Bear Jia Bao is dead, Qi Xiao Kui is dead, and out of the six-person team, only four remain.
The four of them discussed and decided to rest in the living room for the night to regain their strength, planning to set off eastward early the next morning.
The living room was quite spacious, and everyone found a different spot. Xin Meng and You Yi occupied the soft sofa, which was long enough for two people to lean against each end. Li You Gen grabbed a blanket from inside and settled in a corner far from the two, planning to make do with sleeping on the floor. The most admirable was Dong Xiu, who, despite the harsh environment and having already exhausted much energy today, still refused to compromise and dragged a heavy single bed out from the room to sleep on it.
Once everyone was settled, the room fell into silence, with only faint breathing sounds barely audible.
In the pitch-black space, Xin Meng leaned half against the sofa, seemingly asleep. After a long while, he opened his eyes again, devoid of any sleepiness.
“Can’t sleep?” A low male voice suddenly whispered close to his ear, startling Xin Meng. Realizing it was You Yi, who was also awake, he turned his head to assess the man he had met for the first time today but felt inexplicably close to. The room was dark, making it hard to see the man’s features and expressions; he could only vaguely make out the contours of his face. Xin Meng unconsciously traced the man’s resolute and handsome profile with his gaze and blurted out, “Can… you tell me more about yourself?”
After saying that, he couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. It was such a normal question, yet it sounded so ambiguous in his soft voice.
Could it be related to the quiet and dark environment? Xin Meng pondered, wondering if he should use a firmer tone instead. But that might come off as harsh, like an interrogation, which didn’t seem quite right… right?
He was lost in his thoughts, not noticing that the man beside him, who gave him a serious and mature impression, had actually curled the corners of his lips in a fleeting smile that was too quick to catch.
“I was a special forces soldier for a few years, and after retiring, I became a mercenary. By chance, I entered the game.”
The man’s words were very brief, but his tone was gentle. To avoid disturbing the others, their heads were almost touching, and as he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Xin Meng’s ear, making Xin Meng feel a sudden rush of heat to his head, his ears and cheeks burning unbearably. His mind went blank, and he inexplicably said, “No wonder your physique is so good…”
Perhaps his brain had really short-circuited. After saying that, Xin Meng didn’t immediately realize the problem. Instead, images of the man’s physique from earlier in the day began to surface in his mind. It was indeed impressive—at least 1.8 meters tall, a whole head taller than Xin Meng, with a standard inverted triangle body covered in solid muscles. Unlike Jie Zi, whose physique was exaggerated and unattractive, this man was perfectly proportioned, and if he wore loose clothing, one might not even notice his explosive strength. He definitely belonged to the type that looked slim in clothes but was well-built without them. Moreover… Xin Meng had accidentally seen him change clothes, and he had eight-pack abs…
Xin Meng couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Eight-pack abs—he wanted that too! Even if he couldn’t have eight, six would be fine, no, even four would be good…
How wonderful it would be if all that were on him.
Suddenly, a deep male chuckle sounded beside him, and Xin Meng instantly realized what he had just said and what he had been thinking, feeling the urge to facepalm!
What was he doing!
Just as he was awkwardly flustered and didn’t know how to react, a warm palm covered his eyes, and he heard the man say, “It’s late, sleep now, be good.”
The man’s gentle voice dispelled his embarrassment, and the heat on his cheeks gradually faded. The man’s hand remained over his eyes, and Xin Meng didn’t push it away, quietly leaning back against the sofa.
He thought he would be unable to sleep, but in reality, he quickly fell asleep.
Hearing the steady breathing, You Yi finally removed his hand. His gaze pierced through the thick darkness, quietly landing on Xin Meng’s long eyelashes, revealing a vague, inscrutable smile.
The already soundly sleeping Xin Meng was unaware that for the others, this was destined to be a sleepless night.
Dong Xiu lay on the bed, kicking aside a blanket that someone else had used, covering himself with a new sheet he had found. With his eyes closed, he was haunted by the image of Bear Jia Bao turning into a monster, replaying endlessly in his mind, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
He thought to himself, Bear Jia Bao, don’t blame me; it was your own foolishness. I didn’t force you to go; anyway, you wouldn’t really die. Once I clear the game, you can be revived, so… it’s not a big deal.
His innate coldness and selfishness left him with little guilt, more so with fear, as he had never encountered such strange and terrifying things before.
Monsters, monsters, would that monster come after him again?
How could he kill it?
Dong Xiu kept pondering strategies, completely unable to sleep.
On the other side.
Li You Gen curled up in the blanket, leaning against the wall, trembling slightly.
His face was flushed, drenched in sweat, his body twitching, and his hands were constantly moving under the blanket. To an outsider, it would be easy to misinterpret his actions as something inappropriate.
However, given Li You Gen’s mental state, it was a miracle he hadn’t died of fright today; he had no mood for anything else.
His fingers scratched at his thigh, where the skin had turned red and purple, almost breaking the surface. He frowned, feeling increasingly irritated as he cursed inwardly.
Damn it, why is it so itchy? Did a mosquito bite me?
It felt like there was a mosquito bite…
Perhaps his pants had been torn, giving the mosquito a chance.
How could he sleep with this unbearable itch? This wretched place doesn’t even have any insect repellent!
Li You Gen cursed bitterly, afraid of breaking the skin, and dared not scratch too hard, enduring the torment until dawn.
The next morning, all four of them woke up early. However, aside from Xin Meng, who was full of energy after a good night’s sleep, and You Yi, who looked the same as usual, the other two looked terrible. Dong Xiu was yawning from fatigue, and Li You Gen’s face was pale, still scratching at his pants, walking a bit unsteadily.
Xin Meng initially wanted to ask the two of them what had happened last night, wondering if they hadn’t slept well. However, You Yi handed him bread and milk, diverting his attention, and he began to chat quietly with You Yi, forgetting about the other two.
“Your backpack is like a treasure chest; how come it has everything,” Xin Meng remarked. He knew there were guns in the bag, and not just one, but it was impressive to see You Yi pull out various items—change of clothes, medical supplies, food, a compass, magazines, a grappling hook with iron claws, a folding military knife (which had just been given to Xin Meng), and a whole bunch of miscellaneous items that Xin Meng couldn’t name but felt were quite impressive. Yet, the bag wasn’t that big! If it weren’t for its mismatched appearance, he would have thought You Yi was a reincarnation of Doraemon!
You Yi lowered his eyelids and pulled out another bag of milk from the backpack, speaking slowly, “There’s still space; I can fit your clothes in too.”
Xin Meng smiled, not pretending to refuse politely.
“Tch, what’s going on!” Li You Gen scratched his thigh, casting a disdainful glance at the two surrounded by a warm atmosphere, and said to the coldly observing Dong Xiu, “Hey, do you think those two are perverts? I’ve seen people like this before; it’s disgusting. Xin Meng usually looks decent, but I didn’t expect him to be like this, showing his true colors as soon as he sees a man, really…”
Suddenly, he felt something rush past his ear, and a few strands of hair fluttered down onto his shoulder. A sharp pain shot through his ear, and something warm began to flow out. He belatedly cried out in pain and looked back, only to find a knife embedded in the wall right beside his ear!
The tip of the knife was buried in the wall!
He couldn’t believe it and turned back to meet a pair of cold, fierce brown eyes, filled with murderous intent that seemed about to overflow, like a ferocious beast, exuding the scent of blood and slaughter, ready to pounce on him!
Li You Gen wanted to escape but found himself enveloped in a murderous aura, an invisible tension preventing him from moving a single finger!
What is this?
What is this terrifying power that feels almost tangible?!
Li You Gen’s legs trembled; if he hadn’t hardly drunk any water yesterday, he might have wet himself, and he couldn’t even feel the maddening itch on his thigh anymore.
He wants to kill me, he wants to kill me…
I will…
I will be killed!
The thought flashed clearly in Li You Gen’s mind, almost making him kneel down and beg for mercy. However, that gaze suddenly disappeared, and the terrifying pressure on him vanished in an instant. He was momentarily stunned, only to see Xin Meng, who had just gone to the bathroom, returning and sitting back on the sofa next to the man. The man’s gaze shifted to Xin Meng, returning to his usual calm and gentle demeanor.
Like a lion that had suddenly fallen asleep.
Xin Meng was completely unaware of what had just happened, smiling at the man without any defenses.
A demon… he is a demon…
Li You Gen trembled, unable to suppress the low murmur of “demon.” Dong Xiu, who had been drinking from a water bottle, shot him a cold glance, “How stupid can you be not to see who you shouldn’t provoke?”
Li You Gen had no way to express his grievances. Of course, he could tell that this man was not to be trifled with, but the problem was that when he was talking to Dong Xiu earlier, he had been afraid of being overheard, so he had kept his voice very low. At that distance, a normal person definitely wouldn’t hear him. Who would have thought that this person would… how could he have heard it?
He suddenly felt a chill run through him, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Could it be that this person was really a monster?
