When Lu Qingjia first heard the Trickster say that he could provide the coordinates and confirm the possibility of Old Uncle’s resurrection, he was desperately suppressing the overwhelming impulse that threatened to surface.
However, despite his calm demeanor, the slight contraction of his pupils and the subtle tremble in his fingers betrayed him.
This gave the Trickster a sense of relief. Having something that could sway the other party made things easier.
Thus, the Trickster spoke even more leisurely: “That time, as an exchange student, I entered an instance of a Horror Game. The mission difficulty was extremely high, and to win, I had to resort to some unscrupulous methods—”
Before he could finish, Zhong Liyu interrupted: “Enough of this nonsense. We’re not here to listen to you justify how innocent and forced you were in every action. Stop pretending.”
He gave the Trickster a cold glance: “You don’t need to insert your emotions. Just get to the point.”
The Trickster made a gesture as if to say, “As you wish,” and continued: “Fine, young people these days really have no patience.”
“In that instance, I encountered a formidable competitor. After all, it was an unfamiliar place, and the instance was not very friendly to players from our Infinite Game. High-damage physical weapons, which are usually easy to accumulate here, were of little use.”
“So, I kept a low profile and gained the trust of a rather friendly player in that instance, forming a team with them. We progressed smoothly until the instance was almost over.”
“But in the end, a choice had to be made to betray my companion. He hesitated, but I didn’t. So, the result is that he died in the game’s turmoil, and I became a game administrator.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind surged towards the Trickster. He didn’t even try to dodge, but Lu Qingjia’s fist couldn’t move any closer.
Not only that, but even the sneak attack disguised as a punch was completely ineffective.
The Trickster looked at Lu Qingjia, his eyes filled with disdain that was completely contrary to his current sincere demeanor, as if he were looking at an ant.
At the same time, this disdain contained a hint of hesitation and disbelief, as if questioning something.
Is this all?
The Trickster glanced at Zhong Liyu and said, “Mr. Zhong, aren’t you going to calm Mr. Lu’s emotions?”
Zhong Liyu replied, “Hmm, sorry, he lost his composure.”
Then, the Trickster, who had been sitting calmly at the head of the table just a second ago, was sent flying, crashing into the wall behind him and smashing the expensive-looking decorations into pieces.
At this moment, the other party, who had seemed almost god-like in his authority as an administrator, looked no different from an ordinary person who had been beaten up.
“You—” The Trickster’s close associates suddenly stood up, ready to attack Zhong Liyu.
But Zhong Liyu’s aura exploded, and the overwhelming pressure and absolute level suppression even nailed their feet to the ground, making it impossible for them to take a step forward.
It was like facing a beast; unarmed humans dared not move.
Fortunately, the Trickster stood up at this moment and said to the surroundings, “Alright, sit down.”
Even with his good temper, as one of the administrators of the Infinite Game, a ruler below the game, being taught a lesson like this in his own home naturally didn’t sit well with him.
The Trickster’s voice turned gloomy: “Mr. Zhong, what do you mean by this?”
Zhong Liyu replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you ask me to calm his emotions? Seeing you get beaten up naturally calms him down.”
“Although it’s not as satisfying as doing it himself, it’s better than nothing.”
However, as Zhong Liyu spoke, the same spot on his face where the Trickster had been hit also showed signs of being beaten, looking even twice as severe.
In Infinite City, attacking another game player results in the attacker receiving double the damage. This also applies to external players. In short, the one who strikes first doesn’t benefit.
But Zhong Liyu looked completely indifferent, and if it weren’t for the obvious marks on his face, no one would have guessed he had suffered any backlash.
Lu Qingjia quickly turned his face to examine the bruise from his chin to his cheek, even seeing signs of bone damage. It must have been excruciating.
Although, given Zhong Liyu’s physical condition, the injury began to visibly heal, disappearing completely in a matter of seconds.
Then, he flashed a radiant smile at Lu Qingjia: “It’s fine. This level of pain doesn’t even have time to hurt before it’s gone.”
This guy usually liked to play the victim over trivial matters to gain advantages, but when something serious happened, he acted as if it were nothing.
Lu Qingjia’s heart ached, and he took a deep breath, seemingly calming down, and returned to his seat.
He addressed the Trickster: “We were rude. Please forgive us, Mr. Trickster.”
The Trickster gave him and Zhong Liyu a deep look, his expression still unpleasant, but he didn’t indicate that the peace talks were over.
Lu Qingjia then asked, “To avoid emotional outbursts during our communication, can I ask the questions, and Mr. Trickster, you can provide the answers?”
The Trickster raised an eyebrow: “That’s not impossible.”
Lu Qingjia said, “First, I want to ask, when did your cooperation with my uncle begin in that instance?”
The Trickster replied, “From the very beginning. The instance’s content was a free-for-all, with exchange students as well as gold-digging players and villainous players from your game—that’s what they’re called, right? From the moment the game announced the mission, all players knew there were countless opposing factions.”
“By the way, it’s somewhat similar to the instance you just experienced. Unfortunately, my nephew is rather dull and didn’t perform well, so I must apologize.”
Seeing Lu Qingjia’s expression turn displeased, the Trickster smiled and steered the conversation back on track, continuing: “At that time, like now, my individual combat strength wasn’t advantageous among players of the same level, so I quickly assessed which players were driven by greed, who had clear stances, and who could be trusted with my back.”
“Mr. Lu’s uncle was a good man, and in that instance, he was also among the top in strength, on the verge of advancing to the Advanced Zone. With my strategy and his combat prowess, we managed to clear the instance smoothly.”
A fleeting look of disdain crossed Lu Qingjia’s face, and the Trickster thought he was mocking him for betraying his relative.
Then he heard Lu Qingjia ask again: “Before he left, did he mention me? Did he—miss me?”
The Trickster’s eyes flickered, and he had some understanding. A revenge-seeker this obsessive must have had a deep bond with his relative, which aligned with what he had seen from his nephew’s hidden memories.
Honestly, given the other party’s previous emotional outburst, maintaining such composure in front of him now was already commendable.
But ultimately, he was still a revenge-seeker driven by emotions.
So, he answered accordingly: “Yes, in the perilous environment of the instance, if there was anything that could serve as an anchor of comfort, it would surely be one’s family.”
“He mentioned his family more than once, but it’s been such a long time, I’m afraid I don’t remember the specifics of the conversation.”
Of course, given the Trickster’s current status, having trampled over countless people on his way up, he naturally wouldn’t remember the details of a mere Intermediate Level player from so long ago. If it weren’t for sifting through the God Envoy’s memories, he wouldn’t have been able to piece together Lu Qingjia’s background so quickly.
Upon hearing his words, Lu Qingjia seemed to show a hint of urgency, which pleased the Trickster even more.
Sure enough, Lu Qingjia quickly asked, “What are the coordinates of that instance?”
The Trickster didn’t hesitate and directly recited a string of numbers to him.
Lu Qingjia looked at Zhong Liyu, who nodded. He had personally gone to investigate and had already confirmed the coordinates, but he had been afraid to tell Lu Qingjia, fearing that with his intelligence, he might trick the game into sending him there.
But with their current abilities, it wouldn’t be a problem now.
Lu Qingjia then asked, “How can you be sure my uncle can still be resurrected? After all, he’s been to that instance.”
The Trickster looked at Zhong Liyu, his brow furrowing slightly, momentarily unsure of the situation.
If Zhong had already been there, then why was this Intermediate Level kid still asking him? Was it to confirm the authenticity of his promise? And with Zhong’s abilities, if he had indeed been there, he should have been able to bring back a soul.
Unless—
Being well-versed in the rules of the three game administrations, the Trickster quickly realized that it wasn’t that Zhong didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.
It seemed that before this Intermediate Level kid found him, the rules had imposed many restrictions on him. So now was indeed the perfect opportunity.
He said, “I don’t know why Mr. Zhong didn’t find it, but at that time, your uncle’s soul was pulled into a certain alternate space. Since it could enter, it can certainly exit. Perhaps for an Intermediate Level player, this is an impossible task, but for an administrator—”
As he spoke, he took out an item: “This might help you retrieve the soul. As for the body, I’m sure Mr. Zhong has a hundred ways to reconstruct it.”
Lu Qingjia took the item the Trickster handed him. It was a summoning banner, exuding a ghostly aura that made Zhong Liyu frown.
But he could sense a strong attraction to souls from it. Indeed, with such a high-quality magical tool in hand, the soul of a mere Intermediate Level player, as long as it hadn’t dissipated, could be summoned.
Before this, Zhong Liyu had been restricted by the rules. Even if he had gone to that instance, he could only observe from an absolutely neutral standpoint, unable to use his abilities to probe the essence of the instance.
Now, seeing that the knot that had troubled Lu Qingjia for years had a chance to be untied, he helped Lu Qingjia put away the summoning banner.
He said, “Alright, we’ll give it a try. If the result isn’t satisfactory, there will be plenty of opportunities to settle the score later.”
He smiled at the Trickster: “After all, joint activities between the two games are frequent, and you can’t hide in Infinite City forever, can you?”
This blatant threat didn’t anger the Trickster; instead, he seemed quite confident: “Trouble of this level isn’t worth delaying over.”
“I just hope you two can view this matter objectively. After all, in the three major games, which player hasn’t had blood on their hands as they climbed up?”
Both sides bid a hasty farewell and left the Trickster’s residence.
After parting ways with Wei Jiangli, they had the previous conversation.
When Lu Qingjia said there was something wrong with the compensation the Trickster had offered, Zhong Liyu, although he hadn’t noticed anything, trusted Lu Qingjia’s judgment.
After all, he wasn’t a player known for his keen senses, nor was he deeply versed in magical tools. It was possible he had been deceived by a player of the same level.
But when he heard from Lu Qingjia that the Trickster wasn’t the real one, Zhong Liyu was truly shocked.
“Is that possible? I sensed his strength; it’s definitely at the administrator level. And if it were a fake, wouldn’t the other administrators in the Infinite Game have noticed?”
“If it’s a change in appearance, Wei Jiangli wouldn’t have had no reaction at all, right? And honestly, at our level, recognizing someone isn’t through appearance anymore. Even if he turned himself into a pile of shit, the color and aura of his soul wouldn’t change. It’s meaningless.”
Lu Qingjia said, “I don’t know how he did it either. Even if he wanted a stand-in to take risks in front, the stand-in’s abilities would have to be slightly inferior. But the Trickster we met, although his combat strength is mid-tier among administrators, is undoubtedly at the administrator level.”
“But I do understand why he did this. The infighting among Infinite Game administrators is fierce. The Trickster himself climbed up by pulling down another administrator. He’s known for his intelligence, but all past administrators had their own unique skills.”
“Having a frontman is like having an extra life, a chance to turn the tables at a critical moment.”
Zhong Liyu frowned: “That’s not the key. How did you determine he’s not the real Trickster? When did you realize it?”
A hint of mockery flashed across Lu Qingjia’s face: “No, I didn’t determine it. At least, the existing evidence doesn’t fully support my guess. But my intuition tells me I’m right, so I trust my intuition.”
Zhong Liyu was speechless, but he couldn’t tell him not to be so absolute.
In reality, of course, intuition can’t be the deciding factor, but in the game, it’s different. Life-and-death trials hone everyone’s instincts to the highest degree.
Many things, even if the brain hasn’t processed them, instinct and experience will tell you.
Especially for someone as quick-witted as Lu Qingjia. When he has a strong intuition, it means his powerful reasoning system has already provided the answer, even if the cause and effect haven’t been linked yet.
Then Lu Qingjia said, “You know what? My aesthetic is actually very different from my uncle’s.”
This topic was a bit off, but Zhong Liyu listened quietly.
“I like people who are strong both inside and out, with a certain aggressiveness. Even in terms of appearance, I prefer those with a strong presence.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Liyu’s surroundings seemed to bloom with flowers, and fireworks exploded in his mind. He never expected such good news to come so suddenly.
He was so excited he could hardly contain himself, his eyes shining, and he stammered, “Jiajia, I also—”
But before he could finish, Lu Qingjia gave him a look as if he were an idiot and cut him off: “My uncle is different. He likes gentle, harmless types with no aggressiveness.”
“I know my uncle well. When he came out, he was genuinely upset about his betrayal. But here’s the thing: my uncle, though a bit of a pushover, managed to survive the selection for Advanced Players after experiencing countless trials of human treachery. He couldn’t possibly be someone who easily trusts others.”
“Even if someone with high skills deceived him into kindness, let’s face it, my uncle releasing kindness isn’t strange. In real life, he’s been betrayed before, and his kindness has often been taken advantage of. After experiencing this so many times, even if he’s still willing to believe in humanity, he wouldn’t be freshly shocked by seeing humanity’s hopelessness again.”
“How much time is there in an instance? Especially in a fast-paced competition. Why would he trust someone he barely knew? And why would he be so heartbroken over this betrayal? When he came out and saw me, his first reaction wasn’t regret over his impending death.”
“What kind of emotion would make him act beyond his judgment and indulge someone?”
Zhong Liyu was startled: “You mean—”
Lu Qingjia nodded, his eyes flickering: “When my uncle refused to let me follow him into the game, I made a pact with him.”
“I know his character weaknesses and have thought of countless angles to attack, trying to anticipate every possible situation I could think of, constantly reminding him to avoid human traps.”
“But the one situation I couldn’t foresee was—”
Lu Qingjia’s voice dropped low, as if sinking to the bottom.
Zhong Liyu quickly said, “It’s not your fault.”
“Of course, it’s not my fault.” Lu Qingjia glanced at him: “Do I seem like someone who takes responsibility?”
Zhong Liyu: “…”
True, Jiajia is the best at shirking responsibility.
“But I’m not unaware of his aesthetic. So, look at the Trickster just now. Is there any part of him that would appeal to my uncle?”
For a moment, Zhong Liyu found this so convincing he couldn’t argue.
Then Lu Qingjia added: “But the other party does know about the past. Even if he’s an administrator, in an instance from another game he hasn’t experienced, he couldn’t know the coordinates or the instance’s content.”
“Yet, when I pretended to lose control and tricked him into talking, he showed no knowledge of the instance’s details.”
“Of course, if it were an ordinary player, such a distant memory might be fuzzy, or my uncle might just be one insignificant stepping stone among many he’s forgotten. But at his level, even if he didn’t intentionally remember something, as long as he truly experienced it, he could instantly recall the memory and make the impression crystal clear.”
“But guess what? When I asked him when he started working with my uncle, this should be true, but his appearance, as far as I know, hasn’t changed much since the Trickster became famous. So, this face, which my uncle would naturally be wary of, is simply laughable.”
“Yet, this unnecessary insertion of falsehoods in information that doesn’t need to be faked further proves that the Trickster indeed gained my uncle’s trust from the start and acted together, which makes it even more impossible for it to be him.”
“Most crucially, when I asked him if my uncle had ever thought of me, he might have been eager to stir my nostalgia, wanting me to quickly enter that instance and meet my doom. So, he added unnecessary emotional embellishments.”
“But the reality is, my uncle would never expose any real-life information to anyone. This is an ironclad rule he strictly adheres to, especially after I almost entered the game through a player searching for him.”
“This isn’t even about whether he trusts that person purely; he’s guarding against me. In his eyes, I’m more troublesome than any player he’s faced.”
“So, I’m certain the Trickster is someone else, and the surface Trickster, though he can share information with the real one, hasn’t been directly shared memories or allowed to watch the entire event.”
“This is interesting.” Lu Qingjia smiled.
Zhong Liyu said: “Either he’s so cautious he doesn’t fully trust even his own stand-in, or there’s something in that instance that could expose his weakness or something he absolutely doesn’t want others to know.”
“But given how eager this fake is to get you into that instance, the second possibility seems unlikely.”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “Is that so? I think the second possibility is more likely.”
Zhong Liyu didn’t argue on this point, as it was Jiajia’s forte.
The two wandered around Infinite City for a while. Zhong Liyu had been here before, so he naturally acted as a guide.
Apart from the red-light district, they visited all the famous places. Infinite City had convenient shopping districts, so there must be unique attractions that made people leave their homes to spend money.
Originally, Lu Qingjia could have enjoyed himself here, but now his mind was preoccupied with his uncle’s matter. Apart from a few things worth buying, he wasn’t very interested.
Zhong Liyu noticed this and said, “Shall we attend the emperor’s banquet first?”
“Once the Trickster is dealt with, we can come back here and have a proper time?”
Lu Qingjia laughed: “Plotting to kill their administrator and still expecting the game to welcome us warmly? It’d be a miracle if they don’t kick us out.”
Zhong Liyu said: “They won’t. Infinite has no affection for its administrators. If one falls in infighting or opposition, it just proves they weren’t fit for the position.”
The emperor’s banquet was indeed well-deserved. For a big shot like Zhong Liyu, it wasn’t much of a stir, but for Lu Qingjia, the benefits were significant.
Many of the foods they ate directly boosted his spiritual power.
No matter what, Lu Qingjia naturally had to express his gratitude. The emperor, however, was quite magnanimous and smiled, saying, “It’s nothing worth mentioning. I’m actually quite looking forward to your performance next.”
Zhong Liyu quickly said to Lu Qingjia, “I have some of those too, but since your level was low before, it would have been too much for you. I’ll give them to you when we get back.”
Ingredients with excessively strong and domineering spiritual energy aren’t good for ordinary people to consume. After this meal, Lu Qingjia would need several days to absorb and refine the energy.
However, during their past interactions, Zhong Liyu had indeed given him things that ordinary people could handle.
This was also why Lu Qingjia’s physique far surpassed that of an average person, allowing him to achieve twice the results with half the effort in his martial training.
Returning to the real world, only two seconds had passed. The farmhouse was unusually quiet at this time.
After lunch, except for a few on duty, most guests and staff had returned to their rooms for a nap.
When Zhong Liyu left Infinite City, he returned to his own room, but with a thought, he appeared in Lu Qingjia’s room.
Lu Qingjia was currently sorting and organizing his belongings. Shopping sprees were exhilarating, but to make the most of everything, he needed to familiarize himself with his new possessions.
Just as he was about to enter his blood space, Zhong Liyu suddenly appeared in front of him.
As if seeing through his intentions, Zhong Liyu said, “Why don’t you rest for a bit? Your spiritual energy is surging right now. It’s best to find a way to absorb it first.”
Lu Qingjia replied, “Oh? Now that you mention it, I haven’t learned a systematic method to control spiritual energy yet. Is there anything I can use right now?”
Zhong Liyu’s gaze instinctively drifted toward the bed.
Blushing, he fidgeted and said, “Jiajia, since we’ve made up, why don’t we—”
Lu Qingjia couldn’t help but glance at his lower body and smirked, “Are you getting carried away again?”
Zhong Liyu stiffened, feeling a chill down below as his face turned beet red, “Didn’t we agree not to bring that up?”
Lu Qingjia leisurely sat down, “By the way, I still have those photos from back then. They were too amusing, so I took them.”
Zhong Liyu: “…”
It’s over. My life is ruined.
