Her mind went completely blank for a moment.
Then, in the next second, she froze.
Siren?
The Siren?
The Siren whose actual information was almost impossible to find on the forums, but whose name was always associated with high-risk dungeons, solo runs, crazy playstyles, and 'absolutely do not mess with'?
The Siren ranked eighty-ninth on the Peak Leaderboard?!
Cen Yao slowly raised her head, looking at the man sitting in the vine wheelchair before her—sarcastic, sharp-tongued, and looking exactly like her former idol.
Then she looked down at the malatang in her bowl.
Then she looked up again.
It was still him.
He was actually Siren?!
She had actually pushed a famous high-risk figure from the forums at breakneck speed across bumpy ground, ultimately sending him flying from his wheelchair to roll five or six times.
Cen Yao: “...”
Cen Yao fell silent too.
She lowered her head and continued eating, as if the shock of the name “Siren” had been swallowed right down along with her malatang.
The tool shed fell completely silent.
There was only the occasional clink of chopsticks against the bowls and the soft popping of fizz from the cola.
Zhu Lingxi ate with utmost focus.
Pei Tinglan didn't speak again either.
The three of them finished their late-night snack in a rare, peaceful harmony.
Once they were full, Cen Yao set down her chopsticks and deftly raised her hand, storing away the bowls, drink bottles, and the small round vine table.
Her movements were as natural as clearing her own dining table at home.
In the next second, she snapped her fingers.
Snap.
The vines that had been quietly curled on the ground suddenly seemed to spring to life, rustling and spreading wildly.
Dark green vines overlapped and intertwined, weaving rapidly and steadily, as if countless invisible hands were busy at work.
Within moments, three soft, large beds appeared in the tool shed.
Complete with blankets and pillows.
A few curled little leaves even hung from the edges of the beds, looking soft and relaxing, completely out of place in this dilapidated, gloomy tool shed.
Pei Tinglan: “...”
Zhu Lingxi: “...”
Cen Yao wasn't done yet.
She raised her hand and laid down another magic circle around them.
Pale purple lines rippled across the ground like waves before gradually fading away, leaving only a faint, gentle glow.
This was a defensive magic circle.
As the name implied, it defended against all external attacks.
At least with her current abilities, it could block anything within her power to block.
Only after finishing this did Cen Yao feel satisfied.
She was the first to walk over to the outermost bed.
She got in, lay down, pulled up the blanket, and closed her eyes.
All in one smooth motion.
Her movements flowed like water, without a shred of hesitation.
“The other two are yours.”
She said only that before falling completely silent.
She didn't even have the interest to look at the other two, whose worldview was currently being shattered.
Pei Tinglan and Zhu Lingxi stood frozen in place, neither moving for a moment.
Wait, what?
Is this the kind of relaxed vibe one should have in the Horror Game?
How did she manage to have delicious food and a comfortable, large bed?
Even more absurdly, how could she just fall asleep so peacefully?!
The two of them stood there like wooden posts for a full minute.
In the end, Zhu Lingxi was the first to move.
She quietly walked to one of the beds, her movements incredibly light, as if she were afraid of stepping on and breaking something.
Pei Tinglan stared at the excessively soft vine bed. After a moment of silence, he sat down on it anyway.
...It was pretty soft.
He paused for a moment, then lay down.
Uncharacteristically, his movements were also much gentler.
Even after the three of them went to sleep, the lively atmosphere in the live streams didn't die down at all.
Cen Yao's live stream:
【Hahahahaha! Another day of having my worldview shattered by Lady Witch.】
【Hahaha, in front of Lady Witch, even Siren and Nuo have their minds messed with.】
【Our Lady Witch is the absolute best!】
【Hahahahaha! Who else noticed the contrast in Siren before and after? At first, his mouth was so toxic that licking him would poison you to death. Now, he's quietly doing whatever he's told.】
【Hahahahaha, even a top-tier player can't resist the temptation of delicious food!】
【By the way, do you guys know Pei Tinglan? How come I've never heard of him? From what Lady Witch said, Pei Tinglan was her former idol? What makes him so amazing that he could be Lady Witch's idol?】
【It's not the kind of idol you're thinking of. Before the game invaded, Pei Tinglan was a somewhat famous pop idol. Lady Witch was probably a fan of his back then.】
【Damn it! I'm still so jealous!!!】
【Wait, so Nuo is actually that kid-like Zhu Lingxi? She seems so dazed, so cute!】
【That's only on the surface. Anyone who's watched Zhu Lingxi's live stream knows that this girl's Talent is ridiculously strong.】
【If she weren't strong, she wouldn't have been able to climb to second place on the Rookie Leaderboard in just a single month.】
【I don't care! In my eyes, Lady Witch is the strongest!!!】
【No one's saying Lady Witch isn't strong! Judging by the abilities they've shown so far, Lady Witch's skills are much broader and more versatile. She's the kind of player who has high damage if needed—】
【—healing if needed—】
【—defense if needed—】
【—and utility if needed—】
【—an all-rounder boss!】
【...Would you guys die if you didn't finish each other's sentences?】
Pei Tinglan's live stream:
【Siren, why don't you talk back anymore? Why aren't you being sarcastic? Oh, are you afraid of offending your provider? But you've already offended her~】
【Let's see who this quiet-as-a-mouse man is. Oh, it's Siren, who is usually famous for his sharp tongue! Why aren't you bickering anymore? I was waiting to see you get thrown out~】
【Hahahahaha, Zhang Xi, are you guys really not Siren's anti-fans? Is there any other fan base that ridicules their own streamer like this?】
【Exactly! Siren's actual fans make up ninety-five percent of his anti-fans.】
【To be fair, that Bling Bling girl's ability is pretty unique.】
【True, she can actually bring food from the real world into a dungeon. Honestly, how long has it been since we've seen real-world food in the game?】
【How long? Lol, it's literally never, okay? For the past year, I haven't eaten any real-world delicacies besides nutrient fluids. I didn't think much of it before, but seeing them eat is making my mouth water so bad.】
【Then go eat some.】
【You think he doesn't want to? He just doesn't dare to.】
【What do you mean? Do tell. (eating popcorn)】
【Not telling, not telling.】
【What else could it be? It's always the same few things: points, items, or Talents.】
Zhu Lingxi's live stream:
【How can our little Lingxi be so cute!!! She's so cute I want to eat her up!】
【Our little Lingxi is so sweet, yet she's never even had cola. What a poor baby. I have some sulfuric acid here, baby, do you want to drink it?】
【The way baby gets lost is also so cute. Who would have thought the direction she painstakingly chose was actually where the NPC was coming from!】
【Sometimes I really wonder if baby will get lost and end up inside the boss's stomach? I feel like that scene would be so much fun.】
【Yeah, yeah!】
【Why don't we make a bet? If little baby Lingxi really ends up in the boss's stomach, let's see if little cute Lingxi dies first or if the boss gets destroyed first, okay?】
【Sure, sure! I bet little Lingxi dies first.】
【Then I bet the boss gets destroyed first.】
【Boring.】
【I'm not betting on either. I bet that girl named Bling Bling will end up in my stomach first, hahahahaha.】
【What a bunch of psychopaths.】
Cen Yao slept exceptionally well that night.
She didn't dream.
Nor was she woken up by the ghostly wails outside.
But in her groggy, half-asleep state, she faintly heard the orb's voice chime.
【Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 50,000,000 shock points!】
Fifty million?
Cen Yao was half-asleep, her brain not fully functioning, but she felt the sound was as beautiful as heavenly music.
She vaguely assumed she was dreaming, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
What a wonderful dream.
She slept soundly until dawn.
When Cen Yao finally woke up, before she could even fully open her eyes, she felt something was off.
The bed beneath her seemed to have grown larger.
No.
Or maybe the bed hadn't grown larger.
Cen Yao slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly for a couple of seconds.
Then she snapped wide awake.
The other two beds were empty.
Both Zhu Lingxi and Pei Tinglan were gone.
Cen Yao: “?”
She propped herself up on the bed, preparing to rise.
But when she looked down, she saw that what was resting on the blanket wasn't a hand, but a fluffy cat paw.
Cen Yao: “...”
Great.
She had changed back again.
Rate on N.U.
