The Infiltrator’s Game

Xiang Qi now grasped the infiltrator’s true objective.

A truly perilous adversary, Xiang Qi acutely understood the depth of his cunning. She surmised his maneuver was likely designed to fracture the team’s unity, sowing seeds of mutual suspicion among them. Once trust was eroded, picking them off one by one would become far simpler.

Already, several individuals had fallen prey to this tactic. Should it recur, the very foundation of their team would crumble, rendering it impossible to continue. A preemptive solution was therefore imperative.

Though Xiang Qi had never considered herself exceptionally intelligent, a distinct feeling of intellectual superiority blossomed within her when she compared herself to these individuals. Despite her inner voice cautioning her against underestimating anyone—reminding her this could merely be a deceptive facade—a feeling of mild disdain inevitably took root in her mind.

In simpler terms, our young Miss Xiang was now soaring a little too high.

Time was of the essence; the sooner this predicament could be resolved, the better, lest further unforeseen complications emerge. She believed she possessed ample intelligence. While a few details eluded her, they seemed inconsequential to the larger picture, and she now held a significant conviction regarding the infiltrator’s identity.

Three days. Within three days, this game would be brought to its conclusion.

‘The laws of victory are established. I am already invincible!’

Whenever such proclamations were made, it invariably signaled that someone was about to stir up trouble.

Naturally, matters would not unfold so straightforwardly. Our young Miss Xiang had yet to truly shift her perspective; how could she possibly be permitted to conclude this first game so easily? Soon, Xiang Qi would face a brutal re-education from the system’s rules, forcing her to fully comprehend the harsh realities of this world.

But these were concerns for another time, best left unsaid for now.

At this moment, the sole individual seemingly untouched was the blue-haired man. Truthfully, Xiang Qi still hadn’t discerned his true objective in assembling this team, yet she had instinctively marked him as a prime suspect in her subconscious. For now, this significant suspect remained the de facto leader of their group, and Xiang Qi had no intention of making a move against him immediately.

Today mirrored yesterday’s routine, with exploration as their primary objective. The notable difference was that the female members of the group were now permitted to venture outside.

When Xiang Qi proposed a desire to explore, the blue-haired man merely fixed her with his usual inscrutable gaze. Just as Xiang Qi convinced herself he had uncovered her intentions and was about to eliminate her, he finally conceded.

Yet, conditions applied. Xiang Qi was to accompany a man, and Shu Xun, the bespectacled girl, would join them—all purportedly for the safety of the two young women.

‘Isn’t it more unsafe for two pretty girls to go out with a strange man?’

Despite her inner grumbling, Xiang Qi understood that this arrangement was, in fact, far safer. There were indeed many tasks unsuitable for young women.

She had already learned to adopt a young woman’s perspective when circumstances called for it.

This man, a member of the blue-haired man’s contingent, was named Gu Changqing—a name remarkably fitting for a protagonist in a popular novel.

Regrettably, despite possessing a hero’s name, he lacked a hero’s destiny. Following the narrative conventions of this particular story, any named background character was fated to meet their demise within three chapters.

This fellow possessed a rather amiable disposition, trailing the two girls at a respectful distance—neither too close nor too far—yet always ready to intervene swiftly should the need arise.

However, neither of the young women displayed any particular interest in him. Xiang Qi, for her part, remained engrossed in scrutinizing their environment, meticulously laying the groundwork for her own designs.

And Shu Xun? No one could guess what Xiang Ke might have whispered to her, but since yesterday, the girl had been a constant shadow by Xiang Qi’s side, her true thoughts an enigma.

In any case, Xiang Qi chose to temporarily disregard her presence. After all, her current endeavors were hardly clandestine, leaving her with little to fear from prying eyes.

“Gu Changqing, would you come here for a moment?”

Xiang Qi waved at him, a faint smile gracing her delicate face.

“What is it?”

His hands tucked into his pockets, he ambled over, his gaze subtly diverted, avoiding direct eye contact with Xiang Qi.

“This.”

The young woman pointed towards a narrow alley ahead, her toe tapping delicately on the ground as a faint flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks.

“I just heard some movement over there. Could you please go take a look?”

With merely a few simple gestures, she flawlessly demonstrated the essence of Oscar-worthy acting.

Since no one here knew her, she was free to adopt any persona she pleased, employing whatever proved most effective. Any potential feelings of shame for such theatrics were entirely beyond her consideration.

She had, after all, dined on the fruits of her beauty for years. When necessary, she was adept at leveraging every advantage at her disposal.

Gu Changqing harbored no suspicions. After a fleeting moment of contemplation, he stepped past the two young women and ventured into the alleyway.

Plan accomplished! Unaware of the fleeting expression of cunning satisfaction that had flickered across the young woman’s face behind him, Gu Changqing scanned the alley from side to side. It was indistinguishable from the other narrow passages they had already traversed.

Finding nothing unusual, he retreated.

“There’s nothing special. You might have seen wrong.”

“Perhaps I really did see wrong. I’m so sorry,” Xiang Qi apologized sincerely, “Thank you for your trouble.”

“It’s fine. Just try to look more carefully next time.” He dismissed the matter without a second thought, completely oblivious that their resumed route had unconsciously steered them away from that particular alley.

Perhaps he did notice but simply didn’t care. After all, it was common for young women to be a touch more emotional, and a subconscious reluctance to revisit a place they’d just harbored suspicion about was hardly an egregious offense.

Though their forward progression continued, Xiang Qi’s focus had undeniably shifted elsewhere.

Her initial request to venture out had been driven by a need to clarify the situation, believing that acquiring more information would be crucial for her subsequent actions.

Yet, the observations made during their journey gradually instilled doubt in Xiang Qi’s judgment, prompting her to even contemplate postponing her entire plan.

She realized that despite the map’s immense scale, seemingly inexhaustible, it bore the hallmarks of a shoddy copy-and-paste job, revealing uncanny similarities across numerous locations.

The street layouts and architectural designs, for instance, were strikingly repetitive.

While a single glance might not reveal it, and she had already formed some deductions, further evidence was required to solidify her conclusions.

She decided to backtrack, intending to revisit the very first street of the game. From there, she would retrace her original path, the one she‘d taken when first searching for their stronghold, all the way back to the stronghold itself.

By doing so, she believed she could piece together the missing fragments of her understanding.

A crucial piece of information must be concealed within the map, Xiang Qi mused, striving to decipher its underlying meaning. However, due to the glaring absence of data, she made little headway.

‘How vexing!’ Her brow furrowed slightly. This sensation of vaguely catching the tail of something significant, yet being utterly unable to glimpse its true form, was proving exceptionally frustrating.