Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 29
Upon entering this level, the four players automatically changed into military uniforms. Moreover, except for Situ Qing, who retained most of her appearance despite being slightly behind in progress, the faces of the other three players became increasingly similar to others.
After looking around the deserted pier, the three tried to walk towards the city area.
Five hundred meters from the dock was the city area. It was evident that this city was once quite prosperous. Skyscrapers and buildings were closely packed, and the streets were built very neatly. But on the long streets, in the tall buildings, and in the alleys… there was not a soul to be found. It seemed like a ghost town.
There was no sign of life in this city. It was enveloped in an eerie silence. After walking down a long main street, Zhou Qian noticed a small alley to the side. He took out the little dragon from his bag and whispered some instructions to it. The little dragon nodded obediently and slipped into the alley.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but hiss. “Your pet is so cute. It’s inhumane to do this. Did you send it to scout the alley for danger?”
Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “Yes, it’s quite inhumane. Why don’t you go?”
He Xiaowei bumped Zhou Qian’s shoulder playfully. “If something happened to me, who would take care of you?”
Zhou Qian tilted his chin towards the alley and said, “I’ll be responsible for your safety now. At the beginning of the game, players are separated, but later levels often require collaboration. But the four of us…”
Zhou Qian didn’t need to finish his sentence, He Xiaowei understood.
Yun Xiangrong had changed from a healer to an attacker, but with only 30 skill points, she could only get very low-level standard attack skills, meaning her attack output could be ignored.
Situ Qing had offensive capabilities, but she clearly wasn’t trustworthy. As for He Xiaowei, though he could both attack and heal, and his skills had no cooldown and consumed little mana, both his attack and healing were weak.
Finally, Zhou Qian wasn’t an attacker, at least not a consistent one. He had a control ability, but his ultimate consumed a lot of mana and had stringent conditions. Without corpses or souls to utilize, his ultimate would be nearly powerless.
The more He Xiaowei thought about it, the more uncertain he felt about their future. At that moment, the little dragon quickly returned from the alley and jumped into Zhou Qian’s arms. Zhou Qian gently patted its head.
He Xiaowei remarked, “You’re not bothered by its dirty legs? So you’re not a clean freak; just averse to blood?”
Zhou Qian didn’t respond, asking the little dragon something in a low voice. The dragon shook its head, and they proceeded into the alley.
Both sides of the alley were lined with breakfast stalls, some selling steamed buns and others selling soy milk and fried dough sticks. The steam rose from the buns, and oil bubbled in the frying pans, but there were no vendors or customers.
At the end of the alley was a small open park with several large trees, and under each tree was a chessboard, some with Chinese chess set up, others with Go. The Go pieces were in mid-battle, but the players were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Qian noticed an open window in a nearby building and had the little dragon jump in. It soon opened the door from inside.
Zhou Qian led He Xiaowei into the building first to investigate, and as expected, found no one inside.
On the balcony, one cloth shoe was hung up to dry, while the other was on the floor. It looked as though someone was in the process of hanging the shoes when they suddenly disappeared. Next to the shoes, a watering can was half-filled with water and tipped over on the ground; inside, a bun with a bite taken out of it was slowly getting cold on the dining table…
Throughout their journey, Zhou Qian saw many such strange scenes. It was as if the city’s residents were living their normal lives, and then, in an instant, they all disappeared.
Leaving the empty room, Zhou Qian and his group returned to the alley.
At that moment, the sound of musical instruments came from not far away.
As dusk approached, thick clouds obscured the setting sun, shrouding the entire city in a peculiar gray-yellow hue and a strangely quiet atmosphere.
The sudden appearance of celebratory music at this time seemed rather out of place.
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and quickly approached Zhou Qian.
Just as he reached out, intending to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, Zhou Qian swiftly stepped back, avoiding him.
He Xiaowei: “…”
Did you seriously just step back from me?
Suddenly, a system panel notification popped up.
Zhou Qian opened the system map and noticed an exclamation mark on a nearby street.
The System then sent a message:
[Main quest “West Pier” initiated.]
[Proceed to the location marked by the exclamation point for the main storyline.]
With the festive music echoing through the city that was about to fall into dusk, despite finding it bizarre, players had no choice but to follow the sound.
Situ Qing took out her bell and took the lead with a cold expression.
Yun Xiangrong retrieved a protective shield given to her by Gao Shan, glanced back at He Xiaowei and Zhou Qian, and followed Situ Qing.
After another unsuccessful attempt to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, He Xiaowei cautiously took out his guqin, which was ever so contrasting with his demeanor, yet he remained vigilant to his surroundings.
The four of them returned from the alley to a main street close to the pier and continued moving towards the marked location on the map.
The main street was as quiet as before, though it seemed dimmer due to the evening gloom.
Walking along the deserted street, Zhou Qian suddenly noticed something unusual with the little dragon in his arms. The creature tapped Zhou Qian’s shoulder and pointed to a spot around the corner, making a “yip” sound.
That spot seemed empty, but the little dragon kept staring at it, blinking, seemingly perplexed.
Sensing something odd, Zhou Qian asked, “What’s up? Is someone there?”
The dragon nodded emphatically in affirmation.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei instantly jumped back several meters.
Zhou Qian covered the little dragon’s eyes with his hand, trying to see through its eyes.
The little dragon was formed from his scales after he had transformed into a god. The System also said that the little dragon would share a life essence with him, so in a sense, it was a part of him.
Moments later, although the vision wasn’t clear, Zhou Qian succeeded.
Through the little dragon’s eyes, he saw a young girl at the corner.
She wore ragged clothes and crouched on the street, holding a bowl with a chipped edge.
Her face was dirty, and her uneven hair, which appeared to have been haphazardly cut by herself, reached her shoulders.
She seemed to be a beggar, probably asking for alms on this street near the pier because of the numerous well-off individuals passing by.
The vision Zhou Qian received was blurry, resembling an old water-damaged photograph.
Before he could get a clearer look at the girl’s face, she vanished as if disappearing into thin air.
Animals often could perceive things humans couldn’t, like ghosts.
Could the girl be a ghost rather than a human?
Had everyone in the city died and turned into ghosts? How did they die? Where are the other ghosts?
Wait, if the girl was indeed a spirit, did she genuinely vanish, or was it just that the little dragon’s ability to perceive spirits momentarily waned?
Following this line of thought, the city might not be deserted after all.
Perhaps the streets, even the entire city, were occupied by spirits, still living their lives, unaware of their deaths.
Players couldn’t perceive them simply because they couldn’t see them.
Could this new main quest be a supernatural instance?
With these thoughts, Zhou Qian, accompanied by his teammates, following the system map’s directions, entered a relatively broad alley.
The joyous music grew louder. At the end of the lane, there stood a lavish residence adorned with lights and decorations. Two stone lions, draped with red silk, guarded its entrance, while two bright red “囍*” characters adorned the main gate.
*Happy. Often used for weddings.
It seemed someone was about to get married.
Such a festive door should be matched with a bustling crowd. However, the deserted alleyway contrasted starkly with the vibrant red everywhere. The only thing matching the big red “double 囍” character was the sound of the suona* approaching the alley.
*A traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. It had a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and was used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly in those that perform outdoors.
Yet whether it was the suona or the “double 囍” character, in this desolate setting, as the sunset gradually receded, the scene seemed eerily eerie.
After a short while, night had fully set in. The only illumination came from two lanterns hanging in front of the vermilion door.
The wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway. Through the lantern fabric, the shadows cast on the ground wavered. He Xiaowei, out of the corner of his eye, mistook it for a ghost in red, quickly grabbed Zhou Qian’s arm. Zhou Qian managed to dodge just in time, barely avoiding He Xiaowei’s grasp.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Fuck me, I was scared! I thought there was a ghost…” He Xiaowei realized it was just a lantern and took a deep breath.
But to his surprise, Zhou Qian immediately said, “You’re right, there is a ghost.”
He Xiaowei: ?!!
The ghosts came from the alley behind the players, and there was more than one. When Zhou Qian, who had dodged He Xiaowei’s grasp, looked back, the first thing he saw was a large amount of paper money fluttering down like snowflakes.
The coins made of yellow paper floated down like snow, and the sound of the suona and traditional music grew louder and nearer. Four figures, seemingly without feet, carried a bright red sedan chair. They appeared to float as they approached the vermilion door from the alley.
On each side of the sedan were two maidens, and beside them walked an old lady with a mole typical of a matchmaker on her face. Behind the sedan was the group responsible for the music. The joyful tunes that the players had been hearing came from them.
Looking at their faces, their skin was pale but otherwise normal. The issue was with their feet—it looked like they weren’t walking but floating above the ground.
Seeing the players, the old matchmaker walked over with a smile and greeted them warmly. “Ah, you must be [Dong Shui’s] comrades! You’re all from the Falcon Squadron, right? I’ve heard it’s tough to get into your squad! No wonder you all look so outstanding! Haha, good to see you all. Let’s go in and enjoy the wedding feast!”
[Dong Shui] was the character that He Xiaowei was currently role-playing as. Was the current plot about him marrying a ghost bride?
Indeed, the next second, the matchmaker looked at He Xiaowei: “Ah? [Dong Shui], why are you here? Hurry up and change into your wedding attire! The bride is here. Why haven’t you changed?”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes in fear, but before he could escape, the vermilion door flung open, and two servants rushed out, swiftly taking him inside.
“Oh dear young master, why are you here?”
“If the master and madam see you haven’t changed, they’ll scold us!”
“We need to hurry and get you changed. Don’t miss the auspicious time!”
The two servants whisked He Xiaowei away, and soon after, the bright red bridal sedan chair was also carried inside to the sound of festive music.
Moments later, a lively group of “people” walked from the alley into the vermilion gate, leaving the matchmaker chatting with the players.
“Ah…times are tough. Just think about it, [Dong Shui] abandoned his vast family business to join the army. He said that the youth should be willing to die for the country… Yes, his intentions are noble. But as his elder, we worry for him.”
“He joined the army, and now he’s off on a special mission with the Falcon Squadron. I heard it’s extremely dangerous. The [Zhang] family girl is so stubborn… She insisted on marrying him even after Dong Shui wanted to call off the engagement.”
Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, the matchmaker continued, “They’ve known each other since they were children and wanted to get married… but who would have expected such national calamities? Dong Shui, in fact, cares deeply for Miss Zhang and didn’t want to hold her back, fearing he might die on his mission. He wanted to break off the engagement, but she insisted on marrying him.”
“Now he’s joining the Falcon Squadron for a mission. She wanted to get married before he left. She said if he were to sacrifice himself, at least she would have no regrets being his wife.”
The matchmaker sighed deeply. “But I could tell from her tone, if anything happens to Dong Shui, she might join him in death.”
After wiping away her tears, the old matchmaker turned her attention to the players. It seemed like something suddenly dawned on her and her expression turned serious. “Wait? Why are you wearing the uniforms of the Seventh Squadron? I heard that the S Army is about to attack! It seems they’ve placed spies in Cypress City beforehand and are constantly monitoring the movements here!”
“Quick, quick, come with me! I’ll take you to change your clothes! You absolutely can’t go around in these uniforms!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian sensed something and promptly took a step back. So, the ones the matchmaker grabbed by each hand were Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
“Come on, hurry. I’ll take you to change, then we should hurry to the wedding banquet!”
Zhou Qian glanced at Yun Xiangrong, then said to the old matchmaker, “They can go with you first. I’ve left something behind. I’ll go get it and be right back.”
Immediately, Zhou Qian turned around, swiftly took off his military uniform, and stashed it in his bag. After purchasing a random T-shirt from a trading stand and putting it on, he returned to the alley they came from.
Has everyone in this city truly turned into ghosts?
Could there possibly be a few living humans who had survived?
If there were any living people here, given the haunted nature of the city, they would surely hide.
The loud wedding procession just now might attract any survivors. Out of fear, they wouldn’t dare approach these ghosts. But once the ghosts entered the vermilion gate, perhaps the survivors would venture out.
This was the reason Zhou Qian came back to investigate the alley.
It didn’t take long for Zhou Qian to find something.
When he reached the middle of the alley, he heard a wooden door “creak” open. Through the crack of the door, two pairs of pitch-black eyes, as big as soybeans, were staring at him.
At the same time, through the gap in the wooden door, Zhou Qian detected a strong, pungent smell of blood.
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