"Help me?" Mo Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, then glanced down at her legs. A faint smile appeared on her face, lonely and tinged with sarcasm. "Do you even know what I need? To be so confident to say that you'll help me?"

Li Ming stepped forward, speaking earnestly. "I'll help you recover your health and help you leave this hospital."

Players who managed to rise to the Advanced rank, unless they had originally looked nothing like a human to begin with, naturally upgraded their appearance attributes with each level-up. After enough upgrades, normal people always end up looking quite decent.

Li Ming was no exception. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he had a rugged, tough look. He was the kind of burly, masculine type that was popular in European countries in the real world.

A man nearly two meters tall, whose blinking eyes were intense enough to give children nightmares, was now doing his best to appear friendly.

It was a little hard to watch.

Mo Bai felt that Li Ming was completely unsuited for this kind of work.

She honestly expressed her thoughts. "You look like a wolf in grandma's clothing. Not a good person."

Her words stung Li Ming a little. He usually didn't handle this sort of thing. His teammate, who looked like a top-tier male escort, was the one in charge of communicating with people. Li Ming was only in charge of fighting.

But his teammate was elsewhere right now. He had to rely on himself.

So Li Ming persisted, resolute. "Trust me. I really do want to help you."

Mo Bai pressed a hand to her forehead, pretending to be deep in thought. In reality, she was ranting wildly to Xiao Qi in her mind: Phantom Butterfly was like this, and now Li Ming too. Every time I try to act, I run into idiots who can't play along at all. Is my acting that bad, or is my luck just terrible?

Xiao Qi responded reasonably, "Based on the player's Luck stat of 4, Xiao Qi reasonably suspects it's because of bad luck. But Xiao Qi believes that the player can overcome all misfortune. If he can't act, we'll act for him! Meow!"

Xiao Qi's words reminded Mo Bai that she still had a cat in her hands.

So Mo Bai reached out and stroked the black cat. "No matter what you say, it's useless. My mother told me not to trust strangers. I only trust Xiao Qi's judgment. It can tell whether someone has malicious intent toward me."

"Meow~" Xiao Qi cooperated, letting out a soft cry before lightly leaping onto Li Ming.

Mo Bai had only meant for Xiao Qi to go through the motions, just enough for her to "reluctantly" trust him.

But unexpectedly, Xiao Qi rubbed against Li Ming's hand, even showing signs of wanting to act cute.

Mo Bai quickly called out to Xiao Qi in her mind.

Hearing Mo Bai's reminder, Xiao Qi snapped back to its senses, leaped back into Mo Bai's arms, and meowed at her.

Mo Bai looked at Li Ming. Seeing his confident expression, she went along with it. "Xiao Qi rarely likes anyone this much. If it trusts you, then I'll trust you too."

Li Ming smiled with an "I knew it" expression.

Mo Bai asked Xiao Qi inwardly, "What was that just now? Did he use some kind of card?"

After fully recovering, Xiao Qi replied, "Just now, Xiao Qi suddenly felt that he had a really nice scent on him, and especially wanted to get close to him."

Mo Bai skillfully maneuvered her wheelchair over to Li Ming's side. As soon as she came within about two meters of him, she felt a wave of dizziness too. The man in front of her suddenly seemed incredibly friendly, and she felt a strong urge to get close to him.

There wasn't any card with this kind of effect in Mo Bai's familiar card library. It seemed Li Ming had acquired a new card in Neverland.

After experiencing the card's power firsthand, Mo Bai figured that someone with low mental defense would already be telling Li Ming everything by now.

Not bad. Li Ming might be foolish, but he had plenty of tricks. He didn't even need her help to "win her over." It was far less troublesome than dealing with the Phantom Butterfly.

Seeing Mo Bai take the initiative to approach him, now within the card's effective range, Li Ming's smug smile grew even more pronounced.

He stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "See? Big brother is a good guy here to help you. Whatever troubles or wishes you have, just tell big brother."

"Ugh!" Xiao Qi gagged internally, cursing, "How does he have the nerve to call himself 'big brother'? 'Old geezer' would be more like it!"

Mo Bai sighed inwardly. She had once thought that the Phantom Butterfly was foolish, but now, after meeting Li Ming, she realized just how good the Phantom Butterfly had been.

The Phantom Butterfly only had love in its heart, no lust. It evolved by devouring souls, focusing only on emotional experiences, not on physical desire.

That gave the Phantom Butterfly a certain purity. No matter how malicious or murderous it was, it never came across as disgusting.

But Li Ming was full of base instincts.

He was driven by lust at first sight. Seeing Mo Bai's beauty, he didn't care whether she was a monster or not, he still wanted to take advantage. The fact that he carried cards able to charm both humans and non-human creatures showed that he was a repeat offender.

Leaning on the power of the card, Li Ming put his ugliness on full display. Mo Bai couldn't be bothered to deal with him.

She raised her hand and, with several hundred jin of arm strength, slapped his hand away. Her voice turned cold. "Don't touch me casually. You'll catch a disease. Your skin will rot, your lungs will turn into something like a honeycomb. Also, I don't have a big brother. My parents wouldn't want another son either."

She hadn't held back at all. Li Ming's arm was nearly broken. He clutched it in pain, not daring to cry out.

He was angry, but Mo Bai's words once again guided him, reinforcing his belief that she was the key to clearing this instance. He chose to endure it and continue trying to please her.

And when she mentioned "parents," he didn't dare call himself "big brother" anymore, afraid that Mo Bai might actually summon some terrifying monster.

"I just want to be your friend. I hope you can think of me as a big brother, and come to me if you need anything," Li Ming said, holding his aching arm.

Mo Bai let out a soft sigh, pretending to be affected by the card. With a faintly resentful tone, she said, "I want to make friends too. I want to go out into the world, but my health isn't good. If I leave the hospital, I'll come down with a fire toxin illness. Anyone who gets too close to me will get sick as well.

You're the kindest-looking person I've met in years. Can we be friends?"

"Of course, no problem!" Li Ming beamed, unable to hide his smug delight.

Mo Bai was a competent actress. Though inwardly disgusted by stupidity, her expression remained flawless. She continued, "Even though I really like you, you shouldn't stay here. There are many terrifying monsters here. You'll die here. Let me send you out."

This strategic retreat only made Li Ming more certain of her identity as the administrator.

"If we leave, we leave together," he said quickly. "I want to cure your illness so you can live freely outside."

"My illness?" A trace of sadness flickered in Mo Bai's eyes. She shook her head. "I don't want to cure my illness. If I have to use that method to cure it, I'd rather stay trapped here for the rest of my life."

Li Ming crouched down to meet her gaze, tense. "Do you know how to cure it?"

Mo Bai nodded. "But the price is too great. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Tell me what the method is. Maybe I can help," Li Ming urged.

Mo Bai let out a long sigh, building up Li Ming's anticipation before finally speaking. "Dad and Mom each came up with a method. Dad said he'd go do research. That he would turn into a superhero and come back to save me. I've been waiting for Dad.

Mom told me not to trust Dad. She said Dad didn't go to find a way to save me, but he went to become a superhero himself. Mom said that if the lives of the entire town were sacrificed to me, my illness would be cured.

I didn't want to hurt anyone, so I locked myself in here, waiting for Dad to come and save me.

But Dad…"

A glistening tear slid from the corner of Mo Bai's eye. She glanced toward the wardrobe in the hospital room. "Three months ago, the mirror Dad gave me shattered. Dad is already... gone."

Li Ming followed her gaze and opened the wardrobe. Sure enough, a shattered mirror hung on the inside.

Mo Bai noticed the mirror earlier while rummaging through the hospital gowns. While making up the story, she realized that she needed an object as proof, so she used her ability to alter the mirror's "physical properties," turning it from a whole mirror into a shattered one, to support the claim that "Dad" was dead.

Everything she said matched up perfectly with the town's story. Li Ming now completely believed her words.

Holding Xiao Qi, Mo Bai said softly, "At least I still have Xiao Qi to keep me company. I plan to stay here, with Xiao Qi, and never leave."

Xiao Qi pressed its forehead against hers. The scene looked as serene as untroubled time itself.

She came across like a gentle, harmless instance monster who would never hurt anyone.

Which struck Li Ming as odd. Every monster in an instance was full of malice, so how could the controller of an instance be this kind?

Li Ming didn't care about the lives of the townspeople. What he cared about was whether the curse he had received in Plague Garden could be lifted, and whether an Ultra-Star Rank monster could be brought into existence.

From what Yang Momo had said, Li Ming concluded that the girl in front of him was the future Ultra-Star Rank monster. As long as the entire town was sacrificed to her and she absorbed the life force of the entire town, she would completely become one of the Four Pillars of Heaven.

But she was so kind that she didn't seem like an Ultra-Star Rank monster.

With that thought, Li Ming took out an amethyst pendant. It was an item created by the seer of the Avici organization.

The seer said he didn't know who the future Ultra-Star Rank monster would be either, but a spiritually imbued amethyst could point the way forward.

If this amethyst pendant were placed on the Ultra-Star Rank monster, and the pendant turned to powder, that person would be the future Ultra-Star Rank monster.

But there was only one chance. If the wrong person wore it, the amethyst pendant would turn into a transparent pendant and lose its prophetic ability.

Li Ming decided to test the pendant.

Holding the pendant, he said to Mo Bai, "This pendant can bring people good luck. If you wear it and it turns to powder, that means it has given its luck to you. I want to give it to you, to send you my blessings."

"Don't wear it! Who knows what kind of card this came from, and what bad effects it might have!" Xiao Qi shouted hoarsely in Mo Bai's mind. "Player, it's not like we can't beat him. Just kill him already! He's too disgusting. Xiao Qi can't take it anymore!"

Mo Bai was also restraining herself, but her thoughts differed from Xiao Qi's. She felt that Li Ming's attitude was a bit strange.

Mo Bai's original plan had been to drop hints in her words so Li Ming would believe that she was the Ultra-Star Rank monster and resolve to kill her.

Then, she would tell Li Ming that there was a room here where another version of herself was imprisoned. That other self was cruel and terrifying. If that other self were released, everyone in the town would die. She had used all her strength to seal that other self away.

That other self was very powerful, but the monsters in the wards were fragments of her power. Once all the monsters were eliminated, she would become very weak and easy to kill.

That other self was the root of all evil. If that other self died, she wouldn't die. Not only would her body heal, but she'd also be able to reunite with her parents.

That had been the script Mo Bai prepared for Li Ming.

But at this moment, she realized Li Ming didn't seem to want to eliminate the Ultra-Star Rank monster at all.

His attitude reminded Mo Bai of Professor Yang's assistant, the Absolute Contractor she had encountered in the research institute. That assistant didn't plan to eliminate the Ultra-Star Rank monster either, but even chose to cooperate with Professor Yang.

He was also from Avici.

It seemed that Avici had always intended to create an Ultra-Star Rank monster and then use various abilities to cooperate with it.

Once she understood that, the pendant's purpose became obvious.

Either it was meant to determine whether she was the Ultra-Star Rank monster, or it was meant to bind the Ultra-Star Rank monster so that it wouldn't harm Avici's contracted assets in the future.

So Mo Bai extended her hand. "What a beautiful pendant."

Li Ming placed it in her palm, saying nervously, "Don't break it. This lucky pendant only works when worn around the neck."

Mo Bai lifted the pendant and held it up in the sunlight, pretending to admire its beauty. In reality, her mind was racing, trying to determine the pendant's purpose.

"I once had a dream," she said. "In it, the town was engulfed in flames. My mother was holding me, and to keep me from getting burned, she turned into a terrifying monster. Because she was my mother, I wasn't afraid. I reached out to hug her, too. But then I realized my own hands also turned into many flying tentacles. It turned out that I became a monster as well.

But after I became a monster, my mother turned back into a normal person and looked at me in fear.

I've been thinking about that dream a lot lately. I wonder if it's a sign that one of us, my mother or me, will become a monster.

Crystal, oh, crystal, can you tell me? Will I become a monster?

Crystal, oh, crystal, if I do become a monster, can you help me not hurt anyone?"

She acted like a dreamy young girl, sharing her dreams at the sight of the beautiful amethyst.

Though her attention seemed fixed on the amethyst, the corner of her eye was locked on Li Ming the entire time.

She was watching his expression.

When she mentioned "becoming a monster," Li Ming's expression visibly tensed.

But when she spoke of "not hurting others," his expression became indifferent. He was neither nervous nor expectant.

That reflexive shift in expression proved that, in Li Ming's mind, the amethyst was strongly linked to "whether someone is a monster," and had nothing to do with "stopping a monster from hurting people."

So this was a prophetic crystal, with no manipulative power. Safe enough to wear for a while.

Mo Bai put the crystal pendant around her neck, planning to use her ability to turn the crystal into powder.

After all, Li Ming had just mentioned that the crystal would turn to powder. That had to be a clue toward the prophecy.

But the moment Mo Bai put it on, before she could even use her ability, the crystal pendant turned into powder and scattered in the wind.

Li Ming's expression shifted into one of certainty.

This change actually startled Mo Bai.

Was this crystal just poorly made? She hadn't even used her ability yet, and it turned to powder on its own?

But Li Ming's attitude toward her became even more respectful. The earlier frivolity was completely swept away.

His gaze was very cautious, clearly treating her as someone in a high position.

This time, Li Ming spoke with the utmost sincerity. "Whatever your wish is, I'll help you achieve it, as long as you'll be my good friend."

His reaction confirmed Mo Bai's guess. This really was a prophetic crystal. But the prophetic crystal said she was the Ultra-Star Rank monster?

Xiao Qi said, "Is it because of the genetic contamination in the player's body? Xiao Qi suspects that this crystal can detect genetic contamination. As long as it's worn by a creature with relevant genetic contamination, it will turn into powder."

Mo Bai thought the same. The guess was reasonable. Still, a faint unease lingered in her heart.

"It seems luck is truly on my side," Mo Bai said with a smile.

Since Avici intended to act as a traitor to the players, planning to assist the Ultra-Star Rank monster, then Mo Bai's script needed to be adjusted slightly.

She said, "You're my best friend. Let me tell you a secret."

"What secret?" Li Ming asked tensely.

Mo Bai said, "There's actually another me. She really wants to sacrifice the lives of the townspeople in exchange for health. She often tries to control my thoughts. I don't want to become like her, so I locked her up here together with me and won't let her out."

"Where is she?" Li Ming asked.

Mo Bai said, "I don't know exactly. But I do know that all the monsters here were created by her. She's very powerful. Once all the monsters in every room are eliminated, she'll come find me, and the moment we meet, we'll merge into one."

No matter what, she might as well make Li Ming do some manual labor first by clearing out the monsters in the building.

Didn't he love clearing maps so much?