Chapter 91: “These Should Be Our Footprints.”

Chapter 91: "These should be our footprints."

"Dear Player, below is your hidden identity in this dungeon. Please commit it to memory:"

"You are a lawyer specializing in civil litigation cases related to property disputes and insurance claims, with a decent reputation in the industry."

"A few months ago, you were hired by Zhang Ming to handle the large insurance policy his father had signed before his disappearance. The insurance company stated that, according to the contract terms, they would only compensate for deaths or disappearances resulting from accidents, excluding instances where the insured intentionally caused their own disappearance."

"The insurance company reviewed payment records from before Zhang Ming's father went missing, which included purchases of mountaineering gear, survival supplies, and long-term rental arrangements for accommodations near the snowy mountains. Additionally, witnesses testified that Zhang Ming's father was acting strangely prior to his disappearance, suggesting possible mental instability."

"Thus, the opposing lawyer argued that Zhang Ming's father's disappearance might have been premeditated, and the company was not obligated to pay out the claim."

"Determined to secure the big payout, Zhang Ming resolved to collect evidence proving his father had died in a climbing accident—'But what evidence could possibly remain after someone has been missing for over a decade?' You thought Zhang Ming's obsession was ridiculous, yet tempted by the money, you followed him to the snowy mountains."

"At your employer's request, you went undercover to join the detective team. You thought you might use these people to find the 'evidence' your employer sought. Of course, if the information they uncovered worked against your goal, you wouldn't hesitate to destroy the truth."

"After all, you care little for the truth—you only want to maintain your court win record."

"Hidden Mission: Obtain evidence proving Zhang Ming's father died in an accident."

"A hidden mission and identity... this dungeon sure knows how to play."

Eurus tsked in amusement and closed the System Panel.

As for the lawyer identity, it actually aligned well with her actual skills—whether by the system's design or mere coincidence, she couldn't say.

Eurus had already memorized every word of the information. After closing her eyes and reviewing it a few more times, she noticed a problem—

While the freezing temperatures of the snowy mountains could preserve animal corpses for years, over a decade had passed. Even if they managed to find Zhang Ming's father's remains in the vast snowy wilderness, how could they prove his death was accidental?

"Either this employer has lost his mind, or he knows far more than he's letting on."

What a pain.

Eurus sighed.

She couldn’t even be sure whether she was the only player with a hidden identity. Add to that the employer’s intentional secrecy and the mysterious NPC "Mr. Yi," whose power level was at least demigod-level...

This snowy mountain expedition was truly a case of outward cooperation masking ulterior motives.

With these thoughts weighing on her, Eurus arrived at the designated meeting spot at the foot of the mountain.

Before long, she spotted her employer marching over, his ears red with anger, his face twisted in reluctance.

Meanwhile, the enigmatic Mr. Yi walked casually behind the angry man, maintaining just the right distance—close enough that Zhang Ming couldn’t lose him, yet far enough to avoid getting hit.

Of course, given Zhang Ming’s instinctive fear and wariness of Yi Fengchu, Eurus was certain that even if Yi Fengchu stood completely defenseless in front of him, Zhang Ming wouldn’t dare touch him.

Cowardly, perhaps, but it was a survival strategy—avoiding danger at all costs.

Yi Fengchu thought it was odd.

In his memory, he and Zhang Ming had known each other since childhood—so why did the other man act like a mouse seeing a cat whenever they met?

He raised a hand to touch his own face—hm, his lips were still curved in a friendly smile. Clearly, the issue wasn’t with him.

He had always been nothing but polite and normal!

"..."

His phone’s voice said dryly: "Are you *really* normal? Maybe you should think about that more."

"The way he’s acting, it’s obvious you really traumatized him in the past."

Yi Fengchu confidently replied in his mind, "Stay out of it. When it comes to social interactions, I have my own rhythm."

The phone fell silent.

So abnormal, yet so confident...

Yi Fengchu kept his distance behind Zhang Ming when suddenly, a small white shadow—no larger than a palm—shot through the falling snow, heading straight for him.

Only when it was within a meter did Yi Fengchu realize it was a paper airplane.

One of its folded wings had already been bent by the wind, and its body bobbed unsteadily in the air before miraculously stabilizing and landing perfectly in Yi Fengchu’s palm.

His fingertips brushed against the damaged wing, and he could barely see black handwriting hidden within the paper.

After only a brief moment of confusion, Yi Fengchu figured it out quickly—

He hadn’t sensed any danger or malice, so this was likely someone passing him a message.

As for who the sender was?

Lena’s figure came to mind—he had received multiple prayers from her before.

From what he recalled, she wasn’t just a devout believer in fate but was also revered by other believers as...

Uh, a bishop or something?

Yi Fengchu couldn’t quite remember.

He casually slipped the paper airplane into his pocket, keeping it out of sight from the other players, then calmly rejoined the group at the meeting point.

Once everyone had gathered, Zhang Ming stole a glance at Yi Fengchu, too angry to say anything, and could only hold his tongue. "Ahem, it’s about time. Let’s all head out together."

As the official employer of the players, Zhang Ming still held some authority, so no one objected.

Though the snowy mountain environment was definitely more dangerous than the foothills, everyone understood that their mission could only be solved by venturing into the mountains.

The moment they set foot on the mountain path, time froze once more.

Snowflakes the size of goose feathers hung frozen in place in the air. Lena curiously poked at one suspended before her eyelashes—its six delicate crystalline edges were perfectly visible, like an exquisitely carved ice sculpture.

The world stood still. Ice and snow stretched endlessly across the land, forming an unnatural sea of pure white, as surreal as a bizarre dream.

System Prompt:

"This is the passive dice-rolling phase."

"The weather on the snowy mountains is unpredictable. Even the slightest change in wind speed, direction, or snowfall could have unpredictable effects for your journey."

"All players must take turns rolling the dice. The total sum will determine the weather conditions for the next two hours."

"Complete your rolls within the three-minute countdown. Players who fail to roll will default to a value of '1'."

The players exchanged glances. Chen Hui scratched his head and looked at Lena. "You can make sure we all roll the highest number, right?"

"I can have some influence, but I wouldn’t recommend relying entirely on me for that."

Lena replied, "As the system first told us, the fluctuations of luck for all living beings in this snowy mountain are abnormally unstable—I might grant you good fortune one moment, and the next, your luck could be disrupted again."

"Moreover, even within the same domain, different Abilities manifest in vastly different ways," she added vaguely after a pause. "My Ability isn’t particularly suited to giving luck to others."

Chen Hui grumbled irritably, "Then what’s the point of bringing you along? Seriously..."

"Hah," Eurus sneered mockingly. "Then why don’t you tell us, you airhead, what use *you* serve?"

The scholar also shot Chen Hui a glare, his eyes filled with stern warning, before nodding at Lena. "Just do your best. Something is better than nothing."

"Time is limited. Let’s start rolling the dice now..."

Yi Fengchu stood at the periphery, silently observing the players’ discussion with cool detachment.

Ahead of him, Zhang Ming was frozen mid-step on the mountain path, balanced unsteadily like a flamingo on one leg, his exhaled breath suspended in front of his face, his knees bent and weight shifted forward—a plainly ridiculous pose.

The system’s time freeze naturally had no effect on Yi Fengchu, but he wasn't about to reveal too much of his uniqueness to the players. So he kept his eyes lowered, staying perfectly still.

He quietly thanked his luck that, at the moment time froze, he had been standing normally on both feet—unlike Zhang Ming, who had been caught in some awkward pose...

With the dice-rolling time pressing, the players all ignored Yi Fengchu and Zhang Ming’s situation, completely unaware.

—They clearly hadn’t anticipated that an "NPC" from this world would remain unaffected by the system, watching their every move.

The first to roll was Lena.

Lucky as always, she unsurprisingly rolled a "6."

Next were the scholar and Eurus, rolling a "3" and a "5," respectively.

The scholar’s expression darkened slightly, and Eurus patted his shoulder with a laugh. "It’s fine. At least you didn’t roll the lowest two numbers. It won’t affect the overall outcome much..."

After a few comforting words, she teased, "Though it seems my luck is a bit better than yours."

The scholar’s expression darkened further.

Finally, it was Chen Hui’s turn.

The silver dice spun, its reflection in Yi Fengchu’s dark eyes.

Before it even stopped, he had already seen the outcome.

In a corner unnoticed by the players, Yi Fengchu frowned slightly, his fingers curling—but after a moment of hesitation, he ultimately chose not to interfere.

The dice slowed, landing with a glaring "1" face-up.

"Chen Hui..." Eurus’s smile remained, but her tone turned biting. "Are you *useless*?"

Lena also looked up at him, suspicion in her eyes. "Did you say something you shouldn’t have? Pissed off the mountain... or something behind it?"

Under the group’s accusing stares, Chen Hui’s face flushed red. He opened his mouth to retort but found no defense, so he stayed silent.

System: "Total roll: 15, accounting for 5/8 of the total."

"Good luck."

With that, the system vanished, without explaining whether the result was good or bad, or how it would affect the weather.

Time resumed. Snowflakes began falling again, leaving behind four bewildered players, the oblivious Zhang Ming, and Yi Fengchu—who knew everything but pretended otherwise.

The group continued their ascent.

The wind and snow had picked up slightly, but it wasn’t enough to hinder the players’ progress, nor did it trouble Yi Fengchu.

Before long, they had covered a considerable distance—until Zhang Ming, gasping for breath, raised a hand. "I—I can’t... go on..."

His thumb and forefinger trembled as he pinched them together, gesturing a small amount. "Just... a short break..."

Yi Fengchu glanced back at him. For someone as unfit and portly as Zhang Ming, relentless climbing was indeed an unreasonable demand.

So he suggested considerately, "There’s a sheltered area ahead past the cliff bend. The wind will be lighter there. Shall we pause?"

Zhang Ming, doubled over with hands on his knees, nodded repeatedly.

At the same time, he couldn't help feeling envious—

After all this walking, even though Yi Fengchu was wearing less, with only a scarf and gloves for warmth, why wasn’t he flushed, breathless, or fatigued?

It was as if the others were struggling through a grueling climb while he was just taking a casual walk!

Standing side by side, Zhang Ming’s bedraggled appearance only made Yi Fengchu’s composure more glaring, making him resentful: *What kind of inhuman stamina and cold resistance is this?*

*Heaven really favors this freak...*

As they rounded the bend, the mountain peak blocked most of the wind, and the snowfall noticeably lessened, no longer stinging like knives against their faces.

They found a safe, flat, wind-sheltered spot and started setting down their gear to rest.

Zhang Ming was the most impatient. He dropped his belongings and collapsed onto a rock, his face contorted in exhaustion.

Suddenly, Eurus exclaimed, "Look down—why are there so many footprints here?"

Chen Hui scoffed. "Why the fuss? Other climbers must have come through before us."

"No," the scholar said slowly, examining the footprints carefully. "Judging by their size, shape, and tread patterns—"

"These are *our* footprints."