Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: The Real World 11

The sky was filled with stars, as if countless tiny diamonds were scattered across a pitch-black curtain. Even without the moon’s illumination, a faint glow enveloped the surroundings.

Under the night veil, Zhou Zhou had no intention of admiring the overhead stars. Instead, he anxiously called out to the unconscious person on the ground.

“Al, Al.”

In the moments before the spaceship was torn apart, Zhou Zhou had no idea what they were about to encounter. After all, Alvia’s expression remained calm, as if they were not about to face a catastrophic disaster but a well-prepared exercise.

Although Zhou Zhou had manifested a physical form, ultimately, he was merely a projection from the wristband, a virtual shadow. So, in the final moment, he could only watch helplessly as the spaceship turned to ashes in an instant.

He had initially thought that they would also dissipate like the spaceship, but in a fleeting moment, everyone’s body was enveloped by a brilliant white light of intense brightness. The light embraced them within and propelled them outward by the powerful blast of the explosion.

Like shooting stars in the cosmos, they were hurled in different directions.

Zhou Zhou didn’t know where the others had gone. Tightly held by Al, the two of them plummeted toward a massive planet. The white light surrounding them gradually diminished until it disappeared completely before they landed on the surface.

After the white light had vanished entirely, Zhou Zhou clearly felt a transparent barrier rise around him and Al’s wrist, with the thickest concentration around himself and Al’s wristband.

These barriers not only protected them from the high pressure and temperature of the rapid descent but also continuously slowed their falling speed.

Until they landed safely on the ground.

As a non-human entity formed by light, Zhou Zhou witnessed the entire process clearly and remained unharmed.

However, Al was different. Although he had no visible wounds, he had been unconscious since hitting the ground, unresponsive to Zhou Zhou’s repeated calls.

Zhou Zhou didn’t know where they were. The surrounding area was desolate, but with his excellent night vision, he could see vegetation in the distance, though he couldn’t be certain about the presence of human habitation.

With no apparent external injuries on Al, Zhou Zhou was clueless about the cause of his unconsciousness. Furthermore, the lack of a nearby hospital made it impossible to diagnose or treat Al.

In the tranquil night, only Zhou Zhou’s occasional calls pierced the silence.

Al lay motionless on the ground, his brow furrowed, his pale face and cracked, bleeding lips revealing his body’s discomfort, even in unconsciousness.

Unable to experience the pressure and heat of their descent, as long as the wristband was functioning, Zhou Zhou couldn’t sense anything, regardless of the situation. He could only watch helplessly as Al slipped into unconsciousness.

Initially, Zhou Zhou had planned to take Al to the area with vegetation, reasoning that since plants existed, Al could breathe properly, indicating the planet was habitable for humans, and there was likely a human settlement, though the distance was unknown.

However, Zhou Zhou soon discovered a problem. Although he now had a physical form, it could not be compared to a normal human’s flesh and blood. With the slightest force, his arms would pass through Al’s body, making it impossible to lift or carry him.

What should he do?

Zhou Zhou grew increasingly anxious. With Al’s condition unclear, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

After re-examining the surroundings and confirming the absence of any animal or human traces, Zhou Zhou gazed at Al’s cracked lips, deciding to search for a water source nearby.

He wouldn’t stray too far from Al, as leaving the defenseless Al alone was an unwelcome option. If he ventured too far, he might not be able to react in time if something unexpected happened. So, he could only search within a small radius.

Constantly looking back at Al, Zhou Zhou headed toward the vegetation. However, before he could reach it, his body began to flicker and fade, becoming increasingly transparent until it was almost invisible.

Zhou Zhou quickly retreated a few steps, and his body regained its clarity.

He bit his lip tightly, finally remembering that the wristband could only project him within a fifty-meter range. Beyond that distance, his current form couldn’t be projected.

In his haste, he had forgotten this crucial detail.

Zhou Zhou could only search within the fifty-meter radius, but his efforts were fruitless.

Returning to Alvia’s side, there were still no signs of him waking up.

Anxiety, urgency, and worry swirled in his heart. For the first time, he resented not being human. If he were human, he could do much more instead of merely watching Al unconscious and helpless.

Unable to enter the game or seek assistance, Zhou Zhou felt miserable, his heart tightly knotted, unsure of how to alleviate this emotion.

“Al, please wake up.”

His gaze lowered to Alvia’s wrist, where he spotted the black wristband containing his data, enabling his appearance here. If Zhou Zhou had the wristband, perhaps he could venture farther away.

Zhou Zhou tried to remove the wristband from Alvia’s hand, but just as he was halfway through, Alvia reflexively grabbed it.

“Al, are you awake?” Zhou Zhou promptly asked.

However, aside from grasping the wristband, Alvia showed no other signs of movement or response to Zhou Zhou’s inquiry.

When Zhou Zhou tried again to take off the wristband, he found that Alvia was clutching it tightly, making it impossible to remove.

With the last resort unavailable, Zhou Zhou could only remain by Alvia’s side, periodically observing his reactions and the surrounding environment.

Besides these, he didn’t know what else he could do. It was only now that he realized, Al had always prepared everything in advance, and whenever an unexpected situation arose, he found himself utterly helpless.

The gentle breeze blew, yet Zhou Zhou’s thoughts were in turmoil.

Before entering Nightmare City, he had plenty of time to ponder and contemplate. However, since stepping into Nightmare City, the quiet moments for solitary reflection had become increasingly scarce.

He had more and more friends around him and more and more tasks to complete.

Even during idle times, Al would surely be by his side, accompanying him on missions or chatting and playing games together.

The loneliness he once constantly felt had slowly dissipated, and the memories of his solitary existence had been filled with another person’s presence.

Xue Li and Ke Li had work to do, and others would disappear and leave for various reasons, but Al had always been by his side from the beginning to the end.

He seemed to have never considered what he would do if Al left one day.

Because Al would never leave.

Zhou Zhou didn’t know why he had this thought, but he was certain of it. Even if everyone else had to leave, Al would definitely be the one to stay by his side.

Yet now, gazing at the unconscious Al, Zhou Zhou once again felt fear.

The previous time, it was because his own life was threatened, and he worried about disappearing from this world forever.

This time, he was concerned about Al. What if he couldn’t wake up?

Zhou Zhou sat beside Alvia, hugging his knees, feeling powerless. For the first time, he began to reflect on himself. He had been helped too much by others, sheltered under their wings for too long, and had never considered his own future.

For his former self, merely surviving might have been his only pursuit. If he could continue fulfilling his role as a dating game NPC, that would have been even better—that was the future he had envisioned.

Until now, having witnessed the vast and real world, he realized how shallow his thoughts had been.

As a virtual being, to survive in the real world without any foundation or matching abilities, he could only rely on others’ help and drift aimlessly between the two worlds.

So when faced with unexpected situations, he could only stand by helplessly, watching Al get hurt without being able to do anything.

Zhou Zhou hated this feeling, hated the feeling of being unable to do anything.

He reached out and held Al’s other hand, pleading, “Al, please wake up, okay?”

In the wilderness, the two small figures huddled together, appearing exceptionally lonely under the starlight.

Zhou Zhou lowered his head to look at Alvia when he suddenly noticed an unusual disturbance.

Gripping Al’s hand tightly, he abruptly raised his head and looked warily in a certain direction.

In the distance, someone seemed to be standing in the darkness, their silhouette blending with the blackness, making their appearance indiscernible. Even with Zhou Zhou’s night vision, he could only discern their position from the great distance.

At this moment, for Zhou Zhou, the presence of anyone here was welcome.

He had initially considered going over to seek help, but that person was heading straight toward them.

Zhou Zhou carefully observed the person’s movements, finally confirming that they were indeed approaching them, and there seemed to be something peculiar about them.

Their face was obscured by long hair, a pitch-black void that revealed nothing. Moreover, their moving speed was incredibly fast. Although they had appeared far away moments ago, in the blink of an eye, they had closed the distance significantly.

Their legs hardly moved, making it seem as if they were… floating.

Zhou Zhou abandoned his initial thought of seeking help, standing protectively in front of Alvia with some apprehension.

He wasn’t completely ignorant. In the interstellar world, few possessed night vision, and for the person to have spotted them from such a distance at night was no simple feat.

Adding to that, Al was the Emperor of the Empire, rumored to have many political enemies. If the person’s target was them, they might be an adversary.

However, he currently had no means to take Al and leave, so he could only wait for the person to approach and discern their intentions.

And if they were truly an enemy…

Zhou Zhou glanced at the unconscious figure on the ground. As long as Al could receive treatment, the rest could only be dealt with after he woke up.

Having encountered all sorts of players, Zhou Zhou was no longer the naive, simple-minded NPC he once was. He watched the approaching figure without making a sound, his wariness heightened to the utmost.

The night, originally clear and breezy, was suddenly swept by a strong gust of wind, carrying the dust from the wasteland into a whirlwind. The figure in the distance was momentarily distorted by the wind, causing Zhou Zhou’s vision to briefly lose sight of them.

In the next moment, the person appeared right in front of Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou immediately shielded Al, like a fledgling desperately trying to protect itself and its companion, glaring at the person of unknown intent who had suddenly materialized.

Clad in black, the person’s face was obscured by black hair. Their floating locks and billowing clothes revealed an abnormality, resembling a ghostly apparition.

Zhou Zhou wasn’t afraid of the person’s unexpected appearance but was only concerned that they might harm Al, so he continued to block their line of sight toward Al.

“Who~ are you?”

“What~ are you doing here?”

Although he couldn’t see their eyes, Zhou Zhou could sense that the person had been staring at him and Al for a long time.

Suddenly, a hoarse male voice spoke, with a strangely familiar pause.

As they spoke, they brushed aside the hair obscuring their face.

Pure black eyes devoid of any light, pale skin, and colorless lips made them appear like a soul-reaping demon.

Any ordinary person who encountered such a figure at night would surely shudder in fear.

However, Zhou Zhou’s eyes suddenly lit up with anticipation as he asked, “Do you know Mo Lan?”