Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Let's briefly go back to the time when the Inspection Bureau began its operation.

The Druid and Black Cat were still completing faction daily tasks, occasionally visiting the hospital to see the little girl who was still recovering. Their gaming life was peaceful and fulfilling.

They had helped an NPC who lost their home move back, receiving thanks and a gift. As they left the NPC's house with the present, their path was suddenly blocked by a mysterious figure.

"What's going on?"

"The enemy?"

Both the Druid and Black Cat set down their gifts, warily eyeing the cloaked figure that appeared before them.

"Don't be alarmed, it's me," came a somewhat familiar voice from beneath the hood.

Before the Druid could react, Black Cat recognized the figure: "Karens?! Are you, are you alright?"

Although the gang had locked down the information, players were present at the scene, and it was inevitable that news would spread. Everyone knew that Karens was believed to have been attacked by the Inspection Bureau faction, and his whereabouts were currently unknown.

"Indeed, you have unique channels of communication," Karens stepped back into a dead angle formed by the wall, ensuring that no surveillance cameras could capture him.

The Druid and Black Cat exchanged looks;

Was he referring to the player forums?

Yes, most likely.

"Anyway, that's why I've come to you," said Karens. "Following the will of our master, we must bring severe judgment upon those who dare offend the Secret Church. For this, I need to gather those willing to join this mission."

Simultaneously, a system notification popped up for the Druid and Black Cat:

[Special Mission: Faction Summoning Order!]

[Mission Details: The Inspection Bureau has launched a thunderous sneak attack on Karens, the leader of the Black Poker, nearly resulting in his death. In exchange, we should also offer a stormy retribution.

[Mission Acceptance Criteria: Faction honor points must be over 200/have any NPC's favor within the faction, and no related information should be disclosed before the start of the faction war. This mission is by invitation only; players are advised to carefully choose whom to invite.]

[Mission Limit: 400 participants]

A special mission! And it's a harbinger of the upcoming faction war!

Druid and Black Cat instantly inhaled sharply, their eyes blazing as they fixed their gaze on Karens.

"You should know what to do," said Karens. "This mission is under the constant watch of our master. I hope you... don't disappoint him."

"Yes, sir!" Black Cat and Druid promptly assured without hesitation.

Karens vanished again, and Druid and Black Cat exchanged a look, each seeing the excitement in the other's eyes.

"You already have some good candidates in mind, don't you?"

"Of course," Druid stroked his chin, "We can invite players from the previous version, but we need to be cautious with newcomers. Most importantly..."

"We absolutely mustn't reveal it to players in guilds, especially those from the Star-Gazing Guild," Black Cat added. "Let's get moving then!"

Thus, a group of players avoided the public forums, quietly gathering friends and relatives in the background, chatting in a dedicated faction channel.

All waiting for Karens' summoning!

……

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!" As Eddie was dragged out of the rubble, he felt almost unable to breathe, half his body struck by shrapnel, every breath a heavy burden on his lungs.

Even though they had become transcendental beings, most investigators still possessed the physical strength of ordinary humans, except for those with specific physical enhancement origins. Few could surpass human frailty at lower levels.

Just like now, a single bomb could easily kill them.

But if they weren't killed instantly by the explosion, that was another story.

[Healer]

Warm white light rose from Eddie's body, and with it, his pain vanished.

"Are you alright, Eddie?" Job helped Eddie up.

"I'm fine, thank you, Captain."

"Don't mention it; we're a team," Job said, looking around to also treat Dana and Eunice, who hadn't entered the room directly and were less injured.

But it was clear; this was a trap.

Job, lips pressed tightly, surveyed the surroundings, wondering who could be behind this...

The office was completely collapsed due to the explosion. The person inside was unclear; they might still be there or have escaped through a secret passage.

"Captain, we need to get out now!" Eddie said, looking at his arm's portable operation screen. His electronic devices were all damaged in the blast. There were replacements in the car, "If it really is a trap, they won't just let it go."

Job knew this too. Past experiences in his mind warned him it wasn’t going to be that simple.

"Let's go!"

Before being trapped underground, they retraced their steps, taking the elevator back to the surface. Eddie, anxious to replace his electronic devices, stepped out but was quickly pulled back by Job.

The spot Eddie was about to step into was suddenly marked by a black bullet hole.

A sniper!

This concept flashed through everyone's minds. Eddie clenched his teeth: "They've been lying in wait!"

But how could this be? Their decision to attack this 'Black Boss' was impromptu. All their movements were monitored, with Eddie's [Cyber Ghost] watching over everyone's phones, computers, and all communication devices. There was no time to relay any messages.

Wait, there were two people who had the time.

Suddenly, Dana said, "Earlier, those people from Destiny's group separated from us."

"That was just for a moment, right? If that's the case, Edmund at the base is also a suspect," Eddie quipped.

"Stop arguing. The most important thing now is to break through the siege. I'll go out later to draw their attention."

"Captain!?"

"It's okay," Job remained calm, "My origin [Healer] is far more effective on myself than on you. As long as it's not a fatal blow, I can quickly recover my combat capability."

"But what if you get shot in the head?" Dana asked, frowning, clearly disapproving.

"That's highly unlikely, and you're in the same boat..."

They didn't continue arguing over this because the crisis at hand had already been resolved. Destiny and his group arrived in two cars, their faces filled with urgency: "Get in the car!"

Damn, this faction war is too unfair, 4 vs 400, how can we fight??

Destiny doubted his life choices, now hoping for the official's integrity in balancing power. Given their promise, their NPCs should be strong enough to counter 400 players, right??

Hopefully, that's the case!

Without further ado, Job and his team quickly got into the first car. The seating arrangement in the cars was roughly as follows:

First car: Destiny, Job, Eddie, Dana, Eunice.

Second car: Star-Gazing Michelle, Star-Gazing Fatty, Star-Gazing Go.

Eddie, with a new portable computer in the car, immediately felt relieved. He skillfully operated it and quickly hacked into all the cameras on the street: "Drive down this road!"

The two cars sped away from the area, and the gang's sniper on the roof hesitated: "Boss, should we pursue?"

"No need, we don't have to stick our necks out," came the voice of the narrowly escaped Black Boss in the headset. "Besides, those fanatical believers are already too eager."

They were right; after the two cars left the area, they were targeted by snipers again.

The first shot shattered the car window, almost killing Destiny, who was driving. Destiny broke into a cold sweat, realizing if he died within these NPCs' line of sight, he wouldn't resurrect!

"Captain Job, there's a sniper."

"I know, Eddie." Job looked towards Eddie.

"I'm on it." Eddie was deeply focused on his computer, deploying a drone for interference through the car window, based on the sniper's firing angle.

Consequently, the sniper changed his target, throwing the Star-Gazing Team, following in the car behind Job's, into disarray.

On the player channel:

"Your shooting is terrible," Baba complained while reloading.

"Can't help it, sniping requires at least 50 points in shooting!" Nighty also spoke in the channel, "Do you even have that? Oh, you cheeky devil, you have a sniper card, that's cheating!"

"Heh, opportunities are for the prepared," Baba retorted, continuing to lie prone on the rooftop. This time, he aimed at the rear tire of the car behind, "Stick to the plan, let's split them up."

[Shooting: Successful]

Accompanied by a gunshot, the car carrying the other Star-Gazing Team members had a tire blown out, drastically reducing its speed.

"Damn, they're serious!" Fatty in the car was desperate. Since hearing the system prompt, they had been in despair. 4 vs 400, this was hardly a fight.

He even asked the guild for help, only to receive this response.

Guild: Sorry, we didn't get the message either, had no idea when they planned this. None of our people are among those 400 attackers.

Fatty: So what do we do now?

Guild: Well, hold on as long as you can. We're currently buying up those 400 players' accounts.

A glimmer of hope rose in Fatty's heart: Buy accounts, then come help us?

Guild: No, just hang in there, don't die too fast. We'll try to farm as many honor points as possible.

Guild: Don't worry, the guild won't let you down. We'll compensate you.

Fatty: ???

"Is this even a human language??"

Guild: "Just kidding! Although we're curious to test it, let's talk about it next time (shrugs). Our guild members are on their way; hang in there."

Fatty switched to the team channel: "Captain, help!"

Destiny didn't need to be told; he never planned to abandon his team. As he was about to slow down, several players on motorcycles suddenly burst out of a side alley, fully unleashing their wild nature. They screamed wildly and scattered nails on the road, separating the two vehicles.

"Tsk, move aside, I'll control this car!" Eddie instantly seized control of the vehicle with his ability. In the next moment, as the car about to hit the nails made a sharp turn into the adjacent alley, Fatty also gritted his teeth, floored the gas pedal, and rammed the motorcycle trying to block the way, striving to keep up.

But soon, both cars were forced to a halt.

Ahead, Eddie glared at the players setting up barricades and motorcycles in the alley: "It's a trap..."

This area was seldom frequented and lacked surveillance, and he hadn't noticed that these people had deliberately lured them here.

"Hehe, here comes my reward!"

The players charged excitedly, knowing the reward for an enemy faction NPC was 500 honor points. Wasn't this a jackpot?

Inside the car, Job and his team didn't hesitate to open the doors. But one figure was even faster; Dana was the first to step out, wielding a weapon resembling a Japanese folding sword. The player who tried to ram them with a motorcycle blinked, suddenly losing control of his arm. In his peripheral vision, he shockingly saw his own hand flying up as his motorcycle crashed into a wall.

At the same time, Eunice stepped out with a wide smile, effortlessly grabbing players who rushed towards her, using them as weapons to throw at others.

Eunice's origin ability [Strongwoman] was a simple and effective body enhancement type. She was nearly invincible in close combat. Paired with Dana's dual swords, they cut through the enemy like a hot knife through butter. The players had planned to overwhelm them with numbers, but in the narrow alley, it turned into their battleground.

"What the hell?"

The players were shocked. Normally, outnumbering the enemy would give them an advantage, but they still couldn't break through these two.

Destiny, huddled in the car, breathed a sigh of relief. Remembering the game's recent adjustments, he felt a surge of hope. No doubt NPCs were part of the faction's strength, meaning these few from the Inspection Bureau could hold their own against players.

"Keep your distance and shoot!"

Black Cat's voice came through the player channel.

The players, who had planned to charge in for a brawl, immediately stopped and retreated, while another group excitedly raised their guns, aiming forward.

This was why Karens had directed the players to lure the enemy faction into alley combat. In such tight spaces, no matter how strong, they couldn't dodge a barrage of bullets.

Moreover, the visibility in the alley left little room to hide, turning anyone there into a moving target.

Eunice was shot in the limbs in an instant; she winced in pain. Eddie quickly pulled her into the car for cover.

But everyone knew this would only hasten their demise.

Bang, bang.

"These maniacs!" Eddie noticed the fuel tank was damaged. If it exploded, they would surely die from such close proximity, and so would their assailants. But they seemed indifferent, even eager, as Eddie sharply spotted someone raising an incendiary grenade.

"No choice, Dana."

"I understand, Captain." Dana removed her glasses.

Whoosh—

The players behind, eager for their spoils, watched as an incendiary grenade sailed over their heads in a beautiful arc, landing right next to the fuel tank on the ground.

Instantly, a massive fireball and explosion engulfed the alley.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, who's the lunatic? We haven't even retreated yet!"

"Damn, how do we count the honor points now? Did someone just hog them all??"

The players immediately erupted into an uproar, but once the smoke cleared, there was nothing left at the scene.

Yes, literally nothing. The car was blown up, but there were no people, no blood, nothing.

The player who had thrown the incendiary grenade scratched his head: "I didn't get any points though."

What happened here?

"Teleportation, huh?" Karens, observing from a distance, murmured, "Hacking, melee, healing, extraction from the battlefield, their abilities are indeed comprehensive."

"After all, they are the elite of the Inspection Bureau," Lann remarked calmly, "I would have been surprised if they lacked such capabilities."

"But if they think it's over now, they're still too naive."

This faction war also serves as an opportunity to completely clear Edmund of suspicion.

Edmund was under suspicion because of the player team.

The goal is to completely discredit the player team in the eyes of the Inspection Bureau.

Suddenly, everything went dark before Destiny’s eyes, then brightened again, revealing a changed scene. He sat stunned for a while, until Jobe had healed the team's injuries with his abilities. Coming back to his senses, he looked shocked, "What was that just now? Teleportation?"

Diana glanced at him and put her glasses back on, "Sort of, but it's not that convenient."

She clearly didn't want to elaborate further, and Destiny didn't mind; he was well aware that he was brought along simply because he was in the car.

"Wait a second, that means..."

Destiny: "My, my teammates... they..."

Jobe showed an apologetic expression at the right moment, "Sorry, we didn't have time to think about that then."

In the player team's channel:

Hefty Member: "Bro—save me, save me!"

Chess Player: "They've gone mad, ahhh!"

Except for Destiny, the other three members of the Star Gazing Squad were in another car, following closely behind the NPC's vehicle. Their misfortune didn't just end with their car exploding and flipping over. Worse still, with the NPCs gone and not enough points earned, the players had completely lost it and were now hunting them down.

"Don't run! You won't die anyway, so what's wrong with letting us slash you once?"

Hefty Member: "Crap, stop chasing me with that knife, who wouldn't run?"

"You don't feel pain or die!"

The remaining three members of the Star Gazing Squad were being relentlessly pursued by the players behind, clearly being treated as renewable mobs to be farmed!

"Why should players make things hard for other players!"

"It's your fault for being on the other side! Who can you blame? Just stand still and let us slash you a few times."

"Who would stop when getting swamped? No one!"

As they ran, Hefty and the others sent distress signals to Destiny and their guild, chased by a ferocious pack, a sight that would sadden onlookers and break the hearts of listeners.

Hearing about Hefty's plight, Destiny wiped sweat from his brow, relieved he had gotten into the right car, and eagerly asked, "What do we do now?"

Destiny recognized the surroundings; they were in a service area they had passed before leaving the bustling city center. Diana had gotten out of the car here before, leading Destiny to wonder if it had something to do with her abilities.

"We're not safe yet at this distance," Diana said, "Let's drive a bit further."

No one objected. Iddy used his ability to find another car, and they discussed the attack while on the move.

"We need to figure out what's going on with these people," Jobe said, his brow furrowed enough to trap flies, "and how our operation got leaked."

Everyone remained silent, but for some reason, Destiny felt uneasy. In his understanding, Jobe and his team had only discussed their destination when they set out (Jobe intentionally kept Edmund's situation hidden, making the Star Gazing Squad believe Edmund was no longer trusted and unaware of this operation). Thus, only people from the Inspection Bureau and the Star Gazing Squad would know about their mission.

Jobe, more likely to suspect outsiders than his own people, would definitely doubt them first.

"Maybe we were spotted when we entered the district... something like that."

"They were too well-prepared, it's unlikely," Iddy disagreed, shaking his head. The suspects were still between Edmund and the Star Gazing Squad, but compared to Edmund, who had passed the tests, the Star Gazing Squad seemed more suspicious.

As if to confirm their suspicions, their car was attacked by players again just a hundred meters away. Iddy struggled to control the vehicle, dodging attacks, and everyone else looked extremely grim.

The truth was, Karens had marked them, allowing him to track Jobe and his team's location at all times and relay it to Black Cat, who then updated the faction channel. This led Jobe and his team to run into players rushing to the scene.

But Jobe and his team didn't know this, feeling a chilling sense of being constantly pursued and haunted no matter where they went.

If the previous ambush could have been attributed to Edmund, now, with him not present and their location continuously exposed, there was only one possibility left.

A gun was pointed at Destiny's temple.

"Get out of the car," Diana said coldly.

Destiny: "...I'm really not a spy, I didn't betray your location!"

No sooner had he spoken than another familiar car appeared in the rearview mirror, driven by someone Destiny recognized well.

It was the remaining three members of the Star Gazing Squad, herded towards them by players like sheep being driven by shepherd dogs.

This situation was both humiliating and unavoidable for Hefty and the others. Clearly, these players wanted to herd them together for easy point farming and to conveniently end the event. They had no choice but to comply, or else the players could indeed farm them on the spot.

Hefty and his team, having seen the combat strength of the Inspection Bureau NPCs, thought they might have a chance to take down a few Secret Church players if they chose a good terrain to split the battlefield. So, they reluctantly converged with the NPCs.

Unbeknownst to them, Destiny was in an awkward situation. He had just claimed that his side hadn't leaked their location, only for his teammates to show up with clear intent.

"Get down, and don't make me repeat it," Diana's eyes grew colder. Destiny had no choice but to get out and wait for his teammates' car.

However, as they stopped, the number of motorcycles around seemed to increase. There were quite a few people at the service station, but as they moved forward and got closer to the city, pedestrians became scarce.

Iddy looked into the rearview mirror, feeling an ominous premonition.

And soon, that premonition came true.

A bomb, trailing smoke, flew in from the street side. Jobe shouted for everyone to jump out of the car while Iddy desperately tried to dodge it. Then, Eunice yanked him out of the vehicle, just before their car exploded into pieces.

At this moment, Destiny had just joined Hefty and the rest of the Star Gazing Squad in their car. They had barely regrouped when they saw the Inspection Bureau's car being attacked again.

Hefty expressed his relief, "Boss, good thing you weren't in there, or we'd have lost a member by now."

The only female member of the Star Gazing Squad was completely numb: "Forgive my bluntness, but we might as well have died in front of the NPCs and reduced our numbers, rather than becoming a tool for farming points."

Thinking of that fate, everyone in the car shuddered. They clearly understood that the players behind them weren't in a hurry to kill them for a reason.

It was obvious, even without thinking: those players wanted to exploit the respawn mechanism to farm points!

"Don't give up, let's endure a bit longer," Destiny gritted his teeth. "Our guild members are on their way. They don't have as many players as us, so we still have a chance!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a lot of black vehicles appeared around the site of the explosion, quickly stopping and disgorging a group of thugs wielding weapons.

A-Long, leading the group, glanced at the Star Gazing Squad’s car and waved his hand, "Split the battlefield. Don't worry about these guys; focus on the ones over there!"

He was referring to the NPCs of the Inspection Bureau. Earlier, when Druid and his team contacted A-Long, they devised a cunning plan: farm both the NPCs and players, ensuring none get away.

At this time, Black Poker released information that the Inspection Bureau was responsible for the 'attack' on Karens and was pursuing the surviving leaders from the banquet. These leaders, unwilling to be slaughtered, reluctantly joined forces, lending their men to be commanded by the Secret Church.

Though Diana's ability had helped them escape for a while, the situation was still under control.

"So these are the ones hunting our leaders?"

"Seems like it."

"Let's get them!"

With a dense crowd on the other side and players laughing menacingly as they charged, Destiny resolved, "Let's fight them!"

On the Inspection Bureau's side, though they jumped from the attacked vehicle in time and no one died on the spot, Jobe's healing quickly tended to the team's injuries. The four, back to back, faced the surrounding gang members and players. Jobe whispered, "Iddy, call for backup. Diana, plan A."

"Understood," Diana and Iddy responded simultaneously.

As seasoned investigators, they'd faced crises before and naturally had an escape plan. Despair was not an option yet.

Iddy instantly sent distress signals to two locations using his abilities: their base, where Edmund, Clee, and Archie were on standby, and the police station. Though the Inspection Bureau headquarters was far away, they had the power to mobilize police forces temporarily.

"Head northeast, 25 degrees. The police will respond first in that direction," Iddy whispered.

Simultaneously, Iddy used his ability [Cyber Ghost] for the last time, his damaged laptop sparking. All surrounding vehicles blared their alarms loudly.

Iddy groaned, blood trickling from his nose, his face deathly pale from overusing his abilities today. Eunice carried him on her back, and seizing the moment of panic, they charged into the crowd.

Jobe and Diana broke in another direction. Before splitting up, Diana discreetly slipped a red marker into Eunice's pocket.

"This is our Plan A," Diana explained, a common breakout tactic used by Jobe's team in the past. Simple in principle: they would split into two teams to break through, causing the enemy forces to divide. Because Eunice had a deceptive appearance, the enemy often directed more force towards Jobe's side. The farther the two groups got from each other, the better. At the right moment, Diana would use a 'marker' to teleport back to Eunice, and then they would break out together with concentrated force.

This was a frequent combination they used. Diana's origin ability [Courier] allowed her to transport people to a pre-marked location. The more people she carried, the shorter the distance she could move. She could only place one marker at a time, which had to be a red triangular object.

However, what they couldn't see was a peculiar plant hidden among the thugs, as if existing in another dimension.

Previously, Lann had instructed Karens to have a true believer infiltrate the gang members to plant a spiritual seed, allowing for live observation. This perfectly captured the moment Diana placed the marker.

Remembering how the Inspection Bureau members had suddenly disappeared earlier, Lann narrowed his eyes.

The plant, once a sapling, suddenly grew, forming flexible tendrils as per Lann's imagination. As Eunice focused on the surrounding gang members and players, a tendril gently extracted the marker from her pocket.

Then, back in his divine realm, Lann opened his eyes, holding the red triangular marker. After pondering, he sent it to Karens.

Since Karens wanted personal revenge, why not let him have it.

……

Edmund, stationed at the base, received the request for support and walked out of his room.

For some reason, he'd been feeling somewhat dazed lately, as if he had forgotten something. But after searching his memory, Edmund couldn't pinpoint what he might have forgotten.

"Never mind, the priority now is to find the captain and the others. They're probably in trouble, maybe even in a fierce battle. I need to go help them quickly."

Edmund's room was directly next to Archie's. As he passed Archie's room, the doctor's indifferent voice came from inside.

"Where are you going?"

"…Ah, to buy food," Edmund replied instinctively, glad Archie couldn't see his face, or he might have been seen through.

Before leaving, Jobe had told Edmund to keep an eye on Archie, making sure he didn't leave. Thankfully, Clee was still in the base and could temporarily take over watching Archie.

Suddenly, Archie's door opened, and he stood in the doorway, staring straight at Edmund, who was startled and unconsciously averted his gaze.

Archie looked up at the corridor's surveillance camera. The red light that had always been on was now off, probably due to the intense situation outside, leaving the hacker no time to pay attention to this side.

Good.

Archie stared into Edmund's eyes and silently mouthed something.

"Lann, En."

Edmund recognized the word, strangely feeling as if it was deeply ingrained in his mind.

The next moment, memories previously suppressed by suggestion surged forth, and Edmund remembered everything once again.

He had known he was in a precarious situation where his true identity could be revealed at any moment. Thus, Edmund recalled what Lann had told him not so long ago.

He had to separate the identity of the gatekeeper from Lann, never having thought they were one and the same.

Reflecting now, this might have been an early hint: in times of crisis, he needed to completely forget Lord Lann's identity, to the extent of even deceiving himself.

Coincidentally, at this moment, Archie appeared beside him, leading Edmund to believe he fully understood Lord Lann's intention. The best way to resolve the crisis was to temporarily forget these memories, then clear any suspicion, be it through a lie detector or anything else.

So, he had approached Archie, right before the Star Gazing Squad informed Jobe that Edmund was an undercover agent. By then, Edmund had already temporarily forgotten about Lann, naturally growing distant from Archie. To Jobe and the others, Edmund always seemed to keep a careful distance from Archie, creating a delicate timing.

He passed the truth helmet later simply because he genuinely couldn't remember anything.

And now, Archie had decided it was time to lift this suggestion.

The setting of the keywords naturally reflects their very faith.

Edmund cracked a smile, which quickly morphed from docile to deranged:

"It seems to have gotten quite lively outside," he said, "and I'm keen to join in the fun."