Everyone was temporarily ignoring the commotion outside, because the New Year's Eve dinner was the most important thing. Yan Chi had drunk quite a bit, his cheeks flushed, and his head was a little dizzy.
He stopped eating, staring blankly at the shrimp closest to him, until a cool, large hand touched his cheek. Yan Chi slowly turned his head, blinking dazedly. "Hmm?"
Shen Mingsu found it strange. "Xiao Chi, you're drunk."
"Drunk?" Yan Chi cupped his face, frowning and shaking his head, his voice slurred, "No, I'm not drunk. I can hold my liquor well. Even if you're drunk, I can't possibly get drunk."
Shen Mingsu's smile almost overflowed. He teased him deliberately, "You're really drunk."
"No, liar."
"Drunk."
"Hmph..."
Yan Chi ignored this bluffing man. He leaned on Yan Qingyuan's shoulder, his eyes lowered, intently braiding Yan Qingyuan's silky long hair.
Yan Qingyuan glanced at him lightly and let him do as he pleased.
Shen Mingsu stared longingly at Yan Chi, regretting teasing him earlier. Otherwise, Yan Chi would definitely be leaning on his shoulder right now, a cute little drunkard he adored.
The others at the table could also tell Yan Chi was drunk at a glance. Xie Tao was puzzled by Yan Chi's current alcohol tolerance. "He used to be able to drink five bottles with me, and now he's drunk after less than one?"
Yan Chi caught the key word and told him seriously, "I'm not drunk, you're lying."
"Okay, okay, you're not drunk, go do your thing." Xie Tao waved his hand. He wasn't as bored as Shen Mingsu to argue with a drunkard about whether he was drunk or not.
Yan Chi was very dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude, snorted again, and turned his head away, ignoring him.
At the end of the New Year's Eve dinner, even though Yan Chi was somewhat delirious, he didn't forget his duty. He clung to the headmistress's arm, "Headmistress, let me take you home. I don't want you going home alone."
The headmistress smiled kindly and patted the little girl beside her on the shoulder, "You're not alone, this child is with me."
"That won't do." Yan Chi was unusually stubborn, "I'm going to take you home."
Xie Tao didn't trust Yan Chi in his current state, "Come on, you're so drunk you'll probably fall over if you walk a few steps. I'll take the headmistress home."
Yan Chi angrily emphasized again, "I'm not drunk!"
"Not drunk? Okay, then walk a few steps."
"..."
Yan Chi stubbornly looked at Xie Tao. He took Shen Mingsu's hand and took a few steps forward, a not-so-straight line, "See, I'm not drunk."
Xie Tao: "... Seeing that Yan Chi wouldn't give up easily, Shen Mingsu, unwilling to see disappointment on his face, said, "Then you two go together."
He then clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture to Xie Tao, "Take good care of him, don't let him fall."
Xie Tao glanced at him, then pulled Yan Chi to his side, "You don't need to tell me."
As soon as they stepped out of the house, the sudden drop in temperature and the biting wind instantly snapped Yan Chi out of his daze. He shivered, and the next second, a warm scarf was wrapped around his neck.
Shen Mingsu, worried that Yan Chi was cold, stuck several hand warmers on him. He said anxiously, "Why don't I go deliver it?"
"No, you go wash the dishes." Yan Chi shrank back, saying logically, "I don't like washing dishes, so you go. I like the headmistress, so I'll go."
Shen Mingsu laughed, "Alright, alright, you go, you go. I won't argue with you."
The moon peeked out from behind the thick clouds. It hadn't snowed tonight, but the temperature was still very low. After taking the headmistress home, Yan Chi was completely sober.
Recalling what he had done, Yan Chi stood under the tree for a while, rubbing his temples with a headache. He felt too ashamed to go back and face everyone; it was too embarrassing.
"Sober now?" Xie Tao stood beside him, amused. "Still stubbornly refusing to admit you're drunk?"
Yan Chi nodded listlessly. "I am drunk."
"Why didn't you just admit it earlier?" Xie Tao was inexplicably persistent in this regard. He supported Yan Chi's arm and asked, "Are you dizzy? Do you want to rest for a while?"
Yan Chi: "I'm okay..."
"Feeling like throwing up?"
Yan Chi shook his head. "No."
Then it shouldn't be a big problem. Xie Tao guessed he probably hadn't drunk in a long time, and the alcohol hit him hard, making him drunk. He chuckled inwardly and slowly led Yan Chi towards home.
Yan Chi was still half-asleep. He suddenly looked up, and in the hazy moonlight, he saw two familiar figures. He tugged at Xie Tao's sleeve, "Tao Tao, I'm still drunk. I actually saw Feng Wang and Li Huai!"
The two children had gone home on the first day of their holiday, but Yan Chi rubbed his eyes; the figures strolling not far from them hadn't disappeared.
Xie Tao paused. "It's not your imagination, it really is them."
Feng Wang and Li Huai, who were clearly no longer at school, were leisurely strolling here. Li Huai was chatting and laughing, while Feng Wang occasionally chimed in. They walked towards Yan Chi.
"Li Huai, Feng Wang?"
Yan Chi called out to them, but the two brothers seemed not to hear anything, walking past Yan Chi and Xie Tao without changing their expressions. Then they paused, turned around, and called out in unison, "Teacher Xiao Chi."
Suddenly, Yan Chi broke out in a cold sweat. The terrifying feeling of seeing a ghost in the middle of the night sent chills down his spine. "You...you two are..."
"Teacher Xiao Chi!"
Sethia rushed out, grabbed Yan Chi's arm, and pulled him away, whispering, "They're fake. We made them specifically to fool the players."
Tan Mo followed closely behind, walking to Yan Chi's side. He glanced at the two dummies, who then began chatting and laughing as they walked to the other side, their behavior exactly like the real ones.
Yan Chi stared in surprise at the two incredibly realistic figures, then suddenly remembered the players still at school. "Did the players believe it?"
Sethia pouted unhappily. "Only that S-rank guy glanced at Li Huai a couple of times, then Rong Wenshi and Xin Xia chased him away."
He was planning to have an extra meal tonight, but his prize had slipped away.
Sethia was heartbroken. He dragged Tan Mo along to continue fishing with "Li Huai and Feng Wang," hoping for another bite, but instead, they caught Yan Chi instead.
“Teacher Xiaochi,” Sethia stammered, approaching Yan Chi hesitantly. “Would you like to go see the new players? I know where they are, shall we go together?”
“Are they still alive?” Yan Chi asked incredulously. “I remember my father killed them all.”
Tan Mo, who had witnessed everything from the shadows, said, “There’s one left. He has a jade pendant that can help him escape Uncle Qingyuan’s abilities.”
Yan Chi wasn’t particularly surprised. He assumed the termite players had used the item they’d stolen from Li Xian. He looked up and asked, “Where is the remaining player?”
Tan Mo: “In…”
“In the art museum!” Sethia answered quickly. “Let’s go see them together, okay, teacher?”
“This…”
Yan Chi hesitated, looking at Xie Tao for his opinion. He couldn’t very well abandon Xie Tao halfway through and leave alone.
Xie Tao raised his chin. "Then let's go take a look."
On the way to the art museum, Sethia also revealed that Lian Deng and Ahui were secretly monitoring Qiu Yunshu. The two of them could minimize their presence, making them ideal for this kind of stalking.
Yan Chi asked, "Has Qiu Yunshu's brother arrived?"
"No," Sethia shook her head. "I don't know the situation there. Mingcai told me. She said Qiu Yunshu has been staying home quietly these past few days and hasn't made any moves."
"Oh, right," Sethia added, "Lu Yuanming went to Qiu Yunshu yesterday to give him a New Year's gift, but Qiu Yunshu didn't accept it."
Lu Yuanming and Qiu Yunshu had been colleagues for a while, so it was normal for Lu Yuanming to give him a gift during the New Year. Yan Chi was worried about Lu Yuanming's safety. "I'll remind Lu Yuanming when I have the chance to tell him not to have any more contact with Qiu Yunshu."
Qiu Yunshu was like a dangerous time bomb; he could explode at any moment. Lu Yuanming was too dense to notice Qiu Yunshu's unusual behavior, and he could easily be taken advantage of.
Sethia nudged Tan Mo's arm. "Got it? Go remind Lu Yuanming."
Tan Mo readily accepted the task. "Yeah, got it."
Soon, Yan Chi saw the outline of the art museum shrouded in the night. His brows furrowed slightly, hoping the players wouldn't damage the paintings inside during their fight.
...
"Aaaaaah—"
Zhu Ge Yun was being chased by several sharp steel blades. He pulled out several defensive shields and donned them, but against an S-rank attack, his shields were as fragile as transparent bubbles, bursting at the slightest touch.
This short-haired man with the ant-like appearance was extremely aggressive. Even with Rong Wenshi holding him back, he could still wield his steel blades to kill others.
Zhu Ge Yun was being chased so relentlessly that he jumped up and down. Each time he turned his head in terror, he saw the blade getting closer and closer. He could almost see his own pale face reflected on the steel blade.
The figures in the surrounding paintings were also watching the chase with bated breath, frantically reporting the situation behind them to Zhu Ge Yun.
"The blade's going to slash your butt! This is going to be a real eye-opener!"
"Don't run left, run right!"
"Your legs look pretty long, but you can't even move properly. You're all kicking like this after just a few steps. What a weakling, all show and no substance!"
Zhu Ge Yun was nearly driven mad by these words. He gritted his teeth and turned to look. The lady who spoke held a fan, her face half-hidden, and her narrow eyes held a clear, smirking expression.
His competitive spirit exploded at that moment. While fleeing for his life, Zhu Ge Yun desperately tried to prove himself, "I'm not... a liar!"
He quickened his pace, but his left foot slipped and tripped over his right. Losing his balance instantly, Zhu Ge Yun watched helplessly as a steel blade, imbued with chilling killing intent, hurtled towards his head. His heart sank.
His head was going to say goodbye to his neck.
"Bang!"
The steel blade collided head-on with a hard bullet, exploding instantly. Shards shattered on the ground, leaving a long, narrow gash on Zhu Ge Yun's face.
Zhu Ge Yun collapsed to the ground, laughing with the joy of surviving a close call. He looked at Xin Xia, who was holding a gun, and wiped the blood from his face. "Thanks, bro."
Xin Xia raised his chin. "Call me Brother Xia."
"Okay, Brother Xia." Without a second's hesitation, Zhu Ge Yun said, "Thanks, Brother Xia, for saving my life."
Xin Xia glanced at him, fired a shot to stop the crew-cut man's advance, and while coordinating with Rong Wenshi from a distance, she didn't forget to mock Zhu Ge Yun, "Aren't you already an A-level player? How come you're still so weak?"
Zhu Ge Yun chuckled sheepishly, "I used all my points to hoard defensive items. No matter what, life is the most important thing."
Xin Xia rolled his eyes, "So you don't have a single offensive item?"
Zhu Ge Yun said embarrassedly, "It's because I didn't have enough points."
"Tsk tsk."
Zhu Ge Yun turned his head and looked at the painting opposite him. In the painting, a serious-looking man stood in front of a Gothic house with a pointed roof, holding a pitchfork, with a stern-faced woman standing beside him.
Lisa reminded him, "Go get their pitchforks, let's go, bro."
Zhu Ge Yun swallowed hard, looking at the painting titled "American Gothic," not daring to meet the imposing gaze of the man depicted. "Lend...lend me a pitchfork?"
The man scrutinized him for a moment, then tossed the pitchfork out of the painting. Zhu Ge Yun quickly caught it and thanked him profusely.
So, when Yan Chi arrived, he saw Xin Xia wielding advanced modern weaponry, Zhu Ge Yun brandishing farm tools and yelling, and only Ding Yang and Rong Wenshi actually unleashing their full power.
The three of them stood in the shadows by the gate. He remained silent for a while; this seemed quite different from the peak duel between players he had imagined.
Weren't they supposed to be using all sorts of tools, fighting fiercely? This scene...it seemed a bit hasty.
Sethia, eager to eat, craned his neck to watch. "Useless! Why isn't it dead yet? Should we go help?"
Tan Mo grabbed his hand and led him to a corner. "The principal told us not to show ourselves easily. If you're too hungry, have some candy. Want some coconut flavor?"
Two candies lay in his hand. Sethia grabbed them, didn't even unwrap them, popped them into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
After observing for a good half hour, Yan Chi noticed that this termite player was incredibly resilient. No matter how heavy the blows, even with his abdomen caved in, seemingly his internal organs crushed into a puddle of mush, he remained expressionless, showing no pain.
Yan Chi frowned, watching as his head was severed, blood gushing out, before the buzz-cut man finally collapsed to the ground.
“Let’s go.” Ding Yang sheathed her knife, retied her slightly disheveled hair, and said to Zhu Ge Yun, “The rest is up to you.”
Zhu Ge Yun: “Okay, sis, leave it to me.”
He huffed and puffed as he dragged the buzz-cut man’s body and head separately outside the art museum, then used a rag to wipe up the blood splattered on the floor. Only after everything was cleaned up did they leave the art museum.
Yan Chi and the others followed. Seeing them drag the body into the botanical garden, the quiet plants began to stir upon smelling the blood and flesh.
Sethia panicked. "They stole my food!"
Tan Mo quickly stopped him. "It's filthy, don't eat it."
Yan Chi also pleaded, "Sethia, listen to me, I'll give you mutton soup later."
Hearing this, Sethia immediately sidled up to Yan Chi, hugging his arm, and eagerly said, "Let's go now!"
Yan Chi was amused by his quick change of expression. "Okay, let's go."
"Wait."
Tan Mo suddenly spoke up, "Look!"
Yan Chi and Sethia stopped and turned around. They saw the already dead corpse suddenly begin to swell; its chest bulged, and the sound of flesh tearing echoed in the darkness.
Yan Chi's eyes widened, and he forcefully covered his mouth to suppress the scream that threatened to burst out.
Two short players emerged from the corpse of the crew-cut player. They shook off the entrails clinging to their bodies, and the blood of the dead masked their odor.
The two exchanged a glance, then ran off in one direction with a clear goal.
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