One Step at a Time, All the Way to the Top

Not long after.

The young inspector finally recovered and quickly asked, "What about the two women?"

"What to do? Of course, we'll find another strange creature and make them crash their heads to their deaths," the old gatekeeper said nonchalantly.

"Ah, those are two lives!" The young inspector exclaimed in astonishment, mixed with a mixture of regret and pity.

"Heh, Old Zhao, you haven't even trained your little apprentice yet?" The old gatekeeper looked at the old inspector with disdain.

"Sigh, young people always have a love for beauty." The old inspector looked at the young inspector and said sternly, "Little Baozi, take those two pretty women to the Anomaly No. 7."

"Master, are we really going to do this? According to what you just said, Young Master Gao died a strange death, so they are innocent." The young inspector said, unable to bear it.

"Innocent? We are the innocent ones. Those two killed the son of the magistrate and caused such a big mess. It is only right that they pay for that kid's life," the old inspector said coldly.

"If that's the case, why not hand it over to the supervisor for a proper interrogation?" The young inspector was completely bewildered.

Why go through all this trouble when both women are still going to die?

"You idiot, it seems you didn't understand what I just said!"

The old inspector was furious, but he still patiently spoke up.

"If we report this to the supervisor as you say, then the supervisor will have to let us investigate the matter of the Descenders, to see why those two women dared to kill Young Master Gao, and whether the Descenders have undergone any changes in strength."

"Many of the Descenders are strange and powerful individuals; we could easily run into trouble and get killed."

"Then why not release those two women? Why kill them? Wouldn't releasing them have earned you a favor from the Descenders?" the young inspector asked again.

"Hmph, you fool, think about it carefully. What if they go around spreading rumors if we let them go?"

"People can't keep their mouths shut. Even though they're the murderers, they could still leak information."

"Many murderers love to brag. Even though no one has been able to find them for decades, they expose themselves by bragging. There are countless people like that," the old gatekeeper said disdainfully.

The old inspector added, "Besides, Young Master Gao is dead, the Minister will definitely question him. The two female Descenders were related also died strangely, which will shut him up."

"I see." The young inspector suddenly realized, then a look of utter disbelief crossed his face.

"That's right, that's exactly it. Furthermore, the fact that they were killed by a monster also corroborates our story. When the Minister comes knocking, we'll have an explanation," the old inspector added.

In short, the lives of the two female Descenders were decided in just a few words from the two old men.

This is what a feudal dynasty is like.

Human life is actually very cheap, so cheap that even the most bizarre killers can't kill it all.

Therefore, modern people often feel that strange occurrences are a sign of the end of the world.

But for people under the feudal court, it was just that, much more benevolent than a petty official.

At least the anomalies won't wipe out the village.

In the final years of some dynasties, human life was less valuable than grass.

In this Sky Wolf Dynasty, it's not bad that they're even willing to give a reason...

"Alright, hurry back! After we've dealt with this, we still need to go back and write our report!" the old inspector urged.

After hearing the order, the young inspector had no choice but to go to the neighboring courtyard to bring the two female players back.

"Don't blame me, you brought this on yourselves."

"If you don't kill that Young Master Gao, you won't die either."

"We would have simply brought you back and then released you."

"Now your master has ordered me to take you to confront the Anomaly No. 7. You are about to die. Do you have any last words?"

The young inspector looked at the two female Descenders.

They all had a unique scent, a scent different from that of the women here.

A fragrance of a secluded orchid in a deep valley, uniquely independent and unparalleled.

Before entering the Imperial Observatory, the young man was also a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examinations.

Upon hearing this, the two female players' eyes widened immediately.

Although they anticipated a bad end, they were naturally filled with immense fear as death approached.

"Waaah..."

"Oh, I forgot, you can't speak yet." The young inspector then took out a talisman and lit it, finally allowing the two female players to speak, though they still couldn't move freely.

They can only be led around.

"Young man, we have gold! We can give you gold, please spare our lives!" female player A quickly pleaded.

"This... isn't this inappropriate? I can't do what my master ordered me to do," the young inspector said helplessly.

He didn't want to cruelly destroy the flower.

After all, he wasn't a ruthless player, but an ordinary scholar from the feudal era.

Having just stepped into the arena of right and wrong, I am not yet completely corrupted.

"We can give you 500 taels of gold."

"500 taels?"

The young inspector's heart fluttered.

As the lowest-ranking Imperial Observatory, he only earned 60 taels a month, which was already quite high.

Ordinary people, such as waiters in restaurants, only earned 2 to 3 taels of silver a month.

He received 20 times more than the other person; that was the treatment of the Imperial Observatory.

However, 60 taels was only equivalent to 6 taels of gold, and it was often impossible to exchange for it.

The other party gave 500 taels of silver at once, which is equivalent to 100 months' salary!

"Yes, please be merciful, we promise we won't tell anyone," female player B pleaded desperately.

"Well, I'd better go ask my master," the young inspector said, unable to bear it.

So he went to ask again.

To his surprise, his master and the old doorman readily agreed.

"You should have said so earlier! So they weren't some penniless ghosts Descenders."

"Heh, these two Descenders are quite something. They're afraid of dying and they're rich. We can just sit here and get gold. This is a good business."

The two old men spoke in turn.

The young inspector was immediately puzzled. "Master, didn't you say you were going to silence them and give the Minister an explanation?"

"Silly boy, today I'll teach you the most important lesson the court has to offer: money can make the world go round."

"He's got money! Even the emperor himself would pardon you, let alone a high-ranking official like yourself?"

The young inspector was completely disoriented.

They're the ones who say they should kill, and they're the ones who say they should let go—just because they have money?

Why did they get to say everything?

Gao Linzhi smiled secretly.

It's normal for the boy to be confused.

In fact, the key criteria are simply "profit" and "risk".

"Since they can produce 500 taels, they must have more gold. Tell them that 500 is not enough and they need to produce more," the old gatekeeper continued.

"All right."

The young inspector then asked in confusion, "But if we kill them, won't the gold still be ours?"

"Idiot, they're Descenders, they come with their own magical space, even if you kill them you won't find anything." The old inspector tapped him on the head.

"No, even if we find the body, we won't kill anyone to search the body. If they're willing to pay to keep their lives, we'll release them without hesitation."

"After all, this is a long-term business; we can't just do it once," the old doorman said.

"Yes, yes, you're right, brother. This business can't be done just once. If we let these two go, we'll keep paying them gold if anyone else falls into our hands in the future."

Thus, under Gao Linzhi's watchful eye, the two female players successfully escaped with 800 taels of gold.

"Fortunately, these NPCs are highly intelligent."

"It seems that gold and silver really are very useful; in a critical moment, they can be as good as two lives!"

"Yes, we'll have to collect more when we get back."

"But it's hard to buy them now."

"If you can't buy it, just find a sycophant."

"That's right."

Gao Linzhi paid no attention to the two women, but continued to follow the young inspector.

Not long after.

The young inspector, holding the 20 taels of gold he had just received, was filled with resentment.

Of the 800 taels of gold, the two old men split 780 taels, leaving him with only 20 taels!

Is there any justice in this world?

He bears the greatest responsibility!

Because he was the one who let the person go!

The boy's eyes clearly showed his dissatisfaction, but he was beaten by his master.

"You still won't accept this? Without us, would these two women have given you gold? They would have bewitched you and made you into meat buns!"

"Hehe, Old Zhao, young people are all like this. Only when they reach our age will they understand that whether you get a lot or a little doesn't depend on how much you do, but on your position," the old gatekeeper said, shaking his head.

The boy seemed lost in thought.

Then a smile suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he drew a Short Sword from his body, stabbing at the two old men one after the other.

"Puff!"

His thrust was swift and vicious, catching the two old men completely off guard. Although they were strong, their physical constitution was weak and their reaction speed was insufficient.

Just like Uchiha who was killed by a backhand stab, they were hit one after another and fell to the ground after being struck by the sword.

"If you die, the gold will be mine!"

High!

Gao Linzhi had nothing to say about this.

"You... you're going to kill us for a mere 800 taels of gold?" the old gatekeeper said with difficulty.

"No, Xiao Bao, are you crazy?!"

"Hahaha, am I crazy? I'm not crazy. How can I take over if you don't die?"

"You've reminded me. Yes, as long as we blame your deaths on the supernatural, everything will be fine."

"The monster killed you all, then let two suspects escape."

After saying this, the young inspector dragged the two old men to the backyard.

He was supposed to be accompanied by two beautiful women, but now it's an old man instead.

Gao Linzhi can say is, six!

He then followed the boy to the backyard.

The backyard was quite large, divided into several quiet courtyards.

A wooden sign hangs over each courtyard.

Numbers one through seven are written on them.

"The Seventh Anomaly, the old man said, requires human sacrifice. If the sacrificed person is powerful, good things will be given."

The young inspector spoke as he carefully opened the courtyard gate.

Inside the courtyard gate, a thick White Mist hung in the air.

The courtyard, which appeared to be quite small, seemed boundless under the shroud of White Mist.

He quickly threw the two still-alive old men's corpses directly into the White Mist.

Soon after, the sound of chewing came from inside.

The boy waited patiently and did not close the door.

The chewing sounds stopped shortly afterward.

With a "bang," two White Stone fell outside the door.

Gao Linzhi immediately recognized them as two Skill Stones.

He suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Yes, these ordinary NPCs don't actually have a concept of game levels.

However, to make it more intuitive for players, the game marks the levels and professions of these NPCs.

They don't actually have a concept of hierarchy; they only have a vague occupational classification, which isn't very strict.

This is how Gao Linzhi saw the boy at this moment.

[Bao Fei]

[Level: 25]

[Occupation: Imperial Observatory]

Then Gao Linzhi looked at the two stones.

[Skill Stone: Strong Talisman Arts]

[Significantly improves proficiency in using runes.]

[Skill Stone: Health Cultivation Method]

[Slightly increases lifespan, significantly improves health]

It's alright.

These are all things that Gao Linzhi has never learned.

This is indeed a skill system outside of the game.

He did not steal it.

The young inspector was overjoyed upon seeing it.

"Excellent! It would have taken me at least five years to cultivate these two abilities, but now I have them right away!"

"That's wonderful!"

He then instinctively closed the door and hung up the sign.

However, in Gao Linzhi's eyes, he hadn't closed the door at all, and wisps of White Mist were wrapped around him.

[Bao Fei: Negative status, under strange infection.]

Hehehe, just as I thought.

Gao Linzhi found it strange that an honest and innocent boy would suddenly turn evil and kill his master and elders.

Now it's not surprising at all.

It turns out the other person has been targeted by the strange entity.

Clearly, this is the fault of his master and elders.

The two old men ordered him to kill someone, specifically using the Anomaly No. 7.

This Anomaly No. 7, must have heard it, and so it set its sights on him.

Once contact is established, there will be a way to get infected.

Gao Linzhi was aware of this.

This is the terrifying nature of the Mystic System and bizarre.

You will be subjected to strange stares whenever you hear, mention, or see something.

And this boy was one of the victims.

How tragic.

This is how the old man, thinking himself experienced, used the supernatural as a killing tool, believing he could deceive everyone, but he didn't realize that any supernatural being is terrifying.

Gao Linzhi thought of himself; he too was able to suppress the strangeness by relying on game props.

It's called restraint, but it's actually restraint using higher rules of the game.

In fact, the entire Skyfall Game is equivalent to the highest level of supernatural phenomena.

He relied on the mutual restraint between the strange entities, rather than seeking out strange entities to fight himself.

This is the correct approach.

After killing the two old men, the boy returned to the courtyard and stood there in a daze.

He seemed to have no idea what to do.

However, after a while, he finally managed to move.

"I need to kill those stronger ones. The stronger I am, the stronger I will become!"

"The stronger I become, the higher I can stand!"

"I'm determined to climb to the top, step by step, one step at a time!"

"I want the most gold, I want the biggest share!"

Haha, this guy's been provoked.

However, this perfectly matches Gao Linzhi's requirements.

The young inspector ingested two stones, and his aura immediately changed.

Then he left the courtyard.

He traveled between the inner and outer cities.

He searched for targets, waiting to be taken advantage of.

For some reason, he deliberately avoided the players.

This was clearly an odd choice.

There are too many Special Tier characteristics among players, so it's normal not to want to touch the odd ones.

In the following week, Gao Linzhi watched as the young inspector hunted down one abnormal person after another under various pretexts.