Chapter 80
City C, a modern metropolis in the horror world, with its towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, looked almost identical to the real world.
Xing Nuo, stepping out of the dilapidated bus station, stared at the skyscrapers in awe.
The streets were filled with people in fashionable clothes, carrying bags, hurrying along.
Some were even complaining on their phones:
“Why am I working overtime?! I’m quitting after this month!”
“This task shouldn’t be mine! It’s my day off!”
Xing Nuo, hearing these familiar complaints, felt like he was back in his own city.
He paused and asked Lu Qi:
“Xiao Qi, we home?”
Could he find a police officer and ask for help finding his friends, then go back to kindergarten?
Lu Qi, also in City C for the first time, his blue eyes scanning the skyscrapers, watching the busy monsters inside, shook his head.
“No. Xing Nuo still in dungeon.”
Xing Nuo now had a rudimentary understanding of dungeons.
He saw them as similar to the fantasy world Xiaoya had entered.
He sighed, his mouth turning down in disappointment.
“Okay. We go to amusement park then.”
While waiting for the traffic light to change, they found a map of City C at the bus stop.
Lu Qi glanced at the 2D map, which instantly transformed into a 3D model in his mind.
He pointed at a location on the map.
“Amusement park here. City C very big. Walk there…take almost six hours.”
Xing Nuo, having walked for the past two days, felt like his stamina had improved.
Despite their arduous journey, he had only coughed a bit and hadn’t gotten sick.
He nodded, then patted his empty pockets, his little hands open.
“We no money for bus.”
The bus was crowded. They would definitely be caught if they tried to sneak on.
Lu Qi, also broke, stared at the map, then noticed someone watching them.
A fashionable young woman, wearing headphones and a baseball cap, short shorts and boots, her gaze seemingly fixed on her phone, was discreetly observing Xing Nuo.
Lu Qi, always more attentive to Xing Nuo than himself, noticed her gaze and quickly stepped in front of Xing Nuo.
“Xing Nuo, let’s go.”
He pulled Xing Nuo’s hand and quickly crossed the street.
Xing Nuo, his little legs struggling to keep up, his curls bouncing, said:
“We wun so fast. Slow down.”
As they hurried away, the woman looked up, her gaze following them.
Just then, a post on her phone was pinned to the top of the forum:
[I saw the child from the announcement! He’s at the bus stop in front of the Ginza Building in City C!]
Replies flooded in, countless monsters alerted.
[I’m on my way!]
[Ahhh, I hope I can catch him!]
[Little cutie, Auntie is coming for you! Hahaha!]
Lu Qi, having just turned a corner, felt multiple gazes on them.
Even Xing Nuo, with his human senses, felt a chill.
He stopped, panting, wiping his forehead, and said:
“Xiao Qi, I feel…people watching me.”
Lu Qi, standing protectively in front of Xing Nuo, nodded.
“We’re being hunted.”
His power was too weak to hack into City C’s network, so he could only rely on his intuition.
Xing Nuo, not understanding the word, asked:
“What’s ‘hunted’?”
Lu Qi explained patiently:
“Many monsters want to catch us.”
Xing Nuo’s heart pounded, his face filled with confusion and fear.
“Why? Because we…snuck onto bus?”
Were the consequences of fare evasion this severe?
Lu Qi shook his head, unsure, and could only guess:
“Maybe…because you human?”
To monsters, humans were delicious sources of energy.
Lu Qi wouldn’t devour humans for energy. Xing Nuo was human, and he had a natural affinity for the species.
Xing Nuo, still confused, sniffled, his mouth turned down.
“Next time…Zaizai put lots of money in pocket…pay bus driver.”
If he had known the consequences were so severe, they would have walked.
Sighing, the two hunted children, not having time to dwell on their predicament, ran into a nearby alley.
Moments later, a man in a suit appeared where they had been standing.
“Huh? Where did they go? They were just here.”
The man, who had arrived a moment too late, his face filled with frustration, said:
“Damn work, costing me a fortune!”
Meanwhile, Xing Nuo and Lu Qi continued running, not daring to stop.
Lu Qi’s ability proved invaluable. His eyes, flickering with blue light, allowed him to avoid the monsters pursuing them.
Even when surrounded, he could always find a hidden path, escaping the monsters’ grasp.
When cornered, he would even trigger a D-level dungeon, pulling Xing Nuo with him, vanishing instantly.
Xing Nuo, exhausted, lay on a plush sheep in the D-level dungeon, enjoying the gentle rocking motion, and sighed.
“So tired…”
He had been running non-stop, avoiding monsters, and his little body ached, his curls drooping, his arms limp.
The plush sheep floated in mid-air, dodging a flying fruit, and asked:
[How many watermelons just flew past?]
Lu Qi, lying beside Xing Nuo, answered:
“Five.”
D-level dungeons weren’t just for earning points; they were also safe havens.
And the plush sheep, constantly moving, would take them to another exit.
This exit would randomly appear in a different part of City C, allowing them to avoid monsters waiting for them.
After answering a few more questions, Lu Qi and Xing Nuo jumped off the sheep, landing on the hard concrete of City C.
Xing Nuo patted his chest, relieved, and looked around.
“Where is this?”
Lu Qi glanced around, then pulled Xing Nuo’s hand, running towards the exit.
“Subway station! Run!”
A subway train had just arrived, and several monsters were coming up the escalator. Seeing the two children, their eyes lit up.
“I see the curly-haired one!”
“Ahhh, what luck! Hurry up, elevator!”
Some of the monsters, stuck at the back, their impatience growing, ripped their suits open, their human legs transforming into thick, green monster legs, and jumped over the crowd.
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi ran out of the subway station, a horde of monsters chasing them.
More and more monsters joined the pursuit, forming a river of monstrous figures.
But as they reached the next street, the two children were gone.
“Where are they?!”
“Did they disappear? Is there a dungeon here?”
“Damn it! Who put all these stupid dungeons here?! The Mayor should regulate this! Not every street and alley should have a dungeon!”
Xing Nuo, having escaped again, leaned against the sewer wall, clutching Lu Qi’s hand, his chest heaving, panting.
Lu Qi held a cloth bag containing their leftover bread and water.
He gave Xing Nuo some water and, looking up at the passing monsters, patted Xing Nuo’s chest reassuringly.
“It’s okay. We can reach the amusement park faster through the sewers.”
The sewer system was extensive, and since the weather in City C had been dry lately, there wasn’t much water, only some bones and debris.
They walked hand in hand through the sewers, towards the amusement park.
Traveling through the sewers was much faster than walking on the streets.
At noon, after their arduous journey, they finally reached a manhole cover near the amusement park.
Lu Qi, pushing against the cover with his head, popped it open and peeked out.
He looked around, then waved at Xing Nuo.
“Come up, Xing Nuo.”
It was midday, and neither players nor monsters seemed interested in visiting the amusement park.
Although cheerful music and laughter could be heard from inside, the entrance was almost deserted.
A group of players in black stood outside, cautiously observing the amusement park.
Their leader, a female player, seeing their nervousness, said reassuringly:
“This is a newly opened A-rank dungeon. It shouldn’t be as difficult as the older ones. And the rewards are good. There must be some high-level props inside.”
The other players, gritting their teeth, were ready to take the risk.
“Let’s do this! We’re going in!”
Just as they were about to enter, the plump monster ticket seller, its teeth bared, blocked their way.
“Hey, where are your tickets?!”
The players’ faces fell, and they turned and joined the queue to buy tickets.
“Who came up with this stupid idea?! Having to buy tickets to enter a dungeon?!”
“Even with the fifty percent discount, it’s still seven hundred! This is highway robbery!”
“This monster is so greedy!”
Their complaints filled the air.
Xing Nuo, hearing that they needed tickets to enter, exchanged glances with Lu Qi and took a step back.
“We no money.”
Poverty was a constant companion on their journey.
Lu Qi patted his chest confidently and said he had a plan. He led Xing Nuo to a small hole in the amusement park’s perimeter wall.
“We can climb in!”
The amusement park was large, and there were bound to be some gaps and holes in the walls.
Xing Nuo, looking at the small, narrow hole, remembering being chased by monsters for fare evasion, sighed.
Consequences of no ticket so bad!
When Zaizai has money, Zaizai will buy all the tickets!
Then no monsters will chase Zaizai.
