Chapter 112
Xie Xubai had two forms of mimicry: one was gold-rimmed glasses, which had now been removed; the other was a small tentacle sleeping in the shadows, which vaguely sensed Xie Xubai's call and removed its mimicry as well.
This means that what everyone sees now is Xie Xubai's true appearance.
The first person to notice Xie Xubai was an ordinary street cleaner.
He was wearing a yellow cleaning uniform and carrying a broom when he glanced at Xie Xubai's face and the golden exclamation mark above his head. Suddenly, he was frozen in place as if by a spell, and then pounced like a wolf... no, rushed over!
"You, you are...?! Is there anything I can help you with?"
Xie Xubai seemed a little surprised, turned around to look at the cleaner, and then smiled at him.
Like a strong bamboo in the snow, or a beautiful orchid tree, just a slight upturn of the corners of her lips is enough to make one dizzy.
Without questioning how the cleaner recognized him, and without elaborating further, he got straight to the point.
"I need someone to help me defeat Fu's Pharmaceuticals and find a man named Zhou Chaosheng to bring safely to the base leader, Pei Yuheng. Are you willing to help me?"
The situation was the same as what Yan Yue and his companions encountered in the dungeon "Dragon Slayer".
As soon as Xie Xubai said this, a virtual screen suddenly popped up in front of the cleaner's eyes.
[Would you accept the assistance task posted by "Xie Xubai"?]
Name: Xie Xubai (pseudonym: not yet revealed)
Identity: [■ (Do Not Peep)], [Master of A-Rank Ghost King "Ping An"], [The Only Teacher of A-Rank Ghost King "Jiang Kaile"], [The ■■ of ? ? ? Rank Ghost King (Awakening) Pei Yuheng], [The Best Friend of ? ? ? Rank Ghost King ■■■], [The Beloved of ? ? ? Rank Ghost King ■■■]
[Note: This is a faction quest. Once selected, you will be automatically assigned to the Pei Yuheng (human) faction, and this cannot be changed.]
[Opponent Faction: Fu's Pharmaceutical]
[Note: Completing the quest given by the special NPC "Xie Xubai" may allow you to directly pass this trial.]
Xie Xubai tapped his ear as he spoke with the cleaner, and their conversation was transmitted through a small communicator.
He did not reveal any special information about the Infinite Game, which is why Pei Yuheng was able to hear the complete mission details issued by Xie Xubai.
But Pei Yuheng felt like he was hallucinating. What use could a mere cleaner be for such a difficult task as dealing with Fu's Pharmaceuticals?
Moreover, the Fu Group's ruthless reputation is so great that even a wealthy tycoon like the owner of a brewery would avoid it. Would that janitor agree to that? Would he dare to go against the Fu Group?
In fact, the cleaner was so excited she almost fainted!
Without even thinking, he blurted out, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll take it!" If it weren't for the fact that players couldn't control the panel, he would have been tempted to take on the quest himself!
Does anyone in the family understand this? Just when the system was acting up again and we were stuck on the same level, the main storyline and key NPCs suddenly appeared on their own!
Moreover, the key NPC is the legendary Xie Xubai, and the quest hint is—you can! Directly! Clear! the! Quest!
The cleaner felt like he was walking down the street when suddenly a fortune fell from the sky. He had to press his heaving chest and calm his racing heart to barely regain his rationality, which had almost been washed away by excitement and joy.
No, it should be said that he was completely incapable of reason; any player would go crazy if they heard about this.
Pei Yuheng stood by the window, watching the cleaner's infatuated and almost manic behavior towards Xie Xubai (the task he had assigned). His expression gradually changed from initial suspicion to something indescribable.
He suspected that his child had encountered a pervert, but since it seemed that Pei Yu had caused the incident, he held back and did not call the patrol team to chase the perpetrator away.
The old father soon realized that his ideas were too conservative and his patience was not as strong as he had imagined.
Simply because the cleaner is not an exception.
Before the cleaner had left, two more passersby suddenly stared at Xie Xubai and couldn't move. They abruptly turned around and appeared in front of Xie Xubai at a speed equivalent to a hundred meters sprint.
They were equally excited and nodded vigorously in agreement to help, almost to the point of swearing an oath on the spot to show their sincerity.
This is not the end; it's just the beginning.
In just a few minutes, Xie Xubai was like a treasure unearthed, surrounded by a crowd. Some people even traveled from several kilometers away, their foreheads still damp with sweat.
White-collar workers from listed companies, supermarket salespeople, elderly people selling goods at roadside stalls... all sorts of people who would normally have nothing in common gathered together, their eyes shining brightly as they listened attentively and quietly to Xie Xubai's words.
The sheer, unwavering fervor emanating from them sent chills down the spines of unsuspecting onlookers.
For so many days, players have had to follow their character settings and not easily reveal their identities, which has been quite frustrating.
Right now, the exclamation mark above Xie Xubai's head is like a super-powerful spotlight, uniting the players present to break down this barrier.
The players, all from the same hometown, were even more enthusiastic, engaging in passionate discussions about Xie Xubai and the tasks he had issued.
"Xie Xubai? It really is him!"
"Up close, I find he's even more... wow, just how charming is he? I bet it's definitely more than sixty!"
"You guys still have time to worry about those trivial things? Look at his identity list, there are actually two more entries!"
“We have already gathered the main clues for this instance, so it’s not surprising that Pei Yuheng is a quasi-King of Ghosts.”
"Nothing special? That's an S-rank dungeon boss! It could crush you with a flick of its finger."
"Don't get so excited. Compare yourself to Xie Xubai. He's related to an S-rank Ghost King, so how could my strength and status be any worse?"
"The first newly added identity, could it be Xie Xubai's own true identity? My god, this is the first time I've seen a 'Do Not Spy' warning, it sounds incredible!"
Before the words were even finished, someone shouted, "Damn it, my eyes!"
His companion looked over in a panic and saw the man covering his eyes and gasping for breath in pain. He quickly asked him what he had done.
The man was honest enough, rubbing his eyes and grimacing: "I was just trying to see if it was really impossible to spy, who knew that even using the Appraisal spell would cause a skill backlash... Oh my god, blood! Help, am I going to go blind?"
The player community is not lacking in people who dare to do dangerous things. Even when warned against doing something, they still impulsively try it out.
The other players' lips twitched, and they muttered, "Serves him right." His companion awkwardly took out a healing item to treat him.
However, this probing by the reckless player actually increased the credibility of the mission hints and made Xie Xubai's image even more mysterious and powerful.
"So don't hesitate any longer, choosing the same faction as Xie Xubai is definitely the right choice! Damn it, I thought I was going to die in this hellish dungeon, but at least we're making some progress!"
"No way? This is a quest that's supposedly issued by a god-level NPC, and you guys are actually hesitating?"
It was at this moment that Xie Xubai, looking at the gradually expanding crowd, revealed a hint of surprise and emotion: "This mission is very dangerous, and conflicts with the Fu family are inevitable. I will provide you with some assistance, but I cannot guarantee your absolute safety. It's not too late to leave now."
bite.
The system prompts for real-time translation.
[Do you wish to abandon this assistance mission? Once you confirm abandonment, you will no longer be able to accept this mission.]
Upon realizing that the quest could not be accepted again after being abandoned, the players who were originally observing suddenly became like cats whose tails had been stepped on, fearing that the quest would slip away in the next second: "Accept!"
Xie Xubai raised his head and met the gazes of several pairs of eyes hiding in the shadows.
Perhaps due to the shock, even from a distance, Xie Xubai could still clearly sense their unstable mental fluctuations, which seemed to be a collection of various negative emotions: anger, panic, and disbelief.
Xie Xubai only completely dropped his mimicry when he entered the stairwell where no one was watching.
He wasn't worried about his identity being exposed, and he could imagine the impact that Xie Xubai, the special NPC who suddenly appeared and sided with Pei Yuheng, would have on the situation when the organization behind the scenes thought they had it in the bag.
Xie Xubai: "Let's not delay, let's set off now."
As golden light shone down, the players guessed it was a buff given by an NPC and did not dodge it.
In less than three seconds, their pupils constricted, and they blurted out, "Holy crap!"
[Having received Xie Xubai's assistance, you feel your mind is clear, your sensitivity to danger is significantly enhanced, and you have gained the temporary buff "Crisis Perception." Your mental strength threshold has doubled, making you immune to some mental attacks.]
[“Xie Xubai” establishes a spiritual connection with players, granting you a new team channel where you can exchange information with teammates (limited to the period of support and the current trial).]
[Xie Xubai posted a rough topographical map of Fu's Pharmaceutical Company on the channel. Information on relevant personnel has been updated and can be viewed at any time.]
Explore unknown areas on the map and deliver information to "Xie Xubai" to obtain special items. These items will increase the favorability of "Xie Xubai" and his related characters, greatly benefiting the completion of this instance and potentially playing a role in future instances.
[Xie Xubai: Now, let's end this farce and go home.]
The players responded enthusiastically, their cheers echoing throughout the area! The commotion attracted the base patrol team, who were quickly stopped by Pei Yuheng, who had just snapped out of his daze.
The mysterious man using the eavesdropping device became agitated and slammed his fist against the wall, biting his gums so hard they almost bled.
A disbelieving mutter came from the communicator: "Are you kidding me? We just assembled, we haven't even gotten to know each other yet, and they're already attacking Fu's Pharmaceutical's headquarters? Are they really that brave? They don't even care about their roles anymore?"
Yes, players also need to follow their character's established role and fulfill their character's duties.
But the organization behind the scenes clearly underestimated the appeal of Xie Xubai's name; they actually chose to resign without hesitation!
This clever method of changing the settings was also the trigger that Xie Xubai had previously thrown out.
I remember back in the Fu family, there was a player who was playing the role of the butler and was having trouble completing the role-playing task. Xie Xubai suggested that he take advantage of the chaos to resign. As long as the reason was sufficient and the process went smoothly, he could get rid of the restrictions brought about by the identity of "Fu family butler".
This player undoubtedly succeeded, and the method was widely publicized as a trial guide, which led to the collective resignation of the players present.
You asked them if they regretted it?
—Nonsense, they're not the characters themselves. Their monster boss and their heartless "family" are constantly making things difficult for them, trying to turn them into food. Whoever wants to be their slave can be their slave! They're not going to serve them anymore!
They only regretted that Xie Xubai hadn't appeared sooner, so he could personally throw the resignation letter in the faces of those monsters!
The moment they left the work group, they felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders and were freed from their predicament. They all took out masks to cover their faces and avoid being recognized by the characters' acquaintances.
At the same time, they rubbed their hands together, and in their numb eyes, a long-lost fighting spirit slowly rose.
After enduring humiliation and hardship for months, we can finally make a big splash!
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