Chapter 58: The Mysterious Man

In the dungeon of Prince Huai’s manor,

Imperial Inspector Liu lay on a foul-smelling straw mat, his gaze blankly staring at the ceiling.

This was an expression born of utter despair—numbness after extreme hopelessness.

He had been in this Star Gate for a full ten days. While others were experiencing the mission, he lay there; while others returned to reality, he lay there… It could be said that he had no “gaming experience” whatsoever.

The most critical thing was that he had just activated the second act’s mission, and the primary objective was for him to escape within six hours. If he failed, he would die…

Escape?

How the hell was he supposed to escape?! This was Prince Huai’s dungeon, full of traps and guarded by soldiers; the outer perimeter was monitored by eunuchs, and nearby, Martial Artists stood watch. His chances of breaking out were nearly zero.

He really couldn’t understand—where were his Opportunist Faction teammates? Didn’t anyone notice that he was missing? Couldn’t anyone come to rescue him?!

And that Chief Historian Li Yan, damn it, it was because I listened to your nonsense that I fired at Prince Huai in the hall. Now I’m in this mess, and you don’t even care? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?!

What a bunch of idiots!

Hoo~!

Imperial Inspector Liu let out a long sigh, bracing himself on the ground to sit up, forcing himself to shake off the stupor. “No, I can’t just lie here anymore. If I keep lying down, I’m dead.”

In these seven days, his external injuries had mostly healed. This was because Second Fool and Lian’er, fearing that Prince Huai might still have use for him, had been bringing him medicine and food every day to keep him alive.

What should he do?

Imperial Inspector Liu raised a hand, which smelled worse than excrement, and gently stroked his chin, his mind whirring.

First of all, trying to break out forcefully wasn’t going to work. While he had certain unique abilities and items, they wouldn’t be much use in an escape attempt. Secondly, the Opportunist Faction lacked any communication tools, and he couldn’t even ask his teammates for help…

After thinking it through, Imperial Inspector Liu felt that the only possibility for escape was to request a meeting with Prince Huai and then expose his identity as a Opportunist player. He could then flatter the prince and completely throw in his lot with him.

As for whether Prince Huai would accept him, that was up to fate.

In any case, it was a risky move. If Prince Huai had no use for him and wanted to reduce the number of Opportunist Faction players, he might end up getting a knife in his side…

Bang!

Thud!

At that moment, two muffled sounds echoed through the dungeon corridor, as if a heavy object had fallen to the ground.

“Huh?”

Imperial Inspector Liu frowned slightly, getting up cautiously with his disheveled hair, his eyes focused on the corridor.

Tap tap…

A rapid set of footsteps approached—light, as if coming from just around him.

Swish!

Imperial Inspector Liu couldn’t figure out what was happening, so he instinctively dropped back onto the ground and pretended to be dead.

He closed his eyes, his ears listening as the footsteps grew closer. Soon, there was a sharp clinking sound outside the wooden gate.

Clank!

The chains fell to the ground.

Imperial Inspector Liu’s heart raced, and his body tensed, but he still remained motionless.

Swish!

A shadow appeared next to him, looking down to ask, “Hey, hey, wake up! Are you conscious?”

As the figure spoke, it reached out a hand to gently push Imperial Inspector Liu’s head.

Hesitation, struggle, fear…

But in the end, Imperial Inspector Liu slowly opened his eyes, pretending to wake up.

What he saw was a mysterious figure dressed in dark clothing, face covered. From the silhouette, it appeared to be a man.

Damn, with that outfit, this guy is a true hero!

Imperial Inspector Liu’s heart raced with excitement, his voice tentative. “You…?!”

“I’m here to rescue you. Can you walk?” the mysterious man asked quickly.

Imperial Inspector Liu’s desperate heart pounded wildly in his chest, and without hesitation, he nodded. “I can!”

Swish!

The mysterious man immediately took out a pill from his waist. “Take this, it’ll restore some of your strength.”

Imperial Inspector Liu glanced at the pill in the man’s hand. After a brief hesitation, he took it without further thought and swallowed it.

There was no worse situation than this. If he hesitated for even a second more, he might lose his chance to escape.

As the pill entered his stomach, a warm current spread through him, and he immediately felt a sense of comfort, his spirit lifting.

It wasn’t poison; this person was truly here to rescue him.

Imperial Inspector Liu quickly sprang to his feet, raising his shackled hands and feet. “Get these off, it’s inconvenient.”

Swish!

The mysterious man drew a dagger from his waist and with a couple of clinks, shattered the wooden shackles. He then whispered, “We have at most fifteen minutes to escape, stay close to me.”

“Got it.” Imperial Inspector Liu nodded.

As soon as the words were out, the two of them left through the wooden gate of the prison and swiftly moved through the corridors.

While running, Imperial Inspector Liu kept observing his surroundings. He noticed several unconscious soldiers scattered along the way. From their positions and expressions, it seemed they had been struck by some kind of sleeping gas or poison, caught off guard.

His observational skills weren’t particularly impressive, but they were enough for someone with the experience of a reform prisoner who had been jailed twice.

The two moved efficiently, and before long, they had passed through three hallways and made it out of the dungeon entrance.

It was already morning. The sunlight was bright, but there was still a cool dampness in the air, and the plants in the dungeon courtyard were covered with glistening dew.

This felt so good. Imperial Inspector Liu had rarely seen the sun at Prince Huai’s manor. He took a deep breath of fresh air—this was the scent of freedom.

“Which way do we run?” Imperial Inspector Liu asked, looking at the mysterious man.

The mysterious man hid by the entrance, first scanning the surroundings, then glanced toward the left side of the prison courtyard.

Imperial Inspector Liu followed his gaze and saw a small side room with a stick of sandalwood incense burning halfway.

“The incense is halfway burned; the patrols will be coming. We wait here, behind the room,” the mysterious man said, throwing out a quick command before dashing toward the side room without waiting for a response.

“He’s a professional.”

Imperial Inspector Liu thought to himself and immediately followed.

The two hid behind the side room, pressed against the narrow alley in the middle of the wall, lying flat and not daring to move.

It was now a chance for conversation, and Imperial Inspector Liu casually asked, “Brother, who sent you to save me?”

“Heh, Prince Huai.” The mysterious man gave a cold laugh.

“Heh.” Imperial Inspector Liu sneered as well. “It was Chief Historian Li Yan, wasn’t it? Are you… a local, or an outsider?”

This question clearly implied asking if the mysterious man was a local informant or an outsider player.

However, the mysterious man didn’t answer directly. Instead, he whispered, “The second act has begun, and everyone is preparing to enter the tomb. Who would take the risk to save you without a very good reason?”

Imperial Inspector Liu thought carefully about the question but didn’t answer immediately.

“Prince Huai is a player, and he just woke up,” the mysterious man said quietly. “All the experts here have gone to see him. This is your only chance for rescue.”

Imperial Inspector Liu still didn’t speak, but kept his eyes fixed on the mysterious man.

“Are you really going to keep playing dumb with me?” The mysterious man lowered his voice and cursed, “My task specifically requires that I rescue you. So, tell me, who do you think I’m working for?”

Imperial Inspector Liu saw that the man denied being sent by Li Yan, which eased some of his doubts. But he still asked, “Are you from the Imperial faction?”

“I’ll just kill you myself!” The mysterious man raised his steel knife slightly, pressing it against Imperial Inspector Liu’s neck.

“Wait, wait, brother, we’re all on the same side. No need to get worked up.” Imperial Inspector Liu trembled. “With you dressed like this, how am I supposed to tell who you are?!”

“Are you really asking if I’m from the Imperial faction? Would they send someone alone to rescue you? Would they have waited until now to act?” The mysterious man gritted his teeth, speaking slowly, “I’m an Opportunist!”

“Enough talk. Long live the Opportunists!”

Imperial Inspector Liu immediately sighed with relief upon hearing this. “Comrade, why did it take you so long to get here?”

The mysterious man rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know what’s been happening outside?”

“??!”

Imperial Inspector Liu froze for a moment, instinctively asking, “How the hell would I know what’s happening outside, when I’ve been locked up this whole time?”

“In the last act, a player died. Xu Tianshi led the ministers to force Prince Huai into a corner at the Hall of Tranquility, but Prince Huai suddenly counterattacked and killed them all.” The mysterious man spoke quietly. “This place is under strict surveillance. There was no opportunity to rescue you until now.”

“That useless Prince Huai actually managed to retaliate and kill?” Imperial Inspector Liu was stunned. “How did he do that?!”

“Who knows.” The mysterious man turned his head and glanced around. Seeing a line of soldiers moving through the courtyard and entering the dungeon, he quickly continued, “Let’s talk later. When they enter the dungeon, they’ll find the guards have been knocked out. We should take this opportunity to move quickly. Once we’re out of the courtyard, you find a place to hide, and we’ll meet again at the Princess’s tomb.”

“Got it.” Imperial Inspector Liu nodded immediately.

With that, the two of them took advantage of the soldiers entering the dungeon to quickly scale the high wall and leave.

After running for less than a quarter of an hour through the small garden, cries of alarm came from the dungeon direction.

“Some thieves have broken into the prison!”

“Imperial Inspector Liu has escaped!”

“…!”

The shouts soon became a chorus. The mysterious man crouched in the grass, looking up at Imperial Inspector Liu and said, “Entering the Princess’s tomb might require disguise. Let’s come up with a codeword.”

Imperial Inspector Liu frowned and looked at him. “Brother, the crime I’m accused of in the great hall has been confirmed, and now there’s nowhere for me to hide. Do you have a safe place? Can you give me one…?”

“I have nothing!” The mysterious man replied helplessly. “My character status is low, it’s a miracle I can even hide myself. You’ll have to figure it out.”

Imperial Inspector Liu’s expression grew anxious. “Alright then. I’ll come up with a codeword for when we meet at the Princess’s tomb.”

“Go ahead.”

“Hmm…” Imperial Inspector Liu thought carefully and then blurted out, “Prince Huai’s father will always encounter vice raids when he gets in a car, and his grandmother will always run into hooligans when she dances!!”

The mysterious man froze, stiffening suddenly.

“How’s that?” Imperial Inspector Liu asked.

“Great codeword!” The mysterious man nodded emphatically. “I’ll remember it. See you later.”

“Long live the Opportunist!” Imperial Inspector Liu clenched his stinky little fist and gritted his teeth. “Now that I’m out, the good days of that bastard Prince Huai are over.”

“It’s a must.”

The two of them bumped fists and then hurriedly fled the scene.

…

Moments later, the mysterious man walked into an empty side room and immediately removed the black cloth covering his face.

He was none other than the useless Prince Huai, Ren Ye, the one whose father always got caught in vice raids when he got in a car.

“Ah, this poor lady had been waiting so long for you.” A charming figure appeared, asking flirtatiously, “Has His Highness figured out Imperial Inspector Liu’s abilities?”

Ren Ye, dressed in black, glanced at him. “He asked immediately if I was Chief Historian Li Yan’s man. I didn’t answer directly, so he asked again if I was from the Imperial Faction.”

Tang Feng extended his “jade hand” and picked up a tea cup. “I have a special disc, a communication tool exclusive to the Imperial Faction players. If he were one of them, he’d definitely use this to stay in contact with us, he wouldn’t ask such a question.”

“Exactly. So I took a gamble and told him I was from the Opportunist Faction, and he also admitted.”

Ren Ye gently set his waist knife down. “This man has contact with Li Yan and is from the Opportunist Faction. Keeping an eye on him is perfect.”

Second Fool said that while monitoring Imperial Inspector Liu, the man often mumbled in his sleep, cursing Prince Huai, and his speech was very strange.

The ancient people couldn’t understand it, but Ren Ye knew immediately that this was a player from outside.

Now, he had three options: First, kill Imperial Inspector Liu and reduce the number of enemy players; second, recruit him to his own faction; third, let him go and set up a trap.

After much consideration, killing Imperial Inspector Liu would indeed reduce one enemy player, and it was the simplest and most direct method. However, it wouldn’t help much, as there were countless enemies around—one more or less didn’t really matter.

But if he staged a show and let him escape, the variables would be huge. In Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate, no player was a fool. Everyone had been hiding their identities, and in order to win, it was crucial to figure out who the opponents were, how many there were, and how the factions were divided…

Information was key in this game.

Moreover, letting him go still offered the possibility of turning him to their side. If the princess refused to join their faction, Imperial Inspector Liu could be used as a backup.

So Ren Ye decided to throw out some bait and set up a trap!