Chapter 60
Jiang Liu lay on the bed, staring blankly into space.
In her hand was a two-inch ID photo, from the very pack that had been in Teacher Yang’s study.
Previously, when Zhao Ziming had teased her about collecting photos, Jiang Liu hadn’t thought much of it. But that night, upon seeing the young photo of Yang Caisi, she didn’t know what emotion it was that compelled her to uncontrollably reach out and take one for her pocket.
The photo was new and unopened, but some time had passed since it was taken. The edges had turned a faint yellow, and the blue background made Yang Caisi’s skin look even fairer.
How old was she back then? Twenty?
Jiang Liu thought, an unconscious smile curving her lips. Her fingertips gently brushed over Yang Caisi’s face, and she couldn’t help but start guessing what kind of mood she had been in when she took the photo.
Unlike the one in the instance, the Yang Caisi here had a face full of innocence, her eyes as translucent as the finest gems, sparkling with light. Her whole being exuded an upward vitality that lingered in her eyes and brows, forever captured.
It was something called hope.
Jiang Liu could almost imagine that at that time, Yang Caisi was diligently chasing after something, and at the same time, possessed a great deal, to be able to show such a genuine, faint smile. Although the curve was not large, it was enough to make one fall for her at a single glance.
She even felt a little jealous of the photographer who took the picture for her.
She carefully tucked this photo into her pocket, right next to the other one—the vintage photo she had taken from the theater garden.
Jiang Liu threw herself heavily onto the bed, her gaze wandering aimlessly over the ceiling.
The room lights were off. The neon lights from the street cast a shattered starlight on the window, and the soft moonlight fell all over the floor, a rare moment of peace in The System.
She tried her best to recall her past life, and finally came to the helpless conclusion that she might have lost more than just a single memory.
Just like the roommate she had mentioned to Xu Meng when she first arrived, she could no longer remember what that person was like, whether they were tall or short, fat or thin.
What she used to do for a living, her source of income, her relationships—all of these seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog. The past Jiang Liu had lived in a fog, exceptionally unreal.
After concentrating for a long time, Jiang Liu finally let out a low laugh and relaxed limply.
She didn’t know when she fell asleep. When she woke up again, she was facing an unfamiliar ceiling. The decor was in a classical European style, which immediately put Jiang Liu on alert.
She was alone in the small room. The sky outside was gloomy. Outside was a small garden, which looked to be in the middle of winter. The flowerbeds were bare, with only a few empty branches sticking out of the dry soil, looking inexplicably desolate.
She was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt. As soon as she opened the window, she was hit by a gust of north wind that made her shiver. Her gaze swept around the room. She grabbed a cashmere coat that was on the bedside table, threw it on, and hurried out the door.
The area was quiet. Outside was a layout similar to a hotel. The door to the next room was not closed, and two girls with similar appearances were startled by her movements and both poked their heads out to look at the door.
One of them had her hair up in a hairpin, her expression and makeup carrying a hint of classical charm. She looked at her in confusion. “Are you going out?”
Jiang Liu didn’t know their identities, so to be safe, she didn’t speak, just quietly observed her.
The girl wasn’t afraid of people and kindly reminded her, “The System told us to gather at six in the evening. Don’t go too far, be careful not to miss the time.”
The word “System” made Jiang Liu frown instinctively. She looked at the unfamiliar environment and thought, Could it be that I’ve entered another instance?
Why was there no prompt this time? Could it be that Qiao Ke was behind it again?
As she pondered this, she finally said her first words, “Where are the others?”
The girl said, “Big Brother Fang went to catch up on sleep. Xiao Chen and Xiao Yu are discussing countermeasures. The church is too cold, so we came back to warm up first.”
They were all unfamiliar names, which made Jiang Liu feel a little confused, but she wisely didn’t show it, just grasped the key point and softly repeated, “The Church?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Her voice was too soft, and the other two didn’t hear clearly for a moment, just looked at Jiang Liu’s expression.
Jiang Liu chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing, thank you.”
After speaking, she had already turned to go out for a walk.
As the girl had said, the corridor outside the room was very cold. A chilly wind mixed with dust blew in her face. Jiang Liu couldn’t help but wrap her clothes tighter around herself, but she unexpectedly felt a hard object in her pocket.
What is this?
She took it out and saw that it was a cross made of a strange material.
The moment she saw it clearly, Jiang Liu’s expression changed. The scene before her gradually blurred and receded rapidly.
Ring ring ring—
A piercing alarm clock sound rang in her ear, as if it had passed through countless space-times and amplified the sound. Jiang Liu’s eyes snapped open, her forehead already covered in a layer of cold sweat.
That design, it was clearly the one Zhao Ziming had!
The scene from just now was still vivid in her mind. She could even feel the lingering sensation of the cold wind on her arms. The morning sun of midsummer fell on her, but it couldn’t dispel the chill that covered her body.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Liu rolled out of bed and ran towards Zhao Ziming’s room.
It was the time the system alarm reminded them. After a night of peaceful sleep, Zhao Ziming was refreshed and had finished washing up. He was just about to call the others for breakfast when he heard a banging on the door, so forceful it was as if someone were trying to break it down, making his heart jump.
This commotion, could it be that someone was looking for trouble? He didn’t seem to have any enemies in The System!
He looked suspiciously at the door, a little more guarded. He didn’t open the door immediately, but instead deliberately roughened his voice and shouted impatiently, “Who is it, knocking so early in the morning!”
Soon, Jiang Liu’s clear voice sounded from outside the door, “It’s me.”
Zhao Ziming was stunned. After confirming that it was really Jiang Liu’s voice, he quickly opened the door and scratched his head with a sheepish grin. “Sister Jiang, why is it you? If Sister Yang saw this—”
As he spoke, he even poked his head out to look around.
Jiang Liu had no time for his teasing right now and just said quickly, “Where’s your cross?”
She rarely didn’t smile. Her hair was slightly messy from just waking up from a dream, with a few unruly strands sticking up. Her tone was hurried, and her expression was a little serious, which immediately made Zhao Ziming drop his playful demeanor.
Although he didn’t understand what was happening, he still took the cross out of his pocket and handed it to her.
Jiang Liu weighed it in her hand for a couple of moments. Although the color was slightly worn, she could confirm that it was the one from her dream.
She took a deep breath, and her somewhat flustered heart gradually calmed down. She said seriously, “How did you get this thing?”
Seeing her grave expression, Zhao Ziming didn’t dare to be slow. He simply organized his thoughts and began to recount from the beginning.
It all started when he had just come out of his first instance.
At that time, Zhao Ziming was a complete newcomer and had no idea how to face the situation in the instance. He only knew how to squat in a corner and tremble in despair.
Fortunately, he ran into a big shot at that time. He followed along and helped out, and since he was smart and listened to commands, although their group suffered heavy losses, they managed to get out alive.
It was also at that time that he met Gao Yuan.
At that time, Gao Yuan was playing a ghost NPC. He had already been scattered to the winds, but he suddenly appeared again, scaring Zhao Ziming so much that he lost two of his three souls. He didn’t know where he got the courage from, but he picked up a kitchen knife and was about to chop him.
Gao Yuan also didn’t expect that the biggest threat in his professional career would come from a newcomer’s kitchen knife.
Zhao Ziming’s voice was clearly trembling with fear, but he still gritted his teeth and chased him for two kilometers. If he hadn’t been caught up and persuaded by the players behind him, he really wouldn’t have known what was happening.
Just like that, he left a deep impression on Gao Yuan. When he was checking in, he specially explained the rules. After a while, they became familiar with each other.
Zhao Ziming was a smart and savvy person. Aside from his carefree demeanor, he was actually a good friend. He learned a lot from Gao Yuan and also heard about the use of points for the first time.
At that time, Gao Yuan had smiled and suggested that he could play another round to accumulate some points, and he could help him find some good props for a cheap price.
He had been scared enough by ghosts in the first round and didn’t hesitate to choose something that could exorcise them. So not long after, Gao Yuan brought him this thing.
Gao Yuan’s original words were, “Don’t look down on it just because it’s a mishmash. I went through a lot of trouble to get it. It can be considered a top-tier prop.”
They say you get what you pay for. Zhao Ziming didn’t have high hopes for a bargain, and he was a little suspicious when he heard this, but who knew he would be chased and cursed by Gao Yuan for not knowing what was good for him.
It was this scolding that made Zhao Ziming hear an unknown story.
Jiang Liu’s eyes flickered, and she heard him cough lightly, his tone gradually becoming profound.
…Many years ago, The System had a badass player. While others relied on exchanging for props, she directly exploited loopholes in the rules to take them from instances, collecting a pile of good treasures. Any instance she handled was basically an A-Rank.
This cross was one of them.
Those things were sealed in a warehouse. If the administrator hadn’t lost a card game to Gao Yuan, this thing wouldn’t have ended up in Zhao Ziming’s hands.
It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Ziming was very grateful to Gao Yuan. He would accompany him for drinks and chats whenever he had time, and their relationship became closer.
“Later, I tried using it, and it’s very effective against ghosts,” Zhao Ziming said, finishing his story, then looked at Jiang Liu in confusion. “Is there something wrong with this thing?”
Jiang Liu didn’t speak, just leaned quietly against the door panel with her eyes lowered, thinking about the clues in Zhao Ziming’s words.
The cross in the dream, the familiar face in the mist—it seemed that all signs pointed to her being that player Gao Yuan mentioned.
Had she been to this game before?
And what kind of wish did she have at that time to be willing to place her hopes on such an insubstantial thing?
After discovering that she had no memory of these things, Jiang Liu felt a rare sense of confusion.
She didn’t know how long she had been standing there like this. When she came back to her senses, she found that Zhang Xiaochen and the others had all gathered at the door, staring at her with wide eyes.
Jiang Liu composed herself, her voice a little dry. “What happened to that player later?”
Zhao Ziming let out a sound of confusion and shook his head decisively. “I don’t know. Maybe she already fulfilled her wish and left.”
“I see.” Jiang Liu took three minutes to stop thinking about these things, stuffed the cross back into Zhao Ziming’s hand, and hastily threw out a sentence, “You guys eat first, I’m going out for a bit.”
She wanted to see if Yang Caisi had come home, and also to ask one more question—
Could a player specify an instance?
If she wanted to figure everything out, she could only personally go to the church in her dream, which was the place Hou Yuqiang had mentioned. There must be traces of her existence there.