Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 98: Ending Card
Having finished speaking, Wu Sheng turned his attention back to his ending card, preparing to put his own final touch on this tumultuous story.
However, before he could speak, the ending card opened by itself.
Wu Sheng: Ending Card — [This is His Last Word Left Behind]
Simultaneously, Zhao Yukan’s ending card also revealed itself — [A Heavy Rain Washed Away All the Evil]
Both competitors raised their eyes warily, meeting each other’s gaze, catching a similar surprise in each other’s eyes.
Above the game room and the storyline, a voice sounded simultaneously—
[Before any narrator recounts their ending card, they must go through a team battle with the spectators. Winning allows the narration of the ending card; losing hands over the storytelling to the winning spectator team. For fairness, all narrators’ ending cards will be revealed immediately.]
Spectators?
Team battle?
Wu Sheng frowned unconsciously, while Zhao Yukan’s displeased expression relaxed.
“You should have given your victory speech after the ending card is played.” He chuckled lightly. “Otherwise, it’s easy to end up in an awkward situation like now.”
Wu Sheng’s frown deepened, and after a long sigh, he said with a heavy heart, “I only prepared one victory speech. What should I say if I win again?”
Zhao Yukan: “……”
In the game room, Advisor Wu was worried about his upcoming “second victory speech”.
In the storyline, Captain Xu’s optimism was more concrete. First, he had confidence in his three teammates; second, since a team battle was required to narrate the ending, it meant that even if they lost this battle, when it was Zhao Yukan’s turn to finish his story cards and narrate his ending card, another team battle would ensue, giving them another chance to seize back control.
Having thought this through, Xu Wang, in his heart, silently conveyed a captain’s reminder to his teammates in the spectator room—Relax. You can do it.
The spectator room.
There was none of the relaxation that Captain Xu hoped for.
Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin, who had been watching through the live broadcast wall, were aware of their advisor’s victory and had already celebrated when they were suddenly cued, one stunned on the spot, the other frantically flipping through something.
Chi Yingxue, who was almost asleep in the corner, initially didn’t listen to what was said from the ceiling until Kuang Jinxin checked his arm and waved his hand in front of him, saying, “Hey, there’s a team battle now…”
Chi Yingxue was momentarily stunned. When he finally understood, the lethargy in his eyes disappeared instantly.
Is this what it means to be possessed in an instant?
Is this what it means to be fully ignited with fighting spirit?
There was no need to imagine, since he could tell just by looking at Chi Yingxue at this moment.
By contrast, Zhao Yukan’s team in the other corner of the spectator room had a much simpler mindset.
With a sudden chance to turn the tables in a seemingly hopeless situation, they naturally wanted to seize it. Whether they could return the humiliation their narrator received, with interest, depended on this battle.
[Team battle duration: 10 minutes. The team with the most remaining spectators on the battlefield wins; if the number is the same, the right to narrate remains unchanged.]
[Narrator 2’s team, you have the right to choose the battlefield. Please enter your chosen battlefield within 2 minutes.]
As the prompt sounded, three doors of light and shadow fell in front of Qian, Kuang, and Chi, each showing a different landscape.
Door 1: School Basement
Door 2: School Back Mountain with a Dry Well
Door 3: Detective C’s Bedroom
Chi Yingxue had no preference for the battlefield, as long as he could fight, so he naturally waited for the other two to make a choice, ready to follow them through the door.
But his two companions, after whispering for a long time, couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Chi Yingxue was getting impatient, but he didn’t show it on his face. When he turned to look at his teammates, he still had a gentle smile.
The two, feeling his gaze, looked up at him simultaneously.
Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow—?
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai stared wide-eyed—!
Chi Yingxue: “……”
A hopeless Qian Ai rolled his eyes, while Kuang Jinxin decisively gave up on eye contact and reached out to pull him over.
This sudden movement caught Chi Yingxue off guard, and instinctively, he grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s wrist fiercely!
Kuang Jinxin flinched in pain, enduring without making a sound, just staring at Chi Yingxue with big, puzzled eyes.
“Sorry.” Chi Yingxue immediately let go, apologizing with a smile. “It was a reflex.”
Qian Ai was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but say, “You really are always battle-ready.”
Kuang Jinxin glanced at the countdown for choosing the battlefield. There were only 40 seconds left, and without wasting more time, leaned closer to his two companions, using the cover of their bodies to quietly lift his arm, the one grabbed by Chi Yingxue, and open the badge handbook.
The badge hint for 7/23 was — Road.
Even in the enclosed spectator room, soft sounds could be heard clearly by the other team, so Kuang Jinxin didn’t speak but just pointed at the badge hint, then at himself, and then looked at them with questioning eyes—Do you understand?
Qian Ai immediately nodded, understanding that Kuang Jinxin was responsible for solving the badge, while he and Chi Yingxue were responsible for the battle. It was obvious, and if they didn’t understand that, they might as well say goodbye to progressing.
Chi Yingxue also realized what was happening but found this way of communicating with glances a bit silly…
Still don’t understand?—Kuang Jinxin, not receiving a response from Teammate Chi, frowned in worry.
Give up. Not everyone is as smart as your Qian Ge here.—Qian Ai patted Kuang Jinxin’s shoulder, slowly shaking his head.
Chi Yingxue: “…I understand.”
Jing Jinglin, Fu Zai, and Dong Xi, who were watching the whole process: “……”
They couldn’t understand what the other team was discussing, but they could see the disjointed rapport between them.
The three teammates finally chose the School Back Mountain. The badge hint was “Road”, and the classroom and bedroom felt somewhat distant from this hint.
As they walked through Door 2, Kuang Jinxin finally had a chance to whisper to Chi Yingxue. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you without warning. I’ll be careful in the future.”
It wasn’t sarcastic or a disguised complaint, but a sincere acknowledgment of his own recklessness.
Chi Yingxue was momentarily taken aback.
Until the cool breeze of the School Back Mountain hit his face.
Kuang Jinxin’s wrist was already red. Chi Yingxue knew his own strength. By tomorrow, the red would turn into a bruise.
[Owl: Someone has used [(Illusory) Death Choir] on you~~]
The sudden prompt in his ear finally brought Chi Yingxue back to reality.
Only Qian Ai remained by his side, as Kuang Jinxin had already run towards the “mountain path” behind them, and on the opposite side were three opponents who had already made their move without uttering a word.
“Launching a sneak attack right away, how despicable!” Qian Ai protested while searching his [Stationary Box], only to remember after a few seconds. “Oh shit, [(Defense) Ignorance of Worldly Affairs*] is Wu Sheng’s!”
*Don’t hear what’s outside the window (两耳不闻窗外事) Proverb referring to not caring about social matters or worldly affairs.
Blaming his memorization of tactics for going too far, Qian Ai now had all his team’s stationery jumbled in his mind.
“I’m using stationery openly and honestly. How is that a sneak attack?” The user of the illusory stationery, the tall and burly Fu Zai, looked exasperated.
“Instead of talking, you should focus on controlling the stationery.” Jing Jinglin’s calm voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Fu Zai shrugged and fell silent, concentrating intently.
Soon, Chi Yingxue, Qian Ai, and even Kuang Jinxin, who had run far away, simultaneously heard an extremely fine, nerve-wracking ringing in their ears, followed by the sound of children singing hymns.
Amidst the holy choir, everything in the three’s vision began to fade and turn white…
These guys were trying to end the battle with just one stationery!
Qian Ai gritted his teeth, tensing his nerves, and shouted to Kuang Jinxin, who had already stopped in the distance. “Don’t listen—”
Kuang Jinxin immediately covered his ears.
At the same time, Chi Yingxue had already locked onto Fu Zai, the user of the illusion stationery, and, with a dangerous squint, charged at him unexpectedly!
Fu Zai was startled and reflexively stepped back, almost stumbling!
The children’s hymn paused for a moment due to this interruption.
However, Chi Yingxue ultimately didn’t reach Fu Zai.
His body slammed hard against an invisible, transparent barrier right in front of Fu Zai.
“Bang—” the sound was so loud that even Qian Ai felt the pain.
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) A Step Away] on you~~]
The notification for the defense stationery came too late.
It wasn’t used by Fu Zai.
Chi Yingxue turned to look at the other two opponents.
Jing Jinglin lowered his arm, his eyes carrying a mix of confusion and amusement. “This is a stationery battle. You didn’t think it was like a street fight where bravery and ferocity would suffice, did you?”
Chi Yingxue stared at him, his expression and gaze calming down.
But this calmness somehow felt even more oppressive.
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusion) Death Melody] on you~~]
Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi, and Fu Zai all heard a voice at the same time.
Chi Yingxue couldn’t hear it but clearly saw the change in their expressions.
“Xiao Xue,” Qian Ai called from behind, offering strong support. “They have [Death Choir], and I have [Death Melody]. Let’s see who can’t hold out first. You just go for it—”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
This [Death Melody] was supposed to complement Plan V in the advisor’s tactical playbook, but the team battle came so suddenly that Qian Ai had no choice but to use it as a desperate countermeasure.
However, even though the illusory stationery was used, and the opponents heard the notification, no sound other than the mountain wind echoed in the air.
Chi Yingxue, Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Jing Jinglin, Fu Zai, Dong Xi: “……”
[Death Melody]… Where’s the melody?!
Fu Zai was the first to regain his composure and quickly focused his attention!
The [Death Choir] started again.
Qian Ai was sweating, having already established a connection with his stationery. Why couldn’t he activate it?
Chi Yingxue watched him silently, experiencing mixed feelings for the first time about relying on someone else’s assistance.
Finally, Qian Ai broke through the last barrier in communicating with his stationery, grasping its full essence…
“Fuck me—”
Qian Ai let out a near-breakdown shout, then resignedly took a breath and began to sing, his melody rich in fragrance spreading across the entire back mountain of the school.
“Oily noodles in a bite, trembling with flavor~~ Spinach noodles, full of nutrition, absolutely beefy~~ Belt noodles, thick and challenging, test your throat~~ Biangbiang noodles with meat, truly acrobatic~~ Soup noodles, remember to wipe your mouth~~ Qishan noodles with many whistles, historically rich~~ Garlic dipped noodles, a bit spicy, watch your tongue~~ Fried sauce noodles, just a bit, can’t eat them, we’ll take them home…*”
*These lyrics are from the rap song “Shaanxi Food” by Black Head.
Each note, following his roaring singing style, assailed Jing Jinglin and the others.
Unlike the “painless death” of [Death Choir], the pain brought by [Death Melody] was direct and intense.
In this pain, there was also disbelief: “They can use stationery like this?!” The anti-human shock of this approach perhaps was even more tormenting than the [Death Melody] itself.
No, even Chi Yingxue, who was unaffected, was taking deep breaths under Qian Ai’s “singing” to calm his emotions.
Only Kuang Jinxin was immune, having heard the song on 2/23 when Qian Ai learned it for a live broadcast of Shaanxi cuisine. He, the captain and advisor, had already experienced the live concert that day; a replay today was basically harmless.
But while his teammate was bearing the brunt of the battle, he, on his part, had gained nothing, which was the most distressing thing.
The mountain path was the only way, and looking down, he could see halfway up the mountain, but since entering, where was the promised glimmer? All he saw were weeds over a foot tall, swaying with the wind.
On the other side, [Death Choir] and [Death Melody] were in a deadlock, one with strong penetrating power and the other with astonishing explosive power, interfering with each other, neither able to get the upper hand.
In the midst of the standoff, the sky suddenly darkened.
Countless huge, colorful cakes and desserts densely filled the entire sky!
Qian Ai looked hungry… Uh, no, he was stunned.
Jing Jinglin and the others were also dumbfounded and still bewildered when they heard the notification in their ears—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Romantic Afternoon Tea] on you~~]
Before the voice faded, a rich chocolate cake was falling straight towards the three of them!
Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi, and Fu Zai scattered, and as the chocolate cake hit the ground, the chocolate sauce splattered, filling the air with its rich aroma!
Qian Ai used the greatest willpower of his life to resist the sweet temptation and seized the opportunity to dash forward, reaching Fu Zai, firmly grabbing the collar of this “[Death Choir] initiator” hanging over the team’s heads!
Fu Zai’s breath hitched, not yet reacting, only to hear Qian Ai sigh. “Let’s do this.”
…Do what?!
Before he could voice his question, his body suddenly shot upwards like a rocket, soaring at high speed!
Soaring along with him was Qian Ai, who was holding onto his collar!
The immense pressure of the rapid ascent made Fu Zai’s heart uncomfortably tight. Just as he was getting used to it, their bodies, having ascended high, abruptly stopped and then, without any warning, started plummeting down!
Falling along with him was still Qian Ai, who clung to his collar.
His heart, which had just felt the pressure, now shattered into pieces with the sudden sensation of weightlessness.
Just as they were about to hit the ground, they ascended again for the second time. Fu Zai finally heard the delayed notification—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Gemini Jumping Machine] on you~~]
If he wanted to use a melody to send his opponent home, he had to sing it himself.
If he wanted to use a [Jumping Machine] to subdue his opponent, he had to “enjoy” it together.
“Do you fucking have any stationery that won’t hurt yourself?!” Fu Zai, who had soared up high for who knows how many times, finally exploded.
Qian Ai, who was fiercely gripping Fu Zia, had already adapted to the up-and-down battle style. When he heard these words, he felt a warmth in his heart. “Even now, you sympathize with me?”
Before Fu Zai could say more, he choked on a mouthful of wind, coughing as if he wanted to die.
There was no more chance to scream his heart out to make the opponent understand—he was afraid that using such stationery for too long would bring bad luck!
While the Gemini stars “ascended to heaven and descended to earth”, on the other side, Chi Yingxue had turned the school back mountain into a tray for afternoon tea.
Chocolate cakes smashed on the ground, cream cakes hit the bushes, doughnuts hung on tree branches, macarons clogged the well, Danish pastries and sandwiches suffocated Dong Xi, and coffee and tea were chasing Jing Jinglin.
Chi Yingxue closed his eyes and then opened them again. Just as Dong Xi was pulling apart a sandwich above his head, a huge sugar cube appeared above him.
Dong Xi, shrouded in shadow, tried to run, but it was too late.
The sugar cube smashed down, shattering and scattering sugar grains!
Chi Yingxue turned to look at Jing Jinglin, who had run away. Somehow, he had managed to turn the two giant cups chasing him into a pile of fragments. Now, he was approaching Kuang Jinxin, who was still focused on searching!
Chi Yingxue, without hesitation, turned to go towards Kuang Jinxin.
After just one step, he heard a “click” of metal clasping together.
Pain shot through his ankle and spread through his entire body.
Chi Yingxue looked down to see a bear trap.
“[(Defense) Hidden Bear Trap].” Dong Xi, whose head emerged from the hollowed-out sugar cube, explained seriously. “You move too fast. While you have the advantage of strong combat ability, you lack good defense. Because of your speed, you don’t have time to think too much and are more likely to fall into traps.”
As Dong Xi finished speaking, he felt warmth above his head, like something hot had landed on it.
He looked up to see a half-warm syrup pouring down!
How can this be? The opponent, instead of freeing himself from the bear trap, attacked him first?!
Before Dong Xi could understand, he was completely drenched in the thick syrup, encased within the sugar cube.
On the verge of suffocation, he was forcibly removed from the battlefield and sent back to the spectator room.
At the moment the syrup poured down, Chi Yingxue bent over and forcibly pried open the [Bear Trap].
As if certain that the opponent had no more ability to counterattack, he discarded the [Bear Trap] and didn’t even glance at the sugar cube, immediately heading towards Kuang Jinxin.
His speed showed no signs of the deep bite marks the metal teeth had left on his ankle just moments ago.
[“I’ll handle that burly guy. Can you take care of the other two?”]
This was what Qian Ai had asked Chi Yingxue before “taking the opponent to heaven”.
Chi Yingxue’s answer was, “I can.”
When Kuang Jinxin heard the sound of footsteps crushing the grass behind him, he knew the situation was bad. He turned around while simultaneously activating [(Defense) Slippery Feet*] that he had prepared earlier.
*To apply oil to the soles of one’s feet (脚底抹油) Idiom referring to quickly removing oneself from an undesirable situation (AKA cut and run).
Jing Jinglin was only a few steps away from him, yet he unexpectedly slipped and fell hard.
He could have attacked from a distance with his stationery, but he wanted to see what this guy, who had been hands-off since the start of the battle, was actually looking for!
Kuang Jinxin stepped back a few paces to regain distance and observed the battlefield for the first time.
To the front left, Qian Ai was grappling with a classmate, flying through the air and diving into the ground. To the front right, Chi Yingxue was confronting… a sugar cube?
Jing Jinglin steadied himself, pondered for a moment, and sincerely advised, “There’s nothing here for you. Don’t waste your effort.”
Kuang Jinxin stared into his eyes and, after a pause, said, “You’re trying to trick me.”
Jing Jinglin was taken aback by his astuteness.
Kuang Jinxin remained silent, just standing there, staring at him.
Jing Jinglin felt uncomfortably scrutinized, as if under direct sunlight, and frowned. “What exactly are you looking for?”
After hesitating for a while, just as Jing Jinglin was growing impatient, Kuang Jinxin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense body easing.
“I’m waiting to see when my teammates will arrive.”
Jing Jinglin’s heart sank, and he quickly turned around, but it was already too late.
Chi Yingxue leaped at him, pinning him down with one hand on his wrist and the other on his shoulder, then exerted force!
Jing Jinglin felt intense pain as his arm with the owl tattoo was forcibly dislocated. Cold sweat immediately drenched his forehead!
He raised his other arm, attempting to counterattack, but as soon as he moved, it was also seized, giving him no chance to negotiate. With a soft “click”, that arm was rendered useless as well.
“If you can’t behave, I’ll make you.” Chi Yingxue said with a smile, adding regretfully, “Actually, you should be thankful this isn’t a street fight,” and gestured towards Jing Jinglin’s abdomen, “or else I wouldn’t just dislocate your arm. I’d stab you with a spring knife.”
Jing Jinglin felt a chill watching his smile and felt a coldness seeping into his bones.
Kuang Jinxin didn’t hear their conversation and focused entirely on the badge.
His task was to find the badge, so he didn’t engage with Jing Jinglin, just waiting for his teammate’s support.
But even as his teammate arrived, he still had no leads on the badge!
Time was running out, and he needed a new strategy quickly!
Opening his [Stationery Box], he pressed on an icon—[(Offense) Wind Sweeps the Grass]
Instantly, a fierce wind blew, making it nearly impossible to open one’s eyes!
In the wind, all the weeds fell, and the remnants of [Afternoon Tea] were blown away, leaving the hill in a state of wind-swept bareness.
With the weeds down, everything hidden became more apparent.
Aside from the stepped mountain path, there was an extremely narrow, hidden dirt path, just wide enough for one foot, surrounded by dense weeds, invisible without the wind.
The moment the path was revealed, a glint of light flashed.
Kuang Jinxin dashed down the path, not daring to even blink. He rushed to where the light vanished and waited with bated breath.
A few seconds later, the light reappeared.
Kuang Jinxin, quick as lightning, grabbed it!
[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 7/23 Story Badge!]
In both the game room and the plot room, a “ding” sounded, unaware of the happenings on the battlefield.
Zhao Yukun and Le Xing’s first thought was that the battle had concluded, but they soon realized that the prompt was only for the opponent, not for themselves.
After reading the message, Wu Sheng smiled wryly.
Zhao Yukun fell silent.
After reading the message, Xu Wang, overwhelmed by this unexpected joy, praised from afar. “Well done! Captain loves you! Mwah—”
“……” Le Xing shuddered, suddenly realizing the long road ahead in his leadership role.
On the team battlefield, Kuang Jinxin, Chi Yingxue, and even Qian Ai, who was still in the [Jumping Machine], felt an inexplicable chill behind their ears.
The 10-minute battle time ended.
The five remaining participants were simultaneously transported back to the observation room.
Fu Zai, gasping for air, lay down immediately upon landing.
Qian Ai was also exhausted, panting heavily.
Dong Xi, who returned earlier, rushed to Jing Jinglin’s side, concernedly asking, “What happened?”
Jing Jinglin looked pale and sweaty.
Kuang Jinxin looked at Chi Yingxue.
Chi Yingxue looked back innocently.
Kuang Jinxin frowned.
Chi Yingxue feigned confusion.
Kuang Jinxin sighed. “It looks painful.”
Chi Yingxue “……”
Shrugging, he turned to help Jing Jinglin fix his arm that had been dislocated, as his teammate suggested.
But as soon as he reached out, Dong Xi swatted his hand away. “No need!”
Chi Yingxue happily retreated.
Kuang Jinxin, feeling somewhat embarrassed, smiled sheepishly at Chi Yingxue, as if realizing he was being meddlesome.
Meanwhile, Dong Xi used an illusory stationery to heal Jing Jinglin’s arm.
On the other hand, Chi Yingxue curiously asked, “Aren’t you angry?”
Kuang Jinxin was puzzled. “Angry about what?”
Chi Yingxue chuckled. “You rallied me for so long, but when I went, he didn’t appreciate it.”
Kuang Jinxin laughed, genuinely unconcerned. “I wanted you to help him with his arm. Now that it’s fixed, it’s all good.”
Fu Zai, recovering from the aftereffects of the [Jumping Machine], grumbled, “If it were five against five, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Qian Ai retorted, “Five on five? Our captain and advisor will show you the sky is red, and the flowers are blue in three minutes!”
“……” Wait a minute. Fu Zai was confused. What colors are the sky and the flowers?
[Observer Team Battle, Team 2 wins. Narrator 2, please conclude your story.]
The announcement in the three spaces marked the end of the tabletop battle.
Xu Wang on the playground unconsciously held his breath, not affecting the sound from above.
In the game room, Wu Sheng sighed to Zhao Yukun. “You think too highly of yourself and too little of others.”
Zhao Yukun replied, “…If you have no new victory speech, you could choose to stay silent.”
Repeating the old, what a move!
Wu Sheng looked at his ending card [These are his last words] and, after a moment, spoke quietly—
“The diary was destroyed, and all involved, A, B, C, D, vanished with it. Everything turned into a small pile of ashes under the second tree on the campus, unknown to anyone. Even the last hair of C was in the ashes. When the wind blew, the ashes scattered, and the hair disappeared…”
“If there’s another fool like me on this campus, remember, before you push someone away, don’t rush. Think for one more second, and you might realize that what you really want to do is not to push away but to hold tight. These are his last words.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Honestly, this is probably my favorite instance of this novel. Such a unique way to confess! I’m rooting for your Wu Sheng!
Just a note: While some stationeries are idioms and their meaning is explained, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the effect reflects the meaning of the idiom. Like in the case of [Slippery Feet], the actual literal text was the effect.
This is probably why many of the teams they encounter don’t like using idiomatic stationery (as their meaning and effects vary greatly—they don’t know whether it’s the literal text or metaphorical meaning that will take effect).
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