Wu Wang reached out, pulling Xiezhi up from his backbend with a teasing expression.

“What a coincidence, Brother Xiezhi. What are you doing here? I thought I was the first one to enter the 【Hidden Map】.”

Xiezhi shifted awkwardly. This was the 【Aiguyi Ruins】, a place that logically should have been inaccessible to anyone outside the Abnormal Affairs Bureau.

Yan Shuangying’s appearance meant one thing. He had found another way in.

Before the Instance began, Xiezhi had signed a contract with Yan Shuangying. He had solemnly promised to step in and protect him in his capacity as a Bureau member if the competition with other players became critical.

But in the end, he hadn’t been outside at all. He had been here, in the Hidden Map, the entire time.

By any measure, it was an unjustifiable failure on his part.

But Xiezhi had his own unspoken grievances. He had fully intended to cooperate with Yan Shuangying on the outside and use the opportunity to get to know the “reclusive master” better.

He had even planned to give his spot in the Hidden Map to Bei Lang and Baili Dao, wanting the two lower-leveled agents to get some training. Compared to the outside world, the Hidden Map was far safer, with no risk of being backstabbed by other players.

But the moment he entered the Instance, he sensed something was wrong with their entry point.

Without any warning, the higher-ups had sent everyone directly into the 【Hidden Map】.

Only after they were inside did a level 30 colleague, their team leader, finally step forward. He explained the anomaly and revealed their true mission to find the 【Mysterious Power】.

The reason for the intense secrecy was the fear of leaks.

No one could guarantee that the Abnormal Affairs Bureau was completely free of moles. If someone with ulterior motives leaked the information to another organization, the deviation from previous years’ operations would be a dead giveaway.

Everyone would deduce that something was amiss with the 【Relic Scramble】 Instance.

At that point, who knew what those organizations and Rogue Players would do to squeeze out the last of the Instance’s resources.

One should never underestimate how low a person could sink. This was especially true for the lone-wolf Rogue Players who had nothing to hold them back. Some of them would truly risk everything for the smallest sliver of profit.

Although Xiezhi’s potential was widely recognized within the Bureau, he had, after all, offended the higher-ups.

His transfer to a lower-tier place like Mingyang City was effectively an exile from the capital.

As a result, he was kept completely in the dark about news from headquarters. Due to this string of coincidences, he had failed to fulfill his promise to Yan Shuangying.

“Brother Yan, I know what you want to say. It’s all my fault,” Xiezhi said with a sigh.

“When we get out, I’ll add new clauses to our agreement. On top of the original deal, I’ll increase the payment by 10% and throw in one 【Fine Quality】 and one 【Epic】 item for you.”

He didn’t offer any explanations. In Xiezhi’s view, if you promised someone something and failed to deliver, that was your own problem. A sudden, unexpected reason didn’t change a thing.

Seeing him take responsibility so proactively threw Wu Wang’s teasing mood completely off-kilter.

Dude, aren’t you supposed to be making excuses right now?

Weeping and wailing that it was all an accident, that you were thinking about me the whole time?

We could have had some banter, a little back-and-forth haggling.

And in the end, I would have used my silver tongue to win the upper hand! That’s the normal procedure!

You’re just too damn righteous!

Holy shit! That’s a dazzling force of personality!

It’s actually hurting me, a shady bastard who’s still setting up contract traps for people!

“Cough, cough. We’re brothers, no need for all that. Talking about money hurts our friendship, ha,” Wu Wang said with a laugh, patting Xiezhi on the shoulder.

Just then, Bei Lang and Baili Dao walked over. A stranger had suddenly appeared near Xiezhi, so they naturally had to investigate.

Upon discovering it was Yan Shuangying, Bei Lang’s eyes lit up.

“Boss Yan!”

His eyes, like Xiezhi’s, immediately filled with apology.

“Sorry, Boss Yan. I was planning to help you in the Instance, but the Bureau sent us directly to this Hidden Map. You didn’t run into any major danger outside, did you?”

Wu Wang’s eyelid twitched.

Major danger?

I bathed with the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 and offended two other Venerables, 【Suffering】 and 【The Twisted】.

I roped the Black-hearted Penguin into my schemes.

And now I’m here stirring up trouble in the Hidden Map of 【Hope】.

Does any of that count as major danger?

I wouldn’t even dare tell you guys! Who knows if the big boss is secretly hiding somewhere, watching me!

“Hahaha, of course not,” Wu Wang said with a wave of his hand. “If I had run into any real danger, how could I be standing here with you all?”

He smiled and gestured to the two women behind him.

“Let me introduce you. This is the High Priest of Suffering from Aiguyi Town, and this is my friend, Ms. Mary.”

High Priest of Suffering!

As a member of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau who had participated in last year’s 【Relic Scramble】, Xiezhi of course knew that title. He’d been guessing the moment he saw her nun’s habit, but he hadn’t been sure.

After all, the situation was too absurd!

Who comes to a town to steal things and ends up kidnapping their High Priest?!

And haven’t all our player powers been sealed? You should be no different from a normal person right now!

How on earth did you trick the High Priest into leaving with you?

“Ladies, a pleasure to meet you,” Xiezhi said, stepping forward to shake their hands while breaking out in a cold sweat.

He knew very well that in this Instance, a player holding countless 【Relics】 would still be no match for the High Priest of Suffering. In a sense, she was invincible here.

He had also heard about the other woman, Mary, from Bei Lang.

Isn’t that the damn NPC from the 【Masquerade Ball】?

What’s the deal with this Yan Shuangying guy? Does he have to abduct an NPC from every Instance he visits?

What are you, some kind of Instance Succubus?

The nun smiled faintly.

“I remember you.”

“Among the Outlanders who came last time, you were unforgettable. For the sake of your comrades, you entered the Suffering Holy Land without flinching and deliberately stayed behind, which resulted in you severing your own hand and foot. That, combined with your complex, suffering heart, made an impression. Your suffering contained the great anguish of being unappreciated, yet your heart never wavered. You remained steadfast even when the comrades who entered before you secretly mocked your sacrifice.”

“Here, I acknowledge you.”

Xiezhi was floored. The nun actually remembered him?

Wu Wang was also a little stunned.

Dude, you’re so righteous it’s a little freaky!

Forget Spirit Calamity Players, whose extraordinary power can easily warp their personalities. Even among ordinary people, finding someone as genuinely upright as Xiezhi would be nearly impossible in this day and age, right?

“Thank you for your acknowledgement,” Xiezhi said with an emotional sigh. “I know some of those people were opportunists. They were merely colleagues, not my comrades. We do not walk the same path.”

After speaking, he looked at Wu Wang again and whispered, “Did these two bring you in? Has anyone else come in?”

He was worried that other players might have secretly followed.

Wu Wang froze.

“I did bring a few business partners with me,” he said, a little sheepishly. “But don’t worry, they probably won’t cause any trouble.”

“Business partners?” Xiezhi asked, bewildered. “How many, exactly?”

Wu Wang fell silent, counting in his head.

A few dozen, probably…

I brought all the players from outside in with me.