Volume 1, Chapter 39: Since You Are Here, Make Yourself at Home

"You are the 'Red Cardinal'!?"

Seeing that the car had finally come to a stop, Qin Shang’s expression was rather grim. In the short drive just to enter the residential complex, this woman had slammed the pedal to the floor three times and executed two emergency brakes. He had nearly vomited his stomach acid out.

Once he finished speaking, he hurriedly scrambled out of the car. He clutched his chest and patted it, only then feeling the nausea brought on by the G-force subside slightly. Had he not skipped his meal, he likely would have already vomited all over the ground.

"Are you looking to buy intelligence or a walkthrough from me?"

"Who introduced you? Give me your Divine Path ID..."

In the next moment, the woman stepped out nimbly, clutching a red handbag. This all-red ensemble was something most women could not pull off, yet one had to admit that Miss Pei was strikingly beautiful. The red dress did not make her skin look dull; on the contrary, it highlighted her fair, rosy, and healthy complexion, making her look alluring and enchanting. With an elegant posture and a seductive physique, she was a true stunner.

"My Divine Path ID is 'Lick the Jade Feet of a Cockroach'..."

"However, it’s not me who wants to find you; a friend of mine asked me to do her a favor!"

Miss Pei narrowed her beautiful eyes and took a thin cigarette from her handbag, placing it between her red lips.

"A friend?"

"If you want a favor, does that mean you want me to investigate another player's information?"

"Fine. Below the Order Realm, it’s twenty points; at the Order Realm, forty points. Don't even mention the Rule Realm!"

*Damn, no wonder she can afford such an expensive villa—why don't you just go rob a bank?* 20 points is twenty million RMB! 40 points is forty million; that’s faster than robbery... But... Order Realm? Rule Realm? What are these? Are these the ranks of Divine Path players?

Qin Shang opened his mouth, "Um, actually... it seems she just wanted me to help pass on a message."

"Please don't misunderstand. She was a God-Slayer I met in a dungeon. Her game ID should be 'Grandpa Niu Cosplays a Maid to Seduce Strong Man's Mom'."

Qin Shang wasn't certain if the little girl had lied about the ID. The main issue was that the two of them had spent too little time together. In the brief moment before the girl faced the "Divine Punishment," there wasn't enough time to convey any real information. He had only managed to enter the Xiangya Villa complex because he was lucky enough to bump into this "Red Cardinal" as she was returning home. If he had come at any other time, he might have missed her entirely.

However, upon hearing that ID, the "Red Cardinal" froze mid-motion as she raised her lighter. Her deep, dark eyes locked onto Qin Shang.

"Who?"

"A God-Slayer?"

"Are you saying that 'Grandpa Niu Cosplays a Maid to Seduce Strong Man's Mom' turned into a God-Slayer in a dungeon?"

In the next moment, Qin Shang could clearly feel a shift in the "Red Cardinal’s" emotions; the hand holding the lighter trembled slightly.

"That little girl is dead? Died in the dungeon? Which dungeon?"

Before she finished her sentence, she shook her head as if talking to herself. "Oh! If you were able to meet her and return alive, it means she has already been subjected to 'Divine Punishment'?"

"So, she is dead?"

Hearing this, Qin Shang’s expression turned complex. He didn’t know what kind of relationship existed between the Red Cardinal and "Grandpa Niu," so he dared not speak carelessly.

"Grandpa Niu" had indeed passed away. According to his limited understanding of the so-called balancing mechanism of the Divine Path game, a God-Slayer was essentially a loser among the players matched into that specific dungeon. Once she became a God-Slayer, she had a new task. She only needed to complete her own mission; the Divine Path likely wouldn't let a God-Slayer know all the information within the dungeon.

Once the players successfully cleared the level, it meant the God-Slayer had failed. Furthermore, if the God-Slayer followed through to the final stage of the dungeon exploration, they would essentially know both the main and side quests. At that point, the group of God-Slayers would lose their absolute controllability for the Divine Path! Who knew if a self-aware NPC might, after the next batch of players arrived, spill the entire contents of the main quest for free? To the Divine Path, this NPC would become an uncontrollable element. Thus, there was a risk of disrupting the balance of the Divine Path.

"Divine Punishment" descended, and "Grandpa Niu" was likely truly, completely dead...

In the next moment, Qin Shang gave a bitter smile. "Yes, that’s right..."

"She died!"

"When did she die?"

"Yesterday..."

The "Red Cardinal" shuddered, nearly dropping the cigarette from her hand. After a long while, the woman—who had left Qin Shang with an impression of mature charm—finally regained control over her surging emotions. She took several deep breaths and said, "Since she asked you to come to me, was there anything else she needed to leave behind?"

"She said she hoped you would tell her brother to act as if he never had a sister, to treat it as if she had run away after committing a crime, and to just forget her."

Once these words were out, the "Red Cardinal" went stiff. Only after a long time did she slowly calm down, take a deep breath, and say, "Fine, I understand. But the brother she held so dear—if he were here right now, even she might feel like he’s a stranger."

"After all, time is a cruel blade; it makes many things unrecognizable."

"Do you want to come along?"

"Can I?"

Qin Shang felt a bit nervous and uneasy. The "Red Cardinal" before him was clearly a high-ranking Divine Path player. As a "Public Enemy" Trickster, interacting too much with someone like this would inevitably lead to exposure. What if she decided to kill him for points after discovering his identity? This was reality, not the "Death Train." He didn't have another ghost like "Aier" to take a bullet for him...

"Get in the car!"

The "Red Cardinal" didn't say much more, waving for Qin Shang to get in. Qin Shang gritted his teeth. *When in Rome, do as the Romans do.* Grandpa Niu shouldn't lead him into a trap.

Throughout the rest of the journey, the woman in the red dress remained silent. It seemed that receiving the news of "Grandpa Niu's" death was something she couldn't immediately process. After they had driven several kilometers away from the Xiangya Villa, she finally regained her composure, returning to the calm, indifferent demeanor she had started with. Then, her next words were like a thunderclap.

"You’re a Trickster, aren't you?"

"?"

Qin Shang’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn't said a word for so long, and this was how she started? His expression distorted, and he glanced out the window. The scenery outside blurred as they sped by; it was night, and traffic was light, but the woman’s Ferrari was moving so fast that the surrounding cars looked like streaks to Qin Shang. He had every reason to believe that if he jumped out now, he would surely die.

"You guessed wrong..."

He was just about to offer a rebuttal when the "Red Cardinal" pulled out another cigarette and placed it in her mouth. Seeming to read the wariness in Qin Shang’s eyes, she offered a playful smile, her red lips parting.

"Don't misunderstand. I know at least eight or ten thousand Tricksters; I won't do anything to you."

*True.* She lived in a high-end complex where properties cost over a hundred thousand per square meter. One hundred points—a small fortune—might not hold as much appeal to the "Red Cardinal" as he had imagined.

"The hundred points for killing a Trickster might look like a lot to an Order Realm player, but in my eyes, it’s just a drop in the ocean."

"Besides, this is reality. Players of other professions don't have that hidden mission to kill Tricksters. Even if I killed you, I wouldn't get a reward!"

The Red Cardinal continued, "Under normal circumstances, God-Slayers only appear in Trickster dungeons."

"And usually, without the help of a Trickster, the mortality rate for other professions in such dungeons is the highest."

"If I were a God-Slayer, I would never ask someone from a profession that could die at any moment in the dungeon to pass a message to someone in reality. After all, who knows if they'll even make it out alive!"

"If I were to ask anyone, it would definitely be a Trickster, who has the highest survival rate and the best chance of making it through."

"Moreover, only a Trickster, as a 'Public Enemy' to everyone, would help a God-Slayer. After all, in the dungeon, if you didn't encounter a Trickster, there wouldn't be NPCs like God-Slayers specifically meant to oppose players. Players of other professions would wish for God-Slayers to be shredded to pieces, let alone help them pass messages."

Hearing this, Qin Shang felt a sense of powerlessness. *This woman’s logic is crystal clear!* It turned out that in the eyes of a high-ranking Divine Path player, his exposure was surprisingly easy.

"I’ll ask you one more time: so you are a Trickster class?"

"Yes..."

"A newbie?"

"Yes!"