Chapter 274 Contract and Name Change
This is an era that emphasizes the spirit of contract.
The three undercover agents have signed offline contracts with Sijidao. If they fail to complete the contract, they will face high penalties afterwards.
It's rare to play a game to this level.
The reason why Li Yun and Da Jinmao didn't answer Sijidao's call was that they were thinking about how to avoid paying the penalty.
At this time, the hearts of the four-season rice in the wilderness had turned cold and their faces were as white as paper.
“Tick-tock…tick-tock…”
On the way back, the weather suddenly changed, dark clouds gathered, and rain fell.
The road became muddy, but the mechanical army remained silent and had good military discipline. They traveled silently in the dark and returned to their respective city bases.
The cold icy rain slapped Sijidao's face and soaked him thoroughly, making him look miserable, like a drowned dog.
He turned his head and looked at the mission site that was getting farther and farther away. The hope in his heart gradually shattered, along with the suppressed resentment, like weeds falling in the rain. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times.
【Mission failed】
A cold reminder rang in his ears. There were no previous rewards or descriptions, only four cold words.
These four words completely shattered Sijidao's last bit of fantasy.
He gave up contacting Li Yun and Big Golden Retriever, and stopped calling Chang Rui. He sat in the armored SUV in a daze, with less spirit in his eyes than before.
What to do next?
Confusion, helplessness, anxiety, pain, etc., like twisted parasites, drilled in and out of Sijidao's mind, gnawing at his nerves madly and giving him a headache.
"The mission... it's okay if the mission fails, there will always be next time..."
Sijidao grabbed his hair until his knuckles turned white, and he was comforting himself in this way, even though he didn't believe it himself.
Next, how should I improve my relationship with Mercer?
He looked ahead. There was heavy rain and endless darkness. The road was becoming more and more difficult.
fortunately……
Fortunately, his enemy Su Xia fell on his own, which gave him more options in the future.
Although he failed, his opponent Su Xia was even worse off than him. Thinking of this, he didn't seem so miserable.
"I still have a chance." Sijidao clenched his fists. "Now that Suxia has fallen, the Bikini Bottom team has lost their cheap potions. What can they use to fight me in the future? I can gradually disintegrate the resistance alliance, gradually expand it, and become the number one player in Coral City in the true sense. Let Mercer see my value. This is my chance!"
This guy was like a cockroach. Even after being knocked down several times, he still didn't give up and was looking for any possible opportunity.
His base is on the side of the Mechanical Clan, who are more powerful. As long as he is given a chance, he can turn defeat into victory.
"Yes, that's it!"
Sijidao took a deep breath, wiped the rain off his face, and suppressed the negative emotions in his heart that were about to explode.
He is not the small character in those movies who is defeated by the protagonist in a few moves. He is the one who is going to become the protagonist!
"Su Xia, it's time to settle the accounts between us."
After experiencing the blow of the failure of this mission, the biggest pillar supporting Sijidao's spirit now is to go back to the city to mock and attack Su Xia.
He would repay double the humiliation that Su Xia had brought upon him.
On the forum, there have been rumors that the cause of the drug store incident has been revealed.
[Shocked! Pharmacist Su's teacher is actually one of the undercover agents of the human resistance army! ]
[Latest news! Su Pharmacist's mentor and Yu Tuo City Lord were long-time rivals in love. Back then, they stole his love... Yu Tuo endured for three years and finally became a great city lord after returning! ]
【……】
I don’t know where these rumors came from, and each one is more unreliable than the other.
Some people said that they had someone inside the Mechanical Clan who provided them with the information, and some others said that they asked Su Xia in person. In short, the credibility was extremely low. Some people even started writing fan fiction about Yu Tuo and Dad on the spot.
Others said that Yu Tuo originally thought that Su Xia might be his lost illegitimate son, so he gave him preferential treatment. Only recently did he discover that Su Xia was just an undead.
The chat and gossip sections of the forum were packed to the brim; there had never been such a heated discussion before.
"Now that you mention it, I think Pharmacist Su and Yu Tuo look quite similar." Someone commented in the gossip section.
"How are they similar?" someone retorted, "Yu Tuo has a robot face without any facial features. His looks are a hundred times worse than Su Yaoshi's!"
"Pharmacist Su is indeed very beautiful and has a good figure. Is she a model in real life?"
"I'm just a student. Everyone has a chance if they line up."
"Don't even think about it upstairs. I heard that Pharmacist Su likes men."
“…”
…
"A-choo——"
In the pharmacy, Su Xia sneezed violently and rubbed her nose.
He looked up and out the window. It was still raining heavily outside, the street lights were dim, and it was surrounded by mechanical creatures.
Of course Su Xia knew that the news had spread, and even her real-time screenshots at the pharmacy were posted on the forum.
Based on the angle of the screenshot, Su Xia discovered that the other party should be on the upper floor diagonally opposite the pharmacy, but there were no players at that location, only a few small ants hiding from the rain.
"Little ant?" Su Xia pondered.
"It seems that many players have their own opportunities. I am not the only one who got the hidden mission. I have to be careful in the future."
It is obvious that among those little ants, there is a clone of a player.
In the past, Su Xia relied on his clone as the Masked Stranger to act recklessly, but he almost got caught in Yuling City last time. Recently, he was wanted by various major forces and had to hide for a while.
Some players have special clones like him, but they are all developing secretly and hiding in the dark. They will never go out to cause trouble until they are absolutely strong.
It seems to be very popular recently.
There is nothing wrong with their choice. After all, not everyone can survive the hunt by major organizations.
Now, in order to hunt the masked monster, more than fifty level four psychic creatures have come from the southwest region of the continent alone. Those guys are all top masters from various small cities, and some are even legendary seniors who have retired long ago.
Many people are saying that the next time the masked man appears, he will die.
It was said that several big-name Level 5 creatures had come, hiding in the darkness like venomous snakes waiting for an opportunity, just waiting for the masked stranger to show up.
"So many people have come. They really think highly of me." Su Xia shook his head. Not all of them came to kill him. For example, Sun Lang came purely to join in the fun.
Compared with the hunt for the masked monster, an incident in a small pharmacy did not seem to be a big deal and did not attract much attention in the game world.
The people in this world are very different from what the players care about.
For the players, the Masked Monster is still too far away. Although he always causes a big scene, there is an insurmountable gap in strength between them.
The pharmacy is right in front of you, and many players pass by it . Many players are the beneficiaries of cheap potions.
【Brother Su, how are you? 】
[We are in the VR hive outside, do you want us to come back? ]
[It doesn’t matter if you can’t keep the pharmacy, as long as you are fine. Anyway, you have the skills, you can start a new business and open another one! ]
[Just keep this account , but don’t get arrested...]
【……】
Several roommates were sending him messages through the private chat system. Each of them was extremely anxious. One could imagine their worried faces through the text.
Su Xia is really important to the Bikini Bottom team.
At the same time, some other members of the allied team were also sending him messages, asking about his situation.
[Pharmacist Su, if it really doesn't work, we can charge into the main city of Coral City and snatch you back from the mechanical tribe! ]
[We have now formed an alliance, with over a hundred teams in the alliance. Even in the middle of the night, we can mobilize over ten thousand players to go online. A surprise attack is enough. I don't believe that all the mechanical people are supermen! ]
【……】
In order to snatch Su Xia away, these guys even came up with the idea of storming Coral City.
It seems that the recent victories in several battles in the wilderness have given them great confidence, and they all think they can confront the mechanical army head-on.
[Don't worry, I'm safe. Now is not the time to start a direct battle.]
Su Xia responded one by one, saying that everything was fine and asked them not to worry.
He responded patiently, fearing that these guys would act impulsively.
The mainstream players nowadays are only in their thirties, carrying cold weapons like swords and machetes. Are they going to fight the mechanical tribe with their heads?
From the perspective of ordinary people, each mechanical warrior is truly a superman, invulnerable to swords and guns, and bullets can only leave dents on the surface.
If a fight really breaks out, it will still be a one-sided massacre.
【Tolerate!】
Su Xia conveyed his opinion and asked everyone to continue leveling up with peace of mind.
Seeing the strings of greeting messages in the private chat system, Su Xia couldn't help but sigh.
Unconsciously, a huge player group has been formed with the pharmacy and himself as the center.
Now, it is not difficult to keep the pharmacy, as long as we convince the two Beatitudes.
The two were unwilling to sign the contract as some of the terms were indeed excessive.
The contract required them to completely cut ties with their father, no longer acknowledge him as their teacher, and cooperate with the mechanical race in propaganda and make relevant public statements on various occasions, just like Zhao Si did back then...
"How can we do this?" Hong Bafu couldn't help but say, "Teacher has raised us and taught us. If we do this, what's the difference between us and Zhao Si?"
"Doesn't this contract require us to become heartless and ruthless people?" Lan Bafu felt extremely uncomfortable and didn't want to sign this thing at all.
The contract was placed on the counter in front of the two people, and the pen was ready, waiting for them to sign.
But they were reluctant to sign, and the atmosphere in the entire pharmacy became a little strange.
Yu Tuo's main body stood under the eaves outside the shop, watching everything indifferently. He said nothing, but just glanced at Su Xia to express his meaning.
If the two still refuse to sign, let Su Xia clean up the mess himself.
His patience is limited.
If the two contracts were not handed to him before dawn , there would be no need for these two people to exist.
Seeing this, Su Xia had to start persuading.
In front of Yu Tuo, he patiently said to the two of them: "What did the teacher usually tell us?"
"Brother Su, please stop trying to persuade us." Hong Bafu refused. "If you want to sign, then sign. I will never sign!"
"If you don't sign, you will die. Do you think the teacher wants to see you die?"
"But……"
"Last night, before the teacher left, he asked me to protect you two."
"Brother Su, didn't you say that the teacher didn't tell us anything?" Hong Bafu was shocked and quickly winked at Su Xia. Yu Tuo was still outside, how could he say this in front of Yu Tuo?
Before this, the three of them said in unison that Dad went out for a walk last night.
Now Su Xia has almost cut off ties with his father, and he is the safest of the three. But by saying this, isn't he putting himself in danger of being suspected again?
Hong Bafu and Lan Bafu are both open-minded about their own life and death, but neither of them wants to implicate Su Xia.
Su Xia seemed not to notice Hong Bafu's expression and continued, "If something happened to you two, what would the teacher do outside? To save one disciple, he would lose the other two. Is this what he wants to see?"
"But we haven't confirmed yet that it was the teacher who did it!" Lan Bafu muttered, "Even if we don't sign, it doesn't necessarily mean anything will happen."
"You don't understand the teacher, and you don't understand the mechanical race." Su Xia could only say this. Even if there was no evidence, wouldn't the mechanical race kill them?
When machines kill people, it is almost like humans stepping on ants to death.
As he spoke, Su Xia suddenly thought, why didn't his father arrange for his three apprentices to leave together before he left?
Perhaps he believed that Su Xia could protect them both.
Or maybe, it was because Mercer left too suddenly and the opportunity was too short and fleeting, so Dad couldn't take too much into consideration.
There are wreckage of alien spaceships underground in Coral City. It is the city that the Mechanical Clan attaches the most importance to in the southwest region. In the past, the defense of the entire city was relatively normal, but recently Su Xia's masked weird identity has caused several disturbances, resulting in martial law throughout the city. The difficulty of secret operations in the city has increased dramatically.
Come to think of it, Su Xia might have accidentally ruined the plan that Dad had arranged before...
Su Xia looked at the two of them and continued, "Last night, before leaving, the teacher called me upstairs and said to me..."
"Brother Su, stop talking, let's just sign it!"
Hong Bafu interrupted him hurriedly, a trace of anxiety flashing in his eyes, fearing that he would be implicated, and had to pick up the pen on the counter.
If things go on any further, Su Xia might be captured by the mechanical race, which is something that both brothers don't want to see.
Lan Bafu also gritted his teeth, picked up the pen and began to sign his name.
It's just a temporary compromise!
In order to save the pharmacy and Su Xia, both of them endured it.
Outside the pharmacy, under the eaves, Yu Tuo turned his head to admire the heavy rain in the dark night, and did not express any opinion on Su Xia's words just now.
Soon, the three contracts were ready and were delivered to Yu Tuo by Su Xia himself.
Yu Tuo simply glanced at it, then handed it to his subordinate, looking into the distance and saying indifferently: "It is not a good thing . In order to pursue absolute power, you are bound to abandon some things."
Su Xia knew that this was directed at her, so she nodded and replied, "They both helped me a lot when I first started in the industry, so now I am just repaying them."
"Yes, you should pay off your debts to the world as soon as possible. Owing too much will affect your own path."
The sound of their conversation was so quiet that it could just penetrate the rain.
Many mechanical creatures nearby were a little envious. As Yu Tuo's direct subordinates, they seldom had such communication with Yu Tuo.
They knew that for some time to come , this human being named Su Xia would become the focus of Coral City’s publicity.
Countless honors will come to him and push him to the pinnacle of his new life.
Money and beauty, power and status, everything is available to him. Things that were previously out of reach will be readily available in the future. Those who once looked down on him may have to bow down and greet him with a smile in the future.
This is the benefit of submitting to the mechanical race.
As for the price...
For most people, that slight cost is negligible.
It's just being scolded. Whether it was Zhao Si in the past or Wu Zhonggui now, they all knew that countless people were scolding them in secret, but they didn't care.
They don't want to be heroes praised by everyone, because that kind of life is too painful, and they will still be scolded by many people who are unwilling to resist.
Since you're getting scolded anyway, wouldn't it be better to get scolded in a more comfortable position?
“Boom!”
There was thunder in the sky and the rain was getting heavier.
Occasionally, a few flashes of lightning illuminated this old street and the old pharmacy sign.
Yu Tuo raised his head slightly, thinking for a moment, and said, "This pharmacy can also be renamed."
