novelraw Chapter 56 : The Script of the Master Thief
Chapter 56 : The Script of the Master Thief
Chapter 56: The Script of the Master Thief
Hai City, inside an abandoned dockside warehouse.
The air was thick with the scent of seawater, salt, and the rot of rusted metal.
A pitch-black coffin stood silently at the center of the warehouse.
“Creak—”
Suddenly, the coffin lid was pushed open from the inside by a tremendous force.
A naked man slowly sat up from within the coffin.
He gulped down the cold air, a smile of one who had narrowly escaped death spreading across his face.
“Alive again…”
“This feeling… damn it, it’s intoxicating.”
He ran his hands over his intact body and smiled.
Then, he picked up the communicator beside him and sent out a signal.
At the other end of the city, inside a dim underground chamber—
A masked man received the message through his communicator.
He raised the gun in his hand toward the hollow-eyed man bound to a chair by iron chains.
“Goodbye, true 【Thunder God】.”
“Bang!”
……
The icy sea breeze, thick with salt and dampness, swept across the rusted gantry cranes, producing a wailing sound like that of ghosts.
Su Wan stood alone at the edge of the abandoned dock, dressed in a black trench coat, quietly gazing at the churning darkness of the sea beneath the night sky.
Behind her, the young man who had risen from the coffin slowly emerged from the shadows.
“Miss Su, you really know how to pick a place.”
Qi Jiang stopped about three meters behind her, speaking with respectful admiration.
His tone carried genuine reverence. “If not for your ‘invitation’, I wouldn’t be here to enjoy such a beautiful view with you.”
“Not to mention, the ‘resurrection’ opportunity you lent me.”
He emphasized the word “lent.”
“No need to thank me.”
Without turning around, Su Wan said calmly, “I’m merely making an investment in my own future.”
“Haha.”
Qi Jiang chuckled, taking a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, inhaled deeply, and exhaled smoke through his grin. “You’re too modest. You’ve changed my fate, Miss Su—I should be the one thanking you.”
“Thanks to you, I had the chance to join this grand game, and toy with those self-righteous fools from the government and 【Radiance】.”
“Watching their expressions shift from confidence to terror and despair—it was more spectacular than the finest dramas in the world.”
Su Wan didn’t respond.
Seeing that, Qi Jiang changed the subject. “You once said that when I became the victor, you’d tell me your purpose.”
“Now that Radiance has started turning on itself, they’re no longer a threat. So, can you tell me what your goal is?”
Su Wan nodded. “As the victor of the Jiang City game, I obtained the qualification to permanently retain my Transcendent ability and became a ‘formal player’…”
After winning her first game, a new prompt had appeared in Su Wan’s mind.
【Congratulations, player Su Wan, on winning your first ‘Game of Gods’】
【You have obtained the qualification of ‘Formal Player’】
【As a ‘Formal Player’, you will gain the following privileges:】
【1. All identity cards you acquire will become permanently solidified. You may use your abilities without limitation in any world.】
【2. You may choose to voluntarily match with players to participate in the ‘Game of Gods’.】
【3. You may obtain new identity cards, enhance existing ones, or acquire powerful Transcendent items by participating in and winning more games.】
【Warning: The world of the game is far broader than you imagine. Make every choice with caution.】
“‘Formal players’ can choose to actively join the ‘Game of Gods’.”
“But right now, I’m the only formal player in the world, which means I can’t match into a new game.”
“Still, I can sense that the footsteps of that ‘god’ haven’t stopped. More games—and more ‘formal players’—will emerge in time.”
“So, I want to prepare in advance.”
“That’s why, after this game ends, I want you to join my organization.”
“Organization?” Qi Jiang was momentarily stunned.
“That’s right.”
Su Wan lifted her gaze to the cloud-covered sky, her eyes deep and resolute.
“I refuse to accept that our lives, our fates, can be toyed with by some unknown being.”
“I hate that feeling.”
“So I’ll keep joining games, and keep growing stronger.”
“Until one day, I have enough power to stand before that so-called ‘god’ and ask him in person—”
“—Why do you toy with life like this?”
Her words made Qi Jiang’s heart jolt violently.
For the first time, he felt genuine awe toward the seemingly delicate girl before him.
He had thought himself mad and bold enough already.
Yet this woman… she intended to challenge god himself?
It was something he had never dared even imagine.
Su Wan looked back toward the sea, speaking softly. “That’s why I’ll continue to join more ‘Games of Gods’.”
“And in the next one, I don’t know what kind of powerful opponents I’ll face.”
She turned her eyes back to Qi Jiang. “So, I need to establish my own Transcendent force—to aid me in future games.”
Qi Jiang immediately understood her intent.
He smiled knowingly.
“I understand.”
“When I win this game, I’ll join your Transcendent organization.”
He bowed deeply to Su Wan. “I will be the sharpest blade in your hand.”
“I’ll join more games on your behalf, win more rewards for you—I’ll help you face the gods themselves!”
“Good.”
Su Wan nodded, then said calmly, “Now tell me about your script.”
“I’m curious—how did you manage to make Radiance turn on itself?”
A trace of pride appeared on Qi Jiang’s face.
“You know my identity is the 【Master Thief】.”
“My ability is ‘Steal’.”
“As long as I make physical contact with my target, I can steal that person’s Transcendent ability and make it my own.”
“Of course, there are limits to time and quantity. I can only possess three ‘stolen’ abilities at once, and each lasts for a limited duration.”
“At the start of the game, I contacted you and ‘borrowed’ the resurrection power of the 【Mortician】 from you as my crucial life-saving card.”
“Then, luck favored me. Soon after the game began, I encountered one of my Shadow teammates—the 【Mind Controller】.”
Qi Jiang’s eyes glimmered with excitement. “At the beginning of the game, the 【Mind Controller】 located and successfully controlled the true 【Thunder God】 of this round—a man named Lei Zhen, an electrician.”
“So the two of us hit it off immediately and devised this plan.”
“I stole the 【Thunder God】’s ability from that poor man, and then had the 【Mind Controller】 hide him away.”
“After that, I disguised myself as the 【Thunder God】 and surrendered to Bureau 869, infiltrating the 【Radiance】 faction.”
“In the conference room, I pretended to warmly pat that man named Shi Yuan on the shoulder—secretly stealing his ability without anyone noticing.”
“Then, at the height of Chen Mo’s speech, when everyone’s attention was fixed on him, I activated the time-acceleration ability and killed Hailan.”
“I perfectly framed the one whose ability fit the crime best—【Time Walker】 Shi Yuan.”
“After all, everyone believes only what their own eyes and judgment tell them. Only someone with ‘time acceleration’ could have killed Hailan using Li Wei’s dagger.”
“But once Shi Yuan died and his Radiance identity was exposed, I—who had been fanning the flames from the beginning—would naturally become a prime suspect.”
“So, I used the 【Thunder God】’s ability to kill myself, making a grand exit while continuing to sow doubt within Radiance.”
“Then, from the ‘Immortal Coffin’ I had prepared beforehand, I resurrected unscathed and was reborn.”
Qi Jiang’s explanation pieced together every part of the conspiracy flawlessly.
Every link was seamless, every step deliberate.
He had exploited everyone’s psychology, the officials’ arrogance, and the Radiance faction’s paranoia.
Alone, he had toyed with both the government and Radiance alike.
“A splendid script.”
“【Mind Controller】, hmm? Quite an interesting ability.”
Su Wan’s tone remained calm as she gave her evaluation.
“Thank you for your praise.”
Qi Jiang smiled and bowed slightly. “Then, Miss Su, what do you plan to do next?”
“Shall I help you recruit my teammates?”
“No rush.”
Su Wan shook her head. “Wait until you’ve completely won this game.”
With that, her gaze drifted once more toward the roaring sea.
“You’re right. For now, let’s see how my ‘teammates’ perform next.”