Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The medium-sized freezer pressed against the wall in the room emitted a creaking sound, as if internal gears and mechanisms were in motion. The pixel-style indicator light on its lid flickered with alternating red and green.

Liao Zhiqiu took a step forward, approaching the waist-high freezer, his attention completely focused on it.

Is the special food coming? Bai Fuling wondered, glancing at the freezer's activity in the center of the room and guessing based on what Liao Zhiqiu had just said.

The freezer was flush against the wall; its interior might contain a transport passage that could be opened to deliver the so-called special food.

However, his attention didn't linger on the freezer for too long. Compared to a still-operating machine that would eventually be available for interaction, a named NPC who could advance the plot was naturally more important.

Bai Fuling saw the short bubble "Mmm..." appear above Luo Qingyue's head on the ground, guessing he was about to wake up.

So, he quickly maneuvered his character over first, plopping down beside the NPC, closing his eyes, placing his hands on his chest, assuming a posture of serene departure—a move so practiced it was second nature.

Luo Qingyue's figure swayed slightly as he slowly opened his eyes, transitioning from unconsciousness to wakefulness. A string of bewildered ellipses appeared above his head.

"...?" As his consciousness returned, the ellipses promptly evolved into a question mark. Luo Qingyue looked around at the unfamiliar laboratory environment, his entire being in a state of stunned confusion.

Then, he quickly noticed Bai Fuling lying stiffly right in front of him, and the question mark above his head turned into a large red exclamation point.

"Cabbage?! Cabbage Friend...?!" Luo Qingyue was startled, instinctively reaching out to help him up. "Are you okay—you, what happened to you?"

"I, cough, cough." Bai Fuling lay on the ground, acting very dramatically. "You suddenly pounced on me and attacked me just now. I fought with all my might but couldn't break free, almost died."

"I... attacked you?" Luo Qingyue's eyes widened behind his glasses. He seemed not to understand what had happened but asked further. "Are you injured? Where are you hurt—uh, are you injured?"

He looked down at Bai Fuling, whose health bar was at 100% and who appeared perfectly fine, his tone becoming somewhat hesitant.

Bai Fuling's heart skipped a beat. Damn, forgot to wound myself first as a disguise, the NPC is getting suspicious! Meticulously planned (not really) extortion attempt is a major failure?!

Honestly, players are the least afraid of a self-harm ploy. If shedding a little blood could gain an NPC's trust and resources, players wouldn't mind stabbing themselves 10086 times a day.

—After all, lost health can be recovered later. As long as it's not completely depleted, it has no real impact on the player.

But just now was a bit too rushed, so Bai Fuling just rolled over there—was this floor wiped too clean? Clean to the point where the player couldn't even get dusty to look disheveled!

Before the question mark above Luo Qingyue's head could grow larger, Bai Fuling had a quick wit and said, "Internal injuries, very painful." He made his character shed tears.

Just by turning the expression wheel to [Crying], the character would shed tears, without even needing to work up the emotion. He could practically march straight into drama school.

The expression wheel exists for a reason; tears can sometimes be a weapon too. Bai Fuling thought to himself. Especially when facing this Cotton Spirit.

Cotton is most afraid of being soaked in water; surely it can't withstand the player's tears!

As he expected, the pixel character above Luo Qingyue's head quickly changed from a cloud of doubt to a small exclamation point, swiftly setting aside the earlier hesitation.

He looked somewhat flustered, as if unsure where to put his hands, so he ended up adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry... apologies. That, how should I—"

Bai Fuling, waiting for just this moment, decisively took over: "V me 998 every day, support my great resurrection cause!"

Luo Qingyue: ?

Before Luo Qingyue could reply, another dialog box popped up on the screen.

"—The food is here."

The voice came from the direction of the room's freezer. It was Liao Zhiqiu's voice.

Liao Zhiqiu opened the freezer and took out a plate. On the plate was a pixelated mass of interwoven red, white, pink, purple, and other colors. Red, liquid-like pixels overflowed the shallow plate, dripping drop by drop onto the ground.

"Sorry for the wait, are you hungry?" A faint smile appeared on Liao Zhiqiu's face. Holding the plate, he walked towards Bai Fuling.

Bai Fuling maneuvered his character to get up from the ground.

Luo Qingyue also stood up, leaning against the wall. Staring at the plate in Liao Zhiqiu's approaching hand, he couldn't help but ask, "...What is this?"

Although players don't have a sense of smell, just looking at that plate, Bai Fuling felt as if he could smell the scent of blood in the air.

Unlike the lump of internal organs Liao Zhiqiu had presented earlier, which had been sitting for a while and was coagulated and hardened, this one was fresh, as if still steaming and pulsating.

Another sentence uncontrollably slipped from Luo Qingyue's mouth: "...What is this?!"

Hearing this, Liao Zhiqiu glanced at Luo Qingyue, his brow slightly furrowed, but his attention remained on Bai Fuling.

He held the plate, carefully, preciously, eagerly offering it forward.

"Eat, little cat." Liao Zhiqiu said joyfully. "This is your favorite food."

Bai Fuling looked down. Everything seemed to return to the time by Maple Leaf Lake.

He looked at that lump of red, purple, pink, and white pixelated color blob. In a few dazed moments, he seemed to see some black lines wriggling on it, but they disappeared in an instant.

Bai Fuling blinked.

Actually, having accepted the Alienation Value, he didn't mind taking a few small bites.

Although, based on the case files and the circumstances of the Crescent Scythe Murder Case victims, Bai Fuling guessed this grotesque lump of flesh was part of a human body. But this is a game, not reality; there aren't so many moral and legal constraints, and as a player, he has no squeamishness.

—Let him taste it!

Bai Fuling took the plate, his eyes sparkling. He opened his mouth wide, ready to "ah-woo" and swallow everything in front of him, plate and all.

But just before that, his figure suddenly paused; the forward motion to eat was halted—someone had grabbed him from behind.

"His strength is great; you cannot break free."

Text prompt appeared on the screen again.

"How can you eat this sort of thing?" Luo Qingyue stepped forward half a step, firmly gripping Bai Fuling's shoulder, his scholarly pale face tense. "Don't touch that, Little Friend. It doesn't look like anything good."

He leaned closer to Bai Fuling and whispered another sentence: "We should call the police."

Call the police. Bai Fuling suddenly remembered. Right, that's correct. He shouldn't just eat the thing in front of him, because it's very likely evidence or a clue item needed later!

No wonder the NPC suddenly stopped him; the player was taking the wrong step.

Bai Fuling's thoughts raced through his mind. He steadied himself and put the lump of pixelated viscera into his backpack.

Liao Zhiqiu's expression in front of him changed: "You're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry." Bai Fuling replied. "I'll save it for later, eat it when I'm hungry."

The player isn't stupid, of course he wouldn't tell the truth in front of the NPC. Moreover, the NPC Liao Zhiqiu in front of him seemed mentally unstable; it's best to go along with it for now.

"...You're lying." Liao Zhiqiu said.

"How could that be?" Bai Fuling replied candidly. "Have you forgotten the bird eggs and cat treats you gave me before? I ate every single one of them afterward."

Beside him, Luo Qingyue wore an expression of utter disbelief. "...That was edible?"

"Absolutely, man," Bai Fuling nodded. "Next time, I'll treat you—not 998, just a friendship price of 999 for you."

Luo Qingyue: "Why is it one yuan more expensive?!"

Bai Fuling: "Because I specifically scam honest people."

"..." Luo Qingyue fell silent.

Six dots popped up above his head.

Bai Fuling was delighted; he loved teasing the Cotton Spirit like this. After all, even if the Cotton Spirit got angry, he'd just puff up into a ball of cotton.

Life had kneaded him repeatedly, only to make him fluffier!

On the screen, six dots hovered above both Luo Qingyue's and Liao Zhiqiu's heads, though their meanings differed.

Luo Qingyue's dots signified exasperation, while Liao Zhiqiu's indicated deep thought—and after a few seconds, Liao Zhiqiu finished thinking. He looked over and said in a very patient tone, "Oh, I see. You're both sick."

Bai Fuling became wary.

It wasn't for any other reason, but because with those words, Liao Zhiqiu's name turned red!

A red name—meaning hostile, or that a fight was brewing.

Bai Fuling: Don't rage so easily! Why did you turn red out of nowhere?!

"Don't worry, kitten, I'll cure you," Liao Zhiqiu said to Bai Fuling, his voice softening. He also spared a glance at Luo Qingyue. "Grandpa's cat... well, I can send you both for treatment."

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?" Luo Qingyue adjusted his glasses.

Liao Zhiqiu took a few steps back, stationing himself at the room's only exit. He placed a hand on the wall beside him.

The silver pixel wall was smooth and clean, but at that moment, under Liao Zhiqiu's touch, a square panel slid open, revealing a red button.

"I'll send you both for treatment," Liao Zhiqiu said.

"What do you mean—what exactly are you trying to do?" Luo Qingyue released his grip on Bai Fuling's shoulder and took several steps forward.

His slightly curly bangs swayed with his movements, and his eyes behind the glasses were serious. "Is there some misunderstanding? We can sit down and talk this through properly. We're all adults here."

Hearing this, Liao Zhiqiu glanced at Luo Qingyue again and said carefully, "It seems you're very sick."

Luo Qingyue: ?

Liao Zhiqiu: "You actually think you're an adult?"

Luo Qingyue hesitated. "...Do I look like a kid?"

Bai Fuling patted Luo Qingyue's arm and then answered Liao Zhiqiu, "What he means is, we're both adult cats now, so we can communicate properly."

The player had Liao Zhiqiu all figured out!

On the screen, the pixel character with dark circles looked at Bai Fuling, a smiley face appearing in the bubble above his head. "Oh, no, you're not a big cat. You're a kitten."

He seemed much friendlier, and the red name faded slightly in color—though it was still considered red.

Why was it red? What was Liao Zhiqiu planning to do?

If this was part of the plot, could it hurry up already? The player's time was precious!

Bai Fuling controlled the on-screen character, bounding over to Liao Zhiqiu.

Seeing that Liao Zhiqiu still intended to speak, he decided to skip through this dialogue to proceed to the next step.

So, he pressed the red button on the wall.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

A piercing alarm sounded in the room, and the door closed the next moment. Liao Zhiqiu hadn't expected Bai Fuling to suddenly reach out and poke the button, so he didn't have time to leave and was also trapped inside.

But he seemed in a better mood than before; even Bai Fuling's random button-pressing didn't anger him. After all, kittens loved to mess around—it was only natural.

The lights around them went out with a series of "pops." The floor shook as if descending or cracking, and a soft "puff" sound echoed in the background.

A prompt appeared on the screen.

"A faint fragrance fills the air, lingering in your nose."

"You feel slightly dizzy, probably from the scent."

"You really want to sleep for a while. Or maybe, you could sleep for a while."

What was this? Forced sleep? What was going to happen? Bai Fuling watched as the view on the screen began to shrink bit by bit, as if the character was genuinely getting dizzy.

"What...?" Luo Qingyue staggered unsteadily. He had just woken from a coma and was now about to fall unconscious again.

Before the screen went dark and while he could still input dialogue, Bai Fuling quickly typed to fish for spoilers: "What's next? Can we get a sneak peek or something?"

"You're going for treatment," Liao Zhiqiu nodded. "Don't worry, you'll be completely cured."

The room gradually grew darker, the silver walls reflecting the last remaining arcs of light. The entire environment seemed filled with a cold, sterile feel.

Against this backdrop, Luo Qingyue, who had inhaled the knockout gas, leaned against the wall, struggling to stay conscious.

"Why not just sleep?" Liao Zhiqiu whispered. He had already leaned against the wall, half-closing his eyes in compliance. "Sleep, and when you wake up, all your problems will be solved."

"...I haven't clocked out from work today!" Luo Qingyue pressed a hand to his temple, forcing out a reply. "Good heavens, I'll be marked as leaving early! I'll lose a whole day's wages!"

Even as things went south, the attention of a poor corporate slave remained fixed on perfect attendance and clocking in.

This reminded Bai Fuling, who widened his eyes. "No—wait, I haven't gone through the school trash cans today. I can't sleep!"

Suddenly, both the NPC and the player summoned all their strength to resist.

Daily life quests must not be interrupted!!!