Yumi quickly bandaged her own wound and then hurried over to help Chi Hao with his injuries. Only then did she fully grasp the meaning of Jing Minghe's earlier remark. She glanced at the somber Jing Minghe, opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent, continuing with her task.
Chi Hao cast a casual glance at the pendant on Jing Minghe's chest, finding no abnormalities. He raised his uninjured hand and gently patted Jing Minghe’s shoulder, a slight smile gracing his lips. "My dear, don't upset yourself. He will give you a chance."
Jing Minghe's expression softened slightly at this. Their eyes met, and each understood the unspoken meaning in the other's gaze, a silent accord reached between them.
Just as Yumi finished tending to Chi Hao's wounds, she heard footsteps outside the train and then saw Ding Chang stumble in.
The moment he entered, Ding Chang's eyes flickered upon seeing Jing Minghe and Chi Hao. He forced himself to remain calm, slowed his pace, and sat down in a corner of the carriage.
After all, players were forbidden from killing other players. He trusted that Jing Minghe and the others wouldn't dare to so boldly challenge the rules of Infinite Horror: City of Death.
Yumi stood up, glaring indignantly at Ding Chang. Just as she was about to march over and give the scoundrel a piece of her mind, Jing Minghe placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No rush," Jing Minghe's voice reached Yumi. "Go rest first."
Shortly after Ding Chang entered, the train doors closed, and the train began to move slowly.
Jing Minghe sat beside Chi Hao, allowing him to lean against him. Yumi took a seat behind them.
What lay at the end of this train, none of them knew.
No one spoke; they all sat in silence.
The train soon came to a halt. The doors opened, the implication clear.
Ding Chang remained seated, pretending he didn't exist.
Jing Minghe hadn't expected any action from him anyway; otherwise, the subsequent events wouldn't have unfolded.
Jing Minghe carefully moved Chi Hao's head from his shoulder and whispered to Yumi, "Sister Yumi, please keep an eye on Hao..."
Before Jing Minghe could finish, Chi Hao had already risen. He pulled Jing Minghe towards him and stated with unyielding resolve, "We're going together. Less talk."
"..." This familiar feeling, it was almost nostalgic.
Shivering slightly, Jing Minghe quickly followed Chi Hao.
As soon as Jing Minghe and Chi Hao stepped out, Yumi heard Jing Minghe call her from outside.
"Sister Yumi, come out. It's safe outside for now."
Hearing Jing Minghe's call, Yumi didn't hesitate. She immediately got up and ran out.
Seeing Yumi leave, Ding Chang also followed suit and exited the train.
Outside the train, apart from a glowing portal directly opposite the door, there was nothing else. The empty platform was a familiar sight.
"This..." Yumi asked Jing Minghe, "Are we going in?"
Jing Minghe supported Chi Hao. While Chi Hao looked much better now, he was still injured. Jing Minghe took advantage of his "Hao Ge's" rare moment of weakness to slyly flirt. He turned to Yumi with feigned helplessness and said, "Do we have another choice?"
Yumi smiled and walked to stand beside them. "Then let's go."
With that, the three of them followed, entering the portal one by one.
Passing through the portal, they saw a familiar scene once more, but Jing Minghe couldn't bring himself to be happy. Even Yumi's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
"Why is it the rest area?"
They hadn't found Tong Zheng and Ke Wuwen yet, so why were they inexplicably sent back to the rest area? Had the previous dungeon ended so easily?
Once inside the rest area, it was absolutely impossible to leave until the next dungeon commenced.
Jing Minghe turned his head and met the gaze of Ding Chang, who was the last to emerge from the portal. The portal had vanished without a trace.
Ding Chang recoiled slightly under Jing Minghe's seemingly predatory eyes. Just as he was contemplating how to bypass Jing Minghe, a portal suddenly appeared beside him.
A man with a braided ponytail ran out, followed closely by a tall woman with short hair. Both were injured. Upon seeing Jing Minghe and the others, they merely nodded before hurrying towards the rest area elevator.
Ding Chang seized this opportunity to slip past Jing Minghe and head straight for the elevator.
Chi Hao pulled Jing Minghe, who was still standing motionless, and said softly, "Let's go. There might still be a turn of events."
"Mm."
They had no other option here. Jing Minghe nodded, patting his pocket, where the reward card that had appeared there immediately upon entering the rest area was kept.
"Let's go rest first."
Jing Minghe said, supporting Chi Hao as they walked towards the elevator. Yumi glanced back before quietly following.
After settling Chi Hao into his room, Jing Minghe and Yumi went to the shopping area. Although Yumi had done an excellent job tending to Chi Hao's wounds, Jing Minghe still decided to buy a fast recovery pill. He absolutely didn't want to see his "Hao Ge" suffer any pain.
While Jing Minghe and Yumi were replenishing their items and medicine in the shopping area, Yumi thought of Chi Hao's injuries and couldn't help but say, "I wonder what that scoundrel Ding Chang sprinkled on Mr. Chi. It caused all the monsters to focus their attacks solely on him."
"I know," Jing Minghe replied grimly. "It's in the item shop here. It's called 'Yi Wei San' (移危散 - literally 'Transfer Danger Powder'). The description says that by sprinkling it on any item, it can temporarily divert the attack targets of monsters, buying oneself time to escape."
"Any item?" Yumi frowned. "But if it's sprinkled on another player, indirectly causing their death, wouldn't that be a violation?"
"As long as it's not oneself who directly acts," Jing Minghe paused, "it should not be considered a violation."
"That..."
"That item isn't cheap, and it can only be used once per dungeon," Jing Minghe said with a cold laugh. "Don't worry, he won't get a second chance."
After buying their supplies, on their way back to the room, they encountered two men and one woman. The trio looked somewhat disheveled, clearly having just returned to the rest area.
One of the men seemed to have a broken leg, supported by his two companions. One of his feet dragged on the ground, and blood was still flowing.
Yumi proactively stepped forward to greet them. "Hello, I'm a doctor. Do you need help?"
The woman's face lit up with excitement at Yumi's words. "You're really willing to help us? He's severely injured. If you can truly help us, could you please accompany me to the shopping area later to redeem some useful items? We have points to spend, we won't..."
"It's alright," Yumi smiled, glancing at Jing Minghe before saying to the woman, "I can treat him first. We can discuss other matters later."
"Really?" The woman sounded incredulous, her excitement growing. "Thank you, thank you so much."