Parental Concerns and Unexpected Entrustment

After everyone had departed, Lin Shenyue looked at Ye Jue and calmly said, “Let’s go too.”

Ye Jue nodded, then suddenly asked, “Are you alright? You look a bit pale.”

Lin Shenyue shook her head, hesitating slightly before replying, “If the pain simulation remains at 100% after this, I truly doubt if I can endure it.”

Ye Jue felt a pang of helplessness. Enduring attacks with pain levels identical to reality would undoubtedly severely impact one’s performance. Even he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be distracted when taking hits with 100% pain. Moreover, Lin Shenyue was merely a girl, with even less capacity for endurance.

“The road will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge,” Ye Jue mused. “You should first report your situation to the game company and see if this issue can be rectified.”

Lin Shenyue nodded. In the day and a half since, she hadn’t seen her parents, perhaps because they were preoccupied with company matters and couldn’t come to visit.

****

Meanwhile, outside the game, Lin Feimu and Qin Yuxin, having toiled for a day and a night, had just found a moment of respite and intended to log into the game.

Qin Yuxin inquired, “How is Yue’er doing?”

Lin Feimu smiled. “According to Xiao Zhang, she’s doing quite well. It seems she’s even cleared the first dungeon that Xiao Zhang painstakingly designed.”

Qin Yuxin asked in confusion, “Wasn’t that dungeon supposed to require at least Level 10 to clear?”

Lin Feimu’s expression also grew serious. “Indeed, that dungeon was originally intended for general players to reach Level 15 before the second one opened. Elite players could clear it around Level 10-13, but I don’t know who that team leader is. They seem quite familiar with the game. Although Yue’er played a significant role in the team, that leader was even more formidable.”

Qin Yuxin’s demeanor also turned serious. “Could game information have been leaked?”

Lin Feimu shook his head. “I’ve already investigated that person’s information. In reality, they belong to the working class, so it’s impossible for them to have contact with anyone from our company. And even if the game was leaked, how could they become so familiar with it so quickly just from leaked information?”

Qin Yuxin was also puzzled, hesitating before asking, “Then what should we do?”

Lin Feimu thought for a moment and said, “We’ll monitor them further. Currently, it seems he’s been leveling Yue’er up. Otherwise, Yue’er probably wouldn’t even be able to find her way.”

Qin Yuxin grew anxious upon hearing this. “Then will Yue’er be deceived by him? Yue’er has a five-year gap in social experience, after all.”

When it concerned Lin Shenyue, Lin Feimu also lost his composure. Imagining Lin Shenyue being deceived and taken away, he hastily declared, “Then let’s quickly log in and see if that fellow is really trying to trick Yue’er.”

****

In the game, Ye Jue was still unaware that he had been directly discovered and thoroughly investigated by the game company because of Lin Shenyue. This was contrary to his initial intention, as he had originally wanted to develop quietly. Now, entering the game company’s radar prematurely could potentially expose his secrets, though he himself didn’t know it. Furthermore, he was oblivious to the fact that he had become a villain in Lin Feimu and Qin Yuxin’s eyes, an individual attempting to deceive their daughter. If he had known, Ye Jue would likely have coughed up three liters of blood.

Of course, Ye Jue was blissfully unaware at this moment. He was still leading Lin Shenyue towards the village.

Lin Shenyue, meanwhile, was organizing her backpack. The equipment dropped from the dungeon, if no one else wanted it, had been given directly to her and Iron Blood Plume. Of course, she and Iron Blood Plume had also paid some gold coins to distribute among the others. Iron Blood Plume considered the other guild members, while Lin Shenyue intended to give hers to Bloodthirsty Rose, who had helped her so much.

Upon reaching the village entrance, Lin Feimu and Qin Yuxin, who had been waiting there, came forward to greet them.

Ye Jue initially thought these two were going to cause trouble for them, but he couldn’t help but freeze when he clearly saw their faces. He felt a sense of familiarity, yet he couldn’t recall who they were. Although he had seen Lin Feimu many times in his previous life, their status difference was too great for him to observe closely. Moreover, Lin Feimu and Qin Yuxin had both adjusted their appearances upon entering the game, so Ye Jue wasn’t entirely clear about their identities.

After glancing at Ye Jue, Qin Yuxin ignored him completely, stepping forward to embrace Lin Shenyue. “Yue’er, how are you feeling? Is there anything you’re not used to?”

Lin Shenyue smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine, it’s just…” She hesitated, then added, “I don’t know why, but I can’t adjust my pain simulation level.”

Lin Feimu, who had been standing nearby, staring intently at Ye Jue, subtly shifted his expression upon hearing this. The original purpose of creating this game was to stimulate Lin Shenyue’s brain, hoping it would aid her recovery. Therefore, no pain simulation adjustment device had been installed in her nutrient capsule. Now that her identity was bound to it, even he couldn’t replace it, as he had already handed over control to Nuwa.

Qin Yuxin felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this. “Then how have you been enjoying yourself these past two days? Have you been hurt?”

Lin Shenyue hesitated, then nodded. After all, if she hadn’t been hurt, how would she have known that her pain simulation couldn’t be adjusted?

Lin Feimu frowned beside them. Currently, he was powerless. The nutrient capsule was an integrated unit, impossible to disassemble once installed; if it could be, core secrets might be stolen. Thus, the capsule was designed so that if it were ever opened, its core would be destroyed, and all stored data would be automatically erased. Since the identity of the person linked to this capsule was already bound, with data stored on the terminal controlled by Nuwa, even if that person bought another one, it would not be replaceable.

Qin Yuxin’s heart ached. She knew that attacks suffered in the game were as real as receiving a full-force blow in reality. Her daughter, who had never experienced even a trace of harm since childhood, now had to endure such immense pain in the game. With a pained voice, she said, “Then, Yue’er, you shouldn’t participate in combat anymore. Just be a tourist.”

Lin Shenyue hesitated. While her mother wasn’t wrong, and becoming a tourist would indeed spare her from harm, she simply didn’t want to do that. Though her body urged her to avoid pain, she still harbored a dream of online gaming. To miss out now would feel like a profound regret.

As if sensing Lin Shenyue’s thoughts, Lin Feimu stepped forward. “Yue’er, your mother and I just don’t want you to suffer too much pain. If you’re unwilling to be just a tourist, we won’t object, but you must take good care of yourself. It was my oversight that I forgot to install it for you back then, and I don’t want you to be harmed again because of it.”

A warm current flowed through Lin Shenyue’s heart as she looked at her parents’ earnest admonitions. Her parents in her previous life had been kind, but they spent so much time on work that they had little time for her, resulting in her becoming a recluse. Her parents in this life, though busy, were clearly very concerned for her.

Lin Shenyue smiled. “It’s alright, I’ll take good care of myself.”

Lin Feimu stared at Ye Jue for a good while, making Ye Jue’s skin crawl, before finally saying, “Lad, no matter what your intentions are, you must protect my daughter. Only then might I consider you. If my daughter suffers even the slightest harm, don’t ever appear before me again.”

Ye Jue was slightly taken aback, then his mouth twitched. Was this them entrusting Lin Shenyue to him to take care of? Lin Shenyue, standing nearby, was a bit bewildered. While her emotional intelligence wasn’t extremely low, it wasn’t particularly high either. After all, she hadn’t had a girlfriend in her previous life, so although she felt a slight oddness about the scene, she didn’t suspect anything, especially since it was her father speaking.

After his momentary surprise, Ye Jue also reacted. Regardless, he had intended to keep Lin Shenyue in his party anyway. Despite her slower reaction speed, her powerful computational abilities meant she could still become a god-tier priest in the future.

He affirmed confidently, “Don’t worry, Uncle, I will take good care of Yue’er and try my best to keep her from harm.”

Lin Feimu nodded and said to Lin Shenyue, “Yue’er, is there anything else? If not, we won’t disturb you two.”

Lin Shenyue, flushing with annoyance, retorted, “We’re just ordinary friends, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Qin Yuxin patted Lin Shenyue’s head. “Alright, Yue’er, your father and I came in, on one hand, to see you, and on the other, to personally experience the game and identify any flaws. Since you’re with him, we’re relieved.” *After all, you get lost too easily.* Qin Yuxin didn’t voice the last sentence, needing to preserve Lin Shenyue’s dignity in front of others.

Lin Shenyue looked at her clearly misunderstanding parents, then shot a resentful glare at Ye Jue. However, she said nothing, knowing that trying to explain now would only make things worse. “Got it, you two go on ahead,” Lin Shenyue urged.

Lin Feimu and Qin Yuxin smiled and departed. Lin Shenyue glared at Ye Jue once more, then turned and walked into the village, with Ye Jue following behind her, a helpless expression on his face.