Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 9

Li Jiangong’s corpse was clearly marked by a snapped neck and a mangled left leg. Furthermore, his hands had been posed reaching toward the sky before rigor mortis set in.

This indicated he had been dead for quite some time.

However, the scream had only just occurred. The two of them shared a room; was it possible she didn’t know Li Jiangong was already dead?

Zhu Ci turned her head to look at Xiao Die, who was collapsed on the floor.

Xiao Die still had her face buried in her hands. She made no sound, and her expression remained hidden. Blood stained both of her hands, with droplets sliding onto the floor.

Yu Jiayi gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face her. “Speak. What did you see?”

“I… I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a walk. When I came back, I saw a figure entering the bathroom. I thought—I thought it was him waking up, so I called out to him. But he didn’t answer. I walked in, and I stepped into a puddle of water.” Her hands were pulled away by Yu Jiayi, revealing a face twisted in terror and splattered with blood. “I didn’t know what it was. I turned on the light, and I saw…”

Her pupils constricted. She covered her mouth with both hands. “I saw… I saw this…”

A lie. She is lying.

The evidence in this room didn’t align with her words at all.

After hearing this, Yu Jiayi stood up and entered the bathroom. The door had been tightly shut; she pushed it open with force, and a wave of humid air drifted out.

There were no windows in the bathroom, only a small ventilation port.

Either someone had just taken a shower, or the door had been kept shut for a long time, preventing the moisture from dissipating.

Furthermore, the bathroom doors on cruise ships were made of a specific heavy material. If such a door remained closed for a long time in a humid environment, it would require significant effort to open initially.

This indicated that the door had not been opened since the “shower” took place.

The exact time was uncertain, but judging by the position of the moon outside, it was roughly 2:00 AM.

Yu Jiayi noticed this as well. She gave the interior a cursory glance before stepping back out.

He Fanghui was leaning against the doorframe. She wore an extremely short silk slip dress, her wavy hair cascading down her shoulders. Even without makeup, she looked stunningly glamorous.

She let out a yawn and said, “It’s just a dead person. I thought something big had happened. Everyone, go back to sleep.”

“This… this isn’t considered a big deal?” Luo Yongcheng asked in disbelief.

“To kill an adult male in this manner is not something a human can do. It’s definitely an RM (Resident Monster). Discussing it further won’t yield results.” He Fanghui’s tone grew cold; she seemed to be in a foul mood. “Or does everyone want to stay here and die together?”

The players fell silent.

“If you were so scared, why did you go out?”

Zhu Ci’s question shattered the silence.

Sensing the question was directed at her, Xiao Die’s eyes filled with tears. She sat on the floor hugging her legs. “I… because… I… I couldn’t sleep, I…”

She stammered for a long while without being able to complete a sentence. A girl nearby knelt down and patted her shoulder to comfort her.

Luo Yongcheng habitually tried to smooth things over. “Forget it, forget it. Stop asking. The poor girl is clearly terrified. Let’s all go back and talk in the morning.”

Fortunately, the NPCs had also followed them out, so Zhu Ci didn’t stand out too much. She was likely perceived by the players as an NPC moving through a scripted quest.

She didn’t press further. Seeing that those two had likely noticed the discrepancies, she kept her questioning brief.

Crying, Xiao Die was invited by the girl who comforted her to stay with her group. The occupants of the two rooms adjacent to 217 didn’t dare stay there any longer and dispersed to squeeze into other rooms.

The players returned to their rooms one by one, but Zhu Ci did not leave.

She spent 5 points in the shop to exchange for disposable gloves, suppressing her disgust to examine the body.

Li Jiangong’s face was smeared with blood, his neck was snapped, and the bone protruded through the skin—a gruesome sight.

However, after wiping away some of the blood, his face was intact; there were no fatal wounds there. His eyes were wide open, as if he had seen something terrifying just before he died.

After checking the front and finding no wounds, Zhu Ci used her strength to flip the corpse over to check the back.

Because the corpse’s hands were raised, it could only lie on its side. To save effort, Zhu Ci knelt on one knee, her skirt partially stained by the blood that had yet to congeal. She lowered her head, feeling along the corpse’s back.

At his left shoulder, Zhu Ci felt a laceration.

She reached out directly and tore the corpse’s clothes.

The back was exposed, revealing the full extent of the cut.

There were three gashes, each less than a thumb’s length, arranged irregularly. The blood at the wounds had dried; the marks were deep, as if someone had plunged a long blade deep into the heart.

“Find anything?”

Zhu Ci wanted to investigate further, but the voice startled her so much she whipped her head around, her hand reaching for the sleeve-blade strapped to her thigh.

He Fanghui’s lips curled into a half-smile as she leaned against the door, looking down at her.

Zhu Ci nonchalantly pulled her hand back but remained vigilant. “Nothing.”

“You’ve pulled the man’s clothes down and still found nothing? Really?” He Fanghui walked forward and nudged the corpse with her foot. “Isn’t it right here?”

She pointed her toe at the three bloody gashes.

“Your eyesight must be poor, Miss Fake NPC.”

Exposed. And of all people, in front of her.

Zhu Ci had been careless. Recalling the ruthlessness this woman had displayed previously, she realized she shouldn’t be confronting her alone.

Zhu Ci stood up, ripped off the blood-stained portion of her skirt, threw it on the floor, and replied, “Since you’ve seen it, why ask? You can tell who the real problem is.”

Her pale pink long dress had been transformed into an asymmetrical short skirt, revealing her slender legs and the sleeve-blade strapped to her thigh.

He Fanghui stared directly at her legs with an unmasked, predatory gaze, even biting her lip.

Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Zhu Ci’s hair stood on end. She said, “I believe you can make a judgment. Even if you really want to kill me, better to wait for the vote tomorrow. I’m going back now.”

With that, she walked quickly toward the door.

The door slammed shut in front of her with a “boom.” The foot that had kicked it shut was retracted. The woman pressed close to her back and whispered in her ear, “How about this: if you spend a night with me, I won’t tell.”

Zhu Ci shuddered. She raised her foot to kick backward, but He Fanghui caught her ankle with a backhand, flipped her around, and pinned her back against the door.

“You’ve got spirit, baby, but not enough strength.”

The room was thick with the smell of blood. Zhu Ci’s “Senses Eraser” had worn off. He Fanghui smiled, propping one hand against the wall as if victory were inevitable.

Suddenly, Zhu Ci looked behind her and began to struggle violently.

Startled, He Fanghui quickly turned her head. The wind blew the curtains; there was nothing there.

She took a solid kick to the waist.

After kicking her, Zhu Ci yanked the door open and ran upstairs.

The sea breeze was freezing. She ran all the way to the fourth-floor terrace, but He Fanghui caught up, cornering her.

The smile on He Fanghui’s face actually deepened. Combined with her bright, moving features, she looked radiant and wild. “Your acting is truly superb.”

It had been a long time since she had met someone like this. Throughout her life, she had always thought Yu Jiayi was her only nemesis.

She hadn’t expected to encounter another person who could deceive her repeatedly.

This was far too interesting; she had to have her.

Zhu Ci panted, calculating her options. The effect of the “Calm Card” kept her relatively steady. She tapped her sleeve-blade and summoned the gun.

The gun was pointed at He Fanghui’s head, but she remained indifferent. “Guns are useless against me.”

The gun fired five times. The entire ship must have heard the noise, yet the woman opposite her remained composed, as if nothing had happened.

“I told you, it’s useless.” Zhu Ci looked closely; the bullets had all hit the ground near the woman’s feet. The woman’s sleeve-blade was glowing. “My Enchantment Card is ‘Trajectory Alteration.’ I got it from the last dungeon.”

He Fanghui summoned a dagger and stepped forward slowly. “You’re too noisy, baby. How about I quiet you down first?”

Just as Zhu Ci was about to open the shop to look for a usable item, the woman across from her suddenly collapsed, clutching her chest and frowning.

A figure stood against the light on the terrace railing. Long hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and the hem of a dress drifted in the air like swaying seaweed.

“The one who should be quiet is you.”

A familiar voice reached Zhu Ci’s ears. She looked at the backlit silhouette, wanting to cry out but stopping herself.

It was Tana.

“Wh… what…?” He Fanghui, rolling in pain on the ground, couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t expected an RM to appear now. Her heart felt as if it were being pierced by countless needles and then squeezed by a ruthless hand. The pain left her speechless.

Tana tilted her head, signaling for Zhu Ci to leave quickly. Zhu Ci hurried past the woman on the floor and ran down the stairs.

Before leaving, she saw Tana leap backward, falling straight down into the darkness.

The players, hearing the gunshots, gathered on the fourth floor again, only to find the unconscious He Fanghui lying on the ground in pain.

Yu Jiayi checked her pulse and, finding her alive, breathed a sigh of relief. She told everyone to return to their rooms and not linger, then carried He Fanghui back herself.

Zhu Ci ran down the other staircase to the first-floor deck, avoiding the players. It was very cold on the deck, and she couldn’t help but sneeze.

A thick blanket was draped over her shoulders.

Tana stood before her, tucking the blanket around her. “It’s too cold at night. Go back to your room quickly.”

Zhu Ci grabbed her hand. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might not have escaped today. How did you know I was here?”

“It’s nothing. I was just passing by.” Tana seemed slightly awkward, her eyes flickering down to where Zhu Ci was holding her. “Really. I saw you being bullied, so I came.”

In this murky, hopeless game, this was the first person who had been kind to Zhu Ci—even if she was just a monster programmed into the game.

Zhu Ci pulled her into a tight embrace.

Their warm bodies pressed together. Tana’s face turned so red it seemed it might catch fire; she didn’t know where to put her hands.

“You’ve helped me so many times. Truly, thank you.”

Hearing this, Tana grew quiet. Her hands settled on Zhu Ci’s waist, circling her gently. She said, “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t do it because I wanted your thanks.”

“Then what do you want?” Zhu Ci asked.

“I…”

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