"Yumi?"
Chi Hao turned to look at Yumi. Qiao Qiao hesitated for a moment before suddenly pushing Yumi into the flower bed. It was then that they realized the invisible barrier from before had blocked only Qiao Qiao, not the two of them.
Yumi scrambled up and turned to face the doorway. "Qiao Qiao? What... what is going on?"
"I'm sorry," Qiao Qiao said, shaking her head, tears streaming from her eyes. "I'm sorry. This, this instance, it's a punishment. It's a punishment. I, I can't get past this level. I can't."
"But... why?"
Yumi looked at Qiao Qiao. She felt there had to be a way for Qiao Qiao to pass. She just didn't know it. Turning, she saw Chi Hao, whose eyes were entirely focused on Jing Minghe, who was on the verge of becoming a complete puppet. He had no attention to spare for anything else.
"Mr. Chi, Minghe he..."
Yumi's words were cut short. Chi Hao seemed to recall something and quickly walked towards the flower wall, carrying Jing Minghe.
"Mr. Chi?" Yumi tried to follow, but Qiao Qiao, unable to enter, was still at the doorway. This situation left Yumi unsure of what to do.
Chi Hao carried Jing Minghe around the back of the flower bed and placed him on the swing chair. He spoke to the air with a solemn expression. "Lu, I don't care what you've done to this instance, but if you dare to toy with Minghe's life, I will never forgive you."
He paused, then continued, "Whether as a pawn or a tool, use whatever you need. I am willing to do things I never would have before for him."
As soon as Chi Hao finished speaking, Jing Minghe, who had completely turned into a puppet, and the swing chair vanished simultaneously. Gu Chenhui and Gong Liang, who had just entered from outside and circled around to the back of the flower wall, witnessed Jing Minghe's disappearance.
Gu Chenhui raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It seems the problem has been resolved. Now, we just have to wait."
"Mr. Chi?" Yumi asked, worried when she couldn't see Jing Minghe. "Where is Minghe? He..."
Gu Chenhui gently patted Yumi's shoulder. "Don't worry. That kid is fine. Someone won't let anything happen to him."
"Then..." Seeing Chi Hao's calm demeanor, Yumi believed Gu Chenhui wasn't lying. "Then, Qiao Qiao... she... what about her?"
As she spoke, Yumi saw Gong Liang, who had disappeared earlier along with Qiao Qiao. If, as Qiao Qiao said, it was a punishment, then why could Gong Liang, in the same situation as Qiao Qiao, enter?
Gong Liang, sensing Yumi's gaze, kindly explained, "Because that woman revealed something she shouldn't have."
"What do you mean?"
"Forget it if you don't understand," Gong Liang shrugged. "In short, you can't save her. In an instance, those who break the rules cannot be saved."
"This..."
As they were talking, a portal of light suddenly appeared where the swing chair had been.
Gu Chenhui spoke first. "Let's go. Although this instance wasn't too taxing, we still need to rest." He then walked directly into the portal, followed by Gong Liang.
Chi Hao looked at Yumi and sighed softly. "Yumi, for things that cannot be changed, hesitation will only harm yourself."
"I..."
From afar, Yumi saw Qiao Qiao, who was outside the door, being surrounded by strange puppets that had appeared from nowhere. She was about to be torn to shreds.
Seeing this, Chi Hao grabbed Yumi and pulled her directly into the portal.
·
Upon returning to the rest area, Chi Hao's first action was to find Jing Minghe, but he couldn't find any trace of him after searching the entire area.
Gu Chenhui did the same, meticulously searching every corner of the rest area.
Finally, the two of them stood in the lobby, glaring at each other.
However, having already reached the rest area, it was impossible to return to the previous instance. With no other options, they could only wait for Jing Minghe to be released.
This feeling of powerlessness was torture for Chi Hao, a torture he had never experienced before.
The next day, two more groups of people arrived at the rest area. Yumi learned they were Mo Xiao and Hao Yu, and Lu Bin and Gao Zhenli.
Yumi and Gu Chenhui were talking in the rest area's dining hall.
"There are now eight people in the rest area, including us," Yumi said with a frown. "Will Minghe really come back? I still remember when Tong Zheng and Wu Wen were in that train instance..."
"It was a portal," Gu Chenhui interrupted Yumi. From his seat, he had a clear view of the lobby. Just then, the portal reappeared, and two people stumbled out. "Two people. If the portal doesn't reappear, then Young Master Jing..."
"Tong Zheng! Wu Wen!" Yumi suddenly stood up and rushed towards the lobby.
Gu Chenhui stood up inexplicably. Before the portal appeared, he thought he had just heard these two names from Yumi. Could it be such a coincidence?
Yet, it was precisely such a coincidence. Gu Chenhui watched Yumi run over, supporting one person and then the other, her face filled with worry.
"Yu, Yumi-jiejie..." Ke Wuwen managed to say before fainting.
"Wu Wen?"
Tong Zheng reached out to grab Wu Wen, only to hear Yumi say, "He just fainted. He's alright, don't worry."
"You tell others not to worry, but your brows are so furrowed, you could kill mosquitoes," Gu Chenhui walked over to help support the unconscious Ke Wuwen. "Let's take them back to their rooms first. They're both badly injured."
"Mhm."
After Yumi and Gu Chenhui took Tong Zheng and Ke Wuwen back to their room, they went to the shopping area to replenish medical supplies before returning to treat Ke Wuwen and Tong Zheng's injuries.
Tong Zheng refused to leave Ke Wuwen's room. Gu Chenhui gave Tong Zheng a meaningful look and said to Yumi, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave. You should rest after you're done here. These two can take care of each other."
Yumi was initially worried, but seeing Tong Zheng's appearance after hearing Gu Chenhui's words, she nodded. "Mhm, I know. You go back and rest first."
After tending to Ke Wuwen and Tong Zheng's injuries, Yumi left. She had originally had many questions she wanted to ask Tong Zheng, wanting to know where the instance had sent them and what they had experienced, and how they had arrived at this rest area.
But now, these questions were no longer necessary. As long as they were alive, it was good enough.
Before returning to her room, Yumi saw Chi Hao standing by the door of the last room, the one without a name. Hesitantly, Yumi walked up to him and said, "Don't worry too much, Minghe will definitely come back. Mr. Tong and Wu Wen were gone for so long and they came back safely, weren't they? The system wouldn't randomly eliminate any player, otherwise, it wouldn't create so many instances for players to clear one by one."
"Mhm," Chi Hao responded, which was rare. "I know. Thank you, Yumi."
"No, you're welcome," Yumi hesitated for a moment before adding, "Mr. Chi, go back and rest. If Minghe sees you looking so haggard when he returns, he'll be sad."
Although Yumi didn't constantly watch Chi Hao, as a doctor, she could tell that Chi Hao hadn't eaten or drunk anything in the past two days.