The young man in the front passenger seat sneered upon hearing this and pulled the car over by the roadside.
Jiang Yingxiao pursed her lips and remained silent, because her sharp eyes clearly saw the two large characters “Dawn” written at the entrance of the base.
No wonder he said she was dragging them down—she hadn’t even found the right faction.
[How did my wife end up in the doghouse ahhh, she’s going in wearing pretty clothes, but she’ll probably come out without even her underwear]
[Come out? You’re thinking my wife is a bit too agile…]
[What if she gets discovered? There are so many people on the other side, they might bully my wife while eating and while sleeping. If we take numbers now, even if my wife could handle two at a time, it’d take a week to get through the line]
The Bullet Comments in her mind scrolled rapidly. The girl’s eyelashes fluttered as if she truly saw the brutal outcome of her undercover identity being exposed.
When she snapped back to reality, she was already being led by the hand to the entrance of the base.
“Why aren’t you going in?” Chi Yubai had deliberately removed his gloves before taking her hand. His warm, large palm provided some comfort.
He seemed to slip into the role of an elder brother in an instant, genuinely treating her as his younger brother’s girlfriend, his gaze gentle yet restrained.
The girl felt somewhat resistant, lagging behind him as she slowly shuffled forward. Her delicate fingers traced the rough calluses on his palm—it didn’t hurt, but it made her heart itch.
The man simply assumed she was shy and slowed his speech. “It’s just a routine check. Don’t be afraid.”
“I know,” Jiang Yingxiao replied softly.
Of course she was afraid! If some high-precision technology detected her enemy status, she’d be done for.
But no matter how much she dawdled, there was only a short distance left to cover. After Chi Yubai finished his inspection and was called away to handle some matters, it was her turn next.
The man sitting in front of her wore an expressionless face, a pen in hand as he recorded something. He looked like someone who wouldn’t be easily fooled.
Despite it being winter, he wore only a black sleeveless shirt, his thick, muscular arms exposed. It felt as though if her identity were exposed, he’d flatten her with a single slap.
“New here?” He looked up, pausing his pen. For some reason, he swallowed hard, his voice so low only the two of them could hear. “You’re a Player too, aren’t you?”
In this apocalyptic world, who would wear such a clean down jacket? Her face, aside from a bit of dust, had no injuries at all. She was probably dropped in here.
Jiang Yingxiao glanced up and met his eyes for a moment, blinking.
This person was a bit clever, but unfortunately, he only guessed half right. If he discovered she was a Player from Sky Light Base, his expression definitely wouldn’t be like this.
A thin layer of sweat formed on her palms, but she had to maintain a facade of incomprehension on her face. Her round, innocent eyes widened, pure and guileless. “What are you talking about?”
[076, how many Players are in here?]
Her mind was racing anxiously, but on the surface, she showed no trace of guilt. She spoke softly, enunciating each word carefully, like an NPC with low intelligence.
Having only gone through one Instance, she already possessed an exceptional talent for lying, even making an artificial intelligence like 076 bow in admiration.
[Only four, with two in each faction.]
The information terminal displayed before her eyes, confirming that she had indeed gained a new friend who had sent her a message half an hour ago.
[Song Lingyi: Friend, where are you?]
[23411: I think… I went to the wrong place]
[Song Lingyi: ???]
Jiang Yingxiao didn’t reply to her friend’s message, because the enemy had already shone a flashlight toward her. Her green eyes reflected a yellowish glow under the light, showing no signs of zombie mutation.
She instinctively closed her eyes for a moment, two teardrops spilling out, glistening under the beam.
“So sensitive,” the man chuckled, tossing the flashlight aside and calling out to someone behind him. “I’ll take the newcomer for inspection. Cover for me first.”
Combat boots left two large, deep footprints in the snow as he stood up, gripping the girl’s slender wrist and leading her forward.
His scorching hand touched her like fire, so hot she felt she might sweat.
[Damn, wait, isn’t that Xiao Bating… I saw people on the other side’s public screen already spamming question marks]
[Isn’t he acquainted with Xie Yingqi? He’s already acting like a fool just from looking at my wife twice. Are they gonna fight when they get out?]
[Ahhh everyone, don’t go over there and expose my wife’s identity!]
[Don’t worry, bullet comments leaking info in versus instances get moderated and deleted. That idiot sees the question marks and thinks everyone’s jealous he gets to touch my wife, gloating over it]
Dawn Base evolved from a prison, with high walls lined with electric fences and a labyrinth of towering buildings inside.
Jiang Yingxiao followed him into a single-story house, where unfamiliar equipment gleamed coldly in the snowy weather.
“What’s your name?” The man sat at a table near the entrance, casually picking up a stack of registration forms. His exhaled breath was visibly warm in the low temperature.
“Jiang Yingxiao.”
The girl stood obediently beside him, head lowered like a student caught misbehaving in front of a teacher.
But as soon as Xiao Bating wrote a few characters on the paper, her tone perked up, her true nature showing. “Not ‘Spicy Salt Shrimp’—you wrote it wrong. How can you be so dumb?”
There were so many illiterates in this world, especially these big, bulky types. She’d already run into several.
Jiang Yingxiao reached over, took the pen, scribbled three black circles over the man’s handwriting, and neatly wrote her own name.
Her brows slightly furrowed, her lower lip unconsciously bitten, then released, turning soft and flushed red.
So obedient.
Her lips were so red—could they have been kissed? Three times a day: once before heading out on a mission in the morning, once after returning, and once more before bed at night.
If he brought back a few extra crystal cores for her, maybe she’d hug him and give him another kiss.
The registration form was slapped back onto the table before Xiao Bating finally snapped out of it, swallowing his saliva back down.
Fuck, why was he getting turned on by an NPC?
That poser Xie Yingqi fell for a newcomer while farming Points and came back hanging on by a thread, drugged into unconsciousness. Rumor had it he spent all his Points just to stay alive.
If he ever found himself in that situation, he’d steer clear.
The man pretended to clear his throat, then asked, “So, what’s your special ability?”
Jiang Yingxiao widened her eyes, her soft lips parting slightly, looking utterly clueless.
There were things like special abilities?
[My wife looking so adorably clueless at the dog, like she doesn’t even know what a special ability is]
[Players should all have special abilities assigned, right? Otherwise, how would they play?]
[My wife’s special ability should be water. Her little belly gets all swollen every day, and only her husband can rub it to help her release it…]
[Can you guys stop being dream men? Every time my wife sleeps, she cries under the covers because of people like you, and no matter how I comfort her, it doesn’t work.]
Xiao Bating forced his gaze away from her lips and looked into her eyes with a light chuckle, “Still haven’t awakened?”
The girl avoided his gaze, frantically questioning the System in her mind.
[What’s my special ability?]
In previous runs of this Instance, Players’ special abilities were randomly drawn from the five elements, with no duplicates, to ensure mutual counterplay.
But 076’s mechanical voice paused for a moment, as if it had never encountered such a start, its tone hesitant, like someone who had drawn a hidden prize:
[Your special ability is copy.]
[Through a fixed method, you can copy others’ special abilities.]
[Congratulations, Player 23411, you have triggered a side quest. Please acquire 5 different special abilities before the Instance ends.]
[The method of acquisition is for the Player to explore independently.]
Jiang Yingxiao only heard the first part, her eyes lighting up as she thought to herself—rounding up, doesn’t that mean she could have many abilities?
She instantly raised her head, “Who said I don’t have one? I’ll scare you if I say it.”
“Hmm?” Xiao Bating stood up, his muscular forearms resting back on the table as he leaned down to meet her gaze, “Then what’s your special ability?”
His scorching breath drew closer, melting the snowflakes that had settled on the girl.
“Is it like mine?” He opened his palm, conjuring a ball of fire under Jiang Yingxiao’s astonished gaze. The beautiful gold-red flames danced in her pupils like fireflies fluttering in a forest.
Xiao Bating watched her expression change, then extinguished the flames with a flick of his wrist. He pushed aside his sleeveless shirt and pressed her cool hand against his abdomen.
“Feel how warm it is.”
Jiang Yingxiao traced the contours of his muscles, her fingers curling slightly from the heat as she nodded in a daze.
[Stop pretending. Peacocks can spread their feathers, but dumb dogs can only wag their tails.]
[“Feel how warm it is~” My wife would only see it as a provocation.]
“Then,” his Adam’s apple bobbed, growing delirious from the girl’s rich fragrance, “can you show me yours?”
Xie Yingqi must have fallen for the newcomer because he’d never seen such an adorable NPC. He definitely wouldn’t end up like that pretentious fool who nearly lost his life.
Hearing this, Jiang Yingxiao warily withdrew her hand and pursed her moist, pink lips, “I won’t show you.”
How dare he flaunt his special ability in front of her? Once she figured out the method, she’d copy his first.
Xiao Bating looked at her, licking his dry lips thirstily. Having gone without water for too long, his thin lips were cracked and peeling.
She’s just a kitten pretending to be a tiger. Not a Player, no special ability—how did she even survive out there?
Instantly, he thought of the man who had led her in by the hand. His dark pupils froze, and his sharp brows lowered, “Are you Chi Yubai’s little canary, kept outside?”
“…What?”
The man leaned over the table, pressing close to her abdomen like a dog sniffing, then looked up at her, “Have you done it with him?”
Jiang Yingxiao stared blankly, not understanding the question, “Done what?”
She doesn’t even know what “doing it” means. If someone were to have their way with her, she’d probably just whimper in pain, foolishly thinking a gentle blow would make it better, only to be pinned down and licked all over again.
The doors and windows were remotely closed, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness. Xiao Bating closed his eyes for a moment, then turned on the light and walked to one side. “Let’s start the checkup. Take off your clothes.”
At the same time, 076’s voice echoed in his mind, maintaining the character setting:
【Mission One: Request the other party’s assistance.】
【Time Limit: 5 minutes.】
【Mission Reward: 2000 Points.】
Author’s Note:
Hahaha! I, Black Cat Yuanfu, am back! I didn’t expect to recover after just a night’s sleep. There will be another update tonight.
The next chapter will be VIP-locked. Thank you for your support, dear readers!