Raising a Girlfriend Starting from a Dream Game - Chapter 3

Ling Xiao looked at the sobbing Yang Linlin, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked over.
He thought to himself that if danger arose later, he could still abandon Yang Linlin then.
After all, clearing the game was what mattered most.

Hearing the footsteps, Yang Linlin was immediately terrified.
She quickly shut her eyes and cried out, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!!”
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” Ling Xiao crouched down, trying to calm Yang Linlin.

Yang Linlin opened her eyes and found the boy before her somewhat familiar.
Wasn’t he the senior Ling Xiao that Chen Ting introduced yesterday?!

Trembling with fear, Yang Linlin tentatively asked, “Are… are you Senior Ling Xiao?”
“I… I am.” Ling Xiao nodded, looking her over. “Are you okay?”

Yang Linlin shook her head vigorously, grabbing Ling Xiao’s arms as she cried, “Where is this? Why is there no one around me? Have I been captured and brought to a battlefield?”

Just as Ling Xiao was about to explain, enemy aircraft shells began falling from above.
“Boom!”

Dream Simulation ended.

[Congratulations player for surviving half an hour, keep it up~]

Ling Xiao wasn’t satisfied. He activated this Dream Simulation for the fourth time.
When he saw Yang Linlin this time, he didn’t even let her speak, grabbing her and running desperately.

As for Yang Linlin, she naturally had no idea what was happening.
But the next moment, the spot where she had just been standing was hit by a shell, making her panic.

After running some distance, Ling Xiao noticed the enemy aircraft above had left.
He turned to Yang Linlin and said, “We’re safe now.”
Yang Linlin’s face was flushed red. She lowered her head, her small hand trying to pull away as she said, “It hurts…”

Only then did Ling Xiao realize he had been gripping her arm tightly. He immediately apologized, “Sorry, it was an emergency.”
“I should be thanking you. Otherwise, I would have died just now.”
Yang Linlin looked up at the boy before her, tear stains on her face as she asked, “Why are we here?”
Ling Xiao replied, “Don’t ask why. There’s no time. Just follow me if you want to survive.”

Hearing this, Yang Linlin didn’t have time to think it through.
In the face of danger, women tend to rely on someone stronger than themselves.
The two moved forward one after another, slowly crawling along the trench.

Gradually, night fell.
The dark environment added another layer of unknown fear for both of them.
Enemy aircraft above frequently scanned the ground with searchlights.
This made Ling Xiao even more cautious, afraid of being discovered.

Although they hadn’t encountered any enemies during their long journey, there was still the risk of being shot instantly if spotted.

Yang Linlin followed behind Ling Xiao, tears streaming down her face as she trembled with fear.
She didn’t know what was happening.
But her subconscious told her she needed to get away from here quickly.
However, the next moment, Yang Linlin missed her step and stumbled, falling down.

“Ah!~”
Ling Xiao turned to see her fallen on the ground.
He immediately went over and asked, “What happened?”
“N-nothing.” Yang Linlin tried to stand up despite the pain.

But the throbbing pain in her ankle prevented her from standing straight.
Ling Xiao glanced around and noticed an opening in the nearby trench. He immediately went over to check it out. The opening wasn’t large, but it extended deep underground.

It appeared to be an air-raid shelter used in battlefields.
So he said, “Alright, I’ll help you over there to rest. There’s a cave ahead, and since it’s nighttime now, there probably won’t be any shells.”
“No need, I can walk.”
Yang Linlin, afraid of holding him back, immediately claimed she was fine.
But Ling Xiao said helplessly, “With your foot like this, how can you walk?”
Yang Linlin still insisted on continuing, too afraid to stay in such a place for long, wanting to leave quickly.

Thus, Ling Xiao supported Yang Linlin as they searched for an escape route.
They walked from day until night, both utterly exhausted.
Compounded by Yang Linlin’s foot injury worsening until she could only stand on one foot.
By the early hours of the morning, they could no longer resist their physical fatigue and found a relatively hidden corner to sleep for a while.

This sleep directly ended the Dream Simulation.

Ling Xiao didn’t even know how he died.
But he knew he had to settle Yang Linlin safely before he could complete the mission.
Now, the War game’s Dream Simulation had only one last chance remaining.
If this mission failed again, the War game would enter a cooldown period.
His opportunity to extend his Life points would be gone.

“Succeed or die trying!”

The fifth Dream Simulation began.

Like the previous four times, Ling Xiao used his prior experience to lead Yang Linlin out of the danger zone.
But this time, when she stumbled, Ling Xiao didn’t reach out to support her.
Sure enough, Yang Linlin sprained her ankle.

He pointed to the cave opening not far away and said seriously, “You can’t walk now. Let’s rest in that cave opening for a while. Otherwise, your foot will swell more, and it’ll be even worse later.”
“Alright, fine.”
Facing Ling Xiao, Yang Linlin felt inexplicably intimidated.
She wanted to suggest continuing, but didn’t dare speak up.
Little did she know, this experience came from Ling Xiao dying multiple times.

Yang Linlin had no choice but to grip his arm as they walked to the cave entrance.
But when she saw the dark opening, she suddenly grew fearful: “Th-there’s no danger inside, right?”
“This is where soldiers usually take shelter from shelling. Besides, even if there is danger, could it be worse than being bombarded by shells outside?” Ling Xiao retorted.
This left Yang Linlin speechless.

She could only listen to Ling Xiao and carefully enter.
Ling Xiao took out his phone, turned on the flashlight.

After settling Yang Linlin inside the cave, he vigilantly scanned their surroundings.
From entering the game until now, he suddenly realized enemy aircraft bombed in hourly cycles.
If that was the case, he could use the bombing cooldown periods to search for escape routes.

As for Yang Linlin…
Ling Xiao thought he could come back for her after finding an escape route.
After all, she was injured now – bringing her along would significantly slow them down.
Moreover, the air-raid shelter was safe; shell bombardments couldn’t harm her here.
If she followed him, she’d only suffer unnecessary fright.
Rather than that, it was better to leave her in the cave while he searched for escape routes.

“Linlin, let me explain the plan to you.” Ling Xiao said, “We don’t know our current location. I’ll go out first to find an escape route. Once I’ve found a way out, I’ll come back for you.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Linlin immediately looked at him in panic and said with a choked voice, “No, you can’t leave me behind. I—I can walk right now.”

“Listen, this air-raid shelter is quite safe. The shell bombardments can’t reach here, so just stay put calmly. I’ll come back for you after I’ve scouted the route.”
But Yang Linlin wouldn’t listen no matter what. She kept crying and pleading, “No, no, don’t leave me behind. I beg you, I’m scared.”