Chapter 104: The Cooperative Trap

Upon receiving the controller and feeling its familiar weight, Gu Xuanyu’s brows relaxed, and the smile in her wine-red eyes deepened noticeably.

“Allow me to briefly explain the game,” she began.

Essentially, it was a cooperative level-clearing game. Players needed both individual skill and seamless teamwork to advance through the stages, which explained its inclusion in the training regimen.

Consequently, a significant disparity in skill between two players often led to frustrating scenarios that could send onlookers’ blood pressure skyrocketing.

Incidentally, the Spirit Orb and Demon Orb characters possessed mutual collision boxes.

“Ye Qing, wait! You can’t go in there!”

Before Gu Xuanyu’s anxious warning could fully escape her lips, the Demon Orb, controlled by Ye Qing, had already plunged into the poisonous swamp, instantly perishing.

The black-haired girl tilted her head, one hand softly gripping the controller, the other scratching her head, appearing somewhat bewildered.

“Actually, I didn’t mean to slide in. I just wanted to touch it with my foot…”

‘How did it melt just from a touch?’ Ye Qing mused, her smile surprisingly calm, yet a quiet grumble still formed in her mind.

‘And it was perfectly fine when we crossed the fire pit earlier…’ she thought.

Amidst her confusion, Ye Qing handed the controller to Shen Congqing, who was behind her, and relinquished her seat. Thus, it was the golden-haired girl and the silver-haired girl who found themselves facing each other in the chairs.

“Eh, isn’t something a bit off here?”

Shen Congqing stared blankly at the controller in her hand, then at Gu Xuanyu’s similarly furrowed brows, creased with vexation.

“No, Ye Qing, you don’t need to switch.”

“If I don’t switch, you’ll just be spacing out in the back, won’t you? Xuanyu probably won’t lose anyway.”

Ye Qing pulled a carton of milk from her small black bag and settled comfortably in the back, sipping it contentedly.

“But…” Shen Congqing’s brow tightened as she glanced at the silver-haired girl, who was smiling with narrowed eyes. “Alright, you have a point.”

From her observations just now, Ye Qing had absolutely no gaming talent. In fact, she seemed to possess an excess of curiosity, much like a black cat let loose on a keyboard.

Ye Qing would likely have died many times over before Gu Xuanyu even had a chance to make a mistake, meaning it would never be her turn to team up with Ye Qing.

That also meant she couldn’t use the excuse of ‘guidance’ to hold Ye Qing’s hand, nor could she discreetly lean against her shoulder when Ye Qing was called away…

In other words, only one path remained.

Shen Congqing shifted her gaze to Gu Xuanyu’s enigmatic, almost smiling face, her emerald eyes blazing with a fierce desire for battle.

‘Gu, let’s fight to the death!’

Gu Xuanyu’s eyes held a hint of amusement, her own burning fighting spirit no less intense than Shen Congqing’s.

‘Shen, face me, and accept your fate!’

Both clenched their controllers as if gripping weapons, squeezing so hard that the grips appeared subtly distorted. This tense, confrontational aura made Ye Qing break out in a cold sweat.

‘Since things have come to this, I’ll just eat some cake first.’

Then, the black-haired girl leisurely took out a small box of honey cakes from her bag. Swinging her legs, she picked up a golden-yellow cake and nibbled at it like a little hamster, quickly puffing out her cheeks.

Soon, their duel began. However, from the very outset, Shen Congqing exhibited unexpected caution, even walking gingerly, tapping her finger to inch forward. This made Gu Xuanyu quite anxious.

“Senior Qing, this isn’t fun at all. Ye Qing is still waiting, you know.”

“If you don’t quickly expose a weakness, how can I continue to enjoy our two-person world with Ye Qing?”

Shen Congqing merely hummed lightly, her rhythm undisturbed.

“Tch, I’m still a novice at this game. As a high-level player, you should be a little more lenient.”

Despite her words, Shen Congqing quickly grasped the game’s rhythm. After all, she was a Magical Girl, and her reaction speed was considerably faster than that of ordinary people.

Most dangers were clearly marked on the map, giving Shen Congqing the confidence that she wouldn’t make mistakes during her first contact with the game.

‘Now, it’s my time to shine.’

Just as Shen Congqing, harboring this thought, prepared to cross a cold pond that would melt the Demon Orb, Gu Xuanyu precisely timed her move, maneuvering the Spirit Orb to appear directly beneath the Demon Orb’s feet.

Concurrently, Gu Xuanyu revealed a cunning, wicked smile.

‘Didn’t expect that, you dead blonde! The moment you play with me, the nature of the game changes. This is now a two-player trap elimination match!’

‘As a novice, you probably don’t know this game has collision boxes, do you?’

The Spirit Orb edged closer to the Demon Orb, obstructing its forward momentum. The latter’s冲锋 speed instantly converted into a downward trajectory, sending it plunging straight into the cold pond, where it dissolved into ash.

Shen Congqing’s expression froze, then she muttered a low, displeased curse, much like when she had been trapped in her bed by a wooden drill. It seemed she was growing younger by the day.

Shen Congqing reluctantly handed the controller back to Ye Qing, but the latter was currently engrossed in eating cake, her lips glistening with oil, her small face radiating happiness.

When the controller was presented to her, she was still a little dazed.

‘Already?’

Seeing Shen Congqing’s resentful expression, she roughly guessed what had transpired.

‘That girl was definitely up to no good just now.’

‘You’ve turned bad, Xuanyu! You’re resorting to unscrupulous means to win!’

‘Ugh, I must properly educate you…’

‘About what you don’t want done to yourself, don’t do to others!’

Thirty seconds after taking the controller, Ye Qing stared at the Demon Orb, which had once again turned to ash, her face a mask of bewilderment.

‘Eh, what happened? I clearly jumped over it…’

Her plan to educate the ‘bad girl’ had fallen through. Ye Qing had originally intended to jump to the other side before Gu Xuanyu, then block her there.

However, merely jumping over the first trap was already enough of a challenge for the black cat. She was far better suited to eating honey cake on the sidelines.

Shen Congqing took the controller, looking at the equally dejected Ye Qing, and resolved to teach Gu Xuanyu a lesson this time.

Both were much more cautious now, but Shen Congqing knew that Gu Xuanyu still held a significant information advantage. Therefore, if she didn’t try to seize the initiative, she would eventually fall into Gu Xuanyu’s traps.

Thus, at the next poisonous swamp, Shen Congqing boldly maneuvered her Demon Orb. She stayed close behind the Spirit Orb, making no attempt to hide her blatant intention to push Gu Xuanyu directly into the toxic waters.

Gu Xuanyu sneered inwardly, ‘Trying such petty tricks against me? Be careful not to trap yourself.’

Watching the eager Demon Orb, Gu Xuanyu decided to turn the tables. She would wait until Shen Congqing reached the poisonous swamp with her, then use her reflexes to make a leap.

With the poisonous swamp directly beneath them, Gu Xuanyu glanced at Shen Congqing beside her, ready to decisively press the jump button. To her surprise, the golden-haired girl’s face also wore a treacherous expression.

The next instant, she felt a gentle nudge to her elbow. Though light, it was enough to make her finger slip off course.

‘An off-board tactic!’

Although Gu Xuanyu immediately removed her hand from the controller, Shen Congqing wouldn’t let the uncontrolled Spirit Orb go. With a wicked grin, she maneuvered the Demon Orb to firmly ram into the Spirit Orb from behind, giving it a strong push.

Gu Xuanyu’s brows shot up. She tried to regain control of her character, but Shen Congqing’s elbow remained tightly pressed against hers.

For a moment, she couldn’t overpower the stubborn golden-haired girl and could only watch helplessly as the Spirit Orb slid away.

‘You dead blonde, what are you doing!’

Her shouts were useless, and she was regretfully eliminated, stomping her feet in frustration. However, upon turning around and seeing Ye Qing drooling over the honey cake, Gu Xuanyu’s hanging heart immediately settled.

‘Hmph, there are still plenty of opportunities left.’

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