Game of Deception Chapter 38: Inviting a Wolf into the House

Ming Po's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke calmly.

"Xiao Ke."

"Domain of Strength... Frankenstein."

Hearing this, the woman whose Title was Moon Diplomat froze for a mont.

The man's expression, however, shifted subtly.

He seed a bit apprehensive, casting a deep glance at Gao Fan before speaking in a much gentler tone, "An unevolved Title... yet it sounds extraordinary. May I ask what rank this Title is?"

"Day's False Gold."

"I see, I understand!"

The Ironblood Leader nodded repeatedly. "That ans you are an expert who has perford exceptionally well in 'Day' level instances... Since you are an honored guest, we must exchange information properly. Please, have a seat."

With that, he led Ming Po toward the living room.

Unsurprisingly, the living room was in full color, aning everything here could be used.

Even the massive smart screen covering nearly an entire wall was lit up... displaying a movie that had likely been downloaded in advance.

Ming Po glanced at it and recognized First Blood. It was a very old movie.

"The kitchen here is still functional," the Leader said with a smile. "I'll go grab so drinks. What would you like? Tea, milk, beer, or cola?"

"Cola," Ming Po smiled. "Canned, preferably."

It wasn't that he particularly liked cola, but rather that he didn't quite trust the other options.

"Co help out, Little Gao."

Saying this, the man led Gao Fan into the inner room.

Soon, deliberately hushed voices drifted from that direction.

Ming Po pricked up his ears but couldn't make out the words. Clearly, at this distance, the volu was sothing they had carefully calculated beforehand.

anwhile, the Moon Diplomat sat directly beside Ming Po.

Her expression shifted several tis as she looked at him.

Finally, she couldn't help but whisper, "Where... did you get that Title?"

Hearing this, Ming Po raised an eyebrow.

"You should know that's a very rude question," he replied, his voice low.

"I'm sorry!"

The woman bowed her head in apology, but imdiately looked back up, her teary eyes fixing on him. "I really want to know..."

"During the Promotion."

"...Just as I thought."

She murmured, "Little Ning... he really..."

"You know Chang Ning's Title?" Ming Po asked softly. "Did he tell you?"

"Mhm... he didn't tell , I saw it."

She spoke frankly, pointing to her eyes. "My Title, which has evolved once, grants an intelligence advantage. If I reveal my secrets to soone under the moonlight, I can learn their Title.

"That was when I realized his Title had changed from 'Virtue' to 'Strength'..."

"I see."

Ming Po nodded slowly and suddenly asked, "Did you tell Gao Fan?"

"No."

She shook her head. "He would be heartbroken... to know a trusted friend had strayed down the wrong path."

...The wrong path?

Ming Po looked thoughtful.

Could it be... others couldn't switch Titles just by drinking?

Thus, he casually remarked, "Maybe he'll switch back later."

"That would be very difficult."

The woman sighed. "Once a Title changes, it ans a complete overhaul in one's style of doing things. Otherwise, it would just be a correction to the original Title.

"When we let him leave back then, we figured... as a Deceiver from the Domain of Virtue, he wouldn't lack companions anyway. After all, the Domain of Virtue is at a natural disadvantage in the Ga of Deception, but its strength lies in earning others' trust outside the ga."

"Speaking of which..."

Ming Po interjected, "I actually used to be in the Domain of Virtue, too."

"—You as well?"

The woman paused, then imdiately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know... I didn't an that in a bad way..."

As she spoke, a green light flashed in her pupils.

Imdiately after, Ming Po felt a surge of goodwill toward her.

It was a powerful affinity that made one want to spill every secret to her.

"Yes, I used to be in the Domain of Virtue..."

Ming Po sighed. "I don't even know where my forr teammates went. Even if the world changed, they should have been able to find .

"Rather, it wasn't until you said 'Deceivers from the Domain of Virtue are never without companions' that I realized I must have had companions too.

"What exactly happened between my ti in the Domain of Virtue and now..."

"You... don't know either?" the woman's soft voice echoed.

"Yes."

Ming Po nodded and sighed.

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

Her gaze remained fixed on his neck—on the surgical stitches along his jawline.

"Do you recognize this face?"

Ming Po said, "I peeled it off Chang Ning."

The woman shook her head, looking sowhat sorrowful and emotional—Ming Po couldn't tell how much of it was genuine and how much was an act.

She said softly, "Actually, we weren't that close to him... It's just that our initial ga was a wilderness survival scenario. Little Fan, Little Ning, and I were all survivors of that ga.

"Little Ning always wanted to save everyone, even wanting to share our food to help strangers... It was very troubleso for us."

"So, that's why you have your current team, right?"

Ming Po asked softly.

"Yes..."

A trace of respect appeared on the woman's face. "Our current Leader is a truly qualified captain. He puts the team first and has never let us suffer any losses."

"Is that so?"

Ming Po suddenly said, "But I heard from Gao Fan that you sold him out."

Hearing this, a flash of embarrassnt crossed the woman's face.

But she quickly masked that awkwardness and unease.

She spoke calmly and collectedly, "That happened when the Leader and I participated in an [Adventure] ga. Little Fan said his chips were running low, so we set up that job for him.

"Half of the chips from that rental deal went to Gao Fan. The other half was stored away as team resources—our team reserve fund, which we dip into when the team faces trouble."

"I see."

Ming Po nodded as if he believed her.

He glanced at the wall and asked with feigned nonchalance, "How often do you guys participate in gas?"

"Ti doesn't an much to us anymore... Probably once every month or two."

The woman spoke, then suddenly added, "Though Gao Fan participates more frequently. Sotis he goes with the Leader, sotis with . He averages about two gas a month... But he is timid and barely survives each ti, so he hasn't accumulated many chips."

"What about you two? How much have you accumulated?"

Ming Po's tone took on an aggressive edge.

The woman felt sowhat uneasy at this.

That eerie green glow flickered in the depths of her eyes again, and Ming Po once more felt a profound surge of affection for her.

At this, the woman relaxed slightly but still did her best to emphasize their lack of funds. "Actually, our savings are almost depleted. While Adventure gas have almost no death penalties, the rewards are correspondingly poor... Deceivers like us from the Domain of Balance can only manage these scavenging-type gas. Most of the ti we operate at a loss; just coming back alive is good enough."

"I understand..."

Ming Po nodded. His words carried genuine gratitude, and even his deliberately lowered, Batman-like voice reverted to normal. "Thank you."

"It's nothing."

The woman bead, her cheeks flushing red. "Can I call you Brother Xiao too?"

"Of course."

Ming Po said gently, cupping her face with both hands. "Could you close your eyes?"

Seeming to anticipate what he was going to do, the woman closed her eyes and tilted her head up slightly.

A faint, crimson light ignited in Ming Po's pupils.

—Crunch.

eting almost no resistance, Ming Po twisted her head clean off.

It was as easy as unscrewing the cap of a cola bottle.

At that mont, the woman's upper body didn't even seem to realize she was dead—blood fountained upward, yet her beautiful, delicate face showed not a hint of pain, only the carefully acted anticipation and shyness.

Ming Po chuckled and casually jamd the nearby TV remote into her neck.

"This suits you much better."

He whispered, carrying the woman's head into the kitchen with both hands.

As he stepped closer, he heard the man's hushed, furious voice berating Gao Fan:

"...So what do you an by bringing that guy here? Bringing an outsider thief back to our base?"

"Isn't this my ho?"

Gao Fan looked up and answered earnestly, "I brought my friend back to my own ho, what's wrong with that?"

"That's a fucking idiot from the Domain of Strength! Can you predict what an empty-headed moron like that might do?!"

The man laughed out of sheer anger. "Have I been too good to you? Didn't I already stop you from looking after Chang Ning's friend? What, did you go there just to wait for him? I never should have let you go! You're going to get us all killed sooner or later!"

"I did it just in case!"

Gao Fan raised his voice slightly. "Who knows if there will be a butterfly effect?!"

"What does that have to do with us? If Chang Ning's butterfly effect gets his girlfriend killed, what the hell does it matter to us?"

The man shoved Gao Fan hard against the refrigerator.

He wasn't particularly tall, but to the dwarfish Gao Fan, he was an insurmountable giant.

Grabbing Gao Fan by the collar, the man demanded coldly, "Let ask you—what if your retarded friend really snaps, tries to kill us, and steals our chips? What if he takes a liking to Wen Yu and just kidnaps her? Are you going to grovel on your knees to get her back, or am I going to have to hire a killer from the Domain of Slaughter? Huh? Are you paying for it?"

"So her na is Wen Yu..."

A hoarse, deep voice echoed. "I forgot to ask earlier."

Right then, the Leader felt soone forcefully pat his back.

It felt more like a shove than a warning.

His heart skipped a beat. He let go of Gao Fan's collar and turned around, an apologetic smile already plastered on his face. "We were just joking around..."

As he spoke, he felt sothing wet being shoved into his hands.

The man looked down, and his soul nearly left his body—

Resting in his hands was the flushed head of Wen Yu, appearing as though she were waiting for a lover's kiss!

"Ah!!!"

He jumped in terror and instantly threw the head away.

"You..."

Ming Po's tone held a hint of impatience, his pupils as red as blood. "Can't you even hold this properly?"

He reached out, grabbed both of the man's hands, and with a casual twist and pull—

Without breaking a sweat, he completely tore off both of the man's arms!

Looking down at the screaming man who was now crouching on the floor, Ming Po said calmly, "Just forget about having hands then."

With that, Ming Po looked at Gao Fan with interest.

His hands were covered in blood, looking as if he were wearing a pair of red gloves. He leaned against the door, staining the fra red.

"Is this... why you sought out? To get rid of this pair of bastards occupying your ho?"

"...Thank you."

Gao Fan stared deeply at the man who was now at eye level with him only because he was crouching. Then, he looked up at Ming Po and expressed his genuine gratitude, "Brother Xiao."

"Oh, you do it yourself then."

Ming Po smiled, not really caring. "Just in case you want to seek revenge against in the future...

"I don't mind you trying to use .

"But since you chose ... you can never betray again, understand?"

Ming Po's crimson gaze locked onto him. "Otherwise, you will die far more miserably than they did."

"...Understood."

Gao Fan lowered his head and said sincerely, "I will serve you."

Saying this, he pulled out a at cleaver.

Filled with resentnt and fury, he viciously hacked down three tis, forcefully severing the man's neck!