The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar] Chapter 58

Lin Jing: “……”

Before the chat could explode, he swiftly closed the small window—out of sight, out of mind.

The rat sitting on his shoulder was so shocked that it tumbled onto the table, its tail curling around the candlestick to avoid falling to the floor.

The rat was utterly dumbfounded. “Holy cr*p, what’s your ID?”

Lin Jing neatly folded the letters and put them back in the box. In his heart, he cursed Lu Xingyu a thousand times before replying coldly, “Shuang Mu Cheng Jing.”

“!”

The rat’s tail slipped, and it tumbled headfirst into a pile of messy books on the floor, rolling around in a daze.

Lin Jing was speechless. “You really are the dumbest thing alive.”

The rat was picked up by the tail and shoved back into Lin Jing’s pocket. Peeking out, it exclaimed, “No way, it’s really you Hun*? D*mn.”
* referring to hun from hunfen king

What kind of dumb nickname was that?

Suppressing his irritation, Lin Jing threatened, “Want some poison to shut you up?”

The rat: “……”

The rat: “I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just too shocked.”

Dong. The second chime of the clock rang—the ball was about to end.

Lin Jing quickly stashed the metal box into a drawer, grabbed the candle, and hurried outside. The underground chamber had been sealed for so long that the air was thick with dust. Within moments, the burning wax made his eyes sting.

As he climbed the stairs, the hem of his skirt snagged on something. Holding up the candle, he saw it was a broken statue. He couldn’t risk leaving any trace of his presence—no hair, no fabric—so he gritted his teeth, bent down, and carefully freed his dress, cursing under his breath, “Who the h*ll is so inconsiderate? If you knock something over, at least pick it up.”

But as he stepped out, the worst-case scenario unfolded before him.

The garden was packed with people.

The place was ablaze with lights, and the nobles in their opulent attire whispered about the murderer. The more timid young ladies had turned pale, retreating to the outskirts with their maids.

At the center of the crowd stood the furious king and the ever-composed John.

John was putting on a show, investigating the crime scene with confidence and eloquence.

Lin Jing was in an absolutely suffocating position—only a small cluster of bushes shielded him from sight. Stepping out now would mean exposing himself to everyone.

So, after a quick peek, he immediately shrank back.

The rat was getting anxious. “What do we do now, Ah Hun?”

Lin Jing clutched the staircase, annoyed. “Do I not have a name?”

The rat apologized, “Sorry, sorry, I’ve just heard them calling you ‘Lin Hun’ so much that I started thinking it was your real name.”

Lin Jing gritted his teeth. “If you don’t know how to talk, can you just shut up?”

Of course, the rat wouldn’t shut up. “Are we really gonna wait for everyone to leave before making a move? Your sister will definitely realize you’re missing soon.”

Lin Jing sighed, gripping the staircase, his deep brown eyes gazing up in frustration.

It was so stifling down here.

He silently poked his head out for some fresh air. The rat, still perched on his shoulder, shivered. “Are we gonna get trampled?”

Lin Jing: “Can you not be so loud?”

Suddenly, the rat had an epiphany. “Wait, don’t you have a boyfriend? Is he not in this game, or did you not look for him?”

The rat sighed dramatically. “If your boyfriend were here, would we even have to go through this nonsense? Would we be suffering right now?”

Lin Jing ruthlessly shattered its delusions. “If he were here, it’d be even worse.”

The rat: “Huh?”

Lin Jing: “Trust me, with him around, this game would be completely unplayable. The guy would sulk himself to death.”

The rat rubbed its paws over its face. “……” I’m just a rat, I don’t understand you humans and your messy relationships.

And so, the two of them continued hiding.

The stalemate was broken by a palace cat.

“Meow!”

A black cat, having caught the scent of a rat, perked up with excitement and dashed towards them, weaving through the skirts of noblewomen.

“Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!”

The rat’s fur instantly bristled, its pupils dilating in sheer panic.

The cat’s sudden charge through the crowd caused a stir.

“Why is there a stray cat in the palace?”

Startled nobles turned to look in the direction the cat was running.

Lin Jing’s first instinct was to grab the rat by the tail and throw it away to save himself. But the terrified rat clung desperately to his hair, wailing, “Don’t do this, bro!”

Lin Jing gritted his teeth. “Fine, then we can just die here together.”

The rat: “Waaah!”

As a rat, its character card came with an innate fear of natural predators.

Lin Jing took a deep breath, tidied his hair, and wasn’t planning to just sit here and await disaster.

He had gone barefoot to set up an escape plan—now, he needed an excuse to explain his presence. He quickly spun a story in his mind: Something had been stolen by a d*mned rat, and in his desperation, he’d chased it all the way into the basement, even forgetting to put on shoes.

As for what was so valuable that he had rushed in barefoot?

Cyril’s rose brooch.

Yeah, that’ll do.

However, just as Lin Jing took a step up, a figure blocked his way.

A slender, fair hand grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and lifted it.

The crowd erupted once again: “Cyril?”

Lin Jing froze. Holding onto the wooden staircase, he looked up and could only see the young man’s back—long silver hair, straight legs tucked into black boots.

Cyril handed the cat to the head guard beside him and said, “Apologies, this cat stole something of mine. I may need to search the area.”

Since he had always been treated as an honored guest in the palace, the head guard respectfully asked, “Would you like us to assist you?”

Cyril gave a faint smile and politely declined, “No need. But it’s a rather private item, so could you help clear this area?”

The head guard responded, “As you wish, sir.”

Over at the garden, the king had already been led away by John to search for the real culprit.

The nobles remained in the garden, adding fuel to the fire over the recent events, but because of Cyril, this area was forcibly cleared.

The noise gradually faded into the distance. Lin Jing and the rat stood dumbfounded on the wooden stairs.

Footsteps rustled against the grass. Under the clear moonlight, an icy glow washed over Cyril’s silver hair. He crouched down slightly, his black cloak draping around him, and his silver-blue eyes met Lin Jing’s. The garden was filled with blooming roses, and insects chirped in the grass.

For a moment, Lin Jing forgot to breathe. He and the rat were both petrified on the spot.

Instinctively, he took a step back, shrinking into himself like a startled small animal.

Cyril’s voice was calm and cool: “Christine, come out.”

The rat froze for a second, then frantically tugged at Lin Jing’s hair: “Hun, we’re saved!”

Lin Jing just wanted to cover his face in embarrassment. D*mn it! Forget it, let the broken jar shatter completely.

He grasped the wooden staircase and slowly climbed out.

A few blades of grass landed on his black curls. Under the moonlight, the girl looked slightly uneasy, her pure white dress draping over her delicate, bare feet.

“What a coincidence, Cyril.”

Lin Jing smiled awkwardly.

But Cyril’s gaze fell on his slightly swollen ankles, his tone indifferent: “What are you doing here?”

Lin Jing hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and decided to stick to his soft girl persona. Lowering his head, he said softly, “I… I was chasing after a rat.”

“A rat?”

“Mm, it… it stole my thing.”

“What did it steal?” Cyril’s voice carried the weight of an interrogation.

The girl tensed up, barely whispering her reply: “It stole… the brooch you gave me.”

Cyril’s lips pressed into a thin line, his icy eyes staring at him in silence.

Lin Jing had no idea what to say.

As he desperately racked his brain for a way to escape in tears, Cyril suddenly asked, “Where are your shoes?”

“Huh?” Lin Jing instinctively looked up.

Taking a misstep in heels on the corridor wasn’t a joke—while he could endure the pain, Christine’s skin was too delicate, swelling up terribly and looking quite alarming.

Cyril lowered his gaze and sighed. “Forget it, I’ll carry you back.”

Lin Jing: “???” He frantically backed away. “No, no, no, Cyril, that would be too improper.”

Cyril glanced at him and coolly said, “Running barefoot through the garden isn’t improper?”

Lin Jing forced himself to stay calm and resorted to his ultimate soft-girl move—crying. Christine’s body was so delicate that tears came to her eyes at the slightest provocation. Her red-rimmed eyes gazed at him sorrowfully. “No, Cyril, please don’t embarrass me like this. I’ll walk by myself.”

Cyril remained silent for a moment before saying, “Alright.”

Phew. Lin Jing let out a long breath of relief, secretly wiped his sweat, and gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

Cyril led him toward the resting lounge, the night breeze carrying the scent of laurel flowers.

Suddenly, a comment from the live chat popped into Lin Jing’s mind.

【Ahhh Cyril is so handsome! If history has taught us anything, it’s that handsome guys are never just background characters. I’m calling it now—Cyril is M!】

M.

Lin Jing was stunned. Cyril had said he came here for a mission. Now that he thought about it, that actually made some sense.

Maybe he really was the one meant to wake the princess with a kiss—the key to breaking the game.

“Cyril, do you have another name?”

He asked in a small voice.

Cyril: “What?”

Lin Jing: “Like X, L, or something—used as a pen name or stage name, something unusual.”

Cyril’s steps paused slightly, as if contemplating. “A stage name?”

Lin Jing felt nervous. “Mm.”

Cyril: “No.”

Lin Jing cautiously pressed on: “Then… do you know someone called M?”

Cyril’s silver-blue eyes locked onto him for a long moment before he smiled. “Christine, you know this city better than I do.”

“Mm, I suppose so.” Lin Jing could only force a laugh.

Before his two sisters arrived, Cyril had already left.

Bella stormed into the lounge, her voice filled with barely contained fury: “Christine! Look at the mess you’ve made tonight!”

Lin Jing remained silent. Before getting into the carriage, he had stuffed cotton in his ears, letting Bella rant all the way home.

Back at the count’s residence, Jenny brought hot water and ointment to help reduce the swelling.

Lin Jing sat on the chair, looking down as he asked, “Jenny, is there someone called M in Eberon City?”

Jenny was always chirping like a little sparrow, easy to pry for information. But even such a gossip-loving girl had never heard of M.

With no leads, Lin Jing decided to start investigating from the forest.

According to John’s analysis, the king had identified the murderer—a fat chef who had killed the royal guard.

Because of this case, John’s intelligence and bravery impressed the king, who deemed him worthy of entering the Black Forest and issued the first pass.

Lin Jing heard about this while eating breakfast the next day when Jenny told him.

Jenny muttered, “Can this John really find the witch?”

Lin Jing sneered inwardly. Him?

Jenny continued, “The king is meeting with envoys from various countries today and distributing weapons and passes to knights and warriors.”

Lin Jing froze. “Today?”

Jenny gazed at the distant snow-capped mountains and said, “Yeah, the snow is almost melting.”

Lin Jing decisively put down the cup. “Jenny, prepare a carriage for me. I need to go to the palace.”

Jenny asked, “Miss, what are you doing?”

Lin Jing made up an excuse on the spot. “I left something at the banquet—something my grandmother gave me. It’s very important to me.”

Jenny’s eyes widened, and she shook her head seriously. “You can’t, Miss. Madam is very angry about what happened yesterday and told me to watch over you. You’d better stay in the attic and read, like before.”

Lin Jing had already figured out how to handle this little chatterbox. “Alright, I’ll listen to Mother. Jenny, I just saw some butterflies in the rose garden. Could you catch one for me?”

The little chatterbox’s eyes instantly lit up, her freckles coming to life. “Okay, Miss!”

Once Jenny left, Lin Jing didn’t even bother changing clothes. He stepped into high heels and hurried downstairs.

“Good day, Miss Christine,” the gardener greeted, tipping his hat.

Lin Jing passed by like a gust of wind. “Good day.”

He found the coachman and immediately gave the order to head to the palace.

“Hurry, I left something important there.”

The coachman was confused but followed the command.

The carriage left two tracks on the snow-covered city roads.

Lin Jing finally felt a little calmer as he sat inside.

The princess’s letter had said that Eberon was silent and withdrawn after the rain, but under the snow, the city was breathtakingly beautiful.

At least, Lin Jing couldn’t help but be drawn to a certain statue in the square every time they passed by.

Suddenly, he remembered he still hadn’t exchanged that pearl the pigeon had delivered. Well, that could wait.

While in the carriage, Lin Jing considered stopping by a tailor shop to buy men’s clothing but decided against it. Christine didn’t look like someone capable of defeating an evil witch anyway.

After stepping out of the carriage and handing over his invitation, he happened to overhear two maids carrying silver trays chatting.

“The king actually gave a woman a pass? Why?”

“Apparently, she can use magic.”

“Is there really such a thing as magic?”

“Of course! Without magic, how would Her Majesty the Queen have summoned the witch?”

“Shh! Shut up, Kana! Do you want to die?”

Lin Jing paused.

Magic… So it wasn’t just knights who could enter the forest.

The rat peeked out. “What now?”

Lin Jing stood in the corridor, deep in thought. “Looks like we need to stir things up.”