Chapter 133: So Eager?

Was it that cordoned-off area on the edge of the map that Yang Mingzhong mentioned earlier?

Taking a quick look at the people filling the surrounding booths, Wen Nan stood up and led Yu Shujun back into the small storage room next to the breakroom. Although this was their second time here, Yu Shujun still felt uncomfortable being squeezed into such a cramped corner with him. With his lips pressed into a thin line, he said coldly, "If you don't want our conversation to be overheard by the NPCs, I can find a way to lure them all away, Master."

Wen Nan waved a hand. "No need for the trouble. This place is fine. Tell me about the situation at the scene."

Wen Nan had sent Yu Shujun to the location last night. In the meantime, he and Qiqi had spent the night in bed, and he hadn't had a chance to ask about the investigation. He hadn't expected him to return only now. Given the player level of Yu Shujun’s main account, it shouldn't have taken an entire night to reach a location just a few kilometers away. Recalling what Yang Mingzhong had said about the area being heavily guarded by high-level NPCs...

"Did you run into trouble on the way?"

As he spoke, Wen Nan noticed a thin, deep cut on the other man's cheekbone and paused. "You... you're hurt? What happened?"

Yu Shujun raised a hand, his fingertips gently wiping away the dried blood on his cheek. He seemed to realize he was injured only then; his brows furrowed slightly for a moment before he said flatly, "It's nothing. The other party was hurt much worse."

As he said this, Yu Shujun remained as cold and serious as usual. Wen Nan, however, couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head in resignation. *How is this like a grade-schooler fighting? As long as the other person is hurt worse, I’m safe and haven’t lost?*

Seeing Wen Nan’s smile, Yu Shujun assumed he was questioning the truth of his words and added even more earnestly, "She lost her right arm."

Wen Nan: ...

Wen Nan gained a new appreciation for the descriptor "much worse."

After a moment of internal grumbling, he returned to the main topic. "Who was it? An NPC? One of the guards?"

Yu Shujun shook his head. "The opponent was disguised. She got away, so it’s hard to be certain for now, but it definitely wasn't an NPC," he emphasized. "No NPC in this map could wound me."

"A player?"

If it wasn't a stranded player stuck in a "crashed" state, it could only be someone like Yu Shujun—using a secondary account to sneak into the map early.

Yu Shujun shook his head again. "I'm not sure."

"Using a secondary account to enter a low-level map that you don't belong to—that kind of item requires a Gold-tier player, doesn't it?"

Yu Shujun nodded. "I fought her. Aside from having a special skill and being very good at disguising herself and running away, her strength wasn't high. She was nowhere near Gold-tier."

Wen Nan tried to speculate: "Could it be someone from a major guild who got hold of an item from their public equipment repository, allowing them to bypass the map restrictions?"

Yu Shujun shook his head. "The major guilds' repositories mostly contain reusable equipment, and the levels aren't high. The equipment cards for secondary accounts are one-time use and are rare, high-level items. They wouldn't be in a public repository."

Wen Nan frowned and thought for a while. "Then who do you think she is?"

Having fought the person, Yu Shujun had a vague guess, but he ultimately said nothing. He only replied, "Whoever she is, she’s up to no good. Even if she couldn't beat me, she could easily finish off a low-level player like you."

"Low-level player" Wen Nan let out a dry laugh and didn't respond. *This guy always manages to insult my player level so naturally.*

Yu Shujun didn't understand the meaning behind those dry laughs, so he simply continued in his monotone voice: "For your safety, I need to stay by your side until we leave this map. I will not accept any more solo missions." After a pause, he added dryly, "Master."

"Fine." After such a long wind-up, that was what he wanted? Was it so hard to just say he was worried about his safety?

Wen Nan smiled helplessly. Setting aside the matter of the uninvited guest for the moment, he returned to the original topic. "What’s the situation at the scene?"

Yu Shujun said nothing, silently sending the video he had recorded from the system to Wen Nan's account.

Wen Nan opened it and immediately saw a car flipped upside down, burned to a crisp. A car accident? Yu Shujun’s footage was comprehensive, capturing every detail, but the site looked far too old. It was buried in dirt and weeds, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the traces of the accident. What did such an old car accident have to do with Yang Mingzhong? And why would he choose to delete his account and start over because of it?

Lost in thought, Wen Nan heard Yu Shujun’s voice: "Judging by the scene, this accident happened at least three years ago. Finding clues now is almost impossible."

Yu Shujun was just speaking casually, but his words triggered a realization in Wen Nan. A keyword: "Three years ago..."

Just as he was pondering this, a system notification sounded in his mind—several character chat messages.

[Little Junior Sister: Senior Brother, I found the person you wanted!]
[Little Junior Sister: [Image]]
[Little Junior Sister: Fifth floor, Administrative Department, the mailroom in the corner. Come claim him quickly~~]
[Little Junior Sister: Don't forget what you promised me~]
[Little Junior Sister: I found him, so you have to fulfill your promise now~]
[Little Junior Sister: Tonight, my place, I'll be waiting for you~]
[Little Junior Sister: (。-)]

Wen Nan stared at the messages in disbelief. *...That fast?! Is speed-running the trend lately?*

In the photo sent by the Little Junior Sister, he could see only a haggard-looking man with long hair and a stubbly beard, sitting straight-backed in the crowded room filled with packages, expressionlessly sorting them. It was impossible to confirm from just one photo if this was the player Wen Nan was looking for.

He closed the system and hurried toward the fifth-floor mailroom as fast as he could. On the way, Wen Nan opened the "Winner Guild Membership Contract" from his system and set it to a signable state.

Five minutes later, he arrived at the door of the mailroom. Before he could even step inside, a system notification chimed—

9527: [Beep!]
9527: [The Winner Guild Membership Contract you shared has been successfully signed!]

Wen Nan’s steps faltered. On his way here, he had been considering how to phrase his opening line for the invitation once he saw the person, and yet the other party had signed it directly?

*Was he that eager?*