Chapter Sixteen: Could I Be a Bug?

Xiao Zhang nodded. “Yeah. Why do all those guys seem to know each other?”

Zhao Tai thought for a moment. “Dog Bro, I think they’ve completed more than one of these rookie-guide missions. And they’re organized—no, they have to be! Also, I feel like this technology doesn’t belong to our world, or at least not to Earth as we know it.”

Xiao Zhang wasn’t entirely convinced these things came from another world. “Actually, it’s not impossible that they originated here. Otherwise, why would they go to such trouble to descend upon our world?”

“Then why would they?” Zhao Tai wondered aloud.

“There must be something in it for them,” Xiao Zhang replied.

“So are we still in our own world?”

“We should be, but just not in the same space. That would explain why there are monsters and all these strange people here. By the way, do you have any skills or superpowers?”

“Skills? Of course I do. Watch this.” Zhao Tai extended his hand, and in a flash, it transformed into a ball of fire. “This is a power I learned from a skill.”

Seeing this, Xiao Zhang wanted nothing more than to strangle that damned system of his. Why did he get nothing at all? But thinking it over, perhaps his own cursed system had some hidden features too. Or maybe... this was a virtual world modeled after Earth, artificially created. “Could we be chosen by the system, like in those endless, infinite games?”

“Well, yes and no,” Zhao Tai said, scratching his head. “I feel like we’re more like someone else’s game accounts.”

Game accounts? If we’re not players, then we’re NPCs. No, maybe some are players and some are NPCs. Then what am I? Xiao Zhang kept these doubts to himself, as his own situation was rather unique.

“That’s possible,” Zhao Tai agreed after some thought. “Dog Bro, you always see through things. But we have to be careful not to reveal ourselves. If these people find out we’re players, we’ll definitely be finished.”

Xiao Zhang nodded. “Yeah, we have to be cautious. Besides, I doubt we’re the only fake players here.”

“I get that feeling too. But even the other rookies seem to know the rules and what’s going on,” Zhao Tai added, frowning. “And I’ve noticed something: almost all of them—even the new ones—know exactly why they’re here and what they’re supposed to do. It’s like some organization is controlling everything.”

“An organization?” Xiao Zhang decided to voice his guess. “If this is like a game, with players and NPCs, there should be an official entity behind it all!”

Zhao Tai stared at Xiao Zhang for a long moment, then sighed. “Dog Bro, I finally understand why Brother Tang fell to you back in the day.”

Xiao Zhang silently raised his hand, fixing Zhao Tai with a look.

“Forget it. We don’t have time for this now.”

“We need to focus on staying alive and figuring out how to get out of here,” Xiao Zhang said. “If I really die here… damn, I’m still a virgin!”

“Dog Bro, that’s on you! Back then, Brother Tang even got the girl into your bed…” Zhao Tai’s words brought back an unpleasant memory for Xiao Zhang.

Tang never got involved in anything remotely related to women! Xiao Zhang rubbed his nose and forced a smile, steering the conversation elsewhere. “There are still a few details. If our guess is right and we’ve stumbled into a game-like world, then there should be other NPCs like us. But we haven’t seen any—do you think they’ve been wiped out, or are they hiding among the others?”

“Dog Bro, please! I finally built up some confidence after surviving a few of these missions, and now you’re tearing it down!”

Xiao Zhang thought for a moment. “Check my stats, see if you can.”

“Damn, Dog Bro! Your combat power is B+?” Zhao Tai looked as if he’d swallowed something foul. “I nearly killed myself just to reach D rank!”

“It’s fake. On paper I’m B+, but in reality I’m D as well.” Xiao Zhang patted Zhao Tai’s shoulder in consolation. “Just like in games—if hard work alone got you anywhere, why would they need prodigies?”

Zhao Tai was left speechless, so he played his trump card. “Dog Bro, what grade is your skill? Mine’s S-grade: Blazing Flame.”

Xiao Zhang was at a loss for words, so he bluffed, “Uh, well, my skill level is… a bit low. Too embarrassed to say it out loud!”

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zhao Tai, but Xiao Zhang was gripped by a deep unease. He felt like a bug in the system—if his identity were exposed, he’d become a target for both players and NPCs.

Unnoticed, dusk had turned to night.

“Dog Bro, it’s late! Let’s head back.”

“That task isn’t finished yet.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.” As he spoke, Zhao Tai produced an energy crystal and handed it to Xiao Zhang. “I stockpiled a bunch of materials in the last mission—not expecting they’d come in handy so soon.”

Talking about stockpiling reminded Xiao Zhang of something about Zhao Tai. Back in sophomore year, this guy tricked him into hoarding materials in that tainted milk scam, losing billions. Who would have thought he’d pull the same trick here? No wonder he was the biggest black market dealer at Z University.

When they returned to the valley camp, it was already midnight.

The two chubby guys from the trainee team had come back long ago. Xiao Zhang noticed one of them had a bandaged arm and was drinking a bottle of potion, while the other was already asleep.

Zhao Tai handed the energy crystal to Mode, but Mode seemed indifferent to him. It was Captain Guideng of Team Four who offered a rare comment: “Well done.”

“Oh, do you know why a pet might refuse pet food?” Xiao Zhang suddenly remembered something important.

Although he’d already stored Little White Zombie in the system warehouse, the poor thing still hadn’t eaten. If he didn’t feed it soon, it might not survive. Even if Little White Zombie was a terrible pet—was its hidden trait to sabotage its owner?—it was still his. He couldn’t just let it starve.

“I have pet food, but it’s for canines. What kind of pet do you have?”

“A little zombie.”

Zhao Tai: (°ー°)