Chapter 71: Skynet World (Part 2)

As soon as they returned to the room, Shen Qingqiu gestured toward the bathroom. “You go shower first. I’ll head out to buy some food. We can discuss our next steps after we eat and get some proper rest.”

Xiao Muyu nodded. The instance had been a constant strain. They ate in fear and barely slept. The two things Shen Qingqiu mentioned were exactly what she needed.

As Shen Qingqiu was about to leave, Xiao Muyu called out to her. She opened her interface, glancing at Shen Qingqiu.

“What’s up?” Shen Qingqiu asked, puzzled.

“I’m bunking with you. I can’t let you cover everything.”

Shen Qingqiu sniggered at that. She leaned in with a smirk. “Afraid I can’t afford to take care of you?”

Xiao Muyu frowned at her without saying anything.

Shen Qingqiu stopped teasing. “As teammates, we stick together and have each other’s backs,” she said earnestly, “I don’t think a bit of points needs to be accounted for.”

Xiao Muyu lowered her gaze. “We risked our lives to earn our points,” she replied calmly, “And because we’re teammates, I can’t let you pay for everything.”

Shen Qingqiu saw that she was serious. Her lips curved. “We’re a unit. There’s no need to draw lines between us. If you need something, I’ll buy it for you. Anything I spend, I’ll let you know. And if I run out of funds, we can use yours. What do you think, Ms. Xiao?”

Xiao Muyu mulled it over, then nodded. “You’re right. We’re a team. We should be transparent about these things. Let’s set up a team account and pool our points for shared use.” She gave Shen Qingqiu a once-over before finally deciding, “I’ll manage the account. If you need some points, ask me to withdraw it.”

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, then teased, “So, you’re asking me to hand over my salary and let you manage my finances?”

There was nothing wrong with the statement itself, but the implication felt amiss. Xiao Muyu answered seriously, “I first thought giving my points to you would work, too. Not that I have issues with your character, but…” her eyes flicked to Shen Qingqiu, “you look like someone who would squander it all.”

Her tone was sincere. It wasn’t a jab at Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu laughed uncontrollably. All smiles, she said, “Do I? Fine, even if that’s true, it’s because I used to have only myself to worry about. Now that I have you, I promise to behave and not be wasteful.”

Shen Qingqiu’s words sounded more off the more Xiao Muyu listened. Finally, she chose to stay silent. Talking about anything else with Shen Qingqiu always veered in a strange direction. Also, for some reason, her brain always short-circuited when facing this woman. Less talk, less trouble.

Shen Qingqiu was all too familiar with Xiao Muyu’s current state. She liked seeing the sharp-witted Xiao Muyu frustrated in her presence. That mix of exasperation and sulkiness was irresistibly endearing.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t push her. She opened her interface to check her points.

“I have 336.5 points right now. I need to buy food and pay for a month’s rent. One month of rent costs 180 points. So, how much allowance do I get?” She leaned lazily against the table, tilting her head as she looked at Xiao Muyu.

“180 points for one month? That’s 18,000 gold coins?” Xiao Muyu sucked in a breath. Her highest earnings from a single instance were only 150 points. Staying in this hotel for a month would cost the equivalent of points from two instances. For the average player, two instances’ worth of points might not even suffice.

Shen Qingqiu nodded, unbothered.

Xiao Muyu took another deep breath and made up her mind. “Let’s not pay for a full month,” she said. “Moving out is the first thing we’ll do after waking up tomorrow.”

Inwardly, Xiao Muyu felt an overwhelming urge to facepalm. This extravagant…

Stifling a laugh, Shen Qingqiu promptly transferred her points to Xiao Muyu. She only had 50 left after that. Then, she changed her clothes and sauntered out of the room while quipping, “You just thought I’m an extravagant woman, didn’t you?”

“*Cough*…” Xiao Muyu choked, then broke into a coughing fit. She shot Shen Qingqiu a glare as the woman sashayed out the door.

Xiao Muyu only had 280 points after receiving Shen Qingqiu’s. Between the two of them, Shen Qingqiu was technically the wealthier one. Yet, she handed most of her points to Xiao Muyu so readily. Did she trust Xiao Muyu that much? Besides, hadn’t Shen Qingqiu mentioned there were other uses for points? Was she not worried Xiao Muyu might use them all?

Xiao Muyu began contemplating the situation during her shower. Skynet not only had native residents but also players. All of whom had daily living expenses. With prices this absurd, should they rely solely on earning points from instances? That seemed far too risky.

She bathed distractedly. When Xiao Muyu snapped back to reality, she realized she’d been in there longer than usual. She turned off the water, dried herself, and put on fresh clothes before stepping out.

Shen Qingqiu was already back. She had neatly arranged the food on the table. As she heard the bathroom door opening, she removed the lids from the takeout containers while speaking. “Finally. If you’d taken any longer, I was about to break the door down—”

She looked up mid-sentence. The words died in her throat when her eyes landed on Xiao Muyu.

Because she planned to rest soon, Xiao Muyu had opted for a robe. The fabric overlapped snugly at the front. Its clean and elegant teal color complemented her freshly showered appearance. It was hard to look away from her.

Shen Qingqiu’s gaze involuntarily dipped lower, glimpsing Xiao Muyu’s fair, slender lower legs. She quickly averted her eyes. “You must be hungry.” Shen Qingqiu tried to sound normal. “Come eat. I’m not too sure about your preferences. Have a look and let me know what you think.”

Xiao Muyu didn’t miss Shen Qingqiu’s momentary odd behavior. She glanced down at herself. Although a robe, the sleepwear covered everything it should. Deciding not to pursue it, she took a seat at the table.

Her gaze swept over the dishes: two mains and a soup. Her first glance at one of the dishes told her it was spicy. It had bright red chili oil and peppers. She looked at Shen Qingqiu.

“You claim not to know my preferences and ordered something this spicy. Was your plan to stop me from eating entirely?”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at the spread. A plate of Sichuan poached sliced fish, some blanched baby bok choy, and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup.

“You don’t eat spicy food?” Shen Qingqiu asked instinctively, her expression tinged with genuine surprise.

Xiao Muyu merely smiled.

Shen Qingqiu noticed Xiao Muyu frequently taking pieces of the poached sliced fish as they ate. She plucked a piece of baby bok choy and chewed slowly, eyes fixed on Xiao Muyu. “I had a feeling you’d enjoy spicy food,” said Shen Qingqiu, looking smug.

Xiao Muyu paused mid-motion. Her eyes turned complicated as she watched Shen Qingqiu not eating much of the Sichuan dish. “Are you bad with spicy food?”

Shen Qingqiu’s chopsticks faltered for a moment. She pouted, looking mildly indignant. “Who says? I’m not even afraid of ghosts. What’s a little spice gonna do to me?”

She punctuated her words by scooping several pieces of fish into her bowl. Without batting an eye, she picked one up and popped it into her mouth. “The poached sliced fish is pretty good. I figured you’d like it, so I bought some.” Immediately after, she shoveled down two bites of rice.

Xiao Muyu silently watched Shen Qingqiu eat. She noted the faint glistening in her eyes. Suddenly, she smiled. It was subtle yet undeniably heartfelt, like the morning sun piercing through a foggy forest. Hazy yet poetic, beautiful beyond imagination.

Shen Qingqiu, who had always used her beauty to captivate others, found herself on the receiving end for once. She couldn’t explain it, but seeing Xiao Muyu’s smile made her feel like a sea of flowers had bloomed.

Xiao Muyu paid no attention to Shen Qingqiu’s slightly dazed expression. Still smiling, she leaned over and moved the remaining fish from Shen Qingqiu’s bowl into her own. “There’s no shame in not being able to handle spice. Why force yourself?”

Shen Qingqiu hesitated and was about to retort. Xiao Muyu handed her a paper napkin. “You’re nearly crying.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked before quickly straightening her posture. She cleared her throat. “My eyes are just moist. I’m not crying.”

Xiao Muyu lowered her head amusedly. She suddenly didn’t feel like questioning Shen Qingqiu’s odd behavior anymore. Because she, too, was peculiar. If it had been anyone else, Xiao Muyu would never have allowed them close. But this woman… She glanced at Shen Qingqiu again.

This woman was aloof and unpredictable before others, yet showed a different side in front of Xiao Muyu. Xiao Muyu was intelligent, and she knew Shen Qingqiu was too. So why would a clever person reveal so many flaws in front of another clever person?

Xiao Muyu couldn’t figure it out. She continued eating without saying more.

Would someone unable to handle spicy food buy a dish bursting with heat and strong flavors for someone whose tastes they didn’t know? Probably not. But then again, what did it matter?

“Eat,” Xiao Muyu said, and left it at that.

Shen Qingqiu focused on her meal. She never touched the plate of poached sliced fish again.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Shen Qingqiu took a shower. The sky outside gradually darkened while the two slept in the hotel room.

They ended up skipping dinner.

Shen Qingqiu bought breakfast in the morning. During the meal, Xiao Muyu said casually, “After this, I’m going to an internet café, then check out some apartments. The higher the instance level, the longer we need to stay. It’s best to rent a place. Otherwise, just the cost of hotel rooms might bankrupt us.”

“Internet café?” Shen Qingqiu looked surprised. “What for?”

Xiao Muyu glanced at her. “To look up some information and see if there’s any work available.”

Shen Qingqiu’s soup almost went down the wrong way. “What did you say? Look for work?”

“Do you think we have enough points to waste otherwise?” Xiao Muyu gave Shen Qingqiu’s outfit a cursory look. A beige long trench coat layered over a caramel-colored turtleneck sweater. On a tall, long-legged woman, the ensemble exuded an air of frosty elegance when she wasn’t smiling.

Since their first meeting, Shen Qingqiu had worn four or five different outfits. The materials and designs were clearly not cheap. Exchanging coins for money to buy these things was just too extravagant.

A look down at herself and Shen Qingqiu immediately understood Xiao Muyu’s thoughts. Chopsticks placed down, she leaned over, “You still think I’m a wastrel.”

Xiao Muyu continued to eat her noodles.

She put down her chopsticks once she finished her meal. Recalling the card Shen Qingqiu had drawn, her brows wrinkled. Xiao Muyu reminded, “Shen Qingqiu, take out the doll card again. Let me take another look.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face turned grim at the mention of the card. She pulled it out and reread the text printed on it.

“The biggest question is this line: ‘The weaker the host, the stronger the doll’s combat abilities.’ And then there’s that system’s twisted sense of humor for adding a ‘Right?’ at the end. It just feels off. Besides, I was Little Two’s substitute in the instance. If I can’t control it, I won’t be summoning a bodyguard but something that’ll take my life.”

Xiao Muyu shared the same concern. Her gaze fell on another line of text on the card. “This card has no rarity level and has never dropped before,” she muttered thoughtfully. “There must be a reason for that. It isn’t impossible to draw the doll card after clearing the third instance. The issue lies in Little Two specifically choosing to be drawn.”

“I remember now. Because I used the Arsonist of the Heart candle on it, Little Two’s card selected me during the draw. I think I understand what ‘use with caution’ means now. It’s powerful, but the slightest misstep could lead to severe consequences.” Shen Qingqiu sighed. She had only used the candle on Little Two because she had no other choice at the time.

Xiao Muyu’s expression grew grave. She looked up and warned Shen Qingqiu, “Remember. Never use it unless you have absolutely no other option.” She paused, then shook her head. “Actually, it’d be safest not to use it at all.”

Shen Qingqiu knew Xiao Muyu was showing concern for her. Yet, she couldn’t resist playing it up a little. “But everything I’ve drawn so far is useless. Aside from the dagger, I can only use the human skin mask against the instance’s monsters. That can only be used once per instance. Three times and it’s gone. If Little Two becomes obsolete, the only thing I gained from the last instance is money.”

Before Shen Qingqiu could finish, Xiao Muyu shoved a card into her hand, silencing her. Shen Qingqiu stared down at the Kagome Kagome card in her hand, then back up at Xiao Muyu, dumbfounded. “What are you…”

“I already have the stopwatch. You keep Kagome Kagome. If we get separated in an instance, you’ll at least have something to protect yourself with. If we don’t, it doesn’t matter which of us has it.”

Xiao Muyu tidied the trash, stood up, and headed for the door.

Shen Qingqiu hurried after her to return the card. “I was just talking. This is yours. You keep it.”

Xiao Muyu didn’t take it back. “Hold onto it. Being a team isn’t just about clearing instances together. It’s also about sharing resources and trusting each other. You don’t have any defensive cards, so you should keep this one. The lantern and stopwatch I have are enough for me.”

She had already considered giving Shen Qingqiu an item card when she tried giving her the talisman yesterday. Shen Qingqiu’s two item cards were too strange. Using them could lead to uncontrollable outcomes.

Shen Qingqiu lowered her head, running her thumb over the card. She glanced at Xiao Muyu’s retreating figure. Finally, she put the card away and followed her out.

Later, as Shen Qingqiu sat to the side, watching Xiao Muyu frowning and occasionally tapping at the keyboard, she had a feeling something extraordinary was about to happen.

Xiao Muyu wasn’t fast but incredibly methodical. Every so often, she opened a webpage and quickly searched for information. Over time, though, her typing grew faster and faster. Soon, lines of code that Shen Qingqiu could barely comprehend began appearing on the screen.

Shen Qingqiu watched Xiao Muyu click the mouse and press the run button. The code started scrolling rapidly across the screen. At the same time, a progress bar appeared, showing an upload that quickly reached 60%. When it hit 100%, the previously unused and unlogged computer before Shen Qingqiu suddenly powered itself on. A browser opened and automatically logged into a website. It was the same Skynet player forum that Xiao Muyu had just accessed.

“Muyu, what are you doing?” Shen Qingqiu asked, startled but not entirely surprised. For some reason, it felt natural to her that Xiao Muyu would be skilled at this.

“Just testing if I’m still of any use.”

Xiao Muyu fiddled with a few more commands. The computer in front of Shen Qingqiu shut off. Then, Xiao Muyu resumed typing.

“What are you trying to do?” Shen Qingqiu felt her heart pounding in her chest.

“Find the central control port for this Skynet world.”

---

Author had something to say:

When it comes to computer programming, I’m a complete outsider. Even after a lot of researching, I’m still thoroughly confused. I watched some videos and managed to grasp a few basic operational principles, so please don’t scrutinize this part too closely. Just enjoy my wild imagination. Oh yeah!

Xiao Xiao is about to stir things up. Previously, a little angel suggested, “Why not have Xiao Xiao take control of the system?” Well, you got it.