Chapter 87

Zhu Ming tried to drag Yin Yu outside for a proper talk.

Yin Yu didn’t resist, letting herself be pulled along, only saying, “If you dare hit me, I’ll dare abuse your child.”

A string of notification sounds—Dad Domestic Violence -10 pts and Mom Harms Child Psychology -10 pts—rang through the air. Zhu Ming scratched her head in irritation, lowered her voice, and asked, “Don’t you want to pass?”

Yin Yu blinked, her smile sweet and gentle. “I just want to spend more time with Mingming.”

“Ugh.” Zhu Ming didn’t believe she had good intentions. She eyed her suspiciously. “You won’t cause trouble, will you?”

Yin Yu laughed. “When has it ever been me causing you trouble?”

Zhu Ming thought about it seriously, and her face flushed. She suddenly realized that in the few instances they’d met in dungeons, Yin Yu had indeed been seriously trying to pass. Even if her motives seemed obscure at times, she genuinely hadn’t harmed anyone else (besides herself).

Thinking this, Zhu Ming relaxed a little and sneered. “Still, you didn’t have to be so ridiculous… Oh, I almost forgot. You’re best at hurting people’s hearts.”

Because she had no heart herself, she couldn’t comprehend the pain of others. She did whatever achieved her goal fastest. No matter how sad others were, she felt no empathy whatsoever.

In the spiritual realm, someone like Yin Yu possessed an invincible Absolute Defense.

To hurt her, words alone weren’t enough; you had to get physical.

Zhu Ming clenched her fists with venomous intent. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the Little Princess hiding behind the door in her bare feet, eavesdropping.

So Zhu Ming let out a cold snort and swung her fist at Yin Yu.

“Fine! I knew your feelings for the child weren’t sincere. You can’t even handle a brat in a game, and you dare threaten me with a real child? Pah! We only meet in the game. If you dared come near me in reality, I would’ve called the police to take you away long ago!”

Yin Yu shook her head repeatedly while dodging Zhu Ming’s assault. “I don’t believe you’re that heartless. What’s wrong with wanting a world for just the two of us? Who needs children? Troublesome kids should all disappear!”

Zhu Ming sneered. “If you’re so capable, make that one inside disappear too.”

Yin Yu sighed. “Once we leave the game, she’ll disappear on her own.”

“As expected, a wicked woman like you can’t have any maternal love.” Zhu Ming pointed at her angrily. “And here I thought you were being sincere these past two days.”

Yin Yu: “Heh, you’re quite clever, aren’t you? I had no choice. How could I fool you if I didn’t put on an act? Besides, you’re no good mother either. You don’t take care of your own child, dumping her on others all day, then blaming me for not raising her well. I think you shouldn’t have had a child at all.”

The argument escalated rapidly. Soon, Zhu Ming had become a hypocritical bad mother who shirked her responsibilities, while Yin Yu turned into a Wicked Stepmother who abused children.

Tears welling in her eyes, the Little Princess couldn’t take it anymore and ran out.

She grabbed Zhu Ming tightly around the waist and asked, “You’re bluffing, right? You said that so you could stay in the dungeon with me, right? I don’t believe any of this!”

Zhu Ming averted her gaze and said coldly, “Sorry, the truth is I wanted to stay to avoid this woman. It has nothing to do with you. My convincing act yesterday was just me using you to test her. Now I know she’s a bad woman, so you’re of no use to me anymore.”

The Little Princess released Zhu Ming in despair, stumbling back a few steps, nearly falling.

A hand gently steadied her. In that instant, the Little Princess looked back at Yin Yu as if grasping at a life-saving straw.

She couldn’t believe, no matter what, that such a gentle woman was deceiving her, even if her gentleness held no real warmth.

But as soon as Yin Yu spoke, her words were even more hurtful than Zhu Ming’s.

“Actually, when I said I was willing to have a Blood Transfusion for you a couple of days ago, I said it on purpose for you and Mingming to hear. Mingming probably did the same. We don’t have any money anyway, so there’s no need for actual Surgery. But, ah… Mingming truly still doesn’t trust me. At this point, I won’t pretend anymore. Little one, be good and go back to your hospital room. Stop clinging to my girlfriend, okay?”

Pitter-patter.

Several crystalline tears traced paths down her cheeks. In this moment, the Little Princess deeply understood what it meant for one’s heart to shatter.

How could this be…

The heartfelt words she had overheard… how could they suddenly be false?

Yin Yu crouched down, tenderly wiped away her tears, and smiled. “It’s just a dungeon, a game, an Assessment. Did you really think someone would develop real feelings in just these few short days? Don’t be silly, my Little Princess. It’s all just an act.”

That’s right, just an act.

Through tear-blurred eyes, the Little Princess looked at the woman’s beautiful face and suddenly let out a screech.

She shoved her hard and turned to run.

She should have known. She did know. She was part of the Assessment herself. How could she forget that the Players approached this test with such hostility and trepidation?

They were only being tested on their patience, love, and qualifications as parents. She shouldn’t have held any expectations. But why… why did she still greedily try to grasp a sincerity that didn’t belong to her?

The Little Princess didn’t understand why she was in such agony.

She refused to grieve for two bad women. They weren’t worthy!

So she cried even louder.

.

Watching the Little Princess’s fleeing figure, Yin Yu let out a soft whistle. “Wow, she looks genuinely upset.”

Zhu Ming’s hand itched terribly. Even though the goal was achieved, why did this person seem so utterly punchable?

“Should we chase after her?” Yin Yu winked at her.

Zhu Ming scoffed. “Chase her and then what? Both our scores are probably in the negative by now. Our image in her eyes is likely beyond repair.”

Yin Yu hugged her arm, swaying it playfully as she smiled. “So, shall we continue? As the Slut who avoids me like the plague, shouldn’t you maintain your character?”

Zhu Ming’s eyes flickered. She gave Yin Yu a meaningful look.

Although heartless, Yin Yu possessed a keen grasp of human nature.

Thus, Zhu Ming pushed her away, leaving behind a soft “Thanks for the reminder,” and began searching everywhere for the Little Princess.

Staying true to her character of someone who dreaded Yin Yu more than anything, now that Yin Yu also couldn’t pass, she should try to salvage her impression with the Little Princess to pass alone.

So Zhu Ming needed to “find” the Little Princess and continue “lying” that she had real feelings for her.

And as a rejected Wicked Stepmother, Yin Yu’s role was much simpler—just cling to Zhu Ming.

The two searched half-heartedly for a long while but still couldn’t find the Little Princess. Exhausted, they finally sat down to rest.

The planned Surgery naturally fell through. Upon learning Yin Yu had gone back on her word and had a conflict with the Little Princess, the Little Nurse and Doctor began to doubt reality as well.

How was it possible? Weren’t they deeply, deeply concerned about the Little Princess?

Watching the dazed expressions of the little kids before her, Zhu Ming felt increasingly guilty.

Ah, it wasn’t entirely her fault. Blame the Mastermind. Tricking a few kids into being NPCs—seriously, they couldn’t have used adult Ghosts instead?

Once she found the Instance Core, or the God’s Favored, she would definitely tear them apart!

.

Parental Assessment Day Six. Night fell.

The Little Princess was still nowhere to be seen.

“I have a very bad feeling.” Zhu Ming sat cross-legged, tossing her Mobile Phone up and down. “If the final calculation isn’t until tomorrow, we might run into danger tonight.”

Yin Yu nodded in agreement. “More like we will encounter danger. We didn’t before because the Little Princess thought we were good parents.”

Now that they had thoroughly offended the Little Princess, there was no doubt trouble was coming.

Seeing Yin Yu’s completely fearless, calm demeanor, Zhu Ming felt annoyed. “Look at you. You could have left smoothly, but you had to stay here. Now we’re in for it, aren’t we?”

Unhurriedly, Yin Yu peeled an orange and was carefully removing the pith. Hearing this, she smiled. “But I want to stay with Mingming. I’d be even more worried if you faced danger alone.”

“You say that as if you care about me so much.”

“But I do,” Yin Yu said candidly, looking directly at her. “Objective fact doesn’t shift with subjective will. Even if you don’t believe it, it’s still true. Besides… if you still doubt me lately, that would make me very sad.”

Zhu Ming watched her for a moment, then averted her gaze without retorting.

Unknowingly, their relationship had grown considerably more harmonious, as if they could truly set the past aside and try to be friends again.

At ten o’clock, the Mobile Phones received a text message.

As predicted, both had failed, and their scores were dangerously close to becoming negative.

Previously, failing alone hadn’t brought any danger, but now… that was uncertain.

Zhu Ming was on high alert, bracing constantly for the unexpected.

The dungeon didn’t immediately deliver a death sentence. The first change was in the air.

The temperature around them kept dropping. Even though they were indoors, it quickly fell below zero.

Even though Zhu Ming naturally ran warm, the rapid temperature drop was hard to bear. She wrapped a blanket around herself and poked Yin Yu on the neighboring hospital bed. “Hey, you awake?”

“Not asleep yet,” Yin Yu grasped her hand back and praised, “So warm.”

“Seems we’re both on her grudge list,” Zhu Ming sneered. “Are you planning to stay here and freeze, or head outside to look around?”

Yin Yu yawned, saying she was fine with either, whatever Mingming wanted to do, she’d follow.

Seeing the temperature continue to plummet, Zhu Ming shivered and decided to investigate. Waiting for death wasn’t her style. Even if going outside meant dying faster, she preferred to seize the initiative in her own demise.

But just as Zhu Ming got out of bed and put on her shoes, the light overhead went out with a click.

The bedside thermometer had long since stopped working. Wrapped in their blankets, Zhu Ming and Yin Yu waddled out of the hospital room like two clumsy penguins.

A deathly stillness had fallen over the entire Hospital. Zhu Ming pounded on the door of the next room, and after confirming there was no response from the people inside, she gave up calling for help.

Without a doubt, they had been isolated from normal space by a special Rules.

The previously missing Players must have experienced similar situations, which was why no unharmed Player had ever noticed anything strange at night.

The Corridor lights flickered uncertainly. The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty Hospital. As the echo lingered, it seemed to mingle with other sounds.

Zhu Ming stopped abruptly.

Yin Yu nearly bumped into her back. “What’s wrong?”

Zhu Ming asked, “Should we check the entrance?”

“Sure.” The tone was utterly indifferent.

They went down to the main lobby, felt their way to the entrance, and found it locked. Zhu Ming grabbed a Trash Can and smashed it against the glass. Crash! Trash scattered across the floor. The glass doors of the Hospital didn’t budge.

The temperature dropped more and more fiercely. The blanket they were wrapped in felt icy and heavy. The faces exposed to the air began to pale.

Zhu Ming blinked, feeling like something was obstructing her vision. She leaned close to the glass to check her reflection and realized her eyelashes were covered in frost.

It wasn’t just cold here—it was damp.

“Yin Yu, any ideas?” Zhu Ming asked, but received no reply.

The surroundings remained utterly silent.

Zhu Ming was still staring at the glass window ahead. In the reflection, only her own image was visible. No Yin Yu. No one else. But…

Her eyelids lowered slightly. Zhu Ming looked down imperceptibly.

Click.

Throughout the Hospital, only the built-in Sound-controlled Lights still reacted a little. A small, short shadow was cast right at her feet, partially overlapping her own.

A sharp, bone-chilling cold seemed to creep up her calves.

Zhu Ming’s throat was swollen, her nose itchy. She let out an earth-shattering sneeze.

The very next second, she felt a heavy weight slam into her back. With a splat, Zhu Ming crashed to the floor.

The Little Ghost that struck her scrambled onto the blanket, claws tightening around Zhu Ming’s neck as it revealed its true face.

Without a doubt, it was the Little Princess. But her complexion was ashen, her whole body bloated, emanating a cold that could freeze someone to death. She looked utterly terrifying.