Chapter 6: Let’s Get Up to Some Mischief Together

After rummaging around the warehouse, Master Guanda handed a pitch-black chip to Chen Shang.

"Deal complete. This number is only valid for one day. Remember to contact her within today."

Then, in a deep voice, he added, "If you don't mind, please log in to your B-Hand account and follow 'Has Ameng Chanted Today'."

"No problem. I wish you a successful stream—may you earn plenty from your otaku audience," Chen Shang replied, taking the chip and turning to leave.

"Not at all," Master Guanda shook his head solemnly, explaining, "This humble monk is not earning money from the otakus, but observing the suffering of all beings."

"The Buddha said: To seek enlightenment and save the world, one must first experience the myriad flavors of life."

He switched on the screen, where remnants of frantic comments still lingered in the blank livestream interface.

"Watching these viewers, tormented by worldly desires, blinded by illusions, ensnared by the three poisons, unable to escape the cycle of samsara… the wish to deliver all beings only grows stronger within me."

"As long as it makes you happy," Chen Shang replied, uninterested in debating Buddhist philosophy. He casually slipped the chip into his pocket and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned, Master Guanda's voice sounded from behind him: "Layman, a young lady has arrived at the entrance to my shop."

"What does that have to do with me?" Chen Shang asked, baffled.

"From my observations, she followed you all the way here. She appears to be an acquaintance of yours—and she's wearing a high school uniform."

"Hmm?" Alert at once, Chen Shang hurried back to Master Guanda's side.

Looking at the surveillance feed, he saw a short-haired girl in an Uptown High uniform standing outside the temple.

—Why is Nayuta here?

Chen Shang was instantly perplexed.

But her condition was clearly not good. The swirling dust had left her face dirty and worried. There were several tears in her uniform, blood spattered on the white shirt, and she held a bloodstained iron rod in her hand—as if she'd just been in a fight.

It was likely she'd been mugged by thugs nearby and, having no choice, had taken them all down.

Despite her delicate and cute appearance, Nayuta's agility and constitution stats had long since surpassed level two, and she fought even more fiercely than the notorious delinquents.

After all, before she was ten, she'd managed to escape alone from the irradiated zone outside the city to Night Axis City. Had she lacked ability, she would never have survived the journey.

Besides, who wouldn’t like a little sister who’s utterly devoted to the protagonist but more ruthless in a fight than any delinquent boy?

"I’ll leave through the back door of the temple. Cover for me," Chen Shang instructed, then left the room.

"No problem, layman. Take care. And remember to follow 'Has Ameng Chanted Today'..." Master Guanda replied calmly.

...

At the temple entrance, Nayuta was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"Why would my brother come to a place like this?"

She wiped the dust from her face, trying to calm her nerves.

She’d stealthily followed her brother to discover his whereabouts, but just as she was about to go into the temple with him, a group of thugs accosted her.

Fortunately, Nayuta always carried pepper spray and had snatched up an iron rod from the roadside. Before the thugs could draw their guns, her practiced strikes swiftly disabled them all.

But when she was finally ready to enter the temple and investigate, she realized her brother was nowhere to be found.

She’d clearly seen him enter with her own eyes—so how could he have just vanished inside?

"Could my brother have been tricked by bad people and kidnapped?" The thought made her even more worried.

She almost rushed in, swinging her rod, but reason held her back.

"No... If I barge in alone, I won’t be able to save him, and I might get myself into danger... I’d better call the police first."

Resolute, she took out her phone and dialed the emergency number. Even if the police in Night Axis City were less reliable than corporate security, they were better than nothing.

Just as she was about to complete the call, the temple doors swung open and the crisp ringing of windchimes sounded.

Looking up, Nayuta was greeted by the sight of a bald, robed robot stepping outside.

"The sandstorm is fierce out here, miss. Won’t you come in and rest?" Master Guanda’s voice had shifted to a deep, magnetic tone reminiscent of an old man.

Nayuta took a wary step back and asked, "My brother came in here just now. Where is he?"

"So the young man earlier was your brother?" Master Guanda replied, as if struck by realization. "He came to pray for the academic success of you both. He just left."

Somehow, this explanation seemed to clarify things for Nayuta, and yet not at all.

"But why would he come here to pray? There are plenty of temples in the city."

"You may not know this, miss," Master Guanda’s face lit up as he entered full-on persuasive mode, "those city temples are completely commercialized—they're just out for incense money! This temple, on the other hand, boasts over two centuries of history and has even been consecrated by a mechanical saint monk..."

After half an hour of Master Guanda’s passionate explanations, Nayuta's distrust softened into hesitant belief. She even let him perform a divination for her at his enthusiastic invitation.

Only after she'd paid for incense and left the temple did Nayuta realize she’d been conned.

"Wait, that divination technique just now looked nothing like a Buddhist ritual!"

Recalling the mechanical monk brandishing a Bagua board and dancing in front of her, finally gifting her a metallic crucifix for protection, Nayuta couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity.

"Why would my brother come to such a dubious place to pray for academic success?"

Meanwhile, Chen Shang had made his way alone to an abandoned house in the old city and inserted the chip from Master Guanda into his phone.

In a flash, the screen refreshed, and an encrypted phone number popped up.

Quickly decoding it, Chen Shang extracted the chip and dialed the number.

"Black Calyce"—female—had recently emerged as one of Night Axis City’s top hackers. Borrowing a ranking from a certain manga, she was among the "Seven Warlords of the Underworld" in the city’s crime world.

The only way to contact her was to buy her randomized daily number on the old city’s black market.

Only someone of such rare talent was worthy of being Chen Shang’s ally.

But there was another reason Chen Shang sought her out—she was an unromanceable character in the game.

Back then, the rich kid had modified all the female characters in the game into sycophants for the second male lead, but this only applied to romanceable characters.

Unique story characters like Black Calyce were left untouched, so she had no interaction or plot with Xu Qing, the second male lead, and would never inexplicably develop feelings for him.

Though Black Calyce possessed formidable hacking skills, her in-game role was limited to a few key side quests, always as a voice on the phone, never appearing elsewhere.

She was so peripheral that the developers hadn’t even bothered to model her character, merely designating her as a female supporting hacker who committed crimes for amusement.

The call soon connected.

"Hello? We don’t need any insurance," came a rough, hoarse voice, utterly unrecognizable as female.

Unfazed, Chen Shang replied, "Good evening. I’m here to play a game with you."

"If it’s a game you want, I suggest you visit the flagship store of Soth Heaven," the other responded with a cold joke, about to hang up.

"Don’t be hasty, Miss Black Calyce. Wouldn’t you like to hear the rules of the game?" Chen Shang interjected, amusement tinging his tone.

There was a pause on the other end. Then: "Who are you?"

"Can’t you check? With your skills, it should be easy," Chen Shang replied with a smile.

Another five seconds of silence.

When the voice returned, it was clear, crisp, and girlish: "Chen, do Uptown High students never have homework?"

In one sentence, she’d exposed Chen Shang’s identity.

"Not bad—five seconds is a bit slow for a professional hacker, but still within acceptable limits," Chen Shang said, unruffled, nodding in satisfaction.

But Black Calyce seemed annoyed, firing back, "Who the hell are you, trying to order me around? Want me to mail you a couple bombs today?"

"If you’re not afraid of the police raiding your little stash in Tieling District, be my guest," Chen Shang replied, eyes narrowing, utterly calm.

"What? How do you know about Tieling..." Black Calyce’s reply faltered, then she burst into breathless laughter.

"Zihahaha! Mr. Chen, you’ve piqued my interest! Tell me, what are the rules of this game?"

A system notification flashed before Chen Shang’s eyes:

[Character Unlocked: 'Virtual Walker' Black Calyce]
[Affinity: 5/20]

Black Calyce was indeed a hacker with no bottom line and a craving for amusement, but as long as someone could make her feel threatened, she would take an interest in them.

Her current affinity score said it all. In this game, aside from romanceable female characters, most special supporting roles also had independent affinity systems.

Yet the affinity cap for unromanceable characters was 20—'Friendly' at best.

To boost Black Calyce’s affinity to 5 on first contact proved she had a favorable first impression of him.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shang said, "It’s simple. I want you to help me destroy an entertainment company—Han Chao Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Xu Corporation!"