Although Pei Guang might be misunderstood by the Family at first, once the plan was carried out, those misunderstandings would all turn into goodwill.
At that moment, Pei Guang even began to look forward: what if the Dreammaster turned out to be the true final villain? If they really had to kill the Dreammaster, could he then campaign to become the actual leader of Penacony himself?
By then, Jing Yuan could cast a vote for him, Herta another, and if Topaz happened to show up, she could give one too.
Aventurine from the IPC was technically a corporate employee: since Pei Guang had helped him complete his mission, he would owe him a vote as well.
After all, he had helped the Family, so Robin would have to give him one too, right? Not too much to ask I'd say.
Then Penacony would basically become his personal garden.
Hmm… what should he build in his dreamscape?
As he pondered that beautiful dream world, countless ideas sprang up in Pei Guang's mind.
Compared to Earth, Penacony seemed to offer far more possibilities. Even if he couldn't obtain full control over all dreams, just a partial area to build his own city would make him immensely happy.
Once that thought struck, plans poured out immediately: an Armor Zone, a Digimon Zone, a Pokémon Zone, a Duel Zone… everything included.
But just letting the rich and powerful enter: how could that be right? In his territory, anyone with dreams should be welcome.
As long as they believed in miracles and hope, they could all come.
Perfect timing, Xipe Cake seemed quite powerful and could even synchronize people with trash cans. Then he'd let every dreamer who entered his city gain the power of the trash can, to protect their dreams and their home.
Kyubey said that miracles and magic aren't free—but he'd make them free.
As a player, Pei Guang, though fond of fighting and killing daily, still held that most basic belief shared by many players: that good deeds are rewarded and miracles come to those in need.
At least in the first playthrough, when encountering people in trouble, he'd always extend a helping hand. And when he realized that his actions had harmed NPCs struggling to survive, he'd slap himself in regret.
That was exactly how Pei Guang was now. Not a hint of sadness about being hunted: on the contrary, he was already planning what kind of city he would build in Penacony.
As for whether it was "allowed" or not, Pei Guang didn't think that was a big issue. When favorability is high enough, obtaining a piece of land in an area is standard RPG story logic.
In fact, sometimes, when favorability is high enough, even renaming the leader isn't impossible.
The more he thought, the happier and more excited he became. He even started wondering whether to allocate a portion of his Luofu Xianzhou shares for this idea.
Meanwhile, Firefly was dumbfounded.
Just moments ago, Pei Guang had been worrying about becoming wanted: how did he suddenly grow so confident and… radiate such positive energy?!
"Do you have a plan? Is there something I need to do?" she asked.
Hearing her voice, Pei Guang snapped out of his daydream. "Yes! Absolutely. Our plan is very simple. Come on! Let's take down both the Penacony Family leader and the Dreammaster!"
Firefly: "...What?"
She was speechless. She was sure: Pei Guang was going insane.
They had only just eliminated Sunday, and now, even if the Family had issued a bounty, it shouldn't go so far as to kill all the upper echelons, right?
Even as a Stellaron Hunter, one of the more capable ones, she couldn't possibly wipe out the entire Family.
Impossible. Even Elio couldn't pull that off!
Meanwhile, Elio saw within countless possible futures... one chillingly strange vision emerging.
Firefly's exclamation snapped Pei Guang back to reality: "Don't worry. Even though we'll be wanted by the Family next, it won't affect anyone else."
Firefly: "But killing the Family higher-ups... won't that cause issues with Harmony..."
Pei Guang: "Cause issues with Harmony? Relax—they'll end up thanking us. Not just thanks, but a big reward too."
Firefly was puzzled by Pei Guang's words, but after a moment's thought, she looked at him with resolute eyes: "Got it. What do I need to do? Draw their attention?"
Pei Guang could sense the powerful aura emanating from Firefly, and he was very satisfied with it: "No need. I've got it figured out. We'll infiltrate directly, then assassinate using Something Unto Death. This time it might not be just one target—could be several. Not sure if you can handle..."
Hearing Pei Guang's question, Something Unto Death shook its head.
One at a time: one was already giving Pei Guang face. Now it wanted several?
It was a principled memetic entity from the memory zone. It wouldn't violate its principles for threats or minor favors.
But just as it thought that, Pei Guang made an offer it couldn't refuse: "See this transformation device? Help me with the task, and I'll give you one later."
Faced with this temptation, Something Unto Death fell silent. After a moment, it shook its head.
A single transformation device? Far from enough to buy it. Though this one looked stronger than a transformation rod, it had principles. Unless...
Pei Guang: "Three!"
Something Unto Death: "Awooo!!!"
Something Unto Death caved.
For it, the transformation device was more than just transformation: the one made by Heliobi carried a wondrous power that could enhance its memetic properties.
It felt that being limited to just death and assassination was insufficient. During the phase two entry with Pei Guang before, it had experienced that power-up sensation.
It believed it needed more memes.
With those, it could grow stronger: though even it didn't realize what it would do with that strength.
Pei Guang: "Deal! You're with me then. I'll take you to assassinate the Family higher-ups."
Firefly: "Uh... huh?"
Pei Guang: "No more 'uh's—let's move. I bet we're already wanted. This mission is assassination, not frontline combat. We dodge the first wave of pursuers, infiltrate, then strike!"
Pei Guang grew more excited.
He really loved this Penacony: first letting him race cars, then Tower Defense, then battling elite mobs.
Now it was stealth assassination mode, with each task challenging but not overwhelmingly hard.
With Xipe Cake as support this time, he and Firefly could pull it off—as long as they weren't spotted, they wouldn't be detected.
The Family couldn't sense their exact positions or existence through Harmony's power. It even blurred Pei Guang's state in the dreamscape, ensuring he could play to his heart's content.
Pei Guang was thrilled, but at that very moment, the leaders of Penacony's major families suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Even the Dreammaster shivered, gripped by a strange sense of crisis.