I Will Strike in the Form of a Game

【HatesOranges】: "Even if you say that, I won’t go. Handle it yourself!"

【Psyduck】: "I already paid for today’s gaming session yesterday. Just pretend you’re keeping her busy by playing games with her for a while!"

【HatesOranges】: "Just stalling her for a bit?"

【Psyduck】: "Yeah, exactly. My mom is very punctual. As long as she’s late, that’s enough."

【HatesOranges】: "Fine then."

…………………………

Villa District

The location was about three kilometers from Su Cheng’s home—remote, quiet, and secluded.

Today, a taxi was parked at the villa’s entrance.

Soon, the taxi door opened, and a woman dressed in professional attire stepped out. She wore glasses and held a folder in her arms, glancing around the villa’s entrance as if searching for something.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, tall and well-proportioned, with fair, delicate skin and a short, neat haircut that exuded efficiency. Her entire demeanor radiated the unique charm of a mature woman.

She was Cornelia’s cousin, Andrea Anna, a mixed-race woman. As a college student currently needing to complete an internship report, she had been invited by Cornelia’s mother to tutor the little girl and, incidentally, keep an eye on her.

"This should be the place, right?"

After scanning the surroundings, she took a deep breath, confirming her location.

Her mood was undeniably excited. Seven or eight years ago, she had adored Cornelia—that chubby-cheeked little girl. She couldn’t help but wonder how much the child had changed over the years and what she looked like now.

No matter what, her first order of business was to grab that little face, plant a dozen kisses on it, and then give her a good squeeze to make up for all the time they’d been apart.

Though, in the past, Cornelia would always throw a tantrum whenever she did this.

Soon, she noticed someone in the security booth waving at her. The guard called out, "Hello, who are you here to see?"

"My name is Andrea Anna. I was invited by the William family. May I enter?"

She politely responded, presenting her ID.

"Hold on a moment. You’ll need to register first."

The guard carefully examined Andrea’s identification before returning to the booth to fetch a logbook. Meanwhile, another guard picked up the landline to make a call.

As Andrea was writing down her name and contact information, she suddenly felt something off behind her.

Turning around instinctively, she found seven or eight security guards staring at her with stern expressions, as if ready to pounce.

Andrea frowned. "Is there a problem?"

Though she could easily incapacitate all of them in seconds, there was no need to escalate things.

The lead guard, a veteran with eighteen years of experience, pointed to the phone receiver and explained, "I just contacted the William residence. They said they didn’t invite any unfamiliar guests."

"You might have dialed the wrong number. Let me call them myself," Andrea said, preparing to make the call, but the guards blocked her path.

Her tone turned icy. "What, are you trying to stop me?"

The guards ignored her, instead brandishing batons, shields, riot forks, and other defensive gear, as if ready to swarm her at the slightest provocation.

Seeing this, Andrea quickly pulled out her phone. "Give me one minute."

"Fine. One minute."

The lead guard lowered his baton, signaling the others to step back.

Andrea hastily made the call, briefly explaining the situation, only to learn that Cornelia had been the one who answered earlier.

Soon, the landline in the security booth rang again. The lead guard listened intently, his expression growing serious.

"You’re cleared to enter. I’ll escort you," he said before hanging up and stepping forward.

"No need."

"Please understand—it’s our job."

The guard stopped, his voice apologetic.

"Then memorize my face. Next time I come, you let me through immediately. Understood?"

"Of course."

The lead guard smiled as the others watched her enter the villa district.

Inside, the villas were surrounded by lush greenery, birdsong, and fragrant flowers—a serene, almost otherworldly paradise.

Andrea walked past one villa after another, the properties spaced far apart. With evening approaching, she had no idea how far she’d gone.

The area was vast and eerily quiet, with hardly anyone around except for patrolling guards. Most of these villas were either vacant or used sporadically—perhaps for vacations or occasional gatherings.

Though the streets were well-lit, they were devoid of pedestrians or vehicles, the silence broken only by the occasional passing car.

Suddenly, Andrea sensed something was amiss.

She faintly detected a gaze fixed upon her—subtle, yet unable to escape her sharp perception.

A woman’s intuition is always keen, so Andrea instinctively turned her head to glance behind her.

But there was nothing.

Just as she let out a relieved sigh, her eyes abruptly widened, her pupils contracting in shock.

Because she had unmistakably caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure darting past her, accompanied by the glint of a sharp blade reflecting the cold moonlight!

“What was that?”

Andrea muttered in disbelief, then squinted her eyes—only to spot a bird perched by the roadside.

As she pondered what species it might be, something bizarre happened. The bird suddenly spread its wings and opened its beak, speaking in human words: “So, you’ve defeated the [Five-Star General ‘McShivers’]. But your journey ends here, for now you face the [Genocide Crow—Uchiha Crow Crow]!”

“A talking bird?”

Andrea was utterly dumbfounded!

But she quickly composed herself, reasoning that it was probably a mynah bird kept by one of the villa residents, trained to mimic speech.

It wasn’t that unusual—wealthy people often kept exotic parrots or mynahs, teaching them to talk. Hardly a spectacle.

Though… McShivers?

Did that refer to the security guard at the gate?

And “Genocide Crow—Uchiha Crow Crow”?

What a cringey, juvenile gimmick.

Unfazed, she studied the bird with mild amusement before deciding not to indulge it further and continuing on her way.

Yet the moment she turned to leave—

“Halt! I didn’t say you could go!”

The mynah’s sharp reprimand rang out again.

This time, Andrea ignored it and kept walking.

“Fine! You’ve provoked my wrath!”

Uchiha Crow Crow flapped its wings furiously. “Then I shall cast upon you the Uchiha’s ultimate genjutsu—‘Kotoamatsukami’!”

As the crow’s voice echoed, an eerie sound effect—like the opening of an eye—resonated through the empty, silent street, making Andrea frown and pause mid-step.

“This is the gaze that dominates consciousness! All who meet my eyes shall fall under my control!”

The crow began boasting again, then roared, “Turn around and face me!”

Andrea couldn’t help but scoff. How stupid.

Announcing your weakness outright? Only an idiot would fall for that.

Wait—why am I even wasting time on this?

She quickened her pace.

Enraged, Crow Crow screeched, “How dare you defy me, woman?! Damn it! I’ve lost!”

With that final outburst, the crow’s voice vanished.

Andrea finally stopped and glanced around, but the once-noisy crow was nowhere to be seen. The surroundings were peaceful again, as if nothing had happened.

Shrugging, she resumed walking.

But then—

A muscular golden retriever suddenly burst from the bushes, startling her.

What happened next left her even more stunned, as the dog spoke in a human voice: “So, you’ve made it this far, meaning the Genocide Crow—Uchiha Crow Crow has fallen. No matter! Now, you shall face me—Kunstrom-Style Golden Destruction Mountain-Crushing Earth-Shattering Roaring Tiger!”

To emphasize its point, the dog dramatically tossed its head back and let out a deafening howl: “Bark~”

Andrea’s mind went blank, utterly unable to process the absurdity before her.

She could rationalize a talking mynah, but a dog speaking human words?

What the hell was going on?!

Kunstrom-Style Golden Destruction Mountain-Crushing Earth-Shattering Roaring Tiger…

What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?!

It was just a dog!

“No way. Someone must be hiding nearby, doing a voice-over.” Andrea quickly settled on this explanation and scanned the area for any hidden puppeteers.

Unfortunately, she found none.

With a cold snort, she muttered, “Cut the theatrics. Isn’t this embarrassing? These childish games?”

“Too many openings! Take this—‘Dodge This and You’re a Coward Kick’!”

Without warning, the dog lunged, aiming straight for Andrea’s chest.

She reacted instantly, raising her leg for a side kick to its belly—but the Kunstrom-Style Golden Destruction Mountain-Crushing Earth-Shattering Roaring Tiger dodged effortlessly, then turned tail and fled, shouting over its shoulder, “Mark my words—I’ll be back for revenge!”

However, she didn’t give chase. Instead, she glanced around. Aside from the trees and houses, there didn’t seem to be anything else nearby.

Just as she was about to explore further, a faint sound reached her ears from where the dog had been earlier—a subtle rustling, like something sliding and scraping against the ground.

"Who's there?!"

Her guard shot up instantly.

"Clap~ clap~ clap~"

From the bushes emerged a figure wearing a hoodie pulled low over their head, their face obscured by a black mask. The person slowly approached her from the shadows, applauding as they moved.

"Well, well. So even Psyduck and the Roaring Tiger have fallen to you? How admirable. But your journey ends here, for you’re about to meet your demise at the hands of the 'World Ender'—the Mysterious Masked Man!"

Andrea Anna couldn’t help but cringe at the theatrics, which felt straight out of a cheesy '90s villain playbook.

Does this guy feel no shame?

Whose brat is this?!

No adult would ever act like this.

She was already dying of secondhand embarrassment, yet the masked man remained utterly absorbed in his own melodrama.

"Is this fun for you? Do you actually think this is amusing?"

Finally, Andrea had enough and cut him off.

"You took everything from me!"

The Mysterious Masked Man’s tone was sharp and accusatory.

Andrea: "..."

Do you even hear yourself right now?!

She had no idea who this idiot was.

At this point, she was convinced he was completely unhinged. Done with the nonsense, she turned on her heel and walked away without another word.

"Don’t you dare run!"

Unfortunately, the masked man pursued relentlessly. "I will have my revenge. Today, you will fall by my hand!"

Andrea snapped, "I have no clue what you’re talking about. I don’t even know you. Keep this up, and I won’t hold back!"

"Damn it."

The masked man suddenly clutched his forehead like a migraine sufferer and dropped an absurd bombshell:

"Because you skipped the cutscenes!"

Andrea nearly tripped over her own feet.

Because I skipped the cutscenes?!

Is this lunatic for real?!

Sure, she often skipped tedious, time-wasting game dialogue—but this wasn’t a game. This was the real world!

In that moment, it clicked.

This guy had clearly lost his grip on reality after binging some video game.

Nothing else could explain such ridiculous behavior.

Either way, Andrea had reached her limit. Enough was enough. If this delusional fool wanted a fight, she’d oblige—and maybe knock some sense into him while she was at it.

"Fine. If you insist on playing this childish game, I’ll humor you. Consider it a test of my recent progress." She extended a hand coolly. "Come on, then. Show me what you’ve got."

But instead of attacking as expected, the masked man just stared at her with an odd expression, as if she were the idiot.

"Wait… why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Andrea frowned.

"Heh." The masked man scoffed. "And here I thought I was the cringey one. You’re an adult—how can you say something so edgy with a straight face?"

Andrea’s temper flared. "Excuse me?! You started this! What’s your problem?!"

The masked man remained unimpressed. "If you’re so eager to play, fine. But there’s a price to pay."

"Are you serious? You ambushed me! Why should I owe anything?" Andrea rolled her eyes. "Forget it. I’m done here."

"Not so fast." The masked man blocked her path, his voice icy. "You think this is a joke? This is your destiny."

Andrea was beyond exhausted by his nonsense. Done talking, she decided to teach him a lesson—and maybe get a look under that mask while she was at it.

She stepped forward, raising her hand to swipe the annoying black mask off his face—

But a sudden gust of wind whipped past her.

Before she could react, her wrist was seized in an iron grip, completely immobilizing her.

She instinctively tried twisting her arm free, but there was no leverage—no way to break his hold.

The sheer strength behind it sent a chill down her spine.

This was beyond human.

"Let go!"

Snarling, she drove her other fist toward his stomach while aiming a sharp kick between his legs—

"Pathetic."

In the blink of an eye, her other wrist was captured, and her kick met only air as he sidestepped effortlessly.

"What…?" Andrea froze.

She hadn’t even seen him move. It was like he’d predicted her every action.

Now, both her arms were locked in his grasp, leaving her powerless to resist.

She suddenly crouched down rapidly, pulling the masked man forward; her legs straightened abruptly as she stood up, raising her arms—just as she was about to complete the motion and break free from his grip, he unexpectedly released her.

Andrea lost her balance and fell flat on her back with a thud.

"Thump!"

She hit the ground hard.

This time, Andrea was thoroughly enraged.

"I hate being touched!" she snarled through gritted teeth, then sprang to her feet and lunged at the mysterious masked man again.

This time, she used both fists and legs!

Andrea didn’t dare hold back—this man’s strength and agility were unnaturally formidable. Not only that, he had an almost supernatural ability to predict her moves, leaving her no opening to land a hit. Instead, he effortlessly dodged or deflected every attack.

The worst part? He hadn’t even used a single technique, relying solely on his fluid movements to push her back step by step.

The frustration and fury made her want to tear him apart!

"Why?"

Bent over and panting, she glared at the masked man as he circled her leisurely, as if taking a casual stroll. Confusion and suspicion swirled in her mind.

Someone with his skills had no business playing these childish games, deliberately toying with her.

"Have we met before?" Andrea couldn’t help but ask.

The masked man stopped moving and lifted his gaze to meet hers.

The moment their eyes locked, Andrea’s heart skipped a beat.

But the next second, her anger flared again—because never in her life had she suffered such humiliation.

The masked man had just lifted his mask slightly, revealing his mouth, then pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and started cracking them.

"Cornelia sent me to stop you. She said she doesn’t like you."

The seed-cracking man spoke unhurriedly, "So, here I am."

At the mention of Cornelia, Andrea froze.

"I see," Andrea murmured, nodding absently before suddenly breaking into a radiant, coquettish smile. "You might not know this, but I’m her cousin."

"...Oh." The man seemed unsurprised, responding with just a single indifferent word.

Andrea felt a fire burning in her chest with nowhere to vent.

"Today, you’ll have to step over my body to get past!"

The masked man continued cracking seeds, delivering what should have been a dramatic declaration with utter nonchalance.

"What did she offer you?" Andrea frowned. "If it’s money, I’ll double it. If it’s because you like her… well, I’m quite beautiful myself."

She deliberately curled her lips in a provocative smirk.

She knew she was no match for him, and if she insisted on pushing forward, he’d subdue her effortlessly. After all, he hadn’t even struck a single blow this whole time.

"Tch, mediocre at best!"

Yet the masked man didn’t even bother looking at her, still focused on his seeds. Still, he added, "She paid me, so I’m just doing my job. My only task is to stop you."

Hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped closer. "How much? I’ll transfer the money right now. Double!"

The masked man glanced at her sideways. "Sorry, I refuse."

Andrea: "Why?"

"It’s against my professional ethics," he said seriously. "And also…"

His tone suddenly shifted. "It’s been over an hour. Time for a rate increase."

"How much?!"

If it was just about money, that was easy!

The masked man held up three fingers.

"Triple?"

"Yep."

"How much?"

He held up three fingers again.

"Three thousand?"

He shook his head.

"Thirty thousand?"

Another shake.

"Three hundred thousand?"

"No. Three hundred."

Andrea stared at him, dumbfounded.

After a long pause, she finally managed to speak, her voice trembling with disbelief. "H-how much?!"

"She paid me a hundred per hour. Triple is three hundred."

Andrea’s eyes widened as she gaped at him. "You’re telling me you work for a hundred bucks?!"

"Less talking, more paying."

"Right, right, right!"

She hastily pulled out her wallet from her pants, fishing out three red bills and handing them to the masked man.

"See ya."

He took the money, turned, and walked away without another word, his retreating figure crisp and unhesitating. Andrea stood there in stunned silence, watching him go, utterly speechless.

………………