Chapter 121: The Game Begins

In Shanghai, an off-road vehicle sped toward the airport. Aside from the driver, Ren Ye, Tang Feng, and Xu Peng sat inside.

Due to Brother Huang’s urgent orders to head to the capital, the three of them didn’t even stop at their workplace. As soon as they met up, they got into the car and left immediately.

It was said that just as Ren Ye stepped out the door, the Capital side had already coordinated their flight arrangements. These details made it clear that Vigil Keeper headquarters had already taken significant action in response to the news that Qingliang Prefecture had opened its doors to recruit 500 players.

Inside the car.

Ren Ye looked at Xu Peng in surprise. “You received the Qingliang Prefecture mission too?”

“Yeah. You must have just left when Qingliang Prefecture opened for players to be matched.” Xu Peng nodded and added, “I encountered other players when I took the mission too…”

Ren Ye was very concerned about this and immediately pressed for details. “Tell me exactly how you accepted the mission.”

“Well, here’s how it happened…” Xu Peng recounted the entire process in detail, his expression serious. He then added his own analysis: “It’s clear that the recruitment of these 500 supernatural beings is completely random. Any player who receives the Star Gate matching notification can accept it. Also, there are no tokens. In short, once a player accepts the mission, they’re locked in—they can’t abandon it, nor can they transfer their slot to someone else.”

Hearing this, Tang Feng’s expression grew tense. “That’s about what we suspected, but this makes things really tricky. If a bunch of solo players take the mission, we’ll have zero control over the quality of these 500 participants. Once the final battle starts, we’ll be like scattered sand. How are we supposed to fight the imperial army like this?”

“I just spoke with the boss. Our headquarters is already taking action,” Xu Peng said confidently. “I think we should trust their ability to allocate resources—and the wisdom of those calling the shots.”

“Let’s hope they react quickly and come up with an effective plan,” Tang Feng muttered, though he didn’t voice strong doubts.

After thinking for a moment, Ren Ye suddenly asked, “Brother Peng, I don’t know much about Star Gates. Can you explain how the matching system works? Can any player receive the Qingliang Prefecture mission, regardless of rank or faction? Or are there specific rules?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Xu Peng immediately reassured him. “When I accepted the mission, the description clearly stated that it was a ‘First-Tier Star Gate, SSS-level mission.’ That means only first-tier players can receive it. Anyone above first tier shouldn’t be able to get a matching notification. Plus, in all Star Gates, higher-tier players face rule-based suppression when entering a lower-tier Star Gate. They can only exert power equivalent to that tier. In China, we call this the ‘Heavenly Dao Rule.’”

“So the players who enter this Star Gate will all be on roughly the same level?” Ren Ye asked immediately. “Everyone’s at the same tier, so there won’t be a situation where a grown adult beats up a kid, right?”

“Exactly. While first-tier players do have some variance in strength and ‘level,’ they’re all within the same first-stage bracket. Put simply, kindergarteners fight kindergarteners, elementary schoolers fight elementary schoolers. Some might be a bit ‘taller’ or ‘stronger,’ but there won’t be any cases of adults bullying kids.” Xu Peng paused for a moment, then added, “Also, when I took the mission, that mustached official from the personnel department explicitly stated that Prince Huai is recruiting righteous individuals. So… Chaos Faction players probably won’t receive a matching notification for this Star Gate. We don’t have to worry about too many traitors sneaking in.”

Ren Ye let out a quiet sigh of relief. “That’s good. At least we won’t have to fight off the imperial army while also watching our backs for teammates betraying us. If that were the case, we might as well just surrender—it’d be completely unwinnable.”

“Don’t worry.” Xu Peng reassured once more. “Like I said, we should trust in the wisdom of our headquarters and the Vigil Keeper organization’s ability to allocate resources.”

Ren Ye nodded in agreement, but in truth, he still knew too little about the Vigil Keeper organization. To be honest, he wasn’t sure where Xu Peng’s confidence came from.

…

Above the Capital, within the ancient city of Vermillion Bird.

The Vigil Keepers of the Inner Court’s Six Divisions were already busy, moving frequently and engaging in rapid exchanges.

Some wore yellow robes, others green, carrying various documents as they moved swiftly through the work zones of the Six Divisions. At first glance, it seemed chaotic, but in reality, everything was highly organized, with information being processed and relayed in real-time.

If one were to stand atop the Moon-Gazing Pavilion and look down, they would see a brightly lit ancient city where at least a thousand people were working tirelessly toward a single goal.

Swish!

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the city gate, and a man in his thirties appeared.

He had just teleported into Vermillion Bird City from the real world via the Star Gate.

This man stood over 1.8 meters tall, with a well-built physique and an elegant demeanor. He wore a long black robe embroidered with gold thread along the sleeves and hem, exuding an air of grandeur.

Upon arriving outside the city gate, the black-robed Vigil Keeper did not wait for anyone to guide him but proceeded directly toward the work area of the Six Divisions. However, as he walked, those around him—Vigil Keepers of various ranks—froze for a moment upon seeing his robes, their eyes flashing with astonishment.

Within the Vigil Keeper hierarchy, ranks were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound,¹ and Yellow. The man in black was of Earth Rank—a high-level figure.

Since the great struggle three years ago, it had been rare to see an Earth-ranked Vigil Keeper within Vermillion Bird City. It was said that most of them had been stationed at various Star Gates, engaged in an ongoing confrontation with chaos and evil.

As the black-robed Vigil Keeper entered the city, a white light shot down from the Moon-Gazing Pavilion above.

He halted and raised a hand to receive it.

A pure white letter landed in his palm.

Glancing down, he read the message:

“Mobilize all divisions in the northern regions. Notify all first-tier Vigil Keepers who have received the Star Gate match alert to enter immediately. There is only one requirement: orderly and swift control over mission distribution in Qingliang Prefecture.”

After scanning the contents, the black-robed man looked up at the towering Moon-Gazing Pavilion and respectfully cupped his hands in salute.

The man residing in that pavilion, clad in a crimson robe, was the “Heaven” of the Vigil Keeper organization—their singular and undisputed leader. He was also the only Gatekeeper in all of China.

About twenty seconds later, two more black-robed Vigil Keepers appeared outside the city gate.

They exchanged a few words before stepping into the city together.

Swish! Swish!

Two more beams of white light shot down. After reading the contents of their letters, they too respectfully bowed toward the pavilion.

Atop the Moon-Gazing Pavilion, the crimson-robed man sat cross-legged on a woven mat, his gaze sweeping across the numerous letters before him, deep in contemplation.

…

Northeast, Fengtian City.

Inside a district-level Vigil Keeper office, a young man in his mid-twenties sat on duty.

“Hey sis, hang on a sec, let’s play a game—guess who’s on my mind right now…!”

Seated in his chair, he hummed a tune lazily, exuding an air of boredom.

His name was Wang Pei, a first-tier player in this city and a yellow-robed Vigil Keeper.

Two days ago, he had just returned from a Star Gate expedition, utterly exhausted. Now, he was enjoying a well-earned break.

[Handsome Master, Snow Baby reminds you: I have matched you with a new Star Gate—First-Tier Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate. There are suitable mission dispatches available for you. Would you like to embark on this journey?]

Wang Pei, still humming, froze for a moment, his brows furrowing.

“Again?”

Ding ling ling!

As soon as he spoke, his phone rang.

Wang Pei sat up, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button. “Hello, Chief?”

“How many people are on duty?” the district supervisor asked directly.

“Only our second team. Why?” Wang Pei picked up his goji berry tea.

“Inquire with all on-duty and off-duty members—has any first-rank player received a mission from a Star Gate called Qingliang Prefecture…?”

“Pfft!”

Wang Pei spat out a mouthful of tea. “I… I think I just got one.”

“You got it? Speak clearly!” The supervisor’s tone turned urgent.

Wang Pei heard the Star Gate notification again and replied with certainty, “That’s right, I definitely got it.”

“Wang Pei, stand up!” The supervisor ordered in a serious tone. “Immediately record the mission details…!”

“Yes!”

Wang Pei didn’t ask why and didn’t interrupt. He simply shot to his feet and began recording the temporary mission assigned from above.

…

Five minutes later.

Wang Pei disappeared from the duty room and entered the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate.

Following the guidance of an old military officer at the city gate, he quickly arrived at the clerk’s office in the Qingliang Prefecture’s government office, just like Xu Peng had earlier.

At least thirty to forty players who had received the matching notification were already queued in front of the mustached-man’s desk, waiting to hear mission details before deciding whether to accept.

Reaching the middle of the queue, Wang Pei didn’t hesitate. He pulled out the Vigil Keeper’s exclusive Wordless Stele from his waist and suddenly shouted, “Anyone recognize this?”

His voice rang out, and everyone in line turned to look.

“Another Vigil Keeper?!”

“Brother, which district are you from?”

“…!”

The murmurs of discussion spread through the crowd, and quite a few players stepped forward to ask.

Holding up the Wordless Stele, Wang Pei called out again, “Colleagues! I’m looking for colleagues. Anyone with a Wordless Stele, step forward immediately!”

A dozen players exchanged glances. Without questioning Wang Pei’s intentions, they suppressed their confusion and, upon seeing the faintly glowing Wordless Stele, stepped forward without hesitation.

For Vigil Keepers, the Wordless Stele was a critical token of trust—no matter the circumstances, anyone who held one could instantly recognize and rely on each other.

Once they stepped out, Wang Pei immediately issued instructions: “I’m Wang Pei, a Yellow-Rank Vigil Keeper from Tienan District, Fengtian City. I just received orders from the higher-ups—we need to take control of this area…”

In three minutes, he clearly outlined the mission given from above.

The Vigil Keepers who understood nodded without hesitation. “What do we need to do?”

“Persuade and deter!”

Wang Pei responded immediately. “I’ll do the talking—you maintain order.”

“Got it!”

“I’ll take the front gate.”

“I’ll handle the city entrance.”

“…!”

The dozen Vigil Keepers asked no further questions and sought no more details. After hearing Wang Pei’s instructions, they immediately assumed their roles and got to work.

Standing to the left of the man with mustache, Wang Pei raised his hand and called out to the players still waiting in line.

“Listen, everyone! I’m a Vigil Keeper. I’ve just received an order from the higher-ups. On behalf of the Vigil Keeper organization, I request that players from the Order Faction temporarily refrain from accepting missions—to leave space for the Vigil Keepers.”

“Some of you may already know this—this Star Gate is extremely difficult, with a very high mortality rate. For solo players without a team, the odds of survival are low… So, please come with me to the entrance, where I’ll give you a detailed briefing on this Star Gate’s situation…”

…

At the same time.

Mr. He also received orders from above and immediately contacted Yao Sen.

“Cancel the plan to kidnap Ren Ye’s father. Come back—we have something else to do.”

“Understood,” Yao Sen responded at once.

In Shanghai.

After resurrecting, Li Yan once again stole a corpse from a morgue. He then took a taxi to a Fraudulent Merchants Association contact point.