Could This Be a Scam?

Yu Xunge's attitude took a complete one-eighty. She removed the water from in front of them and asked, "Coffee, juice, or tea?"

Zhao Shuying: "..." This was bad. She had a foreboding feeling.

Wu Qingbai coughed twice into his fist. "Don't be like this. You're scaring us."

Yu Xunge made them each a cup of her best coffee, then took several plates of the highest-rated pastries she had made—none of which had exceeded 80—from her Game Inventory and placed them on the table. "My hospitality earlier was lacking. Please forgive me."

Zhao Shuying: "...Just say it."

Yu Xunge said, "Then I'll be direct. Do you have a way to enter the game?"

Zhao Shuying and Wu Qingbai looked as though they had both been punched in the face. The situation they had least wanted to see had happened after all. Yu Xunge's talent was too unusual, and their attitudes had been far too obvious. It was no surprise that she had guessed.

Their expressions soon turned solemn and serious. Wu Qingbai said, "If you want to know more, you'll have to join us. Don't worry, the terms we offer are excellent, and we'll give you the greatest possible freedom within our rules and regulations."

The terms meant her contributions would inevitably outweigh her returns. Freedom within rules and regulations meant no freedom at all.

She had already seen through the routine of these two actors. Yu Xunge shook her head regretfully. "Then it seems we won't be able to cooperate."

Her attitude was plainly that there was nothing to discuss.

Zhao Shuying took out her phone. "Would it be convenient for me to make a call?"

Yu Xunge raised a hand. "Go ahead."

After Zhao Shuying left, Wu Qingbai asked seriously, "Can I ask why you're unwilling to join us? Is it because you don't trust us, or because you simply don't want to?"

"Both," Yu Xunge said frankly. "I know this game is extraordinary, and I know you're doing something great. But wherever there are lots of people, there'll be factional disputes and conflicts over the distribution of benefits. Can you honestly say there won't be any? My old shitty company had three major factions. I can't deal with that sort of thing."

Wu Qingbai asked, "Then what about the Su Family?"

"I never considered joining the Su Family. I never considered joining any faction. I'm a free agent, fighting alone. There are plenty of risks, and I won't get access to the real good stuff or insider information, but it's still better than wasting my time scheming against people."

Wu Qingbai fell silent. He could not refute Yu Xunge. Wherever there were people, there would inevitably be disputes and factions. Even if everyone shared the same goal, even if some people had no selfish motives, differing philosophies on how to get things done would naturally form separate camps—the hardliners, the moderates, the radicals—and each had its own differences... Not to mention that people could not possibly be entirely without selfish motives.

A crisis meant upheaval. There would always be people who wanted to reshuffle the deck and start over.

Even he and Zhao Shuying did not belong to the same faction. The reason the two of them had teamed up was not just cooperation; it was also to keep watch over and restrain each other.

Honestly, he was sick of it too. He had long since wanted to quit, but going solo would mean ending up in Yu Xunge's current situation—knowing nothing and unable to get access to the truly valuable things.

Just as the two fell into silence, Zhao Shuying returned. She said to Yu Xunge, "Whether we ultimately reach an agreement or not, you'll need to spend one Fate Gear quota for this information before we tell you."

Yu Xunge never begrudged necessary expenses. "Fine!"

Zhao Shuying took out a transparent crystal the size of a blueberry and handed it to Yu Xunge.

Skill Storage Stone (Single-Use): Use a skill on this crystal to store that skill for someone else to use. Crush it when using it. (Creator: Yi Chang)

Yu Xunge had seen Skill Stones in her previous life, though she had not known much about them. They were not something she would ever buy. Spending dozens of silver coins, or even several gold coins, on a skill that could only be used once was far too extravagant.

This was her first time seeing a blank one. She used So Happy Now on the crystal, and red mist spread through it, turning the entire crystal red. From afar, it looked like a tiny cloud of red fog. She checked her skill and found that So Happy Now had entered its Cooldown.

It seemed it could not help someone bypass a cooldown, but it could ensure that certain skills with limited uses would not be wasted.

She immediately asked, "How much are these crystals?"

Zhao Shuying smiled, pocketed the red mist crystal, and flashed the sort of smile only a top-selling social media vendor could have. "Three gold each."

Yu Xunge: "..." Retribution came quickly.

Three gold each was naturally a joke. Zhao Shuying said, "If you're buying, I'll give you the friendship price: one charged skill crystal for five blank crystals."

Yu Xunge said nothing. She was considering whether she should look for a way to make them herself. It would be too much of a loss to keep Stocking Up from others.

Zhao Shuying did not mind Yu Xunge's silence and began delivering her payment. "We do indeed have a way to enter the game. Our actual bodies go over, unlike when we played during the closed beta. Once inside, death is real death. We can take you in and even provide protection, but you'll need to pay with Fate Gear quotas for all of that."

The positions of the two sides in the deal instantly reversed.

Yet Yu Xunge was not in a hurry. She only felt excited. There really was a way to get over there. "Where would we arrive?"

Zhao Shuying said, "One of our people bought a small house in Gloom City, Undead City. His talent lets him open portals, and he can send us into Gloom City."

Mm, very nice. The enemy's home turf.

Zhao Shuying watched helplessly as Yu Xunge's expression shifted from excitement to calm. "What? You don't like it?"

"...I like it." Her game character did not look like her in real life anyway, and besides, she had her Disguise Skill... Yu Xunge asked, "Then how do we get out?"

Zhao Shuying said, "That involves another paid service. We can turn everyone into cute little animals, then another player who can disguise himself as an undead will lead us out of the city."

Yu Xunge could turn into an animal herself, and she could disguise herself too. But if she did not want to expose those skills, she would have to pay. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Her head hurt. It felt like signing up for a free tour package with delight, only to be dragged into forced spending the moment she arrived at the destination. "..."

The smile on Zhao Shuying's face grew ever brighter, and even Wu Qingbai beside her smiled happily.

Yu Xunge asked, "Is there a time limit? Once I go over, can I stay as long as I want?"

Zhao Shuying said, "You can. But whether you're going over or coming back, every use of our portal requires fifty Fate Gear skill crystals. Of course, we'll provide the crystals."

That price could not be called anything but expensive.

But this was a monopoly. Since she was not joining them, she naturally had to pay a greater price. That was reasonable.

Still, as long as she could enter that world, it meant immense wealth. Even if the ticket price was a little expensive, it would be worth it.