Chapter 33

Lu Fengfeng blinked, extending his hand from the sleeping bag to gently stroke her cheek. He brushed the stray hair that the wind had blown onto her face behind her ear, in a good mood, and warmly said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Yan Ning smiled.

She was a bit surprised inside. She had just crawled into her sleeping bag, trying to be light on her hands and feet, yet she still woke him up. But he seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

Lu Fengfeng sat up, leaning against the soft padding of the sleeping bag. Everyone else was still asleep, except for Meng Qing, who was awake and adding firewood to the campfire.

When Meng Qing saw him, his expression subtly changed, and he stiffly nodded in his direction.

Lu Fengfeng sensed that the other person’s attitude was a little strange, but he didn’t think too much about it and politely nodded back.

Yan Ning took off her top and snuggled back into her sleeping bag. She gently grabbed one of Lu Fengfeng’s hands, still half-asleep, and murmured, “I want to nap for another half hour, remember to wake me up.”

Her hand pulled him into the sleeping bag, and all he felt was the soft pressure through the fabric, leaving him momentarily stunned. He lowered his head to look at her, her breath was steady, and she had already fallen back asleep.

Lu Fengfeng lifted his head and looked at Meng Qing. Meng Qing noticed his gaze and hurriedly lowered his head to avoid it.

“…” Lu Fengfeng didn’t know how to describe his current feelings. It was a bit awkward, a bit of a headache, and also secretly joyful.

This girl really had no guard up against him at all, naturally clinging to him in a way that made him feel both awkward and strangely pained in his chest. He didn’t know why he felt this way.

—

At the Shengyi Golden Building, the live broadcast area on the first floor.

It was nearly six o’clock in the morning, and one by one, people started waking up. They returned their eye masks, pillows, and blankets and sleepily walked out of the live broadcast area, preparing to go home.

They were grumbling, “What kind of night broadcast is this? It’s such a scam!”

At midnight, the friends who woke up looked at him in surprise, then broke into mischievous smiles. “Ah, you didn’t see it? Last night was so exciting! In the Number one main perspective zone, wow, that girl named Ningning was amazing!”

“Eh? What happened in the Number one main perspective zone?” He was in the Number three main perspective zone.

In Zone 3, Lili, who had been tearfully lying beside the wooden stake, had fallen asleep. Shengyi kindly provided pillows and blankets, so they all fell asleep, having a peaceful, dreamless night until dawn.

The friend’s eyes held mystery as he grinned and teased, “Last night, maybe only the Number one perspective viewers saw it. She single-handedly cleared the star-patterned spider dungeon, and everyone else just followed her and got the win.”

“What did she do exactly?”

“Heh, you should’ve watched the Number one perspective with me. But you didn’t, and went to the Number three perspective instead. Now you regret it, huh?”

In the Number one Yan Ning main perspective zone:

Rose had bought tickets for the day session early again, still for these four seats.

Last night, it seemed like their zone was the most exciting. Other main perspective zones were quiet since the streamers were asleep. After midnight, it felt like everyone was sleeping in an internet cafe.

Only Yan Ning’s main perspective zone and the all-view perspective were still active.

So, early in the morning, the viewers from other zones grumbled as they left, saying they had watched a lonely night. Meanwhile, the ones who woke up in the middle of the night and watched the intense battle smiled, like they had discovered a hidden treasure.

Rose bought her ticket and quietly went to the bathroom to freshen up, then reapplied her makeup before returning to her seat. “Why do you think Ningning wanted the guide to keep it a secret? If I did something that big, I’d be shouting it from the rooftops, wanting the whole world to know.”

Chui Ge stroked his chin, seeing that Yan Ning had curled back into her sleeping bag and was asleep. He squinted, feeling bored. “Not sure, but players as strong as her are rare. She managed to take out an entire area of monsters on her own. Can’t believe it. I have to sleep for a bit too, wake me when she’s up.”

Chang Ye: “This Number one is really impressive. In real-life dungeons, you can’t refill health or mana, and she cleared it purely with stamina and skill. She made it look so effortless. It’s going to get more interesting later. No, I better sleep now while she’s resting.”

Rose noticed Meow Meow take off the eye mask and look at them in confusion. She patted him and said, “Let’s sleep for a bit. When Ningning wakes up, remember to call us. As soon as she wakes up, call us immediately.”

“You guys bought tickets again? Why are you all so tired? Didn’t you sleep at all last night?” Meow Meow was completely confused. It felt like just one night had separated them, as if something had happened.

But the uncles and aunts were all curled up in their blankets, asleep, and no one could answer his questions.

—

On the island.

Lu Fengfeng remained in the position he had been in when he first woke up, allowing Yan Ning to hold his hand and sleep. This scene had lasted for an hour.

It was now just past seven o’clock in the morning, and the others were gradually waking up. After freshening up, they gathered around the campfire.

Shu Yue occasionally glanced over at them, clearly displeased. “How long is she going to sleep? When is she going to wake up?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s so lazy. It’s already seven o’clock, and she’s still not up, making everyone wait for her.” Qin Li, chewing on half a compressed biscuit, could only whisper complaints while Yan Ning was still asleep.

Meng Qing, holding a cup of water, heard these complaints and felt a little guilty. He softly said, “She might just be really tired. Let her rest a little longer.”

Yan Wan glanced at Meng Qing, feeling a little uncomfortable. Meng Qing was in the same class as her, and their relationship was generally okay.

Whenever he saw her, he often lowered his head and didn’t dare to speak. She knew why, but had always pretended not to notice.

In the past, she hadn’t thought much about it, but when Meng Qing spoke with Yan Ning, she couldn’t help but say, “It’s not like she’s the only one who’s tired. We were all exhausted yesterday, and we woke up early. I understand that girls can be a bit delicate, but making everyone wait for just her is a little much, don’t you think?”

She tried to choose her words carefully, making it seem like Yan Ning was unreasonable, delicate, and selfish.

Zhao Mingcheng, wearing a paper-box headgear, glanced over to check that Yan Ning was deeply asleep and couldn’t hear. Then, lowering his voice, he said, “If you want to leave, just go. You don’t have to stick with them. There’s no rule saying that the six of us have to move together when we enter the island.”

Although he was afraid of Yan Ning, and last night when he heard she went out, he was scared of being discovered, so he didn’t even dare to get up and follow her to see.

But he could hear the sounds of blood, flesh, tearing, and ripping from the forest all night long. Knowing her as he did, he realized she had gone off on her own again.

She didn’t return until just before dawn, her body still smelling of sticky blood.

These people were able to sleep soundly through the night, all thanks to her quietly clearing away the obstacles. They were quick to make snide remarks, yet didn’t hesitate to complain when it was their turn. He couldn’t help but speak up.

“Eh? You can talk?” Qin Li leaned in, curiously looking at Zhao Mingcheng.

Zhao Mingcheng had been wearing a headgear and usually didn’t speak, often curling up in a corner, keeping to himself. He thought this odd person was mute, but to his surprise, not only did Zhao Mingcheng speak, his first words were in defense of Yan Ning.

Unable to tolerate Qin Li’s curiosity, Zhao Mingcheng shifted to the side. “I’m just not used to talking.”

Yan Wan heard Zhao Mingcheng’s voice and her expression turned slightly strange. His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had heard it before.

Meng Qing heard what he said and gave a small, faint smile. “Number Six is right. You all can head out on your own.”

“What about you? Aren’t you coming with us as the guide?” Shu Yue could sense Meng Qing’s favoritism toward Yan Ning, and her tone became aggressive.

Meng Qing showed his communicator. “Sorry, but since Number One saved me yesterday, I’m actually her exclusive guide. Whether or not I go with you depends entirely on her.”

The communicator of a real-life NPC was different from others. At the bottom of the basic information, there was a field called “Affiliated Faction.” At that moment, Meng Qing’s field showed “Number One Ningning’s Exclusive Servant.”

However, Meng Qing kept something hidden—the master-servant relationship had only changed because Yan Ning had solved the Star-patterned Spider and cleared the first dungeon.

Yan Ning wanted him to keep last night’s events a secret, so he stayed silent and used yesterday as the reason.

The others stared at the information on the basic details, speechless.

Only Yan Wan, with her fists clenched, felt pain as her nails dug into her palms. She could barely control her jealousy.

She felt like Yan Ning had taken something from her—Meng Qing, who she thought should like her, was now Yan Ning’s exclusive servant. Why did she get to have him?

Even if it was just in the game, it made her feel extremely displeased.

Yan Ning stirred, slowly opening her eyes, feeling a bit confused. Why was there a hand in her arms?

She looked up and realized she had been holding onto Lu Fengfeng’s hand the whole time. Quickly letting go, she sat up and awkwardly smiled. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Lu Fengfeng said, his lips curving into a smile, his eyes full of indulgence, showing no signs of impatience.

“How long have I been asleep? Why didn’t you wake me up?” Yan Ning scratched her head, pulling her jacket from the sleeping bag and putting it on, then quickly getting to her feet.

“I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I figured waiting a bit wouldn’t hurt,” Lu Fengfeng said as he got up as well.

Although they hadn’t discussed it, they worked in perfect sync—Yan Ning packed up the sleeping bags while Lu Fengfeng prepared breakfast.

After breakfast, Lu Fengfeng took out a first-aid kit to change her bandages.

Yan Ning extended her right hand, noticing that the bandage had somehow disappeared, and there were some new injuries.

Lu Fengfeng glanced at her, as if wanting to say something, but he hesitated.

In the end, he said nothing, simply re-applied the medicine and re-wrapped her hand. “Alright, don’t let it touch water for the next few days. If anything happens, leave it to me. Also, don’t use your right hand too much, if you keep overusing it, it won’t heal properly.”

“Okay,” Yan Ning raised her hand and obediently responded.

Injuries were a regular occurrence for her, so she didn’t think much of it. But hearing Lu Fengfeng’s words made her unexpectedly nostalgic, as others had once said the same to her.

However, she quickly shook off that brief, somewhat weak feeling, and regaining her composure, said, “Let’s go. Who knows what we’ll encounter in the next dungeon? I can’t wait.”

—

Today was a bright, sunny day with clear skies.

The sunlight bathed the island, the scenery along the way was beautiful, giving it a spring outing vibe.

They came across a small stream, caught some fresh fish to roast, and after replenishing their drinking water, they continued on their journey.

By noon, they suddenly encountered a sea of blue-purple flowers.

It was hard to say what kind of flowers they were, as the vast expanse stretched out as far as the eye could see.

The entire flower field was bathed in blue and purple, both enchanting and alluring. It was as if even the clouds at the horizon had been dyed the same color, and the air was thick with the fragrance of flowers.

Qin Li saw the flower field and ran toward it, weaving through the blooms. Turning back, he shouted, “Come quick! This is too beautiful!”

He was as excited as a young girl.

Shu Yue turned around, looking at Lu Fengfeng with eager eyes. “Fengfeng, let’s go take a look together?”

Lu Fengfeng smiled but didn’t speak. Instead, he turned and grabbed Yan Ning’s hand, cautioning her, “Yan Ning, make sure you hold onto me tightly. Don’t get separated. This flower field… it feels a bit ominous.”

Shu Yue, feeling frustrated, walked into the flower field alone. Yan Ning, Yan Ning, Yan Ning—his eyes were only on her!

What was so good about her?

She wasn’t particularly pretty, didn’t know how to act cute, and was so delicate. She even had a reputation for being a bit dim-witted at school.

She relied on him for everything, but after watching her for two days, there was nothing particularly special about her. What did Lu Fengfeng like about her?

Yan Ning was being led by Lu Fengfeng, step by step into the flower field. Unable to hold back, Yan Ning rolled her eyes, casually choosing a direction and walking into the field.

Zhao Mingcheng wasn’t interested in the flowers and plants, but unfortunately, everyone else seemed to be acting like young girls, running off and disappearing.

He shook his head and followed behind Yan Ning. No matter the situation, following her was always the right choice.

Meng Qing’s gaze also landed on Yan Ning. Suppressing the bitterness that surged within him, he took a step forward and walked into the flower field.

Lu Fengfeng walked ahead, gently brushing aside the branches that blocked Yan Ning’s path, occasionally turning his head to check on her.

At first, Yan Ning felt that he was being overly cautious, treating her like a child, holding her hand so tightly. How could she possibly get lost?

But the further they walked into the field, the heavier her steps felt.

Yan Ning gradually sensed that something was wrong. She lowered her head, trying to figure out what was on the ground, but when she raised her head again, she found that Lu Fengfeng was gone.

The hand she had been holding tightly now only held a blue-purple flower branch.

Yan Ning turned around, but there wasn’t a single person in sight.

A sense of unease started to creep up in her heart, and she shouted loudly, “Fengfeng! Fengfeng!”

No one answered.

“Stop shouting. He can’t hear you.” Meng Qing walked out from behind the flowers where Yan Ning had been standing.

Yan Ning turned around and saw him, her heart finally easing a little. “Are you alright?”

“Since I’m just an NPC, I’m not affected by the instance. But you, are you okay?” Meng Qing looked Yan Ning up and down, his eyes filled with surprise.

“Instance? Do you know what kind of instance this is? And where did Fengfeng and the others go?”

After realizing it was an instance, Yan Ning felt much calmer.

If it was part of the game’s setting, there must be a way to break it. Lu Fengfeng wouldn’t be in any danger.

As the guide, Meng Qing naturally knew some insider information. “This is the Hallucinatory Flower Sea. People who get too close to the flowers will be confused by the scent, causing them to fall into a deep sleep, trapped in a dreamlike world, unable to wake up. But…”

Why aren’t you affected?

—

Underground maintenance room.

Tang Chengtian watched as Yan Ning faced off against Meng Qing in the flower sea, then called over Gu Han. “What’s going on? Why is Number One still awake?”

The other contestants in different areas had all fallen unconscious from inhaling the flower’s fragrance. Why is this Number One so different?

Last night, she single-handedly destroyed the Starweb Spider nest, and today, she enters the Hallucinatory Flower Sea without being affected.

Gu Han scratched his head, recalling what Gu Tian had once said, and explained, “There are two possibilities. First, she has a pure heart and no deep attachments, so she’s not affected by the Hallucinatory Flower Sea. Or second, she has special abilities, and the Flower Sea can’t control her.”

“Special abilities? What do you mean by that?”

The design of the Hallucinatory Flower Sea targets a person’s inner shadows. If someone has an attachment they can’t let go of, they will lose themselves in the Flower Sea, trapped in an endless cycle of dreams.

The nature of the dream they fall into depends on their attachment— it could be a nightmare, or it could be a beautiful dream.

Tang Chengtian, as a successful businessman, believed he understood human nature well.

There are few people who don’t have some hidden, dirty, and unspeakable attachment in their hearts, so he directly dismissed the first possibility and considered the possibility that Yan Ning had special abilities.

Gu Han remembered the two penguins in the commentary section and bluntly said, “Number One might come from the same place as Sese and Tutu.”

“That’s actually a good idea. But the Hallucinatory Flower Sea instance was personally tested by Sese and Tutu, and they weren’t able to stay completely awake inside. It took them a whole day and night to stumble out.”

This meant that the difficulty of the Hallucinatory Flower Sea instance had been tested by the aliens, and there was no issue with it.

“Then it can only be said that Number One is more powerful than both of them.”

What surprised Gu Han even more was that Tang Chengtian so readily admitted Sese and Tutu’s identities.

He hadn’t known that the company had aliens until last time when Yan Ning asked for a 3D projection image. He saw Tutu while working overtime, and that was when he began to suspect.

—

【Sese: Good afternoon, everyone. Just woke up from a nap and caught the Hallucinatory Flower Sea instance. I really know how to time things perfectly~】

【Tutu: Good afternoon. It seems that five out of the six internal testers have fallen into an illusory dream because of their attachments. Number One! It’s you again! Why haven’t you collapsed yet?】

【Sese: Number One truly deserves the title of the most unpredictable player. I’m sure the audience in other perspectives is bored right now, so why don’t we take a look at what Number One is doing?】

All the main view sections were switched to the main perspective of Number One, Ningning.

In the footage, Ningning cleared a patch of ground in the center of the flower sea and moved all the people who had fainted from various places onto the cleared space.

【Tutu: It’s clear that Number One is particularly relaxed right now, with the time and energy to neatly arrange everyone.】

【Sese: But why hasn’t she fallen unconscious? Doesn’t she have something in her heart that she desires but hasn’t obtained? Isn’t there a past she wants to change? Isn’t there someone she feels regretful or guilty about and doesn’t dare to face?】

【Tutu: Maybe she’s just too stupid.】

Meng Qing sat next to the empty space, looking at the neatly arranged row of people, gradually giving up on thinking.

Ningning had him sit there in case anyone woke up. She, on the other hand, kept going back and forth, carrying the unconscious people one by one to the clearing.

When he saw Ningning effortlessly lift Lu Fengfeng, who was much taller and heavier than her, he decided to stop thinking altogether.

At this moment, Ningning returned with the last person, the one who had never shown his face—the man with the headpiece. He was even larger than Lu Fengfeng, with a more muscular build.

But Ningning carried him on her shoulder as if he were a sack, even jogging lightly as she did so.

Meng Qing: “…”

“Thud—” Something fell to the ground, and Ningning turned back.

She saw the face mask on the ground, squatted down to pick it up, and continued walking back.

Meng Qing: “…”

【Sese: Oh no, Number Six Chengcheng’s face mask fell off. I wonder what kind of face is hidden underneath it?】

【Tutu: I’m more curious about Number One’s reaction when she sees Number Six’s true face.】

Ningning put Zhao Mingcheng down, and when she looked up and saw his face, her expression froze, her eyes showing confusion.

Meng Qing noticed her expression and moved closer to her. “What’s wrong?”

His gaze fell on Zhao Mingcheng’s face. Even though his eyes were closed, it didn’t diminish his handsome appearance at all.

Meng Qing also recognized him as the student from another school who insisted on signing up. He hadn’t seen him in the competition and had thought he was eliminated in the initial selection, but it turned out he passed the test at the Shengyi headquarters.

But why was he wearing a face mask?

Ningning reached out and patted Zhao Mingcheng’s face. “Is he dead?”

“Huh? He should have just fallen into a deep sleep,” Meng Qing said, noticing that Ningning’s face looked a bit frightening.

“Is that so? Do you know of any way to wake them up?”

Ningning patted Zhao Mingcheng’s face twice more before moving to Lu Fengfeng’s side. She lifted his head and placed it on her thigh, gently cradling him.

He had his eyes closed, his brows furrowed tightly, looking as if he were trapped in a nightmare.

“As long as you destroy the flower sea, they will wake up,” Meng Qing half-lowered his eyelids, hiding his expression, and said softly. “Most of this flower sea is an illusion, with only one real place. As long as you find it and destroy it, the illusion will vanish.”

However, finding that one real place was not easy.

Ningning pondered Meng Qing’s words. To destroy the only real part of the flower sea meant that there was a core inside the flower sea.

If she destroyed the core, the entire flower sea would be destroyed. The important thing was finding the location of this core.

Ningning’s gaze landed on Lu Fengfeng’s face. What kind of obsession had he fallen into?

Although her mental strength was only at the C rank right now, just diving in for a look shouldn’t be a problem, and it was possible she could find the core of the flower sea.

The flower sea made people fall into a coma through illusions, and there were two possibilities: one was that it directly used the person’s flesh and blood as nourishment, and the other was that it used the emotional obsession to nourish itself.

It seems that using the first scenario in the game would be difficult to resolve. Based on her limited gaming experience, Yan Ning judged that this flower sea likely nourished itself by trapping people in obsessive emotions.

If that’s the case, the true form of the flower sea must appear in the dreams of those who are asleep.

Yan Ning held Lu Fengfeng and secretly encouraged herself to sleep. She absolutely wasn’t diving into his consciousness because she wanted to understand the past that had trapped him in his obsession, but rather, it was to save people.

Yes, her purpose was noble and upright.

Just as Yan Ning was thinking this, her vision suddenly went dark, and she lost consciousness.

At this moment, she developed an obsession with someone.

—

Yan Ning woke up in complete darkness, realizing she was in a cold, desolate place.

She wasn’t sure whether this was Lu Fengfeng’s dream or not, but she felt a chill all over her body and could see nothing.

She rubbed her arms, trying to find a way out.

Suddenly, the sound of chains clinking echoed in the darkness, and the surroundings gradually grew brighter.

It wasn’t a bright, blinding light like daylight, instead, it was more like the cold, pale light of the moon casually spilling over a damp, chilly place, casting a faint and blurred glow.

Yan Ning vaguely saw a slender black figure, its limbs bound by chains, sitting in an empty corner. The figure was so thin that its bones stood out.

In an instant, she knew exactly where she was.