Bai Fuling finally dragged the tall NPC onto shore.
When he saw that the man hadn’t disappeared, hadn’t transformed into sparkles and hadn’t exploded into loot coins, he immediately knew the NPC was still alive.
A huge sigh of relief escaped him.
That was close.
Way too close.
Thank goodness this was a game.
There was a significant difference in body size between the two of them, making the rescue extremely difficult.
If this had been reality, diving alone into a river to perform a rescue would have been recklessly dangerous.
The risks would have been enormous.
But this was a game.
Underwater, Bai Fuling’s movements suffered no penalties whatsoever.
Swimming felt exactly the same as moving on land.
As a result, he had been able to use the sickle stored in his inventory to cut through the seatbelt, drag Guan Jizhong free, rise to the surface and pull him all the way back to shore.
And while swimming back…
He had conveniently caught several fish along the way.
That’s right.
He literally caught fish with his bare hands while passing through the water.
The truth was that whenever players saw a highlighted loot prompt, they simply couldn’t resist clicking it.
And this time, he had actually managed to pick something up.
Fishing from the riverbank required both a fishing rod and bait.
Catching fish while already in the water, however, required absolutely nothing.
Of course, grabbing fish barehanded came with a much higher escape rate than ordinary fishing. The success rate was nowhere near as reliable.
But it was a completely free acquisition.
Even catching a single fish counted as a profit.
Not to mention that he had caught five.
After climbing onto shore, Bai Fuling laid Guan Jizhong flat on the riverbank. Then he casually controlled his character to sit down with a plop before pulling a [River Fish] from his inventory and beginning to eat it raw.
He needed to replenish his HP.
Although movement underwater wasn’t hindered, remaining submerged for too long gradually triggered an oxygen deprivation status effect that slowly drained health.
It was essentially a form of gradual drowning.
Another surprisingly reasonable game mechanic.
The developers were probably worried that players would start digging underwater tunnels and building houses beneath the sea, turning themselves into SpongeBob and exploiting bugs by refusing to leave.
One bite.
Two bites.
Three bites.
Four river fish disappeared into his stomach.
Bai Fuling’s health bar climbed steadily until it reached roughly three quarters full.
The [Blood Loss] status effect vanished from his personal status panel.
Now, even if he wandered through the middle of the street, he no longer had to fear being hunted down by ambulances.
At that moment, an ellipsis speech bubble appeared above the tall NPC lying nearby.
It looked as though he was beginning to wake up.
Bai Fuling immediately guided his character closer to observe.
In his hand remained the fifth fish he had just taken from his inventory.
After several seconds of thought, he moved the final fish toward the tall NPC’s mouth, attempting to feed him.
Food restored his HP.
Food restored his mount’s HP.
Then theoretically,
Couldn’t food restore an NPC’s HP too?
Please don’t die, NPC.
Could someone save his quest already?
Through his hazy consciousness, Guan Jizhong caught the strong smell of fish.
For an instant, it felt as though he were still drowning in the dark river, trapped beneath endless black water.
He coughed twice.
Two mouthfuls of river water came spilling out.
His leg was injured.
Combined with water inhalation and a concussion, his entire body remained trapped in a semi conscious state.
Fortunately, years of working as a forest ranger had given Guan Jizhong a strong physique.
He had recovered enough to gather together fragments of awareness.
The eyepatch that had covered his right eye had long since disappeared into the river.
Now the blind eye beneath was exposed, revealing vicious claw like scars that stretched across the socket.
His remaining eye slowly cracked open.
The first thing he saw was a dense mass of glittering fish scales.
Guan Jizhong: ?
Half his lingering confusion vanished immediately from sheer shock.
Anyone who woke up to such a sanity damaging scene would have the same reaction.
Then he realized something.
The fish moved.
A fish was currently being pressed against his mouth.
Guan Jizhong instinctively clenched his teeth shut.
Turning his head away, he avoided the raw fish being offered to him.
“That’s strange. You won’t eat it?”
A familiar clear voice sounded nearby, tinged with genuine confusion.
Guan Jizhong’s blurry vision gradually recovered.
Shapes sharpened.
Details emerged.
Only then did he finally see clearly.
The person holding the fish against his mouth was that black haired young man.
The black haired youth wearing a glowing halo looked like a bizarre combination of angel and devil.
Under Guan Jizhong’s gaze, the young man known as Cabbage Shui Lingling tilted his head slightly and withdrew the fish.
Then, hr stuffed it directly into his own mouth.
He ate the fish.
Just like that.
He actually shoved the entire fish into his mouth and ate it.
Guan Jizhong: ?!?
He stared in complete astonishment as Bai Fuling consumed the fish in a single bite.
For a moment, he felt as though he had never escaped the hallucinations of death’s doorstep.
Slowly, Guan Jizhong closed his eye again and lay flat on the ground.
Not far away, Liao Zhiqiu finally arrived, having made his way down from a side path.
Bai Fuling wasn’t surprised to see him.
After all, NPCs in games possessed automatic tracking functions.
They naturally followed players around.
Appearing here was completely normal.
Upon witnessing Bai Fuling eating fish, another tiny pink heart shaped Favorability increase appeared above the dark eyed NPC’s head.
Bai Fuling had already become accustomed to it.
Liao Zhiqiu was simply a textbook animal lover.
Although his Favorability increased rapidly, it was entirely driven by affection toward small animals.
Therefore, there was probably an upper limit.
At least, that was Bai Fuling’s theory.
If Liao Zhiqiu continued viewing him as an animal, then this Favorability probably couldn’t be maxed out.
After all, surely a game wouldn’t include human beast romance elements.
Even if it technically wasn’t human beast romance.
In reality, most NPCs only needed medium level Favorability or higher before players could navigate interactions smoothly.
But Bai Fuling’s ambitions were far greater than that.
He intended to max every relationship.
Every single one.
Many achievements and special rewards only unlocked after reaching maximum Favorability.
One of the greatest joys of RPGs was achievement hunting.
Watching badges and completion percentages gradually fill to one hundred percent was immensely satisfying.
So someday, he would need to carefully consider strategies for raising Favorability further.
For now, however, the game had only just begun.
Making money and completing quests remained his highest priorities.
After organizing his thoughts, Bai Fuling controlled his character to stand up.
Liao Zhiqiu looked at him.
“How do you feel after falling into the water?”
One of the classic cat stereotypes!
Bai Fuling recognized it instantly.
The funny thing was that cats weren’t actually afraid of water.
They simply disliked getting their fur wet.
Therefore, he decisively changed outfits.
In an instant, his soaked beginner shirt and trousers were replaced by a fresh, completely dry set.
“I’m fine now.”
“…”
For a brief moment, Liao Zhiqiu’s expression went blank as he watched the clothing magically change.
Then he quickly accepted it.
“You dried your fur.”
“Mm.”
Bai Fuling nodded calmly, continuing to cooperate with the animal image.
Then he added,
“Call emergency services.”
He didn’t have a phone himself and therefore couldn’t call an ambulance.
That meant he had to rely on the other dark eyed NPC to summon one.
Come to think of it, injured NPCs in this game weren’t automatically restored or teleported to hospitals after being rescued.
Players actually had to arrange transportation for them.
The realism was impressive.
Hearing this, Liao Zhiqiu calmly pulled out his phone and made the call.
He didn’t care about his own species.
Therefore, he neither cared whether Guan Jizhong lived nor whether he died.
The man lying on the ground opened his eye once more.
Although the concussion left him nauseated and dizzy, his thoughts had regained some coherence.
The blurry silhouette of Liao Zhiqiu entered his vision.
Instinctively, Guan Jizhong tried to reach out and grab him.
He still wanted to complete the task entrusted to him by the old Lion King beneath the earth.
Unfortunately, his remaining strength was pitiful.
His arm lifted only slightly.
His fingers grasped nothing but empty air before falling helplessly back down.
“What’s wrong?”
The moment Bai Fuling noticed movement, he hurried over.
Just as someone might rush forward to catch wealth raining from the heavens, he prepared himself to catch an incoming plot development.
“Cough… cough…”
Guan Jizhong coughed several times.
Then he looked at the face right in front of him.
A small strand of river weed still clung unnoticed to the black haired youth’s cheek.
His hair remained damp.
Just moments ago, this person had dragged him out of death’s abyss with everything he had.
“…”
Guan Jizhong stared.
For the first time, genuine confusion surfaced within him.
His lips parted.
A weak voice drifted out.
“…Why…?”
He truly didn’t understand.
If this young man’s goal had been to protect Liao Zhiqiu, then why had he jumped into the river without hesitation to save him?
They weren’t close.
Their relationship amounted to little more than kidnapper and innocent bystander.
Could the halo wearing youth really be some kind of angel?
The absurd thought almost made Guan Jizhong laugh.
A rough, hoarse sound escaped his throat.
His consciousness remained unstable.
Even his voice felt distant.
“…You… didn’t need… to save me…”
“…I’m not important.”
“What are you talking about?”
Bai Fuling immediately widened his eyes.
“Celebrating the cat’s special day and finding the murderer are equally important!”
Who said quests had to be ranked by importance?
He absolutely refused to let the system force him to choose one and abandon the other.
Heh.
Language traps at this level were far too primitive to fool a player.
Hearing the phrase “finding the murderer” from Bai Fuling’s mouth once again, Guan Jizhong’s eye shifted slightly.
Previously, he had assumed the young man was either joking around or simply inventing excuses to escape.
But under the current circumstances, there was no reason for the person called Cabbage Shui Lingling to deceive him anymore.
“…You really…”
“…intend to find the murderer…?”
“Of course.”
Bai Fuling spoke with utmost seriousness.
“As the future world famous Farmer Detective of the new era, I absolutely must uncover the mastermind behind the [Crescent Sickle Murder Case].”
“The all powerful great detective knows one thing for certain.”
“The truth will always be singular!”
“…”
Guan Jizhong suspected that his concussion had damaged his brain.
Otherwise, why would hearing such ridiculous words make him want to laugh while simultaneously inspiring a strange sense of trust?
Perhaps it was because he had nowhere else to turn.
The town police had always been indifferent.
They had never truly taken the case seriously.
Meanwhile, his current physical condition made it impossible to complete the mission entrusted to him by the old Lion King beneath the earth.
The only remaining lifeline,
Was the person standing before him.
The person who had dragged him from the river.
Guan Jizhong’s lone remaining eye remained fixed on Bai Fuling for a long time.
The willpower sustained by adrenaline could no longer hold.
In the distance, he heard the faint wail of approaching ambulance sirens.
His consciousness drifted farther and farther away.
Just before slipping completely into unconsciousness, he finally managed to raise his heavy arm.
His fingers found the key hanging around his neck.
Slowly.
Painfully.
He pressed it into Bai Fuling’s hand.
“…The key…”
“…to my sister’s house…”
A clue!
Bai Fuling understood immediately.
The victim’s home might contain far more information.
He accepted the key.
At the same time, Guan Jizhong’s hand weakly closed around his own.
The ranger’s hand was broad and heavily calloused.
Now it was cold as ice.
Though little strength remained within it, he still gripped tightly.
“Sorry… kid…”
“…and thank you.”
Guan Jizhong looked directly at Bai Fuling.
Summoning every remaining fragment of focus, he forced each word out clearly.
“Please.”
“I’m begging you.”
“Find that murderer.”
“I will.”
Bai Fuling nodded firmly.
And at that exact moment, the long awaited system notification finally appeared on the screen.
[Dream Sweetly, New Information Obtained]
[Character Unlocked, Guan Jizhong]
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm accepts offerings. The translator specifically requests coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape game freezesChapter 2 · Players aren’t allowed to use the main entranceChapter 3 · Players have created a medical miracle!Chapter 4 · If I hit the NPC more, will the NPC drop gold coins?Chapter 5 · Players earn the title of “bus weirdo”Chapter 6 · Players get a prison experienceChapter 7 · So the red bar isn’t for favorability, it’s for anger!Chapter 8 · The player is a nimble catChapter 9 · The player is a “law-abiding” good studentChapter 10 · Players have no morals and are fearlessChapter 11 · Player: What’s wrong? It’s called “Cai Cai Shui Ling LingChapter 12 · The player is the famous Farmer Detective!Chapter 13 · The player raised a new petChapter 14 · The player is a genius dog-riding boyChapter 15 · The player is a sticky, helpful, and kind comradeChapter 16 · It turns out that players aren’t considered human by NPCsChapter 17 · Players are like angels descending upon my side!Chapter 18 · Player: There’s only one truth!Chapter 19 · Why are players farming at the school?!Chapter 20 · Players came to the cafeteria to buy suppliesChapter 21 · Are NPCs model workers?Chapter 22 · If you’re a gay manChapter 23 · Player: Wheelchairs are a useful mode of transportation!Chapter 24 · So the player is actually part of Cat Returns (?)Chapter 25 · Liao Zhi Qiu, a large pet belonging to the playerChapter 26 · Player: Hello, I picked up this corpse.Chapter 27 · Bai Fuling: Players will never dieChapter 28 · Has the murderer been caught?Chapter 29 · Player: Visiting the mental hospital felt as familiar as coming homeChapter 30 · Players’ Adventure in the Mental Hospital: Round 1Chapter 31 · Player: Kid, fly!Chapter 32 · The player who does good deeds every day is truly a good personChapter 33 · The kitten brought back some local specialtiesChapter 34 · Let this adorable kitten stay forever?Chapter 35 · Players, don’t give up on being human!Chapter 36 · A kitten is just a kitten, isn’t it?Chapter 37 · Players want it, players get itChapter 38 · Angel Player and Unlucky Bear NPCChapter 39 · In short, players choose to throw at NPCsChapter 40 · The player just flew away!Chapter 41 · Player: You need to thoroughly understand the bookChapter 42 · Players love to tease honest NPCs.Chapter 43 · He said he was a little hungry.Chapter 44 · Even if cotton essence mutatesChapter 45 · Pure Love TentaclesChapter 46 · Choose to be a kitten?Chapter 47 · Players’ tears are weaponsChapter 48 · Players do not need to breatheChapter 49 · It’s on fire!Chapter 50 · The player is a top-tier rescue masterChapter 51 · How did the player manage to resurrect after killing themselves?!Chapter 52 · Call the player “Little Cat King”!Chapter 53 · What are the consequences of raising the cat-like alienation