Honesty

Nan Yue felt a bit annoyed with herself.

"How could I have forgotten that?"

This was the fundamental principle every scavenger had to keep in mind, the very basis of their existence.

Constantly jumping back and forth between mission worlds and the real world would cause a certain degree of damage to a person's thoughts and spirit.

Many scavengers became confused after completing too many missions, their mental stability becoming volatile. Some even began to feel that the mission world was the true reality.

Once they reached that point, death was never far away.

Nan Yue felt a surge of wariness. No matter how powerful she was, she could not underestimate the influence the mission worlds had on a scavenger's psyche.

Even she had nearly fallen into the trap.

Zhu Xi Ning patted her chest. "It's mainly because this mission was too unusual. Other missions are full of ghosts, death, and violence. No one would ever think those were normal worlds."

"But this mission's disguise was too perfect. The few of us were doing quite well in the company, so our awareness started to blur."

In the past, Zhu Xi Ning's missions were always narrow escapes, and she would indulge herself as soon as she got out. After forming a team, her survival rate increased, and in this mission, she even enjoyed the treatment of a high-level employee, which made her resolve waver.

She and Nan Yue exchanged a look, both realizing the terrifying nature of the mission worlds.

Only Gu Xiang Kai was listening with one ear while he finished every scrap of food on his plate.

"Don't you ever feel swayed?"

Zhu Xi Ning truly admired Gu Xiang Kai. The man was thick-skinned and simple-minded, but his mental stability was incredibly firm.

Gu Xiang Kai pulled out a tissue and wiped his hands. "Not really. If it weren't for a mission, why would I ever work in a company like that?"

Gu Xiang Kai thought for a moment. When he was out doing sales, he had actually covered a good portion of the mission world's map.

"If a world like that was actually real, I definitely wouldn't be the type to wear a suit in an office."

Gu Xiang Kai gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm not suited for that kind of life."

"You two feel that a life full of possibilities seems normal because you've lived good lives and have good temperaments."

"But for me, I can only trust my fists. No matter which world I'm in, I don't actually have many paths to choose from."

Gu Xiang Kai thought seriously. "Actually, I think most people are like that. Even in the mission world, only a minority could enter the Blooming Media Company, right?"

Most people were opening shops on the streets, driving taxis, or selling things...

Many people simply didn't have many choices to begin with.

"But your thoughts reminded me of something. We should probably head to the next city state as soon as possible."

Gu Xiang Kai's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "Once we reach a higher city state, they have psychological counseling. I think we should undergo counseling regularly."

Nan Yue agreed that this made sense. Now that she had cleared her head, she didn't feel as troubled, so she temporarily set the matter aside.

"As for Wen Xiang Yuan, it's such a pity."

Zhu Xi Ning poked at a mushroom on her plate. "Such a beautiful girl."

Nan Yue felt the same. "Actually, I saw her once in the noodle shop. I didn't expect us to end up in the same mission later."

The three of them sighed. This was the life of a scavenger; every meeting could be the last.

"Does Lan Jing Shui really use violence to clear missions?"

Seeing Zhu Xi Ning gossiping, Nan Yue smiled. "Likely so. In that mission, besides resigning, there was another way: destroying the company."

"Actually, you wouldn't need to kill everyone. After all, even though others were indirectly involved in the bullying and harm, Tan Xin was the founder and the primary culprit."

"But just killing Tan Xin wouldn't make it easy to leave the company. The people in the Mobile Division weren't exactly human anymore; they only followed Tan Xin's orders. Once Tan Xin died, the Mobile Division wouldn't follow the rules for killing anymore."

"So that path is very dangerous."

Zhu Xi Ning clicked her tongue. "I couldn't tell that Lan Jing Shui was the type to use a violence-based style."

Nan Yue smiled. The more difficult the method of solving the puzzle, the greater the rewards, but she didn't have that kind of ability yet.

However, Gu Xiang Kai had surprised Nan Yue. He could actually attack ghosts.

If he continued to grow, he would surely become the pillar of damage for the team.

"I just checked the forums. They say higher city states have training grounds where any awakened ability can be practiced."

Gu Xiang Kai had clearly been thinking about this too. His expression was a bit dark. If Nan Yue hadn't appeared back then, he would have been dead.

Since they were a team, he didn't feel embarrassed about being saved. Nan Yue was his boss, after all; it was only natural for the boss to be stronger than him.

He just didn't want to be the one dragging the team down.

"Actually, I have an awakened ability too."

Gu Xiang Kai remained silent for a moment before speaking, his expression looking unusually sheepish.

"My awakened ability is the power to touch ghosts. This," he pointed to his earring, "is a tool that adds a violence damage buff."

"To put it simply, I can attack even without it, but the effect would be much weaker."

Gu Xiang Kai didn't want to admit he was weak, but since they were a team, hiding his abilities would make it impossible for his teammates to make accurate judgments.

Zhu Xi Ning was quite envious. "An offensive awakened ability? That's amazing."

She didn't like solving problems with violence, but she envied the ability to protect herself.

Watching the two of them chatter across from her about their experiences with their abilities, without either of them questioning her, Nan Yue felt a surge of complex emotions.

She knew they must have noticed her oddities, but they didn't want to make things difficult for her, so they didn't lead the conversation in her direction at all.

This consideration made all the knots of fear, unease, and insecurity caused by the thing inside her disappear.

So... if they were truly going to be teammates... perhaps there shouldn't be any secrets.

They finished their meal very late. Afterward, Zhu Xi Ning bought three ice cream cones. The three of them looked somewhat ridiculous, dressed in thin clothes and holding ice cream while walking down the snowy street.

"Sister, you like celebrating holidays, so can we just come back tomorrow wearing more clothes?"

Gu Xiang Kai's ears were red from the cold. "Can we focus on staying alive before we celebrate?"

Zhu Xi Ning sneezed and reluctantly boarded the bus back to the South District. Nan Yue remained quiet the whole way. Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning exchanged a glance, but neither disturbed her.

When the three returned to their hotel and were about to part ways, Nan Yue called out to them.

"Wait a moment. I have something to say."

Seeing Nan Yue's serious expression, Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning obediently entered her room. The room wasn't very large. Zhu Xi Ning sat at the foot of the bed while Gu Xiang Kai sat cross-legged on the floor.

Nan Yue sat in the center of the bed and hesitated for a moment.

"I want to tell you about my ability."

Nan Yue's expression grew somewhat dark. "To be precise, it's not my ability... it's more like an innate... curse."