Chapter 67: Make a Wish

“Yiyue,” Gu Nanqiu gave a wry smile that struck Yue Yiyue as even more bitter than the aroma of coffee wafting from a passing café.

“This matter sounds pretty far-fetched, but it’s not entirely impossible. Still, for safety’s sake,” the mouse scrolled down as Yue Yiyue quickly scanned through, her gaze slowing when it landed on a certain spot.

She clicked on the screen information. “Look at these.”

A small, unassuming photo sat in one corner of the screen.

The caption read “Artistic Creations Made in Life.”

Yue Yiyue gripped the mouse and zoomed in on the image. The photo showed rows of different marble pillars, each topped with meticulously sculpted plaster heads.

Their expressions varied, but they all shared one thing: no eyes.

With just a glance, Yue Yiyue recognized them as Gu Nanqiu’s face.

She had sketched this face in her mind countless times before.

And after they met, she had studied it intently on certain nights.

After a brief silence, Yue Yiyue cautiously glanced at Gu Nanqiu beside her: “Nanqiu, do you think… if we want to, we could head back now.”

She knew they definitely couldn’t leave, but she still had to put on the act—it was the logical response for an ordinary college student facing something like this.

After all, who knew if someone else was watching this room…

“Yiyue, let me ask you this: if you were in a place where you held some authority, and the people there all feared you?” Gu Nanqiu stared at the photo, lost in thought.

“In that situation, if you encountered something identical to the figure in your collection room, would you just watch it walk away?”

Though she didn’t much like the word “thing,” Yue Yiyue tried her best to ignore the faint displeasure in her heart and turned back to the screen, where row after row of plaster heads were preserved neatly in glass cases.

“If it were me, I would, but if it were someone from there, they definitely wouldn’t.”

“And from what happened this morning, it’s clear she has no intention of letting us go.”

Especially her—Yue Yiyue seemed particularly hated because she was Gu Nanqiu’s good friend.

Of course, Yue Yiyue didn’t mention the monster’s warning to her; that was a minor thing.

But now that she knew Gu Nanqiu was the one being targeted, and why, Yue Yiyue couldn’t help but find the plot intriguing. No matter what, it would arrive right on schedule.

She recalled the first Dungeon, where the monster had only a vague inkling of love.

This one’s affection for Gu Nanqiu was boldly unrestrained.

And what worried Yue Yiyue most was whether that monster, if its true goal was Gu Nanqiu, would manipulate humans to hunt her down.

“Right now, aside from staying in this hotel, we’re very passive.”

“I need to find a way to gather more information.” Yue Yiyue sighed: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have come to A City. This was really a mistake.”

Yue Yiyue rubbed her hand on the desk, feeling an itch in her palm—a strong urge to crush something.

But nothing around could satisfy that itch. “We shouldn’t go out to play anymore. Let’s just check out the nearby Ecological Plaza. We might pick up some useful info there.”

Knowing they were fully immersed in the plot now, Yue Yiyue abandoned the faint hope she’d been clinging to.

Both were action-oriented. After Yue Yiyue suggested it, Gu Nanqiu stood to change clothes and grabbed a large hat.

The thick mountaineering jacket looked dashing and heroic on the tall Gu Nanqiu.

She zipped it up to the top, the collar covering most of her face. With the mask on, only her lively eyes were visible.

Yue Yiyue looked again and again, then reached out to tuck down the stray hairs on Gu Nanqiu’s forehead: “If you lower your bangs a bit, they probably won’t recognize you. But if they have some Special Ability, then we’re out of luck.”

“I’ll go dig out some clothes too.” With that, Yue Yiyue headed to the walk-in closet.

“I prepared some for you.” Gu Nanqiu followed and pulled out a dark-colored mountaineering jacket from the closet: “Yiyue, I got this specially for you. Go try it on.”

She pushed her into the changing area and stuffed in a mask of a different color but same style: “I’ll pack the bag.”

————

The Ecological Mall lived up to its name, boasting 70% green plant coverage as its selling point, with some animals roaming freely.

The moment Yue Yiyue entered, she saw a flowing waterfall.

Water crashed against the rocks, splashing up, and damp mist hit her face.

A loud female voice broadcasted notices from nearby speakers.

Guests came and went—some sat in the spacious rest area, while others found secluded spots to sit on the ground.

Bottles and lunchboxes sat beside them, suggesting they’d been there a while.

A few passersby lingered nearby, complaining softly: “Why do you have to draw lots to get in here, and it closes at six? Seriously, the hotel won’t take bookings no matter what, boo-hoo, even money can’t get you a room……. I heard there are still several empty ones inside……”

“Yeah, yeah, I saw lights on the top floors last night. So envious.”

“Don’t talk about it. Having a place for temporary shelter is good enough. And if there were no lottery, do you think we’d really squeeze in?”

Yue Yiyue quickly pieced together the relationship between the hotel and the building across from it. This place seemed like a special refuge for some people.

It sounded like some were no longer satisfied with just daytime shelter.

She quickly surveyed the surroundings and saw people carrying big and small bags, shopping as usual, everyone acting nonchalant.

Only then did Yue Yiyue give up on the rest area and head to the directory sign with Gu Nanqiu.

The mall had twelve floors, with entertainment, leisure, and even some art exhibits.

A huge LED screen hung in the center, displaying current exhibits.

It was Yue Yiyue’s first time seeing such a comprehensive large-scale mall.

Especially since the LED directory showed a full 30 pages, with a note that these were only some of the more famous ones.

This place… had something special to it…

If it were really the end of the world with zombies, Yue Yiyue genuinely thought that as long as they held this place and turned part of the roof into farmland, they could live a lifetime.

After staring at the directory for a long time, Yue Yiyue struggled to memorize the locations of a few shops she wanted to visit. Then she looked at Gu Nanqiu, who had been spacing out beside her: “Nanqiu, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“This place.” Gu Nanqiu pointed to a spot in the corner labeled Sculpture Museum: “We might find some relevant information here.”

————

The Sculpture Museum was on the top floor, but not quite the top.

Following the signs, they exited to an Open-air Garden, with several more levels above it.

Yue Yiyue looked up and roughly counted about ten floors.

She stood there, a bit dazed, unsure of her position or if they’d taken a wrong turn.

“This place is even more complex than I imagined. What are all these areas for?” Yue Yiyue peered around curiously, staring at the blue glass, wondering what lay behind it.

“Looks like a nice little garden.” Gu Nanqiu eyed a nearby tree hung with many long red strips of cloth, then stepped forward and carefully lifted one. “Yiyue, look.”

The red cloth strip bore black writing: “I hope to survive this catastrophe safely.”

“I hope for peace and safety.”

“May our whole family make it out of A City alive!”

“Thanks to the Boss for the protection and buying us time. Wishing the Boss all her heart desires!”

“Grateful to the Boss. Hope in the new year, the Boss keeps striving, and so do we.”

A breeze blew, making the strips flutter and the tree rustle with the wishes of countless ordinary people.

“Want to write one?” The elderly tree keeper smiled at the young pair: “This tree here is crucial for making wishes. Thanks to everyone’s wishes, in a city where you could get dragged into weird Rules and killed anytime, anywhere, we’ve carved out this small patch of safe ground.”

“You two don’t look local.” The kind elder handed them a pen and a bright red cloth strip. “Go write over there. Once done, pass through that way to the Sculpture Museum. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”

A knowing gleam shone in the elder’s sharp eyes.

She smelled it—the scent of that person she’d encountered before. If she was here, A City was saved.

Yue Yiyue took the vivid red cloth strip from the elder’s withered hand without hesitation: “Thank you.”

It seemed the Boss here had gained a Special Ability, and the elder before her seemed to have one too.

The Boss’s ability probably converted ordinary people’s wishes into resistance against the Rules.

But it likely wasn’t particularly strong.

Aside from time limits, it probably needed wishes to sustain itself, which explained these trees.

As for the elder’s ability…

Yue Yiyue glanced at the elder standing nearby, listening to the broadcast report on the morning’s events.

Perhaps prophecy, or maybe sensing Nanqiu’s Protagonist Halo.

Yue Yiyue devoutly wrote on the red cloth strip: “I hope A City’s Rules disappear soon, and everyone returns to normal life.”

After finishing, she peeked at Gu Nanqiu’s strip, with its flowing script: “Hope annoying things vanish quickly, and the journey with Yiyue goes smoothly.”

Gu Nanqiu capped the pen, took Yue Yiyue’s red cloth strip, and found a bare branch to hang it from. She tiptoed up.

Once done, she stood watching the two red cloth strips tangle and twist in the wind.

After a moment, Gu Nanqiu said gloomily, a hint of resentment in her voice: “Yiyue, your wish didn’t mention me.”

“Because I knew you’d write about me.” Yue Yiyue had anticipated the question: “If the Rules disappear, we won’t be troubled by these anymore.”

Yue Yiyue pulled Gu Nanqiu, who was about to say more, and pointed to the highest level: “Do you think the view from up there is as good as from our hotel?”

“Probably not.” Distracted by this, Gu Nanqiu looked where Yiyue pointed: “This building forms the Twin Towers with our hotel, but it’s the shorter one.”

Hearing Gu Nanqiu’s explanation, Yue Yiyue looked at her in surprise: “Then do you know what’s in this building?”