Chapter 62

According to Zhao Ziming, they had run into Hou Yuqiang while eating. The man had come in, looked around, and headed straight for them. He first expressed his gratitude to Jiang Liu, then cautiously whispered, “Jiang He is not in his room.”

Jiang Liu let out a soft sound of surprise. “What’s it got to do with us whether he’s there or not?”

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhang Xiaochen and noticed a hint of irritation in his brow. She wondered if something had happened to this Jiang He.

This train of thought was interrupted by Zhao Ziming’s next words. “Right, that’s what I thought at the time. He’s just a player we bumped into by chance, why should we care? But guess what?”

He paused and turned to look at Jiang Liu.

She clicked her tongue and stopped walking, looking at him helplessly. “We’re not telling stories right now.”

In the past, she might have been in the mood to play along, but right now, she was annoyed by all the confusing information and had no interest in banter. Her eyes urged him to hurry up.

Jiang Liu usually had a smile on her face, and she could even get excited in a crisis, which made her seem very easy to get along with. But when she put on a serious face, she had an unexpected air of authority.

Zhao Ziming gave an embarrassed smile, finally dropping his playful demeanor. He cleared his throat and said seriously.

“You remember that Chen Ping, right? Jiang He was instructed by him to snatch our pass. The two of them are in cahoots.”

At the time, any discerning person could see that Hou Yuqiang’s group of four and Jiang He were clearly not acting together. Their five-person team was composed of two separate groups, yet Jiang He, the outsider, held a position of considerable status within it.

At least, on the surface, his status was not low.

“Because Chen Ping approached them back then and had Jiang He join their team,” Zhang Xiaochen added from behind, his voice a little deep.

Chen Ping could be considered the local tyrant of the public area, with extensive connections. When Hou Yuqiang went to trade the Clearance Pass, he had already caught Chen Ping’s attention.

It made sense when you thought about it. Such a prop was extremely rare, and it was impossible for three players with a combined rank of less than B to possess one. Moreover, they had accidentally let it slip that they had a way to form a team.

Chen Ping couldn’t figure out their background, so he had the idea of recruiting them. Who knew that Hou Yuqiang was also a stubborn one? The four brothers weren’t seeking fame in the System, nor did they even hope to clear all the levels and have their wishes granted. They only wanted to play it safe and stay alive together for a little longer.

But Chen Ping’s influence was too great, and they had heard a little about it. They didn’t dare to refuse him directly, so they could only try their best to maneuver around him. In the end, they traded the Clue Pouch on the condition that Jiang He join their team.

Zhao Ziming summarized, “So they were polite to Jiang He on the surface, but in their hearts, they were looking for an opportunity to get rid of him. Who knew they’d run into us, and their plan couldn’t be carried out.”

Just as he finished speaking, the group arrived at the hotel entrance. Hou Yuqiang and his three friends were sitting in the restaurant, looking around. When they saw Jiang Liu, their faces lit up, and they waved frantically in her direction.

“Morning, Sister Jiang. Are you…” Before Jiang Liu could get close, Hou Yuqiang had already stood up eagerly to greet her. His gaze fell on the dirt on Jiang Liu’s black pants, and he paused, asking with a look of confusion.

The four people behind him suddenly had subtle expressions. After all, they couldn’t just say that Jiang Liu had nothing better to do this morning than go smash an NPC’s roof, could they?

Jiang Liu herself, however, was exceptionally composed. Hearing his words, she patted the dust off her pants and sat down in a chair, raising an eyebrow at the freshly poured soy milk placed in the center of the table.

Hou Yuqiang was very perceptive. Seeing this, he didn’t ask any more questions. “I just poured it for you.”

His group had finished their meal long ago. Since they didn’t know what Jiang Liu liked, they had gotten a bit of everything for breakfast. It didn’t cost anything, anyway.

Seeing his attentive yet somewhat awkward demeanor, Jiang Liu said helplessly, “Just act normal.”

Hou Yuqiang chuckled, first thanking her again for saving Dunzi, then quickly sat down opposite her and lowered his voice mysteriously. “I don’t know if we’ll meet again in the future. I see this brother seems quite interested in Jiang He, and I happen to have some clues to offer.”

As he spoke, he looked toward Zhang Xiaochen.

The two of them had never interacted, having only met once after clearing the instance. But seeing Zhang Xiaochen talking familiarly with the others, he knew this group probably all knew each other.

On the way back to the public area with the Guide, Zhang Xiaochen had looked in Jiang He’s direction several times. The latter had clearly noticed but had silently kept his distance, with no intention of speaking.

This subtle atmosphere was noticed by Hou Yuqiang, which was why he came to talk to them early in the morning.

As for why he didn’t approach Zhang Xiaochen directly, firstly, they hadn’t spoken, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to rush over without knowing the situation. Secondly, it was obvious that Jiang Liu was the core of this team.

Hou Yuqiang’s voice grew even lower, as if he were afraid of being overheard. He said carefully, “Jiang He has a stubborn temper and is arrogant. Our group, at least, can’t get along with him. But in all honesty, I don’t think he’s the same type of person as Chen Ping. It seems like Chen Ping has some kind of leverage on him.”

Dunzi, at his side, also nodded repeatedly, picking up the conversation.

He and Jiang He both had the top bunks in the dormitory. When he couldn’t sleep at night, he would always see Jiang He’s movements.

Jiang He would lie in bed, not playing with his phone, but would occasionally fiddle with his fingers and mutter to himself. He would pause slightly after each sentence, as if he were having a back-and-forth conversation with someone.

At first, Dunzi thought he was talking in his sleep. After all, with a few rough guys sleeping together, snoring loudly enough to shake the heavens, a little sleep-talking was nothing strange.

Until one day, he woke up in the middle of the night, groggily opened his eyes, and inadvertently saw Jiang He leaning against the wall, lighting a cigarette and constantly muttering something.

The scene was so bizarre that Dunzi broke out in a cold sweat, thinking this guy must have a screw loose.

It wasn’t until he realized Jiang He hadn’t noticed he was awake that he calmed down, listening with a pounding heart to the sounds coming from that direction.

The voice was very faint, barely noticeable amidst the snoring. He strained his ears for a long time and could only make out a few words.

At this point, Dunzi was clearly nervous. He swallowed and imitated the intermittent words: —

“Give me some time… please… don’t tell… I will…”

Later, he told Hou Yuqiang about it. The four of them paid closer attention and finally, on the night Dunzi went missing, they heard a very clear “Brother Chen.”

After hearing this, Jiang Liu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Her peripheral vision caught Zhang Xiaochen’s direction, and she noticed he was staring blankly into space, lost in thought. She didn’t know how long he had been zoned out, completely not paying attention.

She unconsciously lowered her gaze, her eyes gradually deepening.

This was about Jiang He; Zhang Xiaochen wouldn’t be so indifferent. For him to be zoning out now, was he not interested, or… did he already know?

A thought flashed through Jiang Liu’s mind, while Hou Yuqiang had already turned to ask Zhao Ziming if there was any communication prop that could contact other players.

Zhao Ziming had been hanging out with Gao Yuan for a long time and actually listed a series of possibilities.

Things like infinite waves, specific communication props, and so on. Jiang Liu couldn’t help but frown as she listened, subconsciously fiddling with the ring on her left ring finger.

The ring that recorded her identity information was snug at the base of her finger. The light reflecting off it created a shimmering play of colors. The thing had some weight to it when held, but after wearing it for so long, she had gotten used to it.

Fingers—then this ring was the only possibility for communication.

After Hou Yuqiang and his friends left, Zhang Xiaochen seemed to have come back to his senses. He kept looking at her, a hesitant expression on his face.

Jiang Liu’s mind stirred. She turned to Zhao Ziming and the other two with a smile. “Go ask about the rules of the Points Arena. It’s time we planned our itinerary.”

The Team Kit wasn’t easy to get. Even in the game hall, it wasn’t guaranteed someone would bet on it every time. When she registered last night, she had someone check, and it was likely that they would be separated this time.

In that case, which venue to go to was a personal choice, and whether they would run into each other was all up to luck. But Zhao Ziming was clearly eager to try the Points Arena, so it was perfect to have him ask.

Evidently, Xu Meng and Zhu Yan hadn’t considered this problem yet, still basking in the relief of their perfect clear. Hearing this, their expressions turned a little grim. They nodded hesitantly, probably thinking about their next steps.

Once they had left, Jiang Liu leaned back in her chair leisurely and looked up at Zhang Xiaochen. “You have something to say?”

Zhang Xiaochen looked at the empty chairs and breathed a sigh of relief. He scratched his head and grinned at Jiang Liu. “You’re amazing, you could even tell.”

He had been with Jiang Liu since the first instance and was already very familiar with her. Zhang Xiaochen’s attitude was relaxed. His eyes darted around for a while before he finally made up his mind to speak.

“I won’t lie to you. This Jiang He is my younger brother.”

Their mother had passed away early, and their father had gotten drunk one winter a few years ago, slept on the roadside all night, and was found cold the next morning.

Zhang Xiaochen was older. At first, he just wanted to avoid being bullied, so he started hanging out with troublemakers. Although he was just a lackey, he could at least earn some income to send Jiang He to school.

Who knew that one day when he was bullying someone, one of Jiang He’s classmates saw it? The whole school started spreading rumors that Jiang He’s brother was terrifying, and many people isolated Jiang He. The two brothers had a huge fight over this.

“He was originally a sports student and should have had a very bright future.” Speaking of this, Zhang Xiaochen looked proud, but his expression quickly fell. “After we fought, he ran away and disappeared for over half a year. I never thought he’d end up in this godforsaken place.”

Jiang Liu understood now, thinking to herself that it was no wonder the two of them had such a strange attitude towards each other.

Zhang Xiaochen had clearly been holding these words in for a long time. Now that he had said them—he was probably asking for Jiang Liu’s help, if Jiang He was indeed being coerced into doing things.

Jiang Liu nodded in agreement, promising to help him if she had the chance. Only then did Zhang Xiaochen’s expression return to normal. He patted his chest in relief. “Your word is enough. No matter what trouble comes up in the future, I’ll definitely be the first to charge ahead for you!”

This roguish, street-smart attitude made Jiang Liu want to laugh. She just nodded in agreement as if he were joking.

However—

Compared to Jiang He, what interested Jiang Liu more was the strange communication method Hou Yuqiang had mentioned.

After her meal, she lay on her bed, her fingers spread as she observed the ring against the light. Aside from the iridescent reflection, it was completely unremarkable in every other way.

She pondered for a moment, then half-jokingly brought her hand to her lips. “Calling Number 097, Yang Caisi.”

It was just for fun; Jiang Liu didn’t hold out much hope. But to her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, a slight vibration came from the base of her finger. Jiang Liu shuddered, her eyes widening in disbelief—

A familiar voice, not transmitted through any medium, entered her ears directly.

“This is Number 097. Who is this?”