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

The next morning, when the other players came downstairs, they found Yi Zanglan already sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"Still alive?"

Li Shuo couldn't help but speak his mind. He glanced at Yi Zanglan with ill intent, secretly plotting.

It's good that she's alive; if she's alive, he can go back to his old ways and torture her to death just as he's about to finish the game.

Eighty percent of the viewers who stay in the regular-level live streams are low-level players who have been suppressing their emotions for a long time. Most of them like mindless stimulation, especially the cruel treatment of the weak, which gives them a perverse pleasure.

Killing a beautiful female psychopath sounds like a sensational story.

Those people would be willing to boost his stats. Here, stats and popularity are linked to experience and gold coins. After all, that's how he was boosted to the top of the new star list.

No one knew what he was thinking. Sun Qianqian had already sat down at the table. When she turned around, she saw Yang Chi standing there with a gloomy face. She was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized the problem.

"Where's Zhao Chen? Where's your roommate?"

"...I don't know." Yang Chi frowned and shook his head. "I woke up in the middle of the night and he wasn't in the room. He hasn't come back this morning either—and the window was ajar."

"Then he must have gone out in the middle of the night!" Sun Qianqian felt a chill run down her spine. "He hasn't come back yet, so it can only be..."

died.

Although the rules of each game are different, and some require nighttime operations to find clues, traveling at night inevitably means greater risks, and encountering ghosts and being killed is a common occurrence.

It seems Zhao Chen was too arrogant, thinking he could find clues by going out, but instead he stepped into a minefield.

Wang Mingyue already knew the situation, but she chose to keep it from Yi Zanglan and added fuel to the fire with a comment.

"So we can't go out at night? Will we die if we go out?"

"Not necessarily." Li Shuo was an old player after all, and he had a thorough understanding of the rules. He looked disdainful. "The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Fools will certainly die, but with experience and real skills, these are not problems."

Sun Qianqian quickly flattered him, "Brother Li is right. Someone like you, a gold tycoon, must have ways to avoid risks. We'll have to rely on you to lead us on the next mission."

She was sweet-talking and polite, which pleased Li Shuo. He waved his hand as if he had bestowed a great favor upon her.

"Then come with me to town later, and I'll teach you some tips for passing the level."

"Thank you, Brother Li!"

Yang Chi sneered inwardly. He was clearly dissatisfied with Li Shuo, but he couldn't show it in front of Li Shuo, so he could only lower his head and eat bread to hide his expression.

Wang Mingyue remained silent throughout. She patiently waited until nine o'clock, and saw that the other players had all left one after another. Only Yi Zanglan was still eating an apple, completely unhurried.

"...You were the first one to run out the door yesterday."

Yesterday is yesterday, today is today.

Yi Zanglan threw away the apple core, wiped her hands, got up, and began searching around the room.

Wang Mingyue followed behind her, puzzled. "What are you looking for?"

"Find a gift."

"what?"

In fact, Yi Zanglan passed by the door of Doris's house in the town yesterday. She remembered the house number, which had roses carved on it, looking very romantic.

Doris is most likely a passionate and romantic lady. To give her a gift that would please her, there wasn't enough time to make one on the spot, so he looked around the building to see if there was anything ready-made.

...She eventually found a music box in a small storage room on the first floor.

The music box is an antique-style design with roses carved on the shell. When opened, it reveals a girl in a white dress dancing.

"Let's go."

Yi Zanglan put the gift into her bosom and calmly gestured to Wang Mingyue.

* * * * * *

Walking on the misty streets, Wang Mingyue hesitated for a long time before asking Yi Zanglan.

"Lanlan, did you notice that wooden puppet in our living room just now...?"

"Hmm," Yi Zanglan responded, "It's gotten even older."

When the puppet was delivered the night before last, it was brightly colored and carved as if it were brand new. But in less than two days, it has started to fade badly, and the carving marks on its face are also becoming lighter, as if it were an old object that had been placed there for more than ten years.

At this rate, in two days at most, the puppet will be completely unrecognizable.

The more Wang Mingyue thought about it, the more she felt it wasn't a good omen: "What does this mean?"

"Maybe it's a timer."

"...What do you mean?"

Yi Zanglan replied slowly and deliberately, "Since it's a game, there can't be no time limit."

Wang Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and felt a chill run down her spine.

Yes, that makes sense. Although it's not explicitly stated in the game rules, the puppet serves as a kind of hint to the player.

When the puppets become completely blurry, something terrible is probably about to happen, and they must escape the town before that happens.

……

As they spoke, the two arrived at Doris's doorstep.

Yi Zanglan checked the address and rang the doorbell.

The door was quickly opened, and standing in front of her was a middle-aged woman in a red dress. Her makeup was a bit heavy, but it was still clear that she had been a beauty in her youth.

Who are you looking for?

Wang Mingyue politely inquired, "Hello, Ms. Alice. We are tourists who have just arrived in this town. We have heard that some strange things have been happening in the town recently, and we would like to ask you about the situation."

"...I don't know what's wrong, and this town isn't suitable for tourism. You'd better leave quickly."

Like the other townspeople, Doris was resistant to the idea and wanted to get rid of them.

Yi Zanglan blocked the door that was about to close. She smiled and took out a music box from her bosom, handing it to Doris.

"To be honest, it was Mr. Jude who introduced us. He said you are a warm, kind, and beautiful woman, and seeing you today confirms that."

Doris glanced at the rose on the music box, her eyes brightening slightly, her expression beginning to waver.

"this……"

"Please rest assured, we won't bother you too much. We'll just chat for a bit. This small gift is nothing but a token of our appreciation. We just thought the flowers suited you very well and hoped to make friends with you."

Yi Zanglan naturally possessed a pure and gentle face, and with such a face, whatever she said seemed extremely sincere.

With gifts and compliments, Doris was successfully coaxed into a happy mood, and she finally relented, turning to the side to fully open the door.

"Then, please come in, both of you."

"Thank you, dear Ms. Doris."

Wang Mingyue glanced at Yi Zanglan with slight surprise. She followed him into the house, her heart pounding. It was a feeling of excitement mixed with relief.

She was convinced that this was a very intelligent woman.

Regardless of whether the other person is truly mentally ill or not, they are the most suitable teammate for this game.

With their help, the chances of passing the level will be greatly increased, making them many times better than that arrogant bald guy.

...At least until the game ends, she must maintain a stable cooperative relationship with Yi Zanglan.