Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 50: Sunrise

When their captain, gasping for breath, ran up to the second floor to find them, Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin thought something had happened to Wu Sheng. However, they were informed that not only was there no issue, but there was also a big surprise.

With only 9 minutes left until the 5:00 a.m. deadline for the Beijing time challenge, they discovered a save-point NPC in the men’s bathroom.

Seeing all four members gathered, the round-headed NPC got straight to the point and introduced himself. “Just call me Yuan Zi.” He clung to the doorframe, only showing his head, and explained succinctly, “Once the save is successful, you will appear here tomorrow with all the stationery you currently have. The saved record will then disappear. But you can only save once a week.”

“So, you mean that after this save, even if we find a save point again, we can’t save if it’s not been a week?” Xu Wang sought clarification.

“Those who don’t meet the criteria won’t have a chance to save, even if they see me,” Yuan Zi clarified, always referring to himself instead of a ‘save point’.

“What if we submitted our paper on the same day we save? Do we still have to come back here the next day and do it all over again?” Wu Sheng immediately asked, thoughtfully adding follow-up questions, “If we need to repeat, does the same apply if we fail? And if we don’t need to repeat, does that mean the save record for this level wasn’t read or has automatically disappeared? Then, can we save again at the next level within a week?”

Xu Wang had just grasped Yuan Zi’s rules when he was dragged into a forest of ‘hypotheses’ and ‘ifs’ by his logic-strong advisor, making it hard to see the path clearly.

He thought, luckily Yuan Zi is an NPC; if he were a real person, it would probably take half a day to untangle Wu Sheng’s questions.

To their surprise, Yuan Zi also looked confused, with his mouth half open and his eyes blank.

“What do you mean by the next level?” he asked.

This unexpected response silenced Wu Sheng.

Xu Wang realized he was mistaken. Yuan Zi didn’t need to understand Wu Sheng’s questions because even the basis of Wu Sheng’s queries was a blank slate to Yuan Zi.

“Ugh, you guys are so slow. Do you want to save or not?” Yuan Zi grew impatient, stretching out another hand from the stall. “To save, give me your hand; to refuse, say it out loud!”

The four teammates exchanged glances and unanimously stepped forward.

No one would oppose a hidden reward.

Four hands, one on top of the other, fell into Yuan Zi’s plump palm. The save NPC was insistent on not stepping out of the stall. He stood in front of the toilet, holding their hands, closed his eyes, and started chanting.

“Save the present, continue the tied fate. Though the path is thorny and dangerous, may the road ahead be safe.”

As his words ended, a faint golden light emitted from the owl tattoos on all four arms. The light converged into a beam, turning from pale gold to gold, shooting upwards before dispersing like golden raindrops hitting the ceiling.

“Ding—”

Xu Wang’s [Stationery Box]: Acquired [(Defense) Aladdin’s Magic Carpet]

Wu Sheng’s [Stationery Box]: Acquired [(Offense) The Flood Overwhelms the Dragon King’s Temple*]

*(大水冲了龙王庙) Idiom referring to a situation where conflicts arise between people on one’s own side (basically, internal conflict).

Qian Ai’s [Stationery Box]: Acquired [(Offense) Swish Swish Hidden Blade*]

*The term used (袖里剑) is usually referred to these type of blades (you often see in Assassin’s Creed).

Kuang Jinxin’s [Stationery Box]: Acquired [(Illusory) Kong Rong Giving Up Pears*]

*(孔融让梨) Idiom derives from a story about Kong Rong. The story goes that when he was a child, he would always pick the smallest pear and give the bigger ones to his siblings. When asked why, he said as an older brother, he should let the younger siblings have the bigger pears, and as a younger brother, he should respect his older siblings and let them have the bigger pears. The story is used to illustrate moral common sense, so people should abide by public order and good customs.

“Ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Save successful.

After the last drop of “golden rain” fell, the bathroom returned to the night, but the four teammates were still reeling from the surprise.

They were prepared for the save success notification, but receiving a piece of stationery each was unexpected. Was this a reward for finding the save point?

Just as Xu Wang was about to ask Yuan Zi, the third and fourth “dings” rang in unison on all four arms.

The arrival of two new messages was almost seamless.

[Report Card]: [Total Scoreboard] This week’s rewards have been distributed.

[Report Card]: [Total Scoreboard] Please open and check promptly.

Xu Wang was somewhat dazed by the barrage of notifications.

Since leaving the first challenge, they hadn’t received any notifications from the [Report Card]. More importantly, even in the first challenge, the information they received was only about other teams’ submissions. The two sub-options under the [Report Card], [Total Scoreboard] and [Submission Speed Board], had been unclickable and grayed out since they entered the “Owl.”

Now, unexpectedly, the [Total Scoreboard] opened up, and that too just 2 minutes before the 5:00 a.m. deadline.

A test of quick memorization skills!

Xu Wang had no time to ponder further and quickly opened the leaderboard.

[Total Scoreboard]

Top 1 – Fan Peiyang, Teng Ziyan, Wan Fengmang, Zhang Qian, Zheng Luozhu (11/23)

Top 2 – Fang Jin, Fei Fan, Li Deng, Shao Jingyi, Yin Hengjia (10/23)

Top 3 – Chen Guan, Gu Nian, Jiang Dachuan, Kong Lizhe, Wang Duanran (10/23)

Top 4 – Fu Wenqing, He Lianshan, Qin Rui, Wu Yanchao, Zhao Muchen (9/23)

Top 5 – Feng Rang, Ji Yunlei, Wei Menghan, Zhu Mo, Zou Jun (8/23)

The leaderboard was simpler than imagined, displaying only the top five teams receiving rewards, ranked by their real-time scores at the moment of the announcement.

Just as Xu Wang skimmed through the names, the challenge deadline arrived.

After a dizzying spin, they found themselves back inside the scenic area.

At the Yellow River’s mouth in the early morning, dawn was about to break. In the far distance where the water met the sky, a faint yellow light was emerging.

Peaceful, comfortable, with a cool morning breeze.

The apocalyptic city, stained with blood and filled with howls, seemed like a world away.

However, though they had returned, the teammates’ minds were still hanging on that last-minute leaderboard.

Kuang Jinxin was the first to speak up, always asking when he didn’t understand. “Why are there five people in each team on the leaderboard?”

“Maybe we need more team members in the later stages,” Qian Ai guessed, not sure himself.

“And what about the ‘weekly reward’?” Kuang Jinxin asked again. “Does it mean that every week the top five teams get a reward?”

“Yes, once a week,” Qian Ai replied, and then realized something was off. “Haven’t you seen it before?”

Kuang Jinxin was puzzled. “Have you?”

Qian Ai suddenly remembered he had entered the “Owl” earlier than his three teammates and quickly explained, “Before teaming up with you, I saw the leaderboard once. At that time, the first place had a score of…” He pondered, finally catching a fragment of memory. “Right, 10/23.”

Kuang Jinxin frowned. “But Mao Qiping said the strongest team had reached the thirteenth stage. The first place we just saw was only at 11/23.”

“They must have failed in 14/23 and fallen back,” Qian Ai said.

Xu Wang didn’t speak, but his mind was clear.

He, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin had entered the “Owl” on the same day, and it had been exactly seven nights—a full week. For Qian Ai, who entered a few days earlier, the last time he saw the leaderboard must have been the night before they were sucked into the “Owl”.

Seeing Kuang Jinxin still frowning, Xu Wang, having thought it through, continued Qian Ai’s explanation: “What we saw on the leaderboard are the current top five real-time scores. The level they reached before isn’t the standard for awarding rewards.”

Kuang Jinxin still felt it was unfair. “If I’m in the top five for a week but fail at the last moment before the reward is given, fall back three levels, and drop out of the top five, wouldn’t that be unjust?”

“It’s because the scores are always changing, and there’s no absolute fair standard, so they just cut it off,” Wu Sheng said, lifting his head from his thoughts. “Since the reward time is fixed, if you’re afraid of missing out, you could just go to the Endless Sea and enjoy the breeze that day.”

Kuang Jinxin’s eyes lit up with admiration. “Sheng Ge, you’re so cunning.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Sincerely praising with a derogatory word indeed left the recipient with mixed feelings.

Exhausted and weary, the four teammates were in no mood to wait for the sunrise. After a brief chat, they headed back.

Unexpectedly, they had walked until dawn towards the sunrise over the Yellow River, yet they hadn’t left the scenic area.

The journey from the south of the city to the north of the city wasn’t in vain.

So they changed from hurrying to a leisurely walk, stopping now and then to admire the sunrise, the wetlands, and various waterbirds—a mix of labor and leisure to avoid leg fatigue the next night.

Sometimes, fate arrives, and it’s unstoppable.

During their carefree walk, passing through a reed marsh, they encountered “old friends”.

Yue Shuai with his buzz cut, Su Mingzhan with his student haircut, Tao Anan in his fisherman’s hat, and Wei Tianhang with his braids. The lineup was orderly, but compared to when they parted, they looked much more haggard.

Even so, Xu Wang instinctively halted, preventing his teammates from moving forward.

Seeing their reaction, Yue Shuai was speechless. “It’s not the ‘Owl’ anymore. Even if I wanted you guys to keep jumping, it wouldn’t comply with scientific laws.”

For Yue Shuai and his team, encountering opponents from the “Owl” in the real world was common, but for Xu Wang and his team, it was a first-time experience. It was a peculiar feeling, as if the boundary between the “Owl” and reality had blurred.

Xu Wang shook his head to clear it, adjusting his mindset to return to reality before taking a fresh look at the four “old friends”. He tentatively asked, “Didn’t complete your submission?”

Wei Tianhang huffed angrily. Yue Shuai raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “What makes you think that?”

Xu Wang shrugged and shook his head. “Well, messy hair, dirty faces, blood all over… You don’t exactly look like ‘victorious soldiers’.”

Yue Shuai, irritated, retorted, “Before talking about others, maybe you should take a picture of yourselves with your phone…”

“Did you guys successfully submit?” Su Mingzhan sharply caught the hint of triumph in Xu Wang’s eyes.

Xu Wang paused, then composed himself with an air of regret. “No, time was up, and we got ejected.”

Su Mingzhan looked at him skeptically.

Xu Wang stood proudly, his posture screaming innocence.

Su Mingzhan then observed the others.

Wu Sheng, hands in pockets, gazed at the sunrise at a 45-degree angle, exuding an air of unmatched handsomeness.

Qian Ai picked up a blade of grass and teased Kuang Jinxin with it.

Kuang Jinxin, tickled by the grass, laughed while retaliating with another blade.

Su Mingzhan suddenly didn’t want to admit that their team had nearly missed the boat yesterday because of these four.

“We did too.” Yue Shuai spoke up again, as his teammates didn’t notice any flaws. “Time was up, and we were forced out.”

Xu Wang sighed. “So you guys are going back three stages?”

Yue Shuai raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”

Xu Wang admitted, “Yes.”

Yue Shuai shrugged. “Then that’s that.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yue Shuai: “……”

Xu Wang: “Why are you looking at the reeds?”

Yue Shuai: “Appreciating nature’s beauty.”

Yue Shuai: “Why are you watching the sunrise?”

Xu Wang: “Absorbing the energy of the universe.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yue Shuai: “……”

Xu Wang: “Shall we trust each other one last time?”

Yue Shuai: “I think so.”

Su Mingzhan: “One, two, three.”

Xu Wang, Yue Shuai: “Actually, we didn’t leave.”

Xu Wang, Yue Shuai: “You found a save point too?!”

Su Mingzhan: “Why don’t you two team up?”

Wu Sheng: “Absolutely not.”

The compatibility of auras is a mysterious thing.

In the “Owl”, they had formed a deep enmity over a single jump, but back in reality, seeing each other’s equally disheveled state, the past seemed distant. After all, no one had taken it easy on anyone, and no one had reaped benefits without suffering.

With the discovery of the save point, there was nothing they couldn’t discuss. The two teams mixed and walked together along a path, avoiding the main road, heading towards the exit of the scenic area.

Throughout their journey, the two team leaders chatted, naturally touching upon the 59-minute mark at the Sunshine Theatre and the battle at the amusement park.

Xu Wang: “59 minutes is just heart-wrenching! What happened afterward?”

Yue Shuai: “Ever played with beach balls?”

Xu Wang: “The punishment for failing is to play with them?”

Yue Shuai: “Replace the ocean balls with zombies.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yue Shuai: “And you guys? Really made it through those psychos?”

Xu Wang: “Genuine.”

Yue Shuai: “……”

Xu Wang: “What’s that look?”

Yue Shuai: “Jealousy.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yue Shuai: “You said you’ve only been here for a week?”

Xu Wang: “Right.”

Yue Shuai: “Then you guys are really impressive.”

Xu Wang: “Your sudden honesty and straightforwardness is a bit unsettling for me…”

Learning that Yue Shuai’s team had saved their game at the Sunshine Theatre, Xu Wang was genuinely surprised. “There’s more than one save point?”

“It seems so,” Yue Shuai said.

Xu Wang noticed the uncertainty in his tone and looked at him questioningly.

Yue Shuai conceded, speaking truthfully. “It’s also our first time discovering this save thing.”

“And before that…”

“We fell back when we failed.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? What kind of reaction is that?”

“Deep sympathy.”

“……”

“But not every stage might have a save point,” Wu Sheng interjected assertively. “Based on my observation, this stage is very time-consuming. If I were the designer, I would also set a save point here. But like the previous stage, which was entirely on a plane and had 5 hours to figure out a password, the time was sufficient. In my opinion, there’s no need for a save point there. Otherwise, the difficulty of submitting would be too low.”

“Based on my observation? In my opinion?” Xu Wang turned his head to look at Wu Sheng, who was now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them. “Can you provide some objective evidence?”

Wu Sheng tilted his head. “Isn’t my deduction convincing enough?”

Xu Wang: “……”

The way Wu Sheng emphasized “my” sounded too much like “this king”. =_=

Yue Shuai was about to discuss Wu Sheng’s deduction when Su Mingzhan suddenly pulled him aside.

“What’s up?” Yue Shuai was confused.

Su Mingzhan glanced at him. “One should know oneself.”

Yue Shuai was even more baffled.

Su Mingzhan sighed. “In a group of three, there’s always a third wheel.”

Yue Shuai was startled, then looked down at himself. “Me?” Then he looked at the two still bickering ahead. “Them?”

Su Mingzhan nodded approvingly. “Correct division.”

Yue Shuai suddenly understood. “No wonder I always felt that Wu guy was glaring at me.”

Su Mingzhan: “You’re welcome.”

Yue Shuai: “I haven’t even thanked you yet…”

Following the four were Tao Anan and Wei Tianhang, walking side by side, and Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin, who were immersed in enjoying the scenery.

Wei Tianhang: “Do you think the captain has realized that A’Su always has his arm around him?”

Tao Anan: “Probably not. Our captain thinks in a single thread; he can’t focus on ‘talking’ and ‘noticing an arm’ at the same time.”

Wei Tianhang: “How did we even choose our captain…”

The eight of them, dirty and blood-stained, finally made their way out of the scenic area via a back route. Fortunately, it was still early, and there were few pedestrians outside. However, the taxi driver who was called by the taxi app was scared stiff. After much persuasion and explanation, they managed to avoid being refused service.

Back in Huanghekou Town, the two teams went their separate ways, each returning to their hotels without any warm dinner plans.

There might be a confrontation again in the evening—getting too emotionally involved wasn’t a good idea.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>