Nine Chapters: Teammate
Su Ming'an picked up the pitifully destroyed lump of the pistol and signaled the young man with his eyes.
The young man shook his head.
"Fine." Su Ming'an stashed the items into his backpack and dragged the clothes and accessories into his equipment bar—it was really convenient not having to wear them for real, otherwise there would be issues with sizing.
The equipment bar was divided into [Head], [Upper Body], [Lower Body], [Footwear], [Hands], [Accessories], and [Weapons]. At the moment, only the [Upper Body], [Weapons], and [Accessories] slots had items, the rest were empty.
[Combat Power 201+5]
Suddenly, he heard intermittent footsteps in the corridor; it seemed like the scared people wanted to come out.
"Are you going to kill me?" Su Ming'an glanced at the young man.
The young man shook his head.
"Coming along?"
The young man shook his head.
"Then." Su Ming'an waved his hand, "Goodbye?"
"...Goodbye." The young man's gaze stayed fixed on him.
Su Ming'an moved his feet until he finally left the building, and then he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
...He had originally thought that being first in points would have put him far ahead of most players by now.
However, it seems that many people don't only get stronger by accumulating points. They... might have been strong even before the game started.
The hidden noble families on Xing planet, perhaps? Those who could control insects?
Although he wasn't necessarily going to lose if he fought, Su Ming'an really did not want to turn his life-saving skills into a bombing festival.
...Indeed, as an ordinary student, wanting to win until the end really wasn't an easy task.
[You have completed an A-level temporary mission (Escaping This Place)]
[Mission Evaluation: SS (Successful escape, killed all hostile personnel, all trapped individuals survived) Points Earned: 50]
...
Su Ming'an looked back at the building behind him and then walked forward.
It was currently the starry night, and the streetlights shimmered with dim yellow light.
The barrage kept chatting incessantly, and it seemed more and more players were dying; they were turning into spectators, flooding into various live streams, and now his live stream had about six hundred viewers.
[This streamer is pretty strong, and ruthless too]
[You really can't judge by appearances, I thought he was just a student...]
[How did he adapt to the game so quickly? I hadn't even reacted when I was killed by a companion...]
[He's really calm. That young man controlling insects looked very strong; the damage was just explosive. It would have been great if they could travel together...]
[Going to browse forums, wondering what the higher-ups think, slipping away]
[...]
The cold wind facing him made his face ache, and Su Ming'an's body still retained an indescribable, poignant pain, making his vision blur momentarily under the wind, seeing only a standing silhouette quietly under the dim yellow light.
—Is it an enemy?
He reached out his hand, a metal rod appearing in his trembling palm, and then he grasped it tightly.
"Su Ming'an, it's me."
That voice came through.
Su Ming'an loosened his hand.
With a clatter, the metal rod fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, his blurred eyes open as the person under the streetlight silently watched him complete all these actions.
The view became clear.
The person before him had hair flowing like a waterfall, eyes serene, amidst which brewed the warm light of the lamps. The half of her face engulfed in light was almost translucent. She wore a snow-white cat-eared coat, below a red-checkered skirt were snow-white long legs.
In the somewhat dim moonlight, the person before him revealed a calm depth in her serene eyes.
[Friend (Yuanyuan), requests to join your team (Team shares mission information)]
"How did you find me?" Su Ming'an recognized the classmate he knew from real life.
Though they had only grown up together.
"My Luck is S." Yuanyuan said, "I found some clues, very crucial, about a dangerous hospital. Let's cooperate."
Su Ming'an thought for a moment.
Indeed, he was very interested in the "clues" she mentioned; given his Luck E, it would probably be difficult to find them on his own.
Luck S might be useful.
First, he'd try setting up the team. If it didn't work out, they could split up. It would be like having a talking Luck Halo.
He chose to agree and saw Yuanyuan's avatar appear in the upper left corner of his vision. Her level was displayed as the same first rank one, her points information was not shown, her health bar was 500/500, Mana Points 100/100, and her Combat Power was a glaring 60—the most initial value, as if she had never added any attribute points.
"My newbie level evaluation is A, I still have some Combat Power." Yuanyuan said, "And you? How is your newbie level progressing?"
"SS." Su Ming'an said.
Yuanyuan stared at him for a moment, her gaze like that of a cat. She neither questioned nor mocked, unlike those who were mocking Su Ming'an for boasting in the barrage.
"Did you get any clues?" Su Ming'an changed the topic.
"...This." Yuanyuan extended her hand somewhat feebly from her fluffy sleeve, pinching her fingertips, and pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom.
The piece of paper was crumpled, like those plaster advertisements seen on telephone poles, featuring a recruitment notice.
"Three-A hospital in X City, the daughter of the hospital director, needs a male and a female caregiver?" Su Ming'an felt that Luck S was indeed not simple; she had found a clue so easily as he looked at the information: "Hiring only non-locals? Clearly a conspiracy."
Yuanyuan said, "This is the breaking point."
"Indeed. Let me tell you the clues from my side…" Su Ming'an recounted his experiences, and when he mentioned the mushrooms growing on the corpse, he saw Yuanyuan's hand visibly tremble.
"What are you eating?" Su Ming'an pointed at the bag in her hand.
The bag in the girl's hand quickly disappeared behind her back, and she looked at Su Ming'an with a somewhat wary gaze, as if suddenly spooked.
"I'm not robbing you."
"Mm…" Yuanyuan obediently withdrew her hand.
On that bag, it was clearly written, "Hericium Mushroom Cookies."
With a snap, Su Ming'an grasped her wrist and accurately saw a crimson mark on it.
He fell silent.
He wondered whether to quickly separate from her.
"What's wrong?" Yuanyuan tilted her head, her eyes brewing with pure light.
"If things go as expected, all players who have eaten cheap mushroom foods will eventually turn into corpses like that."
Su Ming'an was somewhat cautious. Although he wanted to keep a luck buff by his side, he did not want to keep a ticking time bomb that could mutate at any moment.
"Mm…" The girl pinched her chin, her lingering fingers soft and warm.
"Kill me before I mutate," she said. "For now, follow me—I've found a suitable place to stay."
Su Ming'an looked up, not expecting her to be so composed.
Yuanyuan didn't seem to wait for his response, but walked ahead first.
…
[Perfect Completion Progress: 15%]
[Survival probability experiences a slight increase]
…
The journey seemed somewhat long.
At this time of night, the city was exceptionally silent, devoid even of the occasional honking of cars.
A black cat, like a shadow, leapt over the rooftop eaves, bringing a slight chill with it.
Following the secluded path, Su Ming'an saw the tavern Yuanyuan spoke of. In the wilderness, a suspicious building stood alone, glowing dimly in the dark.
The tavern at night looked very quiet, with dim, cold lights and no one inside. After Su Ming'an was pulled in by Yuanyuan, he suddenly heard a creaking noise beneath his feet.
The candle flickering on the table, and concurrently with the odd creaking noise, a blast of cold air swept across their necks, extinguishing the flame with a "whoosh."
An elderly man, hunchbacked, with a long shadow cast by the dim overhead light, slowly walked their way, a cunning smile characteristic of a sly merchant on his face.
Despite being in a black shop where anything could happen, the old man's neck and wrists were adorned with flashy gold chains, as if frightened that others wouldn't know of his wealth, exuding an upstart vibe all over.
"Ah, some newcomers," he crooned.
Hunched over his short stature, he magically produced a flask of liquor, offering it with that eager old face: "Young man, care to try some of my prized liquor? Twenty-year-old Daughter Red, unique to city X… Just one flask, and you and this miss will have a delightful night…"
"No thanks, just friends," Su Ming'an waved his hand and followed the unhesitating Yuanyuan straight onto the staircase.
The steps shrieked sharply beneath their feet, surrounded by the damp mustiness of rotting wood.
The old man's expression darkened momentarily, but soon the door was filled again with the sound of hurried footsteps.
"—Damn it, finally found a place to stay."
"Hell, where's the apocalypse they promised? I'm almost suffocating in this big city life."
"Boss, got anything to eat? Can you make it cheaper?"
Several players, weary and staggering, slumped near the tables like mud, brightening the old man's eyes. His demeanor instantly shifted from gloomy to sunny as he started peddling his "prized liquor".
"Tired, boys? Try some hand-brewed Daughter Red by yours truly!"
The old man didn't wait for their refusal before uncovering the red cloth. Instantly, a rich aroma of liquor wafted out, soothing the hearts of these young people who were bruised and unnerved everywhere. He bowed his head, his eyes narrowed kindly: "My daughter's long been married, settled in a big city, hasn't come back for many years, my tavern's small and out of the way… Finally, seeing you young lads brings some life to these old bones…"
"Just tell us, boss, how much?" asked a drunk in front, unable to resist the scent.
The others exchanged glances, contemplating.
They were not ordinary players, but a plundering team that had formed a group at the start of the game.
In plundering and driving out the old, weak, and sick from their midst, these teams of players, high in combativeness, malevolence, and utilitarianism, had been tracking some seemingly easy targets, then robbing them of their belongings.
And now, minds not too sharp, they turned their sights on the rich-looking, but defensively weak old man.
Isolated location, no people around, and the old man himself said he had no relatives close by, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to strike?
After all, he was just an NPC, it wouldn't matter if they killed him directly, they might even receive a system reward.
With a look exchanged among them, one began chatting with the old man while others pretended to rest, actually reaching for the knives.
"Old man, what's up with this sickness causing trouble in the city lately?" one asked. "I've seen it on the news, but the streets still seem busy."
"Ah, it's nothing serious. Just some minor cold symptoms, lying down for a few days should do the trick."
"Just a few days' rest, then? Doesn't sound too serious." People appeared puzzled.
"No, it's not about the illness getting better." The old man chuckled, shaking his head: "Yeah, those who get it, lie in bed for a few days, and that's about it… they're gone."
Looking at the kindly smiling old man, a dense cold sweat slowly spread across their backs.
…
[World Game · Current Players: 964,528,568]