Drake was shocked.
He and Blackshade had definitely never met before, but Blackshade's behavior made it seem like he knew Drake inside out.
Drake even suspected that Blackshade might be an alt account of someone he knew.
How else could Blackshade be so familiar with his chief strategist?
And to directly say there were two options, and without hesitation, choose the second one?
The Archer, who had known Drake for years, noticed his expression and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Drake paused to think for a moment, organizing his words before replying, "I feel like Blackshade knows me too well, but no one I know seems to match up with him."
The Archer also looked thoughtful.
Drake's intuition was sharp, and what he said made it clear that he was almost certain.
But now the question was: Who was Blackshade, and why did he know Drake so well?
Despite thinking deeply, the Archer couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
Drake waved his hand and said, "Forget it, there's no need to dwell on this. Maybe Blackshade just learned about me through other channels."
After all, Iron Fist Alliance was a top-tier guild, and there had been many interviews in the media. Maybe Blackshade had read a few reports and decided he liked Drake's character, showing him goodwill as a result.
Sophie nodded in agreement. "For now, it seems Blackshade is a friend, not an enemy. We don't need to be too cautious; we should keep this cooperation smooth."
The group exchanged glances and felt that Sophie's reasoning was sound.
With that, Drake stopped worrying, quickly typing back, "Our offer is still five million dollars, plus two general-use ranged skill books no lower than Black Iron Grade."
This was the deal Tristan was aiming for.
He hadn't considered Drake's first offer.
Although Tristan had worked with Drake in his previous life and found him a good ally, it didn't mean Tristan trusted him.
Especially when it came to his real identity.
Tristan still remembered how many top-tier gamers died not from foreign enemies, but from backstabbing by people they trusted.
Why wasn't there an SSS-level talent among the top ten players on Earth in his previous life?
The reasons didn't need to be explained.
While the 20% shares of Iron Fist Alliance were indeed worth a lot and could allow Tristan to retire on the spot, he knew that when despair arrived, having wealth without strength only made you an easy target for the strong.
When ExoGenesis merged with Terra, the real-world economy would collapse in no time.
Tristan needed power, not just money.
With his mind cleared, Tristan sent a string of characters to Drake.
Drake was very open-minded and didn't question when Tristan would collect the gear. He simply had Sophie transfer the money right away.
"Dear player, your virtual account has received 5 million dollars. You can withdraw it to your personal bank account at any time."
Tristan wasn't worried about taking the cash because in ExoGenesis, binding a bank card also created a virtual account.
He could withdraw the money in installments, and even if Drake tried to trace it through cash flow, it wouldn't be possible.
Once the transaction was complete, Tristan sent over the two items to Drake.
Drake was touched. Unable to locate Tristan, he spoke to the air, "Blackshade, don't worry. I'll have the whole guild help collect those skill books and get them to you as soon as possible."
Tristan didn't directly reply. Instead, he sent a friend request message, "No rush. I trust President Longteng's reputation."
No extra words were necessary.
Drake was a smart man, and he wouldn't try to dodge his responsibilities regarding the two skill books.
Even if he did, Tristan had plenty of ways to remind him of the consequences.
Drake shuddered slightly, but didn't think much about it. He looked at the gear in his inventory, excited, and said, "Let's go level up. Sophie, keep an eye on the skill books."
"Got it, boss," Sophie responded.
...
At the newbie village resurrection point, Shadow Legion's camping behavior had sparked the anger of many players.
Especially the innocent bystanders. They were already frustrated from being ambushed by wild monsters, but now they had to face player ambushes at the resurrection point as well.
No honor at all!
"DarkSaber, may you never have children!"
"What a trash guild, can't even handle Blackshade and now taking out their anger on us regular players! Brothers, let's fight these idiots!"
"You call yourself DarkSaber? Do you know who I am? I'm the cousin's neighbor's second uncle's dog of the King of the Underworld's vice president!"
"..."
The resurrection point was in chaos. DarkSaber's face grew darker and darker.
Earlier, he had been sent back by Jerobi's slap, and although he didn't see Blackshade's Stealth being revealed, he didn't think it would be a big deal.
After all, it was the Light God's Gaze (Black Iron Grade)!
How could a low-level assassin like Blackshade go up against the Light God?
Once Blackshade's Stealth was broken, he would be instantly killed by the BOSS.
Once Blackshade returned to the resurrection point, they would unleash continuous group attacks to ensure there was no chance of survival.
At that point, Blackshade would either beg for mercy or delete his account.
But what DarkSaber didn't expect was that after waiting at the resurrection point and throwing skills for a while, he saw no effect.
The revived players were dying, sure, but Blackshade was nowhere to be seen.
To make matters worse, the messages started flooding in, and DarkSaber was stunned.
That Silver Grade BOSS was still losing health?
And it was consistently six thousand damage?
There was no doubt—Blackshade was the one dealing the damage.
So the question was—how was Blackshade able to overcome the effect of Light God's Gaze (Black Iron Grade)?
DarkSaber couldn't figure it out.
However, he didn't have time to think too much.
Thanks to Shadow Legion's indiscriminate skill use at the resurrection point, many players who had just revived were instantly killed again.
They were already frustrated from being sent back by wild monsters, but now they were dying a second time. Their rage was boiling over.
Under the leadership of several hot-headed players, the victims formed a Counter-Demon Alliance and fought fiercely with the Shadow Legion members.
In the ensuing chaos, guilds with past grudges against Shadow Legion quietly joined in, launching a surprise attack on DarkSaber, sending him and his men back to the resurrection point.
They then learned from Shadow Legion's tactics and began camping the resurrection point themselves.
Just as DarkSaber revived, he was hit with another wave of attacks.
He cursed furiously, vowing revenge.
But what awaited him was the next round of skills.
After several rounds of torment, DarkSaber gave up. He waved his hand and logged out.
"Damn Blackshade! Wait till I wake up, we're finishing this!"