Chapter 439: The Con and the Caper

Standing in place, the lecherous Li Dafu bent his knees, rubbing his hands together like a fly.

Draped in a white lab coat that looked more like a burlap sack and sporting stick-thin limbs topped by a bald, fuzzy head.

After emerging, with a smarmy look as he admired himself, Li Dafu earned a slight tug at Yenir’s lips.

To be honest, if given the choice, he wouldn’t let that guy fool Yinglong.

With that appearance, he was nothing more than a slick, fast-talking little villain—a classic shady merchant.

But there was no alternative.

Only Li Dafu’s NPC status could pull off the con on Yinglong.

If any other NPC tried, Yenir wasn’t confident it wouldn’t backfire.

“Remember what I told you earlier?”

“After you meet that man, act like you have a mission for him. And remember, you need the Renmane’s spinal fluid—no extra moves!”

“Got it, got it! Master, you can count on me!”

“Don’t just stop at tricking him for a bit; even if you need his underpants, I can con them out of him!”

Stroking his two whiskers that resembled mouse tufts, Li Dafu let out a lewd chuckle and mimed pulling on a pair of underwear.

Master had promised him that if he could con the Renmane, he’d be rewarded with 1000 Credit Points!

That was money he could actually spend—enough to buy a whole truckload of elderly ladies!

After all, in his old world, he had tricked hundreds without breaking a sweat.

Hearing Li Dafu’s utterly unreliable reply, Yenir couldn’t be bothered to say more.

He had done all he could; now it was down to Li Dafu’s acting skills.

In his plan, once Yinglong finished a battle, Li Dafu would pose as a Researcher, casually spout some made-up origins of the Otherworldly Ghosts, and then claim there was a mission waiting.

And naturally, the reward would be the Legendary Suit.

Of course, before that, Yinglong needed to complete a small task.

Namely, to slay the Renmane!

“If he hadn’t already known about the connection between the Otherworldly Ghosts and the Renmane, mentioning the Renmane outright would have raised red flags—after all, this dungeon didn’t even feature them…”

“But according to Blood Nightingale’s report, Yinglong had suspected that this dungeon was linked to those four special mutant creatures from before.”

“In that case, mentioning it might actually mislead Yinglong’s judgment and boost our credibility…”

“To save time—or if the Renmane can’t be found—Yinglong would surely recall that he once recorded slaying a Renmane…”

“And if his greed got the better of him, he’d probably just hand it over without a fuss…”

Reviewing the plan repeatedly, Yenir’s eyes flashed as he searched for any flaws in the revised scam.

Originally, Li Dafu was meant to have Yinglong produce his trophy—a symbol of honor and valor—to prove his worth.

Clearly, in the original setup, that came off too blunt and accusatory.

One misstep could easily remind Yinglong of the Military’s earlier request for the Renmane.

That would instantly make him question Li Dafu’s true identity, suspecting someone had infiltrated his midst.

And if Yinglong happened to have another trophy that wasn’t the Renmane, it would spell sheer bad luck.

“It shouldn’t be a problem…”

“These four mutants are interconnected; Yinglong’s deep suspicions might even lead him to believe he’d stumbled onto something classified…”

Recalling how he discovered that the materials for the Sword God System were linked to a disaster 27 years ago, Yenir felt increasingly confident.

If even he could question the dungeon’s connection to those four unique mutants, Yinglong’s doubts would only grow.

“Now, the only issue is getting Li Dafu properly in front of Yinglong…”

“This guy is just too weak…”

“Uncle Liang can only escort him to a location—after which he must leave immediately.”

“That means I must arrange for Li Dafu to be in position as Yinglong passes through a rest zone…”

Glancing at Li Dafu, who was furtively scanning his surroundings, Yenir sighed silently and turned his attention away.

He flipped through the map.

Studying the rough blueprint of the Dungeon, he quickly pinpointed a suitable spot.

“The thirteenth floor… in the lower central area of the thirteenth floor, there’s an abandoned Research Institute.”

“This isn’t even part of the Dungeon anymore—it was an early outpost set up by the Military to study the Otherworldly Ghosts.”

“Placing Li Dafu there in advance should lend the whole scheme plenty of authenticity.”

“But I must reach there before Yinglong…”

“It’s just not clear how many Otherworldly Ghosts have infested that area… and the battle scars need erasing too.”

With that thought, Yenir resolved to lead his team down immediately, racing toward the thirteenth floor.

Though time was tight, Blood Nightingale’s report confirmed that Yinglong was en route to another Otherworldly Ghost stronghold, seemingly intent on clearing the area.

“Yenir…”

“Are we really going to continue?”

Before Yenir could signal his team to follow, Zhang Ke—who had stayed close to her squad—seemed to have been watching him for quite some time.

After Yenir folded up the map, Zhang Ke hesitantly ran over.

“Yes, what’s up?”

Raising an eyebrow and regarding Zhang Ke as if she had something on her mind, Yenir asked calmly.

“If you’re heading down, could you come with me to someplace?”

“That place means a lot to me—and maybe to you as well.”

Like she held a secret, Zhang Ke’s wide, nervous eyes pleaded in a low voice.

Yenir looked at the young girl before him, noticing the clear hints in Zhang Ke’s tone.

“Where?”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

No sooner had he spoken than a long-dormant system notification suddenly blared.

“Beep. Temporary Task Activated: Origin of Otherworldly Ghosts.”

……….