She was gasping for breath, her entire body soaked, even feeling a slight sense of suffocation from breathing too quickly.
A dim yellow light appeared in the darkness. She sat up, droplets of water falling from her hair and clothes.
An expressionless middle-aged woman appeared beside her.
Half of her face was hidden in the darkness, while the other half looked somewhat like a mannequin.
"Miss, the Young Master wishes to see you."
Wen Xiang Yuan's beautiful, exquisite face didn't hold a hint of a smile.
All her usual cunning, loveliness, and liveliness had vanished without a trace.
She was like an exquisite vase, so perfect that she seemed devoid of life.
She reached out a fair, slender hand and wiped the water onto the woman's expensive-looking suit.
"Dress me."
...
Nan Yue was woken up by hunger. She hadn't eaten before this mission and had slept for two straight days before the string in her brain that was about to snap finally grew back.
Gu Xiang Kai was much the same. In any case, when Nan Yue came out, he was sitting on the carpet, leaning his back against the sofa with his long legs stretched out casually.
He was spacing out.
He looked quite like a Wild Dog.
The kind that looked like he was baring his teeth but was actually fiercely loyal if you gave him a bone.
Nan Yue sat down beside him.
"Where's Zhu Xi Ning?"
"She went to order food. I figured you'd be up about now."
Zhu Xi Ning returned along with the hot pot. Even though they had eaten this in their room last time, Nan Yue felt like she could never get tired of it.
It was strange. It was just those few dishes, but she always craved them.
The three of them ate ravenously, only slowing down once the dozen or so plates of food were nearly consumed.
Zhu Xi Ning also had the hotel bring up chilled beer, and Nan Yue chugged a whole bottle in one go.
"Still can't contact Wenwen?"
Zhu Xi Ning shook her head. "Her account is still greyed out. She might be stuck somewhere again."
She spoke lightly, but the three of them were still a bit worried.
This was the first time Wen Xiang Yuan had teamed up with them and something like this happened. Until they saw Wen Xiang Yuan standing before them alive and well, no one could truly rest easy.
"Oh right, A-Nan."
Zhu Xi Ning took out the mask. "I found this after finishing the mission."
Nan Yue's gaze sharpened. She picked up the mask, but no matter how she looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary mask made of a special material.
It was cold to the touch, with a strange combination of flexibility and hardness, yet it wasn't heavy.
"How did this follow you out?"
Nan Yue was still very concerned about what Ga Ya had said earlier. She was afraid of any lingering side effects.
"The other me had the mask at the time. I reckon I must have obtained a portion of the spirit medium's abilities."
"You have an immortal body now?"
Zhu Xi Ning: "...In your dreams."
She put on the mask. "My foresight ability can be enhanced, and I can consciously control the direction of what I want to know."
She flipped her palm. "And then there's this..."
A few ants seemed to burrow out from her flesh, appearing out of thin air on her palm.
Nan Yue felt like she wanted to stomp on any ant she saw now.
Total PTSD.
However, those few ants didn't crawl around aimlessly, staying obediently in Zhu Xi Ning's hand.
Nan Yue suppressed her discomfort. "How many can you control?"
Zhu Xi Ning's voice coming from behind the mask didn't quite sound like her own.
"Maybe about enough to cover half an arm."
She had only just gotten this thing and still needed time to familiarize herself with it.
Zhu Xi Ning retracted the ants and took off the mask.
"I suppose it's a blessing in disguise."
That was certainly true. It was a stroke of luck that they hadn't been wiped out in such a perilous mission, let alone managing to bring out a tool.
Moreover, judging by Ga Ya's words, this thing should be bound to her.
Aside from Zhu Xi Ning, others probably wouldn't be able to use it.
After the three of them had their fill of food and drink, they had the hotel staff come in to clean up.
A lively movie was playing on the television, another product of the mission world. Nan Yue and the others didn't really watch it; it was just to add a bit of life to the room.
"Let's rest for two more days, then we'll go check out a psychological clinic."
Nan Yue herself didn't have too much fear regarding that mission. No matter how much despair the Ant God caused, it wasn't as terrifying as the thing parasitic in her body.
But she couldn't help but think of Wen Xiang Yuan's tearful face.
She still couldn't manage to watch someone familiar die before her without feeling anything.
The other two also nodded in agreement.
Nan Yue's Neural Interface flashed with a friend request.
The profile picture was a chibi man with eyes curved in a smile, looking very approachable.
ID: A-Yu
Nan Yue: ...
She struggled for a long time before clicking accept.
A-Yu: Miss Nan, I owe you for this mission. 【Smile】
Strongest A-Nan in History: You do.
A-Yu: ...
A-Yu: You really aren't modest, but you have the right to be.
A-Yu: I hope our next meeting isn't in such a perilous mission.
Strongest A-Nan in History: By the way, I have a question for you.
A-Yu: What is it? 【Smile】
Strongest A-Nan in History: Were you abandoned by someone? You seem so insecure.
A-Yu: ...
A-Yu: ...Nan Yue, answer the phone!
Nan Yue blocked Huo Fuyu's calls and checked Wen Xiang Yuan's ID again. It was still grey.
"By the way, I have to go out tomorrow. You two can make your own arrangements."
Nan Yue said calmly, "I want to talk to Sharp Blade."
If there was one thing that changed for Nan Yue after this mission, it was the realization that she was still too weak.
They had cleared this mission far too luckily. If not for Huo Fuyu and Wen Xiang Yuan, none of them would have likely made it out.
Her own understanding of missions was also insufficient. Huo Fuyu even knew about missions with such high levels of distortion, while she knew very little.
She didn't want it to be like this next time.
Although the two members of Sharp Blade she had encountered so far seemed to have good character, Nan Yue still had no intention of joining them.
Her own team was fine as it was; she only wanted to cooperate with Sharp Blade.
Shang Xi being able to leave this mission could be considered as owing a favor to their team, so she shouldn't refuse.
"Oh, okay."
Hearing that Nan Yue was going to find Sharp Blade, Gu Xiang Kai nodded in relief.
They wouldn't follow her. Although Nan Yue wanted to establish a cold and aloof image, they all knew that this person had the temperament of a fiercely protective shepherd dog.
Before she was one hundred percent certain about Sharp Blade, Nan Yue probably didn't want them to have contact with that side.
She was afraid they would be targeted.
"A-Nan! You made the Top Rankings!"
Hearing Zhu Xi Ning's words, Nan Yue leaned over to take a look.
The Top Rankings were updated in real-time, primarily maintained by Cuckoo, who collected intelligence.
After this scrolling update, Nan Yue's name appeared prominently at rank 38.
Although it wasn't extremely high, it was enough to stir up a storm on the forums.
Generally, high-level players progressed slowly, though there were those with extraordinary talent who burst directly into the Top Rankings. However, even those individuals would usually be known within certain circles.
After all, the abilities of high-level players were easily discovered during missions. Compared to entering the Top Rankings in one step, most people became slightly famous first.
Rate on N.U.
