Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Chapter 31, Second Smuggler

"You...you...!"

Upon hearing the word "smuggler," Lu Chen's expression froze instantly. He was aware of the existence of instance creatures smuggling into the main world, but he never imagined that he would one day encounter it himself.

And it was two people at once? Not only was Zhou Tongtong constantly lurking and killing, but Fang Jin was doing the same thing? There were actually two "ghosts" in his team.

"What kind of luck do I have...?"

He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. Actually, it was understandable. As a player who traveled through the heavens and roamed the universe, treating all other worlds as game instances, this freedom was naturally coveted.

Those who are unaware of this will naturally not covet it, and those who know but are in a world under the control of the system will find it difficult to act. Only in this independent instance in a free-roaming state can there be a way to replace players and infiltrate the main world.

So-called stowaways are no different from these aliens in essence, except that they are tacitly approved by the system. Moreover, the world of the detached state is dangerous and isolated, making it perfect for stowaways to go in and explore (and die).

This is the truth of the final test, but two things were unexpected for Fang Jin. First, he was not the only stowaway in the six-person team, and Zhou Tongtong was obviously from another world as well.

Her technological modifications were beyond the capacity of the main world to afford; all the materials and technologies had to be obtained through repeated cross-world transfers within fixed instance worlds, making them incredibly precious.

She must be a native of some technologically advanced world.

As for the second point... it's the system's requirement for them to pass the final test. Completing the main storyline of Escape Company goes without saying, but the key is that side quest that's unique to them.

[Side quest triggered: Before completing the main quest, kill at least one player from your own party, directly or indirectly, to obtain their evolutionary sequence in the Overworld.]

[Mission Reward: Evolution Qualification, Small-Scale Memory Correction]

[Note: Seriously though, this side quest is even more important to you than the main quest. The system cannot create identities and quotas out of thin air; any abnormal increase in the total number is within the scope of regulation.]

Therefore, having left no trace of your past in this world, you can only conceal your obviously abnormal origins by plundering the lives of others.

"Ordered to kill" was the first phrase that flashed through Fang Jin's mind the moment the side quest popped up in the conference room, and he immediately took action.

He genuinely wanted to eliminate... or rather, eliminate some players who weren't valuable, both to complete side quests earlier and to filter out "companions" who would be useful in later dungeons.

This was his final test as an illegal immigrant, and the difficulty was so great that even he could not predict it. If there were any useless people in the team who would drag them down and reduce their chances of survival, Fang Jin would rather eliminate them himself first.

He and Zhou Tongtong both carried unknown pasts, and were therefore equally cruel and indifferent. However, Fang Jin's cruelty came first, and he covered up his past with laughter and curses...

Zhou Tongtong, however, followed suit, and her methods were direct and blatant. Fang Jin, in a different place, would find it difficult to act without hesitation, while Zhou Tongtong even seemed to enjoy it.

"...Could it be that I'm still a good person?"

Fang Jin was surprised and reflected on himself, but the next moment, a lead bullet had already pierced Lu Chen's brain, splattering fan-shaped bloodstains on the ground. The latter's body slowly went limp in extreme unwillingness.

"Bang!" To Fang Jin, the gunshot sounded like it came even slower than death.

"That's it! That's it! We're done smuggling in. This rich girl's identity is mine now, no objections, right?"

Zhou Tongtong wiped the blood splattered on her face to the side, excitedly picked up the two pieces of equipment from Lu Chen's corpse, and placed them into the metal storage compartment around her neck as if she were "eating" them.

"Fine, whatever you do directly belongs to you. I'll just use the identities of the Jin brothers."

Fang Jin said dismissively that the act of identifying the sacrificial offering in the cafeteria already met the rules for killing a teammate indirectly. In fact, their mission was already completed in the middle of the cafeteria.

However, it is clear that Zhou Tongtong is not satisfied with this ordinary citizen social status.

"...So perceptive?"

Zhou Tongtong spoke, her smile truly deceptive, tinged with a gentleness that a young girl shouldn't have. A pink hair clip held back her slightly disheveled hair, and even Fang Jin had to admit she was beautiful.

Then, they raised their guns almost simultaneously! Fang Jin's right arm was filled with lava, and Zhou Tongtong's elbow also spewed out a stream of blue flames! The muzzles of their guns were aimed at each other's foreheads at almost the same time.

Come to think of it... they've never had any cooperative relationship. In fact, they're always on guard against each other. If they can reduce competitors and select the best prey in the team first, why would they cooperate?

Why not turn against them?

It's just that they're wary of each other...

"..."

"I have a feeling... today won't be the last time we meet."

Zhou Tongtong's smile gradually faded, revealing a true and eccentric side of her. Then she broke the cotton thread around her neck, pointed the gun at Lu Chen's corpse, and fired three shots quickly.

The blood bullet shattered directly on the latter's body without causing even the slightest damage. However, Zhou Tongtong's body was slowly dissolving, turning into a stream of data that logged off and left this world.

"Since we're both strangers wandering in a foreign land, let's get along well..."

"By the way, when we meet next time, I will definitely use today's incident as leverage, so remember to be available whenever I call and do things for you... I'll live off you for the rest of my life because of this secret."

Fang Jin said this with a wicked smile, and Zhou Tongtong's originally smug expression was momentarily choked up. Then she found that she couldn't refuse.

Even with the system's tacit approval to enter the main world, the identity of stowaways remains a secret. The system's tacit approval does not equate to the natives' recognition; they must remain hidden within the social currents.

But now, due to the arrangement of the instance, the two stowaways know each other's identities. While they hinder each other, the one with the lower status and nothing left to lose actually takes the initiative.

The only way to break the deadlock is...

"Find you...and kill you as quickly as possible."

"Welcome, but as long as I can't kill you, everything about you will be at my disposal."

Fang Jin smiled and watched Zhou Tongtong's figure gradually disappear. Her expression became distorted, whether from the teleportation or something else, and the more distorted it became, the happier Fang Jin felt.

"You're right, how could this be the last time we meet? The longer this tug-of-war drags on... the more I can win."