Chapter 70: Little girl, come buy a ticket and enter the amusement park to play

Qingyan noticed the expression on Lin Ye’s face but didn’t think much of it. She was secretly pleased, believing Lin Ye had understood the crucial point. Yet, the longer she looked at him, the stranger his gaze seemed, until finally she suspected something impossible.

“Lin Ye! What are you thinking about?” Qingyan snapped angrily.

Lin Ye immediately replied, “I understand, young lady. Don’t worry! I’ll go back and tell the other hunters that Xiyan is under your protection! They won’t dare harm him. As for the city lord, you might need to…”

“Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? Can’t you stop with these wild guesses?” Qingyan had already guessed what Lin Ye was imagining, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Xiyan, usually quick-witted save for the occasional lapse, immediately grasped Lin Ye’s thoughts when he saw the incredulous look on his face.

Lin Ye must have mistaken him for Qingyan’s boyfriend, and given Qingyan’s high status, that was why he looked so frightened—afraid Qingyan might take revenge on him.

It had to be said, this misunderstanding was an amusing one, and it made Xiyan quite happy.

Although Xiyan didn’t have feelings for Qingyan, this supposed relationship might indeed help him accomplish a few things.

“Understood! Don’t worry, young lady! I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone else!”

Lin Ye’s earnestness could not be overstated, but it was precisely this seriousness that left Qingyan exasperated.

She covered her face in speechless frustration, unwilling to explain further.

For some reason, whenever he faced Qingyan, Lin Ye seemed like a different person—calm, composed, and shrewd with others, but before Qingyan, it was as if all rational thought fled him.

Qingyan was well aware of this trait, which was exactly why she didn’t want to clarify things for Lin Ye. The more she explained, the more tangled things became.

“Lin Ye, why do you want to capture Xiyan?” Qingyan decided to change the subject, hoping Lin Ye would quickly forget what just happened.

“It’s an order from the city lord. I’m not the only one—others have received the same command. They’ll all come for Xiyan.” Lin Ye confessed everything very obediently.

Before Qingyan could ponder further, Lin Ye added another comment that nearly made her spit blood. “Young lady, you’d better let the city lord know about your relationship soon, or if he kills Xiyan by mistake, it would be terrible.”

Just as Qingyan was about to flare up, Lin Ye dashed over to Xiyan with such speed that Xiyan had no time to react. Lin Ye patted him on the shoulder and said, “I thought I wouldn’t be able to be friends with you after leaving the instance, but now it seems that’s not necessarily true. Good luck! As long as you win over the young lady, no one will dare to mess with you.”

“I…” Xiyan tried to explain, but Lin Ye cut him off, “I have something to do, I’ll be off!”

Lin Ye disappeared in a flash, so quickly that his subordinates couldn’t keep up. As a result, they all heard Qingyan’s furious shout.

“Lin Ye! Just you wait! Next time I see you, I’ll beat you half to death!”

Lin Ye hadn’t gone far when he heard this, and his pace quickened even more.

…

After Lin Ye left, the farce finally ended, but the atmosphere between Xiyan and Qingyan suddenly grew awkward.

Usually so fierce and combative, Qingyan now couldn’t hide her blushing face, which was seen by all three of her companions.

Still, she stubbornly tried to maintain the last shreds of her “dignity.” She called Xiao Jin over to block herself from everyone’s view.

Hmph… That Lin Ye! He’s so infuriating! Next time, I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson! But… Xiyan’s actually quite nice, apart from being a bit slow and weak. He hardly has any other flaws.

No, no, what am I thinking? I’m supposed to kill him for the city lord! I should probably deal with him sooner, before he continues to disrupt my thoughts.

Qingyan had already realized that her feelings towards Xiyan were changing, and in her heart, she resolved to kill him.

Just as she was about to dismiss Xiao Jin, Lin Shuang’s scream pierced the silence.

“Ah…”

Qingyan immediately recalled Xiao Jin and turned to look at the three, but all she saw was Xiyan, unconscious—Qu Ya and Lin Shuang had vanished.

She walked over to Xiyan and saw traces of a slide near the cliff’s edge; Qu Ya and Lin Shuang seemed to have fallen, but why was Xiyan merely unconscious?

Looking at the unconscious Xiyan, Qingyan drew her dagger, knelt beside him, and raised the blade, ready to end his life.

“Qingyan… run…” Xiyan murmured in his delirium, causing Qingyan to freeze mid-action. Finally, she sighed and lowered her dagger.

Forget it… I’ll wait until he finds his sister. He doesn’t seem the type to go back on his word. I can always kill him then.

Comforting herself with this thought, Qingyan dragged Xiyan to the concession stand beside the amusement park. There was a bench there, and she hauled him onto it.

The physical abilities of the survivors had completely changed, so carrying Xiyan was easy for Qingyan, though not the most graceful sight.

So, once she set him down, she let go immediately and looked all around to make sure no one had seen them before relaxing.

Having settled Xiyan, Qingyan began to survey the area.

The eighth survival zone was always shrouded in a gloomy, overcast sky, thick with clouds.

With Xiyan unconscious and no one else nearby, a chill crept over Qingyan, making her rub her arms in an effort to warm herself.

But this chill was strange—more oppressive than physical, a coldness of the air itself…

“What a creepy place. How did I not notice this last time I came here…” Qingyan suddenly felt afraid. She sat down beside Xiyan and gripped his unconscious arm.

Suddenly, the lights of the amusement park behind her flickered on, as did those at the ticket booth, giving Qingyan a start.

A theme park so close to the cliff, and suddenly illuminated—it was all too strange. Qingyan had no intention of investigating; she would wait until Xiyan woke up.

“Little girl, come play in the amusement park,” came an elderly voice from the ticket booth, making Qingyan instinctively summon Xiao Jin.

With Xiao Jin at her side, Qingyan found the courage to look over. The light in the booth was dim and flickering.

Inside stood an old man, his face alight with a gentle smile. He seemed utterly ordinary, nothing out of the ordinary at all.

But Qingyan knew better—here in the survival zone, what appeared normal was often the most terrifying, and what seemed mundane was the most unusual.

Just then, Qingyan wished Xiyan would wake up quickly. She had already tried to rouse him, but it was useless—he seemed to have been affected by something and could only wake with time.

“Little girl, come buy a ticket and have some fun at the amusement park…” The old man’s voice rang out again…