Chapter 30: A Rash Love

Morning, three days after leaving the Star Gate. Around 8 AM.

Ren Ye finished a simple breakfast and went to Xu Peng’s office. He hadn’t gone home the previous night, instead staying at 88 Lianhu Road. However, he hadn’t slept well, his mind preoccupied with the tragic deaths of the couple.

“Take a seat,” Xu Peng said, popping two pills into his mouth. His complexion didn’t look great either as he gestured for Ren Ye to sit.

Ren Ye sat silently for a while before suddenly asking, “How’s the investigation on last night’s case?”

“Likely the work of some wandering players,” Xu Peng replied, sipping tea. His face turned toward the sunlight streaming through the window, his voice warm yet filled with regret. “I’m still too slow… My progress has been minimal. If I were in the second or third stage, I might have been able to let them see this world one last time, to say goodbye to their family…”

At this, both men fell silent.

After a long pause, Xu Peng opened a prepared “lecture” and began explaining. “Today, let’s go over the Star Gate advancement system. So far, the Star Gate player progression sequence has seven stages, with ten levels in each stage…”

…

10:30 AM, Tongren Road.

Inside an office that, despite its floor-to-ceiling windows, was shrouded in darkness. Heavy curtains blocked out all sunlight, and the only light came from a small desk lamp casting a faint glow over an exquisite brass and wood desk.

On the sofa sat a man in his fifties with a kindly face. He leaned on a stylishly British cane in his right hand and wore an expensive, tailored black suit. His aura exuded the vibe of a financial tycoon.

Among Shanghai’s player community, he was known as The Cripple Who Hates the Light. He ran a cabaret bar called “Tidal Money” on Tongren Road and was highly respected in the local player circles.

Not far away stood “Big Firecracker” Old Yin, who had experienced a passionate encounter with Mr. He the previous night. He bent slightly at the waist, smiling obsequiously as he reported, “Boss, I’ve found the information Mr. He commissioned me to investigate. I haven’t collected the final payment yet. Should I share this intel with him?”

“The Bell Society is vying for a very important Star Gate. If they succeed, everyone benefits.” The impeccably dressed cripple paused briefly before replying, “Give him the information, but leave no traces.”

“Understood.”

Old Yin, still nursing a slightly sore posterior, bent over to produce a small black velvet pouch, placing it gently on the desk. “Boss, Mr. He paid 7,000 Stellar Essence for last night’s information—14 crystals in total. I’m turning in six as my share.”

The cripple didn’t reach for the pouch. Instead, he asked softly, “Just 14?”

Old Yin froze for a moment, his expression betraying fear as he quickly explained, “Actually… there were 16 crystals. But two of those… I earned myself.”

“?”

The cripple glanced up at him.

“Well, you see, he… and I… we….” Old Yin couldn’t conceal the truth and recounted his “earnings” from the previous night in full detail. He then tentatively asked, “So, about those two Stellar Essence crystals… I don’t have to turn them in, right?”

The cripple was silent for a full five seconds before replying, “Not turning those in… is reasonable.”

“Right?!” Old Yin breathed a sigh of relief.

“Arrange a safe hiding spot for the Bell Society members,” the cripple instructed.

“Yes.”

…

15 minutes later.

Old Yin returned to the “Blood Feud” card room on foot. In the tea room on the second floor, he met Mr. He.

Given their budding “relationship,” Old Yin skipped formalities. “I found something, but I have to warn you, this won’t be easy.”

“…!” Mr. He didn’t respond verbally, only beckoning with a curl of his finger.

Swish!  

Old Yin tossed a file onto the table. “Alright, just… be careful. This afternoon, I’ll arrange a change of residence for you.”

Clatter!

Mr. He tossed a pouch across the table, grabbed the file, and asked softly, “What about the other two things I asked you to look into last night in the private room? Did you check those out?”

“I did, but news from outside the city is slower, and your leads were too vague.” Old Yin sipped his tea. “The two Star Gate prelude tasks you mentioned involved dozens of players. Without clearer information, it’s hard to pin down their identities in the real world.”

“Do your best. I’m willing to increase the price.”

“Smack!” 

He slapped the wrinkles on Old Yin’s cheek lightly and said, “…Thanks for the hard work.”

“Will there be two more pieces of Stellar Essence tonight? If there will be…” Old Yin looked at him eagerly. “There are too many familiar faces in the game room. We could go elsewhere.”

“Darling! The time has come! Watch as I charge into battle and slay that scoundrel…!” Mr. He sang his self-composed opera lines with a touch of theatrics, grabbing the documents and leaving gracefully.

Old Yin watched him go and muttered, “What a mysterious man. You’d think he’s just a tank, but when he gets serious, he’s utterly ruthless…”

After leaving the break room, Mr. He opened the file, glancing down at its contents. It contained information on three individuals: a young man, an elderly man, and a university senior girl.

A little while later, Mr. He returned to his residence. Tossing the file onto the table, he said, “The young one is likely with the Vigil Keeper Unit. The old one has vanished—no leads for now. Only this girl is an easy target. Tonight, we’ll go…”

…

Time flew by, and before long, it was after 8 PM.  

Shanghai, near the university town.  

Four girls, fresh from a lively dinner at a hotpot restaurant, were strolling back to their dorms. They chatted animatedly, arms linked as they walked.

Among the four was a tall, elegant young woman standing about 1.7 meters (5’7″) tall, with exquisite features. Her name was Ren Qingning, none other than the sister of the “Seven-Shot Warlord” and Great Qian’s Prince Huai.  

Ren Qingning had a toned, balanced figure, with a slender waist and a strikingly ample chest. Her face, shaped like a smooth oval, exuded a sweet charm, and her dimples made her smile even more captivating.  

“Ning Ning, did you sign the contract in Suzhou yesterday?” a chubby girl asked curiously.  

“Nope, I just went to have a look,” Ren Qingning replied brightly. “I want to save up enough to get a big house for Ren Daguo and the ‘prisoner.’ There’s no rush—step by step.”  

“True. Don’t fall for those companies and agencies trying to rope you in. The contracts are full of traps. I’ve heard that for streamers with your looks, there’s often… hidden rules. It’s awful. Honestly, you should send resumes with us to TV stations and try for internships instead!” another girl chimed in, half concerned for her friend and half envious.  

“Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”  

“By the way, hasn’t your brother been asking you for money recently? It must be tough having such a useless older brother,” the chubby girl teased.  

“Not really,” Ren Qingning responded cheerfully. “When he was working, half his salary went straight to me!”  

The girls continued chatting as they left the main street, heading toward the dorm through a couple of dimly lit alleys—a shortcut they used daily.  

The campus of Shanghai Media University was new and the location was slightly remote, so the route home involved passing through some darker, quieter areas.  

As they entered the first alley, a bulky man in a knit cap began following them at a leisurely pace. He was none other than Fat Dragon(Fei Long), a member of Copper Bell who had taken part in the ambush on Little Wolf Warrior the previous night and had been the first to harm the ill-fated couple.  

Fat Dragon guzzled a thick black liquid as he walked, his bloated figure exuding menace.  

“They’re in the alley now,” Fat Dragon murmured into his earpiece, his eyes leering at the girls’ backs. His expression twisted into a perverse grin as he continued, “Tell Skinny Monkey to block the other end. I’ll take care of this.”

Over the earpiece, Mr. He’s calm voice instructed, “Those three ordinary people—leave no survivors.”  

“Heh, you don’t need to say that… they’ll die regardless,” Fat Dragon replied maliciously, stepping forward.  

“Swish!”  

Just then, Ren Qingning abruptly stopped walking. She turned to her three friends and said, “Oh no! I forgot I promised to buy milk tea for Xiao Han. Let’s go back and get it.”  

The chubby girl groaned lazily, “Forget it. Let her order delivery!”  

Ren Qingning playfully pinched her friend’s wrist and insisted with a smile, “Come on, I already promised her. She’s always bringing us snacks, so let’s return the favor.”  

The chubby girl hesitated for a moment before nodding obediently. “Alright, let’s go then.”  

With that, the four girls suddenly turned around, heading back toward the bustling street they had just left.  

Fat Dragon, who had been poised to follow them into the alley, froze, frowning deeply. He glanced at the lively street nearby, his fists clenching involuntarily.  

“Swish…!”

The four women passed by the figure, about five meters away.  

“…They went into the alley but came back out, saying they wanted to buy milk tea,” Fat Dragon murmured into his earpiece.  

“This isn’t our zone. Don’t act rashly. Wait for now,” Mr. He replied.  

Fat Dragon paused, took a swig from his bottle of viscous liquid, and then continued following them.  

…

After returning to the bustling main street, Ren Qingning’s plump friend whispered, “Why’d you pinch me just now?”  

“Shh, don’t make noise. Just follow me,” Ren Qingning said, her brows slightly furrowed. She walked steadily to a familiar milk tea shop and placed an order for five drinks with the owner.  

While waiting, she glanced toward the alleyway from the corner of her eye and saw a fat man loitering near a discount shop.  

“That’s forty-five in total, thank you.”  

After some time, the owner called out.  

Ren Qingning paid, took the milk teas, and said, “We’re not going back to school that way.”  

“What? Why not? What’s going on?” another friend asked, looking puzzled.  

“Shut up!”  

Leading the group, Ren Qingning walked slowly toward the other end of the main street, her eyes scanning the surroundings but never looking back.  

About thirty meters behind them, Fat Dragon tossed aside his foul-smelling empty bottle and leisurely followed. “They’re not going back to school,” he muttered into his earpiece.  

Inside an SUV, Mr. He was listening to opera, tapping his fingers lightly on his thigh. “You didn’t get noticed by ordinary people, did you?”  

Just as he finished speaking, on the main street, Ren Qingning suddenly pulled her three friends to the right—heading directly toward a police station commonly seen near university towns.  

“Qingning, what’s going on?!” the plump friend asked, alarmed.  

“There’s someone following us. A fat guy. He’s been watching us since we were eating,” Ren Qingning replied calmly. “Let’s go to the station first and let the police ask him some questions.”  

Criminal cases involving female students weren’t uncommon in remote university areas. Hearing this, the three friends didn’t argue and followed Ren Qingning straight to the police station lobby.  

“How did you notice?” the plump friend asked again. “I didn’t see anything.”  

“Did you forget what my brother does? I’ve watched his training materials over and over…” Ren Qingning was already climbing the police station steps as she spoke.  

About twenty meters away, Fat Dragon froze and urgently asked, “She noticed! She’s heading into the police station! What now?!”  

Mr. He tapped his thigh with his slender fingers and hummed lightly. “The arrow is on the string—it must be shot. Mask up. You and Skinny Monkey grab her and leave. Avoid killing any cops and don’t reveal anything supernatural.”  

“Swish!”  

Upon hearing this, Fat Dragon’s eyes turned vicious, and a sticky, viscous liquid seeped from his cheeks. He sprinted rapidly toward the station.  

“Whoosh!”  

From the other side of the station, Skinny Monkey flung two thin chains, aiming directly at Ren Qingning’s waist.  

“Clink clink clink!”  

The chains shimmered as they whipped through the air, coiling around Ren Qingning’s waist like snakes.  

Feeling the cold metal around her waist, Ren Qingning looked down in shock to see the chains glowing faintly purple. Two iron barbs pierced her skin in an instant. “I… I…!”  

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes turned purple, and her mind became dizzy.  

“Swish!”  

Another chain shot out, heading straight for her neck.  

“Thud thud!”  

Fat Dragon’s heavy footsteps pounded the ground as he reached the police station entrance in the blink of an eye.  

“You… What are you doing?!” The plump friend finally reacted but froze in terror at the sight of Fat Dragon’s grotesque, bubbling face, nearly fainting on the spot.  

Fat Dragon raised a fist, aiming straight for the plump girl’s head.  

“Clink clink clink!”  

The chains spiraled toward Ren Qingning’s neck.  

“Whoosh!”  

At that moment, a shadow darted by, flinging three playing cards.  

“Snap! Crack!”  

The chains holding Ren Qingning flashed and snapped cleanly under the cards’ precision.  

Fat Dragon whipped his head around, growling, “Condense!”  

In an instant, his face and neck turned to stone, coated in a layer of black, viscous material.  

“Thud thud…!”  

Two cards scraped past his neck. The first shattered the stone layer, and the second left a shallow cut on his flesh.  

Fat Dragon raised his head abruptly, his pupils locking onto the source of the attack.  

“Swish!”  

The shadow stopped, revealing a pair of long, straight legs. The figure held a black magician’s staff, raising her arm again.  

“Dammit, a Vigil Keeper!”  

Fat Dragon snarled at the sight of the woman’s legs, his voice filled with alarm.