A player asked, “With just the few of us, there's no way we can kill Yue Shi.”
【Jian Lai】: “Yue Shi is a boss after all, so of course it's going to be difficult. But no matter how hard it is, we have to take him down. If we don't, other players will, and we won't get any of the loot.”
“Other players taking him down? What do you mean?” someone asked.
【Jian Lai】 lied without missing a beat, “Exactly what it sounds like. I heard a rumor that other players might come to Liming City to steal Yue Shi from us. Even though he's a tough boss, players don't stay dead. We can wear him down eventually.”
“Do you have a plan?” another player asked.
【Jian Lai】: “Yes. The Bureau can provide a colorless, odorless poison that kills within half a second of ingestion. Yue Shi is powerful, so he might hold out for a short while after being poisoned, but we can increase the dosage. As long as we get him to consume it, it should be enough to weaken him, or even poison him to death directly!”
A player gasped in shock, “Poison from the Bureau? You're actually colluding with them?!”
【Jian Lai】 admitted it frankly, “Yue Shi is an unstable and dangerous element, so of course the Bureau has wanted to get rid of him for a long time. They provide the poison, and we do the dirty work. Once it's done, the company is ours, Yue Shi's loot is ours, and the Bureau gets rid of a major headache. It's a win-win.”
What he didn't say was that the Bureau's calculations would never be that simple, but he didn't need these people to know too much.
“What if the poison doesn't work on him?” a player asked.
“Then we do it the hard way!” 【Jian Lai】 said in a serious tone.
“We can contact a group of new players and have them harass Yue Shi to drain his mana bar. Newbies are always reckless anyway. The few of us with higher levels will watch from the sidelines for any openings, and then we'll seize the chance to strike and finish him off in one go!”
“Where are we going to take down the boss?” another player asked.
【Jian Lai】: “Right inside Tulip Security Company. Yue Shi is too clever; there's no way we can lure him out. Besides, he's very relaxed when he's at the company and won't be on high alert, making it the perfect place for an ambush.”
Seeing how confident 【Jian Lai】 was, the players who had been pulled into the chat group gradually grew excited as well.
“How will we split the loot after we take down the boss?” someone asked, getting to the core of the matter.
“We'll pick the loot based on contribution. Whoever puts in the most effort gets to choose first. If we can take out Yue Shi, we can keep taking out more NPCs. Why would we ever worry about running out of rewards in the future?” 【Jian Lai】 said.
The chat channel fell silent for a moment before people began to chime in one by one.
“Alright, it's a deal.”
“Count me in.”
“I'll join too.”
【Jian Lai】 breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. “We'll continue to discuss the details and strive for success on the first try.”
“The first step is how to use the poison. The poison from the Bureau is a colorless and odorless liquid, completely undetectable when mixed into tea or water.”
“There's always tea prepared in Yue Shi's office. We need to slip the poison into his teapot when he's not paying attention.”
One player volunteered for the task, “I often go to the boss's office to deliver documents, so I'll have a chance to do it.”
【Jian Lai】: “The second step is the human wave tactic. I've already posted a recruitment thread on the forum, specifically targeting the new players from this open beta.”
The title of the post was highly exaggerated: "Tulip Company Hidden Boss, Defeat to Drop God-Tier Gear." The conditions were even more enticing: no level requirements, no gear requirements, anyone who showed up could participate. He only recruited newbies, because veteran players weren't so easily fooled.
“When the time comes, a crowd of newbies will swarm into the company building. The scene will be chaotic, and no matter how strong Yue Shi is, he'll have to split his attention to deal with them.”
Someone expressed concern, “Will those newbies leak the news?”
【Jian Lai】 said, “Don't worry. They don't know who the real target is yet. I told them the boss is a randomly spawning elite mob. Once they all arrive, I'll inform them that the boss is actually the company owner.”
“The third step is waiting for the perfect moment to steal the kill. The few of us shouldn't make our move right at the start. We'll wait until Yue Shi is weakened by the poison and worn down by the newbies before we strike. We won't give him any room to breathe, and we'll take him down with a single burst of focused fire!”
As everyone discussed, the assassination plan gradually came together.
Suddenly, a player thought of a serious problem, “Yue Shi is very cunning. Could he see through our plan?”
【Jian Lai】 sneered, “From now on, we only discuss this offline. Anything in the game might be detected, and Yue Shi could easily pick up on clues from our actions. Before we make our move, everyone should act as they usually do. Go about your normal business and try not to show any flaws.”
“Most importantly, before we kill Yue Shi, no one is allowed to stream, leak any information, or mention this on the forum. If anyone can't keep their mouth shut, don't blame me for being ruthless!”
The players all voiced their agreement, “Don't worry, our lips are sealed.”
【Jian Lai】 finally said, “Then it's settled. I'll notify everyone of the exact time to strike. Don't let anything slip over the next few days. Keep calling Yue Shi 'boss' just like before, and don't make him suspicious.”
The others gave their assent.
...
After ending the conversation with the players, 【Jian Lai】 contacted a mysterious person.
The other party's avatar was a blank grey, their signature field was empty, and the chat box contained only cold, text-based messages. This person claimed to be a special commissioner from the Zhongzhou Supernatural Management Bureau, refusing to reveal their true identity and only using a codename.
【Jian Lai】 asked him, “When can I get the poison?”
“Tomorrow, the usual spot.”
“I've gathered the manpower on my end.”
“Very well. Remember, Yue Shi is extremely dangerous. As long as you can manage to weaken him, you will have completed your mission.”
“Understood.”
The call ended.
【Jian Lai】 narrowed his eyes. The Bureau was no good either, but it didn't matter. They were both just getting what they wanted.
Yue Shi, don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for standing in my way!
...
At this very moment, inside the boss's office of Tulip Security Company, Yue Shi was flipping through an ancient book he had brought back from the God Realm.
The pages were yellowed, their edges covered in fine cracks. As his fingers slowly brushed across the paper, his fingertips could feel the rough, raised texture.
“Nail-Head Seven-Arrows? A very fine certain-death curse, though it's a bit slow to take effect.”
The Snow Leopard was lying on his lap, its four paws curled against its chest and its tail swaying back and forth as a satisfied purr rumbled from its throat.
Ghost floated over, his tone strange. “A few fools are planning to assassinate you.”
Yue Shi: “Oh.”
Ghost: “Isn't your reaction a bit too calm?”
Yue Shi: “Being ostracized is my destiny, I understand~”
Ghost: “...”
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