Mercenary Tao’s Name, Betrayal

"Hehe, as expected of a sensitive beast, you realized the danger so quickly~"

White Face reclined against the body of a fox burning with icy blue flames. She wore no mask, and her smile was exceptionally content.

The Information Broker standing before her wore a black cloak and a white Hannya Demon Mask. With the concealment of the space, his true identity was completely impossible to discern.

Such Avatars were extremely common. Many Information Brokers and Reincarnators used these special Avatars when conducting shady business, precisely so that no one would know who had leaked the information.

"Yes. Based on the current signs, Mercenary Tao has realized that someone in the space is deliberately releasing information about him, and he suspects Black Butler, the Information Broker most familiar to him. Black Butler is furious and is currently using his own intelligence network to find out who is buying and leaking Mercenary Tao’s information."

White Face lay on her back as the Fox Spirit beneath her obediently adjusted its posture, making her more comfortable. After Eternal Destiny’s disappearance, this woman had gone through initial panic and fury before finally completely letting herself go.

She found that she was already close enough to those so-called top-tier Reincarnators. In the upcoming title competition of the next cycle, she would claim a title with sufficient weight.

Sage Red Dust and the rest were all trash. If His Excellency had chosen her to enter B711 World back then, she believed that with her abilities, she absolutely would not have let Mercenary Tao gain such a huge advantage.

A gleam visible only to White Face flickered on her right hand.

Without even looking at him, she raised her hand and transferred a C-rank Anomaly Point and ten thousand Dimensional Points to the disguised Information Broker.

"Little Jinzi, you’ve done well. Next, continue spreading Mercenary Tao’s information. Better yet, drag in everyone who has ever had dealings with him. I want this beast to become paranoid…"

She lay on her back, her delicate fair calves exposed beneath her white robe trimmed with gold as they gently swung.

She knew that Great Demon and the others probably had some thoughts about her as well and were secretly contacting one another, but she did not take them seriously.

They were just a bunch of idiots. However, White Face was not a particularly magnanimous person, so she added,

"Mix in the news that Great Demon and the remnants of Fifth Element are plotting to surround and kill Mercenary Tao. As for how much is true and how much you release, use your own judgment. Oh, and who else was there… Heaven’s Will. That woman named Heaven’s Will seems to have become increasingly famous lately. She has crossed paths with Mercenary Tao before, so include her too."

The Information Broker called Little Jinzi lowered his head, feeling that White Face seemed to act on every whim. But this transaction was becoming increasingly dangerous.

He sensed an intense unease. This group was not only plotting against an extremely dangerous ferocious beast like Mercenary Tao, but was also unstable internally. These Reincarnators who saw themselves as Hunters and Avengers were likewise wary of and scheming against one another.

After nearly every transaction, he received orders from his employers to spread unfavorable news about others.

Could such a group really succeed in surrounding and killing Mercenary Tao…

White Face abruptly rose. Her exquisitely pretty face, as delicate as a young girl’s, suddenly leaned close to Little Jinzi. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous crescent moons.

"I smell fear and hesitation, Little Jinzi. Are you thinking that with an alliance as disorganized as ours, we probably can’t kill Mercenary Tao?"

Jin Ruohai’s pupils contracted as he instinctively looked toward the Avatar’s description. Although this was the other party’s Private Space and its isolation effect was not as strong as that of a public space, an Avatar should theoretically still block all spying, mind-reading, and perception effects.

White Face burst into laughter at the sight. She loved watching these idiots get played in the palm of her hand. With only a little psychological suggestion, they would act exactly as she wanted.

It gave her an innate sense of superiority over these mediocrities. That feeling was not based on strength, but on… intellect and strategy.

"Alright, Little Jinzi, stop looking. Your thoughts are ridiculously easy to guess. I hope Mercenary Tao doesn’t discover you. That guy… tsk, he really isn’t an idiot. If he sees through you, you’ll die~"

Jin Ruohai nodded and left White Face’s Private Space without saying a word. He truly was somewhat afraid.

He decided that after this job was done, he would completely discard the identity of Jin Ruohai, change to another Avatar, adopt another codename, abandon all his old connections, and start over from scratch.

He returned to his apartment-sized Private Space, which he had decorated like a luxurious private club. It was extravagantly lavish, with premium incense burning inside. Only after smelling that fragrance did he finally relax completely.

XX53562211 sent a contact request: Mr. Jin Ruohai, I heard that you are a renowned Information Broker in the East District. I would like to make a deal with you.

A space contact message suddenly appeared before him, making Jin Ruohai frown. He had already switched back to the Avatar commonly used for the Jin Ruohai codename: a middle-aged man in an expensive red suit, with slightly graying temples and a composed temperament.

The contact message came out of nowhere, but the codename did seem somewhat familiar.

XX53562211 sent a contact request: Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Mercenary Tao.

The new contact message made Jin Ruohai abruptly rise to his feet. It was as if a current surged up from his tailbone, instantly making his entire body go numb and his face turn deathly pale.

That was right, this codename beginning with two Xs belonged to Mercenary Tao!

Because Mercenary Tao’s stall had almost constantly displayed high-value items lately, Jin Ruohai had sent offers to that stall while searching for suitable items for many clients. As a result, he had some instinctive memory of that number.

Why had Mercenary Tao come looking for him?!

Had he discovered him?!

Jin Ruohai’s heart began pounding wildly. He instinctively wanted to leave the space and return to the real world to temporarily avoid Mercenary Tao, but just as that thought surfaced, another message arrived.

XX53562211 sent a contact request: Don’t be nervous. I mean you no harm. Perhaps you don’t know this, but I am actually a partner who greatly respects contracts. Black Butler can vouch for that. If you work with me, I won’t touch you…

That string of ellipses seemed to say that if he did not work with him, then he could not guarantee that he would not target him…

Prejudice in the human heart was like a towering mountain. Jin Ruohai felt that every word from Mercenary Tao carried a threat. He once again felt as if he were being toyed with by White Face. The other party firmly controlled the pace of the conversation and saw through his thoughts completely.

Damn it, I’ve never had much contact with Mercenary Tao. Did someone else analyze my personality and habits?

Black Butler’s image appeared in Jin Ruohai’s mind. As an Information Broker whose reputation had grown ever louder because of Mercenary Tao’s rise, Black Butler had already begun affecting Jin Ruohai’s network of connections.

Putting himself in Black Butler’s shoes, Jin Ruohai felt that Black Butler would surely be willing to poison Mercenary Tao’s opinion of him. After all, Jin Ruohai was one of White Face’s regular Information Brokers. Finding a way to kill him might not be a bad thing for either Mercenary Tao or Black Butler.

And besides… Mercenary Tao seemed like the sort of person who would be happy whenever someone gave him a target to kill…

Jin Ruohai frowned for a long time before finally approving Mercenary Tao’s request to enter his Private Space.

The next moment, a pink robe appeared in his Private Space. With black hair cascading behind him, Mercenary Tao casually sat on Jin Ruohai’s expensive sofa, his lips carrying that signature cruel smile.

Merely meeting Mercenary Tao’s gaze made Jin Ruohai psychologically uncomfortable. It was not simply because that Avatar’s face was bizarre. Mercenary Tao seemed to radiate aggression at every moment, and his gaze seemed to be constantly prying into Jin Ruohai’s mind.

This made Jin Ruohai uneasy, but as an Information Broker capable of earning many people’s trust, he had his own methods. He secretly used the modified prosthetics within his body to inject himself with several syringes of medication, rapidly calming himself down.

"Mr. Mercenary Tao, how did you wish to cooperate with me? As I recall, haven’t you always worked with Black Butler?"

Bai Cangshu narrowed his eyes, his smile unchanged.

"With your intelligence network, you should know that information and rumors about me are being spread all over the space right now."

Jin Ruohai gave an ambiguous acknowledgment without confirming or denying it. Under the effects of the drugs, his expression remained fairly normal.

"Who would want to work long-term with an Information Broker who can’t keep his mouth shut? Don’t you agree, Mr. Jin Ruohai?"

Jin Ruohai’s heart stirred. Connecting this to Black Butler’s furious investigation into the leak, he realized that Black Butler’s rage was probably due partly to losing Mercenary Tao’s trust and a long-term cash cow, but also because he had displeased Mercenary Tao. He was afraid!

With that thought, a smile appeared on Jin Ruohai’s face as well.

Anyone could see that Mercenary Tao was a Reincarnator with extraordinary potential. It was practically certain that he would become a powerful Title-level Reincarnator in the upcoming new cycle.

Furthermore, Mercenary Tao had yet to establish his own faction. He was a major client with an enormous and constant demand for buying and selling!

Jin Ruohai stood, revealing a reserved yet confident smile on his refined face.

"Then you have found the right person, Mr. Tao. In the East District, when it comes to connections and reputation, I am probably among the very best Information Brokers. A newcomer like Black Butler, who hasn’t even been around for three months, naturally has many shortcomings…"

Bai Cangshu did not need any ability to clearly sense the greed and stupidity in the other man’s heart.

The smile on his lips grew more obvious, and undisguised greed appeared on his face as well. He leaned forward, nearly pressing right up to Jin Ruohai.

Staring directly into Jin Ruohai’s eyes, he said,

"You should know my style. As the first, tentative transaction between us, I want you to help me find out the next mission world of one person."

Jin Ruohai’s heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, Bai Cangshu said,

"White Face. That woman should be your client, right? Find out the information on her next mission world. I’ll let you draw a certain amount of profit from her Scarlet Drop Card. You should know her worth. What do you think? Even I don’t often offer a price like this…"

His pupils trembled, and he nearly suspected that White Face and the others’ plan had already been exposed. But Mercenary Tao continued,

"Don’t overthink it. This has nothing to do with the recent leaks of my information. My hands have simply been itching lately, and I want to hunt someone worthwhile."

Bai Cangshu’s words were half true and half false. He truly was not certain who was secretly preparing to deal with him, but he did not particularly care. As long as he killed every possible target who might bear a grudge against him one by one, he would not even need to seek out the answer.

As a Special Reincarnator who possessed cards, White Face had naturally become Bai Cangshu’s first hunting target.

When Jin Ruohai did not answer, Bai Cangshu narrowed his eyes.

"Mr. Jin Ruohai, you wouldn’t hear who my target is and then decide you no longer wish to make a deal with me, would you?"

"Ha~ If that happens, and I fail in my hunt, I’ll blame you for it."

Jin Ruohai’s expression froze. Mercenary Tao’s threat was so direct that even the hormones stimulated by the drugs could barely suppress his violently pounding heart.

He hesitated for a long time, his expression constantly shifting. Scenes of White Face and the others scheming against one another, along with Mercenary Tao’s many feats of defeating higher-ranking Reincarnators against the odds, repeatedly surfaced in his mind.

In the end, he slapped his thigh and made his decision.

"Her next mission world will most likely be some sort of magic or sorcery world. Recently, she has had me collect similar items for her, including… Holy Relics. I think you can guess her purpose."

Jin Ruohai actually knew very well that White Face looked down on him and treated him like a fool. She had not even divided the various intelligence requests among several Information Brokers, allowing him to guess her mission world.

This time, he gave all of it to Mercenary Tao at once.

But he still held something back. He did not tell Mercenary Tao about that alliance. If Mercenary Tao failed in his hunt, he would still have room to maneuver.

"Very good, Mr. Jin Ruohai. You made a wise choice."

After Bai Cangshu left Jin Ruohai’s Private Space and returned to the public space, he once again put on an expression of barely concealed anger.

Yet inwardly, he kept laughing. Without paying anything at all, he had made an Information Broker like Jin Ruohai directly sell out an employer he had worked with for so long.

A man’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. This was the reward for acting so high-profile under the identity of Mercenary Tao all this time. His flamboyant and domineering style had made him, as a latecomer, more valuable in the eyes of Information Brokers like Jin Ruohai than old hands like White Face.

This intangible value would continue accumulating until, in the end, his name became a symbol. Others would no longer dare spread information unfavorable to him, just as they did not dare with those Supreme Experts now.

When Bai Cangshu returned to his Private Space, Song Xian had already informed him through a space contact that East Xia had agreed to his terms. From now on, his Paradise would become a true lawless zone.

Bai Cangshu returned to the real world and sat in his manor, laughing loudly.

In his hand, he held an item that had likewise been sealed away for a long time.

Curse Meme: Desire

This would become the first great gift within his Paradise. He would unleash a new wave of chaos!

Collapse Value: 343/500 (Order is relatively stable)

Collapse Bonus: Below 1, not active

It was still not enough. This world was still far, far too orderly…