Silver Wolf was ready to make a quick getaway. Once she had decided on her next move, she'd mentally prepared herself to flee.
But all that preparation was for nothing. Just as she was about to bolt, Pei Guang and Stelle simultaneously teleported right beside her.
Pei Guang grabbed Silver Wolf from behind, and Stelle swiftly pulled out a bottle of coffee, grabbing Silver Wolf's chin and forcing the drink into her mouth.
Silver Wolf struggled, but Pei Guang and Stelle's movements were in perfect sync, like they had rehearsed this move a hundred times. They didn't even need to speak or exchange glances. One acted and the other followed effortlessly.
Silver Wolf's resistance was futile. Unlike the earlier, more polite, offering of coffee, this time they force-fed her. Within moments, Silver Wolf was out cold.
Looking at the sleeping Silver Wolf, Stelle asked, "Pei Guang, what do we do with her?"
Pei Guang replied with a mischievous grin, "You know, this is a very free world. Since she didn't want to give us any rewards and even tried to cancel the event, we can try a little coercion. If she cooperates, we'll talk nicely. If not... well, we can 'persuade' her. Oh, by the way, check her pockets for loot first. Let's see what we can get."
Stelle rubbed her hands together with excitement, "Looting bodies is my specialty. Leave it to me!"
Pei Guang, with an expressionless face, looked down at the unconscious Silver Wolf and allowed a cruel smile to creep onto his face, "You thought you could mess with the Fourth Calamity and get away? Dear Silver Wolf, you're not escaping."
Stelle examined the sleeping Silver Wolf, "How should we deal with her?"
Pei Guang replied, "Loot everything valuable except her clothes, then dump her here."
He pulled out a trash can—his legendary trash can from which he'd once gotten a lucky drop. Though called a trash can, this particular one was so clean you could lick it without tasting a single speck of dust.
At that moment, Stelle pulled out a 2x2 Rubik's Cube from Silver Wolf's pocket, about the size of a fist.
Stelle excitedly held it up to Pei Guang, "Pei Guang, look! She dropped something! What do you think it is?"
Pei Guang examined the item, "Hmm… it looks like a skill effect item. Attach it to your equipment, and it'll add some unexpected visual effects to your hacking attacks. Wait, let me test it."
Pei Guang attached the Rubik's Cube to his wooden sword and tried hacking into a nearby device. His eyes widened at the result—an explosion of colorful light filled the screen.
In his view, every time his little ball hit something, it emitted vibrant, fireworks-like effects. The effects were so numerous, Pei Guang stopped bothering to track them all.
After finishing his test, Pei Guang turned to Stelle, "This is good stuff—at least a Legendary-tier skill effect. It's perfect for her. After all, she's played so many games with us. We've had a great time, and without a proper reward, this event would feel a bit disappointing."
Pei Guang nodded toward Silver Wolf, hiding his frustration but also thinking practically. She was part of their backup team now, and he still had to consider how to allocate the loot fairly.
This was the classic practice of using what you looted from someone to boost their favorability towards you—a tried-and-true method!
Using it himself? No way, it was too flashy. His hacking style was different from the standard methods of this world, and such over-the-top visual effects would only serve as light pollution, reducing his efficiency.
But for Silver Wolf, this would be perfect. After all, the item's effect added flair to hacking attacks, and while Pei Guang didn't fully understand how it would work in programming-based combat, he was curious. Now that Silver Wolf was practically part of the team, it made sense to let her use it.
Meanwhile, March 7th successfully found Silver Wolf's weapon. After attaching the cube to it, Pei Guang pulled out the trusty trash can again.
"She doesn't have any fragile or valuable items left, right?"
Stelle shook her head, "Nothing else of value."
March 7th chimed in, "I've removed everything except her clothes. So, what's next?"
Pei Guang smirked, "She's been bold, so let's make her shine."
Stelle quickly intervened, "Pei Guang! She may have gone too far, but surely she doesn't deserve death?"
Pei Guang blinked in confusion, "Huh? Death? No way, she's practically our backup teammate now. Killing her wouldn't do us any good. Plus, from what I can tell, she seems to have a natural affinity for you, Stelle, and she might be from some important faction. Killing her would only cause more trouble."
March 7th teased, "The way you phrased it just now, it really sounded like you were planning to kill her."
Pei Guang chuckled, "Nah, I'm not that petty. We're still in the first round, and I wouldn't kill a mischievous girl like her just for a prank. But, she won't escape punishment. I'm just going to 'make her shine'—turn her into light, so to speak. You know, like turning bones into broth, hehehe…"
Both Stelle and March 7th leaned back in their chairs, unnerved by Pei Guang's sinister laugh. One moment, he claimed not to hold grudges, and the next, he was talking about boiling people into soup. What a, not, good guy he is!
Pei Guang casually shrugged, "What are you two staring at? Keep looting. Once we've stripped her of everything valuable, we'll make some 'Silver Wolf soup' tonight."
Stelle grinned, "Yay! Silver Wolf soup~"
And with that, Silver Wolf's mischievous plans backfired in the most entertaining way.
For some reason, when Stelle heard that word, she got excited and recalled something Pei Guang had said a few days ago, making her even happier. She remembered that Pei Guang had mentioned, "As long as the affection level is high enough, you can even 'cook' Silver Wolf."
Stelle had an inexplicable fondness for Silver Wolf, and she knew Silver Wolf also liked her. Plus, she had caused trouble for the three of them. Not cooking her would be a waste.
So, Pei Guang and Stelle began to start a fire and boil water. Today, they were set on making some Silver Wolf soup!
And March 7th? Well, she was happily recording this beautiful scene with her camera. Meanwhile, Herta was very pleased today. She decided not to livestream Silver Wolf's humiliation, choosing instead to quietly record the event alongside March 7th.