Obscure

Yun Si: "..."

Okay, he misunderstood Yu Fengchen. Yu Xing really is a scoundrel.

It's hard to imagine that after receiving the goods, they wouldn't give them back, but instead, they wanted to use what they just got for free as a bargaining chip in exchange. Isn't that a bit insulting?

If he still had his gun, he really wanted to hold it to Yu Xing's head and show him what propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame were.

When Ning Feng heard those words, he had already taken... or rather, had the spherical bone shoved into his hand. He licked his slightly dry lips, his gaze towards Yu Xing filled with a strange emotion. "Exchanging gifts?"

Yu Xing: "Since we've decided to cooperate, isn't it only right that we exchange gifts?"

Ning Feng tossed the bone ball in his hand a few times, seemingly deep in thought, before finally catching it in his hand. "You're right, I should give you a gift in return."

He emphasized the word "gift," and it was obvious that this word probably didn't represent anything good in his mouth.

Zhao Yijiu sensed something was amiss and stepped forward to stop his captain's arrogant behavior. However, before he could act, Ning Feng had already reached into his pocket, and then...

A cold glint appeared in the night, slicing along Ning Feng's hand toward Yu Xing's neck. Yu Xing reacted quickly, tilting his head back and feeling something brush against his skin, causing a tearing pain.

Under normal circumstances, what would give him this feeling would be the small knife hidden in Ning Feng's sleeve. For 0.01 seconds, he did think so. But then he realized that he was currently in a state of amplified pain, and only felt such a tiny bit of pain. It was likely that the thing in Ning Feng's hand had only touched him and had no effect of hurting him.

Zhao Yijiu had no idea what Yu Xing was thinking. His pupils contracted, and he flashed between the two. His face was gloomy, and the long nail in his hand temporarily became a melee weapon, stabbing towards Ning Feng's face.

Ning Feng whistled, nimbly taking a few steps back while subtly protecting his face. "Wow, what a fierce person! Don't be impatient, it's just a gift."

He spread his hand outwards, revealing what he was holding. Zhao Yijiu's long nail stopped halfway through its swing in mid-air, the tip of the nail only a decimeter away from Ning Feng's forehead.

What Ning Feng held in his hand was not the small dagger or blade they had imagined, but a small, glowing piece of colored cardstock.

The cardstock was skillfully folded into the shape of a knife, resembling a delicate work of art.

"Our base's recreation room has a lot of weird and wonderful gadgets. I thought this thing was pretty, so I brought one out. Look, it's even fluorescent!" Ning Feng waved the cardboard knife, as if showing off. "If you like it, next time I won't be in such a hurry to take it out. I'll fold it into a flower and give it to you, how about that?"

Yun Si was pleased, but also a little confused. "Why did you take things out of our base's children's playroom? Wait, when did you secretly go to the children's playroom behind our backs?"

The player holding the chess pieces sighed. Ning Feng was clearly creating a very cool atmosphere, but Yun Si really knew how to ask questions. When it came to ruining the atmosphere, Yun Si always had a firm grasp on it.

Ning Feng ignored Yun Si's question. He raised his eyebrows, his smile carrying a hint of madness, as if the provocation from before was nothing to him.

Yu Xing understood that this was a warning from the other party, not to treat them like other fools, including the matter of the "remains". Since he had obtained this great benefit by himself in front of everyone, and it used to be fashionable for everyone to share, now he had to let the experience testers get a share, otherwise it would be a bit unreasonable.

"The cardstock is indeed quite pretty. I wonder if our base has any?" So Yu Xing wasn't angry at all. He touched his neck, which was completely unmarked, except for a slight lingering pain from where he had been swiftly slashed.

He casually placed a hand on his throat, admiring Ning Feng's expression. "I like this expression of yours, it's very attractive."

After uttering lines usually reserved for psychopaths, he showed great interest in Ning Feng's suggestion. "But we already have a guy in our team who loves sending flowers everywhere. If you're going to send us handmade crafts, don't fold flowers, that's unoriginal. Fold a big wolfhound instead!"

Ning Feng's smile deepened, like a mental patient meeting a fellow sufferer in a faraway land. "Why a big wolfhound?"

"Big wolfhounds are cute, more practical than flowers." Yu Xing glanced at Zhao Yijiu's profile. This man had just rushed up to separate him from Ning Feng, and his gloomy and tense aura had not yet dissipated. Just by looking at his forehead, you could tell that he was in a state of rigorous preparation for battle, just like a wolfhound ready to attack at any moment.

So Yu Xing added, "Find me a black one. Since yours is fluorescent, then get me a big, multicolored black wolfhound."

"Then it's settled. I'll try my best to make it for you and give it to you next time we meet..." Ning Feng noticed his gaze, immediately understood, and then turned to Zhao Yijiu with that provocative smile, "Hey cool guy, how about I sculpt a fox for you too?"

The "cool guy" thought to himself, "What are you talking about?"

Zhao Yijiu stared coldly, showing no desire to speak. He even pondered for a moment whether a fox he made would represent his brother or Yu Xing.

"No need," he said, silently adding, "Get lost."

If these people don't leave, he can't use his Shadow Wizard abilities to bring Yu Xing back. It's getting late, and they're not going back to the base yet. Are they planning to stay here and admire the moon?

Ning Feng realized that the disdain in Zhao Yijiu's eyes was genuine, so he pursed his lips. Having received the benefit of the bone ball and "startled" Yu Xing, he hummed a warm little tune with satisfaction and smiled as he beckoned the chess player and Yun Si to leave through the mirror.

Yun Si was probably hungry. He touched his stomach and, like a leopard, leaped into the mirror without hesitation. Ripples appeared on the mirror, and he disappeared completely.

Yu Xing quietly observed the reflection in the mirror, only to find that although the mirror emitted a faint glow in the darkness, the surface itself was completely black, and nothing could be seen.

The chess player calmly walked into the mirror, with only half of Ning Feng's body inside. He then turned around and gazed at Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu with the warm eyes of a friendly older brother, leaving behind a hypocritical remark. "Looking forward to seeing you again~"

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared.

The streets outside the art museum finally became desolate. Their conversation hadn't attracted any wandering ghosts. Yu Xing guessed that there were probably only a few ghosts wandering the streets, and that the ghosts not in the dungeon buildings were probably resting separately in the dilapidated houses, just like in the alley they had entered earlier.

"They're finally gone." Zhao Yijiu stared at the mirror, blinked menacingly, then turned to Yu Xing seriously. "Why did you provoke them like that?"

Yu Xing that no one was around and it was relatively safe to speak, Yu Xing shrugged. "How can we know where their bottom line is if we don't test them? Right now, none of our team members have any memory of having any contact with them, which means our timeline is earlier than theirs. This is very disadvantageous for us. I also don't have enough information to verify which of their statements are true and which are false. Only by testing them can we find out whether their alliance with us, or even some of their connections, is as seamless as they claim."

This reason sounded perfectly plausible, and even Zhao Yijiu, who wanted to advise Yu Xing against overdoing it, had no reason to continue lecturing. His cold face showed a hint of annoyance. "If that knife was real just now... never mind, maybe it was all within your expectations."

Yu Xing noticed Zhao Yijiu's worry and decided to be honest for once. "No, not at all. Since it's a test, how would I know what he'll do to me? It's just that even if my throat were cut, I can recover, so I'm quite confident."

He looked into Zhao Yijiu's pupils and noticed that with each additional word he spoke, the coldness in her eyes intensified, so he promptly shut his mouth.

"So what's the conclusion?" Zhao Yijiu knew he couldn't change Yu Xing's reckless behavior, since this style of doing things was deeply ingrained in Yu Xing even before he met Yu Xing. He could only sigh and let Yu Xing do whatever she wanted.

"The conclusion is that we can listen to everything they've said so far," Yu Xing brought good news. "Although expressions and words can deceive, subtle details are not easy to conceal. I roughly observed Ning Feng's personality in the art museum. If we actually had a rift with their team, they were just using the information gap to make us their information source in the Dead Silent Island instance. What he took out just now wasn't a prank piece of paper, thinking he had everything under control, but actually a surprise attack to kill me. This is Ning Feng's attitude towards fake allies."

Zhao Yijiu: "Alright."

He turned around, ostensibly surveying the street and the shadows that filled it, but out of the corner of his eye, he subtly glanced at the corner of Yu Xing's upturned lips. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but Yu Xing seemed a little different since they arrived on the island.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different; it was probably just a gut feeling.

Zhao Yijiu had great faith in his sixth sense. He felt that something was influencing Yu Xing's behavior because Yu Xing was a person who valued his life very much. He would only give up his life without hesitation when faced with something that would allow him to exchange his life for greater benefits.

But today's market is clearly not enough for Yu Xing to bear the consequences that could cost him his life... Zhao Yijiu frowned, feeling that things were not simple. He knew what was different. Yu Xing seemed normal, but in fact, he was being much more aggressive in his choices.

He was worried that Yu Xing had overlooked some side effects. Could the identity of the contaminated being not only amplify pain, but also subtly make one less cautious?

"What are you thinking about?" Yu Xing didn't hear Zhao Yijiu's next words, turned her head and patted the other's forearm. "Tired? Let's go back to the hotel. Let's call it a day for today's investigation."

"Okay." Zhao Yijiu didn't bring this up; he felt he needed to observe the situation further, and returning to the hotel was the best option.

He fastened the long nail to his belt, his pupils gradually turned deep red, and his demeanor subtly shifted without him even realizing it.

Just a few seconds later, Yu Xing realized that the person standing in front of her had become Ghost Wine.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's the perfect time for activities under the cover of darkness, and you guys actually want to go back now? What a waste of such a beautiful scene." Ghost Wine shook his head and teased, "It's late now, why don't you stay and not go back? I'll take you to see some streetwalkers."

Yu Xing interrupted him, "No, I'm too weak, I need to go back and replenish my strength."

Such bluntness and shamelessness, yet Ghost Wine couldn't find any suitable sarcastic retorts, since Yu Xing was the one criticizing himself.

"That's a real shame." In the end, Ghost Wine could only compromise and accept the fact that he could no longer wander around. In a fit of anger, he grabbed Yu Xing by the back of the neck and, as the shadow spread out from under his feet, stuffed Yu Xing into the shadow first.

There are restrictions as long as you're on Dead Silent Island. Ghost Wine had already used the Shadow Wizard's abilities to travel to many places today, and he was indeed quite weak. He thought he should go back and rest first, and then go wild again tomorrow. He grabbed Yu Xing and smoothly moved through the darkness, following the same path they had come from, and soon returned to the vicinity of the inn.

This time, Yu Xing was more experienced. He closed his eyes and didn't look at the strange white lines in the darkness. Instead, he whispered, "Try going straight into the hotel and see if it has any restrictions on your abilities."

For a fleeting moment, Ghost Wine's expression seemed to switch to Zhao Yijiu's cold yet worried look, before returning to Ghost Wine's smile, "Yu Xing, are you tired? I appeared directly in your and my brother's room back then, have you forgotten?"

Yu Xing thought about it for a moment and realized that this was indeed the case.

Ghost Wine Mouth was far more venomous than in its normal state. As it navigated the strange, dark space, it taunted, "Your reaction speed doesn't seem to be as fast as it used to be. Tsk, I'm telling you, instead of going to all that trouble testing others, you should be paying more attention to yourself, lest you die before you even realize it."

"Are you concerned about me?" Yu Xing asked with her eyes closed.

Now that he had discovered that the ghost's consciousness possessed initiative and could think in a way that differed from Zhao Yijiu's, he absolutely did not believe that Ghost Wine sincerely remind him.

Although it was true, he did suddenly realize that his thinking was a little abnormal.

"Of course, isn't it my duty to care about my captain?" Ghost Wine's tone was extremely sarcastic, as if he was still mocking him.

Yu Xing's thoughts failed to connect this reaction with the other speculations.