The incident with the duplicates last night had left the other players badly hurt. Fortunately, Qi Wu had arrived in time to keep their losses from being devastating.
In terms of strength, Qi Wu was indeed the strongest among them.
After all, he was close to completing the hundred instances he needed to leave.
At that thought, Chu Qingjiu raised his head, just as Qi Wu turned toward him.
The instant their eyes met, Chu Qingjiu and Qi Wu both looked away.
An inexplicable distance and awkwardness spread through the air, building until it became an invisible barrier surrounding the two men caught in a cold war.
What kind of relationship did they have now?
They seemed to be... players clearing an instance together?
Chu Qingjiu did not really know why he had suddenly become so awkward. Although last night had certainly affected him, what he felt most was a sudden sense of loss.
That sense of loss kept Chu Qingjiu in low spirits. The slightest difference in Qi Wu's behavior from before was enough to send him spiraling into oversensitivity and doubt.
If they had lost a certain emotion, why could he still feel this sense of loss?
Or... had he been thinking along the wrong lines from the start? Did this instance actually have a negative effect that lowered the players' spirits?
"Any thoughts, big brother?"
Qi Wu remained as calm and unruffled as ever, speaking with his usual easy familiarity.
His attitude helped Chu Qingjiu relax considerably. If Qi Wu had been as awkward as he was, things between them might have become very strained.
But Qi Wu's easy familiarity gave Chu Qingjiu the illusion that they had never had a falling-out at all, and that illusion made him feel safe.
Rather than rushing to answer Qi