Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 39

On the system panel, time dripped away slowly.

Zhou Qian saw a line pop up in the message bar: [My body is trapped, but my spirit can enter the games. Hidden Blade is my teammate.]

Zhou Qian: [Oh.]

[137]: [So… um? Just click ‘Agree’.]

Zhou Qian: [Ah, this situation makes it very difficult for me.]

[137]: [?]

Zhou Qian: [It seemed that Hidden Blade was very sincere. Although you said you asked him to take me as a disciple, when I chatted with him, he said he admired me very much, thought I was formidable, and wanted to accept me as his disciple.]

[137]: […From what I know, that doesn’t seem to be the case.]

Zhou Qian: [What do you mean? Oh, you think I’m not formidable or qualified enough. You’re looking down on me.]

[137]: [Of course not.]

Zhou Qian: “No? Oh, if you’re not looking down on me, then it’s Hidden Blade who is. Did he badmouth me?”

[137]: [He didn’t either.]

Seeing the reply, Zhou Qian grinned mischievously.

A moment later, [137] messaged: [Zhou Qian, click ‘Agree’. I need to log off soon.]

Zhou Qian replied: [Oh, then you can log off. I have something else to do.]

[137]: […What are you up to?]

Zhou Qian: “Going to find Jiang Yuqing. I’m going to brush up on our relationship line. Bye.”

[137]: “……”

Ignoring the system panel, Zhou Qian reached out and took out a scale from his bag.

Can this scale bring the little dragon back?

Zhou Qian wasn’t sure. He tried aligning the scale to his watch but couldn’t access its function through the system.

He put the scale away and walked out to room 701 across the hall. Through the glass, Zhou Qian saw Jiang Yuqing turn over, get out of bed, walk to a bookshelf, and start reading. He looked more awake than before.

Perhaps because the players completed the mission, Jiang Yuqing began recalling some past events.

In fact, his current behavior was completely in line with the preset settings. Zhou Qian remembered the front desk mentioning that Jiang Yuqing is quiet at night, implying that players didn’t need to attend to him during the evening. During the day, players challenge levels, and at night, they rest. This was the routine for players in this particular instance.

Lost in thought, Zhou Qian glanced at the man on the bed. He tried messaging [137] again.

The system indicated [137] was offline.

Zhou Qian stared at the notification for a while, then browsed through recent chat records. He intended to bother Qi Liuxing or He Xiaowei, get updates on their situations, and introduce them. But his plan was interrupted when he noticed [Hidden Blade] was online.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian quickly messaged: [Hey, isn’t this my master?]

[Hidden Blade]: [???]

[Hidden Blade]: [We’re definitely not that kind of relationship! Stop spreading nonsense!]

Hidden Blade sent two messages consecutively. Zhou Qian calmly replied, [Weren’t you going to accept me as your disciple? Why the sudden change?]

[Hidden Blade]: [What? I clearly told you it was for a friend! I never wanted you!]

Zhou Qian: [Why does your friend go by ‘137’?]

[Hidden Blade]: [How would I know?]

Zhou Qian mischievously replied: [By the way, 137 said you’re mediocre.]

He Xiaowei has praised Hidden Blade to the skies, even swearing to take him as a master. So, wouldn’t anyone with real skill be upset upon hearing such words about themselves? How would Hidden Blade react? Were he and 137 truly good teammates and friends?

Zhou Qian didn’t expect [Hidden Blade] to reply: [What? He actually praised me as ‘mediocre’? That’s amazing! Thanks, Zhou Qian. I’ve always dreamed of his praise!]

Zhou Qian: [………]

[Now I’m going to run an instance. Let’s chat later. Please, stop calling me ‘Master’. I wouldn’t dare compete with his choice.]

After leaving that message, Hidden Blade stopped responding, probably entering the instance.

Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jiang Yuqing through the glass, then returned to his room.

……

The next morning, due to having had a good rest, Zhou Qian woke up very early. While washing up, he looked in the mirror. The reflection he saw was someone he no longer recognized. For now, he completely resembled [Bei He].

Jiang Yuqing’s life had only three days left. Despite his dementia, he was reluctant to forget himself or his teammates.

After passing through two levels, his memory had been restored to the point where he could recall himself and his teammates. As a result, in the world of memories, the appearances of those teammates, including Jiang Yuqing himself, became clear. Moreover, having cleared a high difficulty level, the players even achieved a hidden achievement—making Jiang Yuqing remember that all his teammates had sacrificed themselves in Cypress City.

So… what could Jiang Yuqing’s third wish be?

Could it be a desire for Bei He to be resurrected? Even if it’s just a false resurrection in the memory world?

While pondering all of this, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately go to Room 701 to find Jiang Yuqing. Instead, he headed to the elevator and went to the ground floor lobby. The hall was empty. The security, receptionists, and other caretakers were all gone.

It seemed that only Zhou Qian and the elderly Jiang Yuqing remained in this entire building.

The main door was wide open, and the sunlight and green lawn outside seemed to be beckoning Zhou Qian to leave this false world, abandon the side mission, and return to reality.

Zhou Qian slowly walked to the door, looking at the enticing green grass. However, after a deep breath towards the sunlight, he resolutely turned around and headed for the elevator.

Inside the elevator, the buttons for the other floors still seemed fake, unable to be pressed. Zhou Qian tried a few and then returned to the seventh floor. This time, he went straight to room 701.

Inside room 701, the elderly Jiang Yuqing was reading. As Zhou Qian knocked and entered, Jiang Yuqing looked up and smiled at him.

Zhou Qian glanced at the table, which was empty. He wondered if Jiang Yuqing had eaten the osmanthus cake from yesterday or simply forgotten about it.

After a few steps into the room, Zhou Qian asked Jiang Yuqing, “Do you still remember me?”

At first, Jiang Yuqing nodded, but then his gaze became a bit distant, and he shook his head.

Suddenly, something caught Zhou Qian’s peripheral vision. He noticed that the blue and white porcelain vase on the bedside table had disappeared right before his eyes.

So, the elderly Jiang Yuqing was still “killing” objects in the memory world.

As Zhou Qian looked back at Jiang Yuqing, he saw him yawn, put down his book, and head towards the bed. He was about to go to sleep, indicating that the next level was about to begin.

Zhou Qian quickly called out, “Mr. Jiang, wait.”

He took out a piece of the osmanthus cake he had taken from the lobby two days ago and handed it to Jiang Yuqing. As expected, Jiang Yuqing was still very interested in it and began to eat.

After temporarily preventing Jiang Yuqing from sleeping, Zhou Qian turned to the photos on the wall. The images of the four people were clearer now—they were the players who successfully completed the main quest and survived. His gaze passed over each one, finally settling on the young officer in the photo.

Touching the photo, a familiar sensation came over him. Through that cold, damp touch, Zhou Qian was transported again to that dreamlike scene—Jiang Yuqing writing poetry by candlelight. The first time Zhou Qian touched this photo, he felt an uncommon surge of emotion—a deep-seated sadness that nearly took his breath away.

At this moment, Zhou Qian finally understood where this sadness came from. In the dream, Jiang Yuqing was sad while writing the letter. Bei He was dead, and no one would receive his letter. Jiang Yuqing’s heartfelt letter could only be sent by burning it, a way to express his sorrow.

“Jiang Yuqing, do you remember me? I’m Bei He.” In the dream, Zhou Qian spoke to the man bathed in soft light.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuqing immediately looked up, his eyes filled with joy. “Bei He! You’re here? How… why are you here…”

Unlike previous dreams where the handsome officer’s features were always vague, this time the light illuminated his handsome face, which was a sight to behold. After a moment, he looked down, finished writing the letter, folded it, and placed it near the candle flame.

But this time, before he could burn the letter, Zhou Qian promptly spoke up to stop him, saying, “Were you writing to me? ‘Night Rain Addressed to the North’… is the ‘North’ referring to me?”

Jiang Yuqing seemed to be caught off guard by the question, his ears reddening. He quickly hid the letter. “You’re talking nonsense,” he stammered.

Zhou Qian extended his hand with a smile. “Don’t burn it. Give it to me. I’m right here.”

“You… You…”

Was there an opportunity for the unspoken words to be voiced? Those covert and ambiguous feelings—would he ever understand?

Jiang Yuqing hesitated but eventually handed over the letter as Zhou Qian had asked.

In this illusory environment, the scene was always bathed in a dim yellow glow of antiquity. It seemed to be raining outside, and the room was filled with dampness.

Zhou Qian felt as though he was standing under warm, hazy candlelight while Jiang Yuqing was slowly approaching him, ready to hand over the letter. But just as Jiang Yuqing was within reach, just when Zhou Qian felt the touch of his fingertips—

Jiang Yuqing suddenly withdrew his hand. Tears appeared to form in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qian asked.

Jiang Yuqing shook his head in sadness and despair. “It’s not real. It’s my fantasy. You… you died… in Cypress City… I’m dreaming again.”

Zhou Qian squinted, not pressing him to hand over the letter but instead asking, “How did I die?”

“Bei He, you—” Jiang Yuqing choked back tears and seemed to recall some painful memories. Taking a seat, he covered his heart, his shoulders trembling.

The current Jiang Yuqing looked genuinely pitiable. But Zhou Qian, without mercy, pressed, “Jiang Yuqing, you must tell me. I’m trapped in hell and can’t remember how I died. If this continues, I fear I won’t be able to be reborn!”

“You—! You were a hero. How could this happen?” Jiang Yuqing looked at Zhou Qian in horror.

Zhou Qian responded, “Then tell me the truth.”

After a moment, Jiang Yuqing gave Zhou Qian the answer he sought. Observing his surroundings, Zhou Qian noted that with the restoration of some of his memories, the environment seemed clearer.

He could now see the details of the room, like the kettle, cups, trinkets, and paintings, all of which showed signs of an older era.

Turning to Jiang Yuqing, Zhou Qian asked, “What era is this? Have we won?”

Jiang Yuqing clenched his fist and nodded. “We won! Everything is fine now. There’s no war. I… I’ve aged.”

Zhou Qian laughed. “No, you haven’t aged a bit, still as dashing as ever.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuqing’s eyes turned dazed again. “Are you just a figment of my imagination, or have you really come from the underworld to see me?”

At that moment, Zhou Qian heard a sound from outside this illusory world. It was the older Jiang Yuqing getting up to go to bed.

Seizing the last moments, Zhou Qian looked at the man in the illusion. “I want to ask you one last question.”

Jiang Yuqing nodded. “Ask.”

Zhou Qian’s question was brutal. “All of your trusted comrades, including me, died. They all died protecting you. Do you feel guilty?”

“If you were to live the rest of your life alone, what would your truest wish be?”

Five minutes later, Zhou Qian was outside room 701. Behind him, he could hear Jiang Yuqing’s deep breathing, indicating he was asleep. Zhou Qian took one last glance at him and then turned the doorknob, stepping into a new scene.

It was a dark, narrow corridor that barely allowed one person to pass through. Zhou Qian could only judge this because of the light seeping through the slightly ajar door of room 701.

But as the door closed, the corridor plunged into complete darkness. Unsure of any lurking dangers, Zhou Qian didn’t turn on the light but lifted his left wrist to access the system panel.

In this game, all NPCs could only act according to the predetermined plot. One noticeable thing was that the system seemed to have set it up so that the NPCs wouldn’t react to the player’s watch or system panel.

Furthermore, only the player could see their own system panel and couldn’t view those of others. But when the system interface popped up from the watch into the air, there was a faint glow visible only to the player’s eyes, though this light was very dim.

Therefore, at this moment, Zhou Qian was using the extremely faint light from the system panel to explore the corridor.

Zhou Qian didn’t immediately move forward. Instead, he turned around to look behind him.

The door to Room 701, which was originally here, had disappeared. Zhou Qian cautiously moved forward in the pitch-black environment and unexpectedly touched a wall with his outstretched hand.

He knocked on it and found it solid. This meant there was no way forward in this direction, and he would have to turn and go another way.

However, Zhou Qian didn’t turn around immediately. He stood still, raised his watch, looked up, and tried to push upwards. But above him, there was also a solid wall. So, at least from where he stood, there was no way out.

Naturally, there was a reason why Zhuo Qian tried to push upwards.

From the current information, the elder Jiang Yuqing was the one intending to kill the players, while the younger Jiang Yuqing was the opposite.

In the side mission “Checks and Balance”, Room 701 always existed, and players could return to the room at any time to view the photo. The photo triggered illusions that allowed the young Jiang Yuqing to provide clues.

But from the “West Pier” mission onward, Room 701 disappeared.

Therefore, if the young Jiang Yuqing from the illusions could still provide clues to help the players, it would most likely only be before the official start of the mission.

At that time, Zhou Qian would use the osmanthus cake to distract the elder Jiang Yuqing, preventing him from falling asleep, and then enter the illusion to seek out the younger Jiang Yuqing for clues.

The current side mission was called “Night Rain Addressed to the North”. It was undoubtedly a story that revolved around the two main characters, Bei He and Jiang Yuqing.

So, most of Zhou Qian’s questions in the illusion were related to Bei He. One of the critical questions was about Bei He’s real cause of death.

In West Pier, the young Jiang Yuqing witnessed his comrades turning into ghosts, realizing that they had all died. He should also have remembered the true cause of Bei He’s death.

Indeed, in the illusion, Jiang Yuqing recounted the story with profound sadness. It was during the invasion of Cypress City that the Falcon Squadron risked everything to find him and then tried to break out with him. However, during their escape, all five comrades died, leaving only Bei He to flee with Jiang Yuqing.

The two managed to escape into underground tunnels under grave danger, aiming to get to the city’s outskirts. But halfway through, they were discovered by a squad of more than ten soldiers from the S Army.

Some of the vanguard soldiers of that squad opened a household’s stove, intending to pursue Jiang Yuqing through the tunnels.

Bei He, after shooting a few of them, prevented them from entering the tunnel. He hid Jiang Yuqing and jumped out of the stove to single-handedly confront the squad.

Bei He, being a member of the Falcon Squad, fought valiantly against ten, showcasing unparalleled bravery.

After a fierce battle, Bei He was severely injured, but the enemy soldiers suffered even worse losses, with more than half of them dead. In the end, only four of them were left, and they didn’t dare confront Bei He, whose eyes were bloodshot from rage. Under his intense gaze, they turned and fled.

Worried, Jiang Yuqing came out, intending to drag the injured Bei He back into the tunnel.

But Bei He decisively sent Jiang Yuqing back into the tunnel and turned to leave.

Jiang Yuqing grabbed Bei He’s hand, pleading, “This is the last stretch. Once we escape from here, we can leave from the dock. Bei He… Come with me!”

But Bei He firmly shook his head. “Some of those soldiers escaped. They already know the tunnel’s location. If they report to their superiors, you might be doomed. Yuqing…”

“Wait for me in Nancheng. If I survive, I’ll find you.”

After saying this, he pushed Jiang Yuqing into the tunnel, rearranged the stove equipment, and left to chase the remaining S soldiers.

In the end, Jiang Yuqing escaped safely.

But for the rest of his life, he never saw Bei He again.

Jiang Yuqing didn’t witness what happened to Bei He after he entered the tunnel alone.

But he could guess—Bei He and those S Army soldiers must have perished together. To prevent them from leaking the tunnel’s location, Bei He gave up his life.

At this moment, Zhou Qian slowly walked in a narrow, lightless corridor, continuously reaching out above and around him, attempting to find an exit.

He guessed that he might be in Cypress City again.

However, this Cypress City seemed more real than the illusory, allegorical ghost city he’d experienced before.

Regarding this corridor… perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a tunnel.

This tunnel, in real history, should correspond to the final route Bei He and Jiang Yuqing took when they fled together.

As expected, a loud noise emanated from below, and Zhou Qian felt the surrounding walls and the ground shaking violently.

He was in a tunnel, and the entire city outside was probably under the bombardment of shells and gunfire.

Zhou Qian had another thought—Why wasn’t Jiang Yuqing with him now?

In Jiang Yuqing’s conscious world… how would he construct this route?

Did he wish to escape the tragic city with Bei He?

Did he hope that for the rest of his life, Bei He would always be by his side?

Or… did he just hope to confess the hidden, unspoken love to Bei He before his death?

There were so many unresolved regrets in this world.

What did Jiang Yuqing truly desire?

Having walked a considerable distance without hearing any noise or encountering any danger, Zhou Qian no longer cautiously used the dim light from his system panel but finally turned on his flashlight.

Shining the flashlight forward, its long beam was immediately swallowed by the endless darkness.

Looking at the unfathomable blackness ahead, Zhou Qian slightly raised his eyebrows. Could it be that this endless tunnel was another of Jiang Yuqing’s desires?

After all, in this way, he could keep walking with Bei He. As long as they didn’t reach the tunnel entrance where they were discovered by the S army, Bei He wouldn’t die.

But this route eventually had an end.

After walking for about two hours, Zhou Qian shone his flashlight forward, only to find a wall.

When he tried to push it, the wall was solid and immovable.

Moreover, on his way here, Zhou Qian had been continuously tapping the ceiling and walls, but he never found an exit.

So now the only unexplored areas were to the left and right of this wall.

Zhou Qian first shone his flashlight to his left.

Surprisingly, there was a glass door there. When his flashlight illuminated it, a light inside suddenly turned on.

Under the light stood a young and handsome man—it was Jiang Yuqing.

Upon seeing Zhou Qian, the young Jiang Yuqing immediately approached.

He pressed his hands against the glass door, seemingly desperate to get out, but he couldn’t open it. He just gazed at Zhou Qian with increasing urgency.

This scene was indeed a bit unexpected.

Zhou Qian then shone the flashlight to his right.

There was another glass door to the right.

Similarly, as soon as the flashlight illuminated it, the light inside the door turned on. This time, an elderly Jiang Yuqing stood inside.

Unlike the anxious young Jiang Yuqing, the elderly Jiang Yuqing stood still, his expression numb, eyes dull and lifeless, resembling his previous dementia-like state.

At this moment, the system sent a message.

[Among the two glass doors, only one can be opened; the glass door can only be opened by the player, not NPCs.]

[Please choose one of the glass doors to open. Once opened, the next plot will be triggered. The player may pass or may die.]

[Player Zhou Qian, please make a choice within ten minutes.]

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