Chapter 840: The Cult's Plan

840. The Cult's Plan

"You shouldn't have accepted that commission. The cult's Trade points aren't so easy to earn."

The man paid no attention to Lin Ye's attitude whatsoever, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"So the commission's content was never important. You just needed an excuse to give me Trade points."

Lin Ye had actually considered this possibility. After all, the cult's commission had been far too casual.

"Yes, I wanted to steer your thoughts toward leaving Miracle City, but you didn't seem particularly interested."

The man had to admit it had been a long time since he'd encountered an enemy as difficult to deal with as Lin Ye.

"If I hadn't accepted the commission, you wouldn't have been able to give me Trade points? Or was it to put my mind at ease?"

This was the first time Lin Ye had learned that transferring money to him required the system's approval.

"A bit of both. Normal Trade points can definitely be transferred freely, but Trade points with issues are another story."

An exaggerated grin stretched across the white mask on the man's face.

"So all the Trade points in here are problematic? But those 100,000 Trade points never made it onto this card... So that's how it is."

Lin Ye fully understood the other party's objective now.

"Exactly. We needed the system to detect those problematic Trade points. Previously, they only circulated between Black Cards and never entered the system's transaction framework."

The man's smile vanished from his mask. He hadn't expected Lin Ye to see through the cult's plan so quickly.

"The system can't purge the problematic Trade points from Black Cards, so its only option is to purge all Black Card holders? Having the system take care of me, that's your plan? Don't you think you're underestimating the system a little?"

Lin Ye didn't believe the system could be breached by a bunch of sneaking, skulking cultists.

"The system's Trade points aren't simple digital information. They're something far more valuable.

Miracle City is the system's reservoir for processing Trade points. If something goes wrong here, the entire Trade point system will be severely impacted.

The anomalous Trade points the cult prepared originate from outside the unstable zones. These Trade points are far more troublesome than you can imagine.

Now the system only has two choices: either purge all you Black Card holders, or deal with all of Miracle City.

Which do you think the system will choose?"

An abnormally excited expression appeared on the man's white mask.

"Obviously it'll purge the Black Card holders. That's not even a question worth considering."

Lin Ye tossed the Black Card into the air, then caught it by one corner with his index finger.

"Correct. Right now, Black Card holders are scattered across every corner of Miracle City. The most valuable Black Card of all is in your hands, and that card has already formed a connection with you. Even if you disposed of it, it wouldn't matter. The moment I activate the final step of the plan, you'll be erased by the system."

The man wanted to see fear in Lin Ye's eyes, but all he found was a pair of pitch-black pupils with no bottom in sight.

"With all this talking, you can't just be trying to let me die with clarity. The cult wants to recruit me?"

Lin Ye pulled a black high-backed chair from his spatial item. He sat down and looked at the man the way a boss looks at an employee giving a work report.

"...Correct. You can choose to betray the system and join the cult, or be directly erased by the system. There's no third possibility."

The smile on the white mask disappeared. Suppressing the anger burning inside him, the man delivered his prepared lines.

But this was completely different from what he had envisioned.

He had wanted to see a flustered, at-a-loss Lin Ye, but Lin Ye disappointed him. He felt like a clown flailing around on stage, unable to even coax a single laugh out of Lin Ye.

"Then by all means, go ahead. I can't wait."

Lin Ye calmly watched that white mask, inviting the other party to begin his performance.

"...You don't believe what I'm saying? Or you don't believe the system will erase you? You have no idea what kind of thing the system really is! Your homeworld called Blue Star was already destroyed by the system! All to harvest Survivors like you!"

The man roared hysterically at the top of his lungs.

"...So you're a former system Survivor too.

Ah, so that's what they told you back then?

You actually believe such a logic-less lie? Do you have no brain at all? Why would the system destroy Survivors' homeworlds, only to cultivate a batch of potential enemies?

I get it now. You didn't actually believe the cult's nonsense. You were just looking for an excuse to betray the system. You just didn't want to die.

That kind of excuse can fool other people, but don't go fooling yourself too."

Lin Ye looked at the man calmly, a mocking smile curling on his lips.

"...But every system Survivor's planet was destroyed. I went to see for myself."

The man unconsciously took half a step back. Those pitch-black pupils had completely seen through his shallow little thoughts.

"The system certainly wouldn't clear out planets that were still functioning properly. Perhaps it was only collecting populations from worlds on the verge of destruction. The real question is, who destroyed those planets? My vote goes to the cult."

Lin Ye didn't need evidence. Compared to the cult, he was more willing to trust the system. At least the system had given them a chance to survive.

"...You're right. You've convinced me. But there's no turning back for me now."

The man pulled off his white mask, revealing a numb, expressionless face beneath. He had desperately wanted to see Lin Ye betray the system just like him, but he had failed completely.

So now he had to destroy Lin Ye immediately.

"Then get on with it. Use the weapon the cult gave you to take me out. I hope you're not the kind of worthless trash who can't even manage such a simple task. That would disappoint me greatly."

Lin Ye stared into the man's eyes, the Black Card still balanced on his fingertip.

"...You're prepared."

The man paused for half a second, then spoke in a tone of absolute certainty.

"Correct. This Black Card really can't affect me. But what can you do about it? As an outside operative of the cult, you can only follow orders."

Lin Ye looked at the man with undisguised contempt.

"No! You're not prepared at all! You're trying to make me give up! You're dead! The system will definitely erase you!"

The man frantically activated the final step of the plan.

"Idiot. I knew you'd deceive yourself, just like before."

Lin Ye leaned back calmly in his chair. The man before him was a former system Survivor recruited by the cult, a truly troublesome enemy. He had been guiding the man to activate the cult's final step all along.

Because only this way could he make the cult understand the consequences of angering him.

The several hundred thousand Trade points stored in his Black Card were all his loot. The cult would have to pay a price worth millions of Trade points.

Only then would Lin Ye feel even slightly better.