Chapter 129: Stay Here With Me

"What... are you talking about?"

Ji Linmo stared at the youth before him, brow furrowed, thinking he had misheard.

But the youth suddenly smiled. He stood beneath the scattered starlight, his back to the cosmos, gazing intently at the man.

"So, do you not like it here, Mr. Ji?"

"The houses, the small town, the amusement park—look at everything here. It has everything one could want, as beautiful and peaceful as reality itself."

The evening breeze brushed against the youth’s shirt, the pristine white hem fluttering in the wind.

With a smile, the youth spread his arms toward the man. In that instant, the rows of streetlights behind him flickered to life, casting a faint, ethereal glow into the darkness.

"Mr. Ji, look, isn't it beautiful here?"

Gazing into the distance, Ji Linmo withdrew his stare and looked at Qin Feng, his expression blank.

The orange lamplight caught the youth’s cheeks, making him appear exceptionally soft.

"Qin Feng, I don't understand what you mean. Get to the point..."

"Mr. Ji, what I mean is, if this instance could go on forever—if we could stay here and live a peaceful life—would you be willing to stay with me?"

Under the soft radiance of the streetlights, the youth extended a hand toward the man, bowing slightly with elegant grace, as if issuing an invitation.

—An invitation to a dance partner who could step into the spotlight with him.

"..."

Ji Linmo said nothing. He looked at Qin Feng’s outstretched hand but made no move, his brow only knitting tighter.

*No, what on earth is this little lunatic doing? And why is he saying these things?*

—Players cannot remain in an instance unless they become corpses.

Ji Linmo felt an inexplicable, unsettling creepiness at Qin Feng’s nonsensical remarks, a chill inexplicably crawling up his spine.

Just then, he felt his pocket vibrate.

—It was a text from Liu Xiao.

[You have received a message.]
[Arriving soon. Lure him away from the house for at least 10 minutes.]

Ji Linmo’s eyes darkened. Liu Xiao was about to arrive and infiltrate Qin Feng’s bedroom. No matter how chilling Qin Feng’s words were, he had to bite the bullet and play along.

"Thank you... thank you for the invitation, Qin Feng."

Ji Linmo coughed, stiffly extended two fingers, and gave Qin Feng’s hand a light, superficial shake.

"But why bring this up so suddenly? Do you really fantasize about living in this instance?"

At this, Qin Feng raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

"You... well, although I'm surprised, I can understand. After all, this instance isn't particularly dangerous, and the amusement park and scenery are quite nice. It’s normal to be captivated..."

When Ji Linmo first entered the Horror World as a youth, he too had entertained such unrealistic fantasies when encountering relatively comfortable instances.

—After all, living in the real world meant the constant risk of being selected for the game again; it would be better to retire in an instance with a comfortable environment.

"But, Qin Feng, if it’s just a fantasy, why invite me? I think... wouldn't it be better if there were more people? If they were all players, this place could really be built into a town—"

The moment he finished speaking, the streetlights suddenly flickered violently, the youth’s face alternating between shadow and light in the darkness.

"Oh~ Mr. Ji, I don't like too many people~ You know, more people just bring trouble, whether before or now~"

"Think about it, Mr. Ji. If it had just been the two of us from the start, wouldn't you have felt more at ease?"

"After all, you are always so reliable, while others... not so much. They might even stir up trouble or hold you back~"

The youth finished with a light laugh, glancing at Ji Linmo’s right arm, which was braced with a board, his tone laced with faint regret.

—*Is he regretting not killing Lin Bufei and Liu Xiao?*

Ji Linmo’s ink-black eyes grew deep, a flash of killing intent passing through them. This little lunatic was a hidden danger that couldn't be left alone.

But Qin Feng looked up at that very moment, the smile on his lips becoming exceptionally brilliant.

"Mr. Ji, what were you... just thinking about?"

"I get the feeling that for a split second, the way you looked at me wasn't very friendly?"

Ji Linmo felt a cold shiver down his back. *How is this guy always so sharp?*

The atmosphere turned icy, and both fell into an eerie, dead silence.

"Mr. Ji, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back inside."

"But before that, I hope you’ll think about what I said. Or rather, the invitation~"

Qin Feng turned to head back inside, clearly not intending to spend more time alone with Ji Linmo.

This made Ji Linmo anxious. After all, Liu Xiao was likely still in Qin Feng’s bedroom, searching for that missing reagent!

"Wait, Qin Feng!"

Seeing the youth actually about to go inside, Ji Linmo called out to him in a rush.

But the shout was clearly too abrupt, causing the youth to turn back with a look of confusion.

"Mr. Ji?"

*Damn it, I have to say something!*

Ji Linmo stood there, feeling slightly awkward, his mind unable to conjure up a single topic of conversation. He really didn't seem to have anything in common with Qin Feng.

"Mr. Ji, you seem very anxious. Listen, your heart is suddenly beating much faster."

Qin Feng looked at the man with a mocking smile, reaching out to press against Ji Linmo’s chest, as if he could truly feel the man’s racing heart.

"Wow~ Mr. Ji, you aren't doing something bad behind my back, are you?"

"Otherwise, why would your heart be beating so fast?"

Qin Feng suddenly clenched his hand in a cruel gesture, as if he were about to dig the man’s heart right out.

"I... I’m not anxious, it’s just... I’m embarrassed..."

Ji Linmo lowered his head, pretending to look discomfited.

—To avoid alerting the enemy, he had to stroke the little lunatic’s ego; now was the time for him to put on a performance.

"Oh~ embarrassed?"

"By rights, I shouldn't bother you, but I really do need someone I can trust to help me..."

Ji Linmo looked at the youth, his expression softening with rare gentleness.

"Could I trouble you to help me reset my left hand?"

The man extended his left hand; three fingers had been dislocated when he had tried to force his way out of the handcuffs earlier. Though it required some skill, it wasn't hard to reset.

"Oh~ Mr. Ji, aren't you afraid that I might, by accident, end up snapping this hand off entirely?"

Hearing the playfulness in the youth’s tone, Ji Linmo knew it was time to deploy his technique.

—The youth was someone who lacked love and security.

Ever since he had saved him in the instance, the youth—who desperately needed a pillar of support—had always held an obsession for him that defied logic.

If he used this correctly, let alone ten minutes, he could stall for thirty.

But to do that, he only needed to say a few kind words and offer timely affirmation.