Chapter 6: A Bloodbath Among Players

"Brother?”

From behind, Hu Wei called out with some hesitation.

Xie De stopped and looked at her, not minding how she addressed him.

Hu Wei breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a low voice, "Are you a newcomer?"

"Mn."

Hu Wei's expression revealed a look of "I knew it," and she hesitated to speak.

?

What's wrong?

Hu Wei said, "Brother, can I follow you?"

She carried a sense of determination and closed her eyes briefly.

"This scenario game can give us wealth, health, and lifespan. At the same time, our wealth and health can also be exchanged for items from the scenario. Therefore, the people who come here and manage to survive are pretty much all desperados, like those mercenaries. But the supplies here are fixed. The more you get, the less others get. So everyone bands together, yet guards against one another."

"I'm not interested in wealth and lifespan, I just want to survive. Brother, clearing this scenario relies on courage and wisdom, neither of which I lack. So I beg you, please let me follow you. I can scout the path for you, and even in the real world, I can be your 'black glove' [1] to cover your tracks."

The man in front of her stared at her coldly. They were in a gloomy corridor. Next to them was a blurry window, faintly letting in some light. The man was undoubtedly powerful. If she could follow him, she should be able to live a bit longer.

Sweat seeped from Hu Wei's palms as she stood stubbornly, accepting the man's scrutiny.

"Why choose me?"

Xie De asked sincerely.

Sister, you are very brave. You dare to follow me? Aren't you afraid I'll lead you into a ditch and we'll both be finished?

Also, didn't Gibberish say this girl was a big shot? Why is she asking to follow him? Shouldn't he be the one saying this?

Could it be that Gibberish's plot information is wrong?

This wouldn't be the first time Gibberish was unreliable.

Hu Wei gave a bitter smile and looked down at her petite figure.

"Brother, do you think anyone would believe I wouldn't hold them back looking like this? The key to surviving in a scenario is having a companion you can place your trust in. I need a companion like that, please."

Hu Wei had the kind of appearance that looked very naive and sweet. The prejudice in people's hearts is like a giant mountain. Since Hu Wei hadn't shown very strong abilities early on, the conceited and vigilant veteran players naturally wouldn't want to cooperate with her.

Except for the temporarily solitary Xie De.

For a moment, Xie De suddenly felt that the girl in front of him had just as bitter a fate as he did. They were both pitiful little cabbages targeted by the scenario, surrounded by hungry wolves.

"Follow me then."

A bright light burst forth in Hu Wei's eyes. Although she didn't know Mr. 39 very well, she had a strong intuition that Mr. 39 was not someone who would break his word.

A voice came through the earpiece.

Gibberish pondered through the device, "Host, does this count as you clinging to the thigh of an early-stage big shot?"

Xie De replied in his mind.

"Gibberish, you have already lost all credibility with me! This little girl is clearly just like me, an innocent unlucky bastard. She's not even an adult yet. Sigh, I'll take good care of her."

Gibberish: ...The prejudice in people's hearts is indeed a giant mountain.

Since they were now grasshoppers tied to the same string [2], Hu Wei thought for a moment and decided to show her sincerity by laying all the information she knew on the table.

"Right now, I don't know many veteran players. I only know that Wei Yanchi is an absolute madman. It's best if we don't get too deeply involved with him. In the last scenario, I saw with my own eyes how he chopped an NPC into minced meat! Then he made it into meat buns and fed it to another NPC. He is simply a lunatic who doesn't play by the rules."

The cold wind around them blew leisurely.

Xie De thought of the protagonist's gentle and handsome face and shuddered for no reason. Good lord, the protagonist is worthy of being the protagonist. It really is just as Gibberish said.

He thought about how in the original novel, he too was chopped down like a cabbage by the protagonist.

Xie De fell into deep thought.

Hu Wei continued.

"Fang Jueshan and Li Luohan are a team. I haven't interacted with them, but someone mentioned them on the player forums, he..."

"...they are very cunning. Yue Xiamo has a cruel personality, and no one knows her background. Lao You, in the real world, is said to be a mafia boss. This person is very slick. Whether he's dangerous or not, I don't know."

Hu Wei shrugged.

"Anyway, there's no one who enters the scenario who isn't crazy. Each one is harder to deal with than the last."

Wow, oh, understood. So all the veteran players are talents who belong in Arkham Asylum [3].

Xie De wanted to smoke another cigarette. He lit it, and the slightly sweet cedar-flavored tobacco filled his mouth. Xie De walked forward, "Keep up."

Just take it one step at a time.

Suddenly, all the lights around them lit up. The entire factory seemed to come alive, and the machinery started running.

The scenario system coldly gave a prompt:

"Good evening to all surviving players. Supplies have been placed inside the factory. Please proceed to find them yourselves."

Obviously, in this abandoned factory they were trying to clear, there were no role-playing NPCs, and no one knew how much time it would take to get out. Therefore, the supplies distributed by the system were extremely precious.

But what was terrifying was that they didn't know if the supplies distributed by the system were enough for all the players.

Really underhanded.

Summing up the current situation: not only did they have to face anomalies that could appear at any time, but they also had to be vigilant against other players who were both companions and competitors.

Fortunately, Gibberish popped up at this time, being useful for once.

"Host! Host! I have a thermal imaging function; I can help you avoid those players!"

Xie De said in his heart, moved, "You're actually this useful this time? This is too unexpected."

"...You're welcome. Just don't be scared when you see anomalies."

"Can't do that."

Holding the slender cigarette in his mouth, Xie De had a brainwave and stomped on a broom standing nearby, snapping it to take the long stick as a weapon.

Listening to Gibberish's directions, he vigilantly avoided the players, leading Hu Wei carefully wandering around the factory. Luckily, without encountering any anomalies, they actually found quite a few compressed biscuits and water.

Xie De understood the principle of quitting while ahead. He stopped exploring. Right now, they need to replenish their stamina.

The lights inside the factory were a dim yellow, illuminating the minced meat on the floor, making it extremely nauseating. The smell here was also terrible enough to kill.

They found a remote and dimly lit dormitory. After Gibberish scanned and found no danger inside, Xie De took Hu Wei and hid inside. However, he didn't dare lock the door. He was cowardly. Afraid that if an anomaly suddenly appeared in the room, he wouldn't be able to run out.

By now, more than half the night had passed.

To say they weren't exhausted would be a lie.

Xie De crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, lowered his eyes, and chatted with Gibberish casually.

Gibberish said, "Host, since you entered this scenario, your body has been very tense. Can't you relax a bit? Close your eyes and rest for a while. If there's any sign of disturbance around, I'll wake you up."

"Easy for you to say. When have I ever seen a ghost before this year? I don't even dare watch horror movies! In all my life, I've never willingly gone to a haunted house! How did I get chosen by the scenario? This is deliberately sending me to my death."

"Host, this won't do. You're draining your stamina too much. If your nerves remain this tense, how about I play some music for you? What do you think?"

"Whatever."

Meanwhile, Hu Wei, sitting on the bed, still looked energetic. She carefully counted the compressed biscuits in her pockets, her eyes bright. She knew she had followed the right boss. Mr. 39 was simply too sharp. They hadn't encountered a single player along the way!

Under the malicious intent of the scenario, this was absolutely impossible.

This could only mean that Mr. 39 had his own method of judgment.

Hu Wei sneaked a few glances at 39, who was sitting against the wall. The man had already closed his eyes. His long eyelashes made him look somewhat fragile, like a mysterious work of art.

Who knows what Mr. 39's profession is?

Could he be a secret agent?

Hu Wei thought of those mysterious organizations scattered throughout the real world.