I Got Killed by You Again

Chu Lan and Xia Yu had only just returned to the base when the revived Liu Yue came back with Zhang Wen.

She looked delighted, but her words were polite. "Oh, you should've revived Xueli first. She's young and has good stamina, unlike me—I only hold everyone back."

Chu Lan smiled. "It doesn't matter who we revive first. Rest for a while, then we'll go look for more Revival Cards."

"I really do need a breather. Qi Ning suddenly rushed at me just now and scared me half to death." Liu Yue found a rock to sit on and complained gloomily, "Neither Xueli nor I had guns. We asked him to let us go, but he refused. He really doesn't know how to behave."

Zhang Wen gave a chuckle. "That kid's young and hot-blooded. He got too caught up in the game and wouldn't recognize family."

"He should still show some respect for his seniors. No wonder he isn't well-liked in the industry."

He froze awkwardly, rubbed his nose, and said nothing more.

The atmosphere instantly solidified.

Only afterward did Liu Yue realize what she had blurted out. Her eyes turned panicked. "No, I mean, he... he..."

The corner of Chu Lan's lips pressed together almost imperceptibly. "Rest first. Eat something and replenish your strength."

[What the hell is this lady talking about? It's a competitive game—what's with all this seniority nonsense?]

[Just because she's older and has a few works under her belt, she thinks she can throw her weight around? Why doesn't she say it to Qi Ning's face? All she can do is gossip behind his back, that long-tongued Best Actress!]

[Can Qi Ning's fans stop being so insane? She was just complaining casually. It's not like she was truly blaming Qi Ning. Do you have to make such a huge deal out of it?]

[Our Qi Ning plays openly and honestly. This lady takes a dig at him just for taking the game seriously—do you think we're easy to bully?!]

[This is hilarious. Taking the game seriously? Where were you when he stole a Revival Card from his own team to give Xia Yu? Why didn't you tell him to play properly then?]

[Don't drag my husband into this! It was just a trade!]

Knowing that she had caused the awkwardness, Liu Yue seemed at a loss. She got up and returned to the cabin to get clothes for a shower.

Chu Lan sighed to himself, placed his backpack on the small bed in the cabin, then took out a light pistol. "You guys rest first. I'll go out and look around some more."

"You've been looking all day. Take a break." Zhang Wen felt it would be rather unfair to let him go alone. "I'll go with you."

He waved him off. "No need. Rest, Brother Zhang. I'll just look around nearby and see whether the Red Team comes back to ambush us."

"Fine, then. Be careful. You have to be back before dark."

"Mm."

Xia Yu put the Revival Card Qi Ning had given him back into the backpack in the cabin, then came outside and sat under the shade of a tree. His eyes were half-closed, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Host, we've detected the location of a Revival Card. Do you want to go pick it up?" 001 spoke cautiously, with a hint of ingratiation. It feared the warning for surging destruction points, but it feared even more the state where its host wanted nothing and had no interest in anything. It was terrified that its host would find everything boring and want to die again.

"Where is it?"

"Due north, less than a hundred meters away."

He stood and said to Zhang Wen, "I'm going to look around too."

"Huh? Take a weapon with you!"

"Too heavy. I'm not taking one."

Zhang Wen's head hurt. How had they all suddenly left? Being alone was rather scary.

To cheer him up a little, 001 dragged 105 into singing for him. "Ah~ GG boom, be a hero in a fairy tale, ah~ GG boom, hot blood flows through the heart..."

Xia Yu's face darkened. "Are you two sick?"

"Host, do you feel even a tiny bit better now?"

"Sing one more line, and believe it or not, I'll kill myself on the spot?"

"..." The two systems clung to each other, not daring to make the slightest sound. This host was truly too hard to coax!

Following the detector's directions, Xia Yu saw that Chu Lan had already opened the box when he neared the Revival Card's hiding place.

"Brother."

Chu Lan, who had just obtained the Revival Card, was startled. He turned around. "Why did you come out?"

"I came to look for something. You found another Revival Card?"

"I just found one."

Xia Yu walked over and praised him with a smile. "Brother, you're amazing."

Chu Lan gave him a polite smile. "Let's go back first and revive Xueli..."

Before he could finish, a faint rustling came from the bushes.

Hearing the movement behind him, Xia Yu's eyes sharpened. In an instant, he reached for the pistol at Chu Lan's waist.

However, Chu Lan reached out as well, seemingly intending to draw his gun too.

Rat-a-tat-tat...

A string of gunshots rang out, followed by the familiar broadcast announcement.

[Blue Team's Xia Yu was hit in vital areas and eliminated!]

[Red Team's Xia Wanqing eliminated Blue Team's Xia Yu!]

"Fuck!" Qi Ning, who had been leisurely eating bread at No. 1 Base, leaped to his feet in fury. He slung on his submachine gun and charged out. "Xia Wanqing, you're dead! I'm going to kill you!"

Chen Hongyi and Yang Tian exchanged blank looks, then followed after him.

After the announcement ended, Xia Wanqing emerged from the bushes. His face was somewhat pale, his eyes filled with guilt and regret, even glistening slightly. "S-sorry... I was aiming for Brother Lan... Who knew you'd suddenly turn sideways..."

Xia Yu's gaze moved from the pistol at Chu Lan's waist to Chu Lan's face. The corners of his lips lifted slightly. "Brother, you... saw him long ago."

It was a light but certain statement, carrying a faint, almost undetectable sticky gloom.

Chu Lan pressed his lips together. "Sorry. I didn't have time to draw my gun."

"Heh. Very nice."

"I... I'll find a Revival Card to revive you..."

"Xia Yu..." Xia Wanqing threw away his gun and jogged forward, his voice tinged with a sob. "I'm sorry. I clearly promised Qi Ning I wouldn't kill you. I'll find you a Revival Card, okay?"

Xia Yu turned around and looked down at him slightly, then gave a soft laugh. "I got killed by you again."

Xia Wanqing did not know where that "again" had come from. He only felt his heart tremble under Xia Yu's gaze and instinctively shrank closer to Chu Lan. "Sorry, I didn't mean to... I'll help you find a Revival Card, then let you kill me back. Is that okay?"

"Xia Yu." Chu Lan shifted to block him. "It's only a game. I'll revive you. I have a Revival Card right now."

Xia Yu gave them a faint glance, his tone unreadable. "No need. Revive Xueli first. She's a girl—she'll be scared alone in the Black Room."

The bodyguard stepped out at the right moment and led him to the Black Room.

Xia Wanqing clutched the corner of Chu Lan's clothes and bit his lip. "Brother Lan, is he angry?"

Chu Lan's lips were tightly pressed together, and he felt somewhat annoyed with himself. Xia Yu was definitely angry. He just did not know whether Xia Yu was angry about being ambushed, or angry that Chu Lan had not warned him about the danger and had even blocked the hand reaching for the gun. But he truly had not done it on purpose. For some reason, he had instinctively reached out to stop him. He should not have done that. No matter how much he disliked Xia Yu, they were teammates in the same camp now.

"Brother Lan... How about you kill me to avenge him?"

Chu Lan sighed and forced out a comforting smile. "It's only a game. I promised to give you one life. Let's end today's confrontation here. Both teams have suffered heavy losses. Go back and regroup, then we'll fight again tomorrow."

"But..."

"Enough. Don't overthink it. Go back first."

Xia Wanqing bit his lip, lowered his head, and wiped the corner of his eye. "Tomorrow, I'll work hard to find a Revival Card and revive Xia Yu."

"Mm. Go back."

The comments were in an uproar.

[I'm dying from this! My Qingqing and Chu Lan couple! Qingqing is so kind, and Brother Lan spoils him so much!]

[Fuck! You adulterous pair! You actually teamed up to kill my husband! I'll kill you!]

[This is how the game should be played. Qingqing did nothing wrong.]

[These two men who keep selling their fake romance are disgusting. Chu Lan clearly saw Xia Wanqing long ago. Not only did he fail to warn Xia Yu, after Xia Yu noticed him, he even held down the gun so Xia Yu couldn't fight back. What a pair of bastards. If you want to flirt, go join a dating show!]

[Which eye of yours saw that Chu Lan knew Qingqing was there?! He was trying to draw his gun too, okay?! Why didn't you say anything when Xia Yu and Qi Ning teamed up to screw over the Red Team? Don't be such hypocrites!]

[Didn't Qi Ning and Xia Yu team up because they were afraid that you AC clique dogs would isolate him and refuse to revive him? The plan for Xia Wanqing to be killed by Xia Yu three times was never carried out either. It's confirmed that AC is a pack of clique dogs. The captain is leading the betrayal of his own camp. Replace him already, and let all five AC clique dogs stay locked together so they stop going out and harming others!]

[Argue, argue, argue! What's there to argue about? It's just a game. No one actually died. Brother Lan and Qingqing both said they'd find a Revival Card to revive him. What else are you unhappy about?]

[My husband is truly a god descended to earth. His teammates betrayed him and got him killed, yet he was still worried that Xueli, a girl, would be scared in the Black Room alone. I'm swimming to the island right now to find a Revival Card for my husband! Who wants the Revival Card from that adulterous pair?!]