Chapter 112: Sphinx
Although this final target was completely unknown on the server-wide combat power rankings, he was still the undisputed rank-one powerhouse of District 85, Zone 275. A player in that position was bound to have his own ruthless syndicate, so Lin Huai chose to bring Peace and Violence and Jiangzhehu Inheritor along.
Dragon Emerging from the Sea had initially urged her to take Sister Cai and Old Wang instead, arguing that higher offensive firepower would keep her safer.
Lin Huai’s tactical considerations, however, were entirely different. The syndicate leader was nowhere near strong enough to threaten her; she only needed two capable companions to help control the peripheral gang members.
More importantly, if word leaked that Zone 444’s server-wide champion had left her territory, rival elites from foreign districts might seize the opening and transfer in to mount a raid.
Because of that, the district’s heaviest combatants had to remain behind to protect their home base.
Naturally, the safest strategic choice would have been for Lin Huai to guard Zone 444 personally while dispatching a strike team to finish the job.
However, Zone 275 held a specific survivor she was eager to recruit. Having traveled through this district in her past life, she remembered a peculiar warrior who fought with an enormous bronze tripod cauldron, using the ancient vessel to crush enemies into paste.
Lin Huai wanted to see with her own eyes whether that massive cauldron was the legendary artifact she remembered.
If possible, she planned to recruit him into Zone 444.
Her choice to bring Brother He Ping and the young heiress was carefully calculated for that exact purpose.
Drawing out their Zone Transfer Cards, the three activated the spatial jump simultaneously. Just as the teleportation light swallowed Lin Huai, she caught the faint, lingering roar of Old Hei bellowing through the system channel.
A heartbeat later, she materialized inside District 85, Zone 275.
She steered her hearse along a snow-covered highway that looked almost identical to the asphalt back home, idly scratching her ear. Although she hadn’t caught the exact words of Old Hei’s parting shout, she had a pretty good idea he was cursing her out for skipping town.
Well, it was too late to turn back now. She would simply smooth things over with him after she returned.
Lin Huai tapped her system interface, preparing to message Brother He Ping and the heiress to begin hunting for the cauldron-wielding fighter.
Before she could send a single character, a cheerful, synthesized female voice chirped directly into her ear:
“Hello, hello, hello, server-wide rank one!”
“I’m the adorable Sphinx, the resident system assistant of Zone 275~”
“Oh, I’m so excited! Did you finally get fed up with that foul-tempered Old Hei and decide to defect to my district?”
“Are you here to be my new number-one star?”
Lin Huai paused for a second, feeling a rare twinge of guilt at the thought of deceiving this perky, hairless-cat-themed assistant.
“My apologies,” Lin Huai replied smoothly. “I’m only here to look around and take in the scenery of other districts. I’ll be leaving in a couple of hours.”
“Aw, what a shame…”
The voice whined playfully, “Rank-one Boss, won’t you reconsider? If you transfer to my zone, I promise to treat you ten times better than Old Hei ever did! I’ll pour the resources of our entire district into cultivating your growth—what do you say?”
Lin Huai declined without hesitation. “No thank you, but I appreciate the offer. If I don’t head back, Old Hei will hunt me down across the server.”
She added with a dry smirk, “He might even try to delete you in the process. Old Hei has always struck me as entirely lawless.”
The Sphinx didn’t realize Lin Huai was fishing for administrative gossip and agreed with passionate intensity:
“Right?! Exactly! You see it too, don’t you?! Old Hei is completely out of control—there isn’t a single system assistant in the entire network he hasn’t cursed out!”
“On top of that, because of his close personal ties to the General Manager, he’s broken administrative protocols countless times! He might actually be crazy enough to delete me! Waaaah…”
Lin Huai raised an eyebrow, tossing out a few light words of comfort.
Her hunch was right on the mark: Old Hei truly was no ordinary administrative program.
“So you see, I really must return to Zone 444,” Lin Huai concluded. “There’s no need to spend your energy recruiting me, Sphinx. Hopefully we’ll cross paths again under friendlier circumstances.”
“Alright then. Since you refuse to stay, I have to handle this by the book,” the Sphinx sighed, shifting into an official tone. “Given your high combat status, server safety regulations only allow you to remain in our district for two hours. Once your time is up, you will be forcibly expelled.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Closing the administrative dialogue, Lin Huai created a temporary three-person squad channel and fired off tactical orders to her companions:
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Brother He Ping, we only have a two-hour window. Track down the player wielding the special bronze cauldron immediately and send me his ID.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Young Miss, start dumping our excess stockpiles of cinder bricks and basic supplies onto their local exchange. Liquidate as much inventory as possible within two hours.
[Peace and Violence]: Understood.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Don’t worry, Boss! Everything is already listed on their local trading floor. I’ve prioritized buy orders for raw building materials and rare catalysts. I have dozens of anti-tracking talismans active around my vehicle, so my safety is guaranteed. Focus entirely on your hunt.
Lin Huai had already briefed them on the mission parameters before jumping districts. Seeing both of them execute their assignments with such crisp efficiency brought a satisfied smile to her face.
In less than sixty seconds, Peace and Violence had combed through the public chat logs and locked onto the target.
[Peace and Violence]: Boss, found him. Player ID: Big Roll. Male, operating a Level 4 armored vehicle, elite-tier combat stats. He ranks second in Zone 275 and belongs to the core syndicate run by their rank-one leader, Qing Qi.
[Peace and Violence]: According to local chatter and intercepted private logs, the leadership here is thoroughly corrupt. Qing Qi and his inner circle maintain their combat supremacy by ruthlessly extorting resources from ordinary drivers across the district.
[Peace and Violence]: Qing Qi also commands a Level 5 vehicle. Boss, please be careful. Do you need me to rendezvous at your position for fire support?
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: I can handle it alone. Not all Level 5 vehicles are built equal. Brother He Ping, focus entirely on guarding the Young Miss. With the sheer volume of goods she’s dumping, Qing Qi’s syndicate will likely target her first.
Having survived this far into the game, Lin Huai had absolute confidence in her own combat capabilities. An unknown local tyrant like Qing Qi posed no real threat to her.
Besides, she had no intention of getting her own hands dirty with the kill this time.
With the target’s ID secured, Lin Huai retrieved a Teleportation Talisman, locked onto player Big Roll, and tore the parchment.
Out on a wide, snow-covered stretch of highway, an orange-yellow armored off-road vehicle cruised at a steady pace. Behind the wheel, a burly, middle-aged man stared through the windshield with a bored scowl, grumbling under his breath:
“Damn it all… how much longer is this blizzard going to drag on?”
He rubbed his aching shoulders. “Forget this. I need to track down a few more fat sheep to shake down. Once I scrape together enough coins, I’m buying an automated driving module. Driving this beast by hand every single day is making me sick.”
Just as the words left his mouth, an alert chime rang out from his dashboard screen as his syndicate chat flared with urgent messages.
[Wallflower]: Hey, everyone look at the market! A massive merchant just popped up in our district, dumping tons of survival crates! She’s even selling specialized materials called cinder bricks that grant complete invisibility against monsters for ten straight minutes!
[Qing Qi]: Jiangzhehu Inheritor? Do we have someone like that on our district roster? Did some local nobody strike gold, or is she an outsider?
[A Man Must Be Ruthless]: Boss, the profile says it’s a woman. I’ve never seen her name before. There’s no way a local driver could hoard that many supplies without us wringing her dry. She has to be an outsider from another zone.
[Big Roll]: Cinder bricks? I’ve never even heard of an item like that. Where did she dig them up?
[Qing Qi]: Teleport over and secure her right now. Keep her breathing—I want to know where she’s sourcing those cinder bricks.
[Big Roll]: On it.
