The motorcycle sped down the road, but Chen Xiaolian made a decision: slow down and stop!
As the tires left a long black mark on the road, Chen Xiaolian brought the motorcycle to a halt.
At this moment, he was only about twenty meters away from the young man.
Taking off his helmet, Chen Xiaolian remained seated on the motorcycle, just staring at the other person.
Shen also observed Chen Xiaolian.
Both of them had calm expressions, their gazes filled with different emotions.
Ten seconds passed before Chen Xiaolian spoke.
His first words were not "Who are you?" or "Are you hitchhiking?".
Instead...
"I really feel like I've seen you before."
Shen smiled.
It had to be said that the young man's extraordinary good looks made his smile exceptionally charming.
Shimmering golden hair, eyes like sapphires, and a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
When Chen Xiaolian wrote novels, he had used the adjective "seductive" countless times, but in reality, he didn't even know what a so-called seductive smile should look like.
However, today, in this moment, as Chen Xiaolian looked at the smile on Shen's face, he suddenly realized that he had found the answer.
"At the Wall of Tears," Chen Xiaolian's tone was cautious, carefully choosing his words as he whispered, "I'm sure I've seen you at the Wall of Tears, many girls were taking photos with you, and I was standing not far from you at the time."
Shen shrugged his shoulders, still gazing at Chen Xiaolian with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Why did you stop the motorcycle?"
Chen Xiaolian smiled, "You were flagging me down. I stopped, and now you're asking me why."
Shen seemed to sigh, "Normal people wouldn't stop in a situation like this."
Chen Xiaolian also chuckled, "I felt that whether I stopped or not wouldn't make much of a difference. Since you were flagging me down, if I didn't stop, you'd probably have taken matters into your own hands."
They both shared a smile, unexpectedly laughing.
"Let's get acquainted, my name is Shen," Shen took a few steps forward, naturally and generously extending his hand towards Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian didn't hesitate and also hopped off the motorcycle to shake hands with him.
"I'm Chen Xiaolian."
"Interesting name."
Chen Xiaolian glanced at the Bentley Continental behind Shen, "Is there something wrong with your car?"
"Flat tire," Shen's tone was quite plain. "It's an accident."
Chen Xiaolian stared at the Bentley for a few moments and clearly saw the dents on the wheel hub. He then smiled bitterly, "Doesn't seem like an accident to me."
Pausing for a moment, he frowned, "Why don't you switch to another car? Don't you have a spare somewhere? Or did you not bring any backup equipment?"
Shen seemed to hesitate for a moment, thought it over, and shook his head, "It seems I haven't been in the habit of carrying backup equipment for a long time."
"You don't have a storage wristwatch?"
"I used to have one, and there are plenty at home, but I just don't wear them anymore."
A peculiar guy.
Chen Xiaolian mentally evaluated Shen.
"Now, what should we do?" Chen Xiaolian sized up Shen, "Have a fight? If you win, you can take my motorcycle?"
Shen suddenly chuckled, "Why would you have such an idea?"
"This is a dungeon instance, and we're both Awakened," Chen Xiaolian ran his fingers through his hair, "You stopped me on the way, needed transportation, so shouldn't the next step be a fight?"
Shen nodded and spoke seriously, "You're right. In fact, if you hadn't stopped voluntarily just now, I would have really taken action against you."
Well, that's an honest admission.
"Well, let's get to it then," Chen Xiaolian spread his hands, took a step back, and flexed his shoulders and wrists. "I'm in a hurry, so let's have a quick fight... You seem like a decent guy, but since we're in a dungeon instance, there's no other way."
Shen kept his gaze on Chen Xiaolian, the smile at the corner of his mouth becoming more pronounced. "Why does it have to be a fight?"
"Because you want the motorcycle, and I only have this one," Chen Xiaolian replied.
Shen chuckled, and when he laughed, his sapphire-like eyes seemed to shimmer.
He gently asked Chen Xiaolian a question that left him momentarily speechless.
"Is the pillion seat on your motorcycle just for show?"
Chen Xiaolian stuttered, "..."
A few seconds later, he pointed incredulously at his own motorcycle, "You mean..."
"You drive, and I'll sit in the back," Shen said with a somewhat lazy smile. "Or if you don't like carrying passengers, I can drive, and you can sit in the back."
Chen Xiaolian was utterly confused.
Seriously confused!
He had the urge to grab the other guy's neck and shake it vigorously: This is an Instance dungeon! A life-and-death dungeon world!!
Saying something like that, wouldn't it seem completely out of place?!
Is this... really okay?!
...
"Calling in SkyEye System, Team C is on standby at Highway Four, intercepting participants en route to Tel Aviv."
"SkyEye System receiving, please proceed."
"Team C standing by, initiating surveillance, searching for the target..."
A few moments later...
"Calling in SkyEye System, we've located a suspicious target moving northbound along Highway Four, heading towards Tel Aviv. Suspected game participant, requesting authorization to engage."
"SkyEye System receiving, authorization confirmed. You are free to open fire, target any non-affiliated game participants for elimination."
"Team C receiving, authorization confirmed, target locked, unmanned attack drone is ready, real-time monitoring feed in progress... standby for attack, 5, 4, 3... hold on! Cancel the attack! Cancel the attack! Repeat! Cancel the attack!"
"Team C, what are you doing? Why cancel the attack?!"
"The target... and... and... the Guild Leader is with them."
"What, what?!"
"Repeat, confirmed target, the Guild Leader is with them... my goodness, the Guild Leader is riding a motorcycle, and the target is sitting behind, holding onto the Guild Leader's waist!!"
"..."
...
The top floor of a building in Jerusalem, a team member wearing thorn-resistant protective gear, removed their earpiece with a bewildered expression.
"Am I dreaming or what?!"
...
"I mean, can you not drive so fast?!"
"Just hold on tight!"
"Aren't you afraid this thing will blow up?!"
"It's not yours anyway."
"...Damn it."
...
When Roddy bit down on Qiao Qiao's arm, Qiao Qiao could feel Roddy's teeth breaking through his skin, blood flowing.
And the greenish fluid from Roddy's mouth came into direct contact with Qiao Qiao's wound.
In that moment, Qiao Qiao's heart sank!
After a momentary daze, Qiao Qiao unleashed his strength, performing a shoulder throw that sent Roddy flying.
Roddy landed on the ground, panting heavily. The green light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and he struggled, "Qiao, Qiao Qiao... run, quickly... I, I can't control..."
Qiao Qiao silently leaned against the wall, looking at Roddy with a complex expression. "It's too late... I've already been infected by you."
Roddy took a deep breath, then suddenly pulled out a handgun from his waist, placing the barrel against his own temple.
Qiao Qiao's face changed, and she rushed forward. Before Roddy could pull the trigger, she kicked his wrist, sending the gun flying.
"What are you doing?!"
"Of course, I'm going to end my own life," Roddy snorted, his eyes filled with guilt. "I... I don't want to become an enemy to my teammates, and I don't want to harm you all, but I've already infected you... I don't want to infect others anymore! If you can't bear to take action against me, I'll do it myself!"
With that, Roddy struggled and lunged for the gun on the ground. Qiao Qiao quickly took two steps forward, grabbed Roddy's shoulder, and then suddenly raised her knee, delivering a blow to the back of Roddy's neck.
Roddy snorted and slumped to the ground, unconscious.
"You idiot," Qiao Qiao said with tears in her eyes. "You didn't want to harm your teammates, but do you think as your teammate, I can bear to watch you commit suicide? You foolish guy, just lie down here and stay put!"
She sighed and looked at the wound on her arm and the greenish fluid.
"Team Channel: Calling Lun Tai, calling other team members."
Soon, Lun Tai's response came through the team channel, "Qiao Qiao, are you guys okay?"
"...And you?"
"We're still in a guerrilla fight with that thing," Lun Tai's response was urgent, indicating a fierce battle. "Qiao Qiao, I'll come back to rescue you as soon as possible! Hang on! Tell Roddy to hang on too!"
"No, don't come back," Qiao Qiao suddenly spoke in a resolute tone, whispering, "Lun Tai... Roddy's infected, and I... I've been infected by him."
"..." Lun Tai fell into silence.
Soon after, the team channel was filled with Xia Xiaolei's angry curses, "Damn it!! How could this happen?!"
Qiao Qiao's voice remained calm, even determined!
"Lun Tai, now you must fulfill your duty as vice-captain! There's no way to cure this poison in this place; the dungeon storyline has already decided that. You all staying here serves no purpose... I'm asking you to leave immediately! Continuing to engage is futile! You must be responsible for the lives of the other team members!"
"No!" Lun Tai roared in anger, "Abandoning a comrade is not the tradition of the Meteor Rock Guild! Qiao Qiao, you..."
Before Lun Tai could finish speaking, suddenly, the entire underground laboratory space shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Deafening sounds echoed, and the ceiling above began to crack and rumble, with distant explosions reverberating...
Qiao Qiao struggled to maintain her balance, but she ultimately sat down on the floor. She watched as a nearby refrigeration unit toppled over, and Qiao Qiao immediately rolled away, just in time as the unit crashed beside her. Some of the containers inside it shattered, and blue and green liquids spilled out.
"Absolutely, do not come back! Get out of here fast!" Qiao Qiao shouted.
She saw behind the laboratory door, the walls and ceiling had collapsed, quickly blocking the exit!
"Qiao Qiao!!"
"Sis!!"
Lun Tai, Xia Xiaolei, and Soo Soo all screamed frantically through the team channel.
But Qiao Qiao, resolute, cut off the team channel's communication.
She sat on the floor, staring at the spilled fluids.
Silently, Qiao Qiao took out a gun and placed it beside her.
She had decided that before the poison fully consumed her, she would ensure her own end.
And just at that moment, Qiao Qiao suddenly received a new message in her personal system!
"System Prompt: You have been attacked by an unknown force, corpse transformation process calculating..."
Qiao Qiao snorted, with a bitter smile in her heart: I wonder how much time I have left...
However, the next message left Qiao Qiao stunned.
"System Prompt: Attribute calculation complete, match rate 97.6%! Unknown force attributes: Darkness attribute, matching at a perfect level, intrusion ineffective! Host skill 'Viscount of Darkness' activated!"