Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 437 - 3: Capturing Mu Nianqi

Chapter 437: Chapter 3: Capturing Mu Nianqi

Sister Li, the inn’s proprietor naturally possessed spare keys to the rooms, which allowed her to soundlessly slip into Tang Zheng’s bed.

This was partly due to Tang Zheng’s own complacency. Having lived in the hazardous Wasteland World, both his mind and body were neglected and weary. Suddenly flung into tranquility, he completely let loose. After all, the worst that could happen in a modern-day society was some financial loss, even notorious scams that trapped the victims in fatal situations were rare, finding such occurrences were even more difficult than winning the lottery twice over.

Tang Zheng remained silent, examining the woman who had crept up on him under the moonlight.

"Feeling shy?", Sister Li taunted, reaching to grab Tang Zheng’s arm. When he dodged it, she furrowed her brow and sat up.

"What’s the matter? You don’t fancy Sister Li?" Sister Li was somewhat annoyed. This young man must be a fool, refusing a rare opportunity that was being presented to him on a silver platter.

Tang Zheng was about to lift the blanket and get up but was suddenly pinned down by Sister Li.

"Let me go!" Tang Zheng had no interest in this unexpected favor. He tried to push away Sister Li because, being a robust young man, he could easily get carried away.

Sister Li resisted.

"I’m sorry." Tang Zheng used brute force to break free and swiftly jumped out of bed. With Firefly having already made it to the room’s wristwatch space, he was worried about it being stolen.

"You gutless specter, what are you afraid of? If Sister Li were to scam you, other folks would’ve already barged in." Sister Li lowered her voice, growling at him, assuming Tang Zheng was scared to be swindled.

Tang Zheng did not respond. Instead, he rushed to the wall, opened the window, and looked outside.

"Close it now, you’re going to freeze us to death." The cold wind made Sister Li’s skin crawl, instinctively pulling the blanket over herself. When she looked back, Tang Zheng had already vanished.

"Where did he go?" Sister Li shuddered at his sudden disappearance, considering they were on the second floor. Did he just jump out the window?

Sister Li looked down, saw herself dressed in her nightwear, and suppressed her urge to yell for help. She hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to walk over to the window. Outside was the pitch-dark residential area, bearing nothing except the cold wind.

"Could he be a ghost?" Sister Li wrapped her arms around herself, visibly frightened. However, seeing 300 yuan on the window sill made her breathe a sigh of relief.

"A kind-hearted young man, what a pity, he isn’t mine." Sister Li sighed, realizing Tang Zheng had left some money behind. He was indeed a simple man.

When registering, Tang Zheng had paid an extra 10 yuan to avoid using his ID, therefore, he wasn’t worried about leaving behind any personal information. Strangely, ever since participating in the Trojan Horse Game, he had a subconscious desire to erase all traces of his own activities.

"It’s only four o’clock, this is frustrating." Tang Zheng yawned, his only option was to walk to the train station. Wandering the streets in the early morning was not a good idea. Although returning with Hellfire was a tempting thought, considering the presence of anti-air defense systems, he decided against it.

After a night of turmoil, armed with a bar of chocolate, Tang Zheng finally boarded the return train. The carriage was not crowded, he found a seat and settled, letting out a long sigh.

The train went over the tracks, producing rhythmic ’ka-da’ sounds, lulling the passengers into a trance. However, Tang Zheng suddenly felt a bizarre sense of boredom. In the game, every second was a struggle to survive. But back in reality, he felt hollow."

"I guess this is what they call having too much time on your hands. People should always have something worthwhile to engage in." Tang Zheng did not want to be idle anymore, but the three-day leisure period was far too short to accomplish anything.

Having disembarked from the train and back in his familiar city, Tang Zheng continued to fret. Apart from playing the game, he seemed to have lost touch with all other activities. Even practicing firearm skills had to be done in the secrecy of his own home, always worrying about not being overheard by his neighbors.

His home in Jingshan Villa was empty as An Xiuru had gone to work. However, the fridge was stocked full of food, and a note was left on the living room tea table.

"Tang Zheng, I made some pork ribs and chicken soup yesterday, the rice is in the fridge. Warm it up and you can eat it. I have business to attend to during the day. I’ll be back in the evening to cook for you. - Sister Xiu Ru"

Tang Zheng took out his phone and dialed An Xiuru’s number.

"I can’t believe you’re actually calling me. That’s rare, by the way, are you home?" An Xiuru teased Tang Zheng, asking after his daily routine like a dutiful wife. Reassured, she finally relaxed, "If you’re tired, just have something simple to eat and get some sleep. I will be back to spend the evening with you."

Mu Nianqi skipped her morning elective class and decided to secretly replace the cameras at An Xiuru’s house. Although Tang Zheng was elusive, she never let up, which only made her more curious.

"I’ll surely uncover your secrets." A cautious Mu Nianqi turned on the monitor to find a blank screen. Apparently, the battery had run out. She didn’t mind it, grabbed the spare battery from her pocket, and was about to leave when something seemed odd. So, instinctively, she picked up the samurai short knife from the tea table.

"When did I acquire this habit? I’m not going to kill anyone!" It was only after a few steps that Mu Nianqi realised her odd behaviour. She paid no heed to her minor theatrics but instead pondered the origins of these habits. Lifting the pant cuff of her left leg, sure enough, she found a sheath tied around with a Fulcrum Military Dagger inside.

Mu Nianqi rarely ever removed the military dagger, even while sleeping. Having it seemed to have become instinctive. Not just that - she became alert when anyone stood behind her, her first consideration in a new place was always an escape route. Once when visiting the military camp, her target practice results were so good that she managed to surpass even top-rated marksmen. While others complimented her as a genius, only Mu Nianqi knew. Every time she held weapons, she felt an unexplainable familiarity, so needless to say, she longed to unravel these mysteries.