CH 23.1

Following the Rules Is Unimpressive; Flouting the Rules, and Now We’re Talking

“Strange…”

Lin Yi places the dinner on the window, then observes the clean corridor and the cell closely. While nothing looks out of place, he realises the source of his odd feeling soon enough.

The cell door next door is open. There is a pile of chains on the wall that separates this cell from Jiang Yiyi’s. It’s like someone left in a hurry, and didn’t close the door behind them.

Jiang Yiyi takes the dinner and places it on his coffee table. The soft plastic chopsticks draw a chuckle from him after a few seconds.

“Did someone come to the cell next door?” After noting the oddity, Lin Yi looks back to see Jiang Yiyi chuckling. He can’t help but feel stranger, “what’s so funny?”

“Stargaol isn’t as bogged down by bureaucracy as I thought.” Jiang Yiyi stirs his meal with the chopsticks roughly, concluding, “the Warden deserves his reputation.”

“You’re not eating?” Lin Yi, seeing him go through the meal, has a terrible guess, “something in the meal?”

Jiang Yiyi then takes a bite, and asks with astonishment, “you trust Stargaol that little?”

Lin Yi is not going to waste energy arguing with Jiang Yiyi——Mostly because Jiang Yiyi’s comments are painfully correct. He cannot stand a chance.

“So what happened just now?” Lin Yi leans on the window to work through his observations so far, “it is notable that the utensils were switched out today.” He knits his brows to recall, “on the way here, I did not see 1203 at all… Even though he would always be hanging out at the canteen in previous meals.”

Jiang Yiyi has finished his meal with expedience and grace. He puts the tray back on the window, glances at Lin Yi, then suggests, “called away, I suppose.”

“Called away?” Lin Yi does not find the judgemental gaze comfortable. He questions, but is not expecting an answer, for he is wondering what Jiang Yiyi is suddenly looking for in him, “why are you looking at me like this?”

“I’m wondering…” Jiang Yiyi, looking him up and down, is quite confounded, “why you have stopped fearing me.”

“Fearing you?”

“Your answer.”

Lin Yi gives it some thought, then chooses his words carefully, “I would not say I am not…” he pauses, and then lays out his feelings bare, “I know that you are dangerous.”

“But despite that…” He furrows his brows, thinking hard, “I do not think you will bring me harm.” Having finally spit that out, he sighs a little, before asking, “why the question, then?”

“The Observers were here.” Jiang Yiyi sits back on his sofa. He then gestures to the side.

Lin Yi finally realises what the wide open door implies, and asks, “and then? What happened with them?” He pauses, connecting the dots, and changes his question, “what did you do to them?”

Although it seems an absurd question to be asking a locked prisoner, but there is nothing impossible when it comes to Jiang Yiyi.

Jiang Yiyi looks up at the surveillance camera above. It still remains shut down, “what do you think I could even have done?”

A lot. A lot, a lot.

Lin Yi peeks at the man’s fingers. They are long and almost immaculate, resting on the owner’s legs. They looks practically harmless.

“We had a chat.” Replies Jiang Yiyi, “gathered information.”

“He left in a hurry…” Lin Yi glances at the cell next door once more, “and I don’t think the Observers would have announced their identities?”

“He went into the cell next door. He was prepared to evaluate you for a longer time period…” Lin Yi stops mumbling, and looks back at Lin Yi, “you saw through his disguise?”

“Mmhm.” Jiang Yiyi closes his book, and answers Lin Yi, “very few people can fool me entirely.”

He almost sounds like he’s implying something. Lin Yi asks, his throat a little parched, “a lot of tells?”

Jiang Yiyi thinks for a few seconds, then gives him an objective answer, “fewer than you.”

Actually, without the nickname, he might not have been able to isolate their identity as Observers either. Lin Yi, on the other hand…

No strange nicknames, but, Jiang Yiyi’s eyes fixes on his body. A dissection diagram emerges once again. Among the collection of Vulnerabilities and best ways to attack, several terms occur quite often. ‘Military grade;’ ‘Alert;’ ‘Counter Reconnaissance.’ These terms, contrasting his background, easily points to the fact that he is an undercover agent.

Lin Yi looks quite complicated. In fact, he has an urge to just ask Jiang Yiyi exactly what he knows. He keeps the urge at bay easily enough, and changes the topic, “it seems, your chat did not go very well?”

Jiang Yiyi stops looking, “let’s just say, it’s time you start worrying.”

Lin Yi pauses for a couple of seconds, his mind burning from all the information processing, “you were evaluated, as very dangerous?”

“Not really. At least he didn’t have time to tell me his conclusion.”

That sounds even less reassuring.

“Didn’t I say to lay low for a little?” Lin Yi’s expression is stern, “they can’t be sending you straight to the bottom floor?”

Jiang Yiyi thinks for a few seconds, then gives him another objective answer, “I cannot say for certain.”

“I… You…” Lin Yi points at Jiang Yiyi, then back at himself, and finally just puts his hand down, sighing, “why in the world did I decide to pick you of all people!”

Jiang Yiyi continues to read his book. He seems like he will never be fazed by anything ever, “condolences.”

“I do not feel the slightest tone of sympathy from you. It is even infuriating…”

Lin Yi’s voice is fading in volume, until there is nothing to be heard.

“What now?” Jiang Yiyi looks at him.

Lin Yi gulps discreetly. There is a small layer of sweat spreading through his palm. A fear has returned to his memories.

Under the eyes of a terrible existence, the shadow of death looms once more.

Death alone, however, does not carry such a suffocating presence. There is something else. Higher, taller. Overlooking him from on high. Each and every ending of his nerve is screaming out.

His instincts are warning him. Warning him of impending doom.

Before Lin Yi’s nerves should fail of sensory overload, Jiang Yiyi finally retracts his gaze.

Jiang Yiyi is certain now. There is either something wrong with him, or something wrong with this NPC he was assigned randomly——He continues flipping through his book, concluding while appearing to have done nothing notable in particular.

Although, objectively, no one could say he has done anything either.

What are they afraid of? Afraid of him? Or afraid of Jiang Yiyi?

Jiang Yiyi feels like the problem does not lie with himself——As he can clearly recall everything that happened before his transmigration, including content relating to this game.

His harmlessness thus must be proven beyond a doubt, for he was but a simple, innocent male university undergraduate.

Therefore, the one they fear must be this random NPC——Did he really luck his way into some sort of ultimate boss character?

Jiang Yiyi is doubtful that he has such good luck——When he plays gacha games, he scrapes by with only guaranteed drops, and has never seen the luck that is getting the pick-up reward on first draw. Transmigrating and turning him into the luckiest bastard to walk the world feels like a distant fever dream for someone as misfortune-stricken as him.

Jiang Yiyi looks over his skills once more. His Surgery (Divine) and Psychology (Masterful) have him do a double take, as he falls into thought.

【What are they actually afraid of】

Finally, some other voice chimes in, breaking the silence.

It is Lin Yi’s radio.

“Lin Yi, emergency meeting. Head to Block A, Meeting Room 1-102 immediately.”

Lin Yi has crawled back out from the depths of the lethal abyss, returning to reality.

He straightens up. Now that he has seen death head-on from across the River Styx, he has shifted his attitude towards Jiang Yiyi back to normal. Restrained, respectful.

He does not dare look at Jiang Yiyi——Before he next forgets this trauma, he is unlikely to want to enter into a staring contest with Jiang Yiyi, “looks like something happened.”

Jiang Yiyi also stops thinking, and clarifies, “looks like, they have their conclusion.”

Lin Yi pauses, and observes Jiang Yiyi out the corner of his eye.

Jiang Yiyi is reading his book once more, not seemingly caring about what took place just now one bit, explaining, “their conclusion, relating to whether your mission can successfully progress.”

“The conclusion of which floor to send me to.”

Lin Yi nods. He does not know why he is nodding, but he is merely nodding in acknowledgement.

“Oh… Then, I’m going?” He takes a step, when Jiang Yiyi speaks up once more.

“Are you sure you want to go like this?”

Lin Yi pauses and starts looking himself over.

Is he really an undercover agent? He looks like he would be a free KO for anyone so inclined.

Jiang Yiyi shakes his head, “never mind.”

The emotions yet lingering, Lin Yi does not ask Jiang Yiyi what he was going to say. He hurries to leave Jiang Yiyi’s vicinity.

Jiang Yiyi watches his rapidly shrinking silhouette, and is realising, quite profoundly, just how insanely influential he is as a character.

Perhaps, maybe, possibly, he really is some kind of final boss?