Side Quest!

The carriage sped along quickly.

The violent contact between the wheels and the road made Qin Ran and Hunter sway constantly inside the carriage, but neither said anything.

Hunter was worried about his daughter.

Qin Ran, meanwhile, was considering the instance before him.

"Instances are random!"

Qin Ran had once asked Lawless how Underground Game instances came about, and the other man had given him a very definite answer.

That raised another question.

What if the players who entered had no skills like [Tracking]?

The answer was obvious.

The instance had been arranged from the very beginning.

By the time Qin Ran came back to himself, he was already in the carriage, heading for Hunter's manor.

He was not in a "free" state.

He was in a game "story" state.

No matter how strong the player was or what skills they possessed, they would automatically enter this state.

Moreover, as long as the player did nothing that conflicted with their identity, they would directly reach the current event: examining the corpse.

Qin Ran even guessed that even if they did something inconsistent with their identity, as long as it did not endanger the lives of the surrounding NPCs, Hunter before him would "ignore" it.

The only possible difference was the stack of money in Qin Ran's pocket.

Perform well, and you would receive a deposit.

Perform ordinarily, and you would leave empty-handed.

As for those who wanted to court death?

Then they would truly die!

The numerous guards in the manor were definitely not for show.

Qin Ran narrowed his eyes slightly, considering what might happen next.

Clearly, the discovered corpse could not possibly be the missing Artilly. His main quest was to find her or her corpse.

Even if this was only his first instance, the rules of Underground Game would not arrange something simpler than a Beginner Instance.

Therefore, the focus should not be on the corpse.

It should be... Sheriff John.

According to this identity's simple memories, the sheriff was an acquaintance of his and could even be called a friend.

With such a friend, finding someone would naturally become much easier.

Asking him for help should have been the players' obvious choice.

But what about the corpse that served as the "trigger"?

"Side quest!"

A sharp glint flashed in Qin Ran's narrowed eyes.

As a friend, the sheriff could help the players.

Likewise, the players could choose to help the sheriff.

And Qin Ran was definitely going to help him.

He had not forgotten the goal he had set before entering the instance—not only completing the main quest, but also completing as many side quests and title quests as possible!

The carriage raced onward.

Even after entering the city district, it did not slow down.

The coachman kept shouting, telling pedestrians to get out of the way.

The uniformed police officer sitting beside the coachman, who had gone to the manor to deliver the news, also made the citizens cooperate and step aside.

The carriage stopped smoothly in front of the police station half an hour later.

Without waiting for the coachman to open the door, Hunter pushed it open himself and stepped down.

Qin Ran followed him out of the carriage and looked up at the police station before him.

It had a small storefront and stood only three stories high.

If not for the officer on guard at the entrance and the patrolmen coming and going, it looked more like a general store than a police station.

Mainly because it was far too noisy inside. Shouts and curses rang out one after another.

The police officer accompanying them led the way, allowing Qin Ran and Hunter to enter the station without obstruction.

The anxious Hunter followed closely behind him.

Qin Ran, on the other hand, had the leisure to observe his surroundings.

He saw many plainly dressed, even somewhat filthy "prisoners" locked in crude cells. Most were young, their faces filled with defiant unruliness. Separated by iron bars, they confronted the officers working outside, occasionally hurling out a curse that drew a retort from the officers. Then they would immediately burst into laughter—though they would be beaten badly afterward, they seemed to enjoy it endlessly.

One or two of them stood out in particular.

Because every round of insults began only after receiving their instruction.

Even though they were some distance from Qin Ran and acted very covertly, the vision granted by E+-rank Perception allowed Qin Ran to see the entire process with ease.

Gang members?

Seeing the scene before him, Qin Ran immediately made the guess.

However, before he could confirm it further,

the officer leading the way had already crossed the lobby.

Qin Ran had no choice but to hurry after him.

The morgue.

It was on the first basement level—not the entire floor. Only about a quarter of it was used as a morgue, while the rest was likely used to store evidence or other items.

As they descended the stairs, the light of Flame illuminated the darkness.

Although there were electric lamps, kerosene lamps and candles were still used around them. Qin Ran looked up at one of the oddly shaped electric lamps. Inside its sealed glass bulb was a filament resembling bamboo fiber, except it was black.

It differed from the electric lamps he knew.

It was probably an early model of an electric lamp.

Early models meant simplicity, room for improvement, and high cost.

So it was not strange that they continued using the original lighting tools.

The officer leading them stopped.

A tall, muscular middle-aged man stood there waiting.

By the candlelight, Qin Ran clearly saw the man's rough features and excessively powerful build. Even his oversized uniform was stretched tight by his muscles.

He held a lit cigarette in his hand, and three or four cigarette butts already lay on the floor.

Clearly, he had been waiting for some time.

According to this identity's simple memories, this man was his "acquaintance and friend," Sheriff John.

"Qin Ran!"

When the man saw Qin Ran approach, he greeted him directly, then turned his gaze to Hunter.

"I can't confirm whether that's Miss Artilly Hunter, but... I hope you're mentally prepared. Even after all my years on the job, it's the first time I've seen a corpse in such a miserable state!"

"Don't worry. I'm fully prepared!"

Hunter replied.

Both men spoke coldly.

Clearly, the unpleasantness between them had been far more serious than Hunter had casually described to Qin Ran.

The sheriff opened the door behind him and entered first.

Qin Ran and Hunter followed one after the other. The accompanying officer left the door slightly ajar and stood guard outside.

The bloody stench mixed with the smell of alcohol filled the small room.

A corpse lay covered on a wooden bed.

It was not covered by a white sheet, but stitched cowhide.

Hunter reached out and grasped a corner of the cowhide. His entire hand trembled constantly, and his face was filled with struggle.

He feared seeing what he least wanted to see.

In the end, the cowhide was pulled back.

Just as Sheriff John had said, it was a horribly mutilated corpse.

Its face was a bloody mess. Its chest and abdomen had been cut open, and its internal organs were nowhere to be seen. Only an empty shell remained, like slaughtered livestock hanging from a meat hook.

After being soaked in blood, the red hair appeared even more vivid and striking.

And that was the only thing connecting it to Artilly Hunter.

In the oil painting Qin Ran had seen, the missing young lady also possessed such dazzling long red hair.

Qin Ran examined the corpse without the slightest discomfort.

The warfare in the Beginner Instance had already accustomed him to all kinds of corpses. Corpses blasted by rockets were definitely more miserable than this one.

Hunter showed no discomfort either.

On the contrary, the wealthy merchant carefully observed the corpse.

Two minutes later, he let out a long breath.

"She isn't Tilly!"

"Though she has the same red hair as Tilly, she has no earlobes, and the skin on her arms is much rougher than Tilly's!"

Hunter said with certainty.

His face was filled with immense relief.

Then Hunter seemed to realize that such relief was inappropriate in front of the deceased.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"Sheriff John, I'm willing to offer a reward of one hundred dollars to find the murderer of this poor lady!"

He immediately added.

"Alright!"

The sheriff nodded. He showed no excitement over the reward as he led Qin Ran and Hunter out of the room and toward the lobby upstairs.

At the corridor outside the lobby, Hunter prepared to leave.

"Mr. Qin Ran, I must leave. I'm worried about my wife!"

"I hope you can help me find Tilly as soon as possible!"

Hunter said.

"Of course!"

Qin Ran assured him.

Hunter then hurried away.

Only after watching him board the carriage did Qin Ran turn to Sheriff John.

"This isn't the place to talk. Come to my office!"

Before Qin Ran could speak, Sheriff John said directly.

"Alright!"

Naturally, Qin Ran would not refuse.

The sheriff's office was on the second floor, a small but sufficiently bright room with a desk, several chairs, and a cabinet filled with files.

"What's going on downstairs?"

Qin Ran spoke slowly.

While in the carriage, he had been considering how to smoothly accept the side quest. What he had seen and heard upon entering the police station was undoubtedly the best opening.

"A week ago, Black Hand Jimmy, the underground boss of this district, was assassinated!"

"Although that guy's body hasn't been found, the entire district has become a complete mess!"

"Those looking for the killer, those trying to take his place, and forces from other districts have all started making their moves!"

"Every day, there are at least a dozen fights—you saw the people locked up outside, right? In a few days, this place of mine will be packed to the brim!"

"The worst part is that a murder case has appeared now! I simply don't have enough people to handle it!"

Sheriff John's furious voice rang beside Qin Ran's ear.

"So this is when the importance of having friends comes in—I'll take care of this murder case for you!"

Qin Ran said bluntly.

As Qin Ran spoke, notifications began appearing on his retina.

[Side Quest Discovered: The Female Corpse at the Police Station!]

[Side Quest: Your friend Sheriff John is overwhelmed by the chaos in the streets, and you have agreed to help him. You must find the cruel murderer as soon as possible and bring justice to that poor lady. This will also affect your friendship with Sheriff John!]

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