Argument

"What did you do to Peng Fengnian?" Tang Pei immediately asked. "Without him, there's no way we can clear the Dungeon. If you're a Player too, you'd better let him go. This Dungeon is so dangerous that as long as one person completes the mission, everyone else can clear it too!"

"Relax. He's not dead." Xu Huo glanced at the person beside him, then continued, "We've decided to work together. He asked you to bring the Paper Phone over. Come alone."

Peng Fengnian's expression changed, and he hurriedly reached for the phone. But Tang Pei, on the other end, had taken Xu Huo's words as a threat. She said, "I'll be right there," and cut off the call herself.

"What are you really trying to do by luring Tang Pei over?" Peng Fengnian watched him warily. "She won't come."

"Besides the person holding it, can no one else hear anything through this Paper Phone?" Xu Huo paused.

"Of course not," Peng Fengnian said. "It's a B-class item. I spent a fortune and went through hell to get it. How could it not have even that much privacy?"

"But don't get any funny ideas," Peng Fengnian warned. "I can destroy the Paper Phone with a single thought. Even if you get your hands on both phones, it won't do you any good."

Xu Huo remained calm, his gaze settling on him. "Nice suit. Lend it to me."

Peng Fengnian's facial muscles twitched. He was just about to speak when Xu Huo cut him off. "How about it? Lend me your clothes and one of the phones, and I'll give you a chance to clear the Dungeon tonight."

Peng Fengnian stared at him in disbelief. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. He tried several times to speak, but nothing came out. He wanted to tell Xu Huo he was talking nonsense. Even a C-class Player wouldn't claim he could clear the Skin Stripper Dungeon in a single day. But Xu Huo looked so confident, as though he really could do it if he said he could.

Where did he get that confidence?

Then Peng Fengnian thought of something and asked cautiously, "Are you a B-class Player?"

Players with tickets almost always entered Dungeons matching their level. Few willingly challenged higher-level Dungeons, and no high-level Players wanted to tag along in a low-level one. But it was different if they'd been randomly dragged into one.

"Why don't you guess?" Xu Huo didn't answer directly.

Peng Fengnian thought it over, then dismissed the idea. If Xu Huo were a B-class Player, how could he have never heard of an item made by the Super Player Paper Puppeteer?

"You're a C-class Player, then." He sounded certain. "I can tell you're capable, but the Skin Stripper won't be easy to deal with. If you try to take him on by force, you won't stand a chance."

Xu Huo's items and the way he handled himself in a fight were nothing like those of a newcomer to the game. Peng Fengnian hadn't even considered that he might be a lower-level Player. He'd assumed Xu Huo was stronger than he was.

Xu Huo said nothing, which was as good as confirming it.

Peng Fengnian made up his mind quickly. "I'll trust you this once."

By the time Tang Pei arrived with the Paper Phone, Xu Huo had already left. Peng Fengnian was still there, sitting on the ground in an oversized T-shirt and baggy shorts.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Tang Pei stayed back, wary, and didn't approach.

Peng Fengnian beckoned her over. "Come here. We'll talk."

He didn't look as though he'd been forced, and there was no sign of anyone else nearby, so Tang Pei hurried over. "What happened? Did something go wrong? Qin An and the others are covering for me, but I don't have much time. I need to get back before the Skin Stripper notices I'm gone."

Peng Fengnian quickly told her what had happened. Tang Pei furrowed her brows. "You gave him the Paper Phone without even hearing his plan? What if he ditches us and clears the Dungeon on his own? Random Players and Players with tickets have the same mission, but just because he clears it doesn't mean we will."

"I don't have any other plan for now," Peng Fengnian said. "You know the situation in the Collection Room better than I do. Our original plan won't work. Xu Huo might be a C-class Player, so it's worth taking a risk."

"Since you've already made up your mind, I'll trust you." Tang Pei handed him the Paper Phone she was carrying. "Did he say what he wanted us to do?"

"No," Peng Fengnian said. "He said he'd tell us when he needed something."

Tang Pei's brows drew together even more. "I have to go back. You're the one who agreed to work with him, and I trust you. The others might not. If Xu Huo's not reliable, I'll take action too."

Peng Fengnian nodded. "Players can never trust one another completely. Do what you think is best."

Tang Pei told him to be careful, then returned to the factory. When she climbed in through the Pigsty, she saw Qin An and the others still cleaning the Workshop and relaxed a little.

"What happened with Peng Fengnian?" Yang Can hurried over to her.

"We're going to work with that Random Player," Tang Pei said. "Peng Fengnian gave him the Paper Phone and told us to cooperate with him."

"Has Peng Fengnian lost his mind?" Zou Weichang said unhappily. "We made him leader because he has a C-class Player for a brother and knows more than we do. What gives some other Random Player the right?"

"That person might be a C-class Player too," Tang Pei said. "The Skin Stripper told us to feed the pigs and said there were forty-one adult pigs. I counted them when I went out just now. There were only forty."

"If he has a special item, it's possible for a pig to shed its skin before it's fully grown." Qin An paused, then asked, "What did Peng Fengnian say about the Collection Room?"

"He doesn't have a solution for now," Tang Pei said. "That's why he asked us to wait and see if Xu Huo can make any progress."

Zou Weichang gave a cold laugh. "He can afford to wait. I can't. If Peng Fengnian wants to hand his item to someone else, that's his business. I'm not stupid enough to just do whatever someone tells me!"

"As long as we have the same mission, we still have a chance." Qin An motioned for him to lower his voice, then asked, "When does he plan to come in? If it's after dark, we can find a way to hold the Skin Stripper off."

Before Tang Pei could answer, Zou Weichang cut in. "I don't agree. I'm not risking my life to help someone else. If you insist on doing this, then we're done here!"

Qin An's expression darkened. "Can you take on the Skin Stripper by yourself?"

"I can't, but it's not impossible to stall until the Dungeon's time limit runs out."

Players with tickets had half a month to complete a game. Even if they failed to clear it, they could simply hang on until time ran out, then use their tickets to go straight to the next Dungeon.

"Random Players have to complete the Dungeon mission to get out. Their death rate is 99 percent. That Random Player Xu has a lot more to lose than we do, so of course he wants our help. Who knows when the next Dungeon will open after this one ends? Sooner or later, we'll die at the Skin Stripper's hands."

"You..." Qin An started to speak, but Xian Dazhi, who was keeping watch at the front entrance, called out urgently, "Stop arguing! He's coming in through the front!"

They hurried over and saw a tall, handsome man with long hair standing in the doorway. He wore Peng Fengnian's suit, with a small wildflower tucked into his breast pocket. He stepped inside and said to the Skin Stripper, who stood a head taller than him:

"The Tax Bureau is here for an audit. Go call your boss!"