Chapter 655: The Villain Makes His Move

"Master, we’ve found information on Drunkard and Invincible Strong!"

Sakura Knight hurried into the room and handed over the intelligence report. "Master, we approached them under the pretext of discussing an advertising deal. We confirmed their identities through visual identification."

"Confirmed?"

Blaze Phoenix snatched the report from her hands and immediately began reading. For days, he had been trying to uncover the identities of the people behind Dragon’s Roar Town, yet the mysterious Rabbit Knight, the player who possessed the terrifying Nightmare Dragon Steed, remained completely unidentified. There was still no information on the Temple Knight who occupied the number-one spot on the level rankings, either.

And now another monster had appeared on the pet leaderboard.

A Divine Beast. The Yin-Yang Giant Panda.

A giant panda was already a national treasure, and this one was actually a Divine Beast on top of that. It was obviously no ordinary pet. Blaze Phoenix had immediately dispatched people to investigate, but so far they had found absolutely nothing. Not even a single panda hair.

Blaze Phoenix had been in an especially foul mood lately, so the information on Drunkard and Invincible Strong was probably the most useful piece of intelligence he had received all month. At last, something had gone his way.

"Eight!"

The moment he finished reading the report, however, the usually elegant and composed Blaze Phoenix lost control and cursed aloud, finally giving vent to the frustration that had been building inside him.

"Master..."

Sakura Knight and the two other members of the Twelve Cherry Blossom Envoys immediately dropped to their knees, not daring to make a sound. Sakura Knight was especially frightened. She had only just received the report from the intelligence division and had not even had time to read it herself before her master exploded. She could feel herself trembling.

"Master, what happened?"

The gentle voice came from Raven, the elder of the twin sisters, who had been quietly pouring tea nearby. At times like this, only Blaze Phoenix’s two most trusted confidantes, the twins, dared to speak to him.

Skye picked up the report from the table and began reading.

Invincible Strong: Based on his appearance, his identity has been confirmed as Ray Donovan, son of Matthew Donovan, Director of the US Secret Service. The Donovan family’s inherited Skyblade Divine Sword technique makes Ray the military’s most outstanding young prodigy. There are rumors that he has attracted the attention of the Dragon Slayer Unit, the most secretive and powerful force in the central region. He was specially recruited to participate in a live combat exercise involving the elimination of the South Sky Hotel.

During the operation, Ray successfully killed Ichiro Oda, the Jonin-level ninja stationed at the South Sky Hotel. His combat ability was exceptional. However, he deliberately exposed his face during the operation, causing his identity to become known to intelligence agencies around the world.

Further analysis suggests that Ray is naturally lazy and strongly values his freedom. There is an estimated 85 percent probability that he intentionally exposed his face in order to avoid being recruited into the Dragon Slayer Unit.

Key intelligence: Based on previous investigations, the highest-ranking hidden commander of the Dragon Slayer Unit is very likely Matthew Donovan himself. His position as Director of the US Secret Service is believed to be nothing more than a cover.

Drunkard: Based on his appearance, he has been identified as Evan, the son of an American political figure. His identity is considered highly classified, and further details remain unknown. Russian intelligence attempted to investigate him one year ago. All four werewolf agents sent to conduct the investigation disappeared and never returned.

No wonder Blaze Phoenix was furious.

Ichiro Oda, the Jonin stationed at the South Sky Hotel, had been one of Blaze Phoenix’s subordinates. The hotel itself was a new operation he had established in the capital, specifically intended to serve as a place for bribing and cultivating connections with government officials.

It had barely been completed when Ray Donovan had stormed in and destroyed the entire operation.

The worst part was that there was practically nothing Blaze Phoenix could do to Ray Donovan in the real world. His opponent’s identity and background made retaliation extremely difficult, while Drunkard’s identity was even more troublesome. Despite all their efforts, the intelligence report had uncovered almost nothing useful about him.

All that work, only to end up with this. No wonder Blaze Phoenix was livid.

Yet as the twins read through the report, they exchanged a knowing glance. Their eyes met for only a moment before they spoke together.

"Master, this is actually an opportunity. We can use advertising at Dragon’s Roar Town to get close to them, or arrange a few ’chance encounters’ with them in the game."

"Right!"

Blaze Phoenix’s eyes immediately lit up.

He had been so blinded by his anger that he had overlooked the simplest solution. Under normal circumstances, with his cunning and willingness to use whatever methods were necessary, he would have thought of it immediately. The real world was heavily restricted by Ray Donovan’s background, and Drunkard’s identity was too well protected, but the game was different. There were far more opportunities there, and Dragon’s Roar Town itself provided a convenient platform for approaching the two men.

And if ordinary methods failed, there was always the honey trap.

Considering how important Invincible Strong and Drunkard were, Blaze Phoenix could not help looking toward the beautiful twins. Their intelligence, appearance, and ability to read people made them the obvious candidates.

Unfortunately...

Although Raven and Skye had suggested the plan themselves, neither showed the slightest interest in carrying it out personally.

Blaze Phoenix knew the twins too well. They had never been willing to get close to other men, and that was not something that would suddenly change now. They certainly would not use their beauty to tempt someone as part of a honey trap.

On this matter, even their master had no authority over them.

Besides, the twins’ attention had long since been fixed on that black-armored knight wearing the rabbit mask. They had already set their sights on him, and once these two decided they wanted something, they were extraordinarily persistent.

They would not give up until they found him.

Blaze Phoenix himself had already made the same decision. No matter how well that Rabbit Knight hid himself, he would eventually dig him out.

"Sakura Knight, listen carefully."

After thinking for a moment, Blaze Phoenix began giving his orders.

He spoke for some time before finally finishing. Raven and Skye, who were still thinking about the mysterious Rabbit Knight, suddenly added, "Master, there’s something strange about the opening of Dragon’s Roar Town. To obtain a territory with such enormous hidden commercial potential, the quest required to claim it must have been extremely difficult. Without sufficient strength, completing it would have been impossible."

"Mm."

Blaze Phoenix nodded. He immediately understood what they were implying.

Could Dragon’s Roar Town be connected to that Rabbit Knight?

Or perhaps the person behind it was the Temple Knight who occupied the number-one position on the level rankings?

Otherwise, how could someone obtain a place like Twin Wing Island so casually?

The more Blaze Phoenix thought about it, the more suspicious he became.

He immediately continued issuing orders.

"Sakura Knight, buy tickets to Twin Wing Island. We’re going there ourselves to investigate."

The villain had finally made his move.

---

Meanwhile, the major guilds were watching the opening of Twin Wing Island from afar.

Hexium of Violet Thunder, Demonic Dragon of the Black Dragon Guild, and especially InfernoRider001 of the Inferno Clan all watched as the news spread, the crowds poured in, and the island’s popularity exploded.

Their expressions were not exactly pleasant. Of course, they told themselves they did not care.

They did not care about the money, they did not care about Twin Wing Island’s potential revenue. They certainly did not care about someone else getting ahead.

But watching another force suddenly appear and surpass them still left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Deep down, each of them had the same attitude: there was only one group worthy of standing at the top, and that was theirs. Everyone else was supposed to remain beneath them, while every advantage, every opportunity, and every piece of valuable territory should naturally belong to them.

Unfortunately, they had already learned that Twin Wing Island was buried deep within a powerful Storm Seal, hidden somewhere in a vast and completely uncharted ocean.

Otherwise, they would have already submitted a request to launch an attack on the island.