There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Duan Fei pretended to consider the captain’s proposal, but his thoughts had already soared into the stratosphere. He began to scheme about how to drag Luminous Heavy Industry into the mess.

Their current problem was a bit complicated. The Ninth Citizen had likely been contaminated, and sending Hyena in now would probably expose him to unnecessary danger.

To minimize the risk, they needed more powerful backup. Luminous Heavy Industry was a good candidate.

However, Luminous Heavy Industry was already cooperating with Nemo. That meant Duan Fei had to figure out what Nemo could offer them and how he could neutralize that advantage.

Laying out the plan in his mind, Duan Fei took a sip of coffee. ’This instance is quite a good mental workout,’ he thought.

With his Talent, he could constantly devise plans, calculate success rates, and come up with countermeasures for every possible scenario.

The other benefits from the instance were secondary. The key was that this kind of brain-teasing game was fun. Duan Fei felt his skill at scheming had improved considerably.

Half an hour later, right in front of the captain, Duan Fei had already formulated a complete plan, including how to deal with Nemo.

Looking at the captain, Duan Fei said, "Lone Ranger, put on a little show. Let them see your Shadow Energy."

"I’m completely drained," Lone Ranger said wearily. "Do you have any idea what the consequences are of using Shadow Energy so frequently all night?"

"I’m helping you," Duan Fei said in an earnest tone.

"Help me? All I see is an ambitious bastard trying to drag me into this for his own dirty, ulterior motives."

"You’re a sharp judge of character. But I really am helping you. Think about it. Not many people use Shadow Energy, and many of its properties are unknown. If you show it off now, let them see how useful this stuff is, won’t it be like having a whole corporation help you research your Extraordinary Power?"

Torn between his trust and mistrust of Duan Fei, Lone Ranger instinctively wanted to argue, but then he found himself instinctively considering the proposal.

There wasn’t much data on Shadow Energy. His rank as tenth among the beta players meant he was already at the forefront; there were no reference materials or predecessors to guide him if he wanted to advance further.

Therefore, when he really thought about it, he realized Duan Fei’s suggestion was actually perfect for him.

Once he thought it through, he realized that even though he knew it was one of Duan Fei’s schemes, he had to take the bait.

Of course, he could have just toughed it out and said, "Stay out of my business," but the desire to grow stronger was too compelling. He lowered his head and said, "Then I’ll be in your hands."

"Of course."

He held out his hand and used the most basic application of Shadow Energy: [Shadow Power].

A mass of Shadow Energy flew out from Lone Ranger’s body. The black Energy flowed like ink toward the captain’s weapon and coiled around it.

Staring at the mass of Shadow in astonishment, the captain subconsciously reached out to touch it, but he was stopped by Lone Ranger’s cold voice. "Don’t touch it, unless you want to lose your fingers."

The captain was about to ask why when he saw his alloy weapon begin to disintegrate. The sturdy Gauss Dagger became as brittle as a cracker, snapping in two with a gentle tug.

With another squeeze, the dagger crumbled into dust. The very texture of the alloy seemed to have undergone an irreversible change, making the captain’s expression turn even more grave.

Hyena’s performance earlier had been stunning, but it was at least understandable.

Luminous Heavy Industry already possessed Resonant Weapons, which had a similar effect to what Hyena had demonstrated. So, while he was impressed that Hyena could replicate the effect of a Resonant Weapon with cybernetics, that was the extent of it.

But Lone Ranger’s Shadow Energy was something he couldn’t comprehend at all.

According to his cybernetic eye, he could only tell that it was a mass of high-density, special Energy. Its energy level was high, but not terrifyingly so.

But its corrosive effect on metal was horrifying. Energy of a comparable level shouldn’t be able to corrode metal to such a degree. It could only mean this Energy possessed many unknown properties.

’If the secrets of this Energy could be analyzed and applied to the weapons industry...’

Seeing the captain lost in thought, Duan Fei decided to add more fuel to the fire.

Taking out his Indestructible Crowbar, Duan Fei said to the captain, "That was just child’s play. This is the real deal. Don’t be fooled by its ordinary appearance; it possesses a mysterious quality that makes it Indestructible. Do you know what that means?"

The captain hesitated for a moment, then said, "It means the strong nuclear force within it has a wide range, binding it so tightly that it becomes indestructible? No, that can’t be right. If that were the case, it shouldn’t be this light."

Duan Fei sucked in a sharp breath. ’This captain knows a little too much,’ he thought. ’He’s not just some brute.’

But the more the man knew, the more he would appreciate the extraordinary nature of the crowbar, which would save Duan Fei the trouble of explaining it.

Leaning on the crowbar, Duan Fei said to the captain, "You’re just a messenger. I want to speak with someone higher up. The CEO, for instance."

The captain thought for a long moment before finally nodding. "I can pass on the message. But even if it doesn’t work out, I hope you’ll still consider my previous offer."

"Don’t worry."

Duan Fei smiled as he watched the captain leave, then turned to the Bartender. "Here’s that money again. Remember to leverage it and bet on Luminous Heavy Industry’s stock to rise."

The Bartender stared at Duan Fei, the LED lights on his head blinking erratically. "You’d better stop making money like this, or I won’t be able to resist the urge to kill you and take it all for myself."

"You wouldn’t dare. You still want to see how I’m going to wreak havoc on this world," Duan Fei said with a grin.

"That’s right." The Bartender chuckled, nodding, then raised a glass. "To agents of Chaos like us."

Just as they clinked glasses, the captain of the Puppet Legion returned.

He wasn’t alone. He carried a small sphere, which melted and disappeared on its own after touching the ground, eventually forming a puddle of silvery-white liquid.

Then, the liquid rose like a swarm of fireflies and coalesced into a shimmering, fluorescent figure. Its appearance was identical to the one Duan Fei had seen when he was promoted to citizen.

Only this figure was much more vivid. The person behind it wasn’t a pre-recorded image, but a live human being.

Wiggling its fingers, the figure confirmed the connection to its body was stable. It then walked toward Duan Fei and cordially extended a hand.

He already knew Duan Fei was the one who attacked the Glazed Tower last night, and he also knew it was Duan Fei who had sent someone to leak the damning information about it.

To a capitalist, Duan Fei’s actions were akin to murdering one’s father. Yet, he also saw immense business opportunities in Duan Fei. This led him to completely ignore their previous unpleasantness, his mind filled only with thoughts of the impending deal.

Shaking Duan Fei’s hand, he smiled and said, "I am the CEO of Luminous Heavy Industry. You can just call me CEO."