Chapter 527 Team Formed

Chapter 527: Team Formed

“You want to team up with me?” Su Bai raised his hand and reached forward. His fingertips skimmed lightly through the air before grasping the hand of the little girl who called herself Xiaoya. It was thin, frail—so delicate that even a slight increase in pressure would let him feel the fragile outline of her finger bones beneath.

Yet this girl was undeniably a human player—not some eerie entity in disguise.

During this time, while Wu Hang—occupying the doll’s body—remained at the Mist Shop studying qi and blood, Su Bai couldn’t afford to idle. Occasionally, he slipped back through the lounge door into Honghuai City to spend time with his mother, Lin Wan. Sometimes he reviewed university materials, preparing for what lay ahead. Other times, deep in the night, he wandered the red-moon-lit streets with the puzzle fragments. And sometimes, he diligently managed the shop—tidying shelves in the corners and chatting with passing customers…

In his spare time, Su Bai had also absorbed quite a bit from Wu Hang about qi and blood.

According to Wu Hang, one reason humans from Su Bai’s world had become key test subjects for the Red Moon Association might be that the number of locals still capable of surviving under the red moon could be counted on one hand. Over the centuries, civilization had collapsed repeatedly—sweeping across the globe like relentless tides. Those who truly survived these repeated catastrophes were exceedingly rare; most had already found another way to “live” beneath the red moon—like Ghost Bride A Xi and others.

That is, by becoming eerie entities.

Those who genuinely endured either possessed some special protection—or no longer belonged to the category of “humans” at all.

Take Garan, the old man who betrayed the mermaid’s love at the Luolimasi Grand Hotel. He survived civilization’s collapse by relying on the power granted by Luolimasi—but after clinging to life for so long, he was no longer human in any meaningful sense.

Thus, human qi and blood was something eerie entities lacked—a flowing, vital energy unique to living beings, and a power exceedingly difficult to obtain within the Nightmare World… Perhaps it truly concealed some crucial secret.

It was simply that neither Su Bai nor Wu Hang knew it yet.

The little girl now standing before Su Bai possessed human qi and blood. Yet perhaps because her body was so thin and frail, her life force was faint—and the concentration of red moon power within her was merely… “average.”

Still, the “average” Su Bai referred to was relative to seasoned players like Tan Ying and Chi Yan, whom he’d encountered earlier at the Happy Inn. For a Nightmare Game player of Xiaoya’s age, such a concentration of red moon power was already remarkable.

“Mhm, Xiaoya can be Big Brother’s eyes,” Xiaoya said earnestly once more. “Even though Brother can’t see, Xiaoya is nodding vigorously right now.”

“Why?” Su Bai asked again.

“Huh?” Perhaps finding his question repetitive, the girl seemed puzzled—but repeated herself anyway. “Because no one likes to team up with a child—or someone who can’t see. So Xiaoya and Big Brother teaming up is just right.”

“That’s true. It sounds like I have no reason to refuse—but I also retain the right to refuse a partnership.” Though intrigued by the girl before him, Su Bai inherently preferred acting alone. “Unless Little Sister Xiaoya believes a blind person forfeits the right to decline a partnership?”

“How could that be!” Her voice sounded flustered.

Su Bai wore his standard, flawless smile. His movement—turning to leave while using the wall for support—was decisive, leaving little room for negotiation.

“Sorry—if there’s no convincing reason, I truly have no intention of partnering with anyone…”

Before Su Bai could finish, he felt a hand tug gently at his sleeve.

“Wait, Big Brother.” Xiaoya’s voice turned urgent—she’d even forgotten to refer to herself as “Xiaoya” this time. “I want to team up with Brother not because Brother can’t see—but because I think Brother is very strong, and would definitely be an exceptionally capable teammate.”

“You think I’m… strong?” Su Bai was somewhat taken aback—considering he was currently navigating by holding onto a wall, unable to see.

“Yes. Usually, when people calculate the days and estimate they’re about to enter the game, even while sleeping at night, they practically tie useful items to themselves. Big Brother doesn’t even carry the smallest bag—you only seem to have those beads and the peace cord on your left wrist.” Xiaoya spoke in one breath. “Even I carry weapons. Big Brother travels so lightly—either those two strings of beads and cords are extraordinarily powerful… or Big Brother himself is extraordinarily strong.”

“Or maybe I just forgot to bring them.”

“That’s possible. But since Brother said ‘or maybe,’ then it isn’t.” Xiaoya lowered her voice slightly. “And earlier, Big Brother said your eyes ‘currently’ can’t see—and asked if my body felt uncomfortable anywhere. Though I can’t quite figure it out yet, I get the feeling Big Brother knows things I don’t.”

“We’ve only met for a few minutes—and yet you’ve already thought so much. But don’t forget—I’m still a stranger. A little girl should still possess some sense of caution.” Su Bai briefly recalled another clever girl—Wen Wen. While Wen Wen was intelligent, her powers of observation weren’t as sharp as this girl’s. Had Su Bai met Little Sister Xiaoya during the Ghost Bride instance back then, she might have glanced at him and instantly sensed something off about this “bride.”

Su Bai even imagined how intriguing it would be if Wen Wen and Xiaoya entered an instance hand in hand…

“I think *so* much—my head feels like it’s going to explode,” Xiaoya’s voice sounded troubled. “Sometimes, when my thoughts get tangled, I rely on intuition to judge.”

“So my intuition tells me—Big Brother, you *are* very strong. If I don’t follow Big Brother, I’ll definitely regret it.” The girl’s grip on Su Bai’s sleeve tightened ever so slightly—not forcefully, but with the quiet, unyielding stubbornness unique to children. “And my ability is *truly*, *truly* suited to helping you in this game!”

“The sweater will stretch out of shape if you keep pulling.” Su Bai reached out, his fingertips lightly brushing the back of her hand—a subtle signal to loosen her grip. Though his tone remained calm, it no longer sounded like refusal—more like quiet, tacit agreement. “You’re right. A blind person and a child *are* indeed a suitable team.”

“So…” Her voice brimmed with anticipation.

“My name is Su Bai.”

“My name is Le Shiya.”

The moment the girl announced her full name, she saw Su Bai—who had been “looking” at her—turn his head sharply toward the far end of the corridor.

“Someone else is coming.” Su Bai’s voice dropped low. “I can’t see right now, Xiaoya. Can you help me look carefully? Watch closely—and think carefully. Don’t miss a single detail.”