"Sampo, you'd better tell me your nickname is Sparkle, or else you can wait for another spanking."
Fu Zhu's words terrified the "Sampo" before him, who instinctively clapped his hands over his rear, his expression flickering through a dozen emotions.
Xing's gaze, however, darted back and forth between the two. When did her big bro get so familiar with Sampo?
Always one to speak her mind, Xing turned to her brother and asked what she was thinking.
"Old Bro, when did you get so close to Sampo? Didn't you just beat him up once before? Did you punch your way into a friendship?"
"Of course not."
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes at her, then crossed his arms and let out a sudden laugh. "He's not Sampo. He's..."
Hearing this, "Sampo's" face tightened. He immediately lunged forward, trying to push Fu Zhu's shoulder to drag him aside for a private chat.
"Family, let's talk over there, shall we?" "Sampo" urged, but no matter how hard "he" pushed, Fu Zhu remained rooted to the spot, immovable as a mountain.
Xing watched as "Sampo" shoved Fu Zhu, only for his own feet to slide on the ground. The sight was so comical she couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
Seeing that he'd had enough fun, Fu Zhu agreed to "Sampo's" request. After all, he had already promised to cooperate with Silver Wolf, and he couldn't just back out now.
"Xing, you wait here. I'm going to have a chat with this Masked Fool, a lady who is currently disguised as Sampo but is actually named Sparkle."
With that, Fu Zhu casually strolled towards a deserted corner. Sparkle, however, was left frozen in place, stomping her foot in frustration after a few moments.
"You already blurted it all out! What's the point of talking on the side now!"
Xing watched with a disgusted expression as "Sampo" stomped his foot in such a feminine way. Even though her brother had just told her this "Sampo" was actually a woman in disguise, the sight still made her stomach churn.
Fu Zhu, who had walked a short distance away, paused and turned back, raising an eyebrow at Sparkle. "Are you saying that what you're about to tell me is something my little sister can hear? I don't mind her knowing everything. It's up to you."
"Fine, you win."
Sparkle sighed. She then turned to Xing and, with Sampo's face, gave her a playful wink. "I'm borrowing your big brother for a bit~"
"Bleegh—"
Xing finally couldn't hold it in anymore and bent over, vomiting a rainbow.
Sparkle clicked her tongue at the sight. "This Sampo guy is really unpopular. Just seeing his face is enough to make someone throw up."
"Are you coming or not?" Fu Zhu called out impatiently from a distance.
"Coming, coming~"
Sparkle skipped over to Fu Zhu. Once they were side-by-side in a secluded corner, Fu Zhu looked her up and down.
"Hurry up and drop the disguise. If you don't, I'm afraid I really won't be able to stop myself from hitting you again."
"Why are you being so mean!" Sparkle grumbled, but she obediently turned her back and dropped her disguise.
Fu Zhu watched, fascinated, as Sparkle, in the span of a single turn, shrank from a 1.8-meter-tall man into a girl of about 1.45 meters. He couldn't help but let out a sound of amazement.
He hadn't expected the Masked Fools' disguises to be so effective. Could the mask Aha had given him achieve the same effect?
"Hey? Why'd you suddenly go quiet? Don't tell me you're stunned speechless by my true form, hehe." Sparkle giggled, covering her mouth, clearly enjoying the sight of Fu Zhu standing there, seemingly dumbstruck.
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes at the narcissistic little brat. He then took out the long-unused black and white mask from his inventory and, under Sparkle's bewildered gaze, placed it on his face.
In the next instant, Fu Zhu's tall figure began to change, shrinking until he was a perfect, identical copy of Sparkle.
"This really works?" Fu Zhu examined his new appearance with some surprise. Even his voice was now a perfect match for Sparkle's. He clenched his fists. His own strength was still there, and his equipment was unaffected. It was clear the Fool's Mask could only change his appearance, much like a skin in MC.
"You're a Masked Fool too?"
Seeing Fu Zhu suddenly transform into her, Sparkle wasn't annoyed in the slightest. Instead, she looked delighted, as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"I was just thinking, how could the Aeon of Elation not have taken notice of an interesting guy like you? So you were a Masked Fool all along~"
Fu Zhu ignored Sparkle's words and got straight to her and Silver Wolf's plan. "So, what's your plan? How are you going to save that Sam person? Do you need me to eliminate the enemies she encounters?"
"Hmm." Sparkle placed her index finger on her lips. "According to the script Silver Wolf showed me, she has to experience death three times in Penacony. Silver Wolf's plan is for us to deceive fate, to make it look like she died. Do you have any good ideas?"
"You're asking the right person."
Fu Zhu confidently held up a finger. "I may not have many ways to resurrect someone, but if you want me to kill someone in different ways, that's just too easy. I have countless methods, but I'd recommend the Upper, Middle, and Lower Strategies."
"Ooh, do tell!" Sparkle was thrilled. For the first time, she felt that she and Fu Zhu were perfectly in sync.
"The Lower Strategy: I go over and stab her."
"The Middle Strategy: I surround her with TNT and blow her up."
"The Upper Strategy: Make this world disappear along with her. That's a death with real style."
"Yay! Except for the Lower Strategy being a bit boring, the others sound really interesting! As expected of you!"
"Indeed."
As the two chatted enthusiastically, Fu Zhu felt a flicker of fondness for Sparkle. It reminded him of the old days of playing MC online with his friends, thinking up all sorts of ways to mess with each other.
"Ahem!"
Silver Wolf's projection suddenly appeared between them. She glared at the two identical Sparkles and said icily, "I asked you here to save Sam, not to actually kill her!"
Sparkle giggled, covering her mouth. "Sorry, sorry. We got a little carried away."
Silver Wolf glanced at her, then turned to the other "Sparkle" and asked, "Which one are you?"
"I'm Sparkle~" both of them chirped in unison.
Silver Wolf sighed, then turned to Fu Zhu with a hint of exasperation. "Fu Zhu, I asked for your help because I believe you're powerful and reliable. I had to go to great lengths to convince Elio to agree to your terms. Don't mess this up. Sam... she can't handle your 'shenanigans'."
Fu Zhu waved his hand to show he understood. He was just spitballing earlier.
There was no way he'd use those underhanded tricks in front of Xing and the others. But with Sparkle, it was different. Besides... right now, he was the Masked Fool, Sparkle, not the Nameless Fu Zhu. He didn't have to worry about tarnishing the Astral Express's reputation!
Once she had Fu Zhu's assurance, Silver Wolf relaxed a little. She glanced at the time, and her expression immediately tensed. She urged the two of them, "It's almost time for Xing and Sam's first meeting in Penacony. You two directors, hurry up and get ready! I'll contact you remotely later."
With that, Silver Wolf's projection vanished, leaving Fu Zhu and Sparkle standing there.
"The first meeting?"
Fu Zhu peeked out from the corner at Xing, who was still waiting for him. After a moment's thought, he sent her a text message.
[Fu Zhu: Little Sis, something came up. Go wander around on your own for a bit. I'll find you later.]
[Xing: ? Fine then.]
After receiving the message, Xing sighed and picked a random direction to walk off in.
Fu Zhu and Sparkle quietly followed behind. Sparkle trailed after Fu Zhu, poking his shoulder with her finger. "Shouldn't we add a little surprise to their first meeting? It's their first time, after all. We have to make it memorable, right?"
Fu Zhu shot a sideways glare at the eager Sparkle. "You can mess with Sam all you want, I don't care. As long as it doesn't affect me getting my reward. But my sister is here right now. If you try anything funny, I'll turn you into the 'fun'."
"Fine, fine, you boring man!" Sparkle pouted, silently retracting her earlier thought that she and Fu Zhu were kindred spirits.
The two followed Xing to a bustling street. Suddenly, a shout broke the relative peace.
"Stop! Stowaway!"
Xing, Sparkle, and Fu Zhu all turned in the direction of the voice. They saw a man and a woman from the Hound Family chasing a silver-haired girl who was running ahead of them.
Fu Zhu immediately checked his minimap to avoid missing anything.
[Stellaron Hunter · Firefly (Sam)]
So that was one of the protagonists.
After confirming Firefly's identity, Fu Zhu immediately instructed Sparkle, who was behind him, "The other main character has arrived. Time to watch the show."
Sparkle glanced at Fu Zhu's back with surprise. Silver Wolf hadn't told Fu Zhu what Firefly looked like. How did he know that Firefly was Sam?
Just as Fu Zhu and Sparkle thought the next scene would be Xing rushing forward to protect Firefly, a pillar of green light suddenly descended from the dark sky, enveloping the male Hound Family member.
"Woooah!!!"
The male Hound, suddenly enveloped in light, froze in place. He then let out a strange cry, which made the fleeing Firefly and his own partner stop and stare.
The female Hound member couldn't help but look at her partner. "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly glowing?"
"I don't know!" The male Hound member clenched his fists. "I feel like I've suddenly gotten so much stronger! Power is surging through my body!"
"What?"
The moment the green light descended, Fu Zhu received a system notification.
[A rare enemy, Hound Family Member Poli, has awakened nearby.]
Seeing this notification and the all-too-familiar pillar of light, Fu Zhu instantly knew what was happening. This was a randomly spawning enhanced monster from the Apotheosis Mod. This kind of light pillar only appeared on hostile and neutral mobs. He never expected to see one here.
Fu Zhu looked at the Hound Family member enveloped in the green light, then turned to Sparkle and asked with a dead-serious tone, "Sparkle, it's impossible for anyone to die in this dream world, right?"
"That's right. I've seen Silver Wolf's script. It clearly states that no one can die in the dream world. Except you, of course. But even if you kill someone, it won't be a real death."
"Then I won't be polite."
Sparkle was taken aback for a moment. Then, she felt her 'chaos sensor' going haywire. She asked with some excitement, "Do you have a fun plan?"
"Of course. How about one that makes you famous?"
"?"