It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 168

 

ITOTIABSAM | Infinite Flow | 168

In fact, the number of players present who doubted Xie Ye's identity was close to zero.

The only one openly showing disdain towards Xie Ye, Li Jie, merely reaffirmed his judgment of the "worthless snack," without associating Xie Ye's fatigue with anything supernatural.

After all, although the watch on the boy's wrist was mostly hidden by his sleeve, it occasionally peeked out with his movements, and its style and construction were identical to those distributed by the game.

This item, visible only to players, there's no records of NPCs stealing players' watches, naturally becoming the best evidence for confirming each other's identities in the subplot.

"In any case, even if they haven't truly been eliminated yet, death in the dream is not a good sign," quickly understanding Gu Cong's reminder, the doctor looked towards the sleeping Xie Ye and pushed his glasses up once again. "Does this little friend still have a pulse?"

—--According to the patterns summarized by generations of players over the years, Infinite Game automatically skips over the elderly and children when drawing fresh blood or making up for losses. The oldest player won't be over fifty, and the youngest will be at least eighteen.

With Xie Ye's appearance and attire, he looked like he was just at the lower age limit of being selected, even though he was already an adult. He was still one of the tender group of " babies."in the world of infinite games.

Gu Cong raised his hand and placed it under the young man's straight nose, knowing that Xie Ye was simply sleeping, solemnly used his index finger to feel for a few seconds. "He has one."

It was slow and faint, but it was undeniably there.

"What about the other two?" Hindered by the restriction of not being able to leave their seats, the doctor shrugged helplessly and spread his hands. "Although I'd like to do it myself, but... please."

With a disgusted expression, Li Jie reluctantly began to reexamine the body of the timid guy sitting beside him.

At this moment, he reluctantly discovered the advantage of having this "worthless snack" around. At least he "died" quietly, peacefully, looking as if he were just asleep.

The novice female player, who would have needed Tang Yan to cover her mouth to stop her from screaming, gritted her teeth and cautiously reached out towards the "skeleton in a bag" surging with mycelium.

After a short while, Li Jie spoke up first, "Indeed, there is one."

"I... " her voice slightly trembling, and after waiting for another two minutes, the novice female player said, "I think I felt something too."

Worried that the other players might think her response was just following the trend and unreliable, she hastily added, "It's very, very faint, warm, I think."

"His is even fainter, I need to focus completely." Hearing this, Li Jie, rarely taking a serious look at this novice who could barely be of any use, stood up and continued.

If it weren't for him strengthening his body, his senses would not have been as sharp when his concentration was heightened, and ordinary people wouldn't have noticed.

"So, the earlier a player dies in the dream, the weaker their breathing. If we don't notice it and delay too long, waiting until even that faint sign of life disappears, they will be truly eliminated in reality."

Putting the logic together, the doctor sighed bitterly, "No wonder they restrict players to stay near their seats."

For example, he, due to his professional habits, might have been able to see through the system's tricks during the process of examining the bodies. 

But now, the player next to Li Jie had a stiff death appearance, conveniently staying in his seat, looking so nervous that he seemed about to faint. This naturally led to the former's disgust, reducing his attention. 

The grotesque and eerie mushrooms happened to appear next to the novice female player with lower psychological resilience. When people are scared, they are more prone to panic and their intelligence decreases. Moreover, anyone who saw the unlucky player with a gaping chest cavity, resembling a dried corpse infested with mushrooms, wouldn't think they were still alive.

If it weren't for the big shot sitting next to the boy pointing it out, they might have had to wait until the first death announcement to react and see a significant reduction in their numbers.

With such malicious arrangements, it's hard not to suspect that the ghost on the bus did this intentionally.

"So how do we wake up?" Another player timidly spoke up. "I just cut myself with a knife. It hurt a lot, but I'm still here."

As if to demonstrate, he raised his arm, revealing his bleeding left hand.

The voice coming from behind for the first time caught Zhao Dong off guard. He turned around, his pupils dilating: Could that work too?

He's a tough one.

"Dream blood," completely misunderstanding Zhao Dong's meaning, the dejected young man with white hair explained, "shouldn't attract ghosts."

And the big mushroom hasn't moved either.

He was very white, not just his skin and hair, but even his eyelashes were as white as snow. He had been hiding in the back row under his coat the whole time, unnoticed by other players.

"Oh." Realizing that the other person might be a patient with some genetic condition, Zhao Dong quickly suppressed his surprise, nodding as if confirming the white-haired guy's explanation.

After expressing his opinion, the white-haired guy covered himself again with his coat and returned to his seat.

In such a dangerous world, where encountering strange people is not surprising if one has lived long enough, Tang Yan calmly redirected the conversation back to the main topic, "So how do we wake up?"

"Perhaps we need to first figure out when we fell asleep," the doctor pondered for two seconds before continuing, "I hope everyone can carefully recall any small clues."

As he spoke, Gu Cong, who had been focused on being a pillow for quite some time, suddenly gently moved the sleeping boy off his shoulder. With a click, he fastened his seatbelt for him, then with a long stride, he crossed over Xie Ye and left his seat.

Clang!

The carriage shook, and the previously almost background-like driver suddenly regained vitality, aggressively stepping on the gas pedal. The menacing gaze reflected in the rearview mirror seemed to say, "Go back!"

"Hey, boy!"

But Gu Cong completely ignored the words, considering them as a mere gust of wind. With agility, he maintained his balance amidst the swaying of the carriage, a skill most players needed to grasp onto their seats for. With a clear goal in mind, he walked towards a seat in the front row.

"Hello," he stopped steadily, the small firearm sliding down his sleeve. Gu Cong flipped his wrist and gently pressed against the temple of the passenger sitting close by, politely inquiring, "We've arrived. Can I ask you to wake up?"

It was the bulky figure piled up in the seat like a small mountain, the one who snored the loudest before and after departure.

Although many passengers were sleeping on this stuffy and dilapidated long-distance bus, and there was more than one snorer, the silence or bustle in the carriage always revolved around the loudest snoring. 

Due to the engine's roar, along with the passengers' and players' chatter providing cover, and the snoring being intermittent, it was actually difficult to notice. However, Gu Cong trusted his hearing and paid special attention. Through several changes in the atmosphere of the carriage, he confirmed his judgment.

Sure enough, just as Gu Cong was about to pull the trigger and fire the runic bullet effective against the ghost, the passenger who didn't have the courage to continue pretending to sleep suddenly opened their eyes, looking panicked, their red irises contracting.

The world spun.

The surroundings gradually blurred like melting butter, slowly fading away. The hot air steamed, accompanied by faint whispers, sticking to the skin like glue.

Phew—

The sensation of falling off a cliff that one often experiences in dreams came over him. Muscles tensing, Gu Cong woke up.

Then, he saw the young man beside him, cheeks puffed out, holding half a piece of chocolate in his hand.

The other person seemed to have just woken up as well, having slept deeply in the dream. Xie Ye’s expression was still a bit bewildered, but quickly, he swallowed the food in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, and looked over. "Did you catch him?"

It was just a clever illusion easily deciphered by careful observation. For Gu Cong, there was nothing to be proud of, let alone a sense of accomplishment.

However, Xie Ye's question filled him with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He wanted to smile, but instead just nodded reservedly. "Mm."

In the real-world carriage, the overweight passenger who had been snoring loudly in the front seat was no longer there, leaving behind only a treasure chest representing the reward.

Outside the window, the sky was not pitch black, but rather dimly lit. The two players who had "died" in the dream appeared as if something invisible had covered their mouths and noses, their lips turning pale, their faces blue, small blood spots bursting under their skin. Their fingers curled, clutching their necks tightly.

They were moments away from dying in their sleep.

Fortunately, this time the driver did not stop the players from moving. The glasses-wearing doctor immediately ordered the other players to open the windows and swiftly began first aid in the aisle.

The ordinary passengers, confused and startled, began to clamor and fuss, feeling annoyed but far more at ease than they had in the dream.

Seizing this opportunity, the players finally showcased their talents. Using their social skills, some seasoned and some inexperienced, they exchanged seats and engaged in all sorts of chitchat, eventually congregating around Gu Cong as the focal point.

Zhao Dong, who managed to snag a seat behind Gu Cong, leaned against the seatback, curious as he struck up a conversation with Xie Ye focused on his chocolate. "Aren't you surprised at all?"

In theory, when the boss broke the game, the other party was already fast asleep. Even though the time was short and there were no signs of suffocation, the myriad of inexplicable changes should have prompted some suspicion.

"..." Xie Ye glanced at him but remained silent.

As if reading his mind, Zhao Dong pulled out an individually wrapped energy bar from his wristwatch and handed it over. After all, they were quite common in the game, and he had plenty to spare.

Finally willing to respond now that he had been appeased with a treat, Xie Ye with the shorter end of the stick said, "I already knew."

"Ha!" Across the aisle, Li Jie let out a loud scoff, dripping with contempt.

"You knew all along? What a joke! Aren't you afraid of choking on your tongue?" Li Jie couldn't believe it. 

Though Xie Ye's intuition suggested he wasn't lying, Cheng Xiaorong frowned and glanced at Li Jie. She followed suit, offering a strawberry-flavored energy bar, humbly seeking enlightenment. "Why is that?"

"Because my stomach feels empty," Xie Ye replied, mirroring his actions from the dream as he reached under his clothes to pat his upper abdomen. "It's not filled up at all."

Despite the vivid sweetness of the chocolate melting on his tongue, he couldn't feel any physical sensation when he swallowed.

Most of those present were astute individuals. With just a few sentences, they understood what Xie Ye was trying to convey. While luck might have played a part, it was enough to demonstrate that he was quite sharp.

Face slapped too quickly, Li Jie couldn't hold back, sarcastically picking at Xie Ye's words, "Then why didn't you say anything? Intentionally trying to harm us?"

Xie Ye blinked innocently, "Because you didn't ask."

--- "Because no one asked me."

Same answer, same sting.

But before Li Jie's anger could raise his blood pressure, the handsome man sitting next to Xie Ye glanced over lightly, half-smiling. Like a splash of cold water over his head, it sent shivers down his spine.

What made him heartbroken was that the next moment, the other person changed their expression like a Sichuan opera performer, gently bringing back Xie Ye's attention with a new piece of chocolate, and smiling, "That's right."

"It's his fault for being stupid."

"Next time I'll ask."

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Author's Note:

Li Jie: xxx (cursing)

This time it's a big-time schemer, hehe.