Players, Please Board the Train

”My characteristic is simple, I just put makeup on people.” Wen Xuelin brought out a box. ”This is an item box. If I can work directly on a face, I can achieve about ninety percent similarity, and it’s not easy to see through—items can’t undo it either.”

She picked up one of the small pink brushes inside. ”Using this is different. One-touch makeup application, can be done at a distance, but not too far. The similarity is around seventy to eighty percent. If they wear a mask and hat, they won’t be easily recognized either. The advantage of this method is that it can change someone’s appearance without them noticing.”

The Painting Woman’s face gradually shifted, her eyes and brows already showing traces of Zheng Liang’s shadow. By the time Wen Xuelin finished, she had become nearly identical to Zheng Liang. With only slight adjustments to her body shape, she could fully pass as his twin brother.

”Mr. Xu, how does it look?” Wen Xuelin asked with a hint of pride.

”Very similar.” Xu Huo was satisfied. Items that could change appearances were limited in both quantity and uses, but makeup was not.

The Painting Woman picked up a mirror and examined herself from left to right, then turned to Zheng Liang and sent two words: ”So ugly.”

Zheng Liang’s lips twitched, and he snapped, ”If I’m ugly, then don’t look!”

The Painting Woman obediently closed her eyes.

Zheng Liang’s temper flared as he slammed the table and stood up to confront Xu Huo. ”Did you teach her that?!”

Gu Yu, who couldn’t hold him back, and Wen Xuelin, who was slightly flustered, quickly tried to push him back into his seat.Zheng Liang stubbornly refused to sit down, but at that moment, Xu Huo shot him a glance. That single look was like ice water poured over his head, extinguishing every spark of anger.

Without needing Gu Yu or the others to intervene, he sat down on his own, sulking. ”You’re acting like Zhi Ge.”

”I’m different from him. He won’t fight you, but I will.” Xu Huo tapped the table. ”You can work on your temper.”

Zheng Liang’s mouth conceded, but his face didn’t. ”Others would be lucky if this young master spared them a second glance!”

Xu Huo wasted no time and cut straight to the point.

First, he needed to know the situation around the Special Defense Department headquarters. Saying he was going to visit the headquarters didn’t mean he would actually go inside. The meeting point could be somewhere neither too close nor too far, convenient for the Special Defense Department to clean up or cover their backs.

Second, too many players were gathered near the headquarters. Most of them were not his targets, so they needed to be scattered in advance. This would require multiple people working together.

”The manpower is a bit heavy.” Zheng Liang frowned after hearing the plan. ”The Spring Rain Association alone might not be enough.”

Luring away a large group of players was itself an extremely dangerous task. One wrong move could cost them their lives. The best approach was to have multiple people cooperate, avoiding direct confrontations with other players while drawing their attention.

”I also found some other players, about fifteen of them.” Xu Huo glanced at his phone. ”They’ll arrive in Capital City this afternoon.”

”After you lure the players away, what are you planning to do?” Gu Yu asked. ”This time, there will probably be a lot of Player-Eaters coming for you. Four hands are better than two, but I think you should still be careful. And as for the Special Defense Department’s situation... it’s hard to say.”

”That’s right,” Wen Xuelin added. ”Dai Wenqian sending us to assassinate your stepfather right now is clearly targeting you.”

”If he really wanted to target Xu Huo... killing anyone would be better than killing Tang Guangbo.” Zheng Liang said. ”He knows we know each other. A quick check on Tang Guangbo would reveal their relationship. This is obviously an impossible deal.”

”He also had to contact us through the Special Defense Department, meaning he’s acting privately, not on their behalf.”

”Then what does he actually want?” Gu Yu’s face darkened. ”Dai Wenqian is very deep. I heard that Team Leader Song has been removed from his position. In just a few days, he’s already buddying up with that new Team Leader Chang. He wouldn’t make this move for nothing, would he?”

Xu Huo smiled. ”He wants me to kill Tang Guangbo, or maybe he’ll do it himself while things are chaotic.”

Dai Wenqian wasn’t stupid. He had also undergone psychological treatment with Tang Guangbo. He was probably now realizing that Tang Guangbo had serious issues.

Contacting Gu Yu to hire assassins was a win-win for him. If Gu Yu and the others followed through, it wouldn’t matter to him whether they lived or died. If Tang Guangbo showed his true colors during the process, Dai Wenqian could step in through the Special Defense Department.

If Gu Yu rejected the deal and contacted him, it would serve as a warning. Dai Wenqian wouldn’t have a reason to kill a psychology professor for no reason. As a player who had also undergone psychological evaluation, Xu Huo would certainly take notice. Those players who had been under Tang Guangbo’s long-term treatment would be good people to investigate.

If he discovered Tang Guangbo’s issues and either dealt with it himself or reported it to the Special Defense Department, it would still have no impact on Dai Wenqian.

Just by checking whether Dai Wenqian had recently undergone psychological evaluation or treatment, Xu Huo could discern his true intentions.

But in Xu Huo’s view, Dai Wenqian’s crude move to directly kill Tang Guangbo already showed he was convinced of his suspicions but lacked evidence. That’s why he couldn’t go through his superiors to control Tang Guangbo. Additionally, his current position was awkward. Rashly exposing a well-respected professor without concrete proof would only dig a hole for himself.

But if Xu Huo spoke up, it would be different. He was a person of interest to the Special Defense Department and had no conflict of interest with Tang Guangbo.

Psychological changes were a very subtle argument. Even if Dai Wenqian sensed something was off about Tang Guangbo, it would be hard to determine whether Tang Guangbo had actually tampered with anything. Because after entering the game, a player’s mindset itself underwent massive changes. Even the Special Defense Department couldn’t produce standard data.

”Why would he think that?” Gu Yu looked shocked. ”It’s not like your relationship with your stepfather is that bad!”

Wen Xuelin tugged at her sleeve. ”If you don’t trust Dai Wenqian, at least trust Mr. Xu. That Tang Guangbo is definitely not a good person!”

Gu Yu looked to Xu Huo for confirmation.

Xu Huo didn’t say it outright, only replied, ”He’s very good at using psychological suggestion.”

”Tang Guangbo is a contracted professor. His daily job is to provide psychological treatment and evaluation for players.” Zheng Liang was horrified. ”Is he targeting the Special Defense Department’s players?”

”It’s not that serious.” Xu Huo said. ”If it were, Dai Wenqian could have reported him. It’s because he lacks proof that he’s doing this. As for Tang Guangbo, he’s probably just running an experiment.”

Gu Yu let out a cold laugh. ”That bastard even wanted to use the Spring Rain Association. Isn’t he afraid I’ll report him to the Special Defense Department!”

”Would the Special Defense Department believe you if you reported him?” Zheng Liang pounded the table. ”Dai Wenqian and we have been old enemies for a long time.”

Gu Yu opened her mouth, then felt defeated. ”I’ve really been played by him. What bad luck to run into someone like him!”

”Dai Wenqian has so many players under him, but he still uses underhanded tricks. There’s no future in that.” Wen Xuelin looked at Xu Huo with anticipation. ”Let’s hear Mr. Xu’s plan!”

Xu Huo interlaced his fingers in front of him. ”It’s not much of a plan. Just killing a few Player-Eaters.”