Tragic Beautiful Girl Archer

It was strange, really. If Killer Moth had been assassinated and immediately retreated into Moth Hole without showing his face again, Erin would have likely just changed targets, tried to mess with Electrocutioner or Firefly, and if time was short, she would have just submitted the quest item and returned to the space.

But Killer Moth not only didn't hide, he made a huge, public spectacle of himself, acting as if not showing up meant she was a coward. That's when Erin really got fired up.

It was precisely the more someone resisted, the more excited Erin became!

However, excitement was excitement, and Erin also realized that she alone couldn't possibly assassinate Killer Moth again, who was already on high alert and had all the Mobile Moths from his gang arranged around him as guards.

Therefore, Erin returned from the Moth Hole area to Gotham's main city. She quietly roamed between the tall buildings, using her special abilities to search for any new players who might join the instance, preparing to try and seek cooperation.

Erin's specialized reconnaissance skill was called "Owl Spirit," its blueprint originating from the Night Elf hero "Priestess of the Moon" in Warcraft.

This skill allowed her to summon a special creature with self-invisibility, shared vision, and wide-range patrol capabilities. It was with this creature that she was able to observe Cheng Tian's underground tavern encounter from start to finish without alerting him.

However, before discovering Cheng Tian, Erin had also seen two players who were clearly out of place with their surroundings. At the time, she had also chosen to observe them for a while before deciding whether to approach them.

As a result, she observed that the behavior of these two people was very strange.

Although they had clearly entered as a team, neither of them seemed interested in doing the quest. Instead, they kept wandering around, as if they were observing the terrain while also looking for someone.

The logic for delivering bounty quests was as follows: the quests received by different players were not necessarily exactly the same, but the overall framework would not change.

For example, Cheng Tian's quest was to collect data on Moth Gang combat units, while Erin's quest was to collect data on Firefly Gang combat units. Following this logic, other people taking on quests were generally similar, and there could even be complete overlaps.

This was not a problem for the quest initiator, Bruce, Batman, who was so rich he only had money left. He could increase the reliability of the data by simply spending a little money, wasn't that like picking it up for free?

Even players like Erin, who had strong ulterior motives and wanted to assassinate the main quest BOSS, would collect the required quest items in advance. Then, regardless of whether her initial goal was achieved or not, there would be no additional loss.

But after observation, Erin could basically confirm that these two newcomers were clearly intending to completely abandon the quest, willing to bear the consequences of failure to achieve a certain goal.

Clearly, these were not people she could team up with.

After giving up on tracking the two, Erin then discovered Cheng Tian, a Scallop Warrior who could best utilize her archer's core abilities. After observing Cheng Tian's words and actions throughout, she confirmed that he probably had a personality that suited her taste, so she decisively offered her help.

If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have risked being targeted by Batman to proactively intervene.

With a wave of her hand, she paid 5,000 coins just to complete the "Gray Team Contract" with Cheng Tian. Erin, the wealthy Archer, told Cheng Tian in a tone that was almost a complaint about the two players she had observed earlier who didn't meet the team requirements. After listening, Cheng Tian showed a thoughtful expression.

Then Cheng Tian asked about the approximate time the other party entered the instance. After hearing the answer, he became even more convinced of his judgment.

"I suspect they're most likely here for me."

"Here for you? What for?"

Now it was the Archer's turn to be curious. How could Cheng Tian be so sure that two unfamiliar players were after him?

"I sold a set of Knight Armor, a specialty from Demon Village, in the market. It has strategic value, and I still have another set.

Based on the entry time you mentioned, they probably entered the instance within half an hour of me taking the quest.

If they don't want to bypass others and force a sale on me, they might be planning a double-cross."

"... Double-cross? Who describes themselves like that?"

Erin's face first showed a look of sudden realization, then instantly turned dark.

Demon Village was a newbie trap, and the supply routes for veterans were basically figured out by the player base. She naturally knew about the "Absolute Durability" effect of Knight Armor, and thus understood that Cheng Tian indeed had enough value to be targeted.

As the saying goes, the Gray Valley is vast, and there are all sorts of creatures, let alone the "Red Name" players who love PVP the most in the Chosen Evolution Space.

"Then, let's go find them!"

Before Cheng Tian could say anything more, Erin slammed the table and proposed directly.

Cheng Tian didn't speak, his eyes filled with confusion.

"You're my person now! We have important things to do later! We need to eliminate all uncontrollable factors to the greatest extent possible!

If those two have nothing to do with you, then we go our separate ways, and neither of us affects the other.

But if they really want to double-cross you..."

Erin stood up from her seat, her eyes flashing with danger.

"Then I'll break their damn legs!"

Gotham East District, abandoned factory in the old industrial zone.

Erin was casting a spell to locate them.

As a C-rank skill, the Soul of the Owl was truly excellent at finding people. Although it was just a Lv1 skill with no extra points invested, it was a perfect fit as an auxiliary summon for an Archer. Erin's own eyesight, which was almost Eagle Eye level, further enhanced its effectiveness.

Moreover, since it was in soul form, this thing could pass through walls, allowing it to patrol even if the target was hiding inside a building.

But there was a very peculiar weakness when using it.

In Cheng Tian's view, Erin, who had deliberately lowered her hat brim to cover her eyes, was acting like a performance artist. Her arms were spread wide, flapping up and down vigorously, causing her chest armor to sway along. It was as if at this moment, it wasn't an owl flying, but Erin herself.

"Found them, it's the location of the underground tavern where you were fighting before... Huh? Their movement direction is a bit off."

Erin, maintaining the flapping motion of her arms, was first delighted, then puzzled.

"Excuse me... what are you doing?"

Cheng Tian, holding his shield and standing to the side, who at least understood the concept of reading the room, asked Erin, who had successfully been promoted to "Tragic Beautiful Girl" in his mind.

"Oh~ This is a necessary step to synchronize with the Owl Soul."

Erin, who didn't think her actions were in any way shameful, gave such an answer with a hint of pride.