AnotherplayerfrownedasheapproachedQiYifang,interruptinghisdaydreaming.

ewasthesameplayerangrdahadjustsavedmomentsearlierafterhenearlyfailedtowithstandtherefugees’assault.isvoicestillcarriedlingeringpanicashespoke.

“Qi-ge...somethingfeelsoff.”

AmongthethreeKingsuildmembers,QiYifangpossessedthestrongestoverallpanelandwasalsothemostlikelycandidatetoentertheuild’scoretacticalteaminthefuture.Comparedtotheunfamiliar,taciturn,andfrighteninglypowerfulangrda,theothertwoinstinctivelytrustedQiYifangmorewheneverproblemsarose.

QiYifangwithdrewhisgazefromangrdaandturnedtowardhim.

“What’swrong?”heasked.“Didsomethinghappen?”

heplayer’sexpressiondarkened.

“Qi-ge...don’tyouthink...”ehesitated.“herosesaroundusareslowlydisappearing?”

QiYifangfroze.

Behindhim,evenangrda’sgun-handpausedmomentarily.

hetwoofthemimmediatelyswepttheireyesacrossthesurroundings.

Atfirstglance,therewasnoobviousreductioninthenumberofroses.

Butthatitselfwasabnormal.

Becauseafterfightingrefugeesnonstopforthreestraighthours,therosesshouldhavebeenincreasingdramatically.

QiYifang’sfacechangedinstantly.

“Didsomeonesneakinandstealthem?!”heshouted.“WasBaiiuhere?!”

heonlyreasontheyhadstayedtrappedinsidethisspaceslaughteringmonsterswasbecausetheywerewaitingforBaiiutoappearandcollecttheroseshimself.

“mpossible.”angrdarejectedtheideaimmediately.“Asidefromtherefugeesattractedbytheperfume,haven’tseenasinglelivingthingapproachthisplace.”

Butthemomenthesaidit,hisexpressionturnedextremelygrim.

angrdahadbeenmonitoringthebattlefieldtheentiretime.

fBaiSixhadtrulyappearednearby,therewasnowayangrdawouldhavefailedtonoticehim.

Sothen...

whoexactlyhadstolentheroses?

nthedistance,Baiiuloweredhisbinocularsslightlyandsmiled.

Besidehim,pilesofDriedeafRoseshadalreadyaccumulatedintosmallhills,andtheywerestillincreasingsteadilyasmoreandmorerosesweretransportedover.

rrather—

stolenover.

heonestransportingthemwereagroupofraggedrefugees.

Butunlikethecrazedmonstersinsidetheflowerfield,theserefugeesretainedclearawarenessintheireyes.

heyweretheverysamerefugeeswhohadattackedBaiiuearlierattheabandonedfactory.

iddenamongtheswarminghordesassaultingangrdaandtheothers,theserefugeesquietlyslippedalongtheedgesofthe[MagicSpace],gatheringrosesasdiscreetlyaspossiblewhilecarefullyavoidingangrda’sattentionandstayingoutofhisattackrange.

Becausetheyhadregainedtheirsanity,theycouldresisttheperfume’sinfluencetoacertainextent.

heyweren’tmindlesslydriventoattackangrda’sgrouplikethemonsterrefugeeswere.

Andso,whilethefourtrappedplayersfocusedentirelyonendlesscombat,thisgroupofrecoveredrefugeessilentlytransferredmassiveamountsofDriedeafRosestoBaiiuwithoutanyonerealizing. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

riginally,Baiiuhadconsidereddirectlyusingtherefugeeswithintheflowerfieldstohelphimstealfromtheotherflowerpickers.

Butafterinteractingwiththerefugeesattheabandonedfactory—andpersonallyobservingthesituation—herealizedthattherefugeestrappedinsidetheflowerfieldswerealreadybeyondsaving.

venhighconcentrationsofperfumecouldnolongerrestoretheirminds.

heperfumecouldsuppresstheirattackstemporarilyandactedastheirweakness,butitcouldnolongerbringbacktheirsanity.

herefugeeswanderingthefieldsatnighthadalreadybecomecompletesymbioticcreaturesfusedwiththeDriedeafRoses.

heirhumansoulsweregone.

heyhadbecometruemonsters.

WhichwasexactlywhytheyappearedinsidetheRoseFactoryMonsterBook.

Fortunately,therefugeesBaiiuhadencounteredattheabandonedfactoryhadn’tyetbecomedeeplyaddictedtotheperfumeandcouldstillrecovertheirawareness.

BothBaiiuandiuJiayihadalreadyguessedthisearlier.

therwise,themechanicof[Perfume=MentalBleach]wouldhavebeenmeaningless.

Andgamesneverincludeduselessmechanics.

“Mr.Baiiu.”heleaderoftherefugeegroupbowedrespectfully.houghseverewitheringmarksstillcoveredhisface,hiseyesweremuchclearerthanbefore.“herearealreadyonehundredandsixtykilogramsofDriedeafRosestransportedhere.Shouldwecontinue?”

Baiiunodded.

earby,iuJiayiwastreatingseveralinjuredrefugees.Sincetheserefugeesmainlystayedneartheedgesofthebattlefieldandavoidedthecentralfighting,theirinjurieswererelativelyminor.Usually,asingledropofantidotewasenough.

Yetevenwhilebeingtreated,therefugeeslookedutterlyoverwhelmed.

errified.

Atacompleteloss.

thadbeenfartoolongsinceanyonetreatedthemlikehumanbeings.

nsidethefactory,peopleonlycalledthem“lowlycommoners.”

herefugeeleaderhesitatedforamomentbeforespeakingagain.

isexhaustedfacewasfilledwithcautioushope.

“Wearedeeplygratefulforyourkindness.”eloweredhisheadslightly.“Attheabandonedfactoryduringtheday,youwerewillingtosharepreciousperfumewithlowlyrefugeeslikeus—peoplewhowerealreadylosingourmindsbecausewecouldn’taffordperfumeanymore.hankstoyou,wewereabletospeakwithclearmindsagain,evenifonlybriefly.”

enervouslysteppedforward.

“Pleaseforgivemyrudeness...buttrulywishtoaskonemoretime...”isvoicetrembled.“swhatyousaidearlierreallytrue?Canallwanderingrefugeesreallyuseperfumeinthefuture?”

“fcourseit’strue.”

Baiiuloweredthebinocularsleisurelyandturnedaround.

hesmileonhisfacewassogentleitwould’vegiveniuJiayigoosebumps.

“AslongasyoucooperatewithmefullyandsupportmeinbecomingFactoryManager,”Baiiusaidsincerely,“guaranteethatrefugeeswillnolongerfallintoruin.You’llbeabletolivelikeordinarypeopleagain.”

“omorrow,’llcontinuedistributingtheperfumeearntoeveryone.Justwaitformeatthesameplace.”

herefugeeseruptedintocommotionatthosedreamlikewords.

ButunderBaiiu’scalmgaze,theyquicklyquietedagain,staringathimwitheyesfullofdisbeliefandhope.

“owever,”Baiiuaddedmildly,“’llneedyourhelpwithonething.”

“omorrow,gatherasmanynearbyrefugeesaspossibleandguidethemhere.”

Baiiuextendedhishandwithasmile.

“’llalsodoeverythingcantohelpthemrecovertheirsanity.heneveryonecancooperatetogether.”

herefugeeleaderstaredblanklyatthehandBaiiuofferedhim.

herosepatternsspreadingthroughhiseyeswerealreadyclosetowitheringawaycompletely.isdamagedeyesocketsglistenedwithtearsbornfromsurvivingutterdespair.

erepeatedlywipedhisfilthyhandsagainsthisraggedclothesbeforecautiouslyreachingouthisownwitheredhandtoshakeBaiiu’s.

“Webelieveyou!”

isvoicechokedwithemotion.

“We...we’rewillingtodoanythingforsomeoneaskindandselflessasyou!We’devengiveourlives!”

Bathedinwhatpracticallylookedlikeholylight,Baiiusmiledwarmly.

“here’snoneedtothankme.We’recooperatingwitheachother.hisissimplywhatshoulddo.”

herefugeeleadergrippedBaiiu’shandtightlyastearsstreameddownhisface.

“o...”hestammeredemotionally.“Youonlyhadsolittleperfumeyourself...andyouearneditthroughyourownhardwork...yetyougaveitallawaytosaveus...hisistruly...youreallyareagreatperson!”

iuJiayisilentlylookedattheonehundredandsixtykilogramsofrosespilednearby—theveryrosestheserefugeeshadriskedtheirlivestostealforBaiiu.

henshelookedtowardthefourtrappedplayersstillfightingdesperatelyinsidethe[MagicSpace].

Finally,hernumbgazelandedonBaiiu,whostoodtheresmilinglikeabenevolentsaintdespitehavingdoneabsolutelynothingallnight.

“t’snothing,really.”Baiiuwavedmodestly,sighingasthoughhedeeplysympathizedwiththerefugees’suffering.“omatterwhereyougo,workingundercapitalistsjustmeansgettingexploitedbycapitalists.Sincethere’snotimetoenjoytheperfumeanyway,it’sbettertouseittohelpothers.”

herefugeesburstintoemotionaltears.

“Waaahhh!Mr.Baiiuissuchagoodperson!”

iuJiayi:“...”

Baiiuwasgenuinelyterrifying.

————————

Asdawnapproached,theroseswithintheflowerfieldsslowlyclosedtheirpetals.

heendlesswavesofrefugeesfinallystoppedemerging.

Andatsomepoint,theinvisiblewallsofthe[MagicSpace]disappearedwithoutanyonenoticing.

Afterangrdashotdownthefinalrefugee,QiYifangcollapsedtohiskneesfromsheerexhaustion.

islimbstwitcheduncontrollably.

ecouldn’tevenstandproperlyanymore.

oursofnonstop,high-intensitycombathadpushedbothhisbodyandmindbeyondtheirlimits.oteventhebeststaminarecoveryitemscouldcompletelyoffsetthatlevelofexhaustion.

venafterundergoingspecialtrainingfromtheQueenofeartsinsidethe[amePool],enduringthiskindofovernightbattlewasstilloverwhelmingforhim.

heothertwoKingsuildmemberslookedequallyterribleastheycollapsedlimplyintothemuddyground.

nlyangrdaremainedstandingsteadilyafterloweringhisgun,asthoughhewerealreadyaccustomedtothislevelofprolongedattritionwarfare.

Withoutaword,angrdabentdownandgatheredpartoftherosesscatterednearby.Afterstuffingthemintoseveralsacks,heslungthemoveroneshouldersingle-handedly.

“’mtakingthese,”hesaidcoldly.“Youthreesplittherestevenly.hefactoryworkerassignedtotallymyrosesiswaitingformeintheotherflowerfield.”

henheturnedandleftwithoutanotherglance.

QiYifangstaredblanklyatangrda’sdepartingback.

einstinctivelyreachedoutasifwantingtostophim,butafteropeninghismouth,herealizedhedidn’tknowwhattosay.

Partofhimfeltheshouldthankthehunterwhohadprotectedallofthemthroughoutthenight.

Butangrda’sindifferentdeparturemadeonethingperfectlyclear—

hehadneverfoughtfortheirgratitude.

Protectingthemseemedlesslikekindnessandmorelikeinstinct.

Asthoughsafeguardingteammatesduringbattlehadsimplybecomesecondnaturetohim.

earby,theremainingplayershurriedlyscrambledtocounttherosesafterseeingangrdatakehisshare.

alfwaythrough❀оvеlігht❀(Don’tcopy,readhere)counting,oneofthemsuddenlyfrozeandlookedatQiYifangblankly.

“Qi-ge...”

“urrosesfromlastnight...”hesaidslowly.“Didn’tseemlikeenoughtoreacheightykilogramsperperson,right?”

“o.”QiYifangrubbedhisachingtemplestiredlywhileforcinghimselfupright.“countedmidwaythroughthenight.Wewerestillfarshort.”

efrowned.

“What’swrong?Didthehuntertaketoomany?”

“Althoughhonestly,hediddomostofthefighting.ehandledmorethaneightypercentofthebattlefieldbyhimself.t’sonlyfairthathetakesenoughrosestocompletehismission...”

nQiYifang’sestimation,thethreeofthemprobablyhadn’tgatheredenoughrosescollectivelytomeetalltheirquotas.

speciallywithrosesmysteriouslydisappearingthroughoutthenight.

Mostlikely,amongthefourofthem,onlythehunterhimselfwouldbeabletoclearthemissionsuccessfully.

“Qi-ge...”heplayerinterruptedhimdazedlywhileholdingtheroses.“hathunter...leftenoughDriedeafRosesforallofus.”

“Weeachhaveenoughtocompletetoday’smission.”

QiYifang:“?!”

histime,hewasgenuinelystunned.

“nasituationwhereroseswereconstantlydisappearing...”QiYifangslowlysatuprightindisbelief.“estilllefteightykilogramsforeachofus?”

heplayernoddedblankly.

“Y-Yeah...”

QiYifangfellsilent.

henhemurmuredalmostabsentmindedly:

“Justhowmanymonstersdidthathunterkillbyhimself...?”

nlyafterthethreeKingsuildmembersleftBaiiu’sflowerfieldandreturnedtotheirownsettlementareadidBaiiufinallyemergefromhidingwithiuJiayi.

Althoughstayingfarawayfromtheflowerfieldshadslowedthedeteriorationoftheirsanityvalues,BaiiuandiuJiayihaddistributedalloftheirperfumetotherefugeesandhadn’tusedanyonthemselvesduringthenight.

Asaresult,bothoftheirmentalvalueswerecurrentlydangerouslylow.

Butthatproblemwouldsoonceasetomatter.

heprocessingworkerresponsiblefortallyingBaiiu’sresultsnearlydroppedhisjawwhenhesawthemountainofrosespushedoutbeforehim.

ecircledthepilerepeatedlyinutterdisbelief,praisingitoverandoverwhilesuspiciouslysizinguptheinnocent-lookingBaiiuandiuJiayi.

“wohundredkilogramsofDriedeafRoses?!”

heworkerraisedaneyebrowsharply.

“Youpickedallofthisinonenight?”