Cooperation

"Trouble??"

Watching a group of young men approach from a distance, Xu Tong raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, the Forest Farm's already got more mouths than meat. Old Bart's daughter is a treasure around here. Now that you've shown up, she's leaving for the clinic in town. If I were them, I'd give you trouble too."

Mad Dog grinned as he explained. He had no intention of helping. He got up and walked away, calling back to Xu Tong before he left, "Meet me tonight in the Poplar Forest behind me. If you're willing to cooperate, come."

Watching Mad Dog's departing figure, Xu Tong frowned. He looked at the puddle on the ground, absently dipping his finger into it and scribbling on the stone slabs by his feet.

"You're the student who came here to join the team, aren't you?"

The young men reached Xu Tong as they spoke. The one in front had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He glared at Xu Tong fiercely. "Get lost. We don't welcome useless trash like you."

"Yeah, get lost. You're nothing but skin stretched over a few bones, and you want to be a forest ranger? What if a bear comes along tonight and carries you off?"

Xu Tong ignored their insults, focusing instead on the Nine-Grid Game he had drawn at his feet.

He casually marked an X in the top-left corner, then looked up at the young men and took a beef patty from his coat.

The fragrant patty glistened with oil. The young men's eyes widened, and they couldn't help swallowing.

They might not even get to eat something like this at New Year's. And they'd just hurried back from the forestry grounds without having a chance to eat. How could they resist?

"Want some? Play a game with me. If you beat me, I'll give you another patty."

He pointed to the Nine-Grid Game he'd drawn on the ground, then to a small puddle nearby, and spoke to the young men in front.

"Ha! What's so hard about that? Just don't cry when you lose!"

The young men exchanged grins. They'd played this childish game plenty of times. It was as easy as pie.

"I'll give you a patty to start. Every time you lose, I'll give you something tasty. I've also got two boiled eggs, another patty, and two packets of biscuits. If you lose, answer one question for me. How's that?"

Xu Tong took out the eggs and waved them around. Boiled eggs were something they'd never get to eat. The Forest Farm's few hens only laid enough eggs for the staff to cook a couple of dishes once a month, and young men like them never got any.

And biscuits were an even rarer treat. With Xu Tong offering them a patty up front, how could they refuse?

"Me first! Let me go first!"

The young men took the patty and tore it into pieces. They ate as they played the Nine-Grid Game with him.

They took turns playing, each completely absorbed in the game. Whenever one of them won, Xu Tong immediately brought out a treat for him.

Still, Xu Tong won once, though it was a narrow, lucky victory.

"What happened last night?"

He asked the young men.

At the mention of last night, the meat patties in their mouths suddenly stopped halfway. They glanced at one another before lowering their voices.

"They say the director was poisoned, but the old folks say it was revenge from the Old Mountain God. There's another story, too: not long ago, he dug up some kind of treasure somewhere, and it was cursed."

"Yeah, yeah, it was that Golden Dagger! Solid gold, this long, with a gem the size of a pigeon's egg set in it!"

Another young man gestured as he spoke.

The young man in front kicked him, then pointed at the Nine-Grid Game on the ground. "That's two questions. Hurry up."

Seeing that, Xu Tong simply handed over all the food he had. "I'm done playing. You can have it all."

Then he dusted himself off and stood up.

"Hey, why'd you stop? You haven't even lost every game," someone asked as the young men happily shared the patties and eggs.

Xu Tong waved without turning around. "I'm out of pee. I'm out of pee. Maybe next time."

"Out of pee??"

The young men exchanged confused looks. They couldn't figure out what playing the Nine-Grid Game had to do with peeing. Then someone suddenly seemed to understand and stared wide-eyed at the small puddle, which had already dried up.

In an instant, the patty in his hand didn't seem so appetizing anymore...

"Urgh!!!"

When the old folks from the Forest Farm came out of the cafeteria, they found the young men sprawled on the ground, puking their guts out.

They went over to take a look. The moment they saw the eggs and patties the young men had dropped, their faces darkened. They raised their sticks and beat the young men until they were howling for mercy.

"Ah, Comrade Xiao Chen, you're back just in time. We were about to come looking for you."

As he reached the little house, the Forest Farm's Deputy Director came to meet him and warmly took his hand. "I'm sorry, Comrade Xiao Chen. Something happened at the Forest Farm yesterday, so we couldn't get in touch with you in time. I sincerely apologize."

The Deputy Director looked to be over fifty and was a seasoned leader at the Forest Farm. Xu Tong waved it off and put on an innocent smile, while glancing past the old leader.

A young woman stood behind him. She was Old Bart's daughter, whom he'd just seen earlier.

She was in her early twenties. Years of wind and rain in the mountains had left her skin a little darker than most girls', and her brows held a boldness that most men lacked.

"Hello, Comrade Xiao Chen. I'm Yang Guanjin. You can call me Xiao Jin. Thank you for saving my father. I prepared a gift for you, so please don't refuse it."

Xiao Jin spoke plainly and clearly, her voice bright and ringing. She had a frank, straightforward manner that made her easy to like. No wonder the young men at the Forest Farm seemed so hostile toward him.

As she spoke, she handed him a Deerskin Jacket. It had several pockets sewn into it, and the cuffs were embroidered with fish and flowers. It clearly hadn't been made in a day or two.

The Deputy Director patted Xu Tong on the shoulder. "Xiao Jin is Bai. This is a traditional garment of their people. She spent nearly half a month making it. It's very precious. Old Bart told us you saved him twice, so she decided to give it to you. Take good care of it, Xiao Chen."

Then he changed the subject. "Since you're here now, Xiao Jin can take you into the mountains and show you around. She'll be transferred to the clinic in town next month, and after that, you'll be in charge of the forest patrol!"

"To serve the people!"

"Good! You two go ahead. I've got other business to attend to. Once we've dealt with the Forest Farm's recent troubles, I'll arrange a welcome dinner for you!"

After speaking, the Deputy Director hurried to his office to discuss how to handle the Old Farm Director's affairs.

"It's already late today, and you've had a long journey. Get some good rest tonight. I'll take you into the mountains first thing tomorrow morning."

Xu Tong smiled and nodded, watching Yang Guanjin leave. The smile gradually faded from his face.

Thoughtfully, he looked at the Deerskin Jacket in his hands. Then he turned around and walked toward his room, imitating Yang Guanjin's tone and manner.

Every expression and detail, even the way she looked at him and the angle of her gaze, was exactly the same. Only their faces were completely different.

Only when he reached the door and held the Deerskin Jacket out in the air did his expression return to normal.

"Strange??"

He picked the Deerskin Jacket up off the ground, muttered to himself a few times, then turned and closed the door.

That evening, after hurriedly eating, he didn't return to his room. Instead, he headed for the Poplar Forest behind the Forest Farm.

As expected, Mad Dog was waiting for him on a large rock at the edge of the woods.

When he saw Xu Tong, he casually took out a hamburger and offered it to him. "Want some?"

Xu Tong patted his belly to show he was full and didn't take the hamburger.

"What kind of cooperation?"

Mad Dog hopped down from the rock. "I've got a special Prop. I can recognize any scent I've smelled before. Other people can't smell that distinctive scent on you, but I can. That's why I recognized you as soon as you arrived."

Xu Tong didn't reply. He watched Mad Dog in silence.

"The other three still haven't shown up, which means their tasks are different from ours. They might even conflict with ours. Do you think the two of us can take them on?"

Mad Dog stared hard at him, his voice growing colder. "Here's a word of advice: in the Script World, the most dangerous things aren't those strange and bizarre creatures. It's people."

Plundering and killing didn't stop here. If anything, they were even more rampant, because rare Props and the Script Points everyone needed could be obtained through trade or plunder.

Sometimes, the reward for killing a player was far greater than what you could get from an adventure in a Script World.

"How about this? Take it as a token of my sincerity."

Mad Dog took out a small bottle and handed it to him. "This is a Temporary Boost Potion. After you drink it, no matter how badly you're injured, it'll keep you alive for thirty minutes. It's a rare Prop. Not bad, right?"

Xu Tong took the bottle and put it in his Prop Catalog. Sure enough, the information in the catalog matched what Mad Dog had told him.

"Nice. But are you sure I'm worth that much?"

He took the bottle back out and watched Mad Dog with an amused smile.

Mad Dog shook his head without hesitation. "No. But I have no choice."

"Then forget it. I don't take advantage of people." He set the potion down and turned to leave without looking back.

Mad Dog froze, his face darkening. He'd thought this was a sure thing, but he hadn't expected Xu Tong to refuse.

"Don't go!"

Seeing Xu Tong about to leave, Mad Dog hurriedly called after him, his expression helpless. "I got a side quest to protect the Golden Dagger. That means something will definitely happen to it tonight. I need someone to help me."

Just then, Xu Tong received a task notification. [Mad Dog has shared a task with you.]

[Side Quest: Golden Dagger]

[Objective: A dagger made of gold is bound to attract countless greedy eyes. Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. Protect it. Don't let anyone steal it.]

[Task Hint: The dagger's value may not be measured in money.]

Looking at the task Mad Dog had sent him, Xu Tong finally smiled. He put the potion away again and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm actually a veterinarian!"

Mad Dog's eyes widened. He stared at Xu Tong. "You damn well tricked me!"