Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 17

The sky was a deep, brilliant blue; in the territory of Pelakonc, the sun never set.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ci sat on her bed, staring blankly at the Mall interface. She now possessed 2,000 points and was agonizing over how to coordinate their allocation to ensure her survival for as long as possible. To be honest, if she didn’t strive for anything better and focused only on food and shelter, these points would be enough to last her for over six months.

But…

She looked at the communication card beside her—the one Yu Jiayi had given her. Joining their team and continuing to venture into instances might yield even more points. With those, she could hire others to help her find her family.

However, the instances operated on a fairness mechanism: teams of three or fewer could enter “Simple” difficulty instances, but teams of more than three had to face “Medium” difficulty or higher. All four of them were novices; could they successfully clear such a challenge?

At that moment, the communication card rang. Yu Jiayi’s cool, composed voice filled the room: “Go to the coffee shop on the third floor of Building F in the Commercial District. We’re waiting for you there.”

Half an hour later, Zhu Ci changed into a brown jumpsuit cinched with a black-and-grey belt and arrived at Commercial District Building F. There was a vast distance between the Common District where she lived and the Commercial District, but she could teleport directly from the Common District’s teleportation point, taking only five minutes.

This was the designated pleasure hub for Sector C, featuring specialties from various regions. Buildings A through Z were twenty-six towering structures that seemed to touch the sky. Building F specialized in food. One could take an elevator up, though the costs here were much higher than buying raw ingredients, so few people could afford to dine here.

Zhu Ci took the elevator and pressed ‘3’ on the screen. When she arrived at the third floor, she saw a coffee shop with a very wide entrance. Only one table was occupied; He Fanghui and Yu Jiayi were waving at her.

She walked over and sat down. “I’m here. What’s the matter?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry. What are you drinking?” Yu Jiayi pressed a bell for the robot waiter.

Zhu Ci browsed the menu. A single cup of coffee cost 20 points—more expensive than two days’ worth of groceries. She waved her hands hurriedly. “No, no, no, it’s too expensive. I won’t drink.”

Yu Jiayi smiled. “It’s on me. Don’t worry. Have an espresso to clear your head; the coffee here smells truly fragrant.”

“Really? Thank you,” Zhu Ci sighed softly. “You’re so willing to spend money. I’m still thinking about how to save for the days ahead.”

“Why save? To live for a day is to enjoy for a day!” He Fanghui slammed the table, propped her feet up on it, and leaned back.

“I asked you here to talk about exactly that,” Yu Jiayi patted He Fanghui’s leg, signaling her to put them down. “The two of us have already participated in several simple instances. But with just the two of us, it’s very hard to keep an eye on this person, so we wanted to add more people.”

“You are very smart. Your perspective on identifying problems is much more reliable than ours. Moreover, He Fanghui herself actively wanted to team up with you, so I wanted to ask—do you have any interest?”

Zhu Ci fell into deep thought. She did indeed need teammates. Even if these 2,000 points were spent, she needed a sustainable way to earn more.

Seeing her wavering, Yu Jiayi continued: “In fact, many people outside have already spontaneously formed teams. Others rely on their own skills to provide services to those with points, earning a living without entering instances. But we don’t have that kind of specialized skill. And to be honest with you, He Fanghui is a very dangerous person. I cannot leave her unattended and let her harm others; this is my lifelong responsibility. Since you already know her situation, I don’t need to hide it. I’m inviting you to join us.”

Her words were sincere and persuasive, making it difficult for Zhu Ci to refuse. Besides, Zhu Ci herself desperately wanted capable teammates. Even if He Fanghui was dangerous, her usefulness was equally high.

Zhu Ci lifted her eyes. He Fanghui, for once, didn’t interrupt and waited for her answer.

“Then… what about Chen Jian? In my opinion, his usefulness is not small at all.”

“Chen Jian?” Yu Jiayi thought for a moment, then realized. “The boy who picks locks? He is indeed very capable. I wanted to recruit him too, but I don’t have a way to contact him for the time being.”

“I do.”

As soon as He Fanghui said this, both of them turned their gaze toward her. Seeing them staring, she looked innocent and quickly defended herself: “What? I didn’t do anything. I just stuffed my communication card into his hand and told him he had to keep it.”

With that, she took out her communication card and dialed directly: “Come out. Right now. Immediately.” After giving the address, she snapped the connection shut.

“He’s timid, stop threatening him,” Zhu Ci said helplessly.

However, He Fanghui’s action was a huge help. In Pelakonc, it was impossible to find someone unless you had a tracking item; otherwise, even teammates from a previous instance might never find each other again. This was why Zhu Ci had not yet found a single member of her family.

Not long after, a figure appeared stealthily at the entrance of the coffee shop. The person peeked inside, saw He Fanghui, and was about to duck away when he saw Zhu Ci sitting with her back to him.

Chen Jian was astonished. He ran inside and asked, “You… you… you! Aren’t you an NPC? How can you appear here?”

“Enough, she’s not an NPC,” Yu Jiayi massaged her temples. “She’s a player just like us. How have you not realized that yet?”

Chen Jian’s mouth hung open in shock.

Zhu Ci patted the stool next to her, signaling him to sit, then asked, “You told me before that you’ve been through more than one instance. Have you always been alone? Would you be willing to join us?”

“I…”

“Think carefully before you answer. You only get one chance,” He Fanghui smiled, her tone laced with threat.

Chen Jian shut his mouth instantly. Yu Jiayi kicked He Fanghui and spoke to him gently: “It’s fine. Just say what’s on your mind. We aren’t forcing you.”

Chen Jian looked at He Fanghui, then at Zhu Ci, and whispered to the latter, “Do you really want to team up with this lunatic?”

“I can hear you,” He Fanghui’s cold voice rang out.

“Yes, I’ve decided to team up with this ‘lunatic’,” Zhu Ci said normally, without evasion. “Both of them are very powerful. If we met them as opponents in an instance, it would be better to just be on their team.”

Hearing this, Chen Jian found it quite logical. He pursed his lips in thought while Yu Jiayi waited quietly.

“If,” Chen Jian made up his mind and pointed at Zhu Ci, “if she is the leader, then I’m willing to join. And I have one condition: if I want to leave, I must be allowed to leave. You can’t bind me.”

In a Pelakonc team, only the leader has the power to select or dismiss members.

Yu Jiayi agreed. She said to them, “Then it’s decided. Any other objections? If not, we’ll go to the Prime God later to bind the team system.”

He Fanghui shrugged, seemingly indifferent. Zhu Ci asked, “I’m the leader?”

“I think so. You have a very strong leadership aura,” Yu Jiayi patted her.

Freshly ground coffee was served. The four of them drank while introducing themselves.

“Let me officially introduce myself. My name is Yu Jiayi. I used to be a criminal investigator. And He Fanghui is the prisoner I was watching over. She is a murderer.”

Chen Jian quietly shuffled closer to Zhu Ci. He Fanghui narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. I specialize in killing men.”

Yu Jiayi slapped the back of her head. “Only I can keep her in check. You two should be careful usually; don’t be alone with her. Because she used to live in a psychiatric hospital, there’s no guarantee her wires won’t cross one day and she’ll start a massacre.”

Chen Jian nodded vigorously. He then spoke about himself; he was a computer science student at a university, but he had been interested in computers since childhood and was very gifted in that area.

Yu Jiayi was impressed. “That university of yours is the top institution in the country. It seems your grades are quite excellent.”

It was Zhu Ci’s turn. She suddenly felt out of place among these people. She was just a student from an ordinary university and didn’t seem to have any extraordinary talents.

Chen Jian said to her, “Don’t think like that. You are very brainy, and you’re good with your hands too. You give people a great sense of security.”

The four of them chatted for a long time. Seeing that evening was approaching, they decided to find the Prime God.

On the way, Zhu Ci asked, “Who is the Prime God?”

Chen Jian explained that the Prime God was the gentle female voice that spoke when they first entered Pelakonc. She never showed her true face; there was only a snow-white screen.

In the center of the Central District, that massive transparent screen still stood in the air. The names on the screen shifted constantly, but the name in first place remained unchanged.

It was the name identical to her brother’s—Zhu Yuan.

Chen Jian sighed. “That first-place person is truly incredible. They’ve been ranked number one in the entire Sector C for a long time.”

Yu Jiayi looked up and studied it for a while. “I think we’ve met the person in second place.”

“Really?” He Fanghui also stared at the second name. “Hmm… I don’t remember at all.”

“The instance before last… forget it, let’s go,” Yu Jiayi started to say, but then stopped herself.

They entered a room filled with screens. That gentle female voice echoed in their minds like a soft chime: “How have you been, my children?”

“No one is your child,” He Fanghui rolled her eyes. “Bind a team for us.”

“Understood.”

The voice shifted; a mechanical female tone took its place.

“Team system bound for four players. You may set the leader and submit departure requests in the bottom center of your panel.”

Zhu Ci looked down. A grey icon in the middle lit up. She mentally clicked it and noticed that the others had already nominated her as the leader.

“Leader application successful. Please name your squad.”

The other three turned to Zhu Ci simultaneously. He Fanghui said, “You’re the leader. You decide.”

Outside the room lined with transparent screens, the sun and moon stood on either side of the horizon. In a sky without clouds, there was no darkness—only the boundless Pelakonc.

Zhu Ci looked back at them.

“We’ll call it Venus (Qiming).”

“The Morning Star represents the moment before dawn.”

“One day, we will leave this place and see the true night sky and the stars.”

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