Chapter 382- Infinite Online Game (02)
This time, Brother Qi’s hair had turned into short white locks, and a tiger tail swayed behind him. The combination of his commanding presence and a hint of adorable charm made Mu Jin’s heart skip a beat.
He stared blankly at the man in front of him, unaware of the blush creeping onto his face, attributing his reaction to jealousy over Brother Qi’s impressive physique. In this world, the players’ bodies and senses in the game perfectly replicated those of the real world.
Although most people would typically tweak their appearance to look better, the competition’s unique rules disabled the option to adjust one’s avatar. In other words, the way they saw and interacted with each other now was exactly as they were in real life—completely authentic.
So, in the real world, does Brother Qi really have such a great physique? Unlike me, with my skinny arms and legs and not a single muscle on my body, thought Mu Jin.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Mu Jin instinctively pinched his soft, squishy belly and sighed inwardly.
When the man in front of him found Mu Jin, he immediately gave him a warm smile, reached out to pat his head, and said sincerely, “Xiao Jin, you look so cute right now!”
Mu Jin blushed slightly at Brother Qi’s affectionate tone. However, Brother Qi’s comment piqued his curiosity—after all, he couldn’t see himself.
Mu Jin quickly took a few steps toward a nearby glass building, using the reflective surface to catch a glimpse of his appearance. But could someone please explain why he looked so different from everyone else?!
Everyone else had animal ears, tails, or scales. Why did he have long, dark green hair, emerald-green eyes, pointed ears, and a large leaf growing atop his head?
Mu Jin’s lips twitched at the sight. Why was his design so overwhelmingly green? The large leaf on his head didn’t seem very auspicious, and the more he thought about it, the more it unsettled him.
He reached up, trying to pluck the leaf off his head, only to find that it wouldn’t budge—it was firmly attached to his body.
The leaf was connected to him and resembled a hat.
A hat… and it’s green… So, what exactly was this big green leaf supposed to imply?
Brother Qi seemed to notice Mu Jin’s frustration. He gently tapped the leaf on Mu Jin’s head with his finger and said warmly, “It’s really adorable. I’ve already gone through all the detailed introductions about this world. Your current role is probably a ‘Plant Person,’ not a Beastman.”
“Plant People have skill boosts and are said to make excellent healers, which works perfectly with my combat strength. In this world, our opposing faction is the Insectoids. They have antennae and carapaces on their heads, and their appearance… well, yikes!”
As he spoke, Brother Qi clicked his tongue in exaggerated distaste. This rare display of emotion made Mu Jin chuckle despite himself. He knew Brother Qi was trying to comfort him, and it did ease his mood somewhat. Turning his head, Mu Jin actually spotted a few individuals with carapaces and antennae, and, indeed, they looked far worse than he did.
Actually, Mu Jin didn’t look bad at all. With his features, he appeared quite charming and elf-like. It was just that the overwhelming “green” theme left him feeling a bit uncomfortable.
After the two reunited, they quickly left the safety zone. Once outside, Mu Jin noticed that the scenery wasn’t nearly as advanced or vibrant as he had imagined. While there were plenty of high-tech structures and devices, the heavy industrial development had caused severe environmental damage. Greenery was almost nonexistent.
The backdrop included the aftermath of an Insectoid invasion, which had further devastated the planet. The world had become a barren wasteland, now serving as their battleground. Everywhere they looked, they saw desolate ruins and a bleak, crumbling cityscape.
Following standard procedure, the two entered a nearby building to search for equipment. Before long, both Mu Jin and Brother Qi had changed into new outfits. Brother Qi donned a black military uniform, which only accentuated his rugged handsomeness. Seeing him like that made Mu Jin’s heart race, feeling as though Brother Qi was practically radiating hormones.
As a healer-type support, Mu Jin’s attire was noticeably simpler and softer in style—a plain shirt and trousers. His long, dark green hair was tied back neatly, giving him a refined and elegant appearance despite the simplicity of his outfit.
As for weapons, Brother Qi was equipped with a variety of firearms ranging in size and firepower. Meanwhile, Mu Jin only had a dagger, clearly meant for close-quarters self-defense at best. The rest of the time, if Mu Jin wanted to activate any skills, he wouldn’t need weaponry—just the right hand gestures.
His character’s attack power was inherently weak, and his defense was even weaker. A character like his would struggle to survive alone unless they followed a strong player. Fortunately, the man he was following was incredibly powerful—exceptionally so.
As they looted equipment along the way, they encountered several people and even formed a temporary team with some of them. Unsurprisingly, Brother Qi became the team leader once again.
Before long, they ran into several waves of monsters and Insectoids. Among the Insectoid group was someone who had been their teammate in the previous zombie world. However, in this world, that person now stood on the opposing side.
When Mu Jin saw the individual, they also noticed him. But the bond of camaraderie from before seemed non-existent. Spotting Mu Jin’s apparent weakness, the person grinned excitedly and, amidst the chaotic crossfire, rushed at him, clearly aiming to claim his life and score points.
However, before they could reach him, the man beside Mu Jin kicked them away with a powerful strike. Brother Qi followed up with a precise shot, completely erasing the Insectoid from this world.
Seeing Mu Jin frozen in place, Brother Qi continued to fend off incoming fire while reassuring him, “Don’t worry, it’s all fake. When a character dies in the game, it’s just their avatar that’s gone. The real player is ejected from the game pod and sent back to the real world.”
Mu Jin nodded in understanding. He already knew this, but he still wasn’t quite used to it.
Even so, he didn’t want to be the one dragging everyone down all the time. Despite his low attack power, he was determined to at least keep his teammates in good condition. Staying close to Brother Qi, he diligently provided healing and buffs. Together, the two of them became the most formidable duo in the group.
Mu Jin’s nerves were on edge. After a while, he realized that when he focused, his senses were still very sharp. Just moments ago, he had even used his dagger to slit the throat of an Insectoid that tried to ambush Brother Qi.
Although Mu Jin felt that with Brother Qi’s abilities, he would likely have avoided the attack even without his help, he couldn’t deny that successfully protecting Brother Qi boosted his confidence. At least now, he didn’t feel like a complete burden.
As a result, Mu Jin became more proactive, and his coordination with Brother Qi became increasingly seamless. The group quickly defeated this wave of Insectoid enemies. Over the following days, they encountered countless waves of enemies like this one, and their equipment gradually improved.
However, despite Mu Jin feeling a bit stronger than before, he still didn’t enjoy this type of game. Moreover, the setting bothered him—the combination of advanced technology and desolation made everything feel bleak and lifeless.
No matter what, the game wasn’t real. Being separated from the real world made Mu Jin feel disoriented. Everything around him, including himself, seemed off, as though it didn’t belong.
The only thing that provided him with any comfort was the powerful man by his side. No matter how many mistakes he made or how many dangerous situations he found himself in, Brother Qi was always there to protect him, like his personal guardian angel.
Carefully handing over a potion, Mu Jin noticed that most of Brother Qi’s supplies were now stored on his own person. Although Brother Qi had space in his own inventory for these items, he’d claimed that it was already full of equipment and other resources.
Mu Jin understood, though. He suspected that Brother Qi had intentionally placed the potions on his person to spare him from the burden, trying to protect his feelings.
When Brother Qi took the potion, he drank it in one go, and the exhaustion displayed above his head quickly vanished, returning to zero.
Afterward, seeing that there was no one around, Brother Qi pulled a gray jacket from his bag and handed it to Mu Jin, saying, “Try it on, see if it fits.”
Mu Jin looked at the plain-looking jacket. When he put it on and checked its attributes, he was surprised to find that its defense rating was extremely high.
Such an excellent defensive item would likely exchange for a lot of valuable things if traded with others. Yet, Brother Qi had secretly given it to him, and it was clear that the jacket had been altered to hide its properties, so others wouldn’t covet it.
Mu Jin, now wearing the jacket, felt deeply moved and didn’t even know how to express his gratitude.
Who would have thought that Brother Qi, seeing this, just smiled at him and leaned closer, gently saying, “It’s okay, we’re teammates. If you hadn’t been by my side helping me buff my stats, my attack power wouldn’t be so high, and our team wouldn’t be in such good shape. Xiao Jin, you’re amazing!”
When the man leaned in to speak, he was so close. Mu Jin felt unsure whether it was because the sensory experience in the game was so realistic, but he could almost feel the man’s breath and warmth. His cheeks involuntarily turned red, and Mu Jin felt his heart pounding fast.
But who would have guessed that at this moment, the man reached out and gently touched his forehead, looking a little worried as he said, “Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I—I’m not unwell! I’m fine, I just suddenly wanted to walk around nearby.”
When the man touched him, Mu Jin immediately jumped up, flustered. He answered hurriedly, then stood up and walked away, moving to a place farther from the man, hoping his racing heart would calm down quickly so the man wouldn’t notice his odd behavior.
Mu Jin was walking in a hurry, so he didn’t notice the deep affection hidden in the man’s eyes or the smile still lingering on his lips as he left.
Standing by the railing next to the team, Mu Jin spaced out for a long time. Eventually, he felt his rapid heartbeat settle. He had never known he was such an easy person to fluster, or maybe it wasn’t that the man had teased him, but that simply being close to him made him unable to handle it.
But he couldn’t blame himself; he only blamed the man for being so charming.