Volume 1, Chapter 62: Say That ID Again!

Boom!

Although Qin Shang had never been able to win an argument against his wife Jiang Qiqi, the Justice Hawk's upside-down logic and distortion of black and white were clearly not enough to stump him.

Especially when it came to playing the pitiful card.

Does the hell only you have a wife, and only you have a daughter in this world?

Don't I have someone I want to protect?

Don't I have someone I want to accompany?

Under the guise of accompanying your daughter's growth, can you cross the river and demolish the bridge right after someone brought you back alive from the jaws of death?

What kind of pig-and-dog-like beastly rhetoric is this?

"What do you know? What the hell do you know..."

An angry roar echoed from not far away.

Sure enough, as these words fell, the Justice Hawk's face flickered between green and red, plunging completely into overwhelming fury.

Immediately afterward, he abruptly put on a pair of gloves emitting a milky-white luster and charged fiercely toward Qin Shang.

With a ferocious expression and murderous intent, his appearance here today indicated that his desire to kill Qin Shang had climbed to its absolute peak.

Whoosh—

Qin Shang had already gripped his character card, remaining constantly vigilant against this fellow's sneak attack.

Giving the Justice Hawk almost no time to close in, a red dress materialized out of thin air and slipped onto Qin Shang's body.

In an instant, Qin Shang transformed into a transparent shadow.

This was his first time using the dress's skill; he felt as though the matter within his body was being rearranged and recombined, an indescribable sensation blanketing his entire being.

The second skill of the "Cursed Red Dress" allowed the wearer to enter a five-second state of [Void].

The Justice Hawk's seemingly ferocious attack struck empty air, causing him to take a tumble face-first into the mud.

Seeing this, Qin Shang remained expressionless.

Only a black crucifix appeared in his hand...

"Good, truly worthy of a Tier 2 item, undoubtedly the highest reward of an S-rank instance. It is no empty rumor that the [Trickster] is naturally the player best suited for clearing instances. The rewards we get are at most equivalent to A-rank instances, yet what you obtained is the reward of a normal S-rank instance. It's hard not to feel envious..."

Not far away, the Justice Hawk wiped the mud from the corner of his mouth after picking himself up from his fall and immediately jumped back to his feet.

Qin Shang hadn't attacked him, so he hadn't sustained any injuries.

He just looked slightly disheveled in appearance.

"A Level 1 Trickster will never be a match for a Martial Artist. Even with a Priest's item in your hands, don't think you can constrain me. Given your current level, how much power can those items actually unleash?"

"Wanting to kill you is a matter of moments for me; at most, you're just making a cornered beast's desperate struggle relying on items."

He was just about to launch a second attack on Qin Shang.

"Yeah, I know I can't beat you. I just wanted to disgust you for a bit!"

Suddenly, Qin Shang smiled playfully, not a shred of panic visible on his face. The words he uttered, however, made the Justice Hawk's heart skip a beat with an inexplicable 'thud'.

"In fact, I never had any intention of tangling with you at all."

"There will be someone of a higher level than me to adjudicate you; why should I take such a desperate risk?"

Someone of a higher level than me to adjudicate you?

As soon as these words were spoken, the Justice Hawk's heart shook, failing to fully grasp what Qin Shang meant by them.

This brat kept staring at him with a playful and mocking expression, making him feel thoroughly uncomfortable all over.

Emotions churned within the Justice Hawk, and an ominous premonition inexplicably arose in his heart.

Steeling his heart and refusing to ponder what trick Qin Shang was up to, he simply wrote it off as mere bravado.

Stamping his foot fiercely into the ground, he transformed into a fierce, vicious afterimage and charged toward the youth.

Yet Qin Shang's expression remained unchanged, and he even deactivated the "Cursed Red Dress" item.

Immediately afterward, a scene that filled the Justice Hawk with doubt and anxiety unfolded before his astonished and uncomprehending gaze.

"00:00."

"Well then, goodbye..."

As his voice trailed off, Qin Shang's figure suddenly dissolved into specks of light and vanished from the spot.

The phantom grew increasingly transparent before disappearing completely without a trace in an instant, as if no one had ever stood there at all.

Witnessing this, the Justice Hawk looked utterly dumbfounded, as if he had just seen a ghost.

What the hell?!

How did this fellow vanish on the spot? What kind of item is this, what class skill is this?

Invisibility?

He had never heard of any class whose players possessed invisibility...

Isn't invisibility just a bit too preposterous, for fuck's sake?

The next moment, a horrifying thought surged into the Justice Hawk's mind.

"An instance!"

"This fellow entered an instance!"

"He was teleported into one by the God's Path!"

Only this could explain why, right as he glanced down at the time and called out 00:00, the target had transformed into an afterimage and vanished.

Yet... how could this be possible? He had only emerged from the [Death Train] instance yesterday.

How could he possibly enter an instance again so soon?

Scarcely a day had passed. Even for a B-rank task with the lowest point reward, the points awarded would be enough for this brat to live comfortably in the real world for several days.

Why would he be teleported into an instance by the God's Path?

The Justice Hawk was utterly baffled.

Just then, a rustling sound came from not far away. Someone entered the small grove in the park, and the next moment, under the moonlight, a straight, black-clad figure slowly walked out of the darkness.

The moonlight fell upon that handsome face, one that could make women feel ashamed of their own appearance.

The man's expression was icy, resembling a machine devoid of emotion. Combined with his all-black attire, he looked like an assassin emerging from the shadows, save for the fact that his profound eyes were filled with fury.

Recognizing the newcomer, the Justice Hawk instantly shuddered.

"Mr. Yin..."

Seeing that tall, upright young figure, the Justice Hawk's calves couldn't help trembling.

Official players were not permitted to casually display their abilities as God's Path players in the real world.

And he hadn't even removed the item-based boxing gloves from his hands yet...

Especially upon noticing Mr. Yin appearing here, the Justice Hawk felt another inexplicable 'thud' in his heart.

He only felt that ominous premonition growing stronger by the moment.

In his mind, Qin Shang's playful smile before leaving replayed constantly, filling him with anxiety.

Following that, figures successively walked into this abandoned sports park.

Not only Mr. Yin, but even Young Master Zheng, who had been lingering nearby as a spectator, had arrived.

Then the Crimson Archpriest, Gentleman, and others successively walked up to the edge of the small grove...

Before long, the entire grove was packed with figures.

The Justice Hawk looked at the crowd gathered before him, a flash of bewilderment sweeping across his expression.

Why? They were clearly inside the bar—why had they all suddenly run out here?

The Justice Hawk felt that he had to say something at this moment, so he gritted his teeth and spoke with agitation:

"Mr., Mr. Yin, I was just apprehending a criminal suspect, and then he suddenly vanished. I..."

Before he could finish, Young Master Yin, dressed entirely in black, let out a cold laugh.

"Fine methods. An official player takes action against another player during the settlement phase of an instance, attempting to harm a compatriot to gain points. When things come to light afterward, instead of trying to make amends or repent, his very first thought is to silence the witness by killing him."

"Justice Hawk, just how many surprises are you going to bring me?"

Boom!

At these words, the Justice Hawk turned pale with fright.

How could Mr. Yin possibly know about this?!

"It's a misunderstanding, Mr. Yin, a misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding! Everything that fellow said on the God's Path official forum is sheer falsehood; he is slandering me..."

Hearing this, Mr. Yin laughed instead of getting angry.

"And the live-broadcasted Bluetooth audio is also a misunderstanding?"

"The contents you confessed to with your own mouth are also a misunderstanding? Am I framing you?"

Confessed with my own mouth?

When on earth did I...

At this thought, the Justice Hawk froze instantly.

Immediately afterward, the Crimson Archpriest not far away suddenly stepped forward two paces, squatted down to grope around the spot where Qin Shang had just vanished, and picked up a smartphone along with something resembling a voice recorder from the grass. The Justice Hawk's eyes widened in horror.

The next moment, the Crimson Archpriest explained:

"I have an item called 'Classmate Xiao Ming's Eavesdropping Device'. I lent it to him to use just now. The entire process of your conversation was transmitted through the item to my end, and then I used Bluetooth to play it through the audio equipment inside the bar."

"Every single word of the conversation between the two of you just now was heard loud and clear by every customer in the bar."

"Of course, that naturally includes your supreme leader, Young Master Yin!"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Zheng, dressed in pristine white nearby, was momentarily stunned.

The Bluetooth in my bar was actually used by him as well?

The next moment, he sighed inwardly, marveling at what a truly free and unbridled soul the kid was.

He had actually made free use of him twice, and even utilized his bar's Bluetooth audio playback equipment without his permission.

Truly worthy of being a free youth...

Put that way, however, asking him to help hold down the fort was nothing more than a feint.

His purpose wasn't even to have a fair fight with the Justice Hawk to give tit for tat.

Rather, it was to divert the Justice Hawk's attention, making him think Young Master Zheng was the trump card of 'Desperately Licking Cockroach Soles', thereby lowering his guard.

What a clever young man.

He is truly worthy of being a free soul just like me.

Young Master Zheng couldn't help mentally giving a thumbs-up in praise, repeating that descriptor of a free soul once more.

Isn't the highest realm of freedom simply doing whatever one pleases?

Whether utilizing himself or utilizing the bar's external audio equipment—

This young man hadn't consulted anyone beforehand...

Ah, he really was sufficiently free!

"Slander, fabrication, they are slandering me! Mr. Yin, this woman is spouting nonsense. No matter what you heard, it's all fake; it must be synthesized audio... I didn't say any of those things just now."

"I have no idea how that brat vanished either. Once he returns, once he comes out of the instance, we can confront each other face to face!"

The Justice Hawk's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily before he spoke out in agitation.

He could already imagine his own fate. If it were truly confirmed that he harbored murderous intent toward another player out of selfish desires inside an instance, his doom would not be far off.

Hearing this, the Crimson Archpriest crossed her arms and let out a mocking chuckle as she said:

"Curious as to how he suddenly entered the God's Path?"

The woman revealed a playful expression capable of captivating nations.

"He gave me all the points he had in advance, leaving only a single point for himself. When the clock struck 00:00 today, his time was naturally up."

"According to the rules of the God's Path, one point is deducted, and since his point balance had been emptied, he was naturally teleported into an instance by the God's Path."

"So, from beginning to end, that fellow's purpose in luring you into the grove was never to duel you—you were simply being foolish."

Qin Shang had already laid out his plan to the Crimson Archpriest while they were in the car.

It was just that Young Master Zheng's part had been added temporarily during their second discussion after arriving at the bar.

In other words, it wouldn't have mattered even without Young Master Zheng.

Qin Shang simply wanted to manufacture an impression for the Justice Hawk that he had reached his wits' end, consumed by rage and grievance.

As long as he wasn't hauled away under the guise of so-called official procedures—

Then Qin Shang would have no shortage of room to maneuver...

And since the Justice Hawk was eager to silence witnesses, Qin Shang's proactive suggestion of a duel likely played right into the Justice Hawk's own desires.

Otherwise, even if Qin Shang were taken away under the pretext of assisting an investigation, finding an opportunity to wipe him out right under the noses of several colleagues would not have been easy.

Killing Qin Shang to silence him inside the grove was precisely what he wished for.

How could the Justice Hawk possibly consider any other miscellaneous matters?

How could he have guessed that the brat possessed such deep cunning?

Qin Shang had known from the very beginning that bringing down an official player like the Justice Hawk would by no means be easy.

Taking the matter to a formal tribunal would likely drag things out and make them increasingly troublesome.

Even within official procedures, upon receiving a report, the Justice Hawk would merely be detained and interrogated.

Yet there were far too many ways to spin lies and exonerate oneself.

With the other God's Path players from that same instance practically wiped out, Qin Shang lacked any powerful evidence.

It would amount to nothing more than a he-said-she-said dispute.

And he had no desire to wrangle with the Justice Hawk.

Therefore, he naturally had to abandon that option.

His stated objective of getting rid of the Justice Hawk had never once changed; he had merely switched approaches.

Going one-on-one with him—the best possible outcome would be getting rid of the Justice Hawk to exact revenge and wipe away the grievance.

However, once the Justice Hawk was dead, Qin Shang, who had previously been engaged in a he-said-she-said dispute while holding a shred of moral high ground, would instantly become the one who silenced a witness by murder.

To those ignorant of right and wrong, the label of murdering to silence a witness would be slapped onto him.

Qin Shang would be unable to clear his name or prove that he was merely settling a debt with the exact perpetrator and giving tit for tat.

The best-case scenario would be a conviction for murder...

Qin Shang was not stupid.

Isn't it much better to let the man reap what he has sown and suffer the punishment handed down by the official authorities?

Why on earth should I risk my life to duel him?

From start to finish, among everyone who knew of the conflict between Qin Shang and the Justice Hawk, the Crimson Archpriest was the only one fully aware of his plan.

"Mr. Yin, you really ought to discipline your subordinates properly. For a novice [Trickster], the conditions to clear a trial instance are already arduous enough. If a few more fellows resembling the Justice Hawk crop up among official players, then the number of [Trickster] players in the Order Realm will only dwindle in the future."

"By then, there won't be anyone capable of providing walkthroughs for us in many low-tier instances."

"Over time, this will form a vicious cycle. When that happens, the fresh blood of other class players might also suffer setbacks and impacts—and this is a gravely serious matter."

"If this case of his isn't dealt with severely, who's to say similar situations won't multiply among your official players..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, perhaps there are already many, only you lot haven't discovered them. After all, just as your subordinate here stated a moment ago, once a witness is silenced, the matter becomes known only to the heavens, the earth, you, and him. And when you're gone, only I remain."

The next moment, the Crimson Archpriest crossed her arms, her proud chest drawing sideways glances again and again.

Yet only two individuals stood aloof, entirely unimpressed by this sexy stunner's seductive posture.

Naturally, they were the freedom-yearning Young Master Zheng and the woman-averse Young Master Yin.

"Justice Hawk!"

"Come back with me to face adjudication from the organization!"

The next moment, the perpetually ice-cold Mr. Yin stepped forward, his aura oppressive.

The playful smirk at the corner of the Crimson Archpriest's lips deepened.

She was someone who loved nothing more than stirring up chaos. With her provocation at this moment, anyone with eyes could see:

If Mr. Yin chose to shield his subordinate today, the credibility of the God's Path official players would likely take a massive hit moving forward.

The Justice Hawk's expression flickered between shades of light and dark.

"Mr. Yin, that fellow 'Desperately Licking Cockroach Soles' harbors wicked intentions. Having just become a God's Path player, he already possesses so many schemes; he might well become a grave menace in the future. I suggest you—"

Boom!

A terrifying pressure akin to a volcanic eruption suddenly descended upon the Justice Hawk.

From a third-person perspective, the onlookers felt only a blur before their eyes.

They saw that Young Master White-Clothes Yin had already appeared directly before the Justice Hawk, pressing his palm firmly against the man's forehead, knuckles turning white as he exerted pressure with his fingertips.

From the looks of it, he might crush that skull to pieces at any second.

Uninformed onlookers eating melons might assume Young Master Yin was enraged because the Justice Hawk was still sophistry-spinning on the verge of death.

Yet only Young Master Yin himself knew that his失态 (loss of composure) at this moment stemmed entirely from that ID.

"You..."

"Say it again."

The next moment, Mr. Yin's icy voice issued forth as if from a netherworld ice cellar, utterly devoid of warmth.

Countless people let out gasps of alarm, looking at one another in dismay.

This included Young Master Zheng, who frequently interacted with this head of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, as well as the Crimson Archpriest.

None of them understood why Mr. Yin had suddenly lost his composure.

"I said, that nickname is not something to be joked about!"

Mr. Yin's face was dark.

"I wasn't joking; that fellow's name really is 'Desperately Licking Cockroach Soles'."

The Crimson Archpriest not far away also blinked her large eyes in bewilderment before mocking:

"What's wrong with Mr. Yin?"

"Didn't you come here today just to watch the show?"

"How can you not even recognize the two main principals involved in the conflict?"

Hearing this, the black-clad Mr. Yin raised an eyebrow.

"What show?"

His appearance here today was purely because he had gotten off work early with nothing much going on at the office, and decided on a whim to drop by the Cloister Bar for a couple of drinks.

He was a person detached from vulgar amusements, rarely paying attention to disputes and verbal sparring among the God's Path player community.

In his view, wasting one's time over irrelevant people was tantamount to wasting one's life.

With that kind of energy, he might as well lie in bed and sleep an extra two minutes.

"The show where your subordinate put out a bounty on a novice Trickster on the forum, and the two of them arranged a duel!"

"We thought you came here today specifically to watch it."

At these words, Mr. Yin furrowed his brow.

He opened the God's Path official player forum at lightning speed and glanced at the Justice Hawk's post.

Upon spotting the nickname 'Desperately Licking Cockroach Soles' among the replies—

A flash of shock flickered deep within his eyes, which he swiftly reined in as he drew a long, heavy breath.

"Hah!"

Noticing so many people staring, Mr. Yin rapidly adjusted his emotions, taking a deep breath to forcefully suppress the shock in his heart.

Immediately afterward, pretending to be calm, he ordered his subordinates to detain the Justice Hawk.

After all, he still possessed some self-control; he couldn't afford to lose his composure with so many people watching.

However, Young Master Zheng—who belonged to the same Four Young Masters of Beijing—managed to discern a trace of anomaly at this moment.

For instance, Mr. Yin's left hand was tucked behind his back...

Judging from the upper arm spasming continuously, that arm was twitching like crazy.

Though his face remained impassive, the twitching upper arm vividly reflected Mr. Yin's emotional turbulence.

His inner state was clearly far from as calm and placid as he appeared on the surface.