The pixel count was just too low. Ren Suo could, at best, make out that the Phantom Girl was probably a little girl wearing white clothes with red trim. The little girl also seemed to have some adornments that didn't look human—Were those ears and a tail?

Although it looked somewhat strange, compared to the chaotic assembly of demons at the conference, it wasn't particularly unusual—the Rebel's painted face, on the other hand, was quite peculiar.

Phantom Girl: "Even though you're not a big sister... a big brother is fine too. You were super cool in the fight just now, Big Brother!"

So the Rebel isn't a big sister after all. What a disappointment for the little girl!

Speaking of which, players couldn't create their own characters in this game either. Otherwise, Ren Suo would have definitely created a female character—he almost subconsciously cycled between male and female characters. The protagonist of the last game, *High Energy Ahead*, was a brash male character, and the protagonist of the game before that, *Midnight Walker*, was an Eastern beauty. This time, Ren Suo had intended to create a female character with blonde, wavy hair to have some fun, but unfortunately, the Rebel didn't give him that chance.

Phantom Girl: "Big Brother, I came to find you to play, just like I promised... but I don't have time to play now... Big Brother, will you still protect me?"

Unlike his encounters with the Lady of Light, where the Rebel had struggled immensely to get close to her, the Phantom Girl took the initiative to approach him.

Ren Suo didn't think this meant the game had become easier. As he pondered, he quickly guessed the reason for the strategy tip about the Rebel needing to attract Popularity Energy—it was to make the Phantom Girl actively seek out the Rebel.

It seemed the Phantom Girl was similar to the White Emperor, the Female Knight, and others who had known the Rebel previously. She was also at the Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting but hadn't contacted the Rebel; perhaps she didn't even know he was there.

When the Rebel entered the Secret Realm to fight, that was when he could attract the most attention at the exchange meeting. The strategy tip required Ren Suo to ensure the Rebel's party's Secret Realm battles gained enough popularity. The goal was to draw out the Phantom Girl, wherever she was hiding, and make her notice the Rebel's presence.

This could explain why the Phantom Girl hadn't appeared after the previous few battles.

Seriously, Rebel, you made a promise with a little girl like the Phantom Girl? If your world wasn't a magical one, the police would have definitely arrested you by now!

However, the Rebel and Ren Suo were now of one mind. He seemed to understand the current mission objective, so he nodded and said, "I will honor our agreement."

Phantom Girl brightened up. "Big Brother, let's go, quickly! They're coming for us!"

Rebel: "Who are they?"

Phantom Girl: "Very, very mean people! They want to snatch my clothes. They chased me from the ground to the sky, and from the sky to the ship, never giving up. They're so annoying..."

Phantom Girl: "Let's go quickly! They'll find me here!"

Could it be that evil organization again? Ren Suo thought, remembering the group that had tried to assassinate the Lady of Light.

The Phantom Girl seemed to have her own idea. Without Ren Suo's control, the Rebel ended up confusedly following her out through the exchange meeting's entrance.

However, after the Rebel and Phantom Girl left, the scene didn't change at all; it remained focused on the exchange meeting hall!

This is bad, Ren Suo thought. It's just like when the Rebel ran off on his own in the first stage. This means the game is already lost.

Sure enough, after several tens of seconds, the exchange meeting hall suddenly shook. Another wave of chaos and commotion erupted, and the game screen abruptly turned gray:

"The Rebel has been slain."

"Mission Failed."

"You lost so pathetically, it even makes me want to burst out laughing."

"Do you want to experience the joy before the pain again? (Costs 4 Merit Points)"

Ren Suo restarted the game. This time, it began directly with the Rebel's meeting with the Phantom Girl. This meant all previous actions were insignificant and didn't affect the plot. Only when the Rebel met the Phantom Girl did the second stage officially begin.

From the recent failure, Ren Suo realized that the exchange meeting hall itself was the game's unspoken hint: the Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting was the main setting for this game, and leaving would inevitably lead to failure.

So, Ren Suo took control of the Rebel, preventing him from following the Phantom Girl out. Instead, he had the Rebel investigate the Phantom Girl, who then said, "Big Brother, do you have another way to deal with those bad guys? They're all really, really strong, but you're so amazing, Big Brother, you must have a plan!"

The Phantom Girl stayed by the Rebel's side. When Ren Suo controlled the Rebel's actions, she would follow him. Ren Suo tried controlling the Phantom Girl and was delighted to find that he could directly control her movements, even when separated from the Rebel!

Nevertheless, the mission objective for this game was 'neither the Phantom Girl nor the Rebel must be exposed.' So, even if Ren Suo could control both of them, they couldn't possibly engage the enemy head-on.

Ren Suo had no intention of confronting the enemy head-on regardless. Since the mission objective was to protect the Phantom Girl, as long as she remained unharmed, that was all that mattered.

The Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting hall was truly vast, teeming with powerful experts as numerous as clouds and warriors as plentiful as rain. Ren Suo had the Rebel take the Phantom Girl to hide in a corner of the exchange meeting hall, far from the entrance. However, they encountered quite a few unexpected twists and turns along the way:

A passing young lady A asked to approach the Phantom Girl;

Snake Fly Lion B asked to approach the Phantom Girl;

Steel Bean asked to approach the Phantom Girl;

The Blue Goddess of Wisdom asked to approach the Phantom Girl;

The Mad Battle Demon King asked to approach the Rebel;...

Wait, I can understand wanting to approach the Phantom Girl. Even though she's just twenty pixels and some adornments, I can tell from the Rebel's attitude that she must be an incredibly cute little girl. But what's this Mad Battle Demon King thinking, wanting to approach the Rebel?

After refusing them all, the Rebel finally managed to bring the Phantom Girl to the corner when suddenly the strategy tip updated:

```

Strategy Tip: Do not let the Pallbearers approach the Phantom Girl!

```

At that moment, at the entrance of the exchange meeting hall below, an NPC who had just entered was marked with a black frame. A blood-red nickname appeared above his head:

"Pallbearer Q"

As soon as Pallbearer Q entered the hall, he headed straight for the Rebel's location. Ren Suo immediately had the Rebel lead the Phantom Girl in another direction.

However, just as the Rebel began to move, Pallbearer Q stopped. Ren Suo didn't dare to relax, intently watching the screen for any changes.

About two minutes later, another enemy named "Pallbearer W" entered the exchange meeting hall. After reaching the center of the hall, he stopped moving, still some distance away from the Rebel and Phantom Girl.

Another two minutes passed, and the third, "Pallbearer E," entered the exchange meeting hall. At that point, Ren Suo finally realized something was wrong and quickly had the Rebel move with the Phantom Girl again!

The instant the Rebel moved, all the Pallbearers started moving towards them!

The Pallbearers know where the Rebel is moving! Or rather, they know the Phantom Girl is moving!

The exchange meeting hall was extremely crowded, and since none of them could move quickly, the Rebel managed to lead the Phantom Girl in a wide arc, barely evading the three Pallbearers' encirclement and almost reaching the hall's main entrance!

Just then, another Pallbearer appeared. The name of this Pallbearer was an even deeper, more glaring crimson than the others—

"Pallbearer R"!

The Rebel and Phantom Girl came nearly face-to-face with Pallbearer R. The Phantom Girl was so frightened that a dialogue box popped up from her: "It's him... He's the one who bullied me! Big Brother, help me beat him up!"

That's right! Ren Suo's eyes lit up. Eliminating all the enemies would also satisfy the 'not being exposed' part of the mission objective!

Although the Phantom Girl was being chased everywhere and probably couldn't help much, there was still the Rebel!

Rebel, go! Take them out, and your cover won't be blown!

After all these days of hard Cultivation, it's time to show what you're made of!

"The Rebel has been slain."

"Mission Failed."

"Your death was utterly pointless; it even makes me want to burst out laughing."

"Do you wish to experience the joy before the pain again? (Requires 4 Merit Points)"

Ren Suo covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.

The Rebel is so pathetic, getting insta-killed the moment they met. What kind of fight is this? Can I request a change of protagonist? I'm not even asking for someone on the level of the Devouring the Spirit of the World or Ren Han; even a Truth Seeker or a Magician would be better...

Direct combat was undoubtedly futile, and avoidance was no option either. The Pallbearers seemed able to pinpoint the Phantom Girl's location, so as soon as she moved, they would sense it, and they'd also know they themselves had been found out.

To prevent the Phantom Girl from escaping, the Pallbearers had entered the exchange meeting hall one by one, attempting to encircle her. They hadn't expected that the Rebel—that is, the Player—had a God's-eye view and could clearly see their every move.

Fleeing means death, hiding means death, waiting means death. So, is a counter-attack possible?

Exactly, Ren Suo realized. The Pallbearers can track the Phantom Girl, so fleeing and hiding are useless. The only solution is to deal with them—even temporarily disabling their movement would be enough. The mission objective is to protect the Phantom Girl while she fuses with the Supreme Treasure. Once she successfully fuses, the Pallbearers might not be able to track her anymore.

Alright, now that I have a general strategy, it's time to decide who will carry it out.

The Phantom Girl is out. The Pallbearers can sense her location; if she gets close, she'll definitely be caught.

So, there has only ever been one choice.

Restarting the game, this time Ren Suo had the Phantom Girl hide in a corner of the exchange meeting hall but directed the Rebel towards the entrance.

When the Rebel reached the entrance, "Pallbearer Q" appeared, right on cue!

The Rebel stood still as Pallbearer Q walked past without giving him a second glance.

Just as I thought, the Pallbearers don't recognize the Rebel at all!

However, as Ren Suo maneuvered the Rebel to follow Pallbearer Q, the Rebel's Determination Value trembled momentarily.

And then, that familiar phrase appeared from him again:

"Please remember, all joy bestowed by Destiny comes with a commensurate pain already prepared in its wake."

"Got it, got it," Ren Suo muttered. You're just making him dance on the razor's edge of courting death. It doesn't mean he'll actually die.