Public Enemy of the Players

Standing in a second-floor room, looking down at the players sweating buckets on the training grounds, the city lord wore a complicated expression. "Tireless, able to return from the dead, improving at astonishing speed... if a group like this could serve the nation, it would be a blessing for the state and a boon to its people. Unfortunately, their loyalties waver. You can never truly trust them."

Lin Bai looked down and saw [Lao Mi], [Jing Mi], [Bitter Gourd Vine], [Take It or Leave It], [Chronic Laziness], [Jing Buyi], and others.

All the players he had seen outside the Chef God Restaurant were here.

They wore matching uniforms. Under their instructors' guidance, some sat cross-legged cultivating internal martial arts, some practiced slashing with swords, and others drilled their fist techniques with meticulous precision...

The players were brimming with vigor, while their instructors' faces were etched with exhaustion. Clearly, the NPCs could not outlast these energetic players.

"City Lord, what are they practicing?" Lin Bai asked.

"Standard military Martial Arts," the city lord said. "I'm not foolish enough to teach them the truly good stuff. Still, even with military techniques, their progress is astonishing. In less than a day, they've already reached the level of recruits who have trained for four or five months. Every movement and technique is precise, as though they were all cast from the same mold. Not one of them deviates. It's simply unbelievable."

You haven't even let them out to do quests and grind monsters yet!

When that happens, they'll be even more unbelievable!

After grumbling inwardly, Lin Bai looked at the city lord beside him, gaining a clearer understanding of this world's high-end martial power.

He had eaten a Spirit Fruit and was still full of energy. The city lord looked only in her thirties, yet after talking with him all night, she had not so much as yawned. That was proof enough of her profound cultivation.

I wonder how she stacks up against that old Daoist Qingfeng?

However.

Lin Bai had no intention of testing the city lord's abilities, or even asking about them. They had finally reached an agreement on building the City of Incompleteness. If he exposed his weakness over Martial Arts, all their negotiations would have been for nothing.

Only by acting as though this was nothing out of the ordinary could he maintain his image as a mysterious expert in the city lord's eyes.

Once the Heavenly Fragment Collection truly spread, he would reap his real bumper harvest. He just wondered what the Immortal Techniques of this world were actually like.

Qingfeng Daoist, who could only use Shield Armor Talismans, was ultimately just a small fry in the Novice Village.

Above him stood the Returning Dragon Temple and the Heavenly Dao Sect, both of which sounded badass.

He wondered when the Flawed Creation System would finally reward him with Immortal Techniques. Its constant rewards of Martial Arts and inner force left him feeling very insecure in this world...

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Lin?" Xu Longyun asked.

"What this world will look like in the end," Lin Bai said with a smile.

"..." The city lord glanced at Lin Bai and fell silent. After a moment, she asked, "Mr. Lin, would you like to see Lao Mi?"

"Yes." Lin Bai nodded firmly. Now that he was an honored guest of the City Lord's Residence, could there be a better opportunity to bolster his big brother's confidence?

A short while later.

[Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi]'s party voice chat drifted toward them from outside the door, growing louder as they approached.

"Old Lao, what do you think the city lord wants with us?" [Jing Mi] asked.

"Who knows? Hopefully, she's giving us a quest," [Lao Mi] said. "Experience goes up way too slowly when all we do is train."

"I wonder who the owner of the Chef God Restaurant is. That obnoxious guy sent everyone over here at once. Now even having a hidden class feels pointless," [Jing Mi] said. "The worst part is that those guys are actually ostracizing us. It's just a game. Is that really necessary?"

"Don't overthink it. They think they scored a bargain, but they probably have no idea they've already left a bad impression on the city lord," [Lao Mi] said disdainfully. "These NPCs are smarter than the last. Do they really think this is one of those old games? The city lord summoning us privately proves we're still the ones she values."

"The most badass of all is the great Deng Libuduo. He's the one who's really turned this game into an art form," [Jing Mi] said admiringly. "He used modern marketing methods to whip up a storm in Jiamao City. I really don't know how his brain works. Tomorrow, I'm definitely going to get his autograph."

"Yeah, who would've thought Jiamao City had a genuine gaming god hidden in it?" [Lao Mi] agreed. "You have to hand it to him. The owner of the Chef God Restaurant benefited so much from his genius, yet only gave him a thirty-percent stake. What a black-hearted bastard. If you ask me, Deng should ditch the owner and strike out on his own..."

"That owner won't be living it up much longer. Who knows how many people are waiting for the open beta so they can come in, kill him, and get justice for Deng? Why should players have to be exploited by NPCs?"

The great Deng Libuduo?

A thirty-percent stake in the Chef God Restaurant?

And they're thinking about killing me...

The explosive conversation made Lin Bai's brow twitch again and again. At last, he understood why [Deng Libuduo] had suddenly started acting strangely after logging out once.

So the fellow had not only stolen his credit, but was also eyeing his business!

What a treacherous disciple!

If I don't drag you back from this crooked path, I'll take your surname!

[Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi] stopped talking outside the door.

[Lao Mi] called out, "City Lord, Lao Mi and Jing Mi are here as ordered."

"Come in," Xu Longyun said calmly.

Creak!

The door opened, and [Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi] stepped inside.

They stopped and were about to salute the city lord, but when they raised their heads, their eyes froze on Lin Bai's face.

"It's you?" [Lao Mi] froze. Anger surged through him in an instant. Before being captured by the Beggar Gang, he had sworn to tear the little brother who had misled him into ten thousand pieces.

Now, seeing Lin Bai standing beside the city lord, he hesitated.

"It's me." Lin Bai smiled and asked, "Big Brother, are you settling into life at the City Lord's Residence?"

"Were you the one who helped me become a Shadow Guard?" A possibility suddenly occurred to [Lao Mi], and he asked uncertainly.

"Do you remember those beggars?" Lin Bai gave him a smiling glance and left it at that.

[Jing Mi]'s eyes suddenly widened.

"So it really was you." [Lao Mi] immediately grew excited.

He had been wrong. His little brother really was a hidden NPC, and what he had encountered really was a hidden quest. Everything that had happened to him was within his little brother's control.

You trash who've been shutting me out will never know how incredible my opportunities are!

"Lao Mi, I intend to assign you two a new mission," the city lord said calmly, glancing at them.

"Please give us your orders, City Lord." [Lao Mi] stood at attention.

"You are the people Mr. Lin selected. I intend to send you undercover into the Beggar Gang." Following her agreement with Lin Bai, the city lord laid out their assignment.

[Lao Mi]'s eyes lit up. "Undercover?"

[Jing Mi] looked a little dejected. "Beggars?"

"City Lord, what exactly is the mission?" [Lao Mi] looked at her expectantly. As long as he could do quests, he did not care what his identity was. Besides, Beggar was still listed in his class field!

And being an undercover agent sounded interesting right from the start.

"I cannot tell you yet," the city lord said. "Once you hold a certain degree of power within the Beggar Gang, you will receive specific instructions."

"I understand." [Lao Mi] wore a knowing expression. "I'm willing."

"Old Lao, we finally managed to become Shadow Guards. Why are we going back to being beggars?" [Jing Mi] complained in private chat.

"We're not beggars. We're undercover agents assigned by the city lord. Who knows how much we'll gain when we complete the mission!" [Lao Mi] replied. "Didn't you see that my little brother is here too? We're the ones he selected. When we post our experiences on the forums someday, we'll be gaming gods too. Compared with going undercover, being a Shadow Guard isn't worth shit. This is a true hidden class."

"All right!" [Jing Mi] agreed sheepishly.

Listening to their conversation, Lin Bai smiled without speaking.

"Your status as Shadow Guards will be revoked," the city lord said. "Your job is to climb the ranks by any means necessary. During that time, even if you return to the City Lord's Residence, we will not acknowledge your identities. Do you understand?"

"Understood," [Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi] answered in unison.

"Mr. Lin will be your sole contact," the city lord said, looking at them. "If you encounter any difficulties, you may go directly to him."

"Understood." The two glanced at Lin Bai and nodded to him.

"Big Brother, my public identity is Lin Bai, owner of the Chef God Restaurant," Lin Bai said with a smile at them. "However, while carrying out your mission, I hope you'll rely on your own abilities as much as possible. The more you resemble beggars, the better. Climb as high as you can. The higher your position, the more it will benefit your mission..."

When Lin Bai revealed his identity, [Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi] were stunned.

[Lao Mi] switched to private chat. "He's the great Deng Libuduo's boss?"

[Jing Mi] said, "Old Lao, should we tell him he's already become the players' public enemy? He's our sole contact. If the players really kill him, our quest is screwed."

[Lao Mi]: "Not for now. We can't explain it clearly to him yet. We'll just help him when necessary."

[Jing Mi]: "Yeah."

"Is there a problem?" Lin Bai asked without betraying anything.

"No problem." A trace of pity entered [Lao Mi]'s gaze as he looked at Lin Bai, but he still answered loudly.

"From this moment on, what is your class?" Lin Bai asked.

"Beggar," [Lao Mi] and [Jing Mi] answered together.

"Let me remind you of one more thing. From now on, you aren't pretending to be beggars. You are real beggars. Your words and actions must be exactly like theirs." Lin Bai gave them an encouraging look and smiled. "If possible, I'd rather you become kings of the beggars..."