Arc 2: Internet Addiction Treatment Center
Chapter 16: How To Save The Villainess
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"Szzt, szzt," the sound of electric currents rang out. A moment later, the system's voice followed:
[Ensure Luo Shu doesn’t die while giving her a soul. Luo Shu’s death mainly comes from too much resentment caused by killing. Since the host has already seen the levels Luo Shu went through, all related memories have been erased except for the first level.]
"...Then you have to tell me what giving a soul means?"
[Not within the answer range.]
Qin Dongwan stayed silent for a moment, then let out a "hehe" as a response.
Filthy water flowed all over the ground, making it look just like a slaughterhouse. After circling around to avoid the cafeteria, the two of them ended up at the treatment room in the back. This was a place not easily found—overgrown weeds covered a low, shabby hut. If not for the occasional screams breaking the silence, hardly anyone would have discovered it.
The grand golden characters "Treatment Room" hadn’t completely faded yet. The sign at the entrance hung on a wall with peeling white paint, looking strangely out of place.
Qin Dongwan’s heartbeat suddenly sped up, warning her of danger. She gestured "shh" to Tang Zihang, then carefully lifted her flat shoe and stepped into a gap in the wild grass.
A breeze brushed against her long hair, making her cheek itch slightly. This place wasn’t too far from the cafeteria, yet it didn’t have that sickening stench—only the smell of something burnt lingered in the air, constantly irritating the nerves.
Qin Dongwan had every reason to believe that if she stayed in this ghost instance for ten days, even her favorite perfume would smell rotten when she got out.
The low treatment room had only one window, half-covered by a gray curtain. If they got close enough, they might be able to see what was inside.
Qin Dongwan recalled the plot she’d read in the book. It seemed like this place was used for electric shock experiments, but the details weren’t described.
Tang Zihang was a pretty bold guy. Seeing Qin Dongwan step forward to observe, he copied her and leaned in too. When he noticed her hesitation, he just reached out, about to gently push the window open from the outside.
Right then, someone inside let out a light but distinct cough. In the dead silence, it sounded especially jarring. Tang Zihang was so startled he staggered back, nearly stepping on a wooden plank on the ground.
Their breathing stopped in that instant.
Qin Dongwan grabbed Tang Zihang’s arm tight, her fingers accidentally digging into his flesh, afraid he’d make a sound. The sharp pain made Tang Zihang grimace, but luckily, he held back. He just shook his head desperately at her, signaling for her to let go.
"So they died this fast? Useless. Find a new one by tomorrow. Make sure they're physically strong."
A deep male voice suddenly came from inside. A living human life sounded worthless in his mouth. "Handle it by tomorrow."
Hearing the words "physically strong," Tang Zihang was so scared that he quickly glanced at his own arm. He was tall but not exactly muscular. Before getting pulled into this escape game, he’d even bragged about training for abs. Now, as he touched his flat stomach, a slow wave of relief washed over him.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"Alright, I’ll go check on the other one first."
There were two people talking inside, but they didn’t sound friendly at all.
Qin Dongwan heard footsteps moving around. She didn’t dare to move, afraid they would notice. She pressed her body against the wall and breathed very softly.
Soon, a short woman came out. She walked straight to a stinky toilet nearby. A bunch of metal keys hung from her pants and made a crisp jingling sound as she walked.
Qin Dongwan remembered that this woman was one of the teachers watching over the treatment room.
This trip wasn’t too bad.
Hearing the loud splashing sounds from the toilet, Qin Dongwan waved her hand, telling Tang Zihang to follow her. They ran all the way to the area near the cafeteria before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Big beads of sweat clung to Qin Dongwan’s forehead, but she didn’t bother wiping them. Instead, she raised her hand and checked her watch. The time showed 11:29—just in time for lunch.
“Lunch only lasts half an hour. We can use this time to share information. The two of us can’t get into the treatment room alone, so we need more people. But when you eat, just focus on eating. Don’t run your mouth.”
She was afraid Tang Zihang would shoot his mouth off about them already sneaking into the treatment room and ruin her whole plan.
Tang Zihang had long been used to following her lead. Right now, he could only cling to this thick or not-so-thick thigh to survive. He nodded wildly like a chicken pecking at rice.
“I know, I know. Let’s eat fast, I’m so hungry I could starve to death!”
Qin Dongwan didn’t enter right when the time hit but waited two more minutes. She only walked in with Tang Zihang after making sure the cafeteria doors were fully open.
After being on edge for so long, she had wanted a proper break. But lunch turned out to be just one dish and one soup.
She glanced around and noticed that Luo Shu wasn’t here.
The dish was tofu stir-fried until it was so broken up that there was barely anything to eat. The soup was so stingy that even the taste of salt was rare. Qin Dongwan used her chopsticks to fish up a wrinkled vegetable leaf from the bottom of her bowl and stuffed it into her mouth. Only then did she realize it was seaweed soup. Forget meat—even something half-meat like an egg was nowhere to be found.
Tang Zihang didn’t have much brainpower, but his temper wasn’t small. He jabbed his chopsticks hard into the food. “Is this instance trying to starve us to death? With this tiny bit of food, we’ll be weak as hell after ten days!”
Not far away, a fellow sufferer from the same miserable fate chimed in, “The soup’s already cold! They could at least warm it up!”
The cafeteria lady, who doubled as the head cook, stopped shaking her hand. The spoon in her grip clanked loudly against the rim of the bowl, making the already pitiful tofu bits inside spill out a little. She scooped up what little remained and dumped it into the bowl in front of her.
“You little brats think I can’t hear you whining over there? Sent to an internet addiction treatment center, and you’re still picky about food? Have you finished your homework? Just wait till this afternoon—you’ll get what’s coming to you!”
After her lion’s roar, she switched to muttering curses under her breath. The fellow sufferer beside Tang Zihang, who had been bold just moments ago, quickly shriveled up and lowered his head to sip his soup in silence.
Qin Dongwan noticed that besides this cafeteria auntie, there weren’t any other NPCs in sight. The slightly braver ones had chosen to sit far away from her, whispering in small groups.
The tiny portion of food wasn’t enough to fill a boy’s stomach. Seeing Tang Zihang finish his soup while still eyeing more, Qin Dongwan picked up his bowl and walked up to the cafeteria auntie with a bright smile.
“Auntie, could I have another bowl of soup?”
The fairly dutiful NPC didn’t say a word and simply ladled her another bowl. Seeing this, quite a few others mustered their courage, clutching their bowls as they stepped forward—better to eat their fill now than risk collapsing from hunger later.
Before leaving, Qin Dongwan whispered something to the cafeteria auntie, exchanging a few lighthearted remarks. To her surprise, the woman secretly stuffed two boiled eggs into her pocket.
Amid the commotion, Qin Dongwan picked up her tray and switched seats, smoothly squeezing in next to two people who had just sat down. Without beating around the bush, she got straight to the point:
“I’m Qin Dongwan. How about we trade some information?”
She chose two girls who were clearly a temporary team. Generally, women tended to lower their guard more easily around other women who were pretty but not overwhelmingly so.
“I’m Xu Qing.”
The short-haired girl was the first to respond. With only half an hour for lunch, she obviously didn’t want to waste too much time. Her answer was swift and concise. “We searched the infirmary.”
“I checked an area near the teaching building.”
Since they weren’t sure of each other’s strength or intentions, the secret about the treatment room couldn’t be revealed so easily. Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, realizing that the area Qin Dongwan mentioned wasn’t the one she was most curious about.
It was clear Qin Dongwan was holding back.
She wasn’t willing to hand over the secrets she had uncovered so easily.
“Forget it. We can check the area near the teaching building ourselves.”
The girl beside Xu Qing thought exchanging information was a losing deal. She nudged Xu Qing’s shoulder, signaling that she was done eating and didn’t want to stay any longer. Xu Qing was at least polite enough to give Qin Dongwan an apologetic smile before the two of them left in a hurry.
“11:45. There are fifteen minutes left to rest, but the old professor never told us what we’re supposed to do in the afternoon…” Qin Dongwan lowered her arms. “Tang Erha, go back to your dorm first and see if you have a schedule. Best if you find some pen and paper to copy it down—wouldn’t want the dorm supervisor tossing it out like trash.”
“Got it.”
Tang Zihang was full and satisfied. Though the food’s taste was questionable, at least it was enough to fill his stomach. With his hunger gone, his complaints also vanished. He quickly headed toward the dorm area.
The entire internet addiction center wasn’t very big. A sports field sat in the middle, separating the living quarters from the learning area. The treatment room was hidden in between, only accessible through a winding path overgrown with weeds. If someone didn’t check carefully, they wouldn’t even notice it was there.
For now, this was a secret between her and Tang Zihang. It wasn’t that Qin Dongwan was too selfish to share—it was just that the people in this novel were a mixed bag. She couldn’t be sure she recognized everyone, and if she ended up trusting the wrong person—someone useless or, worse, someone who would sell out their teammates to save themselves—she’d have no one to cry to when things went south.
With that in mind, Qin Dongwan gently pushed open the door to her dorm.
Her gaze instantly locked onto a pair of calm, unwavering purple eyes.
The dorm was poorly furnished and had no air conditioning, yet Qin Dongwan felt as if she had stepped into an ice cellar. A chill seeped into her bones, making every pore on her body bristle with cold.
Luo Shu had a pair of eyes like crystal grapes—deep, intoxicating, and beautiful—but instead of sweetness, they carried the sharp chill of liquor over-iced, leaving only an icy sting behind. She was petite, with a naturally adorable face, but the danger she exuded surpassed even the boss from the beginner level.
Beautiful, but honestly a bit scary. Qin Dongwan didn’t ask why she hadn’t gone to eat. She just took out the two eggs, now a little warm from being in her pocket, and handed them over.
“I brought these for you. You should eat something to regain your strength.”
Author's Note:
Qin Dongwan: Even though I’m scared, I still have to flirt with my villainess~
(I don’t get what’s there to censor about white paint...)
*白粉 (báifěn) literally means white powder and also mean heroin in slang. Author had to use 白.粉 to go around the censorship
