Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Qin Nan wanted to turn his head to look at Xia Zeqin, but he forced himself to suppress the urge.

He couldn’t expose himself. His exposure would lead directly to Jian Fan’s exposure, which would likely bring a series of dangers to Jian Fan, as well as himself.

Yellow Hair and Orange Hair had only met this group in this world. They had originally thought they were quite experienced after surviving several worlds, but listening to what Professor Qi and Jian Fan were saying now, they were completely lost.

Replacement?

Xu Tian was one of the Realm of Death’s people?

The Realm of Death wanted Qi Shuping dead?

Then-who was Qi Shuping?

…And so on.

Questions like these flooded their minds. Seeing that no one seemed inclined to clear things up, Yellow Hair couldn’t help but speak up. “Uh, big shots, could we maybe not speak in riddles? It’s really eating at me.”

Qin Weiyi had likely guessed most of it, but he still needed a concrete explanation from Qi Shuping and Jian Fan.

“Professor Qi, the Realm of Death’s targeting of you is getting stronger and stronger,” Qin Weiyi said.

The implication was clear: if she had any more important discoveries, she shouldn’t hide them. After all, they had saved her life several times.

Qi Shuping fell silent upon hearing this.

The group looked at one another. No one pressured her, but the lingering silence made the atmosphere uncomfortable. Their eyes remained fixed on Qi Shuping, waiting for her to speak.

“The Realm of Death doesn’t want a single Player to leave this place alive,” Jian Fan said, speaking up for Qi Shuping first.

The group immediately shifted their gaze to Jian Fan.

Only after he spoke did Qi Shuping’s expression change. She smiled faintly and said, “Child, let me tell them.”

Everyone looked back at Qi Shuping.

“My Points currently stand at nine thousand seven hundred and fifty,” Qi Shuping began.

“Holy crap!” Yellow Hair and Orange Hair, the two punky youths, were instantly shocked.

Not just them-even Jian Fan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

No wonder the Realm of Death was willing to expose Xu Tian just to kill Qi Shuping. With her current Points, as long as she left this world, she would reach ten thousand Points and be able to leave the Realm of Death.

This world did require some Points to be spent, but after Qi Shuping had exchanged for the down jacket, she still had two hundred and fifty Points left to use. Without some special intervention, there was a very high probability that Qi Shuping would be able to escape this world safely.

Thinking back to the previous world…

Qi Shuping had nine thousand three hundred Points then. If she had been the one to break the game then, she would have been able to leave after that world.

In other words, during the previous world, the Realm of Death likely viewed the Vampire World as Qi Shuping’s final world. That was why Xu Tian chose to stick by Qi Shuping’s side from the very beginning of the game; her mission was to prevent Qi Shuping from leaving.

In the last world, Xu Tian failed.

That was probably thanks to Qin Weiyi’s maneuvers, which separated Xu Tian from Qi Shuping. Furthermore, Xu Tian hadn’t expected Jian Fan to suddenly solve the world at such a critical moment, saving Qi Shuping.

She couldn’t gamble anymore. She had to make sure Qi Shuping died in this world, even at the cost of exposing herself.

As long as Qi Shuping died, her mission would be complete. Since she was one of the Realm of Death’s people, the only thing that would disappear was the body known as ‘Xu Tian,’ not the consciousness controlling it.

“The Realm of Death’s methods go far beyond just this,” Qi Shuping said, raising her hands. “When I reached around eight thousand Points, I began to vaguely feel my body rejecting my consciousness. It wants to force me out of this shell.”
Jian Fan’s brows furrowed; clearly, this was something he hadn’t known yet.

“This must be another method the Realm of Death is using to prevent Players from leaving,” Qin Weiyi said.

Qi Shuping nodded and continued, “The Realm of Death’s rejection of me is very strong. This world was likely designed specifically for me. It’s a pity you all have to suffer alongside me.”

The Realm of Death was playing both sides.

It was trying to have Xu Tian kill Qi Shuping, and if that failed, it would drain her through Points.

The weather was freezing. Tents and down jackets were necessities, as was food. This meant that without a professional like Lu Jing or Jian Fan’s special concern for Qi Shuping, her survival in this world would have been incredibly difficult.

Without Lu Jing’s help in finding food, an elderly woman trying to stay alive would likely have had to constantly exchange Points for food. For an old person to survive on a deserted island alone was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

And without Jian Fan, Qin Weiyi might not have stepped in. Just moments ago, Qi Shuping would have been finished.

“It wouldn’t necessarily be any easier in another world,” Yellow Hair said, not minding at all. He was quite open-minded about it. “It’s actually our luck to be in the same world as a big shot like you.”

Qi Shuping laughed helplessly. “I can only drag you down.”

This wasn’t Qi Shuping being self-deprecating. If it were a world involving puzzles or intellectual challenges, she would certainly be confident. But Deserted Island Survival, coupled with what seemed like a game-like setting, was far beyond her area of expertise. The help she could provide was limited, while the danger she attracted was increasing by the day.

“Something’s not right,” Qin Nan said suddenly after being silent for a while.

“What is it?” Jian Fan looked at Qin Nan and asked.

Meeting Jian Fan’s gaze, Qin Nan said, “Xu Tian was replaced by the Realm of Death back in that Murder Mystery Game world. Professor Qi hadn’t appeared yet back then, so Xu Tian couldn’t have been there for Professor Qi. Could it be… the Realm of Death can predict that we’d be with Professor Qi in the next world?”

He remembered Jian Fan’s words vividly.

Everything was a path the Players carved out for themselves. It was impossible for the Realm of Death to completely pre-write their futures. If that were the case, how could the Realm of Death be certain that Qi Shuping would be with them in the next world?

“That’s easy to explain. The Realm of Death isn’t targeting Professor Qi as an individual; it wants to deal with any Player who has the potential to leave the Realm of Death. Xu Tian likely had a different mission originally, but after Professor Qi appeared, the Professor’s situation became more urgent than whatever she had on hand. Therefore, her mission changed,” Qin Weiyi speculated.

That brought up a question.

What was Xu Tian’s initial mission? Who had she been targeting?

Jian Fan shared Qin Weiyi’s line of thought. He was currently retracing the events that had occurred since Xu Tian’s appearance.

Xu Tian seemed to have been… acting alone.

Qin Nan was also thinking. As he pondered, his gaze landed on Xia Zeqin.

Xia Zeqin had remained silent the whole time. Seeing Qin Nan look over, he let out a sneer. “I don’t have many Points.”

Qin Nan’s mind whirred, and he immediately asked, “That’s impossible, right? If you didn’t have Points, why would those people have followed you?”

Xia Zeqin looked at Qin Nan. For a moment, Qin Nan felt a bit nervous; he had asked, but Xia Zeqin was under no obligation to answer.

“Oh, I used them all up,” Xia Zeqin said flatly.

Wait, what?

Used them all up?

He actually admitted it without any concealment?