Chapter Twenty: Awakening in the Dead of Night

“One, two, three...”

After completing her trades, Liang Yi began her workout.

Once warmed up, she moved on to squats.

Liang Yi had devised a simple plan: three sets of squats daily, twenty reps each; two sets of push-ups, ten reps each; and two sets of planks, holding for thirty seconds each.

She also intended to add high knees and sit-ups whenever time permitted.

She had even cut two lengths of rope and tied stones to each, using them to strengthen her arms.

Moreover, she was already considering crafting two sandbags to strap to her legs once she could obtain clothing and sewing materials, to further enhance her leg training.

After struggling through three sets of squats, her entire body felt drained of strength, and she collapsed onto the ground, unable to rise.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably as if they had lost all control.

Liang Yi couldn’t help but lament her terrible stamina.

After resting on the ground for a full five minutes, she regained some energy.

Rubbing her aching legs, she opened the [Trading] interface in the game panel to check for new trade offers.

Many players had sent messages, but upon closer inspection, none seemed particularly helpful to her.

She was about to exit when the latest message caught her attention.

[Ye: I have a set of human bones just cleaned by a tiger. Do you want them?]

Without hesitation, Liang Yi clicked on the message.

[Player2010: Yes.]

She then straightened up, grabbed a nearby bottle of mineral water, and took a few large gulps.

Ye seemed to be resting as well and soon replied.

[Ye: It looks like this, picture.jpg]

[Ye: If you want it, just give me two packs of instant noodles and a bottle of water.]

Seeing that the price was so low, Liang Yi quickly responded, “Deal.”

She then created a new trade order.

She also thought that this person was efficient in handing over goods and, for some reason, felt that Ye was a straightforward and taciturn individual—someone who could reliably supply human bones in the future.

After the trade was completed, Liang Yi sent Ye another message.

[Player2010: I need bones regularly. Want to add me as a friend for easier trades later?]

[Ye: Sure.]

Soon, her friend request was accepted.

Panting, Liang Yi looked at the bones before her.

“Game assistant, these are all bones this time, just a little flesh left on them. Should be worth quite a few points, right?”

She was about to deposit the bones into [Points] when she suddenly paused, deciding to ask for details first.

[Unknown: Not sure!]

[All exchange rules are set by the game system itself. As for how many points you’ll get, asking me is pointless.]

Liang Yi felt speechless.

She glanced at the bones on the ground, realizing she was like a fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Knowing the details wouldn’t help, she simply deposited the bones.

Soon, the points displayed in the [Points] interface changed to six.

Liang Yi once again felt the system was cheating her—such a large pile of bones for just six points.

“Game assistant, honestly, when you negotiate with the headquarters, do they only agree on the surface but brush things off behind the scenes?”

Otherwise, she couldn’t understand why bones in this state were worth only five points.

According to the points store prices, she could barely exchange for a pack of instant noodles and a bottle of mineral water.

Who could survive on so little?

The game assistant wasn’t offended by her doubts and replied patiently.

[No, please don’t overthink it, player. It affects our trust.]

Liang Yi twitched her mouth, thinking she had no trust whatsoever with these people.

At this point, she decided to open more treasure chests for supplies and then trade for bones.

Closing the game panel, she resumed her workout.

It wasn’t until 6:30 p.m. that she finally stopped.

After eating instant noodles and bread, she finished half a bar of chocolate.

Liang Yi then got into the tricycle early and began massaging her legs.

As she rubbed, she leaned back against the carriage and unintentionally fell asleep.

“Help me, help me, I don’t want to die.”

“Sister, second sister, when will you bring me home?”

“Daughter…”

...

Liang Yi slept until midnight and suddenly found herself engulfed in chaos, hearing the anguished cries of her parents, sisters, and brothers.

Though she saw no images, the screams alone told her how terrible their suffering was.

“Dad, Mom!”

“Sister, Ning Ning, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

“Mom…”

Liang Yi struggled with her hands in the air, seemingly trapped in a nightmare.

Then, she suddenly awoke.

“Ha—”

Liang Yi shot upright, her breath quick and heavy.

Before calming her turbulent emotions, she quickly reached out and grabbed the fruit knife beside her.

She hadn’t woken from the screams of her family in the dream but because a sharp pain radiated from her ankle.

Even though she’d awakened, the sense of danger lingered all around.

She knew the threat was outside the carriage.

Liang Yi widened her eyes, staring into the darkness in a certain direction.

Her chest heaved violently from fright, but she forced her breathing to slow and steady to avoid attracting the attention of the “thing” outside.

In the dark, Liang Yi faced off against the unknown danger; neither side made a move.

Her eyes dared not blink, fearing that in a single blink the creature would rush inside.

Time ticked by; the standoff lasted more than ten minutes.

At last, the “monster” outside lost patience and quietly slipped away.

Sensing the threat had passed, Liang Yi lunged toward the back of the carriage and shut the door with all her might.

“Phew—”

“Phew—”

With the door secured, Liang Yi leaned against the carriage, panting heavily.

“Damn!”

“Game assistant, what the hell was that outside?”

“Didn’t you say there are no ghosts in your game?”

Liang Yi reached out and touched her ankle, where a sharp sting had persisted since she woke.

Though unsure what it was, she guessed it was probably some kind of acid corrosion.

But she couldn’t tell how severe it was; the carriage was pitch black inside, and she had no source of light to inspect.

[Liang Yi, player, our game truly has no ghosts.]

[The thing outside just now was one of our NPCs. You need not be afraid.]

The game assistant replied.

Hearing this, Liang Yi almost cursed. No need to be afraid?

She had nearly been killed! How could she not be afraid?

Those players who had died at night—weren’t they all killed by these NPCs?

If she hadn’t woken up early, she would have been dead too. How could she not be afraid?