Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Qin Nan opened the Points Mall.

Whenever a new world opened, the Points Mall would update with a selection of corresponding items.

This was the first time Qin Nan had ever studied the contents of the Points Mall so meticulously.

There were many items available, ranging in cost. The more expensive the items, the more useful they tended to be, while the cheaper ones were of lesser quality. Qin Nan wasn’t entirely sure what Jian Fan was trying to get at, but he still carefully read through the descriptions of every single item.

One item cost one hundred Points and could temporarily conceal the user’s current area for one hour. Further down, there was a similar item that also concealed one’s area, but it lasted much longer-twenty-four hours-and cost five hundred Points.

Qin Nan looked up and turned to Jian Fan. “The thing you wanted to tell me… it couldn’t be this item called the Invisibility Pearl, could it?”

Jian Fan nodded.

Qin Nan found it almost laughable. “Are you kidding me? This isn’t exactly a life-or-death situation. Is it really worth spending Points on items? Even if it were necessary, an hour would have been more than enough. There’s no reason to blow five hundred Points on a twenty-four-hour version, right?”

According to Jian Fan’s logic, Xia Zeqin should still be inside a Private Room, yet they indeed hadn’t found him. Since more than an hour had passed since the incident at the Bar, if Xia Zeqin really had used an item, it could only be the twenty-four-hour Invisibility Pearl worth five hundred Points.

The base reward for completing a world was only five hundred Points!

After Qin Nan spoke, Mu Xin also read the description for the Invisibility Pearl, naturally understanding Jian Fan’s implication. But it was precisely because she understood that Mu Xin found it so bizarre.

Having gone through so many worlds, she wasn’t a stranger to spending Points, but who didn’t save their Points for when they were absolutely vital? Now, Jian Fan was telling her that Xia Zeqin-despite having other options to evade the bar employees-had chosen to spend Points directly, and five hundred at that.

This didn’t fit her logical understanding of how things worked.

“It is very strange, but that is exactly what he did,” Jian Fan said.

Both Qin Nan and Mu Xin had complicated expressions on their faces.

“Is this what you wanted to confirm?” Qin Nan asked. He thought back to the information he had gathered about Xia Zeqin from Jian Fan since they had met.

Jian Fan and Xia Zeqin used to be partners and had seemingly worked well together. However, at some point, the two had a sudden falling out, and the problem clearly lay with Xia Zeqin.

If Jian Fan’s suspicion was correct, then Xia Zeqin was likely squandering his Points on purpose. But why?

Jian Fan did not answer the question.

“It’s almost time,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan glanced at Jian Fan but didn’t press further.

The three of them picked a Private Room at random. Not long after they hid inside, sounds began to drift in from outside the Bar.

The sound of footsteps and conversation echoed as the lights in the pitch-black Bar were all switched on once more. Although the Private Room remained dark, the light from the Corridor spilled in, allowing them to see their surroundings clearly.

The trio remained silent.

While Qin Nan kept an eye on the movement outside, his mind remained busy.

However, he wasn’t thinking about this Vampire world right now. Instead, he was pondering the connection between Jian Fan, Xia Zeqin, and the Realm of Death-and perhaps he needed to add Qi Shuping to that list as well.

Mu Xin was also an Old Player, but even after Jian Fan pointed out that the bodies of Wang Hao and the other person had been taken over by Vampires, Mu Xin had still shown shock and surprise. This meant that in the worlds Mu Xin had experienced, the situation of a Player being replaced by an NPC had never occurred.
Was it because Jian Fan had experienced this before that he had such a suspicion?

No, Qin Nan felt that Jian Fan’s line of reasoning started from his suspicion of Xia Zeqin, which led him to guess that Wang Hao and the other man had been possessed by Vampires. Furthermore, when Qi Shuping first appeared, Jian Fan had instinctively questioned her authenticity.

Under normal circumstances, who would immediately doubt the identity of a New Player they just met? Jian Fan was definitely hiding quite a few secrets.

Returning to the issue of Xia Zeqin-if Xia Zeqin wasn’t himself, then who was he? Wang Hao and his companion had been replaced by Vampires, but what about Xia Zeqin? He couldn’t have been replaced by an NPC from a single world. So, what kind of creature was controlling Xia Zeqin’s body?

Then there was this world. Because of a casual remark from Qin Weiyi, Jian Fan had started worrying about Qi Shuping.

He was worried that the Realm of Death was maliciously trying to eliminate her.

What exactly had happened to Xia Zeqin, and what had Jian Fan gone through to make him conceive such bizarre ideas?

Ordinary Players weren’t even worth the Realm of Death’s concern; they would likely perish after a world or two. But an expert like Qi Shuping could not only clear stages but also earn extra Points by carrying other Players through.

Points…

Qin Nan’s mind became increasingly active.

According to normal logic, the closer one gets to success, the higher the difficulty becomes. As an Old Player, Qi Shuping must have accumulated a significant amount of Points. Was it possible that her Points were nearing the threshold required to leave the Realm of Death, and that was why the Realm of Death was so desperate to eliminate her?

If that was the case, could Xia Zeqin’s reckless spending of Points be explained by this as well?

Had he also realized he was being maliciously targeted by the Realm of Death, so he wanted to use up some Points to reduce its hostility toward him and play the long game?

That seemed possible, but Qin Nan frowned.

He remembered Jian Fan saying at the beginning that Xia Zeqin had around six thousand Points. Since then, he had cleared two more worlds, which meant he should have around seven thousand, assuming he hadn’t used any. It would take time for Xia Zeqin to realize he was being targeted, so when did he start squandering his Points?

Wait, there was one more thing.

“Jian Fan, how many Points do you have now?” Qin Nan asked. He needed to confirm a piece of information.

Jian Fan paused for a moment before replying, “Three thousand two hundred.”

Qin Nan’s expression suddenly turned strange.

When he first arrived in the Realm of Death, Jian Fan had already been through seven worlds but only had two thousand two hundred Points. Even if Jian Fan had been carried through every world by others, he should have had at least three thousand five hundred Points by now.

But what kind of person was Jian Fan?

In Qin Nan’s eyes, he was a top-tier expert.

How could someone like him rely on others to clear stages all the time? Therefore, his Points must have been much higher than three thousand five hundred, which meant he had also spent a significant amount. Yet, over the course of these last two worlds, Qin Nan hadn’t seen Jian Fan use any Points at all.

“You didn’t intentionally use up some of your Points too, did you?” Qin Nan asked directly.

Jian Fan remained silent.

Mu Xin looked at Qin Nan with some surprise, thinking his idea was absurd, but then she began to study Jian Fan with suspicion.

After a long silence, Jian Fan gave a faint, “Mm.”

Qin Nan said, “It seems there are many things you haven’t told us.”

At this moment, Qin Nan’s emotions were inexplicably complex.

“We’ll talk once we’re out,” Jian Fan said simply.

Only then did Qin Nan realize they were still in hiding, and he quickly shut his mouth.

If he wanted to find out how many secrets Jian Fan was hiding, he first had to stay alive.