Pretend to be crazy

Shen Yan’s plan was simple.

For the first round, he wanted to kill Ruan Zhixian. Even if he didn’t succeed, Ruan Zhixian would still be interested in him and wouldn’t kill him just because he lost the game.

As for the second round, Shen Yan didn’t want to play with him at all.

He was just an ordinary handsome guy. Without absolute informational advantage, and without a guaranteed win, he didn’t want to face Ruan Zhixian.

If he didn’t win against him, all the calculations in the first round would be useless, and Ruan Zhixian might lose interest and kill him directly.

Running away was the best strategy he could think of.

After losing the first round, Ruan Zhixian would be hooked and unable to stop, and since he liked games and puzzles, the second round would likely satisfy him and make him look forward to it.

Ruan Zhixian would be more serious than in the first round.

At that point, sneaking away and disappearing would surely cause a significant emotional shift in him.

It would be like playing a game halfway, and just when a comeback seemed possible, the opponent runs away, and the game is void.

He wanted to make Ruan Zhixian unsettled.

But no matter if he was angry, helpless, or frustrated, once he figured out his motives and the logic behind his actions, it would turn into deep interest.

This way, he would achieve his ultimate goal.

Pretend to be crazy and abnormal, attract interest, and survive.

Then, he would wait for the chance to escape.

Warren had been captured, and the temporary danger on the ship was resolved. To find out who killed the Minister of Environmental Protection, the ship had to stay on its course, and the rescue team wouldn’t be coming.

Adjustments had to be made.

Shen Yan had anticipated this possibility in the first round and contacted Fei Shen, quietly sending some food and water to the ship’s storage room.

This was a place he found when working as a waiter—no cameras, and almost no one came here.

He would lie low here. The sleeping conditions weren’t great, but as long as he could wait until the ship docked, he could slip away unnoticed, leaving Ruan Zhixian and this place behind.

Even though Ruan Zhixian had a mysterious and powerful identity, it would still take time to find him in the vast sea of people. Given the interest he had generated in the game, he wouldn’t kill him immediately upon meeting him.

He would have more time to plan.

In the end, it would be a win for him.

Everything depended on his ability to escape.

But now there was a problem.

Gen.

An all-around human tracking camera, cold and ruthless with a pure black bald head, overly loyal and silent bodyguard.

After he had been assigned to watch him for the third hour, Shen Yan couldn’t take it anymore. He turned and handed his tray to him.

“Eat something, you haven’t eaten all afternoon. Aren’t you hungry?”

Gen kept his hands behind his back, shaking his head with an evenly measured frequency.

Shen Yan sighed and pulled him into a corner of the corridor where there was no surveillance, directly asking: “What do you want?”

Gen: “…”

“You’re a bodyguard, right? How much do you get paid? I’ll pay you double,” he paused and then said helplessly, “…I’m not used to having someone follow me to the bathroom. I’ll pay you double, just let me have a little privacy for a few minutes. Is that okay?”

Gen: “No.”

Shen Yan: “Triple.”

Gen: “No.”

Shen Yan smiled helplessly. “Gen, has your boss ever saved your life?”

Gen finally spoke more than a few words.

“Professional ethics.”

Shen Yan respected that, so he let it go for now and shrugged in apparent surrender.

“What a pity. A good bodyguard like you, I never got to meet.”

Gen remained silent.

According to the first layer of game rules he had designed, now was the time for both of them to extract information from each other via the people sent to them. Shen Yan knew Ruan Zhixian inside and out—his identity and aliases could be written in his sleep with his feet, so there was nothing to extract.

But it couldn’t be too obvious. Gen would report his actions to him. If he appeared indifferent to the game, it would make Ruan Zhixian suspicious.

That would make things troublesome.

The day after Gen arrived, Shen Yan, who usually didn’t eat breakfast, woke up early specifically to have breakfast.

While seemingly casually wandering around, he tried to gather useful information.

“Damn, why is the arena closed? I’m not done playing yet!”

“I heard some monsters broke out, the organizers are sending them back for electroshock therapy. They should be able to reopen it soon.”

“Pity that 432 died.”

“Want to join the gambling game tonight? It’s a fight, not as exciting as the arena, but all the participants are from the previous arena matches. Should be interesting.”

“Official?”

“No, it’s private. The ship’s been boring, the officials haven’t been doing anything, they’ve been pretending to be dead. Luckily, a few big shots are willing to pay to take us out.”

Shen Yan ate nearby for a while, but hadn’t heard any key information. The people chatting, feeling uncomfortable due to the conspicuous presence of Gen, quietly walked away.

Shen Yan: …

He turned to him. “Gen, so boring. Want to play a game?”

In reality, he could never beat these mechanical ascendants, but in a game, who knew?

Gen calmly replied: “No.”

Shen Yan: “Your glasses are really cool. Do they have any special functions? I’m really interested, can I try them on?”

Gen: “No.”

Shen Yan’s mouth twitched, and with a bit of self-defeat, he tried again. “Gen, you’re so handsome. I fell for you at first sight, want to date me?”

Gen didn’t even furrow his brow, his expression as indifferent as an AI. “No.”

Shen Yan: …

Every response was given, but none were helpful.

It seemed unlikely to make any headway with just words.

Shen Yan quietly moved towards another small group, listening to them discuss other activities on the ship.

There was a masquerade ball in the evening, which was supposed to be an event on the sixth day. However, due to the suspension of the arena, it was moved to the third day.

A lot of people were participating, and the crowd dispersed, briefly distracting Gen. There shouldn’t be any major issues.

After taking note of this, Shen Yan spent the entire day pretending to gather information from Ruan Zhixian and using the opportunity to wear down Gen’s stamina.

He procrastinated until the evening.

The ship had over six thousand people onboard, with three thousand of them being invited guests.

The venue was the banquet hall. Perhaps due to how boring the last couple of days had been, the number of people attending the ball was more than expected, increasing by half.

Fashion in this world was complex. There were puffed-up Rococo-style long dresses, as well as tight, waist-baring cyberpunk leather jackets. The only commonality was the exaggerated makeup on everyone, moving to the music as they searched for people of interest.

The crowded environment gave Shen Yan more opportunities.

Gen’s movement path was within three meters, so he found a guy who was similar in size and stature to him. While dancing, this guy completely covered Gen’s figure.

The guy was very trendy, with a red-and-green mohawk fixed with gel, towering straight up into the sky. He wore a cloak that shimmered with changing lights, alternating between dark and bright. He was top-tier in the dance floor chaos.

Shen Yan danced several rounds with him. The mohawk guy’s gaze grew more intense, and as he flirted, he seemed to casually guide him towards the exit.

Originally, Gen was within three meters of Shen Yan, but now he had been pushed five meters away by the crowd.

Shen Yan kept up the pace, spinning with the mohawk guy once more.

Then, under the cover of a lady in a long dress nearby, he immediately let go and dashed into a nearby security corridor.

The stairs were narrow and steep. Shen Yan took two steps at once, almost flying up them, with the sound of Gen’s footsteps behind him growing closer, like a vengeful ghost chasing him.

He couldn’t shake him off.

Even though he knew the terrain well and used obstacles and corners to interfere with Gen’s judgment, Gen’s response and judgment speed were far beyond normal.

Shen Yan could only barely maintain the distance, keeping it just enough that he couldn’t catch up, but he would soon.

Luckily, he was getting close to his predicted location.

Entering through the A door into the ship’s cabin and taking another step would bring him to the ventilation ducts. If he crawled down the ducts, he would reach a place where stowaways rested. He had discovered a gap left by a stowaway, and this gap led to the other side of the ship’s A-section.

It was very hidden, and the gap was just big enough for him to slip through. Gen, with his large frame, wouldn’t fit through even if he lost two arms.

Shen Yan had a clear sense of hope and ran faster.

He saw the light from the A door.

In the intense silence, his mind on edge—

“Whoosh!”

A palm-sized needle suddenly pierced into his neck.

Before he could even sense it, his body reacted first.

His limbs suddenly lost strength, and without slowing down in time, he flew off the stairs like a kite with a broken string.

He slid another two or three meters on the platform before coming to a stop.

His breath, suppressed by the drug, was now at normal levels, but his lungs were rapidly expanding and contracting, as if they were going to burst his ribs open.

But his suffocation wasn’t solely because of his organs.

The iron ring around his neck, which had been created from the paralyzing needle, was the real cause.

On the stairs, the modified arm, which had been a gun, transformed back into its normal human shape.

Gen walked up to Shen Yan, with no difference in his stride from usual, his steps measured and deliberate.

Shen Yan’s eyes were wide open, beads of sweat on his forehead, dripping down his face and into his eyes, irritating them and making his eyes redden as tears naturally flowed.

He knew what Gen wanted to do. One of his tasks was to report to his employer about Shen Yan’s surveillance. His fingertips trembled spasmodically, his chest heaving violently. He couldn’t even speak words of seduction.

The desperate struggle was already a luxury.

He stared at him , while Gen looked at the camera, capturing Shen Yan’s pathetic image. He took a photo and sent it to his employer.

[Trying to escape.]

[Used K1-type muscle relaxant.]

[Target retrieved.]

Gen’s communicator beeped twice, and the response came quickly. After reading the message, he bent down and picked up Shen Yan.

Gen, who had just run the same distance as Shen Yan, was only slightly out of breath. After a short while, he was already calm again.

Their physical stamina was on completely different levels.

The iron wire still restricted Shen Yan’s breathing.

He closed his eyes, half-dead, and thought:

Good!

I’m doomed.