Chapter 123

Logically, this was a matter of life and death for everyone, yet apart from Tang Rui who spoke up, the others showed no interest whatsoever. Jiang Liu promptly noticed their attitude, and her heart sank. She quickly exchanged a look with Zhao Ziming, and a flicker of worry crossed both their faces. However, neither of them showed it. They simply averted their gazes, and Jiang Liu cleared her throat to speak.

“The entire public area, including the NPCs’ residences, is empty. There are no clues left behind.”

Tang Ruo frowned at her words, and for the first time, she looked at Jiang Liu with a hint of disapproval. “What’s your conclusion?”

Facing her questioning gaze, Jiang Liu looked straight back without flinching. She wasn’t upset by Tang Ruo’s attitude, but simply stated the predicament they were in.

“I suspect we’re already in an Instance. I suggest we split up tomorrow and search for a specific monster.”

As she spoke, the image of that grotesquely disfigured face appeared in her mind, and her tone grew firm. Although she didn’t know what that thing was, Jiang Liu had a gut feeling that once they found it, all their questions would be answered.

As soon as Jiang Liu finished speaking, the remaining few also frowned. Jiang He gasped, rubbing his arms as if in a stress reaction. “Are you saying you want us to go out and get ourselves killed?”

His words were too severe, making Zhao Ziming rub his forehead and interject loudly, “What do you mean, get killed? Sister Jiang wants to lead us to clear the level.”

He sighed and stood in front of Jiang Liu, trying his best to explain. “Don’t you guys think the current situation is very wrong? We only have a chance to leave if we take action. We can’t just…”

Before he could finish, he was cut off by a sharp female voice.

“Why should we leave?”

It was unclear which of his words had angered Xu Meng, but the usually soft-spoken girl was completely out of character. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, scanning Zhao Ziming from head to toe as if she wanted to dissect him.

“This is clearly the safest place. Why should we leave?”

Her frown deepened, and a hint of anger appeared on her small face. “What are you plotting? You actually want us to go looking for death together?”

The sharp voice echoed in the room. Under Xu Meng’s questioning, the others also stood up, standing motionless and staring at Zhao Ziming. It was as if they wouldn’t let him leave the room unless he gave them an explanation.

Zhao Ziming’s hair stood on end from their stares. He subconsciously took a step back to hide beside Jiang Liu. Although he wasn’t provoked, his clenched fists were enough to show his mood.

In the end, it was Tang Ruo who patted her partner’s shoulder, silently calming Xu Meng’s emotions. She looked down at the still blood-stained backpack on the floor, then raised her eyes to the silent Jiang Liu by the window, her tone helpless. “I really don’t know what you’re up to.”

In her view, the system broadcast had already explained things perfectly clearly. It was obvious that as long as they stayed in the hotel, they would be safe. Once the incident was resolved by others and all the NPCs returned, everything would go back to normal.

Tang Ruo couldn’t understand why the usually steady Jiang Liu was so insistent. As she finished speaking, she closed her eyes wearily, her tone finally showing some compromise. “We’ve known each other for a while, and I don’t want to doubt you, but Xiao Meng and I are not going out. You… do as you please.”

With that, Tang Ruo took Xu Meng’s hand and strode out of the room. Their departure seemed to be some kind of signal. Jiang He and Tang Rui exchanged a look and, without another word, expressed their stance with their actions.

The door was slammed shut, leaving only Jiang Liu and Zhao Ziming in the room.

“Damn it.”

Zhao Ziming cursed, his expression not looking good. He had been running around all day, his back aching, only to come back and be accused of having ill intentions. His mood was at rock bottom. Fortunately, he was a veteran of the game and didn’t really get worked up over such things. After a couple of curses, he calmed down and walked over to Jiang Liu in a few steps.

“Sister Jiang, do you think they…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but his hesitant gaze and posture had already conveyed what he wanted to say.

Jiang Liu understood immediately.

In fact, she also found it strange. Whether it was Xu Meng or Jiang He, their hatred for the System was irreconcilable. How could they so easily decide to stay? If something in this Instance was affecting them, why were she and Zhao Ziming fine?

Or perhaps—

Jiang Liu mulled over the speculation in her mind twice but ultimately didn’t voice it. Her lips tightened, and she changed the subject. “Let’s not worry about them for now. We’ll go out and search tomorrow.”

In any case, the hotel was completely safe, so nothing bad would happen if they stayed here.

Zhao Ziming was clearly hesitant but still nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

The two discussed and finalized their plan. As Jiang Liu was leaving, Zhao Ziming stopped her and quickly pulled a loaf of bread from his backpack. “Take these snacks. I saw you haven’t eaten much.”

At his words, Jiang Liu’s footsteps paused for a moment. But soon, she turned and took the snacks. “Thanks, I was getting a little hungry.”

Zhao Ziming beamed. “What’s there to be polite about between us? Take it, take it.”

Jiang Liu couldn’t help but smile. After walking a few steps, she seemed to remember something and turned back to look at him. “You gave them all to me, do you have enough?”

His answer was to pull open his backpack, revealing that snacks took up a third of the space. It was a mystery when the boy had stuffed them in there.

Jiang Liu was relieved. She waved her hand and left with a smile. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that the smile on her face gradually faded.

Xiao Si warned me not to eat. But… what about the others?

The two of them hadn’t returned for lunch, and Zhao Ziming ate snacks as a meal, but nothing seemed to have happened to him. She glanced down at the bread, completely baffled.

Squeak—

A fluffy head poked out from the opposite door, looking left and right down the hallway. It was unclear what Tang Rui was up to, but he only relaxed after confirming that no one was around. He grinned at Jiang Liu and quietly invited her in.

Jiang Liu tilted her head, utterly failing to understand what the boy was trying to do. But with a good attitude, she walked in without a word.

Tang Rui’s room was a bit messy. Two opened decks of playing cards were strewn across the table, and two empty mineral water bottles lay on the carpet. Seeing Jiang Liu’s gaze, Tang Rui smiled sheepishly and spoke first, “I haven’t tidied up. Don’t laugh, Sister Jiang.”

He seemed no different than usual, not showing the same aggressive attitude as Xu Meng. Even during the discussion just now, he hadn’t been particularly confrontational.

Jiang Liu secretly sized him up and sat casually in a nearby chair. “You needed me for something?”

Tang Rui hummed in acknowledgment and scratched his head hesitantly, as if weighing how to begin. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence. “I wanted to apologize on behalf of my sister and her.”

Once he started, the rest came out much more easily. He kept his head down, not looking at Jiang Liu, and spoke in a small voice, “They didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t overthink it.”

To be honest, he still didn’t know why Xu Meng had been the first to start arguing with people, but the situation at the time was strange, and he didn’t know how to intervene.

His words successfully made Jiang Liu raise an eyebrow. She studied the boy before her carefully, her tone odd. “You don’t agree with them?”

This was strange. If Tang Rui was normal, he wouldn’t have waited until now to find her.

Tang Rui let out an “ah,” his expression once again conflicted. “No, I think what my sister said was right. We’ve been scared out of our wits in the Instances, and now we finally have a chance to rest. Staying here for a few days isn’t bad.”

He rubbed his head in frustration, as if there was something he couldn’t figure out. He plopped down on the edge of the bed and spoke intermittently.

“But what you said also makes sense. I don’t think the System would let us be this comfortable, but I don’t know who to listen to.”

As he spoke, his brow gradually furrowed, and he seemed to be getting a headache.

Seeing his pained expression, Jiang Liu sighed softly. “Alright, stop thinking about it.”

She wasn’t one to hold grudges. Setting aside whether that was the real Xu Meng, even if those had been her true feelings, Jiang Liu wouldn’t be troubled by them. It was normal to have disagreements in life; people weren’t meant to be compliant and agreeable. She calmly accepted this fact.

However, looking at Tang Rui’s state, it seemed there was more to this Instance than met the eye.

Jiang Liu couldn’t help but look up. The boy was no longer dwelling on it, and his complexion looked a bit better, but he looked inexplicably haggard, his eyes bloodshot as if he hadn’t rested well.

“Don’t play cards tonight. Get some sleep early. I’m leaving now,” she instructed, getting up to leave. Unexpectedly, Tang Rui called out to stop her.

“You forgot your snacks.” He pointed to the items Jiang Liu had casually placed on the table and added, “Did Brother Zhao give those to you? If it’s not enough, I have more here. My tooth hurts, so I can’t eat.”

As he spoke, he quickly grabbed two cartons of yogurt from his bedside table and handed them over.

Jiang Liu was about to refuse, but before the words could leave her mouth, she suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Rui asked, confused.

Jiang Liu didn’t speak. She just took the yogurt and examined it carefully, her gaze slowly settling on the brand name. It was a brand that didn’t exist in the real world, but Jiang Liu had seen it in the mall today. Zhao Ziming seemed to have stuffed a lot of it into his bag.

“You got this from the dining hall?” she asked, looking at Tang Rui with a strange, subtle tone.

“No, Brother Zhao gave it to us. Said it was for a late-night snack.”

Tang Rui didn’t know why she was so interested in the yogurt, but he didn’t overthink it and casually explained, “The dining hall never supplies these. Speaking of which, Brother Zhao has been helping us get our meals recently. He’s a really good guy.”

As he spoke, he scratched his head again, feeling embarrassed, still apologetic for Xu Meng’s attitude toward Zhao Ziming. He didn’t see, however, that after he finished speaking, Jiang Liu’s expression gradually grew grave. She suddenly pressed, “When?”

“Huh?” Tang Rui didn’t react for a moment, then, after a brief daze, realized what she was asking and recalled, “Right after you two got back.”

Jiang Liu pursed her lips, her hand holding the yogurt gradually tightening.

The first thing they did when they got back was shower and change. By the time she went to find Zhao Ziming, he was already slumped in a chair with wet hair, making no mention of having already seen the others. He was indeed a careful and reliable companion, but he wasn’t the type to go out of his way to serve meals and deliver snacks.

At first, Jiang Liu thought Zhao Ziming was just reminding her to eat because he knew she wasn’t a picky eater and was afraid she’d go hungry. But now, it seemed he had been this considerate to everyone.

Jiang Liu blinked slowly. Despite the turmoil in her heart, her tone remained calm. “You said you have a toothache, so you didn’t eat?”