Game of Deception Chapter 117: Talent Market

After signing the Watch and Assist Protocol, Virgil departed.

Having been approached by two Silvers of Moon in rapid succession, Ming Po and his two companions lost all interest in continuing their stroll.

Coincidentally, their Manifestation ti was almost up. They chose not to extend it, settling their bills and deciding to head ho instead.

On their way back, they witnessed another battle between Deceivers—

Or perhaps... it wasn't a battle at all.

It was a hunt, or an act of revenge.

Just as Ming Po and his companions walked down the subway stairs, preparing to enter the station, a group of five or six Deceivers rushed out from behind them. With chaotic, thundering footsteps, they sprinted straight into the subway station.

Subway stations did not possess "doors".

Security checkpoints and turnstiles were aningless to Deceivers. These physical barriers in the Material Realm, failing to form true "doors" and "walls", were phased through as effortlessly as ghosts passing through air.

It was exactly like how a Deceiver could "squeeze" through a door left slightly ajar, even if it was secured by a chain lock. Ming Po had used this very trick the first ti he t Gao Fan.

Ming Po noticed a man standing by a subway pillar, whispering frantically to another Deceiver. His expression was urgent, while the person he was speaking to looked hesitant.

However, the mont the man spotted the group charging in, he turned and fled without hesitation!

Surprisingly, the man made no attempt to use Ti Chips. He didn't even make a move to retrieve them.

Likewise, his pursuers carried no ranged weapons.

They sprinted a long distance just like that.

In front of the stairs leading to the underground level, he was finally pinned down.

The mob surrounded him, kicking him to the ground and stomping on him rcilessly.

The sheer viciousness of their blows made it clear they were trying to beat him to death.

No matter how the man begged for rcy, it was useless.

anwhile, the surrounding Deceivers turned a blind eye to the scene, continuing their hushed conversations. At most, they spared a passing glance, not even breaking their stride.

Ai Shiping furrowed his brows and looked as though he wanted to say sothing, but Gao Fan tugged at his sleeve to stop him.

Ming Po, on the other hand, kept his gaze straight ahead, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Maintaining a steady pace, he walked right past them.

It was only after the three of them boarded the train and found seats that Ming Po shot Ai Shiping a half-smile.

"What, still want to play the brave hero?"

"I just couldn't bear the sight of it, that's all."

Ai Shiping shook his head, standing in front of him and grabbing an overhead handle. "But then I realized... if you didn't react, there must be a good reason."

"I'm not as kind-hearted as you are," Ming Po retorted. "So what if I didn't react?"

He scoffed coldly before slowly continuing, "You really need to train your ears. You have the sharpest hearing out of all of us, yet you completely missed the crucial details.

"That man was initially begging for a loan. He wanted to use himself as collateral to secure so starting funds. And the reason those people wanted to beat him to death was because he backstabbed and killed their companion during a ga. How did you expect to intervene? Go over and give the guy a kick myself?"

"I see... He was bankrupt, wasn't he?"

Gao Fan, sitting beside Ming Po, suddenly realized the truth.

He displayed a rare, mocking expression. "Makes sense. After all, soone who relies on backstabbing to win a ga basically proves they lack the ability to thrive in the Ga of Deception. They might scrape by once, but if they keep participating, it's only a matter of ti before they lose it all."

Looking at a confused Ai Shiping, Gao Fan elaborated, "The Ga of Deception requires an entry fee. Even the lowest difficulty ga demands one Hour's Red Copper as a ticket. If a Deceiver's chips are completely drained, they can't enter any gas."

Having no chips ant being unable to enter gas, unable to alter the past, and unable to Manifest in the world.

They would be reduced to a true ghost, forever cursed to wander between heaven and earth.

"At first, I assud that running out of chips would turn you into a Paradox, eternally trapped within your Mind Anchor."

Ming Po chuckled. "But later, I noticed that Deceivers in the Material Realm actually communicate quite closely with each other... I knew right then it couldn't be that simple."

Gao Fan nodded, a pained expression on his face.

Seeing the lingering confusion in Ai Shiping's eyes, Gao Fan answered bluntly: "The talent market."

"The talent market?"

"So Deceivers can predict, to a certain extent, what type of ga they'll face next. It might be due to the effects of a Treasure, an authority level, or perhaps a Host leaking information..."

Gao Fan spoke slowly, "And so types of gas are incredibly dangerous. They don't want to bring their teammates along... or maybe their teammates simply refuse to participate. Alternatively, their squad might be missing a crucial role needed to complete the upcoming ga's mission.

"In these scenarios, they will rent a Deceiver from the local talent market... and this so-called 'talent market' is essentially made up of Deceivers who have lost all their chips. They have nowhere left to go and no chance to turn things around, forced to rely on others to take them into gas.

"This kind of rental is incredibly cheap—because there are no contracts protecting the arrangent. If they demand too high a rental fee, they are highly likely to be murdered during the ga so the employer doesn't have to pay the remaining balance. Usually, rented Deceivers can only earn the minimum clear reward from the ga."

Gao Fan's voice turned haunting. "It's exactly like a penal battalion on a battlefield, forever executing the deadliest missions. It doesn't matter if they die. Therefore, whenever there's a dangerous job, these rented 'expendables' are the ones sent to do it.

"Furthermore, because they are entering the ga from soone else's base Anchor Point, turning around and killing their employers isn't an option either. When you erge from the ga and the others do not... no amount of pleading or explanation will save you. The remaining teammates at the base will imdiately execute the rented player as a traitor.

"Deceivers willing to rent themselves out are all terrified of dying. And it is precisely because of this overwhelming deterrent that they obey orders, participating in excessively dangerous missions that offer at least a sliver of survival. If they disobey, they will be killed; if they fight back and kill their employers, they still die. Perhaps so would dare to blow everything up and drag everyone down with them... but those kinds of people rarely survive long enough to hit zero chips in the first place."

"The ti their body reappears at the base is when the ga ends. However, they wake up slightly later than that. During this window, a Deceiver has absolutely no ability to resist. They cannot use their Title, they cannot wake up, and they cannot spend chips—it is when they are at their most vulnerable."

Gao Fan sighed softly as he spoke, "You could say that these Deceivers who have lost their Ti Chips are nothing more than slaves.

"Aside from those entering gas to earn chips and assist with clearing stages... the rest suffer the sa fate.

"Serving as servants, as bodyguards, as researchers, as tools... It's even worse for beautiful Deceivers. Without chips, they cannot enter the Ga of Deception, aning they have absolutely no way to change their destiny. And Ti Chips are impossible to steal. Even if you manage to assassinate or poison a Deceiver who holds chips, you cannot extract them from the corpse unless you possess at least that fundantal 'single chip' required to summon the Host.

"Once you lose all your Ti Chips, you face a despair deeper than death. If no one is willing to lend you money, you have no choice but to sink into hell. But Ti Chips are basically equivalent to ti, the future, life, and power... They are directly tied to a person's very survival.

"Under such circumstances, who would casually lend their chips to soone else?"

Gao Fan smiled bitterly.

He looked as if he had personally experienced that exact hell.