Chapter 101 Discovery

"Crap! We've been spotted!" The two guys tailing them realized they'd been noticed when Gu Fei glanced back at them. They immediately strode towards him, and halfway there, they even pulled out their Dark Night Flowing Light Swords.

The two hastily turned to leave, but they were no match for Gu Fei's speed. He used Instant Movement to appear directly in front of them, blocking their path. He glared at them and demanded, "Who are you two?"

The two didn't answer. As if Gu Fei wasn't even there, they lowered their heads and tried to walk around him. Gu Fei had been playing the game for so long, he'd been spied on, ambushed, cursed at, hacked at, and dodged, but he'd never been directly ignored. Gu Fei figured these two were just playing dumb! He decided he had to teach them a lesson. He immediately swung his sword, but he didn't use any magic, afraid of accidentally killing them.

But as the sword neared their bodies, a "ding-dong" system notification sounded. The two guys turned their heads, flashed Gu Fei a smile, and continued on their way, leaving in a carefree manner.

"What's going on?" Bai Shi Jing Lun was puzzled. He hadn't expected Gu Fei to let two ordinary people slip away. He started to chase after them, but Gu Fei chuckled wryly and said, "Don't bother chasing them. Those two are below level ten."

Below level ten, they were protected by PK rules. No one could lay a hand on players below level ten. The messages Gu Fei had received weren't system messages, but warnings. The system sternly informed him that attacking newbie players below level ten was shameful. If he did it again, regardless of whether he managed to kill them, he'd get PK points.

"Below level ten…" Bai Shi Jing Lun had been through his share of battles, so he knew the most basic PK rules. These two players were actually below level ten, truly embodying the legendary state of "Let him be strong, like a breeze caressing the mountain; let him be fierce, like the bright moon shining on the river."

Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun helplessly watched the two happily leave. At that moment, Gu Fei received a message from Shui Shen: "I sent over a teleportation scroll. Record a coordinate and send it back to me."

Gu Fei quickly went to the city gate mailbox to retrieve the scroll. He immediately recorded the coordinates and sent it back. Shui Shen was clearly waiting by the mailbox, because three seconds later, Gu Fei saw a white light appear beside him. Shui Shen and Lu Ke emerged from the light. Lu Ke wasn't very friendly towards Gu Fei. She just snorted twice, which counted as a greeting. The girl still remembered the pile of trouble Gu Fei's dark speculations had stirred up back then. Although it was later proven that Duan Shui Jian really did have a problem, the problem was because of Gu Fei in the first place. In her eyes, this guy was nothing but a troublemaker.

Shui Shen, on the other hand, was full of energy. As soon as he stepped out of the white light, he asked Gu Fei, "Where's Wu Ye?"

"He said he went to draft a contract," Gu Fei said, then introduced Bai Shi Jing Lun: "Bai Shi Jing Lun, you know him, right?"

"I've met him, I've met him!" Shui Shen said.

"This is Shui Shen," Gu Fei introduced to Bai Shi Jing Lun.

"One of the Five Little Strongs!" Bai Shi Jing Lun greeted Shui Shen warmly.

"Those days are best left unremembered!" Shui Shen sighed.

"Why aren't you anymore?" Bai Shi Jing Lun had only just learned today that the Five Little Strongs had all gotten a new version.

Gu Fei chimed in from the side, "I killed them."

Although everyone was willing to let bygones be bygones, this was clearly not a pleasant topic. Shui Shen looked around and asked, "Where's Jian Gui? And that idiot." When he said "idiot," Shui Shen's gnashing teeth were definitely not fake.

"They're leveling up!" Gu Fei said.

"How did you guys end up in Yueye City?" Shui Shen inquired.

Gu Fei and the others weren't doing anything shady, so he explained everything as it was.

"Oh, oh, the efficiency leveling method! Tsk, tsk! When are you coming to Lin Yin City to give us some pointers? How much?" Shui Shen asked.

"500,000!" Bai Shi Jing Lun was thrilled at the prospect of more business and blurted out the answer. He knew that the price they'd quoted to the Ten Guild Alliance was 500,000, but he didn't realize that was a discounted, friendly price, not the market price. Even so, the price startled Shui Shen. The Ten Guild Alliance had over four thousand players. Shui Shen's guild had only recently reached level six, with just over 1050 members. The population base was different, so the per capita burden was naturally different as well. 500,000 was 500 gold coins per person. For guys like Gu Fei who were already rich, 500 gold coins was just a drop in the bucket. But for normal players, an asset of over a hundred was a fortune, and an asset of over a thousand made you a tycoon.

"We're all so familiar, give us a discount!" Shui Shen said.

"Hehe, talk to Jian Gui and the others about that later!" Gu Fei was already making it clear he was going to do them a favor.

Shui Shen didn't stand on ceremony and nodded repeatedly. "Easy to talk about, easy to talk about."

"However, your players are mostly archers, and the efficiency leveling method is worst for archers," Gu Fei said.

"What do you mean?" Shui Shen frowned.

"The efficiency leveling method is all close combat, and archers are quite limited," Gu Fei told him truthfully.

"Let's talk about that later. The key is to get a discount!" Shui Shen said.

Gu Fei smiled helplessly.

"By the way, has Lao Duan been bothering you guys?" Shui Shen asked.

"Yeah, he's been缠着 us these past two days!" Gu Fei said.

"And then?"

"And then? We killed him!" Gu Fei said.

Shui Shen wiped his sweat and changed the subject again: "Why is Wu Ye so slow? Damn it, the studio's efficiency is getting worse and worse. Don't they have standard contracts? Are they still writing one from scratch?"

Gu Fei didn't know about these things, so he couldn't chime in. But he did notice that even though Wu Ye had said he was going offline to draft a contract, his name was still lit up. The two sides had added each other as friends at the barbecue restaurant. Gu Fei didn't ask too much, he would just wait! Since there was nothing else to do, he asked Shui Shen and Lu Ke to find a tavern to sit in. This was the first time the two had come to Yueye City. From the city gate to the tavern, they witnessed eight PK murders. Some were revenge killings, some were duels, and some were fights that broke out after bumping shoulders.

"As expected of Yueye City, it truly lives up to its name!!" Shui Shen exclaimed repeatedly.

At that moment, the two players below level 10 reported the situation to Za Cao after getting out of Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun's sight.

"You were discovered so quickly?" Za Cao frowned. "How could you be so careless? I repeatedly told you to be extra careful. This is a big deal."

The two were also aggrieved. "We don't know either. We were indeed very careful, but we were still discovered."

"Did you discover anything?"

"No, we just started tailing them," the two said.

"What happened after you were discovered?"

"That Qian Li Yi Zui pulled out his sword and was about to attack. We left as usual," the two said.

"He's really violent…" Za Cao wiped his sweat. It seemed that the threat of using a sword in the barbecue restaurant wasn't just a bluff.

"Alright, you two can go!" Za Cao sent the two away and immediately reported to Wu Ye.

Wu Ye was currently writing the contract with great enthusiasm! Shui Shen really understood the studio. They did have all sorts of standard contracts, and a large studio like Ying Qi also had many prepared in the game so they could directly discuss business. However, the cooperation project with Gu Fei and the others was a completely new industry, and Wu Ye couldn't find a suitable format for the time being. That's why he found a similar one and was now copying and rewriting it on a stack of paper. In the game, he couldn't directly delete and modify it like he could on a computer, so he had to copy and rewrite it.

"You were discovered? You didn't find out anything?" Wu Ye frowned upon hearing the report. "Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself will win every battle!" Wu Ye sent two people to monitor them, not with any malicious intentions, but just to understand Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun's next movements. He wanted to know if they would do anything related to the upcoming negotiations, so he could take the initiative. Now that the people he'd sent out were disconnected just a few minutes after being dispatched, he was naturally a little apprehensive.

"Forget it, I'll play it by ear!" Wu Ye thought about it and didn't have any other way, so he could only hurry up and finish the contract. After thinking about it, he sent a message to Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun, informing them that he was currently drafting the contract in the game and would show it to them directly in the game later.

"Face-to-face communication is always more convenient!" Wu Ye's reason was still very reasonable.

"Wu Ye is drafting the contract in the game. He'll bring it over for us to see later," Gu Fei said.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it," Shui Shen nodded.

The four of them had been sitting in the tavern for about half an hour now. They really couldn't find a common topic, and often fell into silence after a few words. In the end, they simply ignored each other. Lu Ke felt bored and dragged Shui Shen to go shopping with her. Shui Shen reluctantly agreed. Just as the two were about to leave, Gu Fei suddenly said: "I got a message, the contract is ready!!"

"Hey, he's pretty quick. Where are we meeting? Let's go!" Shui Shen said.

"Let's go!" Gu Fei led the way. The place Wu Ye had chosen was still Ying Qi Barbecue Restaurant.

They had just left not long ago, and now they were stepping back in again. Za Cao was still waiting outside the door. When he saw that Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun had brought two more people this time, he asked in confusion: "Who are these two?"

"Oh, my friends. They're just coming along to take a look," Gu Fei said.

Shui Shen smiled at Za Cao: "What's your name, brother?"

"Za Cao," Za Cao said.

"You're new, right! Work hard, you have a future!" Shui Shen patted Za Cao on the shoulder and led the way in. Za Cao was confused by him, but seeing that people were coming in one after another, he quickly followed, saying: "It's still the same location as before."

In the private room, everyone met. Gu Fei originally thought that there would be a bloody storm as soon as they met. He had even gripped his sword tightly. Who would have thought that Wu Ye's reaction would be the same as Za Cao's? When he saw Shui Shen and Lu Ke, he immediately asked in confusion: "Who are these two?"

Gu Fei was stunned, then realized that the two sides' acquaintance was probably limited to the internet. They hadn't had this kind of face-to-face meeting, so they didn't recognize each other.

Sure enough, Shui Shen sent him a message at this time: "Which one is Wu Ye?"

"The one speaking," Gu Fei quickly replied, and then saw Shui Shen say with a fake smile: "Hehe, I'm his friend. I heard about this and came along to take a look."

"Oh! Welcome, welcome!" Wu Ye didn't lose his manners and quickly offered them seats. The private room was quite big, so it wasn't a problem to add two more people.

After Shui Shen sat down, he immediately took the initiative and said: "Where's the contract? Bring it out and let's take a look?"

A stack of paper had already been placed on the table. Wu Ye sat down, pushed it over, and said with a smile: "This is what I just drafted. It was a bit rushed, so don't mind any omissions or typos."

"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet…" Wu Ye was asking Shui Shen's name, but who would have thought that Shui Shen wouldn't answer? After taking the contract and glancing at it, he said contemptuously: "A profit-sharing agreement?"

"Yes!" Wu Ye nodded with a smile.

"Hmph!" Shui Shen snorted coldly, casually picked up the contract, and glanced at it randomly. He thought it would be the same old tricks, so he was pondering where to start. But after a few glances, his expression became more and more surprised. He couldn't help but raise his eyes and glance at Wu Ye.

"Profit-sharing agreements are a trick," this has never been a secret, nor is it unique to studios. However, there are still some restrictions in other industries, but in the studio industry, which does not yet have sound legal norms, it is used extremely unscrupulously. So much so that it has become a rat that everyone shouts at. Many studios no longer have this form of profit-sharing agreement in their thinking. Today, Gu Fei actually took the initiative to propose this form. Wu Ye and the others' hearts at that time can be described as earth-shattering. Actually taking the initiative to propose profit-sharing with the studio, how many novices must not understand the game industry? It's hard to imagine that these two people, one is the current number one expert in the game, and the other is also a top-notch figure like the Five Little Strongs.

How could Wu Ye miss such a good thing that fell from the sky? Naturally, he followed the boat and pretended to think about it before accepting, also for fear that the other party would become suspicious. But in the end, he didn't know where he revealed his flaws. Wu Ye felt that Gu Fei was still wary in the end. He said he was going to ask his friends…

Wu Ye didn't know what kind of friends these were, but as long as they weren't too inexperienced game newbies, they would probably know that the studio's dirty secrets have already been exposed. If Wu Ye still wanted to treat this as a pie in the sky at this time, it would be too stupid. His drafted contract has made corrections to several obvious trap areas. At this time, Shui Shen's first glance actually didn't find any faults, which was naturally very surprising.

"Could it be that the studio is now acting according to the rules?" Shui Shen wondered. But he really couldn't accept this idea. He was a character who had been involved in several studios, and he knew too well the dirty tricks of these people to collect money. He suddenly changed his ways? He also had to give a reason! Recently, he hadn't heard of any laws or regulations targeting the online game studio field being introduced.

While Shui Shen was thinking, he began to study the contract carefully again. Gu Fei also realized that something was wrong. At the beginning, Shui Shen came in high-spirited, with the words "trampling people" written directly on his face. But after picking up the contract, the situation changed immediately. Shui Shen obviously felt a little caught off guard, while Wu Ye was confident at this time, as if he was very confident in this contract.

"What's the situation?" Gu Fei sent a message to Shui Shen. This was the biggest benefit of the game. He could communicate secretly without revealing any traces.

"The contract is very suspicious," Shui Shen replied.

"Oh? How is it suspicious?" Gu Fei asked.

"It's not suspicious, that's its biggest suspicion," Shui Shen said, but the contract had already been turned to the last page. Wu Ye had been watching his movements with a smile. Seeing that he had reached the last page, he waited for a while and then immediately asked in a timely manner: "How is it? Are there any problems with the contract?"

After scanning this round, all the places where he knew would create loopholes had been patched in this contract. There was currently only one problem, which was the issue of how transparent the accounts were in the profit-sharing agreement. Shui Shen was about to raise this issue, but Wu Ye, seeing that he hadn't opened his mouth for a long time, took the lead and said: "Currently, there is one problem, which is the issue of account details. According to normal operations, the final income is based on the tax payment slip. But I think you are also sensible people, so I will be honest. Our studio's operation has a little difficulty in terms of tax payment. So, we generally don't use the tax payment slip as the basis. So, we have to discuss carefully here what the final profit-sharing will be based on."

Shui Shen was surprised. He didn't expect that Wu Ye had become so cunning after not dealing with him for so long. Obviously, this guy was originally preparing to treat Gu Fei and Bai Shi Jing Lun as rookies and eat them up, but at the same time that Gu Fei suspected fraud, he also discovered that Gu Fei was wary. This guy didn't have any luck and made such a contract decisively. In this way, all of his initial sinister intentions were covered up, and now this contract was completely flawless. The only problem that was difficult to solve was the account problem in the profit-sharing. This guy openly brought it to the table for discussion. In this way, this guy stood firm in both reason and emotion.

As for what's next, the profit-sharing account problem, if this problem was so easy to solve, would it still become a poisonous tumor? This guy put this problem on the table to show his fairness, but as a problem that cannot be cleaned up at all, what will happen in the end? At this time, what Wu Ye showed was not a conspiracy, but an open conspiracy. This matter is placed in front of you, how to do it, you figure it out!

How to do it? Shui Shen had a headache. Although Wu Ye was cunning, Shui Shen could see that his sincerity in this cooperation was still quite sufficient. Cooperating with them was indeed a good opportunity to make money. It's just that in the current situation, I have to say that Gu Fei's previous initiative to propose profit-sharing was a major mistake. Now it's very embarrassing. Can't you jump down even if you know you will suffer a loss? But now I changed my mind and said I didn't want to share profits and wanted to do other things? There is no suitable reason to say this at all, so even if the other party accepts, they will use this as a bargaining chip to lower the asking price...

Shui Shen was depressed. He didn't expect that Wu Ye had evolved to the point where he couldn't handle it himself. Unexpectedly, Gu Fei spoke at this time: "The accounts are not clear? Oh dear, if this is not clear, I'm afraid this cooperation will not be able to proceed, right?"

Wu Ye smiled and said: "That's right, so everyone has to think about it carefully."

Shui Shen sneered, thinking? This guy won't use his brain on this matter!

But unexpectedly, Gu Fei nodded in agreement and said: "Then I will trouble Brother Wu Ye, we are waiting for your news."

"Ah?" Wu Ye was stunned.

"We don't understand this matter very well. I have to ask Brother Wu Ye to think of a suitable plan," Gu Fei said sincerely.

Seeing Wu Ye's crying and laughing face, Shui Shen couldn't help but laugh out loud. Today, he understood what it means to be desireless. No matter how insidious Wu Ye is, it is a pity that he sincerely wants to do this business. If he encounters an object that is not sincere, he will only be eaten!