DEG - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Assassination?
Before leaving the arena, Jiang Xun settled the mission reward for Berry Milkshake and the others.
There were no experience points, only the in-game currency, Star Coins.
But since their mission only involved delivering fever medicine and casting a healing spell, they didn't get much money at all.
After all, interstellar medical technology was highly advanced.
"It's over just like that?" Berry Milkshake was incredulous.
I Heal Your Whole Family also felt the mission had ended abruptly and suspected that certain conditions were needed to trigger a follow-up quest.
Among those present, only I Am Number One in the World looked displeased.
Although the mission had been shared with him, he hadn't done anything, so not a single Star Coin was allocated to him, and now the mission was over.
After some discussion, the players decided there must be a follow-up to this mission. They silently followed behind Jiang Xun, watching her weave through streets and alleys, heading into increasingly remote, dirty, and chaotic areas.
It was unfamiliar, yet also recognizable.
Then, I Am Number One in the World scoffed, "I knew it. So this is the infamous Slums."
"No wonder that broad is so stingy."
Berry Milkshake and I Heal Your Whole Family both frowned.
The two of them quietly went to the forums to look up information about the Slums.
It was called the Slums, but it was actually low-rent housing provided by interstellar conglomerates. However, everything from the building materials to the location was extremely poor.
The people living inside were a motley crew.
But their one common characteristic was poverty.
They couldn't even afford to pay players the money required for completing missions.
Therefore, this place was a famous "holy land" where NPCs exploited players for free labor.
An infamous place to avoid when accepting missions.
"This mission probably has no follow-up," I Am Number One in the World grumbled, crossing his arms.
"The poisoning was probably faked by the NPC herself. She just wanted to create a gimmick to trick you into working for free."
Berry Milkshake was a little hesitant.
"But I don't think that girl is that kind of person..." she retorted weakly.
She knew Jiang Xun wasn't as gentle and harmless as she appeared on the surface; she could even faintly sense a trace of cold sharpness about her.
But...
She's so good-looking and seems so righteous!
She's really, really good-looking!!
"Good advice is lost on a fool destined for doom." I Am Number One in the World rolled his eyes and left on his own.
Berry Milkshake glanced at I Heal Your Whole Family.
"What are you looking at me-for?" I Heal Your Whole Family asked irritably.
"Are we still following her?" Berry Milkshake asked.
I Heal Your Whole Family thought about the Star Coins she had just received.
"Yes. I have a feeling it's a major mission."
"What if we get scammed?"
"Then we get scammed."
"Who hasn't been scammed by an NPC in this game?"
Jiang Xun could sense the followers behind her, but she didn't mind. Perhaps this was precisely the effect she wanted.
Her expression was somewhat listless as she followed her memories to the original owner's residence.
The infamous Slums of this star system.
It was called the Slums, but in reality, it was low-rent housing provided by interstellar conglomerates out of "great benevolence" for the homeless.
The environment was extremely harsh. Sewage flowed freely on the ground, and the pervasive stench almost made Jiang Xun, with her keen senses, black out.
The houses, built from scrap metal, were covered in rust stains. Situated in the city's shadow, they rarely saw sunlight and were extremely damp and gloomy.
Although she had been mentally prepared, Jiang Xun was still shocked.
The entrance to the building was lined with homeless people sunbathing. They lay sprawled on the ground without a care, their bodies covered in dust. They were people from a completely different world than Jiang Xun.
So, as she passed by, countless gazes fell upon her, murky and sticky.
They appeared to be disabled and immobile, but according to Jiang Xun's observation, the bodies of several people...
could even be described as agile.
They were members of the gang that occupied this area.
Jiang Xun concluded.
One person saw her, squeezed his body into a corner, and sent some kind of message on his Optical Brain.
Jiang Xun paid it no mind and went directly to her rented room.
But as she stood at the door, her steps paused slightly.
The soundproofing here was terrible. Jiang Xun could easily sense that someone was in her small, single room.
Someone was ambushing her.
She hesitated for a moment, her heart rising slightly in her chest, her muscles tensing.
But she pushed the door open and entered anyway.
The person didn't move.
Jiang Xun took the opportunity to scan her surroundings.
Her room was incredibly small; the bed and table took up most of the space.
The few cabinets were too small to hide a person.
By the door.
Jiang Xun walked in with a normal expression, frowning slightly at the smell in the room.
Although there were few things in the room, the space was just too small and the external environment too foul, causing the room itself to reek.
This place was not fit for habitation.
Jiang Xun couldn't resist taking out the card in her hand to look at it again.
She felt it was a great injustice to bring the noble and pampered Eldest Miss into such an environment.
It was a good thing she was just a card right now.
Jiang Xun couldn't help but glance at it. The Eldest Miss was still drinking tea, probably still waiting for her apology, and was visibly more sullen.
She could see her now, but she didn't know if the Eldest Miss inside the card could see the world outside.
With this in mind, she carefully placed the card face down on the pillow and turned her back to the door, exposing her vulnerable neck.
Completely unguarded.
A state that made her very easy to kill.
The other person still didn't move.
In fact, Jiang Xun also found it strange.
Logically, since they had already administered a strange poison to her, they just needed to wait patiently for her to die naturally. There was no need to send someone to kill her, was there?
Could it be there was some reason she didn't know about that required her immediate death?
The original owner didn't have any enemies.
Even that gang was mainly focused on recruiting and suppressing ability users.
Who was it that insisted on her death?
A hint of confusion flashed in her light gray eyes. Seeing that the person still hadn't made a move, she simply sat on the edge of the bed, facing the assassin behind the door, but with her head lowered in a relaxed state. She even took a tube of nutrient solution from the bedside, casually tore it open with her teeth, and started looking at messages on her Optical Brain.
She looked as if she was about to get absorbed in the entertainment on her Optical Brain.
The person in the shadows sneered.
As expected, goody-two-shoes students were too naive.
She didn't even notice such a clumsy disguise.
He raised his gun, aimed at Jiang Xun's earlobe, and fired.
But Jiang Xun seemed to be soured by the taste of the nutrient solution. She grimaced and even lowered her head as if to spit out what was in her mouth.
It was precisely this coincidence that caused the bullet to hit the wall behind her, passing through into the neighbor's room.
A scream came from the neighbor's home.
Jiang Xun's body froze. The intruder hissed softly, knowing that Jiang Xun had discovered him.
The intruder, Wei Jin, dropped his disguise and appeared before Jiang Xun, holding a gun.
He twirled the gun in his hand frivolously. Because of Jiang Xun's earlier performance, he couldn't help but look down on her.
"So you're the chick Yu Yuan has his eye on."
His murky gaze sized Jiang Xun up and down, from her face to her figure.
"Nothing special," he tutted.
Jiang Xun: ...
She cursed inwardly.
Yu Yuan was the minor gang leader who had tried to force the original owner to be his lover.
She couldn't believe the competition between gangs had ended up on her head.
So this was the original owner's enemy?
She analyzed the situation calmly, even managing to spare the mental energy to study the NPC mission-issuing system and issue a mission to the two female players from before.
"Are you here to kill me?" Jiang Xun's current calmness looked like a forced composure to others.
Because her body had subconsciously taken a step back, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to retreat.
"Of course." Wei Jin curled his lips, revealing a malicious smile.
A lie.
Wei Jin launched an attack on her. It seemed deadly and perilous at every turn, but the battle-hardened Jiang Xun knew that he wasn't aiming for her vitals at all.
What was he trying to do?
Jiang Xun didn't understand.
But she still pretended to dodge with great difficulty, even throwing out the Tangling Grass.
Seemingly trying her best to stop him.
Wei Jin watched as Jiang Xun became more and more disheveled, feeling that his mission was about to be completed. But he never expected that two other people were lying in ambush in this chaotic place.
The moment they heard the gunshot, they used their abilities.
Berry Milkshake's ability was Beast Taming.
The instant she heard the gunshot.
She summoned her Star Beast, a lazy, yawning Siberian tiger.
"Big Orange, go!" she said, thinking she was suppressing the excitement in her voice.
But the two people in the room heard her loud and clear.
Wei Jin frowned, a bit of anger rising in his heart. In a place completely controlled by "Eternal Day," someone actually dared to meddle in their affairs?
He immediately turned around.
He saw the Siberian tiger tear the door to shreds with one claw. In the dim light, it cast a shadow in the doorway, its golden beastly eyes glowing with a ferocious light.
The sound of two people's hurried footsteps followed.
Wei Jin raised his gun in response.
But the moment he saw who had arrived, his expression changed abruptly.
Descenders?
Why would Descenders appear in the Slums?!
That group of undead-like Fourth Calamity, who couldn't be killed and feared only that the world wasn't in chaos.
Provoking them was like kicking an iron plate.
It was completely detrimental to the organization's development.
He made a snap decision, turned and blasted open the wall, grabbed Jiang Xun, and jumped out of the building.
At the same time, a new mission entry finally appeared in Berry Milkshake's and I Heal Your Whole Family's quest logs.
【Explore Jiang Xun's Secret (Continued)】
Berry Milkshake panted heavily, "Big Orange..."
"After them!"
The two of them clung to Big Orange's back and jumped down from the third floor.
A suppressed scream rang out. Big Orange landed lightly, jostling the two of them.
As a clever Star Beast, it naturally knew its master's objective.
So it immediately carried the two of them and closed in on Wei Jin.
Until the narrow passage offered no more escape.
Wei Jin stopped, took a deep breath, and looked at Berry Milkshake and her companions.
"Are you friends who have known each other for a long time?" the man asked.
Berry Milkshake braced herself and said, "Yes!"
The man chuckled.
"Then you've probably been deceived by her."
He pointed at Jiang Xun. "I'm just here to handle some internal affairs for the organization. This person is a traitor who wants to desert our gang."
"Just cleaning house. Do me a favor and step aside."
"Besides, this person is dirt poor. Even if you help her, she probably can't pay you a commission."
As he spoke, a new mission appeared before Berry Milkshake and her friend.
【NPC Wei Jin has issued you a new mission:
Do me a favor.
Mission Note: Do not interfere with him cleaning house.
Mission Reward: 20,000 Star Coins.】
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