Xu Yang's shrewd eyes sized me up for a while before he curled his lips into a meaningful smile. "You don't look too happy. What's going on?"
He sidled up to me and slung his arm around my shoulders, feigning extreme intimacy.
"Come on. Let's go handle the mission. Weren't you always curious about why that old guy allowed us to stay here? Now we're finally going to find out."
He did have a point. I was actually quite eager to take on the mission. After all, whether we could survive here successfully depended on whether we could get the mission we wanted.
I exchanged a look with Yan Yan. We wordlessly ignored what we'd just said to each other and strode forward.
The tinkling of the bells in the distance was gradually fading. I told myself firmly not to think about useless things. All I had to do now was focus on myself.
We kept walking forward. When we reached the front, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. There stood a figure, silent and still.
A Bai turned to look at us. With a cold expression, he said, "Let's go. The four of us will go check out the latest mission."
"Aren't you not fond of walking with us? Why are you tagging along?"
A Bai scoffed. "Do you think I want to? If it weren't for the fact that we have to earn points as a group, do you think I'd follow you? Besides, missions can't conflict. What if you snatched the mission I requested?"
Right, there was the issue of mission conflicts. Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat. It seemed that competition for resources in this school was quite fierce.
Although there weren't many people, with such a rule in place, things would surely become complicated.
I've always hated such troublesome things.
I shook my head and walked forward helplessly.
Thud, thud, thud! The sound behind me made me slow down. I turned around and stared into the pitch - black corridor.
There was nothing in the corridor. It seemed as if there was nothing in the endless darkness. However, what we'd just experienced clearly told us that there was a pair of eyes staring at us.
I couldn't even tell what that thing was. Did there really exist something non - human in this world? No one could tell me the truth.
Suddenly, Yan Yan reached out his arm and slung it around my shoulders. He led me away in a somewhat domineering manner.
I turned to look at him but said nothing. It was a long while before I managed to say, "Thanks!"
Yan Yan looked back at me, looking confused. "What for?"
I shook my head. I hadn't felt the sense of being protected in despair for a long time.
I really owed him a debt of gratitude just now. If I hadn't been pulled out of there, I might have been devoured by that thing.
I didn't know what that dark gas and energy were, but I was certain that it was not right.
I swallowed hard. My steps faltered for a moment, and then I quickened my pace to catch up.
We retraced our steps and opened the door leading to the outside.
The door swung open, and the sunlight poured in, shining through our eyelashes.
The sunlight was a bit too bright. I rubbed my head in pain and followed A Bai towards the nearby jungle.
After crossing a patch of low bushes, we saw a relatively tall building in front of us.
It was a four - story building. There was a sign in front of it, on which were written three words: Mission Building.
This was the place where we were going to receive our missions. I understood what was going on and took the lead to walk in.
The door wasn't locked. Inside were some bookshelves, much like those in a library. An old man was sleeping at the entrance of the bookshelves.
The old man looked to be in his sixties, with a mass of graying hair and beard. He was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, looking rather carefree.
I took two steps back, swallowed hard, and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, who are you?"
I spoke carefully, but the old man interrupted me angrily. "What's wrong with you young people? Can't you see that I'm sleeping? People these days have no respect for their elders."
I rolled my eyes inwardly. I thought to myself, You think you're some great elder? Forget it. I won't argue with you.
I suppressed my annoyance and said again, "We're here to receive a mission."
"Receive a mission?"
The old man sneered at us and picked up an old sheepskin ledger in front of us.
With a casual gesture, he pulled out a layer of sheepskin ledger from the nearest bookshelf.
I watched the sheepskin ledger being placed on the table without saying a word. This was really giving me a headache.
I picked up the sheepskin ledger and flipped through it. Then I looked at A Bai. He walked over to the bookshelf with experience and found an album on the third row of the shelf.
He took out a few photos from it, took some pictures of them with his phone, and then put the album back in place.
Yan Yan did the same. He was even more unrestrained, almost taking pictures non - stop with his phone.
People who didn't know better might think we were on a tour in some scenic area.
"Why aren't you taking pictures?"
The old man sneered at me when he saw me standing there calmly. "Young man, stop pretending to be so profound. If you want to take pictures, just do it. Don't worry about my feelings."
I shook my head helplessly. "You've misunderstood. I'm really not worried about your feelings. I'm just a bit curious. You see, how many such places are there?"
Hearing my words, the old man's expression changed immediately. He looked at me seriously, his face filled with solemnity.
"What do you mean by that?"
I quickly waved my hands. "Don't misunderstand. I have no other intentions. I'm just curious. You see, why would someone like you have to guard the door here?"
"You're here to take on a mission, not to interview me. If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out of here right away."
The old man seemed to have been touched on a raw nerve. He stood up and was about to kick us out.
Xu Yang, who probably had finished taking pictures, walked over to us. Hearing that I'd been scolded by the old man, he retorted impolitely.
"What's there to wonder about? You've touched this great elder's sore spot. Normal big - shot characters wouldn't come to this kind of place. Isn't it obvious that he made a mistake and is hiding out here because he offended someone he shouldn't have? Am I right, elder?"
This guy always had to make his presence felt. Although I didn't have a good impression of him, I just sighed and said nothing. I just bowed silently to the old man.