Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

While the player [Tomb Raider Captain] was still exploring, before the news had broken...

「Anhe City. The inner hall of the An Family's ancestral shrine.」

White funeral banners stood thick as a forest, and paper money fluttered through the air.

And kneeling before the coffin was none other than the star of today's performance—the shopkeeper of the Tongli Money Shop, Liu Yue.

She was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, her figure frail. While tossing paper money into a brazier, she pressed a handkerchief tightly to her mouth. With her performance of someone trying to suppress her grief but unable to stop the tears, if Anhe City had its own Academy Awards, she would have taken home the award for Best Actress.

Even Mr. An, who was standing beside her with a grief-stricken face, found his expression softening at the sight.

'Yao'er may be gone, but her best friend is truly devoted.'

Just then, a middle-aged man took advantage of a lull as people swapped places to burn paper offerings, and tremblingly sidled up to Liu Yue.

Mr. Wang of Wang's Cloth Shop had already used up all the white Paradise Powder he had on him...

His eyes were unfocused. The powder was gone, withdrawal was setting in, and on top of his enormous debt, he seemed to radiate an aura of death.

"Ms.... Ms. Liu..." Mr. Wang asked in a low voice, "About... the interest on that loan... could you perhaps grant an extension...?"

Liu Yue's hand, in the middle of burning paper money, paused for a moment.

The next second, she asked with a heartbroken and furious tone, "Mr. Wang! What nonsense are you talking about?! Yao'er is not yet cold in her grave, how can you talk business with me at a time like this? Talk about money?! This is a desecration of the dead!"

"Let's not even mention the friendship between our families. For Yao'er's sake alone, I would never pressure you at a time like this! Rest assured, we can discuss the debt another day. Today... we are only here to see Yao'er off, not to discuss filthy lucre!"

Her words were delivered with such righteous indignation, they were profoundly moving.

Hearing this, Mr. Wang's body trembled. "Ah! Thank you, Ms. Liu! You truly are a person who values loyalty!"

He turned and sighed at the jet-black coffin. "Sigh... such a good girl... how could she just pass away like that? What a pity..."

「Meanwhile, outside the main gates of the ancestral shrine, the scene was utterly bizarre.」

...

"You there! Stop! This is a private residence, and a funeral is in progress! No trespassing!"

The An Family's gatekeeper, Li, was staring dumbfounded at the group of weirdos before him.

In front of him, a group of Anhe City Patrol Guards (players), identifiable by the "Patrol" armbands on their sleeves, were crouching behind the stone lions at the entrance, seemingly waiting for something.

Meanwhile, several ordinary players who had tailed Liu Yue here were charging stiffly towards the shrine.

Their eyes were vacant as they stared straight at the shrine's entrance. When the crowd became too dense, they wouldn't even try to go around a pillar in their way, instead running straight into it.

Li's scalp tingled as he watched. He shouted, "Stop! Do you hear me?! One more step and it's trespassing! We're going to report you to the authorities!"

But the men acted as if they were deaf, continuing to press forward without a glance to either side. One of them, blocked by a passerby, slid in place for a moment before resuming his charge.

However, the very instant one of them set foot across the threshold!

"Move in!! Here's our quota!!"

The Patrol Guard players crouching by the gate instantly sprang into action. "Get 'em! Arrest every last one of 'em!"

Several Patrol Guards pounced, and without another word, whipped out thick hemp ropes and trussed up the AFK players who were still "auto-pathing."

The captured weirdos were then hauled up, one by each pair of Patrol Guards.

Even though their bodies were suspended in the air, their legs kept kicking forward nonstop!

"DA-DA-DA-DA-DA!"

"'Th-th-th-this...'" Li was so scared he fell right on his bottom. 'Is this... the legendary... demonic possession?!'"

Just then, one of the players being held aloft, his legs 'pedaling a bicycle' in mid-air, suddenly came back online.

His eyes focused. Seeing the ropes around his body and his dangling feet, he was utterly bewildered. "What the fuck? Why am I tied up? I just went to grab my takeout... Wait! Let me go! I'm just here to watch the drama! I'm a good citizen!"

"Good citizen my ass! The gatekeeper was shouting at you, but you wouldn't listen, insisting on barging into the Spirit Hall. Look, you almost knocked Li over! Is that how your family watches a show? Have some decency, will you? Come on, come with me to collect the reward!"

"'I'm not going! I'm already poor enough as it is! Let me go... Mmph, mmph, mmph!' The Patrol Guard skillfully pulled out a rag to gag him and then cheerfully hauled him away."

Li watched as this group rounded people up at his gate like they were catching pigs, nabbing a whole bunch at once. He was completely dumbfounded.

And the most ridiculous part was, even though a whole bunch had already been caught, more people kept streaming in from behind, trying to charge through!

Luckily, it was getting late. If this had been broad daylight, Li would have suspected all the madmen in the city had made a pact to come and trample the An Family's shrine.

But that wasn't even the strangest part. Li subconsciously glanced up at the surrounding courtyard walls.

On the high walls and roofs surrounding the An Family's shrine, a head, or sometimes half a butt, would pop up from time to time.

These people didn't come in, just got stuck on top of the walls or in the roof tiles. Some were even repeatedly running into the wall. BANG! BANG! BANG!

"'I mean... what in the world are you people trying to do?!' Li was on the verge of tears. 'If you're going to climb the wall, just climb over it! What's the point of getting stuck up there? Are you trying to be wallflowers?!'"

"'Don't worry, don't worry, sir, don't be scared!' At that moment, several Patrol Guards responsible for the perimeter climbed grinningly onto the wall, lassos in hand, and began roping the players who were stuck."

"'Come on, come on, harvest time! This counts towards our quota too! They were being tracked and ended up attempting to trespass. Take 'em all away!'"

And right at the main gate, an even more bewildering scene was unfolding. A player was standing less than half a meter away from him, staring at him blankly. At least this one was better than those being arrested.

Then, he began to bow in a standard fist-clasping salute.

"'Excuse me, may I...'"

But... he seemed to be glitching, or lagging.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The man bowed frantically at Li over a dozen times! His hands moved so fast they left afterimages, and his head bobbed up and down in a blur!

Li stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to return the gesture or not. He could only nod along with the man's rhythm. "Young Hero... Young Hero, you're too kind... much too kind... please stop bowing... Young Hero, doesn't your back hurt...? It's no use bowing anymore, unauthorized personnel really can't enter..."

'Did Mr. An attract some evil spirits? Why has this place become so terrifying?'

...

Meanwhile, on the main road leading to the An Mansion.

As the "champion" (in name only) of the recent Heaven-Ascending Run and a new disciple of the Guixi Sect, Wang Xiedi was currently facing the most "blissful" yet suffocating crisis of his life—an amorous crisis.

As everyone knew, the people of Anhe City were notoriously "passionate."

Previously, with the powerful presence of his "Immortal Senior Sister" Su Ling'er keeping things in check, the swarms of adoring women, though they drooled over a prime catch like Wang Xiedi, had only dared to watch from afar.

But now, that shield was gone.

With Su Ling'er absent, the sheltered young ladies with ulterior motives, the lovesick maidens, and even the old men hoping to discuss their daughters' marriage prospects finally found their golden opportunity.

Wang Xiedi wanted to go to the An Family's residence to offer condolences in Su Ling'er's place, but his journey there was like running a gauntlet.

Along the way, not only were there countless women who expertly predicted his path only to "trip" and fall into his arms, but also all sorts of ridiculous "chance encounters" and pleas for help from those "feeling unwell."

Poor Wang Xiedi. He possessed a high level of Cultivation but dared not use it against commoners, leaving him trapped and unable to move in this mire of feminine wiles.

The entire way, he could do little else but blush beet-red while bowing and apologizing, "I'm sorry, are you hurt? I'm in a hurry, I need to get to a funeral."

This directly resulted in Wang Xiedi dawdling for so long that he still hadn't even reached the gate of the An Family's shrine.

...

However, at that moment, in the [Patrol Guard Channel]:

[Tomb Raider Captain]: [Image][Image][Image] Bros! I hit the jackpot! I really hit the jackpot!

...

In the [Patrol Guard Channel], the few bombshell screenshots dropped by [Tomb Raider Captain] instantly ignited the enthusiasm of all online Patrol Guard players.

Although the grand prize would certainly go to the guy who dug into the ground, arresting Liu Yue would at least score them some assist credit. That was free copper coins for the taking! With any luck, they might even get a few slivers of silver!

And so, the Patrol Guards, who had been scattered throughout the city, began to converge on the An Mansion's shrine, giving them a legitimate reason to storm the Spirit Hall.

...

Elsewhere, the situation in the City Lord's Mansion was also changing rapidly. Zhao Decang had just been about to look for Ma Tietou when he heard the Patrol Guard's report. Knowing full well that he was also implicated, he could only feign praise for the one who reported it while urgently ordering his advisor to take troops and "secure the suspect" first.

Because the report was made near the city jail, the commotion outside even reached the cells, leading Ma Tietou to learn that Liu Yue was in trouble.

Meanwhile, Jiang Stone had already died and respawned. Now carefree, he was heading for the official road outside the city to pursue the trail of clues for the Bone-Breaking Lineage.

...

「The An Family's ancestral shrine. The storm arrives.」

Inside the Spirit Hall, the funeral dirge was playing its sorrowful tune, and Liu Yue's tears had yet to dry, when suddenly—BANG—!!!

[The Light of the Righteous Path] took the lead, followed by a massive, excited crowd of Patrol Guard players who instantly swarmed the Spirit Hall, blocking it completely.

"Anhe City Patrol Guard on official business! All unauthorized personnel, stand aside!!"

"Liu Yue! The jig is up!!"