Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 98

Tonight, ever since the strange phenomenon began, Wen Bin’s watch panel had been constantly popping up with messages. They were all from his gambler—

[I saw you take photos of two people, He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. That’s a good choice.]

[However, without a clear understanding of what this instance really is, trying to impersonate these two to deceive Zhou Qian and kill him is too risky. It’s inadvisable. You can’t easily fool him, and acting recklessly will only alert him to your intentions.]

[I know you want to kill Zhou Qian to avenge your brother, but you can take your time on this. My advice is to start with the people around him first, like He Xiaowei.]

[Rank God players are different from ordinary players. They can’t always be with Zhou Qian. Killing those who might become Zhou Qian’s teammates in the future is the better strategy.]

[I’ve found out that He Xiaowei’s skills complement Zhou Qian’s perfectly. Without He Xiaowei’s cooperation, Zhou Qian’s ultimate move is easily wasted. So, finding a way to kill He Xiaowei first is a good strategy to deal with Zhou Qian.]

[Ever since you joined the Invincible Legion, I’ve been looking for gambler information about other members of the legion. Thankfully, I prepared in advance and got a handle on the movements of people like Chen Dami.]

[Through Chen Dami’s gambler’s perspective, I learned he’s hiding in a corner behind the hallway of the main hall. The current situation in the hall is…]

[So, you might as well go to the main hall as He Xiaowei and see how things play out, adding more chaos to the scene.]

[Distract the real He Xiaowei, and don’t let him help the real Hidden Blade. By the way, everyone thinks you’re a “ghost” in this instance, so this way, you can hide your real identity. If you’re lucky, you might be able to take out that Rank God player.]

In the dimly lit corridor, Wen Bin silently read all these messages, transformed himself into He Xiaowei, and then cleaned and put away the fruit knife he held. Speaking into the void, he said to his gambler, “I understand. I’ll kill He Xiaowei first. When the real and fake Hidden Blade fight to a stalemate, I’ll appear as He Xiaowei and reap the benefits.”

Gambler: [Right. If you fail, it’s okay. No one knows you’re Wen Bin; they’ll just think you’re the ghost.]

[Then, you can escape by elevator. Due to the special mechanism of this instance, they won’t be able to chase you directly.]

[Now you can go to the main hall. Keep pressing ‘1’, and you’ll eventually get to the real main hall instead of just wandering on the so-called ’11^th‘ floor.]

Wen Bin followed his gambler’s instructions, ignoring the murder cases he encountered on each floor.

They seemed thrilling but wouldn’t actually affect the players; they were likely there to confuse. Players who focus solely on analyzing the countless victims’ deaths would probably just waste time and die in this game.

So, Wen Bin’s next move was to continuously press “1” in the elevator. If he saw the lounge in front of him when the door opened, he wouldn’t get out.

After trying several times, he succeeded—the hotel lobby appeared in front of him.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Wen Bin immediately heard a huge commotion. It was the sound of the reception desk being chopped by two blades simultaneously.

Looking up, Wen Bin saw two identical Hidden Blade figures, both heavily injured, fighting to the death at the reception area. He Xiaowei, looking quite at a loss, was trying to help one and then the other.

He couldn’t distinguish who was real and who was fake, attempting to assist both while trying not to get caught in the crossfire.

At the moment, the three people didn’t pay attention to the situation at the elevator. Taking advantage of this, Wen Bin quickly darted out of the elevator and then ran into the corridor on the side.

The U-shaped corridor surrounded the elevator structure, and Wen Bin quickly circled to the back of the elevator.

Wen Bin came here because he received a new message from his gambler—

[Chen Dami and Qi Ke encountered two others who looked exactly like them, and the four of them are currently brawling in the restaurant.]

When Chen Dami first entered the exhibition hall, he followed Boss Batu Fei to Hall A and was now the only member of the Invincible Legion still alive in this bizarre space, apart from Wen Bin.

As for Qi Ke, he came from Hall D and was very skinny.

Initially, three people came from Hall D to the Saiya Hotel. Now, with Xiong Fei and Li Yuan both dead, only Qi Ke was still alive.

Qi Ke originally stayed with Xiong Fei. After Xiong Fei’s death and the bloody scene, he had to look for other solitary players, hoping to stay with them.

Chen Dami originally stayed with fellow legionnaire Erdan, and they were named the “Egg Fried Rice Duo” by Zhou Qian.

Unexpectedly, Erdan believed Zhou Qian’s words and surrendered to the police, leaving Chen Dami alone. Hence, Chen Dami took in Qi Ke.

Thus, Chen and Qi teamed up and began their adventure in this mysterious space.

When the two stumbled into the first floor lobby, they coincidentally encountered two identical Receptionist Wang.

One was settling accounts at the front desk, while the other was sneaking up behind him with an ax, attempting a surprise attack.

Chen Dami and Qi Ke had no idea what was going on. They hid quietly in the side corridor.

Before long, they witnessed one front desk staff killing the other.

After the killing, the murderer dragged the body behind the front desk temporarily and cleaned up the blood with a mop.

He then stored the bloody mop in a cupboard behind the counter and resumed his position, seemingly doing some accounting tasks.

After a while, He Xiaowei appeared.

The two, hiding in the shadows, witnessed He Xiaowei kill the receptionist. The receptionist’s body vanished into thin air, and two Hidden Blade emerged from the elevator and were fighting their way to the lobby.

Unsure of the hotel’s situation and whom to trust, Chen and Qi didn’t dare approach the lobby. Seeing the prowess of the two Hidden Blade, they feared getting hurt and decided to hide in the restaurant.

The restaurant was located directly behind the elevator. Exiting the elevator and turning right, one would reach it after walking down a right-angled corridor.

Since Wen Bin’s gambler had a connection with Chen Dami’s gambler, it was able to obtain this valuable intel.

Thus, Wen Bin managed to avoid He Xiaowei and the two Hidden Blade in the lobby and quietly approached the restaurant. As predicted by his gambler, as he neared the restaurant, Wen Bin heard chaotic fighting sounds.

However, Wen Bin didn’t immediately enter. He shopped in the system store for clothes similar to what He Xiaowei was wearing in the lobby.

After changing, Wen Bin disguised himself and then opened the restaurant door.

Inside, the restaurant was a mess, with tables and chairs scattered, glass cups, porcelain plates, and chopsticks everywhere.

At first glance, Chen Dami was fighting Chen Dami, and Qi Ke was fighting Qi Ke, making it hard to distinguish the real from the fake.

But with intel from his gambler, Wen Bin quickly identified the real ones.

Still, even after drawing out the fruit knife he’d used earlier to deal with Batu Fei, Wen Bin didn’t rush into action.

On the floor in front of him lay several bananas and apples. The bananas were squashed, and Wen Bin disdainfully turned up his nose when he saw them. He then picked up an apple.

After closing the restaurant door, Wen Bin casually sat near the entrance, leisurely peeling and eating the apple.

By the time Wen Bin finished his apple, the four were exhausted from the fight.

The real Chen and Qi were still holding on, hoping that this “He Xiaowei” was genuine and would help them. Meanwhile, the fake Chen and Qi were also persistent, knowing reinforcements were on the way. They believed they would win in a three against two scenario.

However, they were relieved that the newcomer didn’t seem inclined to intervene.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they thought this, the two “ghosts” were dumbfounded.

Amidst the chaotic fight, they heard the sound of an apple core hitting the floor. The next moment, a flash of a knife revealed “He Xiaowei” had thrown away the apple core and was now standing right before them!

……

Wen Bin swiftly dealt with the two “ghosts” and then turned to Chen Dami and Qi Ke.

At this moment, one of them had fallen onto broken glass, bleeding from the butt, and the other had bumped his head and had it buried in his arm and leg. There was a large lump forming on his forehead.

With their injuries all over, the two of them lay on the ground, gasping for breath. When they saw “He Xiaowei” kill those two “ghosts”, they both heaved a sigh of relief, thinking they were safe.

However, seeing “He Xiaowei” looking at them again, they realized something, and their expressions turned to horror.

Chen Dami immediately knelt before “He Xiaowei,” kowtowing as he pleaded, “Look, Wei Ge! I… I was wrong! I was forced to act against my will! I belong to the Legion. I had no choice but to follow our leader. I shouldn’t have offended Boss Zhou Qian or you. Please, have mercy and spare me!”

Qi Ke quickly added, “I never wronged you. I hold no grudge against you. Besides… I always thought you were a good person, Wei Ge…”

Seemingly afraid that Qi Ke would doubt him, Wen Bin laughed heartily.

As he put away his fruit knife, he said, “I’m sorry, both of you. I didn’t deliberately leave you to fend for yourselves. Please don’t misunderstand. I encountered an imposter at the reception desk and discovered a few tricks and flaws of these beings who can disguise themselves as us.”

“So, I needed time to discern. Pretending to be relaxed and eating an apple was a strategy to observe which of you was fake and to make them let down their guard. As you saw, I did quite well, didn’t I? I got rid of the ‘ghosts’.”

Qi Ke and Chen Dami were exhausted and didn’t overthink the situation. They had clearly seen how He Xiaowei dispatched the imposter receptionist. If these imposters are termed “ghosts”, then one ghost should be aligned with the others.

Since this He Xiaowei was willing to kill a “ghost”, he certainly wasn’t on their side; he must be a real player.

“You both should rest a bit. But not for too long. I don’t have time to deal with past grudges or this Invincible Legion you mentioned. Chen Dami, you’re right. You were just following orders from your boss. I won’t hold it against you.”

“Our top priority now is to join forces and fight the ‘ghosts’. There’s a ‘ghost’ in the lobby disguised as a Rank God player, and he’s as powerful as one. We should deal with him first. Oh, by the way…”

Wen Bin quickly took his knife and slashed a cross-shaped wound on the back of his hand. His sleeve was soaked with blood, but he seemed unconcerned. He simply said to the two, “There’s a fake Rank God player, Hidden Blade, in the lobby, as well as a fake version of me. Hidden Blade is my master; I know who the real one is. So, follow my instructions later. To distinguish between the real me and the fake, look at the cross-shaped wound on the back of my hand!”

Qi Ke and Chen Dami responded in unison, “Understood!”

……

Almost at the same moment, inside the hall.

Both Hidden Blade struck each other’s right arm with a blade, reaching the depth where the bone was visible.

In such a situation, continuing to fight with knives was improbable. Both were hoping for their allies to rush over and help. To avoid killing each other, they tacitly dropped their knives at the same time and immediately started grappling.

The real Hidden Blade landed a powerful punch on his opponent’s face, but immediately received a hefty punch in return. Managing to pin the imposter, Hidden Blade, gasping for breath, said, “Hurry up and help! I estimate these ‘ghosts’ know how to locate quickly. His companion could arrive at any moment. If that happens, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage!”

Unexpectedly, the fake Hidden Blade also yelled at He Xiaowei, “I’m your real master! Come help me! If his companions arrive, we’re done for. Think about it, if the fake Zhou Qian and fake 137 appear, do we stand a chance?”

He Xiaowei was dumbfounded. “……”

This isn’t my fault. It’s really confusing. Can anyone truly differentiate?

“Damn it…”

Hidden Blade couldn’t help but swear. Then, as if he had given up hope, he threw something towards He Xiaowei.

A white, fluffy, ball-like object flew quickly towards He Xiaowei.

Seeing this, He Xiaowei was a bit stunned but immediately jumped up and caught it. “W-What is this?”

At the same time, the fake Hidden Blade rolled over, pinning the real Hidden Blade to the ground, and punched him several times.

After taking a few hits, Hidden Blade, filled with rage, managed to roll over and started to fiercely punch the fake’s cheeks, left and right.

At this moment, Hidden Blade realized that the imposter, who was pretending to be him, didn’t dare to continue the sword fight and, after throwing away the sword, had adopted a delaying tactic because he was waiting for his allies.

If the allies that arrive happen to be the fake Bai Zhou, possessing the same sword skills as the real Bai Zhou, then both he and He Xiaowei would be doomed!

Given the circumstances, Hidden Blade had no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he said to He Xiaowei, “I took in so many disciples just to cast a wide net and then carefully choose one to be my Shepherd. Who would have thought that man’s best-laid plans often go awry.”

“He Xiaowei, take this thing and act as my Shepherd. Follow my commands!”

“All my skills and abilities are restricted; I can’t show you my ultimate transformation. The only thing I can do is use an item that forcibly stimulates psychic power, making it reach a threshold, and enter a berserk state!”

“In this state, these ghost beings can’t mimic me. Thus, you’ll know that I am the real one!”

Not long after Hidden Blade finished speaking, He Xiaowei didn’t see any other changes in his body, but he did see three fluffy white tails sprouting from behind him.

He Xiaowei was taken aback. “Holy crap, Master, are you a fox? Are you really this cute? This contrast is huge–”

Hidden Blade interrupted hoarsely, “Shut the hell up. Get to business!”

“Master, I’m coming to save you! I won’t mistake you this time!”

He Xiaowei took a deep breath, walked a few steps to the spot where he had previously fought with “Receptionist Wang “, gripped the ax handle, and pulled it out.

Raising the ax and turning around, just as He Xiaowei was about to shout “Master, I’m here”, he suddenly saw another version of himself. Behind this duplicate were Chen Dami and Qi Ke, and he couldn’t tell whether they were real or fake.

Immediately after, the fake He Xiaowei yelled, “Come on, let’s kill the fake He Xiaowei together!”

In the blink of an eye, the three charged at He Xiaowei.

Meanwhile, the Hidden Blade, who was lying on the ground, had eyes that had turned crimson!

……

On the other side.

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou entered the elevator. After pressing the number “7”, they headed straight to 1103.

The 12 numbers in the elevator were one set, and the page numbers of the manuscript space were another set. What players needed to find was merely the mapping relationship between these two sets.

Actually, there was no real need for the system to make the mapping relationship too complicated. Because once players recognized the existence of the mapping, it implied they could find the solution. If the mapping was a bit more intricate, it just meant they’d spend more time figuring it out.

With that in mind, Zhou Qian speculated that the relationship between these two sets was as simple as the formula Bai Zhou previously wrote down. Therefore, he and Bai Zhou directly chose “number 7”.

The first time they accessed a page space through the number 7 and went to 1103, the two encountered nothing. But the second time, they found a difference—this time, there was a sign hanging on the doorknob of room 1103, reading “Do Not Disturb”.

This suggested that the writer, Luo Yu, was very likely inside this room!

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances and approached the door together.

Zhou Qian then raised his hand to knock on the door. Suddenly, a flash of cold light caught his peripheral vision, and his arm was grabbed by Bai Zhou, pulling him behind him.

Before he could look forward, Zhou Qian first turned to Bai Zhou. He saw Bai Zhou’s lips pursed slightly, his cold gaze fixed intently ahead, and then he furrowed his brows.

Noticing Bai Zhou’s expression, Zhou Qian looked forward.

Two people had opened the door of the neighboring room and were now approaching them. It seemed they had been lying in ambush, waiting in the room next door.

Of these two, one bore the appearance of Liu Wansan from the “Invincible Legion”.

And the other one… looked exactly like Zhou Qian himself.

Zhou Qian locked eyes with his doppelganger.

The other Zhou Qian looked at him, smiling with unmistakable malice. “Oh my, you arrived a bit later than I expected.”

Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow, asking, “You know the author’s location and have some way to locate him quickly. Not only do you know where your comrades are, but you can also accurately arrive at the desired page through the elevator panel.”

“So, in the author’s setting, you people from this secondary world, you know the secrets here, right?”

The other Zhou Qian replied, “Of course. That’s why I was waiting for you here.”

The real Zhou Qian laughed. “So, you are in cahoots with the author? You’re here to protect him?”

“You could say that. It’s not hard to guess,” the other Zhou Qian said. “He created this world, allowing us to come to life. Of course, we have to protect him.”

“Really?” Zhou Qian nonchalantly stepped forward, looking provocatively at his counterpart. “But I suddenly don’t think so anymore.”

Hearing this, the eyes of the other Zhou Qian narrowed instantly.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qian laughed. “If I were you and could have ambushed you earlier… I would definitely set a trap. Hmm, in this place, weapons are forbidden, and as for traps, there’s no space in this corridor to set them up. So, I would have to ask the author to change the settings. Right? So—”

“If you really were in cahoots with the author, what you should have done is ask him to change the settings, like drawing a concealed death curse on this 1103 door, the kind where I’d die the moment I touched it. But you didn’t.”

“You didn’t, which means you’re not on the author’s side.”

“You only dared to hide timidly behind the adjacent door, listening for movements in the corridor, acting in hushed tones. Why? Are you afraid of disturbing the author next door?”

“So, thank you, it seems you’ve inadvertently given me the password to clear the game.”

With that, Zhou Qian rested his elbow on Bai Zhou’s shoulder, turned his head slightly, and smiled at him.

Staring at Bai Zhou’s nearly flawless profile, Zhou Qian remarked with an insinuating tone, “Zhou Ge, you took an extra look at him just now. Did you mistake him for someone else?”

“He’s merely imitating me. Come, help me get rid of this imposter.”

Hearing Zhou Qian’s words, the man opposite was visibly angered.

But soon, a smirk appeared in his eyes again.

Holding a bone identical to Zhou Qian’s, he said, “Really? But there’s one thing you didn’t consider.”

“Your game clearance time is four days, right? The system says that as long as you survive four days, you can leave from Hall D.”

“But have you ever thought that the flow of time in this space is different from the outside?”

“Zhou Qian, the other me in this world, it’s a pity, but you only have three minutes left.”

“Haha, what you said earlier was indeed right. I’m not aligned with the author. Once he knows of our existence… it’s true that we might vanish. But as long as we delay you for three minutes, you will die. Then, it’ll be you who will turn to ash, and it’ll be us who’ll survive!”

“Ah no… I’m mistaken, hahaha.”

After laughing raucously, the doppelganger’s smile turned even more malicious.

He glared fiercely at the real Zhou Qian, stating, “I don’t even need three minutes. You’re already finished! Even if you kill me now and find the author inside, then what? You don’t know how to locate. You don’t know how to quickly reach that special lobby.”

“A reminder for you, your friend He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade are currently in grave danger. They are surrounded. Not only that—”

“The swastika Nazi killer believer is on his way to the first floor. He’s about to arrive in the lobby!”

At this point, changing his demeanor, the fake Zhou Qian imitated the real Zhou Qian’s expression and turned to Bai Zhou standing opposite him.

Mimicking Zhou Qian’s voice, he said gently, “Zhou Ge, do you want to stay here to kill me or go save your friends?

“Oh, it seems that no matter what choice you make, you’re going to die.”

“But rest assured… possessing the memories of the real Zhou Qian, I’ll shed a few tears for you!”

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