Chapter 36: Invitation to the Death Ship

Early the next morning.

The two arrived at the international airport by car. Felix’s assistant arrived on time to deliver the letter sent by Rhine—the key to a plan Rhine was so confident in, yet one that had never actually reached its intended recipient.

Jiang He tore open the perfectly preserved envelope. Inside was a black invitation card with delicate, neat handwriting:

[Respected Mr. Rhine Augustus, your professional competence and dedication have caught our attention. The Death Cruise is a place where dreams are realized. If you wish to attain freedom or advance your career, please proceed to the designated location to board the ship in two days and twenty hours. Do not forget to bring this invitation...]

"An interesting technique."

Jiang He rubbed the black card. To be precise, this unique card had a hypnotic spell "stored" within it. It allowed the holder to see information projected from the depths of their own subconscious. Those who failed to realize this would have their secrets窥探 (spied upon) and, naturally, would develop a sense of awe toward this unknown, mysterious power, thereby increasing their belief that the Death Cruise could truly fulfill their dreams.

The "two days and twenty hours" was content that automatically updated based on the actual time.

"Solidification technology that anchors mental will onto a card, and imaging technology that displays corresponding visuals—these are both advanced applications of hypnosis. In comparison, my color-changing and blood-pumping techniques feel more like lateral developments."

For a player, the development and application of skills are a matter of professional conduct. The person who sent this invitation might be a mental-specialization player with unusual motives.

"If this card had fallen into Felix’s hands and he had been lured into boarding the Death Cruise, Rhine’s plan would likely have been to eliminate the mission target at sea. Two points are worth noting: first, Rhine had broken free of the hypnosis; second, what exactly exists on that cruise ship to have made him end up as a death-row prisoner..."

Jiang He stopped his wandering thoughts, as the notification sound of the Origin Game rang in his ears.

[Main Mission I Complete]
[Mission Name: Recover the Sent Letter]
[Mission Reward: ① 100 Experience Points and Game Coins ② Directed Common Quality Scroll * 1]
[Mission Rating: B, Experience Points and Game Coins received a 130% experience bonus]
[Game Coins: 1055]
[Experience Points: 305/500]

Jiang He used the scroll.

[Name: Beast’s Eye]
[Category: Active Skill]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Gain the vision of a designated animal. Duration: ten minutes. Energy cost: 20 points. Effective range: one kilometer in radius.]
[Note: Duration will fluctuate based on the target’s intelligence, eyesight, obedience, and other factors.]

……

[Mission meets criteria to trigger continuation]

[Mission Name: Remorse and Resentful Spirits]
[Main Mission II: Successfully Clear the Death Cruise Game]
[Mission Reward: ① 200 Game Coins and Experience Points. ② Directed Rare Quality Item * 1]
[Mission Time Limit: None]

……

The notifications continued one after another.

Jiang He processed the current situation. A brand new bodyguard team had arrived, and their private jet had received clearance for takeoff.

Felix laughed, "It’s time to say goodbye."

"The Magic City, now under lockdown, is safer for you."

"That wasn’t why I left Mexico. I’m here to do big business. The deals in the Magic City were settled at the banquet, and one must always move on to the next stop in life, even if you did shoot me in the instep."

Jiang He took out the file on weaponry—the leverage the Card Club had intended to use to approach their target.

"Name your price."

Felix took it, looked it over, and wore an expression of just the right amount of satisfaction.

"Dollars, or virtual currency?"

"Explosives. Delivered here."

Jiang He marked a location on his phone map—an island. It was the site of the previous live-action battle royale. He held an indifferent attitude toward this transaction; whether the other party defaulted or the Leviathan Company discovered the location of the explosives, both were possibilities.

Felix nodded in agreement. "Credibility is the last pillar a man has to make a comeback. Just go pick it up in a month."

Jiang He watched him leave. He bought some paper and a pen, and at the same time, sent a message to Cangshan Fuxue via the Origin Game.

[Fifty beast skins are ready. Trading at the Magic City International Airport.]

A few minutes later, a reply appeared in his friends list.

[Very sincere of you. Wait for me to get there.]

Jiang He closed the panel. Strategic facilities like international airports were surely on the Order Bureau’s high-priority defense list; neither side would be able to engage in a major conflict here.

He took out the phone that had come with Rhine’s identity, searched for a full-territory map, and then, based on the speeds of various modes of transport, drew gradient circles on the map with the international airport as the origin.

The perfect expectation was that Cangshan Fuxue would set off immediately upon receiving the message. This would allow him to deduce a large number of distance intervals based on time and various estimated speeds. One time would not mean much, but with enough data points in the model, the scope could eventually be narrowed down.

"With supernatural influences, I have to account for incorrect data. But even if the identity is revealed, it seems difficult to use it as a threat to turn the target into a talisman-making tool. At the very least, the Order Bureau is a fallback I can accept while holding my nose."

The international airport was crowded with people. Jiang He killed time. When he entered the Rodlev Villa, there were definitely no lack of secret surveillance cameras. Given the experience of assassin organizations, they could be placed in unexpected locations. In other words, his current disguised appearance had already entered the field of vision of the Card Club.

At one point, a message lit up in his friends list.

[This airport is too big. Your location?]

[Directly east of the terminal and control tower, at the intersection of the two lines.]

Jiang He got up and went to the restroom. When he returned, he had two cases with him, the same ones previously used to carry assault rifles.

Not long after, a young woman wearing sunglasses appeared. She had a slender build but was wearing loose white sportswear, making it difficult to tell if weapons were hidden underneath. Her high ponytail was quite practical, and the jade bracelet on her wrist was as smooth as mutton-fat jade.

Jiang He opened the cases. Fifty beast skins were cleaned and stacked together. People around cast glances occasionally, but seeing the two behaving openly and honestly, they quickly lost interest.

Cangshan Fuxue reached out and touched them carefully. This batch consisted of monkey skin and sheepskin; the former was a "die-on-sight" species, not on the protected list.

"Adding it all up, this is enough to get me shot several times."

Jiang He reminded her, "These sheepskins come from exotic rock sheep; they are not comparable to ordinary beasts. I climbed the cliffs to catch them; the process was a brush with death."

Cangshan Fuxue laughed. "Asking for more money, are we? Your goods are indeed top-tier. For twenty-four rock sheep skins, I can give you an extra twelve yellow paper talismans. The condition is that the quantity and quality of the next transaction are no lower than this one. If they are all exotic skins, it’s a one-for-one swap."

Jiang He nodded. "Let me see the types of talismans first."

"Tower Talismans for defense, Thunder Talismans for electrical attacks, Soul Talismans for mental protection, and Slash Talismans to temporarily increase weapon sharpness."

Cangshan Fuxue refused to reveal any more methods.

Jiang He picked one up to examine it.

[Name: Tower Talisman · Yellow]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Activate by consuming a certain amount of stamina. Manifests a tower shadow to protect the user for ten minutes.]
[Note: Do not have overly high expectations for the effect of a single talisman.]

"Two of each of the first three, and give me six water-related talismans," Jiang He said. His Long Hatred spear relied on sheer power, so the sharpness boost was not currently a priority.

"You’re planning to replenish your fresh water, aren't you?" Cangshan Fuxue handed over the twelve talismans and a cinnabar mirror. "The power of a Water Talisman is equivalent to a high-pressure water gun; the water volume is roughly ten barrels of drinking water. Transaction complete. When is the next one?"

"In a month."

Jiang He packed his things and left. Cangshan Fuxue also took the two cases. Players conducting offline trades faced certain risks and usually preferred to act quickly.