Chapter 184 Isn’t it normal to carry a bomb around?

Ling Mo thought this group might have a few screws loose.

Perhaps that organization should be called the Mental Hospital.

However, Xinyan still showed no signs of wanting to leave, so he could only patiently sit here and chat with these fellows: “So how do you plan to get your hands on a bomb?”

A girl responded, “There’s a defunct mining company in the Old Town. Maybe they left behind some mining explosives—we’re planning to check it out.”

“A mining company? In the city?” Ling Mo’s expression grew even more bizarre. “You think such a company would leave dangerous goods at their headquarters in the city? Shouldn’t they be stored near the mines instead? Besides, after the company went bankrupt, those things surely wouldn’t be left behind.”

“…Really?” The girl looked a bit confused.

Ling Mo was even more baffled. “Isn’t it?”

He started to wonder if he was the one lacking common sense or if these people were the ones missing a few brain cells.

A moment of silence followed.

The group seemed to think for a bit, then quickly offered a second suggestion: “There’s a military base south of the city; we can try our luck there.”

“…I think you guys just want to get shot,” Ling Mo inexplicably felt like he was playing house with a bunch of kids.

He helplessly glanced at Xia Xinyan beside him.

Xia Xinyan was deep in thought. After noticing his gaze, she nodded at him.

Ling Mo instantly understood what his girlfriend meant.

But understanding was one thing… it still made his stomach ache a bit.

Watching them endlessly debate where to get a bomb, he sighed and gently tapped the table: “I have a way to get a bomb.”

Suddenly, all eyes were on him.

Ling Mo placed his hands under the table, his smile sincere: “Actually… I’m a former employee of that bankrupt mining company you mentioned.”

Upon hearing this, the group was thrilled: “Really?”

“Of course it’s true. What do I gain by lying to you?” Ling Mo casually pulled out a C4 bomb and placed it on the table. “So, as a former mining company employee, carrying a bomb around is quite normal, right?”

Once again, the room fell into silence.

Until the man who spoke first, seemingly the leader, picked up the bomb to examine it and exclaimed, “This… is really a bomb?”

“Be careful; this thing could easily blow this library sky-high,” Ling Mo added.

The man gasped and carefully set the C4 back down. “How many of these bombs do you have?”

“Many. I have as many as you need,” Ling Mo shrugged.

He wasn’t going to bother finding a reasonable explanation for the bomb’s origin since these folks didn’t appear to be too sharp.

And clearly, they bought it: “That’s great! We finally solved the last problem! We can start preparing to act now!”

“Wait,” Xia Xinyan then asked, “When do you plan to act?”

“Very soon,” the man said, visibly excited. “As soon as the assault team is ready, we can move out.”

“Didn’t you say your organization has many teams?”

“Right, but our team just coordinates with the assault team. Other teams have their own tasks—don’t worry, we’re the core team for this mission. Once you join us, your contributions will definitely be the most significant.”

Pausing, the man seemed to remember something and smacked his forehead. “Oh right, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet! I’m Gao Tian, the leader of this team. And you?”

Next came the customary friendly introductions.

Meanwhile, Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo got to know their somewhat more detailed version of the plan.

Gao Tian was set to contact the assault team, and once they were ready, they’d set off to the Control Hub to enact their plan to save the city.

Gao Tian also intended to keep Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo on to join them, but they declined. They didn’t have much time to play house with this group; they still had a lot to accomplish during their brief break.

Gao Tian didn’t press them, instead settling for exchanging contact information—surprisingly, the phones in this world looked a lot like the ones in reality, but aside from a contact function, they had no other software, not even internet access; otherwise, Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo wouldn’t have come to the library for information.

This must be the limitation set by the game.

Once all this was done, Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo left the library—taking the C4 with them, of course.

After all, Ling Mo’s ability to create only lasted an hour, and he didn’t want to waste energy on a bomb that might not be needed for a while. Plus, he was quite worried that if he handed it over to those people, they might blow themselves up in the process. So he figured he’d keep it for himself and use it when the time came.

However, there was one thing he hadn’t figured out: “Xinyan, do we really have to collaborate with them?”

“Mm,” Xia Xinyan nodded, “This is a breakthrough point; let’s see what they do.”

“But they seem… I really don’t think they can accomplish anything.”

They looked like a bunch of kids plotting how to take over the world; no matter how seriously they discussed it, it felt absurd to an adult.

Hearing his remark, Xia Xinyan merely smiled: “Maybe that’s the goal.”

Just like those plots in fairy tale games, even if players know the story is juvenile and the character they control acts naively, most players will still follow the story, because otherwise, the game can’t progress.

Of course, players can also choose to do nothing and wander around the game world to look for hidden plots and Easter eggs—so long as they don’t get bored.

However, in this time-framed dungeon, that second method clearly wouldn’t apply.

So no matter how childish the actions seemed, they had to try; the game system wouldn’t provide completely meaningless plots. In other words, they didn’t have to worry about it being a waste of effort.

Also, there’s another possibility: this group was doing it on purpose.

After all… the dungeon is called Fraudulent City.

“Xinyan thinks they are intentionally acting this way to throw us off?” Ling Mo also considered this point.

“Possibly, but it’s not guaranteed,” Xia Xinyan squinted slightly.

In Fraudulent City, there are various ways of deception, from all players being con artists to a group of unfortunate kids led by con artists trying to con them. The hints given by the game system from the start filled this dungeon with red herrings, and until they figured out the concrete truth, all they could do was observe; otherwise, one wrong step might send them home early to sleep.

Such a dungeon… really builds character.