Serial Player
Chapter 401 - 78: A Great Misfortune Looms (Thanks to "Not Very Good at Naming" for the silver alliance!)

Chapter 401: Chapter 78: A Great Misfortune Looms (Thanks to "Not Very Good at Naming" for the silver alliance!)

Li Changhe really wanted to return now, but when he reached the territory of Bashu, he still had not triggered any clues. He began to doubt whether he had taken the wrong approach.

Should he personally explore the Ba Mountain Range in order to trigger anything? Or should he visit those villages and towns mentioned in the human trafficker’s mobile phone?

That approach was not cost-effective. Even if Li Changhe managed to locate and complete the task successfully, it would take a substantial amount of time.

This was inconsistent with his plan.

Leaving familiar Yanyun, he’d spent seven or eight hours on a bullet train, thousands of soft coins, and crossed half of Hua Country.

What is his ultimate goal? Is it not for the [Player Experience] and convenience that comes with [Reality Tasks]?

In fact, it’s not difficult for [Players] to trigger [Tasks].

As Wang Er put it, even attending a cram school could trigger a [Task], such as a decryption task like [High Math Maze].

It was just the kind of task that Li Changhe would refuse on seeing the name.

In previous communications, Mr. Bai mentioned that he had seen a traffic accident on the road, which triggered an [Instance Task].

But at that time, they didn’t have the time to pause and search for clues.

[Task Items] can provide [Players] a deeper understanding of the [Tasks], allowing them to prepare in advance.

The convenience of [Reality Tasks] lies in its simplicity.

And it comes with no restrictions.

If it was as restrictive as a [Plot Task], Li Changhe would not have bothered with it.

Unless targeted for an ambush or hunted by a high-level [Player], it is generally safer.

...

"Is it because it’s near the task point? Or has the Mountain Climbing Ghost also traveled this route?" Li Changhe looked at the electronic screen inside the carriage.

’Next stop —— Qiaodu South Station’

Passengers planning to disembark or transfer at this stop began to rise.

This bullet train station in a city within Bashu Province was also the disembarkation point for the young man seated next to him.

"Probably... we should find the clues based on the photos in the camera."

Li Changhe pondered for a moment, then decided not to team up with the young man. As a [Task], he should proceed without leaving much room for potential mishaps.

The young man worked for a company in Magic City, apparently a well-known literary company.

Recently, the company changed its operational policy, which conflicted with the young man’s values.

He proclaimed, ’I come here for my dream, not to be a cash cow’, and he resigned forcefully to go home and farm, planning to see his long-absentee father.

On the journey, he constantly complained to Li Changhe about sleepless capitalism, among other issues.

"Whenever I think about that new manager, elaborating in meetings about how to achieve dreams, focusing on mutual benefits... I get angry!" The young man was infuriated, "What an evil capitalist!"

"There is a sense of exploitation hidden in between their words." Like a caring big brother, Li Changhe commented, understanding without needing his Cold Reading Skill what the young man wanted to hear. Besides, he wasn’t wrong.

"Exactly, Uncle Zhang. It’s like killing the chicken for the eggs..." The young man complained a few more times until the train gradually pulled into the station.

He stood up to say goodbye to Li Changhe, kindly offering his best wishes.

He hoped that Uncle Zhang would achieve his goal and find his run-away son.

After stepping a few steps, as if realizing something, he turned back and left his phone number for Li Changhe. He said that he would definitely help if he could, and even if not, he would treat him to a meal at Qiaodu.

Li Changhe nodded with a smile, watching the young man leave the compartment before walking to another compartment to get off the train.

Mixing in among passengers who were arriving or changing lines.

Only after he saw the young man get into a taxi from afar, did he come out of the station.

Finally, he had arrived at his destination.

...

Winter in Bashu is similar to Nanzhe, both giving off a bone-chilling coldness.

However, for the [Player], it was still within an acceptable range.

But to avoid attracting attention, he held onto his scarf tightly with one hand and carried his suitcase with the other, presenting himself like a middle-aged man who dreads the cold and is rushing home before nightfall.

He found the nearest motel and booked a single room.

While he used the black hawk to stand sentry around the motel, he was inspecting the room for any hidden cameras.

Li Changhe made full use of the [Hawkeye Demon Eyes], examining any suspicious areas.

He needed to be cautious so that no one would see him conjuring items out of thin air.

Thankfully, this motel wasn’t one of those unscrupulous businesses involved in filming illicit videos, everything in the room was normal.

"Everything is secure, there are no [Players] nearby," Yun Ting replied in his mind: "At least, there is nothing abnormal within this 500-meter radius."

"But Brother Ting, aren’t you unable to detect players of the assassin-type?" Li Changhe still felt somewhat uneasy for some reason.

"What are you panicking for? This isn’t Yanyun, that enormous swamp of trouble. Where would all these [Players] come from?"

"You’re right... but something still feels off," Li Changhe responded, frowning.

Yun Ting was correct, this wasn’t Yanyun and the density of [Players] wasn’t high. In theory, the chances of Li Changhe meeting a [Player] here were minimal.

Unless they were also attracted here by a [Reality Task]. But even so, the chances were extremely slim.

But Li Changhe had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. The second he got off the car, he felt off. Someone was watching him from the shadows. And they meant harm!

Yun Ting pondered over it for a moment and said, "You’re wearing the Insect God Vest. As long as you don’t use [Skills] and [Equipment] openly, no one can discover you. Isn’t this what you told me? What are you afraid of?"

"Indeed... What am I afraid of? [Players] can’t find me. The Extraordinary Cause and Effect is blocked by the Insect God Vest. The Transcendent can’t locate me either. Could there possibly be some Mysterious Species nearby that managed to elude Brother Ting’s senses?" thought Li Changhe.

At this moment, he was still in the guise of a middle-aged man. He reached out to touch the fake beard on his chin and tentatively asked, "Brother Ting... should we change to another motel?"

"Look at how cowardly you’ve become!" Yun Ting was stunned as she didn’t expect her little brother, who usually acted so recklessly, to be this timid now.

She felt a little frustrated, "Change, change, change!"

Under the bewildered gaze of the motel owner that seemed to say ’is this guy an idiot?’, Li Changhe checked out of the room.

After traveling two kilometers, he arrived at another motel.

"Brother Ting... Something still doesn’t feel right," Li Changhe said thoughtfully once they were in the room, "Should we change motels again?"

"... Are you sick or something? Is this your first time traveling far from home, so you’re homesick?" Seeing Li Changhe’s abnormal behavior, Yun Ting also became alert and repeatedly scanned their surroundings. But there were no problems, right?

"This is my first time traveling in reality, but in the tasks, haven’t I been fine?" Li Changhe refuted the suggestion. Wasn’t he always far from home during the tasks in Changan, Loulan, and Mysterious Island?

"Then what could possibly scare you? You seem quite brave to me. Aren’t you the one who would dare to confront a hundred opponents alone?" Yun Ting asked cautiously. Could it be that the reckless man who dared to fight against two forces alone was also capable of fear?

"Hard to say. The last time I felt like this was when I broke Old Man Yun’s radio as a child. I felt like I was about to get a beating," Li Changhe explained, frowning.

"My... my dad was going to hit you?" Yun Ting was surprised. Was her dad really that kind of person?

"At first he didn’t hit me. He said it could be fixed and as long as I wasn’t hurt, it was okay. But at the time, I tried to fix it by hitting it at a 45-degree angle... I was afraid that I wasn’t strong enough, so I used a wooden stick..."

"Oh, then you deserved it!" Yun Ting imagined the scene and commented.

"And now, after many years..." Li Changhe paused, "I’m feeling that same sense of impending doom, like a severe beating is about to come. I just don’t know who it is..."