Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 302: Sudden Cooperation

Hidden Mission: Cops and Crooks

Mission Rank: B-Level

Mission Objective: Convince the new mayor, Mike Haggar, to cooperate with Mad Gear and allow both factions to coexist in the city.

Mission Reward: 5000 points, 5 free attribute points.

Mission Description: Justice and evil, light and darkness—are they truly destined to be irreconcilable?

Triggering a hidden mission was obviously a good thing, but completing it? Now that was another story.

Jessica was the easy part—the girl was clearly suffering from Stockholm syndrome, and she was completely attached to Kasamoto Eri. If they sent Eri in, she could easily charm... ahem, persuade Jessica.

But the real problem?

It wasn't Jessica.

It was her father—Mike Haggar, the justice-obsessed, crime-hating mayor.

This was a man who was so devoted to justice that he refused to negotiate, even when his own daughter was being held hostage by a gang of criminals.

Instead of backing down, he chose to storm Mad Gear's base and fight his way through, fully intending to take her back by force.

Sure, part of it was because he was strong, and he believed they wouldn't dare kill her outright—

But what if they had?

What if Mad Gear had a trigger-happy idiot who panicked and executed her on the spot?

What if someone decided to violate her out of pure malice?

There was no way Haggar hadn't considered these risks.

And yet, he still refused to negotiate—proving just how unyielding his sense of justice was.

That was the real problem.

If Qin Ming actually took a "reformed" Jessica to Haggar and tried to convince him that she had voluntarily joined Mad Gear, the mayor might just kill his own daughter on the spot for betraying justice.

Qin Ming rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache forming.

He was still trying to figure out a solution when—

Screech!

The car suddenly screeched to a halt, throwing everyone forward.

Qin Ming snapped out of his thoughts and immediately looked up—only to see two familiar figures standing in the middle of the road.

It was them.

The two remaining adventurers who had previously fought against him—

The ones who fled after he killed their third teammate.

Seeing them blocking his path, Qin Ming's eyes narrowed. He pushed open the car door and stepped out, his massive frame towering over the pavement.

As he strode forward, he began channeling his blood energy, a crimson mist instantly rising from his arms.

The two adventurers stiffened.

They had already experienced this monster's terrifying combat power firsthand—and they knew that if they fought him again, they probably wouldn't survive.

Just as Qin Ming was about to attack, both adventurers threw up their hands and shouted in unison—

"Wait! Wait! Don't attack! We just want to talk!"

Qin Ming paused mid-step, his expression still cautious.

"Talk?"

The adventurers nodded rapidly.

"Yeah! We want to discuss a possible collaboration!"

"Collaboration? With me?" Qin Ming frowned.

"Of course! We're all adventurers, aren't we?" Wind Demon, the one Qin Ming had nearly killed with a single punch, grinned as if he didn't hold a single grudge.

"And since this world is under Peace Mode, we don't have any direct conflicts of interest. So why not work together instead of fighting?"

Qin Ming narrowed his eyes, watching as Wind Demon and Firebird stepped closer.

Neither of them seemed hostile, but their sudden change of attitude made him wary.

"Think about it," Wind Demon continued smoothly. "You're with Mad Gear, while we're with the main characters. We each have access to different intelligence. Instead of competing, we could exchange information and help each other set things up behind the scenes."

There were two ways to deal with competition—eliminate them or recruit them.

Having already experienced Qin Ming's overwhelming combat power firsthand, Wind Demon and Firebird knew that even if they teamed up, they still weren't his match.

So they made the obvious choice—recruitment.

"Brother, what should I call you?"

"Hyena."

"Hyena? Good name! Which squad are you with?"

"...King of Fighters."

"Oh, no wonder you're so strong! We're from the Heroes Squad, and most of our abilities come from the World Heroes storyline."

After exchanging some casual pleasantries, Wind Demon noticed Qin Ming frowning at him. Realizing it was time to get to the point, his expression turned serious.

"Brother Hyena, are you interested in killing more bosses?"

"Hmm? What do you mean by 'more'?"

"If you try to kill Mad Gear bosses yourself, it'll be risky—if you get caught, you're finished.

"But for us? It's different.

"You just give us their locations and create the right opportunities, and we'll handle the killing—either by bringing in the protagonists or taking them out ourselves.

"In return, we'll feed you intel on the main trio's locations, and we'll find ways to separate them so you can hunt them down.

"Whether you take them on alone or gather allies to overwhelm them, that's up to you."

Wind Demon patted Qin Ming's thick arm, flashing a grin.

"You give us Mad Gear bosses, we share the loot. You get exclusive access to the protagonists' keys.

"Both sides benefit—what do you say?"

Qin Ming paused, realization dawning on him.

So that's their plan... they want to act as double agents and screw over all the major characters!

His eyes flickered with thought.

After running a quick mental check on the plan's feasibility, he realized—

It might actually work.

"Alright," Qin Ming said calmly, "but we need a trial run first."

"What kind of trial?"

"Each of us provides one boss's location first."

"Deal! No problem!"

Grinning, Wind Demon pulled out a small map from his coat and handed it over.

"This contains detailed intel on Kevin, one of the protagonists and a disciple of Bushinryu.

"Tonight, we'll lure him to this location. Whether you seize the chance to kill him is up to you.

"If you mess up, you can't blame us."

Qin Ming nodded, took a pen, and tore off a corner of the paper.

"Here's the intel on Damnd, the first boss of Mad Gear.

"He's the weakest of them all, but he's always surrounded by minions.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

"I'll take him out drinking tonight, and by the time we leave at midnight, he'll only have a few guys with him.

"If you ambush him on this street, he's yours for the taking.

"But if you fail to take him out, then there's no point in continuing this partnership."

Wind Demon grabbed the paper and grinned.

"Then let's wish each other success, Brother Hyena!"