<<What bad intentions could a dog have?>>

In the Player Forum

“Without saying a word, and with the main character absent, three men have set up a battlefield for me.”

“Brothers, come and watch the excitement!”

“Can someone call Ogre? I want to see blood flowing like a river!”

“Sorry, I’ve already betrayed the Ogre ship; I’m now an all-Ranen person.”

If there’s anything that can ignite extraordinary enthusiasm among players, aside from main storyline quests, it’s gossip. Especially when it involved the hottest gossip about Ranen, the most popular figure on the forum. Players immediately began calling friends and logging on in droves to catch this fresh drama firsthand!

2nd Commenter: What’s going on? I just went to complete an investigation quest, why is the forum flooded with discussions about my wife and other men’s ships? qwq

3rd Commenter: To the one above, your wife is quite popular! hhhhh

4th Commenter: It’s only natural that Ranen is popular; just look at that face! You can tell at first glance that my rivals will circle the earth half a circle (gritting teeth).

5th Commenter: If you count the real world, it’s not just half a circle! hhhh Ranen’s images have long gone viral; now, many players log in just to take pictures of Ranen. You think they do it for no reason? Aside from Ranen’s own fans, as long as the social media platforms feature a picture of Ranen as a cover photo, their popularity skyrockets!

6th Commenter: hhhh, exactly! I was drawn in by Ranen’s photos. That face is too stunning! But when I came to the player forum, I saw that the reservation count had already surpassed 50,000. The first phase of the beta only opens for 500 players (collapses) – when will it be my turn? Wuwuwu.

7th Commenter: Hiss—what the heck? I haven’t checked the reservation count in ages, and it’s already at 50,000? This game didn’t even get much promotion, right? It’s just the first round of the beta, and my little obscure game is really going to blow up? (Dazed)

8th Commenter: Wake up, they’re all here for Ranen.

9th Commenter: No, if you check the daily traffic on the player forum, you’ll see that a decent number of people who are drawn in are actually sticking around.

10th Commenter: Exactly! I was initially drawn in by Ranen’s beautiful pictures, but I stayed because this forum is honestly so fun. Every day there are different posts exploring quests, and once you start following, you can’t stop.

11th Commenter: Wait, hold up, guys! Aren’t we going off-topic? (cry-laugh) Weren’t we discussing who those wild men that came looking for Ranen are?

12th Commenter: Yeah, I don’t care about how new players got in. I’m just interested in the gossip! Wuwuwu, I’m so anxious! I’m the anxious king, and I need to know the juicy details!

Matcha Green Milk: Here I come! Let me, a die-hard fan stationed outside Ranen’s psychological clinic, analyze this situation for you.

13th Commenter: Damn, it’s Black Cat—gossip edition.

Matcha Green Milk: First, we can see that out of the three men, the mafia boss Karens was the first to go looking for Ranen. Karens is quite familiar to us, as he’s the first known follower of Ranen.

Based on the previous plot, it seems there was an internal conflict and betrayal within the Black Poker faction where Karens resides. Recently, the group was restructured into a new gang, and Karens used this opportunity to solidify his position as the leader of Black Poker, wielding immense power.

Since that day, Karens has been frequently visiting Ranen. Tsk, tsk, I can totally imagine some scenarios involving selling one’s soul for power.

For example, he might have known the truth and allowed it to happen, all so he could become the only follower in Ranen’s eyes.

Or maybe he plays the role of a godfather figure, having deep feelings for the adopted Black Poker, and offering up his soul to protect the gang that betrayed the god.

14th Commenter: Sis! You’re amazing at shipping!

Matcha Green Milk: I haven’t seen the other two men before, but the blond one seems to be a cop? Damn, a cop coming to find Ranen, and judging by his posture and the bits of conversation overheard, it seems like he doesn’t even know Ranen’s true identity, but is still trying to protect him!

This is such a dumb puppy! I could handle three of these at once (hyperventilating).

15th Commenter: A beautiful, dumb, blond! Fiercely protective of Ranen, but unaware that he’s protecting an evil god—yes, I’m all in!

16th Commenter: Wuwuwu, I’ve been shipping it the wrong way. I’ve always shipped Ranen as the submissive one qwq. But now I’m panicking—what’s going to happen when the blond cop finds out Ranen’s true identity?! I can’t handle the thought of them becoming enemies!

17th Commenter: While the pure-hearted dumb blond is shippable, it’d be even better if he had a hidden identity! I love bad boy “wolfdogs.” I need that wolfdog energy!

18th Commenter: Is no one paying attention to the black-haired man in the white coat? Hahaha, I think his face is pretty good too! He gives off that elite vibe, like the kind of strict boss who throws venom in the workplace at first but slowly falls for the protagonist and refuses to admit it.

19th Commenter: Eww, not my type! It gives me flashbacks to real-life bosses. If I ran into this kind of character in-game, I’d torment him mercilessly to relieve my work stress!

20th Commenter: But I love that type! @MatchaGreenMilk, any more delicious analysis for us? qwq

Matcha Green Milk: Don’t worry, sisters! It looks like there’s a new development unfolding (grabs popcorn).

…

Archie’s silence only made Albert more anxious. His face had a clear expression of “How could you betray me?” which made Archie feel terrible.

Archie took several deep breaths, barely able to swallow his frustration. He knew the pressure had been building for a while. The presence of Edmund made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis. He couldn’t trust the Inspection Bureau, cultists were lurking within the police department, and there wasn’t a single person he could rely on. To top it off, his best friend was walking straight into the danger.

Grinding his teeth, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Things had already come to this point, and to make Albert give up on Ranen, he was willing to say anything. Coldly, he said, “Yes, you’re right. We’ve been in contact this whole time, and I’ve been looking for a chance to tell you.”

Albert slowly opened his mouth, dumbfounded, as if he was meeting his friend for the first time.

Karens found the turn of events quite amusing and cheerfully chimed in, “This is really interesting. I didn’t expect to have so many love rivals.”

The observing players collectively gasped, their faces lit with surprise as they indulged in the juicy drama.

The internal player chat was constantly being updated.

[Damn, fight! Hurry up and start fighting!]

[I want to see blood, rivers of blood!]

[Wait… who are all these people? Other than Karens, I don’t recognize anyone.]

[Ranen has other lovers outside? Wuwuwu, my wife, my precious wife.]

[I don’t get it. Isn’t Karens supposed to be Ranen’s follower?]

[Who says followers can’t be in love? (wink wink)]

[I adore that divine statue, but I’d rather drag him down from his pedestal and defile the god!]

[Is someone writing fanfic about this? I’m shipping these two hard.]

Just then, the door to the treatment room opened, and Ranen and Ogre walked out one after the other. Especially Ranen—his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. “What… are you all doing?”

The moment Ranen heard the commotion at the door, he knew something was wrong. Based on his experience, players gathering like this never led to anything good. A quick look at the forum confirmed his fears.

So, what the hell is going on?

Seeing Ranen come out, Albert hurriedly said, “Ranen, I have something I want to say to you.”

“Sorry, but I believe I came first.” Karens replied coldly, but when he turned to Ranen, his tone softened, “I have something to discuss with you as well.”

…What kind of bizarre love triangle is this?

Ranen looked at the group, feeling speechless. At that moment, he noticed that Archie also seemed like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“…Dr. Archie, do you have something to say as well?”

Given Archie’s personality, he wasn’t the type to participate in this kind of battle for attention, but he indeed had something important to discuss with Ranen. Now that Ranen had noticed him, he couldn’t drag Albert into this any further.

“Yes, it’s about the prisoner you interrogated last time. He’s caused some trouble in prison, and I’d like to discuss a plan with you.”

Ranen’s expression grew serious. “If it’s about a patient, then it’s urgent. Apologies, but could you two wait a moment?”

With him phrasing it that way, the other two couldn’t possibly object. They nodded, and Archie followed Ranen back into the clinic, while Ogre politely stayed outside.

So, the three men waited outside, and the players sighed collectively.

[The verdict is in, the one in the white coat won.]

[Damn, I backed the wrong team! In the end, it was the double white coats that won orz.]

[Wuwuwu, my follower ^[1] Karens and the god~]

[My beast ^[2] Ogre and rose, qwq.]

[My clown ^[3] Edmund and tamer, qwq.]

[I’m so sad. I was rooting for the blond guy, but things happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to think of a ship name before it ended, qwq.]

—-

Ranen, of course, had no idea what the players were fangirling over. If he did, he’d probably be speechless. Thankfully, he didn’t know, as today’s scene would later become a longstanding source of material in fanfiction communities, with many ships starting to form from this moment.

After entering the therapy room with Ranen, Archie instinctively observed his surroundings.

The décor was quite classic—simple yet cozy. It wouldn’t make patients feel overwhelmed, nor would it draw their attention away with overly elaborate decorations.

From a psychologist’s perspective, it wasn’t amateurish.

Archie instinctively nitpicked in his mind, only to then mock himself for thinking such things. What is he even thinking? The person in front of him isn’t some rookie psychologist; he’s a god bent on destroying minds.

After waiting a while and realizing Archie wasn’t going to speak up, Ranen had no choice but to ask, “So, what’s the situation with that prisoner now?”

He was genuinely worried, as the method he had used at that time was something of an experiment for him. If it had caused any lingering issues… would he be sued?

“He’s doing well,” Archie responded instinctively.

Ranen: “??? Then why are you coming to me?”

Archie took a deep breath, seemingly going through an intense internal struggle. After a while, under Ranen’s confused gaze, he finally said, “I want to ask you to spare Albert.”

Ranen: “?”

“In exchange, I won’t try to expose your identity anymore, and I will work for you.”

Ranen: “???”

‘Who am I? Where am I? Why is he saying this?’

Ranen’s head was filled with question marks. If he had to describe it, it felt like he’d missed an entire season of an anime’s plot and now couldn’t follow the story at all.

Thankfully, with all the past experience he had in being misunderstood, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Without showing any emotion, he responded, “I’m glad you’ve made a wise decision, Dr. Archie. But I’m curious—why do you think you’re of any use to me?”

So, how exactly did things progress to this point?

Sitting behind the desk, the god slightly curled his lips, half-smiling as he posed the question. Archie took another deep breath, responding calmly and steadily:

“If I were of no use to you, when you visited the police station and realized I had figured out your identity, you would have dealt with me by now, wouldn’t you?”

Ranen: …? ‘What? What did I reveal?’

A bitter smile appeared on Archie’s face, but it quickly faded as his expression returned to its cold, emotionless seriousness. Even if reality forced him to become a lackey for an unspeakable existence, he would still ensure his own value:

“You deliberately spared me. I can’t think of any reason other than the fact that I still have some use. And this time, with Edmund’s warning, I understand that you won’t continue to let an unstable element, who repeatedly attempts to reveal your identity, walk free.”

“I’m willing to serve you, as long as it doesn’t violate my principles. But please, spare Albert. He has absolutely no clue about your identity. He knows nothing and is of little use to you.”

Ranen slowly gathered his thoughts, his gaze complex as he looked at Archie, who now lowered his head before him.

He roughly pieced together what had happened. Archie had apparently mistaken his identity and thought the message Ranen had Edmund pass on was some sort of threat.

So Archie got scared and came to confront him directly?

Looking at Archie, who outwardly appeared submissive but maintained his proud posture, Ranen suddenly felt a mischievous urge, as if he were teasing a cat.

He chuckled softly. “And how do you know Albert isn’t useful to me?”

The worst-case scenario had unfolded.

This was Archie’s greatest fear—that Albert had already been chosen as a key piece in Ranen’s plot to “resurrect.”

Seeing Archie’s expression gradually pale, Ranen couldn’t help but curl his lips. He suddenly understood why so many fans in the fanfic community loved to play with the “Archie, you don’t want your dear friend to die, do you?” trope. The proud, sharp-tongued ice-cold cat, once its weakness was exposed, suddenly tucking its tail between its legs—how cute was that?

Of course, Ranen also knew the rule of not teasing the cat too much, lest it truly turn hostile. So he comforted him, saying:

“Unless you can prove you’re more useful than him.”

Damn, that really sounded like something a villain would say.

Archie closed his eyes. He didn’t believe he had anything that could impress the god, and he wasn’t willing to give up his faith. So the only thing of any possible value was…

“My ability…” Archie rasped. “Every 12 hours, I can obtain one piece of information I want to know through a question-and-answer game.”

Ranen’s eyebrow twitched, as he tried hard to suppress his inner shock.

What? There is such a cheat-like ability?

After Edmund’s earlier explanations, Ranen had learned that each person gained different abilities upon reaching the first level of the Dream Rift. But he hadn’t expected Archie to have something like this.

Thinking it over carefully, though, it started to make sense why Archie might know his identity… Wait, hold on.

Ranen spotted a blind spot and, with a wavering voice, asked, “Did your ability tell you my identity?”

Crap, could it really be…

“No,” Archie lowered his eyes. “My ability is limited. I couldn’t ask directly about your identity. It’s just my speculation.”

That was the first time Archie’s ability had failed. Even when dealing with things related to the strange and supernatural, it had never failed before.

The unspeakable mystery.

Ranen quietly breathed a sigh of relief. That had scared him for a second—he thought he really might be an evil god. Turns out it is just Archie’s overactive imagination. No big deal then.

Soon, he realized Archie’s true value.

This ability to gather information… In a world filled with cryptic NPCs and a heavy emphasis on intelligence gathering, this ability to gain information is practically cheating.

Even if the ability could only be used once every half-day, it was still incredibly valuable. No wonder Archie had known so many secrets in his previous life.

Ranen’s mind stirred, quickly realizing that Archie’s ability might help solve his earlier problem—the mystery of who had set that trap. However, directly asking might not fit the persona Archie currently believed him to be.

Ranen had long since grown accustomed to being misunderstood. With his laid-back nature, he figured that if he couldn’t fight it, he might as well go along with it. Although these misunderstandings caused him some trouble, they also protected him. For instance, if not for the others’ misconceptions, he might have been dealt with by the Black Poker long ago, and certainly wouldn’t have been able to command the players. He might have ended up dead in some forgotten corner already.

Understanding this, Ranen stopped fretting over the misunderstandings. He lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then chuckled softly, saying, “Then let’s see how far your abilities can go.”

“Two days ago, around this time, someone in Arkham City unleashed a powerful necromancy spell, desecrating the dead and controlling a horde of corpses,” Ranen spoke in a seemingly casual manner. “I need to know who that person is and which organization they’re from. You can handle that, right?”

Two days ago?

Archie’s heart skipped a beat. Isn’t that when they had just been called back?

He had overheard some colleagues talking about it—overnight, many leaders of the underground organizations in Arkham had died, leading to a reshuffling of the city’s criminal forces and quite a bit of chaos. That was one of the reasons they had been urgently summoned back.

Could this incident be related to Ranen…

Wait a second, Archie recalled that the biggest beneficiary of this upheaval had been Black Poker. The leaders of the various underground organizations had died mysteriously after attending a banquet hosted by Black Poker. Yet, none of the survivors showed any intent to blame Black Poker. Instead, they banded together to seize the territories of the leaderless factions.

Black Poker had become the undisputed king of the underworld, and even its leadership had changed—its new leader was none other than the man standing outside: Karens.

What exactly happened that night? Why is the new boss of Black Poker standing outside?

The more Archie pondered, the deeper the murky waters inside made him feel, and he couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine. He lowered his head, his apprehension toward Ranen deepening further.

“I understand now. After tonight, I’ll report back to you.”

Archie felt an increasing bitterness in his mouth. What had possessed him to use his abilities to probe into Ranen’s identity?

Now that he has been marked, and since he can’t escape, he needs to at least warn Albert to stay away from this vortex.

—-

Outside the psychological therapy room, three distinctive men waited at the door. This rare sight drew the attention of passersby, but for those involved, the atmosphere was far from pleasant.

Ogre remained oblivious to the tension, but Karens and Albert clearly had issues with each other. Karens, in particular, harbored a deep-seated hostility toward Albert, leaving Albert utterly confused.

What had he done to offend this gang member? Surely it couldn’t be that he was simply targeting people based on their identities and affiliations?

Fortunately, just as Karens seemed ready to turn and leave, the tightly shut door of the therapy room finally opened. Archie stepped out with an expressionless face, making it impossible to tell what had transpired between him and Ranen.

Albert was the first to speak up, unable to contain his curiosity. “Archie, what were you… um, what were you just discussing with Ranen?”

“Nothing much, we just discussed the psychological state of that prisoner,” Archie said. “We should head back to the station; the chief must be dealing with recent work issues. They’re short-handed right now.”

As he spoke, he pulled Albert toward the car. Albert struggled and looked back at Ranen. “Wait a minute, I still have something to say.”

He broke free from Archie’s grip and took a few steps toward Ranen, lowering his voice. “Ranen, you’d better stay away from that Karens guy. He’s become a ‘focus figure’ in Arkham’s underground lately. If he threatens you, call me anytime.”

After saying that, he turned to Karens. “I advise you not to stick around here. You should have been at the party a few days ago, right? Mind coming to the police station to give a statement?”

Karens met Albert’s gaze. “Sometimes, I really can’t tell if you’re genuinely clueless or just pretending to be.”

Before Albert could react, Karens turned away, choosing not to engage further.

The area in front of Ranen’s therapy room returned to its usual calm, at least for the moment.

Noticing the eager glances from the female players nearby, Ranen vowed that for the time being, he absolutely wouldn’t be browsing the fanfiction section of the forums. It wasn’t anything personal; he just didn’t want to deal with any unwanted attention.

Just as he and Ogre returned to the clinic, he suddenly noticed several new messages on his phone, all from Albert.

[There are so many people today; I couldn’t talk to you at all qwq]

[Karens is really a dangerous person. I’m not lying to you; he’s become a prominent figure in the underground lately. The cause of the Black Poker leader’s death is still unclear, and Karens is the biggest beneficiary as well as the prime suspect. Not to mention his personal motives, just his presence here could bring harm to you. I’m only worried about you.]

Ranen looked down at the text messages on his phone. Just reading the words made him picture Albert’s eager expression in front of him.

That pitiful, loyal dog vibe struck a chord with Ranen, and he replied:

[I understand. Thank you.]

However, his concerns were unnecessary.

Karens had already told him that he had dealt with all the underground organization leaders present that day, and they wouldn’t reveal any information about Ranen.

Although Ranen hadn’t agreed to join the Black Poker, he had to admit that Karens was indeed capable; he had managed to reorganize the shaky underground factions in such a short time and had become the new “Godfather” of Arkham’s underworld.

He thought the conversation would end there, but the status showed “typing,” then disappeared and reappeared, as if indicating the other person was struggling with their emotions.

Finally, a cautious message came through:

[So, can I invite you out tomorrow?]

Ranen’s gaze slowly swept over the words, and his finger hovered over the “no” key, ready to send it. But the other party quickly sent a new message.

[I mean, you had an important document with me back then; it seems to be related to the “work subsidy” application. They say it can help reduce part of your student loan. Do you want to come pick it up?]

Ranen immediately deleted the “no” he had just typed and quickly sent back, “yes!”

God knows how high the tuition fees are at foreign universities; the game had perfectly replicated that reality. Every time Ranen recalled the massive student loans the original body owed from university, he felt a wave of suffocation.

[Great! (smiley face) So I’ll pick you up at your therapy clinic tomorrow?]

Just as Ranen was about to send the message, he suddenly remembered that players were probably lurking near his clinic. He couldn’t let any strange rumors spread. [I’ll send you my address; just wait for me there.]

[Okay! ^-^]

After putting down his phone, Ranen lay on his bed and recalled the invitation from today, suddenly feeling that this conversation seemed a bit familiar.

It seemed like the last time Albert had asked him to help at the police station, he had also pointed out his financial situation.

He thought of Albert’s dog-like eyes and dismissed the notion. Hmm, it must be an illusion.

What bad intentions could a dog have?