There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

"Never expected the secret struggle to be so intense. Not only have our numbers dwindled, but we've also failed to secure the target," Xu Shuo remarked, blowing on his hands in the cold wind atop a high-rise at the center square.

Gazing at the bustling Long Group Technology Building, Xiu Bargas spoke with a sense of lament.

Next to him stood a girl with a genial expression, wearing long, lotus-root pink hair, and amber eyes with facial features somewhat resembling those of Xiu Bargas.

Upon hearing this, the girl's lips curled into a mocking smile, "That guy called Arman was the original target of Paradise Bird. If we had taken him back then, perhaps we would be more confident in completing this mission. What a pity..."

As she spoke, she cast a glance, seemingly inadvertently, at the young man sitting by her side.

At the onset of the scenario, agents from both camps were responsible for recruiting this New Human.

The New An Bureau's agent was "Sigma," while the agent for Paradise Bird fell to Bai Mufei, who was already immersed in playing the "Free Night" game.

In fact, Bai Mufei had a high ranking in this game—having reached the top of the competitive arena leaderboard—so him approaching Arman, a fellow enthusiast of the game, couldn't have been more fitting!

The initial approach was going smoothly, simply mentioning his top rank was enough to make Arman obediently follow Paradise Bird.

However, this guy, I don't know if his brain had issues, was already sitting in the car, and the New An Bureau members inside weren't particularly formidable.

He completely had the opportunity to snatch Arman away at that time!

Yet he left the car on his own accord, allowing New An Bureau to take the target away!

Furthermore, he didn't notify the leader of Paradise Bird about this development, instead, he took matters into his own hands and gathered a group of New Humans to ambush two other members of the New An Bureau on the way!

After hearing about the event from Lilith: "???"

She really wanted to ask, how exactly did your brain level up to tier two?

Logically, someone who attracted immediate attention from both factions at the start of the game, regardless of his identity, background, or power, would definitely have a role in the scenario. He might even be key to completing the mission!

And yet, Bai Mufei let the person go.

If you say that taking care of the opponent's members might compensate for the loss, then that's still somewhat defensible, right?

But not only did he fail, he also lost two teammates with considerable abilities!

After the incident at the Silverglow Tower, the initial plan was merely to give New An Bureau some trouble to prevent them from successfully negotiating with the authorities, not to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the entire Imperial Authorities!

But what does he do? He blows up the entire building!

What on earth are you trying to achieve?

Now we've got the government and financial magnates hunting down Paradise Bird. Our numbers dwindled from over a hundred to just a dozen or so, and now, with the main mission imminent, Paradise Bird can only muster nine members!

The rest are fleeing and can't make it in time.

Ah, such a lousy teammate!

...

Luo Kun sat on the edge of the high-rise, his slightly slender body leaning lazily against the wall, his gaze focused intently on the Technology Building nearby.

Only when he heard that loaded remark did he look up with his green eyes, casting a glance at the girl.

In that moment, Lily was struck with a sense of horror, a chill creeping into her heart.

This guy really was not to be trifled with!

But then she remembered that they held this person's life in their hands, and she let her heart settle back down.

Because Xiu Bargas had taken the position of leader of Paradise Bird after eliminating the previous one, and when they rescued Bai Mufei, intending to recruit him into Paradise Bird, they always kept a card up their sleeve.

Psychic Ability, Molecular Manipulation—both powers were simply too incredible!

So, long ago, he had installed an Energy Bomb within Bai Mufei's heart, the energy from which had probably suffused the latter's entire vascular system over the years. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

And the device controlling the bomb was integrated into Xiu Bargas's neuronal system.

Essentially, with just a thought, the other party could be blown up into a bloody mist instantaneously!

Bai Mufei himself surely was aware of this fact, so, his previous reckless actions, including murdering teammates and ignoring Frandy's warnings—might be because Bai Mufei was now a player character.

A player character being unaware of this fact would be understandable.

After they gathered, Xiu Bargas told him about it, and now watching the young man's expression grow increasingly dangerous, Xiu too, took interest, his lips curling into an intrigued smile.

"The press conference is about to start, and the New An Bureau's people are surely on the scene by now. With us short on numbers and no one with concealment abilities, it's going to be tough to get in. Why don't you head over first to check it out?" he said, his tone suggesting a question, but with no room for argument.

"..."

Luo Kun didn't speak, he just gave him a calm glance and then jumped off the high-rise, landing steadily on the ground below.

After that, an eerie smile flickered across his face, and he strode toward the Technology Building with a spring in his step.

Hight above, a few people watched as his figure quickly merged into the crowd.

Lily looked worried, "Should we really let him go ahead? What if he causes another problem?"

Xiu, resting his chin on his hand, said indifferently, "Whether or not he'll cause trouble is uncertain. He has this inexplicable sense of danger about him. But I presume he wouldn't be stupid enough to let his mission fail outright."

For a second-phase player, the Punishment Task resulting from failure carried a heightened risk of death.

Moreover, apart from the performance points, you won't receive any extra reward for failing, which is tantamount to participating in a scenario in vain and then having to undergo punishment.

It's a loss no matter how you look at it.

Furthermore, it's rare for a player to relish their own failure.

Thinking this, Lily suddenly added, "I remember the director of the New An Bureau is a powerful New Human who's lived for who knows how many centuries, a veteran monster in terms of power. Do you think he might..."

"No way!"

Xiu interrupted her, confidently stating, "Don't worry, this is unbalanced."

Regarding camp confrontation tasks, unbalanced!

The game wouldn't present tasks that were absolutely impossible to complete; if the opposition really deployed a World Boss-level existence, it would be all too unfair for the Paradise Bird camp!

They wouldn't even need to fight, just surrender!

All members might as well enter the Punishment Task!

Therefore, when extracting player characters, the script would automatically achieve a balance of power between the two camps.

For instance, if the New An Bureau had weak (chicken) characters with low combat abilities, their side would also have one—though that person should be dead by now.

If the New An Bureau had an immensely powerful character, the Paradise Birds would accordingly have a matching character to strive for a balanced confrontation of powers.

Xiu's gaze flickered; he had now mostly guessed who his opponent would be.

If there was anyone whose strength matched his, apart from the head of the New An Bureau, it was probably only their deputy head—Omega.

Unless they had secretly recruited someone.

But considering the New An Bureau often acted aboveboard, that possibility did not seem high, while the Paradise Bird camp had hidden a few people's abilities.

Wait, hadn't their data been stolen during the official encirclement a few days ago?

Oh, then there was nothing to worry about.

It's worth mentioning that Bai Mufei had an energy bomb in his heart, which was also part of Paradise Bird's confidential information.

...

...

As one of the financial oligarchs controlling the empire's economic lifeline, Long Group's tech product launch was highly secure, with even military patrols sent by the official authorities.

After all, the identities of those coming and going here were too prestigious to allow for any loss that the authorities could not afford.

Because even though many did not have the qualifications to enter the perimeter, they still lingered expectantly in the plaza, waiting to watch the broadcast on the building's display screens, and there were even quite a few small companies and groups pushing their products amidst the crowd.

At this time, the crowd was mixed.

Luo Kun arrived at a certain part of the Technology Building, his palm lightly touching the wall.

But like Silverglow Tower, this building had an energy barrier; molecular manipulation was hard to break through without turning off the internal energy.

So he chose to take the back door.

He then controlled the unmanned drones and camera lenses hidden everywhere, perfectly isolating surveillance blind spots on his path before being stopped by security.

"Sorry, those attending this release need an invitation code."

"Isn't the invitation required only for entering the venue?" Luo Kun tilted his head, his tone quite innocent.

Perhaps it was because his demeanor and attire were not ordinary, the security patiently explained, "No, entering the launch event also requires an invitation code from Long Group, which most nobles can obtain."

Luo Kun's expression showed realization, his green pupils shimmering beautifully under the light as he smiled with an upturned corner of his mouth, "But you'll let me in, right?"

The security guard looked confused for a moment, thinking to refuse, but subconsciously stepped aside to let him through.

By the time he came to his senses, the young man who had just been in front of him had disappeared without a trace, and he saw no one similar when he looked around, as if nothing had ever occurred.

The security scratched his head in puzzlement and continued his post.

There were also many cameras at the launch event.

Bai Mufei's appearance was recorded by the authorities, and getting scanned would likely trigger an alarm.

Luo Kun didn't make any attempt to disguise himself; he simply deployed his psychic ability to probe the entire hall while using molecular manipulation to avoid the cameras, effortlessly moving through the lobby.

Gradually, excitement emerged in his eyes, as if he could no longer contain an eruption of emotion, and his pace quickened!

He moved with clear purpose toward a certain direction!

However, in the next instant, his psychic ability was blocked.

But no matter, at this point, Luo Kun had already used his excellent Vision Power to spot that figure in the distant crowd!

...

"What a hassle."

Xu Shuo pushed up his glasses and turned towards the restroom in the corner.

The launch event hadn't even started; surely Paradise Bird wouldn't be so impatient to cause trouble, at least they could wait for the target to appear before blowing up anything.

Could it be that they had already found Long Group's hidden "Time-Space Technology"?

As he thought this, just as he entered the restroom, he was cornered.

There were ordinary people in the hallway tidying themselves up when they were shocked to see the mirror in front of them suddenly disintegrate and shatter, quickly rushing toward him!

The next moment, they lost consciousness.

Xu Shuo blocked the incoming mirror shards and conveniently knocked out this ordinary person who had accidentally witnessed a surreal scene.

It wouldn't be good to start chaos now.

"Doctor Chu, where are you running off to?"

Luo Kun appeared at the doorway, looking at him with a sinister smile.