Chase Game

The lamplight flickered, and Zhou Jie's gaze in the mirror was uncertain.

He said, "Cooperation? Is there anything we can cooperate on?"

Faced with Zhou Jie's question, Ding Guifang calmly replied:

"Treasure Hunter, as the name suggests, your questline will definitely be related to treasure hunting, and... it will be related to the gods!"

Ding Guifang's ramblings did not intimidate Zhou Jie. Even though what she said was true, Zhou Jie did not react.

He was waiting for Ding Guifang's next words.

Then, Ding Guifang pulled out a "treasure" from who-knows-where that shocked Zhou Jie.

His eyes gleamed, clearly very eager for this thing, and even his breathing quickened slightly.

Only after confirming that it was exactly what he was looking for did he involuntarily exclaim in surprise:

"A divine bird's egg!"

Then, as if he had thought of something, he frowned slightly and said, "It's actually in your hands..."

Ding Guifang retrieved the divine bird egg, appearing somewhat proud and self-satisfied, and said, "Because I am a messenger of the gods, the divine beings have entrusted me with this safekeeping."

"Since you've put it that way, are you really going to hand over something so important to you to me?"

This time, it was Ding Guifang's turn to be filled with fervor. She said excitedly, "Of course! The gods have chosen you; you should feel fortunate!"

"Once you complete the test given to you by the gods, you will also obtain the identity of 'God's Messenger' and of course you will be able to possess this egg."

Zhou Jie suddenly realized, thinking to himself: This is damn well, they're here to proselytize and brainwash me.

Bullshit! To Zhou Jie, if gods truly existed in the world, then the god who created the chase game would be the only and supreme god.

Zhou Jie disdained the other gods.

Of course, although he has a fiery temper, when someone has something on him, he can think whatever he wants, but he can't say it out loud.

"So, the cooperation you're talking about is actually just a one-sided test of me?"

Zhou Jie sneered: "Trying to get something for nothing? You're dreaming."

Of course, given his temper, even if he tries to restrain himself, what he says is still unpleasant.

Ding Guifang frowned. Trying to get something for nothing? And she even went so far as to replace "divine favor" with "cooperation"!

In fact, Ding Guifang's faith is not very effective for most players of the chase game.

For players, the chase game itself is the greatest miracle.

You said it was a phoenix?

They will tell you, "No, that's just an NPC."

Different road non-phase plan.

The cooperation between Zhou Jie and Ding Guifang was destined to be nothing more than an exchange of interests.

So Ding Guifang also tore off her mask of hypocrisy and kindness, and coldly said:

"If you refuse the gift of the gods, then you will never get this divine bird egg."

The blatant threat made Zhou Jie realize that Ding Guifang always held the initiative in the cooperation.

This forced him to engage in calm, unemotional considerations of self-interest.

"Although I don't know how she knew, my role is indeed that of a 'treasure hunter'."

"But treasure hunting isn't just a one-way street for me..."

In fact, Zhou Jie also had a trick up his sleeve.

He has a dual identity, which means he has two choices.

On the surface, he served as the "Acting Patriarch's confidant," doing his bidding for the Patriarch's every need. As long as the Patriarch's single-line mission was completed, his single-line mission was also considered complete.

Behind the scenes, his other identity is that of a "treasure hunter," the kind of person who seeks out the secrets behind the rise of the Meng family.

Obtaining the "Divine Bird Egg," the treasure that helped the Meng family rise to prominence, was a special path for him as a treasure hunter.

The difference between the two characters lies in whether they believe Wang Yun or themselves.

The seed of this answer was actually planted before he told Wang Yun about both of his identities.

At the beginning, Wang Yun was his captain, so he naturally helped him as a "confidant".

However, he later sensed that Wang Yun was inexplicably very dissatisfied with him.

This discontent, like sunshine and rain, nurtured the seed in my heart, and thus the sprout of rebellion began to emerge.

With Ding Guifang's help to push things forward, Zhou Jie naturally leaned towards the role of "treasure hunter".

But what bothered him was that if this was an unfair partnership, to put it bluntly, he was just changing masters and would still be a dog.

That's why he raised questions and sought an equal partnership.

Ding Guifang's tough stance thwarted his plans.

In the mirror, Zhou Jie stared intently at Ding Guifang with a frosty expression.

The appearance, physique, and expression of the clone in the mirror are almost identical to the real Zhou Jie. Most importantly, it can be freely controlled and the senses are unified.

His clone artifact seems to be of a higher level than Ling Yi's previous [Puppet Doll].

In the mirror, Zhou Jie and Ding Guifang faced off for a long time, neither willing to back down. Finally, he spoke up: "Tell me what you want me to do first."

Ding Guifang shook her head: "No, you're mistaken. It's not that I'm asking you to do anything. As I said, this is a test from the gods. You are working for the gods."

She looked directly into Zhou Jie's eyes, her gaze deep, and said, "Moreover, after completing the test, you will obtain the identity of 'Messenger of God'!"

Ding Guifang brought up the phrase "messenger of God" again, and, seemingly to prove her point, she even gave a demonstration.

The flickering flame in the oil lamp slowly flew out, and Ding Guifang opened her mouth, and the flame flew into her mouth.

Then, Zhou Jie saw a bright light hidden in her throat, then moving downwards, downwards, and then towards her left chest.

Finally, it stopped at the heart, and like a heartbeat, flames erupted from Ding Guifang's body.

With another leap, the flames completely enveloped her.

Zhou Jie thought of the "little girl with flames all over her body" described by Wang Yun, and he thought that Ding Guifang would eventually become like that.

But after a while, she still looked old.

Before he could think it through, he heard Ding Guifang say to him, "This is the messenger of God."

Zhou Jie had previously thought that this was just a self-proclaimed title she used to intimidate people.

It now appears that this so-called "messenger of God" is actually a character or identity.

Ding Guifang continued:

"Once you complete the test, not only will your character's identity change to that of a messenger of the gods, but your game identity will also transform from a fugitive to a hunter!"

Hearing this, Zhou Jie was indeed somewhat moved. He had to admit, the offer was just too damn tempting...

In fact, Zhou Jie was also a believer in "the nobleism of the pursuers".

For someone with such a fiery temper like him, being a fugitive was incredibly frustrating.

However, the most crucial question remains unanswered.

For Ding Guifang, there is a fundamental difference between "what you want me to do" and "the test of the gods".

For Zhou Jie, it was just another way of saying it.

However, to avoid Ding Guifang continuing to argue with him about gods and spirits, Zhou Jie compromised.

He asked, "So, what exactly is the test from the gods?"

Ding Guifang, with a solemn expression, as if reciting an imperial edict, uttered a statement that utterly shocked him—

"You, go and kill the acting head of the Meng family."