As soon as the message from A-Xing popped up, Jiang Ye replied at once.
The two of them chatted in text mode.
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: A-Xing, is that you?]
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: Gasp! Xiao Jiang?? How did you find my game ID?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Destiny.]
Jiang Ye couldn’t be bothered with small talk and got straight to the point.
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: What’s your situation now?]
A-Xing still kept up the act.
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: Huh? I’m great! I just logged into the game, ready to show my skills!]
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: Don’t worry! By the time you get out of that bug, your boss here will definitely be a pro and carry you!]
Seeing A-Xing lie like that, Jiang Ye could only feel helpless.
For a moment, she deeply empathized with those parents working far away whose kids are having a rough time, yet insist everything’s fine to spare their loved ones worry.
Seventeen years old, just a kid, about the same age as her little sister. Why so stubborn?
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Do you know about something called Live Broadcast mode?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Guess what I just saw on someone’s stream?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: #Yellow Bean Smile]
A-Xing was trapped in a small wooden hut, being watched by that fat henchman of Scar Tiger.
He looked at Jiang Ye’s smiley face and felt that the smile seemed to carry some deep meaning.
A-Xing acted natural as he continued chatting with Jiang Ye.
His thoughts turned into text and whizzed off.
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: So you know everything?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Mhmm.]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Out of all the starter villages in the whole server, you just had to end up in the same one as Scar Tiger. I’ve got to say, your luck is impressive.]
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: Stop, I want to cry.]
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: But Xiao Jiang, don’t worry! Your boss will definitely pick the right time to escape! You don’t need to worry about me at all!]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: With your Level 1 puny little body? Where would you run?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: And besides, until you leave the starter village, you, Scar Tiger, and his two lackeys will always be on the same map. If they want, they can gang up on you three against one. Even though newbie villages have PK protection and they can’t kill you, they can still control you just like they are now.]
Jiang Ye’s analysis made the previously optimistic A-Xing suddenly realize how dire his situation was.
Outside, the wind howled, rattling the windows and doors of the wooden hut, banging furiously.
Fatty, who’d been dozing off, snapped awake, glancing around warily. “Who, who’s there!”
Realizing no one was at the door and it was only the storm tossing the hut, Fatty let out a sigh of relief and his plump belly dropped. He waved a wary glance toward A-Xing and stuttered out a warning, “L-let me tell you! D-don’t think about running away! We, we’ll take turns, t-t-take–”
Seeing him get stuck halfway through his sentence, A-Xing spoke up helplessly. “You’ll take turns standing watch and guarding me one after another, right?”
Fatty nodded, and after he realized, he tried to act impressive. He glared at A-Xing and slapped his own big belly, warning, “Anyway, d-don’t even think about getting away!”
A-Xing gave a flattering smile. “Bro, Fat Bro, look at me. I don’t look like someone who can escape anyway.”
Fatty eyed his scrawny frame and snorted smugly, no longer bothered with him. A-Xing turned his attention back to chatting with Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye was right.
His situation was pretty bad.
He’d just logged in and immediately got captured and tied up. Even after logging out and back in, he was still bound up in this hut.
A Xing felt a little frustrated.
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: Or should I just delete my character and start over in another starter village to be safe?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: After deleting your character, there’s a one-month cool-off period before you can start over. By then, the moment’s long gone.]
Raindrops suddenly pattered down outside the wooden hut.
The sound fell hard and fast, like thousands of beans hitting the ground, echoing through the hut and landing right on A-Xing’s heart, pounding a hollow there and filling him with a wave of sorrow.
Could it be that their plan to run away and make money was about to end before it even started?
A-Xing felt guilty.
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: I’m sorry]
[Private Chat · Young Master With Money: If only I were stronger and better, I wouldn’t have been caught by Scar Tiger and his men. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t taken that job, if I hadn’t brought you along, we wouldn’t have discovered those kids packed in boxes, and we wouldn’t have offended Scar Tiger. Xiao Jiang, it’s all my fault.]
As someone who prided herself on being rational, Jiang Ye couldn’t stand it when people got all emotional with her.
She wondered if she had some kind of fear of genuine emotion.
Abruptly, she jumped up on the island, rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, and let out a loud “Ahhhh!”
The coconut tree beside her must have felt her mood, for it swayed crazily twice in solidarity.
After venting her feelings, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged under the tree and fired off a rapid reply.
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Stop right there. Meeting idiots isn’t your fault, stop apologizing.]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: I have a solution. Want to hear it?]
[Private Chat · A Leaf Boat: Actually, you’ll have to hear it even if you don’t want to.]
Two hours later, the skinny guy returned and swapped shifts with Fatty. As soon as the door opened, the stick-thin man grumbled. “Killing rabbits is awful work. Old Pig, it’s your turn to escort the boss to hunt monsters. Remember, when the rabbit’s on its last sliver of health, let the boss get the final hit. Otherwise, the rabbit will count towards your quest progress, not his.”
“Okay, S-Skinny, Skinny Monkey.”
Fatty rushed to get up.
He’d been stuck in here watching A-Xing for half a day, bored stiff. Now that there was a chance for some action, how could he let it pass? He left, delighted at the prospect.
A-Xing seized the opportunity and spoke up obediently. “Brothers, you’re killing rabbits to help the village chief’s quest, right?”
Hearing this, Fatty paused.
Skinny Monkey shot the blond kid a sidelong glance. “What’s it to you?”
A-Xing’s hands were tied behind his chair, so he shuffled forward, chair and all.
Skinny Monkey grew wary. “Hey, what are you up to, brat?”
A-Xing replied earnestly, “Bro, I’ve got a way to help Boss Tiger finish the quest.”
Skinny Monkey didn’t buy it, and Fatty just burst out in a fit of cackling, his words tangled up as he laughed, “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Skinny Monkey glared at him. “Enough already!”
A-Xing put on a look of repentance and sincerity. “I mean it, bro. I’ve got seafood in my backpack. I picked it up earlier on a hidden map. How about this? You untie me, I’ll get the seafood out, you pass it to Boss Tiger, then tie me back up. With both of you watching, I couldn’t run even if I grew wings.”
After saying this, A-Xing noticed a hint of temptation on both their faces and threw more bait. “If this works, you guys will be credited with major merit. If not, it’ll be my mistake anyway, right? Guys, I just have one wish—if this seafood really helps Boss Tiger, would you put in a good word for me with him? What happened before was my fault.”
A-Xing let out a heavy sigh. “I shouldn’t have lost my head back then and offended Boss Tiger.”
A-Xing lowered his head, sneaking a glance at their reactions.
Skinny Monkey pulled Fatty aside to confer in whispers. After a long huddle, they came back. Skinny Monkey first warned A-Xing not to try anything. Once A-Xing nodded obediently, Skinny Monkey untied him.
A-Xing rolled his wrists.
The game was so realistic, it even left a bruise on his wrist.
He cursed silently, but on the surface, he stayed meek and took the chunk of tuna belly Jiang Ye had just traded to him out of his backpack, handing it to the one in charge, Skinny Monkey.
Skinny Monkey took it, checked the info, and after verifying it was correct, traded it to Boss Hu through the game interface and explained the situation.
Once that was done, Skinny Monkey tied A-Xing up again.
This time, A-Xing couldn’t help making a small request. “Bro, could you tie me up the same way as before, matching the old bruise?”
Skinny Monkey: “?”
A-Xing added awkwardly, “I just really don’t want another set of rope marks. It’s a bit unsightly.”
Skinny Monkey: “...”
He snorted, tying the ropes randomly on purpose, and sneered, “You’re just a damn junk picker, so fussy.”
A-Xing lowered his eyes and didn’t say another word.
Ten minutes later, Scar Tiger arrived.
He looked triumphant, clearly in a great mood.
A-Xing glanced at his head. He couldn’t check Scar Tiger’s info, but since Scar Tiger’s henchmen had friended him, he could see it. So he called out in surprise, “Boss! You’re level 2!”
Scar Tiger had leveled up, which proved Jiang Ye’s guess was correct.
The final step of the quest was to give seafood to the village chief.
So, whether or not you went through the whole rabbit-killing process, as long as you had seafood, you could complete the starter quest and level up immediately.
Jiang Ye was amazing.
How had she figured it out from just a single thing Scar Tiger said?
How did she understand the game mechanisms so well?
A-Xing stopped thinking about it and looked up at Scar Tiger, who was sizing him up. He buttered him up. “Boss Tiger, you’re here.”
Scar Tiger gave the fat and skinny duo a look.
Fatty grew nervous. “Boss? Do your eyes hurt?”
Scar Tiger took a deep breath, stifling his temper, and looked toward Skinny Monkey.
Skinny Monkey quickly said, “He means we did a good job, Old Pig!”
…
Scar Tiger realized he had no chemistry with his goons and finally forced himself to speak quietly. “Untie him.”
A-Xing’s eyes sparkled.
Fatty grumbled under his breath, reluctantly untying the rope.
A-Xing sprang to his feet, stretched, and smiled obsequiously. “Boss Hu, you really are the generous one.” He gave Scar Tiger a thumbs-up. “You’re the real deal.”
Scar Tiger snorted. “Where did you get this seafood?”
“Boss Hu, I’ll show you!”
A-Xing immediately led Scar Tiger, as per his and Jiang Ye’s agreement, to a small creek in the starter village.
Scar Tiger frowned. “Don’t tell me you got the seafood from the river.”
A-Xing slapped his thigh. “Haha! Boss Hu! I’m telling you, that’s exactly it!”
Scar Tiger cast a look full of disbelief at him.
You think I’m an idiot?
Immediately, A-Xing rolled up his pants, revealing a fair slice of calf, and stepped straight into the river. He splashed around for some time before his eyes lit up.
Splash.
A Xing raised up a chunk of tuna belly out of the water.
The golden-haired youth, striking and carefree, gave a big-hearted grin. The tips of his hair were damp, dotted with droplets.
In his hand, the tuna belly looked impossibly fresh, with beautiful marbling and fat meat beading with water. Under the sunlight, those beads shone like diamonds, enchanting the onlookers—Scar Tiger and his two sidekicks stood staring, completely dumbstruck.
No way!
You really could fish seafood out of the river here!