Chapter 100
Chapter 100: If You Don’t Need Help, Type 1; If You Do, Type the English Version of “Memorial on the Expedition”
“Aaaah—save me—mmph, mmph—!”
Li Hai Sheng was in freefall at a truly disrespectful speed. The wind flattened his cheeks and stuffed his words right back down his throat. He pinwheeled helplessly—an involuntary aerial routine—and streaked past Qian Qi like a human meteor.
Then he saw her.
Floating in midair.
His expression changed so fast it should’ve come with a whiplash warning.
What the hell?
How was she hovering?
A flight-type awakener?
No. None of that mattered.
He was about to become a smear.
Li Hai Sheng flailed like his life depended on it—which, annoyingly, it did—trying to catch Qian Qi’s attention. He screamed until his throat felt raw, but the wind ate every sound. They were too far apart. He couldn’t even get a single “please” into her ears, let alone a full speech about being a harmless, pitiful good guy.
All he could do was pray she had a conscience.
He looked up again—and froze.
Qian Qi was closing the distance.
Huh?
She actually came?
Was Chen Tong right? Was she… kind?
If Qian Qi ever heard someone call her “kind,” she’d grin so hard her face might fall off, then bash them out of sheer embarrassment and say, “Why are you saying the truth out loud like that?”
But she didn’t know any of that. All she saw was a falling man in expensive gear.
She clutched System’s panel, eyes bright with excitement and a hint of something unhinged. “System! Catch up! He’s wearing defensive armor—he’s definitely a big spender!”
System didn’t particularly enjoy obeying its commander, but the moment it heard “big spender,” it tilted and accelerated like it had just smelled fresh cash.
Big spender! Big spender!
Long live big spender!
When the panel drew level with Li Hai Sheng, Qian Qi met his terrified, hopeful gaze.
“Qian Qi—save me—!”
Li Hai Sheng lunged, writhing in midair, reaching for her like she was the last rope on a cliff.
System immediately drifted back.
It refused to carry a second passenger.
At this speed, Qian Qi couldn’t hear a thing anyway, so she whipped out her terminal and typed huge bold letters, flashing them at him.
Qian Qi: [Konnichiwa?]
Li Hai Sheng: ???
He went blank. What was that? Why couldn’t he read it?
“Huh? You don’t understand?” Qian Qi looked almost disappointed. “Then you’re not from r-country.”
She deleted it and tried again.
Qian Qi: [?]
Li Hai Sheng: ???
Still nothing.
“You don’t get this either? Then you’re not from h-country.” Qian Qi squinted at him. “France?”
She dug through the dusty corner of her education and produced the sum total of her French.
[Putain? Fuck?]
Li Hai Sheng stared.
He didn’t understand the first word, but the second one? Crystal clear.
The abyss below rushed closer and closer. Li Hai Sheng flailed harder, panic clawing up his spine, and screamed, “Save me! Can you fucking save me first—!”
Qian Qi couldn’t read lips, but she absolutely recognized the mouth shape for “fucking.”
She slapped her thigh. “Oh! So you’re local! You should’ve said so! I saw you doing extreme sports and thought you were foreign!”
System went silent.
Sure. This world had two languages, and she was playing language roulette in freefall just to mess with him.
“Alright, alright,” Qian Qi said magnanimously. “Locals are easier to communicate with.”
She deleted the nonsense and typed in the local language, politeness dialed up to an absurd level.
[Hello, big brother. Do you need help? If you don’t, please type 1. If you do, please type the English version of “memorial on the expedition,” okay?]
Li Hai Sheng’s brain short-circuited.
Memorial on the expedition?
What was that supposed to be?
He’d never heard of it in his life.
So you’re not saving me, then? Just say it! Why torture me?!
Li Hai Sheng nearly cried. He thrashed like a fish in a glass tank, clawing at the air, trying to grab Qian Qi and save himself.
Qian Qi drifted backward, just out of reach—calm, leisurely, and absolutely evil.
She kept “chatting” on her terminal while they fell:
[Why aren’t you responding? Are you looking down on me? I hate it when people pretend they can’t hear me. No manners at all!]
[First time in this dungeon? Why didn’t you bring a parachute? Don’t tell me you can’t even afford one?]
[I heard nobody has entered for over twenty years. Why did you come in? Did you get tired of living? If I save you, am I ruining your big plan? Are you going to scam me after?]
Then she finished with:
[Forget it. I shouldn’t meddle.]
Li Hai Sheng nearly spat blood.
Somewhere in the middle of his panic, his brain finally rebooted. He fumbled out his own terminal and typed with shaking hands:
[Save me! I’m not trying to kill myself! I’m here to clear the dungeon and help the people! I’m a hero!]
Qian Qi’s mouth fell open in pure disbelief.
[Where did this dumbass come from? What level are you, trying to clear the Hell Dungeon?]
Li Hai Sheng: ???
This was not how Chen Tong described her.
Screw Chen Tong. That idiot couldn’t be trusted.
Li Hai Sheng deleted everything and typed the only sentence that mattered.
[Save me first! I’ll pay you!]
Now they were speaking Qian Qi’s native language.
She looked him up and down.
[How much?]
[Five hundred thousand?] Li Hai Sheng typed, desperate.
Qian Qi clicked her tongue.
[So your life is worth only 500,000.]
Li Hai Sheng’s vision went dark with rage and fear.
[One million! I don’t have much! I’m only D-rank!]
Qian Qi shook her head like a disappointed appraiser.
[One million? I spend more than that raising a dog.]
Li Hai Sheng was on the verge of losing his mind.
[Three million! Three million, okay? That’s all I’ve got! Please save me!]
Qian Qi rubbed her chin. Three million… not bad.
[Then give me your defensive armor as a deposit. Then I’ll save you.]
He didn’t look like a good guy. And this was a dungeon no one had entered for twenty years—yet the day she walked in, someone followed right behind her? The timing was too clean. Too suspicious.
Still, suspicion didn’t stop her from grabbing a windfall.
Her eyes gleamed at the armor. It looked pricey. Several million, easy.
Li Hai Sheng hesitated.
[Fine. But after we land, you give it back. No tricks.]
He didn’t know what rank this dungeon really was. Without armor, one magic beast encounter would turn him into lunch. He could pay, but he couldn’t afford to lose his protection.
Qian Qi smacked her lips.
[Fine.]
Li Hai Sheng yanked off the armor and shoved it at her.
He’d done the math. Falling from this height, even with armor, he’d still be paste. Better to ditch it and bet Qian Qi had at least a shred of honesty.
By some miracle, she did.
Qian Qi grabbed his arm. With System’s panel stabilizing them, they slowed, leveled, and hit the ground safely.
The instant his feet touched down, Li Hai Sheng lunged for the defensive armor.
Qian Qi hopped back, hugging it to her chest. “Money?”