“Yeah yeah! Really! Don’t remember a thing!”
As if! I don’t have any memories from this body at all! Sister, who the heck are you!
“I’m Ruan Yuan,”
She spoke, her voice seeming just a tiny bit gentler than before—but only a tiny bit.
“I’m your best friend.”
“My… best friend?”
Bai Linlin repeated, her large light-colored eyes timely filling with more question marks.
The identity reveal came suddenly, but she quickly slipped into the role—a pitiful little loli who’d lost her memory and needed to rely on someone.
“Mm.”
Ruan Yuan nodded, her tone turning somewhat… subtle?
Like stating a fact, but with a hint of something else.
“After you disappeared, I was very worried. After all, you’re so weak and so cute—what if bad people snatched you away?”
Bai Linlin immediately plastered an awkward yet polite smile on her face, muttering inwardly.
That sounds… kinda weird?
But also kinda right?
From this body’s “besides being cute, good for nothing” combat evaluation, Ruan Yuan’s worry seemed perfectly reasonable.
“Then perfect!”
Bai Linlin immediately climbed the pole, her small face showing dependence and relief.
“You must not be a bad person, right? After all, you said you’re my best friend.”
“That’s right.”
Ruan Yuan’s reply was quick, almost without pause.
“I’m Linlin’s best friend.”
“Then…”
Bai Linlin looked at her with sparkling eyes, tossing out the core question.
“You’ll protect me, right?”
“Yes.”
One word, crisp and clean, without much emotion, but somehow believable.
Bai Linlin felt a bit more secure inside, her courage growing a little. Since she claimed to be the “best friend” and promised protection, maybe she could… push her luck just a tad?
She probed, asking in an even softer voice.
“Then… will you listen to me?”
As soon as the question left her mouth, even Lin Yan, tense in the distance, couldn’t help twitching his lips.
He looked at Bai Linlin like she was a daredevil courting death.
Ruan Yuan paused noticeably at the words.
She looked at the white-haired bundle before her, tilting her face up and trying hard to seem harmless, muttering almost inaudibly.
“It’s really you… even with amnesia, still the same old ways.”
The voice was too soft; Bai Linlin only caught a whisper of air, not the specifics.
She tilted her head, showing confusion.
Ruan Yuan didn’t explain, just nodding and uttering that word again.
“Yes.”
Bai Linlin’s inner self cheered! Jackpot!
This thigh seemed scary, but apparently… pretty easy to talk to (?)
“So, remove me from your block list, and let’s add each other as friends again.” Ruan Yuan said.
Linlin: “…”
Lin Yan: “…”
The air went quiet for a moment.
“Aren’t we best friends?”
“Why… would I block and delete you?”
She was genuinely curious—what kind of love-hate drama had the original owner and this “best friend” gone through?
Ruan Yuan seemed to inhale lightly, then exhale slowly.
“It’s better to forget the past.”
She skipped the question, diving straight into instruction mode.
“Now, I’ll teach you how. Focus your mind and think ‘panel’ or ‘system interface.'”
Bai Linlin did as told.
Sure enough, the familiar semi-transparent blue panel unfolded in her vision, still showing her pitiful personal info and tasks.
“See the three short lines icon in the top right? Click it.”
Ruan Yuan’s voice guided from beside her, very close.
Bai Linlin used her mind to control (the system was pretty convenient) and clicked the menu.
A list of options popped up: [Attributes], [Tasks], [Inventory], [Friends], [System Settings]…
“Click [Friends].”
Ruan Yuan continued.
Entering the friends interface. It was simple: left side [Friends List] (utterly empty), right side sub-options: [Add Friend], [Requests], [Block List].
“Click [Block List].” Ruan Yuan’s voice held no fluctuation.
Bai Linlin clicked in.
There was a list inside.
Not long—about seven or eight names. Right at the top was “Ruan Yuan.” Followed by a gray [Unblock] button.
“Find ‘Ruan Yuan,’ click [Unblock].” Ruan Yuan’s instructions were clear and direct.
Bai Linlin operated while忍不住 asking curiously.
“Um… Ruan Yuan sister, the other people on my block list…”
“They’re all bad people.”
Ruan Yuan cut her off, her tone firm as iron, even carrying a chill.
“If you encounter them later, or hear these names, stay far away. Absolutely don’t trust them, don’t contact them.”
“Oh… okay.”
Bai Linlin shrank her neck at the coldness in her tone, obediently complying and unblocking “Ruan Yuan.”
Inwardly muttering: All bad people? Then why are you in the same block list group as them, sister? That logic doesn’t hold!
Right after unblocking, almost simultaneously, a light ding sounded.
A prompt box popped up on the panel:
[Player ‘Ruan Yuan’ requests to add you as a friend. Accept?]
Bai Linlin looked at Ruan Yuan; Ruan Yuan nodded slightly at her. She clicked [Accept].
The friends list instantly gained a lone name.
Ruan Yuan. Avatar a pure black, nothing visible.
Before Bai Linlin could study what else the friends interface offered, another prompt box popped up, bigger than the last, its border flickering with faint golden light.
[Friend ‘Ruan Yuan’ has initiated a special request: Room Fusion]
[Description: Accepting this request will permanently fuse your and friend ‘Ruan Yuan’s’ personal exclusive safe spaces (rooms) into a shared dual space. After fusion, both parties can freely enter and exit the space, sharing some infrastructure. This operation is irreversible; please choose carefully.]
[Accept?]
“This… this is?”
Bai Linlin stared at words like “permanent,” “irreversible,” a bit dazed.
Safe space? Like a player’s private room, rest area or something? Fusion?
Ruan Yuan seemed to have anticipated the prompt; she explained calmly.
“To protect you. This is necessary.”
“Huh?” Bai Linlin didn’t quite get it.
“Why is fusing rooms necessary?”
“To be by your side, for twenty-four-hour protection.”
Ruan Yuan said it like it was obvious, her eyes on Bai Linlin, making her feel like she’d asked a dumb question.
“The game is full of dangers; in your current state, even staying alone in your personal room isn’t safe. After fusion, I can come over anytime.”
It sounded… kinda reasonable?
Bai Linlin thought.
She was combat-five trash right now; having a powerhouse willing to provide twenty-four-hour close protection (weird method aside) seemed like a sure-win deal?
Though “permanent irreversible” sounded scary, considering this was a death game, surviving came first—it didn’t seem that hard to accept?
She glanced at Lin Yan in the distance, still holding his gun, face shifting uncertainly.
Temp teammate versus self-proclaimed “best friend” with unfathomable strength who promised protection…
Seemed like no hesitation needed?
“Oh… okay.”
Bai Linlin nodded, not overthinking (or rather, selectively ignoring that faint nagging unease), and mentally clicked [Accept].
A prompt popped up on the panel: [Request accepted, room fusion process initiating… Estimated time required: 12 hours in-game. During this period, both rooms’ functions are temporarily unavailable.]
The prompt vanished.
Ruan Yuan had been watching Bai Linlin operate the whole time; only when she saw the fusion process start prompt did she finally show a clear change in expression.
Squatting there, facing this little dummy who’d just permanently shared her “lair” with a face saying “this should keep me safe now,” her lips couldn’t help curving up.
A clear, triumphant, satisfied smile full of success.
Bai Linlin, seeing that smile, felt the unease she’d just pushed down surge back up, stronger than before.
Wait… this feeling, why does it seem… not quite right?