Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 41

In the narrow and gloomy environment, even the oxygen seemed to be gradually disappearing. As Zhou Qian felt difficulty in breathing, an overwhelming intent to kill suddenly attacked him head-on.

Just in the nick of time, Zhou Qian pinched a pill between his fingers and said to the person in front of him, “Dalang, it’s medicine time.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuqing’s actions were abruptly halted. Then, with a blank expression, he took the pill from Zhou Qian’s palm and swallowed it.

Instantly, Jiang Yuqing was immobilized in his place. Zhou Qian then took out two things from his bag: one was the celadon bottle given to him by Jiang Yuqing in the photo illusion; the other was the box of osmanthus cake he had taken from the receptionist.

Upon opening the box, only one piece of osmanthus cake was left.

Zhou Qian stared at it for a while, then opened the celadon bottle and sprinkled its contents over the cake. A blood-red powder swiftly covered the cake, seeped into its surface, and then vanished.

The agitated, irrational Jiang Yuqing could always be pacified by osmanthus cake. Probably because every time Bei He made him angry in the past, he would placate him with osmanthus cake.

Jiang Yuqing originally didn’t like sweets, but because of Bei He, he grew fond of osmanthus cakes. To this day, even if he slowly forgot everything else, the fact that osmanthus cake pacified his anger seemed to have become an instinct.

So, just when the effects of the paralyzing pill were about to wear off, Jiang Yuqing was about to attack Zhou Qian. But upon seeing the osmanthus cake offered by Zhou Qian, all his restlessness and murderous intent were immediately soothed.

Jiang Yuqing then took the cake from Zhou Qian and lovingly started to eat it.

Little by little, slowly, he ate the osmanthus cake with a look of delight on his face. Blood then seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he collapsed.

Jiang Yuqing was the master of the consciousness world. He could become immensely powerful and create countless deadly weapons or scenarios, such as the 12 gunmen in “Checks and Balance” or the vast S Army in “West Pier”.

No one could kill him in this world except himself.

The poison in the celadon bottle was a creation of his own, capable of ending his life.

In this instance, all player skills would be ineffective against the aged Jiang Yuqing. Only the poison he created could end his life.

That was the solution. The challenge for the player was to find the poison through the photo illusion and then coax Jiang Yuqing into consuming it under such perilous circumstances.

Notably, observing the transformation from [Irritable Jiang Yuqing] to [Jiang Yuqing with Dementia] using osmanthus cake and managing to save a piece of [Wang’s Osmanthus Cake] was the key to passing this level.

Before the aged body hit the ground, Zhou Qian stepped forward to catch him. Then, Zhou Qian half-squatted and let Jiang Yuqing lie in his arms.

With his last breath, Jiang Yuqing opened his eyes in Zhou Qian’s embrace, and at that moment, his cloudy eyes regained clarity.

The elderly Jiang Yuqing in the consciousness world symbolized disease, representing its embodiment.

Now that the embodiment was dead, the disease was gone, and this narrow conscious space would no longer shrink and consume everything. Bei He managed to survive here. And countless versions of young, middle-aged… Jiang Yuqing from different times overlapped at this moment.

The ground shook violently.

This conscious space was about to collapse completely with the approach of death.

In the final moment, Jiang Yuqing lay in Zhou Qian’s arms, holding his hand. His eyes were clear and his smile bright, just like when he was young.

“Bei He… You didn’t lie to me. You really came to pick me up. Thank you.”

“Thank you for taking me away before the disease and old age could kill me, just as I was starting to remember everything, and just before the disease wanted me to forget it all again.”

“Now I die with my memories intact.”

“Thank you. I have no regrets.”

[Jiang Yuqing passed away by Bei He’s side. “Night Rain Addressed to the North” Completion: 100%.]

[Player Zhou Qian achieved the ultimate hidden achievement. Rewards will be redeemed after the end credits plays…]

……

The ground trembled endlessly as countless rocks rained down. The surroundings began to spin, distort, separate, and crumble, and then everything fell into silence.

Zhou Qian opened his eyes and found himself wearing a special device on his head, dressed in a blue uniform, sitting in some workspace.

Beside him on a hospital bed, an old man had closed his eyes forever. A nurse came over to cover him with a white cloth and pushed him away from the room that was almost submerged in countless flowers and gifts.

In the corridor outside the room, many people were holding obituary banners. As they approached, wiping their tears, most of the banners read “In Memory of Dr. Jiang” and so on.

Zhou Qian touched his forehead, and a doctor walked up to him, extending one hand. “Thank you. Your task is now complete. You can leave.”

Zhou Qian noticed the badge on his clothes, which read: [Past Times Nursing Home, Memory Department, Director Li Huai.]

Zhou Qian asked him, “So, my consciousness, under external influence, entered the world of Jiang Yuqing’s consciousness. In his world, I transformed into Bei He. So the Bei He in his consciousness isn’t a figment of his imagination. In a way…”

“Yes. In a way, Jiang Yuqing died next to Bei He. In the last moments of his life, he finally lived for himself. In his eyes, Bei He came to take him to the underworld. He passed away peacefully and contentedly. Thank you.”

The display on his watch lit up with a message:

[Player Zhou Qian’s Rank: D → B]

[HP: 2000 → 8000]

[MP: 2000 → 8000]

[Skill Points: 200]

[Unlock “Rib of God” Feature: Cultivate Bone Spirits; Bone Spirits can become a powerful ally in the future.]

After closing the system panel, Zhou Qian was escorted by Dr. Li Huai to the entrance of the nursing home.

Outside, the sun was shining brilliantly with flowers in full bloom. Just by stepping out there, Zhou Qian could return to his real world. But before that, Dr. Li handed him an item: an empty bottle.

The last hidden achievement reward was a matchbox, whose purpose remains unknown. This time, the hidden reward was equally mysterious.

Receiving the empty bottle from Dr. Li, Zhou Qian asked, “It’s empty?”

Li Huai shook his head. “It’s full.”

Zhou Qian: “?”

Li Huai: “It contains air.”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Li Huai, with a mysterious tone, said, “God said, ‘Let there be air to separate the waters’, and thus the world had [air].”

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man before him. Tall and stern, with a somewhat icy demeanor, he wore a mask that obscured his face; only his eyes were bright and inscrutable.

“The way you said that…” Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow. “Reminds me of Epoh. Do you know him? This kind of miraculous nursing home, perhaps, isn’t a technology that should exist in this world?”

The doctor named Li Huai didn’t answer but turned away. Then, the surroundings started to fade, except for two treasure chests that fell down, which Zhou Qian caught. One was a regular reward, the other was for an ultimate achievement.

Before the nursing home disappeared completely, Zhou Qian finally left the hall and stepped into the sunlight. The next moment, he opened his eyes and found himself back in Zone 1 of Spring Hill Mental Asylum.

At that moment, Zhou Qian received another notification.

[Player Zhou Qian, please wait for your gambler’s evaluation; your gambler can award you a title based on your performance.]

[Unfortunately, due to the unexpected death of your gambler, you have temporarily not received a title or evaluation.]

His gambler was dead?

Zhou Qian frowned, took out the phone from the bedside table, looked up some information, and tried to make a call. However, realizing it was already midnight, he withdrew his hand.

……

In Room 302, inside the shower room, Qi Liuxing had just finished showering. Hearing some noise outside and guessing that Zhou Qian had returned, he hurriedly dried himself and put on some clothes.

When Qi Liuxing returned to the ward, he saw Zhou Qian pouring himself a glass of water. Zhou Qian then sat on the bed, engrossed on his phone.

Qi Liuxing ran over, clearly worried and eager to ask Zhou Qian something, like if he had encountered any danger. But at the last moment, he restrained himself and walked over calmly, whispering, “Ah, you’re back.”

Zhou Qian lifted his eyes and glanced at him, unceremoniously saying, “You’re trying too hard with that act.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

“There’s no need for that, Xiao Qi. Act your age. You trying to seem all mature makes you look out of place!” Zhou Qian yawned, continuing to look at his phone.

Unable to resist, Qi Liuxing approached him and asked, “What are you reading?”

Zhou Qian: “The Old Testament*.”

*Consists of many distinct books by various authors produced over a period of centuries. There are 39 books common to essentially all Christian canons.

Qi Liuxing: “What happened during that instance? Are you becoming religious?”

“Of course not.” Zhou Qian asked Qi Liuxing, “Do you remember the [Seed of Fire] we got from the last instance?”

Qi Liuxing sat back on his bed. “I remember. Why?”

“God said let there be light, and there was light. He separated the waters and created the air,” Zhou Qian said. “I visited two instances with hidden achievements and obtained the Seed of Fire that brings light and air… I vaguely remembered hearing something similar somewhere, so I searched online.”

“So you found the Old Testament?” Qi Liuxing asked.

“Yes,” Zhou Qian nodded. “It records the story of Jehovah creating the world in seven days. In five days, He created light, air, land, stars, and animals. On the sixth day, He created man. On the seventh day, He rested.”

“So… if we collect all the hidden achievements in the instances, we could acquire seven treasures related to creation?” Qi Liuxing pondered, looking thoughtful.

“Exactly,” Zhou Qian confirmed.

“But what does this mean? Can we, like God, create a world?” Qi Liuxing wondered aloud. “If it’s about creation, it can’t be in reality. So maybe we can create a world inside the game?”

Zhou Qian mused, “I’m not sure. Whether it’s Eastern or Western mythology… stories about ancient creation and creator deities have similarities. So…”

Seeing Zhou Qian hesitate, Qi Liuxing hesitantly asked, “Do you think there’s really a God in this world?”

Zhou Qian looked surprised. “Don’t you see ghosts? I thought you weren’t a materialist.”

“I’ve told you, it’s not a ghost. I don’t know… I don’t know what my brother really is. But he’s not a ghost.”

Qi Liuxing confidently nodded, then, looking mature beyond his years, said, “As for the existence of God, I can’t say.”

Zhou Qian added, “The term ‘God’ is just a title. From a scientific standpoint, it’s entirely possible that extraterrestrial beings visited Earth in ancient times, sharing technology with humans. Their appearance and power made humans consider them ‘gods’.”

“That sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel,” Qi Liuxing scoffed.

“People always say this game is related to God, right? Whether or not He exists, we’ll know as we progress. I’m genuinely curious about what will happen when I become a Rank S player,” Zhou Qian said. “At this rate, I should reach Rank S after the next instance.”

Hearing this, Qi Liuxing couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re progressing so fast! I’m still at Rank B. But I…”

He seemed saddened by something, but his sadness soon turned to admiration.

Zhou Qian glanced at him, seemingly having an idea. “Oh, didn’t you want to find members for the ‘Sword and Heart’ group? I found someone for you—”

He was cut off by Qi Liuxing.

He said, “Zhou Qian, I want to introduce you to someone! He’s an excellent teammate I met recently. His weapon is a flute! We decided to form the ‘Sword and Heart’ combo!”

After a brief pause, Zhou Qian sincerely replied, “As long as you’re happy.”

……

The next morning, as soon as Zhou Qian woke up, he contacted someone—Chen Yangzhou.

Chen Yangzhou was the police officer investigating his parents’ death and was also the one Zhou Qian asked to help investigate Bai Zhou’s body.

Zhou Qian had clear objectives this time: first, inquire about Bai Zhou’s skeletal remains; second, ask if someone named Yu Xian died and how he died; third, check if someone named Gao Shan died.

Moreover, as the game encompassed more, it would stand to reason that more people would die in reality. Had these incidents caught the police’s attention?

Elsewhere, outside a hospital emergency room, Yun Xiangrong sat quietly on a bench, her face pale under the hospital lights. A man in white, resembling a doctor, approached and handed her a black note.

Yun Xiangrong looked up and saw the words “Pass” written on it. At the bottom right, there was a bright red peach blossom.

“What’s this?” Yun Xiangrong looked up into the face of a refined-looking man.

“A pass. I think you might want to join the Peach Blossom Legion, right?” The man smiled. “Hello, my name is Priest.”

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