Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Qin Musong did not know whether to laugh or cry. “I added that. Miaomiao, your weakness is that you don’t have much of a physical foundation and can’t fight. You probably won’t encounter an instance where you have to throw punches, but you can never be too careful around other people. Knowing a little self-defense would still be useful.”
He glanced at Lin Zhu, who stood nearby with his thin arms and legs. “Lin Zhu needs training too. At the very least, he should build up his stamina.”
Lin Zhu’s youthful face reddened, and he obediently agreed.
Helpless, Cheng Miao could only go along with the group.
It had been a long time since any of them had truly relaxed. They ate, drank, and shopped to their hearts’ content, and everyone bought several changes of clothes.
For ease of movement inside instances, Cheng Miao still avoided anything flashy or ornate. She stuck with jeans and a white shirt.
Little did she know that the clean, simple outfit made her even more attractive. People kept glancing back at her as she walked down the street.
“If Lian Ge were here, she’d definitely love this store.” Lin Zhu gazed at a roadside qipao boutique. The dresses were exquisitely made, and quite a few young women were trying them on inside.
“Miss her, do you?” Cheng Miao teased. “Then again, you’re at the age when people yearn for romance.”
Half of Lin Zhu’s face turned crimson. “I don’t! Even if I had a hundred times more courage, I still wouldn’t dare fall for Lian Ge!”
Cheng Miao could not help laughing. Lian Ge was undeniably beautiful. Even in the real world, Cheng Miao had never seen anyone so stunning.
But she was also dangerous. That mysterious, seductive aura might fool men who looked no deeper than the surface, but anyone with a working brain would know Lian Ge was not someone to provoke lightly.
By the time Cheng Miao’s legs ached from walking, Qi Jiajia finally found clothes she liked.
Qi Jiajia had always worn dresses that made her look like a porcelain doll.
After spending so long with Cheng Miao, however, her taste had gradually become cleaner and simpler too.
Cheng Miao looked approvingly at Qi Jiajia’s smooth, straight black hair. Her bangs made her features appear sharper and more defined.
She wore a fitted red knit top, while black jeans made her legs look exceptionally long.
Cheng Miao tilted her head. “I just realized you’re not that short.”
Qi Jiajia’s usual doll-like styling had made her seem both petite and very young.
But now that she was dressed like this…
Cheng Miao suddenly wondered if Qi Jiajia was not actually twelve or thirteen, as she had assumed.
Qi Jiajia rolled her eyes. “I’m not short. I’m a little shorter than you, sure, but I’m almost five foot two.”
Cheng Miao bit her finger, torn. “How old are you this year?”
Qi Jiajia gave her a sinister smile. “Take a guess.”
Cheng Miao: “…Thirteen?”
Qi Jiajia’s smile vanished. She stared expressionlessly at Cheng Miao. “Sis, I’m almost sixteen.”
“You’re only two years younger than me?!” Lin Zhu’s pupils quaked. He had always treated Qi Jiajia like a little sister. She still was younger than him, but… not that young.
Lin Zhu looked ready to cry. Qi Jiajia shrugged. “I never told you I was a child. My parents just liked dressing me that way. They wanted a doll who would never grow up, something they could keep in a display case.”
Delighted with her new outfit, Qi Jiajia dragged Cheng Miao to a spa. “You’re a grown woman. How do you not know to take care of your skin?”
Cheng Miao followed in petrified silence while Qi Jiajia lectured her. “See? Makeup is useful. You all thought I was a child. I’m telling you, it’s a skill.”
Yes, yes. Fine, fine. Whatever you say is right.
Cheng Miao wanted to weep. She had thought Qi Jiajia was an insufferable brat, only to discover the girl was almost an adult. Apparently, her yandere rehabilitation project was not quite what she had imagined.
In the end, Qi Jiajia nagged Cheng Miao into getting a facial and buying skincare products.
At the counter, Cheng Miao overheard two customers chatting beside her. They had plainly just emerged from an instance and had rushed over from another Hotel because Starry City offered the biggest discounts on skincare.
The scene looked no different from women shopping in the real world. Cheng Miao sighed inwardly. Apart from the desperate struggle for survival inside instances, the Survival Inn truly had thought of everything.
Over the next few days, Cheng Miao and the others let themselves relax completely. After Qi Jiajia made them ride the roller coaster five times, Cheng Miao and Lin Zhu even declared that instances were not all that terrifying after all.
Cheng Miao always followed through on her word. She had noticed the weakness Qin Musong pointed out too, so the team trained under him for the next several days. Their combat skills might not have improved much, but at least their stamina did.
On their final evening, the group did not venture far. They ordered a lavish dinner at the Hotel and invited Tong Qian, Bai Jiang, and Li Cheng’s four-person team.
Li Cheng’s group might have entered another instance and not returned yet, because none of them answered Cheng Miao’s messages. Tong Qian and Bai Jiang arrived as promised, however, and brought her a small gift box.
“Bai Jiang and I bought this little Item with the money we earned over the last few days. It wasn’t expensive, but it’s the thought that counts.” Smiling, Tong Qian leaned against Bai Jiang and urged Cheng Miao to open it.
Cheng Miao untied the ribbon. Four tiny red cords lay inside the box.
She picked one up and read the Item description.
Item Name: Telepathic Cord
Function: Binds to team members and confirms their safety inside an instance.
Cheng Miao’s eyes lit up. Her team had always favored a steady, cautious approach and almost never bought Items from general stores. She had not expected Tong Qian and Bai Jiang to be so thoughtful. This was exactly what the team needed.
She thanked them with complete sincerity, then handed one cord to each teammate. The moment they tied the cords around their arms, the red threads slowly sank into their skin and disappeared.
What followed was an extraordinary sensation. When Cheng Miao closed her eyes, she could sense all three of her teammates. If she focused, she could even hear each person’s strong, healthy heartbeat.
Special circumstances sometimes forced the team to split up inside an instance. With these cords, they could tell whether their teammates were safe or needed help, eliminating a major source of uncertainty.
Even the smartphones Cheng Miao’s team had exchanged for, and the smart terminals found in high-tier Inns, lost most of their functions inside instances.
If an instance was feeling generous, it might leave the camera and clock working. In a supernatural or otherwise unusual instance, however, the phone was no more useful than a brick.
The others loved the Item too and thanked Tong Qian one after another. The barrage of gratitude made her blush, and she hurriedly begged them to stop.
Before anyone had even picked up their chopsticks, a stream of shrill chatter reached them.
Qi Jiajia curled her lip. “It’s that fat bird.”
Everyone turned around. Qiudong approached at a graceful feline pace, followed by a budgerigar that flew behind him, chattering without pause.
Qiudong: “Shut up.”
Brother Parrot: …Can’t afford to offend him. Going into seclusion now.
“Why are you here?” Brother Parrot had said it would visit, but Cheng Miao had heard nothing since and had forgotten about it. She had not expected it to show up now.
Brother Parrot landed on Qi Jiajia’s head. Before she could explode, it pecked the crown of her head and shot over to Qin Musong’s shoulder for safety. “A Party-Wipe Player showed up a couple of days ago. I had to deal with the mess, so I only just made it here.”