Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 7

When she opened her eyes, a cramped space entered her field of vision. Zhu Ci found herself lying on a simple white bed. The room contained a steel desk and a wardrobe, with a circular porthole window to her right.

As she rolled out of bed, a wave of dizziness washed over her.

She walked to the window and opened it to peer outside. A massive, towering wave surged toward her, catching her off guard and drenching her completely.

Hurriedly slamming the window shut, she looked out again. She saw the waves receding, leaving behind a dark night that enveloped the damp, empty deck.

She was on a ship.

The seawater was salty and humid, making her clothes stick to her skin.

After rummaging through the wardrobe, Zhu Ci found several dresses. She took a shower and changed into a light pink long dress. The other options were mostly formal gowns; this one was the only one that felt relatively casual.

The steel desk was bolted to the floor. On top of it sat a pile of cosmetics, and in the most prominent spot lay a sticky note.

“Palos, go to the third-floor banquet hall.”

— Signed, Isaac.

This was likely the main quest.

She applied some light makeup and pinned her hair up into a bun.

Before heading to the third floor, she paused in thought. She moved her hidden sleeve-blade, strapping it to her thigh instead, concealed beneath her skirt.

She didn’t know who Isaac was, nor who this “Palos” was supposed to be… but it was always better to be prepared for the worst.

Perhaps because the shower had taken some time, she was the last person to arrive at the banquet hall.

Many scrutinizing gazes turned toward Zhu Ci. She did a quick mental count: including herself, there were 19 people in total.

Most people wore armbands on their sleeves, likely players like her. A few others, like herself, wore nothing at all.

The majority were dressed in formal attire, though some wore ordinary clothes. They looked guarded, and there was very little conversation between them.

After Zhu Ci joined the group, a plain-looking middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd and extended his right hand toward her: “Hello, I am Luo Yongcheng. May I ask who you are…”

Before he could finish, he noticed her arms were bare. The rest of his sentence died in his throat.

Recalling the name on the note, she didn’t reach out to shake his hand. She simply replied, “Palos.”

Luo Yongcheng nodded and retreated into the crowd, whispering to another man standing beside him.

“Most of us here are players, right?” another person spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention.

The speaker was a woman with a cold expression, wearing a light blue short dress. She stood with one hand on her hip, appearing to be in her 20s. Her bright red lipstick made her pale skin look as white as snow. “There might be a few NPCs among us. Since the majority are players, there’s no need to keep up the act. If we all want to get out alive and earn points, we need to cooperate.”

In this game world, aside from the RM (Refresh Monsters) that spawned regularly, there were also NPCs. In dungeons with higher interactivity, these individuals appeared to provide tips or issue tasks. Like the RMs, they had no emotions, but they acted logically and would not actively attack players. These were the NPCs.

“Yu Jiayi, is it really a good idea to expose yourself so early?” Standing next to the cold woman was a flighty-looking woman in a crimson backless dress, with a side slit that reached almost to her hip. They appeared to be around the same age.

She reached out to drape an arm over Yu Jiayi’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper against her ear: “We all had notes before coming here with our names for this dungeon. If someone has hidden their armband and blended in among us… then the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light.”

Yu Jiayi’s expression didn’t flicker. She reached up, pinched the woman’s cheek, and pulled her close: “If there is an enemy, it would only be you, He Fanghui.”

Upon hearing that name, a memory from over half a month ago flashed through Zhu Ci’s mind. She was startled; this was the player who had been flagged in red text for a violent assault and sent to the isolation zone. Now, she was in the same dungeon.

Zhu Ci knew she had to be exceptionally careful.

Because of the influence of her “Calmness Card,” Zhu Ci’s memory was vivid, while the others didn’t seem to react to the name.

Seeing the tension rising between the two, Luo Yongcheng stepped in to play peacemaker: “Let’s not have infighting, everyone. This beautiful lady has a point. We’re all stuck in this place by force; it’s better to help each other, right?”

The crowd remained silent. Only a few people nodded in half-hearted agreement.

The few NPCs, including Zhu Ci, remained calm, appearing indifferent to the conversation. Only one short, male NPC looked cowed, fidgeting nervously and looking highly suspicious.

His odd behavior didn’t go unnoticed, but no one spoke up.

He Fanghui noticed it too. She smiled thinly, tilting her head to look at the man.

This gesture clearly terrified him even more; he began to tremble violently.

Suddenly, the lights cut out completely. Someone screamed. Zhu Ci pressed down the side of her skirt, lowering her head and observing her surroundings, ready to pull out a tool at any moment.

“Since everyone is here, let us begin.”

A deep, resonant male voice echoed from above.

The lights snapped back on. A spotlight hit the balcony on the second floor of the banquet hall. A man with brilliant golden hair, dressed in a sharp suit and wearing a mask, leaned lazily against the railing.

“Why did you call us to the banquet hall? Where is the mermaid’s treasure?” the man who had been standing next to Luo Yongcheng asked urgently, looking up.

The masked man didn’t answer him directly. He spoke as if to himself: “Welcome, travelers, to the Nereid. I am Captain Isaac.”

“To fulfill our great ambition and obtain the true treasure, the Nereid has sailed to the center of the Tisiphone Sea!”

Isaac raised his hands high, his lips curling into a smile filled with intense madness. “From this day forward, we can worship the mermaids and sacrifice ourselves!”

Hearing this, Luo Yongcheng stood frozen. “Sacrifice? What sacrifice?”

“The offerings, naturally,” Isaac said, his smile vanishing with a speed that caught everyone off guard. “The beautiful mermaids require offerings. They need blood and life before they will grant us the true treasure. Starting today, you must vote every day to choose one person to be the offering.”

“It is now 9:00 PM. If there is no result by midnight, I will choose at random.”

He clapped his hands. The doors to the banquet hall were violently thrown open. Tall men armed with automatic rifles filed in with disciplined precision, forming a semi-circle that hemmed in the 19 of them.

“Do not resist, or you know what the outcome will be.” Isaac held two fingers to his temple, made a “pew” sound with his mouth, snorted, turned, and walked away.

“Looks like the cooperation plan is cancelled, Yu Jiayi,” He Fanghui said nonchalantly, a look of schadenfreude on her face.

Yu Jiayi glared at her, and only then did He Fanghui adjust her expression, changing her tune: “How about this? Since there are so many NPCs anyway, we’ll vote one out every day. That buys us plenty of time to find the treasure. Once we find it, everyone can get out.”

Luo Yongcheng finally snapped out of it. He nodded frantically. “Yes, yes! Those NPCs don’t have thoughts anyway. It’s better to vote for them first.”

The situation was currently very unfavorable for Zhu Ci, who was pretending to be an NPC. However, she didn’t want to expose herself yet and could only continue her disguise.

He Fanghui’s eyes darted around. Just as she was about to speak, the cowering male NPC collapsed to the floor in terror, crying out: “I’m a player! I’m a player! I just used a Hidden Enchantment Card; I didn’t mean to stay silent! Don’t vote for me, please, I beg you…”

“Oh? Is that so?” He Fanghui laughed. “Where’s your proof?”

His face was a mess of tears and snot. He swallowed hard and said, “I… the card hasn’t expired yet, I can’t deactivate it. Wait until tomorrow, okay? I’ll definitely prove it to you tomorrow. Just don’t vote for me today. Vote… vote for her!” He reached back and pointed a finger directly at Zhu Ci.

The man looked back and said, “She was the last NPC to arrive, and she even gave a name. She might be a disguised RM! Vote for her! Vote for her!”

Zhu Ci knit her brows slightly, appearing somewhat impatient. At this moment, she couldn’t be too conspicuous; she had to find a way to extricate herself.

He Fanghui walked over to the man, her thin high heels clicking against the porcelain floor, creating an ethereal echo.

He looked up and saw a beautiful, straight leg appearing before him. The slit of her dress reached deep, causing a sudden surge of wandering thoughts in his mind.

She crossed her arms, sized him up for a moment, and then suddenly stomped on his head with her foot. She slammed him hard against the floor, and the sound of bone cracking against the ground rang out.

“Urgh… urgh…”

The man could no longer speak. Yu Jiayi’s face darkened, while Luo Yongcheng took a terrified step back.

The people around them were stunned, but Zhu Ci didn’t move.

This person truly deserved to be the first one sent to the isolation zone; her methods were ruthless enough.

“I don’t like men who cry. It makes me… very irritable.”

As she spoke, He Fanghui applied more pressure, as if she wanted to embed his head into the floor tiles.

“Enough!” Yu Jiayi shouted in a low voice, telling her to stop. Only then did He Fanghui retract her foot, glancing back reluctantly.

“People are just really annoyed,” she pouted, appearing as though she were acting cute, but there was no warmth in her eyes. “Then it’s him for today. Any objections?”

No one spoke. It seemed everyone had silently agreed.

The armed men suddenly moved, hoisting the man off the floor and dragging him out of the banquet hall doors.

Yu Jiayi and her group followed them out first. The remaining few followed behind. Zhu Ci intended to follow as well, but someone grabbed her by the wrist.

A familiar sensation washed over her.

The players had all run out, leaving only a few NPCs behind. Zhu Ci was also left there.

The person holding her wrist was a young girl wearing a white short dress. She had brownish-red hair that reached her waist. She was several inches shorter than Zhu Ci and had a doll-like face, appearing to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.

“This way.”

She pulled Zhu Ci along, her legs moving quickly as they ran in the opposite direction of the exit. They left the banquet hall through a back door and headed up to the fourth floor.

On the far right of the fourth floor was a flat terrace lined with beach chairs, likely for tourists to enjoy the cool air or sunbathe. The girl pulled her to the edge of the terrace.

Zhu Ci leaned against the railing, her wrist still held firmly in the girl’s palm.

She didn’t let go.

Zhu Ci didn’t say anything to remind her. Following the girl’s gaze, she looked down below.

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