Chapter 76 NPC: The Guest from Dawn City (In Disguise)...
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Fang Zhiyi had just raised his head when he saw a small, thin figure disappear into the crowd.
The commercial street was bustling with people.
Fang Zhiyi didn't even have time to see what had been stolen. The moment the notification popped up, he rushed forward.
[Snow Hunter], Insight!
His pupils dilated instantly. The houses on both sides of the commercial street were neat and tidy, the bells under the eaves jingled, and food wrappers were scattered in the cracks of the stone slabs on the ground... No detail escaped his eyes. His sharp gaze locked onto the thief in the crowd.
The thief, hesitant and cautious, tucked in his filthy black coat before striding into the nearest alley.
"There it is!"
Fang Zhiyi chased after him.
Chu Zhao followed closely behind.
"Make way, make way—" He pushed through the bustling crowd and rushed straight into the alley.
In real life, a thief's profession is petty theft, skilled in lock picking and shoplifting, able to steal someone's wallet unnoticed on a bus. In the game, they naturally acquire the title of "Master Thief," able to obtain an item simply by interacting with someone.
He didn't just steal randomly; he had been watching fzy all along and finally found an opportunity.
He hesitated for a long time before taking action, originally not wanting to steal fzy's things.
fzy has been making waves in the channel lately. He managed to escape unscathed after a bounty of 10,000 parts attracted more than a dozen level 2 modified vehicles. He's not someone you can afford to offend.
However, after arriving at the Highway 4 campsite, an NPC found him and offered him an irresistible deal: to steal an item from fzy.
What kind of item is it that even NPCs covet?
Unable to contain his curiosity, the thief lifted the hem of his coat and peered down. But before he could see clearly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around in a panic, and upon seeing the figure chasing after him, he took off running.
【Master Thief】, Passive Skill: Escape Plan Activated.
The thief ran so fast that he almost left a blur in the air before disappearing into the depths of the alley.
Fang Zhiyi chased after him, but the distance between them grew further and further.
He stared intently at the thief's retreating figure, changed his title to "I'm going to be number one!", and activated his active skill: Strength and Speed +100%!
He pushed off with his heels and shot out like an arrow.
Just as they were about to reach out and grab the thief, the figure in front of them suddenly blurred, flashed forward a short distance, and disappeared into the entrance of another alley.
Fang Zhiyi turned around and chased after him. During the struggle, the duration of his active skill, "I want to be number one!", expired, and he leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
Chu Zhao pressed down on his shoulder: "Go find security."
Fang Zhiyi shook his head: "Only arguing and fighting are prohibited in the camp. Stealing... is not necessarily within the scope of the rules."
Fang Zhiyi, having caught his breath, pressed on relentlessly.
The thief's active skills couldn't last forever; they would inevitably become ineffective eventually. After chasing for several minutes, the speed indeed slowed down. However, he seemed familiar with the alleyways. The alleys in front of him were intricate and complex, like a maze. The thief's figure shifted and moved, sometimes here, sometimes there, making him impossible to catch.
Fang Zhiyi was led around in circles. Gritting his teeth, he stepped on the debris below the wall, used his waist strength to flip himself over the wall.
The wall was high and steep, no more than three fingers wide.
Fang Zhiyi steadied himself, sprinted two steps, and leaped onto the wall at the other end, directly crossing the long alley and jumping in front of the thief.
"...Trying to run away?"
Caught off guard, the thief slammed on the brakes and tried to turn around, only to find someone else behind him.
Chu Zhao blocked his escape route.
The thief was caught in a dilemma. Finally, he leaned against the wall and forced out an awkward smile: "It's a misunderstanding...it's all a misunderstanding."
Fang Zhiyi grabbed the thief, his throat tinged with the metallic taste of blood from the intense activity: "What did you steal?"
The thief shrank back: "I...I don't know either."
Honestly, he hadn't even seen what he had stolen.
Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the thief's actions, and reached out to tug at his coat.
As the thief tried to dodge, something lightly fell to the ground during the shoving.
[Shuguang City Admission Ticket]
[Cooldown time for placing in backpack: 00:59:59]
The thief just tried to put the stolen items into his backpack, but failed.
There's a cooldown period after this item is stolen; it can only be put back into your inventory after the cooldown is over. This design seems to encourage players to steal things.
Fang Zhiyi and the thief both looked at the props on the ground.
"Why is it this?"
The two of them said in unison.
Fang's meaning was surprise.
Thieves are strange.
Neither of them expected that what they stole/was stolen was an admission ticket.
Seeing the thief's reaction, Fang Zhiyi suddenly asked, "Who sent you?"
The thief: "It was..." He was about to say who ordered him to do it, but then he remembered something and shook his head frantically, "I wanted to steal it myself!"
Fang Zhiyi picked up the admission ticket from the ground, tucking the thin sheet between her fingers: "Do you know what this is?"
The thief swallowed hard, and said uncertainly, "Admission ticket... right?"
Fang Zhiyi became increasingly convinced that there was someone behind the thief, so he put the admission ticket back into his backpack and threw a punch.
The fist whistled through the air and slammed down with a loud "bang".
The thief instinctively closed his eyes, trembling like a leaf.
The imagined pain did not occur. He opened his eyes shakily and saw the fist land on the wall, leaving a deep dent in the brickwork. He could imagine what it would have looked like if it had hit him.
Fang Zhiyi said, "Even if that person gives you a lot of benefits, you'll have nothing if you're eliminated. Think about it carefully before answering my question."
The thief stubbornly insisted, "You wouldn't dare hit me, there are security guards here..."
Fang Zhiyi sneered: "This place is so remote, how long will it take the security guards to get here? In such a short time, do you think I could kill you a few times?"
Thief:"……"
The thief confessed everything: "An NPC sent me to steal your things..."
Upon hearing that it was an NPC, Fang Zhiyi's expression darkened: "What NPC? What does it look like?"
The thief was lost in thought: "It was an NPC... He was wearing a mask and a hat, so I didn't see what he looked like. He gave me a deposit of 1,000 parts and asked me to steal the items from you."
Fang continued to press for answers, but the thief kept repeating the same few questions, and she couldn't get any more information out of him.
Chu Zhao patted his shoulder: "I'll do it."
Chu Zhao has the title of "Spiritual Mentor," which allows him to easily gain the trust of players and confuse them into obeying his commands.
He looked at the thief, and there seemed to be a vortex slowly swirling in his silver-gray pupils.
"What agreement did you make between yourselves?"
The thief lowered his guard: "He gave me 1,000 parts and said that if I stole something, he would give me another 5,000 parts."
"Is that so?" Chu Zhao prompted, "Since there's a follow-up transaction, then we must have agreed on where to meet. Where is it?"
The thief stammered, "It was...it was an agreement to meet in the alley behind the Flower Pig Hotel. He said he would give me 5,000 parts if I handed over the props."
Chu Zhao nodded at Fang Zhiyi: "He can't wait for you there forever. Did you two agree on some kind of rendezvous signal?"
Thief: "It's an agreement... as long as I blow the whistle three times, he'll know I've succeeded and will show up immediately."
This agreement suggests that the NPC was always near the Flower Pig Hotel, or that he lived inside the Flower Pig Hotel.
Chu Zhao: "Would you be willing to do us a small favor?"
The thief was overjoyed: "You're not going to hold me accountable for stealing your things?"
Chu Zhao's tone was gentle: "To be honest, we didn't lose anything, and you didn't steal our things intentionally. You were just doing it on behalf of an NPC. So—there's actually no conflict between us. The NPC is the one in the wrong, isn't that right?"
The thief was stunned for a moment, but when he came to his senses, he nodded heavily, completely agreeing with Chu Zhao's words: "It's all the NPC's fault, it has nothing to do with me..." He immediately betrayed the NPC, "I'll take you to him!"
After wandering through the alleys, the sign for the Flower Pig Hotel came into view.
The thief whistled three times towards the Flower Pig Hotel, the sound echoing in the empty alley for a long time.
Fang Zhiyi stared at the Flower Pig Hotel and noticed a figure flash behind the window on the top floor.
The thief looked nervous and waited for a few minutes before an NPC appeared in the alley.
The NPC, wearing a mask and acting furtively, seemed afraid of being discovered. As soon as he approached, he eagerly asked, "Did you get the items?"
The thief nodded: "Got it."
The NPC was overjoyed and didn't notice the guilty look on the thief's face. He quickly reached out and said, "Give it to me now."
The thief reached into the coat and rummaged around for a long time.
The NPC urged, "Give it to me quickly!"
The thief finally found something in the coat, grabbed it, and the NPC stared at it intently, his eyes filled with greed and desire. Just then, a tremendous force struck from behind, and the NPC stumbled and was slammed against the wall.
"You—" The NPC struggled to turn his head, and the moment he saw Fang Zhiyi, his eyes widened in shock. "How could it be you! You lied to me!"
The thief took a step back and raised his hand to indicate that it had nothing to do with him.
Fang Zhiyi gave him a look, indicating that he could leave.
The thief, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, ran away without a second thought.
There were no outsiders in the alley. Fang Zhiyi pressed the NPC and asked, "What do you need the Dawn City admission ticket for?"
The NPC feigned ignorance: "What did you say? I don't understand. Let me go right now!"
The NPC struggled fiercely, but Fang Zhiyi's hands gripped his shoulders tightly, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge him.
Fang Zhiyi thought he wouldn't tell the truth, so he ripped off the mask from his face.
A gasp escaped, and an ordinary-looking face appeared before them.
Fang Zhiyi searched his memory and confirmed that he had never seen this NPC before.
Why would a stranger NPC instruct other players to steal his items?
Fang Zhiyi couldn't understand it at all.
The NPC was still yelling, "Let me go right now, or I'll call for help! Help—uh-uh!"
Fang Zhiyi reacted quickly and covered his mouth.
Chu Zhao watched for a while, then suddenly said, "Wait."
Fang Zhiyi looked at him.
Chu Zhao stepped forward and removed the hat from the NPC's head, thus activating the "Reconnaissance" title.
“He’s an NPC from Dawn City.” Chu Zhao paused, “but I’m not entirely sure.”
The NPC who appears before you is a guest from Dawn City (in disguise).
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