Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Bai Fuling only glanced at the character art before taking advantage of the other party's smiling greeting to lift the hem of his clothes and click on the bandage in his hand, bringing it close.

Although he had many questions, the prerequisite for continuing the plot was that the NPC was unharmed, so stabilizing his HP came first!

The mixed-race youth was still smiling and speaking when he caught sight of Bai Fuling slapping the burning bandage directly towards him from the corner of his eye.

He didn't have time to dodge, instinctively sucking in his stomach and holding his breath—yet the expected burning pain never came.

Those hands rested on his waist, bringing a slight warmth and ticklish sensation. The mixed-race youth's body stiffened; he hadn't expected the person before him to lean in so directly—that fluffy head was practically pressed against his chest.

"..." He lowered his gaze, about to reach out and pull the other into a hug with his usual flirtatious, intimate smile to inquire about other matters, when the other suddenly straightened up and stepped back.

The mixed-race youth almost had his chin bumped by the other's head, but he reacted quickly.

The fiercely burning bandage was tightly wrapped against his skin, the flaming bandage blazingly bright in the darkness.

Just now, Bai Fuling had clicked the [Bandage] button on the screen, wrapping the bandage precisely around the NPC's waist: once, twice, three times.

As for the effect... this was the system's default professional bandaging process option, so it was naturally flawless.

After finishing, he glanced up at the health bar—the slowly decreasing bar had finally stopped draining and stabilized at a certain value.

Great! Bai Fuling pulled up a smiling emoji, praising himself. The player truly has a healing touch.

"..." Seeing this, the mixed-race youth paused in surprise. Looking down, he realized the wound on his waist had been swiftly bandaged.

Mixed-race youth: ?

Did the whole process even last 10 seconds? That was way too fast, almost like wrapping a gift!

Although the process was brief and rough, the result of the bandaging was excellent. The layers of bandage perfectly covered the necessary areas without a single extra wrinkle. It even ended with a neat bow tied to one side.

While this couldn't achieve a healing effect, at least the wound was no longer continuously bleeding—an excellent piece of first aid.

"Oh. You're pretty handy with that," the mixed-race youth's eyes flickered as he asked with a smile, "Do you patch yourself up a lot?"

"No," Bai Fuling answered frankly. "I never need bandaging; I just eat something and I'm fine."

Mixed-race youth: ?

He paused, feeling the answer was too perfunctory.

Perhaps the guy in front of him just didn't want to say.

So the mixed-race youth didn't press further.

His focus returned to his own body, his eyes reflecting the fiery glow burning fiercely at his waist.

...*Wait, why is this thing still on fire??*

If wrapping a bandage in under 10 seconds could just about be chalked up to the other's exceptional skill, then a bandage that was still fiercely burning yet emitted no heat at all defied all scientific explanation.

—This completely violated the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology!

"How can this be?" the mixed-race youth couldn't help but mutter to himself. He raised a hand, gingerly touching his side, puzzled. "Why is it still glowing?"

"Because it's a glowing bandage," Bai Fuling answered matter-of-factly. "That's just how it looks."

"...No. I get that, but why is it on fire???"

Bai Fuling: "Because that's just how it looks."

That's just what the item looks like; what's the big deal? Bai Fuling gave the other a strange look. Nowadays, NPCs even question the design of system outfits?

"..." Hearing this, the mixed-race youth was silent for a couple of seconds. He looked down at the flaming bandage defying all known laws of nature and chose to ignore it for now.

Perhaps he had hit his head earlier, or maybe inhaled some strange powder. He thought. *This is probably a hallucination*; after all, there's no sensation of fire to the touch.

The mixed-race youth didn't dwell on these inexplicable things.

He lifted his face, continuing breezily, "Meeting is fate, little angel—how did you get here? Oh, right, if it's convenient, could you pick up the mask on the ground for me?"

His waist was injured and bandaged, so bending or squatting wasn't a good idea as it could easily cause the wound to split open again.

Bai Fuling picked up the other's Tit Mask, then asked what he had been wondering earlier: "What happened to that car?"

Before coming to the library, he had driven the flashy red car "gifted" by the NPC on a thrilling joyride, sideswiping countless other cars along the way.

When leaving, due to traffic, he didn't continue driving the flashy red car but instead swung the stretcher's alloy pole as he soared into the sky.

Would the car he'd left behind still be there, or would it have automatically returned to the original NPC? Bai Fuling intended to ask. After all, this was the player's first car.

"Car?" The mixed-race youth's expression turned odd for a second.

He couldn't forget how the other had suddenly pushed him aside, got in the car, and drove off—how naturally the guy had just stolen his car in broad daylight!

That wasn't all. Soon after, he received a call from the police station.

There was talk of a bravery award, reckless driving causing accidents, unlicensed flight causing negative impact... his head was spinning from it all... he'd almost missed the real business at hand.

Now, hearing Bai Fuling bring it up again, the mixed-race youth hesitated briefly, then smiled again. "Were you in such a hurry to save someone back then, little angel? But when you drove off, the accident hadn't happened yet."

He looked over. "Did you know it was going to happen? Some premonition, or other information... Oh, speaking of which, I heard someone involved in the accident was just discharged from the hospital and readmitted." He seemed to be probing for information.

"You mean that Unlucky Bear?" Bai Fuling immediately caught on.

Originally, he just thought the other was an unlucky bear, but now, hearing this new NPC mention it again, Bai Fuling couldn't help but ponder further.

Dialogue between the player and NPCs is mostly plot-related. They wouldn't bring up Unlucky Bear Guan Jizhong again for no reason!

Honestly, Bai Fuling was quite surprised to encounter Guan Jizhong at the roadside accident scene.

After all, there weren't any mandatory interaction tasks with Guan Jizhong at the time, and random side tasks like rescuing people at an accident scene didn't require a named NPC's appearance.

Bai Fuling thought.

Just discharged, then readmitted... In that accident, Guan Jizhong's car was innermost. If the player hadn't rescued him quickly, he would have died in the explosion.

Previously, Bai Fuling only thought Guan Jizhong was unlucky, another chapter in the Unlucky Bear saga. But now, upon closer thought, was there a hint of conspiracy? The accident wasn't an accident but deliberate.

Someone wanted Guan Jizhong dead. The plot related to Guan Jizhong mainly revolves around the Crescent Scythe Murder Case, as he is a victim's family member. There's also additional plot, probably related to Liao Zhiqiu... the Liao family. Guan Jizhong previously took on a task from Liao Zhiqiu's grandfather.

—These two points might also be connected.

Bai Fuling pondered.

Before him, the mixed-race youth took the mask Bai Fuling handed over and put it back on, covering most of his face.

Bai Fuling noticed the NPC's movement on the screen and refocused his attention, instinctively pressing further: "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"...Oh, it's like this," the mixed-race youth wearing the Tit Mask began, his processed electronic voice crackling through. "I'm actually a freelance adventurer. I enjoy traveling to various explorable places and delving into them deeply."

"However, not all places allow free entry. So I need to conceal my identity a bit to avoid trouble coming my way." The fox-like curve of his lips visible below the mask tilted upward. "So remember to keep my secret for me, little angel. I'll keep yours too."

What secret? The player would love to know.

Bai Fuling tilted his head.

The NPC before him claimed to be a freelance adventurer—but given how RPG puzzle games work, someone who specifically hides their identity is never that straightforward. There must be more secrets worth uncovering!

Bai Fuling pointed at him: "Do freelance adventurers also carry guns?"

"Haha. That gun is mainly for scaring people." The mixed-race youth's electronic voice rose and fell slightly as he let out a fluctuating chuckle, pulling the gun from his pocket. "Sometimes you encounter special situations... Look at this wound of mine. When exploring and adventuring everywhere, you always need something to intimidate others to ensure a safe retreat."

"Actually, this thing is pretty much just for show." The mixed-race youth shrugged. "Just a pretty unimpressive fake gun."

Bai Fuling was intrigued at the sight of the pixelated gun, and he couldn't help but take two steps closer.

The mixed-race youth handed over the gun without hesitation: "If you insist on looking, then take a look. It's hardly a famous make."

After being bandaged by Bai Fuling, the mixed-race youth seemed to have judged that Bai Fuling wouldn't attack him, so his action of handing over the gun was very composed and decisive.

Bai Fuling took the gun, and a description box popped up on the screen.

"Assembled Gun: A gun cobbled together from various parts, not belonging to any known series."

"So, have you seen enough? It's just a dud for scaring folks." The mixed-race youth nodded. "Doesn't pack much of a punch."

Doesn't pack much of a punch? Bai Fuling tilted his head. What's 'not much,' exactly?

The player had finally laid eyes on a cool-looking pixelated gun and really wanted to add it to his collection.

But before stashing it in his inventory, he needed to give it a quick test. What if he ended up with a useless gun that was even less powerful than a hoe?

The player does like good looks, but cares more about practicality.

So Bai Fuling decided to test this gun.

The only living beings on the scene were the NPC and the player—the badly wounded NPC obviously couldn't take any more abuse, so if he wanted to test the gun's firepower, the only option was the player himself.

Anyway, no matter how much damage the first hit inflicts, it always leaves a sliver of health, giving the player a chance to heal. So he decided to throw caution to the wind and try it!

Bai Fuling decisively turned the gun around and pointed it at himself.

The mixed-race youth: "...Wait, what are you doing?!"

He sensed something was wrong, but it was too late to stop him.

"Bang!"

A loud gunshot rang out!

The mixed-race youth stared in shock as a bullet hole appeared on the person before him, blood rapidly spreading at a visible rate—

The black-haired youth stiffly fell to the ground.

The mixed-race youth: "?!"

Suicide?!—Why such a sudden suicide?

Damn it, he hadn't detected any self-destructive tendencies in the person before him at all!

The next second.

The fallen black-haired youth, chewing on a book, miraculously sat up straight from the ground. Without opening his mouth, he somehow produced sound: "Wrong. It's not without attack power."

The mixed-race youth: ...?

How did he just pop back up right there?!