CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105: EXPOSED!

Ethan slowly opened his eyes. He was using his sunglasses to hide what he was really doing—staring carefully at the watch on the coffee table.

The young man in the black down jacket was Sylvan.

A moment ago, Ethan had entered Dawnfall Online to let him know it was time to move.

When he was getting ready with makeup in the morning, Ethan had already planned to ask Sylvan to take the black briefcase. He also told him that this might be dangerous.

Sylvan didn’t hesitate at all. He just agreed.

Ethan didn’t think there was a better way to send messages than through Dawnfall Online. After all, real-world electronic devices could be risky.

Using this way, he wouldn’t reveal any of his real identity.

Ethan took a soft breath and looked closely at the image on the watch.

He saw Sylvan standing next to the black briefcase, reaching out with his hand.

At that moment, a man in a black coat, about 1.7 meters tall, walked over with a cup of coffee that had long stopped giving off heat. He stood by the seat and asked,

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Ethan’s pupils suddenly shrank.

He had chosen this seat carefully. There were plenty of empty seats nearby. Normally, no one should come over.

Ethan glanced at the man’s coffee, then nodded quietly and said in a rough voice: "I’m waiting for someone."

The man in the black coat sat right across from Ethan without hesitation. He said with a blank face:

"Ah, so it seems your friend hasn’t come yet."

"Coincidence," the man said with a smile: "I’m waiting for someone too."

Then he stared straight at Ethan.

Ethan stayed calm and asked: "I don’t think I left any obvious clues. How did you find out?"

When Ethan saw the smile on the man’s face, he already knew who he was.

His smile was exactly the same as [Grinning Ghost]’s.

[Grinning Ghost] Skyler calmly picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said to Ethan: "No, you’re smart. This coffee shop isn’t the best place to watch someone. I thought you wouldn’t show up here at first."

Ethan didn’t speak. He just kept waiting for Skyler to continue.

Skyler slowly put his coffee down, then pulled a bottle of light blue medicine from his coat pocket and placed it on the table. He said:

"It’s a shame, but you met the wrong person."

"Tell me, in the most extreme situations, how accurate can a person’s instinct be?"

Ethan instinctively looked at the bottle right in front of him. He took a deep breath and said:

"Instinct? Like Spider-Man’s spider sense?"

Skyler smiled, his eyes squinting as he shook his head. "My instinct is stronger than that in some ways."

"According to the deal, this medicine is yours. Once you’re sure there’s nothing wrong with it, remember to give me the formula."

"Better hurry. I won’t stay in Dolren City for long."

Ethan turned around for a second. He saw Sylvan standing still, his right hand half-closed, as if holding something.

He took a deep breath and asked: "Is my man having a hallucination?"

Skyler answered: "Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon."

"I was actually planning to see your real face and find out who you really are. But my instinct told me that the first time we meet, it’s better not to push too hard."

After saying that, Skyler stood up and walked straight toward the door of the coffee shop.

As he passed the counter, he smiled and said to the server: "The man by the window is my friend. He’ll pay the bill."

The server immediately looked at Ethan, who nodded.

He watched as [Grinning Ghost] pushed open the coffee shop door, about to step outside, but then stopped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card.

Then, [Grinning Ghost] used his index and middle finger to pinch the card and gave his wrist a slight flick. The card flew straight and landed perfectly into the space between the blue medicine and the table.

This move made the server’s eyes go wide.

[Grinning Ghost] smiled and said: "I almost forgot to introduce myself. The card has my name and contact info. My instinct tells me we’ll meet again soon."

After that, [Grinning Ghost] walked straight into the wind and snow outside.

Ethan didn’t relax until [Grinning Ghost] was completely out of sight.

He looked down at the medicine and the card on the table. He muttered to himself: "Instinct? Or just a hallucination?"

"Even if it was any normal person, the result probably wouldn’t change."

Ethan slowly reached out, picked up the medicine and the card.

He used one finger to gently scrape the edge of the card. Suddenly, the seemingly normal card cut through his glove.

If [Grinning Ghost] had thrown it at his body instead, he might already be dead.

Ethan sighed helplessly. Things he had only seen in sci-fi or fantasy movies were now happening right in front of him, and it felt a little unreal.

He picked up the card and kept turning it in his hands.

[Grinning Ghost] didn’t kill him, didn’t break the deal, but showed up in person to show off his amazing skills.

He wanted Ethan to join them.

Why?

Ethan knew he was just an ordinary person in real life. There was no way they were just trying to recruit someone like him.

He must have done something that made him worth their attention.

Dawnfall Online!

Ethan kept playing with the business card, moving his hands faster and faster. He was now sure that [Grinning Ghost] had seen his performance in Dawnfall Online, which is why he wanted to recruit him.

But the power in Dawnfall Online couldn’t be used in real life—unless...

Talent!

Ethan thought about the character talents in Dawnfall Online.

His eyes lit up. All the talk about instinct from [Grinning Ghost], and the ability of his partner to make Sylvan have a hallucination—those must all be related to in-game talents.

[Grinning Ghost] didn’t know about the quality of Ethan’s talent, but he probably thought Ethan was strong in the game, so his talent must be good too. That’s why he wanted to recruit him.

Ethan touched the medicine in his pocket. No matter what, he had gotten what he wanted.

Now the next step was to figure out if the medicine had any problems.

Without hesitation, Ethan stood up, paid for two cups of coffee and left a tip for the server, then walked out of the café.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Sylvan stop moving in place. His right hand was empty, and he looked confused.

Ethan walked down the street and quickly reached a pet store.

Under the curious eyes of the store clerk, he bought a sick calico cat that had not yet been put to sleep.

...

Skyler walked slowly along a snowy street, heading toward Veritas Snow Group.

Soon, he reached an unremarkable shop. After saying hello to the clerk, he walked into a room in the back.

The room was full of electronic devices and lots of screens, looking just like a command center in a spy movie.

As soon as Skyler walked in, a young man with messy hair, eating instant noodles, and dark circles under his eyes, started complaining:

"Captain, just like you said, the test subject from Veritas Snow Group went to the hospital last night, and then came back to the lab on his own."

"I’ve already changed all the cameras and dashcams that captured his image. There won’t be any footage left," said the man.

Skyler nodded and replied: "Thanks for your work. We won’t stay in Dolren City for long. This mission will be over soon, and then you can take a good rest."

Skyler found a chair and sat down. Just as he was about to look at the screens around him, his wristband suddenly buzzed.

That band only vibrated when someone from the organization wanted to contact him.

Skyler quickly got up and left the room. He walked into an empty one before quickly tapping his wristwatch.

A slightly blurred projection appeared in front of him. It was a man wearing a black mask.

He spoke: "I’ve told you many times—every dose of medicine must follow the process. I have to approve it before the logistics team can give it out."

"If you keep doing this, I’ll tell you to leave the organization!"

Skyler smiled and said: "Sir, I really don’t have a choice. I had an emergency, so I skipped the steps this time."

"If I had time, I definitely wouldn’t bother you!"

"I promise! This is the last time! I swear!"

The man in the mask stayed silent for a moment, then said: "This is the last time. If it happens again, I’ll come and throw you out myself. Oh, by the way, you still haven’t told me why you needed the medicine."

Skyler’s smile slowly disappeared. He looked serious and said,

"I met a smart guy in Dolren City. My instinct told me he has a strong talent."

"I want to try bringing him into the organization. He could be a strong helper, and maybe that would give us a better chance to save the world."