Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 5
Lin Qiao wiped his red eyes with his sleeve, though in reality, he hadn’t shed many tears. At that moment, the bodyguard player seemed to have discovered something and began examining the buttons on Lin Qiao’s overcoat. Sensing something amiss, Lin Qiao said, “What’s wrong? The coat was given to me by Mr. Yan Ting.”
The bodyguard player’s expression turned complicated as he replied, “A camera.”
The other players were immediately in an uproar. The fact that the wealthy man had installed a camera on his lover raised questions—was it due to an overbearing control complex, or was there another reason? If it was the former, the players’ gazes towards Lin Qiao were tinged with pity. He was like a canary being manipulated and controlled by a powerful figure, unable to resist. If it was the latter, then the players were the ones in trouble.
They had been speaking cautiously to avoid being overheard by NPCs, even though the game would filter out their conversations. But with players of different identities gathered together, it was bound to seem strange.
The female lover was so frightened that she stammered, “Can the camera record the players’ conversations?”
The flight attendant player was on the verge of a breakdown, exclaiming, “What if our player identities are discovered? Will we all be killed?”
Lin Qiao touched the button, wondering if Mr. Yan Ting was also a player. The fact that he had been told to follow the bodyguard player and had been given a coat with a camera—was it a coincidence or intentional?
“Not a player.”
“Then why the camera?”
“Just a pervert, I guess.”
Lin Qiao pondered and seemed to accept the explanation. The usually quiet female internet celebrity asked, “Didn’t we say there was one player missing? Could Yan Ting be the player?”
“Impossible,” the bodyguard player said, running his hand through his buzz cut. “I used points to get information about this game level in advance.”
Since players would forget many details after leaving the game, they couldn’t obtain complete information. “The NPC Yan Ting on this flight is a wealthy and powerful man who hijacked the plane as soon as he boarded, and no one knows why.”
“But if the players kill the wealthy man to take control of the plane, the game won’t end. Instead, they’ll suffer a terrible fate.”
“An important plot NPC like Yan Ting can’t be replaced by players.”
The bruised and swollen brown-haired man snorted, clearly still unconvinced. If it weren’t for Zhong Minglang, the other players might have been swayed by the brown-haired man. After all, the game level was called “Plane Escape,” and the plane had been hijacked by Yan Ting.
The bodyguard player suddenly remembered what Lin Qiao had said earlier and asked, “Do you know why the boss hijacked the plane? You said it was for our own good. What do you know?”
The other players looked over, wondering if it was really okay to ask an NPC so directly. After checking the system’s message box, Lin Qiao knew that the NPC could hear the question, but he truly didn’t know the answer.
“I…” Lin Qiao thought about how to bluff his way through it when the sound of footsteps in leather shoes approached, indicating several people were coming. The players tensed up, thinking of running to the economy class, but the bodyguard player quickly stopped them: “Are you trying to get shot?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain to the business class was pulled aside by a man in a black suit, revealing Yan Ting, who scanned the crowd with his light-colored eyes. The several men in black suits behind him drew their guns, waiting for the boss’s command. The female lover’s palms were sweaty, and the flight attendant was trembling, not daring to breathe heavily.
Then they saw the damned male lover, Lin Qiao, who actually raised his face and cheered, “Boss!” He shouted and threw himself at Yan Ting, who caught him with a flick of his hand, finally withdrawing his oppressive gaze.
The other men in black suits also lowered their guns. Before the players could catch their breath, Lin Qiao asked in a coquettish tone, “Everyone is curious why you hijacked the plane. Qiao Qiao wants to know too.”
The players were inwardly cursing. By asking so directly, was this guy trying to get them all killed?
Yan Ting, tall and not overshadowed by the other bodyguards, waved at the bodyguard player. Zhong Minglang reluctantly stepped forward and was punched by Yan Ting as soon as he called out “Boss.”
Lin Qiao gasped silently, his eyes immediately turning red. This time, it wasn’t an act; he was genuinely frightened. Zhong Minglang, the bodyguard player, spat out a mouthful of blood and asked, “Is the boss dissatisfied with something?”
Yan Ting sneered and revealed Lin Qiao’s wrist: “Is this how you protect my people?” Lin Qiao’s fair wrist bore clear finger marks from where the brown-haired man had grabbed him earlier, looking quite terrifying.
The bodyguard player was taken aback and admitted, “I failed to protect him properly.”
He raised his gun at the brown-haired man, who exclaimed in shock, “What are you doing? Are you crazy? We’re all players here!”
Lin Qiao saw Zhong Minglang’s hand trembling, pursed his lips, and then covered his ears, saying, “Boss…”
“Hmm?” Yan Ting’s tone actually carried a hint of amusement: “Want to plead for mercy?”
Yan Ting still couldn’t hear the players’ conversations through the camera. He could only hear the brown-haired man scolding Lin Qiao about the hijacking, while his female lover was holding back the bodyguard, watching the commotion.
Lin Qiao nodded, raising his arm and saying, “It doesn’t hurt, not at all. It’s not Zhong Minglang’s fault.”
Yan Ting didn’t know what to say. He was probably a bit softened, and Lin Qiao felt even more embarrassed, his ears and neck turning red.
Yan Ting sighed, “Put the gun away, don’t waste bullets.”
After the bodyguard player holstered his gun, he looked at Lin Qiao gratefully. He didn’t want to kill the players. It was only in front of this male lover that the NPC Yan Ting would show some leniency.
Behind Yan Ting, besides the black-suited bodyguards, was the captain, whose attitude had changed dramatically. He was obsequious and grateful, though no one knew what Yan Ting had said to the crew in the cockpit.
The captain led two flight attendants to calm the passengers and also called over all the bodyguards on guard. Once everyone was gathered in the business class, Yan Ting addressed the passengers and players: “Tell me about your professions.”
The players exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the female internet celebrity mustered the courage to say, “I’m a social media influencer. My name is Anna. I’m very knowledgeable about the internet and I’m also a pretty good hacker.”
The player who had previously shouted about boarding the plane inexplicably also cooperated, saying, “My name is Zhu Shaocheng, and I’m an aircraft engineer.”
The bespectacled young man who dared not make eye contact whispered, “My name is Jun Shuyang, and I’m a doctor.”
Only then did Yan Ting look up and say, “Use the medical kit to check his arm.”
Lin Qiao was pushed out, and the flight attendant quickly fetched the medical kit from the plane. The doctor player stole a glance at Lin Qiao and nervously bandaged the wound. The young man with the bandage seemed even more attractive, his vulnerability and tearful eyes making the doctor uncomfortable, who lowered his head even further.
After Lin Qiao was bandaged, Yan Ting spoke: “You wanted to know why I hijacked the plane?”
“To escape,” Yan Ting said seriously, not joking, “The sun outside has mutated. Anyone exposed to sunlight will die.”
“This flight can only keep heading west, racing against the sun, forever chasing the night.”
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