Chapter 120.

Chapter 120.

Xie Yinxue and Bu Jiuzhao ambled along, their pace leisurely, much like a casual stroll.

They hadn't planned to walk for long, intending to hunt down any Kusaripacha lured by the bait and then dissect it to take back to their spaceship.

However, as they journeyed, Xie Yinxue suddenly halted, casting a lingering gaze back along the path they came from.

Bu Jiuzhao inquired, "Not continuing our tour?"

Ignoring the question, Xie Yinxue countered, "Bu Jiuzhao, have you noticed something?"

Bu Jiuzhao nodded, signaling for Xie Yinxue to elaborate.

"We've been out for quite some time now," Xie Yinxue began, his brows furrowing slightly as he eyed the taller weeds and shrubs near the city's edge, "Yet, we haven’t encountered a single Kusaripacha."

Granted, after setting the bait in the ruined park yesterday, it took quite some time for the Kusaripacha to appear. But today, they'd almost reached the city's edge under the spaceship, having spent twice or thrice as long. Their pace wasn't swift, yet they hadn't spotted even a shadow of a Kusaripacha. Is this plausible?

Clearly, it wasn't.

Xie Yinxue surmised he might've missed some crucial clues.

After hearing his account, Bu Jiuzhao paused momentarily, though his expression barely changed. Meeting Xie's gaze, the depths of his blue eyes serene yet cold, he remarked, "Indeed. But it's bound to show up. The instance's setup can't change. Once a participant carries the 'bait' out of the battleship, it's bound to attract wandering Kusaripachas."

Xie Yinxue understood that Bu Jiuzhao's role in this instance gave him unique insights. As the ghoul "Kama", categorized as a monster-type NPC, if he spoke this confidently about the scenario, he was likely correct.

So, where did they go wrong?

Logically, by this stage in the instance, it was a given that participants like Dangdang, Xie Aqi, Xiao Xingxi—who received daily vaccines from Xie Yinxue—would clear the challenge. Furthermore, with individuals transformed into "Kama" like Bu Jiuzhao, Xie Yinxue, and Liu Buhua taking vaccines only once every two days, and creating their vaccines from their limbs, they had a surplus. There were ample reserves for all participants.

In the clear conditions Bu Jiuzhao was privy to, the instance had no specific constraints, except to maintain their human form until the last day.

Xie Yinxue paused, lost in thought. Suddenly, he turned and began retracing their steps.

Bu Jiuzhao followed, remarking, "We haven't hunted a Kusaripacha yet."

"As you said, it will certainly appear," Xie Yinxue responded without turning back, "So no matter which direction we head in, we're bound to encounter it."

He had discerned the overlooked variable: the foundational premise of their strategy was hunting a Kusaripacha daily to acquire its five limbs.

For both of them, hunting the Kusaripacha wasn't challenging. As long as it dared appear before them, its fate was sealed.

But what if it doesn't appear?

Or perhaps... when the Kusopacha emerges, it lacks a full set of limbs.

Xie Yin Xue gazed at the Kusopacha, which had shown itself not long after she had retreated, pressing her lips tightly together.

The Kusopacha bore the marks of machine gun fire across its chest and both arms. Its ability to move swiftly now depended solely on the two legs that hadn't been hit.

Yet, when Bu Jiu Zhao fired his gun, the Kusopacha fell immediately.

According to the copy rules explained by Kurt, when a Posopacha dies near Jia Mo, Jia Mo resonates, taking the form of the Posopacha for a minute. Yesterday, when Bu Jiu Zhao killed a Posopacha, his figure changed indeed. Now, as Xie Yin Xue is also a Jia Mo, she thought she would transform into an unknown black beast for a minute, just like Bu Jiu Zhao did the previous day.

Unexpectedly, only Bu Jiu Zhao transformed; she remained unchanged.

Xie Yin Xue looked down at her slender fingers, then at the monstrous form of Bu Jiu Zhao and wondered, "Why didn't I change?"

She asked Bu Jiu Zhao, "What do I look like to you?"

Bu Jiu Zhao replied succinctly, "Human."

Xie Yin Xue responded, "But when I look at you, you seem entirely inhuman."

Bu Jiu Zhao remained silent.

Didn't that remark sound like a veiled insult?

However, that wasn't the most pressing matter at hand. Without delving further, Xie Yin Xue approached the corpse of the Kusopacha, kneeling slightly. She touched the other bullet holes on it, saying, "These were from yesterday, not today."

Bu Jiu Zhao, now back in human form, immediately deduced the identity of this Kusopacha: "The one that Zhuo Chang Dong and Cui Hao Cheng encountered yesterday, the one that ate Ye Zhou's head was killed by us. The second was left with only half a body; Zheng Shu's team had completely hunted their Kusopacha; Liu Bu Hua and Dang Dang did not hunt; the Kusopacha that Xie Ah Qi's team encountered was left with only a usable left arm and was brought back to the base. So this Kusopacha could only be the one that was let go by either Mu Yu Ji's or Yuan Si Ning's teams."

Both Mu Yu Ji's team and Yuan Si Ning's team mentioned yesterday that they hadn't caught a Kusopacha, but they didn't specify the condition of the ones they encountered.

"Who let it go is not the important thing. What matters is..." Xie Yin Xue said softly, looking downward, "It shows that the Kusopachas we've encountered are all from the same group."

She should've realized this crucial detail earlier, when she saw Ye Zhou's head inside the stomach of the Kusopacha they killed yesterday. Unfortunately, the detail was too superficial.

It was as superficial as the ripples caused by a stone thrown into calm waters — finding Ye Zhou's head inside the dead Kusopacha signified that it was the same one encountered by Ye Zhou's team.

After all, if we only consider yesterday's events, what's so special about that?

But as time has advanced to the present, when everyone encounters an injured Kusapacha, they discover that they always come across the same group of Kusapachas.

In a forest with only three tigers, no matter how many hunters there are or how sophisticated their equipment is, the total number of tigers they can hunt will always be three.

Suppose in this instance, the number of Kusapachas is limited. Then no matter how powerful Xie Yin Xue and Bu Jiu Zhao are, they cannot possibly hunt a Kusapacha with all five limbs intact every day. They might even come across Kusapachas that are badly wounded by other participants with poor marksmanship, rendering them useless.

Similarly, this applies to other participants who venture out to hunt Kusapachas.

Upon hearing this, Bu Jiu Zhao responded in his usual calm voice, "It doesn't affect us much. Even without hunting, we can clear the level."

Yes, for Xie Yin Xue, Bu Jiu Zhao, and Liu Bu Hua, who already know that only three limbs are needed to create the antidote vaccine, the impact is minimal. But it's different for other participants who are unaware of this secret.

When they realize this detail, they'll understand that hunting Kusapachas alone might not provide them with enough vaccine to survive and clear the level. The current atmosphere of "peace" among the participants would break, and everything would revert to the previous day's starting point: finding the hungry ghost Kamo is the most reliable way to clear the level.

Had Xie Yin Xue and Liu Bu Hua not chosen to consume their own flesh yesterday, they wouldn't have become Kamos, and the only Kamo targeted by all participants today would still be Bu Jiu Zhao.

Delving deeper, if Xie Yin Xue weren't in this instance and Bu Jiu Zhao had teamed up with someone else, considering the conditions, hiding his Kamo identity would have been even more challenging.

Thus, Xie Yin Xue fixedly looked at Bu Jiu Zhao for a moment and suddenly raised an eyebrow, asking him, "Do you feel that this instance is specifically targeting you?"

"Not just this instance."

Bu Jiu Zhao provided Xie Yin Xue with an unexpected answer. Xie Yin Xue paused, listening as the man continued, "Every instance targets me."

It sounded as though Bu Jiu Zhao was also a participant desperately seeking survival in "Locked Immortality." Yet, when he spoke, his tone was even, and his voice calm, as if discussing what he had for breakfast. The melancholy depths of his eyes, reflecting Xie Yin Xue's silhouette, betrayed no emotion.

Xie Yin Xue withdrew his gaze, concealing his emotions and replied with a faint smile, "Currently, both of us are Kamos. What's the difference whether it targets you or me?"

"Indeed, we are one," Bu Jiu Zhao replied, latching onto this phrase, albeit misinterpreting its meaning, his demeanor unusually soft as he leaned in, "What would you like to do next? I'll follow your lead."

Regrettably, such deference from him sounded more indulgent, as if saying, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."

Xie Yin Xue didn't bother with these nuances and simply said, "Let's head back and assess the situation."

After severing the two legs of the hunted Kusapacha and storing them in a long glass bottle, he returned to the warship with Bu Jiu Zhao.

On their way back, Xie Yin Xue pondered whether they had spent too much time outside and if the other participants had already returned.

He had asked Liu Bu Hua and the other girls to rest on the warship today. As they didn't go out to hunt, they were temporarily unaware of the fact that "the Kusapachas that appear are always from the same group with limited numbers." But Zheng Shu, Chen Ning Mo, Zhuo Chang Dong, Feng Jin Shan, and Cui Hao Cheng, who had already ventured out, were unpredictable variables.

The current number of Kusopacha in the replica remains ambiguous. If Zheng Shu and Zhuo Changdong's teams encounter a Kusopacha with bullet wounds, perhaps they could infer certain clues.

Even if no discovery is made, once they see that he and Bu Jiuzhao have only brought back two limbs of flesh, suspicions would arise. How would he explain bringing back only two pieces of flesh today—tell the truth or fabricate a different reason?

To their surprise, upon returning, they found the meditation room empty.

Bu Jiuzhao, taken aback, remarked, "No one?"

Xie Yinxue took a deep sniff, catching the sweet scent of milk tea in the air. After a few moments of thought, she deduced, "… They must all be in Liu Buhua's room."

Bu Jiuzhao: "…"

Indeed, the girls who didn’t go hunting today were all in Liu Buhua's dorm, watching him make milk tea and tasting it. After all, this milk tea is arguably the most normal and the only "edible" food in the replica.

Moreover, with Liu Buhua's handsome looks and engaging conversation, watching a handsome guy prepare milk tea surely beats meditating in a worn-out meditation room, right?

Xie Yinxue hadn’t expected the full set of milk tea supplies she brought would come in handy at this moment.

As for Zheng Shu, Chen Ningmo, Zhuo Changdong, Feng Jinshan, and Cui Haocheng, they returned even later than Xie Yinxue and Bu Jiuzhao, only making it back to the meditation room just as the last light of sunset faded.

The reason was simple: they, like Bu Jiuzhao and Xie Yinxue, took a long time to encounter a Kusopacha.

That was indeed the case.

Zheng Shu and Chen Ningmo roamed almost the entire city today before encountering a Kusopacha. In contrast, Zhuo Changdong, Feng Jinshan, and Cui Haocheng stayed nearby, waiting in the forest between apartment buildings, only seeing a drooling Kusopacha appear as night fell.

Soon after their return to the meditation room, the other female participants who hadn’t gone hunting and Liu Buhua also gathered in the same room.

Ironically, meditation rooms were places for Buddhists to practice stillness, where monks would meditate and seek enlightenment. Now, however, tranquility was elusive in this room, replaced by an unseen struggle full of hidden dangers.

Xie Yinxue subtly raised her eyes, her gaze fleeting, unnoticed, sweeping over the long glass bottle by Zheng Shu and Chen Ningmo, which held five limbs of meat yet to be turned into antibody vaccines. It seems they had good luck, encountering a complete Kusopacha and successfully hunting it down, just like yesterday.

However, the other group—Zhuo Changdong, Feng Jinshan, and Cui Haocheng—weren't as fortunate.

Their glass bottles contained only an old human arm as bait, no new flesh.

This indicates they neither hunted a Kusopacha today nor did any teammate "sacrifice", leaving them empty-handed.

As soon as Feng Jinshan stepped into the meditation room, he exclaimed, "Damn! Today was just unlucky. After spending the entire day out, we only encountered one Kusopacha!"

Xie A-Qi inquired, "Did you manage to hunt it down?"

Zhuo Changdong took a deep breath, his voice laden with suppressed irritation and impatience, "It's hard to explain. Yes, we did kill that Kusopocha, but every part of its body was riddled with machine gun fire. Not a single usable limb remains. How is this any different from failing to hunt it?"

As a rookie, Zhuo Changdong was not authorized to use the machine gun. Only Feng Jinshan and Cui Haocheng were permitted to. From his tone and demeanor, he seemed to insinuate that Feng Jinshan and Cui Haocheng had poor marksmanship.

No sooner had he spoken than Feng Jinshan muttered, "It was almost pitch black when it appeared. The damned city has no lights, and we could hardly see anything. How were we supposed to hunt effectively?"

Anyone who has traversed a lightless zone knows that without any nearby light sources, it becomes extremely dark after sunset. Especially given that their bait station was amidst dilapidated apartment buildings, where even the daytime light was barely sufficient. By dusk, it was nearly akin to hunting in complete darkness.

Had Feng Jinshan and Zhuo Changdong possessed marksmanship skills on par with Bu Jiuzhao and Chen Ningmo, things might have been different. But they had failed to precisely kill a Kusopocha even in broad daylight. How could they manage after nightfall?

Cui Haocheng interjected, "I'm confident that my third shot hit the Kusopocha's head."

Upon hearing this, Feng Jinshan retorted with a sarcastic laugh, "Sure, sure. You fired three shots, I fired three. Yet the Kusopocha has six large bullet holes. So, while your third shot hit its head, all of mine just happened to hit its body, right?"

Cui Haocheng didn't respond, but the look on his face clearly said, "Isn't that obvious?"

Feng Jinshan's frustration grew. "Let me remind you of something," he said darkly. "Zhuo Changdong and I are partners. You are just the 'extra' one in our 'team'."

Cui Haocheng's partner, Ye Zhou, had died the day before. Now without a partner to set baits or harvest limbs, he had to collaborate with another group to successfully hunt Kusopocha.

Now that he had locked horns with Feng Jinshan, if Zhuo Changdong didn't support him either, Cui Haocheng would be ousted from their team.

Perhaps Cui Haocheng's earlier comment had left an impression on Zhuo Changdong. Instead of taking sides, Zhuo changed the topic, "What's the point of arguing now? We should be considering our vaccine situation. We only have two doses left from yesterday, not enough for all three of us."

The remaining two doses were with Cui Haocheng since Ye Zhou was his partner. But among them, one would have to purchase the vaccines.

"Why not buy from Zheng Shu and Xie Yinxue? Didn't Mu Yuji's group buy some yesterday?" Feng Jinshan suggested, first glancing at Zheng Shu, who was watching the scene unfold, then to a young man with black hair sitting cross-legged, his gaze serene. "The question is, do they have any surplus stock?"

"Of course, we do!"

Zheng Shu, hearing this, exaggeratedly widened his eyes, feigning surprise while playfully shaking his glass vial, making the preserved 'limbs' bob up and down.

The usually reserved Chen Ningmo added, "We have three doses. Enough for each of you to purchase one."

Cui Haocheng looked puzzled. "Is no one else buying?"

Why was no one competing with them?

"Did everyone else manage to hunt down a Kusopocha today, obtaining ample limbs to create antibody vaccines?"

"Buy?" Zheng Shu seemed to hear a hilarious joke, letting out a hearty laugh. "Oh, you left too early this morning, missing a charitable feast."

"Didn't you hear? This morning, Xie Yin Xue announced he'd provide every lady present, except Miss Yuan Si Ning, with a free antibody vaccine. This way, they'd have enough vaccines to pass the test."

Zheng Shu, without reluctance, relayed everything that transpired after they left this morning to Cui Hao Cheng, Zuo Chang Dong, and Feng Jin Shan. Their expressions and feelings after hearing the tale were a mix of envy, jealousy, and some indescribable emotions.

"It's great being a woman." Feng Jin Shan slapped his thigh in frustration, sitting down and grumbling, "We're about to die in this forsaken place. What use is this iron rod to me? Might as well just become a monk right here."

Zuo Chang Dong focused on Xie Yin Xue and Bu Jiu Zhao beside him, pointing out their glass vials, similar to his, containing only old human arm bait, "Did you hunt any Kusopocha today, Mr. Xie? Why don't I see any limbs in your vials?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately shifted to the two of them.

Pan Ruo Xi swallowed nervously. Xie Yin Xue had promised that any extra vaccines from their group would be given to her. If Xie Yin Xue and Bu Jiu Zhao hadn't hunted a Kusopocha, she'd be left without a vaccine.

The young man with raven-black hair, sitting on the mat, leisurely raised his eyes, revealing five ready-made vaccines from behind him, and smiled, "Indeed. Mu Xue and I returned early, so we processed all the limbs into vaccines right away."

Xie Yin Xue then stood up and distributed the vaccines to Dang Dang, Liu Bu Hua, Bu Jiu Zhao, and Pan Ruo Xi, keeping one for himself.

They had only retrieved two limbs today, enough for just two vaccines. Once back on the battleship, Xie Yin Xue quickly converted them into vaccines. Adding the three unused vaccines from yesterday, they now could pretend they had hunted a whole Kusopocha today.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Xie!" Pan Ruo Xi, who effortlessly received a vaccine from Xie Yin Xue, expressed her profound gratitude, clenching the vaccine and injecting its contents directly into her stomach.

The icy liquid was still discomforting, but the mental strain was less than the day before.

"Such benevolence! I'm almost blinded by this Buddha's radiance," Zheng Shu sarcastically remarked, shielding his eyes. Turning to Zuo Chang Dong and others, he asked, "Which one of you three is buying our vaccines? Still the same price as yesterday: six million for one."

The trio remained silent.

Six million wasn't unaffordable for them, but with free vaccines available, who'd want to be the one paying?

Everyone expected a dispute over the vaccine slot amongst the three. Unexpectedly, Cui Hao Cheng declared, "The two of them will buy, not me."

At this, Zuo Chang Dong frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm taking both vaccines," Cui Hao Cheng stated directly, "You both can buy vaccines from Zheng Shu. After all, Xie Yin Xue mentioned we can pass the test by consuming our flesh, so why should I risk hunting?"

Not having heard Xie Yin Xue's words this morning left them unaware of this option. Now, with two vaccines in his possession, Cui Hao Cheng had essentially secured his pass. Why wouldn't he just stay in the battleship dormitory until he passes?

"You son of a..." Feng Jinshan's eyes bulged in fury as he lunged forward, grabbing Cui Haocheng by the collar, looking as if he was about to land a solid punch on his face.

However, Cui Haocheng appeared utterly unfazed, even responding with a smirk, "My health isn't the best. If you happen to kill me with that punch, don't expect to live yourself."

There are severe consequences for participants in the Lock of Longevity who harm one another.

At their advanced stage, none of these old hands would make such a basic mistake. They're even more cautious, mostly resorting to verbal provocations. No matter how enraged Feng Jinshan was, that punch would never truly connect.

"Alright, you've got guts!"

Grinding his teeth in anger, Feng Jinshan released his grip and proceeded to buy the vaccine from Zheng Shu.

Without wasting words, Zhuo Changdong followed suit, making a purchase. He understood that if he held those two extra vaccines, he would make the same decision as Cui Haocheng.

The day held surprises for Yuan Sining too — with Zheng Shu and Chen Ningmo having extra vaccines, combined with her five pieces of flesh, she was guaranteed to pass.

"Do you have one more vaccine to sell to me?"

Recognizing the vaccine's importance to her, Yuan Sining approached Zheng Shu with a voice soft and gentle, her humility evident.

Zheng Shu, however, declined: "Sorry, not for sale."

"...Why?" Yuan Sining froze, "I can afford it. Why won't you sell it to me?"

Pointing to herself, her voice trembled, "I can pay double the price."

Zheng Shu raised his index fingers from both hands, forming an "X" across his chest.

Increasing her bid, Yuan Sining persisted, "Triple!"

Raising an eyebrow, Zheng Shu replied without an ounce of regret, "Even at ten times the price, I wouldn't sell."

Unable to hold back her emotions, Yuan Sining exclaimed, "Why?!"

"Because I feel like it," Zheng Shu shrugged casually. "If you really need a reason... well, maybe I don't want too many competitors vying for immortality. Or perhaps I want to keep a safety net for unexpected events. You've been in this game long enough; I believe you can come up with a few reasons yourself."

Zheng Shu did indeed want to minimize his competition for immortality, pushing Yuan Sining to desperation in hopes she'd drag others down with her. However, realizing that his plan might backfire and make him the primary target, Zheng Shu added, "Given how benevolent Xie Yinxue is in protecting the ladies, I must do my part for the men. This vaccine I keep is reserved for our male counterparts. Should any unexpected events arise, I'll cover the cost and donate it to a fellow gentleman who needs it, even if it's Xie Yinxue."

With that, the attention was skillfully shifted back onto Xie Yinxue.

Zheng Shu playfully stoked the flames, saying, "Ah, I thought today's vaccine would be hard to sell, but it seems it's still in high demand."

Xie Yin Xue, however, remained calm and collected. Looking up at Yuan Si Ning, he gently offered, "We will have an extra vaccine on the seventh day. Ms. Yuan, if you apologize to me, I will give it to you for free."

Zheng Shu: "What?"

How did Xie Yin Xue change his attitude so swiftly?

Zheng Shu stood frozen in place, genuine surprise etched on his face. No one had expected it. Just that morning, Xie Yin Xue's attitude towards Yuan Si Ning was aloof, almost disdainful. Yet before the day ended, and before Yuan Si Ning could even yield, he extended an olive branch?

Yuan Si Ning was equally stunned. She stared into the dark eyes of the young man, ensuring there was no mockery or condescension, before promptly bowing her head. "I'm sorry..."

Fearful that her apology seemed insincere, she continued, "You truly are a good person. I wrongly took your kindness for granted and misjudged you. I'm sorry."

"Very well, I stand by my word. On the seventh day, the vaccine will be yours."

True to his word, Xie Yin Xue refrained from taunting her. After her apology, he straightforwardly promised as he had said.

The onlookers held mixed expressions, gazing at him with complicated emotions.

It wasn't that they doubted his words, but rather they found it hard to believe that in this 'Lock of Immortality' game, someone could be as magnanimous as Xie Yin Xue. His actions, as he described them, were almost charitable.

If it were them in his shoes, they wouldn't forgive Yuan Si Ning's fickleness so easily. Yet, here was Xie Yin Xue, doing just that.

Eventually, Xie Ah Qi couldn't resist asking in disbelief, "Xie Yin Xue, are you truly letting her off just like that?"

The young man lifted his chin slightly and, with a soft tone, retorted, "You heard Mr. Zheng. He described me as compassionate and kind. Since Ms. Yuan apologized, why shouldn't I forgive her? Perhaps after I die, my ashes might even produce sacred relics."

After delivering this provocative statement, he cast a sidelong glance at Zheng Shu, sighing, "However, my keeping that promise hinges on me surviving until then."

Who can't understand a veiled threat?

After all, Xie Yin Xue had many more tricks up his sleeve.

Everyone had witnessed Zheng Shu's attempt to pit Yuan Si Ning against Xie Yin Xue. So, they easily deciphered the subtext in Xie Yin Xue's words: he suspected Zheng Shu might try to eliminate him before the seventh day.

Players scheming against each other in "Lock of Immortality" wasn't news. In the past, they'd have chosen to stay out of it. But now, many were banking on that free vaccine from Xie Yin Xue to pass the game. They wouldn't just stand by if Zheng Shu took action against him.

Zheng Shu quickly composed himself, replying coolly, "You and your partner, Mu Xue, effortlessly secure five vaccines every day—so many that you can afford to be charitable. If you aren't cursed, why would you fear not lasting until then?"

"But I am your competitor," Xie Yinxue sighed lightly, feigning a mournful look with opened eyes, and lamented, "I don't really care about the concept of eternal life. I just hope to make it to the later stages, to detach myself and live a bit longer."

After saying this, Xie Yinxue bowed his head and weakly coughed into the back of his hand. When he lowered it, everyone saw spots of bright red on the back of his hand, which was as pale as snow.

Starkly white, strikingly red.

Such a vivid yet brutal color made everyone flinch in a realm where the game was literally "deadly." They were momentarily taken aback.

From the very first glance at Xie Yinxue, they noticed a languid air about him, something you'd associate with someone perpetually bedridden.

Such a feeble aura made them think his gentle tone wasn't a result of his character but perhaps due to a debilitating illness preventing him from speaking loudly.

However, feeling something in one's heart and witnessing it firsthand are different matters.

None who reach the latter stages of "Lock of Immortality" are incompetent. Regardless of Xie Yinxue's frail appearance, nobody would underestimate him. But then, how many people would casually cough up blood?

Moreover, they knew that most who entered "Lock of Immortality" were on the brink of death. Seeing Xie Yinxue cough up blood, it was probable that he was near death due to a severe illness. His claim of not seeking immortality but merely wanting to survive seemed more credible.

Yuan Sining, who had benefited from Xie Yinxue, promptly "expressed concern," asking, "Are you gravely ill?"

Xie Yinxue nodded, "Yes, I'm currently relying on 'Lock of Immortality' to keep me alive."

Xiao Xingxi and the other girls couldn't help but sympathetically say, "That's truly tragic."

Bu Jiuzhao and Liu Buhua exchanged a glance, then silently looked away, saying nothing.

Zheng Shu was at a loss for words. Having witnessed Xie Yinxue's eloquence, he knew further disputes would not put him in an advantageous position. Given that everyone was in a "peaceful" state for an easy pass-through, pushing for internal conflict would make him a target. Thus, he remained silent, prepared his vaccine, and left the meditation room, presumably not wanting to see Xie Yinxue anymore—out of sight, out of mind.

The others didn't linger in the meditation room either.

Since the meditation room wasn't locked, anyone could enter, offering no privacy. Besides, they couldn't just sleep there overnight.

Although Xie Yinxue and others had spent a night there before, according to Liu Buhua, the room wasn't as comfortable as their spaceship dormitories. Otherwise, Liu Buhua wouldn't have chosen to make milk tea in his own room after they left the ship.

As Liu Buhua pondered whether they should stay in the meditation room that night or return to their dormitories, he overheard his godfather say to a man beside him, "I have something to discuss with you. Let's go to my dormitory, where we won't be disturbed."

Bu Jiuzhao readily agreed, "Alright."

What couldn't be discussed in the meditation room that required the privacy of a dormitory? And without any outsiders?

Knowing the nature of the occasion, Liu Buhua felt it best to slip away discreetly. Yet, just as he turned to leave, Xie Yinxue beckoned, "Buhua, come join us."

Bu Jiuzhao: "?"

"Is this what they call 'not being disturbed'?"