Good and evil

The Bell Society really was one enormous evil organization, huh? Then what Liu Ling'er had said before she died hadn't been empty bragging.

Fuck. I haven't even left the starter village, and I've already offended a "gang" like that. Just my luck.

Ren Ye suppressed his flicker of irritation and asked with a frown, "The country actually allows an organization like that to exist? I find that hard to believe. You're not very good at your jobs, are you? Is this what the taxpayers pay you for?"

Xu Peng rose with a smile and clasped his hands behind his back. "The law has been refined for centuries. So why do criminals still exist?"

"Sure, criminals exist, but huge criminal organizations don't. At least not out in the open." On the subject of his own profession, Ren Ye sounded extremely confident.

Xu Peng shook his head. "Let me ask you something else. Given your current abilities, if you decided to kill people without any regard for the consequences, what kind of damage do you think you could cause?"

Ren Ye froze at those words and immediately ran through the scenario in his head. If he used the Spring Breeze Wish-Fulfilling Painting to create an obsession-driven illusion, then combined it with the Charm Skill and the Nation-Guarding Sword, the police force of an entire county-no, perhaps even an entire city-would struggle to stop his atrocities and arrest him in a short time, if all he wanted was to commit murder.

That brief consideration alone made Ren Ye frown.

Xu Peng looked at him. "Do you understand now? Even a novice who has only just encountered the Star Gate is beyond the control of conventional police once they gain supernatural abilities. Existing laws can barely restrain them. What's more, players in the evil factions tend to be obsessive and unhinged. Something trivial might lead them to commit an atrocity ordinary people can't comprehend. It's like... when an ironclad rule has kept someone shackled for too long, gaining the power to break it can trigger retaliatory behavior."

Ren Ye nodded in agreement. "Does the Star Gate make them that obsessive and unhinged?"

Xu Peng's eyes lit up. "Smart. The Star Gate does have a major influence on people's personalities. For example, I've heard of an evil type class inheritance that only selects people who died by suicide in the real world to become players. Think about it. What kind of people kill themselves? Most were people who'd lost all hope in the world, in life, in all sorts of emotional connections. After they receive that inheritance, their personality flaws are magnified even further... That's why so much of what Chaos Faction players do defies understanding."

"Doesn't the Star Gate restrain people like that?" Ren Ye asked curiously.

"The Star Gate doesn't distinguish between good and evil. It's absolutely objective and fair. Or rather, it considers both good and evil real, and neither can erase the other." Xu Peng thought for a moment before replying, "The only restriction is that if classed players in our Order Faction commit too much evil-frequent murders, robberies, things like that-they'll fall completely and enter Chaos. Even the direction of their class development will be affected. Put simply, they turn completely evil."

"I get it."

"In the real world, there are three main factions right now. The first is the Order Faction, which we belong to. Its representative organization in this country is, naturally, the government-established New Year's Watchers. Then there's the Free Faction, represented by groups like the Fraud Merchants' Association and the More Greens Player Exchange. The Chaos Faction has more organizations, including the Bell Society, the Predator Alliance, the Roadside Dogs, and so on." Xu Peng kept his explanation concise. "The three factions have reached a delicate balance for now. Everyone exercises restraint in the real world. Personal grudges are settled inside the Star Gate, where no one faces legal liability regardless of who lives or dies. But if you cause trouble in reality, the official organizations will intervene. Of course, enforcement requires evidence."

After a long silence, Ren Ye tried to summarize. "Chaos Faction players have supernatural abilities that can disrupt society, and they're too destructive. As long as the Star Gate exists, they can't be eradicated completely. That's why this delicate balance has formed. As long as they don't go too far, we give them some room to exist, to keep them from deciding they have nothing left to lose and causing unimaginable acts of terror. Right?"

"Precisely." Xu Peng grinned. "Talking to you is easy."

Ren Ye blinked. "Then what happens if someone in the New Year's Watchers falls or breaks the law? Do you ruthlessly punish your own, too?"

Xu Peng lifted his chin proudly. "Traitors and fallen players are extremely rare among the New Year's Watchers."

"Impossible. Bullshit! No human being can be that pure. That's human nature." Ren Ye didn't believe him at all.

"Heh." Xu Peng didn't argue. "Once you truly become a New Year's Watcher, go to headquarters, and take part in the grand initiation ceremony, you'll understand why I say that."

"I think you're trying to brainwash me..." Ren Ye scoffed.

It wasn't that he had a particularly cynical mind. He had simply seen too much evil. At the border, some colleagues who had once earned commendations had ultimately succumbed to criminals' corrupting influence.

Again, that was an inescapable part of human nature.

"All right, we've talked enough today. That concludes our lesson." Xu Peng looked at him and drawled, "Read the internal books and materials I gave you carefully when you get back."

"Okay." Ren Ye stood and was about to pick up the books on the desk when he saw blood spurting from both of Xu Peng's nostrils.

Drip, drip...!

Blood streamed from his nose, as heavy as the second day of a period.

"Holy shit, what's wrong with you?!" Ren Ye pointed at his face in shock. "You're gushing blood!"

Xu Peng touched his nostrils, checked himself in a mirror, then replied calmly, "It's fine... The medicine's kicking in... Urgh... Urgh...!"

Before he could finish, Xu Peng dry-heaved twice for no apparent reason, then opened his mouth wide and vomited a great quantity of herbal decoction and filth.

A foul stench spread through the room. At first, Ren Ye merely frowned at the sticky vomit on the floor, but a closer look revealed two tiny worms wriggling in the mess.

That single glimpse made Ren Ye's scalp crawl and his stomach churn. "Holy shit... What did you just throw up? Why are there living things in it?!"

Xu Peng ignored Ren Ye. Holding his nose, he bent down, picked the two worms out of the vomit, and tossed them back into his mouth to chew.

After swallowing them, he gave a sunny smile. "Those two worms were the whole reason I brewed this medicine. Can't waste them...!"

"Urgh...!"

Ren Ye couldn't hold it in anymore and spewed vomit. "You're the most disgusting person I've ever met... No contest...!"

"Want lunch?" Xu Peng politely asked as he wiped his freshly arrived period away with a tissue.

"Urgh, urgh...!" Ren Ye vomited until his face went white.

"All right, take a break. I'll go see the boss." Xu Peng strolled out. "Oh, right. Mop the floor. Newbies have to do chores."

Five minutes later, Xu Peng arrived at Huang Wei's office. Looking at his boss's sallow face, he said, "Boss, you're not looking too good. Want some restorative medicine?"

"What do you want?" Huang Wei looked up.

Xu Peng took out his phone. "I got in touch with the player selling information."

"Did he name a price?" Huang Wei immediately perked up.

"He said he doesn't do business with the New Year's Watchers. He won't sell to us, no matter how much we offer," Xu Peng reported honestly.

"Fuck, how arrogant! Look into his identity and see if he's committed any crimes." Huang Wei slammed the desk and stood.

Around 8:40 that evening.

In a room at a small hotel in Qingfu District, Shanghai.

Little War Wolf sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, wearing a well-fitted black suit and meticulously styled hair.

Across from him, Mr. He, who had come from the Xiang River, had only two attendants standing beside him. One had shifty eyes and a sleazy appearance. The other was fat and currently drinking a liquid that gave off a strong, fishy stench from an insulated flask. Who knew what it was.

After Little War Wolf posted the information in the group, Mr. He had offered a price that crushed every other buyer's bid. That had led to this meeting.

"Let's see the goods." Mr. He held a small bronze mirror, admiring his own peerless beauty.

Whoosh!

Little War Wolf wasted no time. He pulled a folded sheet of A4 paper from inside his jacket and lightly set it on the table.

After two or three minutes, Mr. He finished reading the information and asked softly, "Why aren't there any details about the Tomb of the Eldest Princess of Jing?"

"Come on, man. I'm selling information. If I show you everything at once, are you still going to pay?" Little War Wolf rolled his eyes. "Let's both act like professionals, okay?"

"Fair enough."

Mr. He nodded. "Are you also a player in Qingliang Prefecture?"

"If I were a player in that Star Gate, would I sell the information to you? Why wouldn't I keep it for myself?" Little War Wolf replied evenly. "I completed a mission in an ancient-era Star Gate and got this information. I figured such a detailed description of a princess's tomb had to be connected to another Star Gate, so I put it up for sale."

"Oh, I see." Mr. He stood. "Wait a moment. I'll verify the accuracy of your information."

"No problem." Little War Wolf nodded.

Mr. He left the room, photographed the information, and sent it to Guo Caier and Xing Tao.

Three or four minutes later, Guo Caier called. "How did you get this information?"

"Someone was selling it in a player chat group. I'd read your report and thought it was connected to the Former Dynasty Princess's Tomb, so I contacted the seller," Mr. He explained evenly. "This player says he obtained the information in another ancient-era Star Gate, but isn't a Qingliang Prefecture player himself. Take a look. Is it helpful to you?"

Guo Caier fell silent for a while. "He might be lying. Information this detailed came from another Star Gate? I find that hard to believe. He might be a Qingliang Prefecture player."

"Just tell me whether the information is useful and whether it's genuine. Heh. I'll have my own way of verifying whether he's lying later," Mr. He replied with a cold laugh.

"Based on what's been provided so far, it's extremely important to us," Guo Caier answered without hesitation. "Emperor Jing, Prince Huai, the Heavenly Pardon-Blessed One-all the key mission elements revolve around the Former Dynasty Princess's Tomb. I suspect the subsequent plot will definitely involve that tomb. If we get this information, it'll be like having a god's-eye view."

"All right. Understood."

They ended the call. Mr. He returned to the room, took a small black velvet pouch from the fat man, and tossed it onto the table. "I'll buy it."

Little War Wolf leaned forward, opened the black velvet pouch, and looked inside. Ten gleaming white crystals lay within, all evenly sized.

Whoosh!

He took another, complete envelope from inside his jacket and gently placed it on the table. "It's all in here."

Five minutes later, after having Guo Caier inspect the "goods" again and confirm everything was in order, Mr. He returned to the room and offered his hand. "I hope we have the chance to work together again."

"You really are a decisive buyer." Little War Wolf shook his hand perfunctorily, then left with the pouch of white crystals.

After he left, the fat man drinking the foul, fishy liquid turned his head with a sinister smile. "We're just letting him take that much star source?"

Mr. He's pupils contracted slightly. "Let's go downstairs."

In a dim alley, Little War Wolf's shoes struck the wet ground in steady, unhurried beats.

Whooo...!

A cold gust stirred Little War Wolf's hair. He suddenly stopped and looked behind him.

Splash!

Without warning, a mass of black liquid fell from above, pouring straight onto Little War Wolf's body.

"You fucking cheats!" Little War Wolf roared and bolted toward the exit.

Ssssss!

As the liquid soaked through his clothes and touched his skin, faint white smoke rose. His flesh suffered severe corrosion.

Just then, a fat man appeared at the end of the alley. Standing there with a vicious grin, he murmured, "Solidify!"

Crack, crack...!

As Little War Wolf ran, he felt his flesh begin to stiffen. A moment later, the sticky layer of black liquid turned to stone, imprisoning his body.

In just two breaths, he became a black human-shaped statue, still frozen in a running pose.

Clang, clatter...!

Three black chains shot from a building beside him, wrapped precisely around his body, and bound him tightly in place.

Creak, crack... bang!

No sooner had the chains bound him than Little War Wolf broke free of the petrification. But black blood streamed from his skin, and the flesh of his face had become a mangled mess.

Whoosh!

A figure flashed past, his right arm extending wildly until it reached seven or eight meters long. The skin along its entire length was covered in pustules and scars left by festering sores.

Squelch!

His crimson hand pierced Little War Wolf's chest like a blade, tore out his heart, and swiftly withdrew.

Under the light, the figure's arm returned to normal. He was the sleazy young man who had stood beside Mr. He during the transaction.

Crunch, crunch...!

Clutching Little War Wolf's heart, the young man lowered his head and took a bite. Then his gaze turned strange. "Pah... Not fresh. He's actually a corpse!"

The fat man ran over, stood before Little War Wolf's corpse, closed his eyes, and quickly extended his senses.

A moment later, he turned and shouted, "Mr. He, he doesn't have any items on him, and there wasn't any star source fluctuation from the Star Gate reclaiming items just now. He wasn't lying. He should just be an ordinary player."

Tap, tap...!

Mr. He walked over and glanced down at Little War Wolf's corpse. "Clean it up. We're leaving."

"Okay."

The fierce-looking fat man gave a light wave of his hand. Large quantities of filthy water and grime surged from the surrounding drains and quickly converged on Little War Wolf's corpse.

"Wait."

Just then, a Copper Bell member of the Bell Society guarding the alley entrance walked toward a closed iron door.

Under the dim light, the other eight turned their heads in unison.

Bang!

The Copper Bell member suddenly yanked the iron door open, revealing a young couple who ran a street stall. They clung to each other, their faces bloodless, staring at the Copper Bell in terror.

In the corridor, the door to the room on the left of the ground floor stood open. A small cart sat by the doorway, loaded with ingredients for snacks and other supplies. The couple must have been about to set up their stall when they happened to witness what had just occurred.

"Y-you... Who... are you?!" The young man instinctively shielded his wife. Unable to comprehend what had happened before his eyes, he was so frightened his legs went weak.

The Copper Bell member looked up at Mr. He and the others, while the fat man with the savage grin looked at the woman in the corridor.

After a long silence, Mr. He spoke indifferently. "Ordinary people aren't worthy of witnessing the uncanny..."

At those words, the other seven all converged on the corridor.

On a brightly lit street, Little War Wolf's ghost drifted slowly along.

"Figures... Everyone in the Bell Society is a fucking idiot. Not an ounce of honesty." After that resentful curse, Little War Wolf headed for the nearest crematorium or morgue.

An hour and a half later, Huang Wei, still at the office reading through materials, suddenly received a call. "Hello?"

"Boss, there's been a star source fluctuation on Fuyuan Street. The night patrol went over. A player has killed ordinary people...!" a New Year's Watcher reported urgently.