Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 588 - 586 Expert

Seeing Li Ang’s agreement, the mule breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of rushing to send the contract, he sent over a pile of mission archive files from other players who had used "SOS Signal - Off-field Projection" missions, so that Li Ang could review them and see for himself that, just as he had said, the invitation was safe and harmless for the invitees.

Li Ang silently commended the mule’s professionalism and spent quite some time reading through these archives. He compared them to the officially-released mission records on the player forums (government departments selectively made some details of the script missions public, in the form of free documents, for all players to consult), finally confirming that the invitees indeed held a no-lose advantageous position.

Afterward, the mule discussed some detailed aspects of the collaboration with Li Ang.

Firstly, if Li Ang agreed to the contract, he would receive an advance payment of 1,000 Game Coin. The task would begin in 8 hours. When entering the role-playing mission, the mule’s employer would use the "SOS Signal - Off-field Projection" item to send an invitation to the invitee via their player ID. After the invitee accepted, they would assist the employer in completing the task. If they quit halfway through, no final payment would be made. If they managed to stick around until the employer completed the task, regardless of whether the invitee had given their all, the employer would still transfer another 1,000 Game Coin, as well as an item of Excellent level equipment. If the invitee was not satisfied with the equipment item, the employer would choose a few more items of the same level from his inventory as replacements.

Alternatively, the reward could be converted into 1,000 to 3,000 Game Coin, depending on the final evaluation of the task and the invitee’s level of contribution.

Li Ang half-jokingly, half-seriously asked, "Your employer is really generous and bold, huh? Before the mission even starts, they’re dropping 1,000 Game Coin and a precious SOS Signal item on each person, and they can’t even be sure if the invitees will drop out midway or just slack off and not put in any effort."

The mule calmly replied, "My employer trusts my judgment, and I also trust my own assessment of the clients I’ve dealt with before. You are a person who honors the Spirit of Contract. Or rather, you are a person who, within the scope of your capabilities and moral standards, does not mind upholding the Spirit of Contract. Please don’t think this is some worthless Trait; in the extreme Darwinian dark forest of the killing game, just being able to do this already makes one a moral model. And considering your perfect performance in previous missions, I Believe this task will not exceed your capabilities or moral bottom line."

Li Ang said, "...Your evaluation of me is really high. I just wish those teammates who misunderstood me in the past could hear what you just said."

The mule sent a smiling emoji and, through the friend system, sent over a "Secrets Beneath the Surface (Recipient)" scroll that Li Ang had previously signed. The main function of this "Secrets Beneath the Surface" scroll was to ensure two players kept shared information secret and did not willingly leak it. If either party attempted to spill the secret, they would experience cognitive impairment, rendering them unable to reveal it. In other words, it couldn’t force the invitee to give their all to help the inviter during the script mission. The only binding power was the personal credibility of the mule, the Information Broker.

Li Ang glanced at the contract, confirmed there was nothing amiss, and under the System’s witness, signed it, mutually agreeing not to divulge any details of the mission to outsiders afterward.

After signing the contract, Li Ang stretched lazily, informed Miss Chai about the matter, made some preparations, and then waited for the summons.

Several hours later, the mule sent a message, and the notification bar on Li Ang’s player panel vibrated.

[Player HJ18***9527 has used an SOS Signal - Off-field Projection item and invites you to participate in a script mission.]

[Do you accept?]

[Yes/No]

Li Ang clicked confirm. The next second, fully armed, he appeared in a dark, dense forest.

The forest was always one of the best initial locations for player teleportation. This forest was not tranquil. Sometimes the sound of the wind, the rustle of grass and trees, and the scurrying of insects, birds, and small animals could be heard. The trees were tall and straight, their foliage lush and casting deep shade. Flowers and grasses were vibrantly green and lush, emitting a fresh fragrance. The sun hung high in the sky, scattering its warm, gentle light.

However, there was something off... The colors, all of nature’s colors were too vivid, so vivid that they did not seem like real objects, but more like an oil painting with countless layers of color, excessively refined to the point of being tiresome.

At this moment, Li Ang floated in mid-air. His entire body was wrapped in a black, skintight suit, exposing only his eyes and mouth. The corners of his mouth turned up in a sly smile as he held a dagger that glinted coldly.

There were a few others in the clearing as well. One man wore a leather coat over a black T-shirt, had a crew cut, wore sunglasses, and held a classic Winchester M1887 Shotgun. A tall woman with pale golden, shoulder-length hair was dressed in green armor with a cloak, resembling that of an Elf Ranger (though more conservative, unlike the revealing outfits in shoddy online games), and held a video camera. A blonde girl wore a large, pointy, black-brimmed hat adorned with a white lace bow. She also wore a black and white long skirt, appearing both maid-like and Witch-like, her expression distant. These individuals, much like Li Ang, were floating in mid-air, their forms faintly translucent, with no shadows on the ground.

Clearly, they were all part of the strategy team hired by the mule’s employer for a specialist consultation.

So... where was this employer?

Li Ang shifted his scrutinizing gaze away from the others (who were also inspecting him) and settled it on the only person standing.

It was a handsome, dashing Caucasian man with short black hair, wearing an immaculate gray suit. His facial expression seemed a little confused.

The individuals looked at each other; no one spoke. The Caucasian man lowered his head to look at his palm. After a moment of observation, he raised his head and was the first to speak, his voice deep and resonant, "Hello, everyone. I’m the employer for this mission. You may call me John Smith."

"The timeless classic of a fake name, huh," Li Ang smirked, crossing his arms. "For someone who can spend a fortune hiring a professional strategy team to be so guarded with his personal information, not even willing to reveal a player nickname to the team... it seems a bit strange." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

John Smith looked toward Li Ang and said politely, "What are you implying?"

"Nothing much, just a bit curious," Li Ang replied with a smile, not answering directly.

In fact, he had been curious before the mission began about what kind of person would hire an Information Broker to employ a team of experts. First, he was unlikely to be an important figure in any organization—real bigwigs could find a team within their organization without needing a third-party Information Broker. Second, he couldn’t be a nobody—poor people couldn’t afford multiple SOS Signals. This employer very likely wasn’t skilled in combat or strategy but had a lot of resources at hand, yet for some reason, it was inconvenient for him to seek help from other major organizations. A researcher wanted for betraying their organization? A private merchant who bought and sold goods in the killing game? Or could it be... an Information Broker?