Beiwei hesitantly called out from behind him, "Bro?"
Xie De stopped and looked at her, unbothered by what she had called him.
Beiwei breathed a sigh of relief and asked quietly, "Are you new?"
"Yeah."
An expression of just as I thought crossed Beiwei's face. She seemed to have something to say, but held back.
*?*
What was wrong?
Beiwei said, "Bro, can I follow you?"
A look of determination came over her, and she briefly closed her eyes. "This instance game can give us wealth, health, and lifespan. We can also trade our wealth and health for items in the instance. That means pretty much everyone who comes here and survives is a desperado, like a mercenary. But the supplies here are fixed. The more you get, the less everyone else gets, so people band together while keeping their guard up against each other."
"I'm not interested in wealth or lifespan. I just want to stay alive. Bro, clearing this instance takes courage and brains, and I have both. So please, let me follow you. I can scout ahead for you. Even in the real world, I can do your dirty work and cover your tracks."
The man before her watched her coldly. They stood in a gloomy corridor beside a hazy window that let in a faint glimmer of light. He was undoubtedly strong. If she could follow him, she should be able to live a little longer.
Sweat seeped into Beiwei's palms, but she stood stubbornly under his scrutiny.
"Why choose me?"
Xie De asked in all sincerity. Girl, you're seriously brave. You dare follow me? Aren't you afraid I'll lead you straight into a ditch and get you killed?
Besides, hadn't 455 said this girl was a powerhouse? Why was she asking to follow him? Wasn't he supposed to be the one saying that?
Had 455 gotten the plot wrong?
It wasn't the first time 455 had been unreliable.
Beiwei gave a bitter smile and looked down at her petite frame. "Bro, looking like this, do you think anyone would believe I wouldn't hold them back? The key to surviving an instance is having a companion you can trust. I need someone like that. Please."
Beiwei had the sort of face that made her look sweet, innocent, and a little clueless. Prejudice was a mountain in people's hearts. She hadn't shown much strength in the early stages, so the arrogant, wary veteran players naturally had no desire to work with her.
Except for Xie De, who was temporarily on his own.
For a moment, Xie De suddenly felt that the girl before him had it just as rough as he did. They were helpless little lambs targeted by the instance, with vicious wolves circling them on every side.
"Come along, then."
Beiwei's eyes lit up. Although she didn't know much about Mr. 39, her intuition told her he wasn't someone who would go back on his word.
A voice came through his earphones.
From inside the phone, 455 mused, "Host, does this count as latching onto an early-game powerhouse?"
Xie De answered in his mind.
"455, you've lost all credibility with me! This girl is clearly just an innocent, unlucky soul like me. She's not even an adult yet. Sigh, I'll look after her a little more."
455: ...Prejudice was a mountain in people's hearts.
Now that they were in the same boat.
Beiwei thought it over and decided to show her sincerity by sharing everything she knew. "I don't know many veteran players yet. All I know is that Wei Yanchi is a complete lunatic. We'd better not get too close to him. In the last instance, I saw him chop an NPC into mincemeat with my own eyes! Then he made steamed buns out of it and fed them to another NPC. He's a madman who never plays by the rules."
Cold drafts drifted around them.
Thinking of the protagonist's gentle, handsome face, Xie De shivered for no apparent reason. Good lord. The protagonist really lived up to his role. He was exactly as 455 had described.
He remembered that in the original novel, the protagonist had chopped him up like a cabbage, too.
Xie De sank into thought.
Beiwei continued, "Fang Jueshan and Li Luohan work together. I've never dealt with them, but people on the player forum have mentioned that they're very crafty. Yue Xiamo is cruel, and no one knows her background. Old Eugene is supposedly a mob boss in the real world. He's very slick, though I don't know whether he's dangerous."
Beiwei shrugged. "Anyway, nobody who enters an instance is sane. Each one is harder to deal with than the last."
Wow. Okay, got it. So every veteran player was a prime candidate for Arkham.
Xie De felt like having another cigarette. He lit one, and smoke with a faintly sweet cedar flavor filled his mouth. He headed forward. "Keep up."
One step at a time.
Suddenly, every light around them came on. The entire factory seemed to come alive, and its machinery began to run.
The instance system issued a cold announcement.
"Good evening to all players still alive. Supplies have been placed inside the factory. Please find them yourselves."
Clearly, the abandoned factory they were trying to clear had no role-playing NPCs. Nobody knew how long it would take to get out, making the supplies distributed by the system all the more precious.
But frighteningly, they had no idea whether the system had provided enough for every player.
What a bastard.
To sum up their current situation, they not only had to face supernatural horrors that could appear at any moment, but also stay wary of the players who were both their companions and their competitors.
Fortunately, 455 popped up at that moment and proved useful for once. "Host! Host! I have thermal imaging! I can help you avoid those players!"
Touched, Xie De said in his mind, "You're actually this useful for once? That really caught me by surprise."
"...You're welcome. Just don't get scared when you see something supernatural."
"That's beyond me."
With the slender cigarette between his lips, Xie De had a flash of inspiration. He snapped the broom standing nearby under his foot and picked up its long handle as a weapon.
Following 455's directions, he cautiously avoided the players and led Beiwei around the factory. Luckily, they encountered no supernatural horrors and actually found a fair amount of compressed biscuits and water.
Xie De knew when to quit while he was ahead, so he stopped exploring. They needed to replenish their strength now.
The lights inside the factory were a dim yellow, making the scraps of flesh on the floor look sickening. The stench was unbearable, too.
They found a secluded, dim dorm room. After 455 scanned it and found no danger inside, Xie De took Beiwei in to hide, but didn't dare lock the door. He was a coward, afraid that if something supernatural suddenly appeared in the room, he wouldn't be able to escape.
More than half the night had already passed.
It would have been a lie to say he wasn't tired.
Xie De folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his eyes lowered as he chatted idly with 455.
455 said, "Host, your body has been tense ever since you entered this instance. Could you relax a little? Close your eyes and rest for a while. If anything stirs nearby, I'll wake you up."
"Easy for you to say. When have I ever seen a ghost before? I don't even dare watch horror movies! In all my life, I've never willingly gone into a haunted house! How did I get picked for this instance? It's practically trying to send me to my death."
"Host, this won't do. You're burning through too much energy. If your nerves are going to stay this tense, I might as well play you some music. What do you think?"
"Whatever."
Meanwhile, Beiwei still looked energetic as she sat on the bed. She counted the compressed biscuits in her pockets, her eyes shining. She knew she'd chosen the right man to follow. Mr. 39 was incredibly perceptive. They hadn't encountered a single player the whole way!
With the instance acting against them, that should have been absolutely impossible.
That could only mean Mr. 39 had his own way of assessing things.
Beiwei stole a few glances at Mr. 39, who sat against the wall. His eyes were already closed, and his long lashes lent him a hint of vulnerability, like a mysterious work of art.
What did Mr. 39 do for a living?
Could he be a secret agent?
Beiwei thought of the mysterious organizations scattered throughout the real world.
Before you continue