While Fang Chang and Miss Dolly were lost in their own little world of sweet romance, Gui Gui, sitting on the other side of the tavern lounge, was already covering her nose and mouth, exaggerating her expression as she whispered a complaint to Feng Qing across from her.
"This is bad... I smell the sour stench of Death Agent!"
Feng Qing, calmly sipping her coffee, tilted her head and looked at Gui Gui's theatrical display in bewilderment.
"Death Agent doesn't have a smell."
"It's *that* kind of Death Agent, you know, the... Ugh, never mind, never mind!" Blushing, Gui Gui gestured frantically for a while, too embarrassed to spell it out. Finally, she sighed and propped her chin in her hands. "By the way, isn't dating an NPC super weird? Especially if they have a family in real life... does that count as cheating?"
"Umm..." Feng Qing pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I wouldn't know anything about that."
Whether in reality or in the game, she had zero interest in romance. Still, wasn't something like that purely a personal matter?
Gui Gui, however, remained agonizing over it, fretting to the point that she unconsciously began nibbling on her knuckles.
"...Damn it, whenever I imagine a middle-aged uncle with five or six kids in reality sitting across from adorable Miss Dolly, I just can't ship them anymore! Aaargh, damn Fang Chang, go explode already!"
*So it's because of Dolly...*
Feng Qing put on a helpless expression, set down the coffee cup cupped between her hands, and said, "I think if you care that much about what someone looks like in real life, you might as well ask him yourself... Making up stories behind a stranger's back about their personal life is pretty rude, you know."
"Ugh... I was wrong."
Seeming to realize her behavior lacked boundaries, Gui Gui held up both hands in surrender.
Looking at her aggrieved best friend, Feng Qing gave a gentle smile. "I'm not blaming you. Consider it comfort instead. There are plenty of cute NPCs out there, so why not find your own? Besides, I don't think those two actually enjoy being in the spotlight that much. It only blew up like this because the Burning Corps guys were hyping it up on the forums."
"True enough," Gui Gui sighed, slumping her arms in defeat like she had just gone through a breakup. But she quickly perked back up. "By the way, Ganju must be in middle school by now, right?"
That was the girl Feng Qing had rescued from a gang-run orphanage in the slums outside the old Boulder City.
That incident had been the catalyst for the Alliance's purge of the gang elements outside Boulder City. Afterward, the children who had been raised like livestock were moved into proper welfare homes.
The Alliance had a comprehensive social foster care system to care for these orphans, including raising them until the age of eighteen and covering all expenses during their compulsory education. They didn't need to pay out of their own pockets to raise her.
Even so, the two of them still visited her from time to time, spinning cotton candy with her and buying her pretty new dresses... treating her like their own daughter.
When Ganju was mentioned, a nostalgic smile naturally appeared on Feng Qing's face. "Last time I checked on her, she was preparing for advancement. She'll probably take the exams around mid-year."
Resting her chin on her hands, Gui Gui sighed wistfully. "She's already heading to middle school... Time really flies."
Players' bodies, on the other hand, barely changed.
Of course, that might just be because they died so often. Once you respawned, everything reset.
Word was that for those hardcore players who had never died a single time since leaving the novice village, their bodies still underwent subtle changes as the years went by.
Watching her sentimental friend, Feng Qing thought it over and said, "You say that, but if you count from when we first met her, it's actually only been two or three years."
Gui Gui scratched her head. "Uh, I guess so."
It felt like those two or three years had been longer than two or three decades.
Perhaps that was what it felt like to live a full life.
Setting her coffee cup and used utensils back onto the tray, Feng Qing looked across at Gui Gui. "I'm done resting. Ready to keep questing?"
Gui Gui sprang to her feet. "Oh, right! Quests, quests... I almost forgot about them. We've got to drag out that little rat from the Enlightenment Society."
Opening her VM interface, Feng Qing reminded her, "There's also the package delivery to City Hall and clearing out the mutant rat nest in the sewers."
"Eeeek?! Did I accept a sewer quest?!"
Seeing Gui Gui's horrified face, Feng Qing tilted her head. "I took it... but the payout is pretty sweet. A thousand silver coins, and the run is really short. Just bear with it."
***
While a tearful Gui Gui was being pushed out of the tavern by her shoulders, on another street not far from the talent market, a bickering pair was chattering away.
One was Ye Shi of the Burning Corps, while the other was Jiang Xuezhou, a C-rank researcher from the Academy.
The two had originally been operating in the southern quarantine zone of Wilante Province. But since the focus there had shifted from epidemic control to the research and development of vaccines and cures, the pair, lacking the proper expertise, couldn't really be of much help.
On top of that, a major incident had occurred recently: the Academy had lost a research vessel in Avent City, and an entire Beacon squad had gone dark. Consequently, Jiang Xuezhou was dispatched here.
As for Ye Shi, half of it was being dragged along against his will, and the other half was out of concern that this girl might run into danger if left on her own.
Regarding the missing Beacon squad, the Academy higher-ups no longer harbored any hope that they were alive, but the lost research vessel had to be recovered.
Too many things floated in outer space that mortals were never meant to touch.
If the wrong people got their hands on them first, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Well aware of the mission's importance, Jiang Xuezhou had been scouring Avent City for traces of the missing ship ever since she arrived. Yet after searching for nearly two weeks, they hadn't uncovered a single lead.
The longer this dragged on, the lower the chances of any survivors, and the slimmer the hope of recovering the research vessel.
Growing anxious, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't help but vent her frustration on Ye Shi, who wore an utter slacker's expression.
"Don't you have that sixth sense thing? Can't you just use your sixth sense to track that guy down?"
Catching stray bullets out of nowhere, Ye Shi rolled his eyes and fired right back without hesitation. "That's not how sixth sense works! What, do you think I can cast magic?!"
If the guy were aiming at him from afar, maybe he'd sense it.
Detecting an enemy across an unknown distance through thin air? That was straight-up cheating!
Jiang Xuezhou's mouth curved down in disdain. "Tch. Useless."
Hearing that, Ye Shi instantly took offense. "How am I useless? Back when I was carrying the entire team, you were just a little D-rank nobody! By the way, aren't you from the Academy? Don't you guys have some sci-fi gadget that can lock onto targets in a crowd?"
With a flushed face, Jiang Xuezhou glared at him. "What 'carrying'? I don't understand your nonsense... What kind of stupid talk is that? Organize your thoughts before you speak!"
"Carrying, like being the MVP... Forget it, forget it. A hero doesn't brag about past glories. I don't even have my little buddy anymore, sigh."
Looking at the utterly bewildered Jiang Xuezhou, Ye Shi clasped his hands behind his head, sighed toward the sky, paused, and continued, "Seriously though... your Academy is supposed to be one of the three great powers. Since you're already certain the Enlightenment Society hijacked your research ship, why not just send in that Alpha Mobile Task Force? Even if you flip Avent City upside down and catch that little rat, it's not like the Enlightenment Society will obediently exchange hostages with you, right?"
It wasn't as if the Alliance had never captured Enlightenment Society members before. In fact, the Thorns Corps in Pioneer City caught one or two every few days.
Yet it served no real purpose.
All they could do was put those wayward shelter residents through reform through labor, let them see the fruits of the Alliance's labor, and urge them to mend their ways.
As for finding the Enlightenment Society's headquarters or extracting intelligence through those prisoners?
Those shelter residents who had been duped by the Enlightenment Society didn't even know anything themselves.
Hostage exchanges were entirely out of the question. Those scoundrels had no concept of kinship or camaraderie.
Hearing Ye Shi trash-talking her organization again, Jiang Xuezhou's eyes turned complicated.
Under normal circumstances, she would have refuted him, even raising her eyebrows to pick a fight. But this time, she was genuinely feeling lost.
"I don't know... but I believe the higher-ups have their own concerns. Tracking down the only clue we have is the only thing we can do."
Ye Shi glanced at her, then shifted his gaze back to the street ahead.
"I believe you. It's no secret on the wasteland that the Academy has ten thousand scheming minds... I'm just worried that you're not within the scope of what they care about."
So what if she was a C-rank?
For seeds, so long as a single one survived, it counted as victory. All the rest were just fertilizer for the soil.
The Academy likely didn't just disregard C-rank researchers; he suspected they didn't even care about A-ranks or their sole S-rank.
They were a true Leviathan.
Unlike organizations like the Family Association that used ideals as a front for swindling, the Academy was genuinely united by faith—an entity born for knowledge and existing entirely to serve knowledge.
Apart from that singular objective, everything else was expendable.
Including the Chief Technical Officer himself.
Even Dr. Conclusion.
Before a grand narrative scaled to human civilization itself, a mere C-rank researcher was utterly insignificant.
Ye Shi's original intention had simply been to advise her not to work herself to death, since throwing her life away wasn't worth it. He hadn't expected her to suddenly fall silent.
Puzzled, he looked over at her, only to see Jiang Xuezhou's expression turning strangely bashful for some reason.
Just as he was about to ask, "What's wrong with you?", a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz drifted over.
"...Were you worried about me just now?"
Worried?
"Not real—"
"Yo, Ye Shi, out on a date?"
An untimely voice suddenly cut in from the side, swallowing the rest of Ye Shi's sentence.
*What the hell?*
Ye Shi quickly whipped his head toward the source of the noise, only to find In Debt God and Site Guy winking and grinning foolishly at him.
"Look at how close they are!"
"Well, obviously! Their love is so pure, unlike you—only entering the body, never the family."
"Screw off, screw your mom!"
One second grinning, In Debt God flipped out the next, unconsciously becoming Ye Shi's mouthpiece by barking the very words Ye Shi had wanted to shout.
Watching In Debt God raise his fists to chase and pummel Site Guy, Ye Shi swallowed the venomous retort that had rushed to the tip of his tongue.
Standing nearby, Jiang Xuezhou watched the two sprint away in bewilderment, then tilted her head toward Ye Shi.
"What were they talking about?"
Ye Shi was about to explain, but had no idea how to put it into words. An embarrassed flush crept over his face, and he brushed it off vaguely. "Just some bastards badmouthing me."
"Oh-ho..."
Completely misinterpreting the situation, Jiang Xuezhou broke into a sly grin. She covered her lips with her left hand and lightly poked his arm with her right. "Looks like you aren't very popular in the Alliance. How about coming with me to the Academy instead? I'll even throw in a ticket to the Ark."
Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "No thanks."
Jiang Xuezhou's eyebrows shot up, and she bared her teeth in annoyance. "Why not! Am I not good to you?"
"Well, it's not that... Wait, why does you being good to me mean I have to go with you?! I'm doing perfectly fine in the Alliance, thank you very much!" Shaking his head, Ye Shi caught himself halfway through and realized he had been dragged right into her circular logic.
Jiang Xuezhou ground her teeth and glared at him, but in the end, she merely huffed without pressing further.
"...Ungrateful jerk."
For the rest of the walk, neither of them exchanged another word.
Ye Shi had no idea what had gotten into her to make her sulk so abruptly.
Seriously, why was she so stubbornly obsessed with getting him to join the Academy?
Wasn't the way things were right now pretty good already?
Talk about fanatical loyalty!
Just then, the VM strapped to Ye Shi's arm buzzed softly. Raising his arm, he tapped the screen, and a text message appeared in the center of the display.
[Brother Edge: Got a new lead on the Enlightenment Society disciples. The guard post on 17th Street received a report from the locals saying suspicious figures have been slipping in and out of the alley between door numbers 203 and 202. They don't look like locals, nor do they look like our people. If you're interested, go check it out. Even if it's a false alarm, at least it'll let the locals sleep in peace.]
Ye Shi's eyes lit up, and he immediately fired back a reply.
[Haha! Thanks, brother!]
A few seconds later, another message popped up.
[Brother Edge: Don't mention it! If you catch a big fish, remember to cut us in on a slice! (Grin)]
Ye Shi: [Damn it! Do I look like the type to hoard the loot? Just wait! I'll be right back.]
Glancing at Ye Shi tapping away on his screen, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't resist leaning her head closer to see what he was up to.
Right as she leaned in, Ye Shi suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"What are you doing?!" Shocked, Jiang Xuezhou froze on the spot, stunned.
Ye Shi didn't wait for her, however. Pulling up the navigation function on his VM map, he dragged her along with him.
"Stop asking questions, just follow me!"
"???"
Completely bewildered, Jiang Xuezhou was towed forward. Together, they cut across two consecutive streets and arrived before an inconspicuous little alleyway.
This looked like the old quarter. Many houses stood vacant; the residents had either relocated or died in the war, leaving behind only a few elderly folks.
Blushing, Jiang Xuezhou pulled her arm back and glared at Ye Shi, who had finally halted.
"Why did you bring me here?"
A smug grin spread across Ye Shi's face as he cast his eyes toward the alley ahead.
"Didn't you say I was slacking off? I'm just proving to you that I wasn't."
Jiang Xuezhou: "...Huh?"
Looking at her dazed expression, Ye Shi patiently laid out the clues he had gathered.
To put it simply:
A needle-in-a-haystack job like this had to be outsourced to the Death Corps' "Beggars' Sect" brothers.
Those guys roamed everywhere, and folks like In Debt God especially loved mingling deeply with the local NPCs. Sniffing out a clue was as easy as breathing for them.
The moment Ye Shi arrived in Avent City, he had reached out to Brother Edge, who had promised to inform him as soon as any lead surfaced.
Jiang Xuezhou stared at him blankly, frozen for a long while before she lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you."
Caught completely off guard by this sudden reaction, Ye Shi's initial instinct wasn't amusement, but wariness. "...What are you thanking me for out of nowhere?"
Jiang Xuezhou hesitated, finding it hard to speak, but ultimately confessed.
"...I shouldn't have assumed you weren't trying."
Ye Shi looked at her, utterly speechless.
"Good grief, is that really how you saw me?"
Did a guy have to shove a magnifying glass into wall cracks hunting for bugs to count as putting in effort?
Damn it!
This girl was acting more and more like his meddlesome mother.
Blushing, Jiang Xuezhou turned her head away and let out a soft huff through her nose.
"Who told you to always act like nothing concerns you?"
"I do think your higher-ups are infuriating, and I don't really want to meddle in their garbage affairs, but it's not like I don't care about *you*..." Ye Shi looked at Jiang Xuezhou, whose blush had spread from behind her ears down to the back of her neck, torn between laughter and tears. He sighed, ruffled the back of his hair, and added, "Wait here for a bit. I'll go in and take a look."
Watching Ye Shi head straight into the alley, Jiang Xuezhou snapped out of her daze and hurriedly chased after him.
"Ah, I'm coming to help too!"
Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "Just don't cause trouble, you damn idiot!"
Jiang Xuezhou glared back fiercely. "I'm coming whether you like it or not! Bah, when have I ever caused trouble? Besides, this is *my* mission!"
"Fine, fine, fine, your mission."
Ye Shi sighed, but the careless attitude he usually carried tightened with a touch of genuine focus.
*These days, even NPCs are competing with players for quests.*
*This game really is way too realistic!*
Chapter 976