Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Lin Junruo stayed in Xia Zeqin’s room.

When the new world began and the two of them emerged from the same room, Lin Junruo leaned into Xia Zeqin’s arms with a shy, blushing face. Everyone understood what had happened, but no one cared enough to voice an opinion.

Mu Xin frowned, but ultimately said nothing.

Qin Weiyi, however, took the initiative to walk over to Jian Fan. “Congratulations on getting another new teammate?”

Jian Fan gave a faint “Mm” in response. However, his emotions weren’t as indifferent as they appeared on the surface. When he saw the intimate behavior between Xia Zeqin and Lin Junruo, Jian Fan’s brow furrowed slightly.

Qin Weiyi didn’t notice, but Qin Nan, who had been standing by Jian Fan’s side, saw it clearly.

He glanced at Xia Zeqin and then back at Jian Fan, a somewhat bizarre thought rising in his mind.

Could Jian Fan and Xia Zeqin have some kind of romantic entanglement? Otherwise, why would Jian Fan care about Xia Zeqin changing female companions? Xia Zeqin’s previous companion had been erased, and now Lin Junruo had delivered herself to his door. In Qin Nan’s eyes, while the two of them getting together was a bit unexpected, it seemed logical enough and wasn’t that hard to accept.

But Jian Fan…

“Why are you looking at me?” Qin Nan had stared at Jian Fan for so long that Jian Fan finally couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Nan withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Nothing, I was just wondering what kind of grudge there is between you and Xia Zeqin.”

Jian Fan remained silent.

Qin Nan had already expected that Jian Fan wouldn’t reveal the history between him and Xia Zeqin, but the more it was like this, the more curious Qin Nan became. As someone who made a living on the internet, his mind was quite progressive. He had even done commentary videos on those ‘danmei’ adaptation dramas, so… the question was, were Jian Fan and Xia Zeqin actually in that kind of relationship?

“You have a grudge with Xia Zeqin?” Mu Xin asked, sounding surprised.

Mu Xin’s voice cut in, interrupting Qin Nan’s train of thought.

“Yes, a personal grievance. It won’t affect anything,” Jian Fan replied simply.

Mu Xin wasn’t particularly curious. As long as it didn’t affect her, she naturally didn’t care. She gave a nod of acknowledgment and didn’t press further.

The bus to the new world appeared once again.

Xia Zeqin was the first to board, his arm around Lin Junruo. He chose a seat at the very front, with his lackey following close behind. Next, Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing boarded and sat together. Jian Fan and Qin Nan sat together as they usually did, while Mu Xin took a seat in the row in front of them.

Finally, there was Xu Tian.

She still kept to herself, though she seemed much colder than when she first appeared. If she had started out with a cool-girl style following the latest fashion trends, she was now a cold beauty.

Nine people were seated.

They would be joined by three more Players.

Before the three Players arrived, Jian Fan took the rare initiative to speak, introducing someone to the two of them. “The person beside Xia Zeqin is named Qian Xing. Do not underestimate him.”

“Qian Xing?” Qin Nan was first drawn to the name before saying, “Looking at him before, he didn’t seem to have any particularly striking performance.”

“Pay more attention to him, and you’ll understand what I mean,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan nodded, then asked, “Then why didn’t you say anything before?”

Jian Fan fell silent.

Qin Nan immediately understood and gave a soft huff. In the first world, he had only been Jian Fan’s temporary teammate. It was only in the last world, after he had passed Jian Fan’s test, that he was truly considered a teammate.

Only a teammate would receive a friendly warning from Jian Fan.
So, what about Mu Xin?

Qin Nan felt a bit disgruntled. Why did Mu Xin get all this information after just one world? Was this gender discrimination?

“A person shouldn’t be too much like an Input Method,” Qin Nan muttered to himself, though his gaze was fixed squarely on Jian Fan.

Hearing the name, Jian Fan didn’t show much of a reaction. He simply said, “The nickname. We’re even.”

Tsk. Qin Nan let out a sound of disdain. He had only given Jian Fan a nickname, yet Jian Fan had completely betrayed his trust in the previous world! However, Qin Nan was just venting; he couldn’t be bothered to actually hold a grudge.

Even was even.

Mu Xin started laughing. “Input Method? Is that the nickname you gave him? It’s… actually quite fitting.”

On an Input Method, one had to choose between Simplified and Traditional characters-Jian Fan’s name literally meant ‘Simplified Traditional.’ It was indeed fitting.

“Right?” Qin Nan grinned. “I think it’s a great nickname too. Input Method.” He made sure to emphasize it again.

Jian Fan suddenly looked at Qin Nan.

“What?” Being stared at like that gave Qin Nan a sudden bad premonition. He silently increased the distance between himself and Jian Fan, wondering if he should go sit with Mu Xin instead.

Jian Fan’s expression remained unchanged. “I’ve thought of a name for our team as well.”

Qin Nan’s bad feeling grew stronger.

He didn’t speak, but Mu Xin asked with great interest, “What is it?”

“The Infirm and Disabled,” Jian Fan replied.

Qin Nan: “…”

Mu Xin: “…”

“With that thin, frail-looking body of yours, you’ve got everything covered except for ‘old.’ Mu Xin is a young girl, so she barely counts as ‘weak.’ But what do I have to do with ‘The Infirm and Disabled’? I’m not old, I’m not weak, and I’m certainly not sick or disabled,” Qin Nan protested.

Jian Fan curled the corner of his mouth and pointed a finger at Qin Nan’s head. “The disability is here.”

Qin Nan: “…”

Compared to Mu Xin and Jian Fan, he admitted his IQ was a bit lower, but it definitely wasn’t at the level of being ‘disabled,’ right?

“Watch yourself, Jian Fan,” Qin Nan threatened.

A hint of a smile appeared in Jian Fan’s eyes as he explained, “You are a New Player. You don’t know much about the Realm of Death and you lack experience. That is your handicap.”

Qin Nan begrudgingly accepted that explanation.

Mu Xin, on the other hand, found it quite interesting. “I’m the weak one, Jian Fan is the sick one, and Qin Nan is the disabled one. It’s pretty good. If we find an old person to be our teammate, we’ll truly be The Infirm and Disabled. It’s quite deceptive, which fits my style perfectly.”

“Mhm.” Jian Fan didn’t deny it, adding, “The inspiration for this name originated from you.”

“Fine, then our Infirm and Disabled Team will work together and take down this Realm of Death!” Qin Nan accepted the team name readily, full of confidence.

Mu Xin also laughed and said, “The Infirm and Disabled-looking forward to working with you.”

“Likewise,” Jian Fan said, a faint smile touching his lips.

Amidst the pleasant atmosphere between the three, the three Players needed to fill their ranks finally arrived.

This time, there were no New Players. The three of them boarded the bus together, appearing to have come from the same world. Perhaps their previous world had been particularly brutal; even after their rest period, their faces still bore clear signs of exhaustion.

And, among these three people, an elderly person actually appeared-a grandmother with a head full of silver hair.

Mu Xin was the first to turn around, her eyes locking right with Qin Nan’s.

Were they really going to form a team of the infirm and disabled?

Actually, the universe didn’t need to grant their wishes quite so literally.