Chapter 557 - 9527, Fall Out

‘I don’t know what this is about.’

‘It could be dangerous. It could be important.’

But regardless, 9527 suddenly felt a jolt of excitement—the kind of thrill he’d almost forgotten.

He swallowed, putting on a relaxed yet slightly confused expression, and asked, “May I ask…”

Zog cut straight to the point. “Are you still in your old line of work?”

“What old line of work?” 9527 played dumb.

“What do you think?”

“Alright, no. Of course not.”

“Someone said you’re still in contact with your former associates.”

“Ha, how is that possible? I have such a good job now, and I’m even hoping for a promotion and a raise. I want nothing to do with that bunch of old con artists.”

“We have conclusive evidence.”

Zog’s tone was utterly certain, as if he truly did have proof and was giving 9527 a chance to confess.

9527’s expression was one of pure shock, the very picture of an innocent man wrongly accused.

When it came to playing a part, he was an absolutely first-rate actor.

‘He still couldn’t figure out Zog’s objective.’

‘If someone had reported him just to get him fired, it wouldn’t warrant Zog showing up in person.’

‘What on earth could it be?’

‘But judging by this aggressive approach, it was probably nothing good.’

‘So I can’t admit to anything.’

Yes, he was indeed still in contact with his old associates; he just wasn’t committing any more crimes.

Just as he had thought earlier, he missed those days.

“Impossible! Did someone report me to you? There’s definitely something wrong with that person. Maybe they have a personal grudge and want to frame a good man who’s already gone straight. You should be interrogating my accuser!”

9527 said, his voice filled with agitation.

As an experienced con artist, he knew full well that the first step was to believe his own lies were the truth.

And when someone telling the truth is questioned, their first reaction usually isn’t to explain, but to push back.

Explaining is what liars do.

“Is that so? I’ll investigate it thoroughly.”

“Thank you for not jumping to conclusions and wrongly accusing a good man.”

“How’s your current job?”

“It’s pretty good. Really. I like my job a lot. I’m grateful you gave me this opportunity.”

“Your team is the highest-rated one, and you’ve bought a house in the city?”

9527 didn’t know why Zog had suddenly started making small talk.

“Yes. I had to take out a sizable loan.”

“Are you still a con artist?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Is the loan stressful?”

After that sudden jab, Zog pulled the topic back to idle chatter.

“It’s manageable.”

…

And so it went. For a full half hour, Zog and 9527 continued this strange conversation, with Zog inserting a sudden question about his con artist past after every two or three normal ones.

9527’s nerves were stretched taut the entire time, but thankfully, he was experienced enough not to make any mistakes.

At least, he thought he hadn’t.

“Alright, that’s all the questions for now.”

Zog took a sip of water, signaling the end of the interrogation.

9527 let out a sigh of relief. The ordeal was finally over.

“So, the conclusion?”

“What conclusion?” 9527 was confused.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

The Spider Elf in the room, Roline, who had been brought in for this occasion and had been silent the entire time, said calmly, “Judged by the standards of a con artist, he’s quite excellent.”

Given Roline’s discerning eye and harsh standards, for her to call someone “excellent” meant they were far from ordinary.

To withstand an 8th Ring appraisal purely through acting and self-control made him the absolute elite of the elite among con artists.

Meanwhile, sweat had begun to bead on 9527’s forehead.

Roline continued, “He only showed a flaw after I raised the Lie Detection Technique to the 8th Ring.”

What?

‘They were running a lie detection test this whole time?’

9527 had to admit, he was starting to panic. He liked a thrill, but this was overkill.

‘No, that’s not right.’

‘He quickly spotted the problem.’

‘If they just wanted to determine whether I was still in contact with my old associates, why didn’t they just use the 8th Ring Lie Detection Technique from the start?’

‘Only after raising it to the 8th Ring?’

‘It seemed like… they were testing my ability to lie?’

An utterly absurd thought popped into 9527’s head.

“Not bad. You passed.”

Zog’s words confirmed 9527’s suspicion.

“I didn’t realize your line of work was so modern, even using social media to stay in touch. Let me tell you a little secret: those alternate accounts you registered on your burner phone are completely transparent. There’s no privacy on the internet.”

Hearing Zog say that, 9527 completely deflated and dropped his act.

He knew he wasn’t in any danger, but he still had no idea what Zog wanted from him.

“I am still in contact with people I used to know, but that’s not illegal. I really haven’t run any more cons. At least, not for money.”

‘Making eighty alternate accounts was for the platform, not for personal gain.’

“That’s right, it isn’t illegal. However, judging from your chat logs, those people have ways of getting into the Loman Empire.”

“Correct. The Loman Empire is closed off, but not completely cut off from the outside world. And since the people there aren’t very exposed to the internet, they’re easier to fool.”

“Excellent. I have a new job for you. The upside is that your income will double—no, increase tenfold. The downside is that it’s extremely dangerous. If anything goes wrong, it’s a one-way street to death.”

“Sounds like all upsides to me.”

9527 had already roughly guessed what kind of job Zog was offering.

‘A spy? Going deep into Loman to gather intelligence.’

‘There are rumors that things aren’t right inside Loman, that they might be planning a big move.’

“Do I have the option to refuse?” 9527 asked in a joking tone.

He figured that since Zog had come in person, they wouldn’t give a small-timer like him the chance to refuse.

“You do. A job that could cost you your life must be voluntary.”

“Whoa. I really didn’t expect that.”

“So, do you accept?”

9527 hesitated for a few seconds. He realized that if he accepted this job, he might never again see the girl who had made his heart flutter.

But his hesitation lasted only a few seconds.

He quickly made his decision.

‘Love would only slow his pursuit of a life filled with passion and excitement.’

“I accept.”

As he spoke the words, he felt a surge of vitality.

A vitality that had long been absent during his time in customer service.

“So you need me to infiltrate Loman and act as a spy?”

“Not exactly. To be precise, you’re more important than that. You’ll be responsible for recruiting your former associates and making them your subordinates. You’ll be in management.”

“Ha…”

The word “management” made 9527 chuckle.

“Are they trustworthy?”

Zog’s mission had to be important, and to be frank, his former associates were a bit lacking in personal integrity.

“They aren’t. But that doesn’t matter. They’ll certainly trust Gold Coins, won’t they?”

“Alright. When do I leave?”

9527 could hardly wait. He felt as if he’d been reborn.

“As soon as possible. We can give you a few days to handle your personal affairs.”

“I don’t need them.”

9527’s tone was resolute.

“See you tomorrow, then.”

“See you tomorrow.” 9527 turned and left the conference room. When he reached the door, he suddenly thought of something, and looked back to ask, “Can I ask what this intelligence is for? If it’s not too much to say.”

“To prevent a potential war. And if we can’t prevent it, then to bring about its end as quickly as possible.”

“So I’m on the side of justice, then?”

“I’m doing this out of self-interest,” Zog replied. “But from the perspective of most life on the Continent, yes, you are on the side of justice.”

“Then that really is the perfect job.”

After 9527 left, Roline asked curiously, “Are you really planning to use a bunch of con artists for intelligence gathering?”

“It’s a perfect match for their professional skills, isn’t it? Besides, the Zor can’t blend into Loman, and constantly using the Transformation Technique is too easily exposed.”

In fact, the identities of con artist, thief, and intelligence peddler often overlap. They’ll do whatever pays the most.

“Do you trust their loyalty?”

“I don’t. They’re just in it for the money, so naturally, they could be bought out for a higher price. That’s why the highest-level handler they can reach is 9527. The core of the intelligence organization will be run by people with stronger convictions. Besides, it’s not impossible to cultivate people who work for money and turn them into loyal underground agents.”

Roline understood. 9527’s position was a truly dangerous one.

“That high salary won’t be easy to earn…”