“There are clearly two of us, so why do you think I'm the one attracting the monsters?”
Cen Yao rolled her eyes.
She didn't want to explain any further to this stubborn idiot.
Zhu Lingxi tried once more to look away.
Her gaze kept drifting back to Xie Zhouxing.
Xie Zhouxing's curly golden hair was incredibly bright, his skin fair and poreless, and his features exceptionally delicate. In these gray ruins, it was hard not to notice him.
But hearing their analysis, Zhu Lingxi suddenly thought of something.
She looked at Xie Zhouxing. “Master Xie.”
When she said it, the form of address carried a hint of archaic elegance, like something out of a traditional folklore play.
Xie Zhouxing was taken aback.
“Huh?”
Zhu Lingxi said seriously, “You should check yourself to see if you have any charm-type items on you.”
The air fell silent for a moment. Cen Yao suddenly whipped her head toward Zhu Lingxi.
Pei Tinglan also raised his eyes.
Zhu Lingxi looked back at them, her eyes clear and innocent, clearly not understanding why they were staring at her like that.
Xie Zhouxing, on the other hand, was a bit slow to react.
Mainly, the title “Master Xie” felt very novel to him.
In the past, others either called him Young Master Xie, Zhouxing, or at worst, Night King.
This was the first time someone had addressed him as “Master Xie” in such a solemn manner.
His earlobes flushed slightly.
Only after a moment did he process what Zhu Lingxi had said.
“What did you say?”
“A charm-type item?”
“I don't have any charm-type items.”
Cen Yao withdrew her gaze thoughtfully. “If that's the case, then it makes sense.”
She finally understood why she had found Xie Zhouxing so easy to get close to earlier.
Xie Zhouxing was even more bewildered.
“What makes sense?”
“Don't bully a disabled person!”
Pei Tinglan sighed silently.
His expression looked as if he were marveling at how such a stupid person could exist in this world.
“Meaning,”
“you might have something on you that attracts the attention of both people and monsters.”
“Charm-type items aren't necessarily rings, necklaces, or badges. They could also be status-effect items. You'd better check everything you have on you.”
Pei Tinglan paused.
“Lest you get sold out and still end up helping them count the money.”
With that, he pushed his wheelchair forward, with Cen Yao and Zhu Lingxi following behind.
Xie Zhouxing remained standing where he was, digesting the bombshell Pei Tinglan ... had just dropped.
He lowered his head and checked his item slots.
Nothing.
At least among the items he remembered, there was nothing related to charm.
Could it have been brought out from a previous dungeon?
Or did someone sneak something onto him while he couldn't see?
The more Xie Zhouxing thought about it, the colder his back felt.
As he was lost in thought, his waist suddenly tightened.
“Huh?”
An abrupt force yanked him forward, causing him to stumble two steps.
“What are you doing?”
The broom flew up behind him, its tail wagging.
Its master had already left, yet this lackey was still standing there like an idiot.
Completely incompetent.
Xie Zhouxing: “...”
Even though he couldn't see, he could clearly feel the broom's disdain.
“Why is your broom dragging people around now?”
Without looking back, Cen Yao said, “It's afraid you'll fall behind.”
Xie Zhouxing gnashed his teeth. “This young master would never fall behind.”
The broom gave him another tug, forcing Xie Zhouxing to keep up.
The road ahead remained dilapidated and difficult to traverse.
Large sections of collapsed walls blocked the way, and the ground was littered with rebar, shattered glass, and rubble.
As Pei Tinglan's wheelchair rolled over these areas, the wheels would occasionally get stuck in the cracks of the rocks, emitting a harsh screeching sound.
His long fingers gripped the edges of the wheelchair, turning a distinct shade of red from the exertion.
Cen Yao glanced over. She didn't say anything, but a thought crossed her mind.
Pei Tinglan's wheelchair shuddered slightly, then lifted off the ground.
The wheelchair hovered half an inch above the ground, moving forward smoothly alongside Cen Yao's steps.
The rubble and broken rebar on the ground could no longer hinder it. The wheels spun gently, spared from the actual bumps of the terrain.
Pei Tinglan's hands paused, and he silently released his slightly reddened fingers.
Having long grown accustomed to Cen Yao making him float at a moment's notice, Pei Tinglan relaxed his hands with complete peace of mind and leaned back comfortably against the backrest.
He glanced at Cen Yao's wandless hand. “You've gotten stronger.”
“Yeah, I'm doing alright,” Cen Yao replied casually, offering no further explanation.
“Did you two run into any trouble along the way?” Cen Yao asked.
After a long silence, Pei Tinglan replied flatly, “Our situation was about the same as yours.”
Cen Yao looked at him. “You also came out of the research institute?”
“Yeah.” Pei Tinglan nodded.
“We woke up in a different experiment area.”
“There were many incubation pods and test subjects inside.”
Zhu Lingxi chimed in, “Those things carried a very heavy resentment.”
“Some still retained a bit of human sanity, while others had completely turned into evil spirits. When we came out, we saw a room hung with many tags that had names written on them.”
She paused, her voice very soft. “They were probably all people who had been captured for experiments.”
Cen Yao fell silent.
Before that research institute was burned down, she had also seen similar files and photographs.
Things that were originally human had been forcibly remodeled into monsters.
They suffered endless torture while alive, and found no peace even in death.
The name of this dungeon was “Reaping What One Sows”.
Looking at it now, perhaps it didn't simply refer to one side suffering a backlash.
Rather, the entire city, and even the entire world, had already been swallowed by the evil consequences sown by the people in that research institute.
Pei Tinglan continued, “We encountered quite a few players on our way to find you.”
“Most of them are currently gathered in the factory buildings ahead.”
“After talking with them, we can basically confirm that this is likely a multi-player confrontation and survival dungeon.”
Cen Yao frowned. “Confrontation and survival?”
“Yes.”
Pei Tinglan's voice was somewhat cold. “We should belong to the test subject faction.”
“The other group of players has been assigned to the researcher faction. In other words, they've become the native human faction of this dungeon.”
Cen Yao was stunned. “There are still native humans in this place?”
“Yes.”
Pei Tinglan looked at her, his eyes carrying a trace of near-sympathy.
“Hard to believe, right?”
“I think so too.”
“It's truly a pity that the people in this godforsaken place haven't died out completely.”
Cen Yao: “...”
Thinking of the human test subjects in the research institute who had been dissected, stitched together, and remodeled, Cen Yao's gaze darkened inch by inch.
“You're right.”
“Why are they like cockroaches that just won't die?”
Standing to the side, Zhu Lingxi nodded slowly.
“Indeed.”
“Why haven't they died out completely?”
The Nuo mask at her waist clinked lightly.
Zhu Lingxi lowered her eyes. Her expression remained calm, but her voice held a hint of weariness.
“The souls of those they killed are restless, and their resentment cannot be appeased.”
“I want no part in performing the misfortune-dispelling dance for these beasts.”
“If I dissipate their resentment for their sake, I'm afraid even my Dao Heart will become unstable.”
Cen Yao turned her head to look at her. Zhu Lingxi raised her face, revealing those same clear, innocent eyes.
Except, deep within them, a faint coldness was hidden.
During her time at Cen Yao's home, she had spent a lot of time surfing the internet.
Although she still wasn't very good at using those internet slang words, she had already learned some of them.
Rate on N.U.
