You trusted the master thief, and when you received the brocade pouch, he stole your ten wish stones.

Little adventurer, don't be sad! Please return to the beginning and start your adventure again!

Alright, the first NPC I encountered was the hidden hunter.

This made things even worse for families that were already struggling financially.

Xu Zhaozhao was speechless and silently gave him the middle finger in her mind.

"Sizzle."

Gu Qingyan's soft laughter came from the side.

Xu Zhaozhao crumpled the note into a ball, glared at Gu Qingyan, and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"What are you laughing at!"

After saying that, Xu Zhaozhao turned around and walked towards the starting point.

She walked quickly, but Gu Qingyan followed closely behind.

Luckily, we only walked a short distance, otherwise we would have really lost out.

Upon returning to their original spot, they discovered that the production team had thoughtfully prepared recycling bins for the props.

Xu Zhaozhao walked to the recycling bin and raised the crumpled paper in her hand to throw it in, only to find a note stuck to the edge.

"Hidden hunters that have not been eliminated are elusive and may be triggered a second time."

In other words, the hidden hunter went to other locations to commit fraud, and his exact location is no longer on the map.

Tsk.

Xu Zhaozhao threw the crumpled paper and brocade pouch into the recycling bin.

The game was more difficult than she had imagined.

A highly-rated comment appeared in the comments section: "Don't steal it, Da Ge! My sister Zhao doesn't have any bitter tea seeds left, I'm going to cry."

Xu Zhaozhao turned to look at Gu Qingyan, "Let's find a convenience store first. It's better to spend the money than to have it stolen."

"good."

Gu Qingyan had no objection and nodded.

He even had his own little selfish motives.

The more hidden hunters you trigger, the fewer NPCs you can identify, and the more chaotic the game becomes.

Only on television would she put away all her thorns and spare him a glance.

Let's just keep broadcasting it like this.

He walked alongside Xu Zhaozhao, concealing his thoughts and emotions well.

Along the way, we passed many NPCs, some dressed in ancient style, some in modern casual wear, and some in futuristic tech style.

But Xu Zhaozhao didn't approach any of them to chat.

My wallet can't take it anymore, it really can't.

When passing the fifth pair of NPCs, Xu Zhaozhao finally found the "Forest Convenience Store".

The shop sells Elimination Charms, Hunter Locator Charms, and NPC Truth Charms; these cost 10 Wish Stones, 120 Wish Stones, and 200 Wish Stones respectively.

Xu Zhaozhao originally had 45, but 10 were stolen, leaving her with only 35. Combined with the 80 on Gu Qingyan, she has a total of 115.

hehe.

I can't afford anything except for elimination charms.

Xu Zhaozhao waved her hand and directly took 11 elimination charms.

She completely forgot that she had previously told Gu Qingyan to "spend money savvyly".

"Miss, here is your removal charm, please take it."

The shopkeeper handed the removal talisman to Xu Zhaozhao, who carefully examined the talisman she had bought at great expense.

If it's called a talisman, then it really is a talisman; the front side is just a series of incomprehensible symbols.

She turned it over to look at the explanation of its usage.

[Place the talisman on the forehead of the hidden hunter to eliminate him.]

There is an NPC right next to the convenience store.

Xu Zhaozhao stepped forward, and the white-collar-looking NPC came to greet her.

"Hey, miss, do you need a job?"

He handed the recruitment poster to Xu Zhaozhao, saying, "If you come to our company, we have many opportunities for overseas internships."

"Miss, I think we have a connection. We'll give you priority in being hired by our company! We'll reward you with ten thousand wishing stones and a mysterious treasure every day!"

Snap!

Xu Zhaozhao made a quick decision and stuck the yellow talisman on the white-collar worker's forehead.

The man froze on the spot, then ran away in a distorted manner.

Xu Zhaozhao clapped her hands and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, the kidneys are saved."

"That's great."

Xu Zhaozhao hadn't even had a few seconds to feel smug before she was taken aback by Gu Qingyan's sudden praise.

Wow, fraud hunters!! The show's producers have such amazing imaginations.

[An insider has spoiled the plot: This scammer's secret weapon is this: You were tricked into going overseas for a kidney-related injury, but luckily escaped back, only to find yourself burdened with heavy medical debts, owing 100,000 Wishing Stones.]

Beware of these high-salary scams!! There's no such thing as a free lunch; once you're in, you might not come back. It's terrifying!

[Who understands this? The show collected the social phenomena that everyone hates the most, and then turned them into hidden hunters. It really made me cry.]

...

At the same time, a broadcast blared throughout the forest park: "Fraud hunters, eliminate them."

That immediately dispelled Xu Zhaozhao's little bit of awkwardness.

This is truly... Thai! Pants! Hot!

After killing a hidden hunter, Xu Zhaozhao's enthusiasm for the game increased significantly.

Moreover, she seemed to have discovered the hidden hunter's special mark and couldn't wait to find the next NPC to verify it.

"Gu Qingyan, hurry up and go!"

The two walked forward. They could deal with the NPCs they had just passed later; continuing forward would be more efficient.

Soon, they arrived at another NPC point, which was a couple selling steamed buns.

A middle-aged woman came forward first, "Miss, would you like to buy some xiaolongbao? Five wish stones for one basket."

Xu Zhaozhao didn't speak, she just looked at them.

Seeing that she had no desire to buy steamed buns, the NPC couple buried themselves in making xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and stopped talking to her.

Xu Zhaozhao felt a pang of regret at the cost of her last five wish stones. "Boss, one basket, please."

The woman happily packed up some steamed buns and handed them to her, while also pulling off the brocade pouch from her waist.

"Miss, you are our store's first customer, so I'm giving you my lucky charm."

Xu Zhaozhao reached out and took it, opening the brocade pouch immediately.

Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked a key fragment! Continue your adventure!

"Wuhu~"

Xu Zhaozhao let out a soft cry.

However, her conjecture has not been fully confirmed.

Xu Zhaozhao finished the steamed buns in no time; she hadn't eaten much for lunch to begin with.

The last one was forcefully stuffed into Gu Qingyan's mouth—most of his wish stones were provided by him, so he was obliged to help.

On their way to the next NPC, the two encountered a suspicious-looking person standing under a tree.

This NPC is not on the map.

The two exchanged a glance and confirmed one thing—this person was a hidden hunter!

The man seemed to notice someone behind him and turned around. The big man had a stubble-covered face and was holding a rabbit in his arms.

His pupils contracted slightly upon seeing the two people and the camera.

"squeak--"

The man dropped the rabbit he was holding, and the startled rabbit darted into the forest and quickly disappeared.

"stop!"

Xu Zhaozhao shouted and subconsciously chased after him.

But doubts lingered in my heart.

Can the hidden hunter escape?

Xu Zhaozhao wasn't in great physical condition, and Gu Qingyan was faster than her; she barely managed to keep up with his afterimage.

Suddenly, Gu Qingyan and the big man stopped moving, and Xu Zhaozhao caught up with them.

Gu Qingyan stood tall and straight, his lowered eyes obscuring his expression.

The burly man collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest, coughing, his face contorted in pain.

The air was thick with the stench of blood.