Chapter 48 Could This Possibly Be a Scam?

Yu Xun's attitude underwent a complete one-eighty-degree shift. She took away the water in front of the two visitors and asked, "Coffee, juice, or tea?"

Zhao Shuying: "..." Oh no, she had a bad omen.

Wu Qingbai coughed twice into his fist: "Please don't do this, you're scaring us."

Yu Xun made them two cups of the highest-quality coffee and even took out several plates of her own handmade pastries—those with the highest rating she could manage without exceeding 80 points—and placed them on the table: "My hospitality was lacking just now, please forgive me."

Zhao Shuying: "...Just speak your mind."

Yu Xun: "Since you asked, do you two have a way to enter the game?"

Zhao Shuying and Wu Qingbai wore expressions as if they had just been punched in the gut. The exact situation they wanted to avoid had happened anyway; Yu Xun's talent was too unique, and their own attitude had been far too obvious, so it was hardly surprising that she could guess it.

Moments later, their expressions turned grave and solemn. Wu Qingbai said, "If you want to know more, you must join us. Rest assured, the compensation we offer is very generous, and we will grant you the maximum freedom permitted within our regulations."

In other words, her contributions would certainly outweigh her rewards, and "freedom within regulations" meant no freedom at all.

Having already seen right through the routine of these two actors, Yu Xun shook her head with a look of regret: "It seems we won't be able to reach a cooperation."

It was a flat-out rejection with no room for discussion.

Zhao Shuying took out her phone: "Do you mind if I step away to make a call?"

Yu Xun raised a hand: "Be my guest."

After Zhao Shuying left, Wu Qingbai asked earnestly, "May I ask why you are unwilling to join us? Is it because you don't trust us, or simply because you don't want to?"

"Both," Yu Xun replied honestly. "I know this game is extraordinary, and I know you people are doing great things. But wherever there are crowds, there are factional disputes and the division of spoils. Can you honestly say there won't be any here? Even my crappy former company had three major factions, and I'm terrible at playing those games."

Wu Qingbai countered: "What about the Su family?"

"I've never considered joining the Su family, nor do I plan to join any faction," Yu Xun stated. "I prefer being a solo free agent. Sure, it comes with plenty of risks, and I'll never get first dibs on insider info or the truly good loot, but that's still infinitely better than wasting time on backstabbing and office politics."

Wu Qingbai fell silent. He couldn't refute Yu Xun's words. Where there are people, there are inevitably conflicts and factions, even if everyone shares the same ultimate goal, or even if some individuals harbor no selfish motives. Different working philosophies naturally give rise to different camps—hardliners, moderates, radicals—each with their own internal divisions... not to mention that it is impossible for human beings to be completely devoid of self-interest.

Crisis meant upheaval, and there were always people looking to shuffle the deck and start over.

In fact, even he and Zhao Shuying did not belong to the same faction; their partnership was born out of cooperation, but it also served as a form of mutual supervision and checks-and-balances.

To be honest, he was sick of it too; he had wanted out for a long time. Yet going it alone meant ending up in Yu Xun's current predicament—completely in the dark and unable to touch anything truly valuable.

Just as the two of them sank into silence, Zhao Shuying returned. She said to Yu Xun, "Regardless of whether we ultimately reach an agreement, you will still need to pay the cost of one usage quota of your 'Wheel of Destiny' skill for us to tell you this information."

Yu Xun never quibbled over necessary expenses: "Deal!"

Zhao Shuying produced a transparent crystal the size of a blueberry and handed it to Yu Xun.

[Disposable Skill Storage Stone]: Use a skill on the crystal to store it for someone else's use. Crush it upon activation. (Crafter: Yi Chang)

Yu Xun wasn't entirely unfamiliar with skill stones from her past life, though her knowledge was limited since she never bought them. After all, spending dozens of silver coins—or even a few gold coins—on a single-use skill was far too extravagant.

This was her first time seeing a blank one. She cast [Still Feeling Blessed] onto the crystal. Red mist began to swirl inside, turning the entire stone crimson until it looked like a tiny ball of red fog from a distance. Checking her character status, she found that [Still Feeling Blessed] had indeed entered its cooldown period.

It seemed it couldn't allow someone to bypass cooldowns, but this item could ensure that skills with limited uses wouldn't be wasted.

She immediately asked, "How much for these crystals?"

Zhao Shuying smiled, tucked the red-fog crystal away, and put on the signature smile of a top-tier e-commerce salesperson: "Three gold coins each."

Yu Xun: "..." Karma really did move fast.

The price of three gold coins was naturally a joke. Zhao Shuying clarified, "Since you're the buyer, I'll give you a friendly rate: one skill crystal in exchange for five blank crystals."

Yu Xun remained silent, pondering whether she should track down the crafting method herself. Sourcing everything from others was simply too expensive.

Unfazed by Yu Xun's silence, Zhao Shuying began delivering her side of the bargain: "We do indeed have a way to enter the game. Our physical bodies go in—unlike the closed beta where people played like a regular game. Once you're inside, death is real. We can bring you in and even provide protection, but you will have to pay for all of this using the quotas of your 'Wheel of Destiny'."

The dynamic between the trading parties instantly reversed.

Rather than being flustered, Yu Xun felt a surge of excitement. There really was a way across! "Where is the drop point?"

Zhao Shuying answered, "One of our associates bought a small house in the Undercity, the city of the undead. Their talent allows them to open portals, which can transport us directly into the Undercity."

Ah, wonderful—the very stronghold of her mortal enemies.

Zhao Shuying watched as Yu Xun's expression shifted from excitement to calm. "What? You don't like it?"

"...I love it." Game avatars didn't look like their real-world selves anyway, and she had disguise skills besides... Yu Xun asked, "Then how do we get out?"

Zhao Shuying replied, "That falls under a different paid service. We can transform everyone into cute little animals, and another player who can disguise themselves as an undead can smuggle us out of the city."

Yu Xun could transform into animals on her own, and she possessed her own disguise methods as well. However, if she wanted to avoid exposing those skills, she would have to pay up. She pressed a hand to her forehead, a headache coming on. She felt like someone who had signed up for a "zero-dollar tour" only to be dragged to the destination and forced into endless consumer spending: "..."

Zhao Shuying's smile grew increasingly radiant, and even Wu Qingbai beside her chuckled happily.

Yu Xun asked, "Are there time limits? Once I'm over there, can I stay as long as I want?"

Zhao Shuying answered, "You can. But whether going there or coming back, every single time you use our portal, you must pay fifty [Wheel of Destiny] skill crystals. Of course, we will provide the crystals themselves."

This price could hardly be called cheap.

Yet this was a monopoly. If she refused to join them, she would naturally have to pay a heavier price elsewhere; it was entirely reasonable.

However, as long as she could enter that world, it meant vast fortunes awaited her. A steep ticket price was well worth it.