Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 15: Dispelling Doubts

The bomb that was still counting down made everyone on the plane anxious; this wasn’t a good time for spectating. So, when Xu Wang popped up from the ground and shouted, all the seated passengers turned back, but none left their seats. Several reflexively tightened their seat belts; those who happened to be walking immediately left the aisle, darting into nearby seats, regardless of whether they were pressing down on someone else’s thighs.

The passengers “cleared the field” themselves, and the “brawl” ended as quickly as it started, resulting in a complete silence once the victor was determined.

The four men inside the purple circle, all male, ranged in age from twenty-two or twenty-three to twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Though all had unfriendly expressions, they were tall, handsome, thin, and fair, with a clear division of labor.

Bystanders dared not breathe too loudly, and the captives were unwilling to speak first and show weakness. The silent standoff was a test of the victor’s resolve. But this was hardly a challenge for Xu Wang.

He squatted down comfortably, directing orders down the hole with methodical precision. “Xiao Kuang, Lao Qian, cockpit plan. Go!”

From the hole that shouldn’t have been there, two voices full of vigor responded, “Roger!”

Four minutes later, the intercom came alive with the voice that had greeted everyone at the start of the flight, now spreading throughout the cabin again.

“Good day, passengers. I am the captain of this flight. Earlier, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we caused unnecessary panic among you all, and for that, on behalf of all crew members, I express our deepest apologies. Now, the dangerous individuals have been successfully apprehended by four courageous young people, and the dangerous object will soon be dismantled. You can relax and enjoy the remainder of your journey. We wish you a pleasant trip—”

The final blessing was resolute, more a declaration of the triumph of justice and an unyielding spirit than a mere well-wishing.

Instantly, the cabin burst into vigorous applause; some passengers even started cheering and celebrating.

The tension eased, and noise returned. The flight attendants timely pushed out carts to distribute water, allowing passengers to “toast” with their drinks.

No one worried about the “four dangerous individuals” at the tail of the plane anymore. After all, two “courageous young people” were keeping watch.

The four inside the circle had already widened their eyes; their facial muscles twitched upon hearing the broadcast. By now, the handsome one couldn’t hold back his indignation. “We acknowledge your superiority in skills, but to claim the moral high ground is shameless!”

Xu Wang maintained his squat, eye level with them, appearing to be in a position for a good conversation. In reality, it was for an easier “exchange of words”. “A sneak attacker talking to me about morality?!”

The handsome one was indignant and about to retort but was stopped by the tallest among them. He seemed two or three years older than the handsome one, maybe around twenty-five or twenty-six, but he exuded a calmness from his head to his long legs. Including when he was captured, he was the calmest.

“How did you get into the cockpit?” He didn’t waste time on futile arguments and got straight to the point. “Did you use your [Stationery Box]?”

Wu Sheng, who enjoyed straightforward conversations, squatted down to be on the same level as him. Instead of answering, he asked, “Why did you attack us? Is the submission of tasks on the open-sharing platform exclusive?”

The tall one paused, taken aback by Wu Sheng’s sudden interjection and the content of it.

Xu Wang sighed, acting as a translator. “Are these types of levels where different teams can see each other only passable by one team in the end?”

The tall one didn’t immediately answer—not so much because the question was hard, but it seemed he was pondering their negotiation strategy.

The skinniest one, quick-witted, seized the critical situation. “You’re just from 1/23, right? No need to deny it, or else you wouldn’t have exposed yourselves so easily.” He crossed his legs and sat up straight, starting to talk. “But we’re not. We might not have been through hundreds of battles, but we have far more experience than you, and we know much more. Now, you have the advantage in force, and we have the advantage in information. Why not both sides step back and share for a win-win situation?”

Xu Wang mirrored him by crossing his legs, adopting a posture of ready discussion. “I’m all ears.”

The skinny one nodded in approval, seemingly appreciating Xu Wang’s pragmatism. “We can tell you everything we know about the explicit rules, implicit rules, and unspoken rules here, in exchange, you let us go, and we compete fairly.”

“What if you attack us after getting out?” Xu Wang queried.

“If we could attack, we would have done it earlier. We’ve used up all our items. Besides, the risk is higher for us; what if you decide not to let us go after getting the information?”

“You can reveal 50% first, then we let you out, and you complete the remaining 50% afterwards.”

“That’s exactly what I mean!”

“Then I have a suggestion too.” Xu Wang tilted his head, elbow propped on his knee, hand supporting his head, casually proposing, “We ask questions, you answer. If you refuse, we’ll stab you one by one and send you back, courtesy of the ‘Owl’.”

The skinny one’s face changed, and after a long moment, he retorted, “You can’t possibly have knives on you.”

Xu Wang waved his arm with a smile. “But we have items. Want to test it out?”

“You ask, we’ll answer.” The tall one intervened with his usual composure. “The condition is that you don’t need to let us out of the circle, but you also can’t send us back.”

“What if I break the deal?”

“We’re already trapped and are no threat to you. It’s unnecessary to waste another stationery. Moreover, the world is round, this place even more so. We’ll inevitably meet again, and you wouldn’t want to make an enemy unnecessarily.”

Xu Wang nodded, preferring to communicate with this more understanding individual over the cunning skinny one or the impulsive handsome one.

“Hand it over.” He reached out to Wu Sheng.

Reluctantly stripped of his “questioning rights”, Wu Sheng handed over the list of questions they’d compiled while observing from below—after all, he’d already suffered a setback at his first attempt.

Thinking dejectedly, facing an opponent with poor comprehension was like using a good knife to cut a broken pot.

“Name.” Wu Sheng’s “list” didn’t have such mundane questions; this was Xu Wang’s own first inquiry.

The tall one wasn’t keen on complying. “We needn’t bother with names here. Let’s not involve the real world.”

Xu Wang was amenable: “Fine, then I’ll call you Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face.”

Long Legs: “……”

Handsome: “Okay.”

Stick Figure: “……”

Fair Face: “Doesn’t matter.”

“Xu Wang.” Without warning, Xu Wang introduced himself, then pointed beside him. “Wu Sheng, the Wu from the Three Kingdoms Wei, Shu, and Wu, and Sheng from playing the se and blowing the sheng*.”

*Clarity: Wu (吴) is from the Three Kingdoms, where it was divided between the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.  Sheng (笙) is from the phrase playing the se (an ancient term for a zither) and the sheng (one of the oldest Chinese instruments). Modern term would probably be translated as “playing the zither and the flute”.

Wu Sheng: “Why is my introduction so detailed…”

Without waiting for a response, Xu Wang picked up the list and began questioning. The first question was the same as before. “In this kind of level where different teams can see each other, is it true that only one team can pass in the end?”

Long Legs: “Yes.”

Xu Wang: “How do you know?”

Long Legs: “Before attacking you, we were the victims of an attack.”

Xu Wang: “Was your 1/23 also just your own team?”

Long Legs: “Every team’s 1/23 is likely just their own team, so it’s easy to tell you guys just came from the first level.”

Xu Wang: “Were you also forcibly pulled in?”

“Yeah.” Long Legs barely audibly sighed, seemingly wanting to laugh, but the corner of his mouth twisted bitterly. “This damn place, can’t escape, can’t even complain.”

Xu Wang disliked seeing others so dispirited, especially when he could empathize. Though he wasn’t as deeply aggrieved as Long Legs, it was still distressing, so he swiftly changed the topic. “Was the first level also in Beijing?”

Long Legs nodded.

Xu Wang: “Do you know about the thing with coordinates?”

Long Legs: “Just search a satellite map online. Even the slowest would understand.”

Xu Wang: “If each team in the first level is independent and all in Beijing, in the same coordinates, why didn’t we encounter other teams when we returned to reality?”

Long Legs: “Because the trigger points are different.”

Xu Wang: “So your idiom guessing spot wasn’t an ice waterfall?”

They had already asked Qian Ai this question when observing from below. However, according to Wu Sheng, one person’s account wasn’t enough, so they needed to confirm with these four as well.

“Ice waterfall?” Tall Guy seemed to hear the term for the first time, shaking his head. “Never seen it. We all live beyond the West Fifth Ring, and the coordinates for the idiom trigger points are nearby.”

“West Fifth Ring, huh.” Xu Wang had anticipated this answer. “We were all around North Third Ring, and another new teammate was coming from Daxing—that’s even farther south… South Sixth Ring…”

“So, it’s impossible to see each other.” Tall Guy sighed. “Beijing is big enough to isolate a dozen or even dozens of teams.”

The first level worked hard to isolate everyone, creating an impression of mutual exclusion. The second level deliberately brought people together for competition. Could there be anything more malicious!

Xu Wang felt angry inside, but one thing at a time. This was the “Owl’s” doing, and both they and their opponents were victims.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Xu Wang continued to inquire, “How many nights have you been trying to pass this level?”

Tall Guy: “N.”

Xu Wang: “?”

Tall Guy: “Countless. N≥20.”

Xu Wang: “Er, the combat level of your team…”

Handsome: “Ask questions. Don’t attack us personally!”

“Every time we come in, the relationships among the entire flight’s passengers change, making any clues we gathered last time useless.” It was rare for one with the glowing fair complexion to speak so much in one breath, but his tone was still as flat and unemotional as ever.

But clearly, his words were to back up his handsome teammate, as the latter immediately seized upon this as strong evidence for rebuttal. “Right, so each time it’s like a new test paper, starting from zero. Who knows how many days you’d twist and turn!”

“Alright, alright.” Xu Wang decided to cut the discussion short, not wanting to waste words with them, and directly turned to Long Legs to continue with the next question. “Why so eager to make a move? If you waited until we nearly collected all the clues or even when the code is about to be cracked before acting, couldn’t you just reap the benefits?”

“The premise of reaping the benefits is that you manage to catch the fish, but there’s limited time, and we trust ourselves more,” Long Legs replied.

“……” Xu Wang thought better of boasting about any efficiency in clearing levels considering they exposed themselves right upon entering the airport. “What happens if we fail to turn in our… submission…” he suddenly paused. As his mind was translating Wu Sheng’s alien-like language and following the line of questioning, he stumbled upon two words he’d never considered, causing him to freeze momentarily.

After a long pause, he asked again, more seriously, “What’s the punishment for failing our submission?”

For the first time, a flicker of emotion appeared in Long Legs eyes, as if recalling something unpleasant. After a while, he slowly answered, “Return to the starting point.”

Xu Wang was stunned. “The first level?”

Tall Guy nodded. “Yes, 1/23.”

Wu Sheng suddenly interjected with a question not on the list. “Stick Figure just said you could tell us about the third level, which means you’ve been to 3/23. So, does failing a submission either here or the next level mean returning to the first level?”

Stick Figure: “Just because I don’t speak doesn’t mean I agree with that nickname…”

Long Legs: “Yes, back to 1/23.”

Wu Sheng: “So, resubmitting in repeated levels yields no rewards?”

Long Legs was surprised. “You know?”

Wu Sheng: “Isn’t it obvious? N≥20, failure means going back; you must have spent at least ten days on 1/23. If submitting earned rewards, your [Stationery Box] should be full by now. There’s no need to be threatened by us.”

Long Legs: “……” The one in front of him was indeed quick-witted, but he still preferred to communicate with someone else!

Wu Sheng then asked, “Is there any indication when you’re sent back?”

Long Legs sighed. “If mockery counts.”

Wu Sheng frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If you fail to submit, the [Report Card] will scroll out a sentence.” Long Legs said, twitching his mouth corner in a slight sneer, emphasizing each word, “Retreat is the only path for the incompetent.”

He spoke clearly but softly, with disdain and contempt undertones. If the sentence wasn’t in text but was spoken by the “Owl”, then it would probably carry the same tone—infuriating yet unanswerable.

Wu Sheng had no more questions.

Xu Wang’s list was almost complete, but his heart was far from settled. He couldn’t formulate questions as detailed and well-considered as Wu Sheng, so digesting all these answers also took time.

In contrast, Wu Sheng’s brain processor was apparently several generations ahead. While Xu Wang was still ruminating, Wu Sheng had already stood up easily, dusting off his pants.

Knowing all he wanted to know, for Wu Sheng, this “conversation” was nearing its end—

Putting his hands on his knees, he leaned his body forward and approached the faces of the four inside the circle, smiling elegantly. “Attacking us wasn’t your biggest mistake tonight. Not believing in our efficiency in clearing the level—that’s the real mistake.”

The four inside the circle were first baffled, then gradually their expressions turned indescribable.

Xu Wang silently turned his head, internally asking the heavens—why others’ domineering bosses make looking cool so effortless, while his white moonlight at the top of his heart forever emits a hint of eighth-grader syndrome*!

*Chunibyo. Term used to describe someone, typically in their early teens, who has grandiose delusions, who desperately wants to stand out, and who has convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers.

What was even more troubling was, he really fucking likes him. TAT

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