Chapter 65

Chapter 65

In the deep of night, with not even moonlight to be seen, the university campus was filled with cold winds.

The sound of the roses swaying, their red hues becoming more pronounced, resembled the reluctant murmurs of the girl, Xiaozhi.

Xiyu silently sneaked out, breathing in the bloody scent emanating from the half-open buds, using the rose bushes to conceal his figure.

Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, he heard a loud thud as something hit the ground.

Another streamer had jumped off the building. Another unfortunate soul was out of the game due to suicide.

Xiyu stopped with a serious expression, thinking to himself: The system didn’t release any additional information about the streamer's identity yesterday, which indicates that the elimination speed is in line with the company's expectations. But calculating the remaining number of participants, it seems unlikely that they’ll last through the third and fourth-day peaks. The game might be over soon.

In this situation, the plot would inevitably have to progress quickly. If he couldn't get useful information left by Xiaozhi, even if he made it out, it would be confusing and wouldn't meet his expectations.

With this thought in mind, Xiyu quickened his pace and headed towards the main office building.

Looking up at the imposing building in the late hours of the night, every window was pitch dark, indicating that no staff members were left to keep the lights on.

To avoid being noticed by the patrolling security guards, Xiyu, light on his feet, ran up to the high wall and, through a small skylight, climbed into the building. He quickly made his way up to the seventh floor.

At this time, Principal Huang's office was still locked tight, giving off an unmistakable cold, unwelcoming vibe.

Xiyu took out the piece of wire he had retrieved from the school's projector earlier that day and knelt down, carefully poking it into the keyhole.

This lock-picking skill, for someone who had only recently been reset, was merely a residual instinct. He couldn't clearly explain the method; he only vaguely remembered the feel of it.

Unfortunately, there was no other way at this moment, so he had to give it a try.

Just as Xiyu was delicately feeling for the changes in the lock mechanism, he suddenly sensed someone approaching behind him!

Alert, Xiyu quickly side-stepped, and using the faint green glow from the emergency exit sign, he clearly saw the face of 017 and couldn't help but mock, “Your stalking business really doesn’t care about day or night.”

017 immediately took the wire from his hand, “Let's go, the security has already seen the monitor. I tried prying the lock, but it didn’t work.”

Xiyu turned his head to look at the elevator, and sure enough, it had already started moving, heading towards the seventh floor.

Without explanation, 017 grabbed Xiyu's wrist and hurriedly led him back to the stairs.

The two were so close that Xiyu could once again smell a faint odor of decay, similar to the smell from the little black cat that had passed by earlier in the evening.He couldn’t help but glance at his nose, muttering softly as he went downstairs, “Did you find Xiaozhi's body?”

“Yeah, I found it thanks to that black cat.” 017 didn’t hide anything: “I’ve been watching it for a while. Whenever no one feeds it, the black cat sneaks into the cold storage through the ventilation shaft and bites on the bodies. Tonight, I finally managed to unlock the security door there.”

“...” Xiyu recalled kissing the cat earlier and felt his stomach churn.

“And, not only did I find Xiaozhi’s body, but I also found useful clues in her school uniform.” 017 took out a broken phone wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket.

...A phone? A phone with the Rose Game on it?

Xiyu immediately reached out to grab it.

017 quickly raised the phone higher. “What? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t cooperate with me? Are you trying to snatch it now?”

Xiyu finally lost patience. He lowered his voice and stared with wide, beautiful eyes. “Tell me, how long are you going to play dumb? I really don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”

017 looked innocent. “I don’t get you either. Do you even know who I am?”

Xiyu remained silent for two seconds, then asked impatiently, following the system's instructions, “017, you’re Luo Xi, right?”

Before 017 could answer, the system gave a cold, mechanical notification.

【Congratulations, 084, you’ve uncovered 017’s identity】

【But 017 is already your flower, so you can’t form a CP relationship with them】

【You’ve unlocked the ‘Love and Kill’ achievement】

“...” Xiyu had nothing to say. He punched 017, who was still playing dumb, and turned to go downstairs alone.

Realizing he’d been recognized, Luo Xi quickly chased after him, wrapped his arm around Xiyu’s slender waist, and dragged him forcefully into the darkness, saying, “Don’t run off. I had no choice. Mu Yuan and Zhao Zhusheng hate you a lot. If they recognize your identity first and treat you as fertilizer, you’ll definitely be given tasks that you can’t handle.”

Xiyu immediately replied, “You saw it, I don’t have anything I can’t handle.”

Luo Xi was serious. “That’s just the first couple of days. Do you think the tasks will stay at this childish stage by the fourth or fifth day? The game will definitely end with a grand finale. If the last task doesn’t involve ordering the fertilizer to commit suicide, I’ve been wasting my time.”

In truth, Xiyu understood his reasoning but didn’t like his excessive worry and intentional teasing. He turned his face to ask, “In your view, am I really that unreliable? Besides, even if you want to do this, why do you have to act it out with me?”

Luo Xi explained seriously, “You just lack experience. Your ability and will are absolutely at a level I admire, but it’s not about whether you’re reliable or not. I have to take control and ensure that you don’t fail. Maybe you don’t know this yet, but when someone else is a flower, they can choose not to give tasks. The punishment for that is just adding 20 Bloom points to the flower, but at least we’re connected. At the critical moment, there will be more choices available. So far, my Bloom points are 0, which is enough to protect you.”Then he raised an eyebrow and questioned, "As for me deceiving you, I want to ask—did we really have that little rapport? How come you’re only recognizing me now? The rabbit figured it out a long time ago!"

Xiyu paused for a moment, "The rabbit?"

At that instant, a flashback occurred in his mind, solving the mystery of the library mini-game: no wonder when playing the true heart language game, 023 had suddenly let Luo Xi off the hook. It turns out that girl was...

"From what I observed, although this game hides everyone’s identities, in order to increase the excitement, they still pair up hosts who frequently interacted before." Luo Xi shrugged, "Before joining the club, I had some contact with 023. We both felt a familiar temperament. Maybe it was because we often played board games together on the cloud platform. That night, she noticed my habitual hand gestures and instantly recognized me. A woman’s sixth sense is truly terrifying."

Xiyu whispered, "What about Bai Qi?"

Luo Xi shook his head, "Ah Qi hasn’t been heard from at all. Not sure if he’s just enjoying lying down and winning."

For some reason, after the window paper with 017 was pierced, the lingering feeling of loneliness and unhappiness in Xiyu quickly disappeared. He had originally planned to beat up Luo Xi, but now, with the situation unclear, throwing a tantrum seemed meaningless.

So, after enduring the teasing over the past couple of days, Xiyu nodded and said, "No news is the best news."

Luo Xi then followed Xiyu downstairs. They arrived at an empty campus road, and Luo Xi continued to relentlessly press, "You still haven’t explained to me, why couldn’t you even recognize me?"

Actually, from the moment 017 grabbed the book "The Moon and Sixpence," Xiyu had suspected that the person was Luo Xi. He just thought that if the other person could discover the secret in "The Blade," they would immediately form a CP with him. He couldn’t believe that Luo Xi would treat him as fertilizer, so his thoughts naturally wavered.

After getting to know 017 more, even though they always said meaningless flirtatious things, they hadn’t caused any actual harm to him. The so-called chance encounter at the library was probably just because Luo Xi was worried that Xiyu wouldn’t be able to handle the punishment, so he followed nearby to keep him company?

Xiyu fell silent for a moment, gradually returning to his usual calm expression, and softly answered, "I suspected it was you from the beginning, but I didn’t dare to believe you would be bad to me."

This rare, almost like a pout, made a smile immediately appear on Luo Xi’s face. He put his arm around Xiyu’s shoulder and said, "This isn’t being bad, I’m planning for your future by being good to you."

Although Xiyu disagreed, he couldn’t argue, and he forcefully pulled away from his arm, raising an eyebrow to change the subject, "So, what’s the clue in Xiaozhi’s phone? I thought this thing should have been kept with her belongings."

Luo Xi said, "Maybe the body that fell from the building was exactly how it looked when it was carried away. Principal Huang also kept the evidence, so the so-called belongings should be personal items taken from Xiaozhi’s dormitory and classroom. The phone was broken, so I’ll have to fix it first."

Xiyu glanced around in the darkness, not yet sure where would be the safest place to stay. Luo Xi suddenly grabbed his hand, "Let’s go, I just thought of a good place."

Inside the gym warehouse, which had a faint dusty smell, in addition to the usual sports equipment, there were many mats scattered around—usually used by students for push-ups and sit-ups—but now, it was perfect for hiding in the middle of the night.

Xiyu looked around and asked, "Were you hiding here before?"

Luo Xi shrugged, "No, I suddenly had a brainwave."

If Xiyu had any school experience, he would know that many students like to meet here privately.He had no choice but to think that Luo Xi was simply smart.

After finishing his words, Luo Xi grabbed a few mats to make a bed, patted them, and gestured for Xiyu to rest on top. He then sat at the edge, saying, "You sleep for a while. I’ll see what this old antique is up to. I’ve been wandering around for a long time, and finally found this toolbox for repairing small electronic devices in the engineering department's self-study room."

Saying that, he took out a small candle from his pocket, lit it, and lowered his head to seriously dismantle the back cover of the phone.

Without confirming their CP relationship, the soft warm light shining on Luo Xi's still unfamiliar face made it difficult for Xiyu to tell that this person was the one who had been on his mind.

Although he hated the science of the human body, he couldn't help but admit that humanity's grasp of the brain had reached a magical level. How did scientists manage to make streamers ignore the appearance of others just by changing brainwave signals?

Is it really safe for humanity to master a skill that should belong to God?

Luo Xi, however, didn’t have time for idle thoughts. While seriously repairing the broken phone, he couldn't help but say, "You don’t need to be so kind. If it weren’t for me forcing you, were you planning to not look for fertilizer until the end? Relying on deleting the code is really too risky."

"You insist on being my flower, cutting off your own retreat. Isn't that what’s really risky?" Xiyu fiddled with the flower-shaped chocolate in his pocket, sat down, and honestly replied, "Before, I just wanted to find you, didn’t think about anything else. As for the fertilizer… I’m not considering anyone else, I want to find Mu Yuan."

Luo Xi chuckled, "Such a big grudge?"

"Maybe you think things are over, but not resolving them completely will only plant more hidden dangers for the future." Xiyu said, then lay back beside Luo Xi, sighing softly, "If we get him out of the picture now, the audience might, out of sympathy for the artificial human, allow the streamer who’s eliminated in the sea selection to not be reset. In that case, the WILL team will only lose the chance to win the championship, and Mu Yuan won’t be able to affect you in the next games."

Xiyu’s words weren’t wrong, and Luo Xi didn’t stop or contradict him, but said, "But I haven’t found Mu Yuan’s whereabouts. Apart from using this seed item, do you have any way of finding him?"

"Leave the seed to Bai Qi. Although Mu Yuan is talented in both literature and martial arts, he has a fatal flaw—he’s too arrogant, impulsive, and cares too much about his reputation." Xiyu lay back next to Luo Xi, "I believe as long as we provoke him a little, he won’t be able to resist showing himself, no matter what form it takes."

Luo Xi curled his lips, "You’re a fox spirit."

After being played for two days, Xiyu couldn’t help but respond gruffly, "I don’t dare act like that in front of you. If you tease me again, I won’t be polite."

Luo Xi smiled, "What else can you do besides using your little fists to punch my chest?"

Xiyu’s handsome brows furrowed as he immediately lifted his leg to kick him.

Luo Xi had already anticipated this, reached out, and firmly grabbed his calf. Then he turned and pinned Xiyu to the mat. "Alright, sorry."

Xiyu, who was more likely to yield to softness than harshness, immediately relaxed, "Let go."

Luo Xi grinned mischievously and didn’t let go.

Xiyu tried to pull his leg back, glaring at him.The two of them clearly looked unfamiliar with each other, yet their actions were so intimate and close.

Luo Xi smiled and finally released Xiyu, freeing one hand to gently stroke his forehead. "But your task for today is to become a flower, so if you don’t get it done by midnight, you’ll have to listen to me."

Facing his repeated demands to "listen," Xiyu finally nodded, feeling guilty as he began to worry about Luo Xi's condition. "So what’s your task? Do you have a flower?"

"Yes, I intentionally caught a fool," Luo Xi replied casually. "Then I killed him on the first day, and now the system is giving me tasks. No one else can use my number anymore."

Xiyu: "........."

Luo Xi ruffled his short hair. "If you could handle things as efficiently as I do, would I have to trick you?"

Xiyu was at a loss for words, taking a while to snap back. "So, what exactly is your task?"

"To steal someone else’s phone and throw it into the lake. I’m definitely not going to do that," Luo Xi said nonchalantly, then instructed, "Hurry up and sleep. The third day is usually when the most things happen, so conserve your energy."

Xiyu felt the warmth from his palm and gradually closed his eyes.

Although they were in a shabby warehouse, this was the moment Xiyu felt most at ease after entering the "Rose Game" instance.

The unease of sharing a room with three strangers in the dorm was completely gone.

If he could, he really hoped that this long night and the heavy rain outside could last forever. The difference between nightmares and sweet dreams was really just who you had by your side.

After sleeping soundly until the morning, Xiyu was awoken by the vibration of his phone. He squinted and opened it, only to find a mass message from He Kun: "Dear members of the Mind Society, please come to Room 322 in Building C at 10 AM for a meeting! I’ll be arranging tomorrow's club activities — President He Kun."

...He really delivered himself to the door.

Xiyu, who had been planning to extract more information from the treasure boy, couldn't help but curve his lips and turn off the screen.

Luo Xi, who had been napping beside him, was also awakened by the noise. His voice was slightly lower than usual as he sighed, "From the badge you found yesterday, it seems that the Mind Society and Xiao Zhi have a very close relationship. We can’t let He Kun, this key NPC, slip by."

Xiyu shook off his drowsiness, sat up, and replied, "But I have one more thing to do. Let's meet in the conference room later."

Luo Xi raised an eyebrow, confused.

Xiyu explained, "There’s a roommate who looks really familiar. He’s that silly guy from Room 182. He went missing last night, and I have a pretty good idea who made trouble for him."

Luo Xi sighed, "I’ve repeated this a thousand times: you don’t need to be so kind."Xiyu turned around and sat down, looking at Luo Xi seriously. "Being cold has its advantages, but I don't want the audience to think we’re just cold-blooded, heartless monsters."

Luo Xi understood him well. "You don't want the eliminated people to be reset, right?"

Xiyu lowered his head. "The artificial humans from Yuntai don't have anything precious. All that's left is their memories to preserve. If those memories are erased..."

He paused here, looking into the empty air with a sincere expression. "Actually, it's not hard to advance in this game. You just need to grab some fertilizer and set a trap to force them to increase their Bloom value. But I want to make a deal with the audience: if I can still successfully complete the main storyline, could you all please do me a favor and vote? Don’t reset those eliminated streamers."

Although all his game footage would be transmitted over the internet to the audience sitting in front of their computers and TVs, Xiyu knew he wouldn't get any response.

Begging the ruthless audience was humiliating, but it was the only way.

Luo Xi didn't mock him. Instead, he gently stroked Xiyu’s back with a complicated expression and finally patted him, saying, "Go ahead, be safe, and also, if you don't prepare some fertilizer for yourself today..."

"I'll listen to your plan. Why are you getting so talkative? You've said it a few times already." Xiyu suddenly leaned in close to Luo Xi, cupped his face, and gently kissed him before revealing a beautiful smile.

Luo Xi, reluctant to let go, hugged Xiyu. It wasn't that he was unwilling to part with him in the game, but that he was unwilling to let him carry such a heavy fate.

"I’m leaving." Xiyu slowly pulled away, stood up, and walked out of the wooden door of the gym warehouse.

Luo Xi finally snapped back to reality, reopening the damaged phone that had been repaired and recharged, frowning at the password input box that was blocking his way.

The map of Xiyuan University was vast, and it wasn’t easy to deliberately find someone. Luckily, Xiyu knew that Fei Ling was definitely inseparable from Guan Sheng. With the male and female streamers together, the target was relatively clear.

He first circled around the cafeteria a few times, then wandered around the front of several buildings. Finally, he was pleasantly surprised to see a girl walking toward him with the number "111" embroidered on her chest.

After thinking for a moment, Xiyu softly said, "Please, stop."

Fei Ling and the boy beside her, numbered 241, stopped and looked at him with confusion.

Xiyu got straight to the point: "I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where did you take Room 182?"

Fei Ling immediately showed a defensive expression, stepping back. "Are you his friend? Want to defend him?"

Xiyu raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

Fei Ling became angry. "Hmph, it's only natural we dealt with him. He made the first move against me."

The boy numbered 241 beside her also seemed upset. "We didn’t do anything to him. After all, you can't kill anyone in this game. But that kid better not think he can give missions to 111 anymore."Xiyu didn't try to persuade with reason or emotions, like some kind of saint. Instead, his tone was cold as he tried to avoid revealing his identity. "Whether it's Room 182 treating Miss 111 as fertilizer, or you two trying to control him to get yourselves out of danger, neither of these actions are wrong. The game rules are like that. I'm not here to reason, but to offer conditions."

Fei Ling frowned. "What conditions?"

Xiyu took out a note with Guan Sheng's name on it. "I suppose 241 is still relatively safe, no one has uncovered his identity, right?"

241’s expression turned cautious, and Fei Ling seemed a little embarrassed. "Did you get that note from the bulletin board? I posted it there when the task was completed, but it just won't come off..."

Xiyu put the note back into his pocket. "Shouldn't you be grateful that I have it? Because I'm not planning to use it. My condition is—if you release Room 182, I promise I'll pretend I never saw his number. What do you think? Or do you want to refuse 182 his freedom and have me help 241 find a heartless flower master to assign him a perverted task leading to his doom?"

No streamer would choose to surrender easily. Upon hearing this, 241 immediately reached out to grab the note!

Though he was much taller than Xiyu, Xiyu reacted swiftly, having been prepared. He grabbed 241’s wrist and punched him without hesitation. "Don’t mistake me for Room 182! If I dare to offer conditions, it means I’m not afraid of you or 111!"

241 bent in pain, clutching his waist.

Xiyu continued, "Besides, who can’t remember a simple number? Don’t make me angry or I might just treat you as fertilizer."

Fei Ling anxiously intervened. "Stop fighting! I... I never intended to expose 241’s identity, I was just afraid of being penalized 40 points... alright, I agree, but you have to give me the note first!"

Xiyu refused. "Do you think I’d agree without seeing Room 182?"

Fei Ling sighed in frustration, eventually lowering her head in defeat. "Follow me."

241 wasn’t happy. "Release that guy. He’ll give you assignments. These tasks start simple, but by the end, they’re always twisted!"

Fei Ling turned her face away. "Forget it. You’ve already protected me a lot, and now someone else has got us in their grasp. I can only accept my fate."

With that, she lowered her head and led the way.

Outside the abandoned warehouse in the cold, shadowy corner of the campus, there were rusted steel bars and scattered rocks from unknown sources. Standing water and wild grass grew together, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Unless there was a specific purpose, no one would dare to come to such a haunted place.

Fei Ling unlocked the warehouse door with a key. "He’s inside. Now, can you give me the note back?"

Xiyu raised his eyes and saw Room 182 tightly bound and lying in a corner. Only then did he take out the note and hand it to her.

But just as Fei Ling grabbed the note, 241 suddenly lunged at Xiyu, trying to push him into the warehouse!But Xiyu retaliated with a swift strike, not only kicking 241 away but also forcefully pulling the iron door, kicking it twice with all his might.

The screws that were already loose immediately fell off, and the iron door tilted halfway, no longer able to lock anyone in.

Xiyu frowned. "I’m not afraid of bad things, nor stupidity, but I fear the combination of both—stupidity and badness. What are you going to do if you lock me in? Guan Sheng?"

Hearing his name, 241 tightly clenched his fists.

Fei Ling, startled, quickly grabbed 241’s arm and said, "Don’t get tangled up with him. He’s serious about his words. Let’s go quickly!"

241 reluctantly followed her out of the warehouse area, unable to resist.

Xiyu shook his head, quickly approached Room 182, removed the rag from his mouth, and comforted, "It’s okay, don’t cry."

Room 182 sobbed, "I didn’t expect you to come save me..."

Xiyu did this partly because Room 182 looked familiar to him, and partly because he hoped to gain sympathy from the audience. He smiled slightly, reached out, and untied Room 182's ropes.

Room 182 didn’t have time to thank him again. He quickly pulled out his phone. "It’s over! Last night, I didn’t post the task, and I got an additional 20 Bloom points. I already have 50 points, and today’s task is still..."

His face turned pale.

Xiyu leaned in to take a look, and saw a line of small red text on the screen.

【Lazy Room 182, don’t forget you’re still fertilizer】

【Please behave and tell other streamers your name within 24 hours】

Xiyu said firmly, "You can’t tell them. When Xiaozhi comes to punish you, just avoid it."

Room 182 shook his head. "Punishment has to be faced alone. No one can help. I’m afraid I won’t make it..."

Xiyu felt helpless.

Room 182 whispered, "Whether the system treats me like a flower or the streamer treats me like a flower, it doesn’t make much of a difference. I can see you’re a good person, so how about I just tell you my name?"

Xiyu was silent for a moment, then abruptly asked, "Is your hearing very good?"

Room 182 looked confused. "Huh?"... It’s not Su Ziyan.

Xiyu tested again, "Wu Zhi?"

Room 182's face showed such surprise, as if struck by a thunderbolt, and he stuttered, "Y-You... how did you know?"

Xiyu stopped him, "Don’t say anything more."

But Room 182 weakly spoke up, "I’m Wu Zhi..."

Xiyu immediately grabbed his phone. Just as Wu Zhi finished speaking, the task for the Rose mission showed as completed, and Wu Zhi received an additional 20 Bloom points.

Wu Zhi still hadn’t recovered, "You’re so kind to care about me. Could it be that you’re..."

Xiyu, frustrated, coldly interrupted, "You don’t need to guess my identity. I won’t be your flower. If you’ve told me, just pretend it was never said. This matter ends here. Also, you already have 70 Bloom points. If you keep doing tasks honestly, you probably won’t last to the end. Do you understand?"

Wu Zhi nodded and answered somewhat uncertainly, "Understood, I’ll try to avoid the tasks from now on, unless I can get the deletion code..."

Still shaken, he couldn't shake off the shock, "How... exactly did you recognize me?"

Xiyu calmly responded, "First, you’ve said you don’t know many people, and in Yun Tai, only the low-level streamers have such a narrow social circle. Secondly, your physical and intellectual abilities are average, not like those modified artificial humans, further proving your identity as a low-level streamer. Plus, your noisy and naive personality, at least among the low-level streamers I know... only you remain. Of course, whether you’re Wu Zhi or not doesn’t matter to me. I saved you this time, but next time you’ll have to rely on yourself. If you don’t wake up, danger will always find you."

Wu Zhi finally came to his senses and nodded blankly, "I did promise you I’d stand on my own... I didn’t expect to cause you more trouble... Don’t worry, I won’t be so careless next time."

Xiyu couldn’t help but pat his head, "Go rest for a while. I have things to do."

Wu Zhi grabbed Xiyu, "Thank you."

Xiyu felt uncomfortable dealing with someone like him, who was weak and unappealing, but he didn’t have the confidence to secure the deletion code yet. He could only smile faintly, get up, and leave the warehouse.

Wu Zhi quickly patted the dust off his clothes and forced himself to pull himself together.

At this time, it was still early for the Soul Society meeting. Xiyu’s next step was to find fertilizer for himself.

He quickly came up with a plan and went straight to the school’s broadcast room, standing by the door to observe the situation inside, hoping to come up with a reason to borrow or force the use of the broadcasting system.

To his surprise, at that moment, a familiar girl unexpectedly appeared. It was Lü Xianxian, who had been deeply involved in the Rose game with He Kun.

She was originally a journalism student, so it made sense for her to be working at the broadcast station.Xiyu smiled gently, "What a coincidence, we meet again."

Lü Xianxian hadn't forgotten his rude behavior toward He Kun yesterday. She lowered the bag in her hand, looked around nervously, and said, "What exactly do you want? Xiaozhi is already dead, it's not our fault!"

Xiyu was always more relaxed around girls, smiling, "Sorry, I was a bit emotional before. I didn’t say you were wrong, and I don’t want to force anything on you. The reason I had doubts and asked questions was to protect myself… Like you, I was forced to play the Rose game. I don’t want to die in this game and become the next person to commit suicide."

Perhaps it was Xiyu's handsome appearance or the shared plight that touched Lü Xianxian’s heart, and she couldn’t help but lower her guard. Hesitating, she slowly rolled up her sleeve and quietly said, "Even if I don't die, these scars of harm will never disappear..."

To his shock, on her pale arm, there was a scar in the shape of a rose. The wound was raw, and it was seeping blood, swollen into a large patch.

It seemed that the so-called Rose game was indeed full of malice, filled with cruel demands that forced depression, self-harm, and mental instability.

Xiyu, who had also been forced to carve words into his skin, pretended to panic, "How could this happen? How could you harm yourself?"

"Because there’s no other choice," Lü Xianxian closed her eyes in pain. "I shouldn’t have given in to this game, but once it starts, it’s impossible to stop. As long as I don’t complete the task, Xiaozhi will appear by my bed every night and question me all night. I can’t bear to see her like that..."

This originally bright girl was filled with fear, and after a few seconds of silence, she red-eyed and asked, "Aren’t you like this too?"

Xiyu bitterly smiled and tried to comfort her, "Maybe it’s not Xiaozhi’s doing, but rather, we can’t overcome our own hearts. I understand all your anxieties, so can you promise me something?"

Lü Xianxian didn’t fully trust this stranger, so she hesitated, "What is it?"

Xiyu said, "I suspect that the final task of the Rose game is the same for everyone: it forces players to end their own lives."

Lü Xianxian’s eyes widened in shock.

Xiyu continued, "If you receive a suicide task, at least before making a decision, contact me, okay?"

As he spoke, he handed her his phone.

Although streamers couldn’t use the phone’s functions, the props seemed to work fine in the hands of NPCs.

Lü Xianxian quickly called herself, then handed the phone back.

Seeing that she was opening up, Xiyu changed the topic, "My Rose game was automatically downloaded from the campus network virus, but yours... where did it come from?"

Lü Xianxian remained silent for a moment, not hiding the truth, "Xiaozhi gave it to me... He Kun’s too. We didn’t want to have anything to do with Xiaozhi, but after she jumped off the building... things got out of control..."

She trembled as she spoke.Xiyu frowned, "Why would Xiaozhi give this to you? You two are seniors, and Xiaozhi is only a sophomore, right?"

Lü Xianxian shook her head in confusion, unsure if she truly didn’t know the reason or was deliberately hiding it, "During the school club festival, He Kun's Psychology Club and Literature Club held an event together, and they met, I guess. But I’m completely unfamiliar with her..."

Xiyu, still having something to ask, didn’t press too hard and smiled, "Are you a broadcaster here?"

Lü Xianxian nodded.

Xiyu confidently said, "To investigate the Rose mission and catch the creator of this software, I need to make a broadcast. Can you help me read it out?"

Lü Xianxian agreed quickly, "Of course, as long as it doesn’t violate school rules. There’s already a segment in the broadcast for students' messages, but what do you want me to read? You know, even Principal Huang can't figure out who made the game."

Xiyu smiled mysteriously, "Trust me, I won’t disappoint you."

With breakfast time arriving and morning study beginning, Xiyuan University finally came to life. NPC students started appearing, gathering in small groups to begin their day’s activities.

Rain began to fall again, turning the crowd into a sea of umbrellas.

At this moment, it was the time for campus broadcasts. Lü Xianxian’s enchanting voice echoed through every corner of the campus, interspersed with campus news and students’ well-wishes. The program had a youthful and lively atmosphere.

Just as the cafeteria was about to fill up, she stopped the pop music and switched to a standard broadcast tone, "Students, I have a mysterious message from a student. What he says sounds like a movie code. I’ll read it out, and you guess what it means."

She then read the note left by Xiyu: "Dear broadcasters, have you all found your targets? If not, why not come to 341, 271 tonight? I will reveal the number of the top player on the cloud platform, and if you can suppress them, I’m sure you’ll gain the recognition of the audience."

341, 271. Just a simple coordinate.

If we take the southwest corner of the campus as the origin and use one meter as the scale, this should be near the gym.

The broadcasters could easily figure this out, but for the NPCs, this message was incredibly strange. They immediately began whispering among themselves.

The words "broadcaster" and "cloud platform" echoed in the cafeteria.

A handsome young man sitting quietly in the corner eating couldn’t help but look up in surprise, his eyes mixed with anger and suspicion, slowly tightening his grip on his knife and fork.

Perhaps others didn’t understand the provocation toward Mu Yuan, but Luo Xi immediately understood Xiyu's intentions.

After the two met near the Psychology Club meeting room, Luo Xi couldn’t help but complain, "This is too dangerous. What if he doesn’t come? What if he sends someone else? Plus, there will always be people looking for a fight or seeking trouble. There’s no way to guarantee you can catch Mu Yuan."

"I’ve thought about that too," Xiyu calmly replied. "I’m just testing it out. If it feels off, I’ll back off. And even if I can’t hurt him, can’t the NPCs hurt him?"Luo Xi frowned, "What are you trying to do?"

"Prepare to blackmail the NPCs to set up a trap for me, but let’s not talk about that right now." Xiyu took out the bloodstained badge of the Psychology Club that Xiaozhi had dropped, "Let’s first deal with He Kun. I believe this guy might give us some unexpected results—your phone was hacked."
"What's going on?"

Luo Xi shoved the glowing note he had collected into Xiyu’s hands as a backup and sighed, "It’ll take some time. The phone has a password interception. I tried a few times, and it locked me out."

Xiyu: "Usually, this kind of setup is meant for us to gather clues to guess the password that Xiaozhi might have set."

Luo Xi snorted: "I don’t want to bother with that. Do you think a simple phone encryption system can stop me?"

Xiyu, having little knowledge of coding, could only smile slightly seeing his confidence.

Luo Xi couldn't help but remind him, "Don’t be too polite with me, in front of others—"

Xiyu, hearing footsteps, immediately interrupted, "I know, in front of others, we’re still like flowers and fertilizer."

As the words fell, Wu Zhi and No. 009 appeared one after another at the end of the hallway.

Xiyu walked into the classroom first, unintentionally making eye contact with Wu Zhi, who looked at him with a dependent gaze. He just shook his head as a warning and said nothing more.