Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Nightmare City 14

Zeus: “…Don’t pretend. I know you guys pester Zhou Zhou every day.”

Zeus knew a lot of things. These little dolls had known Zhou Zhou even before him. They even went to play at the amusement park together. He was so jealous.

“From now on, you all have to listen to me. I’m Zhou Zhou’s favorite person,” Zeus boasted shamelessly.

Faced with such an arrogant person, the little dolls were not to be trifled with either, and they all started cursing at Zeus.

“We don’t want to listen to you.”

“Who are you? We’ve never seen you before.”

“Zhou Zhou has never mentioned you. You must have snuck in!”

“He doesn’t like you. You’re ugly!”

Zeus: “!!” His appearance was optimized by the system, so how could he be ugly?

“You guys are the ones who are ugly!”

Zeus and the little dolls attacked each other with words, and eventually, they even started fighting.

The dolls surrounded Zeus and wanted to beat him up. Zeus threw them away with one in each hand, and even squeezed and twisted the tiny dolls that were no bigger than a palm.

The little octopus, who had been playing in the water, stood on the table, excitedly waving its tentacles as if cheering and occasionally attacking Zeus by spitting at him.

The house was in a commotion, lively and boisterous.

Zhou Zhou went to the store to buy clothes for Zeus. When he came back with the clothes, he noticed that the atmosphere inside was a bit strange as soon as he entered.

Xiao Jing sat on the sofa, posture obedient.

The little octopus stood on the table, waving its tentacles and baring its teeth.

All the little dolls stood on the ground, gathered together, staring at Xiao Jing, their fur all ruffled and messy.

The three parties ignored each other, just maintaining this stalemate until Zhou Zhou appeared and the atmosphere eased. The little dolls called out Zhou Zhou’s name as they ran towards him, and the little octopus also moved quickly, trying to climb down from the table.

Of course, Zeus was faster than this group of short-legged creatures. In a few strides, he arrived in front of Zhou Zhou first.

“Zhou Zhou, you were gone for so long,” Zeus complained, blocking the others from advancing.

Zhou Zhou: Was it really that long? He had just picked out a few pieces of clothing. From the time he left until now, it had only been about ten minutes.

“Were you all playing together?” Zhou Zhou asked.

Before those little dolls could tattle, Zeus smiled and said, “Yes, we were having a lot of fun!”

Having fun meant that he was the only one mocking the little octopus, fighting with the dolls. If he hadn’t sensed that Zhou Zhou was about to return, they would have continued fighting.

After all, once the spirits possessed the dolls, they couldn’t feel pain. If anything, they were the ones ganging up on him. None of them could fight well, their little fists were no bigger than one of his fingers, and when they hit his body, it felt soft and fluffy, with no killing power at all.

The little dolls stood dejectedly behind Zeus, wanting to come over but being blocked. This guy was facing Zhou Zhou and talking, but it was as if he had eyes on his back, shifting left and right to block their path towards Zhou Zhou.

However, the little dolls were no pushovers either. There were more than ten of them, and when one was blocked, the other dolls would change directions. With only two legs, how could Zeus possibly block them all? Their line of defense was eventually breached, and they ran towards Zhou Zhou.

“Zhou Zhou! He bullied us,” the little dolls cried, hugging Zhou Zhou’s calves.

Zhou Zhou looked down at the little dolls, then looked at Zeus with confusion.

Zeus remained unruffled and even put on a more pitiful expression as he looked at the dolls hugging Zhou Zhou’s calves. “I didn’t know about the game you were playing before. I really didn’t know the rules, but I can learn. Why don’t you include me and let’s play together? Don’t tattle on me to Zhou Zhou. I have nowhere else to go.”

His poor, pitiful look was enough to make anyone’s heart soften with sympathy.

The little ones had never seen such a cunning person before, and they stared at Zeus in shock.

When Zhou Zhou wasn’t home, this guy had grabbed their doll bodies and tossed them up and down, making their fur all ruffled and messy. Now, he was acting as if he had been bullied by them.

Zhou Zhou looked at the silent little ones, then at Zeus, whose tears were almost falling. He didn’t know what had happened, but if it wasn’t a big issue between the little ones, it was better to let them resolve it themselves.

“You all need to play nicely and not fight,” Zhou Zhou said, looking at both sides.

Zeus hugged one side of Zhou Zhou’s arm obediently and nodded, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

“Xiao Jing, the clothes you’re wearing now aren’t suitable. I bought some new ones, so you should change into a new set,” Zhou Zhou said, looking at Zeus’s oversized clothing.

Zeus hugged Zhou Zhou’s arm and walked with him towards the bedroom. Then he turned his head towards the little dolls on the ground, who were staring with their mouths agape, not knowing how to react anymore, and gave them a provocative smile.

The little dolls: Ahhh, they were so angry they could die!

Taking advantage of everyone’s conversation, the little octopus ran towards Zhou Zhou and finally returned to its own territory, Zhou Zhou’s shoulder. This was its territory, and even that bad guy couldn’t shake its position.

When Zhou Zhou was around, Zeus became exceptionally obedient, doing whatever he was told without arguing. The clothes Zhou Zhou bought fit well, and after changing, Zeus looked even more cute and obedient.

The little dolls, unable to vent their anger, went back early. They needed to go back and come up with a strategy. Although they couldn’t match Zeus’s cunning, they could go home and seek advice from others. They would definitely reclaim their territory.

Zeus was unaware of the dolls’ psychological activities, and even if he knew, it didn’t matter to him. After all, what he had learned from humans was far more than just this.

At night, Zeus slept on Zhou Zhou’s bed, while Zhou Zhou went to sleep in the study.

There was also a bed in the study, a concealed one. When needed, the study could be adjusted to become another bedroom. When not needed, it could be restored to a study, which was very convenient.

Originally, the bedroom was larger. Zhou Zhou wanted the little octopus to stay here with Zeus too, but the little octopus clung to Zhou Zhou’s shoulder, refusing to leave no matter what, so he had to take it with him to the study.

Zeus waved at Zhou Zhou with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on the little octopus. If only he had known earlier, if only he had turned into this kind of small creature too, maybe he could have slept with Zhou Zhou tonight.

But then he thought that the octopus would be able to leave tomorrow, and Zeus’s mood improved again. He lay on the bed, his originally black and white eyes flickering with blue light, and various data codes flashed through his eyes.

He never slept. Usually, he would roam around the entire network or perform repairs and reinforcements and such. Today, he had nothing important to do, so he would go to other holographic devices and watch the mech battles.

Zhou’s body was still here, but his consciousness had already followed the network to other games.

Early the next morning, when Zhou Zhou opened his eyes on time, he saw Zeus swaying nearby, his smile brighter than the sun.

Zhou Zhou blinked, feeling a bit puzzled. His sleep was light, and he would wake up immediately if there was any noise around him. He had closed the door last night, so when did Xiao Jing come in? Why hadn’t he noticed at all?

Could it be that he was too tired yesterday?

“Zhou Zhou, Zhou Zhou, shall we go to the lakeside today?” Zeus asked.

Today was the day that the ship captain would be unlocked, and he was currently at the lakeside. It would be a good opportunity to return the little octopus, so that Zhou Zhou’s house would only have him left.

Zhou Zhou didn’t voice his doubts. After getting up, he bought breakfast and brought it back home to eat with everyone. Although he had told Zeus to help with the cooking, he couldn’t really have him cook every meal.

While eating, Zhou Zhou fed the little octopus and curiously asked Zeus, “Xiao Jing, can you still turn into a whale?”

“Of course I can. Do you want to see, Zhou Zhou?” Zeus asked. Not just a whale, he could even turn into a mech, a rocket, or Alvia.

Zhou Zhou shook his head, “Just remember not to turn into a whale in front of others, or else someone might notice your abnormality and harm you.”

Harm him? He really didn’t know who could harm him. His main body was just a string of data, and he had countless avatars existing in every corner of the Empire. Even if one avatar was destroyed, as long as he transferred in time, he would never die.

He estimated that the only way for him to die would probably be if the entire Empire was bombed at the same time. Of course, that was something no one could ever do. The Empire wasn’t just one planet, countless star systems disappearing together was impossible even with the most powerful weapons that currently existed.

However, Zeus didn’t argue with Zhou Zhou and just smiled and nodded, “I know, I won’t let others find out.” Heh heh, Zhou Zhou was concerned about him.

Since Zeus had the appearance of a child and couldn’t be seen by other players, after finishing breakfast, Zhou Zhou took the little octopus and the things left by the ship captain and went out.

At the shore of Colt Lake, a round-bellied man lay on a lounge chair, sunbathing. The fog on the lake wasn’t too heavy at the time, the air carried just the right amount of moisture, and the sunlight wasn’t too glaring. The man with a scruffy beard lay on the bamboo lounge chair, one foot propped up, looking very comfortable.

“Captain?” Zhou Zhou approached and asked. The captain’s beard and belly were indeed very prominent, and one could notice his protruding belly at first glance.

Hearing the voice, the captain opened his eyes and looked over, “It’s you.”

“Yes, you’ve finally been released today. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

That sounded a bit strange, as if he had just been released from prison. “What’s the matter?”

“The things you left at the lakeside last time.” Zhou Zhou raised the items in his hand, setting down the small stool and bucket, and then handed the fishing rod to the captain.

The captain glanced indifferently at the ground and casually took the fishing rod, “Thanks, but these things aren’t very valuable. There was no need to wait for me here.”

He swung the fishing rod, then cast the hook into the lake. Holding the rod in one hand, he said, “This broken fishing rod, I haven’t caught a single fish with it here. It’s just to pass the time, and occasionally someone enters the instance, so I sell them a boat.”

Hasn’t caught a single fish?

Zhou Zhou looked at the motionless fishing rod and the lake surface, “I caught some fish here yesterday, using your fishing rod.”

The captain still had that lazy look, yawning, “Impossible, there are no fish in this lake. What did you catch? It couldn’t have been a player, could it?”

“Really, I caught a lot of fish.”

“Is that so? Then catch one more and let me see,” the captain handed the fishing rod to Zhou Zhou. Seeing him take it, he put both hands behind his head, looking as if he was about to doze off.

Zhou Zhou held the fishing rod with both hands, not arguing with the other person, and gazed silently at the lake surface.

The captain was about to fall asleep. No one had come to do his instance today, and no one had come to buy a boat, so he was quite idle.

“I caught one.” Suddenly, a crisp and pleasant voice reached the captain’s ear, and there were also a few cool drops on his face.

He frowned and touched the coolness on his face, finding that it was just a few splashes of water. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with a fish rolling its white eyes at him. The fish was thrashing its tail vigorously, splashing water from its body onto his face and clothes.

Zhou Zhou hurriedly pulled the fish away.

“Is this really one you caught? Or did you buy a fish and hang it there to make it look real?” the captain asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t fake it,” Zhou Zhou put the fish in the bucket and cast the hook back into the lake.

This time, the captain didn’t sleep again but sat up from the lounge chair, watching Zhou Zhou and the fishing rod without blinking.

After just a few minutes, the fishing rod started moving.

The captain couldn’t sit still anymore either. He got up from the lounge chair and walked to the lakeside, watching as Zhou Zhou slowly reeled in the line. He directly grabbed the fishing line and pulled up a thrashing, hook-biting fish that leaped out of the water surface. The captain raised his eyebrows high, “Not bad.”

The captain then took the fishing rod from Zhou Zhou’s hands, but no matter how long he waited, there was still no movement at all.

He stroked his beard in puzzlement and tentatively handed the fishing rod back to Zhou Zhou. A few minutes after Zhou Zhou took it, he caught another fish.

The captain: “……” This fishing rod was discriminating against people!

The captain’s mouth twitched. He had been fishing here for a few days without catching a single thing, thinking there were no fish in the lake at all. Yet this kid was catching one with every cast, as if fishing depended on one’s face?

Unaware of the captain’s heartache, Zhou Zhou put the fish in the bucket and stroked the little octopus’s head on his shoulder. Although he hadn’t been with the little octopus for long, he felt a little reluctant to part with it.

Zhou Zhou took the little octopus off his shoulder and gently held it, handing it to the captain who was still studying the fishing rod, “This is your little octopus.”

Just as the captain stretched out his hand, before he could even touch the octopus, the little pink octopus scurried back onto Zhou Zhou’s shoulder at lightning speed, using all eight of its tentacles.

The captain: …… Not only the fishing rod, even the octopus had defected now!

Zhou Zhou was also reluctant to part with the little octopus. It huddled motionless in the nook of his neck, trying to minimize its presence, but it would still have to go back eventually.

Zhou Zhou gently tried to pry the octopus off with his hands, but it used its sucker tentacles to firmly anchor itself onto his neck. Zhou Zhou didn’t dare use too much force, for fear of hurting it.

“Come on down, your owner is right over there.”

The little octopus buried its head in Zhou Zhou’s neck, refusing to listen or look.

“Come down,” Zhou Zhou coaxed softly.

The captain: “……” Why did this make him seem like the villain trying to break up a family?

“Never mind, never mind. If it doesn’t want to go with me, just take it back with you,” the captain waved his hand indifferently.

Zhou Zhou was stunned, “But what about your instance? Doesn’t it still need the little octopus to act as…”

Before Zhou Zhou could finish, the captain immediately interrupted him, “Shh! Don’t mention that, or I might get banned again. Don’t worry about it. If there’s no octopus, there’s still squid. If there’s no squid, there are still turtles. They can all be used.”

The little octopus understood the captain’s words and immediately became excited, no longer playing dead like before, waving its tentacles and squirming around.

Though pleased, Zhou Zhou also felt a little embarrassed, “Is there anything I can help with?”

The captain: “Teach me how to fish.”

Zhou Zhou thought about it. All he did was cast the hook down and wait. There wasn’t really anything to teach.

“I just cast the hook down and wait,” Zhou Zhou said honestly.

Then he cast the hook down again. Almost every time, he was able to catch a fish within a few minutes. It was as if there were fish in the lake lining up for him to catch them, one after another. The bucket was almost full, and the captain’s mouth twitched as he watched.

How could he learn this? There was no technique at all, to him, it just looked like the fish were voluntarily biting the hook!

Why couldn’t he catch a single one? Could it really be about one’s face? The captain stroked his large beard, doubting his existence a little.

No, it had to be the fishing rod’s problem!

The captain didn’t believe he was so unlucky. He wanted to get a new fishing rod! With a new rod, he would be able to catch just as many fish!

“You take this fishing rod too. This rod doesn’t suit me, so that’s why I can’t catch any fish,” the captain said bluntly.

Originally, Zhou Zhou had wanted to help out with something, but the captain shooed him away, claiming that Zhou Zhou’s presence was affecting his luck.

Zhou Zhou wasn’t angry at being shooed away. He took the fishing rod, brought the little octopus, and happily went home.

Zeus, who had thought he could get rid of the octopus: “……” Why did it come back again?