Chapter 46 For three hours, they were watching him intently, about to strike...
Qi Zhixia was a player they had been trying to recruit from the very beginning of the dungeon.
In this special level where players team up, Qi Zhixia stands out as an outcast among the group of players.
But similarly, Liang Jun could also draw a conclusion—
Qi Zhixia has the ability to overcome challenges independently.
Despite being tormented by several men in this special instance, it didn't diminish their expectations of her.
But the dark-skinned, overweight middle-aged man in front of me was a completely unexpected element.
Gu Keke pondered for a few seconds, "What are the two characters in your name?"
“Ren’e, the Ren in benevolence and righteousness, and the E in restraint.”
Old Ren answered quickly, his devout attitude evident.
"oh……"
Gu Keke poked her finger and turned her head to look at Liang Xuan beside her.
Seemingly noticing the somewhat unnatural expressions on the girls' faces, Lao Ren felt a little embarrassed and could only try to change the subject.
"If you think this name is too difficult to pronounce, you don't have to call me that. Just call me Lao Ren, that's what my friends call me."
“Old Ren,” Liang Xun nodded, her calm tone tinged with seriousness, “If you want to come with us, I have no objection—but there’s one thing you need to know.”
Upon hearing the first part of the words, a hint of joy immediately appeared in Old Ren's eyes. Without hesitation, he nodded vigorously.
"Just say it, you can just say it directly."
“We are definitely different from Zhang Weiming.”
Liang Xun said, enunciating each word clearly, "To be honest, I don't need to exploit your points and items. What I want is simply someone to lend a helping hand in times of crisis. If you're timid and opportunistic, then this isn't the place for you."
She didn't mince words; although her language was a bit direct, she did get right to the point.
Throughout their journey together, Liang Jun and Gu Keke have always helped each other, and each of them is capable of standing on their own.
Needless to say, Qi Zhixia was valued for her abilities in this area.
These three individuals, whether working together or individually, are all capable of carrying a heavy burden. If, at this point, a burdensome character were placed in their place who could simply sit back and wait to win, it might even pose a threat to their lives.
Upon hearing this, Lao Ren immediately became extremely nervous.
He finally raised his head, and even the wrinkles around his eyes revealed his urgency.
"Don't worry, I'm definitely not that kind of person!"
Old Ren waved his hands repeatedly, "The reason I haven't done much work before is because Zhang Weiming thinks I'm too old to do anything right."
He explained it to himself in a dry, unconvincing way.
Old Ren looked left and right, trying to find the office worker who had been with him before, but suddenly remembered that he had already kicked the other person out of the instance.
"I've been selling pork at the market for over ten years. I may not have much else to offer, but I definitely have the ability to endure hardship."
Old Ren couldn't wait to show them his well-developed biceps. "I have inexhaustible strength and I'm good at seizing opportunities. I'll be with you all and I definitely won't hold you back!"
The three of them had clearly become a group. Seeing that Lao Ren was about to lay bare his true feelings, they all looked at each other simultaneously.
Gu Keke and Qi Zhixia had no objections. After Liang Xun informed them of all the possible risks in the future, she accepted Lao Ren's request to form a team.
"Alright, now tell me where your safe zones are."
When Qi Zhixia saw Liang Xun's gaze fall on her, she responded.
"My safe zone is my private study room in the city library, room 312. If you're looking for me, just follow the signs."
She seemed to have thought of something and reminded me, "By the way, when you knock, remember to knock in the 'long-long-short-long' pattern, otherwise I won't open the door."
Long and short? Morse code?
Liang Jun pondered for a moment and said, "City Library? Which city are you in?"
Based on previous speculation, players in rule-based worlds are not located in the same area. It's extremely rare for Liang Xun and Gu Keke's safe zones to be so close.
Therefore, it is very likely that Qi Zhixia and Liang Jun are not in the same city.
Qi Zhixia seemed to have never thought about this question before, and she hesitated for a moment.
"I'm in Wangjiang City, aren't you?"
Old Ren, who was standing nearby, raised his hand and said, "I'm also in Wangjiang."
Upon hearing this news, Liang Xun and Gu Keke exchanged a glance and then shook their heads.
As its name suggests, Wangjiang City is located at the mouth of the sea and is a metropolis with the fastest economic development among the neighboring cities. It is known for its extremely high population capacity and economic level.
Liang Xun and her friends were in Yimu City, which wasn't too far from Wangjiang City, but they had been divided into two different provinces.
"We are in Yimu."
Gu Keke's eyes darted around rapidly, as if she were considering possible solutions. "If we were to come find you... perhaps we could take the high-speed train?"
Before the other two could agree, Leung Yung rejected the suggestion.
"No, high-speed trains are driven by people too. In a world with rules, such large-scale transportation would have stopped operating long ago."
After a moment's thought, Liang Jun made her decision.
"You just need to tell us the detailed address, and we have a car that we can drive to you."
Perhaps reminded of something, Gu Keke clapped her hands.
"Oh right! We have a car!" she exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "Wangjiang isn't far from Yimu either. The two cities are adjacent, and if we take the highway, it won't take long to get there!"
Qi Zhixia's eyes clearly showed worry. However, her current physical condition did not allow her to show more emotion; besides, seeing Gu Keke's enthusiastic appearance, she did not want to spoil the fun.
Her eyes lowered slightly, obscuring the gray-blue sea of stars.
"Then you must be careful when you come."
Gu Keke nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Lao Ren beside her.
"And you, Lao Ren? Where is your safe zone? We can give you a ride along the way."
Old Ren's speech speed noticeably increased, "I'm from the same city as her. When the time comes, you should be able to find me by searching for 'Jinyang Community' on your navigation app. I'm at the meat stall in the Jinyang Community vegetable market."
Gu Keke memorized every single word of the information and kept it firmly in her mind.
Liang Xun looked up at him. "Aren't there many pork stalls at the market? Can't I find you directly?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Old Ren seemed very confident about this matter. "Don't worry, I'm the only pork seller in that market. I've been doing this for so many years. You'll see my sign as soon as you get there!"
After everything was settled, Liang Jun prepared to exit the instance with Gu Keke.
Before leaving the parking lot, she was still a little worried, so she gave a few more instructions.
“We will look for you as soon as you get out. Stay in your safe zone as much as possible and don’t wander around.”
Liang Jun was still worried about Qi Zhixia's injuries, and her eyes couldn't help but look at her knees. "Summer, your injuries may become more serious after we get out. You need to try your best to stay awake and at least hold on until we get there."
Although Qi Zhixia had no experience of being injured in the previous instance, seeing Liang Xun's serious expression, she could roughly guess her own situation.
Qi Zhixia's emotions gradually calmed down. The pain from her wounds had numbed her, and her face didn't show much expression. She simply replied with a faint "Okay."
Take good care of yourself.
After sending Qi Zhixia out of the parking lot area, Liang Jun and Gu Keke also stepped out of the scene one after the other, while Lao Ren was the last to leave the instance.
The familiar white light enveloped them once again in an instant. Having learned from their first experience, Liang Xun and Gu Keke were much more adept this time, closing their eyes first to avoid being stimulated by the system's bright light.
The dizziness didn't come. Liang Jun felt as if she were being bathed in the warm winter sun, and her body felt full of energy from the inside out.
The sudden loss of footing gave her an unreal feeling of weightlessness. Only after her feet landed firmly on the ground did Liang Xun slowly open her eyes.
The simple dining table, pieced together, was still in front of me. A hot pot was attached to a power strip at one end, and the red broth inside was bubbling away. The slices of meat and meatballs inside were boiling with the broth—it looked like it had just been boiled.
Two open bottles of mineral water were casually placed in the corner of the table. Condensed water droplets clung to the plastic bottle walls, and were steamed by the nearby heat, causing them to swell and run down, forming a puddle around the bottom of the bottles.
No one can resist the aroma of hot pot.
What's more, the whole house is now filled with the aroma of spicy hot pot.
Standing beside her, Gu Keke slowly opened her eyes, and her eyes lit up immediately after she spotted the source of the fragrance.
She first confirmed that Liang Jun was right next to her, then rushed to the dining table and took a deep breath of the air above the hot pot.
"After successfully completing the challenge, I truly realized that hot pot is the most delicious food in the world!"
Gu Keke picked up her chopsticks. "We've only been gone for three hours. Logically speaking, we should still be able to eat this hot pot normally, right..."
After three hours of strenuous exercise, Gu Keke's empty stomach had already issued a warning.
She licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, like a primal hunter on the prairie, eyeing her prey with predatory intent.
After returning to her rented apartment, Leung Yung did not move from her spot.
Her gaze passed over Gu Keke, who had her back to her, and moved down to the power strip that indicated it was powered on.
“We were only gone for three hours, but the hot pot obviously didn’t wait for us for three hours.”
"What's the meaning?"
Gu Keke was puzzled by Liang Jun's sudden remark.
She temporarily put aside the thought of picking up her chopsticks and turned to look at Liang Jun, only to see that the other was still staring at the pot of boiling red soup.
So much time passed that Liang Jun forgot to blink. A layer of mist slowly rose in front of her, like the steam from hot soup smearing in front of her eyes.
"The hot pot was always on. If this pot had been boiling here for three hours, the broth would have boiled away long ago—so what's left now?"
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Author's note: The second chapter is now complete!
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