Observing Ants Building Their Nest

“Player, please make time to return to [Fenghe Village] and fulfill the promise you made to the terrifying creature [Mother].”

All right.

Zhu Yan would make time to go find Dragonfly. As luck would have it, Jin Rongxu had just given him a one-day leave from school.

The female voice fell silent.

Two seconds later, it switched to a different form of address.

“Dear [Hunter], we have an important announcement for you.”

Zhu Yan unconsciously sat up straighter.

Important matters concerning [Hunters] were almost never broadcast over the radio.

The default contact address was the [Narration Stage], where Zhu Yan obtained nearly all his information.

For an announcement to come out of nowhere like this could only mean something unusual was happening.

“Your several simple missions have been completed successfully. Your [Hunter] rank has risen from Level 0 to Level 3, and you are now capable of acting independently.”

“Please proceed to the [Narration Stage] as soon as possible to receive one [Baptism] and other [Hunter] rewards.”

Those two words really didn’t sound like anything good.

Were they going to wash him from head to toe, inside and out, with [Shuddering Bliss]?

That would be a real disaster.

Zhu Yan lounged lazily in his seat, instinctively reaching for the bracelet around his wrist.

Unfortunately, this was only a puppet, and puppets didn’t have bracelets.

“We have an important mission to assign to you, and we have altered the form of the mission instance.”

“Dear [Hunter], please make adequate preparations and get ready to enter the special instance [A Vacation with Undercurrents].”

“For the instance’s starting time and the specific [Hunter] mission, please proceed to the [Narration Stage] and inquire in person.”

“Please note: If you proceed to the [Narration Stage], you must conceal your identity from all humans.”

“Finally, we look forward to seeing you again.”

“Glad you recognized me, Player!”

The female voice fell silent.

The car was quiet, save for the chirping of insects outside and the whooshing of wind rubbing against the gaps in the windows.

Zhu Yan controlled [Fog] and continued toward the express passage.

Yang Zhanbai leaned over from the other side.

“My broadcast’s over.” He grinned sheepishly. “The result was pretty decent.”

It should all be over now, right?

Zhu Yan glanced at Jin Rongxu up ahead and asked Yang Zhanbai, “Why did you make that face just now?”

“There was this older guy in the instance.”

Yang Zhanbai chose his words carefully. “He was human, but he was a huge liability.”

“And then?”

“He did nothing but point fingers and give orders. He nearly got everyone killed.”

Zhu Yan really wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

Still, he couldn’t help asking, “You looked that awful just because of that?”

“That’s not all.” Yang Zhanbai shook his head. “Buddy, I killed him.”

“…What?”

Zhu Yan’s eyes widened. “You?”

“Yeah.” Yang Zhanbai shrank back into his seat and leaned against the backrest. “I thought it through. If he didn’t die, the other dozen or so people would have. One life in exchange for more than a dozen—I decided it was worth it.”

As he spoke, Yang Zhanbai gave a bitter smile.

“It was just my first time laying a hand on a human. I felt like throwing up.”

Zhu Yan fell silent again, looking Yang Zhanbai up and down twice.

This was bad.

If Yang Zhanbai found out that he was a [Hunter], how many lives could one life be exchanged for…?

The official vehicle passed through two checkpoints and slowly entered the gates of the [Human Alliance].

…

Following the map’s directions, [Fog] slowly descended into an aging residential compound.

The compound was in a remote area, and few households still had their lights on.

The passage was located inside a shed for electric scooters, beneath a manhole cover.

Zhu Yan thought of the broadcast’s warning: “You must conceal your identity from all humans.”

The sentence was a little strange, but he still followed the warning strictly, squeezing beneath the manhole cover in the form of [Fog].

He quickly drifted across the viscous ground of [Frenzied Happyland]. In the distance, he saw the sparks flying inside the [Narration Stage].

Unlike usual, however, the [Narration Stage] was noticeably livelier today.

A few scattered figures stood inside. At a glance, Zhu Yan realized they were the father and son he had seen last time—the pair who clearly held positions of power and influence.

[Fog] drifted in lightly, cautiously circling the ceiling once before peeking downward.

“The mission is complete.” The young man nodded at the [Vine Cage Girl] behind the counter. “The broadcast said we would be rewarded with items and some other…”

The [Vine Cage Girl] suddenly raised her head and looked toward the ceiling.

“Yes, gentlemen.” It took several rings from beneath the counter. Their designs were different from those of the [Silver Storage Rings]. “Congratulations on completing your mission.”

“These are your rewards… Would you like to spend them here?”

The young man’s eyes were slightly bloodshot.

He swallowed, seemingly forcing something down.

“There’s something else I want to ask,” he said. “When will we be able to go on a mission with that senior [Hunter]?”

“The one whose ID is [Account Deleted].”

The [Vine Cage Girl] smiled.

“Very soon, sir,” it said sweetly. “The shopping session is about to close. Would you like to—”

“Yes.” This time, the young man’s answer was decisive. “Show me the second page of the catalog. Thank you.”

Zhu Yan was very curious about what was on the second page.

But when he saw the young man’s scarlet eyes, he silently looked away.

Only after the group entered, one after another, through the hidden door opened by the [Vine Cage Girl] did he control himself and slowly descend, reforming into a human shape.

“Hi,” Zhu Yan said quietly. “We meet again.”

The [Vine Cage Girl] giggled. “You don’t have to be so cautious. This door is special. It’s a premium product from the [Lazybones Craft Shop]. They can’t hear anything through it.”

It didn’t even ask Zhu Yan what he wanted before skillfully serving him a cup of iced-salt-cheese latte.

“Congratulations on ranking up, [Hunter].”

“Your [Hunter Forum] should already be unlocked, and so should the [Hunter Shop].”

“Look at the palm of your right hand to enter. You can buy some minor items there.”

It fluttered its eyelashes at Zhu Yan. “But the products from the [Lazybones Craft Shop] are a better deal. If you can find that Dragonfly…”

Zhu Yan nodded to show that he understood.

The [Vine Cage Girl] then bent down, pulled a brightly colored gift box from beneath the counter, and pushed it toward him, gesturing for him to open it.

“This is your [Hunter] reward. However, I suggest that you look at your next mission before opening it.”

It tapped the cup of salt-cheese latte.

Only then did Zhu Yan notice that the label on the cup was much longer than before, trailing all the way down to the tabletop.

He couldn’t help looking up at the [Vine Cage Girl]. Then he grabbed the drink and leaned against the counter, reading the label word by word.

“Esteemed [Hunter], we have detected the existence of the [Human Alliance]. This is a very interesting discovery.”

“Although observing ants grow and build nests is an entertaining activity, we also understand the saying: ‘A thousand-mile dike can collapse because of an anthill.’”

“We hope that you will serve as an auxiliary agent and gradually dismantle this organization from within.”

“That will be a thousand times more interesting than watching ants build their nests!”