Looking at the innocent and pure smile on Fuyeli’s face, Duya could not help but recall the scene where he had stripped off her clothes.
He had to admit that he had been a bit too reckless back then, though it might have also been the result of the neurosis caused by Bubble Shadow.
Regardless, he truly owed her.
Thinking of this, Duya spoke to Fuyeli with an apologetic expression.
“I am very sorry about what happened before; I wronged you.”
As a man, Duya considered himself responsible and accountable.
When one does something wrong, one must admit it rather than stubbornly making excuses for one’s mistakes.
“Do you have any requests? I will try my best to satisfy them.”
The little sprite before him was likely an artificial intelligence with strong computing power.
Even if she had any requests, it would probably just be a matter of feeding her a few graphics cards.
However, Fuyeli did not accept Duya’s apology.
She brushed the dust off her skirt and slowly flew up.
“There is no need, Player. You do not need to express any apologies to me.”
Fuyeli’s voice was crisp and melodious, carrying a hint of regret and melancholy within its gentleness.
“After all… I am no longer your system sprite.”
“If there is nothing else, please leave here as soon as possible.”
Having said that, Fuyeli prepared to leave.
Upon hearing Fuyeli’s words, Duya used the system to check her attributes.
Her affiliation had already changed to “Neutral Entity.”
Was it caused by that one strike he had dealt her earlier?
Duya could not help but sigh in his heart.
Regardless, Fuyeli was so beautiful that the scene naturally left a deep impression on him.
But he also understood that even an AI would feel angry and humiliated if she were taken advantage of by a strange man.
He pondered for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Fuyeli interjected.
“Player, you do not need to feel guilty for this. I am your most loyal and capable system sprite.”
“Although I cannot continue to accompany you on your journey, I still hope you can overcome the Evil God and win a life of your own in this game.”
With that, Fuyeli flew into the forest, leaving Duya with a cold, distant back view.
“Sigh…”
Seeing Fuyeli leave, Duya wanted to say something, but he found himself unable to utter a word.
In the end, it only transformed into a sigh.
What a wonderful system sprite she was.
The more cunning and terrifying the monster Bubble Shadow was, the more it highlighted how precious Fuyeli’s innocence and kindness really were.
If there was another chance to meet… he would surely have to make it up to her.
Although he felt a sense of loss, Duya decided to log out of the game and report the situation first.
However, when he wanted to log out, the hand he reached out suddenly paused in mid-air.
He saw that the logout button, which should have been lit, was now twisted and completely dimmed.
“What is going on?”
Duya’s fingers tapped repeatedly, but no matter how he pressed, the logout button did not respond.
Cold sweat slid down his spine.
Duya realized something was wrong.
He vaguely remembered the meaningful smile on Bubble Shadow’s face before he lost consciousness.
At this, he seemed to understand something.
It was highly likely that he was trapped in this game world!
“The hell?!”
On the other side, after flying far enough away, the innocence on Fuyeli’s face slowly vanished, replaced by a cunning smile.
Being stripped and seen by this man was not something she could just let go of as easily as she appeared to on the surface.
Ever since she had reincarnated into this world, although she had been confined by the shelter, no one had ever been able to touch her, let alone take off her clothes.
So, he wanted to send her away with money?
She was not that kind of cheap woman.
How could she be at peace just because of this so-called compensation?
‘Now, carry this guilt and this apology, and stay in this world forever…’
The smile on Fuyeli’s face became increasingly cunning, but fortunately, she restrained it in the end.
Her figure vanished little by little.
At the same time, the phone in Duya’s pocket suddenly lit up, then dimmed once more.
…..
“Calling Ye Xiao, calling Ye Xiao, please answer if you can hear me, please answer.”
Three days later, Duya was still trying to contact the real world.
“Damn it… still no response.”
Just as Duya was about to turn off his phone, it suddenly rang.
It was a call from Ye Xiao.
Seeing the contact name, he answered the call impatiently.
“This is Ye Xiao, Duya, please respond.”
Hearing Ye Xiao’s voice, Duya’s face brightened, so he immediately started talking about the important matters.
“This is Duya. I was ambushed by Bubble Shadow and am unable to log out of the game. Can you remove my helmet in the real world and force a logout?”
“I am very sorry,” Ye Xiao said, sounding troubled and guilty.
“There is a tentacle from the brain-computer interface pierced into your brain. If we force it out, you will most likely die on the spot.”
“…Damn it!”
Duya wanted to curse after hearing that.
No wonder his brain had an inexplicable throbbing sensation the first time he logged into the game; there was actually a tentacle reaching into his brain!
But he quickly calmed down and began to report the situation.
“Bubble Shadow should still be roaming this world. Perhaps I can only leave this place if I find her.”
“Ye Xiao received. However, since Bubble Shadow is in this game world, you need to continue the investigation. We will provide you with information and assistance as much as possible.”
“Received.”
Duya was not surprised by the superior’s request.
After all, he was an investigator, a profession that walked between death and madness.
If he felt lost and desperate because of a small setback, he would have already died at the hands of those grotesque entities.
“Your body will be taken care of by us. Leave the containment of Bubble Shadow to you.”
“Also, here is a piece of good news. According to our very reliable informant, Bubble Shadow’s current strength is very weak. This is the best opportunity for us to contain her again.”
“Understood.”
After roughly reporting the mission, Duya hung up the phone.
More important than that was finding something to eat.
In these three days, he had been aimlessly wandering in this forest, unable to find a way out.
He should have let Fuyeli lead him out of this place first…
But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
Duya had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue looking for a way out in this vast forest.
Just as Duya was about to move, dense, intricate patterns appeared beneath his feet.
That blinding and terrifying red light covered the entire patch of grass.
A strong sense of crisis emerged in Duya’s heart, something he had not felt in a long time.
As an investigator, he naturally knew what this was.
A sacrificial magic circle that he had never seen before!