The lights were on in the room. The luxurious suite in the five-star hotel was fully furnished, with separate wet and dry areas and the heating turned up nice and warm. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could admire the relentless downpour.
Wei Yanchi went to change his clothes.
Xie De leaned against the sofa with a cigarette between his lips. He hadn't lit it; he was simply tasting the tobacco. His clothes and hair were quite wet, lending an even colder edge to his presence.
He sat there quietly, staring at a spot as though he were spacing out-which, in fact, he was.
Wei Yanchi came over and asked, "What would you like to drink?"
Xie De snapped back to attention and said casually, "Anything."
Wei Yanchi nodded. Noticing that 39's long, slender fingertips were still red, he made a special trip downstairs and brought back a steaming cup of hot cocoa, a warm cup of brown sugar ginger tea, and a bottle of sweet, hot cola.
He thoughtfully placed all three hot drinks on the coffee table in front of Xie De, within easy reach.
They were all around forty-five degrees Celsius, just cool enough to drink while still warming him from the inside out.
The protagonist was surprisingly nice.
Xie De finally chose the hot cocoa and took a sip. Seeing the protagonist sitting across from him and staring at him, he found the atmosphere inexplicably awkward.
"What do you want to say?"
Wei Yanchi blinked, his fingers curling slightly. He hesitated before saying, "The rain was really cold. If you leave yourself wet like this, you might catch a cold. May I help dry your hair?"
"..."
The protagonist was so nice it was getting weird.
Expressionless, Xie De asked in confusion, "Do we know each other that well?"
The hand Wei Yanchi had been about to extend quickly withdrew. Disappointed, he said softly, "I'm very sorry. I overstepped."
Then he smoothly changed the subject. "The next Instance opens in two months. Aside from the items the Instance gives you, you can also bring one thing from the real world, Mr. 39. The way the Instance calculates it is that you can bring one additional weapon for every Instance you've cleared."
Seeing 39's thoughtful expression, Wei Yanchi hurriedly added, "The things in the Instances are supernatural and impossible to guard against. Firearms like machine guns might be too heavy to move around with easily."
Machine guns?
Xie De would have loved to bring one, but that depended on whether he had one in the first place. The protagonist had overestimated him.
His curiosity piqued, Xie De lowered his head and took another sip of hot cocoa. "How many Instances have you cleared?"
"Four."
Wei Yanchi smiled. "My first Instance was a year ago. I was looking out at the sea in Magic City at the time. I'd never imagined an Instance game could actually exist. The first time really was quite novel, but I have no idea how many we have to clear before we can escape this thing for good."
Then he probably had plenty more to go.
After all, the main villain was still just a little kid.
Bored, Xie De set the barely touched hot cocoa on the table and leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs. He had enough manners not to light his cigarette. His thoughts returned to the terrifying environment in the Instance, and he clicked his tongue in irritation, genuinely unsure how to respond to the protagonist.
Wei Yanchi smiled as usual. "Mr. 39, what brought you to this city?"
Well...
Xie De glanced at Wei Yanchi. "Don't ask so many questions."
"All right."
Wei Yanchi could actually guess what Mr. 39 had come to do. After all, he himself had been drawn outside by the smell of blood. His five senses were exceptionally sharp, and he could tell that although 39 didn't smell of blood, a faint trace of gun smoke lingered around him, masked by the scent of tobacco.
That was the smell of ammunition.
He wondered how many people 39 had killed.
Wei Yanchi felt that if their world were a work of fiction, 39 would undoubtedly play the dangerous, captivating mastermind behind the scenes.
"I came to this city for something you'd probably consider superstitious nonsense, Mr. 39." Wei Yanchi looked a little embarrassed. "I'm not sure whether you'd be interested. I'm here to perform an exorcism."
An exorcism? That was seriously cool.
Just as expected, Xie De thought. He'd known the protagonist couldn't possibly be here for anything simple!
Previously, Xie De could have been called a staunch champion of materialism. But after experiencing things like 455 and the Instances, his worldview had long since been shattered and left teetering.
He was just about to ask something when a phone rang insistently on the bedside table. Wei Yanchi immediately went over to check. It was his client.
As it happened, Xie De's phone also chimed. An exhausted 455 had returned and sent a flood of messages through the phone. Xie De looked down to read them.
The moment Wei Yanchi answered, frantic wailing came through the line.
"Master! Because of this rain, the chicken and dog you asked for can't be delivered until tomorrow! But that evil thing seems to have come alive! It's moving! Hurry and save us..."
Hearing this, Wei Yanchi quickly gave clear instructions. "Don't panic. Gather everyone together and stay inside a room. Don't come out. Shut the doors and windows tightly, turn on all the lights, and sprinkle a handful of salt into the gaps around the door and windows. I'll be right there."
He didn't hang up. The terrified sobs of children kept coming through the phone, along with the soft, comforting voices of women.
Wei Yanchi said apologetically, "I have something to take care of. Mr. 39, could you wait..."
"902."
"Hm?"
Xie De lifted his eyes from his phone screen. "My room number."
455 had just booked it, right next door to Wei Yanchi's room. At 1,900 a night, it was so expensive that Xie De wanted to get a job. Even one that required overtime would do.
Wei Yanchi's eyes instantly lit up. He hurried away, stumbling over his words. "Then, I'll be back soon. I'll... come find you later."
The door opened and closed.
455 said listlessly, "Did you put a spell on the protagonist? In the original novel, he was composed and always showing off. He never acted this much like a clueless young kid."
"Don't be ridiculous. If I had that kind of ability, would I let a useless little system like you latch onto me?" Xie De stood up and headed outside, trying to digest the messages 455 had just sent him through his growing headache.
"What do you mean there's still another person to kill?"
"...Exactly what it says. Oh, come on, host, you know I'm a useless little thing. I just, hahaha, don't know the plot that well," 455 said guiltily. "I only just detected that whenever the Laboratory acts, they send people out in pairs so they can help each other and improve their chances of success. So we missed one."
"But my main unit is already overheating. I won't be able to locate that person until tomorrow. What I can confirm is that they're definitely in this city too."
He entered 902. The decor was more or less the same as the protagonist's room. Exhausted, Xie De collapsed onto the bed.
"455, the organization is very disappointed in you."
"Hold off on the disappointment and charge me first!" 455 yelled from inside the phone. "Hurry up! I'm about to shut down!"
He grabbed the hotel's charger. The moment he plugged it in, the lights began flickering nonstop from the unstable voltage. The flashing hurt his eyes, so Xie De simply switched the lights off.
"Take as much electricity as you can. With a room this expensive, we might as well get some of our money back."
455 let out a contented sigh. "Hey, could you aim a little higher? We're destined to make big money! Oh, right, did you see the protagonist's backpack in his room just now?"
"Didn't notice. Why?"
455 said mysteriously, "I saw anime merchandise hanging from his backpack."
"He's young. That's normal."
"No, the protagonist is a Taoist priest! And an incredibly arrogant guy! The original book never mentioned that he was into anime. This is really weird, you know? Host, who would've thought the protagonist watched anime?"
"Yeah, it's normal for young people to be a little edgy."
Xie De was starting to get drowsy.
455 let out an irritating shriek. "That's not it! Host! Don't you think your look is very anime? The protagonist likes exactly that type. He has a thing for white hair! And he's so nice around you. Should we develop a side quest? Win over the protagonist! Lots of systems have that ability! I want to..."
"No, you don't."
Utterly speechless, Xie De said, "You just jump on every idea that pops into your head, huh? We're tired enough already. Don't forget we still have to go kill someone tomorrow."
"Wow... Host, even though it's because of the circumstances, the way you're always planning to carry out missions is kind of like an anime secret agent."
"Are there any anime secret agents as poor as me?"
"Don't say that. Fortunes change. Never underestimate a poor young man. You'll be rich someday. You're just a little weak-willed, a little cowardly, a little stupid, a little lazy, a little incapable of doing anything..."
The longer 455 spoke, the quieter it became. In the end, it resigned itself. "All right, host. There really aren't any like you."
Xie De sat up, laughing in anger. "455, if you keep going, I'm seriously going to lose it. Do you believe I'll shut you down manually?"
455: "(◞‸ლ), then you've got one more flaw. You're a stingy little cheapskate."
Before you continue