Chapter 16
Jiang Liu acted as if she hadn’t heard Gao Yuan’s voice, only casually withdrawing her hand. “Have you had breakfast?”
Yang Caisi grunted in acknowledgment, her gaze fixed on the elevator’s floor numbers, seemingly unenthusiastic about conversing with Jiang Liu.
“Ding…”
As soon as Gao Yuan had spoken, Zhang Xiaochen had squeezed a hand out to press the button. The elevator now descended smoothly to the first floor, and the doors opened with a chime.
As Jiang Liu stepped out, she noticed Yang Caisi hadn’t moved at all and asked curiously, “Aren’t you getting off?”
Yang Caisi watched her calmly. “I’m going to the basement level.”
Jiang Liu’s gaze flickered over the box in her arms. She didn’t insist, just gave a playful blink. “Well then—see you around.”
Before the last syllable faded, the elevator doors had quietly closed.
“I’ve checked. The mall still has discounts before ten o’clock, so we need to hurry.”
Zhang Xiaochen said anxiously, then looked at Jiang Liu with a puzzled expression. “Why are you bothering to flirt with an NPC?”
Jiang Liu let him pull her along without getting annoyed, just stroking her chin with a mysterious smile. “Don’t you think she’s interesting?”
The others exchanged glances and unanimously said no.
They hadn’t even recovered from the last instance and were about to enter the next. It was a testament to their mental fortitude that they could even eat calmly!
In contrast, Jiang Liu… was humming an unknown tune while getting porridge, laughing to herself about who-knows-what.
This woman’s heart was too strong! They couldn’t compare, they really couldn’t!!
Meanwhile, Yang Caisi, who was supposedly going to the basement, hadn’t pressed the button yet.
Gao Yuan nudged her shoulder teasingly. “You finally get to see her, so why aren’t you saying anything? Cat got your tongue?”
At first, he had wondered why she would take the regular elevator instead of the dedicated one, and why she was on the thirteenth floor so early in the morning. Turns out it was for a “chance encounter”!
Realizing this, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but get nosy. “A player from the last instance? To think she could make our Flower on a High Peak take a second look. What’s her name? I’ll see if I can match with her.”
He was getting excited when a sharp heel suddenly stomped on his foot, making him cry out in pain.
“Don’t be a busybody.”
Yang Caisi gave him a warning look and started to walk out.
Gao Yuan sucked in a sharp breath of pain and stared at her retreating back in disbelief. “We’ve been colleagues for over a decade! Could you have gone a little easier on me?!?!”
Yang Caisi didn’t reply, but the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but lift slightly.
She looked down at her own ring, for the first time finding this shackle from The System so pleasing to the eye.
Jiang Liu…
Just thinking these two words seemed to dispel some of the chill around her, leaving only a heart full of warmth and affection.
While she was lost in thought, Jiang Liu and the others had already arrived at the mall.
Xu Meng picked up a bag of bread and looked at it, her tone a little disappointed. “So it’s pretty much the same as in the real world.”
The mall was quite large, with everything from food and clothing to daily necessities. The line was already spilling out the door. They had thought there would be something special, but after squeezing inside—it was a huge disappointment.
It wasn’t that it was bad, but it was too ordinary. It didn’t fit the style of this horror game at all!
Her words were overheard by a young man passing by, who couldn’t help but sneer. His gaze swept over them unabashedly, a look of undisguised amazement on his face when it landed on Jiang Liu.
He grinned, revealing six perfectly white teeth, which gave him a strangely comical air. “New here?”
This person’s style of dress was odd. He wore a t-shirt with a gaudy pattern, tattered jeans, and two earrings in his left ear, a clear hip-hop style.
Before Jiang Liu could answer, he leaned in close and pointed to a spot not far away, raising an eyebrow. “The mall is nothing. These people are all here for the lottery tickets.”
Jiang Liu instinctively pulled back, frowning slightly in secret.
She wasn’t used to people getting so close.
Following the hip-hop guy’s gaze, she saw that the place was indeed packed with people. People of all ages stared excitedly at the cards in their hands, their behavior that of absolute gamblers, as fanatical as if they were possessed.
The hip-hop guy was very disdainful of this, shrugging nonchalantly. “I’d advise you not to go. I wouldn’t want to see a beautiful face like yours among the ghosts. What a waste.”
After saying this, he left with a flourish, not forgetting to wave at Jiang Liu over his shoulder. “You’re welcome!”
Jiang Liu lifted her eyelids slightly, narrowing her eyes at his retreating back.
Zhang Xiaochen was looking at the merchandise when he turned around and saw that Jiang Liu had already walked away. He hurriedly shouted, “Where are you going?”
Jiang Liu’s lazy voice came from ahead. “To buy a lottery ticket.”
That young man had rambled on and on, but she didn’t think he was trying to dissuade her.
But to know what was really going on, she had to experience it for herself.
The so-called lottery station was just a temporary booth set up in the mall. A sign was casually placed on the floor, with black letters on a white background clearly stating, “Three hundred tickets available today only. First come, first served.”
As soon as Jiang Liu approached, she heard someone beside her let out a scream. “I won! I won!”
As the voice fell, everyone around them turned in unison to look in the direction of the sound. A middle-aged man with a buzz cut was beaming with joy, eagerly handing his card to the vendor, but then—
A pair of hands suddenly shot out from the chaotic crowd and tried to snatch it.
It was like a switch had been flipped. More and more people joined in, either fighting for the winning ticket or beating up the man.
In just a moment, the dispute had escalated into a brawl. The sound of fists and feet connecting and cries of pain filled the air, and the situation deteriorated rapidly.
But the vendor just maintained a professional, faint smile, completely uninterested in the brawl. His gaze was fixed sincerely on Jiang Liu as he promoted his wares. “Miss, would you like to buy one?”
He pointed to a line of small text on the glass counter and read it out word for word, “Today’s special, Clearance Pass.”
Note: The holder can directly clear an instance once.
Jiang Liu felt a momentary urge to laugh. She finally understood why this group of people was so crazy.
Greed and desire were truly human nature.
A game that claimed to be able to fulfill wishes was using props to amplify desire without any bottom line. This game—was getting more and more interesting.
Jiang Liu watched the farce over there and finally spoke. “One, please.”
The vendor skillfully pointed to the sensor. “Please present your ring.”
Jiang Liu held out her hand and scanned it. With a beep from the machine and a crackle of static, the discount announcement in the store was finally replaced.
“Player Jiang Liu has cleared instance, comprehensive rating A-rank, points balance 45.”
The chaotic crowd suddenly fell silent, their expressions varied as they stared at her, some with greed, others with excitement. Standing among them, she had become the target of public criticism.
In the silence, someone took the lead. “A-rank luck, get her!”
With this instigator’s encouragement, the crowd suddenly rushed towards Jiang Liu, as fierce and cold as hungry tigers pouncing on their prey. It was as if they had lost their human senses, their minds filled with only one goal—Jiang Liu.
“Are these people all fucking crazy?”
The few who had just arrived were startled by the scene. Zhang Xiaochen cursed in frustration, pulling people back from rushing in while shouting, “Get out of there!”
Jiang Liu sighed and rubbed her temples with a headache. She knew things wouldn’t be that simple.
The voice of the instigator just now was too recognizable; she couldn’t forget it even if she wanted to.
She expressionlessly kicked away two people who rushed at her, her gaze sweeping like a blade to a corner—the hip-hop guy was leaning lazily against the wall. He met her gaze with an unhurried smile and raised his arm in an exaggerated gesture.
“Bang!”
A sound effect was mouthed by him, his finger-gun pointed straight at Jiang Liu, his smile playful.
Jiang Liu stared at the still-raised finger-gun, then suddenly curved her eyes into a provocative smile.
If someone wanted to play, she would play along.
She lowered her gaze slightly, seemingly casually flexing her wrist. She caught a glimpse of a woman lunging at her, and with a swift turn, she grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground.
“Get her together!”
Someone, unconvinced, jeered and led a group to charge at her.
They had thought that Jiang Liu, who looked so delicate, wouldn’t have any skills, but who knew—
Even though Jiang Liu was surrounded, she was not at a disadvantage. Her figure moved like a ghost through the crowd, using simple moves that were surprisingly effective.
In just ten short minutes, a group of people lay on the ground in front of her, all clutching their arms and groaning in pain.
Jiang Liu stretched, a smile on her lips, not even out of breath. “Anyone else want to try?”
The mall instantly fell silent.
She sighed, feeling a little unsatisfied. Her gaze swept over to the corner, but the hip-hop guy was long gone.
Looks like she wouldn’t be able to settle the score with him today.
Jiang Liu tapped on the counter and pointed to a random ticket. “Lottery ticket.”
The vendor was also stunned by her fighting prowess. The standard smile on his face finally broke. He looked Jiang Liu up and down before taking a lottery ticket and handing it to her.
Jiang Liu took it and walked away, passing by the fanatical gamblers. Pairs of eyes watched her like tigers, but no one dared to take a step forward.
After such a commotion, the group naturally lost interest in continuing to shop. They hastily left the mall, not noticing the two figures in a corner near the back door.
Gao Yuan’s mouth was wide enough to fit an egg. He stared at Yang Caisi, at a loss for words, and finally managed to squeeze out, “I can’t believe it. That girl is a tough one, huh?”
Never mind those people who had long been blinded by desire, even he didn’t have such clean and efficient skills!
Beside him, Yang Caisi’s lips were curved high, her expression inexplicably proud.
Gao Yuan got goosebumps from her smile and shivered dramatically. “Can you act normal for a second?!?!”
Yang Caisi gave him a subtle eye-roll, clearly not listening at all.
Gao Yuan forced himself to ignore her and just sighed as he watched Jiang Liu’s group retreat. “Looks like little Zhao has messed with a tough one this time. I’m really curious to see how he’ll handle it.”
Hearing this, Yang Caisi’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll handle the next instance myself. You can take a break.”
Gao Yuan, far from being happy, looked at Yang Caisi with a worried expression, his eyes clearly writing a few large words—
Have you lost your mind?
In the time it took to exchange a few words, Jiang Liu had already left the building. Only then did Yang Caisi reluctantly withdraw her gaze and start to leave, her voice fading with her footsteps. “Fine, if you don’t want to.”
Gao Yuan panicked. “It’s a deal! Remember to take care of little Zhao for me!”
Yang Caisi didn’t stop, but where he couldn’t see, her lips curved into a subtle smile.
She would ‘take care’ of him, indeed.