Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Until they found a way to break the deadlock, the streamers had to keep their scores high enough to avoid being selected for games. Naturally, they could not summon their fan-club members either. There was no telling whom the summoned Ghosts would help. How many streamers had died at the hands of the malicious ghosts they summoned themselves?
They dared not gamble with their lives. With survival at stake, they had no morality to spare on playing saints. They had to live, one day at a time!
Maybe… Maybe tomorrow they would find a way to avoid the games!
If they could hold on for five more days, they could leave the Instance…
Thinking this way seemed to reduce their guilt. Of course, that only applied to those who retained some kindness. A self-centered person like Azim ran out of the courtyard without hesitation the instant he heard points could be earned.
After experiencing the power to stand above others and control them once, he could no longer tolerate having his own life controlled.
So… with no burden on his conscience, he went to search for streamers participating in the game.
“Announcement: Qiao Zhangsan has been caught. ID: Zhangsan.”
Qiao Yu frowned at the voice in his ears and complained, “What a fitting death.”
Luo Yunmeng made a confused sound and instinctively asked, “Did you have a grudge against that streamer?”
Qiao Yu sneered.
Of course he did. If that bastard had not taken the name, why would Qiao Yu have been forced to parade around with such a mortifying ID?
He did not tell Luo Yunmeng the reason. He could not afford that humiliation.
Just then, he vaguely sensed that Shang Yan had become exceptionally quiet. He glanced over and saw Shang Yan turn aside, discreetly clutching his stomach. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, cold perspiration born from enduring pain.
Qiao Yu instinctively searched his pocket and pulled out the blister pack of medicine. He cursed under his breath.
“Why didn’t you tell me your stomach hurt? I forgot to give you the medicine!”
Shang Yan blinked. “I forgot too.”
Qiao Yu’s head falling off had been rather frightening. Shang Yan’s limbs were still numb, and he had yet to recover.
Qiao Yu sighed. This man was always like this.
He whined and begged for attention over the smallest ordinary injury, but when the pain became unbearable, he pretended nothing was wrong. What kind of problem was that?
Qiao Yu could not be bothered arguing with a sick man. He pointed at Chinnawat. “Go to the children’s dormitory behind us and bring a cup of warm water.”
Chinnawat did not move. Confusion filled his eyes. “What do you need water for?”
Qiao Yu rolled his eyes in fury. “I want to choke myself to death with it. Happy?”
Honestly, if the other three had not been young girls, he never would have relied on this “connoisseur of pointless conversation”!
Chinnawat rubbed his nose, realizing another thoughtless question had angered the powerhouse.
He dared not respond and immediately rushed from the hut toward the children’s dormitory.
The silent courtyard was eerily quiet. He dashed into the dormitory and met the terrified gaze of a streamer hiding inside.
The other person stared at Chinnawat like a frightened animal.
Chinnawat had no time to explain. He raced to the table, grabbed the thermos, and bolted.
The moment he left the room, running footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
He dared not delay. Ducking low, he squeezed into a crack in the wall.
Fortunately, his current body was thin and small enough to fit between the two mud-brick walls.
Holding his breath, he cautiously poked out his head to observe.
To his horror, streamers who had not been selected for the game appeared together and began searching everywhere.
Chinnawat squeezed himself even deeper between the walls.
Voices suddenly sounded nearby.
“Found one!”
Chinnawat watched with pressed lips as the shouting streamer blocked the dormitory door, pointed at the person hiding inside, and yelled loudly.
What did this mean?
Why were they helping the ghost?!
Before anger could fill Chinnawat’s mind, a strange scraping sound arose. Something seemed to be crawling toward them.
The soaking-wet female ghost soon came scuttling out on all fours. Accompanied by her sobbing, the terror level shot straight toward the limit.
Chinnawat’s hand tightened around the thermos, and he clenched his teeth.
The next second, a miserable scream pierced the sky. The female ghost brutally dragged away the streamer Chinnawat had briefly met earlier, laughing as she went. “Baby, Mommy found you…”
Chinnawat hugged the thermos tightly, his scalp completely numb.
Suddenly, he felt something watching him. He instinctively raised his head and saw Qiao Beibei lying on the roof, staring down.
There was no telling how long the little ghost had watched him, but it could not mean anything good.
Sure enough, Qiao Beibei’s mouth twisted into a strange arc, and he called, “Big Sister Maria, your baby is here.”
Fuck!
Chinnawat did not dare waste a second. He ducked and shot out from the crack in the wall, narrowly avoiding the pallid hand reaching straight for him.
“Sob, sob… My baby… My baby…”
Elsewhere, Qiao Yu stood anxiously before the ruined hut and looked around.
When Chinnawat failed to return, he frowned. “Who knows where Ren Yan ran off to? She takes the money and doesn’t work!”
Shang Yan could not help curling his lips when he heard that.
But he soon clutched his stomach and hissed softly.
Qiao Yu’s hearing was excellent. He walked back at once, his frown deepening.
Shang Yan’s childish face was pale enough to look translucent. Faint blue veins stood out at his temples, while his lips were dark red. He looked even less alive than Qiao Yu.
Unable to bear Qiao Yu’s worried expression, Shang Yan looked away and murmured, “Qiao Yu…”
But Qiao Yu interrupted. “Since you feel this awful, ask whatever you want.”
Shang Yan looked up. Qiao Yu stood over him with his hands behind his back, reluctance and conflict covering his youthful face.
Kong Xianya scented gossip like a hound. She stared directly at them, curiosity clawing at her heart.
Shang Yan knew Qiao Yu did not want to discuss the past. His question circled the tip of his tongue before he ultimately suppressed it. Replacing it with a teasing expression, he asked, “Qiao Yu, you earned quite a lot yesterday, didn’t you?”
Was he talking about the Review Cards?
Qiao Yu raised a brow. “Why ask?”
Shang Yan studied the surprise in his eyes and chuckled. “You won’t abandon me once you’re rich, will you?”
Qiao Yu clicked his tongue, utterly certain. “Don’t worry. I’ll never be richer than you.”
Kong Xianya was speechless.
So much for that gossip.
“Then is your body… all right?”
Qiao Yu paused. His long lashes fluttered several times, revealing unease.
*Who told you to ask that? Honestly…*
But his body, which kept falling into pieces at the slightest provocation, had already been exposed. Sigh.
Qiao Yu sighed inwardly, waved a hand, and gave a dry laugh. “I’m fine. I just twisted my waist, got a stomachache, and displaced all my internal organs.”
“Stop changing the subject. I’m the one with the stomachache.”
Qiao Yu nodded. “Can’t be helped. Love makes people change the subject.”
Shang Yan fell silent.
“Announcement: Qiao Insult My Idol and Your Whole Family Dies has been caught. ID: Insult My Idol and Your Whole Family Dies.”
Had another person died?
Before anyone recovered, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside.