Chapter 97: The Plan

Chapter 97: The Plan

"..."

Qin Fei turned around and glanced at the black-clad man standing in a corner of the courtyard. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "Ariane, before I officially move into my new home, could you trouble someone to clean it up and add some furniture?"

Ariane nodded in a daze. "Ah, oh... sure."

In truth, Ariane wanted to tell Qin Fei that an A-class villa didn't need any cleaning at all.

The System would send people to maintain the A-class area regularly, and the bedding inside was always clean, making it ready for immediate occupation with just a single bag.

But then again, this house had been empty for quite some time.

Perhaps Mr. Qin was an extremely cleanliness-conscious person? He might not tolerate even the slightest speck of dust.

Determined to leave a capable and efficient first impression on her new employer, Ariane hurriedly contacted the domestic service center.

Five minutes later.

A team of cleaning NPCs stormed into the villa through the back door, led by Ariane, and began their intense work inside.

The main door of the villa was shut, and the courtyard instantly became deserted. Qin Fei finally furrowed his brows.

"… You, you can actually leave the instance dungeon?"

Qin Fei looked at Mr. Pollution Source, who had been obediently standing in the corner, and felt that something had gone awry since a certain point.

The ring that Pollution Source had given Qin Fei in the Sea of Seals was still on his finger.

Instance dungeon items would vanish once players cleared the level, and even if there were rewards, they would be sent to the players' inboxes via email.

Yet, Qin Fei had brought this ring out with him.

Qin Fei was slightly surprised but not overly shocked.

After all, an item that could conceal Pollution Source's aura from the system must be extraordinary.

After leaving the instance dungeon, Qin Fei had attempted to remove the ring, but to no avail.

It seemed fused irreversibly to his finger.

Staring at the ring at that moment, numerous thoughts crossed Qin Fei's mind.

He wondered if the ring might possess other functions.

If he couldn't take it off, wearing it as an ornament wouldn't be too bad of a compromise.

But if he kept entering the instance dungeons with the ring on, would there be a risk of attracting the system's attention?

However, despite all these considerations, Qin Fei never imagined that the Pollution Source would actually emerge from the ring and stand before him, alive and well.

The Pollution Source had mentioned that the ring served as a key and gateway to other dimensions.

Qin Fei had always assumed that after escaping the Sea of Seals through the ring, the Pollution Source would go elsewhere on its own.

- As for where exactly, that was beyond the concern of a lowly player like him.

Qin Fei reached out once more, attempting to spin the ring around his finger.

It could be turned. However, the moment he entertained the thought of removing the ring, it suddenly became immovable.

Exactly like his previous attempts.

Qin Fei looked at the man in front of him with a thousand unspoken words, a subtle sense of crisis welling up within him.

Why was He standing there motionless, showing no intention of leaving?

Could this guy be planning to make his finger its permanent home??

Qin Fei's eternal gentle smile finally cracked under the strain.

Carrying a source of contamination around with him.

Though it sounded impressive, Qin Fei was self-aware.

Considering how the System had meticulously hidden contamination fragments and gone to great lengths to prevent the fusion of the source with its shards, even opening an R-rated instance dungeon, its paranoia was evident.

If this creature were truly inseparable from his finger, sooner or later, disaster would befall him.

Qin Fei didn't speak, but the person across from him had already read his thoughts from his expression.

"Central City is currently safe," He said.

As one of the most central entities in the Rule-bound World, Central City had always been under the System's intense scrutiny.

Layers of security barriers surrounded the city. Should any lifeform that wasn't a player or designated NPC attempt to force their way in, the System would instantly receive an alert.

However, precisely because of this, once someone successfully infiltrated the city, they would become the perfect shadow in plain sight.

"As long as I conceal my aura, even if the System becomes aware of my presence, it won't associate me with the source of contamination."

The man's cool voice was like a thin layer of ice, soothing Qin Fei's irritation in an instant.

Qin Fei gazed at the person before him.

This was the monster, ineffable and infinite in its horror, spoken of with dread by the players.

In fact, it wasn't that terrifying at all.

At this moment, It was looking at Qin Fei with those sapphire blue eyes, its vertical pupils, unlike those of a human, held a hint of caution.

It seemed to be worried about its improper intrusion without prior notice, fearing that Qin Fei might become angry because of it.

Qin Fei let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Let's talk later."

He needed a moment to recompose himself.

The Contaminant Source wouldn't go through so much trouble just to bask in the sun in his garden.

Thirty minutes later.

The cleaning squad marched out of the villa with their tools, proud and confident. Ariane, with nothing else to do, wandered back to the service hall.

And Qin Fei could finally sink comfortably into the villa's plush sofa to have a good chat with the creature that screamed "trouble" from every pore.

"What's your name?" Qin Fei initiated the conversation with a highly generic question.

The response, however, was rather unexpected.

"I am not certain."

Mr. Contaminant blinked his beautiful sapphire eyes in confusion, the helplessness in his gaze appearing genuine.

Qin Fei: "How could someone not know their own name?"

His long eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow of despair across his face.

"Do you still remember what I told you back in the Sea of Seals?"

"My primordial soul fragment has shattered, splintering my memories along with it."

"Until I gather all my soul fragments, I can only exist in this hazy, unconscious state."

"..."

He looked so pitiful that Qin Fei didn't know how to respond.

Qin Fei felt rather helpless.

Armed with a multitude of questions for the source of the corruption, he was utterly silenced when the other party deftly countered them all with a single sentence.

"And if I were to ask you why your aura lingers on me, would you have the same answer – that you don't know?"

Sure enough, Qin Fei received the same response once more.

"I don't know."

Watching the person in front of him shake their head like a rattle drum, Qin Fei's eyelids twitched fiercely.

"So, can you finally tell me why you're here?"

There was no way It wouldn't know the answer to this.

Upon hearing Qin Fei's question, the Contaminant straightened its demeanor.

"I've come here because I have a favor to ask of you."

A favor.

What kind of matter could the mighty Pollution Source, towering above all in the instance dungeons, possibly have that would require the assistance of a novice player who had just ascended to Level A and completed only three dungeons?

It sounded utterly absurd.

Yet Qin Fei's smile remained unwavering.

The young man continued sitting there, tilting his chin slightly. "Please go on."

Noticing Qin Fei's casual demeanor, the Pollution Source faintly raised an eyebrow.

"I would like your help in finding the remaining three soul fragments."

Silence fell briefly within the room after the words were spoken.

Qin Fei didn't respond immediately. The Pollution Source lifted his eyelids to look at him.

Assuming that Qin Fei was weighing the pros and cons of the situation, It spoke up again, taking the initiative.

"I won't put you in danger."

"All you need to do is keep wearing this ring. Once I detect traces of fragments in a world, follow my guidance and enter the instance dungeon."

The Contaminant didn't require Qin Fei to do anything deliberately in the dungeons.

All It needed was for Qin Fei to wear the ring and, at a time when the system was unaware, carry It into the instance dungeon.

The Contaminant possessed the ability to traverse, descend upon, and even simultaneously control various worlds.

It could enter the instance dungeons without relying on the ring.

However, doing so would inevitably alert the system to Its existence.

That was not what the Contaminant desired.

"I have some suspicion that the accident which tore my soul might be deeply connected to the rule system."

The Contaminant Source explained.

Its mind was currently a blank slate, unable to recall any useful information.

It had no idea how many cards the System had up its sleeve, so it was even more unwilling to expose its plans.

Qin Fei understood.

This was a plan to play dirty.

To outwardly appear as an easily deceived fool while secretly gathering fragments to enhance its power, then turn around and catch the System off guard.

However...

"Why did you choose me?" Qin Fei asked calmly.

The Contaminant Source's gaze flickered. "Aren't you curious? Why does my aura appear on you?"

The question that plagued Qin Fei also troubled the Contaminant Source.

The young man was dressed in a pristine white shirt, his graceful and extraordinary demeanor remaining undeniable even as he slumped lazily into the sofa.

He had a delicately refined face with gentle curves, exuding an air of refinement and elegance.

Even without a smile, a tender glow still shimmered in his eyes. Simply by sitting there and gazing at others, he could make them feel a soothing warmth akin to a spring breeze.

In contrast, the Pollution Source was synonymous with death, collapse - its very name evoked endless despair and darkness. It seemed to belong to an entirely different realm.

Yet...

The Pollution Source sat on a solitary sofa several meters away from Qin Fei, looking up at him.

As their gazes met, an inexplicable sense of familiarity slowly permeated the air between them.

Why was this so?

"This is a secret shared only between the two of us. Apart from you, I wouldn't entrust the ring to anyone else."

In truth, only Qin Fei could truly bear the ring.

Though the Contaminant hadn't attempted to pass the ring on to any other players, it was well aware of this fact.

Not everyone was capable of bearing such an artifact.

Qin Fei wasn't the strongest in the instance dungeon, but he was the most suitable.

And also the one It trusted the most.

—Despite having only met a few times.

As the Contaminant spoke in its cool, low voice, an indescribable charm laced the air, a stark contrast to Its previous head-shaking denial of knowledge.

The corners of Qin Fei's lips curled up even more.

Although the other party seemed to have employed some negotiation tactics,

he had to admit that what It said made perfect sense.

Qin Fei was indeed extremely curious about the secrets hidden within himself.

Since entering the instance worlds for so long, Qin Fei often had a feeling.

It was as if the players were like unlit submarines navigating through the bottomless ocean depths, with countless hidden reefs lurking around them. A single collision would bring about catastrophic consequences.

One misstep could mean life or death.

No one could bear to carry secrets in such an environment.

However, despite this, it was the Pollution Source who was making the request now.

Qin Fei's almond-shaped eyes curved into a beautiful arc, but the words that came out of his mouth were clear-cut and devoid of any warmth:

"What benefits can you offer me if I agree to help?"

This was the Pollution Source!

A being that could rival the Rule System, a true apex existence within the realm of rules!

Negotiating with someone like this, Qin Fei wouldn't feel like himself if he didn't gain something in return.

Those blue eyes that had been intently watching Qin Fei seemed to falter for an instant before adopting a pitiful expression, as if wanting to speak but holding back, tinged with a hint of embarrassment:

"I... "

Suddenly, Qin Fei felt uneasy again.

"... You?"

Don't tell me you have nothing?

The Pollution Source nodded.

Qin Fei: !!!

The young man's molars ground together audibly, "You're the Pollution Source!"

You are the Pollution Source!

A contamination source whose mere name strikes terror into the hearts of a million gamers!

A contamination source that doesn't even need to lift a finger, capable of leaving countless people with no burial ground just by sitting there!

How could such a being not possess a single decent item?

The contamination source's gaze flickered towards Qin Fei's fingers.

Qin Fei: "...."

So, this was the only thing left, huh?

"Implicit in your question is that this is the only item, correct?" Qin Fei asked calmly, maintaining his professional demeanor of gentleness and humility until the end.

Seeing that the other party didn't seem too angry, the contamination source blinked twice before speaking,

"This ring can store items."

Qin Fei: Pinching the Renzhong point (a pressure point on the nose).

Thoughtful Ariane had prepared a pot of floral fruit tea before leaving, placing it on the coffee table in the living room.

Qin Fei poured himself a cup and drank it in one swift motion.

As an A-level player, he already had quite a number of storage spaces. What was the point of having a spatial ring?

The source of contamination defended the ring, "This isn't an ordinary storage ring."

Just as he had mentioned earlier, this ring connected to another dimension and could bypass the restrictions imposed by the system's rules.

System regulations reign supreme in their respective worlds; they are the ultimate authority.

The ability to resist these rules indicates the extraordinary nature of this ring.

Qin Fei asked, "Can living creatures be stored within this ring?"

If that were possible, it would indeed be a remarkable possession.

Qin Fei stroked his chin, already imagining himself seizing NPCs and stuffing them into the ring as he moved through the world, brazenly kidnapping and dominating within the instance dungeons.

Then, the Pollution Source shook its head.

Qin Fei: #!!

"Although it can't accommodate living creatures," the Pollution Source tried to redeem the ring's dignity, "this ring can break through spatial barriers and serve as a bridge between different worlds."

"As an advanced item, the Black Crystal Ring will manifest different utilities based on the wearer's innate abilities."

"Combined with your innate skill, the ring can create spatial pathways, allowing you to summon NPCs you've successfully conquered in different dungeons."

Qin Fei's eyes lit up like two switched-on light bulbs.

Was there such a fantastic perk?

However...

"What does it mean to conquer an NPC?"

"NPCs with affection levels surpassing a critical threshold can be considered conquered NPCs."

Contaminant Source Path.

"There's no fixed threshold for the critical value; it depends on the NPCs' individual conditions."

Some NPCs might be summoned by Qin Fei with only 30% affinity, while others might not succeed even with 99% affinity.

In short, it was a trial-and-error process.

"You can use the summoning function once per dungeon run. The duration for which the summoned NPC remains in the current dungeon is unpredictable."

It sounded rather mystical, but even ten minutes of their presence would be a highly profitable deal.

Qin Fei readily agreed, "Deal."

...

After that "deal," Qin Fei's dungeon life seemed to acquire a clear objective.

He needed to help the Contaminant Source regain its memories while simultaneously resolving his own troubles.

The matter might sound complicated, but it didn't actually affect Qin Fei's current life in any significant way.

He continued to live his days methodically as planned:

Lounging in his clean and comfortable villa.

Venturing out with a face-changing mask from the mall.

Chatting leisurely with Ghostfire Sanjue at the Darkflame Guild.

Mingling in AABC, the entertainment hub exclusive to players of Zone 3, indulging in all sorts of delights.

In the midst of these decadent yet exhilarating days, something occurred that was neither major nor minor.

"How can you be so nonchalant, like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water?"

In the VIP lounge of Darkflame, Sanjue looked at Qin Fei with confusion.

While in the Werewolf Community, Sanjue had followed Qin Fei's lead, charging through with reckless abandon. Thanks to unlocking hidden missions and their rewards, Sanjue had accumulated enough points during the final settlement to jump from D rank straight to C rank.

When San Tu was in the Holy Infant Orphanage instance, she was still at E rank. After clearing it, her points barely allowed her to ascend to D rank.

Yet, she jumped straight to C rank just by participating in an R-rated competition.

This made Ghost Fire, who was barely holding on at the bottom of D rank, envious to the point of seeing red.

With her promotion to C rank, San Tu was qualified to access the VIP lounge that only mid-to-high-ranking guild members could unlock.

When Qin Fei visited the Dark Fire Guild, he no longer had to linger in the corner of the public resting area like a mushroom.

At this moment, Qin Fei was leisurely biting into an apple.

San Tu saw his nonchalant expression and felt a headache coming on:

" Aren't you worried at all?"

Qin Fei waved it off casually.

"What's there to worry about? It's just a wanted notice. As you can see, I've been living just fine for this past month."

Indeed.

Wanted Poster.

Qin Fei was once again being hunted by the Butterfly guild.

This time, it wasn't an internal guild warrant like the previous one.

Butterfly had spared no expense and issued a full-server-wide bounty.

Qin Fei's wanted information was prominently displayed on the top of the players' forum homepage for an entire month.

San Tu was confident that all high-level players had committed Qin Fei's characteristics and details to memory.

Although there were no photographs, the Butterfly guild had commissioned a player to paint a colorful portrait of Qin Fei, which bore a striking six or seven out of ten resemblance to his real appearance.

He had even given up on the obsession of turning Qin Fei into a puppet.

A substantial reward would be offered for capturing him alive, but even killing Qin Fei would result in a considerable bounty.

Under the allure of substantial rewards, there were bound to be fearless ones. From that day on, Qin Fei found himself under the watchful eyes of many on every street corner.

But neither of them had considered one point.

That was Qin Fei, a male character, who had astonishingly ascended from Grade D directly to Grade A, granting him the privilege to exchange for appearances from the mall.

This was precisely the reason why Qin Fei had remained unscathed and carefree for over a month.

A D-level player has been promoted straight to A-level!

Every time San Tu thought about it, she had the urge to bang her head against a wall out of self-deprecation.

She had been foolishly delighted for several days after her promotion from D rank to C rank. Then, a person who looked nothing like Qin Fei approached her with a warmly familiar and distinctive smile.

San Tu was dumbfounded at that moment.

She was increasingly convinced that Xiao Qin was simply not of this world!

San Tu expressed her 10000% disapproval of Qin Fei's laissez-faire attitude.

"You can use the System appearance as a cover for now."

San Tu was deeply concerned.

"But what about when you enter the next instance dungeon?"

The appearances purchased from the mall could only be used in Central City – they were essentially just for amusement and couldn't be brought into the dungeons.

There were masks that could be taken into dungeons, but they looked very artificial and wouldn't pass as a real face. Using such an appearance might actually draw more attention to him.

At this point, a large portion of the people in Central City, if not all, knew Qin Fei's looks.

There were even many eager to claim his life.

What should Qin Fei do once he entered the next instance dungeon?

Qin Fei blinked. "But, I have no choice, right?"

He couldn't possibly go and kill the butterfly that issued the missions.

In Central City, he had no means to take action at all.

San Tu, upon hearing Qin Fei's question, lifted his head, his eyes filled with profound meaning: "The solution is quite simple."

"Should you be willing to join the Dark Flame Guild, the guild will naturally assign skilled players to safeguard you."

San Tu coaxingly led the way.

Xiao Qin's strength was evident to all. The upper echelons of the guild had been practically chasing Samsara's tail day after day, urging her relentlessly to lure Qin Fei into joining their guild.

Sorrowful Tributary has its own woes!

She had indeed made efforts, but Qin Fei was simply impervious to persuasion; she had never met someone so difficult to convince!

True to form, upon hearing Sorrowful Tributary's 10,086th attempt to invite him into Dark Flame, Qin Fei rose from his seat without even lifting his head.

The soft sofa beneath him slowly regained its shape, but before Sorrowful Tributary could react, Qin Fei was already making his way to the door, leaving only his silhouette behind for the two people in the lounge.

"Leaving," he said.

The young man dismissed the matter with a casual wave of his hand.

San Tu's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

She turned her head and looked at the ghostly flame with a distressed expression. "Could it be that I annoyed him to the point of anger?"

She was quite an efficient guild member for attempting a reverse invitation.

Sob, sob, sob.

San Tu had truly overthought the situation. Qin Fei wasn't upset because of her persistent invitation.

There was only one reason for his hasty departure.

The Contaminant Source had contacted him.

After their pleasant conversation in the villa that day, the Contaminant Source had been absent for a long time.

Until just now, in the lounge, Qin Fei suddenly heard a voice.

It was as if the voice came from within the ring, yet also whispered directly into his ear.

"Head to the Dispatch Center."

The familiar tone instructed him.

Was this ring so magical that it could make calls through the air?

Qin Fei was now highly enthusiastic about uncovering the secrets concealed within himself. With great excitement, he rushed into the Dispatch Center.

...

"The live broadcast will commence in 5 seconds. The content will be: B-Rank Instance Dungeon 212, 'Lost Snow Mountain'. Players, please prepare yourselves!"

Qin Fei's ears buzzed with the noise.

Fortunately, the system notifications directly entered his mind, allowing Qin Fei to quickly comprehend that he had been assigned to a B-Rank instance dungeon.

An A-Rank player entering a B-Rank Instance Dungeon.

This situation arose due to the system's additional live broadcast scheduling for mid-to-high-level players.

In the Rule World, there were roughly 100 A-grade players and approximately 500 B-grade players.

While the number of players was small, the corresponding copies of the world were even fewer.

To ensure that A and B-grade players had sufficient copies for live broadcasts and to accelerate the promotion speed of B and C-grade players, the copies of the world for A, B, and C-grade players were mixed.

An A-grade player entering a copy might find themselves in a B or C-grade world, and vice versa. A C-grade player could also encounter an A-grade copy.

Lower-level copies had a higher success rate for completion, but higher-level copies offered more generous rewards—each had its pros and cons.

Qin Fei rapidly processed this information in his mind. Lying on his back on the ground, he was struggling to open his eyes.

This time, the sensation upon entering the copy felt vastly different from previous instances. Qin Fei felt as if he had been beaten up; every joint in his body ached.

His body alternated between waves of heat, while his exposed skin and pores radiated a chilling cold.

Qin Fei felt like an ice cream bar stuffed into the deepest corner of a freezer, stiff and frozen solid.

His body was utterly beyond his control.

With gritted teeth, Qin Fei focused all his attention on a single point at the tip of his finger.

After what seemed like an eternity.

His right ring finger twitched gently.

Gradually, he regained control over his entire right hand.

Next came his arm.

Then his right side.

Followed by his legs.

...

By the time Qin Fei managed to sit up with both hands supporting him, an indeterminate amount of time had passed.

The world was a blanket of white.

To Qin Fei's right was an endless cliff, and below him was a steep slope.

He reached out and grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, managing to extract some tightly packed snow.

It was evident that he was in the wilderness.

Recalling the instance dungeon named "Lost Snow Mountain" announced by the system earlier, Qin Fei couldn't help but let out a soft tsk.

He had a nagging feeling that this journey would be extremely challenging.

The temperature was terrifyingly low. Qin Fei looked down and found himself wearing a brand new dark gray windbreaker, with two thermal layers underneath.

However, these outfits were clearly insufficient to maintain his body heat in such frigid conditions.

Qin Fei's teeth chattered from the cold.

Currently, Qin Fei had little control over his body and couldn't stand up. He could only search through the pockets of his clothes with one hand while feeling around his surroundings aimlessly with the other.

Perhaps there might be clues buried beneath the snow.

Qin Fei thought to himself.

Soon, his fingertips brushed against something.

Cold and icy, it felt somewhat hard yet resilient.

Qin Fei paused in his actions.

How should he put it? It seemed like a sensation he was quite familiar with...

The young man slowly turned his head.

Less than 20 centimeters behind him, a corpse lay dreadfully still in the snow.

The person must have passed away, their face pale and ashen, eyes tightly shut, with not the slightest movement in their body.

He had a head of soft, long black hair, his features gentle and refined, dressed in a brand new windbreaker, hands folded across his chest. On his right hand's ring finger, there was an eye-catching wide black band.

How to put it?

It seemed like he had departed peacefully.

Qin Fei raised his hand, his expression complicated as he touched his face.

Staring at the head with a face identical to his own on the corpse's neck, the young man couldn't help but fall into a sincere silence.

What... was going on here?