These players finally got the task clues and quickly expressed their gratitude, though whether they were sincere is another matter. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you all, that female ghost is elusive and appears at intervals. If you’re lucky, she might show up in the next second; if not, you might have to wait an hour or even longer. Be mentally prepared."

Su Ran seriously fabricated this tale, his face extremely solemn. Even the handsome guy behind him tried hard to hold back laughter, thankfully covered by a veil, so the players didn’t notice anything suspicious.

"Time doesn’t matter, even if it takes a day, we can wait. Brother Overturning Water, how strong is this female ghost, is she tough?"

This player seized the opportunity and eagerly asked. As long as they figured out the ghost’s capabilities, they wouldn’t need to lure her out. They could kill her on the spot and claim credit directly; by then, wouldn’t President Carving Dragon surely reward them with more guild points?

"I’ve never engaged in a fight with the ghost, so how would I know her strength? She doesn’t seem the aggressive type, so you don’t need to worry about being ambushed."

Su Ran felt he couldn’t keep up with the fabrications any longer. If things kept going this way, it would surely cause a mess, so he quickly found an excuse to bow out, "I can’t help you any further. I’ll leave the cave to you. Wish you success in taking down that ghost and completing the task soon!"

"Brother Overturning Water, thanks for the auspicious words. We’re on the job, so we won’t see you off. Please go ahead!"

This player wasn’t someone who couldn’t take a hint. Seeing Su Ran wanted to leave, they didn’t waste words, stepping aside for Su Ran while the others followed suit, clearing a path for him.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, as we came out, the cave interior collapsed and rubble blocked the way. You need to clear the stones to see the ghost. Keep that in mind."

Just as Su Ran was about to leave with the handsome guy, the handsome guy suddenly spoke up, stunning Su Ran.

They couldn’t help it; they hadn’t rehearsed beforehand, so being caught off guard was normal.

"Cave collapse? This is troublesome!"

The player was a bit panicked, quickly asking, "Brothers, who’s got a pickaxe?"

"Me!" "Me!"

"..."

Su Ran had no mood to keep listening to these chats, pulling the handsome girl along hurriedly. They were now deep within enemy lines. If these people realized and attacked them, it would become a real problem.

Luckily.

They didn’t plan to deal with Su Ran, allowing him and the handsome girl to leave the cave. In the players’ minds, as long as Spilt Water Can’t Be Regained didn’t steal their boss, they were relieved; they wouldn’t dare provoke him, as his reputation was already well-known.

They couldn’t imagine that Su Ran was just a decorative spearhead, his defense and health terribly low, missing out on a ten thousand reward. If they knew, they would probably regret it deeply.

"Hahaha, Overturning Water, you’re so bad, creating such a story about a female ghost with disheveled hair!"

The handsome girl riding on the Firebird glanced at the players at the cave and seeing no one followed, teased Su Ran, "If I didn’t know the truth, I’d have believed you!"

"Stop complimenting me. I find you even more creative, what with inventing a cave collapse needing excavation to see the ghost – were you trying to exhaust them?"

Su Ran couldn’t hold back anymore and laughed openly. His hoarse laughter was a bit piercing, but the handsome girl didn’t mind, quietly chuckling.

"They deserve exhaustion. These people are from the Close to the Horizon guild. Last time, their guild clashed with our Singing Song guild and snatched a Silver Boss from us. Now we can finally vent some frustration!"

The handsome girl huffed angrily, suddenly recalling something, glaring, "You compared me to a disheveled ghost! Am I that ugly?!"

"Sis, what are you thinking? When did I say you were a ghost? Don’t wrong me!"

Su Ran quickly denied it. Admitting it now was asking for trouble.

"You still don’t admit it. As soon as they mentioned searching for the Star Shard, you said the woman was a disheveled ghost and claimed there wasn’t one!"

The handsome girl stood with arms on her hips, looking upset, "I’ll complain to Auntie and see if you dare smear people!"

"Come on, sis, I said it only to make it more credible, there wasn’t any intention to defame you. Think about it, this place is a tomb, only corpses and ghosts around, and these people are looking for a female NPC, so I made up a female ghost, right?"

Su Ran quickly explained, not willing to take the blame, "Besides, where in the God-Demon Continent is there a ghost as beautiful as you, right?"

"As beautiful as me..."

The handsome girl’s face turned rosy, not daring to meet Su Ran’s eyes, "You sure know how to talk. I’ll let this go this time."

"Sis, that’s not what we should focus on. I’m puzzled why the demon Badongmeng would disclose your information. NPCs of such status usually don’t turn traitor; it’s odd."

Su Ran couldn’t figure it out; what was Badongmeng’s status? A mighty demon, yet he played such a petty trick?

Could it be...

My reputation loss fee made him depressed?

"Profit."

The handsome girl speculated, "Perhaps Carving Dragon offered Badongmeng enough benefits exceeding the Star Shard’s value, leading to the betrayal. After all, you’re not close to him, and you tricked him once. Betrayal is normal. I’m a bit curious why they weren’t looking for me, only the supposed female NPC?"

"It’s not hard to understand. Put yourself in their shoes. As a player, how could I suspect another player when the task was given by an NPC? You’d be the number one target for the demon to assign a task on a player."

Su Ran wasn’t surprised. The reason sis could escape disaster was obviously due to her identity. Had the demon mentioned ’female player,’ they would have been captured like turtles in a jar, completely unable to escape. It was indeed fated, a disaster they were meant to avoid!

"Overturning Water, what should we do next? This task can’t be thought of in the short term. If not, just give up, it’s not worth the effort."

The handsome girl glanced toward the statue’s direction where a large crowd gathered, feeling torn. If she’d known this situation, why bother with the reputation loss fee? Might as well have turned in the task!

Now, with the NPC betrayal and so many people guarding, returning isn’t an option, let alone completing the task?

Might as well give it up!

"No, we must complete this task."

Su Ran didn’t even think before rejecting the handsome girl’s suggestion, "Even if Badongmeng is ruthless, I can’t be. Once a task is accepted, it must be completed – that’s my principle. At worst, I’ll demand compensation from him for emotional distress since he dared to plot against us, he must pay dearly!"

He left one thing unsaid: the severe penalty of this troublesome task was unbearable; they must find a way to complete it, yet first, they needed to recover from this setback!

"Overturning Water, I didn’t expect you to be so responsible. Alright, I’ll accompany you this time, risking it,"

The handsome girl finished speaking and tossed a hexagonal white gem to Su Ran, "You keep this Star Shard. They’re after me; I’ll distract them, and you go submit the task, how’s that?"

"No need; our lousy excuse can only fool them temporarily. They’ll soon catch on and seek us out."

"What do I need to do then?"

"Stay calm and watch the changes!"