"Maple Mu" looked at Rita with a hint of affection. She said, "Maple Burn, since you've recognized me, why not admit it? I'm telling you, I'm Maple Mu."

Rita's certainty about the current state of "Maple Mu" grew. Her behavior mirrored the times when Rita had gotten too deeply into a role and couldn't pull herself out. After all, since she had become Maple Burn, Maple Mu had always acted like this.

Her mind quickly raced, and she asked, "How many times have you been Maple Mu?"

It was phrased as a question, but Rita's tone left no room for doubt.

"Maple Mu" was silent for a while, then finally gave a resigned compromise. This expression, Rita had seen countless times when playing Maple Burn—Maple Mu always looked strong but would compromise for Maple Cang and Maple Burn. She was the easiest to deal with at home. "Maple Mu" said, "300 years, every cycle, every day."

The answer exceeded anything Rita had expected, and her heart skipped a beat. She asked with difficulty, "Do you remember who you were before?"@@novelbin@@

"Maple Mu" looked at her but didn't answer.

That question had lost its meaning—it didn't matter whether she remembered or not. She had already made her choice.

Rita realized the question was foolish. "Maple Mu" gave one last look at Rita, took out a teleportation stone from Eclipse Vanguard, crushed it, and vanished before Rita's eyes.

Rita closed her eyes for a moment. She found a hidden spot on the floating island to hide, then sent a message to Shadow.Q.

Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

[Rita]: Who were the six players who ascended the tower?

[Shadow.Q]: It's 1 AM, off work now, I'll get back to you after 9 AM tomorrow.

[Shadow.Q]: Oh, don't worry about Fate Out of Sync, the mission's been completed.

Rita was speechless.

[Rita]: Shadow.Q, where's your ambition and wolfishness gone?!

She couldn't wait. Rita knew what she feared most—she was worried it was Zoey!

Only someone like Zoey could have retained the same top-tier identity for 300 years within the High Tower. Such a fortunate thing could only be explained by luck, or possibly Rick at full value. And Zoey was supposedly the "female protagonist."

Rita didn't take the usual teleportation path from the seabed—it would waste too much time. Instead, she crushed the teleportation stone from Eclipse Vanguard.

The portal opened, and she stepped through, turning invisible using a disguise spell. She arrived at the Eclipse Vanguard office where many players were gathered, celebrating the successful mission.

Rita wasn't in the mood to socialize. She maintained her invisibility and used Phantom Shift to leave immediately.

After a few more moves, she reached The Lopez Family.

The Lopez Family was as quiet as a graveyard.

The shielding barrier had disappeared. Through her pocket watch's skill, she saw the information of someone named "Zoey" quickly approaching and disappearing into several brief character data entries. Every time she checked, a new name faded away.

[Theodore 9th level 100%┃100%] — Disappeared.

[Mateo 11th level 100%┃100%] — Disappeared.

Lincoln… Jayden … Emilia… Maverick...

One after another, members of The Lopez Family were dying!

And it wasn't just the non-Lopez elite players either—anyone at the estate tonight would fall to Zoey's hand.

Every death was a quick, flawless strike!

"Maple Mu" — it really was her. She had shed her disguise and bid farewell to her past self.

Finally, alarms rang in the mansion, followed by screams, cries for help, and the sound of various skills exploding.

Rita didn't intervene. These were Rick's former henchmen; she would be crazy to stop it.

But she didn't attack either. She remained hidden in the air, listening to the screams of The Lopez Family as she thought about how to deal with Zoey.

She remembered the phrase from the destined savior mission: "Perhaps this is the rebirth you've been seeking." Undoubtedly, becoming Maple Mu was Zoey's desired rebirth.

Once she killed The Lopez Family, she would surely "return" to Lania Kaia. But Rita couldn't let her leave. Today, she would kill Zoey! She had to complete her revenge!

The Lopez Family mansion was set ablaze. Zoey's character information quickly approached [Matthew] and a woman named [Sofia].

Rita heard Matthew's exclamation: "Zoey?!"

She had expected Zoey to say something to bid farewell to her past, but no, Zoey didn't bother.

She had achieved the most perfect, ideal life. Those 300 years had illuminated her world like fireworks, completing her heart, leaving her uninterested in the past. She didn't even want to waste words on it.

Now, Black Jade's hideout wasn't far from here. Eclipse Vanguard monitored Black Jade 24/7, and they were the first to sense the skills being used here. Rita saw them rushing over.

She could disguise herself and kill her way out, but it didn't seem right.

From Ruincore7193 to Ruincore7203, she had spent ten years with Zoey. While she was constantly playing Maple Burn, she had only mimicked behavior and personality. Many little habits and subtle expressions she hadn't consciously changed, and honestly, she couldn't.

Those small habits were something only an outsider would notice. The person involved would be blind to them.

For example, Rita could recall many small habits of Zoey, Maple Syrup, and Maple Cang: how they ate, fought, and talked. Zoey might not even notice these small habits herself, but others with the same sharp observational skills would. After 300 years in the High Tower, trained in combat and keen observation, they would spot these details.

At such a crucial moment, she couldn't let her guard down. If anyone realized her true identity, Zoey would immediately associate her with the enemy who had been lurking in the shadows for so long.

At such a key moment, her real identity was the safest bet. The more straightforward she was, the more she could sever ties with the enemy. But she needed to find a reason to kill Zoey, a justification that no one could suspect.

She took out Soul Catcher and told a lie: "Zoey betrayed Blue Star. She's going to kill every Blue Star player she sees."

[A Lie] (1/1): Using this skill makes your lie become truth. Duration: 7 natural days.

Minutes later, the now unmasked Zoey, carrying the unconscious [Sofia], flew out of the mansion window. She dropped the unconscious woman at the gate, then started slaughtering the Blue Star players who ran out of The Lopez Family.