Chapter 145: Laying All the Cards on the Table

About ten minutes after logging, Dong Xin drove her SUV outside Zhuge Xue's teahouse. Chen Hao and the other two had already been waiting in the courtyard. Seeing Dong Xin's car, Guo Yunhai's expression became noticeably excited. However, constrained by the presence of Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue, he did not dare to show it too overtly.

Yet Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue had long since noticed his unusual behavior. Neither of them said a word, merely exchanging a glance and smiling secretly.

Finding it immensely amusing that a big guy like Guo Yunhai would display such an expression when meeting the girl of his affections, just like any other pure and innocent young man, they eagerly anticipated what Guo Yunhai would say once Dong Xin got out of the car and the two met face-to-face.

Guo Yunhai did not let their anticipation down. When he saw Dong Xin step out of the car, his eyes lit up, and he immediately strode forward, uttering words that nearly made Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue vomit.

"Xin'er, you're here! Long time no see, how are you doing now?" Guo Yunhai greeted Dong Xin in an incomparably tender tone.

Holy crap! Do you have to use such a cheesy greeting? And that "Xin'er" made Chen Hao's entire body break out in goosebumps. Chen Hao wouldn't have thought anything of appending that diminutive suffix to anyone else's name, but doing so to a tomboy like Dong Xin... just thinking about it felt awkward.

Consequently, Dong Xin merely shot Guo Yunhai a cold glance. "Guo Yunhai, I've told you many times, you and I are not that close. Don't address me with such affectionate terms!"

Guo Yunhai seemed slightly embarrassed by Dong Xin's rebuff. He rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, aren't you my fiancée? There's nothing wrong with calling you that!"

"Pfft—" Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue spat out simultaneously.

What on earth? Dong Xin was Guo Yunhai's fiancée? Chen Hao was rather surprised. The truly astonished one, however, was Zhuge Xue; she had never heard Guo Yunhai mention his relationship with Dong Xin.

Zhuge Xue had always assumed Guo Yunhai was merely experiencing unrequited love for Dong Xin, never expecting that such a connection existed between them.

Knowing Guo Yunhai as she did, Zhuge Xue knew he wasn't the kind of person who liked to make casual jokes. Since he dared to address Dong Xin in this manner, it proved that this relationship was real. Yet he had never spoken of it to her, leading Zhuge Xue to surmise that their betrothed relationship might not be all that harmonious.

The most likely scenario was that their engagement had been arranged by their families, and while Guo Yunhai was quite satisfied with this arrangement, Dong Xin presumably resented it. Otherwise, she wouldn't hold such an attitude toward him.

Sure enough, Dong Xin's next words confirmed Zhuge Xue's speculation.

Frowning, Dong Xin said, "Guo Yunhai! Please get one thing straight. Our engagement was entirely orchestrated by my father behind my back without my knowledge. From beginning to end, I have never agreed to this matter. I can state very clearly that regarding our marriage, I am completely against it."

Guo Yunhai grew anxious. Primarily, Dong Xin was giving him zero face in front of Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue, dismissing him entirely with a single stroke.

Having previously taken action because of Dong Xin's troubles, for her to publicly undermine him like this left him with nowhere to hide his embarrassment.

"Xin'er, why do you say that? Are you implying that I'm not good enough? Tell me how I've displeased you, and I'll change, won't I?" Guo Yunhai urged anxiously.

Hearing Guo Yunhai's words, Chen Hao almost threw up once more. Why did these lines sound identical to the scripts of television dramas and romance novels? Was it going to be Dong Xin's turn to hand Guo Yunhai a rejection card next?

Sure enough, Dong Xin's opening remarks were entirely within Chen Hao's expectations. "There is nothing lacking in you; you are exceptional and outstanding. It is I who am not good enough, and I am unworthy of you. In truth, I have always regarded you as an older brother in my heart. There are plenty of fish in the sea... You are actually a very perfect person. If I must point out a flaw, it is that your affection for me presses down on me until I can barely breathe, which is why I cannot be with you."

To be honest, for a tomboy like Dong Xin to utter so many nauseating words for Guo Yunhai's sake, he was quite something. It was just a pity that the feeling was felt only by the falling blossoms, while the flowing stream remained indifferent...

Without paying any further heed to the stunned Guo Yunhai standing in place, Dong Xin walked straight toward Chen Hao and the others. "Chen Hao, time is of the essence, get in the car! I will explain the situation in detail on the way. For safety reasons, Miss Zhuge Xue should come along as well!"

Chen Hao glanced at her, nodded, and led Zhuge Xue into the car. As he passed Guo Yunhai, he couldn't help sighing, patted him on the shoulder, and pushed him into the back seat as well.

Once inside the vehicle, Guo Yunhai maintained that absent-minded expression, as if the entire world had abandoned him.

Just as Chen Hao was about to offer a few words of comfort, Zhuge Xue waved a hand to stop him. "Pay no attention to this big guy! Let him fend for himself; ask about the important matters right away."

Casting a sympathetic glance at Guo Yunhai, Chen Hao turned to Dong Xin. "Miss Dong Xin, can you tell us now why you were in such a hurry to find us? And please explain in detail your purpose for transferring to the technical department in the first place, as well as following me to Kustar! Of course, what I care about most right now is where Mengmeng and Yirou are. Are they in any danger?"

Dong Xin nodded and began answering Chen Hao's questions. "First, addressing the matter you care about most, I have already arranged for Yirou and Mengmeng to stay in a safe house not far from here. The place we are heading to is also there, and you will be able to see them shortly. Rest assured, the two of them are completely safe.

"Second, I am unaware of how much you actually know about Kustar, but based on your father's connections, you likely know some things, though perhaps not in great detail. To be honest, the secrets I know are not overly extensive either. However, I heard from a colleague at the company earlier that a large-scale attack is about to take place here in Kustar, and the enemies are monsters that ordinary military forces simply cannot contend with."

At this point, Dong Xin paused, seemingly giving Chen Hao some time to digest the information and ask questions. Yet Chen Hao's face showed no trace of the expected astonishment, as if he already knew about these matters.

"You..." Dong Xin was momentarily stunned. "Do you have nothing to ask me?"

Chen Hao shook his head. "Nothing!"

Dong Xin had never expected Chen Hao to react this way. "Nothing? What do you mean by nothing? Don't you find this strange?"

"Sigh..." Chen Hao sighed and shared a portion of what he knew regarding the events in the Kustar forest. After Chen Hao finished speaking, true to his expectations, Dong Xin was completely oblivious to what had transpired in the forest.

The shock on her face was entirely genuine. Observing her expression, Chen Hao realized that Dong Xin didn't necessarily know more than he did! It seemed his expectations had been in vain.

"How do you know about these things?" Dong Xin stared at Chen Hao in amazement, asking in astonishment.

As Chen Hao hesitated over how to explain, Guo Yunhai, sitting in the back seat, snapped out of his daze and patted Chen Hao on the shoulder. "Let me explain! At this point, I suppose there's no need for further concealment. Actually, back when you were telling me about Xin'er... about Dong Xin, Chen Hao, I kept wanting to tell you. However, until Dong Xin revealed her own identity, it wasn't appropriate for me to overstep. But having just heard Dong Xin reveal such critical information, I imagine she no longer intends to keep it hidden."

Chen Hao frowned, while Zhuge Xue grew even more bewildered. "Big guy, what kind of riddles are you speaking in?"

Dong Xin spoke up. "Actually, it's very simple. My true identity is not that of a high-ranking internal employee of Illusion Corporation. Much like Guo Yunhai, I belong to a certain military unit of the state. Due to the confidentiality involved, I cannot disclose the unit's designation."

"Ah!" Zhuge Xue gasped in surprise.

Chen Hao wore a look of sudden realization. "So that's how it is. To put it bluntly, you're an undercover agent, aren't you?"

Dong Xin's expression remained calm. "Yes!"

"Then for what reason did you track me?" Chen Hao asked. "Was it because you discovered I entered the game world illegally? Did Illusion Corporation instruct you to do this?"

Dong Xin's reply caught Chen Hao by surprise. "No! My tracking you had nothing whatsoever to do with Illusion Corporation. In fact, Illusion Corporation never discovered your entry into the game at all. Not only you, but even the roster of all personnel who used geek technology to enter the game like Zhuge Xue was suppressed by me. At least among those I discovered, I didn't report a single one!"

"What?!" Zhuge Xue found it hard to believe. "You already knew about my entering the game?!"

With that, Zhuge Xue glared at Guo Yunhai, assuming he had told Dong Xin. "You friend-over-lover betrayer!"

Guo Yunhai hurriedly raised both hands. "Don't look at me like that; I certainly didn't tell her about us entering the game. She discovered it entirely on her own."

Dong Xin continued, "I tracked you simply because your method of entering the game differed from everyone else's. Whether it was Miss Zhuge or other geeks, whenever they entered the game, I received alerts, and I actually redirected their connection ports into other game maps. Only in your case, not only did I receive no notification when you entered, but I was also unable to transmit your character data to the maps I created. It was this point that aroused my curiosity and prompted me to investigate you."

Zhuge Xue understood now. "No wonder I didn't see a single NPC or monster after entering the game—so that was the reason! Then why did you do all this? Aren't you an undercover agent? Why go to such lengths to diligently work for Illusion Corporation?"

Dong Xin slowly explained, "I did this primarily to protect all of you..."