The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

As Irving and James stared at the massive golden tiger inside the cage, the tiger was equally fixated on them.

"Are you finally planning to let me out?" the enormous golden tiger asked in a voice that was both terrifying and commanding.

Irving did not respond immediately. While he managed to maintain his composure, he felt it was unwise to reveal his stance too quickly. He hoped to gather enough information from the golden tiger before deciding how to proceed. So, Irving ultimately chose to remain silent and waited for the tiger to continue speaking.

"So, you're just a couple of clueless pups!" the colossal golden tiger growled, its frustration palpable. It then dropped down onto all fours. "Bring the one who captured me! Does he think he can test me with the two of you?"

The giant tiger was clearly very angry and ignored both James and Irving.

It was at this point that James finally began to recover from his shock. He leaned closer to Irving and lowered his voice. "What should we do now? I can't understand what he's saying at all."

Irving managed a faint smile, tinged with irony. "If you can't understand him, how could I? He's been locked up in the Green Ivy Company headquarters! Isn't that your family's enterprise?"

For a moment, both Irving and James were at a loss for how to respond. Their conversation, however, had not gone unnoticed by the massive golden tiger.

"Maybe we should just leave for now! It looks like this giant tiger can't break through the barrier anyway!" James suggested, feeling that they should gather more information before making any decisions.

Irving did not respond right away; he was still contemplating the tiger's previous statements. Just then, the enormous golden tiger spoke again.

"You're both so naive! Do you really think this damned cage can hold me for long? Before this door was opened, I might have been trapped here for 200 years. But now that you've opened the door, I'll break the seal of this cage in three months."

The tiger's words left both Irving and James in a state of shock.

James was now filled with fear. He slightly regretted having found the true password. If he hadn't discovered it, the security door wouldn't have opened.

Irving's reaction was entirely different from James's. Though he had initially been shocked, Irving quickly regained his composure. He believed the tiger was simply trying to deceive them.

With a cold laugh, Irving said, "You're definitely trying to trick us. If you could truly break the seal of this cage in three months, you wouldn't have needed to ask us to let you out in the first place."

Irving's words infuriated the golden tiger and helped James regain his calm. He quickly returned to Irving's side. "Exactly! I almost fell for your ruse! In that case, we'll just close the security door and keep you sealed in here!"

Hearing James's voice, the golden tiger let out a roar directed at him. Although the roar couldn't harm James, it still filled him with dread.

"Do you think that bringing in a somewhat powerful Extraordinary Person from the White family will be enough to subdue me? Have your grandfather come out! I don't want to waste time with you two pups!"

The giant golden tiger's tone was still hostile, but it was clear he viewed Irving as the real threat.

Irving and James were both curious about James's grandfather, whom the tiger had mentioned. Irving turned his gaze toward James.

James hurriedly replied, "My grandfather passed away before I was born. I've never met him! My father and mother never mentioned him either! Was he the one who imprisoned you here?"

James's words elicited strong reactions from both Irving and the golden tiger. Irving was surprised to learn that James's ancestor was also a powerful Extraordinary Person.

The golden tiger roared in disbelief, "That's absolutely impossible! He was still very young when he sealed me away, and even if 500 years have passed, he wouldn't have died! A powerful Extraordinary Person can live for thousands of years!"

The golden tiger's words left Irving and James even more perplexed. Irving hesitantly asked, "Are you really sure that the one sealed inside is James's grandfather? Could it not be one of James's more distant ancestors who sealed you?"

This question infuriated the golden tiger. "Do you think I'm as foolish as you humans? I can smell his essence, so I can identify all of his descendants. James carries a quarter of his essence. Therefore, I am certain that the one who sealed me is James's grandfather."

Although Irving still had doubts about the tiger's claims, he couldn't refute them either. Moreover, he didn't intend to engage in further discussion with the creature. He decided it was best for him and James to leave for the time being.

"Well then! We certainly need to consult James's grandfather's opinion! So, we absolutely will not let you out!" Irving declared, shooting James a meaningful glance. James promptly closed the security door.

Once the door had completely descended, the golden tiger's roar vanished into silence.

"Do you believe what he said? Are you sure he's not trying to deceive us? Even though I've never met my grandfather, there's no way he could have lived for 500 years," James asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Irving slowly shook his head. "I don't know whether I should believe what he said. There are indeed some flaws in his story, but overall it doesn't seem entirely implausible. So, I think we should check out your family's residence."

Irving made his request directly. James appeared slightly hesitant. Despite their long-standing partnership, he had never invited Irving to his family home. Apart from himself, there were other members of the White family residing there, and those family members might not welcome Irving.

Noticing James's hesitation, Irving said calmly, "It's fine if you're not willing to invite me to your family residence! We can search for clues elsewhere first. If we can't find anything, I'll disguise myself as your servant to enter your family home and conduct a covert investigation."

Irving's proposed plan considered all possibilities. This time, James did not voice any further objections. He nodded and said, "Alright then! I think that plan makes the most sense! Where should we go next to look for clues?"

"We should head to the Night Blades' secret base for clues! There are many Night Blades' secret bases in the City of Warding. Elder Astra's previous actions also began from these bases."

Irving had identified several Night Blades' secret bases in the past but had chosen not to destroy them immediately.

In Irving's view, the members of the Night Blades in these secret bases did not pose a significant threat to him. He could still obtain useful information from them. That was why he had allowed the existence of these Night Blades' secret bases. However, after Elder Astra's attack, Irving realized that the threat from these bases was more considerable than he had initially thought. Therefore, he would no longer permit their existence.

Under Irving's leadership, he and James quickly destroyed all the Night Blades' secret bases surrounding the City of Warding. During their efforts, they encountered enemies whose strength was not particularly formidable. It seemed that Elder Astra had not only returned to the Shelter Game world but had also taken all the powerful Night Blades members with him.

As Irving carried out the mission, he felt a sense of danger looming. He believed that the Night Blades would undoubtedly launch a new round of attacks against him in the Shelter Game world after this. Thus, he needed to wrap up all matters in the real world as quickly as possible.

When they destroyed the last Night Blades' secret base in the City of Warding, Irving and James finally discovered a valuable clue. What they found was Elder Astra's diary. In it, Astra had recorded all his plans in the real world.

After reading the diary, Irving finally understood why the Night Blades had chosen to strike early. "I have to admit, our enemies are indeed a mixed bag. The Envoy of Filth and Elder Astra are causing trouble for each other. If they could join forces, we would likely find it impossible to survive this crisis."

Irving couldn't help but express his thoughts. At that moment, James also felt a bit reflective. However, he believed that infighting within the Night Blades was inevitable.

"The elders of the Night Blades have always been in competition with one another. After Shadow Celestial took control of the Night Blades, the internal conflicts would only intensify. Therefore, the Night Blades won't be able to concentrate their forces to launch an attack against us. We can take advantage of this opportunity to achieve our goals."

James hoped to avoid another attack from the Night Blades. He wished for their next assault to at least wait until he had completed the reconstruction of the Green Ivy Company.

Irving agreed with James's perspective. "You're right! So we can't afford to waste any more time! Now that we've cleared out all the Night Blades' secret bases in the City of Warding, let's search for clues elsewhere."