“Ye Qingyi!” Sun Yuchen called out excitedly as he walked over.
Neither Su Mo nor Ye Qingyi responded—they had no idea how they appeared in Sun Yuchen’s eyes.
“What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Seeing that he was speaking to him, Su Mo finally replied, “Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Just then, the other three members of Sun Yuchen’s group approached.
One was a man in his forties, unshaven and somewhat scruffy, but his sharp eyes gave off the impression that he could see right through a person. The moment his gaze landed on Su Mo, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.
The other man was much younger, with a plain face and reserved demeanor—the textbook definition of an introverted homebody.
The only woman in the group was as tall as Ye Qingyi, wearing a stylish crop top that perfectly showcased her toned abs. To make matters worse, she winked flirtingly at Ye Qingyi…
The result was awkward—Ye Qingyi completely ignored her, leaving the woman feeling slighted, as if her beauty wasn’t even worth a glance. But when she noticed Su Mo standing beside Ye Qingyi, she suddenly understood.
“Let me introduce you guys—this is my classmate, the one I mentioned before, Ye Qingyi,” Sun Yuchen said enthusiastically, oblivious to the strange looks in his companions’ eyes.
The crop-top woman smiled sweetly. “Four Fires, you said only people with certain qualifications can come here for missions, right?”
“Obviously, only members of our Special Operations Team—or at least new recruits—” He suddenly froze, his mind going blank as realization hit him.
Oh no… Qingyi… Ye Qingyi… Oh my god, how did I not realize she was that Ye Qingyi?! Aaaah—
The crop-top woman covered her mouth, giggling. “Your crush is right in front of you. Time to use that ‘confidence technique’ the old pros taught you.”
Sun Yuchen had achieved his first-ever social death. He wished the ground would swallow him whole.
The other two were equally embarrassed, though the scruffy大叔 (uncle) hid it well, maintaining his world-weary, all-knowing expression.
“Hi, let me introduce myself. I’m Week Eight—you can call me Sister Xing or Sister Qi, but not Sister Ba.” The crop-top woman introduced herself first, then glanced at Ye Qingyi, who remained unfazed by her charms. “And this must be Su Mo. You two make quite the pair—both so unique.”
The other two also introduced themselves.
The scruffy大叔 turned out to be Clock, the one who claimed in the group chat that he’d seen Su Mo before.
Surprisingly, the plain-looking young man was actually A’Kun—the most flamboyant one in the group chat!
His appearance was severely mismatched with his online persona.
But then again, anyone who chose that name was clearly no ordinary person. Truly a master of disguise.
Perhaps due to the awkwardness, or maybe because the place wasn’t suited for casual conversation, the group quickly dispersed after brief introductions.
As for the effeminate doctor they’d captured, no one had a better solution, so Su Mo and Ye Qingyi continued to hold onto him.
The six of them split into three teams. Su Mo and Ye Qingyi naturally stayed together. Sun Yuchen had originally been paired with Week Eight, but he couldn’t stand her teasing, so he switched to the quiet and reserved Clock.
Perhaps some trigger had been activated—the once-noisy hall was now eerily empty, leaving only the members of the Special Operations Team.
They spread out across the hall, with Su Mo and Ye Qingyi heading upstairs.
Sticking together wasn’t impossible, but splitting up was more efficient. Besides, Su Mo and Ye Qingyi’s mission differed from the others, making separate movement more advantageous.
“I suspect this place isn’t just an illusion—the NPCs here are capable of independent thought.”
“You mean…” Ye Qingyi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “We’ve entered another dimension?”
Su Mo nodded. “Exactly. But until we have solid proof, it’s just a theory.”
Ye Qingyi agreed—after all, she’d learned in elementary school that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.
Unexpectedly, the effeminate doctor in their grip suddenly sneered, “A couple of brats thinking they can unravel my work?”
The two exchanged glances and spoke in unison: “If you know something, spill it.”
The doctor hadn’t expected that reaction. “Aren’t you supposed to be angry?”
“Why should we be?”
“I’m mocking you.” His tone was full of disbelief.
“Oh right, you are mocking us.” Su Mo suddenly feigned realization, his expression turning vicious. “Before my hand meets your face, I suggest you give me the answers I want.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Slap!
“Forgot to mention—I believe in unity of knowledge and action. I never just talk.” Su Mo now played the role of a ruthless interrogator, forcing the doctor to talk.
“You—” The doctor seethed. The surroundings began to warp—the bright lights vanished, replaced by endless darkness.
In the darkness, something slithered closer, hissing ominously.
Even more bizarre, the doctor in their grasp suddenly felt lighter—his body had vanished, leaving only an empty white coat.
“Did you really think I was so weak that you could capture me so easily? Then what was the point of my years of infiltration?” The doctor’s voice echoed from all directions, impossible to pinpoint.
“Be careful—he’s probably reverted to his true form.” Su Mo swung his combat knife, slicing forward. A squelch sounded as a chunk of flesh hit the ground.
He turned on his flashlight—a tentacled monster writhed on the floor, its severed limb still twitching. The creature’s mouth, lined with fangs dripping black ooze, sat at the base of its writhing appendages.
And it wasn’t alone. Dozens more emerged from the darkness, crawling toward them.
Su Mo and Ye Qingyi stood back-to-back, slashing at the oncoming monsters.
Then—WHAM! A thick tentacle smashed into Su Mo’s side, sending a sharp pain through his ribs and forcing him to hunch over.
Ye Qingyi took a few hits defending him, losing her balance before a tentacle yanked her away.
“Qingyi!” Su Mo gritted his teeth and chased after her, following the monstrous appendage to its source—a massive, fanged maw.
A glob of black acid shot out. Su Mo dodged just in time, but smaller tentacle monsters weren’t so lucky, their bodies dissolving on contact.
Regaining her breath, Ye Qingyi struggled against the tentacle’s grip—but its strength was overwhelming.
Su Mo charged the beast, blade raised—but this time, the knife shattered on impact.
Combat knife vs. tentacle.
Tentacle wins.
This thing was not normal.
Abandoning the broken weapon, Su Mo sprinted straight for its mouth. When he was within two meters, he summoned all his strength and slammed the Tetanus Blade down onto its fangs.
CRACK!
The indestructible blade shattered the monster’s teeth.
As a heavy weapon, it might not have been the sharpest, but its sheer destructive force was undeniable.
Seeing it work, Su Mo swung again with all his might—this time aiming for the tentacle itself.
Learning its lesson, the creature retreated, dropping a dazed Ye Qingyi as it fled, cursing:
“Dammit! This guy’s hacking!”