Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 108: Repeat
The banquet hall of the Castle Hotel in 6/23 was probably the most pressing location in the first six levels. From 1/23 to 5/23, the challenge was to simply enter and proceed, facing NPCs and watching out for sneaky opponents, but only here in 6/23 did each team have to make their own “decision”.
Teams of five that came down from the levels after 6/23 had to downsize and recruit new members, while teams of four that came up before 6/23 had to increase their numbers and pair up.
All this was part of the challenge, and the later a team completed its lineup, the later they would enter the real challenge, putting them at a disadvantage.
Despite the banquet hall’s luxurious and dazzling decoration, with endless champagne and exquisite food, no one was in the mood to linger over these luxuries.
Chi Yingxue was an exception.
He loved the cakes here the most: cream, chocolate, mango, orange… all but raspberry flavor, which he tried once and never touched again because the tartness overpowered the sweetness.
At the moment, he was sitting in a quiet corner, having just enjoyed his midnight tea. Seven or eight small plates were placed on the table in front of him, mostly empty except for two that still had small cakes on them, one pink and one white, exuding an enticing sweetness.
He couldn’t eat any more, so he looked at the remaining two cakes with particular regret.
Looking around the room, excluding the NPCs, the rest of his “colleagues” were all anxious. It was already 00:30, and since they were here, they all wanted to move forward. Whether it was teams that hadn’t formed completely or individuals who were alone, none could afford to watch time pass calmly.
Chi Yingxue single-handedly raised the “leisure average” of his peers.
While others were here to form teams and face the level, he seemed to be here just for the cake buffet.
Sighing contentedly with nothing else to do, Chi Yingxue took out his phone and played a single-player game for a while. Eventually finding it boring, he opened WeChat on a whim.
He originally only had one friend on WeChat, Chi Zhuolin, but recently added four more, as well as a group named “Unlucky Kids”.
Seeing this name, he instinctively frowned—every time he opened WeChat, he had to genuinely despise it—and reluctantly clicked into it.
Naturally, there was no internet connection in the Owl, but he could still look at the chat history.
[January 9th]
Wangwang: Welcome to the new group member! Quack quack!
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: Quack quack!
Sheng Ge: Welcome.
Ai Qian: [Let’s cherish this connection made through the internet.gif]
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: …
Ai Qian: Captain, aren’t you a bit too blunt with his group nickname? Put some thought into it!
Wangwang: That’s his actual WeChat name!!!
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: Is there a problem with my name?
Ai Qian: …No, it’s factual and accurate. Giving you a thumbs up. [Thumbs up.gif]
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: Qian Ge, you have so many gifs.
Ai Qian: As a streamer, I always stay on top of online chat trends.
Shengsheng: [Thumbs up.gif]
Ai Qian: Class Monitor, why did you suddenly change your name? [Ominous feeling.gif]
Shengsheng: Just a whim.
Ai Qian: Don’t tell me you felt jealous that Xiao Kuang and Xiao Xue’s WeChat names sound more like a couple than yours and the captain’s! Hahaha.
Ai Qian: ??
Ai Qian: Class Monitor?
Ai Qian: I’m just joking. 💦 If you don’t reply, I’ll knock on your door. 😭
Wangwang: He’s working on a new tactical plan.
Ai Qian: Phew, good, good. I knew the advisor wouldn’t take me seriously.
Wangwang: New plan main force: Qian Ai. Support: Qian Ai. Coordinator: Qian Ai. Rear guard: Qian Ai.
Ai Qian: ……
[January 15th]
……
[January 21st]
……
[January 29th]
Wangwang: @Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue We’re just short of 5/23. Where are you?
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: 6/23
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: That’s fast!
Ai Qian: Xiao Kuang, can you not be so obvious with your flattery? He only needed to collect 2. We have to find 4. [Knock on the blackboard.gif]
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: I’ve been here for three days.
Ai Qian: [I’m young and naïve. Please don’t take me seriously.gif]
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: 🤭
Wangwang: Xiao Xue, wait for us there, okay?
Shengsheng: Don’t flirt.
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: ……
Ai Qian: Seems like we scared Xiao Xue away.
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: No, he just types really slowly.
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: I’m very popular. You better hurry.
Ai Qian: Ah, it really is slow.
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: 😳
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: …
Shengsheng: @Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue Tomorrow.
Wangwang: We’ll definitely be there.
“Ding—”
The sudden notification sound interrupted Chi Yingxue’s recollections. He looked at his phone and saw an invitation to increase the team’s numbers.
Just as Chi Yingxue was about to decline, he noticed the light dimming. Looking up, he saw a former teammate standing in front of him.
“I saw you on the overall leaderboard recently,” the teammate said without any preamble, offering a compliment. “Pretty impressive.”
Chi Yingxue remained silent, just quietly observing him, waiting for the substantial part.
The man, not getting a response, touched his nose in embarrassment but quickly put on a warm smile again. “I sent the invitation to increase the team size. I’ve been observing you for two days. You haven’t formed a team yet, right?”
Seeing that Chi Yingxue’s expression still showed no change, the man got straight to the point. “It’s better to work with someone familiar. We’ve teamed up before and know each other a bit. I know you’re unstable, but I also know you’re capable. Let’s join hands to get through this level. As long as you don’t fight passively and don’t drag the team down, we can tolerate everything else. If you perform exceptionally well, we might even consider keeping you on the team long-term…”
“It’s too late.” Chi Yingxue interrupted him indifferently.
The man, mid-speech, stopped abruptly. “Huh?”
Chi Yingxue put his phone back in his pocket, glancing at him. “I already have a team.”
The man looked around, clearly skeptical. “Where are they?”
“That’s none of your concern.” Chi Yingxue shrugged. “You just need to know one thing.” He raised his brows slightly, his eyes shining with unprecedented pride. “I’m in high demand.”
……
Half an hour earlier, 23:59 Beijing time, Xuchang City, Henan Province, near a construction site.
The construction site was pitch black, surrounded by blue metal boards, eerily quiet. The metal boards were next to the sidewalk, where four “sneaky” figures loomed.
The wind at the end of January was like a knife, painfully cutting across their cheeks. The four classmates, either raising their collars or shrinking their necks, bravely stood their ground.
If you got close enough, you could hear their conversation—
Xu Wang: “You guys, your Sheng Ge proudly boasted to Xiao Xue that we’d get the badge and pass the level tonight. Let’s all try hard and don’t let your Sheng Ge lose face.”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Qian Ai: “Advisor, look at how he treats you. What on earth do you see in him? I really don’t understand it.”
Wu Sheng: “You don’t see how he treats me well.”
Kuang Jinxin: “For example?”
Wu Sheng: “Like just now in the hotel when he—”
Qian Ai: “Hey, it was just getting to the good part. Don’t cover his mouth—”
“Hoot hoot—”
The Owl’s call came through the cold night wind, right on time.
The manhole cover at their feet turned into a purple vortex, and the four friends, putting aside their jokes, looked at each other and solemnly jumped in.
Twenty days ago, they failed in level 8/23 and had to retreat to 5/23, forcing their five-person team to become a four-person team. After discussing, they decided to use this opportunity to collect badges from levels 1–5. Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin, who were missing badges 1, 2, 3, and 5, made a pact with Chi Yingxue, who only needed 2 and 5, and set off on their separate journeys.
Now, before the end of January, Xu Wang and his team had already collected badges 1-4, but Chi Yingxue was faster and was already waiting at 6/23.
This was their second time at 5/23, the “Ghost House Infernal Affairs”, where, as ghosts, they entered the old mansion. Without being detected by various monsters, ghosts, and evil spirits, they had to complete the mission. The mission could change each time.
Even though they had decided not to submit their papers when they retreated from 8/23, they still tried their best to understand the content of this level.
So this time, they came prepared.
After the dizzying spin, their vision cleared, and the four friends found themselves in a desolate wilderness, facing a dilapidated old mansion. The mansion was large but in ruins. The door was hanging off its hinges, the plaque lay broken in two on the ground, and the surrounding walls had mostly collapsed. The weeds inside and outside the walls grew together indistinguishably.
The cold wind sent shivers down their spines.
In the distance, there seemed to be ghost fires, and close by, ghostly whispers…
“Brother, don’t those few over there look familiar?”
Huh, that sounded too down-to-earth to be a ghost.
The four friends turned towards the voice and saw several dark figures a few meters away. After recognizing them in the moonlight, they were surprised.
Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai: “Little Camo?!”
Camo Burly Man + Teammates 1, 2, 3: “……”
Shouldn’t people give a heads-up before nicknaming others?!
In the real world, where it was freezing cold, the Camo Team also wore down jackets, naturally in camouflage patterns. In the ghostly wilderness, their protective coloring was at its peak.
“It’s been almost a month since we last met, right?” the Camo Team captain said, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “You only passed one level? That’s slow.”
When they last encountered each other at 4/23 and the Camo Team lost. They should have been sent back to 1/23. Xu Wang calculated, “You’ve only passed four levels.”
Camo Team Captain: “…Only four? Eight levels, and you’re on the leaderboard!”
Xu Wang was about to respond when someone patted his shoulder.
“Low key,” Wu Sheng advised him, whispering.
Xu Wang’s ears warmed from the wind, swallowing the boast he was about to make. Ever since he made the leaderboard once, he’d been a bit inflated, but luckily, he always had his advisor to remind him.
He had once asked Wu Sheng, “How do you stay so calm?”
The reply was, “I’m used to getting good grades.”
He held back from kicking him. Yes, that was true love.
Ignoring the Camo Team, Xu Wang turned back to his own team. “Get ready. It’s time to test our acting skills.”
Pretending to be a ghost required both acting skills (software) and a convincing appearance (hardware). Once the hardware passed, their ghost identity would be half-confirmed.
Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin nodded in agreement, immediately raising their arms, ready to use their stationery to enhance their “fierce ghost” personas.
But Wu Sheng didn’t move; instead, he looked past Xu Wang’s shoulder at the Camo Team, whispering, “They’re not here for the first time either.”
Xu Wang looked back to see the Camo Team already in “costume”. One was floating on clouds, one seemingly invisible, and another with red eyes from colored contact lenses. At first glance, they were indeed scary.
Noticing the attention, the Camo Team captain pondered for two seconds before chuckling maliciously. “You guys aren’t prepared, are you? Then you’re done for. You’ll be torn apart once you go in.”
His gloating didn’t reveal any specifics about the level, clearly not wanting to give away information to potential competitors without knowing if they had been here before.
Xu Wang sighed. “We know this level is a large-scale supernatural acting scene.”
The Camo Team captain frowned. “Then why aren’t you dressing up and focusing on us?”
Xu Wang replied, “I’ve never seen such rudimentary ghosts, so I couldn’t help but take a second look.”
Camo Team Captain: “Haha, then let’s see how exquisite you can be?”
“Click-clack-click-clack—”
A plant sprouted from the ground at Wu Sheng’s feet, breaking through the soil and pushing aside the stones, growing wildly. In an instant, it reached the same height as Wu Sheng. It was completely wooden in color, with a thick stem that bore a large, gaping mouth, emitting a creepy, subtle whistling in the night wind.
Wu Sheng extended his hand, and the plant suddenly uprooted itself, wrapping around his arm and upper body, creating a rather sharp look.
“[(Offense) Man-Catching Vine].” Wu Sheng first introduced his “costume”, then his identity. “Mountain Ghost.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a severed hand appeared above Kuang Jinxin’s head, eerily touching his hair.
“[(Offense) Whose Hand is Brushing Your Black Hair].” Kuang Jinxin proudly declared his lineage, “Severed Hand Ghost!”
Xu Wang activated his stationery, and soon, a cold breeze rose. A shadowy human figure faintly appeared behind him. It was faceless and featureless, looking just like a dark silhouette. Only when it smiled could you see a flash of white, like a gaping mouth.
“[(Offense) Ghost Behind].” Xu Wang was quite satisfied with his identity. “I’m the Ghost Behind You.”
Camo Team Members 1, 2, 3: “…”
Camo Team Captain: “Could you be a bit more responsible with your naming…?”
The word “responsible” disappeared into the sinister night wind.
Next to the Mountain Ghost, Severed Hand Ghost, and Ghost Behind You, where the tall and burly man originally stood, was now just a floating head.
“Headless Ghost!” Qian Ai declared forcefully. But after saying it, he felt something was off. It seemed like he was missing everything except for his head. In that case, shouldn’t it be called a “Headed Ghost”…
In the desolate wilderness, near the terrifying old mansion, the floating head was quite impactful, especially since it was still smiling at them.
Camo Team Members 1, 2, 3 instinctively swallowed hard, their hair standing on end.
The Camo Team captain’s voice trembled slightly. “What kind of stationery is that?”
That’s too much like a real ghost!
“Oh,” Qian Ai was not secretive. “[(Defense) Cloak of Invisibility].”
While both were using invisibility, Camo Team Member 2, who was entirely invisible, couldn’t understand. “Then why is the head still visible?!”
“It’s an invisibility cloak, not an invisibility hat,” Qian Ai said confidently.
The author has something to say:
A new journey begins!
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