Xin couldn't even laugh at the response that he got.
"Let me change the question," Xin sighed as he asked, "What would you do if you came to know that he ran away because of you? What if he disappeared because he didn't want to see you anymore?"
Wang GuiYing gulped.
Such questions... Even an enemy hadn't dared to ask him.
"If he disappeared because of me...?" Wang GuiYing repeated, his head still lowered and his eyes stuck to the ground, "If he didn't want to see me...?"
His heart felt as if it had been clutched tightly, ready to be crushed at any given moment.
"Does he think he can just disappear on me like that?! As long as he is still under the heavens, there is no way he can escape me!" Wang GuiYing lifted his head and looked directly into Xin's eyes as he shouted.
"I'll find him, even if I have to crawl to hell for him!" Wang GuiYing hadn't realized it but streams of tears were starting to trail down his cheeks, "If he doesn't want to see me then let him say that to my face! If he has a problem with me, let him come and talk it out with me! If he doesn't dare meet me then I refuse to understand his reasons!"
For some reason, tears had started brimming in Xin's eyes as well, "Such dedication... Are you sure he's just a friend for you?"
Just like that, Xin asked a question that was akin to placing his heart on a tray and pushing it forward, vulnerable and ready to be crushed.
"What type of stupid question is that?" Wang GuiYing scoffed as he replied, "If he was just a friend, would I have gone through all this trouble?!"
"..."
"It took me four years to find a lead this strong and I am definitely not going to let it go." Wang GuiYing sounded determined as he continued, "As long as he is alive- actually, no... Even if he is dead, I would still not give up unless I see him with my very own eyes!"
The tears that hung on his eyelashes started falling down and Xin broke into a smile as he looked away.
Wang GuiYing was shocked to see the man crying along with him but when he thought about it, he felt that Xin was probably heartbroken to know that the man he fancied already liked somebody else. This was surely a misunderstanding but nobody bothered to clear it up.
"Then let's go," Xin sniffled as he spoke, "To the fourth stage."
Wang GuiYing smiled as he heard this and nodded his head with tears still freely streaming down his cheeks.
"Let's go to the fourth stage not only to find the gamemaster but also to find your Zhou Xinyi," Xin added.
Wang GuiYing looked to be even more enthusiastic as he nodded his head.
"I have a secret," Xin spoke with a sigh, "And it's something that you might want to hear."
"Hmm?"
"If you can find Zhou Xinyi then I'll tell you," Xin continued, "Take it as a present for finding him. That is, 'if' you manage to find him."
Wang GuiYing smirked as he heard this and wiped away his tears as he replied, "Deal!"
The two made a verbal promise and they were sure to remember it for many years to come.
They wiped away their tears and walked back towards the plain field that Li Ling and Zhihao had left behind.
Since they were already inside the game, they didn't need to collect magical stones in order to ascend to the next stage. They were free to move along the stages and hence, the two made the choice together and a magical array formed right in front of them.
Xin took Wang GuiYing's hand and looked at the man as he gave a nod.
Wang GuiYing smiled and returned the nod.
They didn't dare let go of the other's hand as they stepped forward into the array.
The world around turned dark and Wang GuiYing couldn't help but clutch Xin's hand even tighter.
The array shone brightly, blinding anyone who lay their eyes upon it. When the light eventually dimmed, the two people standing in the middle of the array disappeared, leaving behind no trace of their existence.
Wang GuiYing didn't know when he had passed out but he eventually woke up with his back resting on a soft mattress.
He was quick to come to his senses and he immediately looked around in search of Xin, only sighing in relief when he saw the man sleeping on the bed beside his.
Xin's presence helped him calm down and he instantly recalled what had happened seconds before he had passed out.
Right... They were heading to the fourth stage.
So this was... The fourth stage...?
Wang GuiYing couldn't help but question in his mind with disbelief as he looked around.
Currently, it looked like he was in a room. A very well-maintained room, at that.
As far as he knew, the game didn't have houses with well-maintained rooms...!
'Where the hell are we?!" Wang GuiYing questioned in his mind with a frown.
Xin was still not awake and Wang GuiYing didn't bother waking him up either.
He pushed himself off the bed and made his way to the door.
With his hand on the door handle, he took a deep breath in and closed his eyes as he got himself ready for whatever was to come.
In an instant, he pushed the door open and looked outside.
His mouth hung open in awe and his mind went blank for a second there.
This... Was simply something he had not expected to see...
Wang GuiYing snapped his head and looked back at the sleeping Xin as if he was waiting for an explanation but it was only natural that he didn't get any this time.
He finally understood why Xin hated the fourth stage and was so reluctant to come here...!
What lay outside the door was quite a peaceful corridor of a lively inn.
It didn't look extravagant nor did it look poor. It looked quite normal and that was the weirdest thing.
Since when did the game 'Dungeon Wars' have a place like this?!
Wang GuiYing gulped as he immediately shut the door and went back towards the bed.
He thought of every possible situation and in the end, he could only come up with the same conclusion.
The fourth stage of the game did not follow the same rules as the other ones.
Since not many players had reached the fourth stage, information about it was far too less and almost non-existent.
Wang GuiYing looked around the room once again and this time, he noticed a window on the opposite of the door.
He immediately went towards the window and peeked outside with a guess in mind.
Surprisingly enough, his guess was correct and he couldn't help but feel even more confused.
They were on the fourth floor of the inn and hence the view from the window was pretty clear. It showed the scene of a congested city that was still bustling with life.
The first question that crossed Wang GuiYing's mind was: 'Were they all players or were they NPCs?'
It didn't take him long to conclude that they were indeed all NPCs. After all, it was impossible for there to be these many players at this stage.
The next question that crossed his mind was: 'If there are no beasts in this stage, where do you collect the magical stones from?'
This time, he was not able to come up with an answer to that question.
The moon was still shining brightly in the sky and yet, it seemed that the city was awake.
"Well... At least the nightlife here is quite interesting." Wang GuiYing commented with a sigh as he turned around and walked over towards Xin's bed.
"Oi! Wake up!" Wang GuiYing nudged the man with his feet as he tried to wake him up.
Xin groaned as he moved around and once again, fell asleep in a more comfortable position.
Wang GuiYing rolled his eyes and immediately kicked the man off the bed as he snapped, "Wake up!"
Xin, who seemed to be having a nice dream, instantly snapped out of it as his face kissed the floor rather violently.
"What the-" Xin lifted his head slightly and looked at the floor in utter confusion, wondering how he had ended up in this situation.
"Why didn't you warn me?!" Wang GuiYing asked, sounding rather angry.
Xin gulped as he turned around and looked at the 'reason' why he was on the floor.
"You look angry."
"Maybe its because I am," Wang GuiYing clicked his tongue.
"But why are you angry?" Xin asked as he looked around, "We safely made it to the fourth stage, didn't we?"
"We did," Wang GuiYing closed his eyes and tried to remain calm as he spoke, "But somebody here forgot to mention that the fourth stage was a city filled with people...!"
"Is that something to be angry about?" Xin tilted his head as he innocently asked.
"..." Now that Wang GuiYing thought about it, even he felt that it was not something that he should be getting so worked up about.