Chapter Eighteen: The Evacuation

Ikebukuro, a district as renowned as Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Asakusa, stands as a famous commercial and tourist hub within Tokyo. Under normal circumstances, its nights should be ablaze with neon lights and bustling with traffic, but the current reality is quite the opposite. The flickering lights are not from signs, but from gunfire; the traffic is not of cars, but of heavy-duty trucks commandeered by players.

In the Deep Sea game, there are no restrictions on how a player exercises their freedom. If they are capable enough, a player could even level Tokyo with a nuclear bomb. Chen Lai stood atop a skyscraper, surveying the paralyzed Ikebukuro district. With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see the dense swarm of cursed spirits hovering over the Ikebukuro Silver Dome, and he found his composure beginning to fray.

"Brother, have bright red-tier loot items never dropped before? Are they really enough to make players this insane?" Chen Lai asked, gesturing toward the Fierce Tiger he was dragging along. By now, the number of players in the instance had risen to 32,000. Once a large portion realized Chen Lai wasn't headed to Mount Fuji or the maid café, they immediately converged on the Ikebukuro Silver Dome. Cursed spirits and sorcerers were causing chaos throughout Tokyo, resembling a "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons." Even the military's intervention proved useless; instead, they had their weapons and armored vehicles stolen.

"Buddy, I’m starting to believe you really are a total novice," said the Fierce Tiger, who had returned to his normal demeanor after turning off his livestream. He began lecturing Chen Lai. "I can't see your total value, but a single bright red-tier unique item is enough to attract every player desperate to become a Deep Sea Professor."

"Sixty-five million. As long as you carry that thing out, and as long as you're willing to sell, the price could even double. There are many nuances to the Deep Sea game; you'll have to figure them out for yourself." Having said his piece, the Fierce Tiger went back to fiddling with his own cursed techniques. He didn't intend to harm Chen Lai, but he couldn't offer much help either.

Chen Lai found the Fierce Tiger’s words somewhat cryptic, but he had no time to ponder them. The most important task was to successfully extract with the Prison Realm! But how? The cursed spirit players were only the first line of defense. The Ikebukuro Silver Dome—the platform of that massive shopping mall—was the hardest hurdle. Players had set up all manner of firearms there, with countless cursed techniques primed and ready, just waiting for Chen Lai to walk into his own execution.

Many players with "Peace Mode" enabled were shouting from the streets below, filming the events unfolding in Ikebukuro. The Deep Sea forums were broadcasting in real-time, with everyone watching to see the ultimate winner of this massive event. If he withdrew now, Chen Lai would win it all. If he didn't, the defensive net at the extraction point would only grow tighter and more lethal with each passing day until he was lost. There was no room for delay; he had to leave tonight!

It seemed there was only one way to do it. With his mind made up, Chen Lai dragged the Fierce Tiger back and laid an ambush on the roof of a high-rise insurance building, waiting for an opening.

Half an hour later, a squadron of players in helicopters passed by. Chen Lai leaped, shoved the pilot, Mamba, out of the cockpit, cleared the remaining players in the back, and ordered the Fierce Tiger to take the controls and head straight for the Ikebukuro Silver Dome.

"Mamba's out! Mamba's out! 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon' is heading toward Ikebukuro! Hold the line, brothers!"

Qing Bingke stood on the second floor of the Ikebukuro Silver Dome, watching the helicopter cut through the night sky. She was speechless. This Chen Lai really was a novice; with so many people guarding the place, what good would stealing a helicopter do? Sure enough, as soon as they came within several hundred meters of the building, a barrage of colorful cursed techniques and bullets flew toward the chopper. Without hesitation, Chen Lai grabbed the Fierce Tiger and jumped out of the cabin.

"Eat this," Chen Lai said, shoving a cursed spirit orb into the Fierce Tiger’s hand in mid-air.

[Mahito Cursed Spirit Orb (Precious) (Slightly Worn): A cursed spirit orb formed from human fear, grown to the Domain Expansion stage. Can replace equipment. Value: 800,000.]

The Fierce Tiger was stunned. "Something this expensive? For me?"

"Just eat it, don't talk!"

With a gulp, the orb was swallowed. The Fierce Tiger instantly transformed from his original pin-like form into the appearance of Mahito, inheriting the full extent of Mahito's powers.

"Find anyone on the Silver Dome, release your Domain Expansion, and pull me in! Keep the range small!" Chen Lai felt sweat bead on his forehead as he watched the lethal attacks closing in. He didn't know if this would work, but to extract, it was the best plan he could come up with on the fly!

"Okay."

Having received 800,000 in loot from Chen Lai, the Fierce Tiger felt a sense of responsibility. Chen Lai seemed like a decent guy, and teaming up in future instances could yield even greater rewards; betraying him wasn't worth it.

"Domain Expansion: Self-Embodiment of Perfection!"

Black hands extended outward, instantly repelling all cursed techniques and bullets. This was Mahito’s domain—solid and categorized as a small-scale domain. And the target the Fierce Tiger chose for the expansion was none other than Qing Bingke on the second floor!

The howling sounds vanished from their ears. On the Silver Dome, only a massive black sphere remained, enveloping Chen Lai, the Fierce Tiger, and Qing Bingke. Chen Lai stood on the Silver Dome and breathed a sigh of relief, immediately opting to extract.

[Ten-second countdown to extraction from Ikebukuro Silver Dome initiated. 10, 9, 8...]

"Brilliant. Your understanding of this instance is far greater than I imagined. I look forward to seeing you at Deep Sea University; by then, you should have solidified your talent."

"Goodbye. We will meet again in other major events."

After saying these words to Chen Lai, the beautiful player with the ID Bing Kele withdrew directly from the Shibuya Incident. She wasn't a fool; Chen Lai’s combat power was clearly beyond her reach. If she had ten thousand players by her side, she would have attacked, but now it was 1v1. So, she chose to withdraw and leave a good impression, hoping for future cooperation.

"Buddy, I’m giving this Mahito orb back to you..."

"Keep it. It’s your reward. I bought a Heavenly Restriction for this instance, so I can't use cursed spirit orbs. You did me a big favor. Add me as a friend once we’re out; I’ll call on you if I need something later."

Chen Lai waved him off. After the final three seconds of the countdown, the domain dissipated. He and the Fierce Tiger vanished from the Silver Dome, and the extraction was a success.

Outside, the players who had been hacking and slashing at the domain in a frenzy could only watch helplessly as Chen Lai and the Fierce Tiger disappeared, taking the Prison Realm and countless pieces of top-tier gear with them.

"Ten thousand people, and they couldn't stop a rookie player... interesting."

"He’ll probably come to the 'Vinegar Academy' later. We'll have another chance to meet."

"Hmm, we've almost figured out the intensity and source of this instance. The power of devils has a decent enhancement effect on fantasy abilities. We can have students majoring in Fantasy-type abilities come in and try to see if they can obtain items with 'Unique' traits."

Inside the instance known as "Chainsaw Man," a man and a woman lay on a bed, watching the scene of players surrounding Chen Lai, and shared these final thoughts.