Chapter 90: The Suspicious Gaze and the Useless Bow

Zhang Da, the man in the adjacent bed, hadn’t actually suffered any major injuries; merely scrapes to his right arm and left leg. A few days of rest, Wang Tianming surmised, and he would be bouncing back to full health, a far better situation than his own.

This, however, was not Wang Tianming’s primary concern. What truly preoccupied him was the fact that this fellow was awake. Had he, by any chance, witnessed Wang Tianming’s transformation into a longbow just moments ago?

Surreptitiously, Wang Tianming observed the man from the corner of his eye, watching for any strange glances or any deliberate looks in his direction.

Yet, even after the young man named Qi’er helped Zhang Da into the restroom, Zhang Da had acted quite naturally. He displayed no curious or questioning glances, and hadn’t even spared a look in Wang Tianming’s direction.

‘Perhaps I’m overthinking this!’ Wang Tianming mused. ‘After all, many people get up in the middle of the night. What are the odds I’d be seen? The man was probably still half-asleep, simply needing to relieve himself.’

Still, what exactly was the use of this “White Wolf’s Bow”? If it was merely a weapon, Wang Tianming felt it wouldn’t be very useful to him.

Firstly, the era and society he lived in certainly wouldn’t permit him to carry a longbow casually down the street. Moreover, he doubted he’d ever need it in the real world—he wasn’t some heinous bandit. And if something truly happened, how could he, a complete novice with a bow, possibly contend with an opponent?

Secondly, game worlds typically operated under their own distinct rules. Whether external weapons or items would even function within them remained a mystery.

Wang Tianming believed that if he had to adhere to game rules, these external items would likely be difficult to use. Attempting to play Ludo with a superweapon, for instance, would clearly be of no help.

Finally, he was currently injured and unable to move normally. If, like the “Seed of Angels,” it allowed him to transform, that would be another matter. But if it was merely a simple longbow, even one with infinite attack power, it offered him no immediate benefit in his current state.

Not long after, Qi’er helped Zhang Da out of the restroom. Wang Tianming noticed that Zhang Da seemed to glance in his direction before casually returning to his own bed.

There was indeed no concrete evidence that Zhang Da had witnessed his transformation into a longbow. Yet, Wang Tianming’s heart still skipped a beat. He knew this might seem like he was being overly paranoid, seeing enemies in every bush and hearing alarms in every rustle (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘cǎomùjiēbīng, fēngshēnghèlì,’ describing a state of extreme paranoia where one perceives danger in every rustle of leaves or blade of grass). Perhaps the man was merely looking around idly, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Wang Tianming certainly didn’t want his secret known by anyone else.

“Brother Zhang, would you like some water?” Qi’er settled Zhang Da onto his bed, then asked solicitously.

“Yes, please pour me some.” Zhang Da nodded, before glancing toward Wang Tianming again.

‘This guy definitely has something going on!’ Wang Tianming thought to himself. He had sensed the man watching him during the day, but hadn’t caught him in the act. Just now, however, he had personally seen him look over.

“Little brother, why aren’t you asleep yet? Can’t you sleep?” Zhang Da suddenly spoke.

“I’m not feeling well, so I can’t sleep.” Wang Tianming’s heart gave a jolt. This guy was actually initiating conversation with him! ‘Was there a trick?’ So Wang Tianming quickly offered an excuse. “There’s nothing to do during the day anyway, so I’ll just sleep then if I’m tired.”

“Oh, I see.” Zhang Da nodded, taking the water cup Qi’er handed him. He took a sip and said, “It’s too hot. Add some cold water.”

“Okay, coming right up.” Qi’er quickly took the cup back and hurried off to get some cold water.

After Qi’er left, Zhang Da spoke again. “Little brother, what games do you usually play? My surname is Zhang—the Zhang with the ‘bow’ radical. I’m probably a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Zhang.”