Chapter 58: I Want It All

In the living room, the couch sat sideways to the front door. The footsteps were drawing closer, nearly at the entrance.

Lin Xun drew in a long breath, regaining a calm expression as he gently stroked the girl’s back in his arms.

With a faint click, the locked door opened automatically.

A middle-aged man in a sleek suit, with blond hair and blue eyes, stepped unhurriedly into the room.

The moment Lin Xun saw him, he knew—this man had to be the superior of the Engineer.

Recalling the subtle traits of the Engineer’s personality, Lin Xun didn’t act rashly. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Lu Caiyi’s waist and buried his face in her silky hair, breathing in deeply.

The man walked straight into the living room and sat down on the sofa across from them. He simply stared at Lin Xun, then said.

“Engineer. Switched girls again?”

Lin Xun stuck to the script, expression unchanged. “My lord, just another new contact.”

The man didn’t seem surprised. “Have you given any more thought to my offer?”

God knew what offer the guy was talking about, but Lin Xun could only play along.

Lu Caiyi had probably already called for backup—his job now was to stall for time.

Letting go of the girl in his arms, Lin Xun looked the man straight in the eye and slowly shook his head. “Still considering it.”

The man frowned, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

Lin Xun knew instantly—uh-oh, wrong move.

Still, he didn’t show any reaction on the outside, only held the man’s gaze silently.

After a long moment, the man’s lips curled into a grin and he let out a low laugh. “Engineer, you really are the type who won’t shoot till you see the rabbit.”

As he spoke, something appeared in his hand.

It was a business card-sized piece of black metal, etched with alien script on both sides—eerily similar to the writing on the cover of The Book of Salvation.

[Lower-Tier Seat Pass for the Disciple Sanctum (Special Item): Allows the holder to teleport to the Disciple Sanctum from a Resting Page or within the Library.]

“I know you’ve been dying to enter the Disciple Sanctum,” the man said smoothly. “But let me tell you this: as long as you’re under Bashir’s thumb, you’ll never have that chance.”

“Only I can get you into the Sanctum.”

According to intelligence, the Disciple Sanctum was the true core of New World—infiltrating it would be the same as penetrating the enemy’s heart.

What Lin Xun hadn’t expected was that the Disciple Sanctum was actually a location within the game. Did New World have the power to affect the game world now? Or had this always been a feature, like player-created guilds?

From what the man said, Lin Xun deduced he wasn’t the Engineer’s direct superior. That role belonged to someone named Bashir.

This man, clearly an ambitious schemer, was using the seat pass as leverage for a deal.

But Lin Xun had no idea what exactly the man wanted—so he could only appear tempted but hesitant.

“You probably don’t know this,” the man continued, “but with your level of power, using the Source of the Apocalypse in the real world is a death sentence.”

He toyed with the pass in his hand, upping the stakes.

“Use the Source and you die?”

Lin Xun feigned shock—and honestly, he was a little shaken. He’d long suspected that the Source of the Apocalypse had more uses than just being converted into a relic, but he hadn’t imagined it could be activated in the real world—and at the cost of your life.

“That’s right,” the man said. “Since Bashir’s just sending you off to die, why not hand the Source over to me?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle the excuses with the organization. Once you give it to me, you’ll be under my protection. Bashir’s reach doesn’t extend this far.”

His voice steady and confident, the man pressed: “So? Have you decided?”

Now Lin Xun understood his true motive. The man—Talros, apparently—wanted the Source of the Apocalypse the Engineer possessed.

If Lin Xun could obtain the Lower-Tier Seat Pass and hand it to the organization, he was sure they could extract invaluable intel from it.

That would mark a perfect completion of his impersonation mission.

But in exchange… the Source of the Apocalypse, a relic-tier item, would have to go to this man.

It was a classic tradeoff between organizational benefit and personal gain.

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes, thoughts racing.

A child might struggle to choose—but an adult?

“I want it all.”

The ideal outcome was to get the seat pass without giving up the Source. Best case, he could even kill this fat fish and take everything.

A slightly worse result would be trading the Source for the pass, then letting the organization handle cleanup—hopefully retrieving the Source from the man’s corpse afterward. But if the backup arrived too late, the Source would be lost.

And of course, just handing over the Source was the safest route—he’d avoid any conflict.

But Lin Xun? He had no intention of giving it up.

Feigning internal struggle, he put on an elaborate act—tension in his face, lips pressed tight, fists clenched, veins bulging at his temple.

Finally, after a long breath and trembling slightly, he opened his eyes and said:

“My lord… allow me more time.”

“Engineer, you do realize I can just kill you and loot the Source off your corpse?”

The man’s eyes gleamed with menace as he laid down the threat.

Lin Xun rubbed his temple, stalling. One hand drifted to Lu Caiyi’s soft waist, running along it slowly.

Lu Caiyi tensed—this was the signal.

He was ready to fight.

Silently, she prepared to manifest her shell. She knew there was no avoiding a battle tonight.

“Engineer, my patience is limited.”

The man no longer hid the killing intent in his eyes. One refusal, and he’d strike, no hesitation—then pry the Source from Lin Xun’s cold, dead hands.

Lin Xun knew that if he didn’t agree soon, combat was inevitable.

But he hadn’t received the seat pass yet, and the organization’s reinforcements hadn’t arrived. Now was not the time to act.

He manifested an item in his hand—a clump of foul, rotting sludge.

[Type-II Source of the Apocalypse Fragment – Corrupted Mire: This item is unique. Upon the Apostle’s death, it is guaranteed to drop. You may bring this item to the Library and solidify it into a Relic.]

“Very good. You know how to read the room.”

The man nodded in satisfaction—but still didn’t hand over the pass.

Instead, he stood and approached, reaching for the Source in Lin Xun’s hand.

“Wait!” Lin Xun pulled back slightly. “The seat pass, my lord.”

The man glared at him, still clutching the pass, voice turning sharp: “What, you think I won’t give it to you?”

Lin Xun’s heart sank. Damn—it’s a scam. He really does plan to rob me empty-handed.

There was no way a sneak attack would work here—this guy’s face was clearly a shell from the game.

Thinking quickly, Lin Xun shifted tactics. Looking worried, he asked, “But my lord… if I give you the Source, what should I tell Bashir?”

The man, Talros frowned, clearly annoyed. “Once you’re in the Sanctum, you’ll be under my command. I’ll give you a new shell and brand it myself.”

“But… my lord, you haven’t given me the seat pass yet.”

“Enough talking! Give me the Source already!”

Talros, his patience spent, was clearly ready to take it by force.