Chapter 109: Are They Not Serving Food Here?
On long journeys, there’s always a strange phenomenon where, at the beginning, everyone is excited, chatting and laughing, but after a short time, that excitement fades, and at a certain moment, they suddenly fall into silence.
Although Lu Qingyi and Nanling Yaohua were not traveling, as their journey to Majiang entered its later stages, they both fell silent.
The horse walked on the undulating yellow earth hills, feeling somewhat bumpy, with only the dry hot wind making a “whoosh” sound in their ears.
This brief moment of tranquility allowed Lu Qingyi the opportunity to reflect on what she had just experienced.
When she realized that the mysterious person behind her during her coma might be the Proxy Player Sister, her mood suddenly became serious.
She had never directly or indirectly harmed that twin-tailed girl or her various male and female companions; could it have been the Proxy Player Sister who did that?
Yes, the companions that twin-tailed girl had found were not all pretty girls. There were also young people who had just become corporate slaves and boys from basketball training camps, among others.
However, after seeing those people’s experiences and having witnessed several tragic stories of girls, she had become somewhat numb, far less impressed than when she had first arrived.
Of course, her memories weren’t completely absent. For instance, she remembered that just before she was about to awaken, that twin-tailed girl had started clashing with “Calamity” alongside her sports partner, who had a hatred stemming from love. During their initial attempt, they had almost succeeded.
Unfortunately, they were still just a hair’s breadth away from success.
Perhaps in order to get closer to “Calamity,” and due to their excessive contact, along with “Calamity” sensing something was wrong and intentionally seducing him, that boy had inevitably fallen in love with “Calamity” and had betrayed his good partner at a critical moment.
When the boy’s spell pierced through the little fish, which had already transformed into a gray figure, its eyes brimmed with disbelief, almost popping out of its sockets.
That was likely the first time the twin-tailed girl’s emotions had fluctuated after becoming numb.
As for the sports boy, who had fulfilled his wish of becoming a “Calamity” pawn, he was later abandoned by “Calamity” in the face of danger. Lu Qingyi felt he had somewhat brought this upon himself.
Aside from this, there was also a barbecue stall owner who had just experienced the pain of losing a child.
Thinking about it now, a middle-aged man who had gained weight, wearing a yellowed white tank top, flip-flops, and unkempt whiskers, wielding a heated barbecue fork while battling an urban legend had a rather compelling visual.
It gave off a feeling of a frustrated middle-aged man reliving his second spring.
And this time, “Calamity” played the role of the daughter…
Toying with others’ emotions was like playing with a piece of paper that just happened to be nearby when the phone ran out of battery during a car ride, repeatedly crumpling, folding, rolling, and then suddenly deciding to throw it out the window.
How ridiculous!
Did Lu Qingyi think so little of it?
There’s no doubt about it—she truly did!
Just when Lu Qingyi was about to voice her condemnation of the “Calamity” that had appeared in her fantasy, she realized that this was indeed something she could have done, especially if it were over a year ago…
Just after swallowing the Witch’s egg, living in constant fear, and trusting no one, if she sensed someone wanted to harm her and was utterly incapable of avoiding it, she would likely not hesitate to use any means at her disposal to eliminate the threat.
One that involved a funeral, cremation, and scattering of ashes in succession.
And this transformation she underwent was inseparable from the help of the Proxy Player Sister and the influences of the people and events she’d encountered over the past year.
But what if there had been no Proxy Player Sister and none of those encounters?
The thought was terrifying!
At this moment, Lu Qingyi suddenly became aware of a very serious question she had overlooked for a long time.
Although she had long suspected that the Proxy Player Sister was likely another “Lu Qingyi” from who knows where, she had never considered that if she had a Proxy Player Sister, then that Proxy Player Sister might have a Proxy Player Sister as well!
If not, then when the Proxy Player Sister first encountered a crisis, given her mindset at the time, to survive, she might be capable of doing anything… including betraying the twin-tailed girl.
It wasn’t impossible for her to directly side with the man from the Solar Eclipse Society!
If that were the case, it would make sense that the Proxy Player Sister would feel guilty, right?
With this thought, Lu Qingyi felt it was necessary to track down the Proxy Player Sister for a serious talk when Nanling Yaohua was not around.
But saying that…
It seemed there was another serious question!
A terrible guess suddenly emerged in Lu Qingyi’s mind, causing her face to pale instantly, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
The ever-observant Nanling Yaohua noticed her oddity and gently asked, “Qingyi Girl, what’s wrong? Aren’t you feeling well?”
“If it’s really bad… you could lean on me and take a nap?”
Lean on you to take a nap? So you can continue what you didn’t finish earlier, right? Lu Qingyi thought to herself, her expression calm yet unyielding, “I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I can manage.”
She didn’t trust a single word of this woman’s words.
“Is that so? Don’t push yourself!” Nanling Yaohua said, “We have a heavy task ahead!”
“Mm, I know, it’s fine.” Lu Qingyi nodded, dismissing Nanling Yaohua’s concern, and fell back into her thoughts.
She realized that if the fish-shaped urban legend transformed from the twin-tailed girl was closely related to the Proxy Player Sister, then last night’s battle was likely the result of her facing that imposter “Calamity,” a case of enemies meeting and recognizing each other.
However, given her deep-seated hatred for “Calamity” and how often she had interacted with her, she would absolutely not mistake them.
Could it be that she had encountered a real “Calamity”?
The idea of two “True Calamities” existing simultaneously in the world sounded quite absurd, but with the Proxy Player Sister already appearing, there was also a possibility of another Proxy Player Sister 2.
Moreover, from what she had seen in those illusions, even if she couldn’t perceive their spirit energy fluctuations and abilities, from their clothing and physical characteristics, Lu Qingyi could tell that several of the “Calamities” were definitely not the same person.
The difference was as significant as that between her and the Proxy Player Sister.
So what could the purpose of this Proxy Player Sister 2 be?
Might it be to k*ll me and take my place?
Terrifying! The thought of being killed and replaced by “myself” alone made her heartbeat quicken.
Lu Qingyi anxiously considered this, stealing a glance at Nanling Yaohua with her peripheral vision, biting her lip, and after hesitating for a few seconds, gently leaned against her side, softly calling out, “Sister Yaohua?”
Was she… suffering from heatstroke and losing her mind? Nanling Yaohua was taken aback by Lu Qingyi’s sudden action and frowned, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just suddenly recalled that before coming to Yumen Pass, I heard someone say you were very powerful, but I didn’t have a concrete concept, so I wanted to ask how strong you really are?” Lu Qingyi asked, “If we encounter a Cataclysm Grade opponent, can you defeat them?”
“Of course…” Once those words left her mouth, Nanling Yaohua realized why “Lu Qingyi” had suddenly acted so strangely and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, “You’re worried about encountering calamities and their opponents while investigating those semi-urban legends, right?”
“Don’t worry! With me here, they won’t be able to hurt you at all!”
Lu Qingyi slowly exhaled a breath of relief; hearing Nanling Yaohua say this reassured her greatly.
“Really? Then if we do encounter them, you must protect me!”
She probably wasn’t the imposter Calamity’s match; if the Proxy Player Sister encountered the fish-shaped urban legend that was the twin-tailed girl, she would likely be too busy “catching up” to pay attention to her. In that case, having someone as powerful as Nanling Yaohua behind her would significantly increase her safety.
Though, it did seem somewhat unscrupulous to behave like this…
But Nanling Yaohua might very well be her destined partner. What was the problem with seeking help from her fiancée when in trouble?
Besides, wasn’t the previous advantage gained given to her for free?
“Don’t worry!” Nanling Yaohua readily agreed.
As she spoke, her lips curled upwards, her chin slightly raised, exuding a hint of a domineering CEO vibe.
Lu Qingyi: “…” d*mn it, why did the atmosphere suddenly become so odd?
————
Meanwhile, in Devil City’s underground, in the half-urban legend tribal residence.
After Fang Ji left, Gu Qiqi was locked in a spherical prison with those women and children.
Although the half-urban legends had been a bit rough in their actions when forcing her inside, mumbling words that were hard to understand in an unfriendly tone, she didn’t resist at all, even cooperating willingly.
In Gu Qiqi’s opinion, being taken hostage meant she had to be locked up—quite reasonable!
Moreover, those guys were extremely weak; if they really wanted to do something to her, she could always punch through the cage and k*ll her way to the surface with a metal bat in hand.
The underground cavern was already dim, with the only source of light coming from the few oil lamps on the stone walls, and each spherical prison was covered with oilcloth, making it even darker.
It was pitch black. After being locked inside for a while, Gu Qiqi’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she saw the outlines of her fellow prisoners.
From the outline, three women were locked in this cage, two of whom were holding children, while one had a noticeably bulging belly, indicating she was quite far along in her pregnancy.
They huddled in a corner, shivering. Although their faces were not visible, she could vaguely sense their fear.
The newly imprisoned Gu Qiqi was like a carnivorous fish suddenly tossed into a fishbowl, scaring the other goldfish into a corner without having done anything yet.
But Gu Qiqi was carefree, completely unaware of the pressure she imposed on her “cellmates.” Instead, she waved her hand toward them, approaching, “Hello, I’m Gu… uh, Calamity! I’m new here!”
She had barely taken half a step when a fist-sized stone flew out of the darkness, hitting her on the forehead.
She was completely unharmed.
The stone shattered.
“Hey? Why are you hitting me? I have no ill intentions; I just wanted to get to know you…”
Before Gu Qiqi could finish her sentence, more stones flew from the dark corners, coming at her continuously. With no choice, she could only retreat back to her original spot.
Although those stones didn’t hurt her, they still smarted when they hit her.
After failing to negotiate with her “fellow inmates,” Gu Qiqi fell silent, sitting back down at the entrance of the cage, leaning against the vine-woven bars of an unknown plant, spacing out until a few hours later when hunger pangs finally hit her and she turned her attention to the shadows in the corner.
“Can I ask a question? When do we typically get to eat around here?”
Her question went unanswered, only the sound of light laughter that could either be mockery or disdain echoed from the dark corner.
That laughter raised an ominous sense of foreboding in Gu Qiqi.
Could it be that they don’t serve food here?
