What malicious intent could NPCs possibly have? C22.2

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Chp22. part2

“So why isn’t she coming out? Is she on the verge of death? A fugitive? I get the feeling she’s more like an escaped con artist.”

“She didn’t want to say, so I didn’t ask,” Pei Han replied.

Owen suddenly had an idea. “Given how secretive she is, what if she’s an NPC who escaped from an Dungeon?”

Owen’s character in the game had died. He put down the controller and started brainstorming plot ideas.

“Maybe she’s an NPC. What if she one day put on a player’s bracelet, suddenly awakened, and pretended to be a player who escaped from an Dungeon? That’s why she acts like a cat and mouse with you.”

Pei Han glanced at him. “If you knew anything about this System, you wouldn’t say that. Try putting a bracelet on an NPC next time. If she ‘awakens,’ I’ll give you all my points.”

As an expert deeply familiar with this place, Pei Han’s words carried weight. Owen deflated.

Pei Han continued, “NPCs are part of the Dungeons; they can’t leave. Otherwise, everything would fall apart. Even if you had Administrator Privileges and could modify the source code, moving an NPC from a Dungeon to another location would require extensive adjustments. It’s not as simple as just saying it.”

Pei Han tapped his bracelet. “I was also suspicious of her identity at first, thinking it was some special arrangement from the previous Dungeon. But the moment she left the Dungeon, I knew I was wrong.”

Not far away, Ning Ge stood at the bathroom door for a moment before turning back inside and quietly closing the door.

She had originally planned to ask where the hair dryer was, but she hadn’t expected to hear this.

Ning Ge clenched her fists, lost in thought.

In the living room outside, Pei Han was scrolling through his bracelet, his head bowed.

“I think she’ll avoid me. It’s probably because I scared her last time when I dealt with Jing Yao.”

Owen hummed absentmindedly, his fingers still on the game controller.

“It was a bit terrifying. In a novel, the male lead would usually find some noble, unavoidable reason before doing something like that. You just went ahead and did it. You’re less like a male lead and more like a villain.”

Pei Han remained silent.

Owen continued, “I know your intentions were good. You eliminated Jing Yao to prevent him from retaliating, and you kept the other players alive so they could help reduce her chances of being randomly executed. But she might not appreciate it.”

Owen concluded, “Girls generally prefer kind-hearted guys, not those ruthless types.”

Pei Han looked up at him briefly before lowering his head again. “Then what type do they prefer?”

Owen died again and exited the game to switch to a healer role. “Girls like the kind of man who’s really gentle, considerate, and takes good care of themselves.”

“Gentle and considerate?”

“Yeah.” Owen was busy dressing up his character, scrolling through the rows of clothes on the screen as he casually said, “She should also be handsome—someone who’s a pleasure to look at…”

After selecting the outfit, he pulled out a prop and sprayed two puffs of a hate-reducing mist. “…And it’s best if he smells nice.”

Pei Han had been looking down, fiddling with his ring, and hadn’t paid attention to what Owen was doing in the game. He looked up in surprise.

“Smells nice?”

“Right.” Owen entered the game and, too lazy to play alone, selected the follow-teammate option. He added casually, “…Most importantly, he needs to be obedient and follow instructions well. He shouldn’t make any decisions himself, just stick close behind.”

Pei Han’s lips twitched. “Just follow? You’re describing the kind of guy who lives off his girlfriend.”

Owen started fighting, mashing buttons furiously as he said, “Exactly! You think those guys who live off their girlfriends really want to? It’s because girls like this type!”

Pei Han stopped turning the page and stared silently at the bracelet’s screen, lost in thought.

Owen was headshot again within three seconds. He peeked over at Pei Han.

“Didn’t you say a bunch of new Dungeons came out these past two days, with tons of test missions available? Just grab any one. What are you staring at?”

“Looking at the Dungeon numbers,” Pei Han said without lifting his head. “I want to pick a good one.”

“What counts as good? One that’ll make pink bubbles float?”

Owen suddenly realized, “If you’re picking a paired Dungeo, don’t you dare match me with someone random! I’ve got a reliable one here.”

Owen took off his bracelet, scrolled through his friend list, and tossed it to Pei Han.

Pei Han caught it and continued scrolling. Suddenly, he murmured, “‘Dungeon conditions are harsh, requires long walks, and good shoes’?”

He let out a cold laugh. “Heh.”

Owen recognized this as something Jiang Jin had said to Ning Ge and knew Pei Han was still competing with his strange love rival. He smiled but said nothing.

After much deliberation and careful selection, Pei Han finally chose an Dungeon and tapped to form a team, sharing the reward points.

All their bracelet vibrated.

Ning Ge’s voice drifted from the bathroom, “Time to go?”

Pei Han called back, “Yeah. Waiting for you to finish.”

Pei Han had no idea how long it took girls to wash their hair, let alone blow-dry it. The process took ages.

The bathroom door opened, and he glanced inside after a moment, puzzled. “Is there any difference?”

“Of course,” Ning Ge said, gesturing to the curve of her bangs. “See? It’s like this now.”

Pei Han stood behind her, staring intently at her reflection in the mirror as the hot air from the hairdryer blasted around them. He was completely baffled.

By the time the three of them went downstairs an hour later, it was already late. Fortunately, this was just a test run of a new Dungeon, so there was no rush.

This time, they were heading to the E9 departure zone.

As soon as Ning Ge and the others arrived, several players emerged from the adjacent arrival zone.

One of them exclaimed, “What’s going on? It crashed.”

Another said, “I’d just entered that little inn and hadn’t even gone upstairs when I was kicked out.”

“Yeah, it gave me an error: ‘Null Pointer Exception: Critical Dungeon Data Lost.’ What does that mean?” Then, a hint of excitement crept in. “Does this mean we don’t have to run this round?”

The critical data is lost… Could they be talking about the Nianxin Inn? Ning Ge thought.

They’d always said there were countless Dungeons, yet here was a player who had just been ejected from one.

The Dungeon is malfunctioning. She wonders how her brother is doing.

Ning Ge was deeply worried, but she kept her expression neutral. “Ready to go?” she asked Pei Han.

The moment they stepped onto the departure zone, Ning Ge felt an invisible force press her down onto a chair.

Her vision cleared.

The scene before her was breathtakingly beautiful—

It was a feast.

A long table overflowed with silver platters. Ham, its skin golden brown and glistening with fat, was brushed with maple syrup and honey, studded with cloves. Roasted potatoes were topped with dollops of creamy sour cream, and pork chops, already sliced, lay in a pool of steaming garlic mushroom sauce, wisps of steam rising from them.

Ning Ge heard herself say, “…It doesn’t look appetizing at all.”

I’ve only eaten instant noodles this round! Ning Ge thought.

A lacquered wooden hand reached out and swiftly removed the plate of pork chops.

Ning Ge: “……”

She was in a palace-like room, dressed in a water-red silk gown, a pearl necklace around her neck, and comfortable, matching flat leather shoes on her feet.

Ning Ge sat alone at the massive dining table, with a line of figures standing behind her.

The “servants” had stiff, wooden faces, clearly made of wood. Yet their clothing was meticulously tailored and immaculate, with not a single thread out of place.

One of the wooden puppets stepped forward.

Moments later, a young man entered, bowing his head respectfully to Ning Ge.

He appeared to be just of age, strikingly beautiful. His thick golden eyelashes drooped softly, half-veiling eyes as blue as a lake. He wore a silk shirt with a ruffled collar.

After completing his bow, he murmured to the wooden puppets, “Her ladyship will not be eating. Clear everything away. I’ll have the kitchen bring out dessert.”

He then hurried away.

Though made of wood, the puppets moved with surprising agility. They swiftly cleared the table of delicacies, returning moments later with fresh plates.

Golden-baked apple pie, a mousse cake piled high with red raspberries that quivered as if ready to fall, and colorful ice cream served in tall crystal goblets, exuding a cool mist.

What kind of paradise is this?

Even if the Dungeon wasn’t harsh, it wasn’t supposed to be a place for indulgence, was it?

Ning Ge stared at the table laden with exquisite food with a pang of anxiety. What if this stuff is poisoned?

Even if it wasn’t, a random thought suddenly popped into her head: Don’t get too fat, or they’ll kill you!

Her bracelet vibrated.

[You have a dance partner whose eyes shine brighter than stars, whose teeth are as white as seashells, and whose wrist bears a rose-like gleam. Though peerless beauty, he must spend his days threading needles in the palace’s sewing workshop.]

[Warm-up Mission: Find your dance partner.]

[Instructions: Time limit of ten minutes.]

[Failure Penalty: Both partners will be executed together.]

Ning Ge: A rose-like gleam on his wrist… and he’s a “he”? “Peerless beauty”?

Execution together… That means he’s also a player.

It’s Pei Han, the one with the pink wristband.

I’m partnered with him.

“Where’s the sewing workshop?” Ning Ge asked the Wooden Puppets, who were busy serving desserts.

They only turned their lacquered eyes in confusion, completely clueless.

Ten minutes?!

Ning Ge pushed back her chair, gathered her skirt, and bolted.