The knife shot straight towards Mudslide’s face, its speed so swift and the timing so precise that many viewers engrossed in the live stream didn’t even have time to switch from their astonishment.
Mudslide’s hand had already reached out, and against such a sudden attack, unless his speed was exponentially greater than that of his opponent, he wouldn’t have time to withdraw and block.
Everything happened too quickly; the curly-haired woman even wore a smug expression, as if she had already succeeded.
Time seemed to be paused. The principle behind the gene handcuffs in this world wasn’t high-tech; rather, it was a rare metal that could significantly restrict the abilities of Ability users. After processing, once worn, they were practically indistinguishable from ordinary people.
Their rescue was hasty, and the demand for negotiation with Mudslide was made “on the spot” after he arrived, leaving no time to tamper with the handcuffs.
As long as the opponent wore the handcuffs, allowing that special metal to touch their skin, even if the handcuffs weren’t locked tightly or Mudslide had a way to break free instantly, the brief limitation was already sufficient for the short-haired woman.
No matter how many trump cards the opponent had, at that moment, he would definitely be unable to react, and all his skills would not have the chance to be displayed.
As Mudslide’s face seemed to be split in two, countless people, both in the kidnapping scene and in front of the screen, gasped in alarm.
However, the next moment, the scene of Mudslide’s handsome face being shattered, blood and brain matter exploding, did not occur.
The blade that shot from the curly-haired woman’s hand was stuck at the side of Mudslide’s temple.
His hair seemed to suddenly grow, becoming flexible and resilient, tightly wrapping around the blade and her wrist, preventing her from advancing even an inch.
Despite the ferocity of her attack, she couldn’t break free, and the sharpness of the blade couldn’t cut through his hair.
Her face showed a look of astonishment: “How is this possible?”
But in the next second, a tremendous force struck her, and the curly-haired woman was sent flying, crashing into a thick, heavy conference table, collapsing to the ground while clutching her stomach and retching.
It turned out to be a knee strike.
“How can you still use your abilities while wearing gene handcuffs?”
Lu Qingjia spoke, the handcuffs on his wrist popping open and falling to the ground. “Of course, they’re fake.”
“You can fake your appearance, so why are you so confident that what others wear is genuine?”
The other three women were at a loss for how the situation had changed so suddenly. The one with a high ponytail looked at the curly-haired woman in disbelief: “Even if you don’t agree with his proposal, there’s no need to attack, right?”
Another one with a side braid said, “Are you confused? Zhu Wen’s ability is just to control the flow of water; how could she shoot knives from her flesh? And with her speed and physical condition, if she were that powerful, she’d have become a Hero long ago. Why would she endure a job like this? She isn’t Zhu Wen at all.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the curly-haired woman turned her eyes and attempted to roll over to approach the three women, only to be blocked by a wall of sludge that rose before her—
Turning back, she saw Lu Qingjia smiling and saying, “Do you want to take them hostage? That’s against the rules.”
The curly-haired woman gritted her teeth, realizing that since the opponent had prepared in advance, they had likely seen through her disguise.
She was confident in her disguise, having used special items to obscure the sensing between Players, and had purchased the shapeshifter bloodline, allowing her to perfectly impersonate anyone. She couldn’t understand where she had gone wrong.
Or was it simply that this guy had an unshakeable super paranoia that made him never trust anyone at any time?
Lu Qingjia waved his hand, wrapping the other people at the scene, including the live stream camera, in sludge, leaving the outside world completely unaware of what was happening.
Many netizens were cursing at the screen, but fortunately, seeing Mudslide counterattack was enough to keep them from being too frustrated, and they grumbled as they switched to other Hero Channels.
Lu Qingjia said, “The upcoming scene isn’t suitable for a show.”
“As far as I know, there are no abilities in any of the three games that can eliminate Player sensing, unless one becomes an Advanced Player, at which point the mark disappears, or in certain special rule instances where the game blocks sensing. Otherwise, only some rare items can obscure it.”
“What item? I’m very interested.” Lu Qingjia smiled. “Can you transfer it to me at a lower price?”
The curly-haired woman sneered, “It might not be that useful, right? You didn’t get deceived, did you?”
Her brows furrowed tightly; she simply couldn’t understand how the opponent had discovered her. Fortunately, Lu Qingjia quickly clarified it for her.
“Don’t doubt your ability; your disguise is perfect. If you had paid more attention to some details, like the lady you are impersonating, the data shows that she grew up in poverty and did a lot of housework. Even after gaining financial stability, she would have a sense of self-care, but the shape of her joints and the condition of her skin would definitely not be like yours.”
“Plump and delicate, with even color, no small scars. Moreover, she complained on social media just last month about how her boss’s secretary handed her a knife with the blade facing her, causing a cut in her palm that required over a dozen stitches. Even if her injury has healed by now, the scar wouldn’t disappear.”
The curly-haired woman glanced at her own hand, clicked her tongue, and suddenly, blue scales seemed to ripple across her body as she instantly changed her face, even switching genders.
He was a young man, warily staring at Lu Qingjia: “What about the handcuffs? What’s going on? I don’t believe you could have anticipated a Player ambush before you arrived.”
Lu Qingjia shrugged: “Gene handcuffs are the only items in this world that can restrict Ability users. Knowing of their existence, it’s only natural to preemptively prepare for situations where they might be restricted.”
He had already had someone make fake gene handcuffs to carry in his backpack, just for situations like this.
Lu Qingjia said, “I’ve answered your questions; what do you think of my proposal?”
The opponent glanced at Lu Qingjia, then suddenly sneered, “Dream on—”
As he spoke, a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher appeared in his hand, the massive ammunition already loaded. With the trigger pulled, there was no chance of survival for a Player at this distance.
But Lu Qingjia, on the opposite side, showed no signs of panic, only sighing enviously, “Indeed, cheap hot weapons are tempting, but—”
As he spoke, the Player suddenly felt disoriented, his body weak and limp. At first, he thought it was the aftereffects of a heavy blow, waiting to recover slowly.
But now, it was clear that something was wrong.
He hurriedly tried to pull the trigger, but it was too late; several strands of hair stuck to his sleeve coiled around his fingers like live snakes.
The opponent was horrified: “You can control them even after they leave the body?”
He couldn’t help but feel immense jealousy, envious of the high-damage hot weapons in the Infinite Game. They too longed for the endless stream of abilities in the Horror Game.
He had worked hard to purchase two bloodlines, one for attack and one for disguise, along with points invested in physical abilities and reserves for hot weapons. Among Intermediate Players, he was already considered well-off.
The opposing Player lost consciousness and collapsed, the poison ability Lu Qingjia had obtained from Mrs. Li in the first instance kicking in. The ability grew stronger as Lu Qingjia did, and this was a closed space, perfect for its application.
When Lu Qingjia withdrew the sludge, even those protected by it began to show mild signs of poisoning.
Lu Qingjia looked at the remaining three women: “Don’t worry, this is just a minor episode; my promise still stands.”
“Just hope the real Zhu Wen is still alive.”
Seeing that no one noticed their companion had been replaced and that the other party might be in danger, the three women completely lost their will to resist.
At this moment, the police downstairs had received Lu Qingjia’s notification and began to rescue the hostages, preparing for post-incident reassurance.
Seeing that the three had lost their momentum, the bald old man stood up, sweeping away his earlier timidity and pointing at the three: “You three have gone too far; is there no law left? Just wait, I will make you lose everything, I—”
“It should be you who will lose everything, Mr. Wang.”
Lu Qingjia interjected, “You don’t know that in such special circumstances, as long as rescue is needed, all internal documents and financial reports of the company will be unconditionally disclosed to the heroes on duty at the time?”
“Other heroes might not understand much, but coincidentally, I happen to be part of a company’s management, and I have information on your tax situation over the past few years, the flow of funds, and a series of brutal exploitation regulations against employees, including these four.”
“Oh, and the workplace discrimination and mental bullying they faced as Ability users; all of this has evidence.”
“Next, I will organize the evidence I’ve compiled to help them file a lawsuit, and I will also submit your company’s tax evasion and money laundering activities. Indeed, they will face some punishment for their impulsive actions, but you, Mr. Wang—”
“The weather is getting cold; it’s time for bankruptcy.”
“…………”
“Wow, Mudslide is so cool! The domineering CEO is done for.”
“Hahaha, that bald guy’s face turned white; I wonder if he wet his pants—oh my god, he really did?”
“Of course, Mudslide can analyze the experiences of several women in the company in just a few moves; this threat isn’t baseless.”
“Damn, this is so satisfying; this is a real hero.”
“Too bad we don’t know what just happened; why did he start as a woman and then turn into a man?”
The online response to this rescue was overwhelmingly positive. As the three women were led away in handcuffs, they passed by Lu Qingjia and sincerely expressed their gratitude: “Thank you!”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “A lawyer from the Stellar Company will contact you shortly. Until then, you can remain silent. I will do my best to ensure you receive adequate compensation.”
The three women had red eyes, one already in tears.
The surrounding police had witnessed the entire negotiation process and held no significant ill will towards the women, especially after Lu Qingjia submitted the evidence, which led to Mr. Wang, his secretary, and several high-ranking company officials involved in criminal activities being taken away.
As for the remaining man, Lu Qingjia said, “Can I talk to him alone first?”
The police, sensing something off about this guy, handed Lu Qingjia a genuine pair of gene handcuffs.
Once everyone had left, a large puddle of sludge appeared beneath Lu Qingjia’s feet, and he and the Player vanished into the ground.
When the two reappeared, the Player looked utterly defeated, gazing at Lu Qingjia with a complex expression: “You keep your word.”
Lu Qingjia nodded: “Don’t worry; fair trade is what I enjoy.”
The other person’s expression darkened: “Fair—”
Then he said nothing more as he was taken away by the police, revealing the true location of the curly-haired woman, who was merely knocked out and tied up, with no danger to her life.
With Lu Qingjia’s rescue coming to a complete end, he was notified to return to the castle.
The terminal contained the hero’s business license, which could not be treated as ordinary electronic items. However, due to regulations prohibiting contact with the outside world, all heroes’ terminals were restricted in functionality.
They couldn’t make calls, couldn’t go online; aside from receiving task information and details from the organizing committee, they could only check the time.
Thus, Lu Qingjia had no idea how other heroes were faring.
But on the way back, the Police Hero told him, “Did you know? The Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer just crashed.”
“When you went up to negotiate, I was downstairs watching the live stream with the police, and I also kept an eye on the other groups.”
“The performances were mostly as expected, given the differences in strength and abilities. There were some surprises, but the most explosive was definitely the Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer.”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “Oh? Really? They’re both very strong, popular contenders for the Hero King.”
Police Hero: “Isn’t that right? Their odds just collapsed, and the netizens who bet on them exploded; the bookmakers aren’t doing well either.”
Lu Qingjia seemed uninterested in the two, instead asking the Police Hero, “You didn’t place a bet, did you?”
The Police Hero shook his head: “No, we washed-up heroes just take the opportunity to earn a little pocket money; we can’t afford to gamble.”
Lu Qingjia hinted, “It’s good that you didn’t.”
As a result, when they returned to the castle, the Police Hero didn’t have time to explain how the crash happened. Seeing Bullethead come looking for Mudslide, he thought someone would definitely inform him later, so he turned to the hall to gossip with colleagues and old friends.
Bullethead excitedly asked Lu Qingjia, “Did you know the Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer crashed?”
“I know,” Lu Qingjia replied. “Hey, where’s my cat?”
Seeing that Lu Qingjia showed no curiosity, Bullethead complained, “Then you definitely don’t know what they crashed; otherwise, you wouldn’t be so calm.”
Lu Qingjia searched the dorm room, even looking under the bed, but he couldn’t find Char Siu, sighing, “Where did he run off to?”
Bullethead, seeing he was about to go out to find the cat, quickly said, “Hey, don’t rush to find the cat; there are so many employees in the castle; he can’t run far.”
“Let me tell you about the Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer. They were the ones who tried to set you up this morning, along with Wooden Man and the producer, the top stars of their two companies. Wooden Man was just a pawn to drag a strong competitor down, but the Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer were genuinely valued by their companies, investing heavily to compete for the Hero King.”
“The worst target was to reach the finals and face the Demon King contender, but haha, they crashed in the first round. Their companies must be in chaos right now; after all, they are our competitors. Why aren’t you, the boss, concerned at all?”
Lu Qingjia glanced at him with a look of pity, as if he were looking at a fool.
Bullethead became unhappy: “What do you mean by that?”
Lu Qingjia replied, “I know what I did; how could I not?”
Bullethead was stunned: “What, what do you mean?”
Then he suddenly remembered that this morning, when he complained to Lu Qingjia about those two companies’ despicable tricks, Mudslide had calmly said he had also played tricks—
“You can’t be serious? We can’t contact the outside world; how did you get their information?”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “If we wait until after the fact to frantically think of countermeasures, the opportunity will have long passed.”
“With my competitiveness, they wouldn’t allow me to have a smooth path; cutting off contact and severing the company’s timely adjustments is the most basic thing, right?”
“However, it’s also easy to crack this setup; those competing companies and rivals have long prepared several preset plans.”
“Since the organizing committee wants to use the heroes’ daily conflicts to attract traffic and create a nationwide frenzy, they would never cut off my contact with the outside world.”
“I had already designed a signal for action; as long as the PR team kept a close watch on my footage, they would receive my instructions and carry out orders.”
Bullethead’s mouth dropped open, unable to comprehend how someone who had been mingling with them, joking and practicing skills, had arranged everything.
Realizing this, he quickly closed his mouth: “So, you had already dug up the scandals—no, the scandal of Metal Hammer is one thing, but the Smoke Soldier’s incident, even you couldn’t have anticipated that, right?”
“And what if the situation was beyond your preset, and you couldn’t convey a response using the signal? You can’t possibly predict everything.”
Lu Qingjia: “Of course not; for example, I didn’t anticipate they would pull such a dirty trick this morning, but those who offend must be bitten off a large chunk of flesh.”
“Then how did you—”
Lu Qingjia tapped his forehead: “Are you stupid? The castle has a library, the restaurant has menus, and even the hall has check-in rules. I can randomly choose one as a reference, then extract and reorganize what I need, finding ways to convey the order of the words, whether through agreed gestures or bribing staff to send the number sequence to a designated ghost mailbox. There are plenty of ways.”
“By the way, I’m sure I’m not the only one doing this; other companies will also adjust their heroes’ performance strategies based on online public opinion, and they will definitely find ways to contact the heroes.”
Bullethead swallowed hard: “…Then, was the Smoke Soldier asked by a reporter before the task if he knew the company was preparing to invest heavily in digging up the rival hero and diluting his shares, causing him to neglect the task and return to the company, which is against the rules—”
“Fake, I had someone hire the reporter. The Smoke Soldier’s ability is both rare and powerful, but he’s vain, arrogant, impulsive, and not very bright. What he cares about most is being the top dog in the company and the wealth in his hands. Hitting his weak spot, given his character, he was bound to mess up the task. After all, this kind of thing has happened before; I just didn’t expect him to leave the scene and violate the rules, which turned out to yield even greater results than anticipated.”
“What if the hero next to him reminded him? Or if someone around exposed the fake news?”
Lu Qingjia laughed: “Half an hour’s time is enough for the marketing accounts raised by the company and a few media outlets to publish a suspicious headline news piece.”
“Their company wouldn’t have time to clarify.”
Bullethead shivered: “What about Metal Hammer? Was that also fake?”
“That’s not the case,” Lu Qingjia replied calmly. “This guy is lecherous; our company has female heroes who have been harassed by him during events.”
“Such a lecher can easily be caught with a setup; I bribed a transgender woman to ensure the scandal would be juicy enough.”
“A transgender woman? Why a transgender woman?” Bullethead’s voice even changed a bit.
Lu Qingjia looked at him as if it were obvious: “Look, what I want is for the onlookers, like you, to have a reaction that’s both stimulating and amusing, yet feels low-key and makes them want to laugh.”
“If it were just about playing with women, it would be much simpler to wash it away online, like ‘which man isn’t lecherous?’ ‘Single men don’t need to be responsible to anyone,’ ‘it’s just a bit of fun, and his professional standards aren’t affected,’ ‘he just made a mistake that all men make.'”
Bullethead was stunned for a long time, then burst into tears: “Damn~~, this world is too treacherous.”
Lu Qingjia laughed: “Hmm? You used to adapt well to the marketing tactics of dragging others down; I thought you had no moral scruples.”
Bullethead knelt before him: “Dad, you are my dad; spare me for my past youthful ignorance and my wishful thinking of wanting to rise to the top in one step.”
The two chatted as they went out to find the cat. By this time, most heroes had returned from their tasks.
Of course, they also learned about the Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer’s situation, and everyone gathered together to whisper.
The timing was too clever; one received heavy bad news before the task and abandoned it, while the other, after completing the task, was supposed to enjoy applause and flowers but suddenly had a sexual scandal break out.
The heroes present weren’t fools; the more astute ones had already deduced who was behind the scenes based on the capital behind both sides, personal relationships, whether they had enemies, whether they had blocked anyone’s path, and who the ultimate beneficiaries were.
In the end, after all the calculations, the one who had been jointly framed by the two companies this morning, Mudslide, turned out to be the prime suspect.
At that moment, Metal Hammer and Smoke Soldier returned to the castle, having been informed that they had lost their qualification to compete and were there to pack their things.
Just then, Lu Qingjia and the others entered the hall, and the two of them, having likely learned from the company that the marketing account behind the recent news explosion was Stellar, glared at Lu Qingjia with fury.
Especially Smoke Soldier, whose impulsive nature led him to unleash a wave of smoke toward Lu Qingjia in an instant.
But Lu Qingjia remained relaxed and calm, as if he hadn’t noticed the attack at all.
In the next second, the smoke retreated, for a hand had appeared around Smoke Soldier’s neck—it was Bullethead.
Bullethead scoffed, “Dude, have you lost your mind? Attacking my boss in front of me?”
Smoke Soldier’s Ability was actually more suited for large-scale combat, and Bullethead, who excelled in speed, was a natural counter to him.
With his eyes bulging in rage, he glared at Lu Qingjia and shouted, “You despicable little man.”
Despite having just been shaken by the unscrupulous boss, Bullethead felt a sense of satisfaction seeing the person who had attacked earlier in such a predicament.
He chuckled, “You guys are just doing the first day of the month while we’re doing the fifteenth. Didn’t you think about how the moon is full on the fifteenth when you were plotting?”
The crowd noticed that Stellar’s people were not even trying to hide their intentions, and while confirming the underhanded tactics, they grew even more wary.
Mudslide not only had a quick-witted mind but also struck fast and accurately; he believed in settling scores on the spot, tearing apart those two companies in a bloody manner.
Although the competition had just begun, the investments had already been made. With the two leading companies withdrawing, it was a complete disaster.
This move was ruthless enough; anyone with ulterior motives would have to think twice about whether they could bear the losses from any retaliation from Stellar in the future.
At that moment, the organizing committee members came over to separate the two sides. With so many people present and not holding an absolute advantage in strength, Smoke Soldier and Metal Hammer could only watch Mudslide’s lazy demeanor with frustration.
Lu Qingjia smiled and said, “Although you’ve lost your qualification to compete, your professional careers aren’t completely over. If you have any energy left, you should head back and discuss a public relations strategy with the company instead of raging uselessly here.”
The two exchanged glances, their eyes slicing through Lu Qingjia with disdain before they headed upstairs to gather their personal belongings.
They remained silent throughout, not even fully processing the fact that, based on their own strength and popularity, they had been eliminated at this stage.
The reason was merely retaliation for the company’s petty actions, which felt absurd to them, and they were also dissatisfied with the company’s previous strategies.
If they had participated in the competition fairly, even if they couldn’t secure first place, making it to the finals wouldn’t have been a problem, and their careers could have advanced further. But now, it was all ruined.
The two emerged dejectedly, and as they turned the corner in the hallway, they suddenly spotted a cat at the stairwell.
It was strutting toward the living room, tail held high.
“Isn’t that Mudslide’s cat?” Metal Hammer remarked.
Upon hearing this, Smoke Soldier’s face twisted into a sinister grin.
