As soon as the elevator doors opened, Mo Bai saw Gu Tiandong's beautiful face waiting outside, and her mood immediately improved.

Gu Tiandong's expression was full of question marks that Mo Bai could practically read the thoughts written all over his face: "Who on earth are you?" "Why does Mo Xiangyou want to meet you?" "Why did you buy information about 'Phantom Butterfly'?" and so on.

Mo Bai's head started to ache under his stare, but she could only whisper, "I'll tell you later when we're home."

Gu Tiandong immediately started pushing her wheelchair and rushed out of the building.

Shopping could wait. Gossip was far more important right now.

As usual, Gu Tiandong paid the taxi fare. When they got back home, he pushed Mo Bai all the way to Room 515, locked the door behind them, grabbed a towel, swung it twice in the air, and pretended to look fierce. "Spill it. If you don't, I'll have to torture you!"

Mo Bai quickly raised her hands. "I'll talk, I'll talk! Just put the towel down, that thing can't even kill a fly!"

"Of course, I know it doesn't hurt much," Gu Tiandong said. "But I know how to hit someone without violating the 'Public Security Rules.' The rules in Peach Blossom Land are pretty strict, but the standard for what counts as fighting is low. As long as there's no bleeding, it doesn't count. Things like towels or whips hurt a lot, but if you control your strength and don't draw blood, it's not considered a violation."

No wonder Gu Tiandong dared to throw a pillow at Wang Fan. He was also well-versed in exploiting loopholes in the regulations.

"You can also provoke someone with words," Gu Tiandong continued like he was giving a lecture, "get them to attack first, then fight back afterward. That's not considered as fighting, but self-defense."

"What about using abilities to make them attack first?" Mo Bai asked.

"Actively using abilities is not allowed," Gu Tiandong answered. "Even mental-control abilities count as violations. But if it's a passive effect from an Observation Group title, that's different. Since those abilities aren't used actively, there was a time when several major organizations were recruiting Observation Group players who could bring out the darker sides of human nature, making it easier to start group brawls."

Mo Bai's heart trembled as she thought of the 'Conquer-Sadism' effect of her title. (T/N: Changed from Conquer-Abuse)

"But if they do that, the one who gets hurt first and gives everyone else the reason to fight back would be the Observation player, right?" Mo Bai said.

Gu Tiandong nodded. "Yeah, but there are healing potions in the game. As long as you don't die, you'll recover instantly. And those organizations offer Observation players great benefits, such as points, item cards, and team support for forced dungeons. That's why many Observation players join them."

"But you didn't," Mo Bai said, glancing at him.

"I don't enjoy getting beaten up," Gu Tiandong replied. Then he realized that the conversation had drifted off-topic and glared at her. "Hey, don't think you can change the subject. Out with it!"

He raised the towel again, trying to look fierce but only managing to look adorably threatening.

Mo Bai raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. It's kind of complicated, though… where should I start…"

After thinking for a bit, she decided to start from the very beginning, from the 'Playing House' game, and told him everything up to why Mo Xiangyou wanted to meet her.

By the end, Gu Tiandong's famously ageless face was twisted into a look of complete disbelief.

"What? You ran into a B-level monster in your beginner instance? And you even killed it?!" He clutched his head, completely unable to process what he'd just heard.

If he encountered a B-level monster in the beginner stage, he would've just lain down and accepted his fate.

"Just lucky, I guess," Mo Bai said modestly.

She pulled out two cards from her inventory and handed them to him.

After carefully reading their descriptions, Gu Tiandong explained, "B-level cards usually go for at least 10,000 points, but no more than 100,000. This 'Corrosive Claw' can be used twice, so it's probably worth around 15,000 to 20,000. 'Ironhide Skin' lasts until it's completely used up, so it's worth more, maybe 20,000 to 30,000."

Mo Bai's eyes lit up as she instantly felt rich.

"But in reality, no one will buy that 'Ironhide Skin,'" Gu Tiandong pointed at the 'Special Notes' section. "It comes with an A-level monster's aggro mark. Even if you paid people to take it, no one would."

"At least I can use it myself," Mo Bai said, hugging the 'Ironhide Skin' card like a precious treasure and pretending she already had 30,000 points in her pocket.

When Gu Tiandong saw the note stating that the user would attract the Phantom Butterfly's hatred, he suddenly connected the dots between that and their upcoming dungeon, 'The Count's Castle.'

"There's going to be an A-level monster in my forced dungeon?" Gu Tiandong was dumbfounded.

Mo Bai guiltily looked away.

Gu Tiandong looked at this walking disaster and flopped onto the sofa, as if he were a man ready to die.

Mo Bai tried to comfort him. "Don't stress too much. The Phantom Butterfly's aggro is on me. You guys probably won't be affected."

"When you want to crush an ant, and there happen to be two more next to it, will you considerately avoid the other two?" Gu Tiandong asked flatly.

"Well... no. But I don't usually go around stomping ants," Mo Bai replied.

"Exactly," he said. "Even if the aggro is on you, that monster is already in the dungeon. It won't mind taking out two more players while it's at it."

Mo Bai felt deeply guilty. "I can give you the 'Ironhide Skin' to protect yourself."

"Oh, so you think my aggro level with Phantom Butterfly isn't high enough yet? No thanks. Keep it. But thanks anyway," he said, in a tone that somehow made 'thanks' sound like a curse.

Mo Bai could only curl up and let him scold her. After all, she was the one who had dragged that monster into 'The Count's Castle' instance.

Seeing her pitiful face, Gu Tiandong sighed and softened. "Alright, stop pretending to be sad. I'm not that mad. Actually… It's hard for me to die if I don't want to."

Mo Bai looked at him curiously.

"My title is Frozen Angel," Gu Tiandong explained. "The 'Angel' part describes my evolution path, but 'Frozen' is the actual effect. Unlike your passive abilities, mine can be triggered manually. When I activate it, I turn into an indestructible ice sculpture. Neither alive nor dead. It can't be undone until it naturally melts after three days. So if 'The Count's Castle' dungeon only lasts three days, I can just freeze myself at the start and safely come out when it's over. I won't get any rewards, but I also won't get punished."

(T/N: Changed from Ageless Angel)

"Is there any downside? Does it hurt, like frostbite pain?" Mo Bai asked, genuinely concerned.

Gu Tiandong's heart felt a warm sensation. He had told others about this ability before, but they would only be jealous. Mo Bai was the first to ask if it hurt.

"Frostbite hurts before the body freezes," he said. "But I freeze instantly, so I never even get the chance to feel pain. It's just… total stillness, like hibernation. When I wake up, if a monster happens to be standing in front of me, then yeah, I'd die right away."

"I promise," Mo Bai expressed earnestly, "if you really have to freeze yourself, I'll protect you with my life."

Gu Tiandong instinctively lifted a hand to ruffle her hair, but before he could, she added, "So how tough is your indestructible form? Even an A-level monster can't break it? Could I use you as an ice hammer? That would be an amazingly powerful weapon!"

Gu Tiandong's hand froze midair, then he slapped his forehead in disbelief.

Mo Bai rolled up her sleeves and flexed her arm to reveal her slender yet steely arm. "I'm really strong, you know. I'm sure I can lift you up."

"Shut up!" Gu Tiandong groaned.

"Oh." Mo Bai tactfully covered her mouth.

He glared at her. "Are you sure you're in the Observation Group? You're basically a violent thug! But fine, if things get really desperate, you can use me once."

Mo Bai's eyes lit up.

Unable to help himself, Gu Tiandong flicked her forehead. "One use costs 10,000 points. Think before you use me as a weapon."

"I swear I'll avoid using you as a weapon unless absolutely necessary!" Mo Bai promised.

"Knew it. Only money can control you," Gu Tiandong said smugly.

Mo Bai suddenly gave him a sly grin. "Wait a sec. Strange, why are you discussing how to clear the instance with me? Didn't you say you wanted to die? Doesn't that mean I'll lose your inheritance?"

"In your dreams! I'm not dying! Even if I die, I won't let you get away with it. You're always thinking about my wallet!" Gu Tiandong teased back while feigning anger.

The two glared at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Leaning back on the sofa, Gu Tiandong took a deep breath and honestly confessed, "Yeah… I don't want to die anymore."

"What if, after becoming an intermediate player, you completely become genderless?" Mo Bai asked.

"Then I'll still live. There were eunuchs in ancient times who lived long, peaceful lives. I don't have a girlfriend anyway, and I'm not planning to hook up with anyone in this world. Being genderless is fine."

Mo Bai was genuinely glad to see that he had come to terms with it.

Gu Tiandong continued, "It's weird. When I was resisting this change, I kept thinking, If I lose my gender, I'll kill myself. But once I accepted it, it didn't seem like a big deal anymore."

"The key is figuring out what you really want," Mo Bai advised. "Once you make your choice, never regret it. That way, you'll suffer a lot less."

They chatted about life for a while, exchanging bits of homemade 'chicken soup for the soul' to motivate and cheer each other.

When Mo Bai started feeling full from all that spiritual comfort, she steered the topic back to clearing the dungeon. She briefly explained the effect of her title, then compared it to Mo Xiangyou's and concluded, "It feels like Observation titles make our lives miserable… while keeping us alive."

"Exactly. In the same forced dungeons, Observation Group Players actually have a higher survival rate than the Combat Group. In fact, before reaching higher levels, Observation Players even level up faster. That's why a lot of Combat Players hate and envy us. They think if we survive, they'll die, so they hunt us inside dungeons," Gu Tiandong explained. "There's no fighting allowed in Peach Blossom Land, but inside dungeons, anything can be done. Some twisted Players even hunt members of the Observation Group as a hobby or just for fun."

Mo Bai sighed. "Our titles might help us survive, but they also bring so much pain. I'd rather be a Combat player."

"Same," Gu Tiandong agreed. "Combat players hate and envy Observation players, not realizing we envy them too. Why can't people just understand each other?"

"In a game where death is real, even understanding won't stop people from being enemies," Mo Bai said. "Anyway, let's focus on how to clear the dungeon."

"The info I bought was fake, and we can't exactly go yell at Mo Xiangyou for it. What else is there to study?" Gu Tiandong asked.

"Even fake intel has its uses," Mo Bai answered. "Everyone except me and the Phantom Butterfly bought it, right? So the others will act based on that misinformation. We can observe their reactions and reverse-track the Phantom Butterfly."

"You're right! The Phantom Butterfly didn't buy the intel, so its behavior will stand out!"

Gu Tiandong quickly opened his messages, and the two of them began analyzing what actions people would take if they truly believed the fake intel.

To prepare for the dungeon, Mo Bai spent 2,000 points on one healing potion and one energy-recovery potion.

She wanted to borrow money from Gu Tiandong to buy extras, but unfortunately, beginner players were limited to carrying just one bottle of each type, which is two in total. That was the cap.

Over the next few days, Mo Bai and Gu Tiandong returned to the trading market and purchased the cards they had been eyeing.

Since Mo Bai already had two B-level cards, she could only buy one C-level card. She carefully picked one and spent 2,000 points on it.

Gu Tiandong had been ready to lend her some money, but to his surprise, Mo Bai managed to scrape together enough of her own points to buy everything.

After that, she had 300 points left. She used them to buy 250 steamed buns and stored them in the fridge, then spent her last 50 points on pickled vegetables.

She made it through her first few days in Peach Blossom Land by eating 40 buns a day and occasionally visiting Gu Tiandong for free food and drinks.

On the seventh day, right before entering 'The Count's Castle,' Mo Bai's remaining balance was: 0 points.