Fate Trading System – Chapter 288

Plan A

Divine Vestige 14

Sometimes, people can’t control their emotions when certain things are brought up, and that was exactly the case for Mi Luo right now.

Thinking about those infuriating matters, she just couldn’t hold herself back.

“F#cking shabi¹, seriously, a bunch of shabi. I suspect their brains are broken, kicked by a donkey, eaten by a dog.”

Mi Luo blew a puff of air, sending her bangs flying, fully demonstrating her fury.

Sha Ying’s mood was now as calm as still water. As expected, a character’s persona doesn’t just collapse; it utterly shatters.

It seemed the three women around him all had personalities that didn’t match their appearances.

Slayer looked cool, with off-the-charts combat power. He originally thought her personality would be extremely cold and arrogant, but it turned out that while the cold part was true, the arrogance was missing. Her train of thought was a bit bizarre; sometimes he couldn’t even understand the things she said, having no idea how she connected her thoughts.

Su Xin looked like a gentle and delicate magician, the type of girl who should be as yielding as water and very understanding. But unexpectedly, her personality was that of a domineering CEO, possessing a strong desire for control. Her powerful heart was a complete mismatch for her fragile exterior.

Just now, when he first saw Mi Luo, he really thought she was a harmless little loli, because her acting was simply too good. But after reversal after reversal, and yet another reversal, her persona had completely crumbled beyond recognition.

“Keep talking.”

“Although there are many NPCs in this game, we all know they operate on a fixed trajectory, day after day, year after year. They can’t be killed. At the same time on the second day, they will revive and continue doing what they’re supposed to do. After all, they are pre-set programs. And they won’t have the memory of being killed, as if nothing ever happened.”

Mi Luo calmed down and began to narrate quickly.

“Mm.”

“And this place is full of players. I believe that when the game crashed, it was during the peak time for everyone to log in. Some people have retained their consciousness, but another portion of people have lost it. Then, our control panels all disappeared, and we can no longer use our skills.”

“I know all this. I call those who have lost consciousness and think of themselves as natives of this place the Lost Ones.”

“Good, it’s better that everyone is clear on the situation, so I won’t waste time on the backstory. My skills are rather special and don’t rely much on the control panel. In fact, I think the ones who survived… I mean, the portion of people who maintained their consciousness, should all be like me, not needing to rely on the control panel to release their skills, allowing themselves to still have a foothold here.”

“About half a month ago, a few players came to my place. I was actually quite excited. After all, it had been a long time since I’d seen anyone after so many days. But you know we Glib Talkers never take the initiative to reveal our identities, so I just observed the situation and disguised myself as an NPC. Because as long as they think you’re an NPC, they won’t try to kill you, since they know you can’t be killed.”

“At first, I thought they were comrades, but then I discovered they were so-called Hunters. ‘Hunters’ is the name I gave them because they are hunting players.”

“Tell me, aren’t they f#cking idiots? Is there something wrong with them? Damn it, players are human, okay? I can’t even be bothered to talk to that bunch of shabi. In order not to expose my identity and be discovered by their people, I’ve been hiding in this place ever since.”

It wasn’t that Mi Luo didn’t want to deal with those people, but because they were completely unreasonable, killing any player on sight.

“Hunters?”

F#ck, Su Xin cursed inwardly.

“I don’t have much information. Anyway, they established this thing, and there’s also an opposing side. Because the world channel can’t be used, both factions are expanding outwards, spreading their message as they grow. It’s basically the Evil League and the Justice League².”

As an excellent swindler, how could Mi Luo not feign submission? The Hunters also needed to recruit new members, but the reason Mi Luo didn’t go was that those people only recognized those with fighting power. She didn’t have much combat strength, so she knew she had no value to them.

“What about the Lost Ones?”

“Same deal. The method the Hunters use is to kill everyone. Those who can revive are NPCs, those who can’t are either players or Lost Ones.”

Mi Luo felt these people were too insane. They all looked normal enough. So what if the game crashed? How did they all become homicidal maniacs? Was it because this place had power but no laws?

“That’s too much! Those are human lives!”

Sha Ying’s eyes widened, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

“Are they trying to destroy this place? No, to be precise, they want to turn this place into reality. They don’t plan on going back to the real world?”

“Correct, they don’t want to go back. But I still want to go back! My house that I f#cking struggled so many years to get, and my little money money!”

One could say she was quite ticked off.

Watching Mi Luo’s involuntary performance, Su Xin began to think about her own affairs.

Mi Luo wanting to return to reality was only part of the reason. The other part was, wasn’t it because she couldn’t survive well here?

I have to stop those people, Su Xin thought. But if she didn’t kill them, they would continue to cause chaos. Besides, they were guilty.

Su Xin felt a bit of a headache. When this calamity was over, if most people were already dead, what f#cking use would it be?

How fast can killing be? Su Xin mused. Very, very fast.

“Slayer.”

“Let’s go together. Time to make a move?”

Slayer looked at Su Xin. Those lives meant nothing to her; her mission and purpose were not this.

“Alright.”

“Let’s go, Sha Ying. Bring her.”

“Okay.”

“Hey! Where are you taking me? I haven’t agreed yet!”

“You want to stay here? Girl, be quiet.”

Su Xin placed a finger to her lips, making a hushing gesture.

Mi Luo fell silent, quietly sharing a mount with Sha Ying.

With a young girl in his arms, Sha Ying’s face was a little red, but he maintained his composure.

The four of them headed towards the village and spotted four or five people who were about to leave.

“Slayer, don’t let them die completely just yet.”

“Understood.”

Slayer mulled over “don’t let them die completely.” Whenever she struck, there were no survivors.

Mi Luo once again witnessed the big shot’s combat power. One second Slayer was still on her mount, and the next, the five people in the distance had collapsed to the ground.

“I’m back. None of them are dead.”

Slayer stood there, looking somewhat like she was seeking favor and praise.

“Excellent.”

Su Xin smiled at Slayer. The coldness faded from her face, making her appear very gentle.

“Is there something going on with them?”

Mi Luo tugged on Sha Ying’s sleeve, gesturing with her eyes towards Su Xin and Slayer.

“Huh?”

Sha Ying stared blankly at Mi Luo, clearly not understanding what was happening.

“You can’t tell?”

A swindler is best at manipulating people’s hearts, so Mi Luo was very observant.

Without observation skills and intuition, how could one deceive anyone?

“Tell what?”

Sha Ying deeply felt that his IQ wasn’t on the same level as these three.

“…Hey, old bro, you… forget it…”

Mi Luo dismounted, looking at Slayer with some apprehension.

“Just say what you mean, don’t leave me hanging!”

People who speak in halves are the most annoying!

“Figure it out yourself.”

Su Xin walked over. Slayer stood by her side, and the two of them circled the figures on the ground, examining them.

Sha Ying stared for a while but still didn’t get it.

“Where are you from?”

Su Xin asked the people lying on the ground. Slayer had injured their vitals. Although she hadn’t dealt a fatal blow, it was enough to prevent them from getting up.

The men remained silent, looking as if they were just waiting to die.

“Hmm? Quite a bit of backbone, huh? No one’s talking?”

Tiny water droplets seeped into their wounds. When they suddenly solidified, the blood froze along with them.

This was an extremely painful process. Su Xin’s lips were naturally upturned in a slight smile, making her look gentle, a stark contrast to the people screaming in agony on the ground.

“Are you going to talk or not? If you don’t open your mouths, then none of you need to.”

The men writhed in pain, blood seeping from their wounds, but they clawed at their own bodies, their eyes wide open.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Someone couldn’t take it anymore and quickly shouted.

Su Xin let that person go and quietly watched as the others remained trapped in their agony.

“I only need one informant. Since one person has stepped forward, the rest of you have no value. Goodbye.”

Su Xin raised her hand, and just as she was about to act, the others started shouting one after another.

“I know things too! I know more than him!”

“I know more than all of them!”

Human nature can never withstand being tested. Some people who appear to have a lot of backbone will also yield under a round of torture and threats.

The people who came here were definitely not central figures of the so-called evil alliance or the Hunter’s league. Big shots never come to small places to handle things.

Su Xin pieced together their statements and got a piece of what could be considered good news.

She… seemed to have found her brother.

Without batting an eye, Su Xin ended their lives. No one else present had any objections.

Slayer’s obedience was absolute. Sha Ying felt that those people were bad guys to begin with, and killing bad guys was a matter of course, otherwise they would just go on to harm more people. Mi Luo couldn’t care less; after all, these people had been a threat to her before, so she couldn’t applaud the big shot fast enough.

I’m a bit of a coward, Mi Luo thought. Among this group, only the big bro seemed easy to fool, but he didn’t seem to have any say. The young lady in the center looked very formidable, while the other big shot was completely the loyal dog type.

So annoying. Mi Luo wanted to leave this team, because there was no way to gain their trust and infiltrate their inner circle.

“Should we change the plan?”

“No, but we might be heading the same way. I’m going to see him.”

“Who?”

“My Ge³.”

Hearing it was her brother, Slayer became a little nervous. She took two steps forward, then looked at Su Xin with puppy-dog eyes.

“It won’t take long. I’ll just meet him and then we’ll leave.”

And ask about some things while I’m at it, Su Xin thought. She felt that she and Slayer could handle the internal operations, while a few people would suffice for the external work; they didn’t need too many.

“Oh.”

Slayer nodded, a bit dejected. That wasn’t what she was worried about.

“Are you coming with us to Saixisi⁴, or going on your own?”

Su Xin looked at Mi Luo. The little girl was too shrewd. If her heart wasn’t in it, there was no point in keeping her around.

“I’ll follow the big shot’s footsteps.”

Mi Luo tugged on the corner of Sha Ying’s clothes, making her attitude clear.

“Very well. Let’s go.”

“Although I have a feeling our journey might not be very smooth.”

Mi Luo rubbed her chin and voiced her thought.

As it turned out, the jinx’s halo was just that effective.

Slayer cleared the path the entire way. Without using her weapon, she knocked out, knocked out, knocked them all out, and thus their journey was completely unobstructed.

Mi Luo secretly suspected that this young lady might not be human. Could a person really possess such power?

After a month of continuous travel, they arrived outside the city gates of Saixisi.

Even Su Xin was somewhat exhausted. They had barely rested along the way. Apart from Slayer, who was still in high spirits, the others were not doing well.

Mi Luo’s face was ashen. After getting off the mount, she went to the side to dry-heave.

Sha Ying rubbed his hands and arms, feeling like he was about to fall apart.

They were all travel-worn. Although Su Xin had kept herself clean using water magic, she hadn’t truly soaked in water for a month and felt extremely uncomfortable.

Their food situation was handled even more carelessly. Su Xin didn’t want to waste time, and Mi Luo’s jinxing debuff was also getting on their nerves.

The city guards stopped them. After paying the entrance fee, Su Xin saw many players and Lost Ones.

The people here all had calm expressions and were orderly.

“Are they all players?”

“Not a single one isn’t.”

“Everyone come over and register.”

Lang Ning was in his study trying to communicate with the outside world. He had brought a light-brain⁵ in with him to communicate with his people on the outside, but the connection was spotty. Now, they not only had to solve the problem of fixing the bug, but also deal with those people’s problems. It was truly vexing.

“Boss, new players have arrived.”

“What’s their strength like?”

“One seems like an NPC, or perhaps a Lost One. An NPC probably wouldn’t travel this far. Another is a grand magus of the water element, one is a martial artist, and there’s also a normal player without a control panel.”

“The IDs they registered are Ning Xuan, Sha Ying, Mi Luo, and Slayer.”

“Who?”

Lang Ning suddenly looked toward the person. He thought he had heard his sister’s ID.

In 《Divine Vestige》, IDs could not be repeated. Lang Ning was all too familiar with his sister’s ID.

“The ‘Ning’ from ‘rather,’ and the ‘Xuan’ from ‘daylily’?”

“Yes.”

“Where are they? Take me there!”

There was no joy in Lang Ning’s heart, only anger.

How did Xuanxuan get in here? Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is!

There are so many bad people here, and I still haven’t been able to find that BUG.

“I should be able to see my brother soon.”

Slayer nodded, holding Su Xin’s hand.

For some reason, Slayer was inexplicably nervous.

Yes, the little thief had never felt this way before, but now she actually felt very nervous.

Slayer was actually worried about whether Lang Ning would like her. Slayer herself found it strange.

Mi Luo pursed her lips. Even a big shot can get scared. Isn’t it just meeting the family? What era is this? No one would object to two women being together, right?

“Ge!”

“Xuanxuan, how did you get in here? Didn’t Ge tell you to wait obediently outside?”

Lang Ning took Su Xin’s hand, only relaxing after confirming she wasn’t injured.

“I couldn’t wait for you.”

“Ge still hasn’t found a solution. You didn’t run into any bad people on the way, did you?”

“Are you talking about those people who want to kill players?”

“Yes. It’s all my fault. I never thought it would turn out like this.”

Lang Ning was a man with delicate features. In the game, his facial features were deepened, making him look like a gentle and knowledgeable scholar.

He could single-handedly create a massive data empire, yet he could also easily become shy in front of one person.

His only two devotions in life were his younger sister and his interests.

“If I had power too, I probably wouldn’t be willing to leave either.”

Mi Luo shrugged. The virtual world was so much better.

“Ge, do you have a way to restore the players’ control panels?”

“I’m working on it. I’m afraid it’s a bit difficult.”

“What about restoring the inventory?”

“That’s almost possible. I’m still trying, but my light-brain has been affected by something, and I haven’t been able to send out a message for a week.”

“I see…”

Master Fourteen, do you have a way to transmit information to the outside?

【Of course, but this subordinate must borrow Slayer’s data. In other words, this subordinate must invade Slayer. Host, you must make contact with her and guide the flow of her data.】

How do I guide it?

【Make her develop the desire to explore and invade you.】

Su Xin fell silent for a moment, inexplicably feeling a bit…

Alright.

“Ge, what do you plan to do about those people?”

“They are all my companions, all people who want to get out. Don’t worry.”

Su Xin knew what Lang Ning was concerned about. She took his hand and sat him down, asking about his thoughts.

It had always been Lang Ning who took care of Lang Xuanxuan, and Lang Xuanxuan was also very obedient and clingy in front of him. But in reality, Lang Xuanxuan’s personality was stronger than Lang Ning’s.

Lang Ning was indeed a rare genius, but his personality was prone to shyness, and he wasn’t good at dealing with the outside world. He didn’t need to interact with others when programming and creating software; he would only speak eloquently and at length when in his area of expertise.

In the original Lang Xuanxuan’s own words, when Lang Ning talked about data, he could be as assertive as a different person, but in life, he was just a little boy.

Lang Ning could be an excellent technician and boss, but he would not be a good ruler skilled at reading people’s hearts.

“I’m also very conflicted. Those people are all human. If we fight them, people will inevitably die, and everyone here isn’t that willing to fight.”

In terms of strength, the Hunters were stronger than Lang Ning’s side, but Lang Ning’s side had the advantage in numbers. Lang Ning adopted a strategy of only defending and not attacking.

The people here all wanted to get out, and none of them wanted to risk their lives.

Dying in a game was whatever, but really dying was a different story.

“Ge, I have a way. I can contact the outside. Listen to me. Right now, you focus on fixing that light-brain and strive to restore the inventory system. Leave the rest to me.”

“Xuanxuan?”

“Don’t ask me how. You’ve always protected me. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”

“Xuanxuan…”

“I know what you promised that person, and I know the responsibility you must bear, so I will do my best to help you. Go restore the inventory system now. That would be the greatest help to me at the moment.”

Lang Ning, of course, had self-taught skills; after all, he had personally designed them all.

Lang Ning felt a bit sad. He imagined how Xuanxuan must feel, knowing that he would commit suicide after everything was over. She must be in so much pain that she wanted to cry.

《Divine Vestige》 was the fruit of seven years of tireless labor by Lang Ning and his partners, yet it had plunged the country into disaster.

“You all make yourselves at home. Slayer, come with me.”

Slayer was pulled by Su Xin towards a place where the rooms were located.

“Xuanxuan, what’s wrong? I haven’t even greeted your brother yet.”

Slayer hesitated, wanting to say more. She hadn’t even started talking to make a good impression on the brother.

Sha Ying, left behind, was used to it. Mi Luo, on the other hand, rubbed her chin, planning to wait and see how things unfolded.

“You two, may I have a chat with you?”

Lang Ning looked in the direction his sister had gone, offering a gentle smile to Sha Ying and Mi Luo.

Something is not right with Xuanxuan. And who is that young woman by her side?

Su Xin gripped Slayer’s hand, thinking about how to guide her.

“Slayer, can you invade my energy database like you did before?”

“Hmm?”

Slayer shook her head. She had been unconscious at that time; she had no control over the data flow at all.

“Slayer, listen to me. Right now, don’t think about anything. Just look at me. Just think of me.”

Slayer’s sky-blue eyes reflected Su Xin’s face. She nodded, her expression focused.

Just look at you, just think of you. You are all that is in my eyes, my mind, my heart.

“You are touching me.”

Yes, a touch.

With their hands clasped, Slayer could feel Su Xin’s body temperature.

“You want to invade my data, want to devour that power.”

Su Xin’s voice was slow, laced with inducement.

“But I don’t want to.”

Slayer answered honestly.

She didn’t want to take that divine spark. That was something they had already agreed upon. It would stay with Su Xin. She would not go back on her word.

“Can you try to imagine it? Pretend, pretend that you want to.”

“But I…”

Slayer shook her head with some difficulty, unable to imagine it.

She couldn’t generate such a thought, nor could she possibly do such a thing.

Su Xin let out a breath and thought of a new method.

I just need to trigger a data flow of desire, right, Master Fourteen?

【Yes.】

Slayer was not a fixed form; her data could flow to any place.

“Slayer, let’s start over. Look at me. What do you want to do to me? You can do anything, as long as it’s what you crave, what you desire…”

Su Xin’s voice grew lower and lower. Their eyes were still locked on each other, reflecting one another.

The eyes must be the most captivating part of a person, for they can reveal certain emotions.

When the one you love gazes deeply at you, no one can resist.

I’ve been bewitched, Slayer thought.

You can do whatever you want… Only this voice remained in her mind.

Do as her heart desires.

Slayer pressed her lips against Su Xin’s, closing her eyes. Su Xin closed her eyes too.

Slayer was guided, tasting the sweetness.

The most beautiful gems in the world, the little thief thought, cannot compare to the pupils of the person before me. The most fragrant flowers in the world are not as sweet as the lips of the person before me.

A thief always likes to gaze at their treasure with an obsessed look, then scan every inch of what they possess with a greedy gaze.

“Slayer…”

I love the whisper of my name spilling from between your lips.

Slayer was excited, so excited she was about to lose control.

“Desire me. Invade me.”

【Host, it’s a success! This subordinate is resisting it now. What is the message that needs to be conveyed?】

The resistance is refusing to return to reality and is causing destruction and slaughter. The blood of innocents stains the land. We will kill those who stand in our way. Please forgive us. Also, I need a light-brain.

“A.K.⁶, I think we need to inform that person.”

“Who on earth transmitted this information! We have no idea if it’s real or fake!”

“But it’s with Slayer! Slayer trusts it!”

A.K. glanced at the nutrition pod⁷ and nodded.

“I’ll go inform them. You guys design those gadgets and send them in for it.”

What Slayer trusts, is also worthy of trust.

---

---