After Bai Xinjian finished speaking, not only the others present but even 0048 was shocked. It asked Bai Xinjian in his mind, “Jianjian, what are you saying?”
Bai Xinjian replied, “In my experience, making someone fall for you does not always require clinging to them. If you can make the other person change their opinion of you, it is often twice as effective with half the effort.”
There was no time for further explanation; Bai Xinjian had to continue his performance. Upon hearing this, Zhu Jin was taken aback.
The cave was immediately filled with successive sneers of disdain. “Young master, I advise you to think carefully. You have neither ability nor skill. Besides dragging us down, what can you do? Instead of staying here safely, you want to go out and collect mission items alone? Do not blame us if you end up harming our boss.”
Bai Xinjian looked around at everyone and emphasized, “I said, I am not teaming up with Zhu Jin. If you do not want to team up with me, that is fine. I do not need anyone to take care of me.”
The crowd did not expect Bai Xinjian to be so persistent, and they all fell silent. Another person remarked, “Do you mean to say you are no longer trying to sabotage our boss, but are switching to sabotaging us instead?”
Before the person could finish, their companion nudged them lightly.
“Do not listen to him if you do not understand what he is saying; you can donate your ears,” Bai Xinjian said, refusing to argue with them. “That is settled, then. I will set off alone tomorrow.”
He stood up, intending to go to the corner to rest.
“Wait,” Zhu Jin called out to him. “Luo, it is dangerous outside. You…”
He paused, wanting to say “Why do you not let me go with you,” but was interrupted by someone else before the words could leave his mouth. “Boss, since he wants to go out and die, let us not worry about it.”
The speaker was Li Shen, one of the two who had stayed behind to guard the cave with Bai Xinjian. “To be blunt, if we want to survive in this world, we rely not just on teamwork but also on individual ability. You cannot let him hide behind your back forever, can you?”
Zhu Jin fell silent. Indeed, this game world had instituted a system of individual points and team points. The team points were determined by the individual points of the members. If an individual failed to secure the required points within a certain timeframe, they would be purged by the world. This was why, since arriving here, everyone was forced to continuously run dungeons. A team member who remained idle would inevitably cause resentment among others.
Zhu Jin knew that he could protect Bai Luo for a while, but not for a lifetime. However, he still wanted to talk to Bai Luo to understand his reasoning, as this behavior seemed equivalent to seeking death.
After the short meeting concluded, everyone redistributed their existing supplies. Some rested, others ate, and they scattered to the corners of the cave. Zhu Jin took a piece of bread and a bottle of water, exchanged for with his own points, and approached Bai Xinjian, handing them over. “Eat something. Do not go hungry.”
Bai Xinjian said thank you and took them.
“0048,” he asked internally. “Everyone who has run a dungeon has individual points and can exchange them for food and drink in the system mall. Do I not have any?”
0048 replied, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. You do not have a system mall because you are already bound to me. However, I can act as your system mall. Wait a moment while I check your current points in this story.”
0048 paused for a while. “Jianjian, your current points total is zero.”
Bai Xinjian asked, “Why?”
“It might be because you only skimmed the story and missed the details. Bai Luo is a person who deeply values enjoying life. After clearing the last dungeon, he earned fewer points than others. However, because he was sickly and complained that the base Zhu Jin built lacked basic amenities, he spent all his points exchanging for a comfortable large bed.”
Bai Xinjian thought, Behavior that fits the persona, but this world is a giant survival game. Is it not a bit suicidal to act like that? Do you want me to continue acting recklessly?
“No, no. You can add your own interpretation to the persona as long as you do not break character. In other words, just do not let them figure out that you are not the original Bai Luo. Though if there is slight suspicion, it does not matter. I will remind you when the time comes.”
“Good,” Bai Xinjian felt reassured. “Then I will improvise.”
Bai Xinjian gripped the bread, pretending to be silent while actually talking to 0048. Seeing him neither eat nor speak, Zhu Jin took the initiative. “Luo, did Li Shen or A’Yu say something to you while I was away? You do not need to mind their words. You have been in poor health since you were a child.”
“Actually, you also feel very annoyed, do you not?” Bai Xinjian interrupted Zhu Jin, his head bowed, making the plastic bag crinkle. “Why is it me who came to this world with you? I cannot do anything; I am slow, sickly, and have no empathy.”
“But you cannot abandon me, because you confessed your feelings to me, and you feel it is your responsibility to take care of me. You are caught between me and your guild members, unable to go up or down.”
After speaking, Bai Xinjian looked up, meeting Zhu Jin’s gaze. “You secretly wish I would meet with an accident in a dungeon and die so you would not have to be torn between us.”
Zhu Jin’s pupils dilated. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but no words came out. It was true; these words had struck at a part of his mind he had tried to ignore. He did not want to abandon Bai Luo, but he was tired of carrying him through every step of the dungeon. He did not dislike Bai Luo; he had truly confessed his feelings out of sincerity. He liked Bai Luo.
They had grown up together in poverty. Zhu Jin was an orphan, picked up by an elderly trash collector at the recycling station. When he was eight, the old man passed away, leaving him a dilapidated house and a negligible amount of savings. From then on, he lived off the charity of neighbors and spent his days in garbage piles, learning to scavenge plastic and glass to sell for survival. Nearby adults and children disliked him because he always smelled, and they avoided him. Only Bai Luo was different. Bai Luo’s father had died young, his mother was disabled, and he himself was frail and often bullied by other children.
That was when Zhu Jin met Bai Luo. The old alleyways of the city were winding and full of hidden corners. One day, while rummaging through a trash can for plastic bottles, Zhu Jin saw a group of older children bullying a clean, fair-skinned child, throwing stones and kicking him. Zhu Jin charged forward without hesitation.
Although young, he was used to hauling heavy items at the recycling station for food, so he was stronger than the average child. After chasing the bullies away, Zhu Jin had not intended to speak to Bai Luo, but a soft, pale hand tugged at the corner of his shirt.
“Brother,” Bai Luo said, looking up at him. “Are you hungry? Do you want to come to my house for dinner?”
From that day on, Zhu Jin had a home in a sense. Bai Luo’s mother, though disabled, was meticulous; she not only cooked well but also mended clothes. Every day, she reminded Bai Luo to stay clean and asked him to teach Zhu Jin to care for himself. She invited Zhu Jin for meals, and he loved the steamed buns and roasted sweet potatoes she made. She would also take clothes Bai Luo had outgrown and alter them to fit Zhu Jin. Every day, Zhu Jin looked forward to the warm, surprised smile Bai Luo wore when seeing him, and the sound of his laughter when he held his hand and called him “Brother.”
Zhu Jin could not explain if his affection for Bai Luo was a form of dependence born from childhood, or the love he thought it was. He only knew that with Bai Luo, he would never be alone in this world. But now, Bai Luo was truly his burden. Spoiled by his mother and protected by Zhu Jin, Bai Luo could do nothing, not even the simplest job at a convenience store, let alone survive in this man-eating world.
Bai Xinjian continued, “Actually, from the moment you decided to form this guild and start recruiting those people, I could see it.” Bai Xinjian looked back at the group of people in the corners of the cave, who seemed to be observing them intentionally or otherwise. “It is not that you do not know that once a guild is formed, not everything in this world will be up to you alone.”
“It is not that you do not know they will not allow you to keep carrying me, and that one day they will find a way to expel me from your guild.”
“But you did it anyway.”
Bai Xinjian raised his beautiful eyes, quietly watching Zhu Jin. “So, I have decided to leave on my own before they expel me.”
“This way, you will not have to bear the guilt of killing the person you love.”
“Brother, this is the last thing I can do for you.”
Upon arriving in this world, the system had adjusted Bai Xinjian’s appearance again. However, it found that Bai Xinjian’s original looks already fit the beauty required for the story; it simply tried to adjust his lip color and complexion to make him appear more fragile. The effect was exceptionally good. In the dark cave, Bai Xinjian’s light brown eyes shimmered as he spoke, as if bidding Zhu Jin a final farewell.
Zhu Jin heard the dull rumble of thunder outside the cave. It seemed to be raining in this dungeon world. Outside was the wilderness, and the night was even more dangerous. Zhu Jin felt his own heart grow heavy, as if it were about to rain there, too.