Chapter 133: The Thief on the Train

(P.S.: Thanks to brothers zbill and Mingnian Dijiushi for their precious monthly votes. "Thief Three" has made his debut—I believe I've written over a dozen minor characters by now. Readers who wish to have a character added can leave a message in the review section; I will do my best to write them well.)

Before the "White-Clad Monster" could finish speaking, Chen Hao had already left the reception room and entered the game. Upon returning to his character, he noticed a shifty-looking NPC standing beside him. Game memory told him that such NPCs on a train were nine times out of ten pickpockets, and now, one was right by his side...

Chen Hao grabbed at his purse, catching the NPC's wrist perfectly. He sneered, "Daring to steal in broad daylight? You're coming with me to the authorities once we get off this train."

A murderous glint flashed in the NPC's eyes. Suddenly, a dagger appeared in his left hand, which he thrust viciously at Chen Hao. Chen Hao’s Strength and Combat stats—even without his broadsword—were at 44 points. With the 20% bonus from his "Blood-Bathed" specialty, even low-ranking military officers were no match for him, let alone a petty thief.

As the dagger appeared, Chen Hao followed the Plum Blossom Fist technique, intercepting the thief's pulse point with his palm. With his Qi and blood disrupted, the thief dropped the dagger with a clang. However, the thief was agile; as the dagger had distracted Chen Hao, his right hand had managed to break free.

The thief turned to run, but Chen Hao, also possessing 44 points in Strength, was not a bit slower than the thief, further bolstered by his "Cloud-Ladder" light-foot skill. After a few strides, he leaped high and kicked the thief flat on his face, then stepped on his neck. "Attempting murder after failing to steal? If I don't turn you in to the authorities, who knows how many more people will suffer at your hands."

"Master, please, spare me this once! I have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child to support. If I'm sent to the authorities, my whole family is finished!"

The thief burst into tears, snot and tears running down his face. The trope was so cliché that Chen Hao certainly wouldn't fall for it. He said coldly, "No matter. Take me to see your eighty-year-old mother and three-year-old child first, and I will leave behind enough money to ensure they have food and clothing."

Seeing his usual tricks weren't working, the thief’s eyes flickered with malice. He tried hard to push away Chen Hao’s heavy foot, but found the man as immovable as a mountain. With no other choice, the thief whined, "What exactly do you want?"

"Nothing special. I just want to send you to the authorities."

The thief was on the verge of a breakdown. He squeezed out a smile and said, "Sir, I can see you're a person of status; why bother with someone like me? How about you don't turn me in, and from now on, I'll do whatever you say?"

Chen Hao shook his head. "I have plenty of money, but I don't raise stray dogs. What skills do you have?"

The thief suddenly saw hope and spilled his guts about his abilities. Hearing what he could do, Chen Hao’s eyes lit up. The thief, nicknamed "Thief Three," had been guided by a master in his youth and possessed excellent light-foot skills. He rarely failed at stealing, and even if he did, he could escape thanks to his agility.

Thinking that "Outsiders" (players) were generally mediocre and posed no danger even if a theft failed, Thief Three specialized in targeting players on trains. He had never failed before and certainly hadn't wanted to miss the opportunity when he saw Chen Hao sleeping—only to capsize in the gutter and get caught.

In the game, obscure NPCs rarely had specialties, but Thief Three actually possessed the "Lockpicking" specialty, a C-rank skill. Chen Hao also had this skill. Beyond that, Thief Three had two common skills: the stealing skill "Larceny" and the escape skill "Slippery."

Larceny: Beginner (22/100). 10% chance to successfully steal a random item from the target; 1% chance to be discovered while stealing.

Slippery: Beginner (22/100). 100% chance to break free when restrained; interval of three minutes. Upon gaining freedom, speed increases by 30% for 5 seconds.

Understanding Thief Three's specialty, Chen Hao finally realized why he had managed to break free earlier. The "Slippery" skill had a three-minute cooldown; if that time passed, this guy would definitely try to escape again.

Thinking of this, he applied more pressure and said coldly, "You can break free again after three minutes, right? Don't get any funny ideas. I can guarantee that even if you break free again, you won't be able to escape on this train. If I catch you, I won't just turn you in; I'll give you a taste of pain first."

Thief Three’s face fell. "Can't I just admit defeat?"

Chen Hao lifted his foot and smiled faintly. "You are indeed somewhat useful. If you're willing to work for me, I won't treat you poorly, but I find it hard to trust your loyalty. How about this? Give me your home address and origins. If you dare to betray me, I'll go have a chat with your family."

Thief Three’s eyes darted around. "I usually operate in the Qinan area. My home is in Qingganglin Village, Changling Town, in the western suburbs of Qinan. I'm the only one in my family..."

Chen Hao cut him off. "No need to be so detailed. We'll get off the train shortly, and you'll take me to your home first. If what you say is true, I'll give you 50 silver dollars for expenses. If you're lying, I won't bother with the authorities—you can continue your thieving career in the underworld!"

Thief Three’s face turned deathly pale. He wailed, "My real name is Lin Shanhai. I live in Maling Village, Liuguang Town, in the eastern suburbs of Qinan. Both my parents are alive, and I have three younger sisters. I only do this to support them."

Chen Hao nodded. "That's more like it! Serve me well and I won't mistreat you. Now, you'll come with me to Xiangnan first. If you pull any tricks, I'll go straight to Qinan to find your parents and sisters and get them into legal trouble."

Thief Three had no choice but to nod miserably. Seeing his dejected look, Chen Hao laughed, "Don't feel wronged. You steal only to support your family; I won't let you down when it comes to money. After we return from Xiangnan, I'll give you 100 silver dollars to settle your family."

Hearing "100 silver dollars," Thief Three’s eyes brightened. His thieving had high risks and limited daily income. Now, it seemed his new boss was quite generous—100 silver dollars right off the bat to settle his family. Working for him might not be such a bad choice after all!

Chen Hao didn't particularly want to be so generous, but his current "Strategy" stat was too low, and Thief Three was only submitting due to coercion; the chance of betrayal was high. In the game, renowned NPCs had ideals and goals, making them impossible to recruit with low Strategy and Reputation. For a small fry like Thief Three, that wasn't an issue; with a mix of intimidation and incentives, they could be made to serve.

Chen Hao had used the "carrot and stick" approach to temporarily win over Thief Three. He was mainly interested in the Lockpicking and Slippery skills. With these, Thief Three had potential for intelligence work. If he could find a way to get him trained in a military academy’s special services department later, he would become a decent helper.

Thief Three was the first subordinate Chen Hao had recruited. He could see all of Thief Three’s stats: Level 16, with Politics and Leadership left blank. Among the four individual stats, he had 20 in Strength, 16 in Marksmanship, 22 in Combat, and a staggering 64 in Stealth.

Chen Hao became even more certain that Thief Three was suited for intelligence work. Since Thief Three's loyalty couldn't be guaranteed, he still didn't dare to sleep on the train. After getting off at the provincial capital of Xiangnan, he took Thief Three on a carriage toward Hengzhou, as Wang Kaiyun was teaching at the Chuanshan Academy there.

The carriage dropped them at the gate of the Chuanshan Academy, and Chen Hao strode toward the entrance. Inside, he encountered several players coming from the direction of the Xiangqi Pavilion, and they looked at him quite unkindly.

Wang Kaiyun lived in the Xiangqi Pavilion within the academy, which is why later generations referred to him as "Wang Xiangqi." Players who stayed long-term at the academy were all there for the A-rank specialty "Imperial Statecraft," so their quests revolved around the pavilion.

Reaching the Xiangqi Pavilion, he saw dozens of players sitting lazily at the entrance. Whenever an NPC passed by, they would approach to strike up a conversation, hoping to trigger a quest related to Wang Kaiyun.

Chen Hao spotted a familiar face from his memories: his class monitor, Li Hongbo. Since he had been in the "Blue Sky Studio" established by Li Hongbo in his past life, he recognized Li Hongbo’s in-game appearance. Li Hongbo’s character name was "Blue Sky," and his presence near the pavilion clearly showed his ambition to obtain the Imperial Statecraft specialty and become a regional warlord.

Because Chen Hao had refused to join the studio, Li Hongbo didn't know his game account, and Chen Hao had no intention of approaching him. The players around the pavilion were long-term squatters who mostly knew each other, so Chen Hao, a new face, quickly attracted everyone's attention.

"Damn, I’ve been guarding here for over two months and have only seen Wang Kaiyun three or four times. Becoming a disciple is a long way off, yet here comes someone else after four months trying to pick up the scraps."

"Two months is nothing? I’ve felt since the first day of the game that the Imperial Statecraft specialty mentioned on the official website was related to Wang Kaiyun, so I’ve been here ever since. Haven't I still not become his disciple? Some people always fantasize about pie falling from the sky, thinking they can win the lottery. Let’s just watch him try his luck!"

Chen Hao smiled slightly. The players waiting here were all people who wanted to be powerful lords; they wouldn't mock him so shallowly. Learning Imperial Statecraft required luck, and the fewer people there were, the greater the chance. They were only saying those things to create a psychological suggestion, hoping he would give up after hitting a wall with Wang Kaiyun.

As if he hadn't heard the ridicule, Chen Hao strode toward the Xiangqi Pavilion. Halfway there, a slightly chubby player appeared before him and said, "Brother Chen Baxian, you want to learn Imperial Statecraft too?"

Chen Hao was certain he hadn't met this player before. He asked in confusion, "Do we know each other?"

"Haha! You don't know me, but I know you quite well. I happened to be on the mountaintop when you were wreaking havoc in Jibei. Let me introduce myself: my character name is Liu Bang. Come to think of it, I am the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, and you are the founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty. Our names are in the same style..."

The player seemed quite open and wasn't annoying, so Chen Hao smiled and replied, "It is indeed the same style. Brother Liu Bang, how long have you been at the Xiangqi Pavilion? Have you had any luck?"