What Else Is in the Pocket

Detective?

Zhou Zhi thought for a moment before recalling the incident: on the carriage, Judy had asked where the Detective Sir had gone. He hadn't paid attention at the time, instinctively asked back, and then said he didn't know. The other party hadn't pressed further. He hadn't expected those few brief words to be remembered by Taylor. "Uh, maybe he's an informant? Why, is he very important?"

"Then I'll ask you another question. Have you seen the Host's face?" Taylor said.

"No." Zhou Zhi was very sure of this. "He always wore a mask... or maybe two. Anyway, from the first time I saw him, he's looked like that."

"Sichuan Opera mask," Taylor emphasized. "Because he's the Game Master, it's not strange for us what he looks like, but a person wearing a strange mask can't communicate normally with people in this world."

This world...

Zhou Zhi suddenly realized what the other party was trying to say.

"That's right, if Paradise isn't just a game, then the Host needs a tangible identity to communicate with others. And an identity that fits a serial murder case... Detective is obviously a good choice."

"Are you trying to say that the Detective Sir Judy asked about... is actually the Host himself?"

"And not some fictional phantom, but his real body." Taylor chuckled softly, seemingly satisfied with Zhou Zhi's shocked expression. "Of course, these are just my guesses, don't go asking the Host Sir about this. Actually, that's not what I'm most concerned about..."

"Then, what are you concerned about?"

"Naturally, the reward. Look... if we follow this line of thought, since the entertainment we're looking for aren't tasks conjured out of thin air, then who is our real employer?" The Englishman leaned forward slightly, the shadow of the oil lamp flickering on his face. "Is it the Host, or Miss Judy?"

"Does it make a difference..." Zhou Zhi swallowed. "Only Paradise could bring us here, right?"

"Of course it does, it's like subcontracting versus direct contracting. But you're young, you probably won't understand this."

It's just cutting out the middleman, Zhou Zhi was about to speak when the Host suddenly appeared in the center of the living room.

"Ah!" Zhou Zhi was startled.

"What's wrong?" Chaoyang looked at him.

"No, no, no, it's nothing." Zhou Zhi guiltily looked at the ceiling. "Is Paradise going to close?"

"No, the mission has been updated. Eliminate the mastermind behind everything—the director of the North City Police Station, Kui Qi. You can open the mission interface to view the detailed explanation."

"Wow, there wasn't a mission interface before. You guys are improving so fast." Zhou Zhi said as he clicked on the new interface. "But this time is really long. It feels like a main quest."

"I have a question, Host." Taylor spoke up from the side. "Do players have to stay until the mission ends? What if someone wants to leave early?"

"Paradise always prioritizes the client's requests. You two can choose to end the game at any time." Chaoyang replied quickly, raising his right hand and making a snapping gesture. "Mr. Taylor, do you wish to end your journey in Paradise now?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood. I was just asking casually." Taylor quickly waved his hands.

Chaoyang lowered his hand again.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhi had finished reading the mission description and couldn't help but click his tongue. "This guy is too wicked. Zhou Bapi was more conscientious than him!"

"Who is Zhou Bapi?" Taylor asked. "A relative of yours?"

"He's your relative!" Zhou Zhi glared at the Englishman. "But there are only two of us left, and they have bodyguards. The possibility of breaking in doesn't seem high."

"The new mission phase will also unlock new exchange items. You can check the weapon exchange section again."

"No matter what, this mission is too difficult..." Halfway through, Zhou Zhi suddenly froze because he saw an incredibly familiar weapon in the exchange section.

A fully automatic rifle named CQ-B.

The exchange points were 1000.

At the same time, the numbers above the exchange interface also jumped, displaying "+1200".

"The previous mission phase has been settled. The main quest reward and additional rewards total 1200. You can use them in the new mission phase." Chaoyang added.

For Chaoyang, this was also a gamble—the firearms themselves were fine, but every bullet the gun used wasn't given for free. He needed to spend wish power to construct them, and the consumption of hundreds of bullets was much greater than the firearm itself. This was also why he didn't want to provide modern weapons from the start.

Compared to swords and crossbows, their usage was too expensive.

It was only after obtaining Judy's wish power that Chaoyang had the means to create these. If this mission failed, it would mean all his investment was wasted, and he would basically have to eat dirt until the next contract arrived.

While Zhou Zhi was still in a daze, Taylor had already exchanged for the gun, skillfully disengaged the safety, and cocked it with a click.

"Hahaha... this is indeed a good thing, it's a shame Mr. Anthony and my friend Qiao didn't get to see it."

"It seems you've handled this gun before."

"Of course, it's a replica M4. Qiao and I played with it quite a bit." Taylor didn't deny it. "But we mainly used it at the shooting range before. This is the first time in actual combat."

"But I've never used a real gun..." Zhou Zhi felt quite uneasy. He might be a troublemaker, but he kept his distance from illegal activities. "Right, since there's Translation Tofu, can we have a firearm tofu too?"

This stumped Chaoyang. The so-called tofu was actually soul memory. It had to be something he himself mastered to be shared with Paradise players. The prerequisite for a fictional object was that he had touched the actual object and completed its recording on-site before it could be replicated in Paradise. The two were not the same thing.

In other words, he wouldn't necessarily be able to use the items he created himself.

However, Chaoyang quickly thought of a solution. "I'm sorry, Paradise doesn't offer similar items at the moment. How about this, I'll have another player provide you with firearm experience—his consciousness will enter this body, and then he'll provide real-time guidance to you. I'll reduce the incompatibility between the two, allowing you to have as much control over the body as possible."

"Whoa... it can be like this!?"

Zhou Zhi was about to ask how to operate it when he suddenly felt a surge in his head, and a voice directly sounded in his mind, "Hey, Host, I haven't agreed to this yet!"

"Brother Zhang!" Zhou Zhi was greatly shocked. "You're still alive!"

"What do you mean 'still alive'? Watch your mouth!"

"No, I mean, you can actually come back into the game..." He looked at Chaoyang with joy. "Then the others are also..."

"They can also see your progress. As I said before, you are a team. Only when all of you are wiped out is the game considered failed." Chaoyang replied calmly.

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case. For instance, he could completely control when to sever the soul's perception, plunging them into a deep slumber, or directly send them back to their original bodies. However, he didn't need to go into such detail at a time like this.

"Just think of it as everyone else being in OB mode. As for Mr. Zhang's doubts... I only did this because I sensed your strong emotional reaction after learning about Haia.Mira's situation. If you feel it's inappropriate, I can withdraw this suggestion."

Zhang Zhiyuan's voice immediately got stuck. "I, I didn't ask you to withdraw it... Just ask for my opinion next time, okay?"

"Then why not just have Qiao and the others resurrect and start over?" Taylor asked, confused. "Wouldn't having an extra helper greatly increase the mission's success rate?"

"Hold on, I remember there's a resurrection scroll in the exchange interface, though it costs 1000 points," Zhou Zhi said, quite familiar with these items by now.

"That's right, I never said resurrection wasn't possible from the start, but unfortunately, it can't be used in the new phase of the mission."

"Why not?"

"Because of time," Chaoyang explained. "Creating a new body takes at least an hour, and there are less than two hours left until dawn. If the sun rises and you haven't eliminated the Kuqi, the mission will be considered a failure. If you want to achieve final victory, you need to act quickly."