Chapter 70

The third member of the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Group woke up from the nutrient tank. As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately connected to the virtual network. After navigating through a series of logical mazes, he entered a secret website dedicated to disruptors, known as the Observers.

"Request to inquire about the specific progress of the Yang Tingyong case in the Confucian World," the third member submitted his request, needing to know if the target had indeed died.

"The consultation fee is 10,000 credit points. Thank you." The query port transmitted the information.

The third member extended his finger and tapped the port link. A white light flashed, and 10,000 credit points were deducted. This money would be transferred through various legal channels, such as casino spending and virtual services, to the recipient's account. Although some tax would be deducted, it would leave no trace for the AI to detect.

Once the query was accepted, a seemingly ordinary player, a waiter in the Confucian World, received the order and began to gather information. With his professional skills, he obtained the complete details of the incident in less than half an hour.

The waiter did not rush to transmit the information out of the Confucian World. They were professionals and knew that sending it directly could be intercepted by the game company, potentially exposing their existence.

He returned to the inn and patiently waited until midnight. Then, he quietly went to the wine cellar, took out a paper talisman, wrote the message on it, and lit it. He waved it a few times and muttered, "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, night-roaming spirits, hear my command and deliver my message."

While he recited the incantation, he inwardly complained: "Who designed this code? It's really a pain in the ass."

The incantation took effect, and a gust of cold wind blew, carrying the light smoke from the burning talisman. It quickly drifted out of the cellar and into the night sky.

The night-roaming spirits were the soul messengers of their intelligence company, existing only as consciousness without a physical form, making them very secretive.

At this point, the message had been sent, and the waiter's task was complete.

Strictly speaking, these specialized information-gathering companies could also be considered disruptors, as they used special means to bypass the game company's memory barriers.

However, unlike typical disruptors, they did not destroy the game world. The company employees also paid to play the game and lived and worked like ordinary people, showing no difference, making them gray-area figures.

The third member only waited for a couple of minutes in the virtual network, which corresponded to half a day in the game world, before the message arrived.

"Yang Tingyong is safe, all the monsters in the city have been eliminated, and the commissioned Maintainers' team is unharmed."

Upon receiving this news, the third member felt a wave of frustration and almost wanted to vomit blood. He had mobilized all the major monsters hidden in the Confucian World by the mercenary group, even abandoning a carefully cultivated body for possession, and giving up many tasks in the Confucian World, making great sacrifices. Yet, he had not caused any damage to the target!

After a long while, the third member barely suppressed his emotional fluctuations and somewhat dejectedly logged out of the virtual network. Once in the real world, he lay in the nutrient tank, not wanting to move, silently savoring his first major defeat as a disruptor.

Bitterness, unwillingness, and anger surged within him, gnawing at his heart like venomous snakes. Finally, he sat up from the nutrient tank, his expression turning serious. One failure was nothing; he was still alive. If necessary, he would attempt another assassination!

Leaving aside the actions of the disruptors, let's return to the daytime.

Sun Ran descended from the inn and returned directly to the county office. The three women and the Yang family were already waiting at the gate.

As soon as Yang Tingyong saw Sun Ran, he hurried over, expressing gratitude and admiration: "Brother Changqing, your Daoist arts are truly profound. This time, you saved all the people of Riverbank County. Please accept my bow!"

He stepped back and bowed deeply to Sun Ran, his attitude extremely sincere, leaving no room for refusal.

Sun Ran had no choice but to accept the bow, his face showing a sense of relief: "Brother Wenchang, you flatter me. The monster was deeply hidden and had considerable power. I almost fell into a trap. Today's success in driving away the monster was sheer luck."

Reflecting on the dangers of the day, Yang Tingyong also felt deeply moved. Seeing Sun Ran's fatigue, he was even more grateful and said, "Brother Changqing, come, come, you must be exhausted after the battle. Let me lead you to rest."

As he spoke, the county magistrate actually took Sun Ran's hand and led him into the county office.

Sun Ran felt a bit uncomfortable, being a man, but he knew this was normal in ancient times. Being led by the hand indicated a very close relationship, showing that Yang Tingyong highly regarded him.

Indeed, Yang Tingyong valued him greatly, even offering his own room to Sun Ran. Despite Sun Ran's protests, he insisted on settling him in.

Lan Xin and the others were also given rooms. However, they all visited Sun Ran's room under the pretext of checking on his health.

Once inside, Sun Ran did not refuse, finding a soft cushion and sitting cross-legged. He said to Bai Tingxuan, "This disruptor is very cunning. I suspect they won't be satisfied with their failure. Tingxuan, you and Lan Xin and Ke'er need to continue protecting Yang Tingyong. Don't let the enemy find any gaps."

Now that Bai Tingxuan had a magic sword, she had become the strongest in the team, so she was temporarily the leader.

Bai Tingxuan nodded in agreement and then asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" Sun Ran's expression turned serious: "This disruptor has made me very unhappy. I need to take action!"

This time, the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Group had gone too far. Previously, he hadn't encountered them, or he hadn't cared. Now, as a Maintainer, and with the disruptors seemingly determined to target him, he had to retaliate with force!

Bai Tingxuan was shaken. She knew that after this statement, Sun Ran would reveal his true methods as a disruptor. She couldn't imagine these methods and felt only reverence.

"Then we'll go." The three women left the room.

"Go ahead."

After the three women left, Sun Ran contacted the game administrator: "This mission was too difficult, with over ten Level 3 disruptors and one Level 4 disruptor. My team needs an increase in base compensation."

More credit points were always better, and this was something he had to fight for. The heat from the monster attack on the city hadn't completely dissipated, and Sun Ran felt confident.

In the Moon Palace, Chang'e frowned slightly, biting her lip, and replied, "These disruptors seem to be targeting you."

She had already noticed that the many major monsters, including the later Level 4 assassin, were all targeting the rose tree. She hadn't even asked for compensation, and now he was shamelessly asking for a reward.

Sun Ran wouldn't admit it and countered, "So many major monsters, especially with the appearance of technological items, couldn't have entered the Confucian World temporarily. They must have been disruptors hiding in the world, waiting for the right moment. Now that I've eliminated them all, isn't that an extra contribution?"

High explosives like RDX couldn't be prepared in a short time, which was a weakness of technological items. Although they were powerful and fast, they required preparation. Level 3 major monsters also couldn't be cultivated overnight; they required a lot of time and patience.

The few monsters that had been causing trouble in Riverbank County had also been hiding in the Confucian World for a long time. Of course, disruptors weren't always online. In normal times, they usually left their physical bodies in seclusion, only emerging for missions.

Chang'e was speechless. The other party had a point. After this cleanup, the Confucian World would indeed have fewer disruptors and would be peaceful for a long time, which was a significant contribution.

"You wait, I'll contact the higher-ups." She had no choice but to say this.

Sun Ran waited patiently. He believed the other party would increase the compensation because Yang Tingyong was a VIP. Sure enough, after just ten minutes, the reply came: "The base compensation remains unchanged, as I have already promised you a legendary and perfect evaluation. However, there are rewards for killing major monsters: 5,000 credit points for a Level 3 monster and 20,000 for a Level 4 monster. But there is an additional requirement."

Sun Ran calculated that the Thorn Rose team had killed 26 Level 3 major monsters and one Level 4 monster, significantly increasing his income. He was satisfied and asked, "What is the requirement? Tell me."

Chang'e replied, "Yang Tingyong is 30 years old and has 40 years of life left. We heard that the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Group is very reliable and won't stop until the mission is completed. The requirement is: the Thorn Rose team must protect Yang Tingyong until he exits the game. According to the Maintainer rules, all compensation will be settled after you complete the mission and exit the Confucian World."

At the end, as if afraid Sun Ran would refuse, Chang'e quickly added, "This is a new commission, with qualification points and a generous reward. Your annual compensation is 5,000 credit points, totaling 200,000 credit points over 40 years. Your team members receive less, 1,000 credit points per year, totaling 40,000. During the entire process, we don't require all members to participate continuously, but as the team leader, you must be present throughout."

Yang Tingyong originally had bodyguards, but they had been killed by the disruptors, so this gap needed to be filled.

Sun Ran considered it. Forty years in the game world was 40 days in the real world, and 200,000 credit points, while not high on average, were stable. Maintainer teams competed fiercely, and it wasn't always possible to get missions. With bad luck, one might rest for a month, so this was actually a good deal.

However, in business, one always strives for the best deal: "Will I get additional income if I kill more major monsters in the future?"

"No. The compensation we offer is already very generous."

Sun Ran wasn't easily fooled: "I only get 5,000 credit points a year as a Maintainer, which is too low for me, now at the Bronze level. If this continues, I won't be able to handle Level 3 major monsters."

He originally had 700 qualification points. This time, with the legendary evaluation from the Confucian World company, he gained 500 more, making him a Bronze-level character. However, the mission settlement hadn't been finalized, so he wasn't officially a Bronze Maintainer yet, and his Maintainer permissions were still at Level 2.

"How can you be like this?" Chang'e was surprised by Sun Ran's unscrupulous behavior. In her mind, a great expert like Sun Ran should be very concerned about his image.

"Money is my life. Besides, my request is reasonable and in line with the Maintainer rule that allows surrender and exit if the opponent is too strong." Sun Ran looked serious.

There was indeed such a Maintainer rule, designed to protect lower-level Maintainers from being overwhelmed by powerful disruptors. Chang'e had no choice but to say, "Wait, I'll consult again."

After about ten minutes, the reply came: "The board has accepted it. The price for killing major monsters remains the same. The specific agreement will be sent to you in a day. We will also summarize this mission to allow the AI to issue the qualification points for this mission."

"Alright." Sun Ran smiled: "In that case, I will ensure Yang Tingyong's prosperity and safety for 40 years!"

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