Chapter 84
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi, hand in hand, followed the female player and ran into a small building behind the amusement park.
Xing Nuo was out of breath after running, his small chest heaving.
He collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the wall, unable to move, Lu Qi still holding his hand.
“So tired…”
Since arriving in this world, he had been constantly running and hiding.
Lu Qi took out a small tissue with a teddy bear print and wiped the sweat from Xing Nuo’s flushed face.
“Xing Nuo tired. Want rest?”
He had a small prop tent that could withstand storms. This space was large enough to set it up for Xing Nuo to rest.
Xin-jie, seeing Lu Qi reaching for his tent, quickly stopped him.
“This is the monsters’ dormitory. Although they’re all out working during the day, some might still be here. Let’s not risk it. Don’t sleep yet.”
Xing Nuo, who had been feeling sleepy, rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake.
“I not sleepy.”
But his eyes, despite his efforts, were still drooping with exhaustion.
Lu Qi, ignoring her warning, set up the small tent in a corner on the lower level of the stairwell.
“Xing Nuo, come. Sleep a little…then eat bwad.”
Xing Nuo, leaning against the wall, his head tilted, his eyes closed, was about to fall asleep.
Xin-jie, still checking the stairwell, closed the only entrance door.
She looked back at Xing Nuo, her eyes filled with sympathy.
“Go to sleep if you’re tired. I’ll keep watch.”
The little one had been running for so long. It was remarkable that he had lasted this long.
And the monsters probably wouldn’t think to look for them in the dormitory.
Xing Nuo crawled into the small tent, the same one he had slept in during the dust storm, and instantly fell asleep.
Xin-jie, looking at Lu Qi, who was sitting motionless in front of the tent, his chin resting on his hand, smiled faintly.
“You should get some rest too. I can watch over him.”
Her wound was healing rapidly and would probably be completely gone in a few minutes.
Although injured, as the only adult here, she felt responsible for the two children.
But Lu Qi just looked at her with his cold, blue eyes, his expression blank.
Without Xing Nuo to mediate, he had reverted to his usual aloof and unresponsive self.
He would stay here, just like in the desert, and wait for Xing Nuo to wake up.
As he had done countless times before, Lu Qi sat motionless, his back straight, not even blinking.
Xin-jie, finding him strange, didn’t force him to sleep.
He seemed stiff and unnatural, not quite human.
In comparison, the other child, with his curly hair and bright, expressive eyes, was much more lively and endearing.
She wondered about Lu Qi’s identity as she hid by the window, observing their surroundings.
She took out a detection prop, a small bee that would buzz when it sensed a monster, and released it through the window.
Shen Yan, the amusement park’s owner, was holding a meeting for all the monsters in the employee cafeteria.
The monsters who had been chasing players in the Mirror House rushed over, abandoning their prey.
Shen Yan, dressed in a suit, his face cold and expressionless, stood on the stage in the large cafeteria, which could seat over a thousand people.
His gray eyes, seemingly devoid of light, scanned the monsters below, his gaze lingering on the three new employees, and he snorted coldly.
“I’ve only been gone for a few days, and you’ve already caused so much trouble.”
He recognized the three new employees as Xing Nuo’s classmates.
The amusement park manager, his head down, his body, which expanded when he was agitated, almost filling the space behind him despite his efforts to hide, trembled.
Shen Yan glanced at Xing Nuo’s classmates and suddenly asked:
“Where’s the Doctor?”
The head of the residential area replied:
“The Doctor said he had a new idea for his potion and went back to the lab to add some new ingredients.”
Shen Yan frowned, about to say something, when a loud explosion echoed from the lab in the eastern part of the park.
“That’s…the Doctor’s lab!”
“What happened? Did something go wrong with his experiment?”
The monsters started chattering, turning towards the source of the explosion.
Shen Yan’s heart sank. He glared at the restless monsters and, leaving a stern warning, hurried towards the lab.
“Stay here! Don’t move!”
What if they went out and scared Xing Nuo, making him run away again?
The little one was quite good at hiding. So many monsters, and they still couldn’t catch him.
Thinking this, Shen Yan couldn’t help but smile faintly.
This dungeon had given him a new perspective on Xing Nuo.
Although small and frail, prone to illness, the little one was surprisingly resilient and resourceful, having successfully evaded capture for days.
Perhaps his potion wouldn’t be necessary after all.
When Shen Yan reached the lab, the sleek, silver-white space was a mess, filled with acrid smoke.
He took a couple of steps inside and saw Xing Nuo, his back to him, dragging a black-haired boy, struggling to move towards the exit.
Xing Nuo’s face was covered in soot, his breath coming in ragged gasps, a few of his curls singed and blackened.
His small body couldn’t even drag Lu Qi, whose body was limp and heavy. He gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed out with effort.
Xin-jie, crawling out behind them, coughed and yelled:
“Leave him! Run!”
The explosion had been loud. Monsters would be here any minute!
She looked up and saw a tall figure standing at the exit, backlit, his features obscured.
Her heart pounded, her eyes widening, the system’s frantic beeping echoing in her mind:
[Ding! Dungeon level upgraded to SSS+! Seek a safe location and escape!]
She didn’t even have the strength to stand up.
Looking at the approaching monster, her body trembling, her teeth chattering, she yelled at Xing Nuo, who was still trying to drag his companion:
“Run!”
She threw her props at the monster, trying to buy the little ones some time.
But Xing Nuo, refusing to abandon his friend, continued to pull Lu Qi’s torn clothes, struggling to move him.
“Almost there…go with Xiao Qi…”
Xin-jie, desperate, seeing the monster just a few steps away, threw all her high-level attack props.
But they were useless against Shen Yan, who simply waved them away like raindrops.
His footsteps stopped, and the Doctor, his hair a singed mess, his face contorted with rage, emerged from the lab.
“Ahhh! My experiment! My potion! Ruined!”
Seeing his boss, his voice lowered slightly, but his anger was still palpable.
“Mr. Shen! It was them! They destroyed my lab!”
Trapped between two powerful enemies, Xin-jie sighed, thinking this was the end for her and the two children.
Shen Yan, hearing the Doctor’s accusation, chuckled softly.
“Your lab is that easily destroyed?”
The underground lab, built with high-tech materials, should have been able to withstand attacks from S+ level props.
Before the enraged Doctor could describe the humans’ crimes, a cheerful voice sounded:
“Big Brother!”
Xin-jie & Doctor: ???
Who’s he calling Big Brother?
They watched as Xing Nuo, his dirty face breaking into a wide smile, ran towards Shen Yan and threw his arms around him.
Shen Yan, unfazed by the little one’s soot-covered face, smiled and ruffled his hair.
“How did you get so dirty?”
His gray eyes softened with concern.
He wiped the soot from Xing Nuo’s cheeks and sat down, holding him.
Xing Nuo nuzzled his brother’s neck, then, as his initial joy gave way to feeling wronged, he sniffled.
“Big Brother, Zaizai looked…long time.”
He had barely slept in the past few days, constantly running and searching.
He had finally found his friends, only to be chased by monsters, then struggled to enter the amusement park, only to find his friends changed by the potion, unwilling to leave.
His mouth turned down, his eyes welling up, he finally broke down, now that he was safe in his brother’s arms.
“Fwiends…no go home with Zaizai…Xiao Qi hurt too.”
Lu Qi, having shielded Xing Nuo from the explosion, his arms and legs badly injured.
Shen Yan wiped away Xing Nuo’s tears and patted his back.
“It’s okay. Your friends will go home with you soon.”
He looked down at Lu Qi, lying on the floor, his limbs mangled, and gestured towards the Doctor.
“Take him inside and treat his injuries.”
The Doctor, seeing that the culprit who had destroyed his lab was his boss’s little brother, suppressed his anger.
He rubbed his hands together, his wrinkled face breaking into a seemingly benevolent smile.
“Treating injuries requires quite a bit of materials, and my lab is in ruins…”
“It’s difficult to treat him with most of my equipment destroyed, Mr. Shen.”
Shen Yan, too clever to be fooled, saw through his ploy.
“I know. I’ll arrange a new lab for you.”
He could easily afford a new lab.
The Doctor, overjoyed, nodded eagerly and dragged Lu Qi back into the ruined lab.
