14. Clearing the Dungeon

Hua Xiaoman looked away; she couldn't bear to watch. It was too cruel. She would rather fight ghosts and monsters for three hundred rounds than witness this scene.

Finally, after five minutes, a loud, piercing cry echoed through the entire corridor. An He’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing it. It was alive! Her child hadn't died! Tears streamed down her face as she reached out with trembling hands, desperate to hold the infant. Chi You placed the baby in her arms and then slumped onto the floor. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of the baby emerging from the birth canal flashed in her mind; the impact was simply too great. It was no wonder motherly love was considered so profound.

"My child, I’m so sorry I couldn't protect you," An He whispered, cradling the baby and stroking its back repeatedly, her face etched with self-reproach. "Mommy will protect you well from now on. I will never let you come to any harm."

Just then, all of their phones buzzed simultaneously. Chi You pulled hers out and saw a large red and black box on the screen:

[The "Crying Infant" instance has been successfully completed. Congratulations to the five survivors. You will be returned to the real world in ten minutes.]

A wave of relief washed over Chi You. She had been right all along. The tasks assigned in this instance were double-entendres, with missions hidden within missions.

Hua Xiaoman stared at the message and then at the exhausted Chi You slumped on the floor. Her grip on her phone tightened, a look of disbelief on her face. They had actually cleared an A-rank instance. And a newcomer had been the one to lead them through it.

The three people from the room came out; Ji Chao was already in tears. He had spent so long in this instance that he hadn't expected these two to arrive and clear it within a few days. "I’m going home! I’m finally going home!" Ji Chao stomped his feet with joy; he could finally go back to see his wife. It was wonderful.

Li Youchu looked at Chi You with complex eyes. He hadn't expected a novice to be able to clear an A-rank instance. With ten minutes left until they could return, Chi You lay on the floor, closing her eyes to relax. Despite appearing calm over the past few days, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She had been on edge every single day, terrified of dying in the instance. She touched her abdomen, which still throbbed; the sensation of being pierced seemed to linger there.

"Chi You, you actually like children, don't you?" An He’s voice drifted over.

"Heh, I don't like them at all," Chi You replied, continuing to deny it. She didn't understand why An He was so fixated on this. Was liking or disliking them really that important? Besides, it wasn't her child.

At that moment, the fire they had started reached the third floor. Looking at the thick, rolling smoke at the stairwell, the flames soon burst forth. The fire spread rapidly; this building, filled with sins, was about to be consumed. Everything that had happened here would vanish in the blaze.

Unable to bear the thick smoke, Chi You stood up and walked back into the room. Before leaving, she looked at An He, who was still lying on the floor. "Are you coming in?"

An He shook her head. She kissed her baby’s forehead and said, "I won't go in." With her child back in her arms, An He had returned to her original self. This time, she would stay by her child's side forever.

"Alright then."

Entering the room, Chi You lay directly on the floor. Jiang Pan followed her in, looking at the half-dead Chi You with a smirk. "To think you made such a mess of yourself in a mere A-rank instance."

Chi You rolled her eyes at him. "This is A-rank, not C-rank. You all were carried by me." Her back had been clawed, her abdomen stabbed twice, and she had nearly been burned to death. She had done all the life-threatening work; if not for her luck, she would have long since perished at the hands of those monsters.

The three people nearby listened, though only Ji Chao felt a pang of guilt and rubbed his nose. He had indeed been carried by Chi You. Out of all those people, he was the only one still alive. The others were all dead—utterly dead.

Hua Xiaoman walked over and handed her a pill. "Here, take this."

"What is this?"

"It’s for saving your life," Hua Xiaoman explained. This was the fastest she had ever cleared an instance, and it was all thanks to the two of them.

"Thanks." Chi You took it and tucked it into her pocket.

Ten minutes passed quickly. As the fire roared toward them, everyone vanished from the spot. When Chi You regained her senses, she was lying on her dormitory bed. She checked the time on her phone; it was still the same moment she had entered the instance. He Yan’s message was still waiting there.

She opened WeChat and looked at the message, then touched her face. She opened the plastic surgery app and discovered that her "Beauty Experience Card" had been extended by another month.

She didn't need to worry about turning back into her former, ugly self. It was truly great.

[Congratulations to the player for completing the "Crying Infant" instance. The novice rewards have been sent to your inbox. Please check them.]

The novice rewards were here! Chi You pushed thoughts of her "dream guy" to the back of her mind and hurriedly clicked on the mail icon in the top right corner. The feature had just appeared, and a red dot on the icon indicated the rewards had been distributed.

She opened the mail and claimed the rewards. A large red gift box appeared before her. With excitement, Chi You opened it, and out popped a pink chainsaw. The pink chainsaw filled her entire phone screen, leaving Chi You stunned. Her novice reward was a pink chainsaw? Why wasn't it red?

The image of herself chasing ghosts and monsters with a pink chainsaw was too bizarre to even contemplate.

After clicking it, another red dot appeared in her inbox. Chi You clicked it and discovered it was an email from the final boss of the "Crying Infant" instance. It simply said "Thank you," and attached was the Matriarch with the freely flowing hair, sent as a gift.

Chi You: ?

The boss could send her gifts too? An extra helper meant extra strength, so Chi You didn't refuse.

Lying on her bed, Chi You pondered how to reply to her "dream guy." Would it seem too desperate if she agreed immediately? But if she didn't agree, she wouldn't be satisfied. Just as she was hesitating, he sent another message.

[He Yan: You really have to come to this party. It won't be half as fun without you.]

Since he had put it that way, Chi You typed a reply, feigning reluctance.

[Chi You: Fine, send me the address.]

The address arrived promptly.

In the boys' dormitory, He Yan shouted excitedly, "I’ve managed to get that really pretty girl from our class to come out. Brothers, wait for me to see what she's like."

The guys around him cheered.

"That woman has such a great body, all curves. Those lips look like they’d be great to kiss."

"Brother He, make sure you film a video so we brothers can see if she’s as hot in bed as she looks."

Jiang Pan, who had just returned from the library, walked in and heard them shouting Chi You’s name. He frowned slightly and asked, "Who did you invite tonight?"