The post was full of fans shipping CP, discussing Li Jianxi, this unique NPC, and recommending Li Zhi. The lively replies kept the thread at the top of the homepage all day.
After Li Zhi herself clicked on the video that compiled footage from 37 different instances, she also fell into deep thought.
It seems that the blurred figure she saw before clearing the instance was indeed Li Jianxi. One has to admit, those viewers who love to ship characters do pay attention to the details. Their careful observation pointed out that Li Jianxi’s sporadic appearances in different instances were indeed unusual.
Could it really be as the thread’s author suggested? Was he looking for her?
Logically, NPCs in the instances shouldn’t have memories. They’re just data fabricated by the system, possibly reused in different instances, but they should be formatted before reuse.
When Li Jianxi appeared in Qingyu Town, he acted like he didn’t know her, which is why Li Zhi had that question when she cleared the instance.
But now, it seemed clear—he did have memories.
He really was looking for her.
This NPC, from the first moment she saw him, had struck her as different from the others. Li Zhi clicked on the edited video again. In every instance, Li Jianxi had the same indifferent expression, as if he always existed on the outskirts of that world.
Unlike the other NPCs—whether the evil ones, like Uncle Jiu and the Jin family’s butler, or the kind ones, like Tao Yu and Zhen Zhen—they all seemed like living, breathing characters with flesh and blood. They were the roles themselves.
But Li Jianxi was different. He seemed as if he were merely playing the role. He was always himself.
So, who was he really?
Li Zhi lay on her pillow, absentmindedly playing with the sunflower jade pendant Li Jianxi had given her. After a long while, she chuckled softly.
…
As more and more players entered the instances, almost no other entertainment news could be seen on social media platforms. Whether it was Weibo or Instagram, all the trending topics revolved around Horror Variety Show. News about celebrities cheating or getting caught in scandals no longer caught anyone’s attention.
However, not everyone could adapt to the instances. Many players, after exiting the instances, struggled to distinguish between the two worlds. Some even suffered from mental breakdowns. These past few days, Li Zhi kept seeing posts on forums about players committing suicide after clearing instances.
Xu Shu had once said that emotional stability was the rarest and most important ability in the instances.
Players like Li Zhi, who were almost completely unaffected, were few and far between.
After resting at home for a few days, she received a call from Chi Yi inviting her to go shopping.
Li Zhi had just finished a boxing session with Li Shuang and still had protective bandages wrapped around her hands. “Shopping? What are we buying?”
On the other end of the phone, Chi Yi was full of enthusiasm: “This time, I’m buying everything I couldn’t afford before! You can pick whatever you want, too! I’ll cover it all!”
Li Zhi knew she was anxious about the possibility of not making it back alive the next time she entered an instance. She probably wanted to indulge herself before going in. But Li Zhi also understood that Chi Yi would eventually have to take this step on her own. With the current trend of instance participation, Li Zhi couldn’t keep taking her along forever—Chi Yi had to stand on her own eventually.
She didn’t refuse and laughed, saying, “Alright, then come pick me up in your red sports car.”
Chi Yi was surprised. “How did you know I have a red sports car?”
Li Zhi replied, “I used to browse the internet too.”
In the past, pictures of Chi Yi driving her red sports car always trended online. The combination of the nation’s first love and a red sports car was surprisingly fitting, with sweet and stylish photos going viral several times. Thinking of the past, Chi Yi couldn’t help but sigh deeply on the other end of the line.
That kind of normal life was gone forever.
The only upside was that there was no more traffic. Chi Yi arrived quickly, and Li Zhi could hear the roar of the sports car from a distance.
As soon as she sat in the passenger seat, Rich Chi waved her hand grandly and declared, “Today, we’re going to empty out the mall!”
Li Zhi responded, “Forget it, my house is too small to store everything.”
Chi Yi said, “Then should I buy you a house first?”
Li Zhi: “…”
This time, when they went out, there were even fewer people on the streets than before. Still, a few shops were struggling to stay open, and the government was doing its best to maintain normal order and public services. However, ever since the [Ghost] invaded Earth, many industries had shut down completely.
Li Zhi had climbed the Great Firewall to check the news. While the domestic situation was still somewhat under control, things were far worse abroad, where the differing political systems led to chaos. Every day brought news of looting, murder, and arson, as if the world had turned into an apocalyptic playground.
The red sports car left a trail of afterimages as it raced through the city streets. Even when they neared the busiest and usually most congested part of town, there were barely any cars on the road.
Fortunately, Chi Yi’s favorite mall was still open, though it was eerily quiet inside and out. The once bubbly and enthusiastic sales clerks were now listless, but when they saw Chi Yi and Li Zhi, they perked up slightly and asked about the instances.
They browsed a few stores, with Chi Yi throwing items into her cart without a second thought, as if she were preparing to die tomorrow and wanted to spend all her money today.
Li Zhi bought a few symbolic items, and while Chi Yi was paying, Li Zhi noticed two suspicious figures lurking at the corner outside, reflected in the store’s shiny wall.
In fact, she had noticed them when they first entered the mall but hadn’t been sure if they were after her or Chi Yi. Now, after half an hour, she was certain—they were following them.
But who were they after, her or Chi Yi?
Li Zhi excused herself to go to the restroom, telling Chi Yi to wait in the store. She entered the emergency exit near the restroom, circled around through another door, and saw that the two people were now at the massage chairs opposite the restroom.
She quietly assessed her surroundings, calculating her chances of taking them down. Unexpectedly, the two, who had their backs to her, suddenly turned around and looked directly in her direction. They exchanged a glance and then quickly walked away.
A thought flashed in Li Zhi’s mind: They have a tool.
It must be some sort of warning device. After all, she had exuded strong hostility just now; otherwise, there’s no way they could have spotted her. But who could they be?
With this unexpected development, it wasn’t safe to keep shopping. Li Zhi returned to the store and quietly told Chi Yi what had happened. Chi Yi, visibly nervous, said, “Then let’s just go home. Dying in an instance is one thing, but dying in real life would be too miserable.”
Based on the earlier situation, it seemed the two people were likely after Li Zhi. Chi Yi drove her home first, then left in her car alone.
After returning home, Li Zhi inspected the doors and windows. During her time in the instance, Li Feng had replaced all the doors and windows with sturdier materials. Additionally, with the protective power of the Black Tortoise Shell she had obtained, the house was fairly secure. But if someone used tools from the instance to break in, even that wouldn’t be enough.
It seemed that for her next instance, she needed a tool that could protect her from both ghosts and people.
However, she currently had a danger alert device. It had been sitting in the living room for two days without going off. Since society was still under government control, it seemed that, for now, any lawbreakers wouldn’t dare act too recklessly.
Not long after, Lian Qinglin came over with Pink Hair to use a Teaming Card with her. Each Teaming Card could bind up to three people, but one person could bind to multiple cards. White Hair and Gold Hair hadn’t gotten their hands on Teaming Cards yet, so they wouldn’t be able to enter the instance together this time.
Judging by the timing, Lian Qinglin was about to enter the instance again in the next couple of days. After going in enough times, everyone gradually started figuring out the patterns.
Li Zhi continued preparing for her next instance at home.
The next day, an unexpected visitor arrived at her home.
Looking through the peephole, Li Zhi saw a man and a woman, both strangers, standing outside her door. She glanced back at the warning device on the coffee table. It hadn’t gone off.
She unlocked the inner security door but kept the newly installed iron gate—put in by Li Feng before he left—closed. “Who are you looking for?” she asked.
The young man in the lead spoke up, “Hello, Comrade Li Zhi. We’re staff from the National Special Department. Here are our credentials. My name is Yao Mingfeng.”
The young woman, who looked to be around Li Zhi’s age, also handed over her ID. “My name is Tan Manyu.”
National Special Department. Li Zhi took their IDs and looked them over but didn’t immediately let them in. “Were you the ones following me at the mall the other day?”
Both of them seemed taken aback. Tan Manyu quickly replied, “No! You’ve misunderstood. This is the first time we’ve met you!”
Yao Mingfeng added, “We’ve never received any orders to follow you, and I can assure you that no one from the official side has ever done so.”
Seeing that their expressions didn’t seem to be lying, and with the warning device still silent, Li Zhi finally opened the door to let them in. “Come in. What do you need from me?”
Since she was so direct, Yao Mingfeng didn’t beat around the bush either. After accepting the water that Shang Jinru had poured and thanking her, he spoke seriously to Li Zhi. “Comrade Li Zhi, we’ve been closely monitoring your performance in the instances. Your abilities and integrity have earned our deep respect and trust. This visit is to ask for your help.”
“To be frank, ever since the [Ghost] system invaded, the government has urgently set up a special department to research ways to deal with or even expel it. But so far, progress has been minimal. This system, originating from a higher dimension, is like an immovable giant to us—there’s no way to even begin attacking it. So now, we’re trying to send people into the instances to find any potential solutions from within.”
“However, the instances are fraught with danger. We need to maintain popularity, survive, clear the instances, and, on top of that, search for the weaknesses of the [Ghosts]. This is no easy task for our personnel.”
Li Zhi nodded in understanding. “So you want me to take someone into the instance, help them clear it, and cover them while they carry out your secret mission?”
Tan Manyu nodded seriously, “Yes, I…”
“Sure,” Li Zhi interrupted. “Did you bring a Teaming Card?”
Tan Manyu’s words got stuck in her throat. She looked at Li Zhi in astonishment. “You’re agreeing?”
Li Zhi nodded again. “Yeah, I’m entering the instance in the next couple of days. You’d better hurry and make arrangements.”
Both Yao Mingfeng and Tan Manyu were stunned by her straightforward attitude. They had prepared a whole series of emotional appeals and persuasive arguments, but none of them had even been necessary!
The two exchanged glances, and Yao Mingfeng spoke again, more seriously this time. “Comrade Li Zhi, perhaps we didn’t explain clearly enough. We don’t just want you to bring someone into the instance; we also need you to protect her, cover her actions, ensure her popularity doesn’t fall to the bottom, and bring her out of the instance safely.”
This was no simple task.
In an instance full of dangers, it was hard enough just to ensure your own survival.
Before coming, they had expected Li Zhi to hesitate, maybe even refuse, but they hadn’t expected her to agree outright.
Perhaps they hadn’t been clear enough? After Yao Mingfeng reiterated their request, both of them looked at her solemnly.
Li Zhi held out her hand. “So, did you bring the Teaming Card?”
They should just let Li Feng be the one to ask her TT