Chapter 135
Chapter 135
Lin Zhu lay on the floor, unable to move. His body hurt, but the damage to his spirit was even worse.
What was happening? This was the first time he had encountered an instance that failed to release him when time ran out.
Had he done something wrong? Had he violated a rule?
Lin Zhu knew the man was walking toward him one step at a time, but he didn’t move. Moving would make no difference.
He couldn’t win, couldn’t run, and couldn’t leave even though time was up. Nothing mattered anymore.
The man reached Lin Zhu, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and lifted him.
Pain seared through Lin Zhu’s scalp, but his overwhelming despair had stripped away even his will to survive.
Bang. Lin Zhu was thrown again. His head struck the floor, making him nauseated with pain, and the heavy taste of blood filled his mouth.
How could this be? Why hadn’t the instance ended even though noon on the fourth day had clearly arrived?
Wait…
The fourth day…
Lin Zhu’s bruised, swollen eyes widened. The fourth day!
The notification had said, “Survive inside Reversed World until noon on the fourth day.” Reversed World had to refer to the world where their identities changed after they lost consciousness.
All the players had checked the time immediately after the notification. They might have already been inside this world then, but their identities hadn’t changed, so they didn’t yet count as residents of this world.
That meant every player who calculated from the moment they entered the instance had undercounted by one day!
The real time for escaping the instance should be noon tomorrow!
Lin Zhu was a student. To him, the most difficult problem was one without a solution. Now that he knew this problem could be solved, his spirit naturally returned.
The man was walking over. Lin Zhu was about to roll over and try to stand when he suddenly froze.
Why did cats play with mice?
Because it was fun.
If the mouse didn’t run or struggle, if it even… acted dead, would it still hold any interest for the cat?
Lin Zhu steeled himself, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing.
With his vision gone, his other senses sharpened. He heard the man approach and felt a hand pat the left and right sides of his face.
Then he felt himself lifted. Lin Zhu clenched his fists but didn’t panic, keeping his breathing steady and controlled.
The expected agony never came. He was tossed lightly aside. He remained motionless in the position where he landed. Sure enough, the man didn’t attack him again.
After circling him twice without receiving any response, the man lost interest and walked away. Left behind, Lin Zhu released a long breath and broke into a delighted grin.
“Damn it! We got it wrong!” After finishing their farewells, Cheng Miao and Qi Jiajia sat in the living room. They waited until twelve thirty, but still hadn’t left the instance.
Growing irritated, Qi Jiajia rose and paced while tugging on her little braid. “What’s going on? What do you mean we got it wrong?”
Cheng Miao’s gaze was sharp. “We shouldn’t calculate the time from when we entered the instance. We should start from when we woke in the pet store.”
Qi Jiajia was extremely clever too and understood the moment Cheng Miao explained. She spent a long while cursing furiously, then dropped beside Cheng Miao in utter resignation.
“This instance didn’t feel that difficult to clear, but miscalculating the time like this really destroys your morale.”
Qi Jiajia stared at the ceiling. The people nearby didn’t understand what the two were discussing. They only thought the boss and second-in-command were talking and didn’t dare interrupt.
Cheng Miao had already cursed this damned dog of an instance thoroughly in her mind. “There’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to stay one more day.”
She looked out the window, her heart heavy. “A lot of players will probably lose their lives because of this miscalculation.”
Qi Jiajia touched her wrist, her expression dark as she remained silent.
The smell of disinfectant filled Qin Musong’s nose and mouth. The anesthetic hadn’t worn off yet, and his head still hurt a little.
He only remembered that the situation had been urgent. Instinctively, he charged forward to subdue the polar bear, only for it to pull out a gun and aim at him.
Fortunately, Qin Musong was exceptionally skilled and had spent years walking the line between life and death. At the critical moment, he twisted aside, and the bullet struck his left shoulder.
Afterward, he collapsed to the floor and watched Ah Qiang, several others, and the wolfdogs pin down the polar bear. His own wolfdog raised an enormous commotion as it loaded him into an ambulance.
Qin Musong had been injured many times. Back when he served in the military, he had suffered gunshot wounds before too.
Now that the operation was over, he gently lifted his arm. There was no major problem. It wouldn’t interfere with what came next.
He would simply suffer once the anesthetic wore off.
But why hadn’t he returned? He quietly considered the question for a while before reversing his thinking and finding the key.
Qin Musong’s lips pulled into a bitter smile. He closed his eyes and sighed. “What a troublesome instance.”
Cheng Miao spent the entire day in the white cat’s study. She couldn’t understand the chaotic writing on the screen, but she could understand the images.
This world’s large-scale campaign to capture stray humans appeared to be in full swing. News reports showed one inhumane scene after another all day long.
The stray humans on the streets were exterminated almost completely. Finally, after dinner, just as the white cat was preparing for bed, Cheng Miao saw enforcement wolves burst into private homes and forcibly remove the pet humans.
The enormous animals cried and protested, yet could do nothing but hand over their beloved pets. Cheng Miao’s unease reached its peak.
This was a catastrophic operation targeting every player. Cheng Miao noticed that whenever the wolves captured a human, they killed them.
Cheng Miao clenched her fingers. More than ten hours remained until noon tomorrow. Should she take Qi Jiajia outside, or should they stay in the white cat’s home?
Which choice offered them the better chance of survival?
There were many places to hide outside, but the wolves were conducting a blanket search. Being found was only a matter of time.
If they stayed inside, once the wolves came to the door, they would truly have no way out.
Seeing Qi Jiajia’s grim expression, Cheng Miao forced herself to offer reassurance. “It’s all right. Let’s rest for now. Even if we decide to leave, we can’t go out at night. Conserve your strength. We still have a hard battle to fight tomorrow.”
Qi Jiajia said nothing. She touched her wrist. The two red threads belonging to Qin Musong and Lin Zhu had fluctuated violently earlier.
Although their signs of life had returned, they were weaker than before. They had probably been injured.
With the world in chaos and the two of them wounded, surviving had become even harder.
Cheng Miao had spent the entire day racking her brain for a path to survival for the two of them, leaving Qi Jiajia to monitor the red threads and report any changes.
Qi Jiajia didn’t tell Cheng Miao. She already had too much to worry about and couldn’t afford a distraction.
Besides, even if they knew, there was nothing they could do. It was better for Qi Jiajia to carry the worry alone.
“What’s with them?” Qi Jiajia muttered, her catlike eyes dark. “Isn’t Uncle Qin supposed to be strong? Why does he keep getting hurt…? And Lin Zhu too. They’re both such a handful.”