Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Experienced streamers are night owls, and the nursing home, hidden in the darkness, is probably even busier than during the day.

Xiyu and Luo Xi walked one after the other, making almost no sound as they moved.

They had planned to hide in some secluded corners and wait for the nutrient liquid to refresh at midnight.

However, just as they passed a stairwell, they heard the rustling voices of girls chatting.

Luo Xi signaled for Xiyu to stay quiet and crouched down to get closer.

It turned out that Yuan Wei and Zhang Hua were hiding inside, plotting something.

"Our physical condition isn't good, and we really have no advantages. If we continue like this, we might as well give up," Yuan Wei’s voice was colder in private, coughing tiredly before continuing, "I believe we have a chance if we strategize, but those male streamers’ physical abilities are terrifying. Even though the game can't kill, they can easily control others. Especially since Luo Xi and Xiyu are always sticking together, we need to figure out how to deal with them first!"

Zhang Hua replied briefly, "Wait for the right moment and strike decisively."

Yuan Wei nodded, "I understand. We can’t let them catch on before we act."

Zhang Hua said, "Hmm, it’s almost midnight."

Yuan Wei immediately grabbed her, "Let’s go. I know a good place; the nutrient liquid will likely refresh there!"

They tiptoed downstairs, and their conversation abruptly stopped.

Xiyu frowned quietly, "These girls... they really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. We need to be prepared."

"How about we get a weapon?" Luo Xi raised an eyebrow, "This nursing home must perform surgeries, and scalpels are always useful."

Xiyu decisively agreed, "Let’s go."

Luo Xi motioned with his hand and continued to lead the way.

On the floor directly beneath Director Hao’s office was a dirty surgery room. The instruments inside were so filthy that it made one suspect that anyone undergoing surgery there might lose half their life.

Xiyu moved quickly, feeling his way around in the dark. He finally found a medical kit inside a steam pot.

He quickly opened it and checked, "Here, take it."

Just as Luo Xi got closer, the system broadcast unexpectedly sounded.[Midnight has arrived, the nutrient liquid has refreshed]

[Unfortunately, patient Qi Juexiao has passed away. Please accept our condolences.]

The female streamer is dead...

Although her foolishness was very out of place in this group of twelve, thinking about the reset punishment outside of the game, Xiyu still felt bad. Perhaps he was comforting himself or perhaps trying to lessen Luo Xi's guilt, he murmured, "It's better she died. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to go any further."

Luo Xi sighed and smiled after looking down, then asked, "Has the informant mission been updated?"

Xiyu shook his head, "Maybe I need to wait for the NC to contact me."

Only then did Luo Xi put away the scalpel. "Alright, let's leave here first."

Just as they were about to take a step forward, the sound of footsteps came from outside, unmistakably clear.

At this point, escaping out the door was not realistic. Luo Xi immediately pulled Xiyu back, and the two of them ducked into an empty broken cupboard, squeezing tightly.

Xiyu, feeling nervous, tried to peek out, but unexpectedly, Luo Xi took the opportunity to hug him tightly.

The proximity was so intimate that even the heat of their breaths could be felt.

Xiyu tried to struggle free, but someone had already entered outside, and he dared not make a sound.

In an instant, the lights in the operating room turned on. Through the crack in the door, they could clearly see Autumn Nurse and Winter Nurse carrying Qi Juexiao's corpse in, along with Doctor Fan, who was disinfecting his hands and looking quite weary.

Doctor Fan, after putting on his mask, chuckled, "If you were going to die, why not do it earlier? You had to go and die during the night shift, causing me trouble."

"There's nothing we can do, they can undergo cellular mutations at any time," Autumn Nurse said with a relaxed smile on his handsome face. "Just bear with it. Otherwise, if some strange virus spreads, it could be a real hassle."

Doctor Fan was still dissatisfied, waiting for the shadowless lamp to turn on. When the unimpressive sterilization device started running, he took out a scalpel and skillfully began to dissect Qi Juexiao's body.

Watching as each dirty organ was cut out and placed in jars was truly horrifying, beyond description.

Luo Xi hugged Xiyu tightly, silently comforting him not to make any rash moves.

Once Doctor Fan had removed all the organs he needed, the two nurses brought in huge sealed bags, stuffed Qi Juexiao's lifeless body inside, vacuumed the air out, and hurriedly lifted it into the freezer.

As for cleaning the blood and disinfecting the instruments, they were done more hastily, spending no more than half an hour, giving the impression that it was a makeshift, completed task.Once the NCs left, Xiyu finally relaxed his body, which had almost gone numb, and helplessly glared at Luo Xi. "Let go."

To his surprise, Luo Xi held on tighter, leaned in, and kissed Xiyu on the lips before finally opening the cupboard door for him.

"...", Xiyu remained calm, but his ears turned slightly red. After walking out, he stood frozen for a couple of seconds before finally heading to the freezer to check Qi Juexiao's body.

Although her internal organs were gone, her body still bore clear signs—her once smooth and fair skin was now covered in unusually coarse sweat hairs, which seemed completely out of place.

Xiyu furrowed his brow. "What kind of disease is this? No wonder she had cuts all over her body during the day; maybe she accidentally scratched herself while shaving."

"Atavism? Werewolf syndrome?" Luo Xi clicked his tongue. "These diseases really target each streamer's characteristics. Qi Juexiao always cared about her appearance, spending almost all her cloud platform money on cosmetic surgery, and now this..."

Xiyu was silent for a moment before his eyes widened. "Do you remember the inducement agent Zhou Rong got during the darkest moment? It had a bullet icon on it?"

Luo Xi quickly processed the information. "Legend says werewolves are afraid of bullets wrapped in silver. That inducement agent might have been designed for Qi Juexiao, so the symbol on the agent might indicate the name of the disease?"

Xiyu replied, "Not necessarily, but it should be related."

Luo Xi smiled. "At least we know Zhou Rong's inducement agent is likely useless, but who is the inducement agent with the doll icon targeting?"

"We'll observe further..." Xiyu smiled wryly. "As expected, the tournament has too many unpredictable variables."

"Should we destroy Qi Juexiao's body? Otherwise, others might gain information," Luo Xi suggested. Confident in his idea, he dragged her body out of the freezer and began searching the operating room for tools to start a fire.

Xiyu helplessly shook his head and joined in, opening the disordered cupboards to check.

Luo Xi assumed the operating room wouldn't have a lighter, so he simply yanked out the electrical wiring, took some dry sheets, and placed them over Qi Juexiao's body, attempting to burn the body with sparks.

Xiyu quickly stepped back, watching as Luo Xi managed to get the sheets to catch fire. He hurriedly pulled Luo Xi aside. "Let's go, aren't you afraid of fire?"

Luo Xi staggered a couple of steps and followed Xiyu out of the room, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know why I'm afraid of fire?"

Xiyu shook his head.

Luo Xi lowered his gaze, realizing Xiyu hadn’t remembered the fire in his dream. He then said, "Let's leave here first."

With a scalpel in his pocket, Luo Xi felt his sense of security rise a few levels.

At this moment, the streamers were likely all busy looking for the nutrient liquid, and figures hurriedly darted through the entire nursing home.Xiyu and Luo Xi ran for a few steps, and Xiyu suggested, "The chances of finding it are higher if we separate. Anyway, we'll all meet at the darkest moment, it won't be long."

"Okay, stay safe." Luo Xi, not overly clingy, patted Xiyu's head and went in the opposite direction.

With no one around, Xiyu suddenly felt empty. He turned and walked towards a nearby warehouse, trying to search for the nutrient liquid in the most chaotic corner.

After some time, when he finally found a flashing medicine bottle in a cardboard box, a small but agile figure rushed over, grabbed the box, and said, "Give it to me! I saw it first!"

The one speaking was Zhou Rong.

Xiyu ignored her, immediately grabbing for the nutrient bottle. Zhou Rong wasn’t backing down and directly tried to snatch it.

After a few moves, Xiyu managed to gain the upper hand with his height and strength. He tightly gripped the bottle and said, "If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time here."

"…Please give it to me… I only found one bottle yesterday and drank it. If I don’t have one today…" Zhou Rong instantly switched to a pitiful expression, turning from snatching to pleading.

Xiyu turned to leave.

"Wait, wait! I’ll trade information for it, okay? I know someone with a special identity!" Zhou Rong quickly grabbed him.

Xiyu raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Zhou Rong replied, "First give me the nutrient liquid!"

Xiyu sneered and shook her off.

"It’s Yuan Wei," Zhou Rong immediately compromised. "I followed her yesterday and found that she’s been chatting with NCs. At first, I thought she was looking for clues, but after quietly observing, I felt like she had other intentions."

Having also seen Yuan Wei interacting with NCs, Xiyu finally looked interested.

Zhou Rong continued, "The things she asked NCs about were mostly—what her previous job was, why she came here to work—doesn’t that seem strange? She might be a spy, helping the nursing home get rid of undercover agents!"

Although Zhou Rong's personality was unpredictable, her analysis made a lot of sense.

Xiyu thought for a moment before tossing her the bottle of nutrient liquid and turning to leave.

Zhou Rong was surprised. "Hey, you’re really giving it to me?"

Xiyu turned back. "I don’t want to make an enemy of you, but this is the only time."Zhou Rong stared at his retreating figure for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders.

Meanwhile, in another corridor, Luo Xi was also searching for the nutrient liquid. However, before he could make any discoveries, he heard some noticeable noises coming from the restroom. Holding the scalpel, he entered to find that Ma Guanshan and Sun Xin were engaged in a fierce struggle!

Although Ma Guanshan was large and muscular, Sun Xin was no weakling either, and it looked like a close match.

Luo Xi cleared his throat and tossed the shiny scalpel in his hand. "What’s going on?"

Ma Guanshan shoved Sun Xin away and, panting, wiped the sweat from his brow. "I found two bottles of nutrient liquid, and he tried to snatch them."

Sun Xin spat. "Everyone shares! Is your little schoolyard tattling line really necessary?"

Luo Xi assessed the situation and looked at Ma Guanshan. "How about we split it?"

Ma Guanshan thought for a moment and nodded vigorously. "Sure!"

Luo Xi smiled at Sun Xin, suddenly gripping the knife tighter and saying, "Though killing gets you out, stabbing you blind doesn’t count as a violation. Want to give it a try?"

To survive in a holographic game like this, aside from skill, one also had to know when to recognize the right moment.

Although Sun Xin was furious, he didn’t press the matter. He muttered some curses under his breath before storming off.

Ma Guanshan, being decent about it, immediately took the nutrient liquid from his pocket and handed it over. "Thanks, we’ll split it."

"Explain first," Luo Xi asked with an arched eyebrow as he took the bottle. "Why are you willing to split with me but not with him?"

Ma Guanshan was candid. "If I could have it all to myself, that’d be best. But if not, I’d rather share with someone reliable. You gave me the decryption code for the final level, and I didn’t get the chance to thank you."

Luo Xi smiled faintly and continued, "Why don’t you team up with your brother?"

Ma Guanshan’s expression darkened slightly, and he clicked his tongue. "…We look exactly the same. The company doesn’t want to be unfair to others. It’s probably because we’ve messed up too much before and offended the security department."

Such insolent words triggered a notification from the red light system.

【Streamer Ma Guanshan, please stop making malicious assumptions about the company’s operations. This is the final warning.】

Ma Guanshan muttered in frustration and shut up. At that moment, everything in the room started to decay and collapse, just like a familiar scene of corruption.

Luo Xi raised his eyes and said, "The Monopoly has arrived."As expected, the colorful square grid appeared once again in the void, and the streamers were still standing at the positions they ended up at yesterday, but now only eleven remained.

Standing in the center of the square was the NC, but instead of Director Hao Zhong, it was his fierce wife, Nurse Lin Fengyang.

Nurse Lin scanned everyone with an unamused look, but her gaze softened when it landed on Xi Yu. Suddenly, she smiled widely and, spreading her hands, announced: "Welcome to the second night's darkest moment. I hope we can see more bottles of the induction agent today! I believe everyone understands the rules very clearly. Come on, my dear darling, Xi Yu, you start first this time!"

After saying that, she waddled over to Xi Yu's feet, placed her hand on the table, and gazed at him tenderly.

It seemed that while Director Hao liked beautiful women, she had a preference for handsome men...

Luo Xi looked at her with disdain.

Zhou Rong, standing in her cramped square, chuckled, "Today's green hat is especially dazzling."

Luo Xi shot her an angry glare, confirming once again that he truly hated creatures like lolis and really wanted to bury her and Du Li alive together.

"...", Xi Yu, however, didn’t react much. He simply picked up the dice and tossed it high, kicking off tonight’s game of luck.

Three points, landing on the fourteenth square, which was Zhang Hua's free square.

Xi Yu, already aware of the hostility from the other party, couldn’t help but slow down a little.

Zhang Hua must have had a plan in mind and immediately asked, "How did you get the injury on your face?"

Although he couldn’t lie in his response, the wound caused by illness had mostly healed, but the place where Nurse Dong had beaten him was still swollen. He intentionally touched the bruised area and said, "Here? I didn’t cooperate with the treatment, so the nurse hit me."

After a tense two seconds, nothing happened as a punishment.

Zhang Hua blinked in confusion.

Nurse Lin immediately rushed over with a concerned look, "Who hit you? Tell me!"

Xi Yu didn’t want to bother with the NC's AI, so he quickly picked up the dice and threw it again.

Two points. The sixteenth square was a damage square.

Xi Yu tried to remain calm as he stepped forward, but immediately, an air blade sliced toward his arm!

His thin patient gown ripped, and blood started to pour out.Nurse Lin was almost in tears, stomping her feet in frustration.

This level of infatuation made Xi Yu feel deeply uncomfortable. He immediately tossed the dice again, wanting to finish his turn.

The dice rolled far away and landed on three points.

Three steps away, the nineteenth square was the orange induction square!

The unexpected surprise gave Xi Yu great hope. He quickly ran over, grabbed the induction agent, and immediately looked around, keeping a close eye on the streamers around him!

The bottle of induction agent had a lipstick symbol on it, and everyone naturally was curious, thoughtful, or jealous... but it seemed... no one appeared uneasy because of the symbol?

In a daze, Xi Yu caught eyes with Zhou Rong, who immediately looked away.

There was something strange going on.

"That's great, Xi Yu, darling! I hope you’ll use it soon to get rid of these damned patients!" Nurse Lin grinned, her eyes squinted into lines from her excess flesh, before suddenly becoming stern: "Luo Xi, it's your turn, what are you hesitating for?!"

The unlucky person who was being treated unfairly: "…"

Perhaps to prove his own luck, Luo Xi threw the dice and got three points. He had no choice but to march onto the sixteenth square, the damage square, where the air blade immediately slashed across his back. He endured the pain and frustration for a moment before tossing the dice again: four points, the twentieth square, the survival square?!

Xi Yu watched with bated breath, but as Luo Xi passed by him, he secretly squeezed his hand as a sign of comfort, then stepped boldly onto the twentieth square. The next moment, he disappeared completely!

Around three minutes later, Luo Xi reappeared on the square, dripping with blood.

Xi Yu noticed that Luo Xi's left arm seemed badly mangled, as if bitten by a beast, and he worriedly tried to approach.

Unfortunately, there was an invisible barrier between the squares, preventing the streamers from touching each other. He could only silently show his concern, pressing his face against the invisible wall.

Luo Xi smiled: "It's fine."

With that, he kicked the dice out of the square.

Three points, the twenty-third square, the host square.

Luo Xi walked while staring at the anxious Nurse Lin, stepping onto the square and immediately asking: "How is your relationship with the director? Would you betray him?"

Nurse Lin’s face changed in a chaotic blend of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple before she stiffly responded: "I love him! Whether he loves me or not, I will dedicate everything to him and eliminate all future threats!""Alright, understood." Luo Xi nodded and sat down to rest.

Nurse Lin immediately forgot about her previous embarrassment and looked at the inconspicuous Sun Xiuyan: "You, little girl, it's your turn!"

Sun Xiuyan, standing on the tenth square, bent down to pick up the dice, tossing them lightly: five points, blank square.

She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped onto the square before tossing the dice again.

Five points, survival square.

Physical strength wasn't this girl’s strong suit, so Sun Xiuyan naturally felt a little worried, but she always had the courage to face challenges. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Luo Xi's side, where she was teleported by the system.

Three minutes, four minutes, five minutes.

All the streamers waited quietly.

Just when everyone thought Sun Xiuyan might disappear, she suddenly collapsed, curled up in the narrow square, covered in injuries.

Nurse Lin sneered: "Hurry up, are you forfeiting?"

Sun Xiuyan struggled to get up and tremblingly threw the dice: two points, blank square.

She sighed in relief.

Actually, Luo Xi had been watching this little girl persevere all along. If it hadn’t been for him speaking up back then, Sun Xiuyan would probably have been reset after “The Bloody Demon Blade.” Because of that small connection, he encouraged her: "Hang in there."

Feeling Xi Yu’s displeased gaze beside her, Sun Xiuyan quickly nodded, then stopped looking at Luo Xi and squatted down to rest on the blank square.

Although her luck wasn’t great, this… was finally a safe pass.