Chapter 64: Orphan Resentment (Part 24)

“What… what are they trying to do?” Huang Junfeng clutched his hair in frustration. The game was becoming weirder and weirder.

“Is this part of the game design? Or do these NPCs have consciousness and intentions? Are they simply living within the framework of the instance’s basic rules?” Zhang Yangfeng was similarly bewildered.

The NPCs in his previous two instances had felt more like pawns. They only reacted when certain conditions were met. But it was different here. First, Qu Muxi nearly gained awareness. Now, these dolls had acted against the foundational rules by attacking on their own. None of it added up. Additionally, the dolls even felt threatened by Shen Qingqiu. What did it all mean?

“And there’s another thing. When Qu Muxi and those eight children were being repaired, it was like a computer program automatically debugging itself. Downloading files, patching… doesn’t that make you wonder? What if this so-called game world isn’t some supernatural dimension but a fully programmed simulation?” Zhang Yangfeng had been contemplating this since that incident. He couldn’t keep it in anymore.

No one responded. The silence conveyed their thoughts louder than any words.

As a programmer, Xiao Muyu had considered this possibility the moment she entered the game. Yet the idea seemed too far-fetched.

Not that creating a whole and bizarre world was impossible. But players were real, living, and breathing humans. Who possessed the ability to pull millions of unrelated individuals from all corners of the world into this system and have game monsters slaughter them?

It was simply madness and utterly inhumane. And something like this couldn’t be the work of one person. Xiao Muyu couldn’t imagine such an organization existed in the real world. How could the government, society, or anyone ignore it if it did?

“But that’s too absurd! We did experience an accident. I remember everything vividly. From what the system told us, we can come back to life if we clear the entire game. But how could a program achieve something like that? Even with today’s technology being leaps and bounds ahead, reversing death is impossible.

“And let’s say that resurrection is possible. Why would they go to such lengths? What’s the point of designing a simulation and making us experience hell just to bring us back to life? What’s in it for them?”

Huang Junfeng couldn’t comprehend the theory, much less accept it.

“That’s true. But the fact that we’re here at all is already beyond reason. Nothing is truly impossible. For now, we’re still in the instance. We can’t let vague speculations derail our progress. Once we’re out, we can think it through.”

Her mind, however, was clear. She had kept track from the moment she inexplicably found herself here to the strange sense of déjà vu lingering in her heart. Surviving the game wasn’t just about staying alive. It was about finding answers.

Xiao Muyu glanced at her interface. She noted that time had passed much faster than she thought.

“One hour left for our question,” she reminded Yang Rui, then glanced at the closed door behind them.

It was getting dark outside.

“Everyone head back and rest for now. We’ve solved the issue with the dolls. The previous game should be over. But there’s still a full day and night ahead. We don’t know what’s coming. Let’s conserve our energy.”

Xiao Muyu looked at the people around her and sighed inwardly. Out of eight players, only five were left. Survival required not just luck but also strength.

“By the way, which dolls were you all matched with?” Huang Junfeng asked. Curiosity got the better of his lingering fear.

Shen Qingqiu frowned, recalling the doll that always seemed to watch her. She replied coolly, “Little Two.”

Yang Rui nodded. Shen Qingqiu’s answer confirmed her guess.

Shen Qingqiu’s corresponding doll had been painfully obvious. Little Two couldn’t stop focusing on her, especially when Little Five broke Shen Qingqiu’s right arm. The other dolls had been fearful when Shen Qingqiu retaliated, while Little Two seemed satisfied. Big Xiao Mei’s wish required a replacement with exceptional combat prowess, which explained Little Two’s fixation on Shen Qingqiu’s shining moments.

“That makes sense.” The revelation didn’t surprise Huang Junfeng.

“There’s another detail you guys probably noticed. Little Two has the most intricate hairstyle. The girls’ dolls all had altered hairstyles. It’s normal for little girls to braid their dolls’ hair. So, Yang Rui, yours is Little Eight, right? The most obvious clue is the bow on its braid.” Xiao Muyu glanced at Yang Rui.

“Yeah, I figured it out early on. My doll’s clues were pretty straightforward.”

Little Xiao Mei loved pretty things. All the tied parts of her clothing had bows. There was even a bow above the clothes in her locker.

“And the unique detailing on Little Two’s plaits was done by skilled hands. These children are all quite young. The girls around six or seven years old would find it difficult to create such meticulous hairstyles. Big Xiao Mei is the oldest at thirteen, but she hurt her hand. It’d be even harder for her to manage. So, someone else helped her with it. Someone who wouldn’t stir jealousy among the other children. I think it was Qu Muxi.”

Xiao Muyu’s explanation wasn’t direct evidence. It couldn’t confirm anything, either. But it pointed her in the right direction. Hence, she had been observing Little Two from the start and noticed its unusual attention toward Shen Qingqiu. So she wrote “2” on Shen Qingqiu’s palm just before the game began.

Shen Qingqiu must have noticed the signs before that, too.

“I remember Xiao Yan wished to grow up tall and strong. Admittedly, I identified my doll through a process of elimination. It was a gamble. I knew Ah Rui’s doll. Little Two matched Miss Shen. Little Five matched Jia Wenlong. As for Little Five, it enthusiastically greeted everyone the moment we entered. It seemed keener on showcasing its sociability and conversational skills rather than trying to scare us. My guess is it corresponds to you, Huang Junfeng.

“And I had to hazard a guess for Little One based on its lips. It didn’t have any obvious traits that matched Xiao Yan or me. Additionally, we saw the dolls circling Miss Xiao in the first round. If you looked closely, you’d notice most of them floated without touching the floor—except Little Three. So, I surmised it matched Hou Liang. Finally, it came down to Little Four and Little One. Little Four is slightly taller than the others. This difference became more noticeable when they grew larger.”

Zhang Yangfeng lowered his head a little after he finished. His expression grew heavy, his eyes reflecting inner struggle. After that pause, he said quietly, “I didn’t dare to warn anyone. If I’d revealed Hou Liang’s corresponding doll was Little Three, he and Liu Pei wouldn’t have made the wrong choice.”

The two had fallen because they couldn’t figure out the connection between Little Three, Little One, and Little Four.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but glance at Zhang Yangfeng after hearing him out. This man had extraordinary meticulousness. While others struggled to figure out their counterparts, he had considered everyone’s. Truthfully, Little Four and Little One were highly misleading. Three people would have died if he hadn’t deduced the connections between the dolls and everyone else.

Huang Junfeng looked at him dumbfoundedly, muttering, “Bro, you’re incredible.”

He had also been scared out of his wits earlier. However, the only reasoning he could rely on when forced to choose was Little Five’s chatterbox tendencies.

Xiao Muyu already had her suspicions as well. Aside from not witnessing Little Three’s behavior in the game, she was clear about the rest.

“Curiosity satisfied. Let’s head back,” Xiao Muyu said as she started toward her room before glancing back at Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu looked strikingly cool right then. The jacket tied around her waist secured her right arm, leaving only her left one free. Her long hair was slightly disheveled from her stunt earlier. It lent her a wild, untamed aura—like a thorny rose.

She followed Xiao Muyu unhurriedly, tossing a “Good luck” to Yang Rui without looking back.

The words lacked sincerity and sounded more like teasing. Yang Rui was speechless.

“Ah Rui, your question?” Zhang Yangfeng sounded concerned.

Yang Rui took a deep breath. She gave him a shrug. “Wish me luck, then.” Opening her interface, she selected an answer and tapped submit with her eyes closed.

Zhang Yangfeng saw a green circle appear above her head. He clenched his fists.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu also submitted her choice casually as if ordering takeout. Xiao Muyu saw the green circle above her head after she entered their room and closed the door.

There was an inexplicable tightness in Xiao Muyu’s chest. She couldn’t help but say, “You…”

Shen Qingqiu smiled, raised a finger to her lips, and winked.

Xiao Muyu tensely stared at the top of Shen Qingqiu’s head. A large red checkmark appeared. She exhaled and realized she had been holding it in the whole time.

With a twinkle in her eye, Shen Qingqiu urged, “Alright, you can choose now.”

Xiao Muyu shot her an annoyed look before opening the interface. Her hand froze as she was about to tap the button. She turned to Shen Qingqiu, her gaze complicated. It suddenly dawned on her that Shen Qingqiu had tested the answer for her. Given their tacit understanding, Shen Qingqiu must have thought of the same culprit, so she…

Shen Qingqiu was already sitting on the edge of the bed. Her complexion didn’t look good. Weakness became evident on her face now that she had relaxed. She was only human. Ordinary people would be writhing on the floor after someone broke their arm.

Xiao Muyu couldn’t stay still. She selected her answer and walked straight to Shen Qingqiu without even checking the result above her head.

A notification popped up on all three of their interface.

[Congratulations to players Yang Rui, Shen Qingqiu, and Xiao Muyu for successfully identifying the culprits.]

As suspected, the culprits were Qu Muxi and Big Xiao Mei.

Xiao Muyu didn’t stop to read it. She bent down to untie the jacket wrapped around Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu merely turned her head to glance at Xiao Muyu. She pressed her lips tight, saying nothing.

The heat radiating from Shen Qingqiu’s body became apparent once the jacket had loosened. Xiao Muyu could feel the dampness. Sweat had soaked through her clothes. She looked up. Cold sweat beaded on Shen Qingqiu’s forehead.

A sinking feeling gripped Xiao Muyu’s heart. She carefully lifted Shen Qingqiu’s arm. Shen Qingqiu bit down on her lip, turning her head away. Her neck was taut.

“Bear with it.” Xiao Muyu’s words were tinged with a gentleness she rarely showed.

She half-kneeled in front of Shen Qingqiu, carefully examining her arm. Little Five had done a number on it. Her right forearm and upper arm had been twisted internally, already beginning to swell. It was far more serious than the previous dislocated joint.

Xiao Muyu’s fingers moved carefully along the arm, feeling for the break. She quickly found it in the form of a protruding ulna. They couldn’t fix it here, but the pain would continue torturing Shen Qingqiu if they didn’t reset it.

“Do you trust me?” Xiao Muyu suddenly asked. Her right hand had a gentle grip around Shen Qingqiu’s elbow joint.

Shen Qingqiu understood her intent. She tilted her head and smiled. “What do you think?”

Xiao Muyu looked at her impassively. “Of course, you trust me. A wily fox like you know exactly who to trust. The real question is—how do you get others to trust you?”

Shen Qingqiu laughed aloud. She lowered her gaze to Xiao Muyu, studying her features. There was no trace of the earlier weakness apart from cold sweat and a pale face.

“You wound me. Am I not worthy of your trust? And you shouldn’t describe me as wily even if I’m a fox. Sounds unpleasant.”

Xiao Muyu glanced at her hand out of the corner of her eye. Her left hand discreetly gripped Shen Qingqiu’s right wrist. She kept her eyes on Shen Qingqiu’s face. “Then how should I describe a fox like you? Seductive? Predatory?”

“Nonsense. It should be peerle—Ugh!” Xiao Muyu pressed firmly with her right hand while pulling and pushing with her left. Shen Qingqiu’s body went limp from the pain. She collapsed against Xiao Muyu with a muffled moan, her jaw trembling.

Despite her warm, sweat-soaked body, Xiao Muyu could smell no unpleasant odor. On the contrary, there was a faint fragrance, like orchids. The sound of chattering teeth softened Xiao Muyu’s heart. She gently patted Shen Qingqiu’s back and helped her sit upright.

Shen Qingqiu panted. “You hurt me.” Her voice was weak yet tinged with blame.

Her softened voice had a sweet, sultry undertone. Speaking through her breaths only made it more so. Xiao Muyu felt her ears tingling and her whole body growing uncomfortable. She muttered stiffly, “Speak properly.”

Shen Qingqiu noticed the redness creeping up Xiao Muyu’s ears. Her gaze turned teasing as she said innocently, “How am I not speaking properly? I’m telling the truth.”

Xiao Muyu ignored her. This type of break needed to be immobilized. She stood and scanned the room before returning to Shen Qingqiu. She held out her hand. “Blade.”

Shen Qingqiu narrowed her eyes briefly and handed her dagger. She then watched as Xiao Muyu dismantled part of a cabinet. She used the wooden pieces to fashion a splint for her arm. This time, Xiao Muyu firmly secured the arm in a sling so it wouldn’t move around.

Shen Qingqiu watched Xiao Muyu tending to her arm. A question came to mind. She asked curiously, “There’s something I keep forgetting to ask. You used the stopwatch to pause time when we saved Old Sang. So how was I still able to move?”

Xiao Muyu’s expression froze subtly. She gave a calm reply. “We’re teammates. What do you think?”

“So I’m right.” Shen Qingqiu just wanted to confirm her guess. That item was quite considerate.

As she muttered to herself, Xiao Muyu stood and opened the door.

“You’re going out?” Shen Qingqiu straightened up.

“I’m going to check on Old Sang,” Xiao Muyu said. She turned to Shen Qingqiu, who seemed ready to get up. “You need to rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Shen Qingqiu silently stared at her. Xiao Muyu stared back. Finally, she relented. “Fine. You can come. Might as well gather everyone for the show.”

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Author had something to say:

Xiao Shen: I may be a fox, but I’m a peerless fox.
Xiao Xiao: Stay thirsty then.
Xiao Shen: So harsh. You hurt me.
Xiao Xiao: ……
Xiao Shen declares: Who says you can’t do romance in an instance? Things are going just fine, aren’t they?