Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 26

The dark, narrow, and eerie corridor was now filled with dense fog.

The thick fog severely impaired one’s vision and hearing, invoking involuntary feelings of trepidation and panic.

Contrastingly, when the “jingle” sound resonated, it was as if, amidst a mountainscape obscured by thick clouds, a trickling spring suddenly made itself heard, providing guidance and vitality to those lost.

The sound was crisp and pleasing, capable of making one forget all worries.

Yet at this moment, it was the most terrifying weapon of murder, foreshadowing the impending sweep of snow and ice upon this world.

At the crucial moment, Zhou Qian rapidly analyzed the current situation in his mind.

First was Yun Xiangrong’s side.

Just before Gao Shan’s death, Situ Qing had feigned a major move with her bell, intending to deceive him. At that time, she was far from Rooms 6 and 7, remotely controlling the situation as if she was just an observer.

At that moment, Lu Mengmeng was also far from there. After swapping two number plates, he quickly moved away to avoid suspicion.

He Xiaowei should’ve been following Zhou Qian towards Room 7. But Zhou Qian was delayed searching for evidence for quite some time, during which He Xiaowei probably moved on. From his subsequent comments, he wasn’t near Rooms 6 or 7, so he had no idea how Gao Shan died.

Thus, when Gao Shan took a bullet in room number 6 and ran out, only Yun Xiangrong was initially close to him.

But to hear Gao Shan’s dying words, Zhou Qian expended a lot of mana to freeze time and approached Gao Shan, becoming one of the closest people to him.

Before and after stopping time, Zhou Qian’s position changed.

As a result, from Yun Xiangrong’s perspective, Zhou Qian appeared to have teleported in front of her and Gao Shan.

Moreover, only Yun Xiangrong saw Zhou Qian’s teleportation due to the distance and the thick fog; none of the other players in the game noticed it.

During the time freeze, after learning everything that had happened from Gao Shan, considering the well-coordinated actions between Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing, Zhou Qian wasn’t certain but began to suspect the gambler’s side.

Therefore, before Gao Shan’s last moments, his words, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me”, were intended for the gambler, not Gao Shan.

What Zhou Qian meant by this was simple.

Facing a terrifying organization alone, Yun Xiangrong likely has only a path of death. So, let her hate and target me. I won’t truly harm her.

Time heals both love and hatred. After she vents her anger on me, perhaps she can calm down, and then I can persuade her to genuinely let go.

Zhou Qian purposely said this, both to test if the gambler would leak secrets and to prepare for subsequent plans. He never truly intended to oppose Yun Xiangrong. He was just putting on a show for everyone.

And without a doubt, Yun Xiangrong received his message.

Firstly, after witnessing Zhou Qian’s teleportation to Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong could probably guess the skill he used.

Secondly, before dying, Gao Shan transferred a large amount of gold and items to Yun Xiangrong via the trade house.

Being astute, she understood the implications—Gao Shan, who should’ve died immediately, had the time to make such arrangements, possible only due to Zhou Qian freezing time, delaying his death.

Thus, trusting Yun Xiangrong’s intelligence, when she approached Gao Shan’s body and shoved him away, Zhou Qian whispered in her ear, “Gao Shan told me everything. I’ll avenge him.”

In essence, Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong never truly opposed each other. From the moment Yun Xiangrong pushed him, their coordinated act had begun.

By declaring in front of the gambler that Yun Xiangrong should hate him, Zhou Qian set the stage for their “fallout”.

Later, the so-called retrieval of the bullet from Gao Shan’s corpse, or claiming to have the Tick Tock Clock but not giving it to Yun Xiangrong, even making her kneel and cry until her eyes bled…

All of it was a performance by the two of them, aiming to avenge Gao Shan.

If the enemy didn’t believe that Zhou Qian truly faced universal abandonment and was at his weakest… How would they casually reveal their hand and decide to strike him down?

As expected, Situ Qing should have been just watching from the sidelines. Now that Yun Xiangrong had shown genuine intent to kill Zhou Qian, Situ Qing fully revealed her murderous intent.

Probably, it was Yun Xiangrong’s statement of “Reviving Gao Shan is more important than revenge”, that convinced Situ Qing—Yun Xiangrong was indeed out to kill Zhou Qian and definitely wanted to seize the Tick Tock clock.

From Situ Qing’s point of view, within these 30 seconds, He Xiaowei entered room 10 to find evidence. Yun Xiangrong truly stood against Zhou Qian. With Zhou Qian out of mana, it was the perfect time for her to act.

Situ Qing was indeed fooled. Not only was she fooled, but her vulnerability was also exposed.

Why did she wait for Yun Xiangrong to express her intent to kill Zhou Qian before acting? It could only be because she didn’t dare act rashly unless she was sure that Yun Xiangrong and Zhou Qian were indeed adversaries.

This could only mean one thing—her mana was also running low.

Previously, she and Lu Mengmeng set up a series of traps—lowering the corridor’s temperature to reveal fake clues on the door, deploying a powerful move to create the illusion of killing Zhou Qian, deceiving Gao Shan, and then using her ability to kill Lu Mengmeng…

She probably didn’t have much mana left—perhaps just enough for one ultimate. Given that Yun Xiangrong might heal Zhou Qian, and even He Xiaowei, who was somewhat of a healer, might assist, Situ Qing couldn’t ensure a kill on Zhou Qian with one blow, so she was still waiting and didn’t act directly. After all, she only had this 30-second window. If she missed it, the tide would completely turn against her.

Yun Xiangrong’s fake intent to kill Zhou Qian indeed increased her “confidence”, successfully deceiving her to act at this moment.

Speaking of which, there was a crucial element in this game—mana or skills. Regardless of how powerful a player’s skills were, they were limited by their mana, and no one could use their skills indefinitely.

This meant that in this game, especially in the early stages, no player would recklessly confront teammates using skills directly. Even if they wanted to kill a teammate, they were more likely to exploit the instance’s inherent traps and dangers rather than engage directly. After all, if they exhaust their mana competing against teammates, how would they fight the boss later?

Given this mechanic, mana recovery potions were almost nonexistent in this game. Health potions were already rare, and those available in the market might only recover 1% or 2% of the health. Mana potions were even rarer, basically legendary, even scarcer than resurrection tools.

During combat, predicting an opponent’s mana was crucial. Zhou Qian guessed right; Situ Qing probably had mana just for one ultimate. Situ Qing also saw Zhou Qian was out of mana and believed Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t heal him, so she dared to act.

What Situ Qing didn’t expect was—Zhou Qian actually had an extremely rare mana potion, given by someone named [Hidden Blade].

That day, while observing Zone X from a tree with binoculars, Zhou Qian received a message from someone wanting to take him as a disciple. The person was [Hidden Blade].

Zhou Qian neither accepted nor refused but replied, “You should show some sincerity if you want to take on a disciple, right?”

Soon, a trade request was sent.

[Player Zhou Qian, Hidden Blade has initiated a trade request.]

[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 mana.]

[Trade Price: 0]

Zhou Qian quickly accepted and asked, [Why do you want to take me as a disciple?]

The reply was, [Oh, I have many disciples. I have disciples everywhere*. If you agree, you can be a junior in my sect. I didn’t really want to take you. I prefer obedient disciples. Clearly, you’re not one.]

*Peaches and plums all over the world (桃李满天下) Idiom that refers to having many talents or students that could be found everywhere.

Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed, and then he saw a message: [Ahem, well, someone asked me to. I’m just doing a favor for a friend.]

Who this “Hidden Blade” and his “friend” were wasn’t Zhou Qian’s current concern. But now, at least he could use this mana potion called “I Can Still Fight”.

This potion would restore 400 MP to Zhou Qian. Not enough for a big move, but enough for a small one. His small skill was “Bone Nightmare”, a control skill that could trap the target in an illusion.

So now, first and foremost, Zhou Qian had to ensure that Yun Xiangrong would help him and prevent himself from being instantly killed by Situ Qing.

Next, as long as he could hold out until He Xiaowei emerged from the adjacent Room 10, he could also get He Xiaowei’s assistance. Considering that Situ Qing had been trying to kill so many people, it was uncertain whether she would sacrifice her own teammates to pass the game. He Xiaowei wasn’t stupid; he had no reason not to help Zhou Qian.

Lastly, with the help of these two, as long as Zhou Qian could withstand one of Situ Qing’s ultimate attack, Zhou Qian, with his 400 mana, could even launch a minor attack that would be enough to control Situ Qing and then find a way to defeat her.

At this very moment, accompanied by the clear “jingling” sound, Situ Qing did launch an ultimate attack at Zhou Qian.

[Warning! Player Situ Qing has used the skill on you: Silver Blossom Ice Spike.]

[Rank attack, three rounds of continuous damage. Please dodge!]

With a gesture from Situ Qing, a bell floated into the air and began to sway violently. The “jingling” sound rapidly increased in frequency, becoming piercing. Suddenly, thousands of droplets appeared in the void, slowly condensing into sharp icicles, about to turn into the sharpest weapons.

However, this scene didn’t scare Zhou Qian at all.

Because he noticed that all of Situ Qing’s moves had a characteristic—they required a casting time.

That was, she couldn’t release her ultimate immediately. During this casting period, the temperature within the range of the skill decreased at a certain rate, providing the conditions for her moves.

Taking advantage of the time it took for her to channel her move, Zhou Qian acted quickly.

His first move was to take out a shimmering, deep blue scale from his bag. He threw the scale to the ground, and a little dragon burst out.

The little dragon was blue all over, about the height of Zhou Qian’s knee, and extremely cute. Its large, round eyes were also deep blue. Under the light, they shimmered like the sunlit sea. The dragon blinked at Zhou Qian, tilted its head, and smiled.

Although the dragon couldn’t speak, it stared at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian gently patted its head and whispered something. The dragon then darted back into a room to gather evidence.

Zhou Qian’s second move was to take out the mana potion, restoring 400 MP. His third action was to pull out a pre-purchased defensive cloak to slightly shield him from damage.

Quickly putting on the cloak, Zhou Qian gripped a Rib of God in one hand and narrowed his eyes in the direction of Situ Qing.

The first round of ice spikes abruptly fell.

The Ice Queen’s long-range attack power was formidable. Zhou Qian was an entire level below her, not good at defense or offense, making the situation incredibly perilous.

Fortunately, the Ice Queen’s skill was an AOE attack. The floor, ceiling, and corridor walls were instantly encased in glistening ice and frost, which to some extent, absorbed some of the damage meant for Zhou Qian.

Still, this was only enough to prevent him from being instantly killed.

Countless ice spikes mercilessly struck down, first tearing Zhou Qian’s cloak. Then, he had to withstand the icicles with his body.

His hair, brows, and long black eyelashes were all frozen white. He felt a bone-chilling coldness, especially in his knees, making him feel like they were about to freeze off. Without even realizing, he was already on one knee. Simultaneously, his body was hit by numerous ice spikes, causing blood to pour out. He was in so much pain that he broke into a cold sweat, but the sweat immediately froze on his body.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 50%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 30%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 10%.]

There were three rounds of ice spike attacks. After withstanding just the first round, even with a shield to help him, Zhou Qian’s health was already down to 10%. At this rate, he definitely wouldn’t survive the third round.

In the distance, Yun Xiangrong was about to act with her flute when someone else acted first.

The door of Room 10 was suddenly pushed open, and He Xiaowei actually came out earlier than expected.

A flowing melody suddenly filled the air. The invisible soundwaves instantly clashed with the frost, turning them into flurries of snowflakes. The sound waves warmed like spring water, melting the ice and reviving everything…

However, the actual situation was: [Zhou Qian’s HP recovered to 13%.]

Zhou Qian: “…”

Yun Xiangrong in the distance: “…” It seems I still have to step in.

He Xiaowei, who rushed out of the room clutching his guqin: “……”

“Hey, my ability adds health at random. How much health I can restore depends on luck. This only proves that you, Zhou Qian, are unlucky!”

“What the hell is happening? Situ Qing, why did you kill so many people?”

“Damn it, I have to stay and help you, don’t I?”

“Hey, Yun Xiangrong, what are you staring at? Can you come and help? The dead are gone; shouldn’t we, the living, move forward?”

Before He Xiaowei could finish, he looked up.

Countless icy rains came from the void, once again about to form countless ice spikes.

In the brief moment before the ice spikes fell, He Xiaowei’s shoulder was gripped by the severely wounded Zhou Qian.

Turning around, he saw Zhou Qian spitting out blood from the corner of his mouth. His whole body was covered in wounds, and his blood even dyed his thick down jacket red. To He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian seemed on the verge of death.

However, Zhou Qian’s eyes looked no different than usual.

He simply asked He Xiaowei, “So, what’s your ultimate move? Can you still use it?”

“Ugh, my ultimate is a scam. It’s a sacrifice type! It consumes either health or mana!”

“I… Well, considering you’re about to die, I can share half of my health with you. But if I… never mind, I won’t overthink it. I’ll just share half of my health with you! Wait—”

He Xiaowei was about to lament and then reluctantly planned to unleash his ultimate, but Zhou Qian interrupted him.

In the mist, He Xiaowei felt Zhou Qian’s gaze turn somewhat mad for some reason.

Then Zhou Qian asked, “Can you share half of your mana with me?”

“Uh… huh? Look, Zhou Qian, I just used three of my minor skills to send the corpses and bullets to three different rooms. So I only have 1,600 MP left. Let me quickly explain my skills.”

He Xiaowei’s skills were unique.

He had a total of 2,000 HP and 2,000 MP, which was the same as an average Rank D player’s attributes.

With a cost of 1,000 MP, he could share half of his health with someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Life].

He could also consume 1,000 HP to give half of his mana to someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Soul].

“Brother Zhou Qian, based on my skill’s nature, if I share my remaining 1,600 MP with you, I won’t be able to heal you with my ultimate! Because my remaining mana isn’t enough for the healing ultimate, get it?”

“You know, my healing with minor skills depends on luck…”

“So, you get what I mean? It’s not that I don’t want to share my mana with you. It’s just, if I do, and those ice spikes fall, you might die instantly.”

“What use is the mana if you’re dead?

“So, I should just use [Sacrifice Life] to heal you!”

“No. I don’t need health. I need mana,” Zhou Qian said. “I’m preparing for my ultimate.”

“What do you mean…”

“Hurry!”

“Alright, alright, you’ll have it! Just don’t shout at me!” He Xiaowei quickly strummed his strings, sacrificing half of his health, then shared half of his mana with Zhou Qian.

The 400 MP he got from a small mana potion, combined with the 800 from He Xiaowei, made a total of 1,200 MP, just enough for Zhou Qian’s ultimate.

In the void, the ice spikes had taken form and were about to fall.

Before He Xiaowei’s eyes, Zhou Qian did something completely unexpected—he took off his down jacket, as well as the protective suit underneath, revealing his lean and scarred body. Because sweat and some of the blood had frozen, the protective suit was practically stuck to his wounds. But he took it off without a care, reopening many wounds in the process.

Zhou Qian only frowned slightly at the sight of the blood, then seemed to dismiss it. He then took out a dagger and stabbed it directly into his left shoulder.

In an instant, blood poured out, completely drenching Zhou Qian’s already bloodied body. When he pulled out the dagger, blood splattered across his pale and thin face, staining his lips. Yet he was smiling, appearing wildly insane but oddly charming.

While hurting himself, Zhou Qian saw Yun Xiangrong a few steps ahead, seemingly about to play her flute. He quickly shook his head at her, and she hesitated before putting the flute down.

At that moment, a system warning sounded.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 12%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 11%.]

…

[Player Zhou Qian’s health has dropped to 9%.]

Just a moment before the myriad of icicles thundered down—Zhou Qian unleashed his ultimate.

This action completely stunned He Xiaowei.

Holy shit, is this the legendary skill of unleashing your ultimate move while at low health?

[Player Zhou Qian released the skill: Bone Kill]

[Harnesses the power of a Rib of God to attract resentful energies nearby to attack enemies. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the attack. Triggered when the player’s health is below 10%. Consumes 1,200 MP.]

There were numerous corpses in this corridor, filled with countless resentful energies. And this resentment was exactly what Zhou Qian could control.

The bodies of Lu Mengmeng and a janitor, under the influence of this resentment, were controlled by Zhou Qian to fly upside down and appear instantly above Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei.

“Boom!”

The countless icicles finally fell, but the majority were blocked by the two corpses controlled by Zhou Qian.

Only a few icicles slipped through, stabbing into Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei’s thighs and arms. However, the damage was minimal, only slightly reducing both of their health.

Both Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei quickly adjusted their positions, curling up to protect their vital areas from the icicles. At the same time, He Xiaowei constantly monitored Zhou Qian’s health. At its most critical moment, when it dropped to 2%, He Xiaowei immediately boosted it to 8%. In this way, He Xiaowei both saved Zhou Qian from dying and ensured his health didn’t exceed 10%.

He Xiaowei had always complained about this basic skill of his; although it consumed minimal mana, the healing was too little. He never imagined that this skill would come in handy at this critical moment.

After withstanding the second wave of icicles, only one round remained. Moments later, the third wave of icicles began to form.

Zhou Qian summoned two more janitor corpses to block all the icicles.

In the end, He Xiaowei’s health was reduced to 13%, while player Zhou Qian’s health remained at 5%.

The terrifying three-wave attack was finally over, and Situ Qing’s ultimate move had come to an end. All the raindrops scattered, and the temperature in the corridor gradually rose.

Zhou Qian’s body was now covered in countless wounds. His limbs, neck, and even his cheeks were all filled with tiny cuts from the icicles. Most of his injuries were from the first wave of attacks. The subsequent waves were less intense due to the two corpses that shielded him.

At this moment, covered in wounds and blood, Zhou Qian clenched the Rib of God and walked step by step towards Situ Qing. He was bleeding so much that each step left a bloody footprint in the corridor.

Staring mercilessly at the pale-faced Situ Qing, Zhou Qian said in a deep, slow voice, “You’ve used your ultimate move. Now it’s my turn. Gao Shan—”

At this moment, Zhou Qian looked like a blood-soaked demon. Stepping over a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, he emerged from hell, full of murderous intent, seeking vengeance!

“Gao Shan, take your revenge personally.”

With a sinister tone, Zhou Qian said these words and pointed the Rib of God towards Room 6.

Immediately, the cold corpse on the ground eerily stood up. Influenced by the resentful energy, he quickly appeared beside Zhou Qian, then turned to face Situ Qing.

In that instant, Yun Xiangrong’s heart leaped into her throat. Her body trembled, but she didn’t move a step forward.

She watched from a distance as Zhou Qian, standing behind Gao Shan, gently patted his shoulder with his bloody hand and said, “Go on, Shan Ge. Seek your revenge.”

A faint mist emanated from the Rib of God, and when it merged with the corpse, it unleashed a tremendous force. The cold corpse seemed alive, and in one leap, he reached Situ Qing, catching her by the throat before she could react.

Situ Qing’s eyes widened in horror as she struggled to break free. Desperately, she drew a dagger and fiercely stabbed it into Gao Shan’s arm.

Yun Xiangrong, standing not far behind, immediately burst into tears. Holding back her emotions and not stepping forward, she even pinched her thigh so hard that she drew blood.

She was relieved to see that Situ Qing couldn’t move Gao Shan’s grip.

The current Gao Shan was, after all, a corpse and not a real living person. He didn’t feel pain and acted only under Zhou Qian’s control. Until the effect of [Bone Kill] expired, he would only obey Zhou Qian’s commands. The order was to kill Situ Qing, so at this moment, his arm was like it was welded with iron, leaving Situ Qing with no chance of escape.

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 50%]

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 10%]

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 5%]

……

Zhou Qian’s body was riddled with injuries, and the pain near his knee was becoming unbearable. He had to lean against the corridor wall to stand. Yet, throughout, he remained indifferent, wanting to witness Situ Qing’s death personally.

However, Situ Qing didn’t die immediately. When her health dropped to 3%, a pair of golden, semi-transparent wings suddenly appeared behind her. The wings unfolded and then enveloped her, protecting her from all harm.

The next moment, the effect of the [Bone Kill] skill disappeared. The moment Gao Shan’s corpse fell, Yun Xiangrong rushed to embrace him. Situ Qing, under the protection of her wings, fell to the ground, barely alive.

It was clear that Situ Qing had an item that saved her life, which was probably why she dared to gamble. But it didn’t matter. In Zhou Qian’s eyes, she was already dead. Holding a dagger, he walks step by step to look down at Situ Qing. “Such an item won’t last long. Your death is certain. If Gao Shan couldn’t kill you, it doesn’t matter. I’ll finish you with my own hands.”

Lying on the ground, gasping for air, Situ Qing didn’t have the strength to reply. At this moment, Zhou Qian’s watch vibrated—a message from Qi Liuxing finally arrived.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian was relieved. He knew Qi Liuxing’s character. He wouldn’t let someone die. The lack of response earlier meant either he faced a massive threat and couldn’t check the system messages, or he was dead. Now it seemed he was safe.

Checking the system panel, Qi Liuxing traded the Tick Tock Clock and attached a message:

[Of course I’m willing to save Shan Ge. I was busy fighting the boss earlier and didn’t check the messages. I’m safe now and have left the instance.]

The moment Zhou Qian took out the Tick Tock Clock from his bag, Yun Xiangrong rushed over. Desperate, she snatched it and quickly ran to Gao Shan, attempting to use the clock to revive him.

At this moment, there were only 30 seconds left until the end of the challenge. Zhou Qian’s dragon returned, bringing with it nine bullets marked with the number “7”. Taking the nine bullets and combining them with the three he had, he now had twelve in total.

System prompt:

[Side Quest “Checks and Balance” completion: 100%]

[A cinematic is about to play. Players, do not panic; you will not be harmed.]

[Note: The corridor and 12 rooms will disappear. Please return to Room 701 within three minutes.]

Suddenly, a young man in a military uniform appeared in front of Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian realized he was the NPC and also the young man he saw in the photo illusion.

In the illusion, in front of candlelight, he wrote a love poem, burned it, and passed the challenge to Zhou Qian.

Now, in this foggy moment, he approached Zhou Qian, took the twelve bullets, and loaded them into a gun.

Then, the young officer turned and, over the course of one and a half minutes, entered each of the twelve rooms.

“Bang,” “Bang,” “Bang”…

Twelve gunshots rang out as the officer took out the twelve gunmen. Finally, he returned to Zhou Qian, thanked him, and started to fade away.

And throughout, whether it was the thick fog or something else, Zhou Qian couldn’t clearly see his face.

Watching the officer disappear before his eyes, Zhou Qian once again felt the sensation he had when he touched the photograph.

His heart started to beat rapidly, and at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of desolation. He reached out to touch the officer, but the officer had already disappeared.

Not only had the officer vanished, but the entire scene also began to turn transparent.

The mist was dispersing, but the corridor, ceiling, 12 doors—none of these objects became clear.

There was still a minute and a half left in the end animation. Everything in the corridor would completely disappear in a minute and a half.

And the players needed to return to Room 701 before then, or they might face danger.

Suddenly thinking of something, Zhou Qian’s heart sank, and he looked at the two nearest cleaner corpses.

They were also turning transparent.

Including Lu Mengmeng, his originally pale face had almost become completely transparent.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian immediately ran to Gao Shan’s side.

Yun Xiangrong was kneeling next to Gao Shan, adjusting the Tick Tock Clock.

Unlike regular clocks with minute and hour hands, this clock had one pointer. Adjusting the pointer to different frequencies would make it tick differently.

When the ticking could resonate with the heartbeat of the departed, it could travel to the heart of the deceased and make it beat.

When Yun Xiangrong began adjusting the clock, her hand was shaking. She forced herself to calm down so she could adjust the pointer’s frequency steadily.

The countdown was at 80 seconds.

Then 70 seconds.

60 seconds, 50 seconds… Yun Xiangrong had not succeeded and was sweating profusely.

Zhou Qian observed for a while, then turned his attention to other parts of the corridor—as the corridor continued to become transparent, the walls and floor began shaking rapidly. A wall lamp shattered on the ground, its light extinguishing immediately, and the shards also began turning transparent.

“He Xiaowei, Yun Xiangrong, take Gao Shan’s body back to 701,” Zhou Qian said, drawing his dagger. With some stumbling but determination, he walked step by step to Situ Qing, who was still lying on the ground.

The flash of the knife blade, cold and sharp, neared Situ Qing’s neck. Delicate beads of blood rolled down the blade. If Zhou Qian pressed on, Situ Qing would undoubtedly die.

But just in the nick of time, the melodious sound of a flute echoed, and willow catkins floated around, tightly wrapping around Situ Qing. They healed her wound, restored some of her health, and gave her the strength to stand.

Zhou Qian, taken aback, turned to see Yun Xiangrong holding the flute, looking at him in despair.

By her side, Gao Shan’s body was turning transparent like the cleaner NPCs.

He couldn’t be saved.

When time was up in this level, the dead truly die.

They would vanish along with the disappearing level.

On the ground, Situ Qing hadn’t fully managed to get up, seemingly not believing that she had been given another chance at life. In a place hidden from Situ Qing and her gambler, Yun Xiangrong stood behind her. As all the mist cleared, she mouthed to Zhou Qian, “Given the situation, let me continue this act.”

At first, in front of the gambler, Zhou Qian told Yun Xiangrong to resent him.

Later, in front of all the players, through various means, he successfully made everyone believe that he and Yun Xiangrong had truly cut ties.

However, his plan was only meant to last until the end of this level, once they had successfully killed Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing.

But now, Yun Xiangrong implied—since Gao Shan couldn’t be saved, she might as well continue the act of their falling out.

For now, Gao Shan couldn’t be brought back.

However, after all, Situ Qing was just a gun.

If they killed Situ Qing now, they might lose the only lead they had, never knowing who was really behind her.

So, Yun Xiangrong wanted to spare Situ Qing’s life for now until they could draw out the person behind her.

She even wanted to use her “enemy of Zhou Qian” identity to get closer to that person. After all, an enemy of an enemy was a friend. Yun Xiangrong’s goal now was to form an “alliance” with the legion behind Situ Qing.

Yun Xiangrong not only wanted to know who the enemy was, but she also wanted to infiltrate their ranks, uncover the secrets of the organization behind Situ Qing, and completely destroy them.

Only then would she have truly avenged Gao Shan.

Walking step by step toward Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong did something that surprised everyone.

Situ Qing was disoriented; her ears were plugged and she was unable to hear anything.

But through the screen, her gambler saw everything unfold.

Upon accessing the system panel, Yun Xiangrong chose to reset all of her 150 skill points, only to get back a mere 30 in return.

To prevent players from frequently changing their skill directions, the system had rules. Once skill points were used, they couldn’t be easily reverted. If a player wanted to reset a certain skill and replace it with another, a significant number of skill points would be wasted.

Just like Yun Xiangrong, she had cleared numerous instances to earn those 150 points, investing all of them in healing-related skills. But now, after resetting her healing skills, she only had 30 points left.

Yun Xiangrong converted all these 30 skill points into offensive capabilities. She then turned to Zhou Qian, “Shan Ge is dead. There’s no one left for me to heal. From now on, I’ll only be an attacker.”

“Zhou Qian, I know… maybe it was unintentional on your part. But if it weren’t for you, Shan Ge wouldn’t have been shot; if you hadn’t been so reluctant to hand over the Tick Tock Clock, I wouldn’t have been too late to save him. Now Shan Ge has vanished before me… He had a chance to live, but you killed him, twice… exactly twice!”

Zhou Qian knew Yun Xiangrong was acting. But there might be a bit of real blame in that act, which made her speak with gritted teeth, her eyes red as if they were about to bleed.

Under the guise of this act, Zhou Qian also responded with what was on his mind. “Perhaps anything I say now is too late. But I really did want to save him. Although I’m not a good person and, in my opinion, most people in this world tend to do evil, Gao Shan is an exception, just like…”

Just like Bai Zhou was also an exception.

Gao Shan and Bai Zhou, in terms of personality, appearance, intelligence… were nothing alike. But to Zhou Qian, they were both good people. For that alone, he would’ve tried his best to save Gao Shan. But just as he could never find Bai Zhou again, Gao Shan had now vanished from his sight.

Considering himself smart and cunning all his life, Zhou Qian realized he had never been able to protect the ones he truly wanted to keep safe.

Leaning against the corridor, with a bleeding wound on his shoulder, Zhou Qian looked up at the completely transparent ceiling, as if seeing a god hidden in some void.

Then he solemnly declared, “If this game is orchestrated by some god, whether a god testing human hearts or a malicious god playing with mortals… I will confront him and force him to return all the people I wish to keep, whole and intact!”

…..

The level ended, and the four surviving players returned to Room 701.

Then something miraculous happened—everyone’s health was fully restored to 100%.

An hour later, Jiang Yuqing woke up. It felt as if the players had shared a dream with him.

Now that everyone was awake, all injuries vanished, their health was restored, and they were back in their caregiver uniforms. Only the complete disappearance of Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng and the depleted MP, visible only to them, reminded them—everything wasn’t just a dream.

Upon waking up, Jiang Yuqing mumbled, “Where’s the osmanthus cake… Why isn’t it here yet?”

When Zhou Qian and the others first arrived at this building as caregivers, they took Elevator B up. They met two senior caregivers, Lao Tie and Lao Yu, outside Room 701, who were leaving the 7^th floor to buy osmanthus cake for Jiang Yuqing.

They mentioned that if Jiang Yuqing didn’t get his osmanthus cake, he’d be upset. So, this [osmanthus cake] seemed pretty important. Moreover, an hour had passed, so why hadn’t they returned?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian said to He Xiaowei, “Shall we go downstairs and check?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” He Xiaowei glanced at Yun Xiangrong, who was sitting on the floor in silence, and Situ Qing, who was sitting by the bookshelf with her eyes closed, nodded, and followed Zhou Qian out.

The room became completely silent. Situ Qing glanced at Yun Xiangrong, paused for a moment, and then looked at the system panel displayed on her watch, visible only to her. It was a message from her younger brother.

[Keep an eye on Yun Xiangrong; either win her over or find an opportunity to kill her, eliminating future threats.]

Situ Qing exhaled softly, ignoring the message, leaned her head against the bookshelf, and closed her eyes again. Even though the injuries on her body had disappeared after the side quest ended, she still felt extremely exhausted, to the point where her consciousness was still in a state of disarray.

Even when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t shake off that uncomfortable feeling.

She could only tightly wrap herself in the golden wings, the prop that had saved her life at a crucial moment—the [Guardian Wings].

This precious tool was given to her by her younger brother, who was also her gambler.

His name was Mu Sheng.

Perhaps it was because she had seen Jiang Yuqing’s sickbed that every time Situ Qing closed her eyes, she saw another one.

On that bed, the pale boy, Mu Sheng, just opened his pitch-black pupils, looking at a younger version of herself.

Situ Qing saw her younger self trembling, but her eyes were full of pity when she looked at the boy.

The young Mu Sheng said to the equally young Situ Qing at the bedside, “I can’t walk anymore, right?”

“I’m sorry!” The young Situ Qing held his hand. “A’Sheng*, I will take care of you for the rest of my life!”

*(阿) When used in front of a name, it is an affectionate way to call someone, signifying closeness.

“It’s your fault.” Mu Sheng looked at her with malicious eyes. “It’s all because of you and your mother. You pushed my mother to her death and caused my disability! I’ll hate you forever!”

Tears fell from the young Situ Qing’s eyes as she swore, “I will make it up to you. I definitely will!”

The scene shifted.

Many years had passed.

Mu Sheng had grown up. Sitting in a wheelchair, he smiled gently.

Situ Qing asked him, “What have you been up to recently? Where did you get your money? I know you’re smart, but please… Please don’t break the law! I’ll work hard to earn money! I’ve been working several jobs recently—”

Situ Qing noticed Mu Sheng was often busy with a phone and computer.

She knew her brother was smart and good with computers, but she feared he might venture into hacking.

However, she heard Mu Sheng laugh. “Sister, would you play a game for me? You don’t need to work so hard to earn money. Just finish the game, and we’ll have endless wealth. Also…”

Whispering into Situ Qing’s ear, Mu Sheng said, “Didn’t you promise to make it up to me for a lifetime? Now’s your chance. Would you be willing to get me a pair of legs? Sister, I want to stand.”

Since then, Situ Qing felt she was being drawn deeper into an abyss.

Reaching Rank S was her goal. Only at Rank S could she approach the so-called god and have the chance to let Mu Sheng stand.

But at the same time, she knew—several near-death experiences were caused by Mu Sheng.

Whether she was forced to kill or faced danger, it was all because of Mu Sheng’s coercion.

It was Mu Sheng who pushed her into the abyss, staining her hands with indelible blood.

But every time she was close to death, just like the protective wings she now wore, they were also gifts from Mu Sheng.

He wanted her dead, but he also kept her alive.

She couldn’t distinguish his good from his bad.

Perhaps some people were destined for lifelong tribulations.

……

On the other side.

Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei opened room 701. Outside was no longer the eerie hallway with 12 rooms, but back to its previous appearance.

They took the elevator down, and the receptionist was calculating bills while the security guard stood at the entrance.

“Hmm? Why are you two here?” The receptionist looked at Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei, holding up a box of osmanthus cakes. “Want some? I just bought them.”

Zhou Qian said, “Mr. Jiang wants some osmanthus cakes. Maybe he’ll get angry if he can’t have them. Can I give these to him?”

“Of course. We’re all supported by Mr. Jiang’s salary.” She smiled. “Our principle is to meet Mr. Jiang’s needs.”

After taking the osmanthus cakes, Zhou Qian asked, “Where are Lao Yu and Lao Tie? Did they go to buy osmanthus cakes too? Have you seen them?”

The receptionist shook her head in surprise. “No, they never came down.”

He Xiaowei asked the security guard, “Did you see Lao Yu and Lao Tie come down?”

The security guard shook his head. “No, only you two.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian looked up to find a security camera facing the elevator’s direction.

Zhou Qian asked, “Can we see the hall’s surveillance footage?”

“Sure, you can use the computer at the front desk. Which part do you want to see?”

The security guard readily agreed.

A moment later, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei were standing in front of the computer at the reception desk. Using fast-forward mode, they quickly checked the past hour’s surveillance.

At 3:15 in the afternoon, six players took Elevator B upstairs. During the playback, upon seeing Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh before continuing to watch.

Just two minutes later, Elevator B descended to the ground floor on its own. After the door remained open for 10 seconds, it closed automatically without anyone exiting.

The next movement of the elevator was an hour later. At 3:18 pm, when the elevator doors opened, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei walked out.

This bizarre surveillance footage gave He Xiaowei goosebumps. Zhou Qian frowned slightly and rewound the video to 3:17 pm when Elevator B opened and then closed in the ground floor lobby.

As the elevator door opened, Zhou Qian pressed the pause button and zoomed in on the image. Inside, there was no one.

He Xiaowei exclaimed in horror, “That was when Lao Yu and Lao Tie took the elevator downstairs! We watched them from the seventh floor as they entered Elevator B. They pressed the button for the ground floor, so the elevator descended there. But when the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the ground floor, it was empty! It means that—”

“Somewhere between the seventh and ground floor, they disappeared into thin air!!!”

The stark light shone down, reflecting coldly off the marble floor. Under this light, the receptionist and security guard appeared unusually pale.

Walking away from the screen, Zhou Qian was the first to approach the elevator and press the button to go up. “Let’s quickly send up these snacks.”

He Xiaowei looked at him in disbelief. “Dude, you still dare to take the elevator?”

Zhou Qian replied, “There are no stairs here. We can only take the elevator.”

He Xiaowei hesitated. “What if we also disappear?”

Zhou Qian suggested, “Let’s take Elevator A then. After all, the incident occurred in Elevator B.”

“That sounds reasonable,” He Xiaowei agreed instantly.

Soon, the two entered Elevator A.

As the elevator moved smoothly upwards, He Xiaowei sighed with relief, “Seems we’re safe.”

Zhou Qian suddenly said, “Their sudden disappearance has nothing to do with the elevator’s number.”

He Xiaowei: “?”

Zhou Qian explained, “The disappearance of Lao Yu and Lao Tie is clearly part of the main storyline. In other words, it was an event destined to happen. But them taking Elevator B downstairs was just a random event.”

Zhou Qian’s point was clear. When the players went upstairs, both elevators were on the ground floor, and they randomly chose Elevator B. When they reached the seventh floor, Elevator B stayed there, and naturally, Lao Yu and Lao Tie took it to go down.

Thus, the two NPCs taking Elevator B were a result of the players’ random choice, but their disappearance was inevitable and had nothing to do with which elevator they chose. This implied their disappearance might not be related to the elevator itself.

“Wait, then why did you…” He Xiaowei was baffled.

“Just to rush you upstairs,” Zhou Qian said calmly. “Let’s deliver the snacks to Jiang Yuqing first.”

He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Damn bro, that’s too much! I saved you!”

“Thank you,” Zhou Qian responded unenthusiastically. As soon as the elevator reached the seventh floor, he immediately walked towards Room 701 with a box of osmanthus cake.

He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian to the door of Room 701 and noticed he didn’t enter but was observing from outside.

“What are you looking at?” He Xiaowei whispered.

Zhou Qian replied, “I wanted to observe Jiang Yuqing to see if he’d become agitated without the snacks and act abnormally. But now I’ve noticed something else.”

“What?” He Xiaowei asked curiously.

Through the door’s window, Zhou Qian observed Jiang Yuqing standing in the room. He seemed to have dementia, appearing somewhat dazed. However, there were significant differences in his appearance.

His forehead, cheeks, and the corners of his eyes—the wrinkles there had lessened. His once-stunning youthful looks were starting to emerge.

Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank as he whispered, “He’s becoming younger.”

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