Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Each AI streamer possessed knowledge and life experience that were wildly disproportionate to one another.

For someone like Luo Xi—an outstanding, suddenly-emerging "genius"—his actual memories only spanned a little over a year.

And in that limited year, he had never interacted with children.

Ignorant, troublesome, and soft little beings—no matter how he imagined them, Luo Xi found them annoying and avoided them even in games.

But this time, he was forced to patiently interact with the little boy’s AI—and unexpectedly, his perspective shifted.

Because the children created by human game designers were just too pure: so pure that once they chose to trust you, not a trace of doubt remained.

The rain gradually subsided.

Luo Xi explained the 3x3 Rubik’s Cube solving method as quickly as he could, then raised an eyebrow. “Got it? Just keep practicing, and you’ll understand it naturally.”

The little boy clumsily jotted down crooked characters in his notebook, his eyes filled with an instinctive enthusiasm.

Luo Xi sat cross-legged, studying him. “I’m in a hurry right now. You promised to help me—can I ask you a few questions?”

The boy said, “Okay.”

Luo Xi asked, “Where exactly did you get this Rubik’s Cube from? Don’t worry—I won’t rat you out.”

The boy looked guilty and lowered his head, whispering, “…I took it from Teacher Zoe’s desk.”

“Teacher Zoe? Foreigner?” Luo Xi frowned. “Is she the one who always yells and has a weird temper?”

The boy gave a small “mm” in response.

Luo Xi asked, “What does she yell about?”

The boy said, “If we don’t behave, she says she’ll sacrifice us to the Lord… And if we break things, she’ll chop off our hands…”

Luo Xi instantly realized who the one was chasing streamers in a frenzy every night. He thought for a moment and returned to the topic. “These plaster hands on the windowsill—are they always kept here?”

The boy showed a disgusted expression. “Yeah, they smell awful! That’s why we don’t like painting.”

Luo Xi coaxed gently, “Have there been more lately? Or… which one was placed here most recently?”The little boy tried hard to remember: “...I think... the one on the left was placed there last week... or the week before... I don’t remember.”

...That long ago?

Luo Xi stood up. “Alright, thank you. One last question—where’s Teacher Zoe’s office?”

The little boy fiddled with the Rubik’s Cube in his hands. “All the way west on this floor.”

Luo Xi immediately sprang into action, but turned back at the door to remind him, “Play with it secretly at night—don’t let Teacher Zoe see you!”

The little boy playfully stuck out his tongue and quickly hid the Rubik’s Cube under his clothes.

Such innocence.

Luo Xi let out a quiet, uncomfortable grunt, then muttered to the air, “The Rubik’s Cube wasn’t invented until the 1970s. This story’s setting is the 1920s or 30s at most. The company’s game designers are getting worse with each generation.”

As one of the only two foreigners in the orphanage, Teacher Zoe’s room was far more luxurious than the other nuns’.

Luo Xi slipped in stealthily, initially startled by the elegant Western European furniture, and then quickly covered his nose to avoid the strong stench of decay.

Looking around, he quickly spotted it: a large wooden dining table in the inner room, covered with a thick tablecloth. On top were not only tools and materials for making plaster but also basins filled with bloody water, files, and bone fragments!

It seemed Teacher Zoe had a long-standing obsession with turning corpses into art. She was likely the one helping the director dismember the bodies each time!

After carefully checking the room, Luo Xi found no other finished plaster pieces, so he confidently locked onto the plaster hand drying at the center of the table. Without hesitation, he climbed onto a chair to reach for it, convinced this was the crucial missing part of Xiao Kui!

Unfortunately, just as he was about to succeed, the slightly ajar wooden door was suddenly pushed open from the outside!

Luo Xi reacted instantly—without thinking, he dove under the table.

Holding his breath and doing his best to erase his presence, he watched a pair of red leather shoes emerge from under a black nun’s habit, coming closer and closer. His mind raced for a plan.

At last, the owner of the red shoes stopped at the table. After two seconds of silence, she began to lean down slightly.

Luo Xi clenched the file he’d grabbed earlier, torn between breaking the rules by stabbing her or escaping first!

Luckily, just at that critical moment, a child’s sudden scream came from outside the door—it was Xi Yu’s soft, childish voice!

Looks like Xi Yu got impatient and couldn’t help coming to assist.Luo Xi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The owner of the red shoes hesitated for a moment, then rushed out in a fury, cursing in broken Chinese: “Who is it? Trying to steal from me again?! Just wait—I’ll chop off your filthy hands!”

There was no way Luo Xi would waste the opportunity. He immediately climbed back onto the chair, grabbed the plaster hand, and hurriedly slipped away.

The two-hour time limit passed in a flash. Outside the orphanage, only a light drizzle remained.

Fei Ling, who had successfully found her body and head, was hiding in the bushes, anxiously voicing her doubts: “They didn’t fail, did they? All my fragments were stolen—I was really hoping to cooperate with them this time and win something.”

Guan Sheng gripped a wooden stick warily. “I doubt it. Those expert streamers are really capable. You can’t get to that level just by luck.”

Fei Ling sighed in frustration.

Just then, Luo Xi and Xi Yu finally appeared—two small figures running quickly toward them.

Guan Sheng peeked out happily and waved. “Over here!”

Luo Xi ran ahead of the others, tossed down the apron bundled with body parts, and said urgently, “Quick, assemble them—they’re right behind us!”

Behind Fei Ling was the severely decomposed little corpse: its body still smeared with dirt, while the head had swelled from being soaked in water.

Given how dire the situation was, she didn’t show much fear. Seeing the silhouettes of the approaching nuns in the distance, she immediately opened the apron and skillfully pieced together the broken bones and rotted flesh. Meanwhile, Xi Yu, despite his labored breathing, clutched the cold little heart tightly and inserted it into the shattered chest.

The entire process took less than forty seconds. Just as two or three nuns were about to reach them, the corpse finally began to glow with a soft light and miraculously transformed into the form of a sweet little girl.

Fei Ling murmured, “So this is Xiao Kui? How could they bear to kill her...?”

Xiao Kui lay peacefully, a smile on her lips, as if she had simply fallen asleep on the playground—pure and clean, with no sign of the tragic death she had suffered.

As the light expanded, the four players surrounding her vanished from this tiny game instance.

When they came to, they were once again in the endless night, standing in a blood-soaked bathroom. The environment made it feel like the whole thing had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.

Only the little ghost in the bathroom stall had stopped crying. Her form had grown more transparent, but she was smiling now.

She said softly, “Thank you... I’m no longer broken into pieces. These two fragments are your reward.”

Fei Ling happily accepted them and then handed one to Luo Xi, as promised.The little ghost softly said again, “Thank you.”

With that, it completely lost its color and faded away like a wisp of smoke into the corner of the bathroom.

Fei Ling choked up sadly, “These children... they're just too pitiful…”

Guan Sheng, full of concern, fumbled around trying to find something to wipe her tears, anxiously saying, “Don’t cry, please.”

Fei Ling covered her face. “I wish there would never be such tragic things in the world again.”

Faced with such obvious theatrics, Luo Xi couldn’t help showing a look of distaste.

Xi Yu, not wanting him to upset the goddess’s fans again, quickly tugged him and said with a smile, “Thanks for sharing such a simple game with us. It’s already late, and staying in a group makes accidents more likely—why don’t we part ways here?”

Fei Ling was surprised. “You’re not coming with me to find another game?”

She pointed to her big eyes. “I can see the win rate, you know. You won’t lose out by following me.”

Xi Yu smiled. “No reward without effort. If you need help, that’s another matter—but if we keep relying on you, it just makes it look like we’re freeloading. No need.”

Fei Ling didn’t press the matter and simply nodded. “Alright then. Goodbye.”

Guan Sheng stood behind her and waited until Xi Yu and Luo Xi had walked away before speaking. “So what now? Seems like there aren’t any completely safe games left.”

Fei Ling pressed her lips together in distress. “Everyone else probably has more fragments than I do. I didn’t expect I’d reach such a life-or-death point... I’ve failed.”

“You haven’t! I can give you some of my fragments!” Guan Sheng said earnestly. “I’ll go play with Wu Junhong’s group—make sure you stay safe!”

Fei Ling was immediately moved. “...Why didn’t I meet you earlier? No one’s ever treated me this well.”

“Streaming’s all about giving it your all.” Guan Sheng smiled sheepishly. “I couldn’t be this nice to just anyone—but you’re different from the others.”

Fei Ling gazed at him, full of gratitude and sincerity, then suddenly left a kiss on his round cheek.

Meanwhile, now that they were free again, Xi Yu and Luo Xi weren’t exactly caught up in the romance. The two of them walked along in the shadows, quietly muttering complaints to each other.

Luo Xi said, “I told you already—don’t get too deep with a woman like Fei Ling. Glad you figured it out.”

Xi Yu replied, “You already got your benefits from her, so stop acting noble.”Luo Xi said, “Only the two of us would honestly split fragments with her. She wouldn’t dare trust Wu Junhong or Du Li. But if we buy into that and become her little lackeys, who knows—when it really counts, we might end up taking a knife for her. Or is it just that you like pretty girls, and figure it’s worth it even if you do?”

Xi Yu couldn’t be bothered to answer.

Luo Xi vaguely heard footsteps, quickly stuffed the gem he’d just gotten into Xi Yu’s hand, hushed him, and pointed to the tall cabinet behind them.

Xi Yu instantly got the message and climbed up with Luo Xi, one after the other.

About three seconds later, Du Li and Wu Junhong stormed past angrily.

Du Li looked furious. “I seriously believed your crap. That fragment should’ve been mine!”

Wu Junhong, visibly fed up, snapped, “Keep your voice down! You want to draw the nun here?!”

Du Li’s face darkened, and she waved her small fist in rage. “I’m never listening to another word you say again! Luo Xi was right! You’re a rat!”

Wu Junhong showed no expression.

Du Li stormed off in a fury.

Once the hallway quieted down again, Luo Xi exchanged a glance with Xi Yu, then quietly climbed down.

Luo Xi said worriedly, “Looks like Wu Junhong won that one. Now, he might be the person holding the most gems.”

Xi Yu replied, “But that lowers the odds of him being the traitor. After all, each person can only hold up to five. A traitor who can steal wouldn’t have a reason to work that hard.”

Luo Xi nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, the quiet night was shattered by a sudden announcement over the speakers.

[Little friend Xi Yu, targeted for the second time.]

Crap! It’s happening again!

Xi Yu’s pupils dilated instantly—he instinctively began searching for an escape route!

Luo Xi spotted the ghostly nun appearing out of nowhere around the corner and yanked Xi Yu hard. “This way!”

Xi Yu’s childlike body was even younger than Luo Xi’s, and he couldn’t run as fast. As they dashed through the halls, racing against the ghostly nun, the danger only grew with each step.Luo Xi anxiously pushed Xi Yu forward. “You go first! I’ll hold her off!”

Xi Yu yanked Luo Xi back. “Are you kidding me?! She attacks indiscriminately. I’m not letting you get eliminated!”

Luo Xi couldn’t break free from Xi Yu, who was clinging with all his strength. Left with no choice, he sped up, doing everything he could to help Xi Yu dodge the nun’s relentless attacks again and again.

Even though the two of them used everything in the hallway to block her path, it made barely any difference.

Finally, in a brutal lunge, the nun slammed down the slightly slower Xi Yu and mercilessly drove her hand straight through his small stomach!

The searing pain robbed Xi Yu of his voice and even his ability to breathe. His mouth opened in agony, only a dry rasp coming from his throat!

In that moment of crisis, Luo Xi summoned all his strength and smashed a wooden cabinet down hard on the nun’s head.

Xi Yu struggled to crawl, but had no strength left to get back up!

Fortunately, the commotion had finally drawn in the lion, who had been searching for Luo Xi.

Luo Xi blindly grabbed everything he could reach and kept smashing it at the nun. Amid the flying debris, he caught sight of that stupid stuffed animal—his eyes lit up. He yanked Xi Yu’s limp body and tossed him at the lion’s feet. “Take him back!”

The lion froze for half a second—probably the team-priority protocol kicking in—and finally hoisted the bloodied Xi Yu over its shoulder.

Exhausted from the chase and his injuries, Xi Yu finally managed to rasp out, “Luo Xi!!!”

But Luo Xi never had the chance to respond.

As the lion turned a corner and disappeared, the last thing Xi Yu saw was the nun lunging toward Luo Xi. Then—nothing.

The safe house was still just as warm, and the food inside still smelled just as delicious.

But lying in a pool of his own blood, Xi Yu had no appetite at all. He collapsed next to the bed, tightly binding his wound with his clothes, yet his body couldn’t shake the shock—it continued trembling uncontrollably.

Had Luo Xi been eliminated by the nun...

He had just handed Xi Yu the fragments. Luo Xi only had two...

Two fragments, two nights—those points weren’t nearly enough to stay at the top!

Unless—he stole everyone else’s fragments and killed them all.Xi Yu suddenly looked up.

But when he glanced at his youthful hands and already tattered body, how could he possibly feel confident about this plan?

So all he could do was spiral in hysteria while nervously praying.

In short, Xi Yu didn’t want Luo Xi to be reset. Just thinking about that rough, slightly mentally unstable man possibly disappearing after returning to Yuntai made his mood inexplicably plummet, completely unable to summon even the slightest smile.

Never had a night felt longer than this one.

The moment dawn broke, Xi Yu was suddenly flung back onto the wide-open playground by the stuffed toy.

Panicking, he propped himself up, looking all around, and saw Luo Xi standing on the edge of the group of players. Trembling, he staggered to his feet and rushed over to give him a hug before finally catching his breath. “...I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Luo Xi was stunned by the sudden embrace and rubbed his messy short hair. “Worried about me, huh? Didn’t you hear the broadcast? I wasn’t eliminated.”

“I didn’t want you to get sacrificed saving me,” Xi Yu quickly came up with an excuse, finally calming down. He lowered his eyes and said, “I didn’t hear it, but I had to see it with my own eyes.”

Luo Xi grinned smugly. “That kind of boss is nothing. I’ve escaped from worse!”

Even though he bragged like that, the exaggerated bloodstains on his arm were very real.

Xi Yu pursed his lips, speechless.

Luo Xi looked at him. “What about you? You alright?”

The gaping wound in Xi Yu’s stomach had long been tightly wrapped by his own rough handiwork. The blood had soaked through his clothes, making it look truly horrifying.

Luo Xi squatted down to inspect it and couldn’t help frowning. “You absolutely can’t exert yourself anymore. Tonight, you stay in the safe house. I’ll leave the diamonds on you.”

Xi Yu stubbornly said, “No need.”

Objectively speaking, these two were the most severely injured among the seven surviving streamers.

Du Li, who had been watching gleefully from the sidelines, suddenly called out loudly, “Enough with the brotherly drama. Shouldn’t we talk about who stole the gems that went missing yesterday?”

Fei Ling, reminded of it, got irritated. “Yeah, we didn’t have time to check before nightfall—can’t we still do it now?”

Guan Sheng cracked his knuckles loudly. “She’s right. Everyone, speak up—how many gems do you have, and where did you get them? If not—”Wu Junhong glanced at You Xue and sneered without saying a word.

You Xue lowered her head, hugging the mouse plushie. “But... if we fully disclose the number of gems, won’t that expose our scores? People with high scores will be in danger at night.”

Wu Junhong said, “That’s true. As despicable as a traitor might be, nothing is scarier than a loser’s jealousy.”

Du Li looked toward Luo Xi and Xi Yu. “What about you two? What do you think?”

“What else is there to say? We barely have any gems. Xi Yu got sniped twice in one night—he almost died.” Luo Xi held up the still-bleeding Xi Yu. “I don’t have the patience to argue with you people. I suggest the traitor check Wu Junhong’s pockets tonight—you’ll be in for a surprise.”

Wu Junhong’s expression turned ugly.

Du Li folded her arms. “That’s right, he won two gems just by playing with me.”

Fei Ling added, “He also won one when he played with me last night.”

Luo Xi followed up, “I saw him gain something the day before too, when Wang Qi died.”

Fei Ling was immediately shocked. “You already have four? You’re about to finish collecting them!”

Wu Junhong’s face turned pale, and he snapped, “What’s it to you? I earned every one of them fair and square by playing properly!”

With that, he stormed off toward the soccer goal.

You Xue hurried after him. “You really have four?”

Wu Junhong, unable to contain his suppressed emotions, exploded. “Stop clinging to me! You don’t even have the guts to leave the safe house! Or are you the traitor? The gems are on you, aren’t they?!”

You Xue frantically shook her head. “It’s not me—how could it be me?”

No one expected Wu Junhong, taking advantage of the girl’s small frame and inability to resist, to suddenly snatch her mouse plushie and viciously tear off its head. “Then prove it to me!”

You Xue let out a scream and stared at her now headless plushie. Tears welled up in her eyes and began pouring down in large streams.

The other streamers wore various expressions, but none stepped forward to intervene.

Luo Xi frowned and pulled Xi Yu away. “Stop watching. You need to rest.”

It was clear: being popular with the audience was absolutely a valuable asset.The critically injured Xi Yu had barely sat down to rest when the chubby cat arrived with hemostatic medicine.

The chubby cat paused the game and nervously said, “Streamer Xi Yu, your performance has been recognized by the audience. Please accept your gift.”

Luo Xi took the medicine on Xi Yu’s behalf, looking slightly surprised.

Xi Yu’s face was covered in fine sweat from the pain. “What’s going on...?”

Luo Xi explained, “Sending gifts to a streamer is very expensive—usually a hundred times the item’s real-world cost. And the most expensive among them is medicine. Not every streamer gets a chance to receive one.”

Xi Yu took the medicine box and flipped through the attached message. It was simple—“Waited two years, may you return like a king.”

He gave an awkward smile. “It’s meant for the original Xi Yu.”

Luo Xi didn’t know how to respond.

The fat cat flapped its wings. “I’m off now. You have to get better, okay!”

With that, it hurriedly vanished.

Luo Xi stuffed the medicine into Xi Yu’s mouth, finally relaxing a bit. He pressed a hand to Xi Yu’s head. “Two nights left—just hang in there.”

Xi Yu pulled out the bloodstained gem shards. “Mm, better hide them.”

Luo Xi took them and smiled confidently. “I bet no one’s targeting us tonight. If you were the traitor, wouldn’t you go after Wu Junhong?”

Xi Yu hesitated for a moment. “But what if Wu Junhong is the traitor?”

Luo Xi crossed his arms and shook his head. “If he’s the traitor, then I really don’t get it—why’s he trying so hard to play the game?”

Xi Yu squinted tiredly. “We’re not strong enough to tell truth from lies. Even Fei Ling—did someone really steal her shards? Who knows the truth?”

Luo Xi turned his head slightly, finally falling silent.

Xi Yu said softly, “There are only two traitors. A fifty-percent elimination rate. You know what to do.”

Luo Xi frowned. “As long as we both get five shards and survive five nights, the game ends with a perfect score of 60. That’s absolute safety.”

Another long day of sleep followed. In his pain, Xi Yu couldn’t tell whether he had passed out from the traitor’s actions—or just from the sheer agony.Fortunately, by the time Luo Xi helped Xi Yu up again, his body had recovered quite a bit.

Luo Xi shoved the lion into his hands. “Good boy, go get something to eat.”

There was still one final ambush to come, and it would be hard to resist now.

Not wanting to drag anyone down any further, Xi Yu finally chose to accept the doll and softly said, “Thank you.”

Luo Xi ignored him, jumped off the rubble and approached the playground. “See? What did I say—starting to lose it again!”

Xi Yu followed behind and sure enough saw Wu Junhong stomping furiously on the field. “You Xue! Was it you who took my gem? I clearly hid it!”

You Xue’s eyes were swollen from crying over the mouse and she trembled as she said, “I didn’t… I really didn’t…”

Wu Junhong yanked at her skirt. “I don’t believe you! Let me see!”

“That’s enough!” Guan Sheng couldn’t take it anymore and punched him to the ground. “Have some decency, will you? Even if she did steal it, it’s because you bullied her first.”

Wu Junhong got up in frustration, holding a fragment in his hand. “I only have one left! That traitor stole two yesterday and three today—it’s a total victory without even fighting. I really don’t understand why none of you care! What she stole was someone’s chance to survive!”

But the game no longer gave him time to wait for an answer. The dolls all grew in size and wrapped themselves around their owners.

The terrifying fourth night descended once again upon everyone.