Chapter 122

Jiang Liu’s thoughts were instantly pulled back several weeks. After leaving the Mermaid Sea Region, she had first been deeply shaken by Zhang Xiaochen’s bold confession, and then, recalling the past, she had faced Qiao Ke’s questioning, which made her even more cautious and vigilant. Communication within the game was inconvenient most of the time, so to immediately identify who was contacting her, Jiang Liu had adjusted her phone’s vibration alerts, setting different frequencies and durations for different people.

Among them, Yang Caisi’s notification was the most unique: three long vibrations, a two-second pause, and then five rapid, tapping vibrations. This sequence would repeat in a loop.

“What are you spacing out for? Are we fighting or not?”

A shout snapped Jiang Liu out of her daze.

While she was lost in her memories, Zhao Ziming had already tensed up and moved closer to the roller shutter, tightly gripping the bloodstained leg bone. He was looking at Jiang Liu anxiously. She came back to her senses just as the vibration in her pocket reached its end. The five quick taps echoed the sounds at the door, and a flicker of suspicion flashed in her eyes.

Was it a coincidence? Or was Xiao Si trying to warn her this way?

Jiang Liu’s mind replayed the unsolicited call from that morning, and a line of thought gradually formed. She didn’t answer Zhao Ziming immediately but stood still, assuming a defensive posture as her mind raced.

If it was some kind of secret warning, what was Xiao Si trying to tell her?

She couldn’t help but carefully recall everything she had done since entering the mall. She had picked up a bar of chocolate.

Jiang Liu looked down at the just-unwrapped chocolate in her hand, her eyes narrowing. She tentatively placed it back on the shelf.

“Sister Jiang! What time is it for you to be daydreaming?”

Zhao Ziming’s exasperated voice came at almost the same time, and in the next second, the violent pounding stopped.

Two question marks popped up over his head. He cautiously approached and tested the waters. “What’s going on? Is it over?”

Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief internally but didn’t show it on her face. She calmly approached the door and listened intently, then said with some uncertainty, “It seems to have left.”

Zhao Ziming was completely bewildered by the situation, but since Jiang Liu said it was fine, he relaxed and scratched his head, looking at her. “Hiding like this isn’t a solution.”

Jiang Liu nodded in agreement. She wiped her dagger on her clothes, put it away, and turned to walk deeper into the mall, her tone carrying a subtle hint of something. “Let’s go get some gear first.”

At her suggestion, Zhao Ziming’s eyes immediately lit up. “That makes sense! There’s a lot of good stuff here!”

With that, he perked up, his earlier nervousness gone. He casually grabbed a shopping cart and said grandly, “I know this place. Follow me!”

He strode forward quickly, his entire being radiating excitement, which made Jiang Liu chuckle.

The opportunity to get one over on the System was rare, so it was no wonder Zhao Ziming was so enthusiastic.

Under his guidance, the two of them quickly made their way to the tools section. The props available in the mall were all common goods, so their quality wasn’t the best, but they didn’t cost too many points, making them the choice for most players. Zhao Ziming immediately rushed to the knife rack, unable to tear himself away from the various weapons gleaming with a cold light. He touched one, tried another, clearly spoiled for choice.

But Jiang Liu made no move.

She just stood quietly behind Zhao Ziming, watching as he carefully selected a knife and put it away. She focused her attention, listening for any sounds from outside the door. It was silent, as if the earlier pounding had just been their imagination.

Jiang Liu pursed her lips, a conclusion gradually forming in her mind.

So the knocking wasn’t triggered by taking merchandise without permission?

With this thought, she casually went to another section and picked out some clothes that her companions could wear, stuffing them all into the cart. In just half an hour, the two had collected two backpacks full of supplies, covering all their basic needs. But the monsters never returned, as if they had completely given up on attacking the mall.

Zhao Ziming, on the other hand, was full of confidence, chuckling as he held his new curved blade.

“Now, even if we charge out, I can last a few rounds.”

After saying a few words, he noticed Jiang Liu’s unusual silence. He couldn’t help but scratch his head, his eyes darting around as he tentatively asked, “Are you worried about Sister Yang?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Liu replied casually, her mind still trying to figure out the cause of the knocking.

“Since this is an Instance, it’s probably like the last few times. Sister Yang has likely been sidelined,” Zhao Ziming mused, stroking his chin.

“Let’s go to the NPC Area first and see,” Jiang Liu added.

The broadcast had only said that some individual Instances had encountered accidents. There had to be a total number of these ghosts. She would first observe their general distribution and then make a plan.

“I’ll follow your lead.” Zhao Ziming had no objections to this. He shouldered his bag and was about to go open the door.

Jiang Liu was a couple of steps behind him, in no hurry to catch up. Instead, she touched her somewhat empty stomach and pulled a lollipop from her pocket to eat.

Thump, thump, thump… thump…

The familiar vibration started again. Jiang Liu’s expression froze. She then heard a loud noise from the metal door as Zhao Ziming raised the roller shutter. Through the glass door, everything outside was clearly visible.

A grotesque face with misplaced features was plastered against the door, completely unconcerned about how shocking its appearance would be to the players. It was raising a mangled, bloody arm and continuously knocking.

Compared to the rhythmically consistent movements, what shocked Jiang Liu even more was that this monster—which she didn’t even know what to call—looked exactly like the one she had seen in Xiao Si’s room! No, perhaps it was the very same one!

A thought stirred in Jiang Liu’s mind. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she vaguely grasped something. Before her brain could even process it, she had already rushed out, pushing open the door and heading straight for the monster.

The creature seemed to have a soul. Sensing Jiang Liu’s intent, it didn’t hesitate to push aside other things and turn to leave. Its heavy footsteps were stumbling, yet it ran with a kind of desperate recklessness.

“Don’t move!”

Jiang Liu shouted, but her path was blocked by a sudden swarm of ghosts. Without time to think, she grabbed something and threw it at the creature. It hit the monster squarely on the back of the head.

The creature clearly swayed but didn’t even dare to turn back, practically sprinting away. Helpless, Jiang Liu could only watch as it quickly disappeared around a corner.

Jiang Liu’s brow furrowed tightly, for the first time hating how slow she was. She hadn’t paid attention before, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen anything like it on her way here. All the other ghosts were in groups, but this one was uniquely ugly. It was startling at first glance, but it was one of a kind.

Could it be Xiao Si?

This thought couldn’t help but pop into Jiang Liu’s mind. But on second thought, her skills were no weaker than her own. Even if she was disguised as a monster, she shouldn’t have been hit so easily.

If it wasn’t her, why would it use such a cryptic method to warn me?

There were too many questions surrounding this matter, making Jiang Liu’s head spin. She had to force herself to calm down to barely piece together a timeline. From the NPC meeting, to the appearance of the monsters, to the system broadcast…

Yang Caisi’s messages had come a few times, but always when—she was about to eat.

Once she figured this out, Jiang Liu suddenly saw the light.

Perhaps she should have realized something was wrong earlier. In her early years, Jiang Liu had known true hunger. Because she had been so starved, she would eat anything, good or bad, as long as it filled her stomach. To her, taste was no longer important; ensuring her own survival was the most fundamental thing. But after waking up, she had been completely indifferent to the food in the dining hall, preferring to go hungry rather than eat. Was this also her body’s subconscious way of warning her?

She took a deep breath, finally calming down from the brief moment of excitement. A chill gradually spread through her limbs as she finally realized the problem. This was a trap set specifically for her.

“Sis, why did you rush out?”

A panting complaint came from behind her. Zhao Ziming had fought his way over with his knife. Seeing her staring blankly at the monsters on the ground, he had a strange look in his eyes.

Jiang Liu turned her head, her gaze lightly falling on him as she silently sized him up. In just a moment, she had thought everything through, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

“Did you see that monster just now?”

Zhao Ziming tilted his head, showing his confusion. “Which one?”

“The one I met in Xiao Si’s house yesterday.”

Jiang Liu spoke in a meaningful tone. Her gaze seemed casual, but she was nonchalantly observing Zhao Ziming’s expression, trying to judge his attitude from it. Qiao Ke wouldn’t be so childish. If his only goal was to stop her from eating, then this trap was a bit too simple. She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since waking up, yet nothing here had changed, which was proof enough that this place wasn’t that simple.

And so, Jiang Liu thought of her companions still in the hotel.

Among them, who was real, and who was fake? As she pondered this deeply, Zhao Ziming, on the other hand, hadn’t noticed her scrutiny. He just thought for a moment in confusion before slapping his forehead and saying excitedly, “I remember now! Are you sure it was the same one?”

Jiang Liu hummed in agreement, retracting her gaze and tightening her grip on her dagger. She instructed in a low voice, “Be careful. Let’s go check over there.”

***

The two spent the entire day searching the public area inside and out. By the time they returned to the hotel, Zhao Ziming’s legs were already weak. They still hadn’t found a way to clear the level. Everyone in the entire public area had vanished overnight, except for the players trapped in the hotel.

“Finally, a break. I’m dead tired.” Zhao Ziming practically threw himself into a chair, his face pale after running all day.

Jiang Liu didn’t speak. She just stood by the window with her arms crossed, secretly observing the expressions of the people who had just come in. According to Jiang He, they had spent another day playing cards in the hotel, seemingly completely unconcerned about what the two had encountered after leaving. It was only when Jiang Liu called them over that they realized they still had two other companions.

The atmosphere in the room was polarized. The backpacks the two had brought back were still on the floor. On one side was the haggard-looking Zhao Ziming, and opposite him was a relaxed Xu Meng, who could still chat and laugh.

She seemed to notice Jiang Liu’s gaze and couldn’t help but turn to look. When her eyes met Jiang Liu’s, she suddenly looked a little lost, her mouth opening but no sound coming out.

It was Tang Rui who looked between them and took the initiative to speak. “Sister Jiang, did you find anything?”