In a game originally intended for ten, the nine remaining players split into three squads.
Quietly Singing, Forced Smile, and Lin Shuang were all rookies, so after a brief discussion, they agreed to pair up with veteran players. Lin Shuang stood on the first floor with Jiang Mo and a hot-tempered youth named Exaggeration, waiting for the Butcher to respawn.
Below them, the faint sounds of a struggle and a man's scream echoed—an indication that the Butcher had respawned on the second floor.
Lin Shuang sat on a table, checking the luggage, watching as Jiang Mo approached the vending machine. He used his chainsaw to slice it open, pulling out a bottle of mineral water and two canned drinks.
"Drink some water," he said, shoving the water into Lin Shuang's hand and pressing the cans against her knees. "Lucky it is summer; these are ice-cold."
"That is much better." As Lin Shuang reached to take the cans to apply them herself, Jiang Mo tilted his head. "I am thirsty."
"Huh? Oh, oh." Lin Shuang finally processed his intent, struggling to twist the cap off the bottle before handing it over. "Here, take it—I will apply the..." She bit her lip, correcting herself: "Shall I, shall I pour it for you?"
"Mm." Jiang Mo lifted his chin, pressing his lips against the rim. His hands were clearly occupied, signaling for Lin Shuang to pour the water into his mouth.
"Take it slow," she urged. It was her first time feeding anyone, and she tilted the bottle with agonizing care, terrified of choking him with a sudden rush of water.
Her gaze drifted away from Jiang Mo's face, only to be caught by the prominent rise of his Adam's apple as he looked upward. With every swallow, the apple slid rhythmically up and down.
"(It is actually… pretty sexy,)" Lin Shuang thought. In that moment of distraction, her hand lost its control, and the water cascaded down his chin, trailing across his neck before vanishing into his vest.
"I am sorry…" Lin Shuang clutched the water bottle with both hands, her face flooding with crimson. "I did not—I swear, I did not mean to."
She was absolutely not some horny pervert, nor was she intentionally trying to stare at the male lead's Adam's apple.
It was all the male lead's Adam's apple's fault! It moved first! She just had not been fast enough to dodge it!1
"Cough, cough… cough…" Jiang Mo hacked heavily, finally managing to clear the water from his throat. "It is fine. Cough, it is all good, really."
"Shameless…" Exaggeration walked over to the vending machine to grab a drink, hurling the insult in a voice loud enough for all three to hear.
Although the clothes Lin Shuang wore were randomly assigned by the game instance, her good figure made them look natural—a fact that made others easily overlook the reality and instead slap a slut label on her.
Furthermore, she was a rookie who had latched onto a veteran player so quickly, even managing to get him to share his game items. Every piece of the puzzle was enough to cement that impression.
Exaggeration loathed these kinds of women most of all, and by extension, he looked down on Jiang Mo. Anyone who could be led around by beauty to this extent could not be a serious player. If he had managed to defeat the Butcher, it was likely just blind luck from using those game items.
Jiang Mo frowned slightly. He set the two drinks aside and turned, ready to step toward him.
"Do not worry about him, it is fine. He is not entirely wrong," Lin Shuang said, immediately grabbing Jiang Mo's arm.
She was currently in a full shameless leg-hugging mode. She wanted to survive, and survival meant she could not afford to be thin-skinned. If she were in Exaggeration's shoes, she would likely think the same thing—though, given her personality, she would not have been so meddlesome as to voice it aloud.
Jiang Mo flicked her forehead with his bent finger. "Why would you think that? Where exactly are you being shameless?"
"I have caused you so much trouble."
"Just treat me to a few more meals at the canteen and we will be even," Jiang Mo said, pausing. "Besides, do not people go on blind dates with marriage in mind? Are you not basically my fiancée now?"
Lin Shuang was stunned, her legs dangling in mid-air and swaying slightly. "Why half a fiancée?"
"Because we have not bought the engagement ring yet."
"…Are you really willing to get engaged to me?"
Lin Shuang remembered very clearly that if she had not interrupted him back then, the male lead would have initially said they were not compatible, walked away, and then been doused in coffee by the young lady.
But had he changed his mind now?
Lin Shuang thought for a moment, then reminded him: "If we get engaged, you will really be stuck with a burden like me in this game. And… at the coffee shop, you should not have been willing."
Jiang Mo nodded. He certainly had not been willing at the time. Playing this game carried immense risk—he could die at any moment—and there was no point in wasting someone else's youth.
On the other hand, his schedule was packed, and he did not have the spare energy to coddle others.
That blind date had spiraled out of his control from the start. He had found Lin Shuang interesting and easy to understand, and by the next day, she had already pushed her luck by dragging him into labor.
But he had to admit, this girl who had suddenly crashed into his life was truly… addictive.
Especially now that she had become a player. He had originally worried that if he died, it would hold her back, but that concern was gone now. The girl could not leave him in the game, and if he were dead, she certainly would not be able to survive, either.
"You are actually nodding…" Lin Shuang did not know the thoughts behind the protagonist's actions; she only saw his sincere nod after she had finished speaking.
"(I knew it! Everything was never that simple! Damn it, as expected, one has to rely on oneself. Decided. After this game, I am going to eat more spinach and hit the gym, aiming to become a Super Saiyan within a month.)"
Jiang Mo sighed, helpless. "I really was not very willing at the time, let me explain…"
Lin Shuang listened as he earnestly explained his initial thoughts.
Finally, Jiang Mo added: "I was only wrong that one time, and did you not cut me off anyway?"
"What have I done wrong since then? Did I fail to help you move, or not install your door? Did I not reply to your messages, or skip taking you to movies and crane games? Or did I fail to accompany you for street food, or not send you home safely?"
He spoke with increasing confidence. It was a good thing he had found Lin Shuang interesting at the start; otherwise, going by his old habits, he would not have even wanted to give out his phone number.
But a woman's mind is complex. When she decides to pick a fight, you are wrong if you do well, and even more wrong if you do not.
Lin Shuang: "You have listed these so clearly—were you just waiting for us to argue so you could settle the score?"
Jiang Mo: "?"
But before Jiang Mo could say anything more, the third hour struck. Two chainsaw-wielding Butchers respawned—one on the first floor and one on the second.
Exaggeration was unlucky; as he stood drinking his soda, the Butcher appeared exactly two arm-lengths away from him.
He reacted rapidly, hurling his unfinished soda can at the Butcher's face, and in the next second, he grabbed a long rubber truncheon from his feet—the kind of weapon subway security often carried. It was not an electric baton, but it would still pack a painful wallop.
Having survived three rounds of the game, Exaggeration clearly had some real talent. But the Butcher that respawned in the third round had significantly increased strength and speed.
Relying solely on that rubber truncheon, Exaggeration could only hold his ground in a stalemate, and even then, he was on the losing end.
Summary:
Lin Shuang and her small squad wait for the Butcher to respawn on the first floor while tensions rise between her and the cynical player known as Exaggeration. A moment of intimacy involving water and an Adam's apple leads to a complex conversation about their engagement and mutual reliance. The chapter concludes with the sudden, dangerous respawn of two Butchers, forcing the group into an immediate, losing struggle for survival.
Trivia:
Lin Shuang is actively forcing herself to be shameless to ensure her survival.
Jiang Mo admits he only finds Lin Shuang addictive now that she is a fellow player, removing the guilt of holding her back.
Exaggeration recognizes the weapons used by subway security, implying he might have prior real-world knowledge or experience.
The Butchers' strength and speed increase predictably with each respawn wave.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ An internet slang phrase meaning the object/person started the conflict; used here playfully to deflect blame for her reaction onto the male lead's features.
Notes:
• Exaggeration - A hot-headed youth and fellow player who holds deep-seated prejudices against rookies and women who form alliances with veterans.
• Lin Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student who transmigrated into an infinite stream game as a cannon fodder supporting role. Struggling with anxiety and a desperate need to survive, she adopts the persona of a character clinging to the male protagonist to secure a life of comfort. Known simply as Shuang, this name represents her role as an outsider navigating the original owner's complex social ties.
• Jiang Mo - A cold, calculated player in the Infinite Stream, he masks a predatory nature with a polite, gentle persona. Though methodical and aloof, he acts as a devoted protector to Lin Shuang. With a background in boxing, he maintains a guarded, thoughtful temperament shaped by past isolation. He currently lives alone, balancing his lethal survival skills with a surprisingly tidy and controlled lifestyle.
• Butcher - A hostile, respawning creature in the game instance armed with a chainsaw.
• Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student who transmigrated into an infinite stream game as a cannon fodder supporting role. Struggling with anxiety and a desperate need to survive, she adopts the persona of a character clinging to the male protagonist to secure a life of comfort. Known simply as Shuang, this name represents her role as an outsider navigating the original owner's complex social ties.
• Jiang - A cynical, survival-hardened veteran player, he appears as a weary construction worker in a white vest and camouflage pants. Armed with a Tang sword and chainsaw, he acts as a reluctant, practical protector within the game. Though detached and suspicious of social ties, he finds himself strangely addicted to his interactions with his rookie partner, balancing lethality with an unwanted protective role.
• Lin - A third-year university student trapped in a lethal survival game, she masks her panic and physical vulnerability with a facade of bravado and wealth. Lean and striking in a black blazer, pencil skirt, and silk stockings, she wields a Tang dao to survive. Often judged by others for her appearance, she navigates the infinite stream as Jiang Mo’s partner, struggling with trauma while forging vital alliances.
• Mo - A given name, used alongside Jiang. Given name of Jiang, known for his cold-but-caring demeanor and martial proficiency. The first name carried by Jiang. The given name of Jiang.