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Liao Ruxue stepped out of the shower, running his fingers through his hair. He saw Mo Qi sitting on the bed, deep in thought with one hand over his chest. Liao Ruxue approached, about to sit next to Mo Qi, but Mo Qi abruptly stood up warily, keeping a distance from Liao Ruxue.
“I just couldn’t see clearly,” Liao Ruxue said, reaching out with his long arm to grab the glasses from the bedside cabinet. A drop of water fell from his wet hair.
“I guess you’re the only one who believes that,” Xiang Zhuo retorted, sitting up in bed and staring at Liao Ruxue.
“Where will Xiang Wansi be today?” Mo Qi asked.
“Isn’t there a student art exhibition tomorrow? She’s in charge of presenting the exhibits. She’s rehearsing at the gallery today,” Liao Ruxue replied.
“We’ll split up then. I’ll go find Xiang Wansi, and you two investigate the disciplined students,” Mo Qi suggested.
“Why not work together?” Xiang Zhuo frowned. In situations unrelated to personal gain, he still wanted to engage with Mo Qi.
Though Mo Qi tried to avoid using his mesmerizing skills, his charismatic aura still affected Xiang Zhuo and Liao Ruxue. Fortunately, both were intelligent and wise—one had honed enough in-game to suppress such feelings, limiting their influence.
Despite this, subconsciously, Xiang Zhuo still wanted to work with Mo Qi and refused to be separated from him.
After lifting the mesmerizing effect last night, Mo Qi allowed his charismatic aura to emanate freely, quietly observing Xiang Zhuo’s reaction. From this, he concluded that without using mesmerization, the charm had little effect on seasoned players who had been through countless battles. They weren’t devoid of fondness but could control it.
So Mo Qi reasoned convincingly, “This game involves more than just us; there are other players whose knowledge we’re unsure of. Time is of the essence. Whether it’s Xiang Wansi or the list of disciplined students, they’re both speculative. It’s possible both are wrong. In such cases, splitting up is the most efficient strategy.”
“In that case, I’ll join you,” Liao Ruxue added, going along with the flow.
Mo Qi said to Xiang Zhuo, “With three of us, there are only three possible ways to split into two groups: you alone; me and the president together; or me alone, with you and the president together. Do you think the first option is realistic?”
“It’s completely unrealistic. If Mo Qi and Liao Ruxue were together, they’d be vulnerable at any moment. It’s impossible to investigate properly under such circumstances,” Xiang Zhuo replied.
“Then it’ll be us together and him alone,” Xiang Zhuo suggested.
Mo Qi sighed, “Are you suggesting leaving an ordinary person to act alone? Without system prompts on progress, how would he know if he’s on the right track?”
Mo Qi’s reasoning was clear, and Xiang Zhuo was convinced. However, he still questioned, “Why do I feel like you want to leave us behind and go after Xiang Wansi, who’s a bigger suspect? You’re trying to get ahead of me in getting clues, calling it cooperation when it’s actually a covert competition.”
“Because I have an advantage in approaching Xiang Wansi,” Mo Qi said, showing his phone to both of them.
On the screen was a friend request with the message: “I’m Xiang Wansi. Can we be friends?”
Yesterday, with the help of his classmate Gao Li, Mo Qi joined a public lecture group where Xiang Wansi was also a member. He didn’t know which account belonged to her, so Mo Qi changed his WeChat profile picture to his own and sent a thank-you message to Xiang Wansi for helping him out in class. Sure enough, by evening, Xiang Wansi had proactively added him as a friend.
Xiang Zhuo responded, “Isn’t she the goddess in the hearts of guys at our school? Why would she add you proactively?”
Liao Ruxue wasn’t surprised. He looked Mo Qi up and down and commented, “I think it’s possible. Since yesterday, Mo Qi has had this charming aura about him that’s quite captivating.”
“Charisma points? Is that your attribute skill?” Xiang Zhuo immediately realized, still smart even without being mesmerized.
“It seems so. How does this plan sound?” Mo Qi clicked ‘accept’, becoming WeChat friends with Xiang Wansi.
“That’s a convincing reason,” Xiang Zhuo chuckled, stepping forward to pat Mo Qi’s shoulder lightly. “In that case, Xiang Wansi is yours to handle. Let’s split up.”
With that said, Xiang Zhuo turned and headed towards the bathroom, only to bump straight into the wall next to the bathroom door.
He rubbed his nose and felt along the wall with one hand, eventually finding the door by touch.
Mo Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. Had Xiang Zhuo planted some tracking device on him when he patted his shoulder just now? Was the side effect not being able to see clearly or some visual confusion?
Liao Ruxue glanced at the bathroom door and chuckled lightly. “Your companion isn’t honest, and neither are you. I know what you’re trying to do with us. If you need me to stop it, just say the word.”
Mo Qi smiled back. “President, you’ll do as I wish because you have your own agenda too. It’s mutual benefit, isn’t it?”
“Whether it’s mutual benefit or a sole victory in the end, it’s each to their own abilities,” Liao Ruxue replied, producing a key and handing it to Mo Qi. “It’s the key to the exhibition hall door. There’s also a brief introduction to the works Xiang Wansi needs to familiarize herself with today. It’s all yours.”
“Thank you,” Mo Qi accepted the key.
At seven in the morning, Mo Qi left the Ideological and Political Education Building. Outside, a thick fog covered the campus under a dark and overcast sky. The sun was obscured by dark clouds, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the entire campus.
On his way, Mo Qi stumbled over a stone. He crouched down, relieved to find no grass or plants around the stone before sighing and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.
Mo Qi wasn’t sure if he was being overly cautious, but the campus this morning made him uneasy. It felt as though even the wind carried tiny grains of sand that stung his face uncomfortably.
Mo Qi had arranged to rehearse with Xiang Wansi in the exhibition hall at nine in the morning, but with time to spare, he decided to grab breakfast at the cafeteria. “Man shall not live by mission alone,” he thought, regardless of how difficult the task or dangerous the game might be; he needed to eat to sustain himself.
This time, he went to a different counter where an elderly man was serving. The man glanced at him and casually added an extra steamed bun and egg to Mo Qi’s tray. Mo Qi thanked him politely.
He noticed the elderly man’s movements were somewhat stiff, and his gaze seemed vacant.
Mo Qi remained vigilant after making this observation, but nothing happened until he finished his meal. Quickly leaving the cafeteria, he headed to the adjacent supermarket where he purchased some bread, compressed biscuits, and water. He also picked out the cheapest backpack available and packed the food and water inside.
Feeling uneasy in the campus environment this morning, Mo Qi decided it was prudent to prepare some emergency supplies.
At 8 AM, there was no one else in the exhibition hall. Mo Qi opened the door and entered alone, boldly approaching the painting.
Considering the possibility that Xiang Zhuo might have placed some surveillance device on him, Mo Qi remained silent and silently observed the painting instead.
Taking a risk, he decided to use his “mesmerize” ability on the figures in the painting to see if they would react or change in any way.
Mo Qi wondered if it was an illusion, feeling a mist forming around him. He couldn’t discern where this mist originated from—it seemed to drift in from outside the window and perhaps even emanate from within the painting.
The mist obscured his vision, and through it, Mo Qi seemed to see Xiang Zhuo and Liao Ruxue. They were walking together peacefully when Xiang Zhuo suddenly halted, groping around in the air as if blinded, and asked Liao Ruxue, “Is it foggy now? Why is everything so hazy before my eyes?”
Mo Qi miraculously “heard” Xiang Zhuo’s voice, not with his ears but directly resonating in his mind.
Suddenly, mist surged into Mo Qi’s eyes, causing discomfort as he blinked. A transparent contact lens fell out of his eye.
Mo Qi had excellent vision and never wore contact lenses. How did this thing get into his eye?
In the midst of his confusion, the contact lens transformed into a card, with a line of text written below it.
[Invisibility Lens: R-grade equipment card. As the name suggests, it’s an invisible lens that can silently enter an opponent’s eye through physical contact. The Invisibility Lens connects the vision and hearing of the user with another person’s, allowing perfect surveillance. The downside is that due to the shared vision, the user may occasionally confuse what they see as their own or what the other person sees. Usage: One time; Duration: 12 hours.]
No wonder Xiang Zhuo bumped into the wall after patting Mo Qi’s shoulder—it was due to the negative effect of the visual connection. These equipment cards in the game are indeed quite intriguing.
However, what Mo Qi had seen of Xiang Zhuo in the mist was likely a result of the reversed visual connection. The equipment card description didn’t mention the possibility of a reversed connection, indicating that the mist might have been aiding him.
Since the Invisibility Lens is a one-time use item, it deactivated as soon as Mo Qi discovered it. The card remained in Mo Qi’s hand for only a moment, disappearing after he finished reading its description.
“Did you help me break Xiang Zhuo’s surveillance?” Mo Qi asked the figure in the painting, lifting his head.
He had already used the mesmerize ability, but the figure in the painting did not turn around. Instead, Mo Qi received a sharp warning from the game.
His phone emitted a shrill “beep beep” sound, and Mo Qi opened the game.
[Warning! Warning! The “Mesmerize” skill only affects individuals with an affinity value lower than the player’s attribute value. Do not attempt to provoke entities with significantly higher levels, as it may result in backfire!]
So, the skill had this limitation. In other words, his affinity value was 100, meaning it had a greater effect on those with lower affinity values, but it was harder to control those with higher values. If the other person’s affinity value exceeded 100, the skill could even rebound on him.
“I couldn’t use the ‘Mesmerize’ skill on you. Why did you turn around yesterday? Wasn’t it because of the charismatic aura?” Mo Qi asked the figure in the painting.
The figure remained facing away from him but gently raised a hand, pointing towards the lake depicted in the painting.
Mo Qi, without much thought, reached out towards the painting. Enveloped in mist, his hand actually entered the painting, and his palm was enveloped by the cold lake water. He groped around in the water and grabbed something, pulling his hand back to find a pair of sunglasses dripping with water.
Mo Qi wiped the water off the sunglasses with his sleeve, and they transformed into a card.
[Charm Sunglasses: SR-grade equipment card. Congratulations to the player for finding an unexpected surprise scattered within the game. Equipment card can be equipped on the player indefinitely, enhancing a specific skill. Wearing the Charm Sunglasses increases the player’s affinity value by 20% and allows them to read the affinity values of others, thereby determining whether to use skills. Negative Effect: While these sunglasses enhance affinity values, excessive affinity can lead to those around the player feeling disgust. Simply wearing these glasses, even birds on the street will hate you and wish. understood correctly]
After reading the equipment card description, Mo Qi raised a question: “Can the negative effects of this equipment card be canceled out by my ‘Fan Favorite Aura’?”
The figure in the painting remained unresponsive, but Mo Qi felt confident that he had guessed correctly.
“So in this game, as long as you find the right cards, the negative effects between cards can cancel each other out?” Mo Qi asked.
The mist swirling around him suddenly returned to the painting. As the mist enveloped the figure in the painting, Mo Qi saw the person tilt their head slightly, the curve of their lips suggesting a smile.
In that brief moment, the mist completely surrounded the figure in the painting, and Mo Qi could no longer see their face.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Mo Qi said.
He looked at the card, and suddenly a line of text appeared before his eyes: “Add to card collection?”
With a thought, the card disappeared from his hand. He flipped through his phone and sure enough, there was now a card collection in the game, and the Charm Sunglasses lay prominently inside.
Mo Qi thought, “I want to use the Charm Sunglasses.” At that moment, the card reappeared in his hand and, in accordance with Mo Qi’s thoughts, transformed back into the form of sunglasses.
After several attempts, Mo Qi finally understood how other players used item cards. He put on the sunglasses and walked out of the exhibition hall. Spotting a student passing by, he approached and asked, “Hello, could you lend me ten yuan?”
With Mo Qi’s charismatic aura, the student would normally agree, but this time, the student just coldly replied, “I didn’t bring any money.”
Neither disdain nor affection, just indifference towards strangers.
When the student lifted their face, Mo Qi saw a line of text appear on the sunglasses: “Affinity value 16.”
So, this was the student’s affinity value. Mo Qi hadn’t expected that even they would have such a numerical value for affinity. Realizing he shouldn’t assume everyone he met was a player, he carefully observed several other passing students. The sunglasses displayed numbers like 15, 17, 12, indicating the affinity values of each. Most students had affinity values around 20.
Even plants and animals had affinity values. Mo Qi spotted a tabby cat darting through the bushes, its affinity value surprisingly high at 63—higher than most students.
Ordinary grass had relatively low affinity values, usually hovering between 5 and 10. Some beautiful flowers could reach affinity values of 30 to 40.
It seemed that affinity values for non-players were categorized based on general levels of human fondness.
Mo Qi stood in front of the exhibition hall door, engrossed in observing everyone’s affinity values, when suddenly the sunglasses displayed a high number: 87.
“Mo Qi?” Xiang Wansi appeared beside the exhibition hall door, wearing a pure white dress. She remarked to Mo Qi, “You look different with those sunglasses on compared to yesterday.”
With such a high affinity value displayed, Mo Qi took off the sunglasses and politely smiled at Xiang Wansi, “We agreed to meet at nine, and you’re half an hour early.”
“I’m used to arriving early,” Xiang Wansi said amiably, extending her hand to Mo Qi.
Mo Qi shook her hand as the campus wind gently lifted Xiang Wansi’s long hair, making her look as beautiful as a painting.