Chapter 124: The Surprise Brought by the Sudden Arrival of Lin Ye

"Who is it?"

Although he recognized the voice, Xi Yan feigned ignorance. The person outside paused for a moment before speaking again: "It is I, Lin Ye."

Xi Yan rolled his eyes, signaling for A-Yuan to hide, then opened the door. Standing before him was a man dressed entirely in white—a sight Xi Yan had never seen in all his memories of Lin Ye. Notably, there was a very conspicuous character, "Lord," embroidered on his clothing.

Seeing the door open, Lin Ye smiled and held out an object. It was a small black box. Xi Yan did not take it immediately, asking instead, "Mr. Lin, what is inside this box?"

Lin Ye offered a faint smile in return. "Aren't you going to invite me in first?"

Xi Yan chuckled, shook his head, and stepped aside to let him enter. Once inside, they sat on the sofa, and Lin Ye held out the box once more.

"Mr. Lin, what exactly is this? Why the sudden gift?" Xi Yan still made no move to accept it.

Lin Ye didn't mind. Seeing that Xi Yan was being cautious, he simply placed the box on the coffee table and leaned back. "It’s nothing, just a Core Crystal."

Hearing this, Xi Yan reached out with hesitant curiosity and took the box, opening the lid. At that very moment, the crystal inside emitted a fleeting, faint glow. As the lid opened fully, Xi Yan froze—the crystal inside was of the highest grade: a translucent white Core Crystal.

Staring at such a precious gift, Xi Yan looked up at Lin Ye in astonishment. "This..."

"A gift for you. Do you like it?" Lin Ye smiled with polite gentleness, picked up the teapot from the table, poured himself a cup, and began to drink nonchalantly.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. Xi Yan awkwardly poured himself a cup of tea, taking a sip to steady his racing heart. "May I ask why Mr. Lin would give me such a valuable gift?"

Lin Ye set his teacup down and leaned forward. "Who told you this was a gift from me? I never said it was a gift *from* me."

Lin Ye’s words planted a seed of unease in Xi Yan’s heart, a sudden premonition that he was about to be pulled into the eye of a storm.

"Then who is it from?" Xi Yan pressed.

Lin Ye had no intention of answering. "You don't need to concern yourself with the sender. Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with this crystal. Since it has been given to you, just accept it."

Without knowing the sender, Xi Yan dared not keep it. He felt that if he accepted this, trouble would surely follow, one wave after another. He silently closed the box and pushed it back across the table toward Lin Ye.

"What? You don't like it?"

"I cannot accept rewards without merit," Xi Yan said with a carefree smile, trying to mask his inner anxiety.

But Lin Ye pushed the box back to him, and this time, his words left Xi Yan with no room to refuse.

"You don't have to take it, but I suspect that if you don't, you won't be leaving this room alive."

Lin Ye wore his gentlest smile while delivering the harshest of threats. Given the circumstances, Xi Yan dared not refuse again. Just then, Lin Ye offered an unexpected piece of good news.

"Are you looking for your sister? Her name is... Xi Lin, right?"

Lin Ye's words instantly sharpened Xi Yan's focus. His excitement was unconcealable. "You... you know where she is?"

Lin Ye nodded. "Not only do I know her whereabouts, but I can also take you to her."

Xi Yan could no longer suppress his agitation. "Really? Can we go right now?"

"Are you in such a hurry?" Lin Ye was taken aback; he had not expected such an intense reaction from Xi Yan.

"I’ve been separated from my sister for a long time, and I’m very worried about her situation. If you know where she is, could you take me immediately?" Xi Yan looked at him, filled with anticipation.

Seeing his expression, Lin Ye felt a touch of embarrassment. He gave an awkward laugh and nodded.

Xi Yan jumped up in excitement, followed closely by Lin Ye, and the two left the room. Xi Yan had tucked the black box away into his "inventory." After all, since Lin Ye had threatened his life, he knew he couldn't leave that room without taking the box. As for the person who had actually sent the gift, he would surely meet them in the near future.

Lin Ye led Xi Yan to the vicinity of a dungeon in the Eighth Survival Zone. Pointing to a dried-up "Log Flume" ride behind him, Lin Ye said, "Your sister is inside this dungeon."

"This is a dungeon?" Xi Yan asked skeptically, as he had no idea where the dungeons were located back in the Ninth Survival Zone. Although some survivors shared strategies about the general areas where dungeons might be found, no one had ever been as certain as Lin Ye.

Lin Ye explained, "You must not have visited other survival zones yet. The Ninth is different from this Eighth Survival Zone; here, the location of every dungeon is clearly known."

Lin Ye explained the refresh rules for the dungeons in various zones to Xi Yan. Since it wasn't a state secret, sharing it was an easy way to earn a favor. In some zones, the respawn locations and times were fixed. In others, they were completely random and unpredictable. Then there were those where dungeons spawned randomly within a specific area, offering a degree of predictability.

The Ninth Zone’s dungeons fell into the latter category, while the Eighth Zone’s were of the fixed variety.

After listening, Xi Yan understood. "So, you're sure my sister is in there?"

Lin Ye nodded. "Are you worried I'm lying to you? I will accompany you inside."

Xi Yan rolled his eyes awkwardly, feigning innocence. "I didn't mean that. I was just double-checking. Since Mr. Lin is so kind, I suppose I shouldn't refuse."

Lin Ye shook his head and smiled, choosing not to expose the lie. He could see that Xi Yan was clearly worried about being deceived, but to show his sincerity, he was willing to go in with him. After all, he wasn't lying—so what was there to fear?