The system remained unaware of Xiu Jin’s wrath. Another sentence quickly popped up: [Will you choose to help Bian Bian survive this danger?]
Xiu Jin: “…”
I can’t even use gold; how am I supposed to help her. He glared at the screen. Was he supposed to stupidly hit the window? Would this kind of action scare the beast away?
[Oh. I forgot that the intimacy level between Player One and Bian Bian was not high enough to acquire gold. It’s regrettable, but you will only be able to watch.]
The seventh prince cursed in his heart. As he anxiously watched the screen, he shouted at the smart butler: “Lin Yisan, get in here!”
The smart butler rolled in, and Xiu Jin said: “Call Kerfu now!”
Kerfu was the one who downloaded the game for him. Now that the game system had become like this, Xiu Jin didn’t even have a place to vent his anger. Of course, he needed to find Kerfu, who had downloaded the game. Perhaps Kerfu would have a better understanding of it.
The thought of Kerfu finding out that he fantasizes about a young girl instead of a beauty had utterly left his mind. He no longer cared whether or not it would leave a bad impression on his subordinates. He just wanted to fuck up this trashy system!
The smart butler followed the order and said: “Your Highness, Kerfu did not pick up.”
Xiu Jin: “…”
A few seconds later:
[The relationship between Player One and Bian Bian is special. Although there are not enough intimacy points, this is a unique circumstance. Bian Bian’s safety is the priority. After serious consideration, I have decided to give you two choices.]
[One, wake Lu Yu. Let the zombie fight the corpse beast to solve the crisis.]
[Two, wait silently. Await Bian Bian’s good fortune, which will result in an automatic solution to the crisis.]
Two options appeared on the screen— [Wake Lu Yu] and [Wait silently]
Xiu Jin glared incredulously at the choices: “Can’t you just let me spend some money and buy a weapon?!”
He knew that there was a column of weapons in the store. Those were all gray. As long as it was offered, he would be able to afford it no matter how much it cost. It didn’t matter if Bian Bian wouldn’t be able to use it. Zhu Yuan would be able to use it. But the trashy system ended up offering two utterly useless options.
Wait—
“Does waking Lu Yu up mean that he will regain his sanity?”
[You are overthinking.]
[Waking up Lu Yu in this instance means letting him break through the metal walls and gain freedom.]
“……”
What was the point? Wake Lu Yu up and scare the beast away, then who will deal with Lu Yu afterward? Zhu Yuan? That guy is already terrified without ever seeing Lu Yu’s face. Relying on him to take care of Lu Yu? It would be easier to believe that pigs can fly.
“Are there no other choices?”
The system did not respond.
Xiu Jin shouted at the smart butler: “Continue calling Kerfu.”
The smart butler could only continue calling him, but no one picked up.
[Please make your choice. If a decision is not made within 10 seconds, the first option will automatically be selected.]
“…”
How could Xiu Jin let Lu Yu come out of the metal wall? He could only tap angrily on [Wait silently].
[Because you made the correct choice, you will be rewarded with +5 intimacy points.] Afterward, the system did not dare to draw attention to itself. Perhaps it knew how infuriating that sentence sounded and that it would cause Xiu Jin to fly into a terrible rage.
Xiu Jin: “…”
After Zhu Yuan had helped Bian Bian settle in for the night, he entered the bathroom. He rinsed himself with the warm water left from Bian Bian’s bath and washed the clothing that Bian Bian had soaked for him. When everything was finished, he was ready to go back to the bedroom to rest.
It was at this moment that his ears twitched. He heard a strange movement. The hearing of an ability user is better than that of an average person’s. Not to mention the fact that nighttime is extremely quiet, so any sound can be infinitely amplified in this environment. There’s something outside!
Zhu Yuan wasn’t sure what was outside, so he listened carefully, and he could feel the thing climbing and moving on the wall. Zombies didn’t know how to climb walls. A suspicion sprang up in his mind. He thought back to the gun that had disappeared after being dropped downstairs. Zhu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze turning vigilant.
The house had been reinforced by Bian Bian’s grandfather and served as a good defense. However, Zhu Yuan still took a candle and walked quickly towards Bian Bian’s room. He hesitated a bit and gently opened the door. As soon as he entered, he was surprised to find out that the young girl he thought was asleep had already sat up from the bed. Bian Bian lifted a small finger in front of her lips in the dim light and made a “shushing” motion at him.
She was the first one to sense the movement and woke up from her dream. This sound was very familiar to Bian Bian. She heard it often in the morning over the past few days. Everything would be fine once they wait for the vibrations to stop. Zhu Yuan placed the candle on the bedside drawer and sat on the bed, ready to comfort the little girl silently.
Screech—
A screeching sound came from outside the closed window as if nails were scraping against the surface of a stone. Zhu Yuan quickly picked Bian Bian up and retreated a few steps. He kept his gaze firmly on the window while gathering a ball of wind in his free hand.
“Uncle Zhu Yuan.” Bian Bian’s small hands wrapped tightly around Zhu Yuan’s neck. Her voice sounded frightened.
“Don’t be scared. Uncle is here.” Zhu Yuan patted the little girl on the back.
Bian Bian nodded, her grip tightening on Zhu Yuan’s neck, not forgetting to pull her bear closer to her face. She stayed silent obediently, to not disturb Uncle Zhu Yuan. The sound outside was circling and probing around as if it had confirmed that there was “food” inside. It shrieked incessantly, wanting to come in. Both of them were so focused that neither of the two noticed that a chair in the corner had begun to float.
After thinking and deeming the chair to be too light, Xiu Jin switched to the wardrobe. The wardrobe was much heavier than the chair, so when and if the monster manages to get in, he’ll use the wardrobe to smack it out. A few moments later, a loud crashing noise came from upstairs, followed by an inhuman roar. Then, the vibrations from outside the window went from loud to faint— that was the sound of the monster running away, very quickly.
The area quiets down again.
A few seconds later, Bian Bian said in an experienced tone: “The monster ran away.”
The little girl explained how there had been vibrations in the mornings over the past few days. Zhu Yuan couldn’t help but feel some lingering fear. Even Xiu Jin almost let loose a torrent of curses.
According to Bian Bian, that level 3 corpse beast had been around for a while. That thing wasn’t passing by but scouting the area. After scouting around for a few days, it had confirmed that people lived here, so it came over tonight in pursuit of its prey. If it weren’t for Lu Yu’s roar just now, that corpse beast would not have left so easily.
When Xiu Jin saw this, he finally understood why the system said it was correct to choose [Wait silently]. Lu Yu was a high-level zombie. Despite having lost his sanity, he still had a sense of territory. He definitely wouldn’t be pleased if his kind trespassed onto his territory. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. That was the reason why. Xiu Jin had always thought that Lu Yu sealed the third floor because he didn’t want to allow himself to hurt Bian Bian. Looking at it now, other than the sealed floor, he was still using his own way to protect his granddaughter.
Before he turned into a zombie, he had already prepared everything.
Xiu Jin had just begun to raise a child. While he did not fully sympathize with Lu Yu’s actions, that did not prevent him from getting inspiration from them. For the time being, the crisis had been averted.
Zhu Yuan began to think. Because Bian Bian’s grandfather’s powerful aura enveloped the area, no zombies dared to come and compete for territory. The thing that had fled was a corpse beast— he could tell from the movement it made as it fled, though he wasn’t sure which level the corpse beast was.
However, this corpse beast dared to ignore the pressure and came to scout for food. That meant that its level was not low. Low-level corpse beasts did not have this kind of courage. Now the corpse beast has marked Bian Bian as prey. Tonight, Bian Bian’s grandfather scared it away, but as long as it doesn’t give up, the next time it comes to scout and discovers that Bian Bian’s grandfather is sealed upstairs, it will probably no longer hesitate.
The higher level the zombies and corpse beasts are, even if they don’t have consciousness, their brains will evolve and they will become smarter. It’s extremely difficult to make them give up on their prey. In other words, they are now being targeted by a corpse beast. At any given moment, there is a possibility of a confrontation with this corpse beast.
As long as that corpse beast wasn’t a level 3, at a lower level, Zhu Yuan is confident that he can kill it. However, all his intuition gained from life and death experiences tells him that there is a high possibility that the corpse beast was a level 3. If it was under level 2, it would have been impossible for it to resist Bian Bian’s grandfather’s aura.
“Uncle Zhu Yuan, grandpa scared away the monster just now.”
The soft voice of a child pulled Zhu Yuan away from his scattered thoughts. He pushed down all his uneasy speculations and placed Bian Bian onto the bed. He met the little girl’s bright gaze, stroked her head, and said: “Grandpa was really amazing. We need to give grandpa our thanks.” The little girl was very happy. Her happiness rubbed off on Zhu Yuan and made his heart a lot less burdened.
Even if the enemy was stronger than oneself, how could one be scared before the fight even began?! He was not like this before! If he was so greedy for life and afraid of death, how is he going to seek revenge on Du Mingyu? Zhu Yuan fiercely berated himself in his heart, and everything became clear. Even if the corpse beast was a level 3, he was a C ranked. And don’t forget that Bian Bian was a psychic. If they work together, self-defense definitely won’t be a problem.
“Uncle Zhu Yuan, you look very tired. You should go to bed.” Bian Bian worriedly extended her small hands to push Zhu Yuan. Uncle Zhu Yuan had injuries on his body, he needed to rest a lot to get better faster.
“I’m not afraid alone.” She gently shook her little bear and snuggled under the blankets. “I have Hui Hui with me.”
After confirming that the little girl didn’t need company, Zhu Yuan left the bedroom. To let Bian Bian feel more secure, he didn’t extinguish the candle this time.
Bian Bian turned, a determined expression adorned her face. The candle’s flame reflected brightly in her eyes. After a while, she quietly whispered to her bear: “Hui Hui, I have to be braver in the future. That way I won’t be scared if something like that happened again.”
She used her little finger to make the bear nod, indicating that Hui Hui was cheering for her. Content, Bian Bian closed her eyes and fell asleep once again under the dim candlelight. Although the little girl felt bad about the candle, after the incident earlier, the lit candle did make her feel safer inside. This was what gave her the idea of becoming braver. As long as she was more courageous and not afraid, she would not have to waste more candles at night— sometimes, the equations in a child’s mind are this strange.
“Sweetie, you’re already brave enough.”
Xiu Jin pulled the blankets up for his precious daughter. His darling slept sprawled on her stomach, her small face pressed into a pout. She was adorable no matter how he looked, and he couldn’t resist the urge to affectionately poke her cheeks.
The baby’s long eyelashes fluttered because of his movements, and he guiltily retracted his hand in a hurry. He wasn’t sure if it was a psychological effect, but Xiu Jin kept thinking that his precious daughter looked a lot like him, especially the nose. Xiu Jin touched his own nose, then looked at Bian Bian’s. It was practically the same.
He suddenly remembered reading from some random book that sleeping on one’s stomach was not good for the body. For the sake of his precious daughter’s health, Xiu Jin carefully manipulated the screen, lifted the quilt, turned his baby girl over, and then covered her again. When he was done, he nodded his head in satisfaction. If the virtual settings were still there, he’d be able to do this while squatting next to his beloved daughter.
However…
He sighed gloomily. It was getting late and Xiu Jin had a tight schedule tomorrow. He had to exit the game, do some skincare, and sleep.
The new day began with examining the traces. Bian Bian pulled the curtains apart after waking up and followed Zhu Yuan as he checked the thick metal curtains. There were countless deep scratches on it. Additionally, the outer walls were also covered with deep gouges. It was as if a huge fellow climbed up to the third floor last night and attempted to lift the curtains with its sharp claws. The reason why it was a big fellow was because of the vibrations it caused when it moved. This showed that it was not small. What could it be?
Zhu Yuan frowned.
During breakfast, Zhu Yuan thought for a bit. He decided to tell Bian Bian the truth, so the little girl would be mentally prepared. Though Bian Bian was still young, she was very intelligent. If the corpse beast appeared, he would require Bian Bian’s cooperation.
“Bian Bian, there’s a good chance that the monster grandpa scared away last night will come looking for us again.”
Bian Bian startled, and put down the bread in her hands. She understood Zhu Yuan’s words: “Didn’t grandpa already scare it away?”
Zhu Yuan said: “If the monster knows that grandpa can’t come out, it will come back for us. We are its prey.”
The little girl said in a quiet voice: “Is it watching us from nearby?”
Zhu Yuan had not expected Bian Bian to instantly get the main points. He nodded: “Bian Bian is very smart.”
“Then we should quickly close the curtains.” Bian Bian felt a little embarrassed by the praise. She quickly climbed off her chair, bread forgotten. “This way it won’t be able to come in.”
“The monster won’t leave until it eats us.” Zhu Yuan had thought about it all night and virtually got no sleep. Since a level 3 corpse beast had its eye on them, it would be impossible to escape. They may be able to hide for a while, but they won’t be able to hide forever. It’s to their advantage to take initiative and make use of the terrain.
Bian Bian’s eyes brightened: “I know. Uncle Zhu Yuan, you want to kill the monster, right?”
When she accompanied Lu Yu, she had witnessed him killing a zombie.
“But you have injuries on your body, will you be able to beat the monster?” The little girl’s delicate eyebrows furrowed, and concern crept into her bright eyes.
When grandpa killed monsters in the past, Bian Bian was very worried, afraid that grandpa would get hurt, but grandpa was extraordinarily good and killed the monsters every time.
“I can’t do it by myself, but it should be fine with grandpa’s aura and if Bian Bian’s with me.”
Bian Bian hadn’t had time to react to Zhu Yuan including her when Zhu Yuan asked her: “Bian Bian, have you helped grandpa kill zombies before?
Bian Bian thought back to when Lu Yu killed zombies for crystals. When Lu Yu did that, he did not avoid Bian Bian. In fact, he even taught Bian Bian how to identify the attributes of the crystal. Different colors correspond to different attributes. —That’s why after Zhu Yuan fell asleep, Bian Bian remembered her grandpa taught her that crystals could heal wounds. But because she didn’t know which colored crystal would work for Zhu Yuan, she placed a handful on Zhu Yuan’s body. The color that lit up would be the type of crystal Zhu Yuan could use.
To Bian Bian, the stones that she took out from the monsters’ head with her grandpa were considered as helping grandpa. That meant she helped grandpa kill zombies.
Thus the little girl nodded solemnly and added on: “Killed a lot.”
Zhu Yuan naturally comprehended that as Lu Yu taught Bian Bian how to use her abilities to kill zombies. She had experiences with killing zombies, so he wouldn’t have to worry about Bian Bian being afraid of “killing.”
Zhu Yuan began to plan as he healed. First, he needs to confirm the original form of the corpse beast. Every corpse beast was mutated from a normal animal. Knowing the original form would allow them to counter it.
…
Finding some free time at noon, Xiu Jin logged into the game. As soon as he entered the game, he received a pop-up notification from the system: [Zhu Yuan is prepared to make the first move and exterminate the three-level corpse beast with Bian Bian.
[It’d be fine if he wanted to die, but he wants to drag Bian Bian with him. Player one, if you don’t want anything to happen to Bian Bian, please prevent it.
[You have two choices: One, let nature take its course. Two, kill Zhu Yuan.]