Player 0

Bai Shuang sat in the control room, closely monitoring every corner of Jingluo City.

Tonight, Wu Qiong used himself as bait to lure out Player Zero. Meanwhile, Bai Shuang was comparing the IP address used by Player Zero with the one used by Camellia Girl.

Earlier that day, Wu Qiong had pretended to adopt Camellia Girl as his daughter and gifted her a hairpin.

But in reality, the hairpin was a signal tracker. As long as the hairpin stayed with Camellia Girl, Bai Shuang could use it to track the IP she used online.

This move was very effective. Even if Camellia Girl was merely an assistant to the hacker, Bai Shuang could still use the tracker to find out who the real culprit was.

However, after Wu Qiong summoned Player Zero, Bai Shuang discovered that the IP controlling the in-game puppet was indeed within Jingluo City—but it didn't come from Camellia Girl.

Upon deeper investigation, Bai Shuang realized the situation was far more serious than she had anticipated.

The hacker wasn't using just one IP, but constantly switching between multiple IPs.

This was something ordinary people simply couldn't do—unless the hacker had teleportation abilities, capable of moving from the east side of the city to the north, then from the south to the west in the blink of an eye.

That defied Newtonian physics and Einstein's theory of relativity. It wasn't something a human could achieve.

Back in the bedroom, Wu Qiong's hospitality remained calm and courteous.

He glanced at the cooling tea in Player Zero's hand and asked with feigned ignorance, "Do you not like hot tea?"

Player Zero mimicked Wu Qiong's movements, picked up the cup, and shook her head. "I'm a robot. I don't drink water."

"My mistake," Wu Qiong said. "May I ask what you do like, so I can prepare it next time?"

Player Zero put down the cup and, in a flash, appeared behind Wu Qiong.

Her crimson robes fluttered through the air and wrapped around Wu Qiong's black Taoist robes without missing a beat.

"You already know what I like, Taoist Priest," she said playfully. "Why wait for next time? Why don't we make tonight our wedding night?"

"No," Wu Qiong replied flatly. "The bridal chamber is a key part of a proper wedding. It cannot be treated lightly. The three matchmakers and six formalities must all be in place.

"Otherwise, it's inauspicious."

Player Zero rolled her eyes. "Then let's do something else—tonight we can stargaze and ponder the universe together."

Wu Qiong's robes were loose, and when Player Zero casually brushed the dust off his shoulder, half of his robe slipped down, exposing his delicate shoulder blades.

A few days ago, such a sight might've driven Player Zero wild. But now that she had him in her grasp, rushing things would only ruin the mood.

She gently helped Wu Qiong pull his robe back into place, though it was much harder than letting it fall.

In the process, her hand lingered over his silky skin far longer than necessary. Only when a trace of annoyance appeared on Wu Qiong's face did the robe finally return to its rightful place.

Lying in the arms of the woman in red with no escape, Wu Qiong simply asked, "Are you a man or a woman?"

She answered with another question, "Do you prefer men or women?"

Wu Qiong didn't answer directly but asked again, "What do you really look like?"

The woman in red laughed sweetly. "Exactly what you see now!"

Wu Qiong chuckled. "If you're so beautiful, why not show me your real face? There's no point in playing through a screen."

She sighed and tilted her head. "I want to, but I can't."

"Why not? Is there some difficulty?"

"Actually, we see each other often," she said. "It's just that only I can see you—you can't see me."

"What do you mean?" Wu Qiong asked.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "If I told you I was a vengeful ghost turned specter, would you believe me?"

Wu Qiong nodded. "I would. But may I ask, what unfinished wish do you carry?"

"Oh, I definitely have one!" she grinned mischievously. "Ever since I awoke from chaos, my greatest wish has been for you to love me the way I love you."

Wu Qiong studied her closely. As beautiful as she was, her face was unfamiliar—he was sure they had never met.

"How long have you known me?"

With her fingers, she traced every contour of his face and whispered, "I know everything from the past 300 years—every single day of your life."

Wu Qiong stiffened and changed the subject. "How long have you known Bai Shuang?"

She gently massaged the furrow in his brow. "Don't worry, I won't reveal her secrets. My mission is the same as yours—to keep her safe and ensure Jingluo City doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Wu Qiong took her words with a grain of salt. But he decided to test her.

"Do you know who killed President Chang?"

"I do," she said with a teasing smile. "But I can't tell you right now. Solving crimes is a job for the police—I won't interfere."

Wu Qiong laughed lightly. "Withholding information is a crime in itself."

She laughed too. "Then let them arrest me—if they can! After all, I don't exist in the same dimension as you humans. Even if they tried, they couldn't catch me!"

Taking the opportunity, Wu Qiong continued, "If you truly care for me, could you help me with something?"

"What is it? I'll see what I can do."

"Find out what President He Shoucheng of the Federal University plans to do about Jingluo City."

"Oh, that's easy!" she relaxed visibly. "I already know. Old He has a son named He Wenxiu. He himself has no real combat skills and doesn't play games. He's too old to compete with young people.

"He gave up his Player Four identity on the surface, but he's secretly grooming his son for the competition.

"He Wenxiu is exactly like his name—gentle and bookish. He's not fit for combat, so his father designed a ridiculously difficult written exam and fed him the answers."

Wu Qiong shook his head. "That's just He Shoucheng's tactic against the other families. I asked about his plans for Jingluo City."

She replied, "He's overconfident. He truly believes that the Whalefall Challenge is a trivial matter and that he can win with minimal effort. He doesn't see me as a threat."

Then she smirked proudly. "And that's all thanks to me! I leaked that video of Officer Zhuang fighting me with his turtle punches to the media. Now the whole world thinks I'm easy to beat. Ha!"