Chapter 45

Beneath the gray, overcast sky, atop the chaotic ruins.

Nie Yun and Old Wang were tied up in a corner, with strips of cloth of unknown origin stuffed into their mouths.

Manager Liu and the others each took a Sedative. Only after seeing their Sanity Values restored to full did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

At present, they had six Exorcism Talismans left, two Sedatives, and one Peach Wood Sword.

Manager Liu held Nie Yun's Exorcism Bronze Mirror in his hand, with no sign of panic on his face. After all, they had bait—he certainly would not be the first to die.

Nie Yun and Old Wang were in terrible shape. After last night's fright, their Sanity Values could barely keep them from hallucinating. Now, they could only be left at others' mercy.

Manager Liu and the other three Players split a pack of biscuits. Everything had happened so suddenly last night that they had been busy fleeing for their lives and had not had time to grab anything.

Now their stomachs were growling with hunger, yet they did not dare go down and tangle with the Granulation Ghost. Its speed was simply too fast.

Nie Yun was so hungry he kept swallowing saliva. He wanted a bite too, but he knew Manager Liu's group did not even have enough for themselves. How could they possibly share any with him?

So hungry—he was starving. He was even hungry enough to hallucinate; vaguely, he seemed to smell hot pot? He sniffed hard, as if that could ease the hunger and thirst in his belly.

One of Manager Liu's lackeys said, "Fuck, am I so hungry that I'm hallucinating? Why do I smell hot pot?"

"You smell it too? I smell it too!"

Manager Liu sniffed as well and glanced at the two of them. Come to think of it, he smelled it too. He had also thought he was hallucinating. Carefully, he rose to his feet and looked toward the other end of the ruins. "Could there be other Players hiding here?"

He glanced at Nie Yun. "That Ye Zhao isn't dead yet?"

Nie Yun immediately thought of Ye Zhao too. He desperately wanted to warn her, but all he could do was watch as Manager Liu walked over with his phone, used facial recognition to unlock it against his face, and then messaged Ye Zhao in his name.

Fortunately, Ye Zhao did not reply even after a long wait. Meanwhile, the scent of hot pot grew stronger and stronger, making his mouth water. Manager Liu decided to take one of his lackeys over to investigate.

Manager Liu figured that even if Ye Zhao had powerful game items, they would be meant for dealing with ghosts. There were two of them, and both had drawn attribute cards that added Strength. They had more than enough to handle one woman.

Even if it was another Player, the two of them had nothing to fear.

The pair carefully made their way forward. The scent of hot pot became increasingly rich, and before long, they finally saw steam rising from food. The fragrance was drifting from there.

Manager Liu's eyes lit up. He tightened his grip on the wooden stick in his hand and gave his companion a meaningful look.

Manager Liu stepped out first. Rounding the broken walls and collapsed eaves, he saw a girl dressed in black sitting on the ground.

She was very pretty, with fair cheeks and delicate features. Her eyes were lowered slightly, and her manner was quiet and cool. Sitting amid the ruins at that moment, she seemed pale and fragile, stirring an instinctive urge to protect her.

"Little sister, why are you here all alone?" Manager Liu was a seasoned businessman and knew how to put people at ease. "It's too dangerous by yourself. We have a temporary team—why not come with us? We can look out for one another."

Ye Zhao's mind was entirely on her self-heating mini hot pot. She was not at all surprised by Manager Liu and his companion's arrival. She looked up at them, immediately seeing the malice in their eyes.

"Get lost."

Manager Liu: ...

This was the first person who had ever refused to give him any face.

His gaze darkened briefly. The companion beside him snapped in a low voice, "Bitch, don't reject a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Manager Liu is willing to take care of you just because you're somewhat pretty—that's your good fortune!"

Manager Liu said, "Little Zhao, don't be rude."

Little Zhao said, "It's this bitch's fault for not knowing what's good for her!"

Manager Liu said helplessly, "Don't take offense, little sister. Little Zhao is just blunt. He doesn't mean any harm."

Little Zhao said, "I don't mean any harm toward my own people. Outsiders, though? That's hard to say."

As he spoke, he strode forward. It smelled too good—he could not endure it anymore. Besides, he had spotted the bulging backpack beside the woman, as well as a pile of candy wrappers scattered on the ground. One look told him she was not short on supplies.

Not only did she have food—she probably had powerful game items too!

He did not believe a woman would dare resist.

He crossed the distance in a few steps, bent down, and grabbed the bulging black backpack. Just as he was about to walk away with a full load, a cold gun barrel pressed against his forehead, freezing him in place.

Manager Liu was clearly startled as well. He had not expected her to have a gun.

Ye Zhao smiled. "Are you robbing me?"

Little Zhao said, "...No, no. I came to invite you to join us—to help carry your bag!"

"Really? That wasn't what you were saying just now."

"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!" Little Zhao apologized while bowing and scraping. "I was presumptuous. I hope you won't take offense, ma'am!"

Inside, he was full of regret. If she had a gun, why had she not taken it out sooner? Saving it just to show off at a critical moment!

Ye Zhao said, "What if I do take offense?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This lowly one failed to recognize greatness..." Halfway through his words, Little Zhao suddenly sprang up, attempting to use his +10 Speed and +10 Strength to subdue Ye Zhao. Yet the physical attributes he believed were more than enough to handle an ordinary person looked as slow as slow motion in Ye Zhao's eyes.

The moment Little Zhao jumped, Ye Zhao was already a step ahead. She slammed the gunstock into the top of his head. With a loud CLANG, Little Zhao was left dizzy and disoriented. A large bump rose on his forehead, red and swollen. He swayed, then crashed to the ground.

Seeing that he had nearly knocked over her mini hot pot, Ye Zhao kicked him as well, sending him flying.

The man lay on the ground, dead or alive unknown.

Manager Liu: ...

He swallowed hard. Who would have thought they had kicked an iron plate? Wasn't this just an ordinary ghost world? Why was there something like a gun here?!

A gun might not be able to deal with ghosts, but it was more than enough to deal with people.

He had already taken several steps back the moment he sensed something was wrong, using a broken section of wall as cover. Looking at Little Brother Zhao lying unconscious on the ground, he was filled with regret.

He had still been too careless. Anyone who had survived in this bizarre world until now and never lacked food or drink—even if she was a woman—could not possibly be ordinary!

"Little sister, I'm sorry. I never expected Brother Zhao to be this kind of person. I've only known him for a few days too. It's all my fault for judging people so poorly!"

Ye Zhao: He's such a good actor. It'd be a shame if he didn't win an Oscar.

Manager Liu waited for a while without receiving a response. After hesitating for a moment, he quietly began backing away. He couldn't possibly be a match for that woman. The best thing to do now was retreat first and find another chance to avenge Little Brother Zhao later.

He carefully took several steps back, turned around, and was about to run—

But the moment he turned, the girl in black appeared behind him at some point and punched him. It was so fast and vicious that he had no way to dodge!

Stars burst before Manager Liu's eyes. No matter how hard he tried to stay conscious, he couldn't. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.