[Let us wait for the arrival of the final moment.]

Albert left the window and returned to a safe house not far from the apartment.

The space in the safe house was small, just a single room with a bathroom. When Albert walked in, there was already someone sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room.

A man with long black hair leaned against the sofa, smiling at him. Although his face appeared non-threatening, Albert instinctively tensed the moment their eyes met.

“After all that effort, we were still one step short,” Amos said with a curled lip, though there was no humor in his eyes. “Tell me, how do you plan to make it up to me?”

Albert snorted, raising the necklace around his neck. “The artifact you gave me was useless. He saw through my identity a long time ago.”

Amos raised an eyebrow. “That’s odd. The artifact’s soul-disguising ability is top-tier. The previous owner even used it to fool the ‘Eye of Fate,’ becoming the first cultist in over a hundred years to infiltrate the Bureau.”

He shrugged after a moment. “Then again, we’re dealing with a ‘god’ who technically shouldn’t exist in reality. Who knows how many tricks he has?”

Albert snorted again.

“But who would have thought that the ritual actually worked?” Amos shifted the conversation, smiling slyly. “We really owe it to you for that. If it weren’t for your help as an undercover officer, diverting the police’s attention and ruthlessly cutting off the teachers’ and students’ calls for help, who knows when we would have succeeded!”

He dramatically touched the corner of his eye, speaking in a voice full of intoxication: “The scene from that day still lingers before my eyes! The university campus engulfed in flames, the teachers and students desperately trying to resist, and of course, the hopeless sacrifices.”

Albert stared at Amos’s exaggerated performance, like a silent stone statue.

Amos smiled. “Although we didn’t fully open the door to the other world back then, His descent proves that we’re very close…”

“Now it’s confirmed that Ranen was the god who descended that day. Whether he is an evil god or an ancient one is unclear, but without a doubt, he will be the key and the sacrifice for us Outsider to reach the final destination. Our long-cherished wish is finally within reach!”

Amos clapped softly, lips curling. “Congratulations. The leader will surely be very pleased!”

Albert’s lowered hand clenched into a fist, his nails nearly digging into his skin. He stared at Amos’s mockingly cheerful facade. “You…”

“You think the same, don’t you, Leader?” Amos suddenly said.

“Hmm.” A soft reply came from behind Albert.

A chill ran down his spine, and he dared not lift his head as he turned slightly and bowed. “Leader.”

A pale hand rested on Albert’s shoulder, gripping it firmly and straightening him. “Look up, my dear Albert.”

Albert lifted his gaze, his eyes meeting the face of the Leader.

The leader had silver-white hair typical of the elderly, and his face was speckled with age spots, yet oddly, his appearance was quite young. His features and skin looked at most like someone in their twenties, creating a strange and unsettling contrast between youth and old age.

His pitch-black eyes lacked any shine, and staring into them felt like peering into the deepest abyss.

Albert’s eyes began to itch, and he instinctively averted his gaze.

“Albert,” the leader of the Outsider, Soren Hogg, said, “you’ve done well.”

Albert bowed his head deeply. “No, I failed to capture Ranen. I apologize.”

“Once his identity was confirmed, he was no longer an opponent you could handle,” Soren’s lips curved slightly. “Being able to confirm his identity and assess his current state is already an impressive achievement. This makes our plan even more secure.”

“You’ve done well.”

Albert forced a smile. “Thank you for your praise.”

“Hmm, as expected, your cover has likely been blown by now. You’ve endured the hardships of being an undercover agent for years. From now on, stay by my side and wait for the final moment to come.”

A flash of excitement crossed Albert’s face. “Yes!”

“As for Ranen…”

“He’s no longer a target you can deal with. He is our most important ‘coordinate,’ ‘door,’ and ‘key.’ The most critical part. I will not let anyone else take care of him.”

“Understood.”

“Well then, everyone,” the silver-haired man tilted his head, smiling, “Let’s wait for the arrival of the final moment”

—-

Regarding the fact that Albert was actually a double agent, Ranen admitted there had been some guesswork involved, but it was clear that he had made the right bet.

First of all, based on the information he had, it was highly likely that Archie’s father was an investigator from the Inspection Bureau. No, judging by the word “Dream Rift” in the notebook and the carvings on the bookshelf, it was almost a certainty.

Given this, Albert’s behavior started to seem suspicious.

Ranen didn’t know much about Albert in his past life, but he did know that he was considered Archie’s ‘white moonlight,’ the ‘little sun’ cherished by countless players. In fact, up until yesterday, Albert had behaved exactly as the rumors described: carefree, with a radiant smile that seemed to bring sunlight into people’s hearts.

However, based on Albert’s recent behavior, he was clearly a cultist. This stark contrast completely shattered the image Ranen had of him.

This was very strange. After all, if Albert’s true nature was really that bad, why would Archie still be so fixated on him?

Moreover, Archie wasn’t stupid. If Albert had been truly malicious at heart, how could he have hidden it from Archie for over ten years?

Considering that Archie’s father was very likely a mole sent by the Inspection Bureau into the Outsider, this led to a very plausible guess.

That was, Albert was also an undercover agent. However, his identity was more complicated. Not only was he a police officer, but he also had a secret identity as a cultist. Digging deeper, he was likely an investigator as well.

This would explain why Albert, as a member of the Outsider, died in their final conspiracy, why Archie never detected Albert’s true nature in over a decade, why Archie still couldn’t forget Albert even after his death in the past life, and why Albert kept Archie’s father’s identity hidden from the Outsider after discovering it.

Once Ranen realized this, he knew he could exploit it.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, his mistaken identity as an evil god had saved him many times but had also caused him a lot of trouble.

For instance, just the suspicion of him being an “evil god” automatically gave him a negative reputation of minus 50 in the eyes of any justice-driven investigator.

Whether Albert was working for the Inspection Bureau or the Outsider, he had plenty of reasons to target Ranen.

Ranen understood this well, but that didn’t mean he would accept being obediently sealed away.

Thus, the motto he had spoken to Albert, which was only circulated within the Inspection Bureau, was a reminder to Albert.

“I know all your secrets, and if you don’t want the fact that you’re a double agent to be exposed, you’d better leave quietly.”

The result was that Albert abandoned the mission and withdrew voluntarily.

As for Amos, he always fled quickly, and it was likely he had escaped as soon as he sensed failure.

—-

Back to the present, Archie’s eyes widened in bewilderment when he heard this information. “Albert is a double agent?”

It wasn’t just him; the chat in the live stream was also exploding.

[Wait, wait, what did I miss?]

[Albert… is that the sunshine guy, right? He suddenly became Ranen’s enemy earlier and scared me, and now he’s switched sides again?]

[It’s not a side switch. Based on what Ranen just said, Albert should be working for the Inspection Bureau, so he’s still our enemy.]

[…Have you all already accepted that your faction is on the side of the evil god?]

[What? After all this time, is there still someone who doesn’t know who the Chosen One of this version is?]

[It’s Ranen! It’s Ranen! He’s everyone’s queen! I swear to follow him to the end!]

[I can’t accept an evil god as our faction leader, waaah! I’m a die-hard supporter of the Investigation Bureau!]

—-

Seeing that the chat was once again tearing over factions and going off track, A-Long had to refocus attention back on the plot, pretending to suddenly understand with a look of realization. “So, Albert ran because he was afraid you’d expose his identity?”

“But how did you know he was actually with the Inspection Bureau?”

‘I guessed…Just kidding.’ Of course, Ranen couldn’t say that.

At this point, Ranen had already mastered the art of confidently faking composure. With a slight smile, he walked over to the bookshelf and, with the most casual expression, dropped another bombshell: “Because I know that your father wasn’t a member of the cult. He was also an undercover agent sent by the Inspection Bureau to investigate the Outsider.”

The moment he said this, Archie’s eyes widened even further, his expression completely blank and bewildered.

His already slightly slanted eyes now resembled cat eyes even more, and Ranen’s fingers twitched with the urge to pet him. But now wasn’t the time for that—he was still in the middle of showing off.

“The proof is right here. Look at the corner of the bookshelf. Do you see the carved marks? This is a cipher only used within the Inspection Bureau.”

—-

[Is no one going to question this? Why does he know so much about the Inspection Bureau??]

[Inspection Bureau: in danger]

[The Inspection Bureau has become a sieve (sigh).]

—-

“This type of cipher is usually connected in a sequence. Only by following it to the right book can you hope to find the clues left behind by that person. The reason Albert kept coming here was probably to search for clues left by your father. But unfortunately, the books have been rearranged, so he hasn’t been able to find it.”

Hearing this, the light in Archie’s eyes dimmed again. “If he couldn’t find it after searching for so long, we definitely won’t be able to. Maybe the book with the hidden clues was thrown out by me a long time ago.”

That was a possibility, indeed.

Ranen thought for a moment and then glanced at Frank, who was lying on the floor.

Matcha Green Milk and A-Long’s eyes lit up, and without needing Ranen to say anything, they kicked the drunkard sprawled on the ground. “Hey! Wake up.”

Frank, the apartment manager, was quite unlucky. Not only had he almost been strangled unconscious by Archie earlier, but he’d also been hit by a tranquilizer dart. Now, he was slowly waking up, and when he saw Archie and Ranen approaching, he scrambled backward in fear, hands pressed against the floor.

A-Long: “Don’t be nervous. We just want to ask you a few questions.”

Frank glanced at the maid outfit A-Long was wearing. Although he didn’t say anything, the disdain and disbelief were clear on his face.

A-Long: “…Ugh, my temper!”

Before he could roll up his sleeves, Archie crouched down, his face darkening as he stared at Frank. “Today’s incident… you were involved, weren’t you?”

As soon as Frank saw Archie’s face, his body began trembling uncontrollably. Seeing the bullet holes around him and the burly men lying motionless on the floor only made him more terrified. Before Archie could do anything else, Frank spilled everything, as if the words were tumbling out like beans.

“Spare me! Please! It was Albert who forced me to do it. If I didn’t comply, he said he’d accuse me of theft and have me arrested by the police!”

Archie remained expressionless. “Answer properly, and we won’t do anything to you. Are you also a member of the Outsider?”

Frank froze for a moment before lowering his head. “Y-Yes, but I’m just a nobody that no one cares about, really! I hardly know anything about their business. Most of the time, I just help Albert keep an eye on the apartment, and if anyone comes by, I let him know. That’s it, I swear.”

“So, you were the one tipping him off!”

Frank shrank back, forcing a smile. “They made me do it, I had no choice!”

A-Long: “Is that so? I don’t believe you.”

“…”

“I’m asking you, do you know what Albert was looking for when he came here? What was he after?”

“Uh, it seemed like he was searching for something, but I don’t know what. Every time he’d come at night, quietly, and wouldn’t let anyone follow him into the room.”

“Really?” A-Long eyed Frank suspiciously. “You sure you didn’t hide the thing yourself?”

Frank shook his head in terror. “Why would I hide it?! It’s not even worth anything! If I were going to steal something, it’d be something valuable…”

Suddenly, he realized what he’d just said and snapped his mouth shut.

Ranen curled his lips. “We never said Albert was looking for something specific. How do you know it’s not worth anything?”

Frank stammered, “I-I guessed! I mean, this place didn’t look that fancy or anything.”

But even the players noticed something was off. Still, Frank stubbornly insisted he didn’t know anything, refusing to reveal more no matter what.

“Then just send me to the police!” Frank gritted his teeth.

However, the two players grinned wickedly. “The police? You think we’re with the police?”

“Aren’t you?” Frank looked at Archie, whose face remained emotionless.

“Sorry to disappoint, but we’re not,” A-Long said with a sinister smile. “In a way, we’re not that different from the Outsider organization.”

Frank froze for a moment, his face turning pale.

“Alright, since you don’t know anything, you’re not of any use to us. Might as well offer you up as a sacrifice! Muahaha!”

“Exactly, no value left in keeping you around.”

Matcha Green Milk and A-Long each grabbed one of Frank’s legs, dragging him toward a room with a ritual circle etched into the floor. Frank nearly wet himself, especially when he saw their wicked smiles and Archie making no move to stop them. His face filled with despair.

“I’ll talk, I swear! I really didn’t take anything! I only know about the book because I tried to sneak a look at it too! I watched Albert’s movements! But I swear, I didn’t find anything!”

The two players exchanged glances and then dropped him. Frank collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, a pitiful sight.

“Sigh, why’d you have to spill it?” A-Long sounded a bit disappointed, clearly curious about how the ritual circle would have worked.

Frank mumbled something incoherent, likely muttering the word “devil.”

“Looks like he really doesn’t know. We’ve hit a dead end again,” Matcha Green Milk sighed in disappointment.

“So what do we do now?” A-Long scratched his head. “Check all the books one by one?”

“That’s too many,” Matcha Green Milk glanced at the bookshelf. Most of the books were thick volumes. “If we don’t know which one it is, who knows how long it’ll take to go through them all.”

At this moment, Ranen suddenly remembered the timeline from his previous life, specifically when Arkham disappeared.

If he remembered correctly, it happened a month after the beta opened, and there was only one week left now.

“That’ll be too late,” he muttered to himself.

“Hm? What did you say?” Matcha Green Milk looked at Ranen, confused, before seeing him turn and walk into the room, standing in front of the bookshelf.

Ranen thought, since he had come this far, giving up now would be a waste of all their efforts, and the clues Amos had provided.

He closed his eyes, and two illusory dice appeared in the pitch-black space of his consciousness.

[Two Ten-Sided Dice of Wheel of Fate]

Unlike regular dice that require rolling within a player’s skill points to succeed, Ranen didn’t have such skill points. His dice mechanism was simpler: two ten-sided dice, numbered from 0 to 9. One die determined the tens digit, and the other the units digit. A total result of 50 or below meant success, over 50 meant failure, 1 to 5 indicated a great success, and 95 to 100 a critical failure.

The two ten-sided dice spun in the air on their own, while Ranen kept his eyes closed. Then, still with his eyes shut, he reached for the closest book.

Luck: 40 (Success)

Ranen opened his eyes and exhaled slowly. He looked at the book he had blindly drawn.

It was Mysteries of the World. The book was thick, and Ranen thought back to what Edmund had mentioned about certain encrypted messages used within the Inspection Bureau. He skimmed through a few pages casually.

17, 77, 09, 47, 75, 89.

Using this sequence of numbers, Ranen gradually found the information he had been looking for within the book’s pages.

“I see.”

“Lord Ranen?” A-Long gaped at the book in Ranen’s hand. “Could this be…?”

“Yes, just lucky I suppose. It seems this is the book,” Ranen replied casually.

—-

The livestream chat went silent for a moment.

[?????]

[Did… did he really just find it like that?]

[This makes Albert, who’s been searching for months, look kinda dumb.]

[Is this what it means to be blessed by luck?]

[This is outrageous! How does Ranen know the Inspection Bureau’s secret codes so well? Who’s the real undercover agent here?]

—-

Curious, the players crowded around. “So, is this the clue left by Archie’s father?”

“No, this is just one step,” Ranen said, finishing the relevant pages before handing the book to Archie. Then, he turned and examined the angle of the room. He moved to the corner where the third wall and the window met, took the hammer he had found earlier, and struck the crevice.

The wall was smashed, revealing a brick underneath. Ranen knocked on it, removed the brick, and exposed a small space inside.

Everyone leaned in closer and could clearly see that a notebook was embedded in the wall, surrounded by thin electrical wires forming a simple ignition device.

“If the correct method isn’t used to open it, the notebook will ignite spontaneously,” Ranen explained. “The proper way to open it is recorded in the book I just pulled out, and of course, it’s encrypted with special codes. Only by removing a specific brick can it be retrieved.”

With that, Ranen carefully took the notebook out.

It was a notebook about two finger-breadths thick, its cover neatly wrapped in leather, and it appeared to be in good condition inside.

The moment Archie saw the notebook, his pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively pressed his forehead with his hand.

“Archie?” Ranen observed him keenly, worried that he might be recalling something again.

“N-no, it’s fine.” Archie’s chest heaved as he struggled to control his breathing, his fingers turning white as he gripped the notebook. “I’ve seen this notebook before when I was a child.”

“Do you want to open it here?”

Archie paused for a moment, looking at A-Long and Matcha Green Milk, who both wore curious expressions, before flipping the notebook open in front of everyone.

As the notebook opened, the crowd gathered behind Archie to read its contents.

To their astonishment, the pages were filled entirely with intelligence about an organization.

[My name is Charlie Hayes, an investigator for the Inspection Bureau. This is my first day of recording.]

[I have successfully infiltrated the ranks of the Outsider. From today on, I will document what I see and hear. I don’t know how long I can remain undercover, but I hope that what I record can become a ray of light that leads to the final dawn.]

[The cult organization I’ve infiltrated is called the Outsider. It is a mysterious group deeply rooted in Arkham, and no one knows how long it has existed or when it appeared. From my preliminary investigation, the followers of the Outsider are mainly concentrated in Arkham’s upper class. There aren’t many members, as they follow an elite route. Bankers, politicians, financial magnates, and celebrities are all their followers, giving them significant influence across various social strata.]

[So far, the Outsider has not organized any large-scale activities. The only event is a weekly gathering of lower-tier followers to pray together. Their prayers are peculiar, wishing for the Outsider to return to their homeland soon, for the fallen leaves to return to their roots. Outsider? Why are they called Outsider? I’ve investigated the public identities of these followers, and a large portion are local Arkham residents. Isn’t this their homeland?]

[After being undercover for two to three years, I finally passed the faith test and began to gain recognition from the higher-ups. I started to interact with more and more followers, and eventually, I understood their core belief system. Most of their followers believe that the world will soon face destruction, and before that day arrives, the only way to avoid death is to leave this world and go to the realm where the gods exist.]

[They seem to believe that the realm of the gods is the original Eden for humanity, while the world in which humans currently live is merely a desolate place of divine punishment. All humans are exiled sinners.]