Chapter 112: Infinite Cannon Fodder (2)

As soon as the couple entered the castle, Mu Bai’s first reaction was to approach them for information.

In this infinite survival game, he considered himself an experienced veteran. Before an instance scenario began, gathering intel from both players and NPCs could be crucial for successfully completing it later.

He habitually glanced at their wrists, sighing with relief after confirming they were not players.

Before this couple arrived, five other players had already entered the castle, including himself. None of them were newcomers, indicating that the difficulty of this instance scenario was likely at least B-level or higher. As more players joined, the scenario’s complexity would continue to increase. Therefore, seeing these NPC arrivals somewhat eased Mu Bai’s concerns.

The personalities of these two NPCs were instantly discernible at first glance.

The male seemed timid, constantly focused on his girlfriend with a pleading look in his eyes, clearly displaying traits of an overly subservient individual lacking assertiveness. The female resembled a typical damsel-in-distress NPC archetype, but no, her temper was even worse than most. Such NPCs usually met their demise quickly, so Mu Bai didn’t let their poor attitudes bother him.

The castle’s main doors automatically closed as the system began announcing the instance scenario details.

As Mu Bai had guessed, this small-scale instance scenario was rated B-level in difficulty, but…

Ten people? How could this scenario have only ten participants?!

Clearly, there were eleven of them present; what happened to the missing person?

Feeling alarmed, Mu Bai subtly scrutinized everyone in the hall once more.

During his observation, he noticed another peculiar thing: Were the NPCs in this instance unusually attractive? Had previous scenarios featured NPCs with such high levels of beauty?

Immediately upon entering, the bad-tempered vase NPC started bossing around her clingy boyfriend. In this environment, her behavior was practically a textbook example of courting disaster. Once she acts alone, it seems likely that she’ll meet her demise soon.

Just as Mu Bai internally criticized the situation, his system began repairing a bug. When the repair finished, even Mu Bai couldn’t feign calmness anymore.

An S-grade instance scenario?!

What kind of joke is this?! Mu Bai had experienced five instance scenarios, with the highest level being merely A-grade. In that A-ranked scenario, he nearly depleted all his items and still barely survived, almost meeting his demise…

An S-grade… God truly wants me dead!

Who knows what bizarre creatures these mission prompts refer to? And the person whose name was censored—given that God specifically highlighted them, they clearly aren’t some ordinary character.

Mu Bai’s mood became unprecedentedly heavy. He exchanged glances with his teammate Li Yun; within this instance scenario, all players must work together or none will make it out alive!

As the players were filled with gloom, the NPCs showed new developments.

“Lingling!”

When several high-profile NPCs simultaneously called out to the vase NPC, Mu Bai realized his judgment might have been too hasty.

How could cannon fodder possibly be connected to individuals who may not even be human? This woman… Could she be the one whom God requires them to eliminate?

Three individuals called out to Tong Ling: a red-haired youth, a young man with long hair resembling seaweed, and a man dressed in black clerical attire.

Without exception, “Tong Ling’s” chosen partners were all exceptionally good-looking. For instance, Bei Bo, with his delicate features, would never have been accepted as her boyfriend if he hadn’t spent years persistently fawning over her like a loyal dog.

The red-haired youth was named Miya, seemingly of Celtic descent, evident from his striking natural red hair. He had fair skin, bright amber-colored eyes, and remarkably handsome facial features. When smiling, he displayed charming little canines, making him a captivating beauty who drew attention wherever he went.

In this castle, most gazes subtly fell upon the youth, highlighting just how appealing his appearance was.

The reason for Tong Ling’s breakup with Miya was straightforward - Miya was overly clingy, and his behavior tended towards immature melodrama.

Miya was obsessed with everything red; he loved seeing Tong Ling wear red dresses, paint her nails red, and even wanted her to dye her hair red. How could Tong Ling tolerate such control? Once Miya’s beautiful face no longer brought her joy, she decisively ended their relationship, cut off all communication unilaterally, and traveled abroad to clear her mind.

During her time away to clear her mind, she met her next boyfriend… Medes.

Medes had long hair as abundant and wavy as seaweed, its deep blue shade verging on black, reminiscent of the ocean’s deepest waters. Tong Ling found his long hair incredibly beautiful.

With striking features and expressive eyes, Medes was introverted by nature. Initially, it was his melancholic gaze that captivated Tong Ling.

Tong Ling’s relationship with Medes lasted longer than with Miya. Unlike Miya, Medes wasn’t controlling or assertive; rather, he tended to be passive. Once the novelty wore off for Tong Ling, she lost interest in the overly reserved Medes.

However, this wasn’t the primary reason for their breakup. Tong Ling couldn’t tolerate Medes’ peculiar habit: every night, he would soak for hours in the bathtub. Afterward, when he climbed into bed, everything became damp from the water residue. At night, Tong Ling also detected a strange, sweet yet fishy odor, which suffocated her. She swiftly ended things with Medes and moved on to search for her next partner.

Tong Ling met Arnold, a cultivator, at church.

Her consecutive failures in love led her, unusually, to seek solace through prayer to God.

Arnold was a mature, steady, and refined gentleman. Perhaps drawn to Tong Ling’s melancholy demeanor, he showed considerable concern for her.

Tong Ling quickly became enamored with him and initiated a romantic pursuit.

Cultivators were forbidden from falling in love or marrying, so Arnold unequivocally rejected her advances.

As the saying goes, what one can’t have often becomes more desirable. Tong Ling did not give up on Arnold. After relentless persistence, Arnold finally agreed to secretly maintain a relationship with her.

However, once she had him, Tong Ling’s interest shifted to another handsome man. Using Arnold’s inability to marry her as an excuse, she smoothly broke off their clandestine affair, leaving behind the gentle yet rigid cultivator before returning home.

Having reviewed these memories, Tong Ling formed initial impressions of the men involved.

Based solely on the recollections, Arnold seemed the most innocent and normal, while Miya and Medes clearly had issues. However, Tong Ling believed that God wouldn’t place someone harmless around her; all three, including Bei Bo, would likely cause her trouble.

Contrary to feeling upset, Tong Ling appreciated this turn of events and mentally applauded God’s taste.

Regardless of who these men were, just based on their attractive faces—whether pretty or handsome—she was already smitten.

Tong Ling spoke to the system, “Little m, can you send a message to God? Tell Him I’m grateful for these men and that I’ll thoroughly enjoy them.”

m577 hesitated before responding: […]

The corner of m577’s mouth twitched: [Don’t mess around with just anyone!]

Tong Ling giggled, “As long as they make me happy, it doesn’t matter what species they are.”

m577 fell silent, all its worries about the host evaporating instantly.

In a subdued tone, m577 muttered, [B-be careful…]

With that, m577 set out to send a virus-infected message to God. As for its host, wasn’t it well aware of her true nature? Let her play as she wishes; after all, her soul is under its protection.

Before Tong Ling could say anything, the men exchanged glances, each eyeing the others with scrutiny and curiosity.

Miya was the first to inquire, “What relationship do you have with Lingling?”

Arnold responded with a smile, maintaining his courteous demeanor, “Friends.”

Miya clicked his tongue, expressing strong disdain towards Arnold, “Friends? As a clergyman, using such intimate terms privately with a lady?”

Miya despised anyone associated with deities; even without Tong Ling’s presence, he could not tolerate this cultivator.

Unfazed by Miya’s hostility, Arnold smiled indulgently and redirected his gaze to the woman who had pursued him but later abandoned him, “Ling, it’s been a long time.”

Tong Ling frowned, visibly displeased, “What are you doing here?”

“Do you know each other?” Tong Ling rapidly fired questions one after another, “Could it be that you specifically investigated me, knowing I was going on vacation, and waited here for my arrival?”

“Are you guys creepy stalkers or something?”

Having ignored the others and silently fixated only on Tong Ling, Medes finally spoke up, “I’m not.” He denied it firmly, “I am not a stalker. Nor do I know them.”

Medes’ voice was magnetic and pleasing to the ear, capturing everyone’s attention as soon as he spoke. Tong Ling couldn’t help but think whimsically, if Medes were to whisper breathlessly, his voice would undoubtedly sound even more enchanting.

“As if anyone knows you,” Miya sneered, then turned to Tong Ling with unmistakable malice in his eyes. “I haven’t investigated you; encountering you here just shows my good luck.”

Hearing this, Tong Ling scoffed, “Then my luck must be absolutely terrible.”

Miya’s expression instantly chilled, confirming that this woman hadn’t changed at all.

She remained oblivious to her circumstances, as stubborn and impudent as ever!

Miya couldn’t recall why he had initially taken interest in her. She was riddled with flaws; apart from being slightly more attractive than most, she essentially lacked any redeeming qualities. Despite her inadequacies, she not only broke up with him but also disappeared without a trace—how utterly laughable.

As the humiliation of their breakup resurfaced, Miya resolved not to let her off this time.

A mere “discarded item” ought to be disposed of properly.

Just as the anger within Miya began coalescing into tangible fury, the woman before him stamped her foot and complained, “Why do I always run into you when I’m at my worst? It’s so annoying!”

“Don’t look at me! Forget my appearance right now; I’ll speak to you once I’ve tidied up!” The woman glared angrily at them and demanded, “Quickly, tell me where I can bathe and change clothes. Someone guide me there!”

Miya was amused by Tong Ling’s assertive manner of giving orders. “Who do you think will listen to you?”

Regardless of their relationships with her, it was clear that the other two men harbored ill intentions.

Given Tong Ling’s temperament, offending others wasn’t surprising.

To Miya, it was simply comical that she cared about her image before him even in this situation. Did she really believe that dressing elegantly would make him spare her? What a foolish woman!

Just as Miya anticipated witnessing her awkward and helpless demeanor, he saw Arnold, tall and imposing, step forward and say, “There is a bathroom on the second floor of this castle. I’ll show you.”

Caught off guard, Miya thought, Damn, is this trash cultivator deliberately trying to defy me?

“I’ll take her!” Miya gritted his teeth, casting a menacing gaze at the man clad in monk’s attire. “A place like the bathroom doesn’t require guidance from someone like you, a cultivator.”

“Bathroom?” Medes’ gaze quietly settled on Tong Ling. “I’ll accompany you.”

Having just finished gathering information about the castle, Bei Bo turned around only to find his girlfriend about to leave with several other men. He hastily rushed back to her side, eyeing them warily. “Lingling, who are they?”

“People like you,” Tong Ling replied.

“Like me?” Bei Bo was puzzled. What did she mean by people like him?

With Bei Bo’s arrival, Miya’s expression darkened further, recalling that when Tong Ling first entered the castle, this man had been accompanying her.

“He’s your boyfriend?” Miya couldn’t bear the thought of Tong Ling being with someone inferior to him after their breakup; it felt like a tremendous insult.

Arnold and Medes also couldn’t help but glance at the slender-framed man.

“No, ex-boyfriend,” Tong Ling answered without any hesitation.

As if reading his thoughts, Miya noticed the woman’s lips curve slightly as she winked at him. “I’m single now, oh.”

Single… Why should her being single matter to him?!

Could this woman be wanting to reconcile with him? Otherwise, why would she care about her appearance and specifically emphasize being single…

As Miya pondered, he felt more convinced that was the case. Despite her seemingly proud demeanor, wasn’t she subtly trying to win his favor?

Undeniably, Miya’s mood instantly lightened considerably, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. “An ex-boyfriend, huh.”

Miya grinned wider, just about to mock this obsequious “ex-boyfriend” when…

Tong Ling swiftly looped her arm through Bei Bo’s, waving at the other three. “No need for you guys to guide me; having him is enough.”

Miya blinked in confusion.

What happened to the agreed-upon ex-boyfriend status? Why was she still acting so intimately towards him?

Even Medes displayed a puzzled expression at that moment.

Arnold looked thoughtfully between them and gently reminded, “The castle grounds are vast; be careful not to get lost.”

“Don’t worry, Abbo will find our way, right?” Tong Ling shook Bei Bo’s arm affectionately.

Snapped out of his inexplicable emotional state, Bei Bo hastily regained his composure and gave Tong Ling a deep look. “Yes, you have me, that’s enough.”

Hearing Tong Ling refer to him as her “ex-boyfriend” couldn’t help but cause a pang in Bei Bo’s heart.

Especially in front of these individuals who seemed to share a special bond with his girlfriend, his self-respect felt trampled underfoot.

Resentment, dissatisfaction, annoyance, bitterness…

A wave of negative emotions overwhelmed Bei Bo. He clenched his fists tightly, his entire body involuntarily trembling.

Bei Bo felt his thoughts becoming somewhat muddled, strongly desiring to take some action.

However, he managed to suppress that urge. He knew how malicious his girlfriend could be; she might intentionally want to embarrass him.

His suspicion was correct.

After hurting him once again, his charming and lovely girlfriend leaned close to him, seeking support.

Bei Bo wanted to sigh, wondering how such women existed—making him feel like he was plunged into hell one moment, only to offer boundless hope the next.

No one else could likely tolerate someone this terrible except for him.

With this thought, Bei Bo silently chuckled.