“Is it true that whichever room has newspapers, that room also has dead children?” Xin Meng shivered, “There are just too many dead children in this kindergarten, what on earth is going on? Was this an accident, or is it the same as before…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. Although it was just a game, the idea of children killing each other was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
You Yi crouched down, carefully examining the area around the bed, even lifting the bed sheet that hung down to the floor, revealing what was underneath the bed.
“This time should… be the same as before.”
Upon hearing You Yi say this, Xin Meng quickly lowered his head to see what was under the bed, only to find it filled with pillows!
These pillows were smaller than usual, about a quarter the size of a regular pillow, but there were a total of six!
Each pillow had sporadic yellow stains and scratch marks from fingernails, even pulling out a few cotton threads from the fabric.
Another prop?
Xin Meng’s aversion to these pillows was even stronger than to a mop stick.
Just looking at those yellowish-brown stains made him imagine the tears, saliva, and mucus flowing from a child who had been suffocated, struggling in pain, yet unable to break free from the pillow pressed down on them…
They could only be smothered to death in despair.
It was too tragic.
But since these were mission props, he had no choice but to take one. Xin Meng could only pinch one corner of a pillow with two fingers and directly put it into his inventory.
You Yi, on the other hand, was less particular and simply grabbed one and stuffed it into his backpack.
After obtaining the props, there was nothing else worth searching for in the room. The two of them prepared to rest for a bit before leaving to continue searching other rooms for more props.
At this time, it was already close to evening, and since dawn, they had either been searching for clues or fleeing from enemies, while also being careful to hide. They hadn’t even had time to eat lunch, so now they took out some bread from their backpacks to make do.
Because of the corpse he had seen on the bed earlier, Xin Meng still had no appetite, but in order to maintain his strength, he forced himself to eat one and drank a bottle of water, indeed feeling a bit of energy return to his body.
Leaning against You Yi’s shoulder, he joked, “Since it’s a game, why not just give us two bottles of red and blue potions? Drinking them would replenish our strength much more conveniently than eating.”
You Yi smirked, ruffling his hair, “After a long time, you lose the feeling of being human.”
“Are you saying that slowly, you start to feel like an NPC? A game character?” Xin Meng looked up and asked.
“Even if you still retain human habits, that feeling can’t be avoided,” You Yi’s voice carried a rare sense of emotion, “It’s just much better than that.”
“How long have you been playing this game?” Xin Meng asked softly.
In truth, he didn’t really know much about You Yi. First, You Yi wasn’t willing to share much about himself, and second, they had been struggling to survive in the game, so they didn’t have the time or energy to deeply understand each other’s pasts like a typical couple in love.
So even though they had the most intimate physical contact, his understanding of You Yi was no different from a blank slate.
Normally, this state would make him uneasy, and he had indeed felt that way before, but after the Demon King instance, he found himself worrying less.
You Yi seemed to carry a kind of magic about him, making people feel incredibly at ease, no matter when or in what aspect.
“I forgot,” You Yi said, “The longer you stay in the game, the more time becomes useless.”
The two leaned against the wall by the door, nestled together, and for once, they settled down to share some intimate thoughts.
“True, I’ve forgotten how many days have passed since I first came here,” Xin Meng sighed.
You Yi turned his head, his lips brushing against Xin Meng’s smooth forehead, softly saying, “People like us have no past or future anymore.”
“Only the present?” Xin Meng murmured. “To be honest, sometimes I feel… that the ‘present’ isn’t so bad after all.”
Especially when I’m with you.
He didn’t say this out loud, but he believed You Yi was smart enough to guess it.
Sure enough, You Yi said gently, “Then let this kind of ‘present’ continue on forever.”
The two didn’t know when their lips met, kissing each other.
At the same time, in a room on the first floor, Dou Dou and Jie Zi stared at each other, sitting across from one another.
“Hmm hmm hmm…” A sobbing sound came from the corner. Upon closer inspection, it was a little girl in a red dress, about five years old, pitifully tied up and thrown in the corner, her mouth stuffed with a dirty rag, several of her blackened teeth missing, and tears glistening in her eyes.
But this did nothing to move the two heartless men in front of her.
Dou Dou didn’t even spare her a glance, staring intently at the burly man in front of him, “Aren’t there three chances? It’s only been one and a half so far, there’s still one and a half left! Why are you here?”
Jie Zi lazily replied, “You have too many bad records, is that my fault?”
Dou Dou scratched his head, “It’s the enemy that’s too cunning!”
Jie Zi sneered, “It’s you who’s too stupid! Besides eating and sleeping, do you know anything else? Do you still wear open-crotch pants? You forget the mission every time you play, really treating yourself like a new player?”
“You’re the one wearing open-crotch pants!” Dou Dou immediately exploded.
“Then let me ask you, have you found any clues so far?” Jie Zi countered.
Dou Dou was stumped.
“Don’t forget, we have a probation period!” Seeing this, Jie Zi rarely frowned, “If you fail to complete three consecutive missions, just wait to really turn back into a new player! Let me remind you, you already have two bad records!”
“I know…” Dou Dou lowered his head, feeling dejected, “I’ll go ask them now.”
Jie Zi sighed, “I’ll help you share half the burden. You go find that couple; they’re easier to deal with. I’ll think of a way for those two difficult ones.”
“Well…” Dou Dou hesitated for a moment, then said, “Thank you!”
…
Xin Meng and You Yi rested in the nap room for a while. During this time, another child passed by the door, but similarly didn’t open it, just glanced through the glass door and left.
However, Xin Meng heard them opening the door next door.
He was a bit puzzled, “Why don’t they come in here?”
You Yi explained, “Because there’s glass on the door, they can see inside directly. If there’s no one inside, there’s no need to come in. Other doors can’t be judged from the outside, so they’ll push them open.”
Xin Meng was very surprised, “It can be like this?!”
“Yeah,” You Yi said, “The more you play, the more you’ll summarize similar little tricks. It’s a hidden survival path provided by the game for players. After all, it’s a game; there are always some commonalities and rules, and the essence remains unchanged.”
After waiting for a while, there were no more footsteps outside. The two tidied up a bit, gently opened the door, and walked out.
Then Xin Meng was horrified to discover a little boy standing quietly at the stairway not far away, grinning and showing his blackened teeth, pulling out a strange smile at them.
!!!
You Yi was also startled. He recognized that this was the child who had been peering in through the door at the beginning. Had he been waiting for them here all along?!
“Run!” As soon as You Yi saw the child move, he immediately pushed Xin Meng back!
As Xin Meng ran back, he couldn’t help but look back, seeing the child pounce fiercely, only to be kicked aside by You Yi, but let out a sharp shriek, as if calling for companions!
They should go to another floor, but that child was blocking the stairway. He had no choice but to run down the corridor, but there were only a few rooms at the end, and they would be caught sooner or later!
Seeing the wall at the end of the corridor and hearing the sounds of fighting behind him, Xin Meng hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned back to help You Yi break through the blockade and leave through the stairs!
When he joined the fray, he truly realized how difficult it was for You Yi. Although he looked like a child, he was no longer one inside; his body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. When he charged over, he seemed light as a feather, but in reality, he was no different from a heavy artillery shell.
He had fought with other children before, but this little boy was on a completely different level!
Relying on his weight, this little boy blocked the two in the corridor. Time passed slowly, and Xin Meng couldn’t help but feel anxious. If other children came, they would be in big trouble!
Just when every second counted, You Yi’s backpack strap was violently shaken loose, and the pillow inside fell out.
The little boy suddenly stopped, lowered his head, and saw the pillow.
Then, he let out a wail that was completely inhuman!
The massive sound wave seemed to take form, violently resonating around them.
Xin Meng’s eardrums hurt, and he quickly covered his ears. He looked at You Yi, who was also covering his ears.
After the little boy’s piercing wail, he actually turned and fled with a “whoosh”!
He flew down the stairs like a true ghost or spirit, moving so fast that he left a trail behind him. In the blink of an eye, Xin Meng couldn’t even see a corner of his clothing!
“What… what happened?” Xin Meng was completely bewildered, still trying to process what was going on.
The pillow scared off the enemy?
This prop is that useful???
Xin Meng immediately became excited, “It seems the props are indeed useful! They can be used to save our lives!”
You Yi, however, didn’t respond but pulled him, quickly leaving that floor. They ran up three more floors before finding a room with a glass door to enter.
This action was quite wise, as when they reached the upper floor, they heard the sound of childish footsteps below, and it wasn’t just one person.
Temporarily safe, Xin Meng took out the pillow from his inventory, “Does this prop scare them away? Then why are we still running!”
You Yi shook his head, “It shouldn’t work on everyone. The stick I took earlier didn’t elicit any reaction from him.”
“Then it only works on specific targets?” Xin Meng speculated.
“When it gets dark, we can try again.” He turned his head to look out the window.
The sun was gradually setting below the horizon, and the sky was getting darker.
