No sooner had the words left Kang Xun’s mouth than a glaring prompt popped up right in front of him.
【Player “Ling Yu” has left the faction. Remaining players, please proceed with caution.】
Ling Yu… had left?
In the game, players started out in the same faction by default and had to team up to clear the level.
But once someone “left,” it meant they were ditching the team to go solo.
Solo clears were high-risk with low rewards—nobody sane chose that path unless…
Unless they planned to stop the other players from clearing and hog all the points for themselves.
Kang Xun’s communicator buzzed in his ear with Ling Yu’s voice.
“The Top Floor Key is with Luo Li right now. I’m going to track him down and take it back.”
“Kang Xun, you’re probably with him at the moment. It’d be best if you convinced him to hand over the key.”
“If you get in my way, I’ll wipe you out right along with him.”
Damn, had this guy lost his mind?!
Luo Li turned around. “What’s wrong?”
The boy hadn’t realized the crisis bearing down on them yet. After a moment’s hesitation, Kang Xun said, “Ling Yu’s coming after you—for the key.”
Luo Li panicked at once. He still hadn’t located the entrance to the top floor. At this rate, Ling Yu catching up was only a matter of time.
Kang Xun frowned and tried contacting Andrei, but there was no response from the other end.
If Ling Yu really intended to take them all out, then he was in the same boat as Luo Li. Their top priority had to be stopping Ling Yu from succeeding.
Kang Xun looked up. “Here’s an idea: I’ll help you find the top floor. We team up and take him out together. Sound good?”
Luo Li considered it for a moment.
With his own abilities, facing the current situation alone would be nearly impossible. He needed Kang Xun’s help.
Finally, he nodded.
“Alright then,” Kang Xun said. “First things first, you need to hide. Don’t let Ling Yu find you.”
They were already in the Psychiatry Ward. Kang Xun poked his head out the door and saw a few patients engaged in some restorative activities.
There were plenty of mental patient NPCs clustered here, and thanks to the nature of the psych ward, outsiders weren’t allowed in. It might be the perfect spot for Luo Li to hide.
Kang Xun took advantage of a moment when no one was looking to snag a patient gown that someone had left behind. He shoved Luo Li into the bathroom.
“Change into this, then blend in with the other patients. Once I’ve dealt with Ling Yu, I’ll come back for you.”
The blue-and-white patient gown hung loose and baggy on Luo Li’s frame. He changed in one of the stalls, rolling up the pant legs several times before he could walk properly.
Kang Xun spotted a cabinet under the sink cluttered with odds and ends. He stuffed Luo Li’s nurse uniform inside it.
Finally, he handed Luo Li a mask and let his hair fall down to cover most of his small face.
In the new outfit, the boy looked pallid and fragile. His slim waist was swallowed up by the gown, and even with the waistband cinched as tight as it would go, the pants still threatened to slip. Clutching his doll with his lashes lowered, he resembled some delicate young master hospitalized and too aloof to bother with anyone else.
【This look suits Lili so well.】
【It’s supposed to be a horror game, but all I want to do is play house with cute Lili—what now?】
【Baby looks like he’d take three steps and be out of breath for two. Feels like he couldn’t go far without someone carrying him.】
【Goddamn, I wanna stuff patient Lili in a sack and run off with him.】
“Alright, just wait here for me.”
With that, Kang Xun pushed open the door and left.
Even in disguise, Luo Li didn’t dare get too close to the patient NPCs. He settled into a corner of the ward, pretending to fiddle with a set of building blocks in his hands. Every so often, snippets of conversation drifted over from doctors and patients.
“…How many times have I told you? No stripping off your patient gown in public. Why can’t you get it through your head?”
“Honestly, I thought you were improving, so I let you leave the psych department. And now you’re back—worse than before…”
“You! Stay right there. I’m going to fetch your gown.”
All the patients in the room turned curious eyes toward the source of the commotion.
Through the half-open door, they caught only a blurry glimpse of the man’s back. He was an enormous, hulking figure dressed in nothing but a tank top and shorts, his muscular arms fully exposed. The outfit made him look utterly bizarre.
The doctor told him to wait in the next room over, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Has anyone seen the patient gown that was left on the bench outside?”
The doctor NPC sounded thoroughly irritated. “Whoever took it, bring it back now. Always causing trouble…”
Luo Li froze for a beat, his heart sinking.
Hadn’t Kang Xun just swiped this gown from that bench?
He clutched the hem of his outfit, his pulse racing as the doctor drew closer and closer.
“You can’t go mixing patient gowns like that. With all the viruses going around, you’re playing with fire.”
He went from patient to patient, asking each one. They all claimed not to have seen it. Sweat beaded in Luo Li’s palms; he could barely grip the blocks anymore and kept stealing glances at potential escape routes.
But before he could pick one, the doctor zeroed in on him.
“You there—come here.”
Luo Li looked up timidly. Every NPC in the room was staring right at him.
There was no choice but to steel himself. He slid off his seat and shuffled over to stand in front of the doctor.
The baggy gown draped loosely over his slender frame; his thin shoulders couldn’t even fill out the seams. The waistband felt even slacker now, barely clinging to his hip bones, on the verge of sliding right off.
Sure enough, the doctor eyed him suspiciously and tugged at one sleeve.
“Is this yours?”
“Y-yes, it’s mine,” Luo Li stammered weakly.
He was a terrible liar. The damp, quivering lilt in his voice gave him away to anyone listening.
“What do you mean it’s yours? Liar.”
Without ceremony, the doctor grabbed his collar and checked the tag. “This is that guy’s gown! And you claim it’s yours?”
He let go with a scowl. “Take it off. Give it back—now.”
Luo Li’s face drained of color. “Hurry up,” the doctor prodded. “What’re you dragging your feet for? We’re all guys here—what’s there to be shy about?”
It was mortifying.
Luo Li’s ears burned red with humiliation. He was a boss, for crying out loud—being bullied by some NPC like this?
The stares from around the room pressed in on him like a physical weight. He forced his head down, pretending not to notice.
Perched on the edge of the bed, he slowly tugged the pants down, inch by inch.
From beneath the wide pant legs emerged a pair of pale, slender thighs without a trace of muscle. A soft pink dimple hollowed out behind each knee; the slight curves of his calves visibly quivered. When he sat there on the bed, his skin gleamed even whiter than the sheets.
As one leg slipped free of the pant leg, his fingers twisted in the fabric to lift it—but his straightened leg flopped down.
In that instant, everyone caught sight of the sole of his foot.
The plump pad of his sole flushed a blooming pink.
His bare thighs clamped together desperately, while his calves splayed a bit apart, toes brushing nervously against each other.
But the hands resting on the buttons of his top simply wouldn’t move.
He glanced up to meet a room full of naked stares.
Shame burned so hot that tears pricked at Luo Li’s eyes.
Why was everyone looking at him? Couldn’t they just look away…? What was there even to see?
Only then did it hit him: once he stripped this off, what would he have left to wear?
He didn’t have his own patient gown!
His mind went blank. Luo Li froze in panic, fingers absently twisting the hem of his shirt.
Just then, one of the patients approached his bed.
The man picked up the pants Luo Li had just discarded and held them thoughtfully to his nose for a sniff.
Then, incredibly, he turned and passed them to another patient.
A rustle of murmurs spread through the room.
“Smells nice.”
“Really good…”
Luo Li’s neck and ears flushed crimson, but he didn’t dare budge. His legs were bare—if he stood even a little, he’d flash everything.
The patients kept staring at him. More precisely, they were waiting for him to stand.
For some reason, Luo Li had the distinct feeling that the moment he shifted, they’d all lean in… to peer right between his legs.
These people really were insane!
His nose stung and his lashes grew damp as a sob built in his throat.
Don’t look… just go away…
Knock knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door. The doctor opened it. “Director Fu… what brings you here?”
Through tear-blurred eyes, Luo Li peered over and spotted the familiar figure of the man.
Fu Shiyue said, “I’m here to pick someone up.”
He stepped into the ward and glanced at the patient pants being fought over by the cluster of onlookers. Then his gaze settled on the boy perched at the bed’s edge.
He walked over slowly and positioned himself to block Luo Li from view.
“Can you walk? Or should I carry you?”
Luo Li hesitated for a second before stretching out his arms toward him. “Carry me.”
Fu Shiyue scooped him up without hesitation. The boy wore only the gown’s top now; the hem barely skimmed the tops of his thighs and covered his rear. Perched on Fu Shiyue’s shoulder with his cheeks ablaze, he slipped out of the crowd’s line of sight.
Leaning close to the man’s ear, he whispered, “My clothes are in the cabinet in the bathroom.”
“Mm. I’ll grab them in a bit.”
Fu Shiyue’s tone sounded off today. Luo Li felt a flicker of confusion. The man was usually so casually intimate with him, with no boundaries at all. Now he seemed… oddly distant.
“Did you hear? Ling Yu left the team.”
“I know.”
Fu Shiyue deposited him in a private patient room. “What’s that about? You scared of him?”
“No!” Luo Li denied it at once. “I was just reminding you out of the goodness of my heart.”
Luo Li fidgeted uncomfortably with his fingers, mumbling in a sticky voice, “Anyway, just don’t let him find me.”
Fu Shiyue chuckled. “Why should I help you, little boss?”
Luo Li blinked his bright almond-shaped eyes. “Y-You’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?”
Fu Shiyue paused, his gaze drifting downward to the spot between Luo Li’s legs, hidden beneath his clothes. The patient gown wasn’t thick, and faintly visible was a patch of white in the soft curve of a triangle.
Luo Li realized what he was looking at and hurriedly covered it with his small hands.
“What are you doing!”
The young man shrank back in humiliated fury, curling his entire petite frame into a ball as he yanked the hem of his gown downward with all his might.
“Not even your boyfriend can look?”
Luo Li fell speechless, his knees clamping even tighter together. “Anyway, you… you’ve already seen it once. You’re not allowed to look again.”
“Seen it once…”
Fu Shiyue let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. Suddenly, he raised his hand and slowly pulled the mask down from his face.
In the backlight, the man’s coldly abstinent features grew clearer and clearer in Luo Li’s vision.
Ling Yu leisurely pinched his small chin.
