Relic Scramble

Ding dong.

【Welcome to the Continental Hotel】

He opened the door and stepped inside.

The scene was not what Wu Wang had expected.

From the outside, it looked like a poorly managed tavern. But upon entering, he discovered it wasn't a tavern at all.

It was a goddamn hotel!

The opulent, magnificent interior was astonishing. The space was also far larger than the tavern had appeared from the outside.

Clearly, the door was some kind of teleportation item.

Most importantly, he felt like he had seen this name somewhere before.

Zhuge Yue bypassed the front desk and walked directly toward the elevator, explaining as she went.

"The Continental Hotel. The prototype comes from the movie John Wick. The owner of this hotel is an avid movie fan."

"This place is remarkably similar to the Continental Hotel in the movie. No matter what conflicts you have, you can't start a fight after checking in. Otherwise, the owner will find you offline, dox you, and then crack your skull open."

"Don't doubt his ability. Aside from Qing Long, he's probably the second-strongest Spirit Calamity Player."

"They also provide services like item appraisal and trading, which are a little better than dealing with those unscrupulous merchants outside."

"Of course, all the services from the movie are available here too. They can help dispose of bodies, provide weapons and equipment, and even issue bounties."

Zhuge Yue led Wu Wang into the elevator. She pressed the button for the 55th floor.

An immediate wave of pressure pushed them down as the elevator shot upward.

"A lot of people whose real-life identities can't see the light of day like to do business here, because the Continental Hotel acts as a notary and guarantor."

"Some people suspected the Calamity Cult was involved, but they could never find a specific location or any proof."

She walked to a room door with the name 【Taishan】 written on it. She took a keycard out of her pocket.

With a casual swipe, she opened the door and walked in.

Wu Wang followed her inside. The room's interior was extremely plain. It was designed like a completely sealed room, flooded with bright, white light.

There was only a large conference table in the middle, surrounded by chairs.

Two people were already seated.

One was a slightly thin man with a hooked nose and gloomy eyes. His ID was 【Kill One in Ten Steps】.

The other had a kind face, a large head, and big ears, like a Maitreya Buddha. His ID was 【Always Smiling】.

Seeing the thin-and-fat combination, Wu Wang couldn't help but blurt out a comment.

"Holy crap! The Heng and Ha Generals!"

The two, who had been chatting, looked over.

The hook-nosed man spoke unhappily.

"Zhuge Yue, didn't you say you were coming alone? Who's this foul-mouthed friend of yours?"

Zhuge Yue rolled her eyes.

"He's my newly adopted god-brother. Got a problem with that? Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll dox you for real."

The man immediately shut his mouth.

No one ever knew if the psycho was joking. She might actually find a way to launch a 'Doxxing Strike.' For Zhuge Yue, the only thing that mattered was her own amusement.

He had no idea what was wrong with the higher-ups, insisting on doing business with someone like her.

The Maitreya Buddha next to him chuckled, trying to smooth things over.

"Hahaha, let's just talk this over peacefully. No need for anger."

"Benefactor Zhuge, we came this time to discuss the 【Relic Scramble】 that's happening in ten days."

The special name sounded like an Instance or some kind of special operation. An operation involving the Calamity Cult.

Wu Wang was instantly interested.

Zhuge Yue had somehow grabbed a bag of chips from a back storeroom. Tearing it open, she began munching on them noisily.

"What? You want me to help you kill all the other participants? No can do. I'm just sick in the head, not a homicidal maniac."

So she knew she was sick.

The other three, Wu Wang included, felt a wave of helplessness.

The Maitreya Buddha maintained his smile.

"You jest. Of course, it's not something like that. It's about the【Relics】 you obtain."

"If a【Relic】 you find contains clues about the 【Myriad Treasures Business Scroll】, or other items we need, we hope you'll trade with us first."

Myriad Treasures Business Scroll...

The first two words sounded very familiar.

Wu Wang subconsciously thought of that Black-hearted Penguin. If he remembered correctly, its business association was also called Myriad Treasures.

Was there a connection between the two?

Zhuge Yue gave them a look of disdain.

"Heh, if I find the 【Myriad Treasures Business Scroll】, why wouldn't I trade it directly with the auctioneer or take it to the Abnormal Affairs Bureau? It's obviously more profitable to deal with the big boss."

Whether in terms of overall strength or reputation, the Abnormal Affairs Bureau was clearly a much better choice than the Calamity Cult.

Were these two idiots here just to spout nonsense?

The Maitreya Buddha smiled and tapped on the conference table.

"No, no, no. The auctioneer and the Abnormal Affairs Bureau can't give you what you want. But we can."

In the next second, a projection of a virtual item rose up in front of Zhuge Yue.

The moment Wu Wang saw the item, his heart skipped a beat.

It was a school uniform smeared with paint, with the words "Gao Shan High School" written on the back.

Smack!

Zhuge Yue slammed the table and shot to her feet. A trace of fury appeared on her tender, doll-like face.

She gritted her teeth.

"I knew it! It was you! The Calamity Cult infiltrated the instance I tampered with! You sent people to steal the uniform and cause trouble, didn't you!"

As she finished speaking, a sharp weapon appeared in her hand.

Yet the Calamity Cult duo sitting opposite her didn't panic in the slightest.

Although the rules of the Spirit Calamity Plaza didn't allow you to harm other players, it wasn't that you couldn't, just that an NPC would punish you if you did.

The reason they weren't flustered was simple. This was the Continental Hotel.

If she made a move here, not even Zhuge Yue could escape the owner's wrath.

What does she mean by "cause trouble"? Wu Wang wondered.

The Maitreya Buddha explained, "Benefactor Zhuge, please calm down. We obtained this item from a Real-world Targeted Instance, not the newbie tutorial you tampered with."

Zhuge Yue rolled her eyes, her expression scornful.

Did he think she would believe that? Only an idiot would believe such nonsense.

She finally sorted out her thoughts. The Calamity Cult had disrupted her plan and stolen the uniform. It was all a brilliant scheme to blackmail her into helping them in the 【Relic Scramble】.

Behind her, a realization dawned on Wu Wang as well.

Oh, I've figured it out too.

So that's why his newbie tutorial was so weird. It was this psycho's doing!

The Calamity Cult must have snatched the uniform after he cleared the 【Fight Back to School】 instance.

Poor Principal Wang. Stripped of his clothes even after death.

The current situation was quite delicate.

Seated at the conference table were a top-tier Rogue Player who now hated the Calamity Cult with a passion, all because of a misunderstanding caused by a certain bastard.

There were also the unlucky members of the Calamity Cult, who had no idea why they were being hated and were cluelessly trying to do business.

And then there was the bastard himself, who had just learned the truth.

A certain bastard broke the silence.

"Pardon the interruption, but what is the Relic Scramble?"

The two from the Calamity Cult instantly shot Zhuge Yue a look of astonishment.

They had assumed she'd brought a master to participate in the Scramble with them. She'd actually brought an outsider to a business meeting?

Zhuge Yue's eyes remained locked on the Calamity Cult members as she slowly explained.

"It's a special instance that opens once every three years. It can hold one hundred players at a time."

"Inside are a large number of items left behind by the first batch of Closed Beta Players. We call it the Relic Scramble."

Ding dong.

Just then, as the room was locked in a tense standoff, a notification popped up on the friends list of Wu Wang's alternate account, 【Yan Shuangying】.

It was a message from Xiezhi.

The content was just three short sentences.

"Comrade Yan Shuangying, on behalf of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, I would like to discuss a cooperative plan with you."

"I wonder if you've heard of the 【Relic Scramble】?"

"I would like to invite you to participate."