The nightmare creature which was supposed to be fearso beca extrely ek and docile in Jin Jiuchi’s hand. Under the man’s domineering threat, it dared not make trouble and could only stay in the mirror shard obediently. In the end, it was wrapped in a cloth and stuffed into Jin Jiuchi’s pocket for safekeeping.
After ensuring that there were no other dangers lurking in their room, the four of them finally decided to rest. They opted to leave the hole in the wall untouched. It was easier to communicate this way, as they could directly talk to each other instead of having to make a phone call...
...or so Gu Luoxin thought at first.
As he lay on the bed, preparing to get so sleep, the conversation from next door reached his ears.
"Nian’er, my hand hurts..." Jin Jiuchi whimpered in a pitiful tone.
Shen Nianzu harrumphing coldly, "Who told you to hold onto the glass so tightly?" Even though his mouth said that, Gu Luoxin could hear him pulling Jin Jiuchi to sit down, then he began to treat the bloody cuts on the man’s hand. Once in a while, Jin Jiuchi would feign misery and act cute, only to be ignored by the other person.
Despite nothing inappropriate taking place, Gu Luoxin still felt bloated and faintly nauseous— stuffed full of dog food. ’Male gods! Can you tone it down a bit? Please stop being so lovey-dovey with each other!’ He cried out silently in his heart. He tossed and turned, pulling the blanket higher in an attempt to cover himself from head to toe. But then, his eyes inadvertently cracked open and he saw Noir on the adjacent bed, staring blankly at the ceiling while lazily stroking the black cat perched on his stomach.
It was apparent that he, too, was forced to listen in on the pink bubbles floating from the neighboring room.
At that mont, Gu Luoxin unexpectedly felt a sense of camaraderie with him, as though they were two comrades who had to brace through the storm of singlehood together. ’I’m sorry, Great God...’ he muttered internally. ’It seems like you have to suffer with for the next five days. It’s okay, you will definitely get used to it sooner or later. At least, you have Master Lucius with you!’
With his mind tangled in ssy thoughts, Gu Luoxin found his eyelids getting heavier and he soon drifted off to sleep. The shift of his breathing did not go unnoticed by his temporary roommate, who cast him a furtive glance before averting his gaze back to the ceiling. It was unknown what was in his mind.
anwhile, after Shen Nianzu dressed Jin Jiuchi’s wounds, both of them also settled on their respective beds to rest, with Jin Jiuchi’s request to cuddle being rejected yet again.
This ti, Shen Nianzu gave him a righteous excuse, "Your hands are injured. I don’t want to accidentally aggravate your wounds in my sleep, so it’s better for us to have our own space."
Aggrieved, Jin Jiuchi continued to pester him, "Then, can we cuddle after my wounds heal?" Alas, Shen Nianzu closed his eyes and ignored him decisively, and thus he could only tend to the bitterness in his heart all by his loneso and curled up in his cold and desolate single bed.
The night deepened, and all sounds around them seed to fade away to leave only the soothing crash of waves. Jin Jiuchi had no idea how long he had been asleep for when all of a sudden—
SPLASH!
The resounding echo of sothing falling into the water pierced through the fog of his mind, rousing him awake from his slumber. He groggily checked the ti and saw that it was only a little past 12.40 AM.
Shen Nianzu was still sleeping soundly on the other bed, while the soft breathing of two people and one cat drifted from the neighboring room. It seed that no one else had noticed the sound except for Jin Jiuchi.
’Have I imagined it?’ Jin Jiuchi wondered drowsily. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, a faint scent of blood wafted to his nose— so thin and subtle that it quickly vanished along with the ocean breeze.
Jin Jiuchi would have overlooked it for sure if not for his acute senses. He blinked, haziness dissipating from his silver orbs as his brain worked to process the scent. It was neither the sll of his own blood nor did it belong to a player. Instead... it slled like any other NPC on this ship!
As soon as that realization struck him, Jin Jiuchi imdiately leaped to his feet and shook Shen Nianzu awake. "Nian’er, Nian’er, I think sothing is happening outside."
This ti, without the warmth of Jin Jiuchi’s arms around him, Shen Nianzu snapped awake at once, his eyes becoming alert. "What is it?"
Their voices also woke Gu Luoxin and Noir next door. Jin Jiuchi told them briefly about the faint scent of NPC’s blood he had slled just now. Hearing that, Shen Nianzu knitted his brows, his lashes lowered in thought, "Not player, but NPC? What kind of accident can happen to an NPC on the first night?"
With no answer to their questions, the only option was to investigate.
It was not one am yet, but none of them were in the mood to idle in the room. The trio prepared to go out. But then, as Gu Luoxin was about to leave, he turned to Noir who was still leaning against the headboard with Lucius curled up on his lap, asking nervously, "W–What about you? Will you be staying here?"
He thought that he was going to be ignored again like before, and hence he was surprised when he received a proper answer this ti.
"You’re a team," Noir said curtly. aning, it was not good for him as an outsider to butt in.
"But..." Gu Luoxin hesitated for a brief mont, then he glanced at Shen Nianzu, silently asking for the Big Boss’ opinion. Gu Luoxin’s chain of logic was extrely simple. They were indeed strangers right now, but Noir was a top player in the leaderboard, wouldn’t it be beneficial for them to join forces? Moreover, he and Noir were going to be roommates for the next five days...
It just did not sit well with him to act distant with the erald-eyed man.
Shen Nianzu took a glance at Noir, who made no attempt to move from the bed, then he told Gu Luoxin lightly, "Let’s go."
Now that the leader had given his word, Gu Luoxin could do nothing but comply despite feeling quite reluctant in his heart. He nodded slightly at Noir before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
On the front, Jin Jiuchi sniffed the air a few tis before leading them to the upper floor, and it was not until they had walked several ters that Gu Luoxin spoke up, "May I ask why..."
"Why I didn’t ask him to join us?" Shen Nianzu guessed his thoughts accurately. He let out a helpless sigh and elaborated patiently, "There are a few reasons. First, I don’t trust him enough to let him co with us, considering how he has the power to eliminate all of us if he wants to. Second, not everyone works well in teams. The fact that he has made it this far alone ans that he is capable enough to protect himself. Do you get it?"
Gu Luoxin mulled over his words carefully and nodded, although deep down, he couldn’t help but think that soone who could be so gentle with his cat couldn’t be a bad person. However, he also knew that his way of thinking was too naïve and unfounded, so he chose to keep his thoughts to himself and followed Jin Jiuchi as they hurried towards the source of the bloody scent.
anwhile, back in the cabin.
After the three of them left, Noir slowly stood up and stretched his waist, groaning. He picked up Lucius and walked to the door, asking, "Have you found the core NPC?"
Hearing that question, Lucius blinked his erald eyes and let out a hesitant cry, "...ow?"
"It’s okay," Noir reassured, stroking its head. He stepped out of the door, looked around before choosing a random direction. "Is there a 24-hour restaurant here? I’m famished. Let’s grab sothing to eat first before we get to work."
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