Chapter 99
Chapter 99
After leaving the crowd, Xiao Huai breathed an inward sigh of relief.
He wondered whether his performance had frightened them.
He did not know exactly what the blue powder Li Yao had added to the food was.
But his instincts told him it could not be anything good.
If the players ate too much food containing that powder, something terrible might happen.
If Xiao Huai had simply walked away, other players like Li Yao might drug the food again in the future.
But then Lu Yuanshi had appeared.
The instant he spoke, inspiration seemed to strike Xiao Huai, and the two played out a scene together.
Only they knew the truth behind that performance.
Lu Yuanshi might have been watching him from the side for a long time, which meant he may have seen Li Yao drug the food.
That would explain why he had specifically mentioned it.
If either of them revealed the truth and accused Li Yao,
most likely, no one would believe them.
First, the culprit had already left. Second, confronting her would alert the enemy.
Whether Li Yao would admit it was one problem.
If the person who had ordered her to drug the food learned that they knew, exposing her would do more harm than good.
The best solution was therefore for Xiao Huai to take responsibility for it himself.
NPCs were mysterious. No one knew what an NPC truly intended to do.
As long as Xiao Huai acted like a villain, fear would make everyone more cautious about the food.
With people guarding the dining hall in shifts, the risk of someone drugging it would be greatly reduced.
The witch had not drugged the food herself. That proved one thing: the rules restricted her.
Witches could do many things inside a game instance, but there were also actions they were forbidden to take.
Back in Diamond Magnate, Victoria had several opportunities to stop Xiao Huai from destroying that world, yet she had never acted.
Doing so would have violated certain hidden rules of the game.
However, witches could exploit players, strike bargains with them, and drive them to act in their place.
Time passed minute by minute. Sun Xingye drew up a schedule that would keep the dining hall guarded twenty-four hours a day.
Because everyone feared Xiao Huai, each shift consisted of two people.
At least with a companion, they would not be quite so afraid.
Meanwhile, Xiao Huai had reached Xiaoxue and Li Yao’s room. He stood outside for a moment and was about to knock when a woman’s voice came from behind him.
“You certainly enjoy meddling in other people’s business.”
Xiao Huai turned and saw the woman wearing Ji Yelin’s face.
“Yes and no,” he answered.
He was not someone who enjoyed meddling. His identity in this game was simply unusual.
“Ji Yelin” continued, “Why hasn’t the guide left yet? Why are you still here?”
Xiao Huai raised an eyebrow. She truly was not Ji Yelin.
Her words made it obvious that she knew the guide was supposed to leave after delivering the players.
If she were a player, she could not possibly know that.
“Because I feel like meddling,” Xiao Huai said casually.
The eyes of the false Ji Yelin curved with amusement. “What a strange guide.”
No local would willingly remain in a cursed land, much less interfere in other people’s affairs.
“Are strange people that annoying?” Xiao Huai turned to face her.
“Ji Yelin” tilted her head as though she were looking at a complete oddball.
The oddball wore no smile, yet the defiance in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Her pupils trembled slightly. After a moment, she shook her head.
Yet what she said was, “Yes. Strange people are very annoying.”
“Ha.” Xiao Huai laughed, his eyes half narrowed. Candlelight swept across the young man’s lashes, lending them a touch of warmth.
Xiao Huai said, “That can’t be helped. Everyone has their own way of living. What others find strange feels normal to me. What you hate, I happen to like.”
His smile faded as he looked up at the woman posing as Ji Yelin. “So, other than coming here to criticize me, is there anything else you want to say?”
Everyone had their own way of living.
She came back to herself, frowned, and glared at Xiao Huai. “No. I don’t enjoy meddling and inviting disaster the way you do.”
Xiao Huai raised an eyebrow and watched “Ji Yelin” leave.
For now, he did not expose the impostor’s identity or directly question her about what had happened.
After all, what his eyes showed him was not necessarily the whole truth. He preferred to cast a long line for a bigger catch.
He turned back to the door and knocked lightly. Only after a long time did a girl’s voice come from inside.
“Who is it?”
Xiao Huai stood outside without answering. Footsteps sounded inside the room.
A moment later, the door opened a crack, and Li Yao cautiously revealed one eye.
When she saw Xiao Huai outside, surprise flashed through her eyes before her brows drew together.
In a quiet, stammering voice, she asked, “A-A-Zhuolang? Why are you here? Do you need something?”
Xiao Huai produced a roll of bandages. “It’s time to replace the old ones.”
“Oh… okay.” Li Yao slowly opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
There were only ten rooms in the inn. Even after what had happened in theirs, they could not move because no one would willingly trade rooms with them.
The moment Xiao Huai entered, he smelled the metallic tang of blood. Even the candlelight in this room was dimmer than in the others.
Xiaoxue lay on the bed with her eyes tightly shut. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips were deathly pale. The pain of losing her arm tormented her without pause.
“She has a low fever.” Xiao Huai recognized Xiaoxue’s condition with a single glance.
Surprise appeared in Li Yao’s eyes. She walked to Xiaoxue’s side and felt her forehead.
“She really does… I didn’t notice,” Li Yao murmured. Then, noticing Xiao Huai was still there, she quickly added, “I only woke up a little while ago. I didn’t know she had a fever.”
Xiao Huai said nothing. He picked up a nearby bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, soaked a cloth, and placed it over Xiaoxue’s forehead.
Sometimes, the most serious part of an injury was not the blood loss itself, but the complications that followed.
Dizziness, hallucinations, fever, dehydration…
Many painful symptoms surfaced in his mind. It seemed he had once suffered frequently from excessive blood loss.
That was why he understood Xiaoxue’s current condition.
“Are the two of you close?” he suddenly asked.
Li Yao immediately nodded. “Of course. We’re best friends.”
“Then what kind of person is she?” Xiao Huai suddenly turned to look at Li Yao.
The moment Li Yao met his gaze, fear rose within her. She looked away and stepped back.
“What kind of person? Um… let me think. She’s very kind…”
Xiao Huai laughed softly. “Very kind?”
Could a player in a horror game truly be kind?
He raised his chin slightly, the coldness in his eyes accentuating his distinctive beauty.
“What I mean is, why did the two of you come here?”
Or, to put it another way,
what mistake had they made to be chosen by the horror game?