NFM Chapter 53

Lin Jie (the driver): …

“Hey, even though I’m an NPC, I don’t have any special abilities,” Lin Jie said with a grimace as he was dragged along. “The system only assigned me to transport people to Jiang Village. Beyond that, I have no other responsibilities. Apart from eating and sleeping, I’m just an ordinary person…”

Lin Huai stopped in his tracks: “Sounds like you have some life stories?”

Under Lin Huai’s kind gaze, the driver broke into a cold sweat: “What life stories? Ever since I was created, my only job has been to transport you players from the beginner’s camp to various mission locations… Beyond that, I have no life stories…”

Lin Huai: “Oh, so you have no name, no surname, no past, no future, and no emotions?”

The driver: “Yes, I told you I can’t give you any clues…”

“Then, following the novel trope, since I gave you a name, a surname, and even made you experience emotions for the first time since your birth, you should fall in love with me,” Lin Huai mused. “As a reward for experiencing emotions, you should follow me into the Instance, protect me, cry for me, and sacrifice your life for me, just like Chu Tian did for Zheng… in ‘Infinite Terror’…”

The driver: “Stop obsessing over other infinite flow novels! I really am just an ordinary NPC! And when exactly did you make me experience emotions?! Since when did we have such a misunderstood, touching relationship?!”

“Isn’t fear also a kind of emotion?” Lin Huai said, pinching the driver’s chin. “Can you honestly say you’re not scared? By the way, I’ve wanted to try this domineering CEO gesture for a long time…”

The driver: …

“Don’t think about escaping from me. If you disappear, at least I’ll notice,” Lin Huai said affectionately, patting the driver’s face. “By the way, do you really have no superpowers besides driving?”

The driver shook his head.

“No danger-sensing abilities?”

The driver shook his head.

“No knowledge of the Instance?”

The driver nodded.

“Uh… can’t fight either?”

The driver nodded.

Lin Huai then looked somewhat frustrated. Seeing this, the driver thought his uselessness had moved Lin Huai’s stony heart and began to ramble about his shortcomings, finally adding, “Even the cigarette box earlier was given to you by the system’s orders. I know nothing about the Instance… So, boss, please let me go. I still have to drive the second group to the cinema. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late…”

“Is that so? Then there’s really no other way…”

“Yes, yes, just let me go. If I don’t leave now, I really will be late.”

“Can’t fight, no intel, no superpowers. Looks like I can only use this driver to test for poison, scout traps, and as emergency rations…” Lin Huai looked at the driver disdainfully. “Sigh, whatever. It’s my luck to end up with such a useless guy.”

“You…” The driver was on the verge of tears. “Don’t you feel any guilt treating me like this?”

Lin Huai: “You’re really misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding what?”

“I really don’t see you as an NPC… let alone as a person,” Lin Huai smiled. “I didn’t grab you for any other reason. I just wanted to obtain a tool.”

Lin Jie: “…What?”

Lin Huai: “This way, you can be responsible for testing the food for poison, stepping on traps first, getting cursed by ghosts to test their strength…”

The driver: …

Lin Huai: “If all else fails, you can sing ‘Jiangnan.'”

The driver: “…But I can’t sing. I really am just an NPC…”

Lin Huai: “Can you sing ‘Jiangnan Jin He Zai’?”

The driver: …

“Actually, it’s not that complicated,” Lin Huai said gently. “I don’t have any special demands of you. You just need to know how to breathe, test for poison, and die.”

As he spoke, he smiled and patted the driver’s head.

“By the way, since you’re in my hands now, don’t think about escaping,” Lin Huai said ominously. “A living NPC is more useful, but a dead body isn’t entirely useless to me… Don’t test the limits of my patience…”

The driver: “…Do you even hear yourself?!”

The group, who had been studying the cigarette box, was stunned when they saw Lin Huai dragging the driver back. Ji Nanquan finally managed to say, “…Why did you kidnap the NPC?”

Lin Huai: “It’s not kidnapping. I persuaded him with reason and moved him with emotion.”

Cheng Xin also questioned, “Why did you drag him back? This behavior of yours is just… just…”

Zhang Mingge coldly watched them, pushing up his glasses.

He seemed indifferent to the group’s actions, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Huai.

Lin Huai rolled his eyes at them, unwilling to argue. Then he looked around and called out to Chu Tianshu, who was watching the commotion: “Newbie, come here.”

Chu Tianshu: “What?”

“Keep an eye on him,” Lin Huai pointed at the driver. “And do you have any tools like an iron rod? Not a wrench…!!! Keep that away from me.”

Chu Tianshu, seeing Lin Huai’s retreat, put away the wrench and pulled out an iron rod: “What do you need this for?”

Lin Huai looked at him suspiciously. After confirming the iron rod was harmless, he weighed it in his hand and said, “To smash the car’s engine.”

Chu Tianshu: “Oh, okay… What did you say you’re going to do?”

“Destroy the car’s power system,” Lin Huai said. “To prevent this driver from sneaking out at night to drive away. Sigh, only when a person is in dire straits can their full potential be unleashed…”

As he spoke, he looked at the driver with a pleased expression, as if everything was under control.

Ruan Tian: “Why do I feel like he’s really excited about this…”

Ji Nanquan facepalmed: “So you really did kidnap this NPC.”

“It’s not kidnapping. It’s collecting tools,” Lin Huai said, waving the iron rod. “If I can’t have it, no one else can…”

As he walked towards the car with the iron rod, Chu Tianshu stared at his back, speechless. Finally, before Lin Huai could swing the first blow, he handed the driver over to Ji Nanquan and pulled out a toolbox from his backpack to follow.

Just as Lin Huai was about to strike, Chu Tianshu stopped him. Lin Huai blinked in confusion: “What are you doing?”

Chu Tianshu held his hand and smiled.

“Don’t rush to smash it. Let me see what parts of the car can be dismantled for use,” he said.

Rolling up his sleeves, he pulled out a toolbox from thin air and began dismantling. Lin Huai stood behind him and asked, “So you’re not pretending to be a newbie anymore?”

“Don’t hold a grudge,” Chu Tianshu said, pulling out the fuel tank. “We’ve shared a bed before. We’re good friends…”

Lin Huai: Get lost.

As the two finished destroying the van and were about to dismantle the transmission, Cheng Xin’s voice came from the group: “Hurry up, we’re ready to enter the village.”

Chu Tianshu then packed the fuel tank and parts into his bag and followed Lin Huai, who had finished smashing the car, back to the group. Ji Nanquan, witnessing their wild actions, was at a loss for words. After thinking for a while, he finally said, “You guys are too barbaric!”

The driver, meanwhile, looked furious but didn’t dare to speak. Lin Huai then said to the driver, “Let’s hurry into the village. If it gets dark and we encounter any wild beasts, it won’t be good…”

Cheng Xin nodded: “Lin Huai is right. It’s almost evening. We should enter the village early to ensure safety…”

Lin Huai continued: “…What if we accidentally kill a first-class protected animal? I don’t want to break the law in the Game. Go, Lin Jie, lead the way. PS, if I catch you wandering off, I guarantee you’ll be the first to die.”

Everyone: …

The driver, suppressing his anger, walked ahead. Cheng Xin and the others swarmed around him, asking questions. Soon, only Lin Huai and Chu Tianshu were left trailing behind. Seeing this, Chu Tianshu elbowed Lin Huai and said gleefully, “You’re the one who brought this NPC back. Earlier, everyone was calling you barbaric, but now they’re eagerly asking him questions.”

Lin Huai: “I’m used to my good intentions being seen as those of a wild beast.”

He said this sincerely, just like his sincere intention to use the driver to test for poison and traps.

Chu Tianshu naturally put his arm around Lin Huai’s shoulder and said, “Little Lin, let me teach you a way to make them voluntarily step aside.”

Lin Huai: “What way?”

Chu Tianshu: “Hug the driver and yell, ‘Stay away from my possession! My king’s power!'”

Lin Huai squinted: “Will that scare them off?”

Chu Tianshu shook his head: “No, but they’ll be shocked by your love for the driver and involuntarily think you kidnapped him because you fell for him. What a story of a domineering player falling for an NPC.”

Lin Huai: …

Chu Tianshu was amused by his own genius idea, clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably beside Lin Huai. Lin Huai, who had been squinting at him, noticed that everyone else had left and only the two of them remained. He then showed a meaningful, gentle smile.

Chu Tianshu laughed for a while before feeling a chill in the air. He lowered his head, then looked up and said cheerfully, “Let’s catch up with the group. Everyone’s already gone…”

As he stepped forward, he felt a cold sensation on his head.

The iron rod he had given Lin Huai was now resting on his head. Although he couldn’t see Lin Huai’s expression, a cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

“Do you have anything to say to me?” he heard Lin Huai’s soft voice.

Chu Tianshu shook his head and raised his hands: “Don’t be so violent.”

“Hmm?”

“Alright, it’s all my fault,” he said. “Just put the rod down first.”

“Hmm?”

“I gave you the power to hurt me,” he made a heartbroken expression. “I handed you the iron rod, and you used it to stab my heart…”

Lin Huai: “…Stop adding to your tragic love story, thanks.”

“Why pretend to be a newbie?” Lin Huai smiled. “Why pretend we don’t know each other, you…”

Chu Tianshu was silent for a moment, then said, “Lin Huai, maybe I just wanted us to start over like Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai.”

Lin Huai: “Huh?”

“The past is all in the past,” Chu Tianshu looked at the sky. “Let’s not bring up old memories. Life has enough storms. Even if memories can’t be erased, love and hate remain in the heart. From today, forget my name and treat me as a new person… Don’t call me Lin Pinru anymore. Call me Chu Shanshan.”

Lin Huai: “I told you to get out of that tragic love story script.”

“From Qin Jiang going abroad, to chasing manuscripts, to staying over, to pretending to be a newbie, you’ve been having fun,” Lin Huai smiled meaningfully. “Aren’t you worried I might do something to you?”

“Uh…” Chu Tianshu bit his thumb. “Actually, Chu Tianshu isn’t my real name either.”

Lin Huai perked up.

“My real name is Chu Tianxiu. Everyone calls me Xiuer,” Chu Tianshu said solemnly. “I also have a sister named Chu Yunxiu, who’s really good at Glory…”

The next moment, he was kicked to the ground.

Lin Huai grabbed his collar and pinned him against a tree. He sneered, “Don’t think you can fool me.”

Chu Tianshu blinked and finally shut up.

“You want to follow me into the Game,” he said. “Why?”

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment: “…Because love doesn’t come easily?”

A vein popped on Lin Huai’s forehead. At this moment, he felt utterly hopeless.

He had always believed that Chu Tianshu wasn’t truly an idiot—that it was just a facade. But he never imagined that trying to break through that facade would be so exhausting.

…Maybe I should just get rid of him? Lin Huai thought, keeping the idea in his heart.

He was usually the type to leave others alone if they didn’t provoke him, though for him, anyone weaker than him couldn’t really be considered a person… But Chu Tianshu, who was still unfathomable to him, could temporarily be classified as a person.

“But… I couldn’t have arranged for Qin Jiang to go abroad,” Chu Tianshu spread his hands. “Her asking you to cover for her was also unexpected. When you first came to my house, I thought you were stalking me.”

Lin Huai: …

“Do you think I’d believe your explanation?” he asked.

“Second, you came to my house to chase manuscripts. The timing wasn’t something I could control. The heavy rain that day wasn’t something I could control either, so there’s no way I tricked you into staying at my house. Plus, I didn’t take advantage of you or do anything inappropriate for Jinjiang. That’s the second point, right?” Chu Tianshu said quickly.

‘Although… but… I feel like there’s some truth to what he’s saying,’ Lin Huai thought.

“Third, following you into the Instance… Who would give up their air-conditioned home and variety shows to come here for mountain climbing? Especially a lazy person who even sets up auto-replies and auto-ascend for food delivery,” Chu Tianshu said seriously. “So all your accusations against me are baseless.”

Lin Huai: …

“But how do you explain following me into the Instance?” Before being overwhelmed by the logic, Lin Huai smiled at him. “Are you saying that was also a coincidence? As a seasoned player, you must have known I was about to enter the Instance. People don’t act without reason. You must have had some ulterior motive…”

Chu Tianshu: “Uh, if I said I was just accidentally dragged in, would you believe me?”

Lin Huai sneered and looked at him: “What exactly do you want? Or… what did you discover?”

“Let’s look at it from an emotional perspective,” Chu Tianshu, who was suddenly pinned against the tree, raised his hands. “Actually, I might have already…”

Lin Huai narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Already…” Chu Tianshu rolled his eyes.

As they talked, the faster members of the group had already turned into small black dots in the forest. Lin Huai was sure that even if Chu Tianshu screamed, they wouldn’t make it back in time to help.

And…

Even if they did, they’d probably just end up as cannon fodder.

What appeared before him was Lin Huai, who had left a dent in the tree with one hand. Chu Tianshu glanced to the side and saw the tree bark still falling from the dent.

Chu Tianshu: …I must be seeing things.

“Actually, you don’t need to be so scared,” the handsome young man leaning over him blinked innocently. “I just want to have a sincere conversation. Feel free to be honest.”

Countless alarm bells rang in Chu Tianshu’s heart, but to Lin Huai, the man’s expression remained calm.

“Actually, you can think about it from another angle,” he said seriously. “Have you ever considered that all these coincidences, all your suspicions, stem from one deep-rooted reason—”

Lin Huai narrowed his eyes: “What reason?”

“Have you ever felt that we keep running into each other inexplicably? Like fate’s fire hose, tying us together.”

Lin Huai thought for a moment and nodded.

“Have you ever felt that you’re always concerned about my actions, what I’m doing, what I’m thinking, more than anyone else?”

Lin Huai thought for a moment and nodded.

“Have you ever felt that I’m very special to you? That you feel all my actions are related to you, and that I’m different from everyone else?”

Lin Huai thought for a moment and nodded.

“But what are you trying to say?” he asked, confused.