Chapter 131: Completed

Amidst the players' varied discussions, the light screen above shifted:

【Task Description: Thank you for your assistance. You have found the crux of Irene’s itching, and Irene expresses her heartfelt gratitude.

Finish what you started. Now that you know the root cause, please continue to help Irene by finding the vital tool for her recovery—Mr. Horn!】

【Task countdown begins now—】
【48:00:00—】
【47:59:59—】

Following the context of the previous task, "Irene" here undoubtedly referred to the entire Irene Group. If the crux of the Irene Group had been found, then what was this so-called curative tool, "Mr. Horn"?

"Guild Master, I think I know what this 'Mr. Horn' is."

Gu Jinxing walked over to Wen Nan and presented the notebook he had retrieved from the classified laboratory. Opening it to the page dated August 10th, where a rhinoceros beetle was depicted, Gu Jinxing pointed to a note scribbled beside the beetle drawn by the "soulful artist": [From now on, you shall be called Mr. Horn.]

"...Mr. Horn?" Wen Nan quickly realized what Gu Jinxing was implying. "You think this so-called Mr. Horn is the rhinoceros beetle mentioned in this notebook?"

Gu Jinxing nodded. "It is highly probable. At the very least, I believe we should attempt to find this beetle."

According to the notebook, the beetle should be on a tree near the Irene Group headquarters. While the location wasn't precise, given their current agility stats, it shouldn't be difficult to search the area.

"Catching bugs in trees? That’s my specialty! I’ll go!" Huang Yan volunteered, eager to prove himself.

Seeing this, Guo Xiaofu immediately followed suit. "I’ll go too! I loved climbing trees when I was a kid; I'm faster at it than walking."

Wen Nan looked at them both and finally shook his head. "Don't worry about the bug catching," he said, turning to Yang Mingzhong, who was standing silently in the back row. "Leave it to Mingzhong."

Yang Mingzhong was slightly stunned; he hadn't expected the Guild Master to entrust him with a task after the truth serum incident. After a brief moment of surprise, he nodded. "Understood. I will follow the Guild Master's instructions."

Before he finished speaking, a system notification popped up:

【Respected member of the [Win-Win] Guild, we are honored to inform you that you have received a task assigned personally by the Guild Master—Find Mr. Horn and share the results with all guild members.

This is a time-limited task. The duration is equivalent to the remaining time of your main quest 3 within this instance.

If you fail to complete the task, the Guild Master reserves the right to impose appropriate penalties. The final right of interpretation belongs to [Win-Win] Guild Master Ye Jiu. Please be advised.】

Seeing this message, Yang Mingzhong smiled helplessly.

Fine. This was for the best. With clear orders in place, both sides could feel at ease—it was better than the mutual suspicion and maneuvering of last time. This notification was visible only to Yang Mingzhong.

Standing nearby, Huang Yan and Guo Xiaofu looked disappointed, not understanding why their enthusiastic offer to contribute had been ruthlessly rejected. Was it because they were too incompetent?

But that thought vanished as soon as it appeared, for the Guild Master then said earnestly, "I need you two to complete a task that is even trickier and more important."

Hearing this, both men’s eyes lit up, and their chests puffed out with pride. Soon, they both received the same message in their systems:

[Jiu: Shared file "Win-Win Guild Membership Contract"]

Wen Nan continued, "Within the next 36 hours, even if you have to turn this entire map upside down, you must find as many of the remaining hidden players as possible and recruit them into the guild."

The second stage of the guild's trial period required expanding the membership to ten people within five days. Three days had passed, and including Wen Nan himself and the two "crashed" players, they only had eight members. They needed to recruit two more before the deadline for the third main quest, or else the [Win-Win] Guild would fail to form, and Wen Nan’s account would permanently lose the qualification to establish a guild.

Their recruitment speed had to increase. Of course, Wen Nan didn't expect Huang Yan and Guo Xiaofu to succeed alone; after all, in the previous two tasks, five people searching together had only found two such players.

Leaving the spawn point, Wen Nan went straight to the top floor of the Irene Group headquarters. As he approached his workstation, he saw the junior apprentice sister coming toward him.

"Senior, good morning!"

"Morning. Do me a favor." Wen Nan got straight to the point.

The junior apprentice sister stood at attention. "Senior, just say the word!"

"Help me find someone."

Wen Nan gave a rough description of the "crashed" players and told her to notify him the moment she found any leads. The junior apprentice sister was immediately energized. "Finding people? That’s too easy. Leave it to me!"

Wen Nan thought for a moment and added, "This must be between you and me. No third party can know, especially not those gossip groups of yours."

Having her intentions precisely guessed, the junior apprentice sister pulled a long face. "Huh? No seeking outside help? That’s a bit troublesome..."

Watching her round face wrinkle like a sour plum, Wen Nan briefly felt she might exclaim that she "could not do it," but the junior apprentice sister changed her tone, squinting her eyes as she said:

"It’s going to cost you extra!"

Wen Nan: ?

Before he could react, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek with a soft "pop." "Consider that a deposit."

Wen Nan: ??

The junior apprentice sister covered her lips with her hand and whispered into his ear, "I’ll help you find them, but you have to agree to one condition—after it’s done, come to my house."

Wen Nan: "...What for?"

She waved her hand. "Oh, don't ask. Just promise me. When you get there, you’ll naturally understand. Deal?"

Wen Nan weighed the options. The system confirmed she was at a 99% perfect affection rating, making it unlikely she would do anything to harm him. He nodded. "Fine, I agree. But only if you truly find the people."

She smiled confidently. "Don't worry, consider it done! (.-)"

With that, she hopped away like a rabbit. Wen Nan watched her retreating figure and shook his head with a smile.

Just then, a notification appeared in his system:

【.z.: Guild Master, Mr. Horn has been found. Task complete.】

Wen Nan: ???