Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 59
The room, seemingly narrow from the outside, felt surprisingly spacious once inside. The nearly gray-white walls displayed a noticeable metallic texture, devoid of any pattern.
Outside the window, myriad strange grasses and different blooming flowers could be seen, and occasionally, a bird flying by revealed scales on its body.
In such an environment, no one could feel at ease.
Now, Situ Qing faced the intense killing intent brought by Yin Jiujiu, undoubtedly feeling more weighted. But she decisively said to Wu Ren, “You should leave. You’re running out of time. Save yourself first. Don’t worry about me.”
Wu Ren was quite moved for a moment. “Situ Qing, if Yin Jiujiu dares to act here, she surely is prepared. Since she and Li Buhui have arrived here in advance, there must be an ambush. You—”
“If you stay here, it’s like sending yourself to death with me. It’s pointless. Just go.” Situ Qing extended her hand, clutching the bell tightly, and looked seriously at Yin Jiujiu.
A breeze came from outside the door, causing the bell to jingle. Amidst the crisp sound of the bell, Situ Qing added, “I will try to delay as much as I can. Maybe after you save yourself, you can notify Zhou Qian, and they can come to rescue me. Even if I… never mind. Just… go.”
In the end, Situ Qing wanted to say, “Even if I die, you will know who the murderer is, and can avenge me.” But she realized that perhaps no one would avenge her, so she said nothing.
Unexpectedly, Wu Ren responded, “Sister, thank you. You are quite righteous. Don’t worry, I will figure something out. If anything happens to you, I will definitely avenge you!”
Situ Qing glanced at Wu Ren and noticed he left with teary eyes.
At that moment, her heart started to beat faster.
Is this what it feels like to do good deeds?
Her past life was actually a life despised by others. Because of her birth mother Situ Xue, she was despised by Mu Sheng’s mother, by Mu Sheng, by neighbors, acquaintances, and even Situ Xue herself neglected her.
It was even more so in the game.
She, abiding by Mu Sheng’s demands, walked every step unscrupulously and ruthlessly, earning everyone’s disdain. She thought she was used to it. She thought she didn’t care about the gazes of others. But at this moment, she realized what she truly desired was acceptance and acknowledgment from others.
At the same time, Situ Qing discovered something else. Previously, in life-or-death situations, her first reaction was to raise her left wrist and check the messages from Mu Sheng. She was pushed into traps by him, yet always waited for his redemption.
But this time, she didn’t instinctively look at the system panel on her wrist. She made the choice for herself—to let Wu Ren go and face Yin Jiujiu alone. Whether life or death, it was a duel between her and Yin Jiujiu.
As a result, at this supposed tense moment of life and death, when Situ Qing further realized what she truly wanted, she became extremely relaxed.
…..
30 seconds later.
Wu Ren and Li Buhui, each wearing a pair of fast-walking shoes, were running through the forest of strange flowers and plants. When passing a tree trunk, Wu Ren suddenly stopped. Behind him, Li Buhui, caught off guard, found a visible nail appearing on his forehead.
Li Buhui dared not take another step forward and had to step back until his back was against the tree trunk. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he feigned fear. “Ah, Wu Ge, what are you doing? You can’t delay any more. You are about to…”
Wu Ren coldly interrupted him, “Tell me where the purification station is right now. I’ll go myself. Then you go back and save Situ Qing. Otherwise—”
“I will kill you now! If I kill you, I will get your life points. What fear do I have of death?!”
“Ah… Wu Ge, you yourself said before, we shouldn’t kill each other for life points. If we set such a precedent, the consequences are unimaginable. We would be falling into the system’s trap of making us slaughter each other.”
“Can’t you spare me? I promise you, isn’t my promise enough?!”
Li Buhui, with a grin yet not really smiling, put his hands together in a gesture of pleading.
However, he saw Wu Ren reach for his hidden weapon with his right hand and quickly take out a pill from his bag with his left hand.
“Open your mouth. Otherwise, I will kill you right now! Or we can die together if need be!”
Wu Ren spoke harshly. Li Buhui tightened his lips, then had no choice but to open his mouth again. Wu Ren immediately threw the pill into his mouth and watched him swallow it.
[Player Li Buhui consumed the pill: “I Can Only Speak the Truth”]
[After consuming the pill, the player can only speak the truth when answering the administrator’s questions; otherwise, they will die on the spot.]
[Effective Time: One minute.]
“Were you thinking of casually deceiving me and misleading me haphazardly? You think I won’t have enough time, and after I die, what threat would I pose to you? How about now? Didn’t expect I had this kind of pill, did you?” Wu Ren sneered coldly. “Firstly, quickly tell me the real location of the purification station. Secondly, go back and protect Situ Qing.”
“Wu Ge, really, why use such a drug? I have no intention of harming you, nor do I intend to harm Situ Qing. Right now, we are actually on the periphery of this small instance. We have no idea if deeper inside, there are demons or monsters hiding. If you two key damage dealers die, how will we continue playing?”
Li Buhui looked sincerely amiable. “Look, I didn’t die, did I? I am speaking the truth! I am sincere!”
As he spoke, seeing the nail hovering in front of his forehead moving forward and about to touch it, Li Buhui could even clearly feel the chill of the sharp point of the nail. He dared not waste words and quickly pointed a way for Wu Ren. “Go, please go. I will go back now to check on Situ Qing’s situation!”
No one could lie under the effect of the “I Can Only Speak the Truth” pill. Wu Ren got quite a satisfactory answer from Li Buhui and then quickly sent a message to Zhou Qian, informing him of the situation here.
Li Buhui, or rather Zhu Qiang, actually did return to the clearing station A13, where the two girls were.
This time, no one except his gambler could see Zhu Qiang’s expression, so he no longer needed to pretend and laughed unrestrainedly.
Under those circumstances, he had no choice but to swallow that pill. But indeed, everything he said was the truth; he had no intention of causing Wu Ren’s death arbitrarily. He had no grievances with Situ Qing and had no intention of harming her…
Besides, Yin Jiujiu was actually quite sharp. If he truly intended to harm her, he probably wouldn’t have survived until now.
So Zhu Qiang didn’t exactly lie in front of Yin Jiujiu; what he said in front of Wu Ren wasn’t lying either.
He only said he didn’t intend to harm Situ Qing but didn’t say he wouldn’t go back and make other moves. Under such circumstances, he naturally didn’t trigger the effect of the pill; he just concealed some truths.
In that life-and-death situation, with only a few minutes left to live, Wu Ren didn’t have time to think deeply about his words.
As for Zhu Qiang, his only goal from the beginning to the end was just Zhou Qian.
His strongest reliance wasn’t his own damage output, but the information he got from the Peach Blossom Legion about this instance and Zhou Qian himself. He felt he had completely seized Zhou Qian’s weakness.
With the help of the speed shoes, Wu Ren quickly returned to clearing station A13. At this moment, the battle between Yin Jiujiu and Situ Qing at A13 had reached a fever pitch.
Neither of them used their ultimates, probably saving their critical mana for the possible “monsters” they may face soon. However, the scene was still thrilling.
The jingling sound of the bells continued nonstop; the walls, ceiling, and floor were all covered in layers of ice and snow. In contrast, the wine spilled from Yin Jiujiu’s gourd, different from the sharpness and solidity of ice and snow, was boiling hot, pouring out and flowing freely, intending to melt all the frost.
At this time, Yin Jiujiu could barely see where Situ Qing was. Her vision was completely blocked by the layers of snow. Luckily, water was pervasive. Suddenly, Yin Jiujiu found an opening, instantly controlling the flow of the wine to form a pillar, piercing through a gap in the ice and directly attacking Situ Qing’s chest.
“Swish, swish, swish.” The sound of melting snowflakes falling.
In an instant, Situ Qing’s feet were quickly covered in flowing water. The ground became slippery, making walking inconvenient.
With the naked eye, Situ Qing saw the protective wall she erected of ice had found its gap, the water pillar coming straight at her like iron.
In a flash, Situ Qing swiftly dodged against the wall; her left shoulder was hit by the water stream, and blood gushed out immediately.
At the same time, due to the slippery ground, she lost her footing, stumbled, and fell. The ice and snow immediately fell to the ground with her.
Seeing the situation, Yin Jiujiu was overjoyed and instantly took out a semi-automatic bow and arrow from her bag, aiming it at Situ Qing and preparing to launch it.
However, Situ Qing, having been through life-and-death situations many times and being a strong Ice Queen, utilized the flowing water around her to reduce her charging time significantly. She immediately created a wall of ice on her chest to act as a barrier.
On the other side, just as Yin Jiujiu was about to shoot her arrow, ice swiftly attacked her wrist, freezing her entire forearm. Yin Jiujiu’s right arm almost instantly lost sensation, forcing her to release her grip. The arrow fell to the ground with a “ding” sound.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Situ Qing, who had fallen to the ground, immediately stood up and initiated a new round of normal attacks by shaking the bell. Yin Jiujiu, meanwhile, used another normal skill as a new wave of ice approached, with water continuously flowing from the gourd’s mouth, spreading out to cover the sky and the ground.
Both of their skills were long-range attacks. It seemed like a battle in the air, but the scene was no less thrilling than any close combat. The view in the room was clear for only half a minute before it was again covered by numerous flows of water and ice and snow.
Further obscuring their vision was a flash grenade thrown by Yin Jiujiu, covering the chilly ice and scalding liquor in colorful smoke of a fantasy punk style.
The combination of fog, snow, and liquor created the perfect cover for Yin Jiujiu. During the fight, she intentionally positioned herself near the doorway.
At this moment, if she left the room and activated the [Sky Net] she had set up in advance with the remote control, she could trap Situ Qing inside, making her a sitting duck. Then, she could take out another bow and arrow or any blade to kill Situ Qing.
Everything was under control, and everything was going incredibly smoothly. Yin Jiujiu thought the developments would continue as she expected. But just as her hand touched the door, a trap hidden in the wall suddenly activated!
The indestructible Sky Net began to close, cutting through all the colorful smoke and ice and snow, trapping both Yin Jiujiu and Situ Qing.
The net closed up and hung from the ceiling. Yin Jiujiu never expected that she and Situ Qing would be trapped together. Peering through the net, she vaguely saw someone entering and placing something bright on the ground, which flashed in her eyes.
However, due to the obstructed view, she couldn’t see who it was. All she could do was shout angrily, “Who are you? What did you put on the ground? What are you trying to do?”
Yin Jiujiu didn’t receive any response. The person seemed to raise their hand, and she felt the net that bound her start to fall!
What is this person trying to do? Does he want to drop us to our deaths?! But this height isn’t enough!
While she was wondering, there was a clinking sound, and Yin Jiujiu felt like she hit some glass. She and Situ Qing were both confined in a pitch-black space.
Yin Jiujiu suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “[The Great Shifting Mirror of the Universe]! Who brought us here?!”
“It’s…” She suddenly understood something. “It’s Li Buhui. The [Sky Net] was given to me by him. But the remote control is with me. How did he…? …Was I deceived by him…”
Yin Jiujiu’s heart sank heavily. In the darkness, she couldn’t see Situ Qing’s face, but she could hear her exhausted voice close by. “Yin Jiujiu, I dropped out. I didn’t even finish high school. I always thought I was uneducated and not smart. But now I realize… maybe you are even more stupid than I am.”
Hearing this, Yin Jiujiu could only clench her fists and remain silent.
After a while, she heard the rustling of clothes. It seemed like Situ Qing sat up from the ground, trying to do something.
Then she heard Situ Qing’s voice filled with worry. “Where the hell is this place? Why can’t I send messages through the system?”
After a deathly silence, Yin Jiujiu swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, “It… It’s the effect of the [Sky Net]. It can block system messages, preventing anyone from calling for help. This is… a literal, inescapable Sky Net*.”
*Clarity: The item is called [天罗地网] which is a metaphor referring to a situation where one is surrounded by a tight, inescapable net or trap, much like a spider’s web that covers both the sky and ground. This prop used is literally the meaning of that.
Another deathlike silence ensued, and then Yin Jiujiu once again heard the exhausted voice of Situ Qing. Only this time, her voice carried a trace of mockery.
“Didn’t expect this scenario… did you?”
“Then prepare yourself to die here with me. Or—”
“Do you want to continue fighting with me inside this net?”
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