Facing such an absurd declaration from Ming Ruofeng, Zuo Lin'an's expression stiffened slightly. He had no idea how Ming Ruofeng could say such things with a straight face.
Even the usually eccentric Xu Youyou couldn't help but shudder.
“You... you want to be brothers with us?”
Ming Ruofeng nodded in all seriousness. “Yes.”
Xu Youyou and Zuo Lin'an exchanged a glance.
“Brother An, what do you think?”
“I... I'll follow your lead.”
Of course, Zuo Lin'an was not fooled by Ming Ruofeng's outward attitude. Everything the man had said earlier was likely just an excuse.
He just couldn't wrap his head around what this guy was actually after.
Did he realize Zuo Lin'an was special because Zuo Lin'an had killed him in the Scarlet Dream, and was now taking this roundabout approach to get close to him? Did he plan to uncover his secrets?
It was highly baffling.
Forget it, there was no point in overthinking.
“Fine, you can tag along then.”
Since the guy wanted to cozy up to him, he might as well let him follow.
No matter what Ming Ruofeng's ultimate goal was, he would eventually slip up and reveal his hand.
Hearing Zuo Lin'an's words, Ming Ruofeng rejoiced inwardly.
Step one, accomplished!
The two walked slowly down the stairs, going from the sixth floor to the fifth, and then from the fifth to the fourth.
Zuo Lin'an carefully observed which classrooms still had people in them today, trying to roughly estimate how many players were left.
Ming Ruofeng, who was following behind them, seemed to realize something and spoke up. “Class One through Class Ten are all at full capacity, and Class Eleven still has thirty people. That's a total of five hundred and thirty people. Excluding the hundred who are special like you, there are four hundred and thirty left.”
Zuo Lin'an turned around and gave him a surprised look.
“I see. So quite a few students left yesterday.”
Ming Ruofeng continued, “Among them, two hundred and thirty belong to Xuan Jingyuan's faction. Of the remaining two hundred, some belong to various sect organizations, while the rest are solo players who have been forced to cooperate with one another just to survive up to this point.”
Hearing him speak like this, Zuo Lin'an suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over him.
It was almost as if Ming Ruofeng's role had suddenly shifted to that of an NPC just like him. He even had the illusion that the man was about to discuss how to deal with the players next.
Zuo Lin'an did not reply and simply continued down the stairs, while Xu Youyou cast suspicious glances at Ming Ruofeng from time to time.
When they walked out of the academic building, they spotted two familiar figures on the stone path outside.
Lin Taoyao and Lin Taozhi.
Upon seeing Ming Ruofeng, the two immediately glided over, tightly flanking him on both sides.
“Brother Feng, you're finally down.”
“Yeah, we've been waiting for so long.”
Xu Youyou leaned in close to Zuo Lin'an and whispered, “They're so bold. They just got caught red-handed in the classroom, yet they're still acting so openly out here. A lot of teachers go to the cafeteria for lunch, so they might easily be spotted by someone.”
Ming Ruofeng gently pushed the two girls away.
“While I am certainly delighted by the affectionate advances of two beauties, we must still exercise caution at this moment. If you get caught by the school teachers again, I won't have the ability to save you a second time.”
Speaking of which, it seemed those two female players had also been the ones to take the initiative back in the classroom. So it made sense to say that Ming Ruofeng had stepped in to save them.
However, Lin Taoyao and her sister didn't seem to care much upon hearing this.
“It's fine. The natives here are just ordinary people. They're no match for us at all.”
“Exactly. We can just hide if anything happens.”
The only reason they had obediently complied and left the classroom earlier was because Ming Ruofeng had complied as well.
Ming Ruofeng was not as careless as they were. He was thinking about the security guard Zuo Lin'an had mentioned earlier. Although he hadn't seen him yet, he knew this so-called security guard was definitely not to be trifled with.
“What's the rush?” Ming Ruofeng said. “Once we leave this place, I'll spend a few days playing with you properly. For now, behave yourselves.”
Only then did the two sisters let go of him.
“Alright then, but Brother Feng, you can't lie to us.”
Ming Ruofeng squeezed one of their hands. “When have I ever lied to a beauty?”
He turned to look at Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou, who had already left him behind and walked quite a distance away. Without any hint of annoyance, he quickly caught up to them.
Before heading off, he instructed the sisters, “I need to build a good relationship with these two natives. Don't come over and cause trouble for now, got it?”
The two sisters obediently stayed where they were.
Seeing him catch up, Xu Youyou remarked sarcastically, “Why aren't you having some fun with your two beauties? There's plenty of time during the lunch break.”
Ming Ruofeng smiled. “You jest, Student Xu. Women are merely playthings to pass the time during leisure hours. They aren't worth wasting my precious time on. Right now, eating with my two good brothers is what's most important.”
Xu Youyou discreetly rubbed his arms, trying to smooth down the goosebumps that had popped up.
Ming Ruofeng made no reaction to Xu Youyou's behavior. His gaze remained fixed on Zuo Lin'an.
“By the way, Student Zuo... Actually, since we're already good brothers, it should be fine if I call you Brother An, right?”
Without waiting for Zuo Lin'an's reply, Ming Ruofeng smoothly called out, “Brother An.”
Hearing Ming Ruofeng call him Brother An, Zuo Lin'an felt uncomfortable all over.
Ming Ruofeng quickly pressed on. “Taoyao and Taozhi both have something on them that I think you'd really want. What do you say? Should I help you get it from them? Although I don't know what it's used for, the fact that whoever holds it gets targeted in the dream is enough to prove its value. They also treasure it highly. If anyone else were to ask them for it, they would definitely be rejected. But if I ask, they won't say no. Brother An, do you want it? Just say the word, and I'll get it for you.”
Zuo Lin'an remained silent, his expression calm and his eyes completely devoid of any change, as if he hadn't heard a single word of what was just said.
Even Xu Youyou acted the same way.
After all, to NPCs like them, they shouldn't even know of the Scarlet Dream's existence.
When players mentioned such things, they had to pretend they heard absolutely nothing to keep up appearances.
Ming Ruofeng waited for a moment, and seeing no response, he did not pursue the topic further.
However, the smile on his face grew increasingly meaningful.
By now, Zuo Lin'an had realized something was off.
After Ming Ruofeng left with the principal earlier, something he was unaware of must have happened, and it was directly related to the secrets of this dungeon.
Most likely, Ming Ruofeng had found out about something—and probably quite a lot.
That was why, from this morning until now, every single word he spoke and every action he took had been an attempt to test him!
Zuo Lin'an let out a soft sigh.
Could it be that Ming Ruofeng planned to gather more secrets about the dungeon and even the supernatural world, and then bring them back to the real world upon clearing it?
Rate on N.U.
