Who Exactly Is Your Father?

"I just feel like if I ate her, someone would beat Xiaobai to death."

Jiang Xiaobai spoke with complete seriousness.

The air fell silent in an instant.

Shen Niannian stared at him.

Jiang Luo stared at him too.

Even Joker, who had been playing dead nearby, instinctively glanced over.

The corner of Shen Niannian's mouth twitched.

"Did you come to that conclusion by smelling her?"

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head.

"It's not the smell. My body itself tells Xiaobai he can't eat her. Xiaobai has felt this way before when he's come across something really dangerous."

He added another sentence after that.

"But big sister can eat her."

Jiang Luo: "..."

Shen Niannian: "..."

(￣ー￣)

Was this child's way of judging food a little too simple?

Jiang Luo, however, wasn't angry.

Instead, she walked over with her lollipop in her mouth, her ruby-like eyes sweeping over Shen Niannian from the top of her head to the tips of her shoes.

Two little girls with white hair and red eyes stood together.

One wore a black-and-red Gothic dress and held a ragged teddy bear in her arms.

The other had silver hair falling to her waist and a dark red bow in her hair.

There wasn't much difference in their heights, either.

The sight looked a little strange no matter how one looked at it.

The livestream fell silent for a moment.

Then the barrage of comments exploded.

"What kind of wholesale market for white-haired, red-eyed lolis is this?!"

"The one on the left obviously isn't a player, right? Her bearing is completely different!"

"Even an S-rank glutton says he can't eat Shen Niannian. Just what's her background?"

"I'm getting more and more suspicious that her dad is some super big shot in the Weird World!"

Jiang Luo stopped in front of Shen Niannian.

"What's your name?"

"Shen Niannian."

"Human?"

"At the moment."

Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, at the moment?"

Shen Niannian was very honest.

"Because more and more high-ranking weird beings have been recognizing me lately, I don't quite dare say anything too definite now."

Jiang Luo: "..."

(・_・;)

That answer made quite a bit of sense.

She glanced again at the black-and-gold VIP bracelet on Shen Niannian's wrist.

Then she slowly turned her head.

Her gaze landed on Joker.

"Ugly uncle, when did you start giving things like that to human players?"

The deathly white paint on Joker's face visibly stiffened.

"Special circumstances."

Jiang Luo narrowed her eyes.

"You also called her Miss Shen just now."

Joker: "..."

"And Xiaobai said he couldn't eat her, either."

Joker: "..."

"Do you know something?"

Joker's smile grew more and more strained.

Shen Niannian's eyes, however, grew brighter and brighter.

(✧ω✧)

Good question!

She had been wondering how to keep pressing him herself.

Now a boss who could clearly keep Joker in line had shown up.

How could she not take the chance to listen in?

Jiang Luo planted her hands on her hips.

"Speak."

Joker was silent for several seconds.

Finally, he sighed.

"My lord, there are some things I can't say. I'm not deliberately being mysterious."

Jiang Luo frowned slightly.

"You can't even tell me?"

"At the very least, it shouldn't be me who says it."

At those words,

some of the ease faded from Shen Niannian's face.

It wasn't the first time she had heard something like that.

Gu Changsheng was unwilling to say.

Ning Hongzhuang had only told her that he had disappeared over a decade ago.

Xie Linyuan had been even more obviously reluctant to speak when he mentioned her father.

Su Wangyin knew, but pretended not to recognize her.

Now even S-rank Joker was unwilling to say anything.

What these people feared was clearly no ordinary identity.

Shen Niannian stared at Joker.

"Then you can at least tell me whether it's me you're afraid of, or the person behind me, right?"

Joker's expression stiffened.

The [Identity Archive] refreshed instantly.

[Current status: does not want to answer]

Shen Niannian kept staring.

Joker finally spoke, slowly.

"Miss Shen, all I can tell you is that when you came to the Death Amusement Park over a decade ago, you really did leave a very deep impression on me."

"But if it were only because of the things you did as a child, I wouldn't be this courteous to you now."

Shen Niannian's gaze sharpened.

Just as I thought!

There's someone else!

She was just about to press him further.

But Joker raised a finger.

"That's enough."

Shen Niannian: "..."

(￢_￢)

Why does every single one of them like to shut up just when they get to the most important part?

Jiang Luo, however, had picked up on what he meant.

She gently bit through the strawberry candy in her mouth.

"You mean there's someone behind her you can't afford to offend?"

Joker didn't answer.

But his silence

was practically an answer already.

Jiang Xiaobai crouched nearby and nodded.

"They must be really powerful. Otherwise, Xiaobai wouldn't feel like he'd be beaten to death."

Shen Niannian looked down at him.

"Then can you sense where they are?"

Jiang Xiaobai sniffed hard.

After a long while,

he shook his head.

"I can't smell them. I can only sense that you seem to have been marked by something. If Xiaobai bites you, that thing might know."

Shen Niannian's little face instantly fell.

(°ー°〃)

Why does that description sound more and more like a locator parents use to keep their children from getting lost?

The livestream viewers, however, couldn't laugh at all.

"A mark?!"

"She also has a protective mark left by an ultra-high-ranking existence?"

"Even an S-rank glutton instinctively fears it. Just what level would that have to be?"

"Jiangcheng Administration Bureau, don't sleep tonight. Keep working overtime."

Han Feng and the others stood nearby.

Every one of them wore a complicated expression as well.

Before, they had all thought to some extent that Shen Niannian's special treatment might come from some hidden ability.

Now they could basically rule that out.

Her outfit could clearly make low-ranking weird beings misjudge her aura.

She even had some special means of obtaining information.

But those things absolutely couldn't explain-

why S-rank weird beings knew her.

Still less could they explain why an S-rank glutton didn't dare bite her based on instinct alone.

Shen Niannian herself fell silent for a while.

Then she suddenly looked up.

"Forget it."

Jiang Luo was somewhat surprised.

"You're not going to ask anymore?"

"I won't get an answer even if I do."

Shen Niannian was very practical.

"Rather than keep digging for answers from an S-rank weird being who won't talk, I think it's more important to finish the two remaining attractions first."

Joker: "..."

Why does that sound so much like she's reminding him he's S-rank?

Shen Niannian had already picked up the map again.

"But since you've said it yourself, that the one you're really wary of isn't me as a child, it wouldn't be too much if I made reasonable use of that treatment from now on, would it?"

Joker's eyelid twitched.

"Miss Shen, what are you planning to do?"

"Nothing. I'm just giving you a heads-up."

(◕ᴗ◕✿)

Joker suddenly had a bad feeling.

Jiang Luo looked at the two of them.

Then she suddenly laughed.

"Interesting."

She crouched down, her red eyes level with Shen Niannian's.

"You clearly don't know who you used to be, or who's backing you, yet you still dare use that to fleece Joker."

Shen Niannian blinked.

"Since he's already made it so obvious, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?"

Jiang Luo froze for a moment.

Then the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

"Luoluo likes the way you think."

Joker: "..."

Why were these two white-haired lolis starting to find common ground as they chatted?

What had he done to deserve this today?

Jiang Luo stood up.

"But don't expect Luoluo to help you clear the instance. Although Death Amusement Park is now considered a subsidiary of Crimson Moon Castle, the instance rules are already established. Luoluo can't just help actors cheat."

Shen Niannian's eyes darted around.

"Then can you just have Joker give me the other two stamps?"

Jiang Luo: "We can ask."

Joker's face instantly darkened.

"No."

Shen Niannian: "Why not?"

"The core clearance stamps can only be obtained by completing attractions. Even as the instance lord, I can't hand them out directly."

Jiang Luo spread her hands.

"See? The rules don't allow it."

Shen Niannian sighed regretfully.

"All right, then."

Just as she had thought.

She could use her identity to get some perks.

But she couldn't skip attractions outright.

That was actually for the best.

At least it proved that the conclusion she had drawn earlier was right.

No matter how afraid of her these high-level weird entities were, they couldn't just tear down the instance's most fundamental rules.

Just then.

A shrill ringing suddenly came from inside Joker's clothes.

Ring, ring-!

He looked down and pulled out a blood-red pocket watch.

His expression changed slightly.

"Break time is over."

Almost at the same time.

The lights throughout the amusement park flickered again.

In the distance.

Scarlet neon lights lit up on a gigantic haunted house.

The smiley face on its sign slowly split open.

[Third designated attraction-Smiley Face Haunted House]

[All visitors who have yet to complete the attraction, please proceed to the entrance within ten minutes.]

Han Feng's expression immediately turned serious.

"Let's go."

The remaining players moved quickly.

Shen Niannian had just taken two steps.

Jiang Luo suddenly called out to her from behind.

"Shen Niannian."

She looked back.

Jiang Luo waved the lollipop in her hand.

"Come visit Crimson Moon Castle when you get the chance."

Shen Niannian thought for a moment.

"Is it dangerous?"

Jiang Luo smiled adorably.

"Depends who you are."

Shen Niannian: "..."

(￣ー￣)

Got it.

Maybe another time, then.

Beside them, Jiang Xiaobai waved vigorously at her.

"Silver-haired big sister, see you next time!"

Shen Niannian waved back.

Then she suddenly realized something.

"Wait, didn't you say you couldn't eat me? Why did you still look so disappointed?"

Jiang Xiaobai silently wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Because you really do smell delicious."

Shen Niannian: "..."

(ΩДΩ)

Better not see him too often from now on!