Chapter 25: Shadowing

In the office.

"Hhh-ptui!"

Huang Wei spat a large mouthful of phlegm into the trash can, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Holding his phone, he scrolled through four or five player group chats. To his surprise, he saw the same pinned sales post in all of them.

This wasn't inherently strange; these player exchange groups often sold information on Star Gates, items, or quest walkthroughs. As long as one paid the advertising fee, the group owner would pin the post.

However, the content of this specific message shocked Huang Wei to his core, as it mentioned the Princess's Tomb and the Qingliang Prefecture—places Ren Ye had just experienced. He remembered them vividly.

*Are other players from the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate selling this information?*

Huang Wei frowned and dialed a number. "Hey, 'Fake Medicine' vendor, get to my office. Now."

Ten minutes later, a sturdy yet refined-looking young man pushed the door open. "Boss, you called?"

The youth was in his early twenties, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had a vacant expression. He spoke slowly, looking very much like a stereotypical office drone. This was Xu Peng, one of Old Huang's subordinates and a Watchman of the Qingfu District.

"Come here." Huang Wei waved him over and spoke quickly. "Two things. First, you're in that 'Great Genius' group, right? Contact the person selling the information and ask for the price. Whatever they quote, just agree to it; I'll handle the rest. Second, Ren Ye will be staying outside for a week. Starting tomorrow, you are to train him individually. Focus on helping him understand Star Gates, the various professions, and the current situation in the real world..."

"...Do I get overtime pay for working late?" Xu Peng asked politely.

"Yes."

"Then can I promote my medicine to the whole department?" Xu Peng asked, looking as quiet and slow-moving as a pet rabbit.

"No." Huang Wei refused without hesitation. "That 'Source-Replenishing Pill' you gave Niannian last time nearly sent her into menopause... I also advise you not to promote it privately. Our new Director Yan is not someone to be trifled with. If you cause trouble, he really will deal with you."

...

After 6:00 PM.

After the father and son finished a hearty dinner, Ren Ye stood in his father's room, fiddling with his collection of figurines, and asked softly, "Are you heading out tonight?"

"Yeah, the editor is pushing hard. I'll call a cab in a bit." His father was by the bed, packing his laptop and charger.

"Oh, okay."

Ren Ye nodded and didn't press further, continuing to admire the row of character figurines on the bookshelf.

These lifelike figurines were original characters from his father's books; they weren't commercially available, and custom-making them was expensive. He had seen the Sunset Warrior, the True Dragon Monk, and the Jungle Dragon Guard many times before, even discussing their plotlines with his father. However, on the far left of the shelf stood a new female character. Judging by the design, she looked like a nun.

"Why haven't I seen this one before?" Ren Ye picked up the nun figurine, poking at it curiously. "Is the outer robe removable...?"

"Smack!"

His father snatched the figurine away, carefully placed it back in its original spot, locked the cabinet, and pulled the curtain shut. "If you want to achieve something, go strip a real person!"

"I'm practically in prison, aren't I? If I strip a real person in there, won't that just add to my sentence?!" Ren Ye retorted, speechless.

"All you do is flap your gums; you're just not ambitious." His father sighed, hoisted his backpack, and said, "Alright, I'm off."

"Take it easy."

"Yeah." His father paused. "I left three thousand yuan on your computer desk."

Ren Ye was taken aback. "No need, Qingning already gave me some."

"This is all your old man can do; there isn't any more." His father, usually a man of few words and a stern expression, left no room for argument as he slung his small backpack on and walked out the door.

...

As soon as his father left, Ren Ye rushed to his room, grabbed the three thousand yuan, threw on a pair of pants, and dashed out after him.

Fortunately, after reaching the main road, he spotted his father's back less than two minutes later.

They both hailed separate taxis.

"Driver, follow that car in front," Ren Ye said from the backseat, his eyes sharp. "No need to use the meter."

"Huh? How do I charge you without the meter?" the driver asked, confused.

"Whoosh!"

Without wasting words, Ren Ye handed over two hundred yuan. "If it's not enough, we'll add more."

"Vroom!"

The driver, once he had the cash, stepped on the gas with newfound enthusiasm, following the lead car with professional precision.

In the backseat, Ren Ye squinted at his father's taxi, feeling a surge of excitement—his voyeuristic tendencies were being fully satisfied.

His decision to follow his father wasn't a whim; he was simply too curious and felt too unsettled. If he didn't confirm things tonight, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

The plot of the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate and the story his father was editing were vastly different in setting, but the structure and narrative threads were disturbingly similar.

More importantly, before dinner, Ren Ye had casually asked about his father's work schedule. His father had replied that his editor required the draft to be completed within six days to fix a "bug" regarding the sudden death of the Taoist avatar.

And the time until Ren Ye's return to the Star Gate was exactly seven days.

If he hadn't entered the Star Gate, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. But after a series of mysterious and bizarre events had actually occurred, his perspective had shifted. He felt that no matter how absurd something seemed, it might just be real.

He had to follow him, confirm what was going on, and see exactly who this editor was!

...

After nearly forty minutes, the two taxis stopped on a street on the outskirts of the city.

It was less prosperous than the downtown area, filled with low-rise buildings—likely an urban village awaiting redevelopment. Every alleyway and street corner was lined with snack stalls, and most of the pedestrians were workers from nearby factories.

Ren Ye got out and skulked into an alley after his father. After about six or seven minutes of walking, they reached a street food stall.

"Old Xu!" his father called out, greeting a middle-aged man sitting at the stall.

Ren Ye hid behind the entrance of a residential building, using a cluster of electric scooters as cover. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man stand up to greet his father.

The man looked to be in his fifties—balding and slightly plump—but was dressed fashionably in a white suit, sporting purple-rimmed glasses.

They chatted briefly and sat down.

There were side dishes and beer on the table, but since his father had already eaten at home, he didn't touch the food, simply taking out the revised manuscript for Old Xu to see while he scrolled through his phone.

Nearby, Ren Ye studied Old Xu closely, wondering how to proceed.

He felt that if there was a problem, it had to lie with Old Xu. He was the one who provided the manuscript, set the revision requirements, and dictated the creative direction and deadlines.

*Is this guy a player? What role is my father playing in this transaction?*

*How can I confirm this?*

*Damn it, once I leave the Prince's Mansion, I'm a weakling. I can't use the Imperial Brush's replication skill in the real world. The Sword of the State can be summoned, but it's no better than a kitchen knife; it has absolutely no supernatural power...*

*If he really is a player, I'll likely lose, and if there's danger, I might drag my father into it.*

*What should I do?*

*Wait, no—how did I forget about that?*

*I'm such an idiot!*

After a surge of adrenaline, Ren Ye's eyes brightened. He whispered in his heart: "Scroll of Spring Breeze and Satisfaction."

"Whoosh!"

A faint shimmer of light appeared. Startled, Ren Ye ducked two steps deeper into the building's stairwell and looked down to see a scroll in his hand.

[Qingliang Prefecture Entry Token: Scroll of Spring Breeze and Satisfaction.]
[Identity Token: Songstress.]
[Respected Player, the Star Trace Gate detects that you already possess a special bound identity token and cannot change it.]
[Skill Activated: Charm; Item Skill Activated: Summon Obsession Illusion. Special Warning: Star Source is thin in the real world, and your related abilities will be weakened. Skill Duration: 1 hour. Cannot be repeated within 12 hours.]

The cold voice echoed in his ears before fading away.

*My guess was right; it really works. Just like the Sword of the State, it can be summoned in reality.*

*That's more like it. I went through all that trouble in Qingliang Prefecture just to kill Liu Ling'er—it's only fair there's a reward!*

Ren Ye felt a surge of excitement and inspiration. He immediately devised a new plan.

He turned back to the stairwell, watching his father and Old Xu, and dialed Huang Wei's number.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm sending you a location. Bring a few experts," Ren Ye said, getting straight to the point. "Start now."

"Are you in danger?!" Huang Wei's tone turned serious instantly.

"Not exactly danger. I have something to do; you need to hurry."

"Fine, send me the location." Huang Wei agreed without hesitation.

They hung up. Ren Ye looked down at the scroll, curious. "If... if I activate the identity token in the real world... since she's a woman... will my appearance also...?"

...

About half an hour later.

Three SUVs pulled up at the entrance of the urban village. Huang Wei, sitting in the passenger seat of the lead car, called Ren Ye immediately. "I'm here."

"Are you at the location I sent?"

"Yes."

"If a player engages in combat, can you sense it?" Ren Ye asked seriously.

"If it's nearby, yes," Huang Wei frowned. "What the hell is going on?! I'm telling you, don't mess around. There are rules nationwide; players can't cause chaos in urban areas, or nobody can protect you."

"What if someone messes with me?"

"Then we arrest them!" Huang Wei said urgently. "What are you doing?"

"Never mind then. Wait for my notice. If there's danger, I'll call you." Ren Ye replied, rubbing his chest, which suddenly felt heavier.

"Wait, you—!"

"Just wait for my call." Ren Ye hung up.

Huang Wei sat in the car, bewildered, looking around. "Damn it, this kid has no respect for rules. He's been here for five minutes and is already ordering me around?!"

In the backseat, the long-legged Gu Nian snacked on something and chimed in, "I suggest you tell him not to act up... The word in the department is that Director Yan is planning a long period of internal rectification and strict discipline. If something goes wrong, you might be out of a job just as you've been promoted."

Huang Wei thought for a moment. "From what I've observed, this kid acts with a plan. He's got a clear head. Let's wait and see."

He had called Huang Wei and his team as an insurance policy, but Ren Ye didn't want them getting too close to this, as it involved his father.

Officer Ren had never been one to be reckless; he only "showed off" when he was sure he could control the situation. He never took unnecessary risks.

...

Ten minutes later.

Old Xu finished a phone call inside the stall and shouted to Ren Ye's father, "Let's go, let's head upstairs."

"Okay." His father shouldered his small backpack and, with the familiarity of someone who had been there before, walked toward a residential building with Old Xu.

As they reached the entrance, Old Xu said habitually, "You go ahead, I'm going to buy some cigarettes and water."

"Ah." His father, clearly not his first time here, nodded and entered the building.

*The opportunity is here!*

Not far away, a pair of sharp, intelligent eyes locked onto Old Xu's silhouette.

After they split up, Old Xu headed toward a side path where a supermarket stood.

"Psst...!"

Just as he walked into the alley, he heard a crisp whistle from his left.

Old Xu turned to look and saw a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair and a classical look standing at the corner of the alley. She leaned against the wall, smiling at him.

However, this "classical" beauty was dressed strangely: a giant hoodie, baggy jeans, and oversized canvas sneakers on her dainty feet, with her heels exposed...

"Hey, pops, want to have some passionate fun?" The classical beauty crossed her arms and winked at him.

Old Xu paused, his expression blank, and looked away without a word, walking straight into the supermarket.

"Oh, damn?" The classical beauty muttered, surprised. "A gentleman?!"

Her look of smug confidence vanished. She immediately shifted two steps to the left, preparing for a "forced" approach.

Five minutes later, Old Xu walked out carrying four large bags filled with water, cigarettes, and instant noodles.

"Psst...!"

The classical beauty whistled at him again.

In the dim light, Old Xu stopped and looked at the woman, walking over. "You're quite the flirt, aren't you? I didn't even answer, yet you're still whistling? How much? Give me a price I can't refuse...!"