You said the Deer Hunter brought in a newcomer that day to modify his weapon and planned to let him join the team—"
Bai Liu raised an eyebrow, a trace of surprise flickering across his face. "—but this newcomer claimed he could join the Deer Hunter team, on one condition: that you modify my weapon for me?"
General Hua Gan wiped the corner of his mouth. "Yes. This newcomer knew I was the best weapon reformer in the game and demanded that I modify your weapon—personally. He wanted it tailored to you, to drastically enhance your combat and defense abilities."
His gaze dropped to Bai Liu's hands. "The idea of turning your purse into gloves came from him."
"He wanted you to have a pair of black leather gloves—perfectly fitted, suited for the whip, and allowing easy access to your notes without risking injury."
"To recruit this newcomer, our president agreed to his outrageous demand."****"
As he spoke, anger flickered across his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
"The president negotiated with your investor, Charles, to fulfill the newcomer's request."
"This was a disgrace to the guild. A betrayal of the weapon reformers who have always served it exclusively!"
Bai Liu released his grip on General Hua Gan, stepping back. "But you still said yes."
Hua Gan let out a heavy breath, as if Bai Liu's words had pressed the air from his lungs. His head bowed in frustration. "...Yes. I cannot disobey the president's orders."
After a pause, he added in a low voice, "Even if you hold my soul, I will serve no one but the Deer Hunter's Guild."
Bai Liu glanced at Liu Jiayi, who sighed and shook his head—signaling that there was no point in pushing further.
—Just as General Hua Gan said, he would rather die than betray his guild.
Unlike the countless reserve team members or someone like Wang Shun, who worked with various players, the guild held a firm grip on its reformers. Even with his soul in Bai Liu's hands, breaking this iron-willed, single-minded man would be no easy feat.
Unlike players with ever-shifting desires, these reformers had long since refined theirs, forging them into something unbreakable. They didn't communicate with people—they communicated with weapons, red-hot and forged in the fire of their own longing. To them, weapons were more than tools. Weapons were everything.
And the guild was the only place where they could create their finest work. It wasn't just an organization—it was their forge, their purpose. That was why reformers like Hua Gan never betrayed it.
They would never betray the weapon.
And they would never betray the guild.
General Hua Gan, the best reformer of them all, was also the most unyielding.
If Mu Sicheng hadn't restrained his apprentice from the beginning, Hua Gan wouldn't have spoken a single word.
Receiving Liu Jiayi's signal, Bai Liu calmly shifted his approach. "I won't ask you to serve us. We just want to know why."
"You have to protect your guild. I have to protect my guild's players." Bai Liu smiled. "Can you give me some useful information? Like the identity of the newcomer who asked you to modify my weapon?"
This question didn't touch the guild's deepest secrets. After all, sooner or later, this player would have to reveal himself.
General Hua Gan hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. "I don't know exactly who he was. When the president brought him here, he was wearing a mask—completely covered in blood."
"But his skill weapon was a very long, green plastic toy gun."
Bai Liu absently toyed with the long hook by the boiler. "Mr. Hua, that's hardly enough to send us off."
Hua Gan gritted his teeth and continued, "I won't tell you what his skill is, but I will tell you what happened during the modification."
"The gun was… strange. It looked like a cheap plastic flare gun, but the moment it touched the lava, it dissolved instantly."
Hua Gan frowned, recalling the moment. "I've modified countless weapons, but I've never seen anything like that. And the owner… he just sat there, completely unbothered. Humming."
"I kept feeding materials into the lava, trying to saturate it so the gun would precipitate out. I even sacrificed pieces of skill weapons to force a reaction."
His expression twisted. "Half the warehouse's materials were used up, and the lava still didn't react. That's when I realized something was wrong."
"The materials weren't dissolving." His voice lowered. "They were being devoured."
"No matter how much I threw in, the gun absorbed everything like a black hole—endless, insatiable. In the end, the president had to turn to Charles for more materials, and that's how they struck their deal."
Hua Gan exhaled. "Charles promised a massive supply of materials—for free. In return, I was ordered to modify weapons for your entire team."
His gaze darkened. "That day, I bet material after material into the lava, even using pieces of high-tier weapons. But that gun never surfaced."
"It just kept devouring. Desire. Souls. Everything."
His eyes drifted to the glowing red boiler, lost in thought. "I've never seen a weapon so… greedy."
Finally, he looked up at Bai Liu, his voice dry. "In the end, the president gave me a scrap of dirty leather from Charles—apparently a remnant of your original weapon."
"I cast it in."
"The lava boiled."
"And then, I saw it—"
"The dissolved remains of the gun gathering around the leather, stacking up like crystal formations in a saturated solution."
Hua Gan gazed at Bai Liu, voice hoarse. "The lava was on the verge of burning dry when a sniper rifle finally emerged from the bottom of the pot."
"That's when I saw it. And that's when I began to fear it."
"Forging your gloves made me feel controlled." His fingers twitched. "But forging that gun—"
"It felt like looking into an abyss so deep that just one glance would swallow my soul whole."
A sharp breath was drawn from the side.
Tang Erda, who had been silent until now, finally reacted.
Bai Liu dropped the long hook, running two fingers over the metal ring at the base of his glove. His eyes narrowed slightly.
General Hua Gan caught his gaze and sighed. "Looks like you figured it out."
"Yes. That metal ring on your glove—it came from that gun."
"And it's not just a residual scrap."
"It's the core material."
Bai Liu remained silent for a moment, then rose to his feet. "Mr. Hua Gan, I swear as Bai Liu that I will not use your soul for anything that violates your original intent. In return, I hope you will give your best efforts in modifying my team's weapons."
At his gesture, Mu Sicheng hesitated but finally released his grip on the apprentice.
The young man collapsed, curling into himself in fear.
Hua Gan, however, simply stared at Bai Liu in astonishment. After a long pause, he snorted. "Take a man's money, be loyal to him. Men are guilty—"
"Weapons are not."
His expression hardened. "Whatever you've done, your weapons are innocent. I won't take it out on them."
"I'll do my job."
Bai Liu nodded approvingly, then smiled. "Apart from that, I have another request."
"I want you to place an external order—to the King's Guild appraiser."
Hua Gan raised an eyebrow. "What do you want appraised?"
Bai Liu laced his fingers together, his gaze obscure. "These gloves."
A beat of silence.
Hua Gan understood immediately. "—And every weapon I've ever modified, correct?"
He shrugged. "Fine. I'll place the orders."
AWith that, as if nothing had happened, Hua Gan dusted himself off, helped his apprentice to his feet, and turned back to his work—completely unfazed.
Tang Erda, watching Bai Liu, murmured in a hoarse voice,
"…A clown."
Bai Liu exhaled. "I figured as much, but I don't understand why he's doing this for me. The clown shouldn't know me yet."
"But again, every move he makes feels like he knows me specifically…" Bai Liu half-closed his eyes. "If the Joker knows what my skills are and what I'd do, then his decision to have this reformer take the initiative to transform my actions seems like he's wrapped up this transformer as a gift for me."
Tang Erda spoke quietly, "The Joker knows you can use your skills to control this reformer."
Bai Liu tugged at the edge of his glove and pulled it off. He stared thoughtfully at the metal ring on the side of the glove. "And this material too... he took it upon himself to fuse the best materials to correct the situation, then just waited for me to come and receive it."
"I understand what he did," Bai Liu continued, "but the real question is why did he do it?"
Tang Erda replied, "If it were any other world line, I could see why the Joker would do it."
Bai Liu looked up.
"The best material, the best reformer…" Tang Erda sighed with mixed feelings. "In another world line, the Joker always offers you the best because, in his eyes, only the best is worthy of you."