Free Web NovelThere was one more thing Bai Liu found strange.
He could not use items freely in the real world because the system restricted him.
Aside from a handful of special items related to the fulfillment of desires, which could be used directly in reality after being exchanged, most items could not be activated in the real world. They were limited by the system in the same way Bai Liu’s personal skill had been restricted when he previously tried to use it in reality.
In general, the higher the level of an item or skill, the harsher the restrictions on using it in the real world.
The item Bai Liu had once used in reality was the Blood Lingzhi.
Even the Blood Lingzhi had not been usable directly. The system had issued him a warning. But after that warning, Bai Liu had distinctly felt the coin pressed against the cross vibrate twice. Only then had he been able to use it.
Although he did not know exactly what had happened, it was very likely that the mysterious evil god, Tawil, had done something that allowed him to activate the Blood Lingzhi.
Yet even under the protection of the evil god, many of Bai Liu’s items still could not be used directly.
But Tang Erda—
Judging from his tone, he seemed capable of using items in reality at will, surpassing the system’s restrictions.
Bai Liu thought of two possibilities.
The first was that Tang Erda’s special status as a time traveler had allowed him to evade the system’s audit and restrictions.
But Bai Liu felt that this possibility was unlikely. If this man had truly escaped the system’s restrictions, then he should no longer be considered a player. Yet Tang Erda had clearly watched his small TV, which proved that he was still inside the game’s framework.
The second possibility was that Tang Erda’s items did not come from the system at all.
This man had most likely already grasped the true relationship between the four elements: the game, items, heretical objects, and reality.
Tang Erda was probably making use of what was already available to him. As the Captain of the Third Branch of the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau, he had a natural professional advantage. He could use heretical objects from instances that had already loaded into the real world. Once those things were collected by the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau, he could then use them as his own items.
Bai Liu had noticed this before.
After clearing a game instance, the rewarded items were generally related to the monsters in that instance. Sometimes, they were even parts of the monsters themselves.
For example, the items rewarded from Siren Town had been fish scales, amulets, and fish bones.
The Last Train to Blast Off had rewarded fragments of the mirror that caused the explosion.
And the item rewarded from the instance Bai Liu had just left, Love Welfare Home, had been the Blood Lingzhi.
It was as though the game deliberately took these evil biological entities that caused calamity and handed them to players as rewards for completing missions, allowing players to bring them back and use them in reality.
That valuable mirror that had suddenly appeared.
The secret formula for the Blood Lingzhi that had suddenly been discovered by the investors in the welfare home.
It was almost as if some existence was deliberately using players—these conduits blinded by their own desires—to continuously transport objects capable of stirring the darkest, most frenzied desires in the human heart into reality.
This was very likely the method by which the game loaded instances into the real world.
“Interface for evil things.”
That was the term Tang Erda had used to describe Bai Liu.
It had to be said, it was a very accurate description.
Players constantly moved back and forth between the game and reality, using heretical objects in reality to satisfy their desires. In doing so, they became the medium through which the game loaded the core heretical objects of its instances into the real world.
They truly were like an interface.
And if such a person happened to be a believer of the evil god, then he would undoubtedly be an exceptionally efficient interface.
Because the frequency and speed at which he loaded heretical objects into reality would be unprecedentedly high.
Under the evil god’s protection, the restrictions Bai Liu faced in reality were lighter than those imposed on ordinary players. He had already experienced this himself.
If he could profit from this...
Bai Liu’s eyes darkened slightly.
“This really is a future that leaves a lot to the imagination,” he murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Would this count as smuggling illegal controlled substances? Is it against the law?”
After considering the nature of this business for a moment, Bai Liu had no choice but to regretfully admit—
It was probably illegal.
If Lu Yizhan found out, he would most likely nag him to death.
So forget it.
However, if the Bai Liu from other timelines did not have a friend like Lu Yizhan, someone who could nag a person to death, then Bai Liu felt that he would very likely have chosen to become a smuggler.
He would not directly profit from the heretical objects themselves. That would be far too inefficient.
He would smuggle these heretical objects into reality as quickly as possible, then sell them to people in relevant industries and collect patent fees and smuggling fees. He could monopolize the profit from the entire heretical goods distribution channel...
Just thinking about it made Bai Liu feel a little regretful for his current self.
This was an excellent channel for accumulating wealth.
Unfortunately, it was illegal.
Judging by Tang Erda’s attitude, they had eventually traced him back to his role as the interface for these heretical objects.
He had probably died quite miserably.
Bai Liu opened his system panel again and checked it.
Without the protection of the fish scales and the cross, he indeed could not use any special items. Nor could he use his personal skill.
For the time being, using his skill to trade with others was impossible as well.
Sitting in the small, dark room with no way of knowing the time, Bai Liu sighed inwardly.
Tang Erda truly lived up to being an opponent who had fought him countless times.
In just one encounter, he had nearly eliminated every possible risk.
It was obvious that he had suffered many losses at Bai Liu’s hands.
He really hated him.
It was not that Bai Liu had not considered asking others for help, but someone like Tang Erda would not leave him any openings to exploit.
If Bai Liu was not mistaken, Tang Erda would soon have the others brought here to accompany him.
His tone when mentioning the [Wandering Circus] had not exactly been friendly.
Hopefully, those people would understand the meaning of the final text message he had sent them before he was caught and his phone was confiscated.
Bai Liu did not particularly want to see his “assets” captured and brought into this base as well.
Leaning against the wall, Bai Liu slowly closed his eyes.
—
C University, Building Two Dormitory, Third Floor.
Mu Shicheng stared blankly at the bed across from him, which was covered with a white sheet.
That had been Liu Huai’s bed.
After logging out of the game, he had immediately run into the incident of Liu Huai’s death. He had been taken away by investigators for questioning and had only just returned.
Even someone as exploitative as Bai Liu had probably taken Mu Shicheng’s psychological shock into account today and let him off, not forcing him to enter the game immediately.
Bai Liu had only sent Mu Shicheng a text saying that he would enter the game tonight and telling him to rest first. He had not specified exactly when Mu Shicheng should enter.
But Mu Shicheng could not rest at all.
Every time he closed his eyes, his mind filled with the scene of Liu Huai being hit by the bus and lying on the ground, blood spreading everywhere beneath him.
His gaze remained fixed on the message Bai Liu had sent him at 9:16 p.m.
Mu Shicheng recognized every word in the message, but once they were strung together, it was as if he had suddenly developed a reading comprehension disorder.
He could not process them.
[Beware of the rose and the hunter. I may die at the hunter’s hands. Don’t wait for me. Leave this place.]
...What did that mean?
This hollow, dazed state lasted until someone knocked on Mu Shicheng’s dormitory door.
Still somewhat in a trance, Mu Shicheng stood up and opened the door directly.
“Lao ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) San, did you guys forget your dorm keys...”
His voice stopped.
Mu Shicheng’s eyes met those of several investigators wearing dark gray special uniforms.
One investigator had a hand placed behind his waist, gripping something. His gaze was sharp and guarded as he looked straight at Mu Shicheng.
“Student Mu Shicheng, there are some matters we would like to ask you about directly. Please come with us.”
Mu Shicheng paused, then said, “I just finished giving my statement and came back. Haven’t you already asked everything you needed to ask? If there’s anything else, can you ask me tomorrow? I’m very tired. I want to rest.”
He was referring to Liu Huai’s matter.
“We are not from the traffic department.”
The investigator showed him his ID.
“You are connected to another very serious social incident. Please cooperate with our investigation.”
Mu Shicheng’s somewhat vacant gaze swept over the investigator’s hand behind his waist, then landed, still unfocused, on the ID the other man had raised for him to see.
He read the words aloud in a murmur:
“Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau, Field Operations Third Branch, Internal Personnel...”
After reading it, Mu Shicheng fell silent for a long moment.
“Although I don’t understand what kind of department you are, and I also don’t understand how I suddenly got involved in some serious social incident, I will cooperate with your investigation.”
Mu Shicheng took a deep breath and rubbed his tired face.
“But before I go, can I use the restroom first? I was at the station giving statements all day. They didn’t let me use the bathroom and kept making me drink water. I just got back.”
The investigator hesitated as he looked at Mu Shicheng.
The college student’s face showed a bone-deep exhaustion that was plainly visible. He looked as though he could fall asleep at any moment just by leaning against the door.
It seemed that the strange death of his roommate that morning had caused this young man named Mu Shicheng immense psychological trauma.
Mu Shicheng did not look like a humanoid heretic at all.
He looked more like an ordinary person who had been caught up in the actions of someone driven mad by a heretic.
Considering that their Captain was not always reliable when arresting heretics...
And that he had drunk so much wine tonight...
“Fine.”
After two seconds of hesitation, the investigator finally relented.
“I’ll give you one minute. You are not allowed to close the restroom door.”
“I’m a guy, okay? You even need to watch me use the bathroom? At least give me some right to privacy!”
Mu Shicheng sounded rather speechless, but seeing the investigator’s stern insistence, he shrugged and agreed.
“Fine. As long as you don’t feel inferior after seeing it.”
Mu Shicheng opened the dormitory bathroom door.
The moment he pulled down the zipper of his jeans, the investigator guarding the door instinctively shifted his gaze because of that joke.
In that split second, Mu Shicheng’s tired, distracted eyes instantly sharpened.
He spun around and kicked the bathroom door shut, locking the unprepared investigator outside.
While the investigator shouted and tried to force the door open, Mu Shicheng’s strong arms grabbed the shower pipe and lifted his entire body off the ground.
He swung both legs together and viciously kicked open the ventilation duct.
Using the momentum of the swing, Mu Shicheng smoothly crawled into the ventilation duct.
The moment the investigator outside kicked open the bathroom door and saw the broken ventilation duct, his expression darkened. He leaned out and spoke into his walkie-talkie.
“Report! Humanoid heretic designated No. 004 has just escaped through the sixth-floor bathroom ventilation duct and disappeared. Do you see No. 004 escaping below?”
“Negative!” a voice came through the walkie-talkie. “We have lookouts stationed on all four sides of the dormitory. We only saw the sixth-floor ventilation duct burst open one minute and seventeen seconds ago, but we did not observe anything leaving the vent.”
They had seen the vent burst open, but no one had come out.
That meant Mu Shicheng had vanished into thin air inside the bathroom.
He really was a heretic!
The investigator drew a deep breath.
“Report. The heretic designated No. 004, said to be highly skilled in theft, escaped due to my personal negligence. I will accept punishment upon return.”
“Notify the other squads to be extra careful when arresting the heretics Captain Tang named tonight!”
“They are all extremely cunning!”
—
In a hospital corridor.
The investigator guarding Liu Jiayi outside her hospital room was communicating with the members of the special department who had suddenly arrived.
“You people are...?”
The investigator guarding Liu Jiayi looked at these fully armed, well-trained visitors with some alarm.
A member in a dark gray uniform showed his ID. freēwēbnovel.com
“We are from the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau. We have taken over the entire Blood Lingzhi case, which has caused major social impact. Liu Jiayi is an extremely important witness in the Blood Lingzhi case. To ensure her safety, we are secretly transferring her to our base tonight.”
“We cannot disclose specific details. You may contact your superiors to verify our identities.”
The two investigators guarding Liu Jiayi looked suspiciously at the equipment carried by the visiting team.
Handcuffs and wrist shackles.
Every person was armed with a gun.
And if they were not mistaken, they were also carrying anesthetic needles and steel-bar cages.
Outside the hospital, two or three armored vehicles covered in green tarps were parked.
This did not look like the procedure for transferring an important witness.
It looked much more like the procedure for arresting a major criminal suspect.
Only after the two investigators called their superiors and confirmed that these people were indeed from the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau did they hesitantly allow them through.
The group quickly and methodically put on gas masks.
This action startled the other two investigators.
Not only did these people put gas masks on themselves, they also handed two to the confused investigators and told them to wear them, warning:
“Comrades, when we break in later, if any black mist spreads from the room, you must stay far away from it. Do not inhale it. Do not touch it. Try to stand somewhere with strong airflow.”
“It’s poisonous.”
The two bewildered investigators asked, “Did some kind of harmful gas leak happen in the hospital?”
“No.”
The Third Branch member leaning against the door took a deep breath and signaled to the others.
One.
Two.
Three!
“It’s much scarier than that.”
The ward door was slammed open.
The members rushed into the room at high speed, spreading out in a fan formation. With anesthetic guns raised, they surrounded the small lump huddled beneath the quilt on the hospital bed.
The leading member was just about to fire, but he quickly noticed something was wrong and raised his hand in a gesture to stop.
“Wait.”
Gun aimed at the lump on the bed, he stepped forward little by little.
Then, under the tense gazes of all the members, he suddenly yanked the quilt away—
Under the quilt was an ugly doll made out of pillows, roughly the same size as Liu Jiayi.
Its tongue stuck out, and it wore a malicious smile, as though mocking the team members who had busied themselves all night only to catch nothing.
“Where is Liu Jiayi?!”
The leading member turned toward the two investigators outside the ward.
The two investigators were also stunned.
“Look at the monitor! She’s been sleeping on the bed the whole time! The door and windows were closed. Where could she have gone?”
Liu Jiayi had completely vanished from a sealed hospital room.
The leading member exhaled in frustration and reported into his walkie-talkie:
“Report. The arrest of heretic No. 601, who possesses toxic gas hazards, has failed.”
—
Mu Family Villa District.
The Third Branch member sitting on the sofa had an enormous headache as he looked at Mu Ke, who was clutching his chest.
Mu Ke’s brows were tightly furrowed. He bit his lower lip, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, both hands gripping tightly over his heart.
Beside him, Mu Ke’s father and mother were both present, anxiously circling around him.
Mu Ke’s father had even called over two medical teams.
Father Mu and Mother Mu looked at the uninvited guests on the sofa with extremely hostile eyes.
Father Mu lifted his teacup.
This was already the third time he had raised his tea to signal that the guests should leave.
His tone was cold, bordering on threatening.
“I don’t know what kind of dispute my son has been dragged into. He is a patient with congenital heart disease who normally barely even leaves the house. Our hearts tremble just watching him run a few steps. What kind of ‘major social incident’ could he possibly be involved in?”
“You want to take him away?”
“Setting aside whether you even have the authority, if something happens to my son, can you take responsibility?”
As he spoke, Father Mu slammed the teacup down onto the coffee table, his beard bristling with anger.
“Don’t think I, Mu Jingwu, am someone who can be bullied so easily!”
“You burst into my home, say a few words, and think you can take my son away?”
“I’m telling you, impossible.”
“If you want to take him, show me the relevant evidence and specific proof.”
“You think you can arrest someone with nothing but an ID from some department I’ve never even heard of?”
“Do you think I’m uneducated?!”
Mu Ke, who was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed and pretending his heart hurt, cracked one eye open just enough to look at the grim, embarrassed expressions of the members sitting opposite him.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upward.
But Mu Ke quickly suppressed it.
He leaned weakly against the sofa back with furrowed brows, his face almost translucently pale. He looked so fragile that it seemed these members might kill him just by touching him.
The team members also had an enormous headache, but they truly had no good way to deal with Mu Ke.
That unreliable Captain Tang Erda had said that Mu Ke was not, strictly speaking, a heretic.
But they absolutely had to capture him.
In other timelines, Mu Ke had never possessed any skills that could attack others. Most of the time, he served as Bai Liu’s external spokesperson, relying on his excellent memory to handle and sell the various heretical objects that emerged from Bai Liu’s hands.
Although Mu Ke had no skills, the role he played was extremely important.
He was the central hub and transfer point of the gold-devouring network Bai Liu had built using heretical objects.
He acted as the manager of Bai Liu’s underground criminal team.
For many years, Bai Liu had relied on Mu Ke to contact his subordinates and transmit information.
Bai Liu hid himself extremely well. For many years, the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau had believed that Mu Ke was the madman using heretical objects to amass wealth.
Only at the end did they discover that Mu Ke was merely a card Bai Liu had placed on the table.
The true Joker King was hidden even deeper.
For many years, Mu Ke had relied on his illness to muddy the waters and play dumb with the people of the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau.
Whenever something happened, he would close his eyes and collapse shamelessly onto the ground.
Then they would have no choice but to send Mu Ke to the hospital for treatment, which made Su Yang so angry every time that his hair practically stood on end.
This time was exactly the same.
Mu Ke was different from the others.
He had a father with prominent status, and his illness formed a natural protective layer around him.
Tang Erda’s insistence on capturing Mu Ke did not satisfy the regulation that a heretic must have already caused harmful impact to humanity.
The department could not bear the consequences of forcibly arresting Mu Ke.
After all, Mu Ke’s heart disease was real, and his identity was not simple.
If this person died inside the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau, it would become an extremely thorny matter.
Mu Ke, this heart-disease patient without any skills, looked as fragile as a cat made of crystal.
But in the eyes of Third Branch members from other timelines, this patient named Mu Ke was purely evil, utterly wicked, insidious, and cunning.
But in truth, it was not quite like that.
Because just as Tang Erda had said, Bai Liu protected the people around him very well.
For example, Mu Ke had been protected very well.
Whether inside or outside the game, Mu Ke had never killed anyone or directly harmed anyone from beginning to end.
His hands were not stained with blood.
He was only responsible for negotiations, business, and company management.
Perhaps because of empathy, he had even saved many skill-less players who had fallen into despair inside the game.
This was also why the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau had always found Mu Ke difficult to deal with in other timelines.
Because in the narrow sense, Mu Ke had not yet caused harmful impact to humanity.
To a certain extent, he was just an ordinary person.
Mu Ke had merely invested in certain projects he considered promising.
He could completely claim that he had not known these investments would lead to certain consequences.
After all, Mu Ke invested in many projects, and there were many among them that he had not even personally examined in detail.
Mu Ke could absolutely say that he had not known those things were heretical objects.
Because they truly did not look like heretical objects.
At first glance, those things were just ordinary mushrooms, an unremarkable antique mirror, and an exquisitely crafted mermaid sculpture.
Mu Ke thought the projects were promising, so he invested.
He did not even participate in the specific process.
Therefore, to judge him as a heretic, Mu Ke himself would have to admit it.
Just like now.
For Liu Jiayi, Mu Shicheng, and Bai Liu—
these three were heretics for whom Tang Erda was certain he possessed criminal evidence. They had already caused harmful impact to humanity and had committed active crimes, so they could be directly and forcibly arrested.
But with Mu Ke, that would not work.
Tang Erda had never been able to determine whether Mu Ke had been deceived or whether he was actively colluding with Bai Liu.
In every timeline, no direct evidence could be found proving whether Mu Ke had subjectively and willingly helped Bai Liu, or whether he was merely a pitiful person coerced by Bai Liu into assisting a villain.
The boundary between good and evil was strangely blurred in Mu Ke.
The Third Branch members tried both soft and hard tactics, using both carrot and stick, wanting to invite Mu Ke to the base to cooperate with the investigation.
Mu Ke’s father refused outright.
He even said he would call the police and sternly stated that he would use some of his special connections.
In the end, the Third Branch members could only return in defeat.
Watching those members turn and leave with grim faces, Mu Ke, who had been lying on the sofa pretending to be ill, suddenly sat up.
His breathing was very rapid as he opened his phone.
On the screen was the message Bai Liu had sent him at 9:16 p.m.
[Beware of the rose and the hunter. I may die at the hunter’s hands. Don’t wait for me. Leave this place.]
Mu Ke gripped his phone, his expression dark.
Die at the hunter’s hands?
Were the people who had come to arrest them tonight the [Hunters]?
Had Bai Liu already been caught?
