040 This person is not to be trifled with!

The first part of Shadow Corner’s fourth quest in the Shadow Corner series required him to locate the "Dark-Faced Man." However, the quest provided nothing but a name, leaving him with no idea where to search, effectively stalling his progress. He had never expected Chen Feng to actually know how to complete his quest. Initially, he was skeptical, but the "gift" Chen Feng had presented upon their meeting left him no choice but to believe.

This man possessed an imposing presence!

Chen Feng was merely an ordinary player, yet he had managed to suppress him with his aura. Knowing his identity and still acting this way—who exactly was this person? He felt completely transparent under Chen Feng’s gaze. In their organization, the name "Shadow Corner" commanded awe and respect; ordinary players were usually terrified at the mere mention of it, fearing trouble.

Shadow Corner was ruthless and decisive, and ordinary players were always afraid of him. Yet, Chen Feng showed no fear and even dominated him with his presence. Even "God’s Thorn," the leader of their assassination organization, did not possess such an intimidating aura.

"Do not tell anyone about our relationship, and do not attempt to investigate my background in any way. I have my own methods for acquiring this information; there is nothing in this game that I cannot achieve." Having given Shadow Corner a gift, Chen Feng naturally had to present him with a dilemma. If he did not disclose their relationship, how would Shadow Corner justify stopping the organization from hunting Chen Feng? That, however, was Shadow Corner’s problem. Chen Feng knew the man had many questions, but he brushed them aside with that single statement.

The four high-ranking officials of the assassination organization had been in the middle of a meeting when Shadow Corner stepped out for a moment. Upon returning, his expression was grim.

"Shadow, what happened?" A thief of the Undead race, his eyes burning with black flames, fixed his gaze on Shadow Corner. This Undead thief, who did not belong to the Alliance, was the leader of the assassination organization—God’s Thorn. He was the strongest in the organization, a cut above Shadow Corner.

Shadow Corner sighed and said, "God’s Thorn, I have a request regarding the Cobra organization's contract. Let us call off the hit on Duan Chen Feng."

"Reason!" God’s Thorn and the other two opened their eyes wide in shock. He did not know what had transpired, but Shadow Corner had returned and immediately removed one target from the list of three provided by the Cobra organization.

In truth, Shadow Corner was not particularly clever; unable to hide his connection to Chen Feng, he could only hedge, "This person is vital to my class progression. I wish to protect him for the time being. As for the bounty on his head, I will compensate the organization myself."

"He knows about your quest? Impossible. Shadow, don't be deceived by him," one of the high-ranking members immediately cautioned.

"Duan Chen Feng must have learned we were targeting him through Outlets and is just making up an excuse. Shadow, are you really so easily fooled?" another added.

Shadow Corner managed a rare, faint smile. "My intelligence isn't that low. This man is formidable, and he knows many details of my quest. As for whether he can be trusted, I think we can verify it. He told me where to find the Dark-Faced Man. If we actually find him there, it proves he truly has the means to help me complete my quest."

"Good, we shall witness it together!" God’s Thorn was also a hidden class player, and he, too, had been driven to a dead end by his own nine-part quest. Despite being the powerful leader of an assassination organization, he often had to humble himself before NPCs related to his quests. Sometimes, a super-boss could not be defeated simply by throwing thousands of players at it; his own quest was so difficult that even if every player in the world assisted, it might still be impossible.

Shadow Corner was a hidden class player, and God’s Thorn could fully empathize with him. To stand at the pinnacle of the game, one’s class data was the foundation. Who wouldn't want to improve that? If Chen Feng could provide clues to his quest, God’s Thorn would not only leave Chen Feng alone but would even help him retaliate against the Cobra organization.

When the four of them arrived at the Death Marsh, found the Dark-Faced Man in a tomb, helped him break the Sleeping Curse, and received the next part of the quest, they were all dumbfounded. They could not believe that Chen Feng had managed to help Shadow Corner complete the quest without even knowing the full context. Seeing Shadow Corner begin his next task, God’s Thorn felt no envy; he wanted Shadow Corner to improve.

"Duan Chen Feng is no simple man!" The four of them knew Chen Feng’s background, but they never expected him to be so resourceful, possessing intelligence on hidden quests. If one argued that Chen Feng was an internal game employee, it might make sense, but internal staff were forbidden from playing the game. Even if they had access to some data, identifying that it belonged to Shadow Corner’s specific quest would be nearly impossible. Furthermore, the nine tasks for a hidden class were randomized from a pool of thirty-six; even an insider could not know which ones Shadow Corner had selected. This ruled out the possibility of him being an employee, but who was he? It was impossible to guess that Chen Feng was a reincarnator, nor that he and Shadow Corner had been close friends in the past.

After Shadow Corner finished his call with Chen Feng, a high-ranking member asked, "Did Duan Chen Feng say how to do the next part?"

Shadow Corner shook his head. "He only told me that the Cursed Black Iron is in District 24. He didn't specify where."

"We can refrain from participating in the hunt, but what are his demands?" God’s Thorn knew that if Chen Feng said this, he must want them to do something. The information Chen Feng held was critical to Shadow Corner’s quest. If it were a subordinate, God’s Thorn might not care, but Shadow Corner’s matter had to be resolved.

Another high-ranking member remarked, "We seem to be led by the nose by this Duan Chen Feng. We shouldn't do everything he says."

"Philly, if Duan Chen Feng knew how to complete your class quest, would you lower your pride? If someone could help you complete your class quest in the future, and asked the organization for a favor, would you refuse? You don't have to let the organization help him; I can have Shadow reject all of Duan Chen Feng’s demands right now and hunt him down to the ends of the earth."

Seeing the black flames in God’s Thorn’s eyes fixed on him, Philly felt a wave of anxiety and chuckled, "I was just offering a reminder, nothing more. It’s just that I feel Duan Chen Feng is too arrogant; we shouldn't let him suppress our momentum."

If it didn't concern his own interests, stepping on someone wouldn't be a problem, but if his own quest were at stake, Philly couldn't be so sure. God’s Thorn had been blunt for a reason—what if he encountered his own quest troubles later? The Dwarf thief knew he was strong, but he hadn't reached the level of God’s Thorn.

"Duan Chen Feng said the Mad Virus’s main-hand axe is interesting! He wants us to force them to drop it and draw us into a direct confrontation with the Cobra organization," Shadow Corner said with a bitter smile. He knew that was impossible. Clearly, Chen Feng was only doling out instructions one step at a time.

God’s Thorn shook his head. "We cannot get into a conflict with the Cobra organization. Since Duan Chen Feng has reached out to you, he will surely help you with the subsequent quests, but it will come at a price."

"Shadow, let’s let Duan Chen Feng be arrogant for now. Once he helps you finish the quest, we'll see. Whatever he wants from us, we'll make him spit it back out later," said a Human thief named Audra.

"I will continue to be in contact with Duan Chen Feng. He is the Ring-Bearer and will definitely need help. I will be stepping away from the team for a while. If you need the fourth team to cooperate, I can fully support that," Shadow Corner said. He was easygoing with his peers, and since Chen Feng was now on his level, he could set aside his status as a fourth-in-command of an assassination organization.

"Go ahead!" God’s Thorn truly envied him. How good it would be to have someone help with his own quests! At his level, God’s Thorn didn't care about money; he craved a challenge. He had rivals, and they were strong—he currently lacked the confidence to defeat them.

Shadow Corner was willing to set aside his status to be friends with Chen Feng, but the problem was that Chen Feng couldn't be bothered. They had been friends in the past, but that was built on their roles as liaisons for two organizations. Now, their positions were different, and Chen Feng knew Shadow Corner was only approaching him for the sake of his quest. Chen Feng had given him many benefits, a gesture based on their past friendship. If he had ignored Shadow Corner, merely giving him clues without the method, Shadow Corner would still have compromised.

Chen Feng was not afraid of the assassination organization. He knew them well, had met God’s Thorn before, and understood many of their secrets. By having them stop their pursuit, he was showing weakness—making them believe he was afraid—while simultaneously securing a chance to interact with them. With Shadow Corner on his side, Chen Feng essentially added the assassination organization to his own arsenal.

Shadow Corner had wanted to trade information on the Ring for his quest details, but Chen Feng refused outright, as he could obtain the Ring through his own strength. He made it clear to Shadow Corner: "I will contact you when I need you." Chen Feng did not want Shadow Corner to see through him, so he had to limit their contact.

Chen Feng was an esper assassin; dealing with others was easy for him. If the Cobra organization weren't so massive and troublesome, he could have handled them himself. The assassination organization would never fight the Cobra organization just because he helped Shadow Corner; that was their bottom line. And because that bottom line was firm, Chen Feng had no need to fully cooperate with them—his own abilities were sufficient.

Yet, soon, Chen Feng felt a bit helpless. The assassination organization had canceled the hit on him and Outlets, and Shadow Corner had used that as an excuse to embed himself in Outlets’ team. It was clear that Shadow Corner, usually focused only on leveling and quests, was now so bored that he spent all his time obsessing over his class progression. Chen Feng even suspected he would eventually try to pry for information regarding God’s Thorn’s quest.