***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to Chocco for the donation! ^^
***
The next morning, as soon as Ning Su opened his eyes, he received a flood of messages.
Ning Changfeng: [Shi Tianzhu invited me to join her in a dungeon!]
Ning Changfeng: [Am I dreaming?!]
Ning Changfeng: [I can’t believe it—her, of all people, inviting me? She hasn’t invited anyone else to a dungeon.]
Ning Su: [.]
Ning Su: [What did the president say?]
Ning Changfeng: [She just said she wants to tackle a Level 9 dungeon and asked if I’m interested.]
In the game, each increase in dungeon level signifies a rise in difficulty. Players broadly categorize dungeons based on these escalating challenges.
Level 1 Dungeon: Beginner Dungeon.
Ning Su had never been to a Level 1 dungeon. It was said that these dungeons were meant for newcomers to practice, and players entering their first initial dungeon would also choose a Level 1 dungeon because it was significantly easier than a Level 2 dungeon.
Back when Ning Su, Zhu Shuangshuang, and Su Wangsheng—three newcomers—entered a Level 2 dungeon, other players looked down on them, complaining about why they didn’t go to a Level 1 dungeon instead, coming to a Level 2 dungeon to die and hold everyone back. That was precisely the reason.
Level 2–4 Dungeons: Intermediate Dungeons.
These three dungeons were on a completely different level compared to Level 1 dungeons. Their difficulty increased progressively, but overall, they remained relatively friendly to experienced players.
Level 5–8 Dungeons: High-Level Player Dungeons.
The difficulty of these dungeons was again a step above the intermediate ones, reserved only for high-level players.
Level 9–10 Dungeons: God-Tier Dungeons.
For the average player, there was no practical difference in difficulty between these two dungeons—both were virtually suicidal. So far, only a handful of players in the base had ever emerged from them.
Both Shi Tianzhu and Ning Changfeng had been to these dungeons. Even for players of their caliber, entering required thorough preparation.
Unlike other dungeons, where anyone could enter at will, all players entering these dungeons were organized in advance, with each role carefully assigned.
So, it was entirely normal for top-tier players like them to arrange to enter such dungeons together.
Shi Tianzhu inviting Ning Changfeng to go together was both normal and not.
Ning Changfeng: [Do you want to come along?]
Ning Changfeng: [Never mind, it’s too dangerous. You’d better not go.]
Ning Su: […]
Ning Su: [Indeed, there’s no need for me to be the third wheel.]
There was a brief silence on the other end. [Shi Tianzhu and I agreed to meet at noon to check out the dungeons at the game hall. We’ll look at a few first and decide after discussing it.]
Ning Su: [I’m having lunch near the game hall with Zhu Shuangshuang and the others at noon. I can stop by and take a look too.]
***
Shi Tianzhu and Ning Changfeng arrived a little earlier than Ning Su.
The entrance to the Yinhua Guild was right across from the game hall. When Ning Changfeng arrived, Shi Tianzhu was already standing there.
As soon as he saw her, she turned to look at him.
From a distance, Ning Changfeng could tell there was something unusual about Shi Tianzhu’s gaze. He glanced down at his clothes, touched his face, and then walked forward.
The closer he got, the stronger the feeling became.
Ning Changfeng walked somewhat stiffly up to Shi Tianzhu. “President Shi?”
Shi Tianzhu withdrew her gaze. “You have a key to Su Su’s house?”
Ning Changfeng: “Yeah, I do. Don’t you?”
An abrupt silence fell between them.
Ning Changfeng: “…”
After a pause of a few seconds, Shi Tianzhu turned to look at him. “Have you ever seen what Su Su looked like as a child?”
Ning Changfeng: “No.”
It was the biggest regret of his life so far.
Ning Su was exceptionally good-looking now—he must have been incredibly cute as a child, unbearably adorable.
Hearing his answer, Shi Tianzhu’s expression shifted noticeably. Ning Changfeng couldn’t quite pinpoint what that change meant—it seemed meaningful, profound.
She said, “I have.”
“In the first instance we entered together, all the players reverted to looking five or six years old. Six-year-old Su Su was small and soft, adorable and lively. His big, dewy peach-blossom eyes could melt anyone he looked at.”
Just hearing about it was almost too much for Ning Changfeng. “Which instance was it?”
If there was an instance like that, how could he not go with Ning Su?!
Shi Tianzhu turned away without answering him.
Ning Changfeng took a step closer. “President Shi, which instance was it?”
Shi Tianzhu still ignored him.
Ning Changfeng felt she was being a bit unreasonable and was about to do something when Shi Tianzhu suddenly turned her head and smiled at him—a particularly beautiful smile. Ning Changfeng, who had never seen Shi Tianzhu smile at him like that before, was momentarily dazed.
“I’m glad you’re willing to go through an instance with me.”
Ning Changfeng: “Huh? That— I…”
“President!” Ning Su ran over from behind. Seeing her smile, he said happily, “You two are getting along well.”
Shi Tianzhu smiled again.
Ning Su seemed to glimpse a future of domestic harmony and happiness. "Are you two going into a instance together?"
Shi Tianzhu's gentle gaze settled on his face. "Yes, it's been a long time since I've taken on a instance of this level. Having Ning Changfeng along is reassuring. Would you like to come with us?"
"No!" Ning Su said. "I'm here to have a meal with Zhu Shuangshuang and the others. You should go check it out quickly."
Shi Tianzhu restrained herself and looked away. "Alright, we'll go take a look first."
Ning Changfeng and Shi Tianzhu walked together toward the game hall. He couldn't shake a strange feeling and glanced back at Ning Su.
Ning Su gave him a "fighting" gesture.
Ning Changfeng then looked at Shi Tianzhu—the smile had long vanished from her face.
Ning Changfeng: "..."
After happily watching them enter the game hall together, Ning Su went to eat.
Zhu Shuangshuang, Su Wangsheng, and Ji Mingrui had all arrived; Fang Qi was absent.
They had all tried to contact Fang Qi but received no response.
Zhu Shuangshuang said, "He's probably in an instance. We can invite him next time."
Since Fang Qi wasn't there, they didn't bring up the topic of a team instance. After the meal, they simply caught up on each other's recent situations before going their separate ways.
The friend gathering was done, and his parents had gone to check out the instance. Ning Su suddenly found himself with free time.
Right now, he only wanted to see Ling Xiao.
But which Ling Xiao?
Ning Su thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up from the sofa. He immediately went to pick up the two children from Yinhua Primary School and brought them home.
When Ning Su arrived in Ling Xiao's memory space, Ling Xiao was still sitting under that black tree, eyes closed, doing who knows what.
Just seeing his back, Ning Su inexplicably felt that he had grown much stronger since their last meeting, his aura of danger now piercingly palpable.
As Ning Su sat down opposite him, Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes. Their dark, profound depths seemed capable of pulling one into an abyss.
"What are you doing here again?" he asked.
Ning Su said, "Last time, you mentioned you could send me to your world for a visit. Can you do it now?"
Ling Xiao was slightly taken aback. "You really want to go? It's not fun there at all. It's very dangerous."
Ning Su nodded, his voice firm. "I want to go."
He wanted to know exactly who Ling Xiao was, what he had been through, and why the system was latched onto him, sucking his lifeblood.
Ning Su asked, "Can you send me there?"
Ling Xiao replied, "I can, but you would have to enter a highly dangerous dungeon as another player or NPC. You might even have to die once in there. Are you still willing to go?"
Ning Su said, "I'll go. Send me now."
Ling Xiao watched him for a long time with his dark, profound eyes, then suddenly smiled. His cold hand gently touched Ning Su's face, and—to Ning Su's astonishment—he leaned in and bit Ning Su's lower lip.
"Then, good luck, my little rose."
