Chapter 100 Decision-Making Errors "Who are you?!"...
Whether it was psychological or not, Liang Jun felt that the sunlight this morning was particularly dazzling.
The sun was shining so brightly that it was unbearable, and the intense sunlight made it impossible to even open your eyes.
Liang Jun shielded her forehead with one hand and carefully searched the area around the roller coaster for a long time before finally managing to spot the little girl.
Several days have passed, and she is still wearing that pink floral dress.
She looked slightly different from when we first met. I wondered what she had been through during that time; the floral dress was damaged to varying degrees, and the pink flowers were covered with a layer of dried mud.
Liang Jun didn't think much of it, she just turned around and waved to the person behind her.
"Found it, come quick!"
The other players didn't dare to waste any more time and all crowded around.
Xin Sang was the most enthusiastic. She had always wanted to see the little girl's face, and now, with her long, fiery red hair, she squeezed in front of the little girl without saying a word.
Hello baby~
Xin Sang greeted him gently, her gaze shifting slightly downwards to notice his disheveled and dirty clothes. "Oh dear, who did this to you?"
The little girl seemed to be pondering the meaning behind Xin Sang's words.
She tilted her head, and her already loose pigtails swayed slightly, with a few strands falling messily behind her neck, like a new hairstyle.
Those big, watery eyes stared blankly at Xin Sang. Only after receiving a positive signal from Xin Sang did the little girl slowly speak.
"Sister, my plush toy is missing. Can you help me find it?"
That's completely irrelevant.
A flicker of confusion crossed Xin Sang's eyes. She subconsciously looked at Liang Xun, "Why isn't she answering my question?"
“She’s just a pre-programmed NPC,” Liang Jun said, flicking her sleeves and reaching into her pocket. “She only says the same few lines over and over. We tried it before, and it was the same.”
As she spoke, she switched places with Xin Sang and moved to the position closest to the little girl.
The meticulously groomed toy pony was in her hand. Liang Jun looked at the little girl and waved the prop in her hand, "Is this the plush toy you lost?"
At this moment, the thing in her hand seemed to have turned into a cat toy. As a qualified animal trainer, Liang Jun successfully took the lead.
Those bright, watery eyes instantly switched their focus, the little girl staring intently at the toy in Liang Xun's hand, as if she were about to pounce on it with bared teeth and claws at any moment.
But Liang Jun would definitely not give her that opportunity.
Without receiving a definite answer, Liang Jun put the toy pony back into her pocket in front of the little girl.
“Your older brothers and sisters worked very hard to find this, so you have to tell your sister the truth—” Liang Jun whispered, coaxing him gently, sounding just like the soul that had once whispered in his ear, “Your sister will only give you things that are yours…”
One second.
Five seconds.
The little girl stared at Liang Yan for a full ten seconds.
Ten seconds later, she closed her eyelids slightly, and her gaze became less aggressive.
"be mine."
The little girl lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "That's the plush doll I can't find."
Seemingly surprised that the other party would agree so quickly, Liang Xun almost couldn't hold back the slight smile on her lips.
She managed to maintain her composure, but when she turned to look at the crowd, her expression became much more lively.
"So I gave it to you?"
In order not to attract the little girl's attention, Leung Yung could only ask in a breathy voice, accompanied by very exaggerated mouth movements.
Jiang Zhiling and Ge Lin stood behind Qi Zhixia, Gu Keke and Luo Chuange were next to Xin Sang, and Lao Ren stood guard on the far side.
The group nodded in agreement, tacitly approving of Liang Xun's next move.
After confirming the action, Liang Jun took out the small toy again and handed it to the little girl.
"Here you go," she said involuntarily, softening her tone as if talking to a real child, "You must keep it safe this time and not lose it again."
Seeing the plush doll she had been longing for but could never find right in front of her, the little girl's eyes visibly lit up.
Before she could even say thank you, she hurriedly reached out with both hands and grabbed the soft toy pony.
Just like when she had kneaded Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming, the little girl began to eagerly explore the toys as soon as she got them.
The toy pony's soft mane tangled around her hand, and a rare smile appeared on the little girl's face.
Innocent and adorable.
This is the kind of characteristic that someone her age should have.
Seeing the little girl getting happier and happier, the adults surrounding her couldn't help but feel happy too.
Nevertheless, they did not forget the mission they had come for.
While the little girl was clutching the doll tightly to her chest, Gu Keke gave Luo Chuange a look, and then gently patted Liang Xun's shoulder as a signal.
She then squatted down next to Liang Xun and asked the little girl softly, "Little sister, is there anything you want to give to your older brothers and sisters?"
Previously, even though she kept repeating the same sentence, she could at least give some answers when asked non-critical questions. Gu Keke had the same mindset at this moment—she made sure the other person had truly listened, so she quietly squatted down and waited for the little girl's reply.
But she continued to play with the plush doll she had regained, as if ignoring Gu Keke's words, and did not react in any way.
Gu Keke thought it was her fault for not triggering the NPC's keywords, so she changed her approach.
"We've returned the plush toy to you. Is there anything you'd like to say to us?"
Even so, everything remained the same as before.
The little girl lowered her head slightly, gently placing the toy pony on her shoulder, creating the illusion that the doll was snuggling up to her. Then, she hummed a tune that sounded somewhat unfamiliar, showing no intention of paying any attention to Gu Keke.
Seeing this, Gu Keke and Liang Jun, who was beside her, exchanged an awkward glance.
"It seems...it seems like it's not working..."
This was quite different from their original plan, and Liang Jun was noticeably more serious.
She steadied herself and stood up, looking at Ge Lin behind her. "You keep an eye on her for now."
After handing the wheelchair to Jiang Zhiling, Ge Lin became extremely alert and switched places with Liang Xun and Gu Keke.
The others, at Liang Jun's invitation, gathered a short distance away and discussed in hushed tones.
"It's not quite what we expected..."
Jiang Zhiling muttered to herself, "I thought it would trigger some new plot development, or at least someone would say thank you or something, but nothing happened."
Even Luo Chuange, a game designer, was stumped, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.
"Coco tried several times just now, but the other party didn't respond at all..."
He rested his chin on his hand, trying to recall relevant information. "It's probably like... like after we interacted with her, she completely transformed from a 'passerby NPC' into an 'irrelevant NPC'."
It involved some rather technical terms, but fortunately, apart from the older generation who had a bit of a generation gap with them, the others didn't have much trouble understanding it.
Qi Zhixia thoughtfully explained to Lao Ren, "In short, it's gone from a state where we could still have conversations to a state where we can't interact at all, like a sticker."
"ah……"
Finally understanding, Lao Ren suddenly realized what was going on and immediately asked another, more crucial question, "So, did we just give away this prop for nothing?"
This appears to be her first major decision-making error.
Liang Jun felt her heart rate soaring.
Old Ren noticed her predicament and offered her a way out, saying, "If all else fails, perhaps we could get it back?"
Ge Lin, who was assigned to guard the NPCs, was not idle either. After discovering that everyone had the same idea, he tried to take the doll from the little girl's hand.
Although on the surface the toy pony just lay loosely on the little girl's shoulder, Ge Lin used almost all his strength but still couldn't get the plush doll off.
Since a hard approach seemed impossible, Ge Lin changed his approach and decided to try a softer one.
It's really quite difficult to ask a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy to speak in a high-pitched voice.
Ge Lin pinched his thigh to suppress the goosebumps that were forming on his skin, and asked the little girl shyly, "Can I see your plush doll?"
This is also a kind of torture for everyone's ears.
The players who were watching from a distance all turned around in unison.
The little girl's reaction wasn't as intense, but she completely ignored Ge Lin, continuing to spin around in place without paying any attention.
The props that are given away are like water that has been spilled.
Liang Jun knew perfectly well that she could never get it back.
The scene became quite awkward at one point.
Without knowing the purpose of the souvenir, and solely based on so-called "humanity" and "goodwill," they stubbornly gave the item to an insignificant NPC.
Most importantly, this move did not bring the team any information or clues of equal or greater value; it was a sure-fire loss.
Liang Jun felt a little uncomfortable.
She realized that perhaps her recklessness had affected everyone on the team.
She wanted to apologize, but struggled to find the right words.
Apologizing to oppressors, leaders, and superiors seems to have become an innate skill for Liang Jun. She could easily deliver apologies with her eyes closed and without thinking, as it's something she knows by heart.
But when interpersonal relationships change, and the person she needs to apologize to becomes her partner, friend, or even family member, all of Liang Yan's "skills" will crumble in an instant.
She was at a loss again, not knowing what to do.
Just when Liang Jun was at her most vulnerable, a warm hand patted her shoulder heavily.
The comforting aroma of coconut was the first to penetrate Liang Jun's body, followed closely by Xin Sang's gentle yet extremely firm smile.
"It's okay, baby. Souvenirs aren't really that useful anyway."
Xin Sang put one arm around Liang Xun and patted his chest with the other, "When I was with my team before, I never used these souvenirs; now that you've made it to the final level, you can't be unaware of this, can you?"
Qi Zhixia agreed, appearing extremely calm while sitting in her wheelchair.
That's true.
Even Lao Ren, who usually disagrees with everyone else, surprisingly supported Xin Sang's point of view.
"That makes sense—since we're not getting any crucial information here, shouldn't we hurry up and head to the summit?"
After Lao Ren reminded them, everyone realized that the sun had already climbed directly overhead.
Outdoors, where there is no accurate timekeeping, the only reference point for time is the scorching sun.
Liang Jun put aside her chaotic thoughts for the time being. Just before leaving and preparing to go up the mountain, she was still a little reluctant and turned around to look at the little girl who was still lingering in the same spot.
The NPC in the pink floral dress was still hugging a plush toy and spinning around in place, seemingly never feeling tired.
"Come on, baby, stop thinking about it!"
Xin Sang turned Liang Xun back around, and the group walked up the mountain together.
They didn't reach the end of the mountain path until the sunlight began to tilt.
However, before they could properly assess the situation, an extremely fierce voice suddenly rang out—
Who are you?!
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