Young Inspector, Anomalous Golden Finger
Two weeks later.
The sacrificial rites and ancestral hall upgrade activities are nearing their end.
But Gao Linzhi only glanced at it occasionally.
Everyone else was busy gathering materials.
This is especially true of the people of this Capital Island.
Those players, however, took a different path from those on other islands—colluding with powerful gentry and court officials.
Generally, this involves using one's different identities, both offline and online, to sell resources that are allowed to be brought from offline to online.
This was clearly permitted and supported by the imperial court.
Of course, the very nature of a feudal dynasty is that it can turn good things into bad things.
This day.
The young inspector was standing guard beneath a rockery in the home of a court official.
His figure was hidden in the shadow of the artificial hill, and wisps of White Mist enveloped him, making him invisible to others.
This White Mist can bewitch people's minds, making them unable to see things as they truly are. Gao Linzhi knew this the first time he saw it.
Gao Linzhi stood beside him, observing him and analyzing how to bypass the game mechanics and use the Gold Quality "Vampire" Talent Stone.
It should be possible to do that.
This boy was only level 25, but he had consumed many Skill Stones that were above level 25 in the past few days.
Clearly, this is related to the White Mist, as well as the indigenous people's own physical condition.
They can ignore skill level requirements and directly learn skills by utilizing the knowledge contained within the Skill Stone.
At this time.
In the courtyard, inside the pavilion.
The courtier was discussing matters with several players.
"Your Four Seas Bureau's medicine seems to be selling quite well."
"This is the grain you transported, right? Don't transport too much; don't transport it next time."
At this moment, a young player asked in confusion, "Sir, I see that there are still many people in the capital who can't afford to eat."
People starve to death every day.
Why don't you want more food?
The courtier glanced at him sideways, then looked at an older player. "Who is this? He has no manners at all."
"Are you genuinely ignorant, or are you pretending not to understand?"
"There's too much grain; it'll easily fill the poor people's stomachs."
"That poor wretch will cause trouble once he's had his fill."
"Just give those poor people something to eat. If there's too much grain, how can we sell it at a good price?"
"If there's too much grain, they won't want to do hard labor anymore. How will you expand your mountain courtyard, sir?"
The young player was immediately annoyed upon hearing this.
However, the older player next to him pulled him back.
"Excuse me, sir, this is our new employee and doesn't know your rules here."
"Hmph, I'll let it go this time, but if any of you are so ignorant again, don't bother coming to my door. I don't need your few coins," the courtier said discontentedly.
"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, sir. We'll get you more medicine next time."
"Very good." With that, the courtier picked up his teacup.
"Very well, sir, we'll take our leave now."
"Um."
And at this time...
The young inspector, hidden in the shadow of the artificial hill, stared at the court official and began to move slowly.
In Gao Linzhi's eyes, that courtier was clearly a man with an extraordinary profession.
[Lin Cheng]
[Strategist, Level 45]
This level is not low.
Level 35 is considered an advanced profession, while level 45 represents the stepping stone towards Expert Level.
The Expert Level is level 55.
The strategists were known for their eloquence, but not for their fighting prowess.
Beside this opponent, Gao Linzhi discovered that a level 55 assassin was also hiding.
This is an Expert Level assassin.
Actually, he was supposed to be playing the role of a bodyguard.
This assassin was likely sent by the royal family.
Why hire an assassin as a bodyguard?
This actually reflects the characteristics of feudal courts—they placed people around important officials not for protection, but for vigilance.
Over the past two weeks, Gao Linzhi has been traveling around with the young inspector and he has discovered that almost every important court official has such a bodyguard.
They all came from royalty and the imperial court.
They were paid a salary by the imperial court and fed with the finest iron from the royal family.
Clearly, these security personnel are all under contract.
Their direct superiors were the royal family.
It can be said that these important ministers, those who wield significant power, have no reason to even consider rebellion.
Assassins were assigned here; protecting them was secondary, their primary mission was to assassinate them should they be found to have gone too far.
That's why they sent assassins instead of Shield Guard.
Because they were all firmly controlled by the royal family.
Gao Linzhi discovered that the royal family of the Sky Wolf Dynasty had very few enemies within the sight of the imperial court.
The real enemy is actually those wild superhumans, on those islands that are invisible to their eyes.
Therefore, their attitude towards players is also very subtle.
On the one hand, they want to benefit from the players, and on the other hand, they want to completely eliminate the players.
The latter accounts for an even higher proportion.
It's just that they can't do it.
After all, most players are born outside the Capital Island.
They had no choice but to feign compliance.
They attempted to infiltrate the player base and use players to counterbalance other players.
This was a common tactic used by feudal dynasties.
Because they themselves lack sufficient ability, information, and execution power to directly control certain forces.
This is Gao Linzhi's opinion.
Before long, the young inspector had moved to the appropriate position.
He was pretending to be a player at this moment.
He suddenly appeared before the court officials. "You bastard, you villain!"
"Hoarding and speculating, having plenty of grain but not sharing it with the poor people!"
"Give me your life!"
"Today I will act on behalf of Heaven!"
With that, he stepped forward and thrust his sword forward!
As the sword thrust forward, a White Mist, invisible to others, quickly condensed on the blade.
The court officials, however, did not panic.
He immediately shouted, "Where is A Qi?"
The assassin bodyguards behind him immediately stepped forward to block his way.
The court officials took the opportunity to retreat.
"Damn it, this is no place for you!"
The assassin pulled out a shield and held it directly in front of him.
"My lord, leave quickly!"
Yes, there's no rule that says assassins can't use shields.
The locals aren't gamers; they can use whatever they want, as long as it works.
The courtiers immediately ran outside, simultaneously sending out a Communication Talisman to request help from others.
However, this assassin bodyguard never expected that the young inspector's real target was him!
This is a level 55 Expert Level assassin!
As a level 25 intermediate professional, he shouldn't have been qualified to challenge the other party at all.
However, the young inspector suddenly shuddered, and wisps of White Mist emanated from his body.
He had clearly learned how to use the White Mist without any instruction.
He has come to regard the White Mist as his innate talent.
A means.
In recent days, Gao Linzhi has personally witnessed his opponent hunting down many high-level opponents using the White Mist.
This White Mist naturally originates from Anomaly No. 7.
Its role is extraordinary.
It can exert psychedelic and concealing abilities, and also inflict various negative effects.
For example, a freezing aura increases damage and reduces defense...
As the boy pierced the assassin's shield with his sword, various negative effects were applied one by one.
The bodyguards quickly realized they were in big trouble.
Although his level and strength are quite high, belonging to the Expert Level profession.
But even that couldn't withstand the bizarre rules.
At this moment, the other players also quickly retreated.
They did not immediately log off.
On the contrary, they were even thinking about what benefits they could gain.
For example, saving this court official can earn you some favorability from him.
It will be much more convenient to do things in the future.
They then protected the courtier and hid behind him.
Gao Linzhi shook his head directly.
These guys are too audacious and too greedy.
They aren't truly immortal players.
Of course, they might also have Revival Stone, which is why they dared to do this.
After all, judging from their ability to converse with such an important official, they are prominent figures in the Chamber of Commerce and have considerable resources.
After all, Revival Stone aren't that rare anymore.
You can redeem it by spending some points.
Currently, one Revival Stone can be redeemed for 100,000 points.
With the increasing frequency of various events, it's safe to say that even strong players can obtain Revival Stone.
The Revival Stone was clearly introduced to more reliably select the strongest individuals.
This is to prevent those with great potential from dying due to some unexpected or unforeseen circumstances.
For example, suddenly encountering something strange.
Suddenly, we encountered some uncontrollable natural disasters.
These factors can easily lead to the strong being killed before they can fully develop.
For example, a promising talent account might be ruined prematurely.
Clearly, Skyfall Game didn't want to see this happen either.
This aligns with Gao Linzhi's understanding.
Under the player's protection, the court officials had retreated to the front of the courtyard gate.
He started shouting, "Arrest that assassin!"
"A Qi, hold on! Our men are coming soon!"
He then cast several different talismans.
It's clearly a gathering of people from different places.
It's fair to say that the boy only had five minutes left.
Gao Linzhi could already sense someone rapidly approaching from a distance.
But those people aren't stupid.
Although the speed was fast, it was still under control.
Otherwise, the surrounding area would be full of residences of important officials.
Other high-ranking officials also had assassins and bodyguards.
Logically, someone should arrive within a minute at most.
But those people just wouldn't come in.
Clearly, they wanted to find out more before making a decision.
The young inspector, however, remained calm.
He attacked the assassin swiftly.
The assassin bodyguard felt his speed and stamina decrease, and his vision blur.
It was as if the person was under a curse.
He was terrified.
"Damn it, you're Curse Master!"
The bodyguard suddenly realized that it was very likely that the target was him, not the courtier he was protecting.
Because if it were a court official, the other party could simply throw these curses at the official and then assassinate him.
This courtier, who was not skilled in close combat, should have died long ago.
It's not his place to protect them.
But now the other party is using this tactic on me, which clearly means that I am their target.
It's possible this person was brought in by court officials.
His goal was to kill himself to prevent what he had witnessed from being reported.
Of course, he wouldn't have reported it in the first place.
Because the court officials gave him a full 40% of the profits.
This is reality.
The royal family sent people to monitor them, but the court officials would also try to bribe them.
Of course, this kind of bribery was tacitly understood.
Nobody said anything.
Take what's yours.
But assassins and bodyguards are human too; very few are that stubborn.
For their own benefit, as long as the court officials do not rebel or plot treason, they will turn a blind eye.
The assassin's bodyguard believed that he had taken too much and knew too much, so the courtier wanted to stage an assassination to kill him.
Just three minutes in, the bodyguard couldn't hold on any longer.
He's just an Expert Level superhuman; it's quite impressive that he could withstand the bizarre effects for so long.
He turned and ran, and in the same direction as the court officials.
He clearly wanted revenge.
And as long as he can outrun his opponent, he should be fine.
He's quite clever.
As he ran, he shouted, "Sir, hurry up!"
"I'll cover the rear!"
He covered their retreat as he ran towards the court officials.
The courtier was immediately horrified.
"You bastard, what are you doing here?"
"Get back there right now and block him!"
"Stop them!"
The courtier roared in anger and ran towards the courtyard gate.
He had assumed the bodyguards could handle the assassin.
Hold out until reinforcements arrive.
Therefore, he did not flee in a disheveled manner, so as not to lose face in front of outsiders and let the news reach the ears of others in the court.
He hoped to capture the assassin under his command.
This is also a great achievement.
To put it bluntly, he was greedy.
Greed for fame.
The other party only lasted three minutes.
Moreover, the other party ignored his orders and ran straight towards him.
Just then...
The young inspector gave a cold smile.
This person actually dared to turn his back on him!
That's practically suicide!
A large cloud of White Mist suddenly appeared around him.
The White Mist swiftly rushed towards the fleeing assassin.
The next instant, White Mist enveloped the other person.
Gao Linzhi then heard a familiar yet terrifying chewing sound.
This is the same as the previous case of the teenage inspector hunting down other high-ranking personnel.
That's right, the juvenile inspector used this method to repeatedly challenge those of higher rank.
It's basically like a teenager with a gun trying to assassinate those martial arts masters.
The next assassin turned into a pile of bones.
With lightning speed, the boy pulled a stone from the bones.
He quickly concealed himself in the White Mist and fled once more.
It could be said that he had almost become one with this eeriness.
In Gao Linzhi's view, this was a special kind of Golden Finger.
It could be said that this boy learned how to exploit the supernatural.
Unfortunately, the other party was not the protagonist of the novel; he was covered in a strange contamination.
When he can't hold on any longer, he'll be eaten.
However, Gao Linzhi discovered that this anomaly was intentionally controlling the rate of contamination.
They have now formed a symbiotic relationship with the juvenile patrol officers.
Does this mean that the strange creature has begun to possess some kind of intelligence?
Generally speaking, strange creatures are those that lack intelligence.
It's just that they can act according to fixed rules.
However, it couldn't withstand some unusual and strange phenomena.
After devouring enough people, they absorb their wisdom and thus develop a certain level of intelligence.
It may not have human consciousness, but like a lower form of life, it knows how to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Like parasites that coexist with other life forms.