Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Taking the Initiative!

10h? Ten hours later?

Xia’er activated the system time function and saw that it was 18:45, nearly seven o’clock.

She had activated the system around 6:30 and only fifteen minutes had passed so far. Subtracting the time wasted in reality, the time spent in the simulation was almost negligible.

「There is a huge time difference between simulation and reality; the host hardly needs to worry about the simulation time affecting the real world ^^」

The system interface flashed before her, providing an explanation.

Ten hours later… That would be close to five in the morning?

With 24 hours of activity time in the simulation, she had plenty of time to do many things.

“System, if I am mentally exhausted in reality, what will happen when I enter the simulation?”

「If the host forcefully suggests to themselves not to sleep, then entering the simulation will also result in a state of mental exhaustion.」

Is the state inherited…

“What if I don’t conduct the simulation beyond this time?”

「If the simulation time for tomorrow [Sheng Year 741, June 18th, 4:45] is not conducted, the next day’s simulation will be reset to a new time.」

Xia’er nodded, immediately confirming her plan.

She needed some time in a temporarily safe room to finalize her plan, followed by sufficient sleep. Finally, she would conduct the simulation before the deadline arrived the next day.

This simulation was crucial; it would be the longest she had survived in a simulation so far. She must change the outcome of death within the simulation, or at least make significant changes to earn more Mortality Points.

Xia’er jotted down notes in her notebook, constantly hypothesizing and refuting based on the information she had gathered, hoping to find the most suitable solution.

Unfortunately, the current intelligence was limited, and she knew nothing about combat. Thus, she put aside planning and went out with some coins, purchasing a short knife from a street vendor.

On her way back, she noticed the tall, thin figure wearing a duckbill cap again. This was the stalker mentioned in her notebook, who continued to track her even at night.

After sharpening the short knife, she tried to store it in the system’s warehouse, but failed. She attempted to store other items, but all attempts failed.

It seemed that the warehouse could only hold items purchased from the Point Store, which disappointed Xia’er.

Having made all the preparations possible, Xia’er returned to her room and lay down. Closing her eyes, she initiated the system simulation in her mind.

“Tomorrow.”

Muttering the words for the next day’s simulation, a hazy silver-white light illuminated her vision. Her consciousness was pulled into the silver-white space.

The luminous second hand spun rapidly until it stopped at a fixed position. Xia’er’s vision faded, and she began to feel the surrounding objects and temperature.

「Tomorrow」

「Sheng Year 741, June 18th, 4:45」

「Countdown: -23:59:59」

The silver-white space vanished, leaving only a faint light screen in front of her, showing the current time.

She had arrived at 4:45 AM on the 18th, feeling energetic.

She didn’t light the kerosene lamp but quietly got out of bed in the darkness. Holding the sharpened short knife in her hand, she slowly opened the door.

Xia’er gently opened her elder sister Li Qi’s door, confirmed that she was still sleeping, and closed it again. She then descended to the ground floor.

Wearing a gray linen robe she had prepared earlier and a tattered gray-black cloak with the hood up, she slightly pulled back the curtain to observe the outside through the gap.

The streets were empty at this hour, and even the most ruthless factories had stopped their machines. The entire street was silent.

The Clock Tower Lane District did not have streetlights lit late at night. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness under the moonlight, she saw a shadow sitting against the wall across the alley.

The Clock Tower Lane District was known for its many homeless people and orphans, so such a figure wouldn’t raise suspicion. However, the gray newsboy hat he wore indicated his identity.

The person sleeping across from her was the one who had been tracking her all along.

If she wanted to gather intelligence, he was the best target. Yian might not know where Brad Solaris was, but this tracker definitely knew.

Night had fallen, and Xia’er held the knife and opened the door, slowly descending the stairs towards the alley.

Under the effect of 【Agility Lv.1】, she made no noise when opening doors or walking.

Approaching the man with the duckbill cap, she could hear his slight snores without him noticing her at all.

The illusory silver-white light flashed, and Xia’er’s left hand appeared with a revolver. Her right hand swiftly stabbed forward, piercing the man’s abdomen.

“Puchi—”

Warm blood splashed onto Xia’er’s hand.

“Eh—!”

The intense pain caused the man sitting on the ground to curl up.

He collapsed into a heap, the newsboy cap covering his face sliding to the ground.

Clutching his chest, he suddenly looked towards Xia’er’s direction. There, under the moonlight, he saw the red-haired girl calmly holding a pistol aimed at him.

“Be quiet,” Xia’er said calmly, maintaining a certain distance from the man in front of her.

She didn’t know where to stab without causing death but to paralyze someone, so she chose the softest part—the abdomen. At least there were no vital organs here.

“Where is Brad Solaris?”

The steady voice of the young girl in front made the man’s face twitch slightly. Especially when he heard the name, panic and surprise clearly flashed in his eyes.

“That cultist deceived Brad; the ritual was fake. Tell me his location, and I’ll spare your life,” Xia’er stated, without any change in tone.

These words were pieced together from the intelligence she had. She was gambling, betting that the person opposite wouldn’t know more than she did, and that they would value their life.

Looking at the bloodied short knife in the red-haired girl’s hand and the revolver in her left hand, the man gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment before finally giving up resistance.

“H-He… He is at the Black Water Bar, on East Street… He will be there for the next few days…” The man’s voice gradually weakened, speaking in broken sentences.

At that instant, he heard a crisp “click” sound, the sound of the revolver hammer being cocked.

“Lies won’t save your life. It seems my mercy was unnecessary.”

Xia’er’s calm face showed a hint of “anger.” Her left index finger pressed on the trigger, stepping forward and forcing the man to crawl back desperately.

The man widened his eyes in shock, trembling and begging. His voice grew louder, even carrying a sob:

“N-No… I’m not lying… Cough, cough, cough… What I said is true, he really is at the Black Water Bar on East Street!”

Xia’er paused for a moment, then slowly lowered the hammer, raising her left hand with the revolver and gesturing towards the alley:

“Get out of here. Don’t let me see you again.”

“T-Thank you…” The man struggled to stand, leaning against the wall and walking deeper into the alley, stumbling several times due to his haste.

After walking about ten meters, the man finally mustered the courage to look back. The alley entrance was only illuminated by the moonlight, and the girl was nowhere to be seen.

He panted heavily, and after a moment, he tore off his sweat-soaked shirt, rolling it into a ball and stuffing it into his wound to stop the bleeding.

Holding the wound with the shirt, he limped out of the alley from another direction. After checking that no one was around, he quickly turned left and ran towards West Street.

However, he didn’t notice that on the roof, a figure hidden under a black robe was following him at a leisurely pace.

Until he crossed through several alleys and saw a lit-up inn with a sign reading “Hammer Inn,” he couldn’t help but quicken his pace, using all his remaining strength to run toward the inn.

“Almost there… Almost there… The boss Brad will get a doctor to heal me…” His consciousness was already blurred, his lips pale from blood loss. He muttered, struggling towards the light of hope.

“Thud…”

A heavy object falling sounded from a nearby alley, making him instinctively turn his head to look at the dark alley.

In the dark alley, a hand holding a blood-stained short knife emerged, lifting slightly before stabbing directly into his throat.

“Gurgle…”

The weak man couldn’t even cry for help, collapsing heavily to the ground. His breathing was replaced by the sound of air escaping through his ruptured windpipe mixed with blood.

His body was dragged bit by bit into the dark alley, like an indescribable creature lurking in the shadows dragging its prey.

After a few muffled sounds of the knife piercing flesh, the street fell silent once more.

Twenty seconds later, a red-haired girl emerged from the shadowy alley. In her left hand was a blood-red short knife, and in her right, a handkerchief wiping the blood from her face.

Xia’er, stepping out of the alley, raised her head slightly, deeply inhaling the air, which still stank despite the lack of blood smell. Her gaze seemed somewhat distant.

Even though she had simulated killing Yian before, this was the first time she truly acted.

Even in the simulation, the feeling of blood splattering on her face felt incredibly real. Even after wiping away the blood, the rusty stench lingered around her nose.

“All I wanted was a peaceful life…”

“I tried to avoid trouble with anyone…”

“Why did you come after me…”

“To break this peace…”

The girl spoke softly, not addressing any specific person but rather questioning fate or the gods.

After a long silence, she put away the bloodstained handkerchief. A black revolver appeared in her left hand. Xia’er held the gun steadily, walking slowly towards the Hammer Inn.