Chapter 139 - 138: The Third Challenge

Words : 1192 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Interrupting Pei Guang's enjoyment, Silver Wolf grinned and said, "Alright! Since you've picked up hacking so quickly, let's have a proper duel!" Her tone was filled with excitement. She didn't really care about winning or losing—she just wanted to see how strong Pei Guang had become. She even hoped she could learn his style of hacking. Compared to her own methods, this looked like a lot more fun. Just imagine: next time she faced Screwllum, they'd be slaving away at programming, while she played a bullet hell game. Even if she lost, it'd be an awesome experience! Silver Wolf was now determined. Once this duel was over, she'd find a way to learn this technique from Pei Guang and have a blast with Screwllum in the future. It wasn't just a technique—it was a skill she could activate whenever she wanted, without restrictions. With that thought, Silver Wolf could barely contain her excitement. She was also curious about the limits of Pei Guang's hacking 'skill.' So, she decided to raise the stakes a little to give Pei Guang some extra motivation. What do players desire most? Special mission items and powerful allies. Remembering Kafka's prophecy and the temptation of becoming a true player, Silver Wolf added a small wager to their hacking duel. Silver Wolf said, "How about this? You'll use the hacking skill you just learned. If you beat me, I'll join your team as a companion. But fair's fair—if the Stellaron Hunters need me, I'll still help them out." Pei Guang responded with a grin, "Did I just trigger a special quest? Looks like our affinity is high enough for this task. But this mission might have a high difficulty rating, right?" Silver Wolf smiled slyly. "Very high. I'll use all my skills to show you what a super hacker really is. Let's say the goal is to hack into each other's phone. Whoever successfully breaches the other's phone wins. I'll let you go first." Pei Guang chuckled. "No problem. Though my skill level might not be that high yet, with you as an elite enemy, I think my proficiency will level up quickly. Just to clarify, my win condition is to hack into your phone using any method I choose, right?" Silver Wolf nodded. "That's right. Just no physical attacks—you're way too overpowered with those." She didn't feel like complaining anymore. Normally, others used her as a stepping stone to level up their skills, but today she was the one helping someone else train. Still, what could be more exciting than a heart-pounding competition? Pei Guang: "Since you're letting me make the first move, I won't hold back." Pei Guang pulled out his phone, locked onto Silver Wolf's phone as his hacking target, and activated his skill. In that instant, his vision shifted. He saw a maze of traps, obstacles, and enemies blocking the way, with a glowing white sphere at the far end, locked behind layers of defenses. Pei Guang's task was clear: navigate through the maze of defenses, dismantling traps and defeating enemies to reach that white sphere. After studying the routes and targets for a while, Pei Guang understood the approach. He initiated his attack. This move signaled the start of the battle. Silver Wolf also unleashed her full strength. Although this contest wasn't being livestreamed by Herta, she made sure to record both the real-world and virtual battle. Both of them focused intensely on the virtual world. From Pei Guang's perspective, Silver Wolf's attacks were chaotic and relentless, filled with energy blasts, bullet hell patterns, and homing attacks. But in Pei Guang's mind, the difficulty was comparable to the normal mode of Touhou Project's Scarlet Devil. Sure, it couldn't be memorized in advance, but the attack patterns were fairly predictable, making it possible to dodge and counter. Of course, if this had been the highest difficulty, Pei Guang admitted he wouldn't have stood a chance. In Touhou, he could only clear stages through sheer memorization or with TAS-level precision, but encountering something for the first time? He'd definitely get wiped. That being said, Pei Guang had some abilities to help. During his offensive strikes, he could activate screen-clearing skills. He didn't fully understand how his hacking skill worked, but his philosophy was simple: if it works, use it! And as a player, having a unique approach to hacking felt pretty normal. Meanwhile, Silver Wolf was getting more excited. In her perspective, Pei Guang was like a slippery eel, dodging her attacks and tearing down her defenses. Whether it was decoys or actual defensive structures, Pei Guang dismantled them with ease. Even when Silver Wolf attempted a brute-force data breach on his phone, he quickly countered it, wiping out her invasive data in an instant. "So tough!" Silver Wolf muttered, getting even more fired up. The last time she felt this thrilled was facing off against Screwllum. However, that battle ended prematurely, leaving her unsatisfied. This time, although Pei Guang wasn't as strong as Screwllum, his persistence made him a challenging and frustrating opponent that she couldn't easily defeat. As the two of them continued their heated battle, Stelle and March 7th exchanged a glance. As members of the same crew, they immediately understood what Pei Guang was up to when he placed a few items into the shared storage space. Stelle grabbed two cups of coffee, stuck a Y-shaped straw in both, and brought them over to Silver Wolf. Silver Wolf, her attention completely absorbed in the duel, sensed Stelle's presence and asked, "What's up?" Pei Guang's attacks were fierce, but Silver Wolf found them easy to block. What troubled her was how Pei Guang could 'clear the screen' and wipe out her data, forcing her to rebuild her defenses while fending off his attacks. Stelle smiled and placed the straw near Silver Wolf's mouth. "Here, take a sip!" "Thanks~" Silver Wolf took a small sip. For her, having a drink during a heated competition was a real treat. As the rich and slightly bitter taste of the coffee filled her mouth, she became curious. "Wait, is this coffee? It's good. A bit bitter, though. Can you add some more sugar? Sugar helps keep my energy up." Stelle: "No problem~" Stelle added some sugar from her bag, took a small taste to ensure the sweetness masked the bitterness, and then placed the straw back at Silver Wolf's lips. Silver Wolf took another sip. The sweet, fragrant coffee, tinged with a hint of bitterness, sent her into a state of bliss. The fact that Stelle herself was feeding her the drink only made the experience more delightful. After drinking more, Silver Wolf felt her mind clear, sharpening her focus on the battle with Pei Guang. "That's really good. Let me have another sip!" Silver Wolf took another sip through the straw, but by the third gulp, she started feeling dizzy.

Chapter 139 - 138: The Third Challenge

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