ACIFITFDB – Chapter 37

Chapter 37: It Looks Like a Bunch of Real Thugs Have Arrived!

The boy waved at them. Qin Xian was the first to walk over, followed by the other police officers after exchanging glances.

This villa looked grand from the outside, and even more spectacular inside. It was like many people’s dream home from childhood.

The first floor was an internet cafe and arcade, lined with high-spec desktop computers and various game consoles that they couldn’t even touch during school. Next to them were several beverage coolers filled with cola, beer, and other drinks. The words “free and unlimited” were plastered on the cabinets.

The second floor was a supermarket, with aisles of shelves stocked with products. Everything from snacks to beauty and personal care items was available.

The third floor had many food stalls, the aroma of fried food wafting up from downstairs.

The fourth and fifth floors had many rooms, their specific setups unclear.

Currently, several boys were sitting at computers on the first floor, staring at game screens and cursing.

“It’s just like you see it. You can play whatever you want, do whatever you want,” the boy said.

Qin Xian asked, “Do whatever I want? Is reading allowed?”

The boy’s expression immediately changed. He said sinisterly, “If you want to die, then read.”

Qin Xian’s usually calm face showed a hint of innocence. “I meant online novels.”

The boy crossed his arms, displeased. “Are you messing with me? I’m not going to waste time with you. I’m going to play games.”

Xun Guangfan and the other police officers looked at Qin Xian. They were unfamiliar with domains and dared not act rashly.

Xun Guangfan asked, “Mr. Qin, what should we do next?”

“Didn’t that boy just say it? Whatever you want. Just don’t be a good kid.”

Qin Xian took a bottle of cola from the beverage vending machine nearby, opened the cap, and took a few sips, acting as casually as if he were in his own home.

Seeing him drink the beverage of unknown origin, Xun Guangfan fidgeted, his hands half-extended at his side.

“Mr. Qin, can this really be drunk? It’s not poisoned, is it?”

Qin Xian smacked his lips, capped the cola, and said calmly, “Most likely it’s fine. This domain is temporarily lulling us into complacency on the surface; its ultimate move hasn’t been revealed yet. I need to take this opportunity to rest. You guys do as you please.”

With that, he walked directly to a sofa in the lounge area, lay down, and closed his eyes.

He was truly exhausted. He hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time, and the previous battles had drained too much of his energy.

Xun Guangfan and the others looked at each other. Eventually, they paired up and searched the villa inside and out, then asked the students there about the situation.

When Qin Xian woke from his light sleep and looked at the clock, he realized that more than three hours had passed. The fatigue had significantly lessened, and his mind was much clearer.

He leaped up from the sofa, feeling the eighteen-year-old body remarkably light.

Xun Guangfan was sitting on another sofa, playing on his phone. Seeing him wake up, he immediately stood up, clearly ready to share information.

To be honest, not having to work hard to gather information himself felt quite comfortable. In the Infinite Flow World, no one was trustworthy, and he had always relied on himself. But now, his companions were police officers, which was truly reassuring.

Without Qin Xian needing to ask, Xun Guangfan proactively said, “Mr. Qin, we’ve finished touring the villa. The fourth and fifth floors are small apartments, with a room for each person, including us. Many students are staying in their rooms and not coming out, with only a small portion outside. According to the students here, there are sixteen of them in total, making it twenty-two with us.”

Then he held up his phone. “Although there’s internet here, we can’t contact the outside world. Information can’t be sent, and calls can’t be made. I looked at the children’s computer games; they can connect to the internet and find opponents for ranked matches, but any chat messages sent are like stones sinking into the sea, with no response. We haven’t learned much else. It’s basically consistent with what that boy said: you can do anything here, but good students who like to study and follow rules are not welcome.”

Qin Xian nodded and asked, “Did you check every area?”

“Not yet, just a rough walk-through.”

“I understand. Before nightfall, you should all rest and recover your energy. I’m going to use the restroom.”

With that, Qin Xian got up and followed the signs to the restroom.

The restroom in this villa was a bit out of place, very much like a school restroom, with several stalls. It was probably because the villa itself was formed based on the imagination of students in school.

However, this restroom even had a utility room? He wondered if Xun Guangfan and the others had been there.

He reached out to push the door, only to find it locked.

Qin Xian looked down. The latch was a very common single beveled latch, and the beveled side faced outwards. A small, stiff card could be used to push the latch open.

After using the restroom, Qin Xian immediately looked around outside and found scratch cards inside the snack packaging on the second-floor shelves.

He quickly ate the cookies, leaving the card. He returned to the first-floor restroom and easily opened the door with the card.

As soon as the door opened, a bone-chilling cold air hit him, and a guess immediately came to mind.

He continued inside, passing a pile of cleaning tools, and finally, behind a tin cabinet, he found something covered with a cloth.

Judging by its size and the bulges on the surface, it was clearly a human-shaped object underneath.

Qin Xian’s expression remained unchanged as he crouched down and gently lifted a corner of the cloth.

Ten minutes later, Xun Guangfan and the others received the message and rushed over. Upon seeing the scene, they were immediately shocked. A female corpse lay on the ground, her face pale, with a terrifying bruise around her neck. The shape of the bruise strongly resembled fingers.

A police officer crouched down to examine it and confirmed, “She was strangled to death. The time of death might have been yesterday…”

Xun Guangfan frowned. “Mr. Qin, in this kind of illusion, will the children who die in reality…?”

He looked at Qin Xian, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

But Qin Xian directly extinguished that hope. “They might die in reality, or their bodies might survive but they might not wake up.”

The police officers’ spirits sank a bit.

Qin Xian sighed and added, “But it also depends on the nature of this domain and the cause of death. If the body isn’t completely dead by then, some items can save them.”

However, the probability of survival was infinitesimally close to zero. But it was best not to dampen their spirits right now.

“Really?”

Xun Guangfan brightened slightly. “But the hope is still quite small, right? In any case, we must try our best to prevent more children from dying! We need to figure out what exactly happened. I need to go ask them…”

Watching Xun Guangfan and his teammates leave, Qin Xian silently followed behind them, sensing their vibrant auras. It was good that they were so eager to save people. He, on the other hand, felt no emotional stir upon seeing the corpse. It was like a game player seeing a dead NPC, only thinking about how to proceed with the mission.

As soon as Xun Guangfan stepped out, he encountered the boy who had greeted them at the entrance. He kindly stepped forward and asked, “Hello classmate, what’s your name?”

The boy, with a cigarette in his mouth, replied politely, “Guo Jiarong.”

Xun Guangfan’s youthful face broke into an approachable smile, making him look like the kind of easygoing person who got along with everyone in class.

But as soon as he smiled, Guo Jiarong’s expression worsened. “Are you a fucking goody-two-shoes? Your smile is so disgusting. Don’t talk to me.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Xun Guangfan looked bewildered and glanced at two girls doing their nails on a sofa not far away. As soon as their eyes met, the two girls immediately gave him the middle finger and rolled their eyes.

“I… Do I look like a good kid?! Why can’t you talk to people who look good?” Xun Guangfan was mystified.

The other police officers also looked at each other. Regardless of gender, they were all wearing matching black T-shirts, had short black hair, and due to their younger appearances, they all looked fair and clean.

Qin Xian commented, “You all do look like good students. Never mind, I’ll go ask.”

He walked directly to Guo Jiarong and grabbed him by the collar. He loomed over the boy, forcing him to lean back with his imposing aura. “How dare you speak to my subordinate like that? Are you getting too big for your britches?”

Guo Jiarong stared blankly at the person in front of him. Despite his delicate and refined features and pale, seemingly thin appearance, his eyes when angry were truly chilling. This gaze didn’t seem like that of a student; it was fiercer than the boss he’d encountered when he was involved in society… and that boss had been in jail for murder.

He flinched and tried to retort, “You, which class are you in?! Newcomers don’t know the rules. Damn it, you’re really going to hit me!? Brother, brother, help! Someone’s hitting me!”

The boys playing games all stood up at once. One of the taller ones grabbed a baseball bat by his feet and charged forward.

“Damn it! How dare you hit my brother! Go, kill him!”

A group of youths rushed over with bats and chairs. Qin Xian was about to let go of Guo Jiarong to fight back when he saw several police officers rush out from behind him, quickly subduing the children and pinning them to the ground.

Xun Guangfan rolled up his sleeves and pointed at the boy he was stepping on, saying, “Idiot, do you really think you’re someone? Our boss is way more badass than you guys!”

Qin Xian: “…”

He was stunned for a moment, but then he remembered that police officers were the ones who interacted most frequently with thugs. Coupled with their frequent undercover investigations, playing the part of a thug was incredibly easy.

The subdued boys struggled to lift their heads. They saw Qin Xian, who looked like a girl with his long hair, standing with his arms crossed. Behind him stood several males and females with fierce expressions. One strong-looking one even took off his shirt with one hand, revealing a muscular upper body.

N-no, it seems a group of real troublemakers has arrived? These people looked so well-behaved just now?