Turning Them Against Each Other

Time passed second by second.

The afterglow of the setting sun streamed in through the window, draping the solid wood desk in red and casting its reflection over Saruka, who sat in his office.

His face remained expressionless, and Saruka waited patiently with his usual rigid demeanor.

He held a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

The rich aroma of coffee filled the room, but Saruka did not savor it as he normally would.

He felt restless.

Something bad was about to happen.

Saruka trusted his instincts completely.

They had saved him from death several times.

This time, Saruka did not think they would be wrong.

However, he first needed to confirm what exactly had happened.

What could it be?

Saruka frowned as he thought.

Instinctively, he thought of that sewer rat, that bug.

"Impossible. With Hank leading a squad, they can deal with him easily!"

Saruka immediately shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

How could a gun-wielding thug who relied on petty tricks possibly be a match for real soldiers?

Especially when it was an entire squad of soldiers!

At most, it would be troublesome to drag that bastard out of the gutter where he was hiding.

Saruka laughed at his own overreaction.

Just as he was about to consider where things might have gone wrong, his phone rang.

The white screen displayed the caller's name: "Vulture"!

Saruka's breathing stopped.

However, he answered the call at once.

This time, the domineering Saruka did not speak first. He waited for Qin Ran to open the conversation.

He did not believe his men could have failed!

Therefore, he had to figure out what had happened!

"Are you still waiting for your men? Let me tell you, there's no need to wait! They've all gone to hell! And you'll be joining them soon—my new partner not only offered me a better deal, but also agreed to this demand! I can't wait to see a faithless bastard like you die a miserable death!"

Qin Ran spoke rapidly, his voice thick with venom.

After saying that, Qin Ran did not wait for Saruka's reply. He hung up directly, then removed the phone's battery.

When Saruka called back, all he heard was the familiar shutdown tone.

"Damn it!"

The enraged Saruka viciously smashed his phone onto the floor.

However, Saruka quickly calmed down.

He did not believe that sewer rat, that bug, could deceive him.

Still, he treated the matter cautiously, just to be safe.

"Adjutant, contact Hank for me!"

"Yes, sir!"

The trembling adjutant immediately replied.

He had noticed that his commander had become increasingly irritable over the past few days.

Was the situation really that bad?

As Saruka's adjutant, he was fairly well-informed about certain matters.

However, the adjutant kept all of that to himself and carried out Saruka's orders.

Several minutes later, the adjutant reported his findings.

"Sir, I can't reach them—apart from Captain Hank, I tried contacting the other squad members through their radio communicators, but none of them responded!"

"Damn it! Send a scouting squad to those ruins and find out what happened!"

Saruka cursed, but he did not give up.

"Yes, sir!"

After saluting, the adjutant hurried out.

The entire office was once again left with Saruka alone.

He began recalling what Qin Ran had said during their call.

"Someone saved that sewer rat, that bug? And they even promised that bastard they'd kill me?"

Saruka narrowed his eyes and carefully considered who that person could be.

There were not many people who could detect his operation, kill Hank's squad, and do so without attracting much attention.

And the most likely candidate was...

General Janning!

Because only Janning knew that he was working with "Vulture"!

In fact, half the jewels in that bag belonged to the general—this had been the agreement between Saruka and him. Saruka would pay a sufficient price, and Janning would take him and everything he owned out of the city.

Janning controlled a "route" out of the city!

That was no secret!

At least, the rebel leaders all knew about it.

That was precisely why those important figures had been leisurely playing negotiation games with the government forces.

That was right, the rebels and the government forces had already come to the negotiating table.

That was why Saruka had urged "Vulture" to hurry.

But now...

Saruka's chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing.

He was furious!

Because he had been played like a clown in someone else's hands!

"Janning!"

Saruka snarled through clenched teeth. A dangerous gleam shone in his eyes, like a wounded, starving wolf.

Not only had he lost an enormous fortune, he was now facing a tremendous threat.

Saruka knew Janning very well.

Since Janning had made a move against that bag of jewels, he would not spare Saruka, a man who knew too much.

If Saruka did not want to die without knowing why, he had to do something!

"You forced my hand!"

Saruka muttered viciously, then shouted, "Adjutant! Put the entire battalion on alert and have them stand by!"

Waiting helplessly for death was never Saruka's style.

He swore that anyone who tried to deal with him would pay a terrible price.

Even if it was one of the rebel leaders.

Once his scouts returned, he would have his answer!

Hidden in the shadows of the ruins, Qin Ran watched the changes in the nearby military camp. Combined with the squad of rebel soldiers that had left earlier, he knew his plan to drive a wedge between them had succeeded.

The moment he learned Deceiver's identity, such a plan had surfaced in Qin Ran's mind.

General Janning had planted a spy in Saruka's ranks, and Deceiver's assessment of Saruka was enough to show that although the two belonged to the same faction, their relationship was far from harmonious.

At the very least, it was nowhere near as friendly as it appeared.

Saruka believed that everything he had done in secret could be hidden from General Janning.

General Janning, meanwhile, believed that he could control everything.

For two people like that, a tiny spark was enough to trigger a violent explosion.

Qin Ran did not mind becoming that small spark.

That was why, during his call with Saruka, he had not only spoken vaguely, but had also hung up without giving Saruka any chance to interrupt.

Because Qin Ran knew that the more one said, the more likely one was to make a mistake.

A domineering man like Saruka would not believe you simply because you said enough!

He would only believe what he saw and what he thought!

Even if it was wrong, he would believe it without question.

As for General Janning?

Qin Ran could more or less guess how Janning would react to Saruka's unusual movements. Especially once Deceiver, the spy, could no longer be contacted, an internal conflict among the rebels seemed unavoidable.

What Qin Ran needed to do next was remove the words "seemed" from that sentence!

Only then could he complete his plan!

Not only had Saruka, his original target, become someone he needed to kill, but General Janning had as well!

The moment the name General Janning appeared, Qin Ran had decided on it.

To raise his clearance rating!

Because only by doing so could he achieve his purpose for entering this Underground Game: earn more money as quickly as possible and treat his illness.

Naturally, that would not be easy.

But Qin Ran had no intention of giving up.

He still held far too many hopes and dreams for life.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Ran quickly cast aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind. As the final trace of sunlight vanished beyond the horizon, he lowered his head and looked at the sniper rifle he had just acquired—

[Name: Viper-M1]

[Type: Firearm]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Attack: Strong]

[Magazine Capacity: 5 rounds]

[Attributes: 1. Armor-Piercing Lv1; 2. Extreme-Range Strike Lv2]

[Special Effect: None]

[Requirement: Gunpowder Weapons. Light Weapons (Basic)]

[Can Be Taken Out of This Dungeon: Yes]

[Note: Its 12.7mm caliber grants it formidable long-range firepower, but it requires a certain degree of skill]

[Armor-Piercing Lv1: Can easily tear through light armor]

[Extreme-Range Strike Lv2: Its effective firing range extends to within 1 kilometer]

Unlike that specially assembled "sniper rifle," the Viper-M1 before him displayed the true terror of a sniper rifle. It not only possessed two attributes, but also had exceptional attack power.

According to the system's item descriptions, aside from the -II grenade, which had Strong attack power, even the M12 assault rifle was merely Average.

Yet the Viper-M1 before him had also reached the Strong category.

Although its two special attributes likely contributed to that, its own attack power was terrifying enough. Anyone hit by a shot would have no chance of surviving.

Even if he had 150 Health like Deceiver did now, it would be useless.

As his Health recovered, Qin Ran suddenly realized that the 20 extra Health he had gained before was not the full amount—he had gained 50!

This was because the system had calculated the increase from his Constitution level based on his original 100 Health, raising it to 150.

Stamina had changed in the same way.

Of course, his attributes and equipment had changed as well.

He opened his character panel and examined it carefully.

[Name: Qin Ran]

[Age: 17 (Male)]

[Bloodline: Human]

[Title: None]

[Health: 150]

[Stamina: 150]

[Strength: F+]

[Agility: F]

[Constitution: F+]

[Spirit: F+]

[Perception: F+]

[Skills: Cold Weapons. Dagger (Basic), Dodge (Basic), Stealth (Basic), Gunpowder Weapons. Light Firearms (Beginner), Unarmed Combat (Basic), Tracking (Basic)]

[Equipment: Dagger x1, M1905, Viper-M1, Grenades x8]

[Backpack: Canned Food x2, Purified Water x2, Painkiller x1, Advanced Bandage x2, Lighter x1, Several Cigarettes, Various Ammunition]

(Evaluation: Still a newcomer, but far stronger than ordinary cannon fodder)