Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

When Yi Zanglan and his group returned to the cannery, they found that Ling Ye, Jiang Ling, Jiang Yao, and Liang Tianci had already set off for the Ninth District to do Mission F.

Only Qin Shaoyu and Sheng Xiao remained at the factory. The two seemed to have no intention of paying attention to each other, one at the front and the other at the back, maintaining maximum distance from each other.

"Captain, Xiaoying!"

Qin Shaoyu was overjoyed to see Yi Zanglan return. He jumped up to greet her and, with a grin, pulled the two of them toward the workshop on the right.

"Go get some rest. Whatever it is, we can talk about it after a good night's sleep. I've already made up your beds!"

Wu Ying was in a good mood and smiled as she gave him a light push: "Aren't you being too diligent? You should go to sleep too!"

"With you two not coming back, and Ye Wang, Lingling, and Jiang Yao all gone, how can I sleep?"

Yi Zanglan covered her eyes with her hand and yawned lazily: "Now you can sleep, let's go, everyone."

After all, special circumstances can arise at any time, so getting a little more sleep is a bonus. If you don't conserve your energy as soon as possible and your physical condition declines, it will also affect the completion of subsequent tasks.

The three of them put their arms around each other's shoulders and quickly left the spot.

Yin Canglang had also regained consciousness by this time. She remained calm throughout and did not exchange any glances or words with Yi Zanglan, as if nothing had happened.

Sheng Xiao stood up, looking hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, and finally asked in a low voice.

"Captain, did it go smoothly? You..."

It's obvious that he looks to be in pretty bad shape.

Yin Canglang was initially too lazy to answer, but after glancing at him, he nodded nonetheless.

"Since I'm still alive, that's considered a success."

"……Um."

She waved her hand slightly, signaling the team members to rest, and then, lost in thought, silently turned and left.

It was now evening on the third day of the operation.

……

Yi Zanglan woke up close to midnight and found Wu Ying and Qin Shaoyu sleeping soundly not far away. He didn't disturb them and quietly got up.

She wanted to go outside for some fresh air, but as soon as she stepped out, she found Yin Canglang standing at the corner, his cigarette already half-burned.

The two looked at each other, and she couldn't help but frown.

"Why do you have to come here to smoke? You're scaring people to death."

"I didn't smoke." Yin Canglang quickly stubbed out his cigarette, casually pulled a bag of biscuits from his pocket and handed it to her, "Anyway, it'll scare anyone but you."

Yi Zanglan took the biscuit and calmly turned his head to indicate, "Let's go find a place without disturbing my team members' sleep."

The two went outside the factory as usual and sat side by side on the steps. In front of them was the still-lingering gray mist, and above them was the hazy moonlight, half-hidden by clouds.

Yi Zanglan slowly chewed on the biscuit, always resting her chin on her hand and looking ahead. This time, it was Yin Canglang who took the initiative to bring up the topic again.

"I heard from Xun Zhou that you took good care of her throughout the mission. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Xiaoying told me that you were quite protective of her, and that she wasn't even seriously injured."

"After all, they're your team members. If I don't protect them, I'm afraid you'll come back and cause me trouble." Yin Canglang habitually responded like this, but after thinking for a while, he changed to a serious tone and added in a deep voice, "Wu Ying is not bad. She has some of your style. Yan Zhao before was the same. You are very good at choosing team members."

Yi Zanglan turned her head, raising her eyebrows slightly, as if she were somewhat surprised.

"How could you say something like that?"

"...What kind of image do I have in your heart? Has it gotten that bad?"

She smiled but didn't say anything more. She simply lowered her head and wiped her tactical knife with her sleeve.

Yin Canglang waited for a long time, until he almost lost his patience, so he put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Yi Zanglan, you and I have absolutely nothing to talk about, don't you?"

Yi Zanglan instinctively paused for a moment: "...It feels a bit strange to hear you call me by my full name."

"You like hearing that, don't you?" Yin Canglang gritted his teeth, his voice unconsciously carrying a hint of viciousness. "If you like hearing it, I'll call you that from now on, so you won't always hate me."

"What do I hate about you? You're the one who hates me, aren't you?"

"Then what should I hate about you?"

Yi Zanglan sighed, "Forget it, let's not play games here, it's pointless."

To everyone's surprise, Yin Canglang persisted, demanding, "Stop dodging the question! Answer me, what should I hate about you?"

"..."

"Do you hate that you turned twelve during the team competition, wanting to go back to me? Or do you hate that I blinded one of your eyes at the Holy Temple Hospital, and you haven't mentioned it once since?"

"..."

"Yi Zanglan, what are you pretending to be mute for!"

"...Don't shout, don't shout." Yi Zanglan raised his hand to rub his ear, then lowered his eyes helplessly. "Who told you? Xiaoying, right? You're so quick-witted even without drinking."

Yin Canglang felt as if he had punched cotton, finding no point of leverage. He was so angry that his chest heaved violently and his breathing became disordered.

"You say nothing, avoid me at every turn, and pretend you're deaf and dumb—if that's the case, why did you agree to this cooperative match?"

"..."

"You wanted to give yourself a chance? What the hell is this 'chance'?! Or are you just messing with me?!"

Before he finished speaking, Yi Zanglan suddenly threw the military knife in his hand forward. He heard a faint whistling sound as the force was so great that the blade was completely embedded in the brick wall.

She suddenly grabbed Yin Canglang's collar and pulled him towards her.

She was right in front of him, her eyes narrowed, and her tone grew colder.

"Are you telling me the truth? How did you become the heir? What happened afterward? Why did you get into the Doom Game? If you hadn't been spouting nonsense in the underground tunnel, I would never have known!"

Yin Canglang fell silent instantly. She didn't struggle, but just stared into Yi Canglan's eyes, seemingly somewhat confused.

She said, "Do these things matter? Even if I told you, you wouldn't be interested, it's meaningless."

Yi Zanglan retorted coldly, "You killed Yin Shuo?"

"……right."

"When?"

"When I was twenty-one."

When the bonus tournament started, Lingye had been in the Doom Game for two and a half years, and now it's been almost three years.

Taking Ling Ye as a reference, when he first made a name for himself in the game, Yin Canglang's team was already mature and famous, and even had the intention to recruit him.

This means that Yin Canglang has been here for at least four years.

She killed her father to inherit the position at the age of twenty-one, and only held the position of leader of Raven for a maximum of two years.

It's only been two years.

Yi Zanglan released his grip, as if he had finally come to a complete understanding of something.

But in fact, she had already anticipated it, but she simply restrained herself from thinking about it in detail.

"Why? If you don't want to die, no one can kill you."

Yin Canglang didn't explain, but just laughed self-deprecatingly and readily admitted it.

"There's no reason why. It's just like shooting myself in the head. I've wanted to be free for a long time."

"..."

"Do you think I care about inheriting Raven? No, I just want Yin Shuo dead. This is all the evil he sowed. Because we share the same filthy blood, I'm getting my just desserts too."

In her youth, she always believed that inheriting Raven would allow her to control her destiny and protect the people and things she cherished most.

But later she finally understood that it was precisely because of this identity that Yi Zanglan left her without hesitation.

Fate, as it is called, is priceless; it cannot be held onto or redeemed.

Yin Canglang didn't continue speaking. She didn't even want to wait for Yi Zanglan's answer. As if she had used up all her strength in an instant, she lowered her head, got up, and was about to leave.

...The next second, her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly.

Yi Zanglan sat there, looking up at her: "So, are you free now?"

"Perhaps. You could ask yourself that same question: did you enter the Doom Game voluntarily?"

"Although I had no choice at that time, I never actively sought death."

Yin Canglang frowned: "If I die, I die. It's just a worthless life. Why are you worrying about it?"

Yi Zanglan slowly shook his head: "I want you to live."

"...Is that why you were angry just now?"

"I'm not angry."

"If you're angry, just admit it." Disappointment washed over him like a tidal wave, but Yin Canglang forced himself to remain calm. "...You're so attentive to your teammates, why are you so stingy with me?"

"Because you are Yi Zanglan now, right? I should have been buried in the past long ago. Those days were not worth it, and I shouldn't have kept bringing them up to make things difficult for you—I understand, you have already done more than enough."

She suddenly let out a long, difficult sigh, as if she had made up her mind. She decisively withdrew her hand, turned around and left, walking quickly into the factory.