Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 47 - 047 Helping Big Brother hit the road

Chapter 47: 047 Helping Big Brother hit the road

The dawn broke.

Having bid farewell to the City Lord, Lin Bai led Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice out of the City Lord’s estate through a side gate. As they walked, he explained, "I was the one who disclosed your identities as River and Sea Bandits to the Beggars and led you into the City Lord’s residence. This provides an entry point for you to interact with them. How you integrate into the Beggar Gang is up to you to figure out. I can’t intervene too much, do you understand?"

"This was all planned, wasn’t it?" Crispy Rice couldn’t help but recall the bizarre circumstances under which he had been framed as a River and Sea Bandit.

"Well, kind of!" Lin Bai turned to look at him. Damn it! I never expected you would choose to become a Beggar!

However, everything was back on track.

Thinking about it from another perspective, Crispy Rice becoming Chief of the Beggars was better than him being some fairy king or Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch. At least this profession offered a relatively easier path to its peak; the outcome wasn’t bad at all.

Moreover, for Lin Bai, who possessed the System, the help Crispy Rice could offer was far less valuable than the System’s rewards.

"See, I told you it was a hidden mission," Crispy Rice bragged to Sticky Rice via private message.

"But I still don’t want to be a Beggar," Sticky Rice commented. "Now, I feel like it’s not us playing the game, but the game playing us."

"You can think of it as a role-playing game with an unknown plot," Crispy Rice tried to convince his teammate, "or a different life experience."

Players’ private conversations always revealed a wealth of information. Overhearing Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice, Lin Bai considered recruiting another employee for his shop.

Dumbelldore was too quiet.

A quiet employee was not a good one.

The mission completion notification still hadn’t arrived. As Lin Bai walked, he tried to adjust his train of thought. "Big Bro, are you confident?" he asked.

"Of course, nothing can hinder us," Crispy Rice said confidently. "After all, this is a mission assigned by the City Lord."

Lin Bai paused, suddenly realizing why the mission hadn’t succeeded.

All along, Crispy Rice had been treating becoming a Beggar as a mission rather than a profession.

Looking back towards the City Lord’s estate, Lin Bai lowered his voice. "Big Bro, have you ever thought about being a Beggar for the rest of your life?"

"What?" Crispy Rice was taken aback.

"No matter how well a Hidden Guard performs, they can only remain a Hidden Guard. Their destiny and future are both in the hands of the City Lord," Lin Bai’s voice became grave, his face, silhouetted against the dawn, hidden in shadow. "But if you gain control of the Beggar Gang, you’ll have a massive force of your own."

Crispy Rice’s eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if Lin Bai was testing him or being serious.

It seems I’ve been embroiled in a conspiracy...

Are Lin Bai and the City Lord not in the same faction?

"Big Bro, do you remember what I told you the first time we met?" Lin Bai asked.

"I do," Crispy Rice nodded.

"Destined for greatness," Lin Bai said, walking ahead of them with his hands behind his back. "I wasn’t lying. Heroes often rise from humble beginnings. Your future achievements will surely surpass those of the City Lord. I want to invest in you. Once my Big Bro, always my Big Bro. The City Lord’s vision is limited. You two are my future."

From behind, Lin Bai’s figure seemed to be enveloped in a golden glow. Crispy Rice’s heart pounded in his chest. He instinctively glanced at Sticky Rice and swallowed hard.

"Think about it," Lin Bai continued, "did the City Lord only assign you tasks without offering any real support? When you, as an Undercover agent, become the Gang Leader of the Beggar Gang, and if the City Lord orders you to destroy the Beggar Gang, would you be willing?"

"Certainly not." Crispy Rice shook his head decisively after picturing such a scene. No way! I’m not even that close to her!

"In that case, why not use the City Lord’s resources to build your own enterprise?!" Lin Bai stopped, took out two 100-tael silver banknotes from his bosom, turned, and handed them to Crispy Rice. "The Beggar Gang is a powerful force, Big Bro. Let’s pull a fast one and seize it for ourselves!"

Holy crap!

Looking at the silver banknotes in his hand, Crispy Rice’s wavering heart instantly firmed up.

No need to choose now! The City Lord only made verbal promises, but my new little brother here has given me real silver! Moreover, becoming the Gang Leader of the Beggar Gang while Undercover... that sounds like quite an achievement! In a flash, Crispy Rice’s mind raced. The great Dumbelldore made a name for himself through marketing; I could do the same by leveraging a gang! With my little brother’s support, while everyone else is still learning Martial Arts and doing missions, I might already be a Gang Leader! This is a new type of Gang Creation Token! During the open beta, I could recruit a large number of Players into my Beggar Gang... I’ll either lie low or shock everyone with my debut! The great Dumbelldore was right; there’s more than one way to play this game. Let’s do it!

"Mr. Lin, we’ve only learned basic Martial Arts. Without Martial Power, it will be hard to command respect." Sticky Rice, who hadn’t been swayed by Lin Bai’s grand vision, was moved by the silver banknotes.

She knew how difficult it was to make money in this game. A few days ago, they were still worrying about a few hundred coins. Now, they had two hundred taels of silver as starting capital. It was an incredible feeling, like soaring into the sky.

Lin Bai was silent.

The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms were an exclusive Martial Art of the Beggar Gang, but he wasn’t sure if teaching it to Crispy Rice would trigger the Disciple recruitment process.

I can’t have Crispy Rice as my Big Bro and my Disciple at the same time! Although the two roles aren’t mutually exclusive, the Mentor System has requirements for a Disciple’s conduct. I can’t be around Big Bro all the time, reminding him to do good deeds.

"You two practice the City Lord’s Martial Arts first," Lin Bai said. "I’ll think of a solution for other Martial Arts."

"Thank you, Mr. Lin." Upon hearing Lin Bai’s words, Crispy Rice felt completely at ease.

I made the right choice! If I had irrevocably sided with the City Lord, I probably wouldn’t have received such great benefits.

Before Crispy Rice’s words faded, a notification popped up in Lin Bai’s mind.

[A small step for Big Bro is a giant leap for you. An indecisive Big Bro is destined to accomplish nothing. As his little brother, it was necessary for you to help him establish firm convictions (Completed). Reward: Qi Yun +3. (Issued)]

[Big Bro’s career outlook corrected. Reward: Qi Yun +5. (Issued)]

[Even a hero needs his companions. How can Big Bro not have subordinates? Find a loyal subordinate for Big Bro. Reward: Qi Yun +1.]

Lin Bai glanced at the new mission prompt.

He turned to them, saying, "Crispy Rice, Sticky Rice, there can be only one Gang Leader in the Beggar Gang. One of you must lead, and the other must take a supportive role."

"I will!" Sticky Rice said, looking at Crispy Rice. "I don’t want to be the Gang Leader of the Beggar Gang. I’ll be the support."

As soon as she finished speaking...

A notification for mission completion appeared in Lin Bai’s mind, followed by a new mission: [Big Bro needs territory. At the very least, ensure Big Bro has influence over one street. Reward: Qi Yun +2.]

Missions kept popping up. Lin Bai frowned. He couldn’t single-handedly manage Big Bro’s career path. Otherwise, Big Bro would be no different from a Puppet.

Big Bro has to take the initiative!

"That’s settled then. You two discuss how to start," Lin Bai said. "I have more important things to do and can’t stay with you all the time. My suggestion is to start by infiltrating the Beggar Gang and ideally carving out your own territory. Only with influence can you make a name for yourselves. Let me know if you run into any difficulties."

"We understand, Mr. Lin. You’ve already given us a lot of support. We’ll take care of the rest ourselves." With a lofty goal in mind and plenty of silver in hand, Crispy Rice was brimming with motivation.

"Work hard!"

Lin Bai nodded at them, glanced at the sky, and activated his Morning Flight Qinggong.

Flying was everyone’s dream, and he had long wanted to experience it.

It felt as if an airflow had sprung up out of nowhere, supporting his body.

With still shoulders and an unmoving body, Lin Bai floated straight up in front of Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice. With a light push of his feet, he drifted a good distance away, as if walking on the moon.

The experience was just like what Zhuangzi described as Riding the Wind—although the speed was a bit slow, his form was exceedingly graceful. He could even fly straight upwards if he wished.

Of course, within the stipulated time limit, using Inner Strength would increase the speed. However, it would also ruin the aesthetic, and the speed didn’t increase by much anyway...

Alright!

Beyond showing off, Morning Flight really was a rather impractical Martial Art.

But even such an impractical Martial Art made Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice drool with envy.

Sticky Rice said, "He has such great Martial Arts. Why doesn’t he teach us?"

Crispy Rice rubbed his hands. "Perhaps the time isn’t right yet. Most rewards are given out after missions are completed. Once we’ve achieved something, we can ask him to teach us Martial Arts."

"Mmm." Sticky Rice gazed at Lin Bai with envy, her eyes sparkling. Floating so gracefully in the sky... that Qinggong was incredibly cool! She was determined to learn it.

[Confidence from Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice +1, +1]