Chapter 38
The System was about to cry from anxiety: [Master, don’t be like this! Little One likes you very much! Little One doesn’t want you to disappear.]
Shen Shuyu didn’t speak.
The System added: [I’ll go ask the Master Mind right now! I’ll talk to it!]
Good heavens, don’t AI have a hierarchy? Little One was obviously a freshly baked system. Shen Shuyu thought for a moment and said: [You don’t need to talk to it. Just upload this video segment for it to see and ask for substantial compensation for me. If it asks you why I insisted on saving him, ask it: Under those circumstances, where was the supposed Protagonist Gong, Chi Yanxun? Where was the villain, Wen Jiafei? Aside from me, who else could save him? Who could ensure the subsequent plot progressed smoothly?]
He asked again: [By the way, when will Lin Xuyi arrive?]
The System said honestly: [Calculating based on his current speed, fastest is seven minutes, slowest is fifteen minutes.]
Shen Shuyu said: [Then I’ll give you five minutes to negotiate with the Master Mind. Otherwise, just wipe me out directly. After all, I can’t take this kind of punishment where my heart gets struck without warning. You guys can find whoever you want.]
The System transformed into a chibi faceless figure in his mind, bowed, and then disappeared.
Gaining five minutes of rest, Shen Shuyu opened his eyes, only to find Shen Xili watching him constantly.
He raised an eyebrow lightly. “What are you looking at? Rest assured, even if you confess to me, I will reject you without hesitation. After all, I only like Brother Yanxun.”
Shen Xili’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He lowered his gaze and stopped looking at him.
Shen Shuyu sighed silently. The two stayed quietly at the bottom of the pit. He pressed his palm against the ground, his fingertips pulling up the grass at hand, waiting for Little One’s return.
Five minutes wasn’t long. Soon, the System spoke again in Shen Shuyu’s mind. It seemed quite happy this time; it must have negotiated a good compensation.
The System said: [Master! You are so amazing! I told the Master Mind what you told me. Before I even mentioned compensation, the Master Mind proactively proposed it!]
Shen Shuyu hummed twice: [Speak quickly, Lin Xuyi is about to return.]
The System spilled the beans: [The Master Mind says it acknowledges your ability and won’t punish you in the future. It says after you complete the mission, your reward will double on top of the current basis.]
The System told him a number. Shen Shuyu took a deep breath, feeling he could still put in some effort. He pretended to be calm: [Good that it’s cleared up.]
The System gave a happy “Mn.” Soon, he heard Shen Shuyu ask: [Little One, do your other hosts restore the novel plot 100%?]
Little One said: [No, actually many hosts find it hard to even reach 60%.]
Shen Shuyu was confused: [Why? Also, is your judging standard solely based on the novel content? If we encounter a novel with a rushed/bad ending, wouldn’t we never be able to finish?]
Little One said seriously: [The judging standard, besides the original novel content, actually has another criterion: finding the ‘plot beyond the plot.’ But this is too difficult, so we only require hosts to complete the set plot to count as success.]
“Plot beyond the plot…” Shen Shuyu couldn’t help muttering.
The next second, Shen Xili beside him asked, “What?”
Shen Shuyu jolted. Why did I say it out loud! He opened his eyes again and pouted. “Can’t I talk to myself?”
Shen Xili lowered his gaze again to look at him, thinking to himself that luckily, he stopped his mouth quickly.
Shen Xili was looked at by Shen Shuyu’s round eyes staring straight at him. Shen Xili looked down under the gaze. “Sorry.”
Shen Shuyu huffed. However, interrupted like this, the system in his brain played dead again, and he couldn’t ask anything else. He simply sat up and looked outside. Calculating the time, Lin Xuyi should be passing by here soon.
The fog here was thinner than when they were resting earlier, almost nonexistent.
The Black Wolf didn’t come either; it must have left. But his three bags were still left at the original spot. The supplies there were too important; he would go back and check later.
After all, there was nothing to communicate with here; otherwise, he could ask Chi Yanxun and the others to bring the bags back when they returned.
However, I should have asked the System what the situation was with Chi Yanxun’s side earlier. Wonder if they got hurt.
Shen Xili placed his gaze on Shen Shuyu again. Watching him kneeling on the ground, hands resting on the edge of the pit, seemingly observing something.
An Alpha’s vision was very good. Shen Xili saw the back of his neck at a glance. The inhibitor patch had been torn off by him, revealing the somewhat red gland underneath. It must be uncomfortable.
For some reason, he remembered the scene of Shen Shuyu carrying him away just now. His pheromones were like a feather, gently brushing against his heart, itching slightly.
The two people at the bottom of the pit had their own thoughts. Finally, Shen Shuyu caught a glimpse of a figure sprinting toward them from the corner of his eye—it was Lin Xuyi, who had gone to get the antidote!
His eyes lit up, and he stood up and waved at him.
Lin Xuyi paused, then accelerated toward Shen Shuyu. He was also covered in sweat, his face entirely red. After stopping, he gasped while speaking, “You, you guys, ho—”
“Alright, don’t talk, come down and hide first.” Shen Shuyu moved aside.
Seeing this, Lin Xuyi jumped down directly. After steadying himself, he sat down on his butt immediately.
Shen Shuyu pulled his hand and hauled him up. “Sitting down right after running? Do you want to die? Where’s the antidote?”
“Antidote…” Lin Xuyi fished a box out of his pocket. The paper pasted on it read “Red Ant Antidote Pills,” noting a ten-minute wait for effect, signed by the organizers.
Shen Shuyu opened it to look. There were six pills in total; they probably calculated the number of poisoned people. He took four out, then closed the box and threw it into Shen Xili’s lap. “Antidote.”
Shen Xili looked down at the box in his lap, his heart relaxing a bit. Finally, he didn’t have to drag them down.
Shen Shuyu didn’t stay idle. Looking at Lin Xuyi, who had slid down to sit again, he said, “You two stay here. I’m going back to get the things. I’ll be back soon. Don’t follow and drag me down.”
“Huh?” Lin Xuyi didn’t react, but Shen Xili beside him understood immediately.
He looked up to stop Shen Shuyu from going back, but saw him squat down to take a nutrient solution from the bag, then pocket the antidote. With a push of both hands on the edge of the pit, he flipped over very deftly.
Lin Xuyi murmured in shock, “Are Omegas nowadays… so powerful?”
Shen Shuyu ran back without looking back. After swallowing the antidote, Shen Xili stood up, preparing to follow, but was stopped by Lin Xuyi. He asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to protect him,” Shen Xili said. “I’ve already taken the antidote.”
Lin Xuyi’s hand fanned the air beside his face. Hearing Shen Xili’s words, he said, “The effect takes ten minutes. Don’t go join the fun. I think Little Yu is quite formidable. Just that pit—without some skill, one really can’t flip over so neatly. Let’s just save it.”
Shen Xili’s figure froze. Lin Xuyi continued, “The key now is for us to recover our stamina. It’s the same if you go after you recover. Going now, you might really be a drag.”
Drag.
Shen Xili pressed his lips together tightly, emotions undetectable in his eyes.
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