The Calamity Cult, Enemies on a Narrow Road!

The world blurred into a high-speed slideshow. Pedestrians and scenery warped and receded into the background, impossible to make out in any detail.

Wu Wang could only guess what kind of modifications Zhuge Yue had made to this motorcycle. He figured the bike alone had to be at least a 【Fine Quality】 piece of equipment, if not higher.

She was inhumanly rich.

A moment later, they finally came to a stop.

Zhuge Yue swung a leg off the bike and glanced at Wu Wang.

"Not bad, little handsome guy," she remarked with a hint of admiration. "Your expression didn't change at all. You've got some nerve."

She knew very well how difficult her 【Ghost Harley】 was to handle. The prototype was based on the motorcycle from the movie Ghost Rider, and its speed completely defied the laws of physics.

But it had a significant drawback. Both the driver and any passenger would be overwhelmed by an unconscious fear of death and the judgment of their sins.

This was especially true for the driver. The more they feared death or judgment, the slower the motorcycle would become. Eventually, it would stop completely, forever unusable by that person.

Zhuge Yue was used to the feeling, but why did 【Pending Death】 look completely unfazed?

Could it be that he, too, often walked the line between life and death?

"Interesting. I'm getting more and more curious about your secrets," Zhuge Yue said, her face suddenly flushing. It was the same look she got when she felt the urge to slice open his head and peek inside.

Wu Wang gave her a look of disdain.

"If you're not Hammurabi, don't go establishing your own code."

He had pretty much figured her out. Beyond her multiple personalities, Zhuge Yue was just a person with an extremely nasty disposition who loved to mess with people.

To deal with someone like her, you had to be even more unhinged.

"Hmph, I won't stoop to your level," Zhuge Yue said, pouting as she led the way forward.

Wu Wang took a look at their surroundings. They had arrived in an alley in front of a tavern.

Its decor was unremarkable, mostly plain, solid colors. The light on its sign was dim, and its main door was shut tight. If you weren't standing directly under the sign, you probably wouldn't even be able to tell what the place was.

The area was practically deserted. No one ever seemed to walk down this alley. What kind of person would open a shop in such a remote location?

"This is a player-owned shop," Zhuge Yue explained without turning her head. "In the plaza, aside from a few specific locations, almost all the roadside properties can be privately purchased."

With that, she gave a thumbs-up and pointed behind her.

Wu Wang followed her gesture and saw three skyscrapers towering into the clouds. Their style and presence far surpassed any of the other buildings. You could see them from almost anywhere in the plaza.

"See? That's where the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, the Tarot Society, and the Tower of Order bought property to set up their offices."

"Those three are currently the most powerful organizations in the Spirit Calamity Game."

"Qing Long is the director of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau and is also widely acknowledged as the strongest player," Zhuge Yue turned her head and grinned. "Now do you understand how weird it is that you've never heard of him?"

Wu Wang was speechless.

He had already estimated that the Abnormal Affairs Bureau was powerful. After all, Mingyang was only a third-tier city within Huaxia, yet it was guarded by an expert like Xiezhi. What kind of powerhouses were guarding the second-tier and first-tier cities?

But he had never expected the Bureau to be a top-tier existence across the entire game, with its director being the number one player.

Damn it! I have to have a long talk with Xiezhi tomorrow!

"What about the Calamity Cult? Aren't they pretty famous too?" Wu Wang asked, casually changing the subject.

There were countless posts about the Calamity Cult on the player app. People linked all sorts of incredible, bloody, and violent incidents to them. One player even posted that his wife was cheating on him and he suspected the Calamity Cult had sent someone to get revenge.

Wu Wang felt that was going a bit too far, but it was enough to show the Calamity Cult's notorious reputation among the players. They were practically the Team Rocket of this world. Wherever there was trouble, they were there.

They were also the only organization known to be able to inexplicably appear in other people's Instances. Even the Abnormal Affairs Bureau didn't know how they did it.

So, what did Zhuge Yue think of them?

Unexpectedly, the woman gave a mysterious smile. She tilted her head and jutted her chin toward the tavern door.

"Want to know? Then come on in and see for yourself."

"I happen to be here to do business with them. I'll bring you along to broaden your horizons."

"How about it? This experience should be enough to cover the rent, right?"

"And if you're in a good mood, how about you tell me a secret?"

"For example, how many Instances did it take for you to reach Level 10?"

At her last question, Wu Wang's pupils contracted sharply.

Members of the Calamity Cult were inside this very tavern.

What a coincidence. Enemies really do travel on a narrow road.

This woman was a complete psycho! Despite the Calamity Cult's notorious reputation, she was actually here to do business with them.

Then again, Zhuge Yue was no simple character herself. Her ability to read minds, which seemed comparable to the Abyss God's, was already incredible enough.

Wu Wang had noticed something was off long ago. She had caught his silent complaints on the beach, and just now, she had started explaining the moment he wondered about the tavern's remote location.

All signs indicated that Zhuge Yue possessed some kind of ability to know what others were thinking.

But it probably wasn't as direct as the Abyss God's power, which let him see literal text. If it were, she wouldn't need to probe for secrets. She could just ask him a question, and the moment he thought of the answer, she would know everything.

"Are you taking a census? Go do your business," Wu Wang brushed her off.

Faced with his refusal, Zhuge Yue didn't get angry. A secret was called a secret for a reason; it couldn't be known by outsiders. She wasn't interested in things that could be casually spoken of.

For her, the real enjoyment was the process of digging for the kind of secrets others wouldn't reveal even under torture, even on the brink of death.

"Oh, right," Zhuge Yue said with a shrug. "You'd better not reveal this place. It counts as a secret for the few unlucky Calamity Cult members I know."

"If you leak the location of this tavern, the Abnormal Affairs Bureau will probably investigate you inside and out. Then the Calamity Cult will have you in their sights. Finally, even the Calamity Cult's victims will come looking for you, trying to dig up more information."

"That last group's methods aren't as principled as mine, you know."

"I guarantee you won't leave Mingyang City alive."

These reminders weren't out of concern for him. It was just that before she could figure out his secrets, no one else was allowed to kill him.

With that, she pushed the door open and walked inside.

Wu Wang followed her in.

He never thought that before he could get any intel on the Calamity Cult from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, he would be meeting its members face-to-face.

The black cat lady from the 【Masquerade Ball】 didn't count. He'd tortured her for information before cutting off her head, and she was only a reserve member. The things she knew were far too limited.

The people Zhuge Yue was about to meet, however… they had to be official members, right?

Hmph. Let me see just what you Calamity Cult members are plotting.

I love doing business. Those old antique shop owners used to love me.