This Was a Trial

Feng Xue had already tested the cardboard box's effect. Even though he knew its properties in advance, once Chen Xiyao crawled inside, he would briefly see the box as something completely ordinary to find nearby. Only when he started wondering where Chen Xiyao had gone and remembered he had a cardboard box would he gradually recall that she might be hiding inside it.

And all of this happened while Chen Xiyao kept moving around inside the box.

In other words, as long as nobody kept their eyes fixed on the box, even if the person inside carried it from place to place, no one would notice anything amiss.

As for the possibility that Chen Xiyao might run off with everything he owned, Feng Xue had considered that too. Though he called it everything he owned, he had secretly hidden some of his pages during his nightly outings, including Disassembly Madonna. He had stashed them in several different places inside and outside the city. Even if Chen Xiyao were caught by accident or ran off with his things, he would still have a chance to make a comeback.

About two hours after Feng Xue headed to the Garbage Dump, Chen Xiyao, hiding inside the cardboard box, began to get restless. Sitting with her knees hugged to her chest was much easier than crouching or sitting cross-legged, but staying in the same position for two hours still left her feeling quite uncomfortable.

She gently stretched her body, sorely tempted to leave the box and lie down for a while, but in the end she held back.

In truth, this showed remarkable willpower. Most people found it difficult to summon such resolve when faced with a danger they had never experienced before.

But for Chen Xiyao—or, for that matter, most middle and high school students—this was no problem. Even after staying up until one or two in the morning, they still had to force themselves to wake before dawn the next day and hurry to school. No matter how sleepy they were, they could only catch a brief nap during the ten-minute break between classes (and if a teacher ran overtime, they might not even get those ten minutes), then snap awake as soon as the bell rang.

Most of them had no real idea of the pressure they might face if they failed to get into a good high school or university, but they had certainly developed this kind of willpower.

High school was perhaps the time when many people were at their peak in knowledge, perseverance, experience, and physical fitness.

As the sort of child other parents held up as an example, Chen Xiyao might have had a few hobbies her family disapproved of, but she was certainly used to the inhuman routine of staying up late and getting up early. Drawing on her usual determination, this little problem was no longer a problem.

"Maybe I should sleep for a while..." The thought suddenly occurred to Chen Xiyao, then promptly took root and began to grow beyond control.

It wasn't that she was especially tired or fond of sleeping. It was just that time inside the cardboard box was so unbelievably boring.

The novel had long since been torn into colored pages, and she hadn't been able to bring the phone her family had confiscated when she ran away. With nothing to do but daydream or sleep, what else could she do—play with a remote-controlled toy to entertain herself?

Thinking this, Chen Xiyao shuffled toward the corner of the room, dragging the box along with her, then leaned against the wall.

Feeling the solid support behind her, she adjusted her position slightly, pulled the pants she had taken off from beneath her skirt, folded them into a pad, and placed them under her. Then she took out a small object and put it in her mouth to keep herself from talking in her sleep. Finally, she wrapped her arms around her knees. A hair tie around her wrists held her arms in place. She could break free with a little effort, but at least it would keep her legs from stretching out of the box if she relaxed in her sleep.

Once she had done all that, Chen Xiyao let her loose hair fall as she tilted her head and slowly drifted off to sleep. The position really wasn't comfortable, but as a student who often needed to catch up on sleep, she had tried even more inhuman sleeping positions.

Swept along with the crowd into the Garbage Dump, Feng Xue had no idea Chen Xiyao had fallen asleep. As he brought up his Golden Finger and quickly sifted through the Traits that might come in handy, he worried about how she was doing.

Before entering the site, he had noticed one thing: the Cross Sword Guild had sent far fewer people to scour the Garbage Dump today than they had last time.

It might have been because this entrance was different from the one he had used before, but he couldn't help wondering if the others had gone to search for Chen Xiyao instead.

In truth, this risky venture was not only a choice forced on him by circumstances. It was also a trial for Chen Xiyao. Otherwise, he could simply have taken her outside the city for now. By using her excrement as bait, he could lure away the nearby Omens and briefly secure a relatively safe area.

But he understood that this could never last.

He had already left a deep impression on Chen Xiyao. Perhaps she wouldn't remember him for the rest of her life, but as long as she wore that four-dimensional skirt, she would never forget the person who had made it.

So the next thing to do was simply to send Chen Xiyao home.

But before that, Feng Xue had to make sure Chen Xiyao was truly a companion he could trust.

That wasn't to say Chen Xiyao was untrustworthy. It was just that sometimes, the people you trusted completely were more likely to hold you back. So far, Chen Xiyao had shown none of the idiocy of some brainless idol drama character who refused to run when she should and insisted on dragging the protagonist down with her. Still, everyone had two sides.

Chen Xiyao was quite dependable when there was no danger. That didn't mean she would stay dependable when she was tense and anxious.

If she lost control at a crucial moment, Feng Xue really would be left with nothing but tears.

"Would you look at that! It's 'Cannot Be Used'?!"

A card bearing the [Invalid] Trait suddenly appeared in his field of vision, interrupting Feng Xue's deep thoughts. He turned his attention back to the garbage strewn across the ground.

No matter how things turned out for Chen Xiyao, this would probably be his last Garbage Day in this Landfill Area, so he had to collect as many local Traits as he could!

"How long was I asleep?"

She woke with a slight headache from the mild lack of oxygen. The feeling of being restrained quickly reminded Chen Xiyao of her situation. She raised her hands and carefully worked the numbness out of her limbs and backside, then spat out the small object in her mouth. Only then did she cautiously shift position and peer outside through a hole in the cardboard box.

The sky over the Landfill Area had only day and night. With the light inside the house to go by, Chen Xiyao couldn't tell how much time had passed. But the faint hunger in her stomach told her it had probably been a while. Still, why hadn't Feng Xue come back yet?

At that moment, Chen Xiyao suddenly felt that going to sleep had been a terrible choice. She had completely lost track of time.

How long had it been?

Three hours?

Five hours?

Or maybe a whole day?

"Did he leave me behind?"