This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 25: The Taylor Family

Rita didn't intend to kill Theodore outright—after all, he eventually met his end at the hands of the male lead anyway. He liked Sanchez, and in this kind of story, that basically sealed his fate. Not only that, but before his death, he caused the male lead a lot of trouble, from framing him to oppressing him, ridiculing him, and stealing his things.

He was like the evil sister-in-law trope in a BL story, but as an evil brother-in-law.

After stealing 4 attribute points from him, Rita couldn't help but rummage through Theodore's belongings to see if there was anything useful. To her surprise, she found a dirty white belt that added +1 to Constitution. It wasn't the bonus she was scoffing at—it was the fact that the belt looked like it had been soaked in pig fat for ten years and then air-dried.

It was a cloth belt, but it felt like leather after all that grime.

She stuffed it in her bag anyway. It could probably fetch a few silver coins.

After leaving the Lopez mansion, Rita made a quick stop at Sanchez's wardrobe. Recently, the White family had installed mist sprayers with revealing potions, just like the Lopez estate. But, like the Lopez family, they were using basic-level potions. The daily consumption of potions for the entire estate was massive—there wasn't enough supply of mid-level potions to go around.

Sanchez wasn't doing well these days. Knowing that modern technology couldn't heal her severed hand, and refusing to use a prosthetic, she'd been obsessively searching for players. Not only that, but she'd enlisted several of the White family's trusted aides into the game as well. She also suspected that Daniel White might be involved—after all, why did he die on the same day her hand was cut off?

Thanks to her Chávez glasses, she knew Daniel was a player, though she hadn't confronted him yet.

She had everyone Daniel knew investigated, but they found nothing.

With no progress in her search, and after discovering that her in-game character was also missing an arm during the second beta test, Sanchez's mental state had become terrifying. Aside from family, few dared to approach her.

After more than an hour of stealing, Rita finally got another reward: +1 to Constitution.

Satisfied, she returned to her villa, gulped down a big cup of coffee, and cooked three large bowls of meat for the cats outside her house. She patted the three feline heads nestled in the cat house, then headed to the airport, driving herself.

Even though she could use **Phantom Shift** to teleport straight to the airport, she didn't want to risk raising suspicion. For anything that wasn't shady, she acted like a normal person, making sure her movements were traceable.

While at the airport, she messaged Samuel and the others, telling them she was heading to Beijing. She mentioned finding possible leads on players in an online forum and wanted to investigate.

They believed her without question.

As she waited to board, Rita closed her eyes and mentally reviewed the video of her undead mentor demonstrating how to brew basic potions.

A hesitant voice interrupted her thoughts. It was a young girl asking if she was Rita.

Rita froze, her mind quickly scanning through all the faces of enemies and fellow escapees from her past life, but none of them matched this girl.

The long silence made the girl anxious, and she apologized, thinking she had upset Rita. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I just... I couldn't help myself. It's been so long since we've heard from you."

Ah... a fan?

That felt so distant now. Such pure, clumsy admiration.

Rita pulled down her mask and chatted briefly with the girl, even buying her a coffee. However, having encountered all sorts of bizarre Divine Gifts, she declined to sign anything.

Even after boarding the plane, Rita was still reflecting on the encounter.

Those old troubles from the entertainment industry felt like they had happened centuries ago. Even Amelia drugging her and sending her to that dead man's bed now seemed like a childish trick.

After all, she had almost been tricked into an elven bed by Camila and Henry Taylor, the brother-sister duo from the Taylor family.

Zoey might have been nasty, but her tactics were mainly about wielding power—getting others to steal Rita's resources, or buying up all the materials Rita needed, or snatching high-level quest items. Zoey never resorted to petty tricks.

Sanchez was brutal. If she hated someone, she'd hit them instead of hurling insults. In her mind, physical pain was far more effective than any psychological torture. Her life motto was, "Why torment the mind when you can torment the body?"

The Taylor siblings, though—those two were both sneaky and vicious. They'd smile to your face while planning your downfall behind your back. They had once even tried to contract her as their slave...

Each of these people had their issues.

**Rick, the three-surnamed son-in-law. And me? The three-surnamed tragic heroine, I guess.**

Rita had never understood why these three women didn't just go after each other, instead of taking their anger out on her.

It wasn't just them. Even the male lead's friends were part of it.

She suspected Rick had something to do with it, but she had no proof.

That book she'd seen in her dying moments had blurred details, and even if she remembered them, they had been sugarcoated.

The book wasn't important—her feelings were. The Taylor siblings definitely deserved a good "lesson."

---

Standing in B City, Rita called her hitman contact, asking if he knew the way to the underground market.

Hitman: "Go to the xx bank, head north for xx kilometers, and you'll find a McDonald's. Go inside and ask for the Crazy Wednesday special. If they say they don't have it, ask for a $2 cone, but say you don't want the cone, just the ice cream in a cup. They'll take you there."

Rita: "..."

Rita: "Why is it that the underground market in Los Angeles only needed me to find the back door of the right bar?"

Hitman: "Ah, that's because you didn't really enter the underground market in LA."

Rita, holding her head: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" **I hired someone to shoot off a guy's... and you're telling me that wasn't the underground market?!**

Hitman: "Yeah, you just got lucky. I happened to be there grabbing a coffee. If you want the real underground market in LA, go to xx Café and ask for a 2-liter black coffee. When they say they don't have such a large size, tell them you brought your own beans. Then, hand them a 1g gold nugget, and they'll take you in."

Rita was silent for a while, then sighed, "You really are genuine."

Hitman: "Yup. Call me anytime."

And with that, he hung up.

**Is he flirting with me now?** Rita thought with a cold smile. **As if I'm calling you back.**

Minutes later, Rita was squatting by the curb, calling the hitman again.

She was considering having a drink to ease her frustration.

Hitman: "What's wrong? Didn't make it in?"

Rita, staring at the McDonald's across the street: "No. The guy took me to a door, and then we just stared at each other. I thought I knew what to do—I pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to him, but he didn't take it. Then he kicked me out."

Hitman: "They don't take cash. Only gold. You need 2 grams of it."

Rita: "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

Hitman: "Wanted you to appreciate my sincerity."

Rita: "..."