Chapter 89: Zhong Xingchen

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Zhong Xingchen

"The ’big trouble’ you mentioned before... it isn’t just about these death row inmates, is it?"

Chen Qi got straight to the point. After all, there was a high chance he would be the one dealing with this "big trouble."

"You’re a sharp one."

"If it were just some death row inmates, it would be a nuisance at worst, certainly not ’big trouble.’"

"The real issue is that along with them, many criminals from the Inner World were also exiled."

"They’re all low-level individuals at the Apprentice Tier, but there are at least a hundred of them."

"And that’s not all. Every time the ’reshuffle’ happens, many apprentices from the outside world whose Extraordinary paths have been cut off also take the opportunity to sneak in."

"Take Jomoya Chris, for example. This upcoming period is the easiest time for them to acquire Cards."

"Even though they’re just ordinary apprentices, the danger they pose far exceeds that of the thousand-plus death row inmates."

"I don’t really understand why the Captain is making you responsible for suppressing them, but I think they’ll be enough to give you a headache for a while."

"If you get even a little careless, you might just capsize."

After Lin Biyun finished speaking, she stared at Chen Qi’s face.

She was curious to see his reaction.

’Having such a huge mess dumped on him, he must be pretty pissed, right?’

However, to her confusion, the man was actually smiling.

It was the look of a mouse that had fallen into a rice vat; she was certain she wasn’t mistaken.

’Has this guy gotten arrogant?’

Originally, she had wanted to give the task of capturing the death row inmates to Red Heart 7, while she personally took charge of suppressing all the apprentices from outside.

But the Captain disagreed, insisting that Red Heart 7 was better suited for it.

’Could this guy really be as the Captain said? Has his strength already surpassed my own?’

...

"Sigh, this is indeed a difficult mission, one that concerns the stability of the entire Lanyu Kingdom."

"Therefore, I need more support!"

Though inwardly ecstatic, Chen Qi’s expression was incredibly grave, as if he had just been handed a hot potato.

’Apprentices from the outside world are coming in on a massive scale?’

’What a godsend!’

’It would be wonderful if all the apprentices were like Jomoya Chris—fond of keeping diaries and carrying textbooks.’

Chen Qi just loved these formally trained peers.

Their arrival injected new vitality into the grim and oppressive King’s Game.

Although he didn’t know how many of the current players were from the outside, the proportion certainly wouldn’t be small.

Chen Qi had always been puzzled about how word of the King’s Game got out.

’Who on earth was it that spread the news far and wide in the Inner World that a Demon had created an Extraordinary game?’

At first, Chen Qi had just assumed the information had leaked, that after so many years of operation, the King’s Game could no longer be kept secret.

But now, he no longer thought so.

Whether it was sending in death row inmates or driving apprentices to enter, the stances and actions of the surrounding countries were remarkably unified.

There had to be a powerful force directing them from behind the scenes.

Only that could explain why the reactions of the neighboring countries were so "mild."

Because someone was demanding they do so, forbidding them from completely isolating and blockading the Lanyu Kingdom.

With a powerful backer, the small nations could naturally rest easy.

’Could their backer be the Nulis Federation?’

Although this was all just speculation, Chen Qi believed that with the large-scale influx of outsiders, it would be confirmed sooner or later.

Although those apprentices delivering themselves to his doorstep were a feast for Chen Qi, that didn’t stop him from playing the victim to gain more benefits.

...

"As for bargaining, you should talk to the Captain. I’m not the one who can make that decision."

"The Captain has already been through three rounds of the game. I’m sure you two will have a very pleasant chat."

Lin Biyun was already used to Chen Qi’s "pragmatism."

The man had no ideals about fighting for the Kingdom.

’Well, her own were about to be extinguished too.’

The atmosphere among the Order Keepers now was completely different from before.

Everyone was only thinking of themselves. If not for the constraints of their contracts, things would have long since devolved into chaos.

Thirty minutes later, Chen Qi met the captain of Team Three alone in a luxurious reception room.

He was a dark-haired, middle-aged man in his forties, possessing a steadiness and competence that matched his age.

"Sign this contract first. Otherwise, we can’t continue this conversation."

Zhong Xingchen placed a contract on the table. Chen Qi picked it up and saw it contained only two short lines.

NO. 1: Order Keepers cannot attack each other.

NO. 2: Information about comrades must not be revealed to Traitors.

The contract had only two clauses, the content of which was identical to what Plum Blossom 10 had said before.

What surprised Chen Qi slightly was that the script used for the contract was actually Cuneiform.

This was also one of the 15 ancient civilized scripts, originating from an ancient stone tablet that was rumored to be a human legal code from a distant era.

’Using Cuneiform for a contract is certainly fitting for its specialty.’

’Who would have thought the player who mastered the contract ability was also a man who loved to learn.’

"You can read it, as expected."

"It seems you truly did inherit Jomoya Chris’s knowledge. In that case, I can be at ease letting you handle those apprentices."

Zhong Xingchen’s gaze was incredibly sharp, exuding an invisible pressure.

Yet, under his direct gaze, Chen Qi appeared perfectly calm, without the slightest panic of being seen through.

Chen Qi’s feigned incompetence was just a way to keep an ace up his sleeve, not because he treated everyone as an idiot.

The fact that he had obtained Magic knowledge wasn’t something he couldn’t reveal; in fact, it would be difficult to hide.

Unless he planned to act like an illiterate among the players, pretending he couldn’t recognize any ancient scripts.

But his main purpose in coming to the headquarters was to request all sorts of knowledge.

All knowledge related to the Extraordinary was recorded in ancient scripts.

For an "illiterate" person to request such knowledge—that would be underestimating the intelligence of the other players to an insulting degree.

Therefore, Chen Qi made no attempt to hide that he could read the contract’s contents and faced Zhong Xingchen’s scrutiny with composure.

...

"I’ve only acquired a tiny bit of an apprentice’s Magic knowledge. My perspective is inevitably a bit narrow."

"To ensure I don’t make any mistakes in the upcoming work, I’d like to consult the headquarters’ past records on apprentices."

"I assume this isn’t the first time for these outsiders. They must have left something behind, right?"

Chen Qi summoned his Card and left a brand on the contract document.

A Red Heart 7 appeared on the contract, and in the next instant, the entire document burned to ashes.

Chen Qi felt his Card fluctuate; the contract had clearly been established.

If Chen Qi were to violate the contract, his skill level would drop.

The fact that this contract ability could restrain Card skills was truly amazing.

"You really are a smart man!"

"I can agree to your request, but don’t get your hopes up too high."

"The truly good stuff at headquarters was used up long ago. All that’s left is knowledge that can be copied."

Zhong Xingchen was very appreciative of Chen Qi’s actions.

Signing the contract without any hesitation was a matter of principle.

Asking for compensation afterward was a matter of work benefits, which was naturally open for negotiation.

If Chen Qi had hesitated to sign, or even used it as a bargaining chip, Zhong Xingchen would have had to lower his evaluation of him.

In the King’s Game, a smart person might not necessarily live to the end, but a fool definitely wouldn’t last long.

Zhong Xingchen, now holding a higher opinion of Chen Qi, decided to reveal a bit more inside information.

If this guy could survive this round of the game, he might be worth recruiting.

The struggles within the game weren’t just for Cards.