<<God, how could you care about the thoughts of mere ants? >>

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

If Ranen could see the players’ live-stream comments at this moment, he would definitely respond to them.

He certainly had questions.

Amos Dur, the one Ranen suspected of using the resurrection technique, was a schemer and a despicable villain who had harmed too many NPCs and had become a target of hatred for the players.

In his previous life, his appearance almost always signaled the beginning of a major event, and this person was usually the driving force behind the conspiracy.

To be honest, Ranen was starting to think about withdrawing.

He had considered that the matter with Archie might not be easily resolved, but once this person was involved, it made him feel like things had escalated significantly.

At this moment, Amos glanced at Ranen again. As their eyes met, a sense of pleasure involuntarily welled up inside him.

He notices it; he senses it.

Amos smiled slightly.

He was confident that his appearance was appealing, and with his disguise-related origin ability, anyone meeting him for the first time would surely develop a fondness for his looks and gradually lower their guard. However, Ranen’s gaze and his noticeably changed attitude indicated that he had already recognized him as the man in black from the banquet a few days ago.

Ranen had most likely already sensed that this was a trap set specifically for him.

Otherwise, his wariness and the fact that he let his followers recklessly search couldn’t be explained.

The thought of this filled Amos with uncontrollable excitement, even making him tremble. He had to use all his strength to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

No, this won’t do. The stage was missing its most important guest—how could the performance go on? He needed to raise the stakes so the prey would stay in the trap.

“Well, I thought you were the ones who had been coming here frequently lately,” Amos said, pretending to be embarrassed as he withdrew his hand. “It seems I was mistaken. I’ll head back to my work then. If you need anything, just call me—I’m right next door.”

“Wait a moment,” Archie’s eyes flickered. “Did you say someone has been coming here regularly?”

“Yes, I’ve been paying close attention from next door. They come about once every two or three days,” Amos replied.

Once every two or three days?

Archie’s mouth opened slightly. “Did they enter through the door normally?”

“At least, I didn’t hear any signs of lock-picking,” Amos answered calmly.

Archie scrutinized Amos’s expression closely but found no hint of deceit.

Meanwhile, the players were much more direct, openly staring at Amos’s face as they sized him up.

[You didn’t notice anything.]

Two muggles ^[1] Two players who didn’t have even a bit of psychology knowledge: …

Ranen had an opportunity to roll the dice, but after hesitating for a moment, he decided not to waste today’s precious chance on this: “Did you ever see what the person who came here looked like?”

Amos thought for a while before answering, “Not really… Most of the time, I was working inside my room when they came by. But there was one time I caught a glimpse of their back—about 1.8 meters tall, with blond hair.”

Archie couldn’t help but shudder. Those characteristics matched Albert’s.

“Is it someone you know?” Amos asked curiously, his smiling gaze drifting over Archie like a soft brushstroke on a pure white orchid, before returning to Ranen.

He still couldn’t read Ranen clearly, but thinking of that unbelievably beautiful flower, his eyes unconsciously revealed a hint of heat, and the corners of his mouth lifted, revealing the faintest glimpse of a crimson tongue, like a hunting snake. His words carried hidden meaning: “I wonder what exactly they came here to do. Maybe they were looking for something.”

The bait is set.

What will you do now?

Even though that man told him not to touch Archie, if Archie willingly gets involved, he can’t be blamed, right?

[Hiss, something’s off, this person seems a little strange.]

[Tsk tsk, the way this new NPC looks at Ranen is definitely not innocent.]

[A new ship has appeared, I’m on board!]

Ranen was deep in thought. A blond man… The only blond man he knows right now is Albert, and judging by Archie’s expression, he seems to have thought the same.

But what is Albert doing here? Aren’t there no more clues left at this location? Or is there an important clue here that none of them have discovered?

Archie had realized this as well, his face turning even darker as he turned and walked into the apartment.

Amos stood where he was, smiling as he watched him, then shifted his gaze to Ranen, seemingly curious about his choice.

Given how often Archie had been visiting Ranen’s psychological clinic over the past few days, Amos was almost certain that Archie was the follower Ranen had chosen.

Although he didn’t know the reason, Amos was quite curious about how Ranen, this yet-to-awaken unfathomable being, would treat his follower.

Would he abandon Archie without hesitation and leave? Or use him? Or perhaps feign care with false sincerity?

Behind each of these choices, a rough image would gradually form in Amos’s mind, helping him decide on his next targeted plan.

However, once again, Ranen’s attitude surprised Amos.

Ranen glanced at him indifferently, his gaze devoid of joy or sorrow, as if no one’s figure was reflected in his eyes. It was as though no one in the world was worth his attention. He turned away coldly, taking long strides into the room.

Amos’s passionate emotions were chilled by that glance. After a moment, he curled his lips in self-mockery:

‘Even if you know, you don’t care, huh?’

‘Indeed, why would a god care about the thoughts of ants?’

‘But wouldn’t it be even more amusing if that lofty god fell into the trap laid by ants?’

…

Although Ranen really wanted to turn around and leave immediately, since they had all come together, it didn’t feel right to sneak off alone. So, he also entered the apartment, not forgetting to close the door. As the door was about to shut, he seemed to faintly hear Amos laughing.

Ranen: ‘What is that lunatic laughing about?’

Matcha Green Milk quietly tugged on his sleeve. When Ranen looked down, she whispered in his ear, “What A-Long said earlier wasn’t wrong. We really did hear some strange noises next door.”

Ranen thought for a moment, then looked at the eager faces of A-Long and Matcha Green Milk. “I don’t think directly confronting him is a good choice.”

If the Amos he knew was the same person, taking care of two players who hadn’t yet learned any spells would be a piece of cake—they wouldn’t even have a chance to resist.

“But…” Ranen’s eyes deepened. “That apartment manager might be suspicious. He deliberately made a noise to interrupt you. Doesn’t that seem like he was trying to warn someone inside?”

A-Long and Matcha Green Milk’s eyes lit up.

Seeing that they understood his point, Ranen curled his lips. “Go ahead.”

Matcha Green Milk nodded seriously and dragged A-Long downstairs, while Ranen watched Archie searching the place, contemplating whether or not to remind him to leave quickly.

The sudden appearance of Amos had undoubtedly caught Ranen off guard.

From what he knew about this peculiar “supporting character,” his arrival almost always signaled chaos and bloodshed. If possible, Ranen only wanted to stay as far away from him as he could.

But whether intentional or not, the subtle information Amos had revealed had unquestionably become a hook that had caught Archie’s attention.

At the moment, what Archie wanted most was to recover that lost memory, followed by figuring out what was going on with Albert. Ranen was equally curious. Since Albert had already joined the Outsider, why did he repeatedly visit this place behind Archie’s back?

What was here that made him come searching again and again?

Could it be closely related to the cause of Archie’s father’s death?

Ranen didn’t need to ask to know that Archie definitely wouldn’t leave now, so he joined him in searching the apartment. Unfortunately, after five full minutes, they still hadn’t found anything useful.

It was understandable though—if it were that easy to find, Albert wouldn’t have needed to come back repeatedly.

Was it really connected to the cause of Archie’s father’s death?

At that moment, Ranen’s attention shifted to the other furniture in the house. He pulled off the white cloth covering them. Although some of the furniture had gathered less dust, they had been left unused for so long that mold or discoloration had started to form.

But the books on the bookshelf were practically untouched.

Initially, Ranen thought it was because the white cloth had shielded them from dust, but what if the cloth had been meant to conceal something?

Ranen moved back to the bookshelf, carefully inspecting its entirety. Sure enough, he noticed some unnatural carvings on parts of the shelves—two or three marks. They were subtle and easy to miss unless he was looking closely.

Could it be a secret code used by the Outsider organization?

That doesn’t make sense. If Albert had discovered the code, why didn’t he just take these books back to the Outsider?

At this moment, Ranen suddenly remembered something. He closed his eyes and temporarily entered the Dream Rift state. As soon as he entered the mist-filled space, he grabbed a small light orb that was darting around.

A familiar yet unfamiliar scene appeared before his eyes again. After focusing, Ranen saw it was inside the police station he had visited once before.

The surroundings seemed to be in an office. Ranen saw Edmund sitting quietly in a corner, doing his own thing, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the others.

After a moment of hesitation, Ranen attempted to call out in his mind:

“Edmund.”

Edmund abruptly stood up, and under the surprised gazes of the people around him, walked out of the office expressionlessly.

No one in the office said a word until Edmund left. Then, leader Geffer looked helplessly at the other team members: “Edmund has only recently returned. He already explained to you that his intuition was heightened before because he was undergoing the first-level trial of the Dream Rift. Don’t be so cold to him.”

“Got it, leader,” Aisha shrugged. “We just didn’t know what to talk about.”

“You’d better mean that.”

—-

After Edmund closed the office door, he found a quiet, secluded corner before uncertainly speaking, “My Lord?”

“It’s me,” Ranen said. “Sorry for calling you out so suddenly, but I have something to ask you.”

“No, no, please don’t apologize to me,” Edmund quickly replied. Ranen could see the panic in Edmund’s doe-like eyes as he shyly scratched his cheek. “I’m happy to be of service.”

“Alright, to keep it brief, have your investigators ever taken a course on secret codes, or do you have specific ciphers for transmitting information?”

“Yes, I still remember some.” Edmund walked into the men’s restroom at the police station, turned on the faucet, and dipped his finger into the water, using it to write and draw on the mirror. “The Bureau’s secret code courses included general ciphers, which are known to all investigators, and special ciphers, used only by teams or individuals handling highly confidential tasks. I only know some of the general ones.”

After receiving the information from Edmund, Ranen opened his eyes and looked toward the corner of the bookshelf.

Two long marks and one short—just as Edmund had described.

Following the cipher’s hint, Ranen pulled out a book from the shelf. However, he couldn’t make sense of it. Staring blankly at the pages, he turned and asked, “Archie, did you reorganize the order of the books on this shelf?”

Archie looked back in confusion, “Of course. I originally threw all these books into the recycling bin, but later I picked them back up. A few were missing by then, though, so what’s on the shelf now are all the ones we could recover.”

As expected, it’s not so easy.

Ranen sighed and looked back at the bookshelf. The order had been completely scrambled, and the cipher had lost its meaning. The Bureau’s investigator ciphers were quite complex—decoding one part would lead to another. Without the corresponding cipher or the book hiding the clues, the clues were essentially lost to them.

Is this fate?

The threat from Amos next door was still fresh in Ranen’s mind, and he really didn’t want to stay here any longer. Just as he was about to suggest that Archie leave first, the sound of hurried footsteps approached the doorway. Instinctively, Ranen looked over, and at the same moment, Archie came out of the bedroom, expressionless, having finished tidying up. Noticing Ranen’s gaze, he too looked toward the door.

Standing there were Matcha Green Milk and A-Long. Seeing these two, especially A-Long dressed in women’s clothes, Ranen nearly choked.

“…What’s with you?”

It had to be mentioned again: A-Long’s character card was male, but since he wasn’t very tall, he could really pass as a girl in that flowing white dress.

As long as he didn’t speak, that is. Otherwise, his gruff voice would give him away immediately.

A-Long snapped out of his excitement from acquiring a clue, looked down at himself, and awkwardly tried to cover his chest. “Wait a minute, let me explain!”

[Hahahahaha I’ve always wanted to see this scene!]

[Even the NPCs are stunned, I’m dying.]

[I’m dying of laughter, this is what happens when you dump all your skill points into charm—of course you’d have to wear a dress to charm NPCs, right? Hhhh.]

[It’s a pity Ranen didn’t come down earlier; he would’ve seen the amazing sight of a player in drag charming an NPC.]

[A-Long is a decent man, everyone, take a screenshot before leaving.]

A-Long was too embarrassed to look at the barrage of comments, wildly signaling to Matcha Green Milk with his eyes: “Hey, say something! We’re on the same team, right?!”

Matcha Green Milk quietly stepped a little farther away from A-Long, muttering, “I don’t know any cross-dressing perverts.”

A-Long wished he could disappear into the ground. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have listened to the viewers and maxed out his charm skill. Weren’t the other negotiation skills just as useful??

Though it certainly made for some good entertainment…

Fortunately, A-Long’s awkwardness didn’t last long, because Ranen and Archie quickly noticed the apartment manager tied up behind them. Maybe the two players had gagged him as well, fearing he might talk too much.

Ranen was startled. “What’s this about?”

“Oh, right! Ranen, I snuck into the manager’s break room earlier and discovered his secret. He’s been stealing belongings from the apartment residents. We should report him to the police and get him sent to the station,” Matcha Green Milk explained.

“Mmph mmph mmph!” The apartment manager, Frank, seemed like he wanted to say something, but with his mouth bound, he could only make muffled sounds. He looked pleadingly at Archie.

Archie frowned, took a step forward, and loosened the cloth from Frank’s mouth. Frank immediately began to beg for mercy, “Please let me off this time! I was just momentarily blinded by greed. Don’t send me to the police, I can’t afford to lose this job!”

“Every thief says that,” A-Long scoffed. Just then, Matcha Green Milk’s eyes gleamed with an idea. “We might not report you, but you need to tell us clearly—are you a heretic? We found a lot of religious texts in your break room.”

Frank froze for a moment, then a cold smile slowly spread across his face. “So that’s what you’re really here for. I was wondering…”

“But I advise you to think carefully before you speak! Arkham is a city that values religious freedom. Besides, instead of asking me, why not ask Mr. Hayes ^[2] Archie Hayes over here?”

Frank said mockingly, “After all, his father is quite the infamous ‘fanatic’ around here—a ruthless man who would even abandon his wife and child for his beliefs.”

The two players were momentarily stunned and turned their gaze to the cold-faced Archie. The task Ranen had given them hadn’t mentioned anything about Archie’s father; they had thought this was just a routine investigation.

—-

[What does that mean? Is Archie’s father a cultist?]

[Wait, I’m a bit confused. Wasn’t the task A-Long received to assist Ranen in investigating clues about a mysterious force?]

[No way, haven’t you figured it out yet? Look at Archie’s strange reaction when he entered this room earlier. It’s clearly connected to him.]

—-

Under their watchful eyes, Archie closed his eyes briefly, remaining silent. Meanwhile, Frank’s attitude suddenly became arrogant. “Let me go already! Or I’ll report you for assaulting an innocent man!”

“Before that, you’ll be arrested for theft,” A-Long said coldly.

“Shut up, you freak!” Frank glared at him viciously, then quickly averted his eyes as if stung. “Hmph, go ahead and try. Let’s see if I’ll really get arrested!”

—-

[Why did his attitude suddenly change?]

[It seems like something went wrong when the cult was mentioned.]

—-

Matcha Green Milk and A-Long exchanged glances, both feeling that something was off about Frank. The tension in his voice diminished, but seeing their reactions only made Frank more excited. “If I end up at the police station, don’t blame me for what I’ll say. Dr. Archie, I heard you work at the police station? Heh, I wonder if your colleagues know about the shady things your father used to do…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Archie, who had been watching him intently, suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Frank by the throat with one hand, and lifted him off the ground.

Ranen and the players were stunned by this sudden move, and even Frank hadn’t expected Archie to act like that. His cheeks quickly turned red from the lack of oxygen. “Cough… cough… let go!”

—-

[Wow, why did he suddenly get violent!?]

[I thought this NPC was supposed to be the calm and collected type, but it turns out he has such a short temper?]

—-

The two players were at a loss for what to do. Archie, however, showed no intention of releasing his grip. His eyes were bloodshot, fixated on the weakening struggle of Frank, as an inexplicable sense of brutality and madness gradually welled up from within him.

Just a few more seconds, and this life would disappear in his hands.

At that moment, Ranen spoke up. “Archie.”

Archie didn’t respond. Ranen frowned, took a few steps forward, and grabbed Archie’s arm, forcibly turning his face toward him. “If you kill someone here, do you want to go to prison?”

Archie stared blankly at Ranen’s face. After a moment, the redness in his eyes gradually faded. Only then did he realize what he had done and released his grip. Frank collapsed to the ground, coughing violently, his head spinning from the rush of blood, leaving him in a state of sheer terror.

He would die—he really would die—this madman would actually kill him!

Seeing Archie glance at him again, Frank scrambled desperately on the ground, his voice hoarse. “Don’t—don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! I’ll tell you everything! I didn’t mean to do it; they forced me to!”

“What did they force you to do?” A-Long quickly caught on, taking advantage of Frank’s terror by making a menacing face. “Spit it out!”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! They made me act as a lookout… I…”

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. A group of burly men appeared at the far end. Before anyone could react, they raised their guns, aiming at them.

Based on the current positions in the hallway, Ranen and Archie were at the forefront. In a split second, Archie instinctively pulled Ranen behind him.

Gunfire erupted. Amid the sound of bullets, screams, and a rush of confused emotions, Ranen watched in horror as a bullet struck Archie head-on. The dark-haired doctor’s eyes carried a hint of surprise, as if even he hadn’t expected himself to act that way.

“No! I’m still here!” Frank, caught in the crossfire, let out a wretched scream.

Cold sweat trickled down Ranen’s forehead, his mind blank. This was the first time he had ever faced gunfire, having lived his previous life in a time of peace—and he had barely escaped being shot.

In that moment, the Clown’s mark on his wrist briefly flickered, instantly enhancing his physical abilities. Everything around him seemed to slow down.

In this split second, Ranen made the most logical decision: he grabbed Frank, using him as a human shield, then kicked the players into the room with a swift motion.

The hallway was short, and the burly men charged forward, firing as they advanced. In just two or three seconds, they had already reached Ranen. Ranen raised his head, meeting their gaze calmly, only to realize they were all wearing infrared tactical goggles.

Archie, lagging behind, was too late to help. Ranen let go of Archie’s arm, and the doctor immediately collapsed to the ground. At the same time, the first man lunged at Ranen. Unfazed, Ranen dodged the attack. As soon as he evaded, he found himself facing another gun barrel, freshly reloaded, aimed directly at him.

Ranen’s heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would burst from his throat, but outwardly, he remained as calm as still water. In the chaos of the battlefield, he casually took a step forward, grabbing the gun barrel and shifting it to the left just as the man was about to fire. The shot went off, and the man behind them, who had been preparing to pounce, immediately fell to the ground. Ranen then seized the handgun and struck the man’s neck with the butt of the gun.

The man crumpled to the ground, and as Ranen turned, he noticed that the remaining attackers had already turned to fine dust.

At some point, the butterfly had flown back, now fluttering playfully onto Ranen’s shoulder, nuzzling against his face.

Ranen absentmindedly stroked the butterfly, noticing that its patterns seemed a bit more vibrant.

The Soul-Eating Butterfly typically survives by consuming human vitality and souls. Generally, newly awakened Soul-Eating Butterflies are ravenous for human life force, but for some reason, his butterfly rarely showed any desire to attack humans. Most of the time, it simply rested motionless on his clothing, to the point where Ranen often forgot it was even there.

However, seeing the circle of dust on the ground today made Ranen once again realize the terrifying power of the Soul-Eating Butterfly.

Wait—Archie!

Ranen quickly looked down to check on Archie’s condition, and what he discovered stunned him. The bullet wounds on Archie’s body were leaking very little blood, and instead of being gravely injured and unconscious, he had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

Is it a tranquilizer dart?

Just then, the sound of breaking glass came from the room again, followed by the player’s scream.

He looked inside. All the windows in the apartment had been shattered, and in their place stood a masked man dressed in black, holding Matcha Green Milk hostage. The man kicked A-Long, who had tried to stop him, sending him flying and leaving him severely injured. The masked man then pointed his gun at Matcha Green Milk’s temple. “Don’t move.”

Matcha Green Milk: “…”

—-

[Oh wow, the player has been taken hostage.]

[You guys are the disgrace of all players (LOL)]

[Next episode: An evil NPC rescues the investigator player. What is this? A mutual chase.]

[Lol, Ranen won’t save her. Why would an evil god care about a player’s life, especially since Matcha Green Milk isn’t close to him.]

—-

The bullet comments continued joking around, and in fact, the situation was indeed quite humorous.

The masked man fired a shot into the wooden floor, leaving a scorched hole. He then pointed the gun back at Matcha Green Milk’s temple and said, “You wouldn’t want to see her skull blown open, would you?”

Ranen gave the masked man a deep look. “What do you want?”

“An exchange,” the masked man replied. “Have your butterfly back off, and you come in exchange for this person.”

Ah, this.

Maybe he should just let them kill the hostage.

Ranen almost wanted to say that, since the player wouldn’t really die. In fact, the players might not even care about this death.

Just as Ranen was about to speak, he suddenly paused.

Wait a minute, something doesn’t feel right.

The current situation seemed simple enough: if Ranen ignored Matcha Green Milk and used the Soul-Eating Butterfly to deal with the masked man, the crisis would be resolved.

But why did that nagging sense of foreboding still linger?

And considering the scale of this setup, it was undoubtedly a trap targeted at him. So, here’s the real question: was someone missing from the scene?

Amos.

Ranen didn’t believe Amos would pass up such an opportunity. In fact, it was highly likely this entire trap was orchestrated by him.

In the forums of his past life, even the most passionate Amos haters had to admit his cunning and the depth of his schemes.

If Ranen thought from Amos’s perspective, would he really set up such an “easily” solvable trap?

Reassessing the situation, Ranen tried to see the ambush from the other side’s point of view. It was clear that the attack was carefully planned. The frontal assault was designed to grab his attention, and the only obvious weakness of the Soul-Eating Butterfly was its lack of speed, giving the enemy a chance to sneak up on the player from behind.

But if he had the chance, why didn’t he just shoot him from behind? Why go through the trouble of taking a hostage?

Ranen suddenly remembered one thing: in the eyes of others, he appeared to be quite unfathomable.

The last time this group attacked him, it was at a banquet. He had summoned a bunch of players to fight monsters and even subdued an A-level anomaly. To the enemy, that display might have seemed… terrifying?

Based on the pattern of recent misunderstandings, it was likely he had been mistaken for some kind of evil god again. But even so, they still dared to attack him. What gave them such courage? Was it the guns, which were useless against a so-called “evil god”?

At that moment, a faint realization struck him. All the oddities of the day slowly surfaced—the noises the players mentioned from the next room, Frank’s testimony—everything was pointing toward this misunderstanding.

Ranen gave the masked man a deep look. The standoff continued, and the masked man wasn’t rushing him, seemingly patient enough to wait for Ranen’s decision.

But in that moment, Ranen pieced together the final part of the puzzle from the masked man’s behavior.

He decided to take a gamble!

Just as the forums from his previous life had said, the best way to deal with Amos was to always make unexpected decisions to completely throw off his plans!

Ranen waved his hand, and the Soul-Eating Butterfly flew a little farther away.

“It seems you’ve made your decision,” the masked man said. “Then come over.”

However, this time, Ranen didn’t comply. The man’s expression shifted. “Do you think I won’t do it?”

“Of course,” Ranen chuckled lightly. “After all, if a cop shoots a civilian, they’re immediately stripped of their position.”

“I’m right, aren’t I, Albert?”

A long silence followed before the man scoffed, taking off his mask under the shocked gazes of the two players.

Underneath the mask was none other than Albert’s handsome face, but completely different from the sunny image the players had seen before. Now, Albert looked like a changed man, his eyes filled with a deep, brooding darkness.

“Seeing you really surprises me,” Ranen sighed.

“Your expression shows no surprise at all,” Albert sneered. “Not even a strange artifact could fool you. As expected, you really are…”

His lips tightened, and a flash of hesitation crossed his gaze before he quickly steeled himself. “You’re not Ranen.”

A-Long’s live stream exploded with activity, but he had no time to glance at the comments, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene.

“Who knows,” Ranen didn’t miss the flicker of emotion in Albert’s eyes, but he had no concern for Albert’s feelings now. Staring intently into Albert’s eyes, he spoke slowly and clearly, “After all, the truth always hides within the mist, and only those with a clear mind can grasp the tail of fate, right?”

“Or, would you like me to say more?”

A silence stretched for five long seconds. After a moment, Albert cast a deep look at Ranen, still holding Matcha Green Milk hostage as he edged toward the window. Just when everyone thought he was about to kill her, Albert forcefully shoved Matcha Green Milk away and escaped through the shattered window.

Only at that moment did Ranen finally exhale in relief.

He had won the gamble.

—-

However, the others didn’t understand, and neither did the viewers in A-Long’s livestream.

[??? What, it’s over just like that?]

[I was waiting for Ranen to make a choice or for a big fight to break out, but this? It ends like this?]

[What were they even talking about just now?]

[Ranen seemed to be saying something important, but I couldn’t understand a word of it! Can someone explain it to me, please?]

—-

Ranen didn’t chase after Albert. Instead, he immediately went outside and helped the fallen Archie, confirming that he had only been hit with a tranquilizer dart. With a sigh of relief, Ranen became even more convinced of his earlier suspicions.

“Ranen, Ranen!” Matcha Green Milk curiously approached him. “What just happened? Why did that guy run off after you said that?”

“Shh—don’t rush,” Ranen replied, regaining his composure. He smiled slightly before heading out and pushing open the door to the neighboring room.

As expected, the place was already empty, but traces had been left behind.

Strange and intricate patterns covered the entire room, adorned with various mysterious symbols in a special silver. Just one glance made Matcha Green Milk feel dizzy.

“W-What is this?”

“As expected, it’s a ritual magic for sealing and capturing,” Ranen knelt down and ran his hand over the floor. “Judging by the looks of it, they’ve been preparing for a while. Too bad it was all for nothing.”

The two players exchanged confused looks, not understanding what he meant. Neither of them had knowledge of the occult. After glancing around helplessly, they both turned to Ranen with pleading eyes.

Ranen explained, “This is a spell involving the concept of sealing. It requires a long time to prepare, and people need to die for it to work. The more deaths, the stronger the spell’s effect.”

Ranen recognized it because he had seen it in the previous life’s game, where cultists loved using these forbidden spells fueled by human lives.

—-

The two players were still bewildered, and the live chat finally caught on.

[Wait, so the black-clothed guy was purposely trying to force Ranen to abandon Matcha Green Milk?]

[But why would he do that?]

[Because of Ranen’s identity! Think about the last attack. They’re probably convinced of Ranen’s true identity now. They know that if Ranen wants to, neither negotiations nor threats would work, and exchanging hostages is pointless. Even if Ranen agreed, what then? If the black-clothed guy approached Ranen, wouldn’t he just be offering himself up?]

[Plus, think about it, the whole hostage exchange is a paradox. If Ranen is an evil god, would he care about one or two followers? He’d abandon their lives without hesitation, which is exactly what the mastermind behind this wants. Matcha Green Milk dies, completing the preparation for the sealing spell, and then Ranen gets sealed.]

[Why didn’t the mastermind just kill Matcha Green Milk and A-Long from the start to power the ritual?]

—-

A-Long voiced the chat’s question.

“Because the time wasn’t right,” Ranen said, looking outside. It was nearing dusk, but the sun hadn’t fully set yet. “Many sealing rituals like this have at least two or three restrictions. Aside from needing deaths, they also require special astrological conditions or specific timing.”

After the black-clothed man had intentionally given Ranen time to make a choice, Ranen realized it was because the ritual wasn’t ready yet.

The earlier attack by those thugs happened because Frank had slipped up, forcing them to act ahead of schedule.

Given Ranen’s situation at the time, if he had abandoned Matcha Green Milk, her death would likely have accelerated the ritual’s progress. Plus, he might not have been able to defeat both Amos and Albert. The only way out was to force them to abandon this plan on their own.

—-

[So, from the very beginning, the choices they gave were a trap! The black-clothed man’s goal was to buy time!]

[And if we think even darker—what would have happened if Ranen had chosen one of those two options? This trap works in either case. Option one: Ranen accepts the hostage exchange and approaches. If enough time had passed, Albert could have been killed by Ranen, fulfilling the power-up condition. But what would Archie think if Albert died? Option two: Matcha Green Milk dies because Ranen abandons her without hesitation. What would the other followers think then?]

[Not only would Ranen be sealed, but he’d also be abandoned by his followers. The person who designed this trap is ruthless!]

[Would an evil god care about that?]

[The evil god wouldn’t, but his followers are still human.]

[I’m getting chills. The one who came up with this scheme… it must be Amos, the one living next door. Now he’s gone. I never thought someone who looks so gentle could be so dark inside.]

[Ever heard of “white on the outside, black on the inside”?]

[You’re all praising Amos, but I think Ranen is even scarier. He forced the black-clothed man to retreat with just a single sentence and completely unraveled the conspiracy. But I still don’t get how Ranen did it. Why did that black-clothed man leave after hearing Ranen’s words?]

—-

A-Long continued relaying the chat’s confusion.

Ranen said, “Oh, that? The phrase I used is actually something that only circulates among investigators in the Bureau, like a motto of sorts.”

The chat: ???

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything when Archie wakes up,” Ranen smiled and said.

They didn’t have to wait long before Archie groaned in pain, holding his head and feeling dazed. “Where am I…?”

“We were just attacked,” Ranen explained, signaling the players not to reveal any information from earlier. He asked, “Did you mention to anyone that you were coming here today?”

Archie shook his head. “Of course, I didn’t tell anyone… but…”

Suddenly remembering something, his face turned pale. “When I was about to leave the police station today, I ran into Albert.”

Archie had learned the previous night through his abilities that Albert was indeed connected to that mysterious organization, leaving him so restless that he hadn’t slept at all. The next day, he hurried out of the police station after finishing his work, deliberately avoiding any contact with Albert.

But the reason they still crossed paths at the station entrance was because… Albert had sensed Archie’s change in behavior and deliberately went to block him.

They knew each other so well. How could Albert not know this address?

And it was clear that this attack was closely tied to him and to Albert.

Realizing this, Archie’s face turned even paler. He shut his eyes tightly, his lips pressed into a grim line.

“It’s my fault.”

“They were right, I was too arrogant to realize that the cultists were right beside me.”

Hearing this, Ranen was stunned. He looked into Archie’s eyes, shocked to see a deep sadness reflected in them.

This man, who had never shown weakness in the previous game storyline, always proud and as cold as ice, was showing vulnerability for the first time. It was as if the beliefs that had always supported him had been shattered, causing him to lower his once proud head.

“This attack was entirely my fault. If it will ease your anger, you may kill me or beat me as you see fit.”

—-

[What? What’s going on? Why did the atmosphere suddenly change like this?]

[From the conversation, it seems like Ranen’s attack was caused by Archie.]

[The attackers were sent by Albert, and Albert and Archie are friends? A betrayal?]

[I get it now. Ranen is actually the evil god, and the ones attacking him are from another cult. Albert might be an undercover agent from that other cult within the police force. How did Albert find out about Ranen’s movements? Clearly, it was through Archie. So Archie knows it was his mistake, and he’s aware of the consequences of angering an evil god, which is why he’s offering himself as a sacrifice to calm Ranen’s anger.]

[This, this plot is a bit intense. I can take it!]

Ranen looked at Archie’s dejected expression and, for some reason, remembered the moment earlier when he had blocked bullets for him.

“Don’t worry. Your earlier actions have been enough to calm me down.”

Seeing Archie looking like a drenched cat, Ranen couldn’t help but pat his head. “Besides, thanks to you, I’ve learned some more important information.”

“Albert is likely a double agent.”

Archie immediately lifted his head, his expression one of astonishment.