# Chapter 47: Dispute
"What did you do to Peng Fengnian!" Tang Pei immediately said. "Without him, we have no chance of clearing this instance. If you're also a player, you'd better let him go. Given how dangerous this instance is, as long as one person completes the task, everyone else can clear it too!"
"Calm down, he's not dead." Xu Huo glanced at the person beside him, then continued, "We've already decided to cooperate. He wants you to bring the paper phone over. Alone."
Peng Fengnian's face changed color. He quickly reached for the phone, but Tang Pei on the other end automatically interpreted Xu Huo's words as a threat, said "I'll be right there," and actively cut off the communication.
"What exactly do you want by tricking Tang Pei into coming here?" Peng Fengnian looked at him warily. "She won't come."
"This paper phone... besides the person holding it, no third party can hear the conversation?" Xu Huo paused and asked.
"Of course," Peng Fengnian said. "This is a B-grade item. I spent a fortune and went through hell to get it. How could it lack even that basic level of confidentiality?"
"But don't get any crooked ideas," Peng Fengnian warned. "The moment I have the thought, the paper phone will self-destruct. Even if you get both phones, it's useless."
Xu Huo's expression remained calm as his gaze fell on him. "Your suit isn't bad. Let me borrow it."
Peng Fengnian's facial muscles twitched. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Huo cut him off first: "Borrow your clothes and one phone. In exchange, I'll give you a chance to clear the instance tonight. Deal?"
Peng Fengnian looked at him in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing, closing and opening, several times without being able to form words. He wanted to say Xu Huo was talking nonsense—even a C-grade player wouldn't dare claim they could clear the Skinner instance in one day. But seeing Xu Huo's confident demeanor, it seemed like he could actually do what he said.
Where did he get that confidence?
Suddenly thinking of something, he asked cautiously, "Are you a B-grade player?"
Ticket-holding players almost always matched their grade to the corresponding instance grade. Players rarely took on higher-grade instances voluntarily, and high-grade players weren't willing to accompany low-grade instances either. But random involvement was different.
"Take a guess." Xu Huo didn't answer the question directly.
Peng Fengnian thought it over carefully and dismissed the idea. If he were a B-grade player, how could he not have heard of items made by a Super Player like the Paper Servant Master?
"You're a C-grade player, aren't you?" He said with certainty. "I can tell you're very skilled, but the Skinner isn't that easy to deal with. If you try to force your way through, you definitely won't succeed."
Xu Huo's items and his proficiency in combat didn't resemble a newcomer to the game at all, so Peng Fengnian never considered that he might be lower grade than himself. Instead, he thought Xu Huo was stronger.
Xu Huo said nothing, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Peng Fengnian was decisive enough. "I'll trust you this once."
---
When Tang Pei arrived with the paper phone, Xu Huo was already gone. Only Peng Fengnian remained, sitting on the ground in a large T-shirt and shorts.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Tang Pei stood cautiously at a distance, not approaching.
Peng Fengnian waved her over. "Come here, I'll explain."
Seeing that he didn't seem coerced and sensing no other presence nearby, Tang Pei quickly went over. "What the hell happened? Is there a problem? Qin An and the others are covering for me. I don't have much time—I need to get back before the Skinner notices."
Peng Fengnian quickly explained the situation with Xu Huo. Tang Pei frowned and said, "He didn't even tell you the specific plan, and you gave him the paper phone? What if he ditches us and clears the instance alone? Even though random players and ticket-holding players have the same task, if he clears it, that doesn't mean we clear it."
"I don't have any other options for now," Peng Fengnian said. "You know the situation in the collection room better than I do. Our original plan won't work. Xu Huo might be a C-grade player—he's worth taking a risk on."
"Since you say so, I trust you." Tang Pei handed him her paper phone. "He didn't say what he wants us to do?"
"No." Peng Fengnian said, "He said he'll let us know when he needs us."
Tang Pei's brow furrowed even tighter. "I need to get back. You're the one who agreed to cooperate, and I trust you, but the others might not. If Xu Huo doesn't come through, not only them, but I'll take action too."
Peng Fengnian nodded. "There's no absolute trust between players. Do what you think is best."
Tang Pei told him to be careful and returned to the factory. When she climbed back through the pigsty and saw Qin An and the others still cleaning the workshop, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"What's going on with Peng Fengnian?" Yang Can quickly came over.
"We're going to cooperate with that random player," Tang Pei said. "Peng Fengnian gave him the paper phone. He wants us to coordinate with him."
"Is Peng Fengnian crazy?" Zou Weichang said unhappily. "We made him team leader because he has a C-grade player brother and knows more than we do. Who does this other random player think he is?"
"That person might also be a C-grade player," Tang Pei said. "The Skinner told us to feed the pigs, saying there were forty-one large pigs. I went to count them in the pigsty just now—there are only forty."
"If they have a special item, it's possible for pigskin to shed on its own before it's fully grown," Qin An paused and asked, "What about the collection room? What did Peng Fengnian say?"
"He doesn't have a solution for now," Tang Pei said. "That's why he wants us to wait and see if Xu Huo can make a breakthrough."
Zou Weichang let out a cold laugh. "He can afford to wait, but I can't. It's Peng Fengnian's business if he wants to give his items to someone else. I'm not stupid enough to believe everything someone says!"
"As long as we have the same task, we still have a chance," Qin An motioned for him to keep his voice down, then asked, "When is he planning to come in? If it's after dark, we can try to hold the Skinner off."
Before Tang Pei could answer, Zou Weichang spoke first. "I disagree. I'm not going to risk my life as someone else's stepping stone. If you insist on doing this, then we're done!"
Qin An's expression darkened. "Do you have the ability to deal with the Skinner on your own?"
"I don't have the ability, but dragging things out until the instance time ends isn't impossible."
Ticket-holding players had a game time limit of half a month. Even if they failed to clear the instance, as long as they survived until the time ran out, those with tickets could go directly to the next instance.
"Random players have to complete the instance task to leave, with a death rate of ninety-nine percent. That random player surnamed Xu is taking a much bigger risk than we are. Of course he wants our help. After all, once this instance ends, who knows when the next one will start? Dying at the Skinner's hands is just a matter of time."
"You—" Qin An was about to speak again when Xian Dazhi, who was watching the front door, shouted in a low voice, "Stop arguing! He's coming in through the front door!"
Several people quickly ran over and saw a tall, handsome long-haired man standing at the entrance. He was wearing Peng Fengnian's suit, with a small wildflower tucked into the handkerchief pocket. As he entered, he said to the Skinner, who was a head taller than him:
"Tax bureau audit. Call your boss out!"