Chapter 198: Out of Control

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Out of Control

Inside the large room, three single beds were placed apart.

On one of the wooden plank beds, a weak Shi Zhiyi was sitting propped up.

Jiang Jing and Tang Yan sat on the edges of their own beds, struggling to cope with their dizziness.

Having gone without food for over four months, sustained only by glucose drips, their muscles had atrophied slightly, and they had become so thin they were almost unrecognizable.

Shi Zhile stood at the door, her chest heaving.

The moment she pulled the door open, three pairs of eyes met hers.

"Sis, Jiang Jing, Tang Yan, how are you all feeling?"

Shi Zhiyi nodded weakly. "Don’t worry, I’m okay. Just really tired."

Jiang Jing rubbed his head. "I was lying down for so long, I’m incredibly dizzy."

Tang Yan said, "So hungry. Let’s get something to eat first."

Shi Zhile said, "Don’t any of you move. I’ll go make some porridge for you. Senior Sun has already notified the base commander, so a doctor will be here soon to check on you. You’re not allowed out of bed until then."

After settling the three of them, she hurried out to make the porridge.

A short while later, the base commander arrived with two doctors.

After a series of examinations, it was confirmed that the three of them were physically fine.

The wound on the back of Shi Zhiyi’s head had completely healed. However, the energy clinging to the three of them hadn’t dissipated; instead, it had grown even denser.

And it was a type of energy that neither the seniors nor the system could completely remove.

While sipping her plain porridge, Shi Zhiyi brought up Wen Bai and Sun Ci.

"I was in a deep sleep after I got hurt, but I was still conscious. Right before I completely passed out, I think I heard Jiang Yuxing’s voice. And Wen Bai and Sun Ci... they fought him."

Tang Yan put down his bowl and looked at Shi Zhile. "Have Brother Sun and Wen Bai been found?"

Shi Zhile shook her head.

Although she hadn’t left the Cursed Island instance these past few months, the players who went out to search for supplies had been looking for them.

Their profile pictures hadn’t turned gray, but no one could contact them, and other players couldn’t find them either.

She had opened the Teleportation Gate to Jiang Yuhang’s island, and Wei Zhan had led a team to search it, but aside from an abandoned boat and a treehouse, the island was empty.

Shi Zhile said, "Let’s wait a bit longer. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll go look for them together."

She also wanted to see what would happen to the "Corpse Qi" on the three of them once they were no longer under the suppression of the seniors’ energy.

With more researchers joining, the lab’s progress sped up, but the list of things they lacked also grew longer.

Shi Zhile and the system were so busy they barely had a moment’s rest.

Another half a month passed. The three of them made a full recovery and set out to find Wen Bai and Sun Ci.

The elderly players in the Planting Space and Breeding Space, like Elder Wen and Elder Guo, were transferred to a secret base to start cultivation on the island.

In addition, 20 able-bodied players were selected to enter the spaces. These twenty not only had to understand cultivation but were also required to possess exceptional combat strength.

The moment they left the instance, a system notification arrived again.

[Survival Tip: Man vs. Animal Battle Royale mode results are being calculated...]

[Congratulations to players "Contentment Brings Happiness," "Domineering CEO Falls for a Divorced, Menopausal Mother (Tang Yan)," "Jiang Jing," "Shi Zhiyi," and others for placing in the top ten of the leaderboard. Rewards have been sent to your backpack. Please check.]

Shi Zhile and Wei Zhan stood opposite the other three. Shi Zhile was checking the rewards in her backpack, while Wei Zhan observed Shi Zhiyi, Jiang Jing, and Tang Yan.

She opened her backpack and looked through the items one by one. The most eye-catching were the Energy Balls in the first row.

[Energy Ball x18.]

[Advanced Teleportation Gate x1.]

[interstellar teleport point x1.]

’An interstellar teleport point?’

’What is that?’

Shi Zhile called out to the system in her mind. "What’s this last item, the interstellar teleport point? Why isn’t there a description?"

[Want to know? Then come and see for yourself.]

Shi Zhile’s expression changed. That wasn’t the system’s tone at all!

’That damn Jiang Yuxing! He hacked the system the moment I left the instance.’

’He was probably waiting right at the Teleportation Gate!’

[Don’t worry, no one will die. This is a gift for you. Come alone.]

Shi Zhile didn’t believe him for a second.

The last time he mentioned a "gift," it had been a pack of ferocious beasts that chased her for an entire day.

If it weren’t for her ample supply of weapons and good teamwork, she’d have ended up as tiger dung by now.

She decided to ignore him and looked up at Shi Zhiyi.

"Sis, what were your rewards?"

The three of them stared blankly at their panels, the light in their eyes fading.

"Sis?"

Shi Zhile finally noticed something was wrong. She narrowed her eyes, but before she could get closer, Wei Zhan stopped her.

He watched them warily, silently mouthing two words: "Be careful!"

Shi Zhile nodded in response and raised her voice. "Sis?"

Shi Zhiyi dazedly lifted her head, her once-vacant gaze instantly clearing as if the previous moment had been an illusion.

"What’s wrong? Oh, the rewards, right. My reward is Energy Balls. Two sets of Energy Balls."

’Energy Balls?’

’The kind of Energy Balls that make people sluggish?’

Shi Zhile’s gaze shifted to Jiang Jing and Tang Yan. Their eyes were vacant, their brows furrowing from time to time.

Shi Zhile exchanged a look with Wei Zhan and slowly began to walk closer.

They weren’t far to begin with, at most five steps away.

One step, two steps...

Jiang Jing and Tang Yan suddenly looked up. "What’s wrong?"

Shi Zhile let out a laugh. "Nothing. What rewards did you guys get?"

The two said in unison, "Energy Balls. Three sets of Energy Balls."

Shi Zhile’s eyes darted around as she spoke tentatively, "I got Energy Balls too. I have over a dozen of them. With yours, it’ll be just enough to upgrade the space. What do you think?"

"Okay!"

This time, all three of them spoke in unison.

They had the same smiles on their faces, the same expressions, the same movements, and even the same tone of voice.

It was uncannily synchronized.

"Alright then, I’ll come over to get the Energy Balls."

Shi Zhile took a step forward. The next moment, the three of them, standing together, tilted their heads in unison and stared at her without blinking.

Wei Zhan yanked Shi Zhile back, pulling her behind him protectively.

"Shi Zhiyi, Jiang Jing, Tang Yan, what’s wrong with you?"

The three replied in unison, "Nothing’s wrong. We’re coming over to give you the Energy Balls!"

As they spoke, their smiles grew even more eerie.

Wei Zhan held onto her, pulling her back a few steps.

She looked up to see Shi Zhiyi, Jiang Jing, and Tang Yan lunging madly toward them.

A red light gleamed in their eyes. Their faces were contorted in a struggle, and their bodies moved with stiff steps. A closer look revealed their limbs were trembling uncontrollably.

"Go! Get out of here!"

"You guys need to run!"

"Lele, run! I... I’m losing cont—"

Shi Zhile and Wei Zhan shouted almost simultaneously, "No!"

’If we leave, their consciousness will surely die, and they’ll likely become puppets.’

Besides, this place isn’t far from Huaxia Base. If they truly lose control, the base will be in danger.

They couldn’t run, but they couldn’t just let this happen either.

Shi Zhile gritted her teeth and released the players from her Planting Space.

"Surround them! Don’t get caught, and don’t let them get away."

She ran toward the three, trying to pull them into her space.

But things didn’t go as planned. Neither the Planting Space nor the Breeding Space could take them in.