Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 36: Treasure Chest

They initially thought there was no choice in the treasure chest, but upon opening it, they found four smaller, more exquisite chests inside. The four teammates exchanged looks and, in a harmonious motion, each took one.

Qian Ai closely examined the chest he picked up, his mind awash with nervousness, excitement, and apprehension. He knew that the anticipation before opening a prize is often the most delightful part, allowing one to fantasize about a beautiful new world.

Taking a gentle breath, he looked at his three teammates. “Who will open theirs first…”

Before he could finish, his words were cut off by a sudden flash of bright light.

The dazzling light was intense but brief, lasting only a moment.

As Qian Ai lowered his hand from shielding his eyes, he realized his teammates had already opened their chests, with such casual motions devoid of any ceremonial respect for the chests!

Their arms chimed with a “Ding-a-ling~” sound similar to when they handed in their papers—cheerful and crisp.

Simultaneously, the chests in their hands disappeared.

“Stationery?” Seeing his teammates all lifting their arms to check, Qian Ai guessed the nature of the reward, feeling a bit disappointed. “Didn’t Mao Qiping say there would be money too…?”

“This stationery seems a bit different.” Kuang Jinxin extended his arm to Qian Ai, seemingly unsure how to explain, and instead let him look directly.

[Stationery Box]: [(Defense) Candy House], [(Illusory) Calling a Deer a Horse*]]

*(指鹿为马) Idiom referring deliberately confusing right and wrong, misrepresenting things (AKA calling white, black).

These were Kuang Jinxin’s entire stationery. “Candy House” was the reward from the last level, which Qian Ai remembered, so obviously, the chest provided [Calling a Deer a Horse].

Qian Ai was about to ask what was so different about it, as they’ve had many tools named after idioms before, when he suddenly paused, leaned closer, and finally noticed that the prefix before [Calling a Deer a Horse]—(Illusory).

It wasn’t offense or defense…

“Illusory stationery?” It seemed the only way to call it but saying it out loud felt strange to Qian Ai. “What does that mean? Fantasy? Magic? Illusion*?”

*Clarity: The word is (幻) which can mean fantasy, magical, illusionary… so it’s quite vague without further context.

“It’s probably a special category that can’t be simply classified as either defense or offense,” Wu Sheng pondered aloud.

Qian Ai was stunned. “You got an illusory stationery too?”

Wu Sheng looked at his teammates and slowly uttered in English, “Don’t Lie to Me.”

His voice was low, almost like a whisper. His face carried a smirk that seemed straight out of a luxury brand advertisement, mysterious and elegant. But Qian Ai just wanted to throw a treasure chest at him.

Their captain clearly empathized and nudged him with an elbow. “Speak human.”

Advisor Wu Sheng showed his arm in confusion. His eyes, which had just been electrified, were now filled with a pitiful look. “It’s just this name, [Don’t Lie to Me].”

Qian Ai, along with the captain, looked at the advisor’s [Stationery Box].

Ah, it was true.

[(Illusory) Don’t Lie to Me].

Such a high-class name was obviously tailored for their advisor. =_=

First encountering an illusionary stationery and then realizing stationeries could have English names, Qian Ai felt that there must be some surprise waiting in the captain’s chest, so he straightforwardly looked at Xu Wang, asking with his gaze.

Xu Wang shrugged. “I wasn’t as lucky as they were. What I got is just a regular weapon.”

Qian Ai observed him for a moment and straightforwardly said, “Captain, you’re enjoying this.”

[(Offense) Lightning Gun with Unerring Accuracy*]

*A hundred shots with a hundred hits (百发百中) Idiom referring to archery or gun shooting accurately and hitting the target every time. Metaphorically, it could mean being fully confident in doing things.

As Captain Xu showed off his weapon to his teammates, he couldn’t contain his joy, feeling like he had obtained an ultimate divine weapon. His soul soared to the clouds and then burst into fireworks. “Unerring Accuracy! Isn’t this cool? I’m just asking you guys, isn’t this gun so cool?!”

When he saw Fair Face use the stun gun in the previous level, Xu Wang wondered when he would also acquire a weapon-type stationery. Not that he wanted to go on a rampage, but at least when other teams tried to mess with them, they would have to think twice seeing this equipment.

Moreover—

Compared to arms swinging fire and wind and looking up at the sky and repelling nails, a lightning gun with unerring accuracy would be invincible in battle—this is how props should be, filled with the aura of a conqueror! Who needs to see a bunch of grown men romantically flying to the moon!

“Captain.” Kuang Jin Xin hesitated for a long time but finally spoke up to interrupt his captain’s reverie. “Isn’t this stationery a bit too violent…”

As someone who had experienced it firsthand, Qian Ai also wanted to advocate for “world peace”. “Wielding a gun is too brutal. With every shot, how much psychological trauma will be sown? After I was shocked last time, now every time I charge my phone, I feel like wearing insulated gloves.”

Xu Wang: “……”

The saddest thing in the world is when no one can understand your happiness.

“Wu Sheng.” Captain Xu looked towards the last hope. “What do you think of this weapon?”

Wu Sheng nodded calmly. “It’s quite good.”

Xu Wang raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

After some thought, Wu Sheng added, “It’s just that the name is too simple and crude, lacking poetry. Look at my ‘Don’t Lie to Me’…”

“Lao Qian!” Xu Wang suddenly turned his head. “Quick, open your box!”

Qian Ai felt wronged. None of the three had supported the captain, so why did the captain suddenly drop the bomb on him!

Whether it was laughter or numerous twists and turns, everything dispersed cleanly at the moment Qian Ai opened his box. This Endless Sea journey had seen them use three stationery and now they had opened three more. Whether it was a gain or a loss depended on Qian Ai’s action.

The air in the treasure vault quieted down as all eight eyes focused on Qian Ai’s hands, waiting to be blinded by the golden light.

Qian Ai held his breath, mentally counting one, two, three!

Click.

The lid opened in response, but there was no golden light. Instead, a stack of hundred-yuan bills filled the small box to the brim.

Qian Ai took out the money, and the box disappeared instantly, just like the ones his teammates had opened earlier. There was no “ding-a-ling~” sound of stationery updates, but the weight of the money in his hands was real.

“Ahem.” Qian Ai cleared his throat as a sort of initiation ceremony, then held the money in one hand and started rubbing it with the other, activating his proficient “money counting skill”.

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin all stayed quiet, leaving only the rhythmic and dense sound of money counting in the vast treasure vault.

Soon, Qian Ai finished counting and then looked seriously at his teammates. “Twenty thousand exactly.”

Xu Wang nodded. “Keep it. It’s your gain.”

“No.” Qian Ai frowned as if the money burnt his hands. “You all got stationery. Why am I the only one who got money? It’s too vulgar!”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Kuang Jin Xin: “……”

Xu Wang sighed meaningfully. “Lao Qian, just be happy. Holding it in is uncomfortable. Trust me, I have experienced it.”

Qian Ai’s frown deepened, his voice full of righteousness. “You can insult me, but not money!”

Xu Wang: “……”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “Qian Ge, you seem to have spoken your true thoughts.”

“The Qian Ai who views money as dirt” lived for a total of two minutes from its birth to demise.

Then, the maxed-out Classmate Qian finally cracked a wide grin.

After so much effort, they finally saw some gains! TAT

But as much as he wanted to celebrate, Qian Ai knew well the source of the money, so after enjoying his moment, he still resolutely handed the money to Xu Wang. “This isn’t my gain. It’s our team’s loot. It should go into the communal wallet.”

Xu Wang didn’t take it. “Our gain is stationery, yours is money. It’s fair and reasonable.”

Wu Sheng provided theoretical support. “If you want to put this money into the communal wallet, then we’d have to share the stationery as well. Otherwise, it’s still unfair.”

Kuang Jinxin, not one for grand statements, simply said, “Qian Ge, just keep it. Consider it stationery for your [Stationery Box].”

Qian Ai pondered for a while, then suddenly divided the money in half, pocketed one part, and looked up with determined eyes, holding the other half. “Fine, the money is mine, but I will donate 50%.”

If someone had told him before that he would give away money he had just received, he would have taken it as a vile curse. But now, he really wanted to do so and would be happy doing it. Anyone who stopped him might face his wrath.

“Xu Wang, if you don’t take it now, you’re not considering me as a teammate.” Qian Ai grabbed Xu Wang’s hand and forcibly stuffed the remaining half of the money into it. “An alumnus is making it big. He should donate to his alma mater…”

“Fine.”

“And I didn’t donate it all… Wait?” Qian Ai paused, suddenly realizing what was happening and staring at Xu Wang.

“Principal Xu” smoothly pocketed the money and then patted Qian Ai’s shoulder. “Classmate, your alma mater is proud of you.”

Qian Ai swallowed his prepared grand speech, managing to say with difficulty. “Principal, don’t you think you took the money a bit too quickly…”

[Owl: Congratulations on passing the Endless Sea. Let’s set the paddles and brave the waves! Dear, see you tomorrow~]

As if sensing their settled dust, a teasing congratulation played in their ears. Their Endless Sea journey for the night thus came to a close.

Mao Qiping had said, you enter the Endless Sea from where you came in and leave from the same place, so returning to the waiting hall didn’t surprise the four. What was unexpected was that instead of being ejected from the dome as they entered, they blinked and found themselves sitting in the chairs near the boarding gate.

This was exactly where they had been sitting earlier. Even their bags were placed as they were at midnight. If not for the smell of seawater on their clothes, not to mention the aches in their waists and arms, they would have believed the past few hours were just a dream.

Across from them, on the row of chairs, sat a hipster youth who was on the same flight as them. He had reacted most dramatically when they were sucked into the dome earlier, whistling and taking out his phone to record the event, making him quite memorable.

But now, the youth merely glanced over nonchalantly, then continued listening to his headphones, as if the four of them had been sitting there all along, never having left.

It was still raining.

The terminal at 2:30 a.m. was quiet and drowsy.

Kuang Jinxin had somehow gone out and brewed a thermos of tea, but none of his teammates took the offer, so he savored it alone.

“Be careful or you won’t be able to sleep,” Xu Wang warned, as their most important task now was to catch up on sleep and recover.

Kuang Jinxin had just poured a lid-full of tea and looked up at the mention. “It’s lotus seed and licorice tea. It soothes the mind and aids sleep.”

“Oh.” Captain Xu naturally extended his hand. “Then give me a cup too.”

A minute later, all four teammates each had a cup of tea, listening to the rain hit the glass. They sipped the tea while smelling the clear fragrance of lotus, breathed out a sigh of relief, and watched the rain, all enjoying the comfort akin to an early retirement. Nothing could be more beautiful than the warm and composed setting sun.

The stormy waves of the Endless Sea seemed like a distant affair, so far away it made them wish if it all could just end here, and they never had to enter that hellish “Owl” again.

All four of them thought more or less the same, yet all remained silently in agreement.

Because there were no ifs, and because the voice that had sent them out said, “See you tomorrow.”

The pleasure of listening to the rain turned into a gaze into the oppressive night amidst a hundred thoughts.

Qian Ai couldn’t take the silence and decided to break it. “I don’t get it. Why are your stationery so straightforward and effective, like using [Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds] to blow away your opponents, or [Hit Me If You Dare] to repel attacks?”

Kuang Jinxin tilted his head in thought. “Your [A Single Leaf Blocks the Eyes] is also immediate in effect.”

“But that’s defensive! Think about [Words Like Pearls and Jade] or [Invincible Hot Wheels].” Qian Ai could almost write a complaint. “I mean, it’s exhausting. You can’t keep up without good stamina!”

“The duration of a stationery’s effectiveness should relate to its attribute and effect.” Wu Sheng noted. “Like your [Invincible Hot Wheels] and Xiao Kuang’s [Tears Like Rain]; they aren’t one-and-done stationery. They require continuous commands from the user to really bring out their destructive power, so these stationeries must be given a certain effective duration. Conversely, there are one-time use stationery.”

Qian Ai: “……”

Kuang Jin Xin: “……”

Both, in all honesty, found that Advisor Wu’s explanation wasn’t entirely gibberish and could grasp some of it, but it required time.

Xu Wang put down his teacup and put his hands on the shoulders of his two teammates.

All six eyes met.

“Stationery that can kill someone in one go, like [One Fell Swoop], is one-time use; it becomes invalid after use. Whether you can kill someone depends on how well you operate it, like [Tears Like Rain] or [Words Like Pearls and Jade], which are given a certain amount of time to use.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Captain…”

Qian Ai: “No wonder you were always praised for reading comprehension in our language class.”

Wu Sheng frowned, having tried hard to simplify his way of speaking and believing he had made some progress. Why couldn’t his teammates feel it?

Feeling oppressed and unwilling to accept defeat, Advisor Wu struck again. Of course, to avoid seeming too abrupt, he had to use some fashionable vocabulary that resonated seamlessly into the conversation. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. A weapon capable of delivering a fatal blow must be disposable. Otherwise, if one could capture everything in one fell swoop here and there, no one else would stand a chance. Everyone in the world would have to call them ‘Dad’.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “……”

Ah, Wu Sheng carefully observed his teammates’ faces, feeling a disconnect from what he expected.

Xu Wang sighed tiredly, looking sincerely into his advisor’s eyes. “When you’re with your laptop, just focus on your work, okay? Don’t surf the internet for random things…”

By 6 a.m., the rain had stopped.

By 8 a.m., the sun dispersed the last traces of haze, revealing a clear blue sky.

By 10 a.m., their delayed flight finally took off.

The four drank their tea and then lay on the chairs to sleep, from 3:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. They hastily ate breakfast and continued sleeping on the plane, undisturbed by meal and drink services, deeply asleep until they reached Dongying. In this way, they disembarked somewhat refreshed.

They agreed with Mao Qiping’s advice not to enter a new level too hastily, impulsively, or carelessly. However, as they had already bought their tickets and spent the money, they couldn’t just not use them and buy train tickets instead. So, this advice would have to wait for the next level.

The precise location of the new coordinates was at the Yellow River Estuary Scenic Area in Huanghekou Town, Dongying City.

Xu Wang always wonders why the “Owl” likes to set coordinates in scenic spots. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely think that the “Owl” has a ticket-sharing arrangement with these scenic spots, hence the effort to attract customers to the area. But the problem was that the “Owl” shouldn’t be short of money. The 20,000 yuan Qian Ai obtained, after ATM verification, was confirmed to be genuine.

It was only a forty-minute drive from the airport to Huanghekou Town. The three of them took a taxi directly to the town and found a hotel to settle down.

Four people, two standard rooms. It seemed there was already a default arrangement of who would stay with whom. When Xu Wang took out his ID card, Wu Sheng naturally took it and handed it to the reception desk along with his own.

After settling their luggage, it was time for lunch. Lao Qian, not wanting to be outdone, re-entered the world of live streaming.

Arriving in Shandong, naturally, they had to eat Shandong cuisine, and being near the river, freshwater delicacies were a must. Thus, today, Lao Qian Eats All Over China broadcast was particularly popular, with many new fans joining and old fans suspecting Streamer Qian had won a lottery. The recent live broadcast foods spanned from east to west; yesterday was Shaanxi’s Saozi noodles and basin mutton, and today it was sweet and sour carp and braised intestines. It was unpredictable and full of regional and novelty appeal.

They ate lunch until after three in the afternoon. Like in Shaanxi, while Lao Qian was live streaming, Wu Sheng was busy working on his laptop during meal breaks. Kuang Jinxin browsed his phone and occasionally chatted with classmates to inquire about the school situation. Bored, Xu Wang opened the memo app on his phone to study.

The memo, transferred from Wu Sheng’s phone, was packed with text about the third challenge they had acquired from Mao Qiping and were about to face.

3/23 Content:

Break through the zombie siege and escort the vaccine to the central city hospital.

3/23 Strategy:

1. Find a car, or you won’t survive more than thirty minutes;
2. The randomly distributed weapons are trash. Look for better ones in the city, or use stationery;
3. Headshots or destroying the brain are the only ways to render zombies powerless;
4. Once bitten and bleeding, you’re infected with the virus and will become an indiscriminate attacking zombie;
5. Don’t trust experience; no route is absolutely safe as zombie distribution changes daily;
6. Entering the hospital doesn’t mean all is well. The last obstacle is often the hardest, including but not limited to, zombies falling from the sky, collapsing grounds, flooded corridors, etc. Please be prepared both physically and mentally;
7. The mission is only considered a success when all members reach the hospital and deliver the vaccine.

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