Before Yu Xiao could utter a syllable, Tan Qiao Yin snatched her by the collar. Her eyes were wild and furious as she hissed, “Tell me the truth. Did you do it with her?”

    Yu Xiao sputtered, “I…”

    “It’s true, all right!” Zhou Xiao Zhen swaggered over, clutching Yu Xiao and Zhao Lan’s hands like a trophy. She shot a defiant look at Tan Qiao Yin. “You should have seen me that night. We weren’t alone in bed, if you catch my drift.”

    “Enough!” Yu Xiao wrenched herself away from Tan Qiao Yin’s grip. “All of you, just shut the hell up!”

    The others fell silent, then erupted in a chorus of pointing fingers and angry voices. “You’re the one who should shut up!”

    Yu Xiao wilted, “…”

    Ma Shan scowled at the scene, biting back his anger. “This is not the time or place for this. And besides… you’re all women, for God’s sake. Is this really worth fighting over?”

    Zhu Miao Miao, normally the peacemaker, bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think Smiley only has eyes for men? Had she even glanced your way, stinky boy?

    “Smiley?” Zhao Lan sneered at Yu Xiao. “How cute. I thought I was the only one who got to call her that.”

    Yu Xiao felt her throat go dry, her heart sink. “Please, can we act like normal people? We’re in danger here.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen spat, “Who are you to beg? Misty and I have been backing you up all this time, keeping you on the throne. And this is how you repay us…”

    Yu Xiao rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She had had enough of this madness. She would rather take on five Nightmare by herself than endure this torture again.

    If only she didn’t have to face Director Qu later, she would have knocked them all out by now.

    “Will you all kindly shut your bloody gobs?” Yu Xiao had a low tolerance for hysterics, but she was on the verge of a meltdown herself. “Bugger me sideways!”

    The bickering bunch went quiet, gawking at her with wide eyes.

    “One more peep from any of you, and I swear to God…” Yu Xiao waved her hand vaguely at the shadowy beast that lurked in the dark. “I’ll feed myself to the bloody thing!”

    That did the trick.

    Zhao Lan muttered, “You know I can’t live without you, so why do you have to go and blackmail me with your life?”

    “Jesus…” Yu Xiao whirled around, ignoring the moan of Director Qu on her back and sprinted. “Come on!”

    They darted through the darkness, evading one assault after another until they reached the exit of the underground base. The way out was sealed by a pile of rubble, and workers were risking their lives to clear it.

    Yu Xiao laid down Director Qu and told Zhou Xiao Zhen, “You watch her. We’ll help with the digging.”

    “Hmph.” Zhou Xiao Zhen accepted Director Qu with a bitter curl of her lips. “Don’t fret, I won’t let her kick the bucket.”

    Yu Xiao had had enough of these snippy maniacs. She turned her back, picked up a tool from the ground, and started digging with clenched teeth.

    Most of them had used strength cards, digging at a speed of ten to one.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen sat next to Director Qu, looking up at Yu Xiao with a blend of awe and annoyance. Sometimes she grinned, sometimes she gnashed her teeth. Smiley was brilliant at everything, maybe too brilliant. It was her brilliance that attracted so many bees to her honey. She could have put up with just Zhao Lan, but she didn’t anticipate this many folks this time.

    But it was fine, she convinced herself. Once they escaped the instance, Smiley would be hers again. No, hang on, there was still Zhao Lan…

    Her mind wrestled with conflicting thoughts, unaware of someone nearing her. sea??h thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the corner of her eye, Zhou Xiao Zhen spotted a pair of immaculate shoes. She turned her head and saw a tall, slender man. Looking up, she met Shen Chuan’s gaze, his eyes deep and pensive as he watched Yu Xiao dig away with zeal.

    Terror paralysed Zhou Xiao Zhen, silencing her scream. She watched Shen Chuan approach with his head bowed, resembling a predator stalking its prey. Clinging to Director Qu, she hoped to flee, but her legs refused to obey. Shen Chuan halted three steps away from her, his eyes gleaming with malice. To her horror, she felt her hands move on their own, tightening around Director Qu’s neck.

    Fear fuelled this nightmare, and the more she felt it, the stronger it grew.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen’s fingers dug into Director Qu’s neck, squeezing the life out of her. Her face turned from red to purple, her eyes bulging. Zhou Xiao Zhen felt the sweat drip from her forehead, but she was powerless to stop.

    Yu Xiao, who had been busy digging the soil, sensed something wrong. She turned and saw the gruesome scene.

    “Stop!” She shouted, dropping her tools and running towards Shen Chuan.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen heard Yu Xiao’s voice and managed to croak, “Smiley, I can’t control myself.”

    Yu Xiao glared at Shen Chuan, “What are you doing, you bastard?”

    Shen Chuan’s eyes were a mirror of Ripley’s, full of longing and hatred. “I want you to stay with me.”

    “I can’t stay!” Yu Xiao snapped, trying to keep her anger in check. “Are you that lonely? You’re a nightmare. There are countless dreams out there, can’t you find someone else to play with?”

    “They’re all fake,” Shen Chuan said. “I don’t like any of them.”

    “Smiley,” Zhou Xiao Zhen sobbed, “Director Qu is dying.”

    “You…” Yu Xiao gritted her teeth, “Let her go, we can talk.”

    Shen Chuan didn’t move, but Zhou Xiao Zhen felt her grip loosen slightly.

    “You want me to stay with you, right?” Yu Xiao pointed at herself.

    Shen Chuan nodded, pursed his lips.

    “Alright, I’ll do it,” Yu Xiao said, moving closer. “But not here.”

    Shen Chuan frowned, “You’re lying to me.”

    “I’m not lying,” Yu Xiao said, looking into his eyes with the most sincere expression she could muster. “Remember what I told you? I’m the director of St. Elizabeth’s and also an inspector for the health bureau. If I leave, I can secure a job for you at St. Elizabeth’s. You could be my secretary. This way, you would be able to see me whenever you want, and you wouldn’t have to continue dying repeatedly in nightmares.”

    Shen Chuan stared at her, hesitating. What Yu Xiao said sounded enticing, but he still harboured doubts.

    Shen Chuan stubbornly clutched Yu Xiao’s arm. “You promise, right? You swear you’ll get me out.”

    Yu Xiao lifted her hand, curling her pinkie finger. “I promise, cross my heart. This is how we humans seal our vows, you see. We link our little fingers like this.”

    Shen Chuan looked at her hand with curiosity, then copied her gesture, wrapping his pinkie around hers.

    “No going back on the hook for a century,” Yu Xiao said, swinging their linked fingers gently before letting go. She flashed him a reassuring smile. “Trust me, I won’t leave you behind. As soon as I’m out of here, I’ll come back for you.”

    “Okay,” Shen Chuan said, nodding slowly. He kept his eyes on Yu Xiao. “I’ll wait for you.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. She could finally move her limbs.

    A triumphant yell came from the exit. Ma Shan’s voice boomed, “We’ve made it!”

    The exit was barely a crack in the wall, but it was big enough for one person to squeeze through. Yu Xiao slung Director Qu over her shoulder and headed towards the exit with Zhou Xiao Zhen. She paused after a few steps and turned around, calling out to Shen Chuan, “Wait for me!”

    She sprinted towards the exit, leaving a trail of dust behind her. The others crowded around the narrow opening.

    Yu Xiao said, “Precious, you go first. I’ll stay here and help Director Qu.”

    “Okay,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, and wormed her way into the crack.

    Zhao Lan also spotted Shen Chuan. She wondered why he just stood there, watching them go.

    “What’s his deal?” Zhao Lan whispered, “Why did you tell him to wait for you? What does that mean?”

    “Shh,” Yu Xiao said, “I’ll tell you later.”

    They crawled out of the crack and escaped the underground base. Outside, they were greeted by a swarm of rescuers, who rushed them to the ambulances.

    Director Qu was lying on a hospital bed, while the rest of them, filthy and exhausted, sat in a car.

    “We did it,” Ma Shan said, sounding relieved. “That was the worst dungeon I’ve ever been in. So confusing, so annoying. I need a holiday after this.”

    A smile crept onto Yu Xiao’s face, and soon it spread to the others, who shared her relief and exhilaration of escaping the instance.

    Zhu Miao Miao broke the silence with a sudden demand. “Smiley, give me your number.”

    The mood shifted abruptly, as if a cold shower had doused them all. Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen moved closer to Yu Xiao, forming a protective barrier, and shot daggers at Zhu Miao Miao. “What do you need Smiley’s number for? We’re parting ways as soon as we leave this instance. We’ll never cross paths again.”

    Zhu Miao Miao’s lip quivered, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She stared at Yu Xiao with a wounded expression. “And you? What do you want? Do you really wish to forget me forever?”

    Yu Xiao gave no sign of emotion, as still and silent as a stone.

    Tan Qiao Yin snarled, “I can’t believe you’re so cold-hearted. If you never cared about me, why did you bother me in the first place?”

    Yu Xiao wondered, when did I ever bother you? But she knew it was pointless to argue with them now; they were under the influence of the Coin of Great Observation 2.0. She had brought this upon herself by activating the coin. She had no choice but to endure, keep quiet, and hope for the coin’s effects to wear off, or for them to leave the instance.

    Just then, Director Qu, who had lain motionless for so long, stirred. She opened her eyes and saw Yu Xiao.

    “Yu Xiao?” Director Qu hissed. “Why did you knock me out?”

    Yu Xiao was about to answer when she noticed Director Qu’s sorrowful gaze. “You could have asked me for anything. I would have given you everything. Why did you have to knock me out?”

    Yu Xiao said nothing.

    She had forgotten; Director Qu was on her back when the Coin of Great Observation 2.0 took effect, even though she was unconscious then.

    “Where is this?” Director Qu finally realised that she was no longer in the underground base, and her face drained of colour. “How did I get out?”

    “An earthquake caused the base to collapse, and everyone was evacuated,” Yu Xiao explained. “The entire base is buried in the mountains, everything inside destroyed. It’ll take who knows how long to rebuild.”

    Director Qu’s face twisted in agony, as if each word from Yu Xiao was a stab in her heart. She clutched her chest, gasping for air, and collapsed, mumbling, “No… this can’t be… I don’t want this…”

    As Director Qu lost consciousness again, darkness engulfed Yu Xiao and the others. Yu Xiao opened her eyes after an unknown amount of time.

    She found herself back in the familiar intensive care unit. Fan Xing held Yu Xiao’s hand, a smile of gratitude on his face. “Congratulations, you’ve successfully awakened Dr. Qu. Thank you, your actions saved countless lives.”

    Yu Xiao managed a smile, barely lifting the corners of her mouth. “Can we leave now?”

    “Of course,” Fan Xing took out a bottle of pills from his pocket. “These are developed by Dr. Qu and can cure any illness. Once you take them, you can leave the hospital.”

    Yu Xiao glanced at Dr. Qu still lying in bed and thought, you’ve already developed the medicine before she even woke up? Isn’t that a bit rushed?

    After all seven took the pills, before leaving, Zhu Miao Miao embraced Yu Xiao tightly, sobbing on her shoulder.

    Tan Qiao Yin shouted, “Yu Xiao, don’t you dare forget me! My name is Tan Qiao Yin, and I’ll haunt you in your dreams!”

    Yu Xiao rolled her eyes, ignoring the annoying voice. Zhou Xiao Zhen, however, was not so patient. “Who cares about you! Smiley won’t give you a second glance!”

    As seven people vanished from the ICU, Fan Xing felt a surge of relief. He had finally gotten rid of that troublesome woman. The hospital was a complete mess; they had actually let a patient run the show, acting as the director and the inspector. How could any doctor work under such conditions?

    Fan Xing walked over to the bedside and gently shook the person on the bed. “Hey, are you awake yet?”

    The woman on the bed blinked, and the first thing she saw was a handsome face.

    “Fan Xing?”

    “Still dreaming?” Fan Xing asked, “You’ve been sleeping for so long, but surely you haven’t forgotten me.”

    “My fiancé, Fan Xing?” The woman on the bed exclaimed, tears in her eyes. “I’m awake, you can finally stop wasting your life by my side.”

    Fan Xing: “???”

    **

    Back in the familiar ward, all the negative effects from the instance faded away. Yu Xiao breathed deeply, feeling a sense of homecoming. Everything in the ward was so cosy and comforting.

    “Mmm…”

    A weird noise came from next to her prompting Yu Xiao to turn to see Zhou Xiao Zhen squirming on the bed, holding the pillow tightly.

    “Precious…”

    “Stop! Stop talking to me.” Zhou Xiao Zhen snapped, “I can’t stand your voice right now. It reminds me of what happened in the instance…”

    Oh, Yu Xiao thought, so you’re embarrassed too. You have no idea how much I suffered then. She glanced at Zhao Lan, who quickly averted her gaze, muttering, “Smiley, don’t look at me, I…”

    She suddenly remembered that she had declared that “Smiley” was her special nickname and nobody else can use it.

    “…”. Zhao Lan also curled up on the bed, hiding her face in the blanket, unable to face reality.

    How humiliating, how could she utter such cringeworthy words? Even if she had lost her mind, she shouldn’t have acted like that, right?

    “I can explain.” Yu Xiao said softly, “There’s a reason why you all behaved like this.”

    “Not now.” Zhao Lan, lying on the bed, lifted a hand, “Give me some time to process…”

    Alright, Yu Xiao was a compassionate person. She made herself a cup of tea first and then checked her messages on her phone. Before doing that, she replayed her actions in the instance, feeling a nagging discomfort. But some things had to be confronted, so she bravely opened the message.

    A series of notifications popped up on her screen.

    【Well done, you’ve survived your fifth therapy session. You’ve been promoted to level six in the Sixth Hospital’s patient exchange forum. Aren’t you lucky?】

    【Your performance in the treatment was so impressive, we decided to give you 3 basic points and 3 bonus points.】

    【Congratulations on earning the title of ‘Thief of the Sea King’s Heart,’ which gives you another 4 points. How romantic.】

    Yu Xiao frowned. Thief of the Sea King’s Heart? What did that even mean? She tried to recall what she had done in the dungeon that could have earned her such a dubious honour, but came up blank. It must have been a glitch in the Coin of Great Observation 2.0. She didn’t steal anything from anyone, let alone a Sea King.

    She sighed and shook her head. She had grown used to these weird titles by now, and they didn’t bother her as much as they used to. The only thing that mattered was whether they were useful or not. If this one was useless, she would have to share a bed as Yan Kuan with Precious.

    But maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was a good title. After all, it was just a Sea King. How important could he be?

    【Congratulations on earning the title: ‘Deceptive B*tch Who Toys with Hearts’, with 4 more points.】

    Yu Xiao gasped. That was harsh. But she couldn’t deny it. She had lied to Shen Chuan, and she knew it. She had made him a false promise, telling him that she would take him away from this hellhole and make him the secretary of Saint Elizabeth Hospital. That was a blatant lie. Only someone like Shen Chuan, who had never experienced the horrors of the nine-year compulsory education system, would fall for it. Any teenager who had graduated from junior high would see through her childish deception.

    Yu Xiao shrugged. She didn’t care. She accepted the title and moved on.

    【Congratulations on earning the title: ‘Nightmare’s Affection,’ with another 4 points. You’re on a roll.】

    “…”

    The only silver lining in her dismal situation was that she had amassed over five hundred points, leaving the rest of the miserable lot in Sixth Hospital in the dust.

    【 Well done, you’ve topped the points board. You’ve earned yourself two reward cards. Pop over to the forum to claim them. 】

    Yu Xiao tapped into the backend and retrieved a copy card and an upgrade card.

    A copy card? This was a novelty. She perused the description. The copy card could replicate any card she or someone else possessed, no questions asked.

    Blimey, that was a nifty thing!

    What if she could get her hands on a prop card like the one Precious had snagged the first time, and make a duplicate of it? Would she end up with something as splendid as a mahjong set?

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of excitement. She was itching to test it out immediately.

    But prop cards were scarce as hen’s teeth. They had gone through countless instances, and only two prop cards had materialised.

    As for the upgrade card, it was clearly meant for the Coin of Great Observation 2.0. The last upgrade had done little to improve the coin’s performance. She hoped that this time, another upgrade would transform the Coin of Great Observation into something more useful.

    【Please select the item you wish to upgrade. A. Sunglasses. B. Wig. C. Coin.】

    Yu Xiao opted for C, and the screen erupted with fireworks more dazzling than ever. They went on for a whole minute. When they subsided, Yu Xiao noticed that her Coin of Great Observation had changed colour. Instead of looking like some old copper coin, it was now translucent green, as if it was made of jade.

    【Coin of Great Observation 3.0: Can predict fortunes. Face up means good luck, can unleash heaven and hell on all humans and ghosts within a ten-metre radius. Face down means bad luck, everyone and their dog within ten metres will be hopelessly obsessed with you. Cooldown time one hour.】

    Yu Xiao: “…”

    Was there something wrong with her eyes?

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of annoyance, another common sensation in her miserable life. Why did the Coin of Great Observation’s effects get more horrifying with each upgrade? Possessive desire… everyone and everything…

    Yu Xiao’s scalp crawled. All of a sudden, she grasped why Luo Jin had pawned off the Coin of Great Observation on her. It wasn’t just because the coin suited her needs, but also because the coin was a bloody nightmare. Luo Jin must have been over the moon to swap her talismans for the Coin of Great Observation, right?

    Yu Xiao briefly considered calling Luo Jin and giving him an earful, but then decided against it. He seemed immune to scolding, the cheeky bastard. She would have to make him pay; her talismans would cost him and Lu Xun an arm and a leg from now on!

    Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen recovered quickly. Zhou Xiao Zhen was the first to perk up, as she had a sudden epiphany. If she pretended that Smiley was a young Leonardo DiCaprio and she had said those things to him, it wouldn’t be so bad. In fact, it could be quite fun.

    With that in mind, Zhou Xiao Zhen sprang out of bed and asked the question that was burning in her mind. “What’s your title this time?”

    She hoped fervently that Smiley’s title would be something bad, so she could sleep with her dreamboat.

    “It’s very good,” Yu Xiao said with a strained smile. “Sorry to let you down.”

    “Ah,” Zhou Xiao Zhen deflated, crestfallen. “By the way, Smiley, how did this happen to us?”

    “It’s the side effect of the Coin of Great Observation,” Yu Xiao explained, holding up the now blue Coin. “You remember that I upgraded it last time, right? Well, I didn’t mention the side effects of the upgrade. Whenever I toss the Coin of Great Observation, if the reverse side lands up, people within ten metres will experience conflicting emotions towards me.”

    “That explains it!” Zhao Lan exclaimed, leaping out of bed, “I was wondering why I suddenly had this irresistible urge to jump you, and then felt like nagging you to death. So, that’s the reason.”

    Zhao Lan shrugged it off. She walked over, grabbed the Coin of Great Observation, and asked, “When we were in the instance before, you said something to Shen Chuan. What did you mean by that?”

    “I heard it,” Zhou Xiao Zhen chimed in. “Smiley agreed to let the Nightmare come to Saint Elizabeth and be his secretary. The Nightmare won’t bother us anymore.”

    “Really?” Zhao Lan queried. “Are you actually going to have the Nightmare as your secretary?”

    “Of course not,” Yu Xiao thought, do I have a death wish? “I lied to him. I’m never going back to that instance, and I’ll never see him again. Lying to him didn’t cost me anything.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen felt a twinge of pity for the Nightmare, for some reason.

    Zhao Lan nodded sagely. “Ah, yeah, that makes sense.” Lying was wrong, of course, but Nightmare wasn’t human. They were fair game for deception.

    She changed the subject casually. “Oh, by the way, Precious, your title this time isn’t bad, right? Can I see it?” She tapped on her phone to open her text messages, then froze in horror.

    “What’s wrong?” Yu Xiao leaned over with curiosity, trying to catch a glimpse.

    Zhao Lan yanked her phone away. She felt a surge of sympathy for Yu Xiao, who had been so upset about her title earlier.

    “What’s wrong?” Yu Xiao repeated, sensing something was off. “Could it be, Misty, your title…”

    Zhao Lan shut her eyes and nodded miserably.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen waved her phone in the air. “What’s your title?” she asked eagerly. “Mine’s super weird, it says ‘Jealous Woman Causing Trouble,’ what’s yours? It can’t be worse than mine, right?”

    Zhao Lan glanced at her, and after a long pause, she muttered, “Not worse than yours, but… not much better either.”

    “Really?” Zhou Xiao Zhen scooted closer to take a look, and gasped. “Wow~ Misty, you’re a ‘Sharp-Tongued Woman’.”

    “Huh?” Yu Xiao blinked, then burst into laughter. “Hahaha…”

    Zhao Lan glared at her. “What are you laughing at?” She lunged for Yu Xiao’s phone. “Let me see your title!”

    Yu Xiao clutched her phone tightly, and the three of them tussled for it until Zhou Xiao Zhen managed to grab Yu Xiao’s hand.

    “Let me see, let me see Smiley’s title… ‘Deceptive B*tch Who Toys with Hearts’? Ahahaha…”

    ─── ? ── ☆ ── ? ───