You Won't Blame Me, Will You, Captain

The question Jin Rongxu had asked struck Zhu Yan as rather foolish.

The man’s uncle didn’t look very old, yet he had already risen to become one of the higher-ups in Anwu City’s Human Alliance.

Director Jin had come from the police force. By rights, Jin Rongxu, having been raised under his influence, should at least have developed the good habit of paying attention to detail.

But this was far too careless.

Zhu Yan frowned.

Jin Rongxu always gave him the impression of someone who was all bluster and no substance—a useless amateur who actually lacked any real field experience.

“Captain, I was thinking… After the Hunter killed two of our teammates, he disappeared and hasn’t shown himself since.”

Zhu Zeyu patiently led him toward the answer.

“Do you think he might have found a way to get to Li Daochang and used your identity to do something—or trick him into giving him something?”

“That Hunter once impersonated me and deceived Yang Zhanbai and the others!”

Exactly.

That time in Dormitory 303, Zhu Yan had almost been exposed. The incident had left an exceptionally deep impression on him.

…

Jin Rongxu watched the red letters scrolling across his vision, then turned his head and glanced at Zhu Zeyu.

Zhu Zeyu’s brows were knitted tightly together. He was clearly thinking hard about something.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared across his forehead.

The Mind Reading ability told Jin Rongxu that the man had recalled his previous confrontation with the Hunter, as well as everything the Hunter had done to his roommates, and was now trapped in the resulting psychological trauma.

Jin Rongxu’s expression grew serious. The corners of his mouth, habitually curved upward, flattened into a straight line devoid of emotion.

He had no choice but to look at Zhu Zeyu in a new light.

This kid was quick on the uptake. He had immediately spotted something wrong from the details.

That level of insight, comprehension, and ability to assess and deduce the situation really did seem worthy of someone ranked number one.

Jin Rongxu felt a little irritated.

A momentary display of attentiveness didn’t prove anything.

Someone from a common background, without elite training or sufficient resources, would eventually become nothing more than nourishment for him.

Zhu Zeyu, however, had no idea what Jin Rongxu was thinking. He only wanted the other man to reply as quickly as possible.

Ahead of them, Li Daochang’s murky eyes remained unblinking. He stood there like a wax statue, as unnerving as anything could be.

Although Zhu Zeyu knew that Li Daochang wouldn’t make a move before achieving his objective, that did nothing to stop gooseflesh from rising all over his body.

Zhu Yan glanced at the private-message window, which was still silent, then used Zhu Zeyu to tug at Jin Rongxu’s sleeve.

What the hell was he doing?

Jin Rongxu couldn’t exactly claim to know this frightening creature inside and out.

Nor could he claim to understand its objective.

So how could he be so confident as to leave the message unanswered for so long, while treating Li Daochang with such indifference?

“Captain?”

Jin Rongxu’s reply arrived belatedly.

Jin Rongxu: “What do you mean?”

Jin Rongxu: “You’ve reached these conclusions, so can I take that to mean you accepted this trap on the Hunter’s behalf and helped him push me into it?”

If Zhu Zeyu hadn’t been keeping track of the time and known that the Witch’s potion was still in effect, he really would have thought Jin Rongxu had read his true thoughts.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out across Zhu Zeyu’s back.

If that were really the case, he would have no choice but to kill Jin Rongxu in this instance and let go of the three abilities that were almost within his grasp.

Fortunately, Jin Rongxu hadn’t—

Zhu Zeyu pretended to be shocked and turned his head, meeting the other man’s displeased gaze just in time.

Jin Rongxu was sneering at him.

Zhu Zeyu understood at once.

This man simply couldn’t distinguish what was important from what was urgent. He probably just felt that Zhu Zeyu had slighted his authority again.

What a pain.

Zhu Zeyu: “Captain, that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I only did that because I was afraid something might go wrong with the instance.”

Jin Rongxu exploded.

“Who exactly do you think you’re looking down on? Everyone here is your senior!”

“I let it go when you targeted Pot Lid and the army medic.”

“But what the hell do you mean by this? Are you trying to force me to turn my blade on you?”

…

Just as expected.

Zhu Zeyu cautiously glanced at Li Daochang.

The curve of Li Daochang’s lips seemed to have lowered slightly, while the muscles around his eyes were no longer bunched together. His expression had become a rigid, terrifying fake smile.

Shit.

The frightening creature was about to lose its temper, yet this Jin Rongxu, who couldn’t tell what mattered from what didn’t, was still arguing with him!

This was seriously ridiculous.

Since things had come to this, he could only put on an even bigger act for Jin Rongxu.

Zhu Zeyu tugged at Jin Rongxu’s sleeve again.

Zhu Zeyu: “I’m sorry, Captain. You misunderstood me. I need friends in the Human Alliance, and I want to rise through the ranks too.”

Zhu Zeyu: “I was actually delighted when I saw the prophetic vision. It meant I had a chance to earn merit and find a powerful patron.”

“Captain, whether you believe me or not, I responded that way just so I could ultimately get the Hunter’s cloak for you.”

As he replied, Zhu Zeyu put on a fake smile toward Li Daochang and changed the subject.

“Old sir, um… if our captain marries your daughter, will all of us be able to leave the instance?”

“What on earth are you talking about?!” Pot Lid finally couldn’t take it anymore and let out another ear-piercing shriek.

“Zhu Zeyu, you’re being utterly absurd!”

“You’ve stirred things up every time! What the hell are you trying to do—”

“Shut up!” Jin Rongxu shouted impatiently.

Pot Lid stammered as though he were on the verge of breaking down. “Captain, look carefully! This man is simply… simply…”

A long string of text appeared in Jin Rongxu’s field of vision.

While dealing with Li Daochang just now, Zhu Zeyu had somehow still managed to split his attention and send him such a well-reasoned message.

“Captain, I believe the Hunter has most likely already grasped part of the truth.”

“He agreed to this engagement using your identity. I think there are two possible reasons behind it.”

Zhu Yan sat at the dining table in Li Daochang’s house and began making things up on the spot.

After all, he was the Hunter.

Whatever he said couldn’t possibly be wrong!

“First, this marriage may be unavoidable. There must be some information that can only be obtained at the wedding. But the sacrifice required to get married might be too great, and he doesn’t want to make it himself, so he dumped the responsibility on you. Now that Li Daochang has misunderstood the situation, you have no choice but to go through with it.”

It sounded like analysis, but was actually a threat.

Through Zhu Zeyu’s eyes, Zhu Yan was delighted to see Jin Rongxu’s expression darken with displeasure.

“Second, in the final scene of the prophecy, the Hunter comes straight at you with a blade. Since you’re his target, I think there’s a good chance you’ll obtain some benefit from the wedding.”

When he read this, Jin Rongxu lowered his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth turning sternly downward.

He had to admit that Zhu Zeyu’s analysis made sense.

“You mean he wants me to help him obtain that thing, then wait in ambush and seize the results for himself?”

“Yes.”

Zhu Zeyu and Jin Rongxu exchanged a glance, cold smiles spreading across their lips.

“But Captain, judging by the outcome, his plan is going to fail.”

“You’ll be attending the wedding, of course. But he ended up losing both the bride and the battle—not only did he fail to obtain the treasure you acquired, you also took the item he already had.”

“Once I’d thought it through, I got carried away and agreed on your behalf.”

“You’re not going to blame me, are you, Captain?”