Chapter 123
In Xing Nuo’s mind, Shen Yan was a smart and reliable adult.
Although his brother always had a stern expression, slamming documents on the table at the company and scolding his employees without a change in his facial expression,
and Xing Nuo had heard him being called a heartless capitalist more than once,
Shen Yan was undeniably capable.
Xing Nuo believed that his brother wouldn’t just sit there like a statue, holding a camera, when a fire broke out.
And An Zimuo’s mom had been sitting next to Shen Yan.
But in the vision, a strange man had been sitting there.
Even the PE teacher, who was supposed to be maintaining order, had been missing.
This fire must be fake!
He thought someone was trying to trick him into believing his brother had died.
But why?
Xing Nuo stepped back from the doorway, looking at the small woods beyond the wasteland, wiping away his tears.
The scarred man sighed and handed him a tissue.
“Don’t be sad, kid. Do you have any other family? We can take you home after we deal with the monster, if there’s time.”
Although he was just an NPC in this dungeon, seeing such a small child cry, his eyes red and watery, was heartbreaking.
Xing Nuo wiped his face and shook his head.
“No need. My Big Brother will find me. My home not here.”
He trusted his brother.
He had disappeared from the school auditorium. Big Brother would notice and find him.
The scarred man, seeing that Xing Nuo still refused to believe his brother was dead, patted his back sympathetically.
“It’s okay, kid. It’s good to have hope.”
At least he didn’t have to face the harsh reality yet.
Xing Nuo wiped his tears and looked up.
“Big Brother, you going to find…that monster?”
The players did indeed have that plan.
The vision must have been a clue, and they could clear the dungeon by defeating the shadowy monster that had run into the woods.
“We’ll go after Xiao Yuan’s wounds are bandaged.”
The scarred man looked at Xing Nuo, his eyes dark and watery, and hesitated.
“Do you…want to come with us?”
Xing Nuo nodded, holding up his little wooden sword.
“I want find shadow monster…ask if vision…fake.”
The players exchanged puzzled glances, looking down at the child.
“Why do you say that? We all saw it. That shadow monster bit the wires and started the fire.”
Xing Nuo shook his head, his conviction unwavering.
“Big Brother wouldn’t just sit there…must be fake!”
He had to find the shadow monster and confirm his suspicions.
The players were silent for a moment, then said:
“Alright, we can ask it.”
The scarred man wanted a cigarette, but, remembering the child, put it away.
“Let’s go. Whether the vision was fake or not, that shadow monster definitely knows something. Even if it wasn’t the arsonist, it must be involved.”
He led the players towards the woods.
Xing Nuo followed closely behind, his little wooden sword clutched tightly in his hand, his expression determined.
The woods, which looked small from afar, were filled with a thick, white fog.
Xing Nuo took a few steps inside, then was pulled back by the scarred man.
“The fog is too thick. We’ll get separated. Let’s tie ourselves together.”
Xing Nuo, being the youngest and the most important person to protect, was placed in the middle, with players in front and behind him.
The rope tied securely around his wrist, he eagerly entered the woods again.
The fog swirled around them, instantly obscuring everything. Xing Nuo looked up, but couldn’t even see the scarred man in front of him.
“This fog is strange. Be careful.”
The scarred man gripped the rope tightly, warning the others.
Xing Nuo, holding the rope in one hand and his wooden sword in the other, searched for the shadow monster.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from behind him. It was the female player who had given him the candy.
“The monster is in the fog! It’s attacking us!” she yelled, clutching her injured arm.
The other players, taking out props to dispel the fog, managed to improve visibility to about a meter.
They huddled together, cautiously moving forward.
After several attacks, their abilities depleted, their props dwindling, the players were starting to panic.
“We have to get out of here! We’ll die if we stay here much longer!”
“This monster is too difficult to fight! It keeps hiding! We can’t even hit it!”
Perhaps afraid of the little wooden sword that had injured it earlier, the shadow monster hadn’t attacked Xing Nuo.
But just as they were about to emerge from the woods, Xing Nuo saw a flicker of movement.
Before he could react, a small figure lunged forward, tackling the shadow to the ground.
“Don’t worry, Xing Nuo! I caught it!”
Xing Nuo, unable to see clearly through the fog, only heard a cold, mechanical voice.
The players, seeing Xing Nuo frozen, the scarred man quickly grabbed him and pulled him out of the woods.
The moment they stepped out, the fog dissipated, and their vision cleared.
“Who was that in the woods? Who caught the monster?”
“He wasn’t one of us. Kid, was that your companion?” a player asked Xing Nuo.
Xing Nuo, also puzzled, looked back and saw a small boy, about eight years old, emerge from the woods.
The boy’s arms and legs looked strange, not human, but mechanical.
His eyes glowed blue, and although he was smiling, his expression seemed stiff and unnatural.
“Xing Nuo!”
Lu Qi ran over and stood beside him, tilting his head, his gaze fixed on him.
Xing Nuo looked at him, puzzled.
“Who you?”
Lu Qi’s stiff face was now filled with shock and sadness.
“Xing Nuo, you forgot me?!”
How could that be?
He quickly added, “Did I shut down for too long? Didn’t visit you…so you forgot?”
Xing Nuo, sure he had a good memory, shook his head and patted the little boy’s shoulder.
“No. What youw name?”
Lu Qi, stunned, stared at Xing Nuo, as if searching for something in his eyes.
After a long moment, he said dejectedly:
“I’m Lu Qi. You can’t forget me again.”
Being forgotten repeatedly, the disappointment, even for someone as emotionally detached as Lu Qi, was a painful experience.
Xing Nuo nodded.
“I won’t forget this time.”
Lu Qi, his face still serious, looked at Xing Nuo and said:
“I wish I could be inside your soul.”
Xing Nuo, not understanding, was about to ask what he meant when a player interrupted them.
“Kid, did you catch the monster?”
“Where is it?”
Lu Qi, looking at the strangers, said:
“Monster escaped.”
Before he could devour it, it had shed its outer shell, like a cicada, and disappeared.
The players frowned, cursing.
“That monster is too slippery! We have to find a way to lure it out!”
Lu Qi, ignoring them, took Xing Nuo’s hand, his eyes flickering with blue light.
“Xing Nuo…dwessed as bumblebee?”
Although Xing Nuo’s memories hadn’t returned completely, he wasn’t entirely sure what to believe anymore.
The familiarity he felt with Lu Qi was undeniable, and he nodded.
“I performed at New Year’s party…with my fwiends…bumblebee costumes.”
Lu Qi, imitating Xing Nuo’s earlier enthusiasm, his face expressionless, but his blue eyes sparkling with admiration, gasped softly.
“I want go to youw world…see Xing Nuo’s performance.”
To be part of Xing Nuo’s life, that was his greatest wish.
Xing Nuo, his usual kindness and generosity taking over, invited him without hesitation.
“Can. After we find monster…defeat it…we can go back. Then Xiao Qi can come to my school.”
“My elementary school vewy big…many children…we can play together.”
Lu Qi, imagining the scene, his heart filled with a strange warmth, said:
“Sounds nice. But I can’t leave.”
His power was too weak, and he had unfinished business here. He couldn’t go with Xing Nuo.
Xing Nuo, his eyes filled with concern, asked why.
“Staying here dangerous.”
Although he didn’t know much about this world, he could sense the danger lurking everywhere.
Lu Qi was just a child. What if he was hurt by a monster?
He looked at Lu Qi’s mechanical arms and legs.
“Lu Qi, youw arms and legs…hurt by monsters? Why like this?”
Lu Qi shook his head, then nodded.
“I was hurt by monsters. But I like this!”
