Chapter 3

Ming Shiyu led Mu Li upstairs to his apartment on the sixth floor, the top floor of the building. It was a three-bedroom, one-living room unit. While not particularly spacious, its prime location on the top floor came with a small attic.

Mu Li was hesitant to explore freely, but Ming Shiyu showed him around each room, eventually taking him to the attic.

Mu Li hadn't seen an attic in years. He followed Ming Shiyu with mild curiosity. The attic's ceiling was about ten centimeters higher than Ming Shiyu's height, making it feel a bit cramped for him, but Mu Li adjusted well.

After climbing the stairs, the attic split into two small rooms, one on each side. The left room had a small balcony. Mu Li glanced outside, noting the excellent view and thinking it would be a pleasant spot for afternoon tea if he had the time.

The thought made him chuckle inwardly. This wasn't his home, and he didn't know how long he'd be staying. The fact that he was already planning such domestic details was a habit ingrained by years of peaceful living.

The right room featured a floor-to-ceiling window and a triangular ceiling. For Ming Shiyu, it was best to stand near the edge to avoid hitting his head.

Perhaps due to the height of the room, it had been vacant for a long time, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Mu Li followed Ming Shiyu downstairs. The three-bedroom, one-living room apartment contained Ming Shiyu's master bedroom, a study, and a guest bedroom.

Ming Shiyu showed Mu Li to the guest bedroom. Before opening the door, he explained somewhat guiltily, "I'll take you to the supermarket tomorrow to buy some things."

It's probably quite basic... Mu Li mentally prepared himself for a simple environment.

But to his surprise, the guest bedroom contained only furniture—no bedding at all. Mu Li stared in disbelief. "Am I supposed to sleep on the bare mattress?"

Ming Shiyu lowered his gaze, pondering. "My previous guests all slept this way. If you're not used to it, I can give you the pillow from my master bedroom."

Ming Shiyu led him to the master bedroom. Mu Li's large eyes were filled with confusion. The master bedroom looked no different from the guest bedroom—especially the bed, which was still just a mattress!

He swallowed hard, wrestled with his thoughts for a long moment, and finally asked, "Your pillow?"

Ming Shiyu pulled a large teddy bear from under the bed. "My pillow."

Mu Li dared to ask, "What about the bedding?"

"There's no such thing," Ming Shiyu replied casually.

Thinking about the kind of life Ming Shiyu had lived before, Mu Li felt a pang of heartache. As a virtuous Omega who enjoyed a high quality of life and was skilled in household chores, he had never seen anyone treat themselves so poorly.

It was a miracle he had recovered from his illness at all, living in such conditions.

A sense of responsibility and protectiveness welled up in Mu Li's heart. "Let's go to the supermarket tomorrow and stock up on essentials!"

Seeing the determined look on his face, Ming Shiyu's light green eyes lingered on him for a moment before he smiled faintly. "Alright."

He had originally meant the corner store, which probably wouldn't have the kind of essentials Mu Li needed.Tomorrow, they'd likely have to go somewhere else to shop.

That night, Ming Shiyu forcibly gave his pillow to Mu Li, then fell asleep with his arm as a pillow after a bath.

Meanwhile, in the guest room, Mu Li tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Besides the surreal nature of his sudden transmigration and the subsequent events, it was Ming Shiyu's utterly chaotic living conditions that he couldn't stand.

After all, he was still a pampered Omega. Due to his delicate skin and soft bones, he had always slept on high-end mattresses. This was his first time sleeping on a bare wooden bed without any bedding.

Bright moonlight streamed through the unobstructed window, bathing the room in an ethereal blue glow. The beautiful young man, eyes closed, looked like a classical doll slumbering at the bottom of the sea.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy's breathing gradually steadied. The blue light didn't fade as the night deepened; instead, it swirled around him, quietly seeping into his body.

He hadn't paid close attention to the place the previous evening, but when he woke up and saw it clearly in the morning light, Mu Li nearly had a breakdown again.

How long has Ming Shiyu been neglecting cleaning? he thought. It's unbelievable that his sensitive skin, prone to allergies and rashes, isn't reacting to this.

Since there was still no movement from the master bedroom, Mu Li steeled himself, grabbed a broom and mop from the bathroom, and cleaned all the rooms except the master bedroom.

Unsatisfied with the cleanliness, Mu Li sprinkled the floor with diluted cleaning solution, mopped it twice with an old-fashioned sponge mop, and then mopped it again with clean water. Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, he declared the job done.

Fortunately, Ming Shiyu's home still had various cleaning supplies and tools, otherwise Mu Li would have been overwhelmed by the task.

Just as he finished mopping, Ming Shiyu opened the master bedroom door, his expression calm and free of any grogginess from just waking up.

Seeing the gleaming, mirror-like white floor that Mu Li had polished, Ming Shiyu subtly sized up the young man. He said nothing, simply remarking, "You've worked hard. We'll go to the supermarket later."

"Okay!" Mu Li's smile was genuine, his dimples on his cheeks as sweet as candy. "Mr. Ming, may I clean your bedroom too?"

"Please do," Ming Shiyu waved his hand. "Don't overexert yourself."

"Got it!"

Ming Shiyu couldn't understand why Mu Li was going to such lengths to clean. Was he using this as an excuse to search the house for clues or rare items?

Having never entertained a stranger before, Ming Shiyu tried to understand Mu Li's behavior by putting himself in the shoes of an Instance Boss dealing with players.

If that was the case, he would likely be disappointed.

Ming Shiyu sat on the sofa, resting his right elbow on the armrest and propping his cheek in his palm. He stared blankly at the floor, bored.

For a fleeting moment, a faint shimmer composed of countless lines of code flashed in Ming Shiyu's pale green eyes before vanishing.

Taking Mu Li in wasn't just about repaying a debt. Beneath the boy's seemingly harmless exterior lay anomalies worth investigating. Keeping him under his watchful eye was the only way to control this unpredictable variable and prevent it from disrupting the game's operations.

After Mu Li finished sweeping the master bedroom floor in his usual order, Ming Shiyu noticed he was sweating profusely. He retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the nearly empty refrigerator and handed it to him.

Mu Li accepted the bottle, curiously examining its peculiar packaging.

Sensing his curiosity, Ming Shiyu added as they descended the stairs, "This is a special product from a specific instance. If you're interested, I'll take you to see it next time."

"What do you mean by... 'special product'?" Mu Li asked.

"For us NPCs living in the game, instances are just our workplaces. Understand?" Ming Shiyu walked down the stairs, slid into the driver's seat of the small car from yesterday, and gestured for Mu Li to get in.

Mu Li settled into the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt like a good student, his eyes fixed on Ming Shiyu, eager to hear more.

"Actually, instances aren't just testing grounds for players," Ming Shiyu said, starting the engine and looking straight ahead. "The Instance Bosses use the instance's resources to produce various goods, which they sell to fund the instance's operations. The more profit they make, the more they can expand the instance's territory and add new scenarios. It makes their performance look much better at the year-end Game Annual Conference."

Mu Li's jaw dropped in astonishment. "It's almost like the real world."

"Yeah, pretty much. For players, the Infinite Escape Game is about survival and earning Points. For us NPCs, it's just our workplace."

After that, Ming Shiyu focused on driving, leaving Mu Li to digest this information in the silence.

The scenery outside gradually changed, shifting from the small town back to the vast, white expanse of mist. Yet Ming Shiyu remained calm and composed, steadily driving toward their destination.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the mist dissipated, revealing a massive, jet-black gate standing before them.

Ming Shiyu stopped the car, pulled out a card from his pocket, and quickly swiped it at a spot near the door.

Before Mu Li could even see what it was, the door swung open.

The next instant, his pupils constricted in terror, and he stammered, "Z-zombies! Mr. Ming, run!!!"

His voice was pleasant, and even when raised, it didn't become shrill. Ming Shiyu glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze forward, pressing the accelerator without a word and charging into the horde of zombies.

Mu Li clamped his hands over his mouth, terrified of screaming. If he hadn't skipped breakfast, he'd be worried about throwing up too.

It was utterly disgusting.

Mu Li narrowed his eyes to a slit, trying to minimize the zombies' potential to infect him.

Waaah, waah, waah... Dad, Mom, Sis... hurry and save me! Ahhh... this is hell!

A tiny figure in his mind wept wide, noodle-like tears while gnawing on a handkerchief.

However, Mu Li soon noticed that the zombie horde seemed to be ignoring their car, deliberately or unintentionally clearing a path for the vehicle to pass.

His pale face improved, and he asked curiously, "Huh? Can they not see us?"

Ming Shiyu found his earlier performance amusing, a faint smile curving his lips. "Mm, we're here to spend money, so the boss here wouldn't target us. But... players might not be so lucky."

Mu Li nodded, looking as if he vaguely understood.

They soon reached their destination: a massive shopping mall. Mu Li's eyes lit up; finally, a place reminiscent of his former life.

Ming Shiyu parked the car at the entrance, opened the door, and said to Mu Li, who had followed him out, "Be careful. This place might be different from what you expect."

Mu Li tensed, staying close behind Ming Shiyu.

Inside, most of the shops were stained with blood, evidence of a zombie attack.

Yet there wasn't a single zombie in sight.

Mu Li was puzzled.

They descended to the basement level, where Mu Li's eyes met a completely different scene: a brightly lit supermarket.

Two pale-faced clerks with blood-red pupils and stiff smiles waved signs.

Mu Li squinted to read.

"Welcome to Zangzang Supermarket!"

What a cute name, he thought.