Chapter Fourteen: The Little Spinning Top

Page 1/3

Little Top: “Ah Yang, aren’t you being a bit too flashy like this?”

Jiang Ran had just finished packing and was about to freshen up when she received a message from Little Top, sent to the “Black Silk Lady” account.

She instinctively frowned.

Although even if Little Top discovered that she wasn’t Lin Yang himself, it wouldn’t make much difference—after all, the odds of someone tracing her through a deceased person with whom she had no connection were quite slim.

Still, the longer she could keep this secret, the better. Who wanted to be exposed so early?

Moreover, Little Top always gave Jiang Ran an inexplicable feeling, especially after witnessing Lin Yang’s attitude toward him.

In this brutal survival game, even for the best of friends or when resources were scarce, trading a “Parasite” item card demanded careful consideration of whether their relationship could withstand the risks it entailed.

After all, they knew each other’s real names.

Besides, Lin Yang didn’t seem to have a particularly good relationship with Little Top; otherwise, Little Top wouldn’t be so eager to use these item and skill cards to trade with Jiang Ran for supplies.

Though it was possible Lin Yang put on a good front with Little Top, Jiang Ran didn’t think he was someone easily fooled by him.

Unless... it was intentional.

Either Little Top was absolutely certain Lin Yang wouldn’t use that item card on him, or he was confident that even if Lin Yang did, he wouldn’t suffer any consequences.

Jiang Ran felt the latter was more likely.

Considering how Little Top had pressured prices sky-high when selling skill cards before, he probably couldn’t afford the cost of using “Parasite.”

Jiang Ran didn’t think she was being overly cynical; after all, having suffered the deeply scarring lessons of her past life, she had lost the ability to simply “trust.”

Especially after being betrayed repeatedly by so-called “family” and self-proclaimed “friends.”

Recalling some unpleasant memories, Jiang Ran’s expression darkened, and her reply was icy.

Black Silk Lady: “I’m willing.”

Little Top: “...Guess I’m meddling too much.”

Page 2/3

Little Top: “I traded some newly obtained item cards for heat-relief medicine with someone. Want some? That person has plenty of supplies — I suspect he’s a beta tester like you.”

Jiang Ran’s eyes flickered slightly. She typed calmly: “What, regret selling me the ‘Parasite’? Even if I gave it to you, you couldn’t use it.”

Little Top: “No, it’s not that. Keeping those things won’t feed me; I need to survive first. But that person doesn’t lack supplies and loves collecting items. I swapped quite a few things with him.

“He said I could trade with him for items in the future too. I’m thinking, once I have enough supplies, I can keep these rare items for myself. I believe rare items might become more valuable than supplies later on.”

A strange expression flickered across Jiang Ran’s face—was she imposing a biased perspective? Why did Little Top’s words seem like he was coaxing her into using “Parasite” on him?

“Traded items for supplies,” and “items will be more valuable than supplies later”—he knew Black Silk Lady had the Parasite item card, right?

Wait a moment.

A sudden thought flashed through Jiang Ran’s mind: with Little Top’s insanely good luck at opening boxes, could he have found some item or skill that ensured he wouldn’t be parasitized?

Maybe he sold the card to Lin Yang precisely because he was hoping Lin Yang would use the Parasite on himself!

Just as Jiang Ran, lacking supplies, needed useful skills and items, Lin Yang, as a beta tester, might be in a similar position.

And Little Top’s every word revolved around items and his own good fortune.

Who would be better suited to be the parasitized target than Little Top, the unbeatable lucky one at opening boxes? Even the name was ready-made!

But if Lin Yang really had that idea, he might fall completely into Little Top’s trap.

Jiang Ran clicked her tongue softly. Forget Lin Yang—for anyone who first got the Parasite card, with a super lucky fellow like Little Top around, who could resist striking?

So, the original Xu Yunxuan probably ended up killing Little Top after their mutual scheming failed and they fell out.

After all, Xu Yunxuan’s supplies could only guarantee basic survival, but the subsequent disasters and increasingly dangerous creatures couldn’t be overcome by supplies alone.

Little Top was right—after surviving the early stages, everyone would value rare items and skill cards more, especially factions and gangs.

For gangs, the more skill and item cards they had, the more resources they could plunder, and their power would naturally grow.

And a lucky fellow like Little Top, once past the initial scarcity, would see explosive growth whether building a personal faction or joining a large gang.

Page 3/3

Xu Yunxuan of the previous life likely sensed this as well.

So when he failed to recruit Little Top, he might have resorted to killing him.

Perhaps Little Top had planned everything, but Xu Yunxuan’s unpredictability ruined it all—knowing Xu Yunxuan’s style, he certainly wouldn’t show himself in front of Little Top.

And unlucky Little Top only guarded against Lin Yang, not anticipating Xu Yunxuan’s ambush behind the scenes, which cost him his life.

This time, Little Top didn’t fall to Xu Yunxuan but happened to cross paths with Jiang Ran.

Though his intention was to approach “Black Silk Lady,” this was actually Jiang Ran’s alternate account.

Whether or not these were her subjective speculations, she had resolved to defend herself properly.

Her only wish now was that when the Obliteration skill stripped the opponent’s identity, it could also take away his lucky aura.

From that perspective, it was hard to say whether Little Top was truly lucky or not...

Having a clear understanding, Jiang Ran found it easier to reply.

Black Silk Lady: “If you like dreaming, go to sleep. What you should be thinking about now is how to survive until the day skill cards appreciate in value.”

Little Top didn’t respond—perhaps stung by her words.

Jiang Ran didn’t bother with him anymore.

She should have realized earlier: Little Top and Lin Yang were “friends,” yet he took a detour to trade supplies with Jiang Ran. That alone said a lot.

In short, until she figured out what defense Little Top had against the Parasite item card, she could make use of his luck to farm more item cards.

But she couldn’t delay too long. Having someone who knew Lin Yang well watching the “Black Silk Lady” account, even plotting trouble, was a small headache for Jiang Ran’s fledgling alternate persona career.