Aunt Ruxue on the Road Sound the Alarm

Could it be...

That some trouble had befallen Xia Yiwei and Xia Xiashan, preventing the sisters from arriving on time?

With this thought in mind,

Lin Yu quickly ran a search on his virtual computer before the game began.

This time, his approach wasn’t a mechanical search.

Instead, he was tracking the location of a certain phone number he had previously hacked!

The processing speed of the virtual computer far surpassed the one in Lin Yu’s bedroom.

In just thirty seconds,

Auntie Du Ruxue’s phone location appeared on the digital map—

Pinpointed down to the street level.

Lin Yu’s heart sank.

Just as he had suspected...

Du Ruxue was coming!

Her current location was within their district.

Judging by her movement trajectory, she was undoubtedly heading toward their apartment.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

What a delightful surprise for Lin Yu!

Of all days,

She had to choose this lively occasion to join in the fun.

Now he knew why the nurse sister and the museum curator sister were running late.

Before setting out,

They must have tried everything to stop her, but ultimately failed.

Not only that,

They hadn’t even leaked a single hint of this development!

The cat-like girl clearly hadn’t received any warning either.

Which made sense.

Under the watch of a top-tier hacker, slipping out a message wasn’t easy.

In fact,

The moment they tried to send one, not only would it fail to reach the cat girl’s phone or computer—

Auntie Du Ruxue’s phone would probably ring first!

Steadying his nerves, Lin Yu began strategizing how to handle the impending situation.

Based on the distance and the evening rush-hour traffic,

He still had about twenty minutes to prepare...

"Challenger, it’s time to pick your characters."

"You need to select three, and you can choose the same ones I do."

Shen Jiuyi’s words briefly pulled Lin Yu back to the present.

Gripping the controller, Lin Yu replied casually,

"Got it, I know the rules. Let’s begin."

Lin Yu chose not to warn the cat girl about Auntie Du Ruxue’s imminent arrival.

First,

From the cat girl’s perspective,

Him suddenly knowing such a secret would seem suspicious.

And since she was the type to overanalyze,

Dropping this bombshell without airtight logic wasn’t wise.

Second,

Even if he told her, it wouldn’t change anything.

It would only ruin her mood, making her anxious for the next twenty minutes in what should be a cozy atmosphere.

When Auntie Du Ruxue finally showed up,

The one who’d have to face her head-on would still be Lin Yu!

Choosing to stay silent,

Didn’t mean he couldn’t prepare in advance.

Once again, Lin Yu silently praised the cat girl in his heart.

[Virtual Auntie Du Ruxue] was just too damn convenient!

Earlier that afternoon, he had already cleared a simulation.

Now, with the current environment as a reference, running another simulation would be much smoother.

Meanwhile, the spectators remained immersed in the lively atmosphere.

At Ying’er’s urging, another round of betting had begun.

"Place your bets, everyone!"

"On the left—the gaming prodigy who crushed me 15-0!"

"On the right—our undefeated champion, Lin Yu, who’s never lost in any field within this apartment!"

"Choose wisely, folks!"

The intense showdown between Lin Yu and the cat girl earlier had hyped up the crowd.

Now, with a fresh matchup, even more people joined in.

Even Auntie Chen Qimeng, swayed by peer pressure, tossed in her wager.

Huang Feirong: "Lin Yu’s decent at dance games, but controller-based combat? I’m betting twenty on little Jiuyi here—time to recoup my losses!"

Chen Qimeng: "Then... I’ll trust our Xiao Yu. Ten bucks on him."

Chi Qingshui: "Same as Auntie Qimeng. I believe in her luck."

Chi Qingchi: "Heh, isn’t it about time Lin Yu took an L? I’m going with Jiuyi!"

Ye Mengfu: "Lin Yu... five bucks."

"..."

Much like the previous match against the cat girl, the betting split remained roughly even.

Despite the enthusiastic support, Lin Yu didn’t hold back.

He unleashed the newly learned combo moves fluidly against Shen Jiuyi.

However,

The outcome still caught him off guard...

Hand speed determined execution speed—

That much was true.

But familiarity with the game and combat experience?

No amount of last-minute cramming could bridge that gap.

Sure, he knew the moves, but when was the right moment to use which one?

The guide hadn’t covered that part!

A few minutes later,

Watching his character get cornered on-screen, then juggled into the air by Shen Jiuyi’s "Illusory Sea" combo,

Lin Yu’s morale shattered.

The first two rounds had already shown him Shen Jiuyi’s terrifying skill.

Once a character was airborne at half-health, there was no chance to retaliate.

Landing meant death!

"Ugh—"

As the sound system blared his character’s death cry,

The score stood at Lin Yu 0 - Shen Jiuyi 3.

She had wiped the floor with him.

Ah, humanity.

Pride really does come before a fall.

Especially when riding high, one should know when to quit.

The world of classic arcade games was just too complex...

Shen Jiuyi set down her controller and coolly met Lin Yu’s gaze.

"Sorry, I got a little too into it."

Lin Yu: "..."

And now she was rubbing salt in the wound!

Fine, fine.

Consider this grudge officially logged.

"Welp, guess I’m no match for a gaming genius," Lin Yu conceded, though Shen Jiuyi didn’t seem pleased.

During the first round, she had clearly sensed his lack of experience with this game.

Yet his execution was flawless—no misinputs, no hesitation.

Had he played years ago and gotten rusty?

By the third round, Shen Jiuyi had to focus intensely.

The pressure Lin Yu exerted far surpassed Ying’er’s.

One slip-up, and he’d seize the chance to counter.

She had no doubt that given a few more rounds, he’d eventually take a game from her.

As the crowd dispersed to settle their bets,

Lin Yu seized the chance to slip away, excusing himself to change clothes upstairs.

Alone, he could freely utilize [Virtual Auntie Du Ruxue] without distractions.

But it wasn’t enough.

His previous simulation hadn’t accounted for this exact scenario.

He needed to maximize these precious minutes to explore every possible outcome.

Meanwhile,

On the highways of Pingchuan City,

Xia Xiashan drove with Du Ruxue and Xia Yiwei in the backseat, en route to the apartment.

The atmosphere inside the car was undeniably tense.

Xia Yiwei did her best to lighten the mood, sharing amusing anecdotes about the apartment and its owner, Sister Qimeng.

She hoped to shape Du Ruxue’s first impression favorably.

When Du Ruxue heard Xia Yiwei mention "Sister Qimeng," she turned abruptly.

"Sister Qimeng?"

"What’s her full name?"

...

(Second update for today, with more to come later. There's a discussion space on the homepage—feel free to check it out if you're interested.)