Chapter 59
Even after checking in and returning to the hotel, Jiang Liu lay on the comfortable big bed, still not fully back to her senses.
The days of sustained high mental tension had left Xu Meng and the others exhausted. As soon as they settled down, they agreed to talk things over in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Jiang Liu, having finally gotten some time to herself, couldn’t feel happy at all.
The person who had traded a Clearance Pass with Hou Yuqiang was actually herself.
The memories of her time with Yang Caisi, the inexplicable dislike she felt for Qiao Ke’s aura—all these complex situations intertwined in her mind, leaving Jiang Liu with no desire to sleep. Not knowing what she was thinking, she suddenly rolled over and got out of bed.
It was also late at night in the public space. Most players were already asleep, while the rest were out in the game arcade. The hotel corridor was empty, with only Jiang Liu’s figure walking through it.
The soft carpet on the floor completely muffled her footsteps.
The room next door was still lit, and some light seeped out from under the door, which Jiang Liu noticed, but she didn’t stop, quickly pressing the elevator button.
She needed to find Yang Caisi and get to the bottom of this.
NPC Rest Area.
Gao Yuan had just finished an instance today. He had happened to run into two newcomers who were so scared throughout the mission that their sharp screams almost deafened him.
Even now, the screams still echoed faintly in his ears. He sighed and kicked a pebble on the roadside, thinking to himself that he really didn’t want to do this damn job anymore. How could the psychological fortitude of these players be getting worse and worse? They were really becoming more and more useless.
At this thought, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but picture Jiang Liu’s face, his expression becoming even more mournful. “Why didn’t I run into a player like that? Xiao Yang is so lucky.”
His self-deprecating voice echoed in the silent night. Seeing that he was just a turn away from home, he stretched and thought that he could finally get some good rest.
He had ordered dinner to be delivered in advance, so it should be at the perfect temperature by now. Then he would sneak a couple of bottles of wine while Yang Caisi was away. That would truly be a life fit for the gods.
As Gao Yuan thought this, he couldn’t help but chuckle again, pushing the two players who only knew how to scream when they encountered trouble to the back of his mind. He hummed a little tune and turned the doorknob.
The door was unlocked.
He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He checked under the light above and found no signs of forced entry. He couldn’t help but mutter, “The Logistics Team delivers food but doesn’t lock the door. If anything goes missing, it’s on them.”
What kind of days were these? Not only was he exhausted from leading instances, but he was also the one isolated in the entire system. No one wanted to have much to do with them. It was so annoying.
As Gao Yuan was thinking, the door opened with a click. The aroma of steak wafted out from the dining room, instantly soothing the resentment in his heart. He couldn’t wait to go in and comfort his tormented soul.
Who knew that as soon as he turned on the light, he would see a person sitting upright on the sofa, a Coke in her left hand and a mouthful of beef in her right, eating happily. She didn’t show any panic at his entrance, just waved a hand in his direction and enthusiastically greeted him, “You’re back? Want to eat together?”
She looked as if she were in her own home.
Gao Yuan’s eyes widened. He looked at the calm and composed Jiang Liu and moved his lips, but couldn’t say a word for a long time.
If he remembered correctly, this was his home, right?
He stood at the door for a long time, then belatedly reacted. He shuddered and quickly glanced at the lock, then at the happily eating Jiang Liu, his voice unconsciously trembling. “Wait, how did you get in?”
The system’s locks were custom-made. If any tool other than a key was used, it would automatically be detected and leave a trace. By rights, the alarm should have already gone off by now.
By rights, it was absolutely impossible for the culprit to be sitting in his house eating his dinner!
Jiang Liu gestured with her eyes for him to look at the window and said vaguely, “Your window wasn’t closed.”
Gao Yuan was speechless.
If it were in the past, Gao Yuan would never have dreamed that a player would be so bold as to climb through a window into an NPC’s home in the middle of the night, and even openly eat their dinner.
But looking at Jiang Liu’s calm demeanor, he couldn’t help but think of the last time this person was in bed with Yang Caisi, and he was instantly relieved.
Right, for someone who could win over the famous Flower on a High Peak of their system, what else could she not do?
With this mindset, Gao Yuan’s turbulent heart finally calmed down. He didn’t bother to pursue the matter and quickly ran to the table. “Leave some for me! It’s hard to order food in the middle of the night!”
Jiang Liu clicked her tongue and tilted her chin to show him the other side, where half of the food was untouched.
Gao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and muttered under his breath that it was a good thing she had some conscience.
He composed himself and looked at Jiang Liu in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
After speaking, as if remembering something, he looked at Jiang Liu warily. “I have important business tomorrow. I’m not drinking tonight!”
“Who came to drink with you? Is it that serious?” Jiang Liu rolled her eyes imperceptibly, patted her half-full stomach, and stopped eating. She elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin and then got straight to the point. “Where’s Yang Caisi?”
She had gone to Yang Caisi’s house. The lights were off, and even the doorknob on the outermost door was covered in a layer of dust, as if she hadn’t been back for several days.
After she came out of the instance today, Yang Caisi had already disappeared. According to Zhao Ziming, she had disappeared at some point, and by the time they realized it, she was already gone.
The guide was Qiao Ke. If it were under normal circumstances, Jiang Liu would definitely have tried to probe him a bit.
But the shock of seeing her own face in the mist at that time was too great, so much so that she hadn’t noticed if Qiao Ke had said anything on the way back to the hotel.
Hearing this, Gao Yuan’s lips twitched, and he looked at her with an indescribable expression. “Weren’t you in the same instance? You’re asking me?”
After speaking, he gave Jiang Liu a subtle look and gossiped, “What’s wrong, did you two have a fight?”
Jiang Liu glared at him, thinking how tactless this person was. She hadn’t even succeeded in wooing her yet, and he was already talking about a fight?
Seeing her look, Gao Yuan immediately raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, let’s be serious. What do you need her for?”
Jiang Liu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she sat on the sofa and turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on a certain direction outside the window.
Outside Gao Yuan’s house was a row of banyan trees. It was the season of lush foliage, which happened to block the view of the house not far away.
If it were daytime, one might be able to see a corner of it through the gaps in the leaves, but now it was pitch black and nothing could be seen.
She had a reason for coming to find Gao Yuan.
According to the clues provided by Zhao Ziming, Yang Caisi was very individualistic and a loner. There was even a time when she was assigned to cooperate with someone else on an instance. That person happened to be a newcomer. After it ended, he couldn’t find Yang Caisi anywhere and thought he had lost her due to some operational error. He was so anxious that he almost cried and ran around asking for help.
Who knew that when he came out, Yang Caisi had already returned to the rest area, happily reading a newspaper after a nice bath, completely unaware of the comical events that had transpired outside.
After this incident, fewer people were willing to cooperate with her. Besides, Yang Caisi was really skilled and could ensure that no mistakes were made in an instance on her own, so she mostly completed instances independently, becoming more and more withdrawn.
Under these circumstances, she would still ask Gao Yuan for help as a guide when she couldn’t make it, which was enough to prove that the two of them had a good relationship, at least one of trust.
Jiang Liu considered this for a moment and said honestly, “I have something to ask her. Does she usually not come back to live here?”
Gao Yuan scratched his head. “She’s a workaholic and often doesn’t come back. Who knows what she’s up to.”
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Jiang Liu and tentatively probed, “What do you want to ask? I can help you relay the message.”
He thought Jiang Liu wouldn’t notice him peeking, but who knew this person had eyes on the back of her head. She looked back when he wasn’t expecting it, and their gazes met in mid-air. Gao Yuan immediately averted his eyes guiltily.
Jiang Liu revealed a strange smile, a smile that was so odd it was as if she were about to say something earth-shattering, inexplicably making one’s heart tighten.
A crisp, clear voice sounded, “I suspect that I used to be an NPC too.”
Gao Yuan had just taken a sip of Coke. Hearing this, he almost spat it out. He choked and coughed until he was out of breath. After a long time, he finally recovered and said with a difficult expression, “What?”
Jiang Liu’s expression was very certain. Her eyes were fixed on Gao Yuan. Under this kind of gaze, no small expression could escape her sight, as long as Gao Yuan showed his hand.
But he didn’t.
Gao Yuan took a bite of food to calm himself down and said seriously, “Since you’re a newcomer, let me educate you. The NPCs in The System are all registered. Everyone has met each other. The selection mechanism is very strict. If what you’re saying is true, it’s impossible for me not to have seen you.”
He spoke calmly, with no pretense or panic in his eyes. It was true.
Jiang Liu couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
It wasn’t that she was disappointed that she had guessed wrong—she hadn’t really thought so anyway, just used it as an excuse to test Gao Yuan.
Unfortunately, Gao Yuan didn’t take the bait. It was unclear if he really didn’t know the situation or if he was just too good at pretending.
Her mind was racing with thoughts, but Jiang Liu didn’t show it on her face. She tilted her head in confusion again. “What about players? Are they registered too?”
Gao Yuan nodded, his expression very sincere. “Yes, but only a few specific people have the authority to check. Neither Xiao Yang nor I can do it.”
After speaking, he frowned and looked at Jiang Liu questioningly. “Why are you asking this?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Liu shrugged, not planning to tell him about the strange things she had encountered. She changed the subject again and started asking, “What about Qiao Ke? What’s his relationship with Yang Caisi?”
Qiao Ke?
Gao Yuan’s brain froze for a moment. It took him a long time to react, and he said blankly, “You mean Number 017?”
“Those above 020 are all the first batch of old-timers. They mostly lead Advanced Points Fields and rarely work with us. How would Xiao Yang have a relationship with him?”
He also seemed a little confused. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he slapped his forehead as if he had an epiphany and said with a grin, “I know what you’re worried about! Don’t worry! Xiao Yang is a very reliable person, she’s clean and has no bad habits!”
Jiang Liu’s lips twitched, and she suddenly felt that she must have been a little crazy to come here in the middle of the night.
Looking at Gao Yuan’s “I know everything, you can rest assured” expression, she was speechless. She let out a long sigh and turned around. “Thanks, I’m leaving now.”
It seemed she could only wait until she met Yang Caisi again.
Only after confirming that Jiang Liu had left did Gao Yuan drop his playful expression. He took out his phone and typed furiously, “I’ve fooled her for you. What’s the situation on your end?”