Zuo Lin'an withdrew his gaze from his backpack, feeling utterly speechless.
Xu Youyou was clearly the one suspected, yet in the end, he was the one who would suffer the consequences. What kind of cruel irony was this? This was exactly it!
After all, Xu Youyou didn't have a specter item on him, but he actually did.
If this backpack were to be snatched away... his losses would be far too devastating!
Why couldn't his obtained specter item gold hairpin fade into an intangible form and be stored inside his body like players did?
It was because of his identity. He belonged to the supernatural world, which placed him on the dungeon's side. Any specter item he brought into a dungeon was essentially treated as hidden loot.
As long as a player snatched it, ownership would immediately transfer the very moment they laid hands on the specter item.
Even if Zuo Lin'an killed that player afterward, the specter item would not drop, and there would be no way to snatch it back.
The gold hairpin specter item would only vanish along with the player upon their death.
As for why he could still retrieve and use his own leaf specter item after a player died, it was because the Withered Leaf was a specter item he had crafted himself.
But the gold hairpin in his hand was not!
Therefore, Zuo Lin'an absolutely could not allow any player to touch the gold hairpin!
After Ming Ruofeng left, even though the two continued to eat leisurely, a faint trace of anxiety began to surface in their hearts.
They had originally just wanted to slack off, but now it seemed they absolutely could not attend tonight's evening self-study.
Whether the gold hairpin specter item was left in the dorm or carried on their person, neither of them could guarantee with absolute certainty that it wouldn't be stolen, not to mention the three cards still in the backpack.
The only thing Zuo Lin'an could do right now was to keep the backpack within his line of sight at all times.
The two quickly finished their meal and turned to head toward the dormitory. They chatted casually along the way, but remained highly vigilant of their surroundings.
Fortunately, as Human-Specter Symbionts, they could easily sense the presence of any living body.
Although most of these players were highly powerful martial artists, as long as they were still breathing, they could be detected.
Furthermore, they weren't being overly paranoid.
On their way back to the dormitory, they truly felt like they were being followed.
And it wasn't just one person!
It seemed Ming Ruofeng wasn't the only suspicious one; other players also suspected they possessed specter items.
Or rather, the two of them had now become the most unique natives in the eyes of the players.
Just like the key NPCs in the dungeons these players had experienced before, some held clues to specter items, while others knew the key to clearing the dungeon.
As for why they were only tailing them instead of making a direct move, they were likely still trying to determine whether the duo's existence was beneficial or detrimental to the players.
After all, if they were beneficial to the players, acting rashly would directly cut off a path of survival.
A path of survival was no small matter for a player.
Of course, the six-day survival time was certainly a factor as well. There was still plenty of time, so they were in no rush.
Once back in the dorm, they quickly shut the door and drew the curtains.
Xu Youyou closed his eyes and carefully sensed the aura of the living outside. Sure enough, people were lurking outside the door and beneath the bathroom window at the back.
Zuo Lin'an pulled out his phone and began typing.
【Just chat about whatever.】
Xu Youyou nodded upon seeing this and casually took out his own phone.
“I ate way too much just now. I'm definitely not going to evening self-study later.”
【What do we do now? We're being watched.】
Zuo Lin'an sat on his bed.
“If you're not going, then I'm staying in the dorm too.”
【Stay vigilant from now until ten o'clock tonight. Once the Scarlet Dream starts, let's kill more players!】
When Xu Youyou read this message, he could practically feel the boiling murderous intent in Zuo Lin'an's heart.
To be honest, today had indeed been rather suffocating.
“Sounds great to me. Good brothers should skip class together.”
【Let's kill them together.】
Zuo Lin'an put down his phone and opened his backpack. Looking at the items tucked inside the inner compartment, he honestly had no idea where to hide them right now!
Just then, Xu Youyou suddenly stood up, walked over to him, and pointed at the steel pipes of the bunk bed frame.
These steel pipes were hollow, perfect for hiding things. While the cards definitely wouldn't fit inside, the gold hairpin in Zuo Lin'an's hand certainly could!
Even if those players wanted to search for something, they surely wouldn't dismantle the bed frame and take apart the steel pipes to inspect them one by one, right?
Zuo Lin'an's eyes lit up. Although he had to hold the gold hairpin when sleeping later to bring it into the dream, there were still several hours left before bedtime.
If the lurking players outside decided to barge in during this time, the gold hairpin would definitely be snatched.
So for these few hours, they had to find a place to hide the gold hairpin.
The spot Xu Youyou suggested was excellent. The players would most likely never think of it.
After messing around for a bit, they successfully stuffed the gold hairpin into one of the steel pipes and sealed the opening back up.
Only after they were finished did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Xu Youyou suddenly stood up. “Since we're skipping evening self-study, let's go to the campus shop to buy some snacks.”
Zuo Lin'an also felt that simply staying in the dorm was a bit boring.
“Let's go.”
He casually took the cards out of his backpack, stuffed them into his pockets, and left the dorm with Xu Youyou. They walked to the nearby campus shop and bought a bunch of their favorite snacks before heading back.
For the rest of the evening, they stayed comfortably in their dorm and took nice, relaxing showers. No one came to bother them, and no one watched over them.
However, the aura of the living continuously lingered outside their dormitory.
These were bound to be players, specifically those who had already violated school rules today and had decided to just give up on playing safe, which was why they were keeping a constant eye on them.
Yet, they clearly had no intention of making a move on Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou just yet.
If anything, Zuo Lin'an felt these people were cutting off their own paths of survival.
After all, evening self-study was meant for players to review what they had learned during the day and complete their homework.
Most of the questions on the exam papers were selected from the homework or explained in detail during class. For these ancient players, failing to review and study properly would only lead to failure in the final exams.
And so, time gradually ticked by until it reached nine in the evening, which was when evening self-study ended.
Zuo Lin'an let out a sigh of relief and retrieved the hidden gold hairpin.
The lights would go out at ten, signaling their entry into the Scarlet Dream, so the gold hairpin had to be in his possession.
If he didn't have it on him and failed to bring it into the dream, that would be a massive disaster.
The two sat on their beds, eating snacks while openly playing on their phones.
Xu Youyou sent Zuo Lin'an a message.
【Xu Youyou: They're going to be back soon. Is it really okay that you just left the gold hairpin and the cards in your blanket?】
【Zuo Lin'an: It's fine. They won't make a direct move on us just yet.】
Rate on N.U.
