Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 131: Darkroom
“Say that again? How do you identify the demon?” Yue Shuai almost couldn’t hold his chopsticks upon hearing the truth. It wasn’t because he was scared, but because he found it… absurd.
“Grammar.” Xu Wang understood his feelings.
“To be precise, it’s about identifying and distinguishing based on habits of text usage.” Wu Sheng gave a very meticulous macro definition.
Whether macro or micro, Yue Shuai couldn’t accept it. “This level is too inhumane, right? Dying all the way, and at the end, it’s a Chinese language test? Apart from high school seniors at the peak of their knowledge, who still remembers such grammar usage?”
Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, and Wei Tianhang, on the left, naturally raised their hands. “We remember.”
Yue Shuai: “……”
“How to find the demon is only one part.” Xu Wang picked up a chopstick full of fish, skillfully removed the bones, and put it in his mouth. The fish meat was soaked in grilled fish sauce, making it delicious and flavorful. “Besides, by the time you go through the level, the clues might not be a language question anymore.”
Yue Shuai had lost his appetite, focusing entirely on the level. “Only one part? Isn’t the task just to find the demon? From what you’re saying, there’s a second part?”
“The second part is after finding the demon, you have to deal with him.” Chi Yingxue rarely interjected, mainly because his juice was almost finished and the freshly squeezed one hadn’t arrived yet, so he was really idle.
Holding onto the last bit of hope, Yue Shuai asked Xu Wang, “Is this a fixed segment?”
Xu Wang nodded. “It should be.”
Yue Shuai despaired. “……”
Ji Yiming on the right, who had been interested up until now, was excited. “Fighting demons? That’s cool!”
Xu Wang looked at Su, Tao, and Wei, who still accurately remembered their grammar lessons, and then at Classmate Ji, who was eager to fight, confirming that this side was responsible for literature and the other side for martial arts.
Only Captain Yue, who didn’t know what he was responsible for, was supporting his chin, looking dejected.
Since they were all so familiar, Xu Wang spoke bluntly, leaning close to Yue Shuai and asking quietly, “Did you guys choose your captain based on who looks most festive?”
It took a while for Captain Yue to digest this, then he immediately got angry. “This is called a lucky face!”
Xu Wang: “……”
Yes, indeed, chosen by the standards of a mascot.
This “Skewer Party” continued until eight in the evening, after which the two teams went back to rest. At midnight, they gathered again at the designated point.
The weightless purple vortex brought them back to the open-air coffee shop.
It was still just the two teams.
This level was like a watershed, both a separation for whether one could make it onto the overall leaderboard and a division between lively and quiet.
Upon entering, Xu Wang’s team received the reward of “Magical Defense Stationery Set of Three” and the coordinates of the next level.
While checking the reward, Yue Shuai’s small team stood far away, like avoiding suspicion while queuing at an ATM, not crossing the line.
As their friends looked up again, Yue Shuai and the other five were all ready to go.
“Pray for us.” Yue Shuai smiled at Xu Wang, his teeth gleaming in the bright sunlight.
Xu Wang slowly and solemnly said, “Be careful at all times.”
The tour group came over again.
From the leader to the travelers, everyone was replaced, with all new faces.
“Are you interested in joining our all-inclusive city day tour?” The new leader, holding a little flag and leaning on the short fence, warmly invited, in tone and demeanor, just like yesterday’s leader.
Xu Wang suddenly had a chilling illusion.
It was as if it was yesterday’s leader, just with a different face.
Captain Yue’s small team walked out of the fence, blending into the tour group, following the new leader, and gradually walked away.
Watching their backs, the slight shiver that had just risen in Xu Wang’s heart was diluted again.
Victims of the Evil Owl Association, as of now, two teams have joined.
On the path of passing levels, they were no longer alone.
……
At 5:00 a.m.
The first thing Xu Wang’s team did upon returning to reality was to let the only official liaison officer—Advisor Wu—send a condolence message to Captain Yue.
Advisor Wu was very succinct in his wording.
Sheng Ge: [Passed?]
After a while, the other side replied.
Marshal Yue: Passed [DoubtingLife.jpg]
Seeing it was good news, Xu Wang let Wu Sheng send a video call invitation.
Unexpectedly, it was rejected as soon as it was sent, and then the other party sent back an audio call invitation.
Wu Sheng showed the screen to Xu Wang.
Xu Wang pressed to accept the call and immediately turned on the speaker, so the friends wouldn’t freeze in the cold wind and miss any information.
“Congratulations on submitting your papers,” Xu Wang first congratulated.
But from Captain Yue’s side came a heavy sigh. “This is the most difficult level I’ve ever gone through… Damn, heartless, fucking crazy.” The last words almost popped out from between his teeth.
Xu Wang originally wanted to ask about the specifics, but hearing this tone, he immediately switched topics. “9/23 in Guangdong. I have the coordinates. Shall we go together?”
“No, thank you.” Yue Shuai didn’t hesitate. “You go ahead.”
Xu Wang laughed. “What, you want us to pave the way for you?”
“That’s really not it. Our team just wants to rest for a couple of days.” Yue Shuai was sincere in every word. “Or you go first and don’t rush. We’ll come later and help you pave the way, returning the favor for this level, okay?”
Xu Wang was just joking, not expecting the other party to take it seriously. “I was just kidding with you.”
But from these words, he sensed a captain whose worldview had been overturned and a partner they could support in the future.
“Are you guys okay?” As someone who had been through it, no, who hadn’t yet come out of the shadows, Xu Wang really wanted to hug his companions.
“We’re fine.” Yue Shuai’s voice sounded forcibly spirited. “It’s just that, for a short while, I can’t trust this world anymore.”
Xu Wang: “……”
Yue Shuai: “Alright, let’s not talk anymore, in case the phone explodes if we talk too long. Contact me if there’s anything.”
The audio call ended.
Xu Wang: “……”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Qian Ai: “Advisor, you better put away your phone too. The longer it’s on, the more dangerous it is.”
……
The shadow of 8/23 was deep and lasting, but when dim sum like har gow, siu mai, black bean spare ribs, steamed chicken feet, pork tripe, pineapple buns, Malay sponge cake, custard buns, salted egg yolk buns, char siu bao, rice noodle rolls, durian cakes, roast meats platter, and claypot rice were placed in front of them… What shadow? Can you eat it?
“Lao Qian Eats All Over China” restarted in the most authentic Cantonese teahouse in Guangdong.
Arriving in Guangdong for 9/23, it wasn’t just the mood that warmed up, but also the temperature.
Although the weather in Jiangsu wasn’t as cold as in the north, it had still dropped below zero degrees this month. In contrast, Guangdong remained above zero, which was more than friendly for the “midnight travelers”.
As usual, the companions planned to eat and drink their fill, staying in the safe zone of the level for two or three days, both for rest and recuperation and to gather some peripheral intelligence.
This was their first time at this level, and everything inside the level was unknown to them.
Midnight arrived as expected.
The call from the Owl came from the desolate distance, and under the night sky, a purple vortex opened a portal to another world.
For caution’s sake, this time the five companions didn’t stand right on the coordinate point but hid 200 meters away behind a building. Whether other teams were also hiding nearby, they weren’t sure. They stepped into the vortex and entered 9/23.
What greeted them was a closed space resembling a space capsule.
Pure white floor, pure white walls, pure white ceiling—the material seemed like some kind of plastic product, seamless, with everything molded into one. On the wall in front, there was a circular pattern, like the door of a spaceship.
There were no other teams.
Were those teams elsewhere, or like with 8/23, were they the only ones challenging this level? Just as the companions were wondering, a low-frequency vibration suddenly came from the left and right walls.
Amidst the vibration, five pod-like objects slowly pushed out from the walls. It was as if there were five invisible drawers there all along, waiting for their arrival to automatically pop out.
Two on the left, three on the right, all neatly arranged in the middle of the walls.
The companions looked at each other, and the next moment, they cautiously moved forward to inspect.
The “pods” were chest-high, and upon bending down, everything inside was visible.
Each pod was big enough for one person, about two meters long, eighty centimeters wide, and sixty centimeters deep, and made of the same pure white material as the surrounding walls, giving the pods a clean and tidy appearance. A helmet lay quietly inside each, and nothing else.
The helmet didn’t fill up the pod, still leaving it looking empty.
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: All team members put on the helmets and lie down in the darkroom, and the level will start.
Is it starting just like that?
The unexpected prompt took the companions by surprise.
“Captain?” Kuang Jinxin looked at Xu Wang for guidance.
Xu Wang said, “Don’t rush. Let’s observe some more.”
Before he could finish, Chi Yingxue had already picked up a helmet.
“Hey, don’t be so quick to put it on!” Qian Ai panicked.
Chi Yingxue balanced the helmet on one hand, spinning it like a basketball on his fingertip. “Just looking.”
Qian Ai clutched his chest. “I’m done for. My heart is already pounding.” He looked towards Wu Sheng and Xu Wang. “I have a bad feeling. This level is definitely going to be tough.”
It was just a helmet that made it hard to make out anything special, even though it had a futuristic feel. Xu Wang observed without success and turned to look at Wu Sheng, finding him narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, touching his lips.
This typical aura of a sage gave Xu Wang a glimmer of hope. “You found something?”
Wu Sheng subconsciously nodded and pondered. “Why call it a darkroom with such a bright cabin?”
Xu Wang was frustrated. “Can your focus be a bit more down-to-earth…”
“When we lie down in it and it closes, of course, it’ll be dark.” Chi Yingxue shrugged, interrupting, not understanding what there was to fuss about. “But it’s best to think it through before we start,” he added, his voice light but his attitude firm. “I’m not lying in something like this a second time.”
Ultimately, the companions didn’t start the level.
Firstly, they were exhausted from the journey and needed to adjust; secondly, they had no idea about this unknown level and needed more time to make up their minds to lie down in it.
However, that night, the overall leaderboard was activated.
They didn’t make it to the list.
The scores of the first and fifth places were 9/23.
They hadn’t yet passed the ninth level—their score was 8/23.
This fact had a moderate impact on the team. They had thought that their score would be good enough to be on the list, and they were ready to receive their rewards, but then they were hit with a cold reality.
The next day, they entered the Owl again, and it was the same as before: no other teams, just one sealed space capsule, and five helmet darkrooms. Unlike the previous level, where spending a day in the coffee shop could help them gather more survival strategies, the information available in this level was null unless the level was started, no matter how many times they entered.
After discussing, the team decided not to waste more time. To find out how deep the water was, they had to lie down in it!
“Cough, I’ll go first.” As the captain, Xu Wang naturally led the way.
He adjusted his breathing lightly and climbed into one of the protruding darkrooms—although he still thought it looked like a big drawer—then put on the helmet and carefully lay down.
It’s just like a holographic game adventure. Xu Wang relaxed himself, trying not to think about the weird sensation of his brain being connected to some port, and took it as an early experience of future technology.
More than ten seconds had passed since he laid flat.
Nothing happened.
Xu Wang opened his eyes to see four heads peering over the edge of the dark room at him.
“It seems it doesn’t work with just me.” Xu Wang sighed at the four heads. “Stop admiring me and hurry up.”
The four companions stopped watching and each found a dark room to lie in.
Chi Yingxue was the slowest to act. He put on the helmet, sat inside in a daze for a moment, then frowned, closed his eyes, and lay still.
As he lay flat, the five dark rooms slowly retracted into the wall.
It indeed became dark around them.
An unprecedented darkness swallowed up everyone’s senses.
Xu Wang continued to adjust his breathing in the darkness, preparing for the upcoming battlefield. The next second, a sudden piercing pain shot through his brain!
It wasn’t a physical pain, but a mental one.
It felt like an electric current zipped through his brain, and his entire world of thought was suddenly flooded with overwhelming energy. All his memories were jumbled, as if an uninvited guest entered the memory supermarket, randomly picking memories arranged by time and category, dumping them into a basket, and then smashing the basket!
Recent memories, distant ones, happy ones, sad ones—layers of memories stacked on each other resembling smashed fruit, juices splashing, emitting dazzling, lurid glows. No longer clear, they were unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.
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