Chapter 36

【Here's the third update, continue to support~~~ Also, I can't guarantee tomorrow's update, I'm giving you a heads up. The community board posted a notice of power outage, which was once announced but didn't happen; it was also once announced, and it did happen. I don't even know where I'll be writing tomorrow...】

Dugu Fu stiffened at the words, his scalp tingling as he looked at Gong Er.

The young girl, about ten years old, smiled, revealing her teeth. "It seems I wronged you. The killing intent I sensed earlier was just an illusion. You really are a good person."

This... was he being given a "good person card"? Dugu Fu was momentarily at a loss, unable to laugh or cry. Indeed, no plot NPC was easy to deal with, not even a twelve-year-old girl!

In the midst of his shock, Gong Er turned back. "Don't worry, I won't let the person who saved me die."

Dugu Fu fell silent for a moment. "Is this... your suicide declaration?"

"Suicide?" Gong Er laughed lightly. "I wouldn't do that. If... there really is no other way, I will pass on the Gong Family's Sixty-Four Hands to him. That's always possible."

"..." Dugu Fu fell completely silent.

This was indeed a solution, the best solution!

The key wasn't that Li Shier could learn the Gong Family's Sixty-Four Hands, a technique that excels in footwork and can greatly enhance the power of the Heaven-Turning Kick, significantly boosting his combat strength. The key was that completing quests was a player's exclusive right. As the main character of the plot, Gong Er had no authority to teach the ultimate technique to a player.

If she did that, the result would be direct annihilation, the same as suicide. This was Gong Er, who would rather take a step forward in thought than pause. Even if she died, she would decide the method herself.

Hearing Gong Er's words, Dugu Fu's mind almost couldn't process it. This was the best outcome he could think of!

He didn't even dare to think this way. Miss Gong Er was known for her stubbornness; no one could stop her from doing what she wanted, and no one could make her do what she didn't want. Persuading her to commit suicide was already uncertain, let alone persuading her to pass on the Gong Family's Sixty-Four Hands before committing suicide.

But the best outcome appeared after he gave up on the assassination. This was too... unscientific!

Clearly, he didn't follow the plan, yet he achieved the best outcome. Was there something he hadn't considered? Or was it just that human hearts were too unpredictable, and he got lucky? If everything had gone according to the plan, would it have made any difference from what was happening now?

Dugu Fu couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him!

He understood! He understood everything, not just the present, but also the past, so much more!

It was all about calculation! Success was due to calculation, and failure was due to calculation!

Lacking emotions, he had become accustomed to relying on calculations for everything—relationships, interactions, victories... everything was like a transaction, haggling, and keeping accounts meticulously. Calculation could help him win battles, but it couldn't help him win hearts.

That's why, despite his painstaking efforts and exhausting battles, there wasn't a single true friend among the data special forces who would lend a hand when he was in trouble!

Too clever a person has no friends.

That's why the old saying goes, "Cleverness often leads to one's downfall"; and "losing is a blessing," which is actually about building good karma.

When he treated everyone around him like pieces on a chessboard, moving them according to his needs, he was actually pushing people's hearts further away. Throughout history, when has a person skilled in calculation ever achieved great things?

Not a single one!

To achieve something, it's not about whether you can calculate, but whether you can win people's hearts!

So, along the way, every decision he made on impulse, though not necessarily right, was at least not wrong. On the contrary, those overly calculated, nitpicky thoughts... would lead him back to being alone, just like in reality, where he faced betrayal and isolation.

While he was lost in thought, the battle at the bottom of the cliff had already ended. The players left behind a dozen corpses and fled in disarray.

Staying behind would have been futile. The strongest few experts were caught in the net and sent back to the starting point. The rest were weaker, and coincidentally, Li Shier's strength had greatly increased. The entire group was doomed. They couldn't fight, so they had to run...

Scattered across the mountains, they fled in all directions, hoping to preserve their usefulness, waiting for the main force to arrive and pick up the scraps. The players' goals weren't that high.

Seeing the players run, Li Shier shouted a few curses but didn't chase them, as he couldn't catch up. He casually collected the dropped items, picked up a piece of clothing to carry them, and returned to the bottom of the cliff with his two crutches. Just as he was about to climb up, Dugu Fu suddenly called out, "Brother Li, don't rush up, give me a hand."

"Whoosh!" He jumped down the cliff, holding the rope.

What was he going to do? Li Shier caught him and put him on the ground, equally puzzled.

The answer was simple: loot the bodies!

One reason to practice thievery was for this. Most people didn't know that a player's death drop was actually divided into two parts. One part was visible, and anyone could pick it up; the other part was hidden, invisible, and could only be stolen with thievery. If the player resurrected and arrived before anyone stole, this part could be recovered, called "looting the body."

Dugu Fu, of course, wouldn't miss this opportunity.

The value of hidden drops was often higher because the higher the level of the bag, the lower the drop rate. Players instinctively put their good items in the safer bags, and the safer bags tended to drop hidden items.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Dugu Fu's hands moved like the wind.

The success rate for a regular backpack was about 60%, a space backpack was halved, and a weight-reducing backpack was halved again. Although the success rate was low, it was already a probability that many people couldn't achieve in a lifetime. Fake immortal techniques weren't given for free.

Soon, a pile of various items accumulated, all good stuff, including some player daily necessities like lighters, binoculars, and other odds and ends.

Dugu Fu kept the skill fruits and miscellaneous items for himself. At Li Shier's level, skill fruits were no longer very helpful. He gave most of the healing potions to Li Shier, as they were needed for fleeing, keeping only a few high-quality ones for himself.

Li Shier didn't hesitate and accepted everything.

Two more secret manuals appeared, one for Tai Chi and one for Drunken Fist, but both were intermediate level. Tai Chi was truly a supreme technique, while Drunken Fist was advanced. The intermediate versions were vague and not very valuable.

Li Shier kept the Drunken Fist manual because he loved drinking. Dugu Fu kept the Tai Chi manual for himself. This was one of the few palm and fist skills in this world that didn't conflict with thievery. It didn't make his hands rough and instead increased his control over force.

However, the best items that dropped were two bags—a four-slot weight-reducing backpack and a six-slot space backpack.

To players, these might be direct drops from NPCs because the number of slots was too small. Players had a limited number of backpack slots, but for NPCs, these were incredibly rare! Even Li Shier widened his eyes in surprise. "Thievery is so useful? I should have practiced it earlier."

Dugu Fu looked at his large, calloused bear paws and smiled. "Brother Li, take this weight-reducing backpack. I'll teach you a few tricks to store more items."