react.

His figure instantly turned into a ghostly blur, flashing behind PD with a flexibility and speed that completely defied human limits!

*Thump!*

An incredibly precise hand-chop struck heavily on the back of PD's neck.

Even with the pain-dampening protection of the akashic engine, this heavy blow caused PD's VR vision to blur instantly.

"Although it took some acting, being able to capture the enemy's general without shedding blood makes this a total steal."

The man hoisted the incapacitated PD over his shoulder and blew a triumphant whistle.

"Well then, welcome to hell, naive Master."

With a mocking chuckle, the man's figure, carrying the kidnapped PD, disappeared into the endless dark ruins of Shinjuku like an assassin merging into the shadows.