The darkness receded. The bus stopped moving. But the players did not take their curtain call.
The players gleefully dismantled the bus.
The players smashed the coin machine.
The players scrambled for coins.
The players pried open the gas tank.
The players discovered it was full of corpses.
The players scrambled for corpses.
The players tore off the tires.
The players scrambled for tires.
The tires took the chance to slip away on their own!
Shocking! The evil blood-sucking ghost bus wasn’t dead yet!
The players tamed the tire.
The players removed the board.
The players made the tire carry the board.
The players successfully crafted two flatbed carts.
The players remembered the escort mission.
The players surrounded Tang Yu.
The players tried to place Tang Yu onto the flatbed cart.
“I—I can get on by myself.” Tang Yu dodged the many reaching hands, and climbed onto the flatbed cart before being forcibly shoved onto it.
“Wow, he can get on by himself.”
“Why does he sound like a guy? I wanted to see a pretty girl!”
“Can we steal this NPC’s phone?”
“Wouldn’t that lower his favorability rating? You only earn a little favor after completing a mission, even though no one knows what favorability is even for.”
“Let’s rob him after we finish the mission.”
“Hello, this is a robbery.”
A crowd of players eagerly surrounded Tang Yu, seemingly wanting to pull off his mask and hat, or snatch his phone. They were all crowding so close they nearly breached the boundaries of normal social distance.
Tang Yu sat on the flatbed cart hugging his knees, trying hard not to tremble. Compared to the average person, Tang Yu figured he might have one advantage—he had lots of experience dealing with creeps.
He knew the best way to protect himself was, first, not to attract a creep’s attention.
Second, to observe carefully, identify if someone was a creep, and if they were, detect mood changes and master the art of a timely escape.
If all else failed, he still had one special tactic.
Tang Yu was fully aware that his appearance was like a weapon of mass destruction to most people—especially creeps. But this weapon had to be used strategically. For example, if he showed his face and acted timid, creeps would only push harder. But once he became assertive, they would instead back down and obey.
But that method had a side effect—it easily made people addicted.
So under normal circumstances, Tang Yu didn’t like to use that last resort—especially now, when he was dealing with a group of completely unfamiliar players. Maybe it wouldn’t work on players at all?
Compared to creeps, players were a whole different kind of terrifying.
They had mysterious powers, didn’t care about their own or others’ lives, had erratic thinking, chaotic power, and were uncontrollable. But…
There was one thing Tang Yu could be sure of: most players weren’t actually that interested in him like creeps were.
Although a few clamored to see his face, others were busy studying rats darting by, flies near trash bins, or ants crawling across the ground.
In some ways, they were like overly curious, mischievous cats.
If there was a creep-like vibe among the players…
Tang Yu quietly lifted his eyes and looked at She Qulin.
Unlike the noisy players shouting to see his face, She Qulin had been silently observing him from the side the whole time—like a snake watching from the shadows, eyes locked onto him.
He’s really curious about me, Tang Yu thought.
Though dense in many areas, Tang Yu had an innate talent for dealing with creeps.
Suppressing his fear, he forced himself to meet She Qulin’s gaze.
Under the brim of She Qulin’s hat, a faint glimmer of blue flickered—calm like the sea at night, yet carrying an inexplicable allure.
1, 2, 3…
Just as Tang Yu counted to three, She Qulin, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke: “Sorry, my companions were just joking. They meant no harm.”
The other players chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, right.”
Tang Yu lowered his eyes. Before he could exhale in relief, his phone pinged with a message.
Shen Junxing: “Little Yu, it’s too dangerous for you to be out alone this late.”
Tang Yu held his breath.
“Tang Yu,” She Qulin suddenly stepped closer, startling Tang Yu. He quickly turned off his phone and shrank back on the flatbed cart, deliberately putting distance between them.
She Qulin paused, then stepped back half a step and said with gentlemanly calm: “The car broke down, but it’s fine. Where are you headed next? We can escort you.”
Another message came through with a ping. Shen Junxing: “Do you want me to come pick you up, Little Yu?”
Tang Yu turned off his phone, lowered his head, and softly asked She Qulin, “Can I trust you?”
She Qulin was briefly stunned. The surrounding players exchanged glances and all began chattering at once: “Of course you can trust a righteous player!”
“Don’t worry! We’ve accepted the mission—we’ll see it through!”
Tang Yu heard She Qulin say, “You can trust me.”
“An University. I need to go back to campus.”
“What a coincidence, I’m a student at An University too. We’re heading the same way.” She Qulin smiled and continued playing his part. The other players, seemingly impatient, were already pulling out a system map, discussing how it would take 30 minutes to walk, and grumbling about how slow travel was in this game.
Tang Yu put an earbud in his right ear, opened his phone’s navigation, and checked the time. It did show 30 minutes—looks like the players’ map was reliable. The journey should go smoothly…
“Ugh, it’ll take another 30 minutes following the navigation. Too slow,” Yan Lang said, hammer in hand, wandering back from elsewhere. He ran over to Tang Yu’s flatbed cart and suggested to She Qulin and the others, “A straight line is the shortest path between two points. Let’s just go straight!”
The other players agreed without hesitation.
Tang Yu: “…?”
Tang Yu couldn’t hold back a confused “Ah?” Yan Lang turned back and righteously asked, “What, got a problem?”
From his downward view, Tang Yu could only see Yan Lang’s hand—bloody and mangled.
Players could revive at full health after death, all injuries healed.
But this Yan Lang… hadn’t died even once yet.
Blood dripped constantly from his fingertips. Tang Yu wanted to look away from the sight, but forced himself to stay calm and carefully pulled out a packet of tissues from his pocket, gently handing it to Yan Lang.
Yan Lang blinked. “…Are these for me?”
Tang Yu nodded slightly, huddled up on the flatbed cart, looking unusually obedient.
Yan Lang was briefly stunned by this gesture, and then muttered, “This NPC’s kinda smart.” He chuckled. “Thanks.”
Other players also came over, crowding around Tang Yu curiously. This time, though, the childish malice had faded considerably.
Tang Yu figured he had probably made the right bet. Though he was so nervous he could barely breathe, he tried hard to maintain a calm facade. He pulled out chewing gum and some candy from his pockets, handing them out to the players. Fortunately, he had a sweet tooth and carried a lot. When he ran out, he even offered up the one-yuan coin in his pocket.
The players who got treats became visibly happier, talking excitedly: “This is fun. The NPC even turned his pockets out to show he had nothing left!”
“So detailed—this candy wrapper even has the factory address!”
“Holy cr*p, it’s actually edible!”
These players—who could be scarier than ghosts during a ghost parade—were now thrilled by a bunch of worthless trinkets from Tang Yu’s pocket.
…What… what bizarre players.
Tang Yu sat on the flatbed cart, watching the players joyfully run toward a forest.
The players rushed into the forest.
The players wanted to chop trees.
The players picked mushrooms in the forest.
“…Thank you, but I don’t eat these,” Tang Yu said, waving his hands and staring nervously at the brightly colored mushrooms. “These look poisonous.”
The players ate the mushrooms.
The players died from the poison.
The players successfully revived.
The players climbed trees.
The players stole from bird nests.
The players started a fire with sticks.
“…Thank you, but I don’t eat this,” Tang Yu said again, eyes wide as flames leapt up the dry wood, quickly growing into a wildfire. “Hello? 119?! Yes, it’s on fire!”
The players ate the bird eggs.
The players were forced to flee the fire.
The players found a river ahead.
“…Are we really going to drive through it?” Tang Yu insisted on getting off, “I—I can’t swim.
The players drove the flatbed cart into the river.
The players drowned, again and again.
The players turned back to the forest.
The players chopped down trees.
The players built a log bridge.
The players successfully crossed the river.
Tang Yu lay trembling on the flatbed cart, watching the broken tire stubbornly make its way across the bridge. If it weren’t the dead of night, he suspected the players’ antics would have drawn a huge crowd of onlookers.
Tang Yu couldn’t help but start doubting his own judgment—had he really made the right choice to travel together with the players?
The players continued straight ahead.
The players walked on in the darkness, for a very, very long time.
“Are we bugged or something? We’ve been driving forever, but the map shows we’re just running in place?” Yan Lang said, puzzled.
“There’s not a single light around. It’s way too dark.”
“Eh? Why did the difficulty for escorting Tang Yu in this newbie quest suddenly jump to B-rank? Did the system bug out?!”
“We might have encountered a new instance,” one player said. “I left a bag of trash by the roadside earlier, and now I’ve run into it again.”
In the darkness, the players chattered noisily among themselves. Tang Yu curled up on the flatbed cart, every inch of his exposed skin covered in goosebumps. That constant feeling of being watched throughout the journey had now reached an unbearable peak.
Tang Yu felt like something was watching him.
A very, very strong sense of it.
Something was lurking in the shadows, inching closer step by step, just outside the edge of his vision.
Tang Yu’s chest rose and fell rapidly. The next moment—“Ding dong!”
The crisp sound of a message notification struck Tang Yu’s heart like a hammer, making his breath catch.
Shen Junxing: “It’s late, Little Yu. It’s not safe for you to be outside. Let me take you home.”
…Shen Junxing.
That persistent, seemingly gentle but actually unrelenting attitude…
He should’ve guessed.
From childhood to now, Shen Junxing had always been the undisputed golden boy, succeeding effortlessly in everything. How could someone like him possibly tolerate being refused?
What should he do?
The players didn’t seem able to oppose Shen Junxing. Was he really going to just sit here and wait for Shen Junxing to take him back again?
No. He couldn’t.
Calm down, Tang Yu. Calm down!
With trembling hands, Tang Yu picked up his phone, took a deep breath, and quickly typed:
“Shen Junxing, I want to talk to you.”
Shen Junxing: “Little Yu’s finally willing to message me back.”
Shen Junxing: “Crying puppy.gif”
Seeing Shen Junxing’s crying emoji, Tang Yu felt real tears welling up.
“Shen Junxing.” There were so many things Tang Yu wanted to say to him—accusations, confusion, pleas…
Why are you watching me, Shen Junxing?
Is it because of my face?
Tang Yu knew he was foolish and timid. His only redeeming quality was probably his looks. But that didn’t mean he had no temper.
“You lost 100 affection points with me for spying on me.”
If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have let it go like this. He would’ve called the police—only not with Shen Junxing.
When Tang Yu’s parents had just passed away, strange people often targeted the young boy.
He forgot many things as he grew up, but some bad memories never faded. Like those who stalked him—he remembered them clearly. And he also remembered how young Shen Junxing had smiled as he pushed one of those men down into the darkness.
After doing it, Shen Junxing still wore that perfect, innocent, and kind smile.
Back then, little Tang Yu was like he was now—on the verge of tears, lowering his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Then little Shen Junxing turned around, suddenly dropped the smile and started crying. His sobs were perfectly acted—just no tears.
So, he stepped forward, caught a tear falling from Tang Yu’s chin, and wiped a few drops onto his own face.
“You helped me on the bus—+10 affection points.”
He had known what kind of person Shen Junxing was from the beginning, hadn’t he?
It was just that over the years, Shen Junxing had gotten better at pretending, so good that Tang Yu almost forgot…
Shen Junxing: “So my affection score with Little Yu is now -90.”
He forgot that Shen Junxing was someone who could quantify emotions with cold numbers.
Shen Junxing: “Is that why Little Yu won’t come home with me?”
Maybe he hadn’t really forgotten. Maybe he always remembered that figure who once protected him. So he chose to be an ostrich and ignore all of Shen Junxing’s abnormalities.
“Shen Junxing, your starting affection score with me was…”
“1000.”
So, give him a little more time?
“Too much has happened today. I think we need some time apart, to cool off.”
Give him time to numb himself, to forget the worst of Shen Junxing again—and only remember the best.
Cries of surprise came from the players—“The difficulty dropped again!” “Look ahead!”
Tang Yu slowly lifted his head and saw that the darkness that had trapped them was gone, and a streetlight had appeared in the distance to guide them.
Shen Junxing: “Okay.”
