Rick sighed, recalling how Rita had immediately informed them about the game. In hindsight, he was relieved. It was good that she had run off; he had been too eager. There were still so many options available to him—no need to take drastic action against her just yet.
As he thought about how his luck had improved in the game by making food for random passersby, Rick decided to repeat the process. With all the year-end banquets at the Lopez household, maybe he could sneak in some of his food there. Surely, the wealthy guests, born with far more luck than Rita, could offer him even greater fortunes?
Still, he knew it was best to keep this hidden from the Lopez family. Even though he was confident that Zoey would support him if he revealed the true nature of his skill, he preferred to keep it a secret. He didn't want to reveal it until absolutely necessary.
But tonight, with all the ingredients already bought, he couldn't just waste them. Thoughts of Samuel and Scarlett briefly flashed through his mind before he settled on another target: Julian, who was still staying in his apartment rent-free.
Smiling, Rick began to prepare a meal. After all, Julian had lived there long enough without paying any rent.
---
Meanwhile, Rita had no idea her dear brother wasn't angry at her, but rather thankful she had left. Even if she knew, it wouldn't have moved her. A villain's fleeting kindness wasn't true kindness—it was merely keeping her in reserve for future use.
In Thailand, after using her **Disguise** skill to turn into a bald man, Rita found a local guide. She gave clear instructions: she wanted bizarre, sinister items—price was no object, but they had to be mysterious and, ideally, old.
The guide's smile became more sincere as she realized she had found another rich sucker.
But the next moment, Rita pulled out a tiny pistol with her right hand, pressing it to the guide's temple, while her left hand flashed a stack of cash. "This, or this?" she asked coolly.
The guide's smile instantly crumbled. "None of these things are real, though…," she stammered.
Rita calmly holstered the gun, her tone soft but serious. "Find items tied to crime scenes, items with a long history, or with chilling stories behind them. If you put in real effort, you'll be rewarded—at least 500 dollars per find, and more if I'm impressed. No upper limit."
The guide, calming down after seeing Rita's composed demeanor, responded honestly, "I can promise I'll bring you whatever I find, but I can't guarantee their value."
Smiling, Rita handed the guide a few bills. "That's fine. I'll be staying here for a week. How much you earn is up to you."
In the past, she wouldn't have believed in such things, but after witnessing how relics and artifacts could mutate after the game's invasion, she knew better. In China, ancient monasteries, meditation mats used by revered monks, and other relics had transformed into crucial items. These relics were later used to protect civilians or for elite government raid teams.
But searching for these types of objects in China was almost impossible now. Everything valuable had been secured by the government, and even if she had the time and resources to search for them, it would draw too much attention. Chinese con artists were masters of deception, and the market was flooded with convincing fakes. More importantly, her connections to the Lopez family meant every move she made could be scrutinized.
Though she wasn't important enough to be watched 24/7, spending too much time hunting down strange relics would raise suspicions. And once those items started mutating, everyone would start analyzing her actions.
Thailand was different. There was still some risk of being watched, but she could leave all the shady dealings to the guide. Meanwhile, she could enjoy being a tourist, exploring the sights.
Maybe she was overthinking things. But she had learned that paranoia was survival. It wasn't paranoia that was the problem—it was that she hadn't been paranoid enough in her past life.
And so, yet again, she was locked in a thrilling game of cat and mouse… with herself.
"Is this the camera from a horror movie?" Rita, now disguised as a bald man, asked as she inspected an ordinary-looking Polaroid camera. "Which movie?"
The guide, wringing her hands nervously, smiled awkwardly. "It was never finished. The college students filming it started experiencing strange things, so they stopped before it was completed."
Rita placed the camera down, unimpressed, and turned her attention to the other items on the table.
There was a blood-stained amulet, said to have been used by a woman who prayed for love, only to kill her cheating husband.
A wolf's tooth, supposedly from a wolf that had eaten many people.
A veil once worn by a Thai queen from centuries ago.
And… a small piece of durian husk.
Rita tried not to laugh as she pointed to the durian husk. "What's the tragic backstory behind this?"
She leaned in to sniff it—it still had the scent of fresh durian!
Did this guide think her gun was empty?
The guide excitedly explained how the durian husk had once fallen from a tree and killed a man. "It hit his head, but didn't even penetrate his skull—the impact just shattered it!"
Rita sighed deeply. "And let me guess, that kid who picked it up and ate it was your child?"
"Y-yes," the guide admitted sheepishly.
Rita felt defeated. How could she have thought that the cons here would be any better than the ones back home?
At least back in China, scammers had the decency to respect her intelligence. Here, they treated her like a fool!
Even her gun couldn't save her from this nonsense.
Resigned, she handed over $2,500 and swept the junk into her black backpack. This trip was over. She'd buy a few latex mattresses and head back home.
She was exhausted. Better to spend her time training and preparing for the game dungeons than wasting time here.
Less than a week later, Rita was back in familiar territory.
With nearly 30 million dollars left and nowhere to spend it, she felt a little restless. What a headache.
She decided to convert the remaining cash into gold. It was easy to justify: once the players took over, the value of money would plummet. Gold was a much safer investment.