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Chapter 189 Public Bribery

Xia Xinyan didn’t plan to beat around the bush with her: “You understand what I mean, stop playing dumb.”

Monica maintained her smile: “What’s the benefit of telling you what I know?”

“No benefit,” Xia Xinyan narrowed her eyes slightly, “but if you don’t tell me, there will definitely be consequences.”

She knew she wasn’t a match for this girl in her current state.

But let’s not forget, she still had two chances to use the God of War Mark—that was her trump card.

Even if, after using the God of War Mark, she still couldn’t win against this girl, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

After all, it was obvious that this girl didn’t come here just to fight her. Just that fact could likely lead to some compromise.

This was her real character formed under the Cataclysm—either persuade with reason or subdue with force.

As long as the goal could be achieved, unless it truly crossed her bottom line, she was willing to try any means.

After all, she never claimed to be a good person.

Monica sighed with a hint of helplessness: “Why must you keep pestering me? It makes me feel embarrassed.”

“As long as you tell me everything I want to know, I won’t bother you anymore,” Xia Xinyan said with an impassive expression.

Monica looked into her eyes for a moment and sighed: “What do you want to know?”

“What is the Spacetime Singularity Investigation Bureau? Do you know that we have… a Terminal? What’s a Terminal anyway? Where are we right now? What is your mission? And your…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, can’t you ask one at a time?” Monica was nearly overwhelmed by the rapid-fire questions.

Xia Xinyan paused, relaxing a little: “Fine, first question, what is the Spacetime Singularity Investigation Bureau?”

“That’s confidential. Even if you kill me, I can’t tell you,” Monica shrugged.

Xia Xinyan stared at her for a few seconds.

Seemingly convinced that the other wasn’t lying, she didn’t press further: “Alright then, second question, what is the Terminal on us?”

“That’s also confidential. You could kill me and I still can’t tell you.”

“…What’s your mission?”

“That’s the same: confidential. Even if you kill me, I can’t tell you.”

“Let me try.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Xia Xinyan activated the God of War Mark. Her power surged dramatically, and an intense psychic storm of transformed mental allure suddenly struck toward Monica.

The sudden scene jolted Monica, and she quickly vanished to a spot a few meters away, while the place she had just stood was blasted into a crater by that psychic storm. The walls of the narrow alley on either side also showed signs of cracking.

Monica’s expression turned serious: “Hey! No need to go that far, right? No one likes a girl who’s too violent!”

“Thanks for your concern—though someone does like me, so I’m fearless.” Xia Xinyan walked step by step toward Monica. “I’ll give you one more chance. If you continue to joke around, one of us has to die.”

Monica waved her hands: “Alright, alright! I’m not joking anymore, just calm down. It doesn’t look good for such a pretty girl to shout about fighting all the time; being gentler is more likable.”

Xia Xinyan halted her steps: “First question, who are you?”

“I am… well, someone you will eventually become. Of course, that might not happen, it depends on how you perform.” Monica took another couple of steps back. “Don’t be mad; I’m not joking. There’s a code of conduct; I really can’t give you key information directly. I got fined a year’s salary for that last year.”

Xia Xinyan was silent for a while, her tone softening somewhat: “What is the Terminal on us…?”

“Personal Terminal! I can’t really explain that—basically it’s like the equipment given when you join a company. It gets taken back when you leave.”

“So does that mean we’re employed?”

“No, not really; at most, it’s a probation period…” Monica stroked her chin. “Honestly, I don’t fully understand your situation. I don’t remember there ever being a probation period in the bureau… Want me to ask my boss?”

“Who’s your boss?”

“Polka, a menopausal old lady.”

“…You know exactly what I’m asking.”

“Then I can’t tell you, it’s a secret.”

Seeing that Xia Xinyan seemed inclined to act again, Monica hurriedly raised her hands in surrender: “I really can’t say more. Just let me go; if my salary gets docked again this year, I’ll starve to death for sure. I can’t pay back my loans, and there’s no place to borrow from.”

While she wasn’t afraid of Xia Xinyan in a fight—even easily outclassing her in this God of War Mark state—Monica didn’t want to… no, she couldn’t fight; any conflict would throw the city into chaos, and she had just begun her mission, which would likely fail—also a cause for wage penalties.

With consequences for her salary on both ends, she had to figure out a compromise.

Noticing Xia Xinyan standing there in deep thought, Monica paused, then sighed: “How about this? After I go back, I can ask my boss, and if she agrees, I might be able to share some information with you.”

“How do I know you’ll come back after leaving?” Xia Xinyan finally spoke, allowing Monica to breathe a sigh of relief.

She snapped her fingers: “Easy! Just add me as a friend.”

As soon as she said it, Xia Xinyan noticed a new friend column suddenly appeared in Tianji’s system interface, with only one friend listed: a passport photo of Monica.

This left her momentarily dumbfounded.

Monica clapped her hands: “I’ll contact you myself later. By the way, you guys came here to deal with the anomalies, right? Perfect timing for me to take a break and give you a heads-up—this city isn’t as simple as it seems, but I’ve already managed to create some loopholes, so feel free to stir things up. The more chaos, the better for me to fish in troubled waters.”

With that, her figure suddenly vanished from sight, her presence disappearing as well.

Even in the God of War Mark state, Xia Xinyan had no idea where she had gone.

This also indicated that Monica had the capability to escape from her right from the start; the previous game of cat and mouse was likely just for fun to her.

Xia Xinyan didn’t pursue her further but released her cat-like state and tapped on Monica’s icon in Tianji’s friend system.

Then—

【Friend system locked, operation not allowed】

Xia Xinyan: “…”

After a moment of silence, she softly spoke: “Tianji, what’s going on?”

【……】

“Playing dead?”

【Point task released: Take one step forward to gain 3000 points】

【Task completed】

“…What does this mean? You try to bribe me into silence?”

【Point task released: Take another step forward to gain 5000 points】

【Task completed】

“Is this how you keep me from asking?”

【Point task released: Take yet another step forward to gain 7000 points】

“Continue.”

【……】