One-Second Switch

"----do you mind?"

When Lu Xiu saw Jian Li lower her head, she suddenly realized that it wasn't appropriate for her to eat her own food.

She acted instinctively, without thinking for a moment; her body moved faster than her brain. After all, first impressions can really determine a lot. Jian Li's first impression of her was the bewildered look on his face when he was teaching her about the Jump Kit.

She then took on the role of a confidante.

So just now, she subconsciously handed over the ice cream.

But this doesn't seem like a good idea.

Lu Xiu thought for a moment and was about to take the ice cream back.

But just as she was about to pull her hand back, Jian Li suddenly leaned forward, her long silver hair slipping down, and gently bit off a small piece from the edge of the half-eaten ice cream, using Lu Xiu's hand.

A cool, creamy texture mixed with sweetness.

It melted instantly on Jian Li's tongue.

The oppressive feeling that had been building up in his heart after witnessing the tragic fate of the Witch sisters was completely dispelled by the sweet scent and the faint fragrance emanating from Lu Xiu.

"I don't mind."

Lu Xiu blinked, feeling the slight ticklish sensation of silver hair brushing against the back of her hand.

Jian Li slowly straightened up, gently shook her head, and her lips, which were originally a light cherry color, were now tinged with a slightly melted moisture, making them look particularly moist and alluring under the soft light of the living room, and her fair earlobes were especially cute.

Is it sweet?

"----Um.

Jian Li nodded, her long, silver hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders, swaying gently as she nodded.

Looking at Jian Li, who resembled a kitten, Lu Xiu couldn't help but chuckle, "Want more?"

Jian Li didn't answer, but leaned forward again, her long silver hair sliding down her face, and her pink tongue gently licked the edge of the ice cream with a missing piece.

It looks more like a cat now.

Lu Xiu: "----Do you have to be so cute?"

Jian Li straightened up, her ears were bright red, but she still looked as if nothing had happened.

And just then...

Another flash of Bai Guang appeared in the living room.

Shen Nian was also teleported out of the instance.

As she landed, her pretty shoulder-length short hair swayed gently in mid-air, exuding a vibrant energy.

"Phew----finally out, that was awful----"

Shen Nian let out a long sigh of relief, and then, as soon as she looked up, she saw Lu Xiu and Jian Li standing in front of the refrigerator, very close to each other.

Seeing this scene...

She blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?"

Lu Xiu subconsciously replied, "Look at the kitten—"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Jian Li immediately looked up.

"Wrong."

Lu Xiu changed the subject abruptly. "Eating ice cream? You've come out here too?"

Shen Nian gently shook her head and came to their side. "No."

Lu Xiu, biting into her ice cream, mumbled, "So, where did you hit?"

"Blighttown ----"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian immediately lowered her head in dejection. Her once vibrant and pretty short hair instantly lost its vitality and fell limply down.

Obviously.

She was tormented terribly.

This looks like a dog.

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she chuckled softly, "That's impressive."

"No, it's not impressive at all. Your new dungeon is utterly hopeless."

Shen Nian was still somewhat dejected, but she raised her head again. "So as compensation, could I have a bite of the ice cream----"

Girls, you know.

Always exceptionally perceptive.

She figured Jian Li must have eaten something just now.

The words had barely left his mouth.

Shen Nian suddenly felt the temperature around her drop to freezing point.

She glanced out of Jian Li corner of her eye and met Jian Li's clear, glass-like eyes.

An undisguised killing intent swept over us.

Shen Nian's body stiffened slightly, pretending not to see anything—anyway, she didn't know anything, she just wanted to eat ice cream.

"..

-""

Lu Xiu glanced at Shen Nian, then at the ice cream with only three bites left in her hand. "No, dogs will die from eating chocolate."

Shen Nian: "???"

Lu Xiu paused, then added, "This is the only one left in my fridge. If you want some, go buy some yourself."

What do you mean dogs will die from eating chocolate?!

Who's the dog?

Shen Nian gave Lu Xiu a slight glare.

She's angry.

But looking at Lu Xiu, who was casual and natural, revealing her long, snow-white legs, Shen Nian couldn't get angry in the end. Instead, her pretty short, shoulder-length hair drooped down completely.

disappointment.

"There really aren't any left."

Seeing Shen Nian's expression, Lu Xiu couldn't help but chuckle, "If you want to eat it, go buy it from the System Shop. Have you forgotten that you don't lack Survival Points?"

Shen Nian shook her head and refused to eat.

Ultimately, when is it wrong to eat something you don't want to eat?

"Let's go, let's talk about your thoughts on the dungeon."

Lu Xiu couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Shen Nian's smooth, shoulder-length hair before sitting down on the sofa first.

Heard about the instance.

Shen Nian and Jian Li then shifted their attention away from Lu Xiu.

The relaxed atmosphere was instantly replaced by a heavy one.

The despairing world of Dark Souls simultaneously came to mind for both of them.

The dark, cramped sewers, the ever-present, deadly poisonous blowgun monsters, the foul-smelling green swamps, and the emaciated, mindless zombies—

After a moment of silence.

Shen Nian sighed deeply, walked to the other side of the sofa and sat down, saying softly, "If I had to describe my first impression, it would be despair. That feeling is truly—"

She glanced at Lu Xiu before continuing, "How should I put it? It's not just that the monsters are disgusting and malicious, but the whole world exudes a suffocating sense of powerlessness."

"I feel the same way."

Jian Li sat down next to Lu Xiu: "The whole world is like a slowly rotting corpse."

"Is that really how it is?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu seemed to be deep in thought.

In a way, the players' experience does align well with the dungeon's theme.

Ultimately, in this world, will the player choose to rekindle the fire or let it be destroyed?

I think it would be very interesting to watch the players reach the ending and see what choices they make.

Furthermore, she can no longer see the rewards that players can obtain in this instance.

Like the Witch, I estimate that the range of its potential outcomes will be quite large.

Speaking of which...

On her first playthrough, she followed the steps methodically and didn't change much.

Of course, not too many things can be changed.

After all, the ending of the instance is fixed.

But ever since the Witch, or more accurately, after the arena, she has vaguely realized that the characters in the instance she created seem to have a certain degree of autonomy.

Although it is not truly confirmed.

But she could try to persuade Solaire, the Knight of the Sun.

This knight, who was the sun himself yet was still searching for it, met a truly tragic end.

It's worth a try.

certainly.

If it doesn't work, then forget it.

Since the first playthrough resulted in the Knight of the Sun being parasitized, the second playthrough, regardless of the outcome, is still worthwhile.

What are you thinking about?

Shen Nian's voice broke the brief silence in the living room.

Lu Xiu snapped out of her thoughts and looked up, only to find that not only Shen Nian, but also Jian Li, who was sitting to the side, was quietly watching her.

He saw two pairs of eyes staring straight at him.

Lu Xiu's eyes curved slightly as she joked, "I'm thinking about how to torture you next."

Shen Nian looked at Lu Xiu, who was smiling sweetly in front of her, and was momentarily dazed.

The girl in front of me was wearing a loose T-shirt and casually sank into the soft sofa, exuding relaxation and languor.

It's truly hard to imagine that such a world, filled with extreme malice, could have originated from the hands of such a beautiful and charming girl.

Seeing that the two were still staring at her, Lu Xiu smiled and put away her teasing intentions, "I won't tease you anymore. I was just thinking about the dungeon. I'm also doing my second clear, and I was thinking about seeing if I could try other routes. But you haven't gotten there yet, so I can't tell you much more right now—"

Shen Nian and Jian Li nodded gently after listening to Lu Xiu's words.

And at this time...

Communication panels popped up in front of both of them simultaneously.

After examining it, both of them frowned slightly.

"It's a scheduled message from the Strategy Group."

Shen Nian looked up and explained, "They're asking about our progress in clearing the dungeon."

Lu Xiu asked curiously, "Is the Strategy Group doing well in clearing the dungeon?"

"It didn't go smoothly."

Shen Nian shook her head: "Too difficult----"

"I believe it won't be easy for Prison Rock either."

Although Lu Xiu had guessed it wouldn't be easy, as the Architect, she couldn't really say anything, and could only say, "Good luck, you can definitely get through it."

"Hmm---- I'll write a preliminary report on the dungeon first."

Shen Nian responded and then began writing the strategy guide for the time being.

Jian Li, on the other side, also lowered her head slightly.

Seeing that the two women were getting busy, Lu Xiu didn't disturb them. Instead, she asked them if they wanted anything to drink. After receiving a no, she went to the refrigerator and got herself a bottle.

Wait for her to come back.

Then they discovered that Jian Li was missing.

Lu Xiu asked with some curiosity, "Where is Jian Li?"

"---- Went to the restroom."

Shen Nian looked up at Lu Xiu, who was standing prettily in front of her. "Is it good?"

Lu Xiu sat down again. "It's alright, do you want some?"

"Don't want."

Shen Nian gently shook her head, then looked at Lu Xiu, whose fair legs were together and who sat dignifiedly. "But let me lean against you for half a minute."

"?"

Before Lu Xiu could even react to the meaning of those words, Shen Nian had already opened the System Panel, tilted her body, and leaned towards Lu Xiu.

Then, quite naturally, he rested his head on Lu Xiu's soft thighs.

Lu Xiu was still holding the drink she had just taken out of the refrigerator when the sudden weight startled her.

She looked down and saw that Shen Nian had closed her eyes. Her pretty shoulder-length short hair was scattered on her fair and slender legs, making her look like a salted fish whose energy had been completely drained by dungeons and tedious walkthroughs.

"Headache."

Shen Nian, with her eyes closed, spoke in a muffled voice, tinged with deep weariness: "Your dungeon is really too difficult—"

Listening to this weak, feeble complaint.

Lu Xiu was somewhat amused and exasperated, but she couldn't say anything since she was the one who created the instance, so she felt awkward pushing the person away. "Alright, just half a minute."

"----The Iceberg Cat's territorial instincts are too strong."

Shen Nian didn't answer, but remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying softly, "However—since I can't have ice cream, I'll steal a little something else to compensate—we'll even, okay?"

"Huh? What?"

At that moment, Lu Xiu also brought up her System Panel and was scrolling through the window with one hand, looking at the discussions among players in the forum.

Because most of her attention was drawn to the despairing posts on the forum, she didn't hear Shen Nian's murmur.

She lowered her head and looked at Shen Nian, who was resting her head on her lap.

Shen Nian opened her eyes and looked at Lu Xiu's completely unguarded appearance. She couldn't help but smile softly, just about to say something more.

However.

Click.

From the depths of the corridor, a crisp sound of a door lock turning suddenly rang out.

In a flash!

Shen Nian, who had been resting her head on Lu Xiu's lap, suddenly unleashed an astonishing burst of core strength.

The weight on Lu Xiu's thigh vanished into thin air.

Shen Nian sprang up with incredible speed, sat up smoothly, and then pulled back the System Panel that had just been opened. Her hands hovered over the virtual keyboard, her brows furrowed, her gaze deep, and in a second she was back in the state of writing a strategy guide with a bitter expression.

The entire movement was fluid and graceful.

Lu Xiu: "--"

What's this for?