I'm in the Ark, a player.

"Hello, this is Chen Huijie. Could you please check the surveillance footage for me?"

Is there anything unusual in the vicinity of Jinyun Street, Central and Western District, centered around me?

A response came a moment later.

"Inspector Chen, nothing unusual."

"Has the man opposite me made any dangerous moves, such as using Originium Arts?"

"Inspector Chen?"

The voice on the walkie-talkie sounded doubtful.

"Don't ask any more questions."

No, ...

Should we send someone to keep an eye on him?

"unnecessary."

His communication had been overheard by the other party, so there was no point in sending someone to keep an eye on him.

Now, Chen Huijie has to admit a fact.

It seems like time... really has gone backwards...

absurd!

absurd!!!

How could someone possibly possess such ability?!

"how?"

Qin Tianling tilted his head and asked with great interest,

Chen Huijie took a deep breath and tried to calm her voice.

"Although I hate to admit it, that's the truth... that's the evidence."

I don't know what methods you used, but you seem to really be able to manipulate time.

At the end of her sentence, Chen Huijie's voice still trembled slightly.

Time... has indeed started over.

"Very good, you understand the current situation."

So I'm really curious, how are you going to catch me?

Qin Tianling calmly spread his hands, meeting Chen Huijie's gaze as he looked into her crimson eyes.

"How would you catch someone who is practically impossible to catch?"

Even if he gets caught, he can revert to a previous save.

Once he reverts to his previous state, all the things that were detrimental to him never happened; they all become realities that the other party cannot reach.

In this situation, what should you do?

I'm so curious!

What will the important NPCs, specially set up by the production team, do, and what kind of subsequent story will they bring?

—If it were a normal plot, Qin Tianling would probably just skip it, but this one, he was genuinely interested.

Chen Huijie remained silent for a long time.

Her fingers gripped the knife handle tightly and then released it, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

She could hear her own heartbeat, and she could feel the faint burning sensation of the now-gone wound on her lips.

Chen Huijie bit her lower lip lightly.

then,

She spoke.

No, I won't arrest you.

Qin Tianling was slightly taken aback.

"If everything that just happened was in the future, then everything we're doing now is something that hasn't happened yet."

You haven't committed a crime, you haven't attacked me, I can't arrest you.

The air was silent for two seconds.

Qin Tianling's expression turned to disbelief, followed by disappointment.

Disappointment that was not concealed.

"Huh? That's no fun...tsk."

Qin Tianling smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

He had hoped the production team would bring him some kind of surprise.

Is that all there is to it?

It felt like the release of a long-awaited DLC, excitedly downloading it and using a high-stat account to beat the incredibly difficult initial enemies, then trekking all the way to a shining item spot, only to be disappointed to find it's just a +2 Forging Stone.

Instead of wasting time here, it would be more worthwhile to go down to the slums and earn some money.

Qin Tianling scratched his head, then turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Chen Huijie's heart tightened.

I currently have no legal means to arrest him.

Even if we catch him, his bizarre abilities...

Chen Huijie only felt a headache.

But I can't let this guy get away with it...

This guy, who disregards the law and acts arbitrarily, has such power; if left unchecked, something terrible will definitely happen!

He's just forcibly kissing me and touching me now, but what if one day he finds none of this interesting anymore?

What if one day he wants to try something bigger?

So what should I do?

How can we keep this guy under control?

Chen Huijie..........Think quickly, what should you do?!

How can I get this guy to...

Let this guy who sees the world as a game do what he wants, instead of causing destruction and committing crimes in this city!

Oh right... games...

game..............

Chen Huijie would recall Qin Tianling's actions and words during their interactions.

He genuinely viewed the world as a game—after all, he possessed such abilities, so this distorted perception was understandable.

If the other party believes this world is a game...

Then I'll just play it like a game!

"and many more!"

Chen Huijie wanted to call Qin Tianling, but Qin Tianling didn't stop.

Until she blurted out the rest of her words—

"I'm going to give you a quest! Just like an NPC in a game, I'll give you a quest!"

The words had barely left his lips when

Qin Tianling stopped in his tracks.

Seeing the other person's reaction, Chen Huijie knew she had done the right thing!

Since the other party thinks this is all a game, then let's think like a game!

Chapter 15, No one understands stealth better than me!

That's interesting.

That's really interesting!

Qin Tianling thought that was the end of the character, but then he heard what she had to say.

'I can give you quests! Just like an NPC in a game!'

What does it mean to give out quests like an NPC in a game?

How would an AI answer a question like, "Do you know that you are an AI?"

An NPC in a game actually gave this kind of answer.

Woman, you have piqued my interest.

"What mission?"

Qin Tianling smiled.

"What kind of task are you going to give me, and what kind of reward?"

What kind of task should we give him?

Chen Huijie hasn't thought about this question, or rather, she is thinking about it now.

Just now, all she was thinking about was how to keep Qin Tianling with her and make him a controllable factor rather than a criminal who would wreak havoc on society.

At the time, she wasn't even sure if she could keep Qin Tianling, so how could she have thought about what would happen later?

What should we do for him now...? We really need to think about that carefully...

If all else fails, you can delegate some of the work from the recent case investigation to him... Oh, right!

Chen Huijie quickly figured out what kind of task to issue.

"The Imperial Guard Bureau is currently investigating the Anchor River Gang, and a minor leader within the gang is acting suspiciously, suspected of involvement in smuggling contraband."

According to the informant, he will be taking his men out tonight to pick up a shipment of goods from legitimate channels. This shipment is likely intended as a cover, but we can take advantage of this opportunity—I need you to help me infiltrate his office, gather useful clues, and avoid being discovered.

It will be around 8 PM, at Pier 7.

This was the most suitable task Chen Huijie could think of for Qin Tianling.

If time could truly be reversed, or if the future could truly be known through some means, then theoretically Qin Tianling could have perfectly infiltrated the enemy without anyone noticing.

Furthermore,

The Guard Bureau hasn't taken any action against the Anchor River Gang recently, and the Anchor River Gang considers itself to be keeping a low profile. If Qin Tianling fails, or something else happens, it's highly unlikely that the Guard Bureau will be implicated.

Just as Chen Huijie finished speaking, a task window popped up in front of Qin Tianling:

[Task: Help Chen Huijie investigate the Anchor River Gang]

[Mission Objective: Superintendent Chan Fai-kit of the Guard Bureau is currently struggling to find evidence of smuggling by the Anchor River Gang. Infiltrate the target location and search for relevant clues.]

[Quest Reward: Dragon Slayer Greatbow]

It actually works that you can post tasks!

Chen Huijie continued speaking on the other side.

"As for the reward... 5 LMD?"

"Row."

"I know it's a small amount, but...wait!?"

Chen Huijie isn't Swire; she doesn't have that much money. Her savings over the past few years haven't been substantial, and she doesn't have much to offer.

She knew, of course, that the other party, given their abilities, probably wouldn't even consider such a small amount of money.

But why did he accept it so easily?