"Belle and Wise are acting strange? What are you even talking about—withdrawal symptoms? Give me a break."
Jiang Ge's tone was flat, laced with irritation. "Little sister Belle is one thing, but Wise hasn't even seen Black Swan for ages. She's probably forgotten he exists—or thinks he's a creep."
"Wouldn't saying that be too harsh on him?"
"Harsh my ass."
With that, Jiang Ge hung up on Nicole, utterly exasperated.
Last night, Belle's unexpected phone call had already ruined what little sleep he got. And now, the first thing that greeted him after waking was another call—Nicole, saying she couldn't find the Phaethon siblings.
As it turned out, Nicole had discovered a commission posted by an anonymous client. The reward was so generous it made her eyes shine, but the mission notes mentioned possible risks involving the Hollow. So, naturally, Nicole thought of Phaethon.
After all, Jiang Ge had told her before:
"If the Cunning Hares ever need to use Phaethon, just put the expenses under my name. I'll reimburse it."
Nicole wasn't about to miss the chance to take advantage of that.
But when she went to the video store, she couldn't find the siblings—and their phones were off. Left with no other option, she called Jiang Ge to ask if he knew where they'd gone.
He didn't. And frankly, he didn't understand why she thought he would.
Did she expect him to suddenly transform into Fu Xuan and divine their location out of thin air?
Then Nicole finally admitted the real reason she'd called: When she dropped Euos off yesterday, she'd noticed that both Belle and Wise were acting… off. According to Anby, it looked like withdrawal symptoms.
Jiang Ge had laughed at that. Belle, maybe—but Wise? He hadn't seen Black Swan in months. What kind of withdrawal could he possibly have?
He told Nicole not to overthink it—maybe the siblings had just gone out for breakfast and would turn up soon.
But after hanging up, curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to check out the commission Nicole had mentioned.
At first, everything seemed normal—until he saw the client's background.
It was connected to the Red Fang Gang.
It wasn't that the job itself was particularly dangerous. It was what it represented that unsettled him.
"Right… this game still has a main storyline."
Ever since founding Good Enough., building it to the point where he could sit back, collect money, and—after hiring Corin—live a life of leisurely decadence, Jiang Ge had almost forgotten that.
If his memory was right, it was this very commission that had led the Cunning Hares into trouble—the mission where Anby and Billy fell into the Hollow, Nicole sought out Phaethon, and the story truly began.
But things were different now.
Phaethon was tangled up in his affairs.
And the Cunning Hares were technically under his management.
"Maybe it's better to simplify things."
Thinking so, Jiang Ge made a call.
"Hey, send a message to the Red Fang Gang. Ask if their boss recently got his hands on anything interesting. Tell them Good Enough. is very interested.
If they're willing to talk, set up a meeting.
If not…" He paused, tone turning cold.
"Tell them I'll blow their entire gang to smithereens."
After giving the order, Jiang Ge prepared to call Nicole again—to tell her to withdraw the Cunning Hares from the job. He'd even planned to personally transfer them 1.5 times the commission fee as compensation.
But before he could dial, someone knocked on the bookstore door.
"Huh? Who'd come at this hour?"
Corin, who was making breakfast, peeked out from the kitchen.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, was someone knocking?"
"Yeah, little Corin. Keep cooking—I'll get it."
"Okay…"
Jiang Ge walked to the door, still half-distracted by his thoughts. But the moment he opened it, he froze.
Standing there was Belle.
"Little sister Belle? What brings you here—uh, could you not look at me like that?"
Belle didn't respond. Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them, her hair messy, her expression empty—yet brimming with resentment. She stood perfectly still, staring at him in silence.
The longer he met her gaze, the more unnerved he became.
Without a word, Jiang Ge slowly closed the door.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, who was it?" Corin asked, stepping out with a teacup.
"It's nothing," he said, sweating slightly. "Just a—uh—salesperson."
Corin blinked but didn't pry. She turned back toward the kitchen.
Then came another knock.
This time, slow. Rhythmic. Almost intentional.
Jiang Ge grimaced.
"Little sister Belle, please just let me—huh? Wise?"
When he opened the door again, Belle was gone—replaced by Wise, who looked even worse than his sister.
He had the same sleepless eyes, but his expression was one of deep, pitiful longing.
"B—Black Swan…" he muttered weakly.
Jiang Ge shut the door in his face without hesitation.
"Mr. Jiang Ge! Th-those two people…?"
Corin's voice suddenly rose in alarm. She pointed toward the window.
Outside, both Belle and Wise were pressed against the glass, staring inside. Their eyes were glassy and resentful—like vengeful spirits.
Jiang Ge quickly drew the curtains.
But before he could relax, Corin pointed at another window.
The siblings had moved there. This time, they were tapping against the glass—slowly, rhythmically—while pointing at him.
"M-Mr. Jiang Ge… What should we do?"
Jiang Ge's expression turned solemn.
"Don't be afraid, little Corin. I still have one last trick up my sleeve. I never thought I'd have to use it again…"
Corin froze, unsure what he meant. Jiang Ge strode to a bookshelf, pulled out an old photo album, and flipped through it. Then he carefully removed two photos.
Curious, Corin peeked over his shoulder.
They were photos of two women—both beautiful and mature. In one, a woman wearing sunglasses smiled faintly at the camera. In another, a woman in a hood made a "shh—" gesture. Both radiated a mysterious charm.
Before Corin could ask, Jiang Ge pressed the photos against the window.
Immediately, Belle and Wise's attention shifted from him to the pictures. Their resentful glares turned into pure fanaticism.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jiang Ge slipped outside. The siblings followed, eyes locked on the photos. Corin, worried, ran after him—only to see Jiang Ge break into a sprint.
Belle and Wise shrieked and gave chase—on all fours.
"Why are they crawling?!" Jiang Ge cried, horrified, running faster.
But they were faster still.
Belle tackled him first, knocking him flat. Then she and Wise wrestled over the photos in his hands, tearing at his clothes in the process as if checking for hidden copies.
Corin stood frozen, terrified, before bolting back inside to grab a chainsaw.
By the time she returned, it was over.
The siblings had what they wanted—photos clutched tightly, even one held between Belle's teeth—and were already sprinting away down the street.
Jiang Ge, now stripped down to nothing but his underwear, slowly got up. His expression was blank, unreadable.
Corin ran up, trembling.
"M-Mr. Jiang Ge…"
"I'm fine, little Corin. Let's go back inside. They won't be coming back anytime soon."
He patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. But as he turned away, Corin thought she saw something glint in the corner of his eye a single tear sliding down his cheek.
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon. Set up for my web novel will be 2 chapters for every book a day and if you go to my patreon you'll see the set up there.
patreon.com/deadlygoober