The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

When Irving first entered Shadow City, he didn't pay much attention to his companions. He and Elder Lawrence were nearing exhaustion. Under the relentless pursuit of the King of Lightning, it was nearly impossible for them to think about anything else.

However, upon arriving at Shadow City, Elder Lawrence seemed to regain some confidence. He glanced around at the state of Shadow City and spoke directly to Irving.

"We've arrived at Shadow City, the stronghold of our Night Blades in the Desolate Canyon. Here, I can summon considerable power. So now, we must choose different escape routes. Only then can I shake off the King of Lightning's pursuit. I can leverage the power of Shadow City to drive him away."

Irving didn't immediately accept Elder Lawrence's suggestion. After all, the risks associated with Lawrence's plan were quite high for him, and the potential rewards didn't seem substantial enough.

"Rest assured, I will never choose to run away alone while you're being pursued. Shadow City is incredibly important to me. There's no way I can abandon it, no matter what happens."

Elder Lawrence tried to persuade Irving a bit more. Upon hearing this, Irving decided to go along with Lawrence's plan. However, before they set their plan into motion, Irving felt it necessary to remind him.

"You'd better stick to the plan we agreed upon. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be."

After saying that, Irving took off down one of the more secluded paths in Shadow City.

Elder Lawrence immediately cast a dark spell, and with its aid, he temporarily entered a state of invisibility. After a brief moment of assessment, the King of Lightning chose to pursue Irving instead.

Irving had not run far when he spotted his companions rushing toward him.

"You're all here?!" Irving exclaimed, a bit surprised to see them. But he quickly remembered the relentless King of Lightning was right behind him.

"We need to find a safe place to escape! Does anyone know more about Shadow City?" As he pulled his companions forward, he asked.

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Benjamin, Anna, Aron, and Nick had only just arrived in Shadow City. They didn't have much knowledge about the area. Although Nick and Benjamin had worked together to destroy Shadow City's control center, they were not well-versed in other parts of the city.

"We've been to the control center before, but it's completely in ruins now. There's no way we can ensure our safety by heading back there," Benjamin quickly explained, sharing what he and Nick knew about Shadow City. Given the circumstances, it was quite challenging for him to provide even a general overview.

Irving nodded. "In that case, we'll have to continue deeper into Shadow City for the time being."

As they ran, Irving and the others reached Wendy's side.

Upon seeing the severely injured Wendy, Irving furrowed his brow and asked, "Why is everyone else okay, but you're so badly hurt?"

Wendy replied in a weak voice, "I just joined up with the others. Before that, I was alone in the sewers of Shadow City."

Hearing the mention of the sewers, Irving immediately seized on the word. "There are sewers in Shadow City? Then let's hurry and get into the sewers to escape the King of Lightning's pursuit!"

Making his decision, Irving quickly led the injured Wendy to the entrance of the sewers and then slipped inside. The others naturally followed suit, keeping close to Irving.

As they entered the sewers of Shadow City, the King of Lightning was no longer able to pose a significant threat. He remained in the sky, circling like a monstrous bird and seemingly had no intention of landing.

Once they had evaded the King of Lightning's pursuit, Irving finally had the chance to communicate with his companions to confirm what they had encountered earlier. Each person took turns carefully recounting their experiences.

Of course, Benjamin also brought up the disagreement between himself and Aron. After listening to everyone's accounts, Irving shot Aron a cold glance.

"It seems that the Angel Guild still doesn't trust me very much," he remarked.

This statement caused a complex array of expressions on the faces of the three members of the Angel Guild.

Both Anna and Nick could feel the tension in the air, and they also believed that Aron's previous actions were somewhat inappropriate. However, Aron didn't see anything wrong with what he had done.

"We in the Angel Guild don't distrust you. I just think that rescuing you would take too much time, and we need to focus our efforts on destroying the Night Blades. We can't waste a single moment," Aron stated, addressing everyone present.

Irving studied Aron carefully and, confirming that he wasn't lying, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Your assessment isn't entirely off. I also recognize that the Night Blades pose a significant threat to us. If we find an opportunity to eliminate them, we absolutely cannot afford to let it slip away."

After saying this in a relaxed tone, Irving took a few steps closer to Aron. The distance between them had narrowed considerably, and Irving's expression grew more serious.

The others remained silent, sensing the rising tension.

"However, as a companion on this mission, you seem to need to be more concerned about my safety, don't you? Let's not forget, it was you who insisted on bringing me along for this operation," Irving said, his icy gaze fixed on Aron.

To Irving, Aron's actions felt like a breach of their agreement.

Aron's eyes locked onto Irving's. "I stand by what I said before: eliminating the Night Blades is the most important task!"

The atmosphere between Aron and Irving had become extremely tense.

Anna glanced over at Wendy.

The message was clear. If a confrontation broke out between Aron and Irving, she felt it was necessary for her and Wendy to intervene. While Wendy was quite dissatisfied with Aron's previous actions, she also believed that having internal conflicts within the team before they had escaped danger was highly unwise. Thus, Wendy was ready to step in and mediate.

However, what happened next took everyone by surprise. After staring coldly at Aron for a moment, Irving took a step back.

"Given the circumstances, it seems we can only collaborate on the task of eliminating the Night Blades. If the Angel Guild has any further actions unrelated to the Night Blades, don't invite us again," Irving stated. His tone was calm, but everyone could sense that he likely would not engage in serious cooperation with the Angel Guild after this.

Aron nodded. "I've noted what you said. But right now, our priority is to eliminate the Night Blades, so at least until we leave the Desolate Canyon, we can work together, right?"

"Of course! In fact, I'm more eager to eliminate the Night Blades than you are!" Irving replied fiercely.

Having learned all the details, Irving was now certain that Elder Lawrence had been deceiving him all along. After escaping Shadow City, Lawrence would undoubtedly try to locate Irving and his companions by any means necessary. Therefore, Irving felt he had to take the initiative before it was too late.

"Where do you think Elder Lawrence is most likely to go? He must be in Shadow City because he can't afford to face the consequences of its loss," Irving directly asked the others.

Nick quickly responded, "I think he should be near the ruins of the control center. He probably doesn't know that we've destroyed it. If we head to the area around the control center now, we should be able to find him."

Irving nodded. "In that case, let's hurry to the vicinity of the control center! However, I don't think we need to take everyone with us. We should leave some people behind to take care of the seriously injured Wendy."

Irving's suggestion was met with general agreement. Wendy's injuries were indeed severe, and they had no means of getting her back to full health immediately. Therefore, it was essential to leave someone behind to ensure Wendy's safety.

After discussing for a while, they ultimately decided that Anna would stay behind to care for Wendy.

"The upcoming mission is going to be extremely dangerous, and we need someone who is very familiar with the control center to accompany us. So Nick and Benjamin must come with me. Among the remaining members, Anna, your strength is significantly less than Aron's. Therefore, it makes the most sense for you to stay behind," Irving explained.

Anna did not oppose Irving's decision.

"I understand. I'll make sure to stay by Wendy's side from now on. You all need to ensure your safety during the mission as well. Elder Lawrence is not someone who can be easily defeated," Anna reminded everyone.

"I'm well aware of that. So, I plan to prepare a little gift for Elder Lawrence before I meet him," Irving said with a cold smile, his tone ominous.

Irving's expression caused some concern among his companions.

"Since everyone has already organized the upcoming plan, let's get moving quickly. We shouldn't give Elder Lawrence any more time to prepare," Aron stated, undeterred by the previous events. His primary focus remained on eliminating the members of the Night Blades.

With that, Irving led the others towards the control center in Shadow City, while Anna and Wendy stayed behind in the sewer.