Although the scene had happened quickly, Chi He still caught it. He remained silent in contemplation as Gu Yun, who was beside him, hurried to hand over his own file.
Li Xue'er's expression was still very ugly, but a strange smile appeared on his face as he took Gu Yun's file.
Gu Yun's fake smile was practically frozen on his face. Ever since he learned that this child in a princess dress was actually a young boy who had killed many people, everything about him felt incredibly bizarre.
Right now, he just wanted to leave this mission as quickly as possible.
"Teacher Gu, your evaluation is very good. All of us like you."
Gu Yun gave a perfunctory response, his entire being radiating impatience. He saw the word Excellent appear on his file.
He remembered that everyone else had received Qualified. Could he actually be more capable than them?
Gu Yun thought that while he hadn't searched much for clues, he had worked diligently every day. Perhaps the contribution value in this mission was calculated differently?
At the thought of surviving and receiving high points, a smile finally touched Gu Yun's face.
After smiling for a moment, Gu Yun realized something was wrong. Why... was he still here?
"Why? Why haven't I left?!"
Gu Yun panicked, losing his composure even toward Li Xue'er's identity as he grabbed the boy's clothes.
Li Xue'er blinked innocently, but his eyes were filled with pure malice.
"Teacher Gu, you promised us that you would always be our teacher and never leave."
"Since you made a promise, you must keep your word."
Gu Yun's grip loosened, and he stumbled back two steps before collapsing onto the floor.
"Impossible... impossible. I only said it in passing..."
Back then, those little ghosts had pestered him, saying they liked Teacher Gu the most. He had only agreed casually to brush them off.
What should he do... what should he do!
Gu Yun was at a loss. Seeing Chi He nearby, he reached out to grab him, his voice breaking into a sob.
"Save me... I don't want to stay here!"
Chi He, who had always been cowardly and timid, hiding behind others, suddenly seemed like a different person. With a simple push of his hand, he sent Gu Yun tumbling to the side.
Chi He turned his head, and at some point, a manic smile had fixed itself onto his exquisite face. Gu Yun even saw a light called "pleasure" flickering in his wide eyes.
"Ah, it looks like you'll have to stay behind."
"I've heard that some missions are like this. Those who fail don't die, but they are trapped in the mission forever."
"Becoming... something neither human nor ghost."
"Enjoy yourself."
Chi He waved his file and vanished from the school.
"...No!!!"
...
"Multiplayer Qualification Exam, Code 84729: Zhengmiao Childcare School. Mission Result: Cleared."
"Performing scavenger rank evaluation based on the clearing process, please wait..."
"Team evaluation grade: S"
"Evaluation reward: 10,000 team reward points, and an ID card to enter the color city state."
"Congratulations. We hope you will continue your efforts and devote your all to the Scavenger Project."
"Phew... A-Nan is amazing! To get an ID card for the color city state in just two missions!"
Zhu Xi Ning was so excited she acted as if she hadn't just been through a mission, chirping all the way.
None of the three had encountered particularly dangerous situations this time, nor had they used their abilities. Although Nan Yue had used hers at the end, it was only for intimidation, so there were no side effects.
What concerned Nan Yue slightly was that Chi He had been there at the end; he must have seen her ability.
That was a bit of a problem.
This person was neither friend nor foe, and his personality was eccentric.
But the situation at the time hadn't allowed Nan Yue to hide her hand. She had also been a bit careless.
Nan Yue briefly explained the small incident that happened when she left, leaving the other two shocked.
"It can even happen like that?! How shameless!"
Zhu Xi Ning was filled with righteous indignation. If missions pulled a stunt like that every time, scavengers would eventually be screwed over by the mission worlds.
"I remember the academy mentioning this kind of situation, but it's extremely rare. The probability of a mission world losing control is maybe one in ten million."
Gu Xiang Kai felt somewhat helpless. "I didn't expect you to run into it."
Nan Yue, however, didn't think it was such a coincidence. "...Could it be because of that thing on me?"
Nan Yue wasn't entirely sure what it was, but there was no doubt it was a powerful force within the mission.
For ghosts, they might have been able to vaguely sense it, which was why they were willing to violate the rules to try and keep her.
But once they clearly perceived that the thing was not something they could control, they let her go quite decisively.
Zhu Xi Ning's eyebrows knitted together upon hearing this. "Doesn't that make it easy to attract strange things?"
Nan Yue was quite open-minded about it. "Once you're strong enough, you won't fear anything."
If she had just started when she entered this mission, she might have actually been kept by that little ghost. But after several missions, her control over the power in her body had become increasingly precise. She was no longer that weak student who had just left the academy.
Gu Xiang Kai was quite appreciative. "Well said!"
As he spoke, he slapped Nan Yue on the shoulder. Nan Yue winced, and with a quick leg sweep, she sent the tall and sturdy Gu Xiang Kai crashing to the ground.
After leaving the mission, the three of them grabbed a bite to eat and discussed their next move.
"Are we going to the color city state now?"
Zhu Xi Ning was quite excited. Although the others couldn't rest well inside a mission like Nan Yue could, the thought that entering a color city state meant officially entering the high-level city states—just one step away from Eden—made her heart swell with passion.
"Yes."
Nan Yue saw Zhu Xi Ning's excitement. She also wanted to see what the next city state up the ladder looked like.
Nan Yue's Neural Interface chimed. She opened it to see a message from Bai La La.
Mute but not Deaf: Little sister, see you again if fate allows.
Nan Yue quite liked Bai La La. Although she had deceived them for several days, they were the ones who had unilaterally assumed she was disabled.
Strongest A-Nan in History: We're heading to the color city state. See you around.
Bai La La sent back a cute emoji. Nan Yue smiled. Her journey in the Scavenger Project hadn't been very long, but she had met many people.
The feeling of having companions was hard to describe; it was a sense of security that those who acted alone could hardly understand.
Provided the companions were reliable enough, of course.
Before leaving, Nan Yue made an appointment with the hairstylist she had added back in the digital city state. After over a month, it was time to trim her hair.
As the hairstylist had said, he provided global service. Upon receiving Nan Yue's invitation, he came to the letter city state to provide her with a full range of services.
The hairstylist was quite excited. Although his clients were from all over, being in the middle to high-level city states was a rarity.
This was also one of his few experiences coming to the letter city states.
"Customer, I remember you! You guys are too fast, to have reached the letter city states in such a short time!"
Rate on N.U.
