ITOTIABSAM | Infinite Flow | 175
Xie Ye never expected the man to come over and offer assistance. He felt a bit stiff all over, even as a ghost.
It was just a half-flight of stairs, and even if he did fall, it wouldn't matter much. But there was no hint of ambiguity in the man's actions. Though he encircled Xie Ye's waist, he didn't even open his palm, and as soon as Xie Ye stood firm, he let go.
"Where do you want to go?" Gu Cong asked naturally as he adjusted Xie Ye's clothes for him. "I'll accompany you."
Xie Ye was momentarily at a loss as to how he had been exposed.
Like a cat caught red-handed doing something naughty but still insisting on its innocence, he blinked and replied, "Nowhere in particular."
That was the truth. He was only thinking of getting away from "Jiang Chuan," but he hadn't considered where exactly to go. He hadn't even thought about leaving this instance. He simply intended to hide in some corner, silently protecting the man.
Although Xie Ye was well aware that this seemingly weak human was not actually weak at all.
“We should go back to our room,” Xie Ye, who detested lying, simply bypassed Gu Cong and headed forward, pulling a somewhat reasonable excuse, "Zhao Dong must be getting impatient."
Gu Cong watched Xie Ye's retreating figure and glanced at the clock beside the stairs.
It was five fifty. Normally, at this hour, Xie Ye would have already dragged him downstairs to wait for the innkeeper to serve dinner and see what delicious food was available.
But even so, noticing that Xie Ye who usually would have been the first to follow him downstairs was not doing so, Gu Cong couldn't help but be distracted from his chaotic thoughts and slowed his pace as if unconsciously.
Xie Ye thought he was hiding it well, but in reality, everything fell into Gu Cong's eyes. With a slight curl of his lips, Gu Cong took a long step and quickly walked shoulder to shoulder with Xie Ye. "Alright."
While it was still not completely dark outside, Zhao Dong quickly took a five-minute combat shower. Gu Cong didn't say much, but took the opportunity while Zhao Dong was drying his hair to tidy up the bathroom himself. Then, he lightly tapped Xie Ye's arm and whispered, "Go ahead."
Turning around, Xie Ye who was leaning against the window lost in thought, his eyes visibly brightened.
Excluding the hazy memories and the scars left by fatal injuries, everything on his body would be refreshed to its initial state upon waking up or reincarnation, so there was nothing clean or dirty about it.
But Xie Ye enjoyed the feeling of being enveloped by hot water.
It made him feel like he had the warmth of a human.
"Do you want me to watch over you?" Amidst the noisy hum of the old-fashioned hairdryer, Zhao Dong faintly caught the familiar tone, "Should I leave the door cracked open?"
It was his captain.
Zhao Dong's arm stiffened, and he didn't even dare to move his neck, letting the hot air hit his face, as he stared blankly and wondered: Progress... so soon? What did he miss last night?
In just a few seconds, Li Jie's sarcastic voice next door quickly spun through Zhao Dong's mind, could it be that he didn't misjudge the situation, and the captain actually likes...
"It's okay," the sound of the door opening and closing interrupted Zhao Dong's thoughts, as Xie Ye's rejection broke through, "Don't worry, I won't be taken by ghosts."
Zhao Dong immediately apologized for his "filthy" speculation, although no one knew what he was thinking.
But Gu Cong used his leg to gently stop Xie Ye from trying to lock the door: "Really?"
Could that dungeon, who was so eager to please Xie Ye, really resist the urge to peek when there were no players watching?
"Really," mimicking the dialogue of players from his memories, Xie Ye assured, "If I encounter danger, I will scream."
— Although when he did scream, the so-called danger was mostly already extinguished by him.
As if confirming whether he was lying, the man stared at him intently for a few seconds before nodding in acknowledgment, retracting his leg, and taking the initiative to close the door for him.
Inside the bathroom, Xie Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Gu Cong saw all the marks on his body, how could he continue to pretend to be a novice player in front of him?
Even though this identity was assigned to him by others based on their experience and initial impressions, Xie Ye had never admitted it verbally, but he had never denied it either.
Sometimes, silence was a form of deception.
He hadn't figured out how to treat "Jiang Chuan," this player, yet. But putting himself in their shoes, he hated being deceived, and he assumed the other person would too.
As for the black mist inside him, Xie Ye hadn't recalled its origin yet, but he instinctively didn't want to use it. Fingertips touching the top button of his shirt, the black-haired Xie Ye spoke earnestly into the empty bathroom, softly saying, "Go away."
"I'll get angry."
...
All's fair in love and war. Just like last night, the surroundings were quiet, and Xie Ye didn't notice anything unusual. But he still patiently waited for a while, making sure there was no one else in the bathroom, before undressing and turning on the shower.
Outside the bathroom, Zhao Dong was busy discussing night watch issues with Gu Cong.
After the elimination of the player from Room 205, even with a heart as broad as his, Zhao Dong couldn't bring himself to sleep soundly anymore. Now that he thought about it, he was indeed lucky nothing happened to him last night.
"No night watch."
Giving a firm answer that was completely opposite to most players, Gu Cong remained calm. "Today, I'll sleep with you. There's something I want to confirm."
"Sleep with me?"
When Zhao Dong was getting ready in the morning, he had seen Xie Ye curled up in their leader's embrace. His sleeping habits were notoriously bad within the team. Why would they switch beds?
Gu Cong lowered his voice. "Xie Ye was also attacked last night."
He hadn't told the other players about this because Gu Cong wasn't sure about the character of these seemingly cooperative strangers. Even if Tang Yan, who seemed to have some goodwill towards Xie Ye, or the seemingly most agreeable doctor, had the potential to turn hostile overnight due to their own interests.
However, he had memories of the original host of Zhao Dong and Cheng Xiaorong; he can rely on them.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhao Dong's first reaction was, "Was he injured?"
Zhao Dong even instantly understood Gu Cong's intention of wanting to watch Xie Ye take a bath and remarked, "Can he manage by himself? What if he falls asleep in the bathroom?"
Gu Cong shook his head. "I have it under control."
"So, having three people in the same room does violate the rules after all," Zhao Dong muttered, the blocked connection finally opening up. "That's why the shopkeeper said Xie Ye is special, because he survived the dream trial?"
The former is correct, but the latter is probably just a personal preference of some stingy person.
Neither confirming nor denying, Gu Cong replied, "Perhaps."
Zhao Dong asked, "Then what about Room 205...?" Could it be that after Xie Ye survived, the Boss had no choice but to make a second selection?
No wonder their leader was so tight-lipped about it. If other players found out, especially Li Jie, whether it's shifting blame or being wary, it would make Xie Ye's situation worse.
"In fact, I'm more inclined to believe that the two are not related. Room 205 and 208 are not opposite each other, nor are they adjacent. There is almost no common ground between the deceased and Xie Ye," Gu Cong stated calmly, his mind clear. "Furthermore, if Xie Ye's survival led to the selection of the player in Room 205, why would the boss go to such lengths? I'm right beside Xie Ye."
"However, these are just my speculations," Gu Cong shifted the topic and looked at Zhao Dong. "We need evidence."
Zhao Dong immediately patted the bed. "Got it."
"We can't keep relying on the kid to shield us from disasters," If it's true that players who violate the rules by squeezing onto one bed will be selected, then it should be his and their captain's turn this time.
While clearing the stage is important, at the beginning of the dungeon, there's no need to pave the way with other people's lives. After all, they are experienced players who have fought in advanced dungeons with real swords and real guns. Zhao Dong had some confidence in his abilities.
Gu Cong asked, "Aren’t you angry?"
Zhao Dong replied, "Angry about what? I'm not angry that you helped Xie Ye and those two injured players. You didn't let any of them spend the first night sleeping on the streets."
"The system only has six out of eight guest rooms available, so it must be designed that way. It wants to see us players fighting among ourselves. Maybe it'll kick out the injured or newbies, and ghosts will end up keeping their lives, only to make trouble for us later."
"Everyone has been a newbie at some point."
If I can help, then there's no harm in doing so
"You're thinking too simply. If this dungeon really is meant to judge those considered guilty, then the ghosts will only come after me," Gu Cong explained, "Although there's still an empty bed in room 205, I don't want to miss the opportunity to actively explore the BOSS."
Fortune favors the bold.
It's the same in the Infinite Game.
If someone else said this, Zhao Dong would probably think they were bragging, risking their lives by provoking the BOSS so eagerly. But "Jiang Chuan" was different. With their leader's ranking, just one step away, they could challenge the "final" and return to reality.
Because of this, when Gu Cong finished washing up and pushed the door open, Xie Ye instinctively made room for him, leaving half the space empty. However, Xie Ye's peripheral vision caught sight of Gu Cong heading towards the adjacent bed.
Xie Ye, who was already on edge, wondered: ...did he expose himself?
As time passed, the two on the adjacent bed showed no signs of staying up for the night. Xie Ye could only suppress his drowsiness and count the seconds ticking away on the bedside clock, feeling bored and restless.
At exactly eight o'clock, the Nightmare Town suddenly fell silent, as if all its residents had entered into a collective slumber. Even if they were awake, they dared not make a sound, and even the breathing of Gu Cong and Zhao Dong began to slow down, becoming shallow and steady.
Still remembering the smell of blood he sensed in room 205 this morning, Xie Ye quietly got out of bed, barefoot, and cat-like, stealthily approached the man's bedside.
Warm.
Still alive.
Cautiously extending his fingertips, he lightly poked the man's cheek, like a guarding dragon protecting a treasure, half crouching by the bed, staring intently at Gu Cong.
Although the room with the curtains drawn was dim, his vision was sharp enough to make out the man's distinct features and long, straight eyelashes.
After an indeterminate amount of time, just as Xie Ye, with blurry eyes, was testing Gu Cong's breathing for the nth time, a polite knock came from outside the window.
The curtains fluttered without any wind, and against all logic, a handsome young man with a typical Western face wearing a tailcoat and a black top hat entered through the window.
With golden hair and blue eyes, he held a pure black long-handled umbrella, removed his hat with his right hand, gracefully traced an elegant arc in the air, and pressed it against his chest, bowing with elegance. "Nice to meet you. Please forgive my rudeness last night."
In the moonlight, his scrutinizing gaze lingered on Gu Cong, who was adjacent to the young man. He tilted his head, wearing a smirk that seemed ambiguous. "Are you planning to personally kill him?"
"King."
Author's note:
Xie Ye: Huh?
The amnesiac kitty is online and clueless.
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