You’re Telling Me This Is a Slice-of-Life?

The penetrating power of firearms was unquestionable, and the city’s armed forces were both highly trained and openly hostile.

No warnings, just pulling the trigger—were they not afraid of hitting innocent bystanders?

Yuuki glanced down at his subway uniform. A normal person would have hesitated, but if he hadn’t preemptively cast reinforcement magic just now, he would’ve been taken out by those two bullets on the spot.

He recalled the wanted notice from earlier—there were no words like “surrender” or “turn yourself in,” only a straightforward command: “Shoot on sight.”

One trap after another. The Red Moon’s light had already unleashed supernatural undead, and daylight offered no reprieve. In some ways, it was even more dangerous.

Yuuki had come to understand the nature of this game—there was never a moment to let his guard down.

He crouched, picked up a revolver, and tucked it behind his back. By now, Sakurajima Mai and Hayasaka Ai had caught up, their eyes immediately falling on the two unconscious police officers.

“You didn’t kill them?”

“No need to. Remember Hint Five?”

Hint 5: Everyone has the right to bask in the moonlight.

Hayasaka Ai thought for a moment but couldn’t decipher its meaning. Sakurajima Mai, however, gasped softly.

“Red Moon City—there’s a Red Moon here too!”

“Exactly. We’ll find out for sure when night falls. Until then, we’d best not violate the hints.” Yuuki remained meticulous and cautious. He listened carefully—footsteps were closing in, accompanied by the barks of police dogs. He quickly scanned their surroundings.

No corridors, no exits—only abandoned desks and filing cabinets in the corner. Running downstairs was a dead end, and other teams were likely closing in from different directions.

They were trapped. Even if Li Dan and Thomas were here, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the onslaught of gunfire.

“Use your Innate Trait. Let’s get out of here first.”

The newly acquired reward came in handy immediately, as if the game had planned a seamless transition. Hayasaka Ai snapped her fingers, conjuring two pure white masks seemingly out of thin air.

“I can only mimic their appearances since I don’t know them. Also, once we use this, we’ll have to wait six hours before we can use it again.”

“We either use it now or die.” Yuuki snatched a mask, placed it over his face, and felt nothing unusual. But in Hayasaka Ai’s eyes, he had transformed into a 200-pound, donut-loving, gun-happy white cop.

Stern, professional—the type to instinctively reach for his gun whenever he saw anything remotely suspicious.

A cognitive illusion rather than a physical transformation, but in this situation, far more useful than any combat skill.

Yuuki had no time to dwell on it. He glanced at Sakurajima Mai and pressed the other revolver into her hands.

“Go downstairs and make some noise—draw them away.”

Fire a gun?

Sakurajima Mai had used prop guns in TV dramas before, but this was the first time holding a real, solid firearm. But now wasn’t the time for hesitation—the heavy footfalls were just two floors away at most.

“Help me out here—shove them into the cabinet, or we’re dead!”

Yuuki hoisted the heavier cop and forced him into the filing cabinet. Just as he shut the door—

Click.

The sound of a gun being cocked made his heart skip a beat. Yet, strangely, he felt no fear, only the eerie sense that these were allies.

Did the disguise carry traces of the original person’s mindset?

He discreetly glanced at the heavily armed officers—dozens of them—then swiftly knelt, gun pointed downstairs.

“Suspects: three of them. They’re fleeing down the stairwell!”

He spoke without hesitation. If they didn’t buy the lie, resistance would be futile.

They were only a few meters apart—at this range, even an amateur shooter wouldn’t miss.

“Stand down. He’s one of us.”

A tense silence hung in the air for a few seconds before the leading officer signaled for the others to lower their weapons.

Apparently, the man had no knowledge of supernatural abilities—at least, not instant disguises like this. He stepped forward, gun still raised, and frowned.

“Why aren’t you two chasing them?”

“My partner’s weapon was stolen by the terrorists. We’re waiting for backup.” Yuuki replied calmly, but inwardly, he was growing anxious.

The Fool’s Mask didn’t grant memories. He knew nothing about “Red Moon City.” If the questioning continued, he’d inevitably slip up. And worse—there was now a dog’s head at his feet.

A black-backed German Shepherd panted heavily, its nose twitching as it sniffed toward the cabinet behind him.

If it caught so much as a whiff of someone hiding in the cabinet and started barking, even if he were made of iron, he’d still end up riddled with holes.

The dog didn’t seem to notice their scents were off, but it was clearly puzzled—why was there another identical scent inside the cabinet?

Hayasaka Ai locked eyes with it, frozen in place. Yuuki adjusted his grip on the gun, ready to take the officer hostage if necessary. But just then—

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots thundered from downstairs. The deafening echoes in the enclosed space left everyone’s ears ringing.

The dog barked wildly, and the lead officer instinctively ducked, drawing his gun.

“Suspects have stolen police firearms—shoot on sight!”

“What about us?”

“You two—get back and write your reports.”

“Understood.”

Relief washed over Yuuki as he quickly backed away. Dozens of heavily armed officers streamed past them, moving with caution, pressing against walls and aiming around corners as they advanced.

“Let’s go. We’ll wait upstairs for Mai.”

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?”

Yuuki hesitated. A normal girl, facing overwhelming opposition—one stray bullet could end her life.

“She’ll have to manage. Do you know the most important element of this game?”

Hayasaka Ai’s expression was tense as she watched the endless wave of officers passing by. She shook her head.

“What?”

“Growth. The growth of power, the growth of mentality. The faster you grow, the higher your chances of survival.”

Yuuki realized something then—despite the cinematic level of chaos, he was feeling… relaxed.

…

Leaving the underground area, they emerged on the far side of the plaza. Unlike the festive scene during their escape from the mansion, the atmosphere had shifted entirely.

Flashing police lights filled the streets. Barricades were set up in every direction. Officers, fully armed, patrolled in formation—there were easily over a hundred of them.

Was this really necessary?

This was clearly a game world—logic didn’t apply.

No matter how brutal Thomas was, he was still wielding a melee weapon. Li Dan only had a revolver in hand. Anyone unaware of the situation would think the players were storming the dungeon with a tank.

10:00 AM.

Yuuki checked his watch. The scorching sun above left no place to hide, but he didn’t mind. He casually walked to the nearest police car and even bummed a cigarette from a passing officer.

The castle was just behind them. The contrast was surreal—I went in. Now I’m back out.

“Five minutes left,” Hayasaka Ai reminded him.

“Yeah. We’ll wait until the very end for her.”

Yuuki knew Sakurajima Mai’s Innate Trait lasted only twenty minutes. If she didn’t return in time, she’d be gunned down instantly.

As he observed the chaotic scene, he mentally reviewed their close call.

First—Hayasaka Ai and Sakurajima Mai’s Innate Traits worked on all NPCs in the game.

Second—the hostility level of the game’s enemies was insanely high. There was no room for explanations or surrender.

Third—given Hint Five, killing recklessly might trigger unpredictable consequences.

And lastly—the search speed was way too fast.

They had been spotted within an hour and fifty-five minutes. Was this connected to Hint Two?

If so, that was a serious problem. Even if he buried himself underground, he’d be found in two hours tops.

So how did the game define location? Was it tied to physical space? Or the game’s own rules?

If I just kept driving around, would that still count as one location?

And these enemies—so many of them, yet only handguns? Shouldn’t there be more rifle-toting, ‘motherf**ker-shouting lunatics for a setting like this?

Yuuki’s mind was a mess—until Hayasaka Ai nudged his stomach with her elbow.

“She’s here.”

The black-haired girl emerged from the exit and stepped onto the ground above. Her movements were stiff, and the hand hidden behind her back trembled slightly. Heavily armed officers, brimming with hostility, brushed past her shoulders as they rushed by, their magazines loaded to the brim.

Not a single one of them saw her. Not one stopped to question her.

As time passed, Sakurajima Mai’s presence was growing stronger—strong enough for Yuuki and Hayasaka Ai to perceive her now.

She moved on tiptoe, afraid to draw attention, as if she were back in the corridors of the old castle, where grotesque monsters lurked in the shadows, ready to tear her apart at any moment.

Only when she saw Yuuki and Hayasaka Ai did her heart finally settle. It felt like stepping onto solid ground after her first time taking the lead in battle—seeing the two of them waiting for her made everything seem less frightening.

“How does it feel to gamble your life?” Yuuki chuckled, knocking out the officer who had offered him a cigarette earlier and casually stuffing him into the car.

“Horrible. They were shooting recklessly, bullets bouncing off the walls—I almost got hit.” Sakurajima Mai forced a smile. She hadn’t truly disappeared from the world.

“That dangerous? You’ll need more combat training from now on.” Yuuki was a little surprised at how calm she was. Seeing that Hayasaka Ai had already opened the car door, he knew they couldn’t afford to waste another second.

“Let’s go. The real crisis is just beginning.”

That “let’s” was well placed. Mai’s eyes lit up, and the unease of being a burden vanished without a trace.

In the game, everyone had a role, everyone had irreplaceable value.

She gave a small nod and took Yuuki’s outstretched hand.

“Mm. Let’s go.”