Chapter 124

As night fell, the streetlights on both sides of the road gradually lit up, casting long, thin shadows of the swarming ghosts on the ground. Jiang Liu held a pair of binoculars, her expression focused as she stared down at the street below. Today hadn’t been entirely without discoveries. Most of these monsters were gathered around the hotel, seemingly attacking the building with intent. The farther she got from the central area, the fewer monsters there were. By the time she reached the NPC Area, only a handful of ghosts remained.

She squinted, adjusting the magnification on the binoculars. She scanned the area below back and forth three times but still couldn’t spot a similar one.

“It’s really not that simple, huh.”

Jiang Liu lowered the binoculars and muttered to herself, turning to look at the table piled high with snacks. According to Tang Rui, he might have eaten too many sweets recently, and his tooth was aching badly that night, which was why he hadn’t eaten those things. So, could his “abnormal” behavior tonight be related to the food?

She looked down at the missed call on her phone, her gaze lingering on the two characters for “Xiao Si.” Her expression gradually relaxed, a hint of longing and tenderness in her eyes. It was true what they say: a day apart feels like three years. She didn’t want to waste any more time.

Jiang Liu raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, a plan already forming in her mind.

***

The next day, before Zhao Ziming could even get up, he heard a loud banging on his door. The person seemed to be in a great hurry; the knocking was arrhythmic, urgent, and rough, as if they were about to smash the door down. Still half-asleep, he frowned in displeasure, rolled over, and mumbled, “Who is it?”

A sonorous voice quickly came from outside. “Me. Open up.”

Hearing this, Zhao Ziming jolted awake, the last remnants of sleepiness vanishing. He shot up from the bed, hastily pulling on his clothes as he ran to open the door. Outside, Jiang Liu was refreshed and energetic, holding a backpack and greeting him with gusto. “Stop sleeping. Time to go find clues.”

Zhao Ziming was momentarily stunned. He turned to look at the dimly lit sky outside, his tone hesitant. “This early? Shouldn’t we at least wait until after breakfast?”

Jiang Liu clicked her tongue impatiently, looking at his bedhead with a hint of disgust. “Isn’t this how Instances are? What’s more important, eating or your life?”

As she spoke, she even hefted the backpack in her hand. “I’ve packed snacks. We can eat on the way.”

Zhao Ziming stammered, but ultimately, under Jiang Liu’s stern gaze, he turned to pack his things.

She had already put it that way; if he hesitated any longer, it would be unreasonable!

Soon, the two were ready to go. As they passed the restaurant downstairs, Jiang Liu glanced inside. The lights were off, and it was still dim. She had no idea if the food was ready. As she observed, she covertly watched Zhao Ziming. His expression showed nothing unusual.

Jiang Liu pondered for a moment and then added, “From now on, we don’t need to wait for Xu Meng and the others. Leaving is the priority.”

Her words carried a very faint hint of dissatisfaction, as if she truly agreed with Zhao Ziming’s opinion that Xu Meng and the others were just illusions created by the Instance. At this, however, Zhao Ziming hesitated. “Is that a good idea? We haven’t confirmed anything yet. What if we can still save them…”

As he spoke, his expression and demeanor were no different from usual. Neither his tone nor his posture seemed like he was being impersonated, leaving Jiang Liu unable to tell for a moment. A dark light flickered in her eyes, but when she looked up again, her expression was back to normal.

“Let’s not talk about this for now. Let’s go find the thing I mentioned.”

Jiang Liu described the disfigured face from her memory, her expression grave. “I suspect this one is different. It might be a higher level than the things we’re seeing now.”

Zhao Ziming nodded, then seemed to remember something and asked, “And what happens after we find it?”

As he spoke, Jiang Liu had already pushed open the door and strode out. After yesterday’s experience, the two of them were no longer flustered when facing the horde of monsters. He watched as Jiang Liu charged into the tide of monsters, her right hand making a simple flicking motion that tore off an arm. Her movements were clean and decisive, without any hesitation.

“Kill it.”

Jiang Liu’s cold voice rang out simultaneously with the monster’s scream.

Zhao Ziming’s grip on his knife tightened. He didn’t ask any more questions and charged out after her.

But there was one difference from yesterday—the number of monsters had increased.

Jiang Liu quickly noticed this. As she thought about it, her blade’s speed didn’t slow. She could easily multitask. Zhao Ziming watched her movements, his heart filled with misery.

Frankly, these things weren’t very deadly. As long as you were brave enough not to be scared off, an ordinary person could take down one or two. The problem was that there were simply too many of them. As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four feet. He could handle one or two, but what about a hundred or two hundred? Yet Jiang Liu seemed to feel no fatigue, charging wherever the monsters were thickest. For a moment, he found it hard to keep up with her pace.

As he was lost in thought, his attention wavered. He momentarily neglected a Skeleton sneaking up behind him. By the time he reacted and turned around, it was too late.

“Sister Jiang, help!” Zhao Ziming broke out in a cold sweat. In this moment of crisis, he couldn’t care less and howled for Jiang Liu’s help, his voice almost distorted.

The instant he cried out, Jiang Liu appeared behind him like a ghost. She grabbed the attacking Skeleton, kicked its ribcage, and sent the creature flying a meter away before it could even scream. The entire combo took only a few seconds. Zhao Ziming watched, dumbfounded, his heart still pounding from the shock. “Thanks!”

Jiang Liu grunted in acknowledgment, her brow furrowing secretly when she noticed a small puncture wound on his neck.

It’s bleeding. He’s alive.

Her eyes shifted, and she said, “You go to the NPC Area and search. It’s safer there. I’ll meet you there at noon.”

As she spoke, her gaze never left Zhao Ziming, trying to observe his reaction. The latter was clearly surprised, but his tone was tinged more with joy. Although she could feel him trying to hide it, it didn’t escape her notice.

“Is that a good idea? What if something happens to us…”

Zhao Ziming hesitated, but his movements had already slowed down.

“Cut the crap. I can handle it,” Jiang Liu shouted in a low voice and, without another word, cleared a path for him.

Seeing this, Zhao Ziming finally stopped talking. After telling her to be careful, he charged out along the main road. Once he was completely out of sight, Jiang Liu retracted her gaze. She didn’t continue forward but instead rushed back toward the hotel.

Something was definitely off with Zhao Ziming. While they were fighting just now, the boy kept glancing at her, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how. He might have thought he was hiding it well, but after all these years, Jiang Liu knew people’s expressions all too well. When she suggested they split up, a flash of surprise had appeared in his eyes, which meant he had wanted to do so all along.

So… what was it that made Zhao Ziming so eager to get away from her? By the time she returned to the hotel, Jiang Liu already had an answer.

The time was approaching eight o’clock, and most players had already gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. Even from the lobby, she could smell the aroma of food. It was worth noting that upon seeing the blood-soaked Jiang Liu, the players’ faces showed no reaction at all, as if they hadn’t even noticed her, ignoring her as they passed by.

Jiang Liu avoided the crowd and quickly took the elevator up, pulling out her key card from her pocket to open the door. The curtains in Tang Rui’s room were drawn, making the whole room look pitch black. The person on the bed seemed to have heard the noise, twisting and turning but unable to speak.

She casually wiped her hands with a wet wipe before turning on the light to look inside. Tang Rui was tied to the bed, a large towel stuffed in his mouth. He was staring at Jiang Liu with wide eyes, his muffled sounds unintelligible.

Facing his accusing gaze, Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow calmly, walked over, and removed the towel. She heard Tang Rui cough twice, his voice already hoarse. “Sister Jiang, what are you doing?”

Jiang Liu gave him some water, her tone chilly. “Do you want to stay here?”

“What?”

Two question marks appeared over Tang Rui’s head, as if he hadn’t reacted yet. Then his gaze fell on the bloodstains on her body, and as if belatedly realizing something, he frowned and asked, “You went out? Did you find anything?”

Jiang Liu didn’t answer, just looked down at him. “How much do you remember from last night?”

Tang Rui shook his head, the chaotic memories gradually awakening. He said in confusion, “Xu Meng and Brother Zhao got into a fight, I came to you to apologize, and then you knocked me out?”

His eyes widened, his face full of bewilderment, but he didn’t get angry immediately. He belatedly added, “Wait, there’s no way Xu Meng would say something like that. How could she possibly want to stay?”

The more he spoke, the more incredulous Tang Rui became. He looked down at the ropes on his body and realized something, staring at Jiang Liu and speaking quickly, “Sister Jiang, did something happen?”

Jiang Liu remained silent, just watching him intently for a long while. After confirming he was normal, she bent down to untie the ropes.

“It’s a long story. When he comes later, don’t give anything away. Just pretend I’m not here, understand?”

Her voice was very soft, but it carried a strange, convincing power. Tang Rui was still confused, but seeing Jiang Liu’s grave expression, he didn’t dare to ask more.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The two exchanged a look. Tang Rui’s face was clearly nervous. He subconsciously looked at Jiang Liu and mouthed silently, “Who is it?”

Jiang Liu shook her head, patted his shoulder firmly, and said softly, “Open the door.”

The caution on her face was not feigned, which finally made Tang Rui realize the seriousness of the problem. He wisely stopped talking and instead took a deep breath to compose himself, then slowly walked to the door.

With a soft click of the door, a familiar voice drifted in through the crack.

“Why did you wake up so late today? I brought you breakfast.”

“I overslept,” Tang Rui replied, scratching his head, a little unnaturally.

The person opposite said something else, but Jiang Liu wasn’t listening anymore. She peeked out from beside the wardrobe and immediately saw the figure outside the door. Zhao Ziming, who had changed into clean clothes at some point, was naturally handing food to Tang Rui. His expression was still a bit drowsy, a stark contrast to his demeanor during the fight earlier.

But when he tilted his head slightly, a small wound on his neck was proof enough that he had rushed back in a hurry.

He’s not Zhao Ziming. So—where is the real Zhao Ziming?