Chapter 12: A Hero Saving a Damsel in Distress? Not a Hero, but a Phantom Thief!
[Ding, Task 3: Increase your livestream viewership to 1 million, task completed, current popularity:
Reward: 2 Skill Enhancement Cards]
[Ding, detected host's first successful theft, Kaito Kid card fusion rate +12%, system points +1200, obtained divine-level lock-picking skill (beginner)
Current fusion rate: 42%]
"Lock-picking skill? Not bad."
In the late night plaza, Chen Feng sat alone enjoying a rare moment of quiet. A pigeon perched on his long legs, pecking at breadcrumbs from his palm.
On his phone played a recording of his livestream from an hour ago.
A series of headlines about him continued trending with high popularity.
[Real Thief Appears in Thief Game! China Region 3 Participant Chen Feng Steals World's Largest Sapphire—Heart of the Ocean!]
[Chen Feng's Warning Notice Taunts Authorities, Pursuit Team Returns Empty-Handed! The Match Ends with Chen Feng's Victory!]
[Phantom Thief! A Brand New Title!]
Besides these positive news stories, there were also some critical pieces from experts trying to gain attention.
[Professor Sun Evaluates the Chen Feng Incident, Clearly States that a Thief's Success is a Cultural Tragedy.]
[S City's Professor Li Claims the So-called Phantom Thief is Just Another Type of Thief, Chen Feng is Setting a Bad Example for Today's Youth!]
Of course, whether positive or negative news, Chen Feng just smiled and moved on, showing no intention of responding publicly.
He didn't really care about people's opinions of him online. What he enjoyed more was the fascinating process itself.
As for what others thought, that was beyond Chen Feng's concern.
He used the two skill enhancement cards just awarded by the system—one to upgrade Voice Changer to intermediate level, and the other to upgrade Magic Hands skill to advanced level.
According to Chen Feng's understanding, the system divided skills into four levels.
They were: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Perfect.
Once reaching the Advanced level, one's abilities would basically equal those of the card character. Reaching the "Perfect" level would far surpass the card character's original abilities.
In other words, if all of Chen Feng's skills reached the "Perfect" level, even if Kuroba Kaito stood before him, he would wonder who the real Kaito Kid was.
Just then, a voice from not far away caught Chen Feng's attention.
"Don't move! Hand over all your money, or you'll regret it!"
In a small alley not far from the plaza, a short man with a dirty face was glaring fiercely at a woman.
The gleaming short knife waved constantly in front of the woman, his vicious appearance preventing her from making any sudden moves.
"Don't... don't do anything rash, I'll give you all my money..."
Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on the short man's filthy face.
Who knew what kind of days he'd been having?
Since joining this damn [Thief Game] show, he thought he could legitimately make a fortune under the guise of the program.
Who would have thought that the cursed Pursuit Team would be so formidable, using the city's surveillance system with noses sharper than dogs.
Every time he showed his face, the Pursuit Team would arrive before he could do anything.
Three days had passed like this, and not only had he failed to strike it rich, but he hadn’t even had a decent meal.
Every day was either fighting rats for territory in the sewers or hiding in public restrooms, swatting away mosquitoes.
Today, though, luck was finally on his side. Not long after stepping out, he spotted a lone young woman—if he didn’t rob her good and proper, it’d be an insult to all the mosquito bites he’d endured!
At that thought, the man’s expression grew even more menacing.
His small eyes bore into the woman as if he wanted to devour her whole.
In his livestream, though not as popular as Chen Feng’s, the show’s hype had still drawn over twenty thousand viewers watching his every move.
“Damn, this guy’s disgusting. Too scared to go after groups or tough guys, so he preys on lone girls? What a coward!”
“Agreed. Compared to him, Chen Feng’s practically a saint!”
“Wait… doesn’t that woman look familiar?”
“Familiar? Is she a celebrity? Huh, now that you mention it, she does seem like someone I’ve seen before…”
“Oh! I remember! Isn’t she the girl Chen Feng flirted with at the rooftop bar on the first day of the show?”
“You’re right! Her name’s… Zhou Wanning, right?”
Meanwhile, Zhou Wanning stared at the vicious man before her, regret creeping into her heart.
After what had happened a few days ago, she’d taken notice of Chen Feng and learned he wasn’t actually a fugitive—just a contestant on the hit show Thief Game.
For some reason, the news had brought her an inexplicable sense of relief, even though she barely knew him.
Then came Chen Feng’s viral heist announcement, which had taken the internet by storm. Eager to see it for herself, she’d rushed over after work, hoping to snag a ticket.
But the event was so wildly popular that the line stretched halfway down the block. By the time she reached the front, tickets were sold out. Defeated, she settled for watching the livestream on her phone in the square.
And now, as if that wasn’t enough, just as she was about to head home, she got robbed!
Zhou Wanning couldn’t help but wonder if she’d forgotten to check her horoscope before leaving the house. How could one person be this unlucky?
Seeing her hesitate, the man grew impatient.
He brandished his knife and snarled, “Hurry up! Don’t make this harder than it has to be!”
Zhou Wanning flinched, her hands trembling as she reached for her wallet.
Then—a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A flat object sliced across the man’s wrist, leaving a thin trail of blood.
“Who’s there?!”
The man spun around, scanning the area in panic, but saw no one. Only the object, now embedded deep in the wall, gave any clue.
“A… playing card?”
Zhou Wanning blinked in disbelief. She’d never seen someone use a card as a weapon before.
“Such rough treatment of a beautiful lady is hardly becoming of a gentleman.”
Just as everyone was puzzling over who had intervened, a voice drifted down from above.
A figure in white sat casually on the railing of a second-floor window, a card gun in hand—proof that he was the one who’d struck.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Chen Feng.”
Two voices rang out simultaneously from the two individuals involved.
Yet one tone carried surprise, while the other brimmed with delight.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
