Chapter 22

While Xiao Si and the others were busy moving things, Zhao Ziming secretly tugged on Jiang Liu’s sleeve and asked miserably, “Don’t you think Sister Yang is targeting me?”

He pointed toward the small warehouse, his face looking awful.

The circle of potted plants was one thing, but the warehouse was also open-air. If that group of monsters came again at night, wouldn’t he be a sitting duck?

Seeing his miserable expression, Jiang Liu couldn’t help but laugh. “If you really don’t want to stay there, you can just squeeze in with Zhang Xiaochen.”

Zhao Ziming scratched his head, his eyes darting around as if he were thinking about something. After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he waved his hand. “No, NPCs never do anything unnecessary. Maybe that room has some key clues. I have to check it out.”

Fear was one thing, but he couldn’t neglect what needed to be done.

Jiang Liu cupped her fists, genuinely admiring his fearless spirit. Her tone carried a hint of appreciation. “Good luck! Maybe the clue to clearing the level is right in there!”

Zhao Ziming suddenly felt a great sense of responsibility. He took a deep breath, full of confidence. “Don’t worry! Leave it to me!”

Zhang Xiaochen had been following Li An’an around all morning. He hadn’t managed to get any information, but he was drenched in sweat from moving flowers. Seeing the two of them hiding here and resting filled him with frustration.

“This woman is insane! How are we supposed to survive the night with all these flowers moved in?”

He stared at Li An’an, grinding his teeth, and shot an annoyed glare at Zhao Ziming. “What exactly do you want me to find out? Her mind is full of flowers right now. I’m about to puke from listening to it all.”

Jiang Liu tossed him a bottle of water from the fridge. She waited for him to cool down before smiling. “Why do you think Cheng Ji left?”

They had checked Cheng Ji’s room. There were no signs of a struggle; the bed was neatly made, as if he had left on his own.

So the question was, how could a New Player possibly go out alone in the middle of the night?

Zhang Xiaochen’s eyes were a little dazed. “He definitely wouldn’t have the guts. He was probably bewitched by something.”

Wasn’t this kind of trick something The System loved to pull? It wasn’t that strange for someone to go missing, was it?

Zhao Ziming spoke up to remind him, “Then what do you think it was?”

Zhang Xiaochen was impatient. “If I knew, would I be guessing here? Weren’t we talking about Li An’an? Why bring him up—”

Before he could finish, his eyes suddenly widened. He quickly turned to glance at Li An’an, as if he had realized something, and slapped his forehead.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying Cheng Ji went looking for some flower, just like Li An’an?”

Jiang Liu snapped her fingers. “Smart. You got it.”

Thinking about Li An’an’s current state, Zhang Xiaochen broke out in a cold sweat. “Then Cheng Ji… will he also come back tomorrow?”

Or rather, would the person who came back tomorrow still be the Cheng Ji they knew?

Jiang Liu lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions deep within them. Her tone was inscrutable. “That depends on whether you can get anything out of her.”

If they could find out from Li An’an where she went, they might be able to follow the trail and find him.

Zhang Xiaochen understood what she meant. He turned to look at Li An’an, who was watering plants, took a deep breath, and finally made up his mind. “I’ll go try again!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was already jogging over to Li An’an. His impetuous manner made Jiang Liu shake her head helplessly.

She ignored Zhao Ziming and instead took a bottle of water from the fridge, placed it in front of Cheng Da, and smiled like a caring older sister. “What are you thinking about?”

He had just woken up to the news of his brother’s disappearance and was feeling down. He had been sitting on the sofa in a daze all morning, a completely different person from the day before.

The voice by his ear made Cheng Da finally notice Jiang Liu’s presence. He looked up at her blankly, subconsciously clenching his fists, his voice trembling slightly. “I just heard you talking about my brother. Do you know where he went?”

Jiang Liu shook her head. “Not yet. We need some time.”

Cheng Da nodded and said no more, sitting on the edge of the sofa with his head down, lost in thought. But his tightly clenched fists relaxed slightly, a seemingly unconscious gesture that made Jiang Liu’s eyes darken.

His reaction was not right.

His own brother was missing, and not only did he not actively search for him, but he also seemed relieved to hear that Cheng Ji’s whereabouts were uncertain?

Jiang Liu was puzzled, but she sat down across from him without letting it show on her face. She reached out and twisted open the bottle cap for him. “Have some water. Don’t worry too much.”

Cheng Da shifted uneasily. Jiang Liu sitting in front of him clearly made him feel pressured. He took the water and thanked her in a low voice.

Seeing his nervous posture, Jiang Liu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Do I look that scary? This kid seems really afraid of me.

She leaned back slightly, her tone relaxed, as if making small talk. “I remember you two entered the game voluntarily? Is there a wish you want to fulfill?”

As she relaxed, Cheng Da visibly relaxed as well. He pursed his lips and said softly, “My mom is sick. The doctor said the chances of recovery are slim, so my brother and I wanted to take a chance.”

It was a kind intention, Jiang Liu thought to herself.

After drinking some water, Cheng Da seemed to come back to life. He glanced nervously at the others busy on the other side, hesitating, unsure if he should get up to help.

Seeing this, Jiang Liu said, “Your fever just broke. Just sit and rest.”

Cheng Da grunted in acknowledgment. He suddenly looked up at Jiang Liu and said dryly, “If you go missing here… what happens?”

Jiang Liu narrowed her eyes. “Who knows? But based on my experience, nothing good ever comes of a player going missing. They go mad, die tragically, or just disappear completely…”

She spoke this sentence very slowly, deliberately drawing out the last syllable. To Cheng Da’s ears, it sounded like a series of alarm bells. With every word she said, his face grew paler.

When the last word fell, Cheng Da could no longer control his trembling, his eyes suddenly filled with intense fear.

“She’s just messing with you!” Zhao Ziming said, rather speechless, as he walked by carrying a flowerpot.

Plenty of people died in the game, but based on the current situation, the disappearance was likely a necessary part of the instance. Cheng Ji should be fine for now.

Of course, a little later… no one could say for sure.

His intention was to help Cheng Da relax, to let him know there was still time.

Unexpectedly, his explanation not only failed to alleviate Cheng Da’s fear but made him look at Zhao Ziming with even more alarm, before suddenly freezing.

Zhao Ziming let out a puzzled “huh?” and followed his gaze down. Cheng Da was staring intently at the flowerpot in his arms, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

“What’s wrong with you?” he tilted his head, a little worried.

Cheng Da suddenly shot up from his seat, strode forward, and snatched the flowerpot from his hands, intending to smash it on the ground. His movements were so fast and unexpected that not even Jiang Liu could stop him in time.

Crash…

The ceramic flowerpot shattered the moment it hit the ground. The crisp sound attracted everyone’s attention. Soil splattered everywhere, and a cloud of dust rose in the clean and tidy living room.

“Cough, cough, what do you think you’re doing, kid?”

Zhao Ziming waved his hand in disgust, not understanding what had gotten into him.

Cheng Da paid no attention to his words, staring at the seedling on the ground as if possessed. He then did something that surprised everyone—

He rushed forward and began to stomp on it like a madman, each stomp exceptionally forceful. He paid no mind to whether the shards on the floor would injure his feet, single-mindedly focused on killing the flower with a vengeance.

This sudden turn of events left everyone staring at each other in bewilderment.

Jiang Liu was the quickest to react. Without a word, she restrained him. Unexpectedly, the boy seemed to have become a different person. Seeing that he couldn’t break free from her grip, he opened his mouth and tried to bite her wrist.

“Hiss…”

Caught off guard, Jiang Liu gasped in pain.

“Sister Liu!” Xiao Si, who had run over to Jiang Liu’s side at some point, shoved Cheng Da away. Her voice was cold, and her eyes were filled with anger. “Are you crazy?!?”

Pushed to the ground by her slap, Cheng Da stumbled and fell flat on his face. Sanity gradually returned to him. He stared blankly at Jiang Liu’s wrist, his hands helplessly clutching the corner of his shirt as he stammered an apology, “S-sorry.”

Seeing that Xiao Si was about to press the issue, Jiang Liu quickly pulled her back. “I’m fine.”

Cheng Da huddled on the floor with his head down, staring blankly at his hands.

Xu Meng gave Zhang Xiaochen a look. He immediately went over and coaxed Cheng Da away to rest elsewhere. She crouched down and picked up the trampled seedling, struggling to identify it for a long time before saying, “It looks like a bellflower.”

The monster he encountered last night was also a bellflower, so it was normal for him to have some trauma. But wasn’t this reaction a bit too extreme?

Jiang Liu pondered this, her gaze following him. Cheng Da was sitting dazedly on a chair, ignoring Zhang Xiaochen, lost in his own thoughts.

The farce ended just like that. Aside from Li An’an shedding a few tears for the pot of bellflowers, it didn’t seem to cause much of a stir.

But Jiang Liu didn’t think so.

The group sat on the lawn, and after a moment of silence, Zhang Xiaochen took the initiative and gestured with his chin for everyone to look at the small park not far away.

“The flower Li An’an mentioned is over there.”

It was a small park surrounded by flowerbeds, with some fitness equipment used by the middle-aged and elderly. The peeling paint on them told of their age.

And at the far end of the park was a large pile of construction materials—hollow cement pipes and wood stacked high, with many irregular spaces in between, some large enough for a person to bend over and crawl into.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around here.”

Zhao Ziming looked around and found it strange.

When they passed through the garden just now, they could see many elderly people and children out for a walk. This place should be very popular, so why was it empty?

Zhang Xiaochen had already inquired about it. “I heard there used to be a lot of children, but the structures weren’t stable. One time, they rolled down and injured two of them, so not many people are willing to risk coming here anymore.”

Li An’an was certain that the flower she had seen was underground here.

If Cheng Ji was like her, then he would be here too.

Jiang Liu didn’t move. She stared at the pile of wood with a slight frown and suddenly spoke out of the blue, “I suspect Cheng Da knows where his brother is.”

Her gaze swept over the blooming flowerbeds, her tone subtle. “Everyone, do you know the flower language of the bellflower?”