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

After searching all possible locations around the City of Warding where members of the Night Blades might be hiding, Irving and James decided it was time to temporarily leave the City of Warding. They agreed to explore nearby cities instead.

After all, the Night Blades had previously established secret bases in many cities, and some of their members had even managed to secretly control local government institutions. If they could find any hidden members of the Night Blades, Irving and James might uncover the leads they desperately sought.

The cities surrounding the City of Warding were not large, so the time required to search these cities was minimal. By that evening, Irving and James had completed their search of all the nearby towns. Unfortunately, the situation was worse than they had anticipated. Not only had they failed to find any members of the Night Blades, but they couldn't even find evidence that the Night Blades had ever existed in those places.

"What's going on? Did Elder Astra take all the Night Blades members back with him when he returned to the Shelter Game world? Has the Night Blades given up on infiltrating the real world?" James asked, frowning at Irving.

Irving didn't respond; he too was frowning, deep in thought. Just as they were feeling hopeless, Irving's phone suddenly rang. It was Aron calling.

Irving answered the call, and Aron's slightly anxious voice came through the line. "I have something very important to tell you. Just now, Jony, the head of the Green family in Starling City, called me. He said he has something crucial to discuss with you. He hopes you can come to Starling City as soon as possible."

Irving looked slightly puzzled and asked calmly, "Did Jony say what he wanted to discuss?"

"He didn't tell me. I didn't press him for details because I felt he would only share this matter with you directly."

"Alright, I understand! I'll head to Starling City as soon as possible!"

After hanging up the phone, Irving immediately set off for Starling City with James. On the way, Irving relayed all the information he had to James.

James had never had a good relationship with the Green family in Starling City. He had clashed with Sophia in the past, and the White family from the City of Warding, which he was a part of, had potential business conflicts with the Green family. So, he instinctively reminded Irving to be cautious.

"I find it very strange that Jony would suddenly want you to come. You need to be prepared for anything." Although James didn't directly say that they might encounter danger at Jony's place, his implication was clear enough.

Irving nodded, saying nothing more. He was aware of the conflict between James and the Green family, but he felt that James's warning had some merit.

It took less than two hours for Irving and James to reach the outskirts of Starling City. Familiar with the terrain, Irving led James directly to the entrance of the Green family's secret base.

"You finally made it! The head of the family has been waiting for you for a long time! Hurry inside!" a guard at the entrance said urgently.

Irving nodded and quickly walked in. However, he hadn't gone far when he heard a commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw that James was being stopped by the Green family's guards.

"Just wait there for now! I don't think they'll let you into the Green family's secret base easily," Irving called out to James.

James's expression showed a hint of disappointment, but he ultimately followed Irving's advice. He took a few steps back, creating distance between himself and the Green family guards.

Once Irving resolved the situation between James and the guards, he continued deeper into the Green family's secret base. After navigating several intersections, Irving finally arrived at a place he knew well: the core building of the Green family's secret base, where he had lived with Sophia for a long time.

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Jony was waiting for him in the hall. As Irving pushed the door open and stepped inside, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat eerie. Aside from Jony, there was no one else in the room, but both sides of the hall were lined with numerous dolls arranged in neat rows. The hall was dimly lit, with illumination coming from a few wall sconces on either side.

"You've finally arrived!" Jony said in a serious tone, his back to Irving.

"What is it that you want to discuss? Why didn't you call me directly and instead contacted Aron?" Irving stopped in the middle of the hall, sensing the danger in the air.

Jony coughed a couple of times and slowly turned to face Irving. His eyes were bloodshot, and his complexion had turned very grim.

"You don't look well at all. Would you like me to call a doctor for you? Or perhaps I can summon a healing mage?" Irving tried to gauge Jony's condition with this suggestion.

After Sophia transformed into a werewolf and disappeared into the world of the Shelter Game, Jony had met Irving on two occasions. However, during those meetings, Jony had not been able to offer Irving much assistance. Now, with Jony suddenly summoning Irving and behaving in such a strange manner, Irving's wariness had reached an all-time high.

He was deeply concerned that Jony was about to turn into a monster and attack him. Jony, however, still did not answer Irving's question. He was breathing heavily as he took slow steps toward Irving.

Irving remained rooted in place, not retreating, but he felt compelled to remind Jony, "I think you should answer my question first. If you're unwilling to do that, then I see no reason to remain here. If you attack me, I will definitely retaliate."

It seemed Jony did not hear Irving's warning. He continued to approach slowly. When Jony was just five meters away, he finally stopped.

"I know you are very dissatisfied with how I acted before. I understand that you might not trust me right now. But I still need to ask you for a favor," Jony said, his voice lower than before. He seemed worried that others might overhear their conversation.

Though Irving sensed Jony's odd behavior, he decided to continue the conversation. "What is it that you want to ask me to do? If it's within my power, I will certainly try my best to help."

"You will definitely be able to do it! I hope you can rescue my daughter as soon as possible! My daughter is about to be completely consumed by the power of the Blood Moon!"

Irving was taken aback by Jony's words. Just a short while ago, Jony had shown indifference to everything Sophia had been through. Why was he suddenly asking for Irving's help to rescue her now?

Irving replied coldly, "Didn't you tell me before that your family has werewolf blood? You even said that it was perfectly normal for Sophia to be transformed into a werewolf. Why are you asking me to save her now?"

A look of deep anguish crossed Jony's face. He spoke with a tone of regret. "I must apologize to you. When I first learned that Sophia had been transformed into a werewolf, I actually hoped she would help our family control the power of the Blood Moon. So I lied to you, and I wasn't able to provide you with any help.

But I just received a new message from my family members in the Shelter Game. Sophia indeed possesses a very powerful Blood Moon ability. However, it's not because she has control over the Blood Moon; it's because the Blood Moon has taken control of her. If we don't help Sophia break free from its control soon, she will become a complete puppet of the Blood Moon."

Jony spoke in a rush, sharing a great deal of information. After hearing what he had to say, Irving finally felt less confused than before. However, even if he wanted to rescue Sophia, he found himself unable to do so, as he didn't even know where she was.

"Even if I wanted to save her, I don't know where she is right now. Since you say her situation is dire, you should know where to find her, right?" Irving maintained his vigilance. Although he was discussing matters with Jony, he was ready to act if Jony behaved too strangely.

A look of joy spread across Jony's face. "As long as you're willing to help me, I will provide you with an item that can help you locate Sophia's whereabouts."

Excitedly, Jony pulled out a moon-shaped jade pendant that emitted a red glow from his pocket. "As long as you hold this pendant, it will guide you to Sophia."

Irving took the pendant. In that moment, he felt the maddening power that resided within it. This bloodthirsty energy was clearly the power of the Blood Moon. Irving's emotions were complicated. He had a nagging feeling that things weren't as Jony described, and at least some of what Jony said had to be untrue. Yet, he couldn't refuse Jony, as doing so might cause him to miss out on crucial information.

After a moment of contemplation, a faint smile appeared on Irving's face as he said softly, "I understand. I will do my best to find Sophia in the Shelter Game world as soon as possible. But once I find her, how do I save her?"

"The method to save my daughter is quite simple! You just need to kill her once. What you're killing isn't my daughter; you're only destroying the Blood Moon that resides within her body," Jony replied, looking at Irving with eager eyes as he quickly revealed the way to help Sophia break free from the Blood Moon.