Forces of Temptation

Chapter 34: Paper Gold (7)

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Nan Zhou had no dreams all night.

But he thought he was dreaming.

He felt itchy the back of his neck, as if electricity was flowing ambiguous up and down his spine.

Nan Zhou didn't feel malicious, so he let the current attack him.

After a while, however, a hand reached into the quilt, grabbed the hem of his shirt lightly, and pinched the lower edge, as if to determine and measure something.

As a result, the knuckles of that hand accidentally rubbed against the skin of his thigh.

Nan Zhou was not used to being touched by others, even in his dreams.

He immediately arrested the hand and brought it to justice, pinched it, and found that it seemed to belong to Jiang Fang.

- He once carefully studied and observed Jiang Fang's hands.

So he didn't choose to twist it off.

Nan Zhou frowned slightly, pulled his hand under the pillow, and instructed the other party in a mixed voice: "When sleeping, put your hand under the pillow."

Soon, he heard Jiang Fang's smiling reply: "Yes."

So Nan Zhou was relieved, turned over, and showed his back to him.

Gravity slowly sent Nan Zhou to Jiang Fang's arms.

Nan Zhou didn't know all this.

Nan Zhou fell into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a half full moon outside the window.

It took him half an hour to wake up, and then he sat up: "Morning."

Li Yinhang was washing his clothes in a bathrobe when he heard the sound and turned around, his expression suddenly became extremely complicated.

"It's getting late." She shook the foam on her hand, "It's half past six in the afternoon."

Nan Zhou: "...?"

Li Yinhang didn't think much about it.

She also had the experience of falling asleep all day and night after being busy.

At that time, when she woke up, looked at the clock and looked at the calendar, she thought that when she was sleeping, the time line had quantum fluctuations.

However, in the past 15 hours that Nan Zhou slept, something good happened.

They got an S grade in the last game, and in addition to 1000 points, there was also a random item for each player.

After one night and half a day's calculation, the props were finally distributed to everyone's backpack.

What Li Yinhang got was a B-grade item, a piggy bank-shaped thing.

[Prop Name: Ghost Pushing Mill].

[Use description: Are you worried that points are just numbers? 】

[Even in the most convenient Douzhuan casino, there is no way to directly trade with points, and you still need to exchange chips. 】

[Then, why not try our "Ghost Pushing Mill", which can materialize the invisible and intangible points. 】

[One cent, one coin, there is no upper limit on the amount of storage, and there is no upper limit on the amount that can be materialized. 】

[The usage method is very simple: either, use a full pot of points to bribe the enemy, after all, money can make a ghost grind the mill; or, use a full pot of points to hit the enemy in the head and send him to grind. 】

[Note 1: Disposable items, cannot be reused after damage]

[Remark 2: The amount of points after materialization will be deducted from the points and cannot be restored to the data. 】

… well done.

Also advertised for Douzhuan Casino.

Before seeing the last line, Li Yinhang was still figuring out how to use it.

After all, mosquito legs are meat no matter how small they are.

After seeing Note 2, Li Yinhang immediately found a consignment point in the city wall, and put this tasteless thing on the player mall.

Goodbye, goodbye, no delivery.

Li Yinhang asked Nan Zhou, "What props did you draw?"

After reading the description of the props from beginning to end, Nan Zhou did not answer her question: "Where's Brother Fang?"

Li Yinhang: "Outside..."

Nan Zhou stood up and walked straight out.

Li Yinhang called him: "Clothes! I'll wash you—"

"No need to."

Nan Zhou succinctly rejected her proposal and walked quickly to the door.

But he seemed to realize something, and suddenly turned his head and looked straight at Li Yinhang.

Li Yinhang thought he had something important to say, so he straightened his back in a hurry and waited for him to speak.

The eyes of the two officially met for about five seconds.

Nan Zhou said solemnly, "Thank you."

Li Yinhang: "..."

Li Yinhang: "... ah?"

When she glanced at her foam-soaked clothes, she realized that Nan Zhou was thanking her for the suggestion to wash his clothes for him.

Li Yinhang's mouth twitched: "No need to..."

When she raised her head, Nan Zhou had disappeared from the door.

Li Yinhang tried his best to convince himself that the big guys acted so strangely.

As soon as Nan Zhou left, the NPC boy who showed them the room yesterday stepped into their room, whistled at her with a smile, shoved two colorful magazines under the pillows of the two beds, He put a business card on the wooden bedside table full of smoke scars and left.

Li Yinhang: What are you doing

She spread out her foamy hands, walked to her bed, and pushed her elbows against the pillow.

A volume of shoddy yellow magazines stood out.

There are actually two wild men on the cover.

Still indescribable.

One of them was also pressed in front of a mirror.

The scene was unsightly for a while.

Li Yinhang tilted his head again and found that the business card on the bedside table had a call girl printed on it... maybe the man's phone number.

Nan Zhou and Jiang Fang also had the same cover and magazine under their pillows.

Li Yinhang's first thought was that he must receive money.

It is estimated that the NPC who issued the business card can still get a commission from it. I don't know how much he can earn.

She originally wanted to take away the magazines under Nan Zhou and Jiang Fang's pillows, but then she thought that neither of them were gun commanders, so she didn't need to worry too much.

Especially Nanzhou.

Li Yinhang couldn't imagine how emotional his cold and desperate face looked like.

She shrugged and turned back to the laundry tub.

But after she started washing clothes again, she suddenly realized a problem:

etc.

Why is there a woman and two men in the room, but all the boys put men's magazines

Nan Zhou put his hands in his pockets, squeezed the small lock in his pockets, walked out of the hostel room, and looked around.

The night of "paper gold" came as early as three o'clock in the afternoon.

A mouse flashed by in the corner, and Nan Zhou only had time to see its tail as thick as a cat.

Advertisements for the treatment of athlete's foot and diphtheria are posted on the stained grey walls.

The light bulbs hanging in the cramped hallway were lit individually.

The light bulbs in front of each house are of different colors and shapes, red, yellow, blue and green, round, long and flat, bright and dark, and the whole city seems to be a huge and weird world of lanterns.

A full moon hung on the sky, a little more complete than what Nan Zhou saw in the bathroom yesterday.

So, today should be the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Nan Zhou looked up at the moon for a long time.

Then, he saw Jiang Fang under the moonlight.

Jiang Fang was sitting on the spacious staircase on this floor, playing mahjong with three NPCs.

He loosened his hair, stretched out his wrists to touch and read cards, his expression and actions were still the calm and casual in the casino, but the wild madness in the casino was dispelled, and it blended perfectly with the surrounding fireworks.

He pronounces his cards accurately, making sure every elderly poker player across from him can hear him clearly.

Nan Zhou thought of the dream of touching his shirt yesterday.

Jiang Fang is a very elegant gentleman.

It can be seen that dreams are indeed dreams, the most illogical thing.

Seemingly aware of the sight behind him, Jiang Fang turned around.

The moment he met Nan Zhou's eyes, the corners of Jiang Fang's eyes curved slightly.

He lip-mouthed him, "Wait a minute."

So Nan Zhou waited in place, looking at the moon for a while, and him for a while.

When Nan Zhou saw Jiang Fang got a mahjong tile, he overturned all the tiles in front of him, put his hands together, apologized to the three old men and smiled tenderly, as if he was apologetic for his victory.

Nan Zhou pressed his chin on his arm.

gt;

/gt;

He was thinking about which Jiang Fang, who was flamboyant in the casino yesterday, and this Jiang Fang, who was coquettishly with the old man in front of him, was the real him.

Jiang Fang bid farewell to the old man, ended the game, and came to him.

Before Nanzhou could react, Nanjixing seemed to have noticed something, and with a swipe, it emerged from Nanzhou's collar, chirping excitedly, and pounced on Jiang Fang like a small plane.

Jiang Fang raised his hand with a smile, caught it with his left hand, and rubbed its soft forehead with his thumb.

Nanji Xing smelled the sweet fruity aroma and wanted to crawl out from his left hand and steal it from his right.

...but it found itself firmly in the palm of Jiang Fang's hand.

Nan Zhou asked, "What did you win?"

"Win an apple."

Jiang Fang gently pinched the screaming Nanji Xing with one hand, and raised his right hand behind Nan Zhou in front of Nan Zhou.

It was a fresh, plump, and dripping red apple.

He said warmly, "Give it to you."

Nan Zhou's eyes lit up and took the apple: "How can you bet on this?"

"These three old gentlemen like to bet on fruits. Apples are the most expensive." Jiang Fang said, "The one who wins ten games in a row can get the best apples."

Nan Zhou played with the apple: "Thank you."

Nanji Xing finally broke free, ran along the rusty iron railings all the way back to Nan Zhou's arms, raised his head to learn how to bark, and tried to rub a few apples.

Nan Zhou reasoned with him seriously: "mine."

Nanjixing got angry, turned around and got into Nanzhou's sleeve, and was still in a huff.

Holding the apple, Nan Zhou stood side by side with Jiang Fang by the railing on the twelfth floor of the city, overlooking the night scene.

Nan Zhou asked, "What did you draw?"

Jiang Fang said: "The B-level item, 'Secret of the Clown', is a complete deck of playing cards with knife edges on all sides. It is an offensive consumable. Use one less than one."

Jiang Fang asked, "How about you?"

Nan Zhou directly showed him the props issued by the system.

[Congratulations to player Nan Zhou for receiving the S-rank reward item - Ma Liang's Sketchbook (3 pages)]

[Prop level: B]

[Proper nature: limited number of times (limited to 3 times)]

[Instructions for use: draw a cake. — though it disappears in your stomach within three minutes of eating it. 】

[Draw an extinct dodo bird. - although it will be extinct again in three minutes. 】

【Draw a lover. —Although it can only hold your hand for three minutes. 】

Jiang Fang: "... wow."

Jiang Fang: "Very depressing explanation."

Judging from the rewards that the three of them received, although it was a "random reward", it unexpectedly matched their personalities and abilities.

"It's an algorithm," Nan Zhou said.

The game algorithm collects their information as much as possible in the process of their game, and then distributes the props that belong to them.

Orchestrate it all, pull so many people around the world into an endlessly sprawling horror game, start a protracted deathmatch, and build behavioral analysis mechanisms for each player.

… What exactly does the mastermind behind it want to do

Nan Zhou couldn't think of an answer for the time being.

Jiang Fang apparently did too, so he asked a more pragmatic question: "Your card has three uses, what do you want to draw?"

"I don't know." Nan Zhou said, "Probably draw a door."

Jiang Fang agreed with him: "If you have this item in the first copy, we should have an easy life."

Nan Zhou continued with the second half of the sentence: "... draw another Xiao Ming."

Jiang Fang frowned.

Nan Zhou said, "It would be great if I could take him out of there, even if it was only for three minutes."

Nan Zhou said again: "Unfortunately, it can't be done."

Jiang Fang stared at Nan Zhou, his expression softened a little.

Nan Zhou held the apple, his arms rested beside the rust-stained corridor guardrail, and he looked around indifferently.

He didn't even realize his tenderness.

For him, it was just a sentimental sentence.

But this unconsciousness was a fatal temptation for Jiang Fang.

Nan Zhou suddenly asked, "What is that?"

Jiang Fang looked away from his face and followed his gaze.

A monk in sackcloth and cloth shoes walked slowly on the blue-brick square on the first floor of the city where the sewage was flowing.

He twisted a pair of Buddhist beads in his hand and walked very slowly with a pair of bare feet.

Whether it is temperament or dress, he is out of tune with the prosperity around him.

Nan Zhou asked Jiang Fang, "What is this NPC doing?"

"It should be a player." After observing for a while, Jiang Fang replied, "His behavior pattern is completely different from that of an NPC. ... He is probably supervising and paying homage to someone."

Nan Zhou asked, "Do you pay tribute to his teammates?"

"It's possible." Jiang Fang thought for a while, then added, "It's also possible that it's all people who have died in the game."

Nan Zhou was silent.

After a moment, he asked, "When are we going to do our next mission?"

Jiang Fang smiled: "In such a hurry?"

Nan Zhou: "I want to end the game quickly, get the first place, and then fulfill my wish."

Jiang Fang: "What is your wish?"

Nan Zhou paused: "I can't tell you."

Jiang Fang smiled and said, "Aren't we friends?"

"Not a friend." Nan Zhou frowned slightly and emphasized, "It's a collaborator."

As soon as these words came out, the smile on Jiang Fang's mouth froze.

This conversation seems familiar.

It once appeared between Nan Zhou and Li Yinhang.

At that time, Jiang Fang didn't think it was anything.

But now...

The atmosphere that had been harmonious between the two suddenly stiffened.

Jiang Fang's expression is still smiling, but the expression between his eyebrows has a subtle sharpness: "Why?"

Nan Zhou: "I can't tell you my wish. I have my own reasons."

Jiang Fang: "I didn't mean that."

He took a step forward and compressed a safe distance: "...Why are we not friends?"

Nan Zhou was unwilling to give in at all, and he wasn't ready to revise his statement: "Because it wasn't originally."

"I thought..." Jiang Fang's pale eyes always had a polite smile, "We have gone through a lot of things together, you, me, and Yinhang should at least be friends."

He was so polite that the aggression that kept him lurking in his body didn't show.

Nan Zhou noticed his abnormality.

He asked Jiang Fang in confusion: "What's the matter with you? Are you uncomfortable?"

It's not that Jiang Fang didn't realize his gaffe.

He grabbed the rusted railing, gave himself six seconds, and restrained his emotions through silent counting.

He took the initiative to bring the topic back to their previous conversation.

"You said, you want to do a mission?"

Nan Zhou nodded: "Yes."

Jiang Fang stared at him and said, "At least not today."

Nan Zhou's expression froze: "You..."

Most of the residents in the city are NPCs, and the range of activities and intelligence depends on the character's attributes.

For example, the hostess of the hostel will bargain with the guests, the ones who sell breakfast will make buns, and the small unions will secretly distribute pornographic magazines to the guests to earn extra money.

And a group of unimportant child NPCs will only periodically refresh from the other end of the corridor, chasing and running around in groups.

The corridor is extraordinarily narrow, so narrow that when two slender housewives approach each other, they have to dodge each other sideways.

Facing Jiang Fang, Nan Zhou stood in the middle of the corridor, and was slammed into the waist by the boy who led the rampage.

He should have stayed still, but he stumbled and fell forward under the impact of a child.

When his body was about to hit the iron railing heavily, an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back firmly into his arms.

That hand wrapped tightly around his waist, with such force that it even pressed his soft abdominal muscles down a little.

Under the thin moonlight, Jiang Fang hugged Nan Zhou's waist, listened to his slight breathing in his ear, and smiled softly:

"...Look, I said, at least not today." :,