Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 117: Gathering

Feeling weightless, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng only saw Xiao Hungry opening his mouth but couldn’t hear his voice anymore.

As the world stabilized and their vision cleared, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng found themselves back in front of the blue metal panels at the fenced construction site. However, their position had shifted from the pedestrian walkway on the west side of the site to a temporary parking lot on the east side.

At three in the morning, the coldest time of the night, the air alone was enough to make one feel the chill of the north, even without a breeze.

Yet, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng felt nothing.

They stared at each other, physically back in reality, but their thoughts still lingered in the “Owl”.

Finally, Xu Wang broke the silence. Under the quiet moonlight, his voice, filled with confusion and disbelief, was especially clear. “Do you think the change in mission was part of the original task setup and Xiao Hungry was just following the process, or…”

Unable to articulate another bizarre possibility, Xu Wang trailed off.

“Or was it Xiao Hungry’s own improvisation?” Wu Sheng helped him finish.

“Right, right.” Xu Wang exhaled in relief, calming down a bit. “That’s what I meant.”

Wu Sheng shook his head helplessly. “Hard to say.”

Xu Wang felt like changing his name to Despair. If even Wu Sheng couldn’t figure it out, there was little chance of getting a conclusion.

“Actually, it’s not just about changing the mission,” Wu Sheng continued. “The bet earlier, the one-minute countdown, and even before that, him directly teleporting us to the Ghost Spring, might not have been part of the Owl’s original setting.”

Xu Wang was astonished. “That’s a bit too overbearing…”

“Unless we go through this mission line again, there’s no chance to understand it fully.” Advisor Wu sighed while gazing at the starry sky, his eyes filled with unfulfilled regret.

“Go through it again?” Xu Wang didn’t like the idea at all. “I absolutely don’t want to go through such a heart-wrenching line a second time!”

Wu Sheng looked puzzled. “Didn’t you tell Xiao Hungry not to forget you?”

“We can meet again, but meeting doesn’t mean we have to do a task.” Xu Wang looked up at the sky, picturing a beautiful reunion. “We can chat, play chess, catch ghosts, or something. It would be fun and enjoyable, how nice.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Suddenly, a ringtone sounded from Xu Wang’s pocket. On the quiet night street, it was exceptionally loud.

“Where are you two?” The call was from Lao Qian. As soon as it connected, his robust voice came through.

Xu Wang felt incredibly guilty, having been so preoccupied with discussing Xiao Hungry that he nearly forgot about his two valiant teammates.

He quickly described their approximate location. About five minutes after hanging up, Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin turned the corner from the street. In the Eastern Courtyard’s old house, walking from the Underworld to the Heavenly Realm didn’t seem far, but back in reality, the distance was quite evident.

The four friends took a taxi back to the hotel before exchanging their experiences.

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin’s story was simple, mostly about being tormented by the Dream Ghost. Of course, Classmate Qian’s gallant education of the Dream Ghost was a highlight.

After the two friends finished, Xu Wang recounted the submission process he and Wu Sheng went through.

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin didn’t expect such a complicated process, let alone the remaining mysteries and “frightening conjectures”.

At least for Qian Ai, the idea of NPCs acting freely was quite hair-raising. “Aren’t you two overthinking it?”

Xu Wang understood. Anyone would find it unbelievable, as they had never encountered NPCs deviating from their scripted roles in the Owl before. And while the events could be retold, the feelings couldn’t.

“If you had experienced it yourself, you definitely wouldn’t think we’re overthinking,” he could only say.

……

At noon the next day, the four friends took a train from Xuchang to Anyang.

They hadn’t reached a conclusion about Xiao Hungry for the time being, and another teammate had been waiting for several days. Fortunately, both 5/23 and 6/23 were in Henan, so it was just over an hour’s train ride away.

Xu Wang had informed Chi Yingxue in advance, who then directly sent the location of a hotel. Right off the train, the four friends took a cab there.

In the hotel lobby, as soon as Xu Wang mentioned “Mr. Chi”, they were warmly and politely led to the elevator and taken straight to the top floor.

Exiting the elevator, Xu Wang knew immediately, without asking, that it was a top-tier suite again.

At the end of the corridor, the suite door was wide open, with Chi Yingxue leaning against the door frame, facing their direction, watching them from afar.

He wore a haze blue knitted sweater and deep blue acid-washed jeans today. Though both were in the blue spectrum, the difference in depth made for a harmonious match. The low-key and quiet colors complemented his fair skin, giving him a melancholic serenity.

Of course, the four friends knew that this was a “false impression” brought by his outfit.

Chi Yingxue couldn’t possibly be melancholic and quiet. For example, he was frowning at them from afar.

As they got close enough to hear each other clearly, he immediately said, “Tsk, you guys are slow.”

Having said that, he turned and entered the room.

Qian Ai was puzzled, glancing at the other three friends. “He waited at the door just to complain?”

Xu Wang chuckled, patting his shoulder. “That’s Xiao Xue’s special welcome ceremony. You have to understand.”

Qian Ai: “…It’s too hard to understand!”

While talking, the four friends entered the room. The suite, not as big as the one in Beijing, was still nearly 300 square meters. Even with five people inside, it felt spacious.

“Did your brother book this again?” Xu Wang looked at Chi Yingxue.

The latter, already sitting on the sofa, shrugged his shoulders in response.

Xu Wang was conflicted. “Does your brother have a pass for all the top presidential suites in five-star hotels across the country?”

“He only has this one good point,” Chi Yingxue said while peeling an orange and tossing a segment into his mouth.

Qian Ai, busy looking around, didn’t hear the context but caught the last part and asked, “What good point?”

Chi Yingxue, chewing the sweet and sour orange, naturally replied, “He’s rich.”

Qian Ai: “……”

Why did he even ask!

The four travel-weary companions put down their backpacks and settled themselves comfortably, officially starting their reunion.

“If you didn’t come soon, I was planning to switch teams,” Chi Yingxue declared, finishing the last segment of his orange, expressing his feelings about the wait.

Xu Wang noticed his impatience, appreciating that this new teammate, known for his lack of patience, had waited so many days for them. However, he still felt the need to defend his team. “Switch teams? Where else could you find a company as good as ours?”

Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow. “What’s so good about it?”

Without hesitation, Xu Wang responded, “The CEO has tremendous personal charisma.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Seeing the conversation might not go further, Captain Xu quickly changed the topic. He briefed the new teammate on their twenty-day journey through the challenges and then focused on the experience with Xiao Hungry in 5/23.

Unlike Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin’s skepticism, Chi Yingxue clearly didn’t believe a word and simply nodded. “Oh.”

Xu Wang: “That’s it? Don’t you have anything else to say?”

Chi Yingxue thought for a moment. “It must have been part of the mission line’s original setting.”

“……” Xu Wang wished Chi Yingxue had more curiosity, just like Wu Sheng, whose curiosity was like a disease. Why couldn’t these two teammates balance their curiosity about the world!

“Forget it.” Xu Wang gave up. “Tell us about your experiences. How was your journey through the challenges these days?”

Although they kept in touch with Chi Yingxue through WeChat, their communication was infrequent and rarely detailed about the challenges. They mostly exchanged information to avoid attempting the same challenges on the same day.

Chi Yingxue: “Joined teams, submitted papers.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Kuang Jin Xin: “……”

Qian Ai: “That’s it?”

Chi Yingxue: “Then joined another team, submitted another paper.”

The four companions: “……”

Sensing his teammates’ speechless stares, Chi Yingxue felt compelled to elaborate. “I’m too familiar with the first five levels. It’s all the same to me, whoever the team is, as long as I want to turn in my papers.”

“Don’t boast.” Qian Ai couldn’t stand his exaggeration. “When we met on 3/23, didn’t we submit before your team?”

Chi Yingxue shrugged. “Han Buting didn’t let me do as I pleased.”

“It wasn’t freedom? Don’t tell me that pushing Kuang Jinxin on the Ferris wheel was Han Buting’s plan,” Qian Ai blurted out without thinking.

After saying it, he regretted it a bit, feeling like he was dredging up old grievances.

Kuang Jinxin didn’t expect Qian Ai to bring that up, but he was indeed curious about what Chi Yingxue was thinking back then, so he looked at him.

Unexpectedly, Chi Yingxue was also examining him, and after a thorough look, he turned to Qian Ai and asked seriously, “Don’t you think his face screams ‘please bully me’?”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

He regretted thinking about it for so long!

Qian Ai couldn’t sit still anymore, ready to throw himself at Chi Yingxue like a cannonball, but Xu Wang quickly intervened, reminding him, “Presidential suite, presidential suite—”

Qian Ai’s raised fist reluctantly returned to his side.

It’s hard to fight when you’re indebted!

After finally calming Qian Ai down, Xu Wang felt exhausted.

There was Wu Sheng, who intermittently spoke in abstracts, and now Chi Yingxue, who could make sense but provokes enmity with every sentence. Leading this team wasn’t easy!

But on second thought, what teammates say isn’t as important as what they do.

Chi Yingxue didn’t owe them his patience. Though they were teammates, they hadn’t actually spent many days tackling levels together before splitting up. With Chi Yingxue’s almost non-existent patience, switching teams would have been normal, and Xu Wang had even anticipated it.

Thus, reuniting with Chi Yingxue after more than twenty days was quite surprising for Xu Wang.

He also felt a bit guilty.

He didn’t expect Chi Yingxue to fully open up to them, and likewise, he hadn’t fully opened up to Chi Yingxue.

But now, he didn’t want to hold back anymore.

“Xiao Xue.” Xu Wang took a deep breath and began.

After many days, Chi Yingxue’s resistance had worn off, and he couldn’t help but respond, “If you keep calling me that, I’ll leave the team.”

Xu Wang didn’t expect to have to change the nickname first and quickly thought of another: “…Xue?”

Chi Yingxue, resignedly sinking into the sofa, replied, “Just stick with Xiao.”

With the comparison, Xiao Xue instantly seemed full of robust masculinity.

Xu Wang’s lips curled in triumph, but he quickly became serious again. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Chi Yingxue didn’t seem very concerned and asked casually. “What?”

Xu Wang said, “I’ve spoken with the ‘Owl’.”

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