Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 117

Chapter 117: The Real World 15

The white light made the figures and faces of these black-robed people even clearer. The woods, which had been calm a moment ago, suddenly turned into a bizarre place where ghosts were running rampant.

The squad was in disarray. They had never encountered such a bizarre scene and ghosts with blue faces and protruding fangs. Originally, they were already unsettled due to the rumors about this planet, and now that they discovered the rumors were true, they became even more flustered.

The squad leader was still relatively calm, scolding the squad members who wanted to flee and shout. However, those people could no longer hear the leader’s reprimands. They had already been so frightened that their souls were about to leave their bodies.

Ghost!

Ghost!

There’s a ghost!!!

It was not just the ninth squad. Apart from the direction where Zhou Zhou and the others were, the other squads also encountered the local residents, and their reactions were almost the same.

Screams and gunfire echoed from all directions. However, even though Zhou Zhou had excellent hearing, he could not hear the wails and horrifying screams coming from afar due to the distance.

But he noticed that Al laughed, as if he had seen something interesting.

“What’s wrong? What happened to Mo Lan and the others?” Zhou Zhou guessed that Al might have discovered something through his spiritual power and immediately asked.

While using his spiritual power to explore the movements in different directions, Alvia explained to Zhou Zhou the scenes where the Mo tribe was pretending to be ghosts to scare people.

“Haven’t those people played Nightmare City before?” Zhou Zhou couldn’t help but ask. After all, some information in Nightmare City was public, such as the option to become a ghost after dying in most instances, and some NPCs that left a deep impression on players. Mo Lan was now also a semi-public NPC.

Alvia chuckled: “Those people are desperate. As soon as they log into the starnet, they will be detected by Zeus, so they basically never log into the starnet. Even if they want to learn information, they can only use some small-scale internal networks.”

So they had never played Nightmare City? No wonder they were so easily frightened by such a simple method.

Zhou Zhou really wanted to go to the scene and see what it was like. Since becoming an intermediate player, he found that he had gradually developed some morbid interests and wanted to see the expressions of those who were frightened.

It was a pity they still had their own mission to accomplish.

He didn’t know whether Mo Lan knew that they had prepared countermeasures and were ready to turn the tables. The only path where there was no obstruction was the one leading towards Zhou Zhou and Alvia, so the third squad was able to advance straight ahead smoothly.

The leader of the third squad had a serious expression as he held the communicator. He could not receive messages from other squads, and no one was responding to his messages either.

He didn’t know if it was because there was something on this planet that blocked the signal, or if they had been taken out.

The leader hesitated, unsure whether to return or continue forward. However, thinking about how furious Prince Alan would be if they returned empty-handed, he decided to press on.

The aircraft continued flying at low altitude, passing through increasingly desolate areas. This place looked like it would have no inhabitants at all. The squad leader looked at the unresponsive instruments, considering whether he should change direction.

Suddenly, a small red dot appeared on the instrument, and the squad leader immediately ordered them to speed up.

“They’re about to arrive,” Alvia said.

Zhou Zhou nodded and poked Alvia’s shoulder with his finger: “Quick, lie down. Aren’t you going to pretend to be dead? Leave the rest to me.”

Alvia caught Zhou Zhou’s mischievous finger, the cool touch letting him know that the Zhou Zhou in front of him was a virtual body formed by the condensation of data.

But whether it was a virtual body or something else, as long as it was Zhou Zhou, it was enough for him.

Alvia closed his eyes, leaving the remaining time for Zhou Zhou to perform.

Their plan was actually very simple: to recreate the situation when they had just entered the planet, with Alvia injured and unconscious, and Zhou Zhou seeking help. Then they would be picked up smoothly.

Zhou Zhou was not a physical entity, so even if those people wanted to harm him, it would be impossible. Moreover, the current situation required Alvia to be alive, so they didn’t have to worry about being shot dead before even entering the enemy’s main base.

Zhou Zhou crouched on the ground, looking at Alvia. He didn’t know how Alvia managed it, but the once rosy-faced Alvia now looked exceptionally pale, even paler than when he had first lost consciousness upon entering this planet.

His heart tightened, and Zhou Zhou immediately shook Alvia, whispering: “Al? Al?”

“Hmm?” Alvia opened one eye.

Zhou Zhou: “…Never mind, you can close it.”

It was really just an act! It looked too realistic. He had thought that Al had actually fainted again while pretending.

Soon, Zhou Zhou also heard the sound of the aircraft.

It was his time to perform.

The aircraft was getting closer and closer to the red dot. The third squad was now on full alert.

“Captain, there’s someone over there.”

A squad member had already spotted Zhou Zhou waving his hands not far from the aircraft.

The aircraft’s lights illuminated the path ahead. In the midst of the desolate land covered in gray stones and soil, a person suddenly appeared.

Zhou Zhou, wearing a white shirt, appeared even fairer under the glare of the lights.

The body formed by the condensation of data and light appeared somewhat translucent under the intense white light, making his entire being seem hazy.

On the display screen of the aircraft, Zhou Zhou’s exquisite face also appeared simultaneously. The sudden appearance of such a person in the wasteland made the squad members feel that it was somewhat unreal.

“Is this… a ghost?”

A squad member asked blankly while looking at Zhou Zhou’s face.

Although they had heard the legend of ghosts on this planet, the third squad’s encounter was completely different from the other squads.

The other squads encountered terrifying, soul-scattering “real ghosts”.

However, the third squad encountered a pleading “seductive ghost” with an extremely handsome appearance.

Many people even lowered their guard when they saw his face, after all, how threatening could a cute young man be?

Those who could become squad leaders were people who had experienced ups and downs. Although they were disappointed that this person was not their target, it was still suspicious for someone to appear in the wasteland like this.

Prince Alan’s instructions were to leave no one alive except for the two target individuals.

The squad leader did not disembark from the aircraft but sent four squad members to investigate. If the other person was unrelated to Alvia, they were to immediately eliminate him.

The aircraft stopped in front of Zhou Zhou, but Zhou Zhou did not immediately approach. It was only when someone came out that he shouted to those people, “Quick, come help.”

Although his voice was still the clear tone of a young man, his manner was not at all like someone seeking help.

Originally, he had planned to seek help from these people as if they were passersby. However, at first glance, he noticed that their attire was very similar to the imperial guards, so he immediately changed his strategy.

Since Zhou Zhou did not approach directly, the squad members who came out did not immediately point their weapons at him.

Hearing him actually telling them to come help, the few squad members looked at each other, their eyes revealing complex meanings.

This person’s luck was too bad, coincidentally encountering them. Not only would he not receive help, but he himself would also die.

“Are you injured?” A squad member looked Zhou Zhou up and down but found that he appeared exceptionally neat, not at all like someone who was injured.

He immediately became wary because how could someone stranded in the wilderness and seeking help be so clean and tidy, even with a faint glow on his face?

Zhou Zhou had no way to deal with this since he had no physical body. Even if he rolled on the ground, he wouldn’t be able to get any dust on himself.

So before the other party spoke, Zhou Zhou took the initiative: “Are you from the royal guards? Your Majesty Alvia is injured. Immediately take us for treatment.”

The few squad members did not expect to actually encounter someone related to Alvia.

“Where is His Majesty?” The squad member gripped his weapon tightly and calmly asked, following Zhou Zhou’s words.

Seeing that the other party ignored his attire, Zhou Zhou immediately pointed in another direction and said, “Just ahead, I’ll lead you there.”

Zhou Zhou led the way, exposing his back to their line of sight to let them lower their guard.

These few squad members followed behind him, and before long, they discovered the person lying on the ground.

They hadn’t noticed him earlier because Zhou Zhou had attracted all their attention, and Alvia was lying in a spot that the aircraft’s lights didn’t reach, so these squad members hadn’t spotted him at first glance.

Now, with the lights shining on Alvia’s pale face, they confirmed that this was indeed the Emperor of the Empire, leaving these few squad members in disbelief. After all, he was the Emperor of the Empire, yet they had captured him so easily?

It felt like a dream.

Although Prince Alan was deeply hidden with the help of some people, he had also engaged in some bandit activities for survival and money, so he had been pursued by the Empire as well.

The Empire showed no mercy to such criminals and pursued them with great force. If they hadn’t had support and escaped through wormholes multiple times, they would have been captured long ago.

Now, the man at the pinnacle of power in the Empire was lying weakly in the wilderness. With just a movement of their hands, they could make him disappear. This felt like a dream.

These few people were stunned, staring at Alvia. The first one to regain his senses instinctively aimed his weapon at Alvia.

After all, this Majesty was not only renowned throughout the stars for his appearance and power but also possessed the most formidable spiritual power.

Zhou Zhou had his back turned to these people, so although he couldn’t see what they were doing, he sensed their killing intent.

All of it was directed at Alvia.

Zhou Zhou pretended not to know what the people behind him were doing and took a few steps forward, kneeling beside Alvia and gently caressing his face with one hand.

“Someone has come to rescue us, Al. Wait a little longer, and you’ll get treatment soon. The medical equipment in the palace is very advanced. Once we return to the palace, your spiritual power will definitely be healed.”

His expression was completely different from the subtle arrogance he had shown towards the squad members. Instead, it was one of concern and anxiety.

When Zhou Zhou went forward to “care for” Alvia, he intentionally chose a position that blocked the squad members’ line of fire towards Alvia. It didn’t matter if they shot at him, but Alvia had a physical body, and a single shot could truly kill him.

Although he couldn’t block these people’s killing intent, this position allowed their line of sight to be slightly obstructed. Even if they wanted to shoot at Alvia, they would have to either go around him or shoot him first.

In any case, as long as the closed-eyed Al was on guard, it would be fine.

Of course, these people didn’t dare actually kill Alvia since he was the person Prince Alan specifically wanted. If they killed him and brought him back, they would be the next ones to die.

“Are you Zhou Zhou?” Judging from this demeanor, he should be the rumored lover of the Emperor, right?

“Yes.”

Zhou Zhou turned his head, and upon seeing these people pointing their guns at them, his brows raised as his doe-eyes immediately widened: “What are you doing, daring to point guns at His Majesty!”

Like a bristling kitten, he fiercely bared his claws, yet remained weak and powerless.

The few squad members laughed. One of them lowered his rifle, walked up to Zhou Zhou, and twisted his arm behind his back, ignoring his harsh scolding.

“Take him onto the aircraft.” The squad member restraining Zhou Zhou said to the others.

Two people lifted Alvia in an uncomfortable posture, while another person vigilantly observed the surroundings.

When they brought the two onto the aircraft, even the squad leader was quite surprised.

He didn’t expect that they would find Alvia and his lover first.

Alvia had his eyes tightly closed and looked pale, indeed not in good condition. As for that lover, his appearance was indeed quite good-looking, but he kept making a fuss and seemed very spoiled.

The squad leader wanted to touch Zhou Zhou’s face, but Zhou Zhou kept fiercely glaring at him. Remembering that Prince Alan was interested in him, the squad leader withdrew his thoughts.

If this lover said the wrong thing in front of the prince, he couldn’t guarantee that the prince would spare him.

However, the squad leader found it a bit strange.

He looked down at the instrument, which had previously only shown one person outside. How did they end up capturing two?

The instrument must be broken.

In any case, they had captured the targets. Alvia’s face was one they were all too familiar with. The prince had even used photos of the Emperor of the Empire as shooting targets before.

Although some people privately mocked this behavior as childish play, for the powerless and lowly Prince Alan, besides using such methods to vent his anger towards Alvia, he couldn’t find any other way to make Alvia suffer since their statuses had long been worlds apart.

Now that the Emperor of the Empire and his lover had fallen into the prince’s hands, one could imagine their subsequent fate would be extremely miserable.

Nevermind, they should hurry and complete their mission. The rest would have nothing to do with them. Moreover, they would definitely receive a huge reward this time, so even for the sake of the money, they should deliver these two people to the prince unharmed.

The reason why the brutal Prince Alan had so many “devoted” subordinates was not because he had some superior talent in managing them but because he gave the most money.

Many of these desperate people valued money the most, so no matter how Prince Alan treated his subordinates, there were still many willing to risk their lives for him.

The aircraft turned around and flew back the way they came. Zhou Zhou was still doing his best to play the petulant and capricious role. However, he also maintained a sense of propriety, staying by Alvia’s side the whole time. Only when someone tried to separate them would he scold that person angrily.

Since he couldn’t curse, Zhou Zhou kept repeating phrases like “How dare you,” “How bold,” and “Do you know who this is?” These could hardly even be considered insults and had no threat at all. Instead, it provided amusement for the others. They didn’t doubt Zhou Zhou’s identity at all. In fact, whether it was his appearance or demeanor, Zhou Zhou did resemble a well-educated noble, and even the fact that he didn’t curse fit perfectly with the noble stereotype.

Plus, his fierce yet adorable behavior was quite endearing, so these desperate people didn’t feel any dislike towards him. Some even secretly sympathized with his upcoming plight.

Zhou Zhou felt so exhausted. He used to stutter whenever he lied, let alone such a high level of acting. It felt like he had expended all his energy performing, which was far more tiring than beating any game instance.

Soon, the aircraft entered a large spaceship and docked. After securing the aircraft, everyone brought Zhou Zhou down while Alvia was also carried towards the control room.

The moment they entered the ship, Alvia had already used his spiritual power to silently trace along the ship’s pathways.

He couldn’t go too fast. Although his spiritual power level was currently the highest in the Empire, there might be other high-level spiritual power users on the ship who could detect any anomalies, so he had to reduce his speed and expand slowly.

It would take about ten minutes.

As long as they could last ten minutes, it would be fine.

Zhou Zhou also memorized the terrain and defenses along the way. There weren’t many people they saw on the ship since most had been dispatched and hadn’t returned yet.

When the control room door opened, Zhou Zhou looked inside, wanting to know how many people were there. However, he ended up meeting an unfamiliar yet familiar gaze.

The commotion at the door also caught Xia Yan’s attention. He glanced indifferently towards the open door, but immediately recognized the person who had caused his defeat in the game.

It was really that Zhou Zhou.