Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Lin Junruo stood in place, making no move to leave.
Only after Qi Shuping had departed did she finally make a decision and walk toward Mu Xin.
Mu Xin naturally noticed her approach and looked at Lin Junruo with a hint of surprise.
“You said before that you could help me once. Does that still stand?” Lin Junruo asked Mu Xin, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Given how poor her attitude had been previously, Lin Junruo felt awkward asking Mu Xin this now.
Mu Xin, however, broke into a smile. “Of course.”
Although she had already teamed up with Jian Fan and Qin Nan, Mu Xin was naturally pleased to see Lin Junruo change. If Lin Junruo could grow and improve, then she, too, would have a better hope of escaping the Realm of Death.
This was a good thing.
“I want to know your entire process for cracking these worlds-not just this Vampire World, but the future ones as well,” Lin Junruo said.
She wasn’t particularly clever. Since she couldn’t discover things on her own yet, she would start by studying the past cases. Perhaps she would find some useful clues. She had to grow up.
“Sure,” Mu Xin agreed readily. “Let’s go to my room to talk. I imagine you’ll need to hear about the previous worlds as well.”
Lin Junruo nodded repeatedly.
Mu Xin waved a hand at Jian Fan and Qin Nan before leading Lin Junruo away.
Only four people remained in the area.
“Go back and get some rest,” Jian Fan said to Qin Nan.
Qin Nan nodded. The two of them then bid farewell to Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing before heading straight to their respective rooms.
Only then did Qin Weiyi turn to look at Lu Jing.
Lu Jing had never been looked at so seriously by Qin Weiyi before. Stunned for a moment, he scratched his hair and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Lu Jing,” Qin Weiyi called out. After saying his name, Qin Weiyi laughed-a rare, somewhat boyish laugh. “The life you owed me… you’ve already paid it back. From now on, your life belongs to you.”
Lu Jing was stunned.
Although Lu Jing hadn’t actually lost his life, he had indeed risked it to protect Qin Weiyi. In Qin Weiyi’s eyes, this counted as Lu Jing paying back the debt of a life.
From now on, Lu Jing should live for himself.
After saying this, Qin Weiyi turned and left. This world had been far too exhausting; he needed to get some good rest. As for everything else, it could wait until he woke up.
Lu Jing watched the direction Qin Weiyi had gone, feeling a bit dazed.
Could it really be calculated that way?
Though he found it a bit ridiculous, he knew Qin Weiyi meant well, and a smile spread across Lu Jing’s face.
He had chosen to save Qin Weiyi because he felt Qin Weiyi was a good person. If it had been someone who had already been blinded by the Realm of Death and started attacking their own companions, Lu Jing would never have protected them so constantly, even if that person had saved him before.
Lu Jing stretched his aching arms, gave a short laugh, and chose a room to retire to.
He needed rest just as much.
Lin Junruo intended to make use of every single second this time.
She spent an entire day in Mu Xin’s room.
They started with the Vampire World.
It was Qi Shuping’s powers of observation that had allowed her to spot the Bartender’s odd behavior, which led to the discovery of the Bloody Mary legend. Of course, Qin Nan’s subsequent actions weren’t exactly a recommended course of action.
It had been very risky, but the results were good-it even allowed them to bypass many detours. This was also the key to how they ultimately cracked the world: never underestimate the information provided by any NPC. At the same time, never trust the surface-level explanation. What they needed to do was extract the true information hidden behind those words.
In the Realm of Death, one must be cautious, but sometimes, one must also have the courage to take a step forward.
If they had chosen to keep hiding and never ventured up to the Second Floor, they would never have discovered that showroom, nor would they have successfully used the mirror to summon the vampire pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Of course, they could have used a more brutal method: killing every vampire they encountered.
But that was undoubtedly an almost impossible path to take.
Lin Junruo had listened to a lot from Mu Xin. Afterward, she spent half a day organizing all that information. Although she wasn’t as clever as the others, she believed that the slow bird should fly early. At the very least, she could try not to be a burden and strive to be a useful member of the team.
It was a difficult road, but it was the only one.
Knowing that haste makes waste, Lin Junruo didn’t push herself further after spending those hours organizing her thoughts, regardless of how much she had actually managed to learn. Instead, she collapsed into bed and slept for half a day.
The next world was approaching soon, and she needed to ensure her mind was fully rested.
After Qin Nan returned to his room, he fell asleep instantly, only waking when he received a notification from the System.
[Player Jian Fan has requested entry into the room.]
Qin Nan was still a bit dazed when he saw the message. He clicked ‘Accept’ while running a hand through his messy hair as he sat up in bed.
Jian Fan was coming to see him now? This was truly a first; the sun must have risen in the west.
Once granted permission by Qin Nan, Jian Fan entered the room.
“I have some things I want to say to you,” Jian Fan said, getting straight to the point as soon as he walked in.
Qin Nan sat up and gestured toward a nearby chair. “Have a seat and talk.”
Jian Fan didn’t refuse.
After taking a seat, Jian Fan paused for a moment, appearing to weigh his words carefully. It was quite a while before he spoke. “I know Xia Zeqin from the real world,” Jian Fan began.
Qin Nan froze.
They knew each other in reality?
“Do you mean ‘know’ in the way you knew Qi Shuping, or…?” Qin Nan felt he needed to ask for clarification.
If it was the former, it wasn’t that strange. If it was the latter, then it was a major issue.
“He and I were colleagues. We worked at the same research institute and were effectively fellow disciples; we shared the same doctoral advisor,” Jian Fan stated clearly.
Qin Nan was shocked. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Was your relationship… good?”
Jian Fan nodded. Without waiting for Qin Nan to ask, he continued, “To me, he was both a mentor and a friend. We were pulled into the Realm of Death together. Originally, I thought that was a stroke of luck. In the beginning, it truly was.”
But.
There was bound to be a turning point.
“He wants me dead,” Jian Fan said.
This single sentence stunned Qin Nan once again, but it also made several things clear to him.
Jian Fan had put it simply, but the weight of the information was immense. If two friends who were already close fell into a place like the Realm of Death together, they would naturally rely on each other for survival in such a completely alien environment. A mere betrayal would have been hard enough for Jian Fan to accept, but Xia Zeqin-he actually wanted Jian Fan dead.
What kind of thoughts could drive Xia Zeqin to want Jian Fan dead?
This was truly bizarre. Was this why Jian Fan suspected Xia Zeqin?
“That is all I can tell you.” Jian Fan’s tone remained calm, as if he were entirely unaware of the blow his words had dealt Qin Nan. “You need to be careful not only of Xia Zeqin, but also,” Jian Fan looked up, meeting Qin Nan’s eyes with a serious expression, “Mu Xin.”
Mu Xin?