Chapter 126: Infinite Cannon Fodder (16)

Day three in the abandoned castle.

Tong Ling was jolted awake by urgent knocking at her door.

Rubbing her eyes groggily, she called out irritably, “Who is it? Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep!”

The knocking ceased immediately. A young man’s voice drifted from outside, low and soothing, yet filled with relief. “Lingling, are you alright?”

“What could possibly be wrong?” Tong Ling grumbled. “Stop bothering me.”

The youth fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “I apologize, Lingling. May we meet face-to-face?”

Tong Ling had spent most of the night in Arnold’s room last evening. Upon returning to her own quarters, she hadn’t even rested for a few hours. All she wanted now was to catch up on much-needed sleep, ignoring everything else.

However, this was a horror scenario after all. If someone came looking for her at this hour, something must have occurred once more.

“Hold on.” Tong Ling didn’t rush outside. Instead, she changed into a new dress placed neatly at the head of her bed—she couldn’t fathom when Bai Bei had slipped it there, but she paid no mind as she effortlessly slipped it on.

After tidying herself up, she finally opened the door to investigate.

More than one person stood outside her door. The knocker was Yuan Ju, a young man without a hat, his hair disheveled and brows slightly furrowed. Upon seeing her, his eyes brightened, and a faint smile graced his face. His countenance was incredibly pleasing to the eye, which helped soothe Tong Ling’s morning grumpiness considerably.

Next to Yuan Ju were Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu, both looking quite haggard. It was evident at a glance that they hadn’t rested properly in this instance of the game.

“What do you need from me?” Tong Ling yawned, her body leaning bonelessly against the doorframe.

Mu Bai couldn’t help but envy NPC Lingling’s carefree appearance. This character he had initially thought would be eliminated as cannon fodder not only survived unscathed within the castle but thrived.

Unlike players constantly on high alert, NPC Lingling enjoyed good food and sound sleep, dressed in lavish attire like she was the mistress of the castle herself. Even they found themselves needing her assistance—was it fair to say that the Main God’s design for this instance was truly messed up? Everything defied common sense!

“Chu Yue is missing,” Zhuang Wu said, rubbing the corner of his forehead with an exhausted expression.

She and Chu Yue had been sharing a room since Li Yun’s death, their vigilance heightened. Last night, neither of them had planned on sleeping.

Yet accidents aren’t so easily avoided. Somehow, Zhuang Wu drifted off during the night. When she woke up, Chu Yue was nowhere to be found in the room. It was too late to venture out searching for him, so she endured until dawn. After combing through every floor once, they were left with no choice but to approach NPC Lingling’s door.

“Lingling, I suspect something has happened to Chu Yue.” In truth, they could have omitted the word “suspect”; Zhuang Wu didn’t believe Chu Yue could still be alive, but they needed to investigate nonetheless—first and foremost, find his body.

Clues might well be hidden on the corpse, and besides, if they confirmed Chu Yue’s death, they could task Lingling with apprehending the “murderer”. The key was to incite conflict among NPCs; it would be unconscionable to let player lives be sacrificed in vain!

“Missing?” Upon hearing Zhuang Wu’s words, Tong Ling straightened up immediately.

“This castle is only so big; how can someone go missing here?” Tong Ling gazed at the trio before her. “Are you sure she’s missing? Maybe she just ran away on her own?”

“With such a torrential downpour outside, there’s no way he could have gone out,” Zhuang Wu said. “I don’t know if Lingling is naive or just carefree, but she still doesn’t see anything wrong with this castle. Besides, Chu Yue disappeared in the middle of the night—there’s no way he would leave without making a sound! Someone must have taken him by force!”

“You think someone snuck into your room and kidnapped him?” Tong Ling asked, her tone subtly shifting.

Zhuang Wu nodded and lowered her voice. “Lingling, this isn’t something that can be done by human hands alone. Don’t you find it strange about the other ‘people’ around you?”

Mu Bai quickly added, “First someone died yesterday, and now another person has gone missing—the castle isn’t safe at all…”

Tong Ling nearly wanted to laugh; the players were covertly signaling for help from her—it was quite amusing how they hoped to gain her assistance.

“Where exactly is it unsafe?” Tong Ling asked deliberately. “I’ve already locked up the culprit, and wasn’t Chu Yue staying in the same room as you, Miss Zhuang? Did you not hear any noise?”

Zhuang Wu suppressed her anxiety, carefully crafting a face etched with post-traumatic fear. “The silence is what makes it so terrifying,” she said. “Who knows who ‘he’ will take next?!”

The mere thought of someone slipping into their room undetected, leaving them utterly oblivious—this was enough to chill anyone to the bone! Zhuang Wu couldn’t help but wonder if she were taken, would she even have the strength to fight back…

“So, who do you think might be behind Chu Yue’s disappearance?” Tong Ling asked, crossing her arms and adopting a stern expression. “Just who are you accusing?”

Accusing whom? They suspected every NPC except Lingling, especially her clingy ex-boyfriend, Bai Bei! But could they say that aloud? One look at Lingling’s face told Zhuang Wu she wouldn’t believe such accusations.

Lingling was different from yesterday when she had witnessed the corpse firsthand. Shocked by the horror, she had immediately joined forces with the players to hunt down the killer without hesitation. Today, however, regarding Chu Yue’s disappearance, NPC Lingling seemed strangely unconcerned.

At the end of the day, the relationship between the players and Lingling simply wasn’t close enough. Compared to these few players, Lingling cared more for those NPCs!

What should we do now? Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu exchanged glances, both their eyes reflecting a hint of grave concern.

After two nights, their player count had already decreased by two, yet they still hadn’t figured out how their opponents had struck. As time passed, the difficulty of the dungeon would only increase, with monsters becoming increasingly unrestricted in their attacks. They were running out of time!

“I think we should find Chu Yue first…” Mu Bai said slowly. “There are still some rooms in this castle we haven’t searched…”

“Lingling, can you help us look?” Zhuang Wu asked gently.

“Or why don’t you search me first?” Tong Ling suggested, stepping aside from the door to indicate that they could enter her room. “Go ahead and look around. You might as well clear my name while you’re at it.”

Oh no! They’ve made Lingling misunderstand! Mu Bai hastily explained, “No, no, no—we wouldn’t investigate you. This definitely has nothing to do with you.”

“If you want to search someone’s room, who is it? Bai Bei? Miya? Or Medius?” Tong Ling let out a short laugh, her voice tinged with irony. “You suspect them for kidnapping your friend, and you want me to do the investigating? Why should I trust you?”

Tong Ling turned her gaze to Yuan Ju, who had been standing quietly off to the side. “What about you?” she asked. “Were you here for the same reason?”

The players’ hearts sank; Lingling’s attitude made it clear that she now harbored disgust towards their actions.

They should have known from the moment Lingling decided Bai Bei wasn’t the killer. This woman was someone who favored personal loyalty over justice, making decisions based entirely on her own preferences.

While NPC Lingling was indeed human, she was also one whom the Main God had rated as a 3S-class individual—a level of competence usually reserved for gods. Such people could be invaluable allies if handled correctly, but if mismanaged… they would become formidable adversaries.

“No,” Yuan Ju replied earnestly. “I came because I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to go missing like Chu Yue did.”

Yuan Ju wasn’t great at comforting people; he had little experience with matters of the heart. But he knew well enough that in this situation, he absolutely couldn’t reveal any impure intentions he might harbor toward Lingling.

Just look at Zhuang Wu and Mu Bai’s failed attempt—without sufficient favor points, asking for help would only backfire.

To Lingling, they were merely strangers who had spoken a few extra words. Who would doubt their close companions based on mere conversations with strangers?

Tong Ling’s lips curved into a smile, her gaze softening towards Yuan Ju. “Is that so? I was just worried you’d ask me to help find someone too. It felt like I might be treated as your errand girl.”

Yuan Ju’s face froze before he lowered his eyes, saying, “Of course not; I’ve never thought of you like that.”

“Then there’s no ulterior motive behind your concern for me?” Tong Ling blinked, asking, “Do you have feelings for me?”

Yuan Ju hesitated.

How could he respond? He could only firmly say, “Yes, I do… have feelings for you.”

“When did you start having these feelings? Was giving me noodles yesterday not about gratitude but finding a reason to approach me?” Tong Ling continued questioning him.

Yuan Ju flushed red, not from bashfulness but… embarrassment.

When had he ever been this affectionate towards anyone? Even if it was an act, admitting it outright was too much to ask…

Seeing Yuan Ju’s silence, Tong Ling’s expression gradually cooled down. “Is expressing your fondness for me really that difficult? Looks like your feelings aren’t that strong after all.”

“No!” Yuan Ju realized that if he couldn’t properly express his… “affection,” forget controlling Lingling—he’d lose even the chance to approach her. “The moment I saw you, I felt fondness towards you. Yesterday, I truly wanted to thank you, but more than that, I desired for you to… get to know me.”

Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu were speechless.

Well, well! They thought, this teammate of ours is quite something! His lies sound so convincing!

Tong Ling let out a chuckle. “Considering your ‘sincere’ concern for my well-being, I’ll help find Chu Yue too.”

“So we can uncover any hidden dangers lurking among us, wouldn’t you say?”

Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu suddenly breathed sighs of relief, their gazes toward Yuan Ju now filled with gratitude and admiration.

NPC Lingling had decided to assist them solely because of Yuan Ju’s charm—the beauty ploy worked like magic!

Yuan Ju remained silent.

He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he’d sold his soul—this wasn’t just his imagination, was it?

“A-Bai, did you hear that? We need to find Chu Yue,” Tong Ling addressed the man who appeared behind the players.

Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu jumped in fright; they hadn’t noticed when Bao Bei arrived or how long he’d been listening. Had he set his sights on them now?

Yuan Ju turned around, casting a discreet glance.

The slender man was watching him with deep black eyes. His features were delicate, his temperament mild; he looked as if he couldn’t possibly pose any threat. Yet under Bai Bei’s gaze, Yuan Ju felt beads of cold sweat form on his back.

Only when the man shifted his attention to Tong Ling did the suffocating sensation dissipate—like being released from the jaws of some terrifying beast in the dark.

Yuan Ju’s eyes grew heavy. From the start, he’d had an uneasy feeling about this man. After surviving numerous games, Yuan Ju’s ability to sense danger wasn’t lacking. The more “normal” or “average” a character seemed, the greater the potential for unexpected surprises.

His judgment proved correct once again, but… Bai Bei’s level of peril appeared far beyond what he’d anticipated.

Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu instinctively stepped aside. Bai Bei walked past them, coming face-to-face with his girlfriend.

“A-Bai, surely you don’t mind if we take a look at your room?” Before waiting for Bai Bei’s consent, Tong Ling made her decision firmly. “I’m going to inspect it. If you’ve hidden someone in there, I won’t speak to you ever again!”

Bai Bei’s gaze swept over his girlfriend’s figure. She wore the dress he had made for her, her delicate demeanor expressing a possessive claim on him. How could Bai Bei be angry? If she wanted to investigate, he would gladly show her everything. He’d prove that, apart from her, no one else unwelcome would ever enter his room.

Taking his girlfriend by the hand, Bai Bei led her to his door and said with a smile, “Lingling, I don’t hide anyone here.”

“You’re welcome to check my room anytime.”

“That’s better.” Tong Ling strode into Bai Bei’s quarters, waving at the other players. “Come on in! Anywhere you haven’t checked yet, let’s search it together!”

The players were speechless.

Isn’t this… too casual?

Experience proved that anything handled by NPC Lingling became effortless.

Bai Bei’s room was spotlessly clean, its orderliness immediately apparent. His bed sheets were smooth, without even a hint of a wrinkle, as if no one had slept there.

Tong Ling wandered through the room, rummaged through cabinets, and inspected beneath the bed, ultimately finding nothing out of place.

Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu hadn’t uncovered anything either. Their hearts filled with an indeterminate mix of disappointment and helplessness. But before they could sink into dejection, Lingling spoke up again, “Next! Who do you want to investigate now?”

“Miya,” Zhuang Wu said. “I think it was a man who took him away.”

Tong Ling replied, “Alright, let’s go check on him then.”

Miya’s room was located in the darkest corner of the second floor. As Tong Ling approached Miya’s door, the red-haired youth automatically opened it for her.

Miya looked much better than yesterday. His lips were red, his teeth white, and he was overall exquisitely beautiful. He didn’t spare anyone else any extra glances; instead, both eyes fixed intently on Tong Ling as he asked, “What did you bring this group here for?”

“Do you know someone went missing?” Tong Ling questioned.

Miya clicked his tongue. “And what does that have to do with me?”

“We need to inspect every room in this entire castle.” Tong Ling gestured for Miya to step aside. “No exceptions.”

Miya’s expression instantly chilled. “Are you accusing me?”

“The one who disappeared is Chu Yue, an adorably handsome boy who showed great interest in you,” Tong Ling added.

“I don’t care about him or anyone else—I’ve never had any interest in him.”

In truth, Miya never cared about humans at all. What mattered to him was… “Do you really believe his disappearance has anything to do with me?”

Tong Ling remained silent, offering no answer.

“Damn it!” Miya jumped up in anger. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s nothing personal,” Tong Ling said, urging him on. “A-Bai already checked with me earlier. Can’t we at least take a look inside your room? Hurry up! I need to rest after this; I’m exhausted.”

“Maybe he has something to hide,” Bai Bei suddenly chimed in. “Who knows what kind of secret stuff might be stashed away in there?”

“Who has something to hide?!” Miya flew into a rage instantly. He shot a venomous glare at Bai Bei. “If you want to check, fine—I’ll let Lingling in, but the rest of you wait outside!”