Player 0

The red-robed beauty shrugged nonchalantly. "If I don't tell you, wouldn't this whole trip have been for nothing?"

Wu Qiong, who had been about to leave, paused mid-step. Without turning around, he replied firmly, "It wouldn't be for nothing. At the very least, I now know exactly where He Shouchen's secret room is and how to get inside. Worst case, I'll go again and see for myself what the He family is hiding in there."

"Oh, come on!" The red-robed beauty grabbed his arm, softening her tone. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you!"

She pulled up a holographic screen. "This is the recording I took inside. The secret room is small—more like a study. Not much in there. Most of it isn't even secret to me. I've known everything that's happened in the past 300 years. The He family's little secrets? Please—I've known those forever."

Wu Qiong watched the footage carefully. Truthfully, most of the documents shown he already had some knowledge of.

He had been one of the first employees to build the space city. Many truths that were later hidden from the public—he had witnessed firsthand.

He asked, "Does He Shouchen have any actual evidence that I killed someone?"

The red-robed beauty replied, "I searched the entire room. He made it up. He has no evidence. But I did find a hidden compartment. What was inside—I've never seen it before."

"What was it?" Wu Qiong's eyes locked on the screen.

"This." She fast-forwarded the video and paused it at a dimly lit scene.

Wu Qiong squinted at the footage, trying to make it out. As he focused, his pupils suddenly dilated.

"How does He Shouchen have this?!"

"I have no idea where he got it from either," said the red-robed beauty. "It was locked inside a safe, and all I could do was look. I couldn't take anything out. But I suspect this isn't the only copy in space—there's probably at least a negative somewhere."

Veins bulged on Wu Qiong's forehead. As he feared—He Shouchen did have dirt on him.

Not murder—that had never happened.

But this was even worse. More dangerous than any crime.

This wasn't just about him. If this got out, Bai Shuang and even Whalefall City itself might be doomed.

The red-robed beauty gently massaged his temples. "You don't need to worry, Master. I don't think He Shouchen even knows it's there. That safe was built into the wall and hasn't been opened in decades. It's likely his grandfather hid that secret there without ever telling him."

Wu Qiong staggered, nearly losing his footing.

"You're right. This thing can't be one of a kind. It's entirely possible the other noble families already know and are just waiting for the perfect moment to use it."

The red-robed beauty caught him quickly, keeping him from falling.

Wu Qiong steadied himself, then turned to ask, "Player Zero, can you find out what's happening in Snowfang City or Tianmi City?"

"That's tough," she said with a pout. "Those two families are super secretive. Their private residences are protected by some of the highest-level firewalls I've ever seen. I can't get in."

"What about the Chang family?" Wu Qiong asked again. "Can you get into the Duma Society?"

"That I can do!" she said brightly. "The Chang family also has a secret room—very similar in size and layout to the He family's. I haven't been inside it, but I've scouted the rest of the house. Chang Mingsheng knew some of the same secrets—the old Lord Bai told him. But Chang Hao doesn't know. Luckily, Mingsheng is already dead."

Wu Qiong seemed to realize something. "Do you know Lord Bai?"

"Of course I do!" the red-robed beauty chirped. "He and I were very close. He entrusted both you and Miss Bai to me—said I must protect you no matter what!"

Wu Qiong didn't quite buy her story.

Lord Bai had always been… unconventional.

He had friends from all walks of life—from military generals to thugs and scoundrels. All sorts of shady characters.

Given his eccentricity, it wasn't impossible he had befriended a vengeful ghost who died unjustly.

But Wu Qiong had lived for centuries and knew one thing for sure:

There are no such things as ghosts.

This so-called ghost in red was probably just some greasy guy hiding behind a computer screen.

A classic honeytrap scam—people were running this kind of thing centuries ago.

The hacker claimed to care about Wu Qiong and Bai Shuang, but who really knew? For all Wu Qiong knew, the guy was just digging for leverage so he could seize control of Whalefall City one day.

Wu Qiong calmed his breathing. He had lived too long to panic over setbacks.

If Player Zero really claimed to be helping, Wu Qiong might as well take advantage of their power to infiltrate anything.

Suppressing his anxiety, he composed himself and smiled with practiced serenity. He turned slightly and planted a quick kiss on the red-robed beauty's cheek.

She froze. "Daoist… I thought you didn't like getting close to me?"

"Merit deserves reward," Wu Qiong said solemnly, throwing the words over his shoulder as he left to find Bai Shuang.

The red-robed beauty stayed behind, exploding like a firework.

Oh my god! The old Daoist kissed her!

She enlarged that brief moment to the size of an entire room, replaying it over and over for half an hour without getting tired.

If she just kept doing her best to please him, she'd definitely earn more chances to be close to him.

Meanwhile, Wu Qiong deliberately forced himself not to think about the possibility that Player Zero might actually be a middle-aged man in stained underpants.

Out of sight, out of mind.

He'd just pretend Player Zero really was a red-robed beauty.

Entering the server room, he was greeted by Bai Shuang's expressionless face staring blankly at him.

"You spent a few hours getting intimate with that robot—how was it?"

"Not great," Wu Qiong said. "Static electricity. My whole body itched."

Bai Shuang thought for a moment, then added sarcastically, "It might not be the static. Maybe your technique was off."

Wu Qiong shot her a glare.

She really had a gift for saying exactly the wrong thing—just like her ancestors.

Opening a screen, Wu Qiong pointed at a blurry image. "The He family has this. Do you know where it came from?"

Bai Shuang's vision was excellent, but even she had to squint to barely make out a vague shape in the darkened frame.

"This is…" She searched her memory for anything relevant, but the more she tried, the more confused she became.

"Is that… me?"

"Of course it's you!" Wu Qiong barked. "So tell me—where the hell did this come from?!"

"That's impossible!" Bai Shuang protested. "When could this have happened? I don't remember any of it!"

Wu Qiong sighed heavily. "This will come out sooner or later. We need to prepare."