Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The streets were bustling with people, lined with buildings that blended Eastern and Western, modern and ancient styles into a mismatched, eclectic aesthetic.

Shen Yubi walked slowly along the sidewalk, his clothes stained with blood.

Rainwater dripped from his hem, leaving a trail of reddish water in his wake.

The pedestrians were dressed in all sorts of attire; some held modern umbrellas, others carried oil-paper ones. Everyone moved with a sense of urgency, and no one paid him any mind.

Or rather, everyone had long since grown accustomed to such sights.

With his lips pressed into a tight line, he turned into a narrow alley. After several twists and turns, he finally stood before a small wooden building.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, but an enticing aroma wafted from within.

Shen Yubi raised his hand and knocked on the back door of the Blank Tavern.

Before long, the sound of tapping footsteps echoed from inside.

“Who is it?”

The person who opened the door was a young man in his early twenties. He held a black umbrella and wore an oversized short-sleeved shirt, floral trunks, and flip-flops. His voice was lazy, a stark contrast to his handsome face.

When Guan Doujin first opened the door, he thought someone was playing a prank. Lowering his gaze slightly, he discovered a small, drenched boy standing at the threshold.

Blood was smeared across the boy’s face, making him look like a little beggar.

“Hey, kid. What’s the matter? Lost?” Guan Doujin said with a grin. “If you want to stay here, you have to go through the front door. My place runs strictly on Points; I don’t give out back-door favors.”

Rainwater ran down Shen Yubi’s brow. He looked at the man and said coldly, “It’s me.”

His voice was icy, carrying a detached indifference that kept others at a distance.

Though it still held the high-pitched quality of a boy whose voice hadn’t changed, Guan Doujin recognized it immediately.

His eyes widened as he scanned Shen Yubi from head to toe. “Shen Yubi?” he asked uncertainly.

As he spoke, he stepped aside to let him in, shifting the umbrella over the boy’s head. “How did you end up in this pathetic state? Where’s your Transformed Ghost?”

Guan Doujin handed him the umbrella and closed the door behind them.

“Get inside, quick. Sister Jiang really splurged today; we’re having hot pot.”

Shen Yubi remained silent. The small courtyard in the back was currently empty.

He walked into the building. When the woman sitting at the table saw him, her brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Shen Yubi didn’t even look up, heading straight upstairs.

Guan Doujin sat back down at the table and glanced toward the stairs. “Is it just me, or is something wrong with him?”

“‘Something wrong’ is an understatement. It’s downright abnormal,” the woman said, leaning her arm against the back of her chair. “How long has it been since we’ve seen him like this?”

Guan Doujin began counting on his fingers. “Let me see…”

Jiang Jiu rolled her eyes and picked up a nearby fan, waving it absentmindedly.

She was also calculating just how long it had been. Even that outfit-the last time she had seen it felt like many years ago.

With her mind occupied, the steaming hot pot in front of her lost some of its appeal.

Before long, Shen Yubi finished washing up and slowly walked downstairs.

However, he was still in the form of a child. The white shirt that should have fit him now looked like an oversized “boyfriend shirt” on his small frame.

He sat down in the remaining empty seat. Knowing the two had questions, he didn’t rush to pick up his chopsticks.

Guan Doujin couldn’t contain himself. “I’m still asking the same thing: where did you go?”

“I entered a game,” Shen Yubi said.

“I know that!” Guan Doujin slammed the table, suddenly becoming agitated. “I’m asking which Instance you went to! We clearly agreed to go together this time to grind for Level 10 clues. But when I got in, well, look at that-you were nowhere to be found!”
He was somewhat speechless. When he had first entered, he had counted the heads over and over again. The numbers were clearly all there, yet he simply couldn’t see Shen Yubi.

Being stood up for no apparent reason left Guan Doujin feeling incredibly frustrated.

Thinking back to Shen Yubi’s disheveled appearance just now, he asked again, “Did you enter a Level Ten Dungeon?”

Otherwise, there was no reason for him to end up in such a state.

“No,” Shen Yubi said. “A Level Zero Dungeon.”

Hearing this, Jiang Jiu’s hands paused. She sat up straight, her furrowed brow never relaxing.

“What level?” Guan Doujin scratched his ear, asking again in disbelief. “What level did you say?”

In stark contrast to his attitude, Shen Yubi’s tone was calm and cold. “Level Zero. A Level Zero Dungeon with a 100% Mortality Rate.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the chatterbox Guan Doujin shut his mouth, stunned for a long while before snapping back to his senses.

“A 100% Mortality Rate Instance?”

“You actually entered another 100% Mortality Rate Instance, and you came back alive again!”

His voice was hollow, filled with skepticism. “Shen Yubi, you aren’t tricking me just to avoid responsibility, are you?”

Shen Yubi said nothing, and Guan Doujin fell silent once more.

Ultimately, it was Jiang Jiu who broke the deadlock. She asked, “Where is your Transformed Ghost? Don’t tell me you lost it after one trip to an Instance?”

“No.” Shen Yubi pinched his fingers. “It was just forcibly separated from me. It’s not by my side right now.”

“If I remember correctly, wasn’t that the same outfit you wore the first time you entered the game world?”

Jiang Jiu was a veteran player who had been active in the Nightmare Trading Center for decades. Based on the few words Shen Yubi had shared, she cut straight to the heart of the matter.

“Yes.”

This time, Guan Doujin wasn’t the only one who fell silent.

Jiang Jiu looked at Shen Yubi, her gaze suddenly becoming complex. Whatever she was thinking of, her thoughts seemed to drift far away.

After a long time, she smiled at Shen Yubi again and whispered a soft, “Congratulations.”

Guan Doujin didn’t understand the riddles they were speaking in.

He tilted his head and asked, “What do you mean? Why ‘congratulations’?”

Jiang Jiu stood up, went to the counter to bring out a jar of wine, and poured a cup for each of the three of them.

She glanced sideways at Guan Doujin. “Of course I have to say congratulations. Don’t you know what a 100% Mortality Rate Instance represents?”

“I know.” Guan Doujin picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks and put it on the small plate in front of him. “According to those not-so-accurate deductions, doesn’t everyone say that a 100% Mortality Rate means someone has activated the Redemption System…”

Midway through his sentence, his voice grew quieter until it vanished entirely.

After a second of stunned silence, he suddenly looked up at the young boy opposite him.

His voice trembled, whether from excitement or something else. “That person is here? They’ve come to redeem you?”

Shen Yubi neither confirmed nor denied it. After all, he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on himself.

Given the various circumstances presented to him, the probability of it being that person was nearly ninety-nine percent, but he didn’t dare think too much about the remaining one percent of uncertainty.

He was even afraid to think about it.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Moreover…

After living in this hellhole for so many years, he had grown accustomed to it. He had long since stopped harboring much hope of getting out.

Hearing this news now only caused a slight ripple in his heart.

Deep down, he wasn’t even sure if he truly wanted that person to come.