IGSB – Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Entering the New World (Part 11)
In the instance, time seemed to fly by. Before they knew it, twilight had already painted the sky.
Beneath the darkening sky, the two stood in a silent confrontation.
Gao Hui looked at the person and the fruit before him.
He never thought this plate of fruit would one day be delivered to him.
Only when the plate of fruit was presented to him did he realize how different it was. The flesh of the fruit was exceptionally succulent yet mysteriously unfathomable. No one could say for certain what it truly represented.
Was it a dangerous illusion, or a coveted favor?
Facing Gao Hui, Xiao Qiao's eyes held a faint hint of a smile.
Holding the fruit platter, she stared straight into Gao Hui's eyes, her tone calm yet faintly tinged with an air that brooked no refusal: "You saw it yesterday, and you know what to do.
“Eat. This is a reward from my young lady. If you don't finish it, I won't be able to report back to her. Don't make things difficult for me.”
Gao Hui's gaze shifted from the fruit to Xiao Qiao's face, his mind replaying the information Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu had given him that morning.
For a moment, he was extremely hesitant.
Could this seemingly ordinary plate of fruit really hide a deadly trap?
“What will happen if I eat this?”
He asked directly.
Xiao Qiao said: “Didn't Xia Zhiyi already give you the answer to that question?”
“...”
Gao Hui: “She didn't die.”
Xiao Qiao: “Yes, she didn't die.”
Gao Hui fell silent again.
Xia Zhiyi hadn't died. Not only was she alive, but she was even wearing the Gu family's clothes, as if she had already integrated into the Gu family.
She could even return refreshed after a dangerous side quest, and even Xiao Qiao would change the quest location for her.
She suffered no losses. She—could she really be deceiving them?
Xiao Qiao's gaze was subtle, like a clear mirror that had long seen through the thoughts of others.
She smiled faintly and pushed the fruit platter into Gao Hui's arms.
“The fruit platter symbolizes my young lady's favor towards you. She has noticed you, and you can go see her at any time to present your requests.
“But I know you're different from Xia Zhiyi. You know what you want, and you know what you should do—you're much smarter than her.
“So, follow your heart. Eat, esteemed guest from afar.”
Xiao Qiao grinned, her smile exceptionally friendly.
Under immense pressure, the strong desire to survive made Gao Hui believe more and more in the idea of special privileges.
He began to think the illusion was just an excuse, that Xia Zhiyi was just trying to exclude others and monopolize the special privileges so she could survive alone...
With the protection of an NPC, how could it not be better than these days of living in constant fear?
Who doesn't want to leave this place alive?
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbed. Under the heavy temptation, Gao Hui raised his hand and picked up a piece of bright, fleshy peach.
“Don't eat it!”
Xiao Ya suddenly rushed out, a different emotion finally showing on her face. She hurriedly tried to stop Gao Hui.
“Don't eat it! D-did you forget what Xia Zhiyi and the others said? What if it's dangerous to eat it!”
“What if?
“You also know it's 'what if,' not one hundred percent certain.”
Gao Hui scoffed and swallowed the piece of fruit in front of Xiao Ya.
He had his own considerations; it wasn't for some little kid to tell him what to do!
He would definitely leave this place alive!
The lives and deaths of the others... had nothing to do with him.
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu got a tinderbox from the little maid they had saved yesterday. Xia Zhiyi shamelessly asked for two more and some torches, just in case.
There were no lighters here, so they could only use a tinderbox.
The little maid asked them what they were for.
Jing Ruyu said bluntly: “To burn the weeds and clear the backyard.”
Then she used Xiao Qiao as a shield, saying: “Butler Qiao told us to clear the weeds in the backyard. There are too many to cut with a knife, so we thought we'd just burn them. That's okay, right?”
Hearing this, the little maid found them a water bucket and said: “Since it's Butler Qiao's order, of course it's no problem.
“Take this bucket too. Be careful when you're burning them. Be careful not to burn anything else, and don't make too much noise, or the Master and the others will get angry.”
Xia Zhiyi patted her shoulder, reassuring her.
What could possibly happen?
At worst, they would just burn away all the filth underneath, ridding the world of a pestilence.
As for getting angry, what was the big deal? They had already pissed off the quest NPC over and over again.
The two returned to the backyard and decided to open the gate first to investigate the situation before clearing the weeds.
Jing Ruyu first lit a clump of weeds and tossed it onto the mound of earth as a warning—don't mess with them, they would really set a fire, and then everyone would go to the great beyond together.
After this step, Jing Ruyu held a torch and was the first to step onto the earthen surface.
“Be careful.” Xia Zhiyi's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but say.
Jing Ruyu nodded, lowered her arm, and scorched the ground with the heat of the torch.
All was quiet.
Only then did she continue forward a few steps. After confirming it was safe, she turned back and said: “If you're scared, you can wait for me here.”
But Xia Zhiyi shook her head: “No, I'll go with you. If something happens, we can look out for each other. Besides, aren't there many more instances to test us later? I can't be lucky enough to rely on others every time, so I need to train myself.”
As a newcomer, when faced with a situation, one must step up. The experience points that need to be earned must be earned!
Jing Ruyu saw the determined look in her eyes, her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but she held back. Then, she compromised, saying: “I'll walk in front, you follow behind me.”
Xia Zhiyi immediately lit her own torch and followed.
One in front and one behind, the two moved cautiously, each responsible for watching the mounds of earth in front and behind them. If any witless thing jumped out, a torch would give it a summer fireball gift package!
Fortunately, the white bones buried underneath were sensible enough not to come out and cause trouble. The journey was calm and uneventful.
They finally arrived at the backyard gate.
Back to back, Xia Zhiyi held her torch defensively while Jing Ruyu was responsible for opening the gate.
The backyard gate wasn't locked; it was easier to open than they had imagined.
Jing Ruyu pulled back the latch and placed both hands on the gate, but she didn't rush to open it. Instead, she first had Xia Zhiyi stand to the side to avoid being hit by anything that might rush out.
After Xia Zhiyi found a relatively safe spot, she decisively opened the gate—
Fog again.
Nothing but fog.
Let alone the Ferry Crossing to clear the instance, there wasn't even the sound of water.
Xia Zhiyi also turned her head to look: “It really is fog again.”
She looked left and right, found a rock, and tossed it out the gate. A monster's howl immediately rang out from within the fog, making one's scalp tingle.
Xia Zhiyi: “...This doesn't exactly make you want to go in.”
Jing Ruyu calmly closed the gate.
“We can only come back at night.”
Xia Zhiyi had no choice but to agree.
If the strange sound of water could only be heard at night, it meant the exit point had a specific time-triggered mechanism. Coming at any other time, they wouldn't see it.
But it had to be at night...
“That thing from last night... will it come again tonight?”
Jing Ruyu shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
They had yet to experience the dangers of the night. No one could even say for sure how that thing from last night had appeared.
If it didn't come to their courtyard tonight, would it be wandering around the residence?
The dangers of the night were likely even greater than those of the day.
Xia Zhiyi sighed: “It would be great if we knew where it came from and how.
“What should we do tonight?”
Jing Ruyu pondered for a moment before saying: “It came in the latter half of the night yesterday. We should rest first tonight, conserve our energy, and if it doesn't appear in the latter half of the night, we'll make our move.
“We already warned the other players this morning. If its appearance is really related to the fruit from Miss Gu, they shouldn't eat it. Then we can also confirm whether this has anything to do with Miss Gu.”
“Mm.”
Xia Zhiyi nodded. She raised her torch and looked out at this graveyard.
“For now, let's weed. Housekeeping is on duty!”
Another day passed.
Everyone was mentally and physically exhausted from fear and too lazy to talk. Gao Hui, however, seemed to be in a much better state, but he was also dismissive of others.
The routine was the same as yesterday: finish dinner, lights out, sleep.
Xia Zhiyi made her bed, took off her shoes, and got in. When she turned around, she saw Jing Ruyu sitting on the opposite bed watching her, hugging a pillow, her gaze fixed on her.
Xia Zhiyi didn't understand and tentatively raised an eyebrow: “?”
Jing Ruyu said with a calm face: “To be safe, I think I should sleep with you tonight as well.”
Xia Zhiyi: “...”
Jing Ruyu: “You don't need me to? Then forget it.”
After saying that, she put the pillow back in its place and really prepared to lie down and sleep, not caring about anything.
“Wait!”
Xia Zhiyi stopped her, made room for her on one side of the bed, then shrank under the covers, leaving only a pair of lost eyes staring at the ceiling.
“Let's just sleep together, it's safer this way...”
She hadn't expected that after breaking up, she would still have so many opportunities to share a bed with her ex-girlfriend.
And yet, deep down, she really hadn't gotten over her.
She closed her eyes in anguish, despising herself in her heart: Xia Zhiyi, you're so pathetic.
Forget it. It's not like Jing Ruyu knows I still like her—one day, I'll be able to get over Jing Ruyu just like she got over me!
Jing Ruyu came over with her pillow and quilt.
The two lay on the bed, not saying a word.
A moment later—
“If you're scared, I can hold you while you sleep,” Jing Ruyu said.
Xia Zhiyi's head snapped towards her: “Huh??
“President Jing, what do you mean by that?”
Jing Ruyu turned her head to meet her eyes and smiled slowly: “Nothing. I'm just a kind person.”
“...”
Xia Zhiyi turned her head back.
What a kind person.
Could it be that if it were someone else, she would also kindly hold them while they slept?
That wasn't impossible. After all, they had broken up, they were both single. She could hold whoever she wanted to sleep with; they had no say over each other.
Thinking about it this way, it made her, the ex-girlfriend, seem petty...
No, no, now is not the time to be thinking about these things.
I need to sleep quickly and conserve my energy!
“No need,” Xia Zhiyi replied in a muffled voice, turning over to show her the back of her head, “I'm going to sleep, good night.”
In the darkness, Jing Ruyu also turned over, quietly watching her blurry silhouette, and then said softly, “Good night.”
In the latter half of the night, Xia Zhiyi woke up again in a daze.
This time, too, she was awakened by a noise from outside.
—Someone was screaming.
Opening her eyes, she first glanced at the person beside her—empty.
She was instantly wide awake. She rubbed her eyes again and again, looking and looking, trying hard to confirm whether she was hallucinating again.
However, no matter how many times she looked, Jing Ruyu was indeed not beside her.
Her breath hitched.
It's happening again, it's happening again! No way, no way, a person can't be this unlucky twice, right? Even a ghost shouldn't just pick on one person to fleece!!
“Ru-Ruyu...?”
She cautiously got out of bed and called out tentatively.
And then she saw Jing Ruyu standing at the door.
Hearing her voice, Jing Ruyu turned to look at her: “You're awake.”
Xia Zhiyi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, you're here. I just heard someone screaming and thought I was hallucinating again.”
Hearing this, Jing Ruyu's expression turned solemn: “Zhiyi, that wasn't a hallucination.
“Someone died.”
Xia Zhiyi was stunned: “Who died?”
Jing Ruyu said gravely: “Gao Hui.”
Xia Zhiyi: “...”
Jing Ruyu pointed to the small hole in the door, gesturing for her to look for herself.
Xia Zhiyi leaned over to look.
Outside the door, the moonlight was cold and clear.
Opposite them was Gao Hui's room.
The door to that room was now wide open. Gao Hui was lying at the entrance, blood pouring out of him, with something that couldn't be identified as human or not lying on top of him.
Then, in the silent night, came the sound of chewing.
The monster had begun to feed.
Terrified, Xia Zhiyi covered her mouth.
Xiao Ya woke up.
In a daze, she heard Gao Hui screaming, and then she saw him being pounced on and pinned to the ground by something unknown.
By the moonlight from outside, she saw the thing open its mouth and bite into Gao Hui's neck. Soon, Gao Hui stopped moving and couldn't even scream anymore.
The smell of blood instantly filled the room, followed by intermittent chewing sounds, accompanied by sticky, gooey noises...
She was wide awake in an instant.
Instinct told her what it was, but fear made her forget how to speak or move.
She lay on the bed like a stiff piece of wood, having no idea what to do.
Her limbs were cold, and she was so scared she squeezed her eyes shut.
This was the closest she had ever been to death!
Soon, the scalp-tingling chewing sounds stopped, and dead silence once again filled the long night.
Xiao Ya froze for a moment. She wanted to confirm if the thing had left.
However, before she could open her eyes, a sudden chill touched her ear and cheek, as if something had pressed against her.
Then she heard someone speaking in her ear, the voice low and filled with the stench of blood—
“Did you see?”
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