Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Sun Xingye frowned deeply.
Cheng Shan was right.
Why had Xiao Huai not killed him outright?
What taboo rule had the player who died at the beginning violated to make the NPC kill him?
Sun Xingye had directly provoked the NPC and survived, so what had that player done to die the moment he entered?
Something felt wrong.
But after Cheng Shan’s reminder, Sun Xingye reined in some of his resentment.
The women in the group looked unwell. Several hours of walking had evaporated much of the water from their bodies.
They had not drunk a single drop since setting out. Hunger was nothing compared with the thirst that now scorched their throats like flame.
Cheng Shan distributed the bread. It was so dry that eating it only made them thirstier.
Some people held their portions without touching them.
Every water-related product in the System Shop had been blocked from purchase.
Even liquid items were restricted and could not relieve their thirst.
And that was without mentioning their absurd prices.
Some players abandoned all dignity, repeatedly kowtowing where they stood and begging the gods for help.
Others placed their hopes in Xiao Huai. If he could produce bread, he had to possess water as well.
Look at him. Was he not still perfectly calm?
He had to know a way out.
Xiao Huai noticed more and more eyes turning toward him, but Lu Yuanshi stepped in front of him and blocked every gaze.
Xiao Huai watched him quietly. “Lu Yuanshi, what game are you playing now?”
“Which one do you mean?”
Xiao Huai was speechless. That answer meant Lu Yuanshi was playing more than one.
He lowered his eyes toward the burning campfire. The flames reflected trembling tongues of light in his pupils.
His voice was quiet, but Lu Yuanshi could hear him clearly.
“Didn’t you want to watch me die? Why did you say that to me?”
Why had Lu Yuanshi told him:
“Live.”
Firelight threaded gold through the ends of Lu Yuanshi’s hair. His bottomless black eyes met Xiao Huai’s.
Yet those eyes inspired no oppression.
Instead, they seemed to calm Xiao Huai’s thoughts.
He could hear his own heart beating slowly and powerfully.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Lu Yuanshi propped his chin on one hand. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, as though he were smiling.
“I wanted to try something.”
“Try what?”
“Waiting for you to seduce me.”
Xiao Huai’s fingertip curled with the beat of his heart. He stood and looked away.
“I won’t,” he replied softly.
He did not know how to seduce anyone, and there would never be a day when he tried to seduce Lu Yuanshi.
He had no such inclination.
“I’ll wait for you,” Lu Yuanshi replied softly.
As though drawn by some force, Xiao Huai glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
Only then did he realize Lu Yuanshi was staring into his eyes, seemingly intent on seeing through him.
Xiao Huai disliked the feeling. It was as though something were about to escape his control.
Beneath Lu Yuanshi’s beautiful exterior, he glimpsed a power capable of corroding flesh and bone.
He walked over, sat beside Lu Yuanshi, and deliberately leaned close.
For a moment, they seemed able to hear each other breathe.
Xiao Huai lowered his lashes and brought his face nearer, as though he were about to kiss him…
But just before the tips of their noses touched, Xiao Huai laughed softly and pressed a fingertip to the mole on the bridge of Lu Yuanshi’s nose.
Lu Yuanshi’s pupils widened slightly, and his throat moved.
His heart felt as though it had been seared.
Xiao Huai laughed softly. “Instead of waiting for me to seduce you, why don’t you try seducing me? Either way, I won’t.”
He would neither be seduced by Lu Yuanshi nor seduce him.
With that, Xiao Huai lay directly on the ground, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Lu Yuanshi lowered his eyes, a helpless smile seemingly hidden at their corners. He shook his head, lay down nearby, and quietly watched Xiao Huai sleep.
Xiao Huai slept exceptionally well that night.
He should never have fallen asleep. He had intended to keep watch over every player, especially Sun Xingye.
By all logic, Sun Xingye should have been the first to break a rule.
Xiao Huai had wanted to see what happened to him during the night.
Yet somehow, Xiao Huai had closed his eyes, opened them again, and found that morning had already arrived.
Throughout the night…
Everyone remained safe.
But *safe* was the only word that applied.
Every one of them had developed some degree of abnormality.
“A-Zhuolang, do you really have no water? He’s dying of thirst. Truly, not even one drop?”
A woman ran anxiously to Xiao Huai.
Until now, the players had not dared approach him, much less speak to him.
Xiao Huai followed her gaze and saw a young man whose face was white as paper.
He looked no older than twenty, with freckles scattered across his face and pale brown hair caused by malnutrition.
He was also undersized and thin for his age.
A player whose physical condition was already worse than everyone else’s would naturally succumb first.
Xiao Huai went to his side.
Only a thin layer of sweat covered the young man’s forehead.
He could not even open his eyes, and indistinct murmurs escaped his mouth.
Xiao Huai rested the young man’s head on his lap and leaned close to his lips, listening carefully.
The young man murmured, “So beautiful. Ha-ha… So beautiful…”
The nearby players watched Xiao Huai in confusion.
What was he doing?
The young man was nearly unconscious.
They did not expect Xiao Huai to save him, but if he had water, at least everyone could breathe a little easier.
Sun Xingye had not spoken since the previous evening. He had stayed awake all night, dark circles beneath his eyes.
He had been terrified that the instant he fell asleep, punishment for breaking the rule would descend upon him.
But he had waited all night, and nothing unusual had happened.
Xiao Huai suddenly raised his head, touched the young man’s lips with his fingertips, and pried open his mouth.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath when they saw what was inside.
“What’s going on? How is this possible? Didn’t we light a fire last night?”
The young man’s mouth was filled with blood, but what truly chilled everyone was the mass of insect corpses inside it.
Shriveled green shells.
They lay densely scattered across the mucous membrane of his mouth, mingling with blood like pus. Numerous insect eyes floated among them.
Some players nearly vomited after a single glance and hurriedly looked away.
Xiao Huai calmly straightened the young man’s head and struck his back, stimulating him to expel everything from his mouth.
Sun Xingye watched Xiao Huai’s every movement.
Why was he helping a player? An NPC had no reason to meddle this much.
Frowning, he studied the young man.
There had been something wrong with him last night.
After considering it for a moment, Sun Xingye decided to reveal what he had seen.
Perhaps it would tell him why this NPC was saving people.