Murphys's Deal

Mo Fei headed out of the treasury, switching his streaming hack back on as he walked.

By then, he had completely relaxed.

This operation had definitely paid for itself. He had looted a pile of good stuff from the treasury, including several plot items that should sell for at least several million.

All that remained was one final stream, then he would go on a killing spree. Before he died, he would take out as many as he could.

At the very least, he had to give his viewers a spectacular finale.

The moment the streaming hack activated, the barrage of comments surged again.

[Holy shit, Dragon Bro, why did you turn off the stream?]

[Spill it, Dragon Bro. Did you get some good loot?]

[Dragon Bro, stop while you can. The place is crawling with adventurers outside.]

[Dragon Bro, hurry up and come out! The brothers are all waiting outside to loot your gear. We're not asking for much—just drop us a couple of divine artifacts.]

[Dragon Bro, head right after you come out. All us longtime viewers are guarding this side. We're all going to die anyway, so why let the good stuff go to outsiders?]

[Don't worry, Dragon Bro. We're all your loyal fans. Come out already—we'll definitely cover you.]

Mo Fei was not surprised by the information revealed in the comments. But were these players really that confident? He was a World Tier boss, after all. If he truly fought for his life, he might not necessarily fail to escape.

As soon as he entered the outer corridor, he transformed back into the Ancient Black Dragon. The difference in health between his human form and Black Dragon form was more than tenfold. His human form simply did not feel safe enough.

Just as he was about to head out, a message suddenly flashed in the contact list built into the hack.

Situ Cheng: Mr. Mo, thank goodness you finally turned on the hack. I've been trying to reach you. What's your situation now?

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "Foolish mortal, do not disturb me. The destiny of destroying the world is calling me! Get lost. I'm about to delete this character."

Situ Cheng: Listen to me, Mr. Mo. Don't do anything rash. We can talk this out. What you're doing won't benefit anyone.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "Ant, your laughable magic cannot control me, and your delusional words cannot deceive me. I have already seen through everything. All things will perish; no one can escape." You still want to use that trick on me? Trying to play games with me? Even if we both die, I'm not giving it to you.

Situ Cheng: Can we talk properly, Mr. Mo? I admit I was wrong about this. I didn't expect you to be so extreme. How about this? I'll transfer ten million to your account immediately. Just don't let the Black Dragon die.

Mo Fei had assumed he was being strung along again, but then his account really did receive ten million.

Although the money might still be taken back later, Mo Fei was still stunned. Damn, that was generous.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "I am listening, little thing. Entertain me, but do not hope for my mercy." Go on. Tell me what other benefits you have to offer. Though I'm not promising I'll agree.

Sitting in front of his computer, Situ Cheng thought, This guy really is dedicated. At a time like this, he's still acting out his lines.

Situ Cheng: Listen, Mr. Mo. If you really delete the character, the company definitely won't let you off. Even though we signed an agreement before, I understand the law better than you do. As long as we're willing to spend money, we can make your life miserable. I know you're a ruthless man, Mr. Mo, but there's really no need to take things this far.

Besides, business was business. Surely Mr. Mo didn't mind having more money?

As long as Mr. Mo could keep Murphys, the Ancient Black Dragon, alive, the ten million would be yours in full, and we would write off everything that happened before. The chat records can serve as proof. This account is extremely important to the company's upcoming strategy. I hope Mr. Mo understands.

Mo Fei was speechless. I've already come this far, and only now you're offering me this? What the hell were you doing earlier?

The place outside was full of adventurers and heroes. Even if he did not want to die, it would be difficult now.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "Foolish mortals, your vile nature truly astonishes me. Such insatiable greed, such reckless abandon... Heh heh heh heh. But very well. Perhaps we can make this deal. I may grant you a sliver of hope, but destiny cannot be controlled. You have already wasted far too much time..."

You capitalists really are insatiably greedy. You eat the meat, gnaw the bones, and won't even leave us a sip of soup. Damn it, what were you doing earlier?

If you had paid up sooner, none of this mess would have happened. Fine, I can accept these terms, but let me make this clear first: I'm already trapped in a desperate situation. Whether I can survive depends on fate. If I die, don't blame me.

It took Situ Cheng quite some effort to understand what he meant. Fine. At least there was finally a glimmer of hope.

Situ Cheng: Of course I won't blame you if the Black Dragon dies, but the boss will definitely still cause trouble for you, Mr. Mo. So it's best if it doesn't die. As long as it lives, everything is negotiable.

Mo Fei thought that was easy for him to say, but from the looks of it, he was as good as dead. Who knew how many enemies were waiting outside for him to walk out and feed them a kill?

Still, after glancing at the ten million in his account, Mo Fei decided to give it a try. What if it worked?

People were afraid of trouble, after all. If he could reconcile with the company and get another ten million, it was better than acting on impulse and throwing everything away.

Besides, once he handed over the account, the Black Dragon would no longer be his problem. Perfect.

But if he relied only on himself, he really did not have much confidence.

He turned off the hack again.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "Murphys, are you there? I know you've been around all this time. You heard that conversation just now, didn't you? If you don't want to die, say something."

A thought suddenly surfaced in Mo Fei's mind, a conversation appearing out of nowhere, as though an old memory had suddenly returned to him.

I'm here.

Damn it, this guy really had been online the whole time.

"I'll skip the nonsense. Can you activate the hack one more time? Otherwise, I can only wing it myself."

I can try, but you have to cooperate with me. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do.

"How do you want me to cooperate?"

Empty your mind. Do nothing. Don't use any skills, don't make any movements, don't speak. Don't even blink. In other words—you cannot issue any game commands. Let me take control of the body. Only if I have complete control of the character can I be sure of getting out.

"Then I might as well log out."

No. If you leave, I'll definitely die. Mother of Formlessness will control me and make me do her bidding, fighting in the clumsiest way possible. Then there truly will be no hope. You have to stay.

Mother of Formlessness? Was that the system? Mo Fei had originally thought Murphys was simply a character AI controlled by the system, but apparently that was not entirely true.

"Really, I can't do anything? Can I at least recite a few lines? I came up with quite a few classic lines earlier."

No. Anything you do will affect my control. I have to do everything myself. You only need to watch. No matter what happens, do not move—not even a little. Only then do we have a chance of surviving. As for the lines, I can handle those.

Damn it, he was actually calling him useless. Without him, could Murphys have reached such a high level?

Mo Fei hesitated for a moment.

Should he take control himself, or hand everything over to Murphys? In the end, he had no confidence at all in fighting his way out of this death trap.

"Fine. If you're that confident, then go ahead and show me what you can do. Worst case, we die anyway."

Don't worry, insignificant human. With me here, just lie back and enjoy the victory. Go out now. Once you're outside, don't do anything. I'll take over then.

Mo Fei was half convinced and half doubtful. Then why aren't you taking over right now?

But he did not ask. Although he and Murphys were technically enemies, for some reason, an inexplicable understanding between them made him trust Murphys's words.