A New Look

Half an hour passed, and her once uneven hair had been transformed into distinct layers.

The sharp tips, arranged like wolf fangs, framed Nan Yue's face, softening her sharp jawline and giving her a heroic but not overly aggressive look.

Wispy bangs followed the flow of the style, blurring her features slightly; only an accidental glance would reveal the underlying pressure she exuded.

"Mm... you look even more harmless now."

Zhu Xi Ning looked her over from every angle, feeling that this hairstyle suited Nan Yue perfectly.

Before, with her messy hair and that student uniform, she had looked plain and rustic.

But with a bit of grooming, it was clear that Nan Yue's features were quite striking.

Unlike Zhu Xi Ning's delicate and refined beauty, Nan Yue's looks leaned toward a more heroic air.

Even without any makeup, whenever those black and white eyes looked over, there was a full sense of pressure.

It felt as if one were being watched by something extremely terrifying.

Although it was only for a fleeting moment, Zhu Xi Ning always felt as if it wasn't Nan Yue looking at her, but something far more indescribable.

The stylist likely noticed this as well, which was why this hairstyle suited Nan Yue so well, preserving her heroic air while making her eyes and striking face appear more peaceful amidst the strands of hair.

"It looks good."

Nan Yue evaluated it as such; the 20 points spent weren't a waste.

"What do you call this hair?"

The young man tossed a small lock of long hair trailing behind him. "A high-layered wolf cut mullet."

Nan Yue remained silent.

There certainly were a lot of animals involved.

"How often does this hairstyle need to be trimmed?"

Compared to Nan Yue's lukewarm reaction, Zhu Xi Ning was clearly more interested in this styling salon, planning to come here for her own styling in the future.

The young man tilted his chin up proudly. "My hairstyles look good even when they grow out without a trim, but to maintain the best state, it's best to trim it once a month."

Nan Yue thought it sounded a bit troublesome.

The young man pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to the two of them. "I'm not just in the digital city state; I work on an appointment basis. Even if you go to Eden, I can go there to help you trim it."

"Just give me a small travel fee."

Nan Yue added him as a contact; the young man's name was Honey.

"Let's go, we need to upgrade your system."

Nan Yue thought the day's activities were over and was thinking about what to eat, but Zhu Xi Ning's energy remained high.

"Upgrade the system?"

Zhu Xi Ning tapped Nan Yue's watch with a look of disdain. "You're still using the most basic ID system. For 50 points, you can upgrade to a floating system. You can open a floating interface visible only to yourself with just a thought."

"It'll be much more convenient for whatever you do later."

Zhu Xi Ning gave Nan Yue a meaningful look, and Nan Yue instantly understood that equipment and items might be managed through it later.

This was money she couldn't save.

The shop for system upgrades was very small, tucked away in an alley after many twists and turns; Nan Yue would never have thought to enter without someone leading her.

The shopkeeper was an old man with only a few hairs left on his head, wearing a white undershirt. He didn't speak much and finished the task in a few quick moves.

"Old sir, let me ask, do you buy and sell items here?"

Zhu Xi Ning looked at Nan Yue with some surprise, not expecting her to be so sharp-witted.

The old man also glanced at her, reaching out to toss a battered tablet for her to look at herself.

Nan Yue looked through it with interest for a while, only to find with some disappointment that while she could buy items, they were all rather useless.

There was pepper that could make ghosts sneeze, or shoes that could make NPCs dance...

To be honest, Nan Yue didn't know what these items could possibly be used for.

Perhaps seeing that Nan Yue was unsatisfied, the old man slowly spoke his first words.

"Not satisfied? Then there's nothing I can do. The goods in the digital cities are all the same; it's like this everywhere you go."

The implication was that if she wanted high-level items, she had to move up.

Nan Yue saw that the prices for these strange things were not low, starting at at least a thousand points, which explained why she had never seen anyone buy them.

Only a sucker would spend several months' worth of living expenses on a bottle of pepper.

"Thank you."

Nan Yue felt a bit gloomy when she walked out; she had expected to at least see some miraculous pills that could regrow bones and flesh.

"Actually, items are generally divided into four categories: defense, attack, restoration, and support."

Zhu Xi Ning suddenly spoke up as if remembering something. "The top-tier items are all in Eden, and their prices are astronomical. The rarest ones are the restoration types."

"But there's another way to obtain items, and that's from missions."

Zhu Xi Ning looked at Nan Yue. "That Wild Dog told you, right? My awakened ability was obtained from a mission."

"Items are the same. Some things in missions can be brought out, and they might be very useful."

"But whether you have that destiny depends on personal luck."

In short, it was a random drop.

Nan Yue remained silent for a moment, accepting Zhu Xi Ning's kindness. "Thank you."

Zhu Xi Ning and Nan Yue parted ways at the plaza. The people around them were in a hurry, rushing to get back; public order was always worse at night.

"I actually thought about teaming up with you."

Zhu Xi Ning spoke with a serious expression.

Nan Yue smiled. "The timing isn't right yet."

They hadn't teamed up in a mission before, and neither dared to entrust their back to the other.

Zhu Xi Ning smiled too, looking like a delicate doll. "Yes, the timing isn't right yet."

When Nan Yue returned to the inn, Gu Xiang Kai was eating instant noodles, prompting Nan Yue, who had only eaten a matsutake bun enthusiastically recommended by Zhu Xi Ning, to immediately join the instant noodle ranks.

Gu Xiang Kai took a moment from slurping his noodles to glance at Nan Yue, giving a muffled evaluation. "Not bad."

Nan Yue felt a bit happy inside, though she didn't show it on her face. "It looks good, right?"

Gu Xiang Kai was busy eating. "It suits someone like you who plays the underdog."

Nan Yue remained silent.

After finishing her noodles, Nan Yue washed her new clothes and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her current material needs weren't high; she wanted to save points to upgrade her city state rank.

She tossed and turned on the bed with her eyes open as the sky gradually darkened, and Nan Yue's heart slowly began to tighten again.

To other scavengers, Nan Yue appeared fearless, showing no reaction even when seeing a female ghost, but at this moment, she revealed some vulnerability.

She clenched her fists slightly. Would today... still be so peaceful?

Like a curse or an invitation, at midnight, that familiar cold and slimy sensation crawled onto Nan Yue's body again.

Even though there was clearly nothing there, it felt as if a mass of rotting meat was writhing outward from her heart, wrapping around Nan Yue's limbs and slowly consuming her.

Nan Yue struggled to breathe, her limbs cold and stiff, as if she had been swallowed whole by some monster. The suffocating stench and the despair radiating from her heart made Nan Yue gasp for air involuntarily.

Dense, unintelligible delirious whispers rang in her ears; vicious, filthy, mad, and eerily cold words felt like a festering hand covering Nan Yue's ears.

There was no escape.