Chapter 53: As the Old Saying Goes, Better a Swift Pain Than Lingering Suffering

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Lin Mu set off in his car. He glanced at the thermometer.

Outside: 65 degrees Celsius
Inside: 26 degrees Celsius

The temperature outside had only risen by five degrees. At this rate, in six days, that would be thirty more degrees, so on the last day, it would be at most 90 degrees Celsius. Good heavens, that’s enough to brew tea.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to step out of the car; otherwise, he couldn’t stand it. Even with all sorts of protection, he disliked such high temperatures. Inside, however, it was perfectly comfortable—and he hadn’t even turned on the air conditioning; this was just the natural temperature in the car.

All this, he owed to his inspiration from yesterday; it was the refitting that kept the inside so cool.

“By the way, I’ve prepared rooms for the three of you on the third floor. You’re getting in my way down here—especially you, Jiang Ying. This time there’s even a bathroom on the third floor!”

Jiang Ying blushed and lowered her head. Why did he have to bring that up again! But she dared not retort—after all, Lin Mu was right.

“Thank you, Lin Mu.”

“Thanks, Brother Mu.”

“All right, go on up and take a look.”

The three of them climbed up to the third floor. The first thing they saw was the bathroom. For some reason, Jiang Ying instantly felt the urge to go.

“You two go check out the room first, I’m heading to the bathroom.”

The chubby one’s face twitched—she really couldn’t hold it in.

The other two said nothing, each heading to their rooms, which were easy to find, with large words written on the doors.

Inside was a single, massive bed—more than enough for three people.

Lin Mu’s logic was simple: as long as his teammates had a place to sleep, why fuss over details? He’d even had this bed custom-made: two and a half meters wide. Three people? Even four or five could fit as long as they squeezed in a little.

“Sister Wanqing, I’m back. Wow, this bed is huge!”

At the sight of it, Lin Mu’s eyes sparkled. This was far more comfortable than the hard floor downstairs.

Gu Wanqing shook her head. “It seems big now, but that might not be the case later.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s just us now. What about later?”

In her heart, she longed for freedom, even if it was just within these walls. She touched the collar around her neck, but there was no way out. If she were in Lin Mu’s shoes, she thought, even with the collar, she’d attach a chain to prevent any surprises.

...

Jiang Ying and the others came downstairs again, quietly taking their seats on the floor.

“What are you three doing back down here?”

“It’s too boring upstairs. Down here is more fun.”

Are you sure you don’t have Stockholm syndrome, actually wanting to come back down?

“Well, fine, feed these two some food and water.”

Lin Mu tossed over a bottle of water and two loaves of bread.

Zhang Qian and the other girl had their mouths taped shut; they’d missed several meals already, and not a drop of water had passed their lips. He didn’t want them dying just yet—that would be a loss.

“Oh, all right.”

Jiang Ying glanced at her bare feet. “Brother Lin Mu, could you get me a pair of socks?”

Lin Mu’s eyelid twitched. “If you talk like that again, I’ll throw you outside myself.”

“Oh, I thought all men liked that kind of baby voice.”

“...”

Lin Mu rolled his eyes. Hearing that voice from others was pleasant; from you, it was torture.

He used the workbench to make a pile of socks and tossed them into the back. “Share these among yourselves.”

He had to admit, the workbench had plenty of common items available—as long as you had the materials, you could make all the trivial things you wanted. But if you wanted something like a down jacket, you needed a blueprint. The game’s designers clearly enjoyed toying with people.

Jiang Ying walked over to Zhang Qian and pursed her lips, placing her hand on the tape over Zhang Qian’s mouth. “Is it less painful if I peel it off slowly or quickly?”

“Probably slowly?” Gu Wanqing guessed, uncertain.

“I think it should be slow. But as the saying goes, better a short pain than a long one. Pulling it off quickly is a short pain.”

Lin Mu’s mouth twitched at the chubby one’s explanation. Was that really what the saying meant? You’ve managed to give that proverb a whole new twist.

“Oh, I get it.”

As women, why make things harder for each other?

Lin Mu didn’t care, as long as no one died.

What none of them realized was that nothing produced by this game could be taken at face value.

Jiang Ying began peeling the tape slowly, the sound of tearing filling the air. Zhang Qian, half-delirious, was jolted awake by a sharp pain.

“Mmm! Mmm—!”

Tears welled in Zhang Qian’s eyes.

“All right, all right, no need to shout. I’m peeling it off for you, and I’m doing it slowly so it won’t hurt as much. You’ll have water soon. Honestly, if you’d just cooperated, it would have been easier...”

Jiang Ying’s hands moved slowly as she muttered under her breath.

Zhang Qian’s eyes widened; she wanted to yank the tape off herself, but she had no strength left.

It hurt—unbearably so!

Why did it hurt so much even though Jiang Ying was peeling so slowly? It didn’t make sense!

The tape was thick with tiny hairs, though neither Jiang Ying nor Zhang Qian noticed.

A minute later, the tape finally came off. Zhang Qian took a deep breath—at last, it was over. As for the taste of socks in her mouth, she was long since used to it.

“Huh, I was so gentle, but there’s still so much hair left on the tape?”

“Maybe she’s shedding,” the chubby one suggested.

Jiang Ying rolled her eyes. “Do your family members shed?”

She looked at Zhang Qian’s mouth, where a red mark, the width of the tape, was left behind.

Ouch, poor thing.

Seeing her own sock in Zhang Qian’s mouth, Jiang Ying felt a surge of disgust. Precisely because it was hers, it was even worse. She’d worn those socks for over a week—the smell was unimaginable.

But she had no choice; otherwise, how could she feed her the bread and water?

Lin Mu paid little attention to what followed, since the first treasure chest of the day was just ahead.

A smile crept onto his lips. “Let’s see how well the modifications work.”

At the first chest, he extended the collection device—no lava monsters.

Boring.

On to the next, and the next.

Not until the sixth did he finally encounter his first lava creatures: three turtles that could spit fire.

But as soon as their flames touched the car, they vanished instantly.

“Now that’s what I call effective.”

With two swift strikes of the mithril longsword, the turtles vanished. Three lava stones appeared in his backpack.

[Congratulations, you have opened a bronze resource chest. You have received: 120 copper ingots, 300 liters of gasoline, 6 packs of 500g assorted nuts.]

Another batch of odd supplies.

Since yesterday, the materials he’d received had grown stranger and stranger—he’d even come across thirty portions of deep-fried stinky tofu.

“Master, a vehicle is approaching.”