Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

If it were anyone else, Fan Xiao would probably have blocked them on the spot.

When someone you haven't contacted in a long time suddenly reaches out to you, it's usually to... ask for money.

Moreover, it's the kind of loan where there's a very high chance of not repaying it.

However, Yan Kening is a female CEO with considerable assets in the real world, so her sudden contact with him is definitely not to borrow money.

Fan Xiao gave his former teammate face and took a taxi to the agreed location.

About twenty minutes later, he arrived at a teahouse located at the intersection of Qilu Road in Tianhu District.

The surrounding environment is beautiful, close to a lakeside park, and far from the hustle and bustle, giving people a sense of tranquility.

Upon arriving at the entrance, a female waitress in uniform immediately approached, confirmed Fan Xiao's identity, and led him to an elegant private room.

Inside the private room, two people were sitting at the tea table waiting.

One of them is Yan Kening, wearing a simple, plain-colored dress, with exquisite makeup and a capable demeanor, subtly exuding the aura of a strong woman.

The hat on her head was a bit of a mood killer.

Sitting next to her was also an acquaintance of Fan Xiao's—Werewolf Xu Yao.

Xu Yao openly displayed his wolf ears, his expression somewhat composed, sitting upright like a bodyguard standing guard.

In fact, he does currently hold the position of bodyguard.

Not long after leaving the "Lucky Hotel" instance, Yan Kening contacted him and hired him as her bodyguard.

It can be considered a group of demi-human players seeking solace in each other.

After all, their different appearance makes them vulnerable to discrimination.

The players don't have any "cute" qualities; this identity represents more cruelty and bloodshed, and not everyone will shout "Long live the beast-eared girl!"

Of course, at the very bottom of the player hierarchy are the cannibals, who are like rats in the street, hated by everyone. When going into dungeons, they have to hide their identities for fear of being ganged up on by others if they are exposed.

However, cannibalistic players are indistinguishable from normal humans in appearance, so it doesn't affect their daily lives.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Seeing Fan Xiao sit down at the table, Yan Kening smiled.

Xu Yao nodded to Fan Xiao as a greeting.

Fan Xiao knew he was a man of few words, so he didn't mind and got straight to the point: "What do you want with me?"

"Are you so sure we're calling you because we need something?" Yan Kening laughed. "Couldn't we just catch up and strengthen our relationship?"

“It’s not very credible for someone who hasn’t been in contact for five months to say something like that.”

Fan Xiao picked up the tea that Yan Kening had poured for him and took a small sip.

With the Blood Duke's regenerative abilities, he is now basically unafraid of any toxins.

If you are truly poisoned, you can neutralize the poison by transforming into a large number of owls or bats, concentrating the poison on one of the transformed nocturnal creatures, then discarding it, and transforming back to be immune.

So now he has fewer scruples in his daily life, and he dares to drink water that others pour for him... well, except for water poured by Lu Xining.

It wasn't that Lu Xining had any powerful medicine that made him unable to cope.

Instead, once his burning desire is aroused, he no longer wants to restrain himself and wants to actively vent it.

That kind of thing should be done in moderation; it's easy to get addicted.

"Well... there's a reason why I haven't contacted you for so long."

Yan Kening also took a sip of tea and sighed softly, "These past few months have been tough for us. We've been running around like headless chickens for dungeons, constantly facing dangerous situations. We've almost forgotten what normal life is like. We really don't have the energy to contact our old friends for any reunion activities."

"Actually, I did think about inviting you to run a dungeon together. With a pro like you to help, clearing the dungeon would be much easier. But we're not that close yet, so it's not easy to bring it up."

"Why are you playing the victim?" Fan Xiao shook his head. "Besides, what big shot or not, I'm just like you guys, struggling to survive in the dungeon. I almost died at the hands of the dungeon boss several times. Sigh, everyone's situation is pretty much the same."

"...I heard from others that you clear dungeons very easily."

Yan Kening's eye twitched.

This guy is still the same as always, he just spouts off without thinking!

"You're a businessman, are you so thin-skinned that you're embarrassed to invite people to run a dungeon?"

Fan Xiao's lips curled slightly: "I'm a little skeptical myself."

"……All right."

Yan Kening truthfully said, "Actually, we have been in contact with Du Ruo for the past few months. When I suggested inviting you to run a dungeon together, he told me something."

At this point, her gaze towards Fan Xiao became subtle: "He said it's best not to go into dungeons with you. He said you're like you're cursed, every dungeon you go into is incredibly difficult, and other players who go with you are just asking for trouble..."

"...Tell me what you wanted to see me about today."

Fan Xiao changed the subject.

“Actually, it wasn’t me who wanted to see you today,” Yan Kening said. “I was entrusted by our president.”

"President? Us?" Fan Xiao asked curiously, "What organization did you join? Did Xu Yao join too?"

"The Assumptions".

Xu Yao nodded.

"The Ashu Association, as the name suggests, is an organization where demi-human players band together for mutual support."

Yan Kening explained, "Now, player organizations both domestically and internationally are springing up like mushrooms after rain, and there are more and more of them. If you frequently browse the official player forum set up by the Special Affairs Bureau, you will definitely notice this information."

"These grassroots player organizations are similar to NGOs, or non-governmental organizations, much like dog and cat love associations. They vary in size, but they are all players who come together to support each other."

"Of course, there are also large, independent player organizations, some even international. Our Ash Association has a fairly strong presence domestically, and our leader is a top-tier C-rank player..."

Seeing that Fan Xiao didn't react to this information, she guessed that he probably didn't pay much attention to the player forums, so she began to explain in detail.

Currently in the country, the existence of amateur player organizations is tacitly approved by the authorities.

Of course, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

For example, before establishing an organization, one must apply to the authorities, explain the purpose of creating the organization to the authorities, and also fulfill some obligations required by the authorities.

Taking the Assyrian Order as an example, if a demi-human player causes trouble in the country, the Assyrian Order must send people to assist the authorities in investigating and arresting the criminal player.

Although it is a non-governmental organization, it is still subject to a certain degree of official jurisdiction.

Of course, with obligations come benefits.

The authorities will allocate certain resources or make concessions on certain matters to provide fertile ground and space for such organizations to develop.

The organizations that need to submit an application are considered large organizations.

As for the other smaller players, groups formed by a few or a dozen players are similar in nature to hobby clubs, so they don't need to apply for a special application to form one.

As long as you don't cause trouble, the authorities generally turn a blind eye.

Or they simply don't know such a small organization exists.

"The Special Affairs Bureau is deliberately allowing the formation of civilian player organizations, or rather, there's nothing they can do to stop it."

Yan Kening speculated, "Perhaps soon, these organizations will unite and merge into some kind of player alliance to seize a certain degree of influence."

“You can’t say that,” Fan Xiao clicked his tongue, “Be careful you don’t get investigated tomorrow.”

"As the gap in strength between players and ordinary people widens, it's inevitable that some changes will occur in the social structure," Yan Kening sighed. "It seems we've strayed a bit from the topic."

“We’ve gone a bit off-topic,” Fan Xiao asked. “What does your president want with me? Why didn’t he come to see me in person?”

"The guild leader is a very polite person. He probably thinks it's very impolite to investigate your information without permission and then make contact with you rashly. It would also easily make you wary and have a bad feeling. So he entrusted us to come over. Acquaintances can always ease the tension between players."

Yan Kening said, "As for our purpose... we've come to invite you to join the Ascetic Order."

"..." Fan Xiao said speechlessly, "Why would an organization full of demi-human players invite me to join?"

"Do I have to wear a cat ear headband?"—he didn't say this aloud because it was somewhat insulting.

"You really haven't been browsing forums much!"

Yan Kening said, "You've been very popular on various player forums lately, both official and unofficial."

"Although our Ashu Society is an organization of demi-human players, we do not exclude human players from joining. Well, as long as we don't discriminate against demi-human players."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xiao frowned and asked, "Am I popular lately? In what specific ways?"

"Everyone says you're a hero of Division 010, for securing a stable supply of fantasy materials for us," Yan Kening exclaimed. "The first safe zone in Division 010 is under construction now. Once completed, it will benefit millions of people, which is a historic event."

"Where did this news come from?" Fan Xiao asked.

"I don't know about that," Yan Kening shook her head. "A lot of people have been talking about it lately, but it's impossible to pinpoint exactly where it came from. Judging from your expression..."

She paused, her expression turning serious, and said, "It seems the president is right. You are indeed troubled by this matter. I personally feel that there's something wrong with this information. The more it's spread, the more it seems to be morally blackmailing you, as if it's trying to kill you with praise."

"In short, join the Assumption. We can provide shelter for you and your family. It will only benefit you and not harm you."

"Alright, now that we've finished discussing business, let's talk about personal matters."

"...What personal matter?"

Fan Xiao was somewhat surprised by her sudden change of heart.

“I have some guesses about the president’s purpose,” Yan Kening said. “He probably wants to take a bite out of the strategic resource of fantasy matter and get a share of the profits. After all, creating a safe zone is the urgent goal of the entire 010 division. The profits involved are so huge that even taking a small bite would be enough to make him rich.”

At this point, she sighed softly and said, "As an organization grows bigger, it inevitably falls into the trap of self-interest. The Ash Society is no longer as pure as it was at the beginning."

"I'm only inviting you out of a sense of duty as a senior official. Whether you accept or not is none of my business."

She smiled slightly: "Don't let this matter cause you to misunderstand my attitude and damage our relationship."

Actually, we don't have much of a relationship... Fan Xiao laughed, "Wouldn't you call this playing hard to get?"

"It depends on how you interpret it," Yan Kening said with a bright smile. "So, what's your answer?"

"If I join the Assassins, will I become a very important high-ranking figure in the organization?" Fan Xiao asked.

Yan Kening nodded: "Of course, with your abilities, that's no problem at all."

"But I refuse."

"??"

Chapter 380 Fan Xiao begins to show his arrogance

Although she was rejected, Yan Kening wasn't too surprised and didn't feel much regret.

Her previous words were not a lie—she was simply there to relay a message, and she didn't care whether it worked out or not.

The main problem was that Fan Xiao's sudden turn of events almost caught her off guard, leaving her a bit dazed.

Could you explain why?

Yan Kening quickly regained her composure and calmness: "The conditions offered by the guild leader are very good. You can mobilize all the resources that our Ash Guild has, and we will take turns sending players to form teams to protect your family."

"The Assumption itself is very free. Apart from needing to hold regular meetings and cooperate with the authorities to complete some tasks, there is not much else to do."

"The reason... do you want to hear something nice from me? Or something unpleasant?"

Fan Xiao gave two options.

"Oh?" Yan Kening smiled and said, "Can I hear all of it?"

"You're quite greedy, so I'll grant your wish." Fan Xiao nodded slightly: "The nice thing to say is... sorry, I joined another organization a long time ago and have no interest in the petty squabbles of Division 010."

"Minor squabbles... is that what you call nice?"

Yan Kening's eye twitched.

The Assumptions are quite large, and she was somewhat indignant to hear her organization being described as small-scale.

However, she had long since mastered the art of self-control and would not easily reveal her negative emotions.

She asked, "You rejected the entire 010 district... You joined an organization from another district? What organization?"

"That's a secret, I can't reveal it."

Fan Xiao refused to answer.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision for him to leak information about his joining an organization in another region through the Ashe Church.

In any case, once the assassination attempt begins, the "vast power" behind him will be revealed, and he will be respected by everyone.

Providing an explanation in advance allows you to justify your statement later and increases its credibility.