Chapter 51

The sound of gentle water suctioning echoed in his ears, and Sun Ran, lying in the nutrient tank, opened his eyes and pushed open the transparent hatch.

After defeating the metal tide, he hurriedly said a few words to the three women and quickly logged off. Rather than face the questioning of three women, he preferred to face Lan Xin alone.

Sun Ran soaked in the nutrient tank for over half an hour. Seeing that Lan Xin had not appeared, he stretched lazily, reluctantly climbed out of the nutrient tank, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and went to the food delivery port.

According to their respective tastes, Sun Ran ordered a few exquisite dishes and then sat at the table, patiently waiting.

After a while, the delicious dishes arrived and were just placed on the table when, as if on cue, Lan Xin also came out of the bedroom.

She, like Sun Ran, had just come out of the bath, her face flushed and tender, exuding an indescribable charm.

Sun Ran looked up and saw that she, like him, was only wrapped in a bath towel. Being alone with a woman in the room, his heart immediately raced, and his body instantly reacted.

He was startled by his own vigorous energy and quickly suppressed the thoughts that arose in his mind. The woman in front of him was a female tyrannosaurus, and he absolutely couldn't let her discover his abnormal state. He was somewhat regretful, thinking that if he had known Lan Xin would come out so late, he would have added some aphrodisiac to the food, and perhaps he could have accomplished something today.

Lan Xin was also awkward. Although over half a month had passed in the virtual world, in the real world, Sun Ran had only been at her place for two days. She hadn't gotten used to it and had come out without much thought. Now, going back to change would only make her seem more nervous. She could only sit down and start eating silently, and Sun Ran, with a forced smile, also focused on the food.

"Sun Ran, after we reach the Bronze level, we can apply for a shared residence with Ke'er and Xuanxuan. This way, we can get a larger house," Lan Xin suddenly said.

In the first layer, Bronze Maintainers were already part of the elite class. According to the Federation's housing law, the legal limit for residential area per person would reach 60 square meters. Lan Xin's current house was only 40 square meters, so the increase would be nearly 50%.

Although a larger living area meant higher expenses, if four people applied together, they could get a super-large residence of 240 square meters, which would be much more spacious than living separately. The additional expenses would be worth it.

Sun Ran was surprised: "They agreed to live with us?"

"Yes, we just discussed it. Ke'er and Xuanxuan will both come over," Lan Xin said, as if the matter was already settled.

Sun Ran had no objections; he was more than willing. However, he was still a bit uneasy and cautiously probed, "With all of you coming, aren't you afraid I might not behave?"

Lan Xin sneered and made a fist, gesturing: "Do you see clearly? If you don't behave, I'll beat you until you do!"

"Violence can't solve problems," Sun Ran tried to escape the unfair treatment.

But Lan Xin's next words shattered his illusions: "I've been practicing martial arts since I was seven, almost twenty years now. I've always believed in violence!"

As she spoke, she picked up an alloy chopstick from the table, wiped off the grease, and then used her hand to bend it. The chopstick, which seemed incredibly strong to Sun Ran, actually bent.

Sun Ran tried it himself, but the chopstick didn't budge at all, which shocked him so much that his eyes nearly popped out. He swallowed hard: "You're really amazing!"

He had thought she was a female tyrannosaurus, but now it seemed she was more like a female Pangu, with incredible strength. It looked like he had no chance of turning the tables in this life.

Seeing Sun Ran's expression, Lan Xin suddenly burst into laughter: "I was just scaring you. We've decided to go to the Garden District together. We're already so familiar, and we've even been married in the virtual world. What's the big deal about living together?"

She and Ke'er and Xuanxuan had experienced many virtual worlds together, always fighting side by side, forming a deep bond that almost surpassed everything. They could share anything, including Sun Ran.

"But you can't go after anyone like Jasmine again, or I'll really take action," Lan Xin finally said, which was what she really wanted to say. Three was already enough.

Sun Ran sighed with relief and waved his hand: "Don't worry. I'm the most reliable person."

"Go to hell," Lan Xin sneered: "Eat, eat, the dishes will get cold."

After the meal, Lan Xin indeed practiced boxing in the living room, her punches as swift as the wind. If this were in the virtual world, she would be at least a martial arts master. Sun Ran felt a chill run down his spine.

He had no choice but to hide in a corner and exercise, practicing some soft and gentle health-preserving techniques. Compared to Lan Xin, his efforts were negligible.

By the time Lan Xin finished her practice, it was already late at night. Sun Ran asked, "Where do I sleep tonight?"

Although they had spent a long time in the virtual world, in the real world, Sun Ran had only been at Lan Xin's place for two days. He had spent the first night in the nutrient tank, and now, when it was time to sleep, he found he had no place to go.

Sun Ran still had a small hope that they could share a room.

"I've already prepared a place for you," Lan Xin noticed Sun Ran's thoughts and smiled smugly. She instructed the smart brain to open the living room wall cabinet, and a bed unfolded from the wall, with a prepared blanket on it.

"Ah," Sun Ran was disappointed and obediently climbed into bed to sleep.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, while eating breakfast, the smart butler projected an email into the air and read it aloud.

"To the Thorn Rose team, we hope to cooperate with you to complete a security task. If you are interested, please reply within one day. Best regards, Confucian World."

Lan Xin's face immediately lit up: "Ha, it looks like we're famous. A company has already named us. We should contact Ke'er and Xuanxuan and go to the Maintainer headquarters together."

The reputation of the Thorn Rose team was very important. If they could complete high-difficulty tasks, they would quickly be noticed by game companies, leading to a steady stream of tasks. Lan Xin was very pleased.

"That's great," Sun Ran had no objections. He was now focused on making money, reaching the Bronze level, and moving into a large house with the three women.

Since it was a short-term entry into the virtual network, the two of them only brought their sensory helmets and did not use the cumbersome nutrient tanks.

A moment later, the four members of Thorn Rose appeared in the office of the Maintainer headquarters.

Bai Tingxuan had already collected the task information and introduced the situation to the other team members.

"The company that invited us is Confucian World. They manage a virtual world with over 30 million players, which is currently at the Black Iron level. The world's background is feudal China, with Confucian culture as the mainstream. It's mostly a normal world, but supernatural beings are also common, and there are corresponding exorcists and monks. Our task is to protect a player from the harassment and assassination of the disruptors."

Ke'er exclaimed, "Going to be bodyguards?"

This was the first high-intelligence task for them. Such tasks required a lot from maintainers, but the rewards were substantial.

Bai Tingxuan nodded and continued: "In Confucian World, the imperial court is called the Great Ming. There's a VIP player named Yang Tingyong, currently a seventh-rank county magistrate. Recently, a ghostly disturbance has occurred in his jurisdiction, Hebian County. Despite inviting famous exorcists and monks, the disturbances have not been resolved. The game company secretly arranged several maintainer bodyguards for this VIP, but they were all killed. After careful analysis, the game company discovered the disruptors' goal. They want to tarnish the county magistrate's reputation and get him removed from office. Our task is to protect Yang Tingyong's safety, exorcise the ghosts, and ensure he remains in office."

Sun Ran asked, "What bad things has Yang Tingyong done?"

Bai Tingxuan nodded: "Due to a misunderstanding, he arrested a well-known local gentry named Hu Guangyong and put him in jail."

Lan Xin was puzzled: "Isn't putting someone in jail a normal thing?"

"Yes. But something happened in the jail. Hu Guangyong was accused of murder and had a bad temper, which angered the county magistrate. As a result, he was treated poorly and placed in a cell with several other criminals. Unfortunately, Hu Guangyong was physically attractive, and on the night he was imprisoned, he was repeatedly... violated by the other criminals. He couldn't bear it and committed suicide by banging his head against the wall. Two months later, Hebian County began to be haunted, and people said that Hu Guangyong had returned from the afterlife to seek revenge."

This bizarre incident left everyone speechless, and they silently mourned for Hu Guangyong, who had indeed suffered a tragic fate.

Bai Tingxuan continued: "Hu Guangyong was indeed a good person, but he didn't have enough credit points and was supposed to die at that time. The game company just used this incident to kick him out of the game."

"Oh," everyone understood.

Bringing in-game grievances into the real world and hiring disruptors to seek revenge was a common occurrence.

Bai Tingxuan read from the documents: "Whether in the real world or the virtual world, Hu Guangyong had a stubborn personality. He believed that the county magistrate, Yang Tingyong, deliberately framed him. He harbored resentment against both the game company and Yang Tingyong. After leaving the game, he even sued the game company for using inhumane methods to kick him out, but he ultimately lost the case."

There were many worse ways to leave the game than Hu Guangyong's. For example, in the slave era, some players were burned alive to be kicked out of the game. Compared to that, Hu Guangyong's situation was not so bad.

However, this gave Hu Guangyong a motive, and it was highly likely that he had hired the disruptors.

With the task clear, Sun Ran expressed his opinion: "Eastern Confucian culture is inclusive. When we enter, our use of force will be seen as extraordinary, unlike in Western culture where we might be labeled as evil heretics. Moreover, this task is limited to one county, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Should we take it?"

Another benefit was that he could use his favorite Daoist techniques inside.

Bai Tingxuan shook her head: "This task is not simple."

"How so?" Sun Ran was puzzled.

"Besides the death of the VIP player's maintainer bodyguards, Confucian World hired three waves of maintainers, all of whom failed. It's said that three maintainers experienced some degree of mental issues."

Sun Ran was shocked and asked seriously, "Could the disruptors be using soul-stealing dark arts?"

This was a unique ability in Eastern Daoist techniques. Because Daoist techniques use spiritual energy, the mind and spirit are one. Many Daoist techniques not only harm the body but also indirectly harm the brain. Powerful cultivators can even shatter a person's soul, leading to brain death in the real world.

Sun Ran could easily do this, but he had his own principles and never did such immoral things. Moreover, once he did it, there would be no turning back. If his real name was revealed, the central AI would destroy his physical body without any negotiation.

"Killers will be killed," Sun Ran deeply understood this principle.

One of the major reasons the central AI chose to cooperate with Sun Ran, a master-level disruptor, was that he had never used his abilities to kill.

Bai Tingxuan confirmed Sun Ran's guess: "That's correct. Because of this, Confucian World is offering a high base reward of 30,000 credit points per person, plus an additional 100 points of experience. If a maintainer experiences mental issues, Confucian World will cover all treatment costs."

The reward was very high, three times that of a Bronze maintainer. Completing this task would allow the Thorn Rose team to advance to the Bronze level.

Sun Ran had