Chapter Fifteen: An Unexpected Encounter

“Well, about that!” Zhao Tai suddenly turned his head. Before Xiao Zhang could react, Zhao Tai swung a hook at him!

Startled, Xiao Zhang instinctively kicked Zhao Tai, sending him flying. “Zhao Tai, what the hell are you doing?”

But Zhao Tai pulled out a laser sword. “What do you think I’m doing?”

Xiao Zhang sneered, immediately taking out his wrench. “You really think you can beat me with just your D+ level?”

Zhao Tai gripped his dagger, a faint smile on his lips as he stared at Xiao Zhang. Without warning, he stripped off his combat suit and tossed it to the side.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Zhang’s expression changed.

Zhao Tai smiled. “Just as I thought! You don’t even know the true purpose of this combat suit, do you?”

Damn, he figured it out! Xiao Zhang’s heart chilled with fear.

Instinctively, countless thoughts flashed through his mind... I’ve been exposed! What now? Run? Silence him?

At that moment, footsteps and voices drifted in from a distance—more than one person!

Xiao Zhang recognized one of the voices—Lilia.

Crap, that old witch has been looking for an excuse to get rid of me!

Forget silencing Zhao Tai—even if he simply shouted right now, Xiao Zhang would be doomed.

Maybe I should just fight. Except for a few strong ones, these weaklings can’t stop me.

Just as Xiao Zhang was about to make a move, Zhao Tai did something strange—he quickly stowed his weapon and made a shushing gesture at Xiao Zhang.

Xiao Zhang immediately understood and simply watched Zhao Tai.

“Well, little brother, what are you doing here?”

Lilia approached, a strange woman beside her. She frowned at Zhao Tai. “Why’d you take off your combat suit?”

Zhao Tai spoke in a dull tone, “It was damaged and interfered with my movement.”

“Tsk, people from Shadow Isle really are stingy.”

Lilia sidled up to Xiao Zhang and whispered, “Little brother, I like you too, you know. But if you really join Shadow Isle, you might not make it out of this scenario alive. Think carefully.”

The woman next to her frowned. “Lilia, let’s go. We still have people to find!”

Am I really that attractive? Only when the two women had left did Xiao Zhang finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Zhao Tai, his gaze complicated. “Who are you really?”

Zhao Tai spread his hands, walking over slowly. What he said next made Xiao Zhang want to punch him.

“What if I told you we’re the same? I’m not a real ‘player’ either.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Xiao Zhang snorted, covering his face with a laugh.

Then he tentatively asked, “Wild Dog?”

Hearing that, Xiao Zhang was stunned, thinking, Who the hell are you?

Zhao Tai looked at Xiao Zhang’s baffled face and waved a hand. “Come with me. It’s too close to the others here. We need somewhere private to talk.”

...

After walking several hundred meters, the two hid behind a massive boulder in a dense forest and sat down face to face.

“Brother, do you know me?”

Zhao Tai began his story.

Xiao Zhang pieced things together. “You’re Datang’s little brother?”

“Yeah, Dog.” Zhao Tai rubbed his hands awkwardly. “Dog, honestly, I didn’t know it was you at first. And we haven’t seen each other in so long—I didn’t dare reveal myself.”

Xiao Zhang carefully sorted through everything. “Is this your first time in a scenario, or...?”

“No, this is my third time already.” Zhao Tai looked Xiao Zhang up and down. “Dog, you really haven’t changed since a few years ago!”

“What?” Xiao Zhang froze, taking out his wrench.

Zhao Tai pressed down Xiao Zhang’s raised hand. “There’s no need for that between brothers. Datang always said you don’t act like a normal person—never have.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhang was certain—Zhao Tai was indeed Datang’s brother. No wonder he looked familiar. “How did you end up here?”

“Well, the first time was due to an accident. I just ended up here, without knowing how.”

“Were you alone?”

“I’m the only one left with self-awareness. The friend who was with me in the accident—well, her body’s the same, but her soul isn’t.”

“Are you sure?” Xiao Zhang stared at Zhao Tai.

Zhao Tai gave a bitter smile. “Do you know who Lilia was before?”

A chill ran through Xiao Zhang. “Don’t tell me she was someone you knew?”

Zhao Tai nodded. “She was my girlfriend! The first time, I didn’t understand what was happening. Everyone else seemed excited, and Mode was our first captain. Some of them almost acted like they knew each other already.”

“And you?”

“I was terrified. I’d been with my girlfriend for two years, so I knew right away that wasn’t her anymore. But I kept quiet, said nothing.”

Zhao Tai sighed. “Maybe I was lucky. There were a lot of veteran players bringing in newcomers, so they just thought I was one too.”

“So every time there are newcomers?” Xiao Zhang asked.

“Dog, let me finish!” Zhao Tai gave a sheepish smile. “Mode brought me into his team—he was my captain during my first arrival. He seemed happy to take on ‘newcomers.’ And for some reason, my girlfriend stuck with him, so I became a recruit for Shadow Isle.”

“Is Lilia a newcomer too?” Xiao Zhang asked.

“No, she just has some sort of arrangement with Mode.”

Xiao Zhang collected his thoughts and asked in a low voice, “So what is this ‘game’? Where are we, really? Still on Earth? Or have we crossed into another world?”

Zhao Tai chuckled. “That was what I wanted to know at first too.”

As he spoke, he took something out cautiously. “At first, I guessed I’d crossed into another world by accident. But after the first mission, I realized we were still in our own world, just not in the same space. Take Lilia—she was badly hurt in her first scenario, but when I got back, my girlfriend was still herself. It was as if the accident never happened! If I hadn’t come back again, I would’ve thought I’d gone crazy.”

Xiao Zhang pondered for a moment. “Are these people all from other worlds?”