Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 8: New Coordinates

Xu Wang didn’t want to get entangled with him on this dangerous topic. He simply assumed the “landlord” attitude and decisively pushed the person back to the living room.

Under the same roof, one sitting on the sofa, the other on a chair, they looked at each other across the coffee table, and the air suddenly became quiet.

Xu Wang’s face remained normal, but his heart was already pounding against the wall. He knew that being alone with the other person would lead to this fatal situation!

“You…”

Surprisingly, Wu Sheng was the first to speak, something Xu Wang hadn’t expected at all. He thought he was the only one desperately searching for a topic.

“How are you feeling?”

“…..”

What kind of question is that?

“Enough to beat two of you.”

“I’m asking about the wound on your shoulder.”

“……”

The successive arrivals of Kuang Jinxin and Sun Jiang finally put an end to the awkward conversation. They probably sneaked in some sleep during the day and looked quite spirited.

At midnight, the expected hooting of the Owl’s cry arrived.

“Hoot hoot—”

The living room remained unchanged, and the three looked towards Xu Wang, who sighed and stood up to lead his companions to the bedroom.

A bed of quicksand.

Wu Sheng nodded. “This door… is quite unique.”

Unlike the previous forceful drags, this time the four of them willingly jumped in, with a bit of solemnity heading into battle.

Xu Wang was the last to dive in. Before leaving, he pocketed a fruit knife from the desk.

He experienced familiar weightlessness and rapid falling, and then, in the blink of an eye, all four crashed into the snow.

As they landed, all four arms rang out almost simultaneously, each with more than one sound, and the dense, fluctuating “dings” intertwined into a rapid, noisy chorus.

Having learned from the previous experience, this time everyone had rolled up their sleeves before entering Owl, so when they heard the prompt, all four sitting on the ground uniformly raised their arms to check.

Xu Wang received four new messages. Two from the [Stationery Box], with two new item icons appearing in the previously empty slots: [(Defense) Circular Ground Prison¹] and [(Offense) Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant²]; one from [Cheat Sheet], updating coordinates to (109.7395, 38.3437); and one from [Report Card], which was the same information they had seen before—[Kuang Jinxin, Sun Jiang, Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, 1/23 submissions].

¹Draw a circle on the ground to serve as a prison (画地为牢) Idiom referring to setting a strict limit or creating a situation where one’s movements or thoughts are restricted.
²(曹冲称象) This comes from the story where Cao Chong received an elephant from an ambassador. Everyone was curious about the weight but had no way to measure it, so Cao Chong proposed to place the elephant onto a boat and mark the waterline. After the elephant was removed, he filled the boat with a known load of weight until it reached the waterline, thus allowing them to calculate the elephant’s weight.

From the information in the [Report Card], these things should have been sent at the moment of clearing the challenge, and it was very likely that they were immediately snapped back to reality after their submission, which was why they only received them today.

“The ‘Owl’ knows our names.” Wu Sheng stated calmly as he too saw the [Report Card], but his words felt heavy.

“It can suck us in, lead us around like monkeys to do tasks and overcome challenges, so nothing it does would surprise me now,” Xu Wang self-mockingly said, actually to reassure Wu Sheng and himself. “Right now, I’m more concerned about this,” he said, showing the [Stationery Box] on his arm to his teammates, pointing to the two new slots. “‘Circular Ground Prison’ is probably for trapping beasts, but what the hell is this ‘Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant’?”

Surprise flashed through Wu Sheng’s eyes. He didn’t respond but instead revealed his own arm.

That’s when Xu Wang saw that his [Stationery Box] had been updated with [(Defense) Cicada Shed Its Shell¹] and [(Offense) Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds²].

¹(金蝉脱壳) Idiom referring creating an illusion to escape so the other party can’t detect in time. It can also mean a fundamental change in things.
²(风卷残云) Idiom referring to sweeping away everything at once.

Xu Wang then looked at the other two teammates. The coordinates updated in the [Cheat Sheet] and the submission information in the [Report Card] were completely consistent, but uniquely in the [Stationery Box], Kuang Jinxin had [(Defense) A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows¹] and [(Offense) Tears Like Rain²], while Sun Jiang had [(Defense) Lost in a Five-Mile Fog³] and [(Offense) Bolt from the Blue⁴].

¹(狡兔三窟) Idiom referring to a smart individual who has multiple plans or strategies to ensure safety and survival. In modern day, it has a more negative tone, implying that someone is cunning.
²(泪如雨下) Idiom referring a state of extreme sadness (to the point where that person is crying profusely with tears streaming down their face like rain).
³(五里雾中) Idiom referring to a state of confusion and being unable where one is unable to see the truth.
⁴(晴天霹雳) Idiom referring to a sudden or shocking event or disaster.

Previously, aside from the [Skate Shoes] everyone had the same items, which led them to naturally assume that new items would be the same for everyone. It wasn’t just Xu Wang, but Wu Sheng, Sun Jiang, and Kuang Jinxing all thought this.

However, what puzzled them more was the nature of the items.

The ones with (Defense) at the front were easier to understand. By comparing them to the similarly (Defense) [Jingle Bells] and [Fishnado], it was known that they were for escaping and self-protection, focused on defense rather than offense. But the (Offense) items appearing for the first time seemed to carry a subtle and eerie aspect.

“Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds.” Wu Sheng pondered for a moment and nodded. “Understood, it summons a great wind as a weapon.”

Xu Wang didn’t know where his certainty came from, but he had to admit that compared to his own [Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant], the other’s weapon at least had a clear direction in its name.

Looking at it this way, Sun Jiang’s was even clearer. [Bolt from the Blue]—isn’t that just about striking down whoever you aim at!

“Xu Ge,” Kuang Jinxin timidly interrupted Xu Wang’s wild musings. “If you don’t like Weighing the Elephant, we can trade.”

Whether the items in the [Stationery Box] could be exchanged was still unknown, but Xu Wang stared at Kuang Jinxin’s [Tears Like Rain] for a long time before shaking his head firmly, responding, “It’s destined to be yours. You keep it.”

Kuang Jinxin looked at those four characters that had nothing to do with “offense” and felt like crying right then.

“If these items are needed for the second challenge, why did we all get different ones?” Sun Jiang wondered, or rather, was reluctant to accept this reality. “If it’s like the [Skate Shoes] before, needed in specific situations to function, then if we fail the challenge and come back a second time, won’t we be without items?”

“Maybe it’s not that complicated. Perhaps it’s simply a reward for the last submission.” Xu Wang stood up, brushing off the snow. He was nervous in spirit but couldn’t hold back the fatigue, yawning several times. “Who knows. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Sun Jiang was already standing, looking around, ready for action. Seeing Wu Sheng still slowly getting up, he was almost frustrated to death. “Are you planning to take a nap before getting up?”

“Not really.” Wu Sheng finally stood up, but his speech remained unhurried. “But I always feel that there’s no use in hurrying tonight unless any of you can conjure up an airplane.”

Sun Jiang frowned. “What do you mean?”

Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin also looked at him in confusion.

Wu Sheng extended his arm and pointed to the new coordinates on the [Cheat Sheet]. “This place is not in Beijing.”

Sun Jiang, initially a bit confrontational, laughed dismissively with a clear scoff of disbelief. “Then tell us, where is this place?”

Unperturbed, Wu Sheng scrolled back to the owl’s head, retracting his arm, and confidently uttered two words, “Northern Shaanxi.”

Practice is the only criterion for testing truth*.

*It’s an article written by Chinese intellectual Hu Fuming. The saying itself refers to looking at empirical evidence and real-world application in verifying theories, ideas, or beliefs. In this context, it’s like saying look for the evidence that the coordinates are actually in Northern Shaanxi. 

After the group had walked in the snowfield for nearly two hours, covering both familiar and unfamiliar territory without triggering any events or challenges or encountering any wild animals, Sun Jiang, who was completely disbelieving, and Kuang Jinxin, who was half-doubtful, were thoroughly convinced.

Xu Wang had expected this outcome and wasn’t surprised at all.

The four sat down in a cave not far from the ice waterfall. The rocky ground was cold, but that was better than the snow. Xu Wang checked his phone—it was only half past two in the morning.

“Are we really going to sit here until five?” Xu Wang had been prematurely ejected twice before, once injured and once after submission, and had never experienced a “clock out” without any incident.

“You could also sing and dance to kill some time.” Wu Sheng, holding a stone picked up from somewhere, drew on the ground, casually giving a completely disinterested suggestion. “Anyway, it’s just us four here. Even if your singing is terrible, it won’t attract any demons or ghosts.”

Xu Wang gritted his teeth, about to retort, when he saw Kuang Jinxin leaning over to Wu Sheng, seriously observing the “artwork” on the ground, and asked, “Wu Ge, what are you drawing?”

Wu Sheng, focused entirely, didn’t raise his head. “A latitude and longitude map.”

The more Kuang Jinxin looked, the more familiar the contour of the grid-covered figure seemed—isn’t that the shape of the motherland! He incredulously widened his eyes. “Wu Ge, have you really memorized the entire country’s latitudes and longitudes and corresponding locations?!”

Wu Sheng continued without stopping. “Not all. Still missing a few provinces.”

“That’s impressive enough!” Kuang Jinxin’s eyes shone. “Just now, you looked at the coordinates and said it was Northern Shaanxi. I didn’t dare believe it. I thought, how can there be such a godly person who can pinpoint a location with just a glance!”

Finally, Wu Sheng put down the stone and slowly lifted his head. His face had a smile full of “modesty” plastered on it. “It’s actually not as complicated as you think. Just two maps, one of latitudes and longitudes, the other a map. You overlap them in your mind, use a regional division method…”

“Wu Sheng—” Xu Wang rolled his eyes, interrupting him, his drawn-out tone full of a “please stop showing off” warning.

Wu Sheng resignedly gave a “got it” look and turned back to Kuang Jinxin, much more grounded. “Memory, it’s innate.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Xu Wang: “……”

No need to be so brutally honest!

The struck student, Kuang Jinxin, shrank to a corner, looking utterly pitiable. Xu Wang thought to say something comforting, and as he got up, his hand unintentionally brushed his pocket. He suddenly paused, patted the pocket again, still not feeling anything, and finally reached into the pocket to feel around—empty.

The fruit knife was gone.

He clearly remembered placing it in this pocket when he entered…

“What’s wrong?” Wu Sheng, noticing Xu Wang patting his pocket, looked up and sensed something was amiss.

There was no point in hiding it, so Xu Wang told the truth. “I brought a fruit knife in for self-defense, but now it’s gone.”

Sun Jiang and Kuang Jinxin looked over nervously. In a place where anything could happen, losing a knife could be a minor or a major issue.

Wu Sheng frowned but remained calm. “Did you still have it when you entered, or did you just now realize it’s gone?”

“Does it make a difference?” Sun Jiang didn’t follow his train of thought. “It’s gone either way.”

Xu Wang understood. He had only been acquainted with Wu Sheng of ten years later for one day and three nights, but he already deeply felt the man’s “programmer’s thinking”. Everything was binary: 1 was 1 and 0 was 0. The logic had to be clear, conditions explicit, with no 0.5 middle ground.

“I haven’t touched my pockets since entering, so I can’t be sure if it just disappeared or was gone the moment we entered.”

“Then there’s nothing to be done.” Wu Sheng was annoyed, obviously bothered by the lack of a clear answer. “The conditions aren’t enough to determine if this place automatically blocks ‘offensive’ items, or if you carelessly left it somewhere here.”

Xu Wang wasn’t insistent on finding the truth. After all, compared to a small fruit knife, the update of the [Cheat Sheet] was more concerning. “If that coordinate is really in Northern Shaanxi…”

“There are no ifs.” Wu Sheng cut him off without hesitation, emphasizing his point. “It is.”

If it weren’t for the need to maintain the team, Xu Wang would have really wanted to kick him. “Fine—it is. Then how are we supposed to get there?”

“Since we can’t get through here, we’ll have to go through the real world,” Wu Sheng answered matter-of-factly, without a second thought.

“How am I supposed to ask for leave from my boss?” Xu Wang struggled to maintain a smile, simulating a possible workplace conversation, word for word, gritting his teeth. “Boss, may I take a few days off? Why? I’d like to visit the old revolutionary base.”

Wu Sheng: “Okay, that’s a solid reason.”

Xu Wang: “Come here.”

Wu Sheng: “I refuse.”

Xu Wang: “I promise not to hit you.”

Wu Sheng: “But you’ll kiss me.”

Xu Wang: “……”

A single misstep can lead to eternal regret*!

*(一失足成千古恨啊) Idiom referring to once a mistake is made, you will hate it for life.

“Ding—”

An unexpected prompt tone was especially piercing in the cave.

Xu Wang immediately looked down.

This new message was from the [Roster].

His [Roster] interface was originally—

1/23 Xu Wang [Withdraw]

1/23 Kuang Jinxin [Kick]

1/23 Sun Jiang [Kick]

1/23 Wu Sheng [Kick]

But now only three people remained on the list, and the words “Sun Jiang has withdrawn” scrolled from left to right on it.

Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin, also looking down at their messages, saw it clearly on their own arms.

Before the three could speak, Sun Jiang laughed first, a mix of apology and bitterness. “I won’t leave Beijing. Even if I could take leave from work, I can’t explain it at home. Just mentioning it gives me a headache. Even if I could tell, no one would believe it, and I can’t let my wife and kids worry about me every day…”

Then he shifted his tone, lightening up. “But if I don’t go, even if you get there, you probably won’t trigger the new challenge. Rather than waiting to be kicked out, I might as well make room…”

His seemingly carefree tone was full of sincerity.

“Since withdrawal from the team is allowed, surely adding members is also possible. Don’t worry, I have a feeling that the people you’ll meet next will definitely be more reliable than this old guy.”

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