“So you were following me just now,” Xin Hexue pondered for a moment, then looked at the other person, “to test my identity and team up with me?”
Yu Xingzhou reacted like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, raising his voice to retort, “Who was following you?! You make it sound so unpleasant, as if I’m some pervert.”
“This hallway is just this wide. You were walking in front, and I couldn’t get past you.”
Xin Hexue glanced at him suspiciously, seemingly not believing Yu Xingzhou’s explanation.
Yu Xingzhou: “…… I was just here to deliver water. You saw my identity card.”
The back of the identity card showed the latest test question, while the front had the player’s initial identity information about Yu Xingzhou, which stated he was a high school dropout doing odd jobs around the Walled city.
Being a water delivery boy was one of the scattered jobs.
It sounded somewhat reasonable.
“Where’s the water?”
Xin Hexue asked softly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings on the ground and Yu Xingzhou’s empty hands.
Yu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, “Of course, it was delivered to 303.”
Xin Hexue walked towards the upstairs stairs without looking back.
The boy behind her followed closely, even taking two or three steps at a time, “Hey, I’ve made myself so clear, what are you hesitating for? Do you suspect I’m a bad guy?”
“Alright, then let me reintroduce myself.”
He strode to stand on the third step above Xin Hexue, blocking the way ahead.
“Yu Xingzhou, game anchor, 18.”
“Height 187, first kiss still intact, registered residence in Central City, owns a car and house, no parents, savings plus compensation are eight figures, bank card password is……”
Yu Xingzhou seemed not to notice Xin Hexue’s increasingly strange look, but fortunately stopped in time. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets unnaturally, “Oh, you’re still livestreaming. I’ll tell you next time.”
[Maybe it’s related to my upbringing, but when we form teams in games, we generally don’t tell our teammates our bank card passwords.]
[Anchor, anchor, are you here for a blind date?]
[18? What is 18?]
[It’s the age, right? Data inflation is quite severe these days, it’s probably not that.]
[I just came from my little cat’s livestream. Anchor, you’re so explosive right away? A high school student with a diamond 18? Our Snow Cat hasn’t tried this type before, okay okay.]
[How come I remember there was one? In that ABO one “Cosmic Flower”, wasn’t there an Alpha high school student? Oh, but Snow Cat didn’t get to eat it.]
“Don’t compare me to those vulgar men from your TV dramas!” Yu Xingzhou lowered his voice to retort, “And what small account? It’s not mine at all. How could I repost such idiotic blog posts?!”
[Brother is getting anxious again]
[Alright, after all that, you didn’t refute whether you’re here for a blind date, just started competing with others across time and space.]
“Who are you talking to?”
Xin Hexue looked at him.
“The live stream, the comments in my live stream keep spreading rumors and lies, and posting some nonsense.”
Yu Xingzhou answered while shrugging. His jacket was open, revealing a silver titanium steel necklace swaying on his collarbone with his movements.
Xin Hexue nodded, not commenting.
When he moved past Yu Xingzhou to walk forward, the boy continued to follow him.
“That, if the comments in your live stream say anything about me, don’t believe it. None of it is true.”
Xin Hexue glanced at him, “I’ve had the comments blocked since I entered the game.”
“Is that so…That’s good too.” Yu Xingzhou’s tone dropped inexplicably, then picked up again, “Right, this is your first time playing ‘Can You Survive’. Blocking barrage interference is good. If anything comes up, you can ask me. After all, we’re teammates……Don’t misunderstand, it’s because the program team reminded us it’s best to take care of new players. Otherwise, if the survival rate is too ugly, it might affect viewership.”
“Of course, viewership ratings have nothing to do with me, and I don’t care, but I did sign a contract with them.”
He was really talkative.
Even if Xin Hexue didn’t respond, he could keep talking. If Xin Hexue glanced at him, it was like he got a shot of adrenaline.
Suddenly, Yu Xingzhou fell silent, his sharp eyebrows furrowing as he looked ahead.
They had almost reached the end of the fifth floor.
The corridor lights were on normally. A young man stood in the corridor, the cuffs of his black shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong, powerful forearm lines. He Qinghong looked at Xin Hexue and asked flatly, “Does buying hardware tools really take this long?”
Xin Hexue replied, “I was delayed on the way.”
He Qinghong nodded, his gaze then sweeping over Yu Xingzhou.
“Who is he?”
Two voices, one cold, and one fiery, spoke simultaneously, both pairs of eyes looking at Xin Hexue.
“Neighbor?”
Yu Xingzhou glanced from the corridor into the room. The neighbor Xin Hexue mentioned was bending over inside the shower room, repairing the faucet and pipes, his arms showing distinct muscle lines.
‘Repairing is just repairing, why roll up your sleeves, what are you showing off?!’
Yu Xingzhou turned to Xin Hexue and said, “Your husband isn’t home and he comes to your door to fix your pipes, what kind of good neighbor can he be?”
Yu Xingzhou had already learned about the trial level situation from Xin Hexue and understood that the current premise was to avoid assassination by a killer, so he disguised himself and pretended to be the “wife” of an NPC surnamed Zhou.
As for the person in the room, whether he was a neighbor or a “Wang next door”, he had his own judgment.
“He’s an NPC, right? And that Zhou whatever, is also an NPC?”
Xin Hexue looked at him quietly and nodded. Yu Xingzhou thought of that unknown”husband” and a wave of irritation rose from the bottom of his heart.
Why did that NPC get the chance for nothing and become the so-called husband? Even easier than getting a job as Xin Hexue’s agent? Doesn’t being Xin Hexue’s husband require training and competition for the position? Did Xin Hexue sleep with that person?
Yu Xingzhou was full of questions and anger, especially when facing Xin Hexue’s calm eyes.
“You don’t think this place is as simple as following a script for a TV drama, do you?” He couldn’t help but emphasize his tone, “Where just crooking a finger will have countless men blocking knives and dying for you?”
“You’ve never experienced this kind of dungeon world before. When lives are threatened and everyone is in danger for themselves, do you think these people are still trustworthy? Are you sure these NPCs won’t harm you to ensure their own survival?”
Yu Xingzhou grew increasingly irritated for no reason, “Besides, this is a compound type dungeon. The later it gets, the more severe the eerie and strange occurrences, and the final battle royale is unavoidable. These two men might not even be able to block two strikes for you.”
[Brother, what are you blabbering about? You might as well just say your own name and tell the little cat he must team up with you.]
[I suspect this guy would turn into a black fan who scolds him if his confession is rejected.]
After he said all this, Xin Hexue finally gave him his proper attention, “You’re right.”
A light shone in Yu Xingzhou’s eyes.
Xin Hexue curved his bright eyes and said softly, “Since two aren’t enough, then I should find a few more men.”
He seemed unaware of the young man’s sarcasm implying he was frivolous, or perhaps, he was simply laughing off the barbed words.
Yu Xingzhou was stunned, “That’s not what I meant…!”
“It’s just a pity, I don’t really like those younger than me.” A light force patted Yu Xingzhou’s shoulder as Xin Hexue stepped past him into the room, “So, if you’re offering yourself, you should go back early.”
“Little brother,” he said with a light chuckle.
……
When Yu Xingzhou was speaking with Xin Hexue just now, he had deliberately lowered his voice, especially when mentioning NPCs and dungeon-related statements. And He Qinghong was inside the innermost shower room of the house, while their conversation took place in the corridor hallway.
Xin Hexue guessed He Qinghong hadn’t heard.
When he entered the shower room, He Qinghong was indeed squatting and inspecting the water pipes under the sink, his expression normal.
Xin Hexue also squatted down and tilted his head, “Mr. He, what do you do for work?”
He Qinghong paused the screwdriver in his hand, “… Unemployed.”
“But you can freely enter and leave the Walled city, right?”
He Qinghong shifted his gaze to the other party’s face, “Is something the matter?”
Xin Hexue lowered his eyelashes; under the shower room light, they cast a small shadow.
“My husband still hasn’t come back yet. I don’t know if something happened to him. If he still hasn’t returned after tonight, could I ask you to help me look for him?”
“It’s not very convenient for me to go outside……”
“He’s dead.”
When He Qinghong said this, his tone was as calm as saying there would be no rain tonight.
He saw the young man’s face instantly turn pale, paused, then added, “I’m joking.”
Xin Hexue pursed his lips, “That’s not funny.”
He Qinghong: “Is that so?”
Turning his head down, he continued using the screwdriver to unscrew the pipe connection, “Maybe I’m good at telling cold jokes.”
“Mr. He, please don’t joke about other people’s life and death.”
The young man’s tone sounded somewhat angry.
He Qinghong had to admit that Xin Hexue was more talented than him in cold jokes, because what the other party just said was actually directed at a killer who shot and killed without fail.
“Okay, I’ll correct my attitude in the future.”
In fact, He Qinghong always pulled the trigger with a serious attitude. After all, to achieve a kill with every shot, calculating the angle and timing were important factors.
“Done.”
He Qinghong stood up, neatly placing the tools back into the toolbox. He turned on the faucet and washed away the stains and dust on his hands.
Because of these things, his brows were tightly furrowed.
He had to return to his room and wash every finger crevice repeatedly with disinfectant, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
He Qinghong began to regret why he had meddled by coming over to help.
Oh, he remembered. It was because Zhou Liao still owed him 300,000 Beidao coins, and yet he came over to fix the pipes for Zhou Liao’s wife.
His brows had already twisted into an unsolvable knot, and his face grew colder.
Forget it, he didn’t lack those 300,000.
Without a word of farewell, He Qinghong walked straight towards the door.
When he was just a step away from the corridor, hurried footsteps followed from behind. In a half-colliding, half-embracing posture, to stop his steps, the young man’s arms encircled He Qinghong’s waist.
“Please, Mr. He. Zhou Liao went out alone, I’m worried he might have encountered some danger…”
“I don’t know many people here, I can only entrust you.”
The young man was like a winding, climbing plant, clinging to He Qinghong’s back.
He Qinghong suddenly spoke, “Why? Because I’m older?”
