Chapter 33: Signing the Contract

"Uh..."

[A Newbie] paused for a moment, then turned to Bai Xiaozhi, "You feel the same way?"

Bai Xiaozhi replied with rock-solid conviction, "I only listen to him."

[A Newbie] burst into loud laughter. "Good! You've got guts! It seems you're trying to gain some leverage for negotiations."

"No matter, though. When the system erasure descends, you will naturally make the wise choice."

Before the words had even faded, his figure dissolved into the air like a falling leaf.

Bai Xiaozhi asked, "Is he gone?"

Bai Ming answered, "I'm not sure."

"What do we do now?"

"We wait for the bus, of course."

"Oh."

Bai Ming's reason for waiting for the bus was simple: after being deceived by [Ink-Stained Dust], he had become full of wariness toward strange players.

He would trust, at most, half of what an inexplicable player popped up to say.

Besides, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Was exchanging nether-money for skills and specialties truly reliable?

Most importantly, Bai Ming had already mastered a route to clear the level while farming for high ratings; he didn't want to invite unnecessary complications.

With Bai Xiaozhi's company, the process of waiting for the bus wasn't exactly boring.

However, wary that [A Newbie] might still be watching from the shadows, Bai Ming didn't engage her in any deep conversation.

During the wait, actual ghosts arrived one after another to wait for the bus.

As soon as these ghosts caught the scent of living humans, they lunged without hesitation.

Unfortunately, they were quickly and easily dealt with by Bai Ming, left to remain where they were while waiting to respawn.

...

Just as Bai Ming suspected, [A Newbie] had not left.

He was hiding in the thick fog, using binoculars he had obtained from Mist-Hidden Village to observe them secretly.

He was waiting for the right moment to appear when Bai Ming and Bai Xiaozhi fell into a desperate situation.

More importantly, he had paid a hefty price of 30 units of nether-money to purchase his "Beguilement Qualification."

Running into Bai Ming and Bai Xiaozhi had initially felt like a massive profit. But if they were foolish enough to lose their lives, he would be the one taking a huge loss.

However, as time passed, he gradually sensed that something was wrong.

Bai Ming’s strength was absurdly high.

It had been two years since the arrival of the Twilight Game, and the [Player Forum] had long since classified the strength of ghosts.

From weakest to strongest, they were: Wandering Souls, Wild Ghosts, Fierce Ghosts, Vicious Ghosts, and Ghost Kings.

F-grade instances produced Wandering Souls; the weak ones could be fought off by ordinary people who mustered enough courage, while the strong ones required a Level 3 player to resolve, and they existed only in the human realm.

Wild Ghosts began to appear starting from E-grade instances.

In the underworld map reached by the 444 bus, there were no Wandering Souls at all—only Wild Ghosts.

Wild Ghosts were by no means something an ordinary person could contend with; the weakest Wild Ghost required at least a Level 3 player to barely kill.

Weaker players might even need to be Level 4—this was the level [A Newbie] was at before he entered Mist-Hidden Village.

As for that male player, [A Newbie] had tested him; his strength was slightly higher than his own, roughly at the "peak level of a beginner Wild Ghost."

Given that they had already fought on the bus, logically, killing two or three Wild Ghosts should have been their limit.

But who could have guessed that Bai Ming had slaughtered eight Wild Ghosts entirely on his own, without even needing Bai Xiaozhi's assistance!

How could such a powerhouse be lured away from the bus by Rule 3 and Rule 6?

This was clearly the strength of a "mid-level Wild Ghost," fully capable of clearing the level.

Had he been hiding his strength all along?

[A Newbie] tried to see the details, but the mist was too thick; the binoculars could barely capture silhouettes, making detailed analysis impossible.

However, this was hardly his fault.

Where would an ordinary player get evasion skills and stamina like Bai Ming’s?

Someone like [Ink-Stained Dust] relied entirely on raw lethality to reach the level of four "Teacher Wangs," which was the "mid-level Wild Ghost" standard. Unlike Bai Ming, who relied on evasion and stamina to reach the equivalent of five "Teacher Wangs."

Of course, stats on paper were merely a reference.

In a real life-or-death struggle, the variables were far more complex than data on a sheet.

Just as a child with a knife could kill a strong man, it was not rare for a low-level Wild Ghost to counter-kill a mid-level one.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that [A Newbie] suddenly realized a terrifying fact.

With the strength Bai Ming had displayed, even if he didn't spend nether-money and forced his way onto the bus in violation of Rule 1, he might just be able to hold out for the final ten minutes and reach Dawn Hospital!

After all, they were very close to the eighth stop.

Although movement was restricted by the rules, the 444 bus could reach the destination in just ten minutes.

Ten minutes... with the strength of a mid-level Wild Ghost, he should be able to hold on, right?

Probably.

[A Newbie] hadn't reached that level himself, nor had he ever heard of anyone attempting it. But at this moment, he finally understood the source of Bai Ming's confidence in refusing him.

"Damn it!"

The thought hit him like an icy plunge; the 30 nether-money he had spent on the "Beguilement Qualification" would go down the drain.

With the other party's attitude, they would 100% choose to board the bus. How could they possibly go to some Mist-Hidden Village?

"No way..." [A Newbie] gripped his binoculars tightly, "I absolutely cannot let this deal turn into a loss!"

...

"Big Brother, wait!" [A Newbie] rushed out of the thick fog, blocking Bai Ming's path. "Don't leave! The fortune in Mist-Hidden Village is absolutely real, and the rewards far exceed those of an SS or SSS-grade clearance rating!"

[A Newbie] had already calculated everything.

What did high-level players care about most?

Naturally, tangible benefits!

The other party had no attachment to Mist-Hidden Village simply because he felt that starting a side quest here was a waste of time and the returns weren't enticing enough.

Compared to the stable clearance rewards of the Twilight Game, Mist-Hidden Village was like a generic product with no guarantees.

Bai Ming swept a cold glance over him. "Have you ever obtained an SS or SSS-grade rating?"

[A Newbie] stood up straight. "No."

Bai Ming sneered. "Then how do you know the rewards there don't compare to Mist-Hidden Village?"

[A Newbie] chuckled. "It's a metaphor, a metaphor, get it?"

Bai Ming said dismissively, "Hmph, no matter how many metaphors you use, they're still fake."

[A Newbie] gritted his teeth. "To show my sincerity, I can sign a contract with you, Big Brother!"

Bai Ming pondered for a moment. "Let me state this first: I will not pay for such trivial information, don't even think about making me cover the contract fees, and my companion will not be signing."

[A Newbie] nodded repeatedly. "Of course! Of course! One person is fine."

Soon, both parties, under the system's notarization, drew up an airtight [Covenant of the Yellow Springs]. The terms were detailed, covering the location of Mist-Hidden Village, its operating mechanism, and the methods of profit.

Bai Ming’s eyes narrowed. "There is nothing here about offsetting system erasure?"

[A Newbie] smiled apologetically. "Big Brother, don't make it harder for me. The information I provide is like a test drive, prepared specifically for distinguished guests like you."

"But offsetting erasure—that’s the real 'full vehicle'; how could that be given away for free?"

Bai Ming sneered. "So you're waiting for me to take the bait? I am curious, though: why didn't you add a clause forbidding me from obtaining a method to offset erasure from other players?"

[A Newbie] was confident. "Because the rules of Mist-Hidden Village dictate that for you two, the erasure offset can only be obtained through me!"

"Besides, if we drafted the contract that way, we'd need too many clauses to guarantee the interests of both parties. Neither of us would necessarily agree to them."

"How would one define an indirect acquisition? You certainly don't want to die, and I don't want to lose money. It's better not to go there at all."

Bai Ming said no more. Under the system's authentication, he signed his player ID onto the [Covenant of the Yellow Springs].