Chapter 91

Chapter 91

[Physiological function check complete]

[Host body unload complete]

[Brainwave disconnection in progress]

...

The familiar notifications from the nutrient pod echoed continuously in his ears.

When Xi Yu finally opened his eyes and brought his consciousness back to reality, he simply sat up quietly—no longer panicking or desperately seeking Luo Xi for a sense of safety.

Did this mean he had matured as a host?

He remembered that in the final hours of Sinister Thoughts Among Humans, Xi Yu could only drag the three severely injured companions into a warehouse to hide. It wasn’t until midnight that he died from complications due to not taking the nutrient solution.

As for the following tally and exit procedures, those parts were already a bit blurry.

While he was still lost in thought, Luo Xi’s voice suddenly came from beside him, “You alright? Don’t overthink.”

As he spoke, Xi Yu felt someone pressing down on his damp hair.

He looked up at Luo Xi, seeing that the man still had the same tall and sturdy figure—no longer twisted in pain like during the game’s final stage—and his mood lifted slightly. Holding onto Luo Xi’s hand, he climbed out of the nutrient pod. “It’s nothing. Just feels like everyone was innocent... come on, let’s go check on Bunny and Bai Qi.”

Luo Xi stayed by his side the entire time, accompanying Xi Yu as he handed over his wristband and left the chaotic game room.

In truth, despite having livestreamed several times, this was Luo Xi’s first time seeing Xi Yu calmly and peacefully accept everything like this.

He wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not.

As the two of them walked down the corridor looking for the elevator, Ma Guanshan suddenly ran up and gave Xi Yu a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, man! I wasn’t even conscious at the end, and I still made it through. Must’ve been your nutrient solution, right?”

“It’s our fault you got hurt by Ying Zhixing like that,” Xi Yu shook his head. “Besides, it’s not like I did much. I promised you the nutrient solution anyway.”

Ma Guanshan wasn’t some naïve rookie host. Hearing that, he simply smiled and sighed, “Ah, I hope we don’t get matched together again. I honestly wouldn’t know how to deal with you two—loyalty is even more of a headache than scheming.”

“Bro, I was worried you didn’t make it. Turns out you’re here.”

A voice identical to Ma Guanshan’s suddenly spoke.

Xi Yu and Luo Xi turned their heads—of course, they saw Ma Ruofei, who looked exactly like Ma Guanshan.

These two brothers’ genes might as well have been cloned in a test tube. Even under a magnifying glass, you couldn’t tell them apart.

No wonder the company forbade them from teaming up. Other hosts would have to exhaust themselves just trying to distinguish between the two.

Ma Guanshan grinned. “Lucky to be alive. Besides, they helped.”

Speaking of which, Ma Ruofei was familiar with Xi Yu and Luo Xi too. After all, they’d shared a dorm back in Rose Game. He greeted them cheerfully, “Well then, thanks.”

Xi Yu shook his head, about to leave, when he caught Ying Zhixing out of the corner of his eye walking by.

Ying Zhixing was indeed a strikingly handsome host—unfortunately, he rarely showed any emotion, like a cold, expressionless wall. He was toweling his hair dry with a white towel, striding toward the elevator, and tossed out a cold remark: “Huddling together for warmth means nothing. Next time, I won’t lose.”

Xi Yu pressed his lips together. Only after the man disappeared into the elevator did he finally speak: “If we were to rank based on points, maybe Ying Zhixing really was number one. No wonder the audience wanted to keep him.”"The past is the past, just be careful in the future." Luo Xi remained calm as ever, putting an arm around Xi Yu's shoulders and said, "It's over, get some rest."

The Ma brothers waved goodbye.

Xi Yu pressed the elevator button with him, then suddenly smiled. "I think you're amazing."

Luo Xi looked puzzled. "Hm?"

"I used to think most of the powerful streamers were like Mu Yuan. This time, I finally felt the fear that true experts can bring." Xi Yu was sincere. "Just thinking about how you managed to stay undefeated against them for over a year... that's really impressive."

Luo Xi lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. "No one is perfect, and no one is completely invincible. Keeping a level mindset is more important than anything."

At this point, Xi Yu had never even thought of competing for first place himself.

Seeing that Luo Xi had no visible weaknesses, he felt more at ease and instead grabbed Luo Xi's hand, letting go of the cruel game entirely.

"Dear No. 00777, Yuntai Butler at your service. According to the latest company update, the next advancement match will begin in seven days. Please take this time to rest and adjust your condition. We wish you success in the competition."

After taking a shower, Xi Yu sat on the bed playing with the electronic screen, a little surprised at the tight schedule.

But then he thought—viewers out there surely wanted non-stop matches to watch. Being allowed a week's rest was already a stroke of luck in misfortune.

While he was hugging his knees and thinking, the dorm door suddenly opened.

It was Luo Xi returning with a cat, along with Xu Tu, who hadn’t been seen for several days.

Xu Tu was as energetic as ever. She waved and came in. "You okay? Ah Qi was so tired he fell asleep, so I came to hang out with you two."

"Yeah, of course I'm fine." Xi Yu took the fluffy Xiao Qi, stroking its growing body, and after confirming Qin Yunshen hadn’t mistreated the cat, he relaxed. Smiling, he asked, "I was worried you might be afraid of pain in this round, but thinking about it, you and Bai Qi couldn’t possibly be as unlucky as Luo Xi. The two of you teaming up and winning the Inducer during the darkest moment—your odds shouldn’t have been bad at all."

"Exactly! And both Ah Qi and I had the identity of ordinary patients. We played both sides every day, fooled them all into a spin." Xu Tu giggled. "I came just to hear about Boss’s new ‘glorious achievements’!"

Now that Xi Yu was relaxed, he followed her lead and told the story of how Luo Xi didn’t draw even one Inducer and still lost all his blood—such bad luck.

Xu Tu laughed even harder, nearly doubling over.

Luo Xi took a quick shower and came out of the bathroom with a cold face. He picked her up and said, "It’s already 2 a.m. How long do you plan to fool around?"

"Hmph! Don’t worry, not every round will be about luck. Though the draws are fun, the audience likes fights and killings even more." Xu Tu didn’t say much else. She stood up and patted Luo Xi on the arm. "I’m off then. Training together at 7 a.m., okay?"

Luo Xi’s expression froze briefly as he watched Xu Tu leave, then rubbed his arm and clenched his fist.

These small gestures didn’t escape Xi Yu’s eyes.

Xi Yu watched silently.

Luo Xi smiled. "We should rest too."

Saying that, he reached out and turned off the lights.

With the curtains tightly drawn, not even moonlight could shine through—it was pitch black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

But Xi Yu didn’t let his guard down. After all, with Yuntai’s technology, night-vision surveillance was a piece of cake.He felt Luo Xi climb into his bed. After catching the familiar scent of the shower gel, he finally let go of the purring Little Qi and reached out to embrace him.

No matter what, the pain and suffering, the life-and-death separations inside the game were all hard to endure.

Unfortunately, the warmth didn’t last long before being replaced by an uncontrollable passion.

Luo Xi deeply kissed Xi Yu’s soft lips and pressed him down onto the bed. With their bodies entangled, it was only natural that they began reacting to each other.

But the thought of the ever-present surveillance cameras made Xi Yu feel uncomfortable. He struggled to pull his tightly held wrist free and turned his head to avoid the kiss.

Thankfully, Luo Xi didn’t force him. Instead, he tried to regulate his breathing and control both his body and emotions.

Xi Yu, feeling a little guilty, turned on his side and hugged Luo Xi’s arm. “Let’s sleep. The next round will only be harder. Keep yourself in good shape.”

Unexpectedly, in the darkness, Luo Xi wrote two characters on Xi Yu’s palm.

Xi Yu carefully felt them and realized it was—zombie…

He was confused at first, but a few seconds later, he realized this was the message Xu Tu had eagerly left behind in the middle of the night.

Could it be related to the content of the next game?

It made sense—after all, for regular humans, this was a classic and well-loved theme. Besides… compared to scheming, fragile streamers, people like him and Luo Xi, with strong combat abilities, had a real advantage.

So even though he didn’t know where Xu Tu got the information from, it should be a good sign.

Luo Xi patted Xi Yu’s back. “Go to sleep. I’ll give you a surprise tomorrow.”

Xi Yu had spent all his time with Luo Xi, even in the game, they hadn’t been apart. He really couldn’t imagine what kind of surprise could exist in a place like Yuntai.

But thinking more carefully, this might be the only period he’d get to spend with Luo Xi…

At that thought, Xi Yu smiled softly and responded gently, “Mm.”

The night went on. Apart from the occasional sound of Little Qi moving around, the room fell completely silent.

Xi Yu, breathing in the warm and clean scent of Luo Xi, gradually drifted into sleep—so peacefully that he didn’t even dream.

Because the player living quarters were strictly monitored, Xu Tu didn’t get a chance to explain where her intel came from. But it was clear she took it seriously—dragging a few other men to start physical training early in the morning.

Maybe a lot of streamers had already been eliminated in this zone, because they didn’t see anyone else the entire morning. It was truly odd.

By lunchtime, Bai Qi finally spoke with unease, “Why do I feel like it’s just the four of us left here?”

“That’s normal. ‘Twisted Mind: Human World’ wiped out half the players. After the next round, another quarter will be gone.” Luo Xi calmly cut the steak in front of him, as if he were just discussing some unrelated news. “Keeping too many old streamers around doesn’t help much. It’s a good chance to get rid of the troublesome ones.”

Bai Qi silently stirred his salad. Though his mood wasn’t high, he didn’t seem depressed either.

Maybe he and Xu Tu had already come to terms with what the future might hold.

If there was no way to escape, then they might as well last until the very end of the game.

Xi Yu stared blankly at Little Qi, who was eating canned fish in front of him.

Luo Xi looked up and smiled, then switched the cut steak over to Xi Yu’s plate. “Eat properly. You’re not even doing as well as that dumb cat.”“……” Xi Yu came back to his senses and began to take small bites of the impeccably tender and flavorful lunch, inwardly mocking his own persistent gloom.

At that very moment, a dull boom suddenly echoed from beneath their feet, followed by a tremor that lasted no more than ten seconds.

The four of them immediately stood up on alert. When the shaking stopped, they looked at each other in confusion.

Xu Tu was surprised. “What was that? It sounded like… an explosion inside the building?”

Luo Xi immediately turned and walked toward the exit.

Unfortunately, a red warning light lit up instantly, and Xia Zi’s voice came through the broadcast system.

“All streamers, please return to your dorms immediately and await further instructions. Do not leave unless otherwise instructed!”

Upon hearing this, the security personnel guarding the door responded at once: “Hey, you four, get back to your dorms now. Pack up whatever food you haven’t finished and take it with you.”

Luo Xi didn’t pay much attention to him. He raised an eyebrow and turned around. “Remember the matter about the candidate streamers? If today’s mess isn’t related to that, then I’ve really lived for nothing.”

Xu Tu crossed her arms. “Agreed. I don’t know about the rest, but in terms of popularity, Mu Yuan is probably making a comeback.”

As for that defeated opponent, Xi Yu didn’t care much anymore. Hearing this, he just smiled faintly. “Even if he comes back, it doesn’t mean he’ll be matched with us. And even if he is, it’s nothing to worry about. Even if we don’t do anything, Ying Zhixing and his group will make sure he understands that being eliminated before wasn’t unfair in the slightest.”