Extra Rewards

Extra Rewards

"Wait, wait, wait... I never said I wasn't willing!" Zhang Zhiyuan hurriedly backpedaled. "Can we pretend I never brought it up? Hello? Are you still listening?"

"I'm listening."

"Fine..." He let out a long breath. "At least tell me what the special challenge is. Surely that's okay?"

What a cold-hearted bastard. Zhang Zhiyuan cursed under his breath. It seemed he'd still underestimated how much Paradise valued its advantages. It dared to provoke the International Criminal Police and then drop him just like that. What on earth were those people made of?

Still, he had to admit that he couldn't afford to gamble right now.

If Paradise blocked him, he wouldn't even know where to look for another lead. More importantly, Paradise recruited players from all over the world. Even if he had to swallow his pride, he couldn't let his country fall behind on national security.

After all, the very existence of "another world" was far too important.

"The requirements have been sent to your phone. You have five minutes to review them and ask any questions."

Five minutes!

That was hardly a short time for tracing a phone number!

"I'll look now." Zhang Zhiyuan held back his excitement and opened the new message. "Uh... I have to play someone named Zhang Qiang, who's supposed to be Zhang Zhiyuan's brother?"

"Because Zhang Zhiyuan died in the previous round of the game. As for who Zhang Qiang is, Paradise imposes no restrictions."

Well, they weren't even trying to hide it anymore!

If it was only a game, what did it matter if he died? He could just load the save again.

He'd made inquiries, and the first round of the game hadn't restricted players' names at all. Using their real names had been perfectly fine. Yet this time, Paradise suddenly cared about names. The only possible reason was that they'd made contact with the locals!

"Hold on... I have to be proficient in medicine? That's not something I'm good at. You know who I am. Isn't it enough if I help you investigate the case?"

"Solving the case was the previous round's task. And you don't need any advanced knowledge. Knowing how to boil water to sterilize things is about enough."

"Huh?" Zhang Zhiyuan was dumbfounded. Boiling water counted as medical knowledge? That was basic common sense, wasn't it?

At that level, any player could do it!

"You'll understand when the time comes." The person on the other end of the phone didn't seem inclined to explain further. "The new round of the game begins at three in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. You have one day to prepare."

"Fine, I accept the challenge." Zhang Zhiyuan knew he had no choice, so he agreed without hesitation. "But this mission is harder. Can the reward be improved too? Surely it won't just be a few extra Points?"

"How about Wayne Jamester?"

"What?" He didn't understand at first.

"Wayne Jamester is the reward. I can provide not only the man himself, but all the evidence of his crimes as well. You've been trying to arrest him, haven't you?"

Zhang Zhiyuan was genuinely shocked.

Paradise even knew about that!

"But Qiao James... isn't he a player?"

"You said it yourself: that was in the game. Paradise promises to provide everyone with the best experience in the game, but outside the game is another matter." The other person paused. "The reward will be delivered in City L. Make sure to arrange a team in advance. I'll contact you again once everything is ready."

"Wait—" Zhang Zhiyuan wanted to ask a few more questions, but the other person had already hung up.

A few seconds later, his phone rang again. This time, the caller ID showed Cui Zhenen.

"Hey, what are you up to? Running a surprise drill this late at night?" The moment he answered, his colleague's loud complaint came through. "If I hadn't still been playing for my first win, who would've bothered checking your message?"

"Did you look it up?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked impatiently.

"Yeah. It's a landline in our department. More specifically, it's the third backup phone in the security office." Cui Zhenen sounded annoyed. "What, are you putting on some kind of double act with someone?"

"Damn it!" He swung a fist through the air.

They'd actually used a phone inside the International Criminal Police headquarters to call the officer investigating the matter. It was a brazen display of Paradise's power and capabilities!

The problem was that after the invitation incident last time, the technical department had completely overhauled the department's network and claimed it was now foolproof. But it seemed that everything they'd done had become a joke.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"No... it's nothing now." Zhang Zhiyuan replied listlessly. "I owe you one. Next time, I'll treat you to hairy crabs."

"Oh? That's more like it. I'll hang up, then. Next time you run a surprise drill, do it during working hours. Yawn..." Cui Zhenen ended the call too.

It looked like catching Paradise would be no easy task... As Zhang Zhiyuan stared at his reflection in the mirror, a sense of helplessness suddenly washed over him. Could he really track down Paradise? The power of this mysterious organization seemed almost supernatural. It could not only pierce the impenetrable defenses of the internet with ease, but also create things out of thin air in another world... even bend time.

After a long silence, he suddenly lifted his head and slapped his cheeks several times!

This was only the beginning, Zhang Zhiyuan. And you were already thinking of giving up?

Where had the grit he'd learned in the military gone? What about his refusal to admit defeat?

As a defender of national security, the one thing he could never do was surrender!

With that thought, Zhang Zhiyuan took out his phone again and called his superior, Gao Wei.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Gao Wei's steady voice came through the receiver.

"Sorry to disturb your rest, but I have something important to report." Zhang Zhiyuan lowered his voice.

"I figured. You wouldn't call at this hour if it weren't important. Give me a moment. I'll go to the living room so I don't wake my wife." Gao Wei paused briefly. "...All right, go ahead."

Zhang Zhiyuan gave him a detailed account of how Paradise had contacted him directly.

"They've captured Wayne Jamester? And they're willing to hand him over to the International Criminal Police?" Gao Wei sounded surprised. "You really believe what Paradise said?"

"I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance. I think it's very likely to be true. The main reason is that Paradise has no reason to tell a lie that can be exposed almost immediately." Zhang Zhiyuan dropped the formalities with his superior. "Besides, it's easy to verify. We just need to notify our colleagues in the European department and have them contact the local police."

"True..." Gao Wei considered it. "I'll make the arrangements tomorrow morning. Whatever happens, arresting Jamester would be a major achievement."

"That's not all. We should bring him here for trial."

"Why?"

"Because he's seen Paradise," Zhang Zhiyuan replied without hesitation. "Didn't you say the most important thing was to provide evidence if we wanted the higher-ups to believe our report about Paradise? He's living proof!"

Wayne Jamester might not count as physical evidence, but he could prove Paradise existed from another angle. Surely the International Criminal Police couldn't have teamed up with a criminal they were pursuing? And the criminal had no reason to go along with the pursuers' lie, since whether he went to prison had nothing to do with confessing to Paradise. In those circumstances, if they could still get Jamester to give a statement that matched Zhang Zhiyuan's report, it would make the case several times more convincing!

Once the higher-ups began seriously considering the possibility that Paradise existed, the investigation would surely be stepped up several notches. Then he wouldn't have to fight alone anymore.