Liu Jiayi asked, "What is the identity of this Rose Hunter? I didn't see him in the league player profile. If he can turn off his small TV, he must be in the top 100 players. Even so, I've never heard of such a strange player in the top 100."
"It is because he isn't a stable top 100 player. His ranking has dropped now, and you newcomers might not know him. However, he was in the top three players a few years back."
Wang Shun took out his notepad, flipped through a few pages, and showed the information to Mu Sicheng and Liu Jiayi. "Do you see? He is a Gunner league player."
"Gunner league player?" Mu Sicheng felt a headache coming on after hearing this. "What do you mean?"
Wang Shun explained, "It means that the Rose Hunter is a player without a guild. He operates alone and doesn't team up with anyone. He seems to reject acting in a group, so no player knows when he will enter a game. However, he participates in the league every year."
"We all know that the league requires five people to sign up. One person can't participate alone. Therefore, during the league period, the Rose Hunter will choose a guild and leave it after the league is over. He is a mobile league player, also known as a 'hired gun.' If a guild wants strong foreign aid with powerful individual combat capabilities, they will pay a high price to hire the Rose Hunter to join their team."
Mu Sicheng wondered, "What guild is he in now?"
Wang Shun shook his head. "Currently, he isn't in any guild. The Rose Hunter hasn't participated in the league for two years. He hasn't appeared, no matter how high a price the guilds offered to hire him."
"The Rose Hunter has always been like a ghost. He blocks others from following his small TV and changes his appearance to cover himself up. If he doesn't want to come out, almost no guild can find him. It's normal that you haven't heard his name."
"Do you have any definite information about him?" Liu Jiayi stared directly at Wang Shun. "He is likely the one who took Bai Liu."
Wang Shun sighed and shook his head. "His firewall is thick. I've seen him several times, but I failed to steal his information."
Liu Jiayi bit her lower lip.
Then Wang Shun paused and corrected himself. "I once tried to steal a bit of his inner information. It was during the league two years ago. The Rose Hunter arrived very late and seemed to be in a bad state. He naturally lost the game to the opponent. At that time, I thought it was an opportunity I could take advantage of, so I waited for him at the exit."
Mu Sicheng's expression changed as he realized something. "Fuck, Wang Shun, did you want to take the opportunity to steal information from Bai Liu's mind when you went to find him at the exit while he was in a very low mental state?"
Wang Shun pretended not to hear the accusation and continued, frowning as he recalled the memory.
"I remember the Rose Hunter reeked of alcohol and stumbled out of the exit. His system panel wasn't turned off—it was directly open. There was a system notification on it. I pretended to be passing by and used my skill."
Wang Shun took a deep breath. "I have never seen such strange brain information. People's minds are usually centered on themselves—their address, appearance, career, desires, and so on. Meanwhile, the Rose Hunter was different. There was only one name in his head, and it densely filled his mind."
Wang Shun turned to that page in his notebook.
The notebook looked as if it had been written by a madman. One name filled the entire page.
[Su Yang]
Su Yang Su Yang Su Yang Su Yang—!!!
It was like someone drowning and clutching at the last straw in agony, shouting the name of the person he missed and longed for.
Wang Shun silently flipped to another page in the notebook, which read:
[You've finally obtained the happiness you wanted. It's great that you're engaged.]
[Should my timeline end here, at the happiest moment in your time and space? After all, this is what I wanted. It has finally come true.]
[Once I eliminate the source of all hidden dangers, I, the heretic, will leave you and take away all the factors that could endanger your happiness.]
Wang Shun raised his head to look at Liu Jiayi and Mu Sicheng. "I also saw the system notification on his panel that day."
"The system notification said: Congratulations to the player on the change in your core desire. The skill identity has changed, and Rose Hunter has turned into Withered Rose Hunter."
Liu Jiayi and Mu Sicheng looked at each other. "Do you know any other information about this Su Yang?"
Wang Shun nodded. "The Rose Hunter's mind was full of information about this Su Yang. Every time he thinks about him, his firewall becomes full of gaps. I've discovered many things. I'll organize the information about Su Yang for you…"
—————————————————
The Mu family's villa.
It didn't take long for Father Mu's phone to ring again. It was a network call. Obviously, the hacker was contacting him.
Father Mu made a calming gesture toward Mu Ke, who had suddenly stood up and was staring at him.
He exchanged a few words on the phone before covering the receiver and turning to Mu Ke. "I found information about those people, but none of them show obvious financial distress, and they are very loyal to the organization. It will be difficult to influence them with money."
The moment Mu Ke's expression changed, he heard his father continue, "There are no such individuals among the portraits you sent, but I found someone related to them. He just had a baby, and it's the baby's one-month celebration. The expenses have suddenly become very high. You can try using this person as an entry point."
Mu Ke asked, "What is this man's name?"
Father Mu looked at Mu Ke. "Su Yang."
—————————————————
10:30 p.m., Jianshe Main Road.
The lights of thousands of households were going out at this hour. Only the streetlights shone brightly. This was a rather old neighborhood. Most residents were middle-aged or elderly people with regular routines. There were hardly any pedestrians outside.
Yet in the apartment on the corner, one room still had its light on. Through the gaps in the curtains, illuminated by the bright light, the freshly bathed mistress of the house could be seen gazing gently at the child in the crib. She rocked it softly with one hand and hummed an unfamiliar nursery rhyme.
She moved with some difficulty. Sitting on a cushion, she arched her back from time to time. A backache began to trouble her, and she frowned, leaning back as if preparing to hold onto something to stand.
The moment she moved, the baby in the crib began to fuss as if about to cry. Her tiny hands and feet waved anxiously as she tried to grab her mother's fingers.
Thus, she sat back down helplessly. Leaning against the side of the crib, she looked at the baby with a sigh and a contented smile. "What's wrong today? Why are you so clingy? Why don't you want to sleep properly?"
She gently squeezed the tip of the baby's nose with her thumb. The baby's eyelids fluttered, and she sneezed a few times.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She stood up in surprise and joy, turning to kiss the baby's face. "Your father is finally back!"
The door opened, and Ji An's joyful cry stopped abruptly. "You're ba—"
She stared in amazement at the little girl standing outside.
It was a thin little girl with strange gray eyes. She wore clothes too light for the season and looked fragile and well-behaved. Her sweet face resembled that of a doll. She gazed timidly at Ji An, yet her words were very polite. "Excuse me, Big Sister. I can't see, and I think I've gone the wrong way. This isn't my house?"
The sight of a blind little girl who had gotten lost made Ji An lower her guard.
Having just given birth, she was overflowing with maternal concern for all children. Her tone and expression softened as she crouched down to speak to the girl face-to-face. "Where do you live? Do you have your parents' phone number? I'll call them to pick you up."
The little girl shook her head, her fingers twisting nervously in front of her. Her voice was weak. "I-I don't remember."
Ji An's motherly instinct grew even stronger. "It doesn't matter. What are your parents' names? Tell me and see if I know them. Really, how could they let you run outside so late at night?"
The little girl looked up and said seriously, "My father's name is Su Yang. Can you help me find him?"
Ji An slowly stood up, suspicion creeping into her expression. "This is Su Yang's home. How can your father be my husband?"
The little girl, Liu Jiayi, instantly lost her timid expression and became emotionless. She lowered her hands and waved one behind her. "I found it. This is the place. Mu Sicheng, do it."
Ji An finally realized something was wrong and took two steps back warily. She tried to close the door but found she couldn't pull it shut. A tall young man stepped forward.
He was taller than Ji An, and exaggerated monkey-shaped headphones hung around his neck. He only needed to raise his arm and press casually against the door to prevent her from closing it.
Mu Sicheng looked at Ji An indifferently. "Tell Su Yang to come out."
Ji An instinctively reached into her pocket to call the police, only to find it empty.
Immediately afterward, she gasped as she saw the young man holding a pink phone and raising an eyebrow at her. "Are you looking for this?"
"When did you steal it?" Ji An nearly collapsed. "Who the hell are you people?!"