Chapter 48: The Orphanage 15

Chapter 48: The Orphanage 15

"One of the Holy Infants: Familiarity 0% (Aila is wary of any stranger who might pose a threat to her child. As a responsible mother, she will firmly guard her doorstep and not allow anyone in.)"

Qin Fei's gaze drifted from Player 14's face up to her head, where he saw this message.

Aila.

Qin Fei's eyes narrowed slightly.

Back in the Surface World, when everyone was introducing themselves, Player 14 had mentioned her name.

At that time, Qin Fei was exchanging information with Xiao Xiao and hadn't paid much attention to the other players. However, he had vaguely caught the name.

Anyway, what Player 14 had said sounded like a typical Chinese name, something like "Li Ting" or "Zhao Mei," a very normal and localized name.

It definitely wasn't a Western-sounding name like "Aila."

But these details were not the most important thing right now.

Qin Fei gazed steadily at Aila's head, uttering the words, "No one is allowed in."

Behind him, the two Blood Nuns already swung their chainsaws, charging forward with an apocalyptic force reminiscent of enemy bombers during wartime.

The mutated No. 1 followed closely behind the nuns, its body pelted with flying debris without any reaction, appearing resilient and thick-skinned.

Qin Fei softly clicked his tongue.

How terrible.

What should he do now?

In the brief span of a second, the young priest experienced a complicated emotional turmoil, but it was a journey known only to himself.

To the ghostly flames beside him, Qin Fei seemed to be frozen in shock after witnessing No. 14's resurrection.

"No. 12, stop daydreaming! Hurry up and go in!" He urged, hastily stepping forward.

Qin Fei attempted to pull him back, but it was too late.

Indeed, they had no choice but to enter the room, or their lives would hang by a thread.

Reaching out, Ghost Fire pushed Qin Fei and San Tu into the room before swiftly shutting the door behind them.

The countdown above their heads silently reached 0:00:00, and the sound of the chainsaw abruptly ceased.

Number 1 also halted its actions.

After its mutation, it had lost the ability to think, relying entirely on its eyes to track prey. With the target now out of sight, it was at a loss as to what to do.

From the sounds outside, it seemed to still be lingering, hesitantly prowling around the entrance.

For the time being, they were safe.

Ghost Fire let out a huge sigh of relief.

However, that sigh, which hadn't fully escaped his lips, soon turned into a hard lump that stuck in his throat.

In that moment, as Ghost Fire lifted his head, he was astonished to see Number 14, who appeared to be a frail, powerless woman, widen her eyes in a sudden burst of intensity after they entered the room.

Her cheeks flushed unnaturally crimson, and her nostrils flared as her thick lips trembled incessantly.

That mouth widened in an astonishing manner, revealing the crimson flesh within. Her teeth visibly elongated and sharpened, soon filling her entire mouth.

Her body swayed from side to side, like a buzzing Venus flytrap, ever vigilant and ready to devour any creature that approached.

Ghost Fire: "......!!!"

What?

Another one??

Something mutated??

Why are the monsters in this instance getting more grotesque with each encounter? Argh!!

Just as the scream was about to burst forth, Qin Fei's hand clamped down on Ghost Fire's chin from behind.

Snap.

Almost dislocating his jaw, it was forcefully pushed back into place, barely missing his tongue by a millimeter.

Qin Fei pulled the ghostly flame behind him.

Given its unpredictable nature, it was better not to stand in front of it.

Although the suddenly mutated Number 14 appeared highly menacing, it was still more docile compared to the Number 1 outside.

Her bulging eyes, bloodshot and wide, stared at the three people before her, seemingly awaiting their reaction to pass judgment:

Should she spare them or consume them all?

"This..."

Qin Fei discreetly surveyed the room.

It resembled an ordinary living room with a single bed on the right and a baby's cradle beside it. Along the walls were tables and cabinets filled with various infant toys and soft baby clothes. Colorful pinyin charts for children's literacy and heartwarming illustrations adorned the walls.

However, there was no child.

Number 14's arms were still crossed in front of her chest as if cradling an infant, but it was merely empty air.

It was an imaginary baby.

Even in the midst of glaring fiercely at the three intruders in this perilous situation, Number 14 continued to gently pat her arm, soothing the "baby" in her embrace to sleep.

Qin Fei was almost certain that if the wail of the ghost flame had erupted just then, they would have likely become Number 14's afternoon tea, providing nourishment for her due to scaring the "child".

"Mother," Qin Fei said softly, "I'm sorry for disturbing your rest."

Perhaps Aila found it difficult to resist the affectionate term 'mother.' After Qin Fei spoke, her wide-open maw gradually closed.

But that was clearly not enough.

Her gaze at the three players before her remained guarded and wary.

Qin Fei showed no sign of retreating despite her rejection.

He stepped forward half a pace.

Aila seemed offended, her expression changing abruptly.

Her sharp teeth reappeared in the air, causing Ghost Fire to tense up, fearing that Qin Fei would be torn to shreds in the next moment.

But none of what Ghost Fire feared came to pass.

Qin Fei's smile was warm and amiable. He lifted a finger to point at the child in Aila's arms, sincerely praising from the bottom of his heart,

"What an adorable child! Look, he's even smiling at me."

Aila froze.

Ghost Fire and San Tu also froze in surprise.

And then, to their incredulous eyes, this previously extremely dangerous NPC actually retracted all her killing intent.

Her complexion returned to normal, and her gaze became tranquil once more.

Her massive proboscis transformed back into human lips. She smiled at Qin Fei, revealing a neat row of beautiful, human teeth. "Is that so?" she said with a gentle laugh. "Thank you for complimenting my baby."

"He truly is a very adorable child."

A lullaby, pre-recorded in the phonograph in the corner, began to play. The duck toy on the baby's bed spun gently along with the music, while the water kettle on the table gurgled softly. The air was filled with a light aroma of milk and candy.

Everything was both tender and eerie.

...Did they manage to pass, albeit barely?

Ghost Fire didn't even dare to breathe, his eyes fixed intently on the familiar yet unfamiliar face of No. 14.

Meanwhile, Qin Fei knew deep down.

There's still a long way to go.

He looked up at the affection bar above Player 14's head, and that glaring number remained stubbornly at zero, showing no change at all.

This was an NPC who seemed soft-hearted but was actually quite unyielding in reality.

The young priest quickly mobilized all the neurons in his handsome head.

Think.

Think again.

What else could possibly move a mother's heart?

After a brief silence, Qin Fei suddenly spoke up, "How old is your child?"

Aila was taken aback.

It had been far too long since anyone had engaged her in such a conversation. She pondered for a moment before responding, "One and a half years old. My baby is one and a half years old this year."

"Um." Qin Fei nodded.

Suddenly, under everyone's watchful eyes, the young man reached behind his back and pulled out something.

He cradled it in his arms, mimicking Aila's way of holding a child, and gently patted it a few times. "Looks like my child is a bit older, almost turning two years old."

His expression was filled with affection and warmth, resembling that of a doting parent.

Ghost Fire & Sanzu: ?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Ghost Fire took a couple of steps forward and craned his neck to see what was in Qin Fei's embrace.

In Qin Fei's hands was a fluffy bear-shaped onesie, clearly designed for a child.

The clothes were new but seemed to have just been taken off a mischievous child, still bearing creases and dust.

Ghost Fire was taken aback.

He had a rough idea of Qin Fei's approach to getting closer.

Still, he found it utterly perplexing.

Why on earth would someone carry such an item with them??

He then cast his gaze at the priest's robe Qin Fei was wearing.

Ghost Fire had never laid eyes on the real priest, so naturally, he was unaware that Qin Fei had forcefully stripped it off that unfortunate old man.

He just found it odd that Qin Fei carried an array of different clothing styles on him.

It was common for ordinary players to bring weapons, medicine, and various items when entering dungeons.

But who in their right mind would bring a bunch of fancy clothes??

...

Ghost Fire silently retreated, a strange contortion flickering across his facial muscles.

Could Number 12 have some peculiar cross-dressing fetish? He seemed rather... eccentric.

Unbeknownst to Qin Fei, he had inadvertently inflicted another emotional scar on the Ghost Fire – even if he had realized it, he would likely have been too indifferent to bother explaining.

All his focus was now on Aila.

In his hands was the clothing he had purchased for the Ghost Baby.

During the first reversal of the Inner and Outer Worlds, the Ghost Baby had been forcefully stranded in the Outer World by the instance. As such, Qin Fei paid extra attention this time, tightly gripping the collar of the Ghost Baby's clothes when the church floor began to tremble.

He dared not grab the little creature's neck; if the uncontrollable force of the instance were to directly sever its head, it would be a disaster.

Of course, this small trick ultimately proved ineffective. Qin Fei entered the Inner World with the Ghost Baby's clothes, while the Ghost Baby itself remained unseen.

It was probably naked right now, cursing outside the confessional in the Outer World.

When Qin Fei took out the garment, Aila froze. When he cradled the clothes and patted them, her eyes, always guarded, finally gleamed with anticipation.

"You... you..."

She looked at Qin Fei hopefully.

Meanwhile, the affection bar above her head was skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

5%, 10%, 15%... and it finally stopped at a staggering number.

"One of the Holy Infants: Affection 65% (Aila feels as if she has finally found a friend with whom she shares common interests)."

"Are you also a new mother?" Her gaze at Qin Fei was filled with evident longing.

Qin Fei: "?"

Hold on... wasn't there some kind of misunderstanding?

If anything, he should be considered a new father, right?

But...

Never mind, it's not that important.

Mother is mother, even if it's a male mother.

A gentle, maternal smile graced the youth's face. "Yes, indeed."

He then sighed dramatically. "Children are truly difficult to take care of."

Aila's gaze intensified from a flashlight to a spotlight.

...

The following time passed like a dream for the three players in the room.

They were forced to listen to Player 14's endless monologue on childcare for a full half-hour, leaving the three unmarried youths utterly perplexed.

At first, Ghostfire approached the situation with the mindset of "must please the NPC," absorbing the knowledge he knew he wouldn't need anytime soon with great seriousness.

However, just like during high school math classes, Ghostfire quickly became disoriented.

Three Paths was not much better off.

After half an hour, only Qin Fei could still follow Aila's conversation, even managing to integrate and understand the knowledge she shared within that time. Occasionally, he would engage Aila in discussions of his own.

Phantom Flame: "6."

He even doubted if Number 12 had really just given birth after a ten-month pregnancy.

The conversation between Qin Fei and Aila continued, lasting as time ticked by, causing Aila's affinity bar to reach new heights.

"One of the Holy Infants: Affinity 73% (For a close female friend, Aila would share everything in response to any question she is asked.)."

That was enough.

Qin Fei was content.

He placed his fist against his lips and coughed softly, "It's getting late, the child should rest."

Aila blinked, nodding slowly in realization, "Ah... You're right."

She walked over to the crib, placing her invisible child in the cradle, then turned around reluctantly, "What about you two? Are you leaving?"

She truly couldn't bear to part with them, for she was far too lonely.

But Qin Fei had his compelling reasons to leave.

Qin Fei nodded and gazed at Aila with a gentle smile. "Yes, we'll meet again."

"However..."

A glimmer flickered in the youth's eyes, only to vanish in an instant.

"There's something I'd like your advice on before I go," Qin Fei said.

Aila stepped forward abruptly. "Speak up!"

She would spare no effort to answer her best friend's inquiries!

"It's not really a big deal," Qin Fei's lips curved into a smile as he spoke softly. "I need to find Lamb, but I have no idea where he is right now."

"Lamb..."

Upon hearing this name, Aila was visibly taken aback.

She then gave an answer identical to the priest's: "Lamb is always with the Doctor. Find the Doctor, and you'll find Lamb."

The wraith looked utterly perplexed.

He had no idea who Lamb was, nor did he know of any doctor.

Qin Fei had no intention of expending energy to explain these matters to them.

He continued questioning Aila, "Where can I find the Doctor?"

Aila shook her head, "… I don't know. His office is behind the dungeon, but he doesn't often stay there."

"I've heard that he sometimes goes out to other churches. As for when he'll return, no one knows for sure."

Aila expressed her regret, "If you need to see the Doctor, you'll have to wait in his office and hope for the best."

Their conversation had come full circle.

Qin Fei furrowed his brow slightly. "Thank you for telling me all this."

Aila smiled, her expression carrying a unique blend of fondness and bashfulness that one would have for a newly found confidante. "It's no big deal. If you ever have any other questions, feel free to come to me."

She gazed into Qin Fei's eyes. "I feel like we click. Perhaps when our children grow up, they might become friends too."

She gestured towards the soiled little shirt on Qin Fei's shoulder.

...

After bidding farewell with a wave, the trio left Aila's bedroom side by side.

Number 1, who had been standing by the door, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it had lost its patience after waiting too long and had moved on to another location.

"Didn't Number 14 die? Why did she suddenly appear in the Labyrinth Corridor?"

As they walked forward, Phantom kept looking back until Number 14 and that eerie living room vanished from sight.

"She must be Number 14's alternate personality," Sanmu said with a frown.

As she spoke, she cast an inquisitive glance at Qin Fei.

During the past half-hour, she had come to realize that this young man before her, dressed in resplendent attire, possessed an unparalleled understanding of the instance dungeon information compared to them.

"Number One and Number Two transformed into forms that corresponded with their inner personalities after entering the Inner World," San Tu speculated. "Perhaps Number Fourteen is no different."

"As long as a player is killed, they mutate into the appearance of their inner self."

San Tu turned her gaze toward Qin Fei.

Unconsciously, she seemed to have treated this young man, who wasn't particularly familiar with them and even carried a hint of animosity, as some sort of compass in the instance dungeon.

Qin Fei, however, shook his head. "Yes, but not entirely."

San Tu was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Qin Fei didn't answer immediately but instead reached into his chest and pulled out a pendant.

It was the pendant of the Virgin Mary that the White Nun had given them when they first entered the instance dungeon. Apart from having each person's number engraved on the back, its other functions had yet to manifest.

The pendant was still as new and polished as it had been the previous afternoon when Qin Fei first held it in his hands. The Virgin Mary's embrace held a hollow glass bead, empty inside like a transparent bubble.

In the astonishment of San Tu, Qin Fei then produced another identical pendant.

However, this pendant's bead was filled with bright red liquid, resembling a vibrant, pulsating heart brimming with life.

"This one is mine," Qin Fei pointed at the hollow pendant.

"And this one is Number Two's," he indicated the full one.

Number Two had been killed by Prisoner Zero in the Inner World's church that very morning. Amidst the chaos, the pendant had slipped to the doorstep of the confessional. Qin Fei had spotted it when he opened the door and picked it up.

Without pausing, the young man continued walking while speaking with a calm, profound gaze, "Just now, when Number One was chasing us, I saw his pendant too."

It hung on some protrusion on his massive body, swaying with each stride he took.

That pendant's bead was likewise filled with fluid.

San Tu's steps faltered, and she abruptly reached into her pocket to retrieve her own pendant.

...Fortunately.

There was only a thin layer of red on it.

The ghost fire was similar; its hue was slightly redder than San Tu's, but it was still far from being "full of beads."

"I speculate that the amount of liquid in the beads is closely related to the players' actions within the instances," Qin Fei said leisurely.

Whenever a player violated the rules or committed sacrilegious acts,

Or when they were tempted by their inner selves and entertained wicked thoughts,

The liquid in the pendant would increase.

And once the pendant was filled with the liquid, the player would lose all sense of reason, turning into an unconscious monster driven solely by their instincts.

"Number 2, who was the first to commit murder, and Number 1, who repeatedly spied on other players at night, were probably the first to suffer the backlash from their inner selves in this game."

Qin Fei walked down the long, silent corridor, his leather-soled shoes making a sound that was both muffled and crisp with each step. "Number 6 probably won't last much longer."

San Tro listened attentively to Qin Fei's words, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She felt a sense of relief; their strategy to clear the levels had inadvertently avoided this issue. Otherwise, if she had hastily taken the kill for points, she would likely have struggled to survive until the end of the dungeon.

"Then what about Number 14?" Ghost Fire asked, "Is it the same for Number 14?"

Number 14 was not the same.

Her pendant still hung around her neck even after her death.

Qin Fei had seen that pendant in Number 4's necrophiliac room, and there had been no liquid inside at all.

Perhaps when a player was killed in the Surface World under normal circumstances, their corresponding Inner Self would also appear in the Inner World.

Following this logic, they might encounter a resurrected Number 4 sooner or later.

Aside from that, Qin Fei was still unclear about the relationship between the Holy Infant Number 24 and Lamb.

The conversation paused here, and all three of them wore solemn expressions, each lost in their own thoughts.

Qin Fei, however, found herself curious about another matter.

Initially, Cheng Song had always assumed that in their teaming up for instances, San Tu would hold the dominant position alongside Ghost Fire.

However, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

Although the duo relied on San Tu to make decisions, she was essentially just paving the way for Ghost Fire.

Back in the Confessional, San Tu hadn't even bothered to speak up; all the points had been claimed by Ghost Fire alone.

Qin Fei had previously heard Xiao Xiao and Cheng Song discussing how San Tu was an internal candidate for Dark Flame's core member reserve. She was currently with Ghost Fire only because her level was still low.

Assuming nothing unexpected happened, once she smoothly leveled up to an A-class world, she would definitely make it onto Dark Flame's list of top players.

She sounded like quite a character, so why had she ended up as Ghost Fire's bodyguard?

As for Ghost Fire, wasn't he a recruiter? Shouldn't he be experienced, calm, and enigmatic? Why was he so terrible at this?

That was precisely why Ghost Fire was foolish, Qin Fei thought. Upon hearing these questions, he didn't intend to hide anything and answered even more eagerly than a primary school student eager to answer a teacher's question.

"Senior Sister San Tu is a prospective top player, and I am too," he said, his entire being exuding foolishness, identical to Xiao Xiao's foolishness during their instance runs.

Watching him about to reveal his innate skill, San Tu promptly reached out and pinched his flesh hard.

"Ahh!!"

Ghost Fire leaped three feet high, clutching his arm, and turned his head with a pout. "Sister San Tu, why did you hit me?"

San Tu rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with him.

Ghost Fire finally realized his mistake. "...Oh, I can't tell you that."

Although Ghost Fire's innate skill wasn't as crucial as some offensive players', whose survival in dungeons often depended on it, it was still a secret within the guild.

It couldn't be disclosed to an outsider like Qin Fei.

Ghost Fire forcibly changed the subject. "Let's continue searching for other players and figure out their alter egos. Then we can head to the Confessional Hall to earn points."

Upon hearing this, Qin Fei's gaze flickered involuntarily.

He raised his hand and scratched his nose embarrassedly. "There was something I forgot to tell you earlier."

The young man's tone was light and casual, as if what he said wasn't a shocking revelation but merely casual conversation after a meal.

"The Confessional seems to have been destroyed by the Blood Nun just now."

Cut in half by six chainsaws, splintered wood fragments were scattered everywhere, leaving the structure completely unrecognizable.

This situation could be likened to a stone stirring up a thousand ripples in a pond.

In an instant, Ghostfire and Sanzu both had a string of question marks hovering above their foreheads.

Their four eyes instantly locked onto Qin Fei, "What did you say?!"

Quickly tell them that he was just joking!

This couldn't possibly be true, right? !

Qin Fei blinked innocently, "I'm not lying, I'm telling the truth."

As he spoke, he threw up his hands, his expression open and even a bit shameless, "It was the Blood Nun who caused the damage, not me. Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Phantom Fire: ...

I don't believe you for a second! You must be involved in this!

"Then, then what should we do?" Phantom Fire stammered, asking.

According to their original plan, the next step was to uncover other players' secrets and accumulate as many points as possible before the inevitable killing spree began.

But now!

Phantom Fire looked utterly hopeless. "If a player dies now, can we return to the Surface World to confess?"

Qin Fei shook his head. "Although the Flip between the two worlds brings changes, if I'm not mistaken, the Confessionals in both worlds should be the same."

Phantom Fire: Damn it!!

"You said the Confessional was destroyed by the Blood Nuns. Do you mean they used a chainsaw?"

Sanzu still held onto a sliver of unrealistic hope:

"Perhaps we could confess within the remains of the confessional itself?"

However, despite Qin Fei's hopeful attire as a priest, his words were increasingly grim: "I doubt it."

Right from the start of the chase, when Qin Fei was blasted out of the basement by the Blood Nun, Player 567 had already been standing in front of the confessional.

From their posture at that time, they were clearly planning to enter.

Since Qin Fei was now safely standing on the ground of the Inner World, it meant that the pursuing Blood Nun hadn't succeeded in harming them during the chase.

And now, nearly half an hour had passed since the chase ended.

Players 567 would undoubtedly return to the church and attempt to confess again in the confessional.

But Qin Fei hadn't heard any system announcements.

This pointed to only one conclusion.

The confessional was completely ruined.

At this point, no one could earn any more Confession Points.

"What do we do now?!" Phantom's face turned ashen. Were they really going to kill six people at once?

The problem was, they couldn't even do that!

Qin Fei waved his hand with a smile. "Don't worry."

The young man stroked his chin with his slender fingers, his amber eyes filled with contemplation. "In this instance, the nuns probably have the highest authority. Perhaps we could try our luck with them."

"Who knows, maybe they'd be willing to help us fix the Confessional?" Qin Fei's smile was innocent and serene.

Phantom relentlessly mocked, "What pipe dream are you having?"

Forget about the nuns in the Otherworld who wielded stun batons and were ready to strike at any moment, even the white-robed nuns in the Surface World seemed to be difficult to approach.

Asking them to help players repair the Confessional?

That was no different from asking them to guide the players straight through the instance! It was wishful thinking, pure and simple.

"Care to make a wager?" Qin Fei cast a casual glance at the ghostly flame.

"If I manage to get the nun to fix it, you'll agree to do me a favor. How about that?"

"Hmm... just tell me what your innate ability is."

He spoke slowly with a charming smile, resembling a cunning gray wolf pondering over how to devour its prey.