Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 147: Intelligence

In front of a simple small desk in a standard hotel room, Wu Sheng was deep in thought over his “Teaching NPCs to Be Human Plan 3.0”.

Xu Wang swiped his card to enter from outside.

Wu Sheng stopped and looked up, asking, “Did you give it to him?”

“Mm.” Xu Wang’s gaze softened with a touch of satisfaction.

Wu Sheng noticed something. “Is there something else?”

Xu Wang said, “He also took number 5. He asked me for it proactively.”

Wu Sheng was surprised.

Xu Wang walked over to the bed closer to Wu Sheng and sat down. “He said he is number six and also number five.”

Wu Sheng nodded, not sure what to say, but at least Xiao Xue was no longer immersed in the silence and oppression of the past two days. He was happy for him.

“Actually…” Xu Wang’s smile faded, revealing a hint of melancholy. “I kind of miss Yan Wang.”

Wu Sheng pondered for a moment. “Xiao Xue said he can’t find Yan Wang anymore, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Yan Wang has left. Maybe he’s just asleep, or… completely merged with Xiao Xue.”

“Merged?” Xu Wang was puzzled.

“It means he is both Xiao Xue and Yan Wang,” Wu Sheng explained.

“Is that even possible?” Xu Wang asked cautiously, yet somewhat hopeful.

Wu Sheng nodded without hesitation. “The human brain is very complex, and there’s no definitive treatment or conclusion for dissociation to this day. Uncertainty means anything is possible.”

Xu Wang looked up at the ceiling and let out a gentle sigh.

He hoped Wu Sheng was right, hoping everything he said was the correct answer—such a feeling was strong.

Chi Yingxue’s father had been dead for many years, a fact discovered online after coming out from 9/23, during a search about Chi Zhuolin. It was an interview in a business magazine where he briefly mentioned his family and father.

The nightmare had passed. Hopefully, Xiao Xue and Yan Wang, who walked through the nightmare together, could forever remain in each other’s hearts.

“Stop thinking about it.” Wu Sheng reached out to pat his head. “Everything will be alright.”

“Mm,” Xu Wang responded, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the small card on Wu Sheng’s desk, unsure whether to smile wryly or admire. “Still not giving up, huh?”

Wu Sheng tilted his head. “Is there a reason to give up?”

Xu Wang gave him a look. “You’ve sent out so many cards, yet there’s been no effect.”

“You’re too impatient,” Wu Sheng said earnestly. “It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to cultivate people*.”

*(十年树木，百年树人) Idiom referring to cultivating talent isn’t easy.

“……” Xu Wang sighed and reached out his hand. “Keep cultivating people then. Lend me your phone.”

Wu Sheng was startled, clearly not understanding what he intended.

Xu Wang said, “Contacting Yue Shuai.”

“Oh right, we’ve been in 9/23 for three days; they should have come over by now.” Wu Sheng murmured while taking out his phone but hesitated to hand it over.

Xu Wang’s hand was getting tired. “Give it here.”

Wu Sheng looked up sincerely at his captain. “I’m worried about them too. Let’s contact them together.”

Xu Wang: “……”

……

“Missing me?” The video call was connected instantly. Captain Yue looked like he had just taken a shower, wearing a small bathrobe, looking fresh as a lotus.

On this end, Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes, and Xu Wang facepalmed.

“The atmosphere in the team is too depressing. We’re taking a short break, firstly to relax, and secondly to make some money.” Yue Shuai flicked his semi-dry hair, his eyes twinkling playfully.

Wu Sheng directly clicked on the screen, switching the size of the images to make Captain Yue a blurry small box in the top right corner, finally feeling relaxed.

“Making money is the main point, right?” Xu Wang hit the nail on the head.

“How about you guys? Passed 9/23?”

“We did.”

“……” Yue Shuai was just asking casually, and the casual answer hit him hard. “Can’t you leave some room for the slower students to answer!”

Xu Wang felt a bit guilty. “We didn’t mean to be so outstanding.”

Yue Shuai looked disheartened. “Can’t talk about this anymore…”

Xu Wang laughed, about to share more about 9/23, but Captain Yue became serious first, lowering his voice as if it was worth eavesdropping on. “I’ll tell you. I’ve got a shocking secret here.”

“How shocking?” Xu Wang tried to muster excitement but failed.

Yue Shuai leaned close to the screen, so close that only half his face could fit in the frame. “Worth a million.”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng looked at each other, finally taking it seriously.

“What’s the secret?” Wu Sheng asked seriously. “If it’s really worth it, we can buy it with you.”

Yue Shuai pulled the screen back, showing his solemn face. “I haven’t gathered enough money to buy it yet.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng: “…Get some rest. Goodbye.”

“Hey, hey, I’m not playing with you.” Yue Shuai quickly explained the source of the intelligence.

It wasn’t complicated; they rescued a businessman from a group of “rivals” who wanted intelligence without paying. Such situations are common in the Endless Sea, where attacking each other is allowed and beating someone up isn’t illegal. So, some who don’t want to spend money resort to robbing for intelligence.

They were just in time to save the person; a moment later, he would have had to return to reality with injuries. After saving him, they even treated his wounds with stationery, not expecting anything in return. But the person insisted on repaying them, so he offered the intelligence, originally worth two million, at half price.

At this point, Captain Yue was quite indignant, thinking a seventy percent discount would have been more reasonable.

Anyway, at least in Yue Shuai’s view, the person was reliable. And frankly, if the person was a scammer, being in the “Owl”, catching them wouldn’t be a problem, and there would be a hundred ways to get the money back.

But now, Captain Yue faced a problem—

“I could sell everything I own, reduce three meals a day to one, and only gather six hundred thousand. If you trust me, we can partner up to buy it. We put in 60, you put in 40, and we’ll share the intelligence.”

“You’re ready to sell everything without even knowing what the intelligence is about?” Xu Wang was still skeptical, mainly worried for Yue Shuai, who seemed too naively optimistic.

“Of course, I asked.” Yue Shuai rolled his eyes. “Would he dare to ask for that price without giving me some solid info?”

Before getting a response, Yue Shuai became serious. “This intelligence might help us leave the Owl sooner.”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng fell silent.

After a while.

Xu Wang said, “Stay in the Endless Sea and don’t move. Send us the hotel address; we’ll come over tomorrow.”

Yue Shuai didn’t expect such a quick agreement. “You agreed to partner up?”

“Agreed.” Xu Wang looked at him, annoyed. “And you better go back to three meals a day. We’ll split the cost of the intelligence 50/50. No one’s going to take advantage of your meal money.”

……

Just past eleven p.m., the friends began to wake up one after another. Xu Wang and Wu Sheng told everyone the news immediately.

Kuang Jinxin reacted with both shock and joy. “Really? Can we really leave early?”

Qian Ai was equally shocked and excited. “Really… Selling it for one million?! Then I’ll resell it to a few more people, and I’ll be a millionaire in minutes!”

Chi Yingxue’s reaction was relatively calm, similar to Xu Wang and Wu Sheng, with a hint of skepticism in his eyes, but he said, “I’ll pay for the intelligence fee.”

Xu Wang looked at the three friends, not knowing who to respond to first.

However, regarding the intelligence fee, Advisor Wu had already volunteered to pay it at the end of the video call with Yue Shuai. After all, he’s a man who wanted to throw millions into the public account upon selling his shares. Having been refused last time, this time he had to secure the role of the financier.

Xu Wang always thought their team was following a grassroots path until this night, when he realized their economy had taken off.

After setting the route for the next day, midnight arrived as scheduled.

The five didn’t go to the coordinate point but welcomed the purple vortex directly in the hotel room.

The hotel room was about a kilometer away from the coordinate point. They had decided to observe tonight.

“Hoot hoot—”

The familiar sound came from the cold night sky, almost like a class bell to the five friends.

Stepping into the vortex, the world changed.

“Thank heavens, someone finally came—”

The five friends were still seeing purple stars when they heard this exclamation.

It was very close, as if right beside them.

“Could you think before you speak? Are we not people?” Another voice, not very happy but somewhat familiar, replied.

Their vision finally began to clear.

What appeared before them was a lounge, with soft and warm fabric sofas, a retro and exquisite small table, a wall lined with shelves filled with various individually packaged drinks and snacks, and a long table in the corner with steaming coffee and cake.

But what surprised the friends even more was the presence of five acquaintances, though not with particularly fond memories, from their past encounters.

They had entered the vortex about a minute after it opened, clearly arriving earlier than Xu Wang and his group, now comfortably nestled in the sofas.

However, both groups were taken aback upon seeing each other.

Xu Wang and his team’s vision had just cleared, and likewise, Wang Duanran, Chen Guan, Jiang Dachuan, Gu Nian, and Kong Lizhe had just made out who appeared in the purple light.

The memory of competing for the ancient castle badge in 6/23 instantly flooded the minds of all ten friends.

Of course, it was mainly the actions of Xu Wang’s side that left a deep impression.

The relentless, revived, and devastated three-strike strategy of the stationery chain, the unforgettable entrance of the [Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea], and the acting on the [Balloon House]…

These past scenes, like needles, pricked at the hearts of Wang Duanran and his team.

Compared to the simple heartache of old acquaintances, Xu Wang’s side had more to think about, mainly, Advisor Wu’s brain was working overtime.

First, they didn’t go to the coordinates but ended up at the same location as the other party, indicating this was a specific battlefield stage—similar to the story relay in 7/23, where no matter where you entered from, you had to come to the table side.

Second, why did the other party say, “Thank heavens, someone finally came”? Couldn’t this stage be cleared alone?

Third, given the strength of this team, why did it take them so long to reach 10/23?

Two minutes passed, and the purple vortex closed.

Simultaneously, everyone received a “ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Team quantity meets the requirement, 10/23 officially starts.

The five on the sofa stood up, stretched their necks and shoulders, ready for action.

Xu Wang looked at the cheat sheet, somewhat confused. What does this mean? They’re starting the level directly? They hadn’t agreed yet!

In the midst of confusion, the lounge door slowly opened.

Xu Wang followed the sound, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the opposing five seemed calm. Obviously, this wasn’t their first time at this stage.

The world at the doorway quickly unfolded before them.

A square space about twenty meters in length and width, with the ground made of smooth, light gray large stone slabs, drawn with many markings like a magnified chessboard. The walls were also light gray, but with many semicircular painted glass windows and a painted glass dome at the ceiling about ten meters high.

It was unclear whether it was sunlight or some other light that slanted in through the windows and dome, illuminating the entire space brightly and colorfully, making one feel cheerful and comfortable, as if the air itself was dancing joyfully.

[Owl: Welcome to 10/23, Lucky Aeroplane Chess*! This stage is a bonus level. Oh, quickly draw your lucky starting point from the small flying box!]

*It’s a game similar to Ludo where players roll dices in order to move their planes from their hangers to the center of the board. The person who gets all their planes to the center wins.

Xu Wang and his team: “……”

A bonus level? Why don’t they believe it!

Ignoring the five complex faces, the winged small paper box fluttered in front of each person, insisting on drawing lots. If you don’t draw, it nudges you with its box body.

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