DSMC Chapter 177.1

Arc 9: The One in My Heart (Part 1)

After Qi Feng entered the instance, Yan Jiyun followed Lan Mo and the others around and found out quite a lot of things. Combined with the information provided by his Master-Pet System, the information he had obtained might actually be more than that of the players in Central Zone.

After staying with Lan Mo and the others for half a day, there was no need for him to remain any longer. He simply left a note and left. This time, he used his usual reverse-handwriting style. Actually, it did not matter if Qi Feng recognized it. Since he had already guessed that the cat was in Yan Jiyun’s hands, at least he would no longer be worried. Before entering the [Sweet Christmas]  instance, Qi Feng had said that he had learned a few things from him, and Yan Jiyun also felt that “Yan Jiyun” was quite reliable.

Reliable “Yan Jiyun” ran away before nightfall, taking advantage of the moment Lan Mo went to the restroom.

When Lan Mo and Shi Yan saw the note he had left behind, they practically wanted to spit blood. Their boss had entrusted them with such an important task, yet they had not even managed to complete it properly.

First, their boss had been tricked by a despicable person, and now they had not even managed to protect their boss’s cat. Where on earth had this person gotten into their lodging and stolen the cat from? If only Central Zone had some surveillance cameras, why would they have to act like headless flies?

Yan Jiyun had earned quite a lot of points from the previous instance, so this time he did not need to conserve his experience cards. While staying in Central City, he could maintain his human form for a longer period of time.

He immediately contacted his two companions, Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi, and the two of them were somewhat delighted to see him.

Yan Jiyun continued to maintain that unique air of mystery in front of them.

Three days was enough time for Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi to work on their little base in Central Zone, and they had managed to arrange it quite decently.

After the three of them reported their results from the previous instance together, because the instance difficulty had jumped so drastically, the points they received after clearing it were extremely substantial, allowing them to break through the 150,000-point mark in one go.

“So that means all of us can enter the Intermediate instance now?” Yan Jiyun asked delightedly.

His instance points had already exceeded 300,000, so he could no longer enter Easy-level instances and could only enter intermediate-level  instances or above.

Actually, with his points, entering the Top-level instance was no longer a major problem either.

Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi had advanced to the intermediate arena after only their second beginner-arena instance, which was acceptable, although it was somewhat unrealistic to advance as quickly as if they were riding a rocket. In the previous instance, they had consecutively cleared Level 2, Level 4, and Level 5 difficult instances, which also counted as a pretty good training experience. The difficulty of Intermediate-level instances was roughly equivalent to Level 3–4 difficult instances, so they should be able to handle it.

Gu Wenzhu: “I have no problem with it. I have enough points too.”

Qiu Xi gestured as well, sincerely signing: ‘I have 150,000 points, plus the livestream rewards, so I have enough too.’

Yan Jiyun: “Then our next goal is an Intermediate-level instance. For now, let’s all get some proper rest. When Qiu Xi has time, you can ask Lan Mo to teach you some combat skills and increase our survival rate in these instances.”

Qiu Xi nodded vigorously, signing: [I’ve already made an appointment with him. Senior Brother will teach me.]

Yan Jiyun could now understand some of Qiu Xi’s gestures more or less. “Alright.”

Gu Wenzhu: “I went back to the real world and had someone customize a training plan for me. I’ll try not to hold everyone back in the game in the future.”

Yan Jiyun: “Don’t belittle yourself. You’re smart.”

Qiu Xi: [Exactly, exactly.]

Yan Jiyun and his two teammates had not gotten together for a while. The two of them had also taken the initiative to look for information about their next instance, and on the very first day after returning, they decided to have a team outing.

“Come on, I’m treating today.” He had heard Lan Mo say that the restaurants there were the most expensive and the food was the best. “I’ll take you two to the best restaurant in Central City and broaden your horizons.”

The three of them left and headed toward the best restaurant in Central Zone.

They took a shortcut. When they reached an alley where the players were somewhat complicated, someone came running wildly from behind and accidentally crashed into Gu Wenzhu, who was standing slightly toward the outside. The latter was already leaning on a crutch, so he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

By the time Yan Jiyun and Qiu Xi reacted, three people were already chasing after them from behind!

The person who had bumped into him shouted while running, “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Judging from the way the person ran and the sound of his voice, Yan Jiyun felt that it was somewhat familiar.

The two of them helped Gu Wenzhu up, and Yan Jiyun asked him, “Are you hurt?”

Gu Wenzhu shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Only after seeing that he was fine did Yan Jiyun say, “Was that He Yuanle just now?” Judging by his voice, it should have been him.

Gu Wenzhu: “It was him.”

Yan Jiyun was puzzled and casually asked, “Why was he being chased? Did he owe someone money and refuse to pay?”

He Yuanle looked timid and afraid of trouble on the outside, but in reality, he was extremely strong-willed. His weak, helpless, and pitiful appearance was all an act. He had probably offended someone without even knowing who.

Gu Wenzhu patted his trouser leg. “Maybe he really did. He Yuanle is pretty smart.”

Yan Jiyun knew He Yuanle was pretty smart. “Is he enemies with some guild?”

Gu Wenzhu pointed around them. “Everyone running around this area is an independent player.”

“So He Yuanle is an independent player too.” This was beyond Yan Jiyun’s expectations. He Yuanle had already put on such a pitiful act, so why had he not joined a guild?

After walking for another ten minutes, the three of them finally arrived at one of the best restaurants in Central Zone. No reservation was required here, but the food tasted good, there were plenty of seats, and quite a few players came here to eat.

There was no peak dining period in Central Zone. Players were always coming and going in a hurry. Those who genuinely wanted to enjoy themselves would not come here.

The three of them asked for a private room with relatively good privacy.

They had only just sat down when someone climbed through the window of the private room.

Qiu Xi almost kicked the person back out, but the other person hurriedly grabbed his leg. “ Qiu Xi-ge, wuwu, don’t kick, don’t kick! It’s me, it’s me!”

After recently learning hand-to-hand combat from Lan Mo, Qiu Xi’s reactions had become very sharp. He had indeed come within a hair’s breadth of kicking the other person right on the tip of the nose.

Once he saw who it was, he withdrew his foot.

Only then did He Yuanle climb through the window. His hands and feet were remarkably agile, completely unlike the clumsy appearance he had pretended to have before.

Yan Jiyun asked him, “What were you running from just now?”

He Yuanle was panting heavily from running and unceremoniously poured himself some tea to drink. “We had some bad blood when we were in an instance. Every time they see me, they try to hunt me down and kill me. They want my life.”

Gu Wenzhu: “What did you take from them?”

He Yuanle: “I just picked up something that was left behind, and then accidentally took first place in the instance. Who knew these people would hold such a grudge?”

Yan Jiyun: “Then you picked up that opportunity pretty well, directly scooping up someone else’s achievements.”

He Yuanle cheerfully laughed. “I just happen to be a little luckier sometimes.”

Thinking of his own black fur and his consistently stable luck value, Yan Jiyun began examining He Yuanle. Under his gaze, the latter instinctively crossed his arms over his chest.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not tasty,” He Yuanle said.

“Have you always been very lucky, ever since you were little?” Yan Jiyun was genuinely envious. He had an inexplicable curiosity toward lucky people. What exactly was different about them?

“It’s all right.” He Yuanle chuckled. He always felt as though he had escaped a tiger’s den only to fall into a wolf’s lair. He cautiously asked them, “Why did you three come out of the independent-player area?”

Yan Jiyun rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, while Gu Wenzhu answered He Yuanle’s question. “We haven’t joined a guild.”

He Yuanle stopped pretending to be a sweet and innocent idiot and became quite normal. He slapped his thigh. “Good grief, we really are kindred spirits! I haven’t joined a guild either. I really don’t want to join those rotten guilds. They’re so boring!”

Yan Jiyun saw through his exaggerated way of speaking. “You already knew we hadn’t joined a guild. Just say what you really want to say.”

He Yuanle curled his lips. “What do I have to say? I was just being chased and happened to run into you, then I climbed through the window and happened to run into you again.”

Yan Jiyun let out a cold laugh. “Nothing but nonsense. Qiu Xi, throw him out.”

He Yuanle immediately moved over beside Gu Wenzhu. Gu Wenzhu was the oldest among them and also the most composed, while the youngest was actually Yan Jiyun. He knew that Yan Jiyun would definitely give Gu Wenzhu some face.

“Ge, save me!”

Holding his teacup, Gu Wenzhu calmly said, “I can’t help you. Jiyun is my team leader.”

Qiu Xi made as though he was about to come over and drag He Yuanle away, full of intimidating presence.

He Yuanle really could run and jump, but he was indeed on the shorter side. Faced with three men who were all over 1.8 meters tall, he calmly chose to follow his instincts and give in.

He gave up struggling. “Aiya, do you really have to make me say it so bluntly? I’ve been an orphan for too long and want to join you.”

Yan Jiyun raised his fist. “Do you think I think you’re telling the truth?”

It was quite a convoluted sentence, but He Yuanle still understood. “Fine, fine. It’s like this: I just want to ride on your coattails.”

Only after seeing that he was willing to speak properly did Yan Jiyun say, “My leg isn’t even that thick. What exactly do you see in me?”

He Yuanle: “That’s a long list. In the Peak Competition, I saw that you were really good at dealing with Western dragons, and you performed exceptionally well in the [Mermaid] instance. Besides, Zhu-ge has a brain just like I do, and Qiu Xi is the physical-strength specialist. If we team up for instances in the future, you’ll definitely be able to take me along when we run away. Let me tell you one more truth: I’ve never met a team leader I really liked. This is the first time I’ve taken the initiative to approach a team. Would you consider taking me?”