Ling Xiao, with thoughts on his mind, hurried back to the classroom. The instructor in charge of the outdoor practicum was already briefing the students on the things to consider. Upon seeing Ling Xiao at the door, he assumed he had simply overslept and arrived late.
“Why are you only just arriving? Go to your seat.”
Ling Xiao immediately darted to his place and conveniently heard the instructor talking about the groupings.
“To improve everyone’s outdoor survival skills, this practicum will involve camping outdoors for three days and two nights. The tents provided by the school are for two people, so everyone will be paired up. Eight pairs will form one group, and the overall performance of the group will determine your scores. This also serves the second purpose of the practicum—to cultivate your teamwork skills.”
The instructor took out a list. “To ensure fairness, we will group you based on your overall daily performance. The student ranked first will pair with the last-ranked student, and so on. Here’s the list: First pair, Ying Feng and Zhu Yue; second pair, Ling Xiao…”
Down below, Zhu Yue clenched his fist. Being in the same group meant he would be tied to Ying Feng’s actions for the next three days, sharing a tent at night. For some reason, Ying Feng had recently been distant from him but close to Ling Xiao. It reminded him of something Zhen He once mentioned.
Zhu Yue didn’t believe in the idea that people who were bound by blood in their previous lives would be attracted to each other in this one.
However, after observing Ying Feng’s unusual behavior that day, he felt he should be cautious and cut off all possibilities before the two realized the truth. Being grouped with Ying Feng was a golden opportunity. With this in mind, Zhu Yue already had a plan in secret.
After class, back in the dormitory, Zhu Yue eagerly logged onto the Tianyuan Network. He had been saving money for a time like this.
The sign that said “Everything Sold Here” was still there, untouched. Zhu Yue believed that only Zhen He could help, given his knack for acquiring rare items.
“Welcome back,” greeted Zhen He, seeing it was Zhu Yue. “A returning customer! Were you satisfied with the information I provided last time?”
Zhu Yue, without bothering to make small talk, slapped his card onto the counter. “I want to buy something.”
“People who come here always do.” Zhen He, typically nonchalant with familiar customers, joked, “Or did you come to see if I’m available for a date?”
“I’m certain you have what I need. If not, I’ll tear down that sign of yours.”
“Oh, scary,” Zhen He responded with exaggerated fear. “Let’s hear it.”
“Do you know about the suppressant that awakened fledglings need to inject if they want to participate in an outdoor field practice?”
Zhen He laughed. “I’ve been awakened for thirteen years. Do you think I wouldn’t know?”
“Good. I need a drug that can neutralize this suppressant. No, better yet, something that can cause a surge in sex hormones.”
“You’re basically describing a type of aphrodisiac,” Zhen He deduced.
“What’s that?” Zhu Yue had never heard the term.
“It’s a foreign term. Its function is as you described. However, there’s no such thing for the people of Tianxiu, and alien aphrodisiacs don’t work on us.”
Thinking that Zhen He implied they didn’t have it, Zhu Yue’s face darkened.
“However,” Zhen He’s tone changed, “there’s a substance that’s quite similar, an extract.”
“Extract?”
“Once, a genius researcher developed a drug called ‘Embers’ to boost human combat potential. This extract is a byproduct of ‘Embers’.”
“Embers?” This time, Zhu Yue was familiar. “I’ve heard of it.”
“When it was first developed, ‘Embers’ had severe side effects, causing an excess of sex hormones. Researchers found a catalyst in ‘Embers’ that caused this surge and isolated it, leading to a refined version of the drug.”
“And what happened to the extracted substance?” Zhu Yue asked with anticipation.
“It’s worthless for Tianxiu people; it’s typically treated as chemical waste. No one uses it, and there’s no reason to. Even adults wouldn’t resort to such crude methods for arousal. Fledglings have even less use.”
Zhu Yue happily pushed his card forward. “You can charge everything on the card. I need that substance, and I need it by the day after tomorrow.”
Zhen He readily took the card. “One day. Come back at this time tomorrow to get it.”
“You’re not going to ask what I need it for?” Zhu Yue was cautious.
“I do business, and I only take money. I don’t ask reasons. As long as you can pay, I’ll sell. What you do with it is none of my concern, and I won’t disclose any information. However, you can’t ask how I acquired it, and you can’t tell anyone you got it from me. Do you accept these terms?”
“Deal!”
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao was closely examining a small glass vial in his hand, containing a bright orange liquid. He found it while packing.
‘Just as a precaution…’ Ling Xiao thought, fetching a compact syringe from his drawer.
……
The annual field practice had finally arrived. The four classes of tenth grade split into two groups: two classes headed to the coast, while the class Ling Xiao belonged to went inland.
Every young student was extremely excited. On the way there, riding on their flying vehicles, they chattered non-stop. Their excitement didn’t subside even when they reached the destination, causing the instructor to expend a lot of energy to maintain order.
“Quiet! Quiet! This is a militarized field practice, not a casual picnic. What do you think you’re doing, making such a racket?”
He repeated this several times before the group finally quieted down.
“Now, roll call. Students of Team A…”
After roll-calling all four teams, Ying Feng and Ling Xiao were assigned to Teams A and B respectively. Although the members of Team A were encouraged by having the powerful Ying Feng on their side, they also expressed dissatisfaction with the presence of Zhu Yue.
“Though the second weakest in terms of combat ability, at least he’s a positive number. Unlike someone, who’s basically a negative,” said a student from Team A without naming anyone, but everyone knew who he meant.
“If he had self-awareness, he wouldn’t get involved and would just wait on the side. Otherwise, Ying Feng will have to take care of him. He’s just a burden,” said another more bluntly.
Zhu Yue heard all of this and held his tongue. It wasn’t the time to argue with anyone. He had risked not taking the suppressant to participate in this field trip, not to pick fights here. He secretly reached into his pocket, tightly gripping the bottle inside, thinking, ‘Once I achieve my goal, I won’t care what any of you say.’
The instructor led everyone to the designated camping site, and the students chose their spots, setting up tents in pairs.
The tent for Ying Feng’s group was mostly set up by him alone. In order not to seem useless, Zhu Yue volunteered to decorate the inside.
Zhu Yue accidentally spotted something familiar in Ying Feng’s open bag. Seeing Ying Feng wasn’t around, he secretly examined the spray bottle, comparing it with his own, and confirmed that even the labels were identical.
However, he quickly remembered that Zhen He had disguised the medicine he gave him, saying this way it wouldn’t be easily discovered. This meant Ying Feng’s was the real thing, while his was just a different substance in the same bottle.
“What are you doing?”
Ying Feng’s voice came from behind, startling Zhu Yue, causing both bottles to fall. He quickly picked up one and threw it back into Ying Feng’s bag, hiding the other behind him, turning around nervously. “No-nothing…”
Ying Feng, finding this suspicious, asked, “Why touch my stuff?”
“I… I just accidentally saw something in your bag that looked like mine, so I got curious… I didn’t mean to pry,” Zhu Yue quickly added.
Ying Feng skeptically took out the suppressant spray from his bag. “You mean this?”
Zhu Yue, not knowing what the real content of the bottle was, just nodded.
After some thought and observing Zhu Yue’s guilty demeanor, Ying Feng seemed to understand a lot.
“You’ve officially entered the awakening phase, haven’t you?”
“Ah? Yes…” Knowing he couldn’t hide the truth, Zhu Yue confessed.
“You didn’t inject the suppressant, yet you dared to join this field trip?” Ying Feng pinpointed the issue. “This spray is for emergencies. So you brought it just in case?”
“I did take it!” Zhu Yue lied reflexively.
Ying Feng didn’t want to argue further. “Whether you take it or not, keep your distance from me. I don’t want to lose this opportunity because of you. If you can’t, I’ll request a medical check on you now. They’ll know if you’re telling the truth or lying.”
Zhu Yue stepped back, his head lowered, eyes darting, implicitly acknowledging Ying Feng’s suspicions.
Ying Feng pocketed the spray and left.
From Ling Xiao’s tent, he could see everything happening at Ying Feng’s site. He saw Zhu Yue enter, then Ying Feng. He didn’t know what they were doing inside but was relieved when Ying Feng came out.
When he realized he was behaving like a voyeur, Ying Feng had already noticed him. Ling Xiao tried to look nonchalant, pretending to admire the scenery.
“What are you looking at?” A slap landed on Ling Xiao’s shoulder, startling him.
Ling Xiao turned his head to see that it was Ting Lei who had slapped him. “You scared me to death.”
“The instructor has called for assembly. What are you dazing about?”
Lost in his thoughts, Ling Xiao hadn’t heard the whistle. Now, he followed Ting Lei to the assembly point. Members from all four teams had arrived, and the instructor began to introduce the training content for the first day.
“Today is the first day of the field practice. Our focus will be on warming up and adapting to the outdoor terrain. We have marked the boundaries, and within these markers, everyone is free to move.”
Walking among the crowd, the instructor continued, “As we all know, every creature has a weakness. Different creatures have different vulnerabilities, but there’s one common weakness: the heart.”
“For the people of Tianxiu, compared to other races, our recovery ability is faster. If necessary, we can even abandon some body parts to protect ourselves. Even if we lose an arm, advanced medical equipment can help us regenerate. But the heart is different. Our heart is as vulnerable as other races. Once attacked, it can result in temporary combat incapacity or even be fatal.”
“Therefore, the heart is a critical area everyone needs to protect. It’s also the main target when attacking the enemy. Learning to protect oneself, while spending the least effort and killing the enemy at the fastest speed, is what we will train for today.”
The instructor pointed to a pile of devices on the ground. “These are scoring devices. Everyone will wear one on their chest. The red button on it is the stop key.”
“Everyone starts with a score of 1 point. When you press the stop key on someone else’s chest, you’ll get all their points. The person whose stop key is pressed will be out. Anyone crossing the marked boundaries will also be out, and their points will be evenly distributed to the remaining three teams.”
“We have sixty-four participants. The battle time is three hours, or until there’s only one person left on the field. Whether you choose to beat everyone and gain all the points or hide and save your points for the team is up to you.”
“Any questions?”
“No!” Everyone responded in unison.
“Now, each team occupies a direction. When the light on the scoring device lights up, the battle can begin. Everyone, take your positions!”
At the command, members from all four teams swiftly moved in different directions. Ying Feng led Team A and only stopped when he found a relatively safe area. One by one, his teammates arrived.
“Do we have any tactics?” A classmate instinctively regarded Ying Feng as the team leader.
But as a lone ranger, Ying Feng had only one strategy.
“Protect yourself, take down the enemy.”
The light on everyone’s chest lit up, and the number on the LCD screen jumped from 0 to 1.
“Let’s go.” Ying Feng took a step, and Zhu Yue arrived hurriedly.
Without commenting on Zhu Yue’s speed, Ying Feng never expected to retain his point from the beginning. He just wondered which team would get him first.
As Ying Feng was about to bypass him, Zhu Yue spoke.
“I’ll try my best to protect myself and not be a burden.”
Ying Feng, who had walked a few steps away, came back upon hearing this.
“Do you really not want to be a drag?”
Thinking he had gained Ying Feng’s attention, Zhu Yue bravely puffed out his chest.
“Yes!”
“Do you want to contribute to the team?”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Ying Feng raised his hand and pressed the stop key on Zhu Yue’s chest. Zhu Yue’s score immediately changed to 0, while Ying Feng’s became 2.
He Xiaowei shouted, saying that he had found two bullets. After Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong failed to find anything in Room 701, they went to the corridor to look, leaving Zhou Qian alone to search the room.
After seeing the bullets, Gao Shan noticed that Situ Qing raised her hand, holding a bell, and approached the door of Room 3.
She seemed to be constantly tapping and knocking in the corridor, checking every tile. Now, she was inspecting the gaps between every two rooms. Finally, she focused her attention on the doors of the 12 rooms themselves.
Approaching the door of Room 3, Situ Qing took a sniff and then asked, “Do you smell anything unusual?”
He Xiaowei was the first to respond, “Huh? What smell? All I can taste in my mouth is the stench of a corpse and cleaning agent… It’s so pungent. I won’t be doing this job again. I feel like throwing up!”
The door of Room 701 faced Rooms 12, 1, and 2.
Three corpses entered these rooms and died, respectively, and thus all were piled up on this half of the circular space.
So Situ Qing turned and walked to the other half of the corridor.
“I noticed that all 12 room doors have a strange smell. There are corpses here; if you can’t smell it, then come with me and sniff there. Actually, this clue I found… should be related to the side quest. Even though I don’t want to solve math problems and can give up the side quest at any time, it seems we’ve already found a way to clear the side quest, so let’s give it a try.”
He Xiaowei wiped his hands and, without hesitation, followed Situ Qing.
At this moment, Lu Mengmeng stood up, imitating Situ Qing’s actions, and approached the door of Room 3.
He gently held the door and carefully leaned his hand over. He made a sniffing motion and then said, “The cleaning agent on the floor is indeed very pungent, affecting our sense of smell. But my nose is quite sensitive, and the smell at this door is indeed different.”
Leaving Room 3, Lu Mengmeng went on to smell the doors of Rooms 4 and 5.
At this point, the fog in the corridor became a bit thicker. Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wanted to get a clearer view of Lu Mengmeng’s exploration, so they clasped their hands and followed.
Within those two minutes, the corridor hadn’t grown as long as it would later. The five individuals split up and quickly circled around Room 701 before gathering back at its door.
He Xiaowei blinked and said, “There seems to be a scent, quite different from cleaning agents. What do you all think?”
Lu Mengmeng confidently replied, “There is a smell. Every door has a strange odor.”
After discussing briefly, the dense fog started to thicken, and the corridor began to stretch, making the entire circular space grow larger.
At this point, footsteps could be faintly heard near Room 701’s door. He Xiaowei quickly inquired if Zhou Qian was coming out.
Zhou Qian responded, saying he wanted to check Room 7.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei immediately followed.
Once both of them moved away from the vicinity of Room 701, Gao Shan realized he couldn’t see them anymore.
The fog obscuring the view was unsettling.
With this thought, Gao Shan gripped Yun Xiangrong’s fingers even tighter. “Rongrong, be careful.”
Despite being so close, he could barely see her clearly and felt comforted only by holding her hand tightly.
Moments later, after discussing with Yun Xiangrong, the two followed Zhou Qian’s direction to see his results in Room 7.
During this, they could hear faint footsteps from behind, likely Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing following.
In this order, with Zhou Qian leading, followed closely by He Xiaowei, and then Gao, Yun, Lu, and Situ, all six players moved in the same direction towards Room 7.
Due to the heavy fog, even though they knew it was harmless, the psychological burden on Gao Shan and the others increased significantly.
No one took any chances, and they all moved slowly.
Shortly after, while on their way to Rooms 6 and 7, Gao Shan heard Situ Qing’s voice.
The strange dense fog in the corridor seemed to muffle sounds. Even though Situ Qing was just a few steps away, Gao Shan had to focus intently to hear her clearly.
Logically, Zhou Qian should be nearby, but Gao Shan couldn’t discern if he had opened the door to Room 7 or if he had already entered, as he couldn’t hear any sound from Zhou Qian’s direction.
Situ Qing’s voice came in a distant, ethereal manner. “This is just the first side quest of the second-level instance. Actually, deciphering the so-called ‘pattern’ is quite simple. I feel that this whole floor is just full of smoke and mirrors—I suspect the method to pass through is directly written on the door.”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice rang in Gao Shan’s ears. “Do you mean… there are symbols on each door made with some chemical agent, and when the temperature rises or falls, words will appear on them?”
“This floor seems to be a mental space related to Jiang Yuqing. Isn’t Jiang Yuqing a scientist? I think this guess about the chemical agent matches his identity. Moreover, haven’t we all played escape room games? This is a very common trope. I can help you all out.”
As Situ Qing’s cold words fell, Gao Shan felt the sound of crisp bells ringing.
“Jingle jingle jingle…”
” Jingle jingle jingle…”
With the sound of the bells, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.
Snow suddenly began to fall in the corridor. Gao Shan spread his hand and watched a snowflake land in his palm, then melt away. However, he couldn’t see the other snowflakes clearly. As soon as they landed, they disappeared into the fog.
The temperature rapidly dropped, and soon after, from the direction of Room 6, faint sounds from Lu Mengmeng could be heard. Even though he wasn’t far away, the weird fog made the sound seem as if it came from the clouds.
Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, followed the sound and saw Lu Mengmeng standing in front of a door not far away. Due to the thick fog, only when they approached the door did Gao Shan realize that there was a symbol on it that hadn’t been there before—an “S”.
“I am an assassin, and I’m very fast. To save time, I will check all the rooms for you.” After saying this, Lu Mengmeng drew a short dagger, and in a flash, he disappeared from Gao Shan’s sight.
“He’s really fast,” Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but exclaim. Just after she spoke, a shadow approached, stopping in place. To their surprise, it was Lu Mengmeng, who had returned. Although he seemed not very strong in attack and appeared weak in defense, holding the dagger made him move faster than Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong could imagine.
Lu Mengmeng quickly said, “I found it! On the 12 doors, each door has a secret! Rooms 3 4 5 6 7 all have an ‘S’ on the door, and the other seven rooms all have a ‘7’. So, so…”
“I get it! Even though we haven’t found a specific clue related to status or the story plot, we can find the answer from the demonstrations of those three janitors!”
“Firstly, rooms 6 and 7 are definitely safe! Didn’t Zhou Qian say that Room 7 is safe? He’s going to Room 7! I just searched and didn’t find him, which means he’s already in Room 7, searching for evidence. But he didn’t die! So, Room 7 is safe, and so is Room 6!”
Lu Mengmeng’s voice became excited. “Rooms 6 and 7 are safe; their doors have the ‘S’… Since 3 4 5 6 7 all have ‘S’, but other rooms have ‘7’, we can infer from this that the squad with the ‘S’ rank is lower in status than the squad with ‘7’. So, 3 4 5 6 7 are safe rooms! Zhou Qian has already entered Room 7. Let’s go into Room 6 now!”
With that, in the fog, Gao Shan faintly saw Lu Mengmeng turn and head towards Room 6. He was about to push the door but hesitated and seemed to turn his head, possibly looking at Gao Shan. “I’m a bit scared on my own, how about we go together—”
“No, stop!” This voice was Yun Xiangrong’s. She said seriously, “This symbol on the door is strange, it’s definitely a trap!”
Not understanding his girlfriend’s meaning, Gao Shan immediately asked her, “What’s wrong?”
Yun Xiangrong explained the conditions set by the system for the players. “…So, Shan Ge, the safe rooms change. They can’t be constant. We need to find what will cause the gunman’s status to drop; only then can we solve the puzzle.”
“I see…” Gao Shan’s eyes sharpened, and he immediately took a step towards Room 6, saying in a stern voice, “Lu Mengmeng, stop! Don’t go in!”
“Ah, ah, oh… okay… so that’s how it is…”
From in front of Room 6’s door came such a voice from Lu Mengmeng.
After that, Gao Shan couldn’t hear anything.
Gao Shan felt that what Lu Mengmeng said was strange.
Logically, he almost died when he nearly entered Room 6; his voice should be filled with relief from having a narrow escape from death, or maybe filled with fear and afterthoughts. Yet, for some reason, Gao Shan sensed a hint of disappointment and hesitation in his words.
After this, for a long time, Gao Shan didn’t hear Lu Mengmeng speak again.
Concerned about his situation, Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, took a few more steps forward and saw the frail figure still in front of Room 6, which reassured him. He shouted, “Lu Mengmeng, are you okay?”
“Cough cough…” After a while, Lu Mengmeng’s voice came. “I’m fine! I was just pondering a question… If everything just said was a trap, then someone is plotting against us? Could it be that the S and 7 were drawn by someone?”
Hearing this, Gao Shan leaned close to Yun Xiangrong, their foreheads almost touching.
In the thick fog, at such a close distance, they could see each other’s eyes.
Their understanding was impeccable, and Gao Shan grasped Yun Xiangrong’s meaning—the one who plotted against everyone is probably Situ Qing. After all, she had been wandering the corridor from the beginning, had ample time to fabricate clues, and was the first to claim that there was a chemical smell on the door.
Gao Shan replied, “That’s probably it. Someone wants us dead.”
Then he heard Lu Mengmeng say doubtfully, “But… who is it? Who would do this? What is their purpose? But… regardless, I’ll look for clues. This space is getting bigger. You’re too slow. I still have MP, so leave it to me. I’ll quickly run around the corridor and check all 12 doors to see if there are any traces that reveal the identity of the plotter. Someone so malicious… I must find them!”
After saying this, Lu Mengmeng used his skill again; his shadow flickered and disappeared in front of Gao Shan.
Holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand tightly, Gao Shan frowned and said, “This is really strange. Why does Situ Qing want to kill us? What does she gain from killing everyone?”
At that moment, they heard a faint noise from the side.
However, as the entire space was continuously expanding, standing at the entrance of Room 6, they couldn’t immediately determine whether the sound was coming from the adjacent Room 7 or somewhere farther away.
Yun Xiangrong, sensing something, pulled Gao Shan in the direction of the noise and whispered, “Killing us doesn’t make sense; maybe Situ Qing is targeting Zhou Qian.”
Gao Shan frowned. “Why?”
Yun Xiangrong said, “Our game video can be seen by Rank S players and high-level gamblers. I believe we didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know about He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng, so let’s not discuss them. But Dong Xiang’s death had something to do with Zhou Qian. Maybe someone hired the Rank C Situ Qing to kill Zhou Qian for revenge on behalf of Dong Xiang. Otherwise, why would she, a Rank C player who claims to have no interest in hidden instances, come here?”
“Right! That’s probably it! She wants to kill Zhou Qian!”
Gao Shan immediately became serious and pulled out his shield. “Zhou Qian wasn’t fooled by the traps she set on the doors. So, she might use direct force. Now, with this thick fog, it’s a good opportunity for her to act!”
“Jingle jingle jingle…”
“Jingle jingle jingle—”
The bell rang again.
Gao Shan felt Yun Xiangrong grip his hand tighter. “The previous snowstorm was a smokescreen by Situ Qing. Based on her previous actions, we might think her bell is continuing to lower the temperature using a skill. But her real intention is to kill with her skill. This is a bell that can kill!”
Listening to his girlfriend, Gao Shan felt the bell ringing all around; its continuous “jingle jingle” sound was so distracting that it could drive someone mad. Meanwhile, snow seemed to be gathering, forming a visible shadow in the fog.
After a glance at Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan took her hand, and together they followed the sound of the bell and the snow, moving through the fog.
After a while, a massive snowball formed from the swirling snow, directly hitting the direction of a door. Approaching quickly, Gao Shan noticed a “7” carved on that door.
That was Zhou Qian’s room!
He should be searching for evidence inside right now.
The Ice Queen Situ Qing had unleashed a powerful attack on him; she was trying to kill him!
Thinking of this, Gao Shan released Yun Xiangrong’s hand and raised his shield with both hands. “I’ll rush into the room and unleash my power, helping Zhou Qian block some of it!”
“Wait, Shan Ge, I…”
Yun Xiangrong felt something was amiss, but her thoughts lagged behind her instinct. She couldn’t immediately articulate her concerns.
In truth, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
No matter if the other rooms could be entered, Zhou Qian just said he entered Room 7. Room 7 should indeed be relatively safe…
“Rongrong, we need to save him. First, it’s in my nature not to stand by and watch someone die. Second, we genuinely need his help to move forward.”
Turning back to Yun Xiangrong with a smile, Gao Shan said, “Sorry, I’m not smart enough to guide you smoothly all the way to the end by myself. Fortunately, we met Zhou Qian. I believe he can lead us all the way, achieving hidden accomplishments, earning gold coins, and eventually… obtaining what you desire most.”
“Shan Ge…”
Yun Xiangrong’s eyes widened.
The next moment, a giant ice ball fiercely smashed towards the door of Room 7.
Fearful that the Ice Queen’s powerful attack would harm Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan pushed her aside and quickly charged into Room 7 with his shield raised—
“Bang!”
The sound of a bullet firing.
……
Time rewound to that moment.
Zhou Qian quickly pulls open the door and looks to the side.
Through the dense fog, he vaguely saw a figure rushing out. The situation resembled that of the previous three cleaners. The shadow fell heavily onto the ground. What followed was an ear-piercing, heart-wrenching cry of despair from a woman, which sent shivers down one’s spine…
Without the time to identify the face of the figure, the combination of his silhouette and the despairing cry echoing in the corridor made Zhou Qian’s heart skip a beat. He roughly inferred what had transpired.
Reacting swiftly, his first action was to draw out the [Rib of God], utilizing the unique ability of this weapon.
Yun Xiangrong’s crying became incredibly elongated, but her pace towards Gao Shan never arrived.
The corridor, walls, and ceiling all began distorting in the thick fog, and both the corridor’s lengthening and the fog’s thickening became exceedingly slow.
Zhou Qian had decelerated the flow of time.
Everything was slowing down, including Gao Shan’s impending death. The blood from his gunshot wound almost stopped flowing.
Within this space, the only person seemingly standing outside of time was Zhou Qian himself.
His first move was to raise his left hand, enter the system’s trading interface, and attempt to contact Qi Liuxing.
He needed Qi Liuxing to send over the [Tick Tock Clock], which had the power to resurrect, to save Gao Shan.
However, after waiting for a while, there was no response from Qi Liuxing. Given that the ability of the Rib of God had a time limit, Zhou Qian quickly shifted his attention from the system and, clutching the bone in his hand, quickly approached Gao Shan.
Crouching in front of Gao Shan, Zhou Qian held one end of the Rib of God, placing the other end in Gao Shan’s hand.
In this way, Zhou Qian temporarily pulled Gao Shan out of the normal timeline.
Everything around them came to an almost complete standstill.
The only ones who could move and speak were Zhou Qian and Gao Shan.
Lowering his head and peering through the fog, Zhou Qian immediately saw the blood oozing out from Gao Shan. This color, which he despised so much, mixed with a strong scent of iron, made his temples throb uncontrollably.
Some restless element deep within his bones and blood, after repeatedly seeing blood and especially realizing it came from Gao Shan, seemed unable to be suppressed any longer.
The dense fog in front of him was no longer white but appeared blood-red.
Zhou Qian didn’t feel anger or sorrow, only intense irritation.
It felt as if millions of ants had crawled into his bloodstream, causing every nerve in his body to ache. He needed to vent this frustration forcefully.
Previously, when he fell ill in reality, it was always Li Xuehai who rushed over to inject him with a tranquilizer.
But now, inside the game, he didn’t have that tranquilizer.
He could only rely on himself.
Closing his eyes and forcing himself to exhale a long breath that tasted almost like rusty blood, Zhou Qian managed to suppress the surge of discomfort.
Then he quickly spoke to Gao Shan. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t grant you a quick death, making you suffer and talk to me through the pain. But I need to know what happened to you. Tell me everything. I’ll help you take revenge.”
Exhaling slowly, Gao Shan lay on the ground, one hand weakly holding the Rib of God that allowed him to stand outside of time. He spoke softly, recounting everything that had just transpired to Zhou Qian.
Then he said, “I was sure I went to room number 7, why would…”
Zhou Qian quickly looked behind Gao Shan.
The door there had closed again, and the number plate indeed showed a “7”.
But Zhou Qian knew he had entered the real “Room 7”.
The room Gao Shan entered was the deadly “Room 6”.
Someone had swapped the number plates for these rooms!
In that moment, Zhou Qian immediately understood what had happened.
He had previously suspected that Situ Qing had collaborated with someone. Now it seemed that person could only be Lu Mengmeng.
Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng conspired to deceive Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, leading them to the so-called safe Rooms 3 4 5 6 7.
However, Yun Xiangrong was alert and wasn’t fooled.
So the two quickly changed their strategy.
Using the thick fog that obscured vision and affected hearing, and the rooms that changed position because the corridors kept lengthening, they swapped the plates of adjacent rooms 6 and 7, luring Gao Shan into room 6, where a gunman would shoot.
The faint, distant “jingle” sound was made by Situ Qing.
Yun Xiangrong had previously judged that Situ Qing was ringing the bell to kill Zhou Qian.
But she was wrong.
Situ Qing’s real intention was to simply distract Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, disrupting their sense of distance.
The fog and the elongated corridor, combined with the distant and near bell sounds, led Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong to believe they had walked a similar distance in the fog. When they saw a room with a “7”, they didn’t doubt its authenticity and mistook it for Room 7.
The only one who could swap the numbers of these two rooms so quickly was the assassin Lu Mengmeng.
With his exceptional speed and the cover of the fog, he moved swiftly, swapping the numbers, making it incredibly hard to notice.
In the end, the two of them succeeded.
They successfully lured Gao Shan into what he believed was room 7, which was in fact room 6, where he was shot.
However, originally, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t have been deceived.
Deep down, Zhou Qian knew—the reason Gao Shan went to room 7 was to save him.
A brief pause in his gaze, looking through the bleeding Gao Shan, Zhou Qian seemed to see someone else.
Then, looking deeply into Gao Shan’s eyes with utmost seriousness, Zhou Qian said coldly, “Do you know what I hate most? Owing someone a life.”
Struggling to lift his head to look at Zhou Qian, Gao Shan sighed. “Zhou Qian, you said earlier… you would take revenge for me, but I don’t need it. This was my mistake. It has nothing to do with you.”
Zhou Qian stared coldly at him. “What? Even now, you still want to play the good guy?”
The agitation inside him was becoming unbearable.
Zhou Qian’s feelings about joy, sorrow, love, and hate were usually subdued, but now he felt a surge of irritation and anger.
If this continued, his condition might flare up again.
Staring intensely at Gao Shan’s eyes, Zhou Qian said through gritted teeth, “Most people in this world are villains. There are hardly any true good people. In my life, I’ve only met two genuinely good people. One was Bai Zhou, and the other is you.”
Earlier, what Zhou Qian had said to Zhi Liuxing was incorrect.
During the “Apple Paradise” instance, he did try to threaten Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong with a deal. If they didn’t help, he would lure the cultists to them and let everyone die together.
But before he sent that message, he received one from Gao Shan.
Gao Shan said he was worried and had convinced Yun Xiangrong to help. They would be there soon.
At this moment, in this frozen time, even death seemed to have paused.
But Zhou Qian knew it was an illusion, like a fleeting dream.
Soon this brief pause would end.
And the inevitable death would eventually arrive.
Looking at Gao Shan, Zhou Qian said in a very hoarse and deep voice, “I’ve only met two good people in my life. But Bai Zhou is dead, and now you’re dying. It seems that in this world, good people die young, while the wicked live long. So I—”
Gao Shan interjected with a bitter smile, “So, you want to become one of those wicked ones?”
“Right.” Zhou Qian’s fingers clenched the Rib of God so tightly that his veins nearly popped. “So I want to become a bad guy, a villain. I…”
Gao Shan waved it off, immediately cutting him off. “Zhou Qian, I don’t need you to avenge me. Nor do I want Rongrong to seek revenge.”
“Thank you for buying me some time. Using this time, I’ll leave part of my gold and items for you and the rest for Rongrong…”
Taking a deep sigh, Gao Shan continued, “I’m giving you these gold and items to ask you a favor. Rongrong might seem gentle on the outside, but she’s more stubborn than anyone. You must persuade her not to seek revenge for me. Otherwise, I’m afraid she’ll go astray…”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s eyes went dark and deep.
After a moment, he stared at Gao Shan with emotionless eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t convince her. You’re right. She’s very stubborn deep down, and she’ll definitely seek revenge.”
Faced with his impending death, Gao Shan was calm.
But now, he became anxious.
Enduring the severe pain, he reached out and tightly gripped Zhou Qian’s wrist, almost trembling as he spoke, “You… You try to persuade her for me. I know you’re good at convincing people; you have a knack for it…”
“It’s impossible to try and convince Yun Xiangrong to give up on avenging you. So—”
Before Gao Shan could interrupt, Zhou Qian shifted his words, saying something that left Gao Shan stunned.
“Then, let her hate me.”
Zhou Qian said this emotionlessly.
He calmly continued, “Your and Yun Xiangrong’s analysis is wrong. For a scum like Dong Xiang, I don’t believe someone would set up such a scheme for revenge on his behalf. Or rather, someone of his caliber can’t afford to hire Situ Qing.”
“Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng are eerily in sync, suggesting someone else might be pulling the strings.
“So, behind all this, there might even be an organization that’s best not to mess with.”
“Of course, regardless of the truth, the assassins were definitely targeting me.”
“You and Yun Xiangrong got involved because of me. If Yun Xiangrong tries to avenge you alone against such an organization, it’s very risky. So, I promise you, I won’t let her get involved.”
“First, Gao Shan, I’ll try to contact Qi Liuxing to get the ‘Tick Tock Clock’ to save you.”
“If that doesn’t work, I’d ask you to sleep a bit longer and wait for me. I’ll definitely make it to the end of this game and find a way to save you. In the meantime—”
In a tone that sounded utterly indifferent, Zhou Qian said, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me and come after me.”
After a long pause,
The effect of the Rib of God wore off.
Time resumed its normal pace.
In a pool of blood, Gao Shan closed his eyes forever.
And the moment Zhou Qian pulled the Rib of God from Gao Shan—
A faint white shadow floated out of Gao Shan’s body, eventually being absorbed into the bone.
Near the door of room 701, the smell of blood was growing stronger. Three corpses lay nearby, each with a hole torn through their chest. Thick blood flowed from their wounds, gradually creeping towards the door of room 701, even showing signs of seeping into the room.
The side quest “Checks and Balance” seemed like a puzzle about identifying a pattern. The game designer had vividly displayed the puzzle before everyone using the corpses of these three janitors.
On a circular plane, room 701 was at the center. Surrounding it, 12 rooms formed a perfect circle.
Now, the three janitors were labeled as A, B, and C.
Janitor A entered room 12 and died.
Janitor B entered room 1 and died.
Janitor C first went into rooms 6 and 7 safely but died upon entering room 2.
The hints for passing the level were two sentences written on a piece of paper that Zhou Qian obtained by touching a black-and-white photograph. After him, Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, Lu Mengmeng, and He Xiaowei also tried touching the photo in succession, but they couldn’t gather any more clues. The only one who hadn’t touched the photo from the beginning was Situ Qing.
“Arithmetic sequence? Geometric sequence?” He Xiaowei, frustrated, exclaimed in room 701 after scribbling down some calculations. “Damn, I can’t solve this puzzle! Also, what do those two sentences mean?”
Beside him, Yun Xiangrong was also drafting calculations on a piece of paper on the floor. While He Xiaowei attempted to find a pattern among the numbers “1” through “12,” Yun Xiangrong drew a diagram of the rooms, trying to connect specific points and draw diagonals. However, in a short span, she couldn’t identify a reliable pattern and frowned in frustration.
Seeing Yun Xiangrong frown, Gao Shan grew concerned. “Even if we can’t find the pattern quickly… rooms 6 and 7 are safe. Let’s check them first for clues, maybe we can find some evidence. We only have one hour left… I’m afraid time is running out.”
He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, we can go check!”
Yun Xiangrong shook her head, stopping them. “Wait. Let me think…”
She didn’t elaborate further, deeply engrossed in thought, seemingly searching for the key solution, and not yet ready to discuss it with the others.
Lu Mengmeng, who looked pale and frail, slightly opened the door to room 701. “It’s so confusing. Are there any clues outside this room? Should we go out and check?” Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei glanced outside and noticed a faint mist. “What the hell?”
Situ Qing, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke. “This is a common tactic of side quests inside the game, just to distract the players. The side quest is to find evidence inside the rooms. When we open one of the 12 rooms, the mist will flow in and hinder our vision. But apart from that, the mist has no other significance.”
“Wow, you really are worthy of being a Rank C player! Miss, not only are you beautiful, but you’re also so skilled! What do you think about this? Why didn’t you touch the photo earlier? What do you think the pattern is?” He Xiaowei’s barrage of questions came to an abrupt halt under Situ Qing’s cold gaze.
With an arrogant tilt of her chin, Situ Qing stated, “My leveling method involves rapidly completing a large number of instances, accumulating experience points in a short time to level up quickly, enhance my combat capabilities, and earn coins. I don’t care about so-called hidden achievements and item rewards. Hence, I usually focus on the main quest and can give up on the side quests depending on the situation.”
She nodded towards the corridor. “If we can’t find a definite pattern, opening any room out of the 12 might lead to us getting shot. On the other hand, if we don’t open any rooms, we won’t die. The side quest is probably related to a hidden achievement. But, as I said, I don’t care. Don’t ask me about ‘identifying patterns’; I’m not interested in math problems. The secret exit from this space might be hidden somewhere on the corridor walls or beneath a floor tile. I’ll go look for it. I only focus on the main quest.”
What Situ Qing said indeed somewhat shook the morale of everyone to a certain extent.
The time limit for the clearance was only an hour, and if the wrong pattern was identified, people could die. But if they held their forces and did nothing, the players would always be safe.
Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong exchanged glances, both seemingly detecting hesitation in each other’s eyes. But remembering Zhou Qian’s performance in the previous instance, they both turned to look at him.
It would seem out of place if Zhou Qian didn’t do something unexpected.
And indeed, Zhou Qian made a move.
His actions were still eccentric and baffling to the onlookers.
He left Room 701 and headed into the corridor. Surprisingly, he walked towards the cleaning tools casually left on the ground by the three janitors.
Mops, brooms, towels, disinfectants, stain removers, scissors—all sorts of tools were available.
Zhou Qian was rummaging through these tools as if he was searching for something.
Watching him, Uncle He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up.
He Xiaowei immediately approached Zhou Qian and said, “Smart move, bro! Why didn’t I think of that? Right, these tools were brought by NPCs! They must be useful for this side quest! Hahaha… So, did you find any useful tools?”
“No. This blood is really annoying,” Zhou Qian replied. “I just want to clean up.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Gao and Yun: “…”
After selecting his cleaning tools, the first thing Zhou Qian did was actually spray detergent on the floor and then mop it up.
However, after cleaning the blood off the floor, Zhou Qian found three deformed bullet casings near the three bodies. The casings were badly deformed, with significant cracks in some places, and the broken fragments were nowhere to be found.
After a sniper took a shot from a concealed position, the casing would fall near the muzzle of the gun. Typically, to avoid revealing their location, the sniper would toss the casing elsewhere.
It seemed the gunmen in these 12 rooms had the same trait as snipers. When the bodies were removed from the rooms, they also threw out the bullet casings.
After collecting the three casings, Zhou Qian took out a new towel and squatted next to one of the bodies.
Undoubtedly, Zhou Qian’s actions attracted many people’s attention.
Under their gaze, he carefully pierced the victim’s chest wound with scissors. The body was still warm, and the blood hadn’t cooled.
Blood spurted out as Zhou Qian made the incision. Frowning, Zhou Qian wiped the blood with a towel while pushing the scissors further into the chest.
“What… What are you doing?” He Xiaowei blinked and asked.
After a moment, before Zhou Qian could answer, He Xiaowei saw it.
Zhou Qian extracted a bullet from the victim’s chest.
He kept frowning throughout, only relaxing once he had cleaned the blood off the bullet and sprayed it with disinfectant. It turns out that his frown wasn’t because he was dealing with a corpse but because he despised blood.
Once the bullet was cleaned, the engraved symbol on it became very clear.
It was the letter “S”, a mark resembling a snake.
He Xiaowei, who was close enough to see it, exclaimed, “S?! What does that mean?”
“In Jiang Yuqing’s room, everything is related to ‘7’. Their troop number must also be related to ‘7’. So, this ‘S’ might refer to his enemy, but in any case, it’s not from the same unit as his.” Zhou Qian theorized, then with a smile, he added, “Why don’t you help extract the bullets from the other two NPC corpses and see if their bullets also have an ‘S’?”
“Sure,” He Xiaowei readily agreed. “You hate blood, right? Leave it to me.”
With such a ready agreement, He Xiaowei completely thwarted Zhou Qian’s plan to coax him into helping. Zhou Qian paused, then smiled, holding the bullet with the “S” engraving and heading back into Room 701.
Of the other players, many seemed curious about what Zhou Qian intended to do, and Gao Shan quickly followed him. He Xiaowei, on the other hand, took the cleaning tools selected by Zhou Qian and started extracting bullets from the two other bodies in the corridor.
Standing near the room door was Yun Xiangrong, who didn’t immediately follow Gao Shan into the room but observed the other two people in the corridor.
The first one she looked at was Lu Mengmeng. Curious about the bullet, Lu Mengmeng slowly walked over to He Xiaowei to observe. He looked pale and frail, not at all resembling the typical assassin.
Afterwards, Yun Xiangrong looked towards Situ Qing.
In the rather quiet corridor, Situ Qing’s footsteps were very clear. She was pacing back and forth, seemingly trying to find if any of the tiles were hollow, wondering if there might be an exit to leave this space hidden underneath.
At this moment, Yun Xiangrong noticed that Situ Qing took out a bell from her bag and tightly held it in her hand.
This bell must be her weapon. But what does she want to do with it?
She once said she didn’t care about the side quests, so she wouldn’t directly confront those snipers with a 100% accuracy rate. If so, this weapon wasn’t meant to deal with NPCs.
Who is she aiming for? The players?
A chill went down Yun Xiangrong’s spine. She closed her notebook and entered room 701.
……
Inside room 701.
Gao Shan and Zhou Qian stood in front of a seven-tiered bookshelf.
The range of books there was vast.
First, there were medical books covering bandaging, first aid, pharmacology, and even acupuncture and massage. Next, there were many books on physics, mathematics, and mechanics, some even discussing airplanes and train engines. The last section was filled with literature, including ancient texts and modern prose and poetry.
Gao Shan casually flipped through a few books and commented, “Could the clue be hidden here? Every book here is complex! And we only have an hour. If the clue is in one of these books… it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice came from behind him. “Given the limited time, could the clue be related only to the titles? We don’t need to look inside; perhaps the secret lies in the titles?”
“Just looking at titles might not be enough.”
Zhou Qian responded, scrutinizing the bookshelf before adding, “However, you two can search the shelves. Focus on finding something other than books.”
“Something other than books… What do you mean?” Gao Shan inquired.
“Literally what I said.” Zhou Qian blinked at him, intending to leave the room.
“Hold on—” Yun Xiangrong called out to him.
“What is it?” Zhou Qian paused.
Glancing at the corridor outside, Yun Xiangrong approached and closed the door. She then addressed both Zhou Qian and Gao Shan, “I have a feeling… something’s off with Situ Qing. We should be cautious. None of us can match her one-on-one. Let’s avoid being alone with her.”
Curious, Zhou Qian asked, “How did you figure it out?”
“Just intuition. Her aura is too strong. She even blatantly carried her weapon, not hiding her murderous intent at all! I always feel…”
Yun Xiangrong shook her head and continued, “But, a barking dog seldom bites. If she really wanted to kill, she wouldn’t display her aggression so openly. Maybe I’m overthinking.”
It might not be an overthought on Yun Xiangrong’s part. From the earlier group details, Zhou Qian also had suspicions about Situ Qing. If Situ Qing was so openly aggressive, her accomplice could hide their intent.
One in the open, one in the shadows; it was a common strategy.
The one in the open was Situ Qing, so the hidden one was either He Xiaowei or Lu Mengmeng.
Zhou Qian said, “In any case, it’s never wrong to be cautious. Don’t trust anyone, not just Situ Qing. Stay together and don’t split up. It’d be tough for anyone to take down both a tank and a healer in a few moves.”
“Alright, understood,” Gao Shan replied, then asked Zhou Qian, “Earlier, Situ Qing said we could skip side quests. I’ve been considering it since she might have a point. I don’t have a talent for puzzle-solving. Should I consider her approach? Given the game’s current mechanics, coasting through main quests is easier, albeit with lesser experience. But if I grind more than others, leveling up quickly and earning gold, that’s also viable.”
“No. I don’t agree with her,” Zhou Qian answered firmly. “Remember the [Seed of Fire] we obtained? It’s currently useless. But if we achieve hidden achievements from similar quests, obtaining other items, its value might skyrocket. If one can clear the game through sheer combat power, then why design so many plots? I believe we should aim for key hidden achievements to get closer to the game’s ultimate secret. But of course, this is just my suggestion—”
Gao Shan pondered for a moment and said, “Alright. Let me think again… No, there’s no need to think anymore. I’ll listen to you.”
Hearing this, Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but look at Gao Shan with surprise.
Meeting her gaze, Gao Shan patted her head. “Before coming here, didn’t we discuss this? Zhou Qian is quite reliable. We can join his team—”
Turning to Zhou Qian, Gao Shan continued, “We think that although you might be a potential psycho… you indeed have the capability to lead a team. Going solo in this game won’t work. We’re willing to follow you. Since you’ve decided to take the side quests, we can assist you. We’re near the bookshelf now, let’s look for that ‘something other than a book’ you mentioned.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian waved at them and walked out. “I’ll go take a look outside and be back soon.”
…..
Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
Several large draft papers lay in front of Yu Xian, each displaying the floor plan of the 13 rooms he had drawn. Not long after, he gave up, threw his pen away, and took a big gulp of beer.
“Darn it, I can’t figure it out. Qian Ge didn’t even take out a pen; I wonder if he noticed anything… Hey, Qiang Ge, do you have any idea what those two clues mean? What does ‘the lowest ranked cannot kill’ mean?”
“I don’t get it either.” Zhu Qiang opened a bottle of beer for himself.
With a disappointed look, Yu Xian lamented, “Before entering the game, I promised Zhou Qian I’d help him solve the riddles!”
Zhu Qiang: “But this pattern is too complicated. We’re both bad at math, what can we do? Why not… let him try rooms 6 and 7? They must be safe. That male janitor already checked.”
Yu Xian snapped, “You said that two minutes ago! I tried that! I’ve already sent that hint to Zhou Qian! He saw it and didn’t respond!”
Zhu Qiang shrugged. “Then there’s nothing we can do.”
“I… Oh!” Before Yu Xian could finish, he suddenly jumped up and ran to the restroom. “My stomach hurts so much. Was there something wrong with the hot pot today? I’m going to complain…”
Zhu Qiang remarked, “This is your second trip to the restroom. I’ll go to the pharmacy to get some medicine for you… I’ll be right back!”
As Yu Xian headed to the bathroom, Zhu Qiang’s expression turned solemn. He soon left the suite and went into his room next door. Taking a deep breath, he returned a call he had missed earlier.
Before entering the game, Zhu Qiang had secretly made contact with Lu Mengmeng behind Yu Xian’s back. At that time, Lu Mengmeng told Zhu Qiang they had to kill Zhou Qian. Killing Zhou Qian was something Lu Mengmeng had no choice but to do, or else he feared he’d be silenced by Peach Blossom. And if he died, Zhu Qiang would be in deep trouble too.
Recently, Zhu Qiang had been spending recklessly, even visiting the casino. Not only did he not save money, but he also accumulated debt. He had to make sure Lu Mengmeng survived this round. Otherwise, he’d never be able to pay off his debts.
Back then, during their video chat, Lu Mengmeng gave Zhu Qiang a phone number, stating it was from a high-ranking member of Peach Blossom, and that this person would be giving instructions to Zhu Qiang.
At this moment, the call connected, and Zhu Qiang heard a deep magnetic voice, yet it sounded youthful.
Swallowing hard, Zhu Qiang felt a hint of nervousness, then said, “I’ve tried as you instructed, attempting to use Yu Xian to guide Zhou Qian into rooms 6 and 7. But Zhou Qian didn’t fall for it!”
After a few seconds, the man on the other side instructed, “Find a way to get Yu Xian’s phone and send Zhou Qian a message in Yu Xian’s name, saying—
[Qian Ge, my good buddy Qiang Ge, the one you’ve met, is also playing ‘Last Wish’ and is on the same level as you all. They found a hidden clue in a hallway wall, indicating that rooms 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the lowest rank. So, all five rooms are safe!]
While on the phone, Zhu Qiang received the message. His hand trembled. “All five rooms are safe… This clue, you made it up, right?”
The man laughed. “Of course I did.”
After a brief pause, the man went on to further explain to Zhu Qiang, “The hint from the handsome man in the Republic era picture is, ‘The lowest ranked cannot kill’ and ‘Balance of power is the only solution’.”
“These lines can be interpreted easily. There are 12 gunmen in 12 rooms, and their ranks are not equal. The lowest ranked among them cannot shoot and kill. Therefore, his room would be safe. The challenge then is to determine which room that is.”
Zhu Qiang pondered and said, “I see…”
The man continued, “So, I’ll have my player create a false clue related to ‘rank’ to mislead others. Of course, she will pretend that the clue was found inside a fake wall or hollow floor tile in the hallway. The false clue will suggest, metaphorically, that the ranks of the five rooms are very low. These rooms are 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The cleaner had personally tested rooms 6 and 7 and confirmed they are safe.”
“Therefore, first, there’s the false clue in the corridor; second, the NPC’s personal trial; and third, false external information provided by gamblers. With these three combined, they’re bound to fall for it.”
Zhu Qiang swallowed hard. “Wait, I have a question.”
The man said, “Go ahead.”
Zhu Qiang nervously asked, “You’ve prepared the fake clue… So, have you already discerned the real ‘pattern’ of those 12 rooms?”
The man confidently replied, “Of course. I’ve figured it out.”
After hesitating a bit, Zhu Qiang said, “You might not be aware, but Zhou Qian is really clever. Even if he doesn’t show it, I feel like he might have figured it out just like you did. So, if I send this fake clue to him, he will be suspicious! He will doubt either Yu Xian himself or me! Then, not only will we fail to kill him in this side quest, but we’ll also alert him. It’ll be difficult to kill him afterward because he won’t fall for false information anymore!”
“Hmm. You, rookie gambler… quite interesting.” The man chuckled but didn’t refute Zhu Qiang’s words. After a while, he said, “Alright, don’t send the message to Zhou Qian. Tell me first, what did Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, and Zhou Qian do in the room?”
Zhu Qiang then recounted the entire conversation between the three.
The man responded, “Understood. So, they’ve indeed formed an alliance. In that case, forward the fake message and clue I sent you to your player, Lu Mengmeng.”
“Lu Mengmeng? How can I lead him to his death?” Zhu Qiang exclaimed in distress; his back soaked in sweat.
The young man responded, “Of course, we’re not leading Lu Mengmeng to death. Tell him it’s a fake message. Then, have Lu Mengmeng make Gao Shan believe it’s real, leading him to any of those five rooms, say room number 6.”
“You… you want to kill Gao Shan?” Zhu Qiang’s face turned pale.
“Yes. Killing a healer isn’t very beneficial. She can only heal so much, and she seems clever enough not to fall for it easily,” the man said. “I anticipate danger in the later stages of this instance. It’s best to get rid of Zhou Qian, the main tank, first.”
Zhu Qiang remained silent for a long while. Finally, he asked, “You figured out the ‘pattern’ so quickly just by looking at a mobile screen? How did you determine which rooms are ‘lowest ranked’?”
The man replied, “Exactly. This challenge can be difficult or simple depending on how you view it.”
Zhu Qiang said, “I have no idea how to clear it…”
The man smiled. “Then you have to trust my abilities, trust the capabilities of our Peach Blossom. Believe that you haven’t chosen the wrong side and that following us is the right choice.”
For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Zhu Qiang felt a chilling sensation. Trembling, he said, “Who are you gambling for? He Xiaowei doesn’t seem like it… It must be Situ Qing, right?! You are Si Tu Qing’s gambler!”
“Yes, Situ Qing’s role is to attract all suspicions on the surface. When everyone is wary of her… the one striking in the shadows will be Lu Mengmeng. We will coordinate well. Furthermore, you should know that I am the puppet master behind all of you.”
Holding the receiver tightly, the man’s voice slithered into Zhu Qiang’s ear like a venomous snake.
“I control you through the phone, control Situ Qing through the gambler system, and indirectly control Lu Mengmeng through both of you…”
“All of you must follow my orders.”
“Zhu Qiang, don’t feel guilty. Get rid of your conscience completely. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle it.”
“Remember my instructions. Guide Gao Shan to Room 6 as I taught you.”
……
Inside the game.
Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong were flipping through books in front of a bookshelf, while Zhou Qian went out and took another round around room 701.
Starting from room 12, which was directly opposite the door of room 701, Zhou Qian walked at a rather slow pace, eventually returning to room 12, as if calculating something in his mind.
After completing a round, Zhou Qian returned to room 701.
Inside, Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan were still flipping through books.
Zhou Qian casually asked them, “Did you find anything?”
They both responded quickly.
“Judging by the titles, Jiang Yuqing seems to be a physicist. I skimmed the physics books here; they are filled with his notes and formulas. These notes are very specialized. If you don’t study this, you can’t understand.”
“In addition, he seems to have read medical books quite seriously, making many notes. But compared to the physics books, his medical notes seem a bit naive; he seems like a layman in the field of medicine.”
“His math notes are still very professional. Of course, if he’s a physicist, he would need to be proficient in mathematics.”
“Furthermore, he seems to be good at mechanics, especially in areas like kinematics.”
“Wait a minute—” Zhou Qian interrupted. “Did you find any clues apart from the books?”
Yun Xiangrong replied, “No, I flipped through the books and let Gao Shan search around. There are really only books on these shelves. Even after flipping through many books, there were no postcards or any letters.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian looked around the room. The room’s layout was rather simple. He went forward and casually opened a bedside table, only to find it empty.
“There probably isn’t anything in this room. Apart from the bookshelf and two bedside tables, everything can be seen at a glance. What exactly are you looking for?”
Just as Yun Xiangrong finished speaking, He Xiaowei’s voice came from outside.
“Damn, I finally dug out two bullets! It was so hard. Searching around someone’s corpse… I never want to do such a thing again; it’s too disgusting.”
“Let’s see if those two bullets are also marked ‘S’?” Yun Xiangrong looked at Gao Shan and Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian said, “You guys go first. I’ll be right there.”
Thus, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong left together.
Zhou Qian stayed in the room, continuing to search for clues.
However, after opening both bedside tables, he found nothing.
As Yun Xiangrong said, the room’s layout was simple, and apart from the two cabinets and bookshelf, there was no place to hide anything.
But then…
Zhou Qian turned his head to look at Jiang Yuqing.
The elderly man had only three days to live.
At the moment, he was deep asleep on the bed, completely unaware of the outside world.
Zhou Qian looked at him, stepped closer, bent down, and closely examined his wrinkled face.
Despite his old age, he wasn’t unattractive, making one wonder how handsome he must have been in his youth.
So, could the thing I’m looking for be hidden on you?
Approaching the bed, Zhou Qian bent down, reached over Jiang Yuqing, and lightly touched the space beside his pillow.
He gently patted the empty space beside Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, as if trying to wake up a sleeping child. With no response, Zhou Qian patted several more times and then lightly pushed his shoulder.
This action was effective.
Jiang Yuqing stretched out his hands and quickly waved them towards the other side of the pillow, as if playing a game in his dream. With this movement, he slowly turned to his side and curled up, freeing up most of the bed and half the pillow.
Zhou Qian immediately sat down on the vacant spot on the bed, moving his hand back and forth on the bedding.
After finding nothing, he lifted the pillow.
This time, he was rewarded.
“Thankfully, it was hidden under the pillow and not on you. Otherwise, having to strip you down and wake you up might have caused trouble.”
Zhou Qian muttered to himself while staring at Jiang Yuqing, then quickly reached under the pillow and pulled out the object he had been searching for.
It was also a bullet. But a complete bullet with its casing intact.
There was a letter engraved on the bullet, still the letter “S”.
Finding this, Zhou Qian could confirm—he had indeed found the pattern to crack this level.
He pocketed the bullet and took a deep look at Jiang Yuqing, who was lying on the bed, before exiting the room.
After leaving Room 701, Zhou Qian noticed that the mist in the corridor had become much thicker.
He could barely see the bodies of three cleaners nearby.
At this moment, the other five players were busy in the corridor, seemingly searching for other clues.
Zhou Qian overheard He Xiaowei saying, “I can’t see clearly… Did Zhou Qian come out? I cleaned the other two bullets. They both have an ‘S’ on them.”
“Mm. I know.” Zhou Qian walked past the crowd and turned left.
“Hey, where are you going?” He Xiaowei asked.
Zhou Qian simply replied, “I’ll try Room 7. If I succeed, I’ll tell you how to pass this level.”
“Damn, bro, impressive! You’re going for results before explaining. Good on you! Hahaha.”
He Xiaowei, while praising Zhou Qian, followed him. “I’ll come with you. If you get shot and die, I’ll take care of your body!”
Of course, after saying this and getting a cold glare from Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei immediately refrained from joking around.
Zhou Qian’s gaze was chilling.
Turning his head, Zhou Qian continued walking. He found that the corridor had mysteriously lengthened, making his walk from Room 701 to Room 12 take longer than before.
As he walked, the mist got even denser.
He could sense He Xiaowei close by, but when he turned, he could barely see him. Moreover, although He Xiaowei, being a burly man, usually had loud footsteps, now his steps were as quiet as a whisper, almost inaudible.
The lengthened corridor and thickened mist were added challenges for this level.
Considering this, even without figuring out the “pattern”, searching all 12 rooms for evidence within an hour wasn’t easy.
After a long while, Zhou Qian finally stopped between Rooms 6 and 7.
……
Outside the game, in a presidential suite of a hotel.
After using the bathroom, Yu Xian returned to his room to find that Zhu Qiang was gone.
Assuming that Zhu Qiang went to buy some medicine, Yu Xian waited patiently with his phone. When Zhou Qian approached Rooms 6 and 7, Zhu Qiang finally returned.
As soon as Zhu Qiang entered, Yu Xian urgently called him over. “Come here quickly! Look! Isn’t it weird? We said before that the cleaner had been to Rooms 6 and 7, personally verified, and they’re totally safe!
“I even sent Zhou Qian a hint as you suggested! But he didn’t go!”
“He didn’t, and neither did anyone else… but now he’s trying to enter these two rooms!”
Zhu Qiang looked at the phone screen and saw Zhou Qian indeed standing in front of Rooms 6 and 7.
A moment later, Zhu Qiang’s expression changed. Yu Xian, sensing this, asked, “What is it? Did you think of something?”
Zhu Qiang said, “I just realized something crucial…”
“What is it?” Yu Xian asked impatiently.
Zhu Qiang continued, “In this floor’s 12 rooms, there’s a gunman in each one. From the hints the players received, the gunmen can only kill under specific conditions, when their rank is not the lowest.”
“But have you noticed the system’s level description?”
“Level description?” Yu Xian thought for a moment and exclaimed, “Yes! The system mentioned… in this level, all 12 rooms have evidence. Players need to collect all the evidence to clear the level!”
Zhu Qiang added, “Exactly. What does that mean? It means that the players have to visit all 12 rooms. And what does that imply?”
After a moment, Yu Xian realized. “Ah, I get it! This means that no room is ever completely safe! The safe rooms keep changing, right? The safe room, in some pattern, appears consecutively among the 12 rooms? Players need to find this changing pattern to go through all the rooms! Fuck, this is so difficult!”
In the 12 rooms, each one hid a gunman.
Whether the gunman would fire depended on whether his rank was the lowest or not. There might be some hidden conditions that would lead to a change in their rank. Once the rank among the gunmen changed, which one, or which rooms were safe, was no longer a constant but a variable.
Players needed to find the pattern related to this variable.
Zhu Qiang explained to Yu Xian, “Right. When the rank is the lowest, the gunman won’t shoot, making the room safe. But what causes their rank to decrease? That’s the key factor players need to search for. But… I haven’t figured out what this key factor is yet.”
“Holy shit! I don’t care what this factor is! All I know is, even if rooms 6 and 7 were safe before, they might not be safe now! But Qian Ge is about to enter! Fuck, I need to warn him!”
Yu Xian, with trembling fingers, picked up his phone. However, before he could send a message, he saw in the game that Zhou Qian walked straight to the door of room 7 and entered.
“God damn it, Qian Ge, please be safe!
“I’ve bet a million this time! If something happens to you, I’ll be in huge debt!!!”
……
Inside the game, Zhou Qian stepped into room 7.
Following him, the door closed on its own.
“1—”
“2—”
“3.”
Zhou Qian silently counted to three, and nothing happened.
The room was also filled with thick fog, and Zhou Qian could vaguely see a shadow in front of him holding a gun pointed at him.
But after three seconds, the gunman didn’t shoot; he lowered his weapon.
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian smiled at him and started searching the room.
He was looking for the so-called “evidence.”
The room was spacious with seemingly no obstacles, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the evidence. If there was indeed no furniture in the room, the evidence might be just lying somewhere on the floor.
However, given the size of the room and the fog, it still took Zhou Qian quite some time to find it.
After finding the evidence, Zhou Qian examined it closely.
It was also a bullet.
But instead of an “S”, it had the number “7” engraved on it.
A force related to “S”, and one related to “7”…
Was there any gunfire incident between these two?
Before he could think further, Zhou Qian pocketed the bullet and approached the door.
Standing outside the Ling Xiao door was Lan Sheng. It had been exactly one week since Ling Xiao last saw him.
During this week, Lan Sheng was forcibly isolated by the school authorities, and no visits were allowed. Ling Xiao went to Yao Tai twice to see him but was unsuccessful.
The reason Ling Xiao couldn’t guess that the person outside was him was because before this, when Lan Sheng knocked on Ling Xiao’s door, he either slapped or kicked it. He had never been as polite and distant as he was now.
“I’ve come to say goodbye,” Lan Sheng said calmly. Ling Xiao looked stunned. Apart from the color of the pupils, nothing had changed. It was such a familiar face, yet so unfamiliar, he didn’t even know how to react.
Lan Sheng continued, “The school says that a Qizi like me during puberty must go to the mental health control center for treatment. I don’t know how long it will be, but we probably won’t see each other for a while.”
He mentioned his bereavement so lightly, it was like a sledgehammer, heavily hitting Ling Xiao’s heart.
Seeing Ling Xiao’s expression, Lan Sheng smiled slightly. “Don’t worry about me. Since I promised Ping Zong to live with the memory of him, no matter how difficult it is, I will persist. I’ve already broken my promise to be with him for a lifetime once. There won’t be a second time.”
Ling Xiao moved his lips but made no sound.
“Before I leave, I want to give this to you.”
Lan Sheng handed him a black box. Inside was a dagger.
“My dagger has been taken away. This is the only relic of Ping Zong.”
Ling Xiao felt the heavy weight in his hand. “Such a precious thing; why don’t you keep it?”
“Because where I’m going, weapons are not allowed, and I don’t trust anyone else with it. You’re the only one I’m willing to entrust it to. I believe you’ll keep it safe.”
He paused and added, “I’m giving it to you also because I feel responsible for you losing two friends in one day…”
“You didn’t,” Ling Xiao interrupted quickly, his voice choking up. “You’re still alive, and Ping Zong will always be in my heart. I never lost you both, and I never will in the future.”
“I’m surprised you feel that way,” Lan Sheng said. “I used to be so naive, thinking I was more mature than you. But one coming-of-age ceremony changed both of us. Being steps in your growth journey is probably the only consolation for me and Ping Zong. I hope you won’t forget us with this dagger.”
Hearing the metaphor of steps, Ling Xiao almost burst into tears.
Lan Sheng squeezed his hand. “Ling Xiao, even though you were the first to wake up among the three of us, you’ve always been the most carefree. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have missed the fact that Ping Zong and I were together for three years. He cared about you even more than he did me. I’d often pretend to be jealous, but in reality, I’m most worried about you. Thinking that neither of us will be by your side in the future, you might not even know when you’ll awaken or fall in love, and I worry for you.”
“Lan Sheng…”
“Ling Xiao, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, think of me. I’m your example, and you can’t make the mistakes I made. Don’t live in regret.”
Holding back tears, Ling Xiao nodded. “Will we see each other again?”
“As long as you’re willing to wait for me, we’ll reunite. I just don’t know what we’ll look like when we meet again. But I bet you’ll be taller than me.”
Ling Xiao’s voice wavered. “I’ve always been taller than you.”
Lan Sheng stepped forward and hugged him tightly, and Ling Xiao wished he could keep him there forever.
A moment later, the hug ended, and Ling Xiao reluctantly let go.
“Take care,” he said.
“You too.”
After Lan Sheng turned around, Ling Xiao only then noticed two adult males in white uniforms standing not far away. He had seen those uniforms once before. They claimed to come from the Disease Control Center, a mysterious and daunting place.
Ling Xiao had heard stories about people who went there and never returned. He never thought he’d one day witness his best friend heading there.
It was then that Ling Xiao realized why the school allowed Lan Sheng, who had a history of suicidal tendencies, to bring a weapon on his own. He watched Lan Sheng leave with those two men, as if this was their final farewell.
After Lan Sheng left, Ling Xiao was downcast the entire day. Those around him thought he had moved on from that incident, but seeing him like this again, they were all worried. To cheer him up, a few close classmates came up with a dubious plan.
That evening, just as Ling Xiao was preparing to leave for another commitment, he was stopped by a student named Ting Lei from next door. Without any preamble, Ting Lei pushed him into his dorm room.
“Ling Xiao, come here.”
“What are you doing?” Ling Xiao asked in confusion. “I have a training appointment.”
“You train every day. Aren’t you tired? Take a break,” Ting Lei whispered mysteriously, “I’ve got something great.”
“What is it?” Ling Xiao asked, curious about Ting Lei’s secretive behavior.
Before he could finish his question, he was pushed into the room, which was already filled with several others, all huddled around something.
“Hey, Ling Xiao, come see. This is what we got just for your entertainment.”
“You probably wanted it for yourself,” another guy retorted.
“As if you’re not interested,” the first shot back.
Watching them bicker reminded Ling Xiao of his own interactions with Lan Sheng. To distract from his sadness, he quickly sent a message on his device. “I need to message Ying Feng to let him know I won’t be coming.”
“You two are dating?” Ting Lei exclaimed. “I thought you were joking about wanting Ying Feng as your Qizi!”
“What are you talking about?” Ling Xiao paused. “We just train together.”
“So you fall in love by training? And with a Qizi, you gain an ability boost, right? If you really take him, won’t you be unstoppable?”
Ling Xiao tried to change the subject. “Didn’t you want to show me something? What’s so secretive?”
The lights in the room went off, replaced by a projection on the wall. It turned out to be just a movie. In this age of 3D movies, 2D ones had lost their charm, making Ling Xiao wonder why this old-fashioned movie was exciting them so much.
As the movie started, he realized it wasn’t a local production. He couldn’t recognize the film company’s name, and the characters looked like they were from the neighboring Wolfsbane, with darker skin and slightly pointed ears. When the dialogue began, Ling Xiao was taken aback.
Ling Xiao could only patiently continue watching. The person in the projection said a few lines he couldn’t understand, then began to undress.
Ling Xiao: =口=
Now, he finally understood why there was no need for voice dubbing or subtitles. The content of the interactions between the protagonists in the film was so straightforward. However, the way they communicated was so profound and complex for those like them who had no knowledge about sexuality.
The novices, who had never experienced such stimulation, held their breath and stared at the screen without blinking. Even Ling Xiao, who initially showed little interest, was involuntarily captivated.
On the screen, the two main characters were passionately entwined. Just when everyone thought this was the climax of the movie, another person entered the room. They exchanged a few words—this time, Ling Xiao no longer complained about not understanding.
Soon after, the newcomer also joined the fray.
For these kids, their first taste of forbidden fruit was so intense. How could they hold themselves back? They were all parched, flushed, and by the time of the final six-person melee, some of the Wolfsbane people had even transformed, leaving some students dripping in sweat.
“So exhilarating,” one said, licking their lips with satisfaction after the film ended.
“Where did you get such an explosive film?” a classmate curiously asked Ting Lei.
“Don’t tell anyone. I bought it online, spending almost half a month’s living expenses,” Ting Lei replied. Due to inherent conditions, Tianxiu had no adult entertainment industry, and movies of this nature were smuggled in from other galaxies at high costs.
“They sell this in the non-adult section?” They knew they couldn’t access the adult section online.
“There’s a store on the shopping street called ‘Everything Sold Here’. It has many hidden treasures. A worker there found out I was a student from Bikong Academy and even gave me a 10% discount.”
Ling Xiao: …I knew it.
It seemed that Zhen He was indeed a well-known name in Bikong, yet very few knew him personally. And most who met him assumed he was just an intern; unaware he was the owner.
After discussing the origin of the movie, everyone enthusiastically began discussing its content.
“Hey, have any of you experienced what was shown in the movie?”
“Which part?”
“Well…” A classmate hesitated and gestured vaguely. Surprisingly, others understood.
“No.” Several people shook their heads. “Never.”
“It’s only after watching this that I realized that part can also become erect.”
“Yeah, will we become like that in the future?”
“We probably will. We don’t react now, probably because we haven’t awakened yet.”
“I really want to awaken soon…”
“Ling Xiao, what about you?” Ting Lei slapped the daydreaming Ling Xiao.
“Huh? What?”
“Have you… experienced it like in the movie?”
Ling Xiao paused. “No, I’m like you all. I haven’t awakened, so how could I have any physical reaction?”
“Ah,” everyone felt a bit disappointed.
While some wanted to watch the movie again, others planned to visit Zhen He’s store for more films. Ling Xiao didn’t want to accompany them anymore. Making up an excuse, he left. Initially, the others had gathered under the pretext of cheering up Ling Xiao by secretly watching the movie, but now they didn’t bother about him, letting him go.
Ling Xiao returned to his dorm alone. Whether it was because of watching that kind of movie, he felt the room was hotter than usual, and he kept sweating.
After turning down the room’s temperature system, Ling Xiao undressed and stood under the shower. The slightly cooler water felt incredibly refreshing on his skin.
While the physical heat subsided, his mental agitation didn’t. As Ling Xiao washed, he felt something amiss. Looking down, a certain part of him, dormant for a full ten years, was now quite lively, much like what he saw in the movie that night.
Staring at the change in his body, Ling Xiao slowly realized: Have I… awakened?
……
“Your bodily indicators are all normal. Congratulations on officially entering the awakening period. Are you sure you don’t need the inhibitor?”
“No need, thank you, Dr. Yao.”
Yao Tai nodded, opened the door, and escorted the student who had just entered the awakening period out. “As long as you remember the points I mentioned that you need to be careful of during the awakening period, you’ll be fine. Also, you cannot participate in the outdoor field practice organized by the school the day after tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
After the student left, Dr. Yao noticed another person standing outside the door.
“Ling Xiao? Do you need anything?”
Ling Xiao’s attention was entirely drawn to the latter part of Yao Tai’s words. He was unaware of the existence of the inhibitor. He only heard that after entering the awakening period, he couldn’t participate in the outdoor field practice. Knowing that the annual routine outdoor field practice was something he had looked forward to for a long time, there was no way he would give it up for such a reason.
The field practice was only for three days, so delaying reporting for a week… shouldn’t be a problem, right?
With this thought, he quickly shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything.”
Yao Tai looked at his hastily departing figure with some suspicion. Would someone without any problems specifically come to the infirmary?
The author has something to say:
A little tip: Because the people of Tianxiu only have 1v1 mate relationships, they won’t have physiological reactions to anyone other than their mate. Hence, the planet doesn’t have any indigenous adult industries.
After a moment passed, the jade eye reverted to its previous dim appearance. Fortunately, it didn’t continue to absorb qi. Shi Jingzhi held it tightly in his hand, squeezing it until it cracked.
Yin Ci was about to say something when Shi Jingzhi tucked the jade eye into his chest and laughed as if nothing had happened. “We have the key now, thank you all. Let’s rest here for a moment, and tonight we’ll go down the mountain and rendezvous with the rest of the group—the remnants of the Ling Sect and Taiheng are likely investigating the area these past few days.”
With that, he raised his eyebrows and grabbed Yin Ci’s wrist. “This is great news. We found the key to the Shirou. A’Ci, will you accompany me alone? We can wander around on our way and find some fresh wild vegetables to eat.”
On the way, the other three had become accustomed to the master and disciple’s affectionate behavior, so they weren’t surprised by Shi Jingzhi’s words. Moreover, Yan Qing was left here, and Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng had no doubts about him, so they quickly found a clean place to camp. The afternoon sun was slightly warm, and the place was filled with fresh grass and fragrant apricot blossoms, making it perfect for rest.
Yin Ci remained silent, knowing something was off about the jade eye—Shi Jingzhi’s tone was unusually firm. He must have discovered some secret not meant for outsiders.
Shi Jingzhi led him forward, accurately finding the cave in Yan Budu’s memory. In early spring, there was no heavy snow outside the cave as imagined. A hundred years had ground away all love, hate, passion, and grudges, leaving no trace of human activity in the cave. The area was eerily quiet, except for the shockingly green moss at the cave’s mouth.
“What’s going on with the jade eye?” Yin Ci asked bluntly.
Shi Jingzhi didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out slowly, feeling the pulse of life by caressing Yin Ci’s neck. His palm was rough and full of callouses from years of sword practice, gliding lightly over the skin, making Yin Ci feel as if he were being licked by a wild animal.
The sensation was a bizarre mix of creepy and warm intimacy.
Yin Ci seized the hand, considering the possibility of Shi Jingzhi being affected by magic. “Stop messing around. It’s rare to get the support of the Ling Sect, so it’s best to go back early and not arouse suspicion.”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t respond as usual; his eyes were strange.
Those eyes contained curiosity, doubt, and some emotions Yin Ci didn’t understand. Despite the warning, Shi Jingzhi didn’t withdraw his hand but leaned forward, hugging Yin Ci.
“Shh,” he said out of nowhere. “Let’s be quiet for a moment.”
It seemed that the young man had been seriously affected by something earlier—Yin Ci could feel Shi Jingzhi’s warm breath on his neck as he sniffed him carefully. After the soft warmth, a sharp pain followed.
Shi Jingzhi was biting him.
The bite was neither light nor heavy. He felt a delicate pain on the side of his neck, but no blood was drawn. After biting, Shi Jingzhi thoughtfully withdrew his mouth, rubbing against Yin Ci’s neck meaningfully.
He spoke softly. “A’Ci, I think I know the origin of your immortal body.”
After saying this, Shi Jingzhi leaned against the rock wall, explaining the jade eye’s function and what he had seen, without concealing any details.
After describing what he saw to Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi calmly changed the subject, analyzing Yan Budu’s motives as if the shocking anomaly on Yin Ci was just an ordinary clue.
Yin Ci couldn’t take it all in.
Shi Jingzhi’s calm description still echoed in his ears. Although Yin Ci hadn’t seen it himself, he had faced the flesh idol and the tree root giant statue and knew how bizarre the things seen by this man could be.
Just from the description, he was nothing but an exceptionally human-like “flesh statue”, with bare branches as bones and blood roots as flesh. Initially, Yin Ci had a glimmer of hope that maybe he was just an ordinary person who had borne some immortal magic, that he could still revert to a human body.
Yin Ci opened his palm. His palm was like that of other mortals, with fine lines across it. If a fortune teller saw it, perhaps they could even predict the ups and downs of his life.
So human-like.
Unfortunately, in the end, he was indeed not human, or perhaps never was. Was he a monster imitating humans or an artifact created by an immortal for amusement? Were his emotions real or fake? Was his obsession natural?
These thoughts made Yin Ci’s head ache, and memories from hundreds of years ago tumbled in his mind, stirring up a viscous pain. Right, he initially approached Shi Jingzhi to find a way to kill himself. The colorful journey had nearly made him forget that.
[Are you the immortal who will send me off on my last journey?] Shi Jingzhi had once asked him.
…Where in the world would there be such an ignorant and bizarre “immortal”?
It was laughable. Eager to die, he found a hidden clue near this person, regaining a bit of human warmth. After a hundred years, his long life had finally returned to normal, only for the shocking truth of a “demonic monster” to be revealed.
The one who discovered his “true self” happened to be Shi Jingzhi. Fate was playing tricks on him, even staining the last bit of attachment he had.
It was like holding a delicate and fragile glass furnace, fearing to shatter it, only to hear it shatter in the end. It lay before him in pieces, leaving behind only cold relief and emptiness. All his efforts were nothing but an absurd joke.
Yin Ci slowly closed his fingers and clenched his fist. The feeling of despair and emptiness surged again, and the long-absent fierceness was stirring. Amid suppression, the familiar numbness spread from his limbs and slowly flowed into his heart.
People had their own ways of getting along with others, and monsters had theirs; surely Shi Jingzhi would understand this. Even if they were looking for the Shirou, they still needed to maintain a superficial rapprochement; it was time for those ambiguities to end.
He climbed to the edge of the cliff with hands dripping with fresh blood, and with an insouciant step, as though by fate, he was made to fall into the abyss again. In the end, one always lost, so it was better not to have any expectations from the start.
“Yan Budu used the jade eye as the key to the Shirou. Just as you said before, the Shirou isn’t simply a thing to prolong life,” Yin Ci said indifferently while stepping back unnoticeably.
“We had better make preparations on both sides and investigate the Immortal Assembly as soon as possible. Time is limited; we should act separately.”
Shi Jingzhi didn’t answer. He leaned against the rock wall while his amber eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yin Ci. “That won’t do. Without A’Ci around, I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Enough.” Yin Ci stopped him as he tried to lighten the mood, but his tone wasn’t very gentle. “Let’s talk business.”
“This is business. A’Ci, just a few days ago, Master taught you to cherish yourself, and now you’ve forgotten again.”
“You’ve seen my true form, so there’s no need for such words anymore—”
“I saw it, and I’m very happy.” Shi Jingzhi interrupted Yin Ci with a smiling face. “A’Ci isn’t an immortal from the storybooks, isn’t that better?”
He stood on the other side of the cave, completely relaxed, showing no caution in front of the monster.
“In this world, knowing your true form and still loving you so much, only a lunatic like me could do that… I understand you best, I love you the most—is there anything more wonderful than this?”
What was this person talking about?
“When we just entered the cave, I made sure of it. Temperature, smell, taste; you are the ‘Yin Ci’ I’ve always known and haven’t been replaced by anything else. That’s enough. A’Ci, come here.”
Yin Ci didn’t move. He looked at the person before him, who was emitting an aura without any reservation, and his mind went blank.
“Then I’ll come over,” Shi Jingzhi hummed. “I’m your master, after all.”
Shi Jingzhi strolled over to Yin Ci. Just like the first time they met, he smiled warmly. “After all this time, I’ve grown tired of our frivolous back and forth. If A’Ci doesn’t want his own ‘human heart’, then give it to me.”
“Although I can’t promise you for long… No matter what you are, I will watch you till the end.”
His voice was gentle and soft.
“Will you come with me? Being master and disciple is not enough; how about becoming a couple1?”
‘This kid has gone mad,’ Yin Ci thought. But then again, he seemed uniquely insane from the start. Uncharacteristically thrown into confusion, the headaches were piling on top of each other in Yin Ci’s mind. “Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
A trace of grievance flashed across Shi Jingzhi’s face. “Of course. I don’t wish to be so hasty, but if I don’t make my true feelings clear, A’Ci would think of himself as something otherworldly, right? Just because of a mere shell, it’s really not worth it.”
Is this really an issue of a mere shell?
Yin Ci held his temple, feeling somewhat dazed. Just when he thought he was abnormal, this person could show him something even more abnormal. Shi Jingzhi’s problem of not distinguishing between priorities seemed unchangeable.
Yet the palpitations under the lanterns returned at this moment.
If, twenty-four years ago, this person was a nail that pierced his soul and forcibly pinned him to the earthly realm, now, after twenty-four years, the cold, hard nail had transformed into soft threads, weaving a giant web.
Having just fallen into the void, he was suddenly caught in a soft net. This time, he was firmly held in the world. Though the net was sturdy, its sudden appearance left him utterly at a loss.
Yin Ci took a while to catch his breath, and Shi Jingzhi took the opportunity to step forward, stopping in front of him.
He smiled warmly, hiding the little nervousness in his smile quite well. Shi Jingzhi leaned slightly forward, and a bit of light from the cave entrance flowed through his hair, casting a few strands in golden-brown.
The cave was dim, and the light was somewhat dazzling.
Yin Ci held his breath, composed himself, and finally said, “I might have teased you too much earlier. A close relationship doesn’t mean romantic affection. Don’t speak of ‘union1‘ so lightly…”
1Clarity: The word they are using is (连理) which literally means interlocking of branches but figuratively the joining of two people (marriage).
His mind was filled with emotions, leaving no room for anything else. Yin Ci had completely lost his usual ease, while Shi Jingzhi seemed to gain confidence, appearing calm as if they were two different people, only the tips of his ears tinged with a faint red.
“Why does A’Ci keep talking about my matters?” Shi Jingzhi murmured softly, the last trace of tension in his expression disappearing. “If you’re unwilling, just refuse directly.”
Yin Ci turned to stone, just looking at him with his eyes full of complex emotions.
Shi Jingzhi didn’t just wait; he gently lifted a lock of Yin Ci’s hair, as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. Then he took a deep breath and leaned over to kiss Yin Ci’s lips. He moved slowly, giving Yin Ci, with his martial skills, plenty of opportunity to dodge.
Yin Ci didn’t evade.
In an instant, time stopped. The bizarre truths and century-old conspiracies all faded away, turning into a wisp of slightly bitter smoke. Yin Ci felt like a weary wild beast trapped in a gentle snare, and the pain was sweet as honey.
Realizing Yin Ci didn’t resist or retreat, Shi Jingzhi extended both hands, gently caressing Yin Ci’s face, and kissed even deeper. Neither closed their eyes; Shi Jingzhi’s gaze never shifted.
Although they had been ambiguous in their words for days, they had never been this intimate. Yin Ci felt the warmth in his chest as if the once-broken furnace miraculously returned, burning a foreign heat within him. Subconsciously tightening his back, a thin layer of sweat soaked his inner garments.
He had touched countless living things, but this moment felt like the first time he’d been touched by a living being. A simple kiss was more terrifying than the strongest killing intent and more scorching than the most intense flames.
If previous complex emotions were like fallen red leaves, then a spark had turned them into fierce flames.
Yin Ci instinctively grasped the other’s waist, both hands clutching Shi Jingzhi’s clothes, turning the kiss into an almost clumsy embrace. Shi Jingzhi, encouraged, relaxed entirely, his tongue becoming surprisingly skilled. In the dim cave, with bright sunlight outside, the two separated themselves from the world for a moment, stealing a tender moment of intimacy.
“…See, I know the difference between affection and love.”
After a long kiss, the two finally separated. Shi Jingzhi panted slightly, and his smile deepened. His eyes had never been so vibrant, making them impossible to hide.
“What’s your answer?” he asked, narrowing his fox eyes, knowingly.
Yin Ci couldn’t help but give a wry smile. He was probably insane himself, or perhaps he wasn’t desperate enough… or maybe rushing towards the flame was simply the instinct of a moth, as he had long ago etched that longing into his bones and could not let go no matter what. Strangely, Shi Jingzhi’s “knowledge” had transformed from a spear to a shield at this moment, and he didn’t feel the cruelty of fate, but rather felt even more at peace than before.
The burning sensation in his chest not only didn’t dissipate but ignited his entire being. The spring breeze of March seemed chilled, causing his hair to stand on end, as if entering a clear pool.
‘One last time,’ Yin Ci thought. If this was his last rebellion against fate, it didn’t seem bad.
“An answer? Is there any need to ask?”
Yin Ci still held Shi Jingzhi’s waist with his arm, adding a little more force. He deliberately freed one hand, stroking Shi Jingzhi’s lips, feeling that soft warmth again. The latter gently bit his fingertip, and a blush appeared on his face belatedly.
“I won’t be your immortal, nor your monster.” Yin Ci exhaled a long breath. “…And I don’t want to be just your disciple anymore.”
The author has something to say:
The two male guests have finally………………………………
I’ve discovered that every book I write follows the “brother monster” route.
Kinky Thoughts:
Ahh… I always love the writing when Nian Zhong finally awakens her characters’ feelings, but I will say this is reminiscent of Stray (in terms of the writing and tone). This chapter was everything.
The title of this arc is “Seeing the Light of Day Again” (重见天日), which metaphorically means to be liberated or freed from a difficult or oppressive situation or imprisonment.
“Yu Zikuan is not in any serious danger. However, you two have been severely depleted and need to rest for a few months.”
Shi Jingzhi retracted his hand from checking their pulses and addressed Yan Zheng, who was leaning on the head of the bed.
Yin Ci found Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng on the mountainside. The Kushan Sect found an empty house at the foot of the mountain to settle them down. Having been exposed to the Invitation to God Formation for too long, Yan Zheng’s hair had turned completely white, dull and without shine. His body was also emaciated, but he still had the strength to speak. Yu Zikuan, being older and lacking the vigor of youth, was still unconscious.
Yin Ci made some simple medicinal meals and slowly fed them, finally managing to restore some vitality.
“Thank you, Sect Master Shi… What’s the situation outside now?” Yan Zheng asked after hearing the whole story. He exhaled deeply, as if trying to vent years of suppression.
“We are reorganizing the team. Most of the smaller sects have left,” Shi Jingzhi replied softly. “Shen Zhu told me that we lost a few lone rangers and one or two small sects that ran too far. Except for the Ling Sect, the major sects basically suffered no loss.”
“…Mm.” Yan Zheng massaged his brow, showing little joy. “Still, innocent people were involved. We didn’t consider it thoroughly.”
“Look at it this way, without this series of coincidences, the casualties would have been greater. With this casualty rate, it won’t cause chaos in the martial world.”
Yin Ci brought another bowl of sweet rice soup and casually handed a bun to Shi Jingzhi. Their fingertips brushed against each other, causing them both to pause. Yin Ci withdrew his hand, but the warmth and numbness still lingered on his fingertips.
He steadied his mind and used the conversation to distract himself. “Yan Zheng, what are your plans for the future? After this incident, those from the righteous path will surely come to investigate. When the time comes, it will probably be difficult for you and Yu Zikuan to stay here peacefully. It might be better to hide your identities and live quietly.”
Yan Zheng sipped the rice soup, glancing quietly at the unconscious Yu Zikuan.
Right now, the Patriarch had white hair, which, combined with his ghost eyes, made him look more ghostly than before. But with just a glance, the worldly aura around him was thicker than ever.
“Before that, I have some things to do… With the main branch destroyed, those lunatics in the side branches will either proclaim themselves as kings or join other demonic sects. There will be chaos, and Taiheng may not be able to suppress it.”
Yan Zheng looked at the peeling mud wall of the empty house. His eyes were still firm, but the heavy sense of death in them had been swept away.
“It’s not time for the position of ‘the Ling Sect’s Patriarch’ to be vacant. I will finish this mission of eliminating evil from the world. But today’s life saving grace, I will definitely remember in my heart. If the Kushan Sect encounters any danger in the future…”
Shi Jingzhi, with a bun in his mouth, spoke very sincerely. “Don’t worry, I will definitely ask for help.”
They waited for a few days before the Invitation to God Formation stopped working. By that time, most of the martial artists that gathered there had left, the Ling Sect was nearly annihilated, no one was maintaining the formation, and the Fog Tomb Formation gradually dissipated. Without the rolling demonic fog and pedestrians, the vast Zongwu Mountain seemed even more desolated than before.
Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan were genuine masters, and within a few days, despite their physical weakness, they were able to walk. At their strong request, the Kushan Sect temporarily let them stay with them—Su Si was still looking for Lord Bai, and Shen Zhu was scouring for news outside the mountain; it was as if to make up for the lack of manpower.
“I’ve been in Zongwu Mountain for six years. I’m very familiar with the nearby terrain. We can help you find clues and leave after you have found everything,” Yu Zikuan said with a grin. “Maybe by the time you find the ‘Shirou’, we will have cleared out the remnants of the Ling Sect. Sect Master Shi, the next time we meet, we might be colleagues. Hm, it seems like we should prepare a flag in advance…”
As he spoke, he affectionately patted Yan Zheng on the back of the head. Yan Zheng laughed; his smile even seemed a bit shy. Yan Zheng’s white hair was tied high, and his face had regained some color. The hostile aura around him had dissipated, leaving only stability and gentleness.
However, the journey to Zongwu Mountain was still not easy.
Even with the Buddhist records given by the Jianchen Temple and the information from various sects as references, the clues were extremely hard to find. Yu Zikuan saved everyone a lot of detours, but they still spent nearly five days on the mountain. In the end, it was Yin Ci who recognized the general location and found the lonely stone chessboard.
The stone chess board was made of local rocks and wasn’t conspicuous to begin with. Now it was covered with thin soil and moss and looked no different from ordinary rocks. Compared to that dull chessboard, there was an even more noticeable mark—
Near the chessboard, a few apricot trees were blooming splendidly. The tiny, snow-white blossoms scattered a faint fragrance in the damp air. The gentle spring sunshine bathed this tranquil and secluded area. Although it was a burial place, Yin Ci didn’t feel the least bit gloomy.
There was nothing more peaceful than a destination like this.
On the way, Shi Jingzhi roughly explained the matters about Yan Budu and Kongshi. No one made a sound at the moment; they were just quietly looking at the apricot trees adorned with flowers.
Just as Yin Ci was about to move forward, Shi Jingzhi grabbed his wrist. Shi Jingzhi’s expression was serious, and he gently shook his head. “Although there seem to be no traps here, this is Yan Budu’s setup… Yan Qing, take the Sword of Compassion over and have a look, and remember to move slowly.”
Under the Ghost Tomb, Yan Budu had left instructions for his descendants. Yan Qing, with the Sword of Compassion, was double insured, which arguably was the safest of them all.
Yan Qing solemnly nodded, moving slowly toward the chessboard with his sword. He was extra careful not to step on any relics or remains. After slowly moving for half an hour like a snail, Yan Qing finally reached the stone chessboard with visible sweat on his forehead.
Nothing happened.
“I see it. The ‘key’ is still there!” Yan Qing sighed in relief and raised his voice. “It looks like a jade bead… Should I take it out now?”
Shi Jingzhi silently felt the atmosphere around him for a while, noticing nothing unusual. “Give it a try. Remember, never let go of the Sword of Compassion. Pull back if anything feels wrong, understand?”
“Yes.” Yan Qing took a deep breath, took out a prepared hook, and began to pry the “jade bead” embedded in the chessboard.
The moment the hook touched the jade bead, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, around the Sword of Compassion, a protective spell left by Yan Budu was immediately activated. The stone sword vibrated slightly, emitting a very soft light. The light gradually took shape, forming a solid light shield and tightly wrapping Yan Qing inside. The next moment, the pale light of the protective shield flickered like a dying candle in the wind, seemingly on the verge of shattering.
In the past, everyone wouldn’t have been able to react immediately. But not long ago, they encountered a similar situation—
Something was absorbing vital qi in large amounts.
The Sword of Compassion was made from Muyan stone. Muyan stone was the sturdiest material in the world, transformed from the corpses of ancient monsters, and was also a magic material. The power of the Kongshi’s inscriptions was as effective as it was a hundred years ago, which showed their strength.
Yin Ci remained silent. His method to rescue Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng was used by Yan Budu a hundred years ago. Without the Sword of Compassion, if one touched the jade bead rashly, it was hard to say whether they could leave intact.
But what absorbed vital qi before was the Invitation to God Formation, so what was absorbing vital qi now? The Ling Sect was good at repairing tombs. If they only wanted to kill visitors, there were countless trap spells they could use. Why would Yan Budu resort to such complicated means?
Yan Qing held the Sword of Compassion tightly in his left hand and continued to pry the jade bead with his right hand. After nearly half an hour of effort, the jade bead finally showed a little from the stone hole, touching the sunlight for the first time in a hundred years.
The moment Yan Qing saw the jade bead clearly, his hand shook, and he almost let go of the Sword of Compassion. At the same time, the protective shield around the Sword of Compassion finally stopped flickering, but compared to when it was first activated, it was almost dim to nothing.
The absorption of vital qi seemed to stop, and a warm glow appeared on the surface of the jade bead. Yan Qing stood still in front of the jade bead, not knowing whether to pick it up or not.
Yin Ci stepped forward. “What’s the matter?”
“…It’s an eyeball.” Yan Qing swallowed. “This thing is an eyeball.”
He slightly turned aside to let everyone see it.
The eyeball was semi-transparent with a jade-like luster. The jade eyeball was incredibly intricate, not something carved by human hands. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the eyeball was filled with complex patterns that seemed to have nothing to do with the word “key”.
Was this the key to the Shirou?
“There’s nothing like this in the Ling Sect.” Yan Zheng furrowed his brows and took the initiative to speak. “I haven’t seen such a spell, nor have I heard of anyone using it.”
Not to mention Yan Zheng, Yin Ci himself had never seen such a thing. Anyway, the absorption of vital qi had stopped. He walked straight to the chessboard and took the jade eye into his hand.
The jade eyeball lay quietly in his palm, with no anomalies occurring around it, and Yin Ci didn’t feel any discomfort either. He looked at the patterns on the jade eye for a while and recognized two formations.
One was used to absorb vital qi. That formation was too complex, and he couldn’t see the mystery at a glance. No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t something that Yan Budu, a novice in magic, could create.
The complexity of the other formation was even greater, and Yin Ci couldn’t even distinguish its purpose.
Many monsters had innate formations, and these formations were often as exquisite as butterfly wing patterns, difficult for humans to design. In this regard, it seemed more likely that this formation originally existed in the eyeball and was brought out and used directly by someone.
Yin Ci held the eyeball for a while, and when he was sure that it wasn’t dangerous, he threw it to Shi Jingzhi.
“Just now, all of the vital qi was sucked in by this thing. There are two interesting formations on it. You should take a look at it.”
Shi Jingzhi picked up the jade eye and played with it against the sun. “This thing is definitely more than just a ‘key’… It’s deadly, making one dizzy. I’ll put a bit of my vital qi into it for a look.”
Sect Master Shi had a simple idea. Yin Ci had no inner force and couldn’t use magic. He, on the other hand, could divide a small portion of his vital qi, move around according to the lines of the formation, and probe the nature of it. The vital qi-absorbing formation still had some killing intent, but this unknown formation seemed quite peaceful, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Understanding the function of the key might also shed light on the search for the Shirou. This place was deserted, and there was no need to worry about eavesdroppers, making it perfect for experimentation.
Shi Jingzhi deliberately suppressed a very small strand of vital qi, trying to stimulate the unknown formation. He originally intended to stop as soon as he saw success. However, the moment the formation was activated, the air around him vibrated, and a fine, tingling sensation spread instantaneously along Shi Jingzhi’s arm.
The unknown formation started to operate officially, using the stored qi on its own.
As the formation suddenly started, Shi Jingzhi sucked in a cold breath and shivered violently. The formation didn’t carry any hint of hostility or inflict any pain, but it gave him an extremely strange feeling.
It was as if he had been soaking in warm, comfortable water all his life, and at this moment, he had just stuck his head out for the first time. Overwhelmed by heaviness and cold, he could hardly breathe.
…But that wasn’t the point.
He now knew the true function of this formation.
Shi Jingzhi saw Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan looking worriedly at him, and Yan Qing leaning on his sword in a daze. Around them, countless “bare branches” reached into the sky, swaying in the wind like a not-so-dense forest.
This scene was like the Buddha Heart Formation, yet unlike it.
If the bare branches in the Buddha Heart Formation were like watching the reflection of a fish in murky water, now he was like holding the fish right in front of his face, able to see even the finest scales on it. The grey red “bare branches” were covered with countless dark red fine roots, floating in the air like algae in the water. The surface of the bare branches had an unsettling shine and wrinkles, and the scars’ growth resembled malignant tumors, causing a sour feeling in one’s stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
It was A’Ci’s voice. He must have sensed something since he had suddenly become frozen.
“I’m not…” Shi Jingzhi turned towards Yin Ci, his words of reassurance getting stuck in his throat, almost cutting it open.
The scene in front of him froze his blood. All plots and plans were thrown to the back of Shi Jingzhi’s mind, while fear and worry surged at the same time. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
The formation was extremely complex, and the vital qi that was sucked from the Sword of Compassion just now was consumed in an instant. From activation to termination, the jade eyeball only took a moment—a few heartbeats.
But Shi Jingzhi had seen enough.
Yin Ci was standing in front of him, but he wasn’t the exiled immortal he was familiar with.
A “bare branch” was stretched extremely thin and long, mixed with those dark red fine roots, together twisting into a human shape. Between those fine roots, one could still see the fresh flesh—that flesh was torn and shattered, clinging to the bare branches and fine roots like mud caught in a vine net. At a glance, the Yin Ci in front of him looked like an unfinished… strange statue.
He had definitely seen a similar scene before, Shi Jingzhi thought.
He had seen it in the forbidden area of Yuanxian village. The “Yin Ci” in front of him was exactly like the giant statue formed by twisted tree roots he saw there.
There was no white skin, no beautiful brows and eyes on the face of the person opposite him; only a mixture of flesh and root-like material. They intricately formed facial features without any trace of deliberate intervention.
The vital qi was exhausted, and the formation stopped. It was only a brief moment, but Shi Jingzhi felt as if he had struggled in it for a year. The bare branches disappeared as if they had dissolved, and the person he had been thinking about seemed to have been magically born out of thin air. His skin was as white as snow, his hair as black as ink, looking as flawless as ever.
“What’s wrong?” Yin Ci asked again, his brows and eyes showing clear concern.
…This time, Shi Jingzhi didn’t know how to answer.
The door to the principal’s office was gently knocked on, and a youthful, clear voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Yao Tai entered. Although she was always full of confidence, she now seemed surprisingly subdued.
The principal was writing with a traditional dip pen, a throwback to a time a hundred years earlier when retro was all the rage. Back then, people thought that emails lacked personality and persisted in handwriting. The principal was one of those people and had kept this habit until today.
Yao Tai waited for him to finish writing a sentence before saying, “Principal, the Disease Control Center has called…”
Upon hearing this, the principal’s hand trembled, causing a large drop of ink to fall and splatter across the paper.
This half-written letter was now ruined. The principal sighed, thinking perhaps he should really switch to using email.
He set the pen aside. “Is there no turning back?”
Yao Tai looked serious. “After trying for some time, we indeed can’t cure him. The Disease Control Center has been closely monitoring the data here. His psychological rating has exceeded the warning line twice. I have tried to delay as much as possible, but the center wants him to receive professional treatment as soon as possible.”
The principal walked over to the window with mixed feelings. “I’ve been inside the Disease Control Center. I know better than anyone what it’s like. Every year, hundreds of newly-adult Qizi enter, but very few come out. As a principal and a former patient of the center, I sincerely hope none of my students ever get involved.”
Yao Tai, though not having personally experienced it, understood what he meant. “This time, the responsibility mainly lies with me because of my negligence…”
“It’s not your fault,” the principal countered. “Even if you watched him for a day, you couldn’t for the second or the third… An obsession with death is terrifying. I’ve been through what he’s experienced, so I know the feeling. No one can be held accountable for this because no one can bear it. It’s the fate of every Tianxiu.”
He looked up at the sky. “If there’s someone to blame, blame our genes. Why do lovers fight to the death? Why do those who fail feel as if it’s worse than death?”
He expressed his long-standing confusion. Unfortunately, neither the clouds in the distant sky nor Yao Tai before him could answer any of these questions.
After a while, the principal seemed somewhat composed. “Did the Disease Control Center say when they would pick him up?”
Yao Tai quietly replied, “Tonight.”
The principal was taken aback. “So soon.”
“They’ve already set out and are on their way.”
The principal knew that this was inevitable and nobody could change it. He instructed Yao Tai, “Help him fulfill any remaining wishes he has here at Bikong. Once he leaves these school gates, returning would be indefinitely delayed.”
……
Ling Xiao rushed out of the dormitory like the wind, nearly colliding with a student from the next room.
“Where are you hurrying to, Ling Xiao?” the student asked in surprise.
While running, without looking back, Ling Xiao replied, “I’m meeting Ying Feng for training!”
By the time the last word reached the student, Ling Xiao had disappeared, leaving the student puzzled. Weren’t those two on bad terms? When did they become so close that they’d even train together?
By the time Ling Xiao reached the training hall, he was already late for their agreed time. Yet Ying Feng hadn’t arrived, so Ling Xiao began to warm up on his own.
Meanwhile, Ying Feng was in Yao Tai’s medical room. It had been his most frequent visit in recent times. He was there for the same reason as before.
He had thought that a simple injection would end quickly, but Yao Tai wasn’t there when he arrived. He had to wait for a while before she returned. After explaining, Yao Tai forced him to undergo another examination, causing further delay.
Once she saw the test results, Yao Tai finally believed him. The data showed an unusual level of hormones in Ying Feng’s system, far surpassing the level of the last suppressant injection he had received just a few days ago. It was bewildering.
“Are you sure you haven’t been in close contact with anyone who has awakened?”
Ever since being warned by Yao Tai, Ying Feng had kept a considerable distance from Zhu Yue. So, he naturally replied, “No.”
“There’s only one possibility left,” Yao Tai speculated. “Maybe your body has a strong resistance to the drug, and the inhibitor doesn’t work on you.”
This assumption made her a bit uneasy. “We’re about to go on a field internship. Given your unique situation, maybe I suggest you not participate.”
“I will participate,” Yin Feng decisively declined.
“Actually, even without the inhibitor during the awakening period, it shouldn’t have too significant an impact. But the field environment is complex, and you might encounter sudden dangers. What if something unexpected happens?”
“I can control myself,” Yin Feng said. “Just give me another shot.”
Knowing she couldn’t persuade him, Yao Tai understood. These fledglings are usually strictly protected within the campus, and hence, they especially treasure any opportunity to step out, let alone the annual field internships. Some even postpone their coming-of-age ceremony to participate.
Yao Tai injected him with the inhibitor once more and handed him a spray bottle.
“This is an emergency inhibitor. Use it when necessary. Carry it with you, just in case.”
Yin Feng took it and pocketed it. “Thank you, Dr. Yao.”
“How has Ling Xiao from your class been these days?”
Yin Feng wanted to say he was jumping around like a monkey but changed his words at the last minute. “He’s fine, nothing unusual.”
“That’s good. I was worried his friend’s incident would make him overly pessimistic. He hasn’t come to see me yet, which means he hasn’t awakened. Those who haven’t can experience a pseudo-awakening anytime, which can be a potential risk in the field, especially given his concerning personality. During the internship, can you please keep an eye on him?”
Yin Feng mumbled an acknowledgement. Whether or not he took it to heart, Yao Tai wasn’t sure. Knowing he dislikes mingling with others, especially since the two were so different—one was extroverted and the other introverted—she just let him go.
By the time Yin Feng arrived at the training hall and stepped in, he felt a rush of air towards him. Reacting quickly, he defended against three moves and, spotting an opening, counterattacked. The shadowy figure that ambushed him retreated with a swift backflip, gracefully landing on the ground.
“You’re late,” Ling Xiao said, looking like he had already warmed up with sweat on his forehead.
“Let’s go.” He tossed his coat aside and got into a combat stance. Through days of training, they knew each other’s moves and didn’t need any small talk.
“Don’t you need to warm up?” Ling Xiao didn’t want to have an unfair advantage.
“Fighting you is my warm-up.”
“Damn.” Ling Xiao felt the need to teach such an arrogant person a lesson and, without another word, charged forward. The two clashed intensely.
After several observations, Ling Xiao noticed Yin Feng was particularly defensive about his left chest. Though the heart was everyone’s weak spot, Yin Feng seemed overly protective, making one wonder if he had been seriously injured there before.
Realizing this, Ling Xiao focused his attacks there. Several times, Yin Feng missed golden opportunities to strike because he switched to defense. Taking advantage of this, Ling Xiao stepped up his offensive and pushed him back to the base of the wall.
When Yin Feng’s heel touched the obstacle, he hesitated slightly. Ling Xiao seized this moment, pouring all his strength into a punch. Unexpectedly, Yin Feng didn’t defend but instead landed a swift punch on Ling Xiao’s abdomen, pushing him back several steps. Ling Xiao had exposed himself, thinking Yin Feng wouldn’t attack, but fell right into his trap.
“You.” Ling Xiao groaned, clutching his stomach. “Why didn’t you defend?”
“Who said I had to?” Yin Feng replied nonchalantly.
“You were clearly nervous about that spot.” Ling Xiao felt tricked.
“Ah.” Yin Feng didn’t deny. “Just a habit.”
“Were you hit there before? Once bitten by a snake, one is scared all his life by a mere rope*?” Ling Xiao couldn’t help but ask.
*Metaphor for once you’ve been hurt, you’ll be afraid of similar things or events.
Ying Feng walked over to pick up his uniform jacket. He pulled out the peach pit from the left chest pocket and showed it to him. “Because I usually keep this with me. Since I don’t have it on me now, it doesn’t matter.”
Ling Xiao was irritated. “If that keepsake from your past lover is so precious, you shouldn’t carry it around regularly in case it gets damaged.”
Ying Feng ignored him, tucked the peach pit back into his pocket, and took out a magnetic card from another pocket.
To offer convenience for students, the training hall had installed vending machines. Ying Feng swiped the card in the scanning area, and a chilled sports drink immediately dropped from the machine.
Ling Xiao, also drenched in sweat and parched, saw Ying Feng tilting his head back to drink. He couldn’t help but focus on the Adam’s apple of Ying Feng’s throat. Due to the sweat, the skin there shimmered faintly. Every now and then, a bead of sweat slid down, disappearing into the V of the shirt, where two buttons were undone.
The cold bottle, in contact with the warm air, quickly fogged up with dew. It looked especially refreshing and appetizing, prompting an involuntary swallowing reflex from Ling Xiao.
Ying Feng noticed the intense gaze directed at him. Glancing from the corner of his eyes, he saw Ling Xiao’s comical expression. Amused, he swiped the card again for another drink and tossed the bottle to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao was so engrossed that he caught the incoming bottle reflexively. The cold sensation from the bottle gave him goosebumps.
He paused, realizing that Ying Feng had bought it for him. Recalling his own blatant staring earlier, he felt embarrassed.
“I-I’m okay with cold water…” he said, a bit awkwardly.
It was the first time Ying Feng saw someone too broke to even afford a bottle of water putting on a brave face. He said with a hint of sarcasm, “Drink it. Consider it replenishing your energy. These days, sparring with you feels like you haven’t eaten.”
Ling Xiao retorted, “Who said I didn’t eat? I had bread, okay?”
“With your recent activity, haven’t you already finished the bread?”
“Of course not!” Ling Xiao’s response was truthful. However, the harsh reality was that he was eating more than before. What was initially enough to last until the end of the month might run out in just a few days.
From Ling Xiao’s expression, Ying Feng knew the situation. “If you run out, just say so. I don’t mind buying for you. After all, you can’t find someone to mooch food off anymore, can you?”
Upon hearing this, Ling Xiao’s expression dimmed. He lowered his eyes, not retaliating against Ying Feng’s jibe for the first time.
By the time Ying Feng realized he might have said something he shouldn’t have, Ling Xiao walked past him silently, his demeanor entirely different from before.
At the door, he turned back, raising the drink in his hand. “Thanks for this.”
It was the first thank you Ying Feng had received from Ling Xiao in a decade. Instead of feeling content, he felt uneasy.
By the time Ying Feng returned to the dormitory building, Ling Xiao had already disappeared. Ying Feng hesitated, wondering whether to visit Ling Xiao’s room. He recalled the awkward way Ling Xiao had come to apologize to him before, and now he could relate to how Ling Xiao felt then.
Sitting on the bed, Ling Xiao blankly stared at a photograph in his hand. It was a group photo of him, Lan Sheng, and Ping Zong from last year’s field trip.
Back then, he was naive and oblivious, unaware that his close friends were dating. He had innocently positioned himself between the two, radiating with joy.
In the photo, all three of them, with dirty faces and injuries from the field trip, were beaming with happiness. Although only a year had passed, now only one of them remained from that picture. If carefreeness equated to naivety and growth came at a cost, Ling Xiao would rather stay naive and foolish if it meant having the three of them together again.
Three rhythmic knocks sounded from outside. No one in Ling Xiao’s memory had ever knocked on his door so politely before.
“Who is it?”
He asked loudly, but there was no response.
Ling Xiao put the photo back beside his bed and opened the door. Outside stood a person he had not expected.
“It’s you?”
The author has something to say:
Tip: Not taking suppressants has absolutely no effect on fighting little monsters in the wild. The “risks” mentioned by the school authorities refer to the possibility of couples getting intimate when alone in the wild, impulsively entering the coming-of-age ceremony without any protective measures, leading to tragic outcomes. The person that Zhen He likes is an example of this. Therefore, the rule of taking suppressants before participating in fieldwork is not aimed at PVE (Player vs. Environment), but rather PVP (Player vs. Player).
Kinky Thoughts:
This is the last of the free chapters on jjwxc. If you’ve been enjoying the novel so far and are able to, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use google chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc for help. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
There was only one day left before Zhou Qian entered the game.
Late at night, Zhou Qian and Qi Liuxing sat on their respective beds, staring at the system panel that popped up from their watches, studying it.
Zhou Qian first opened the treasure chest he had obtained from the last instance via the system.
[Player acquired item: Bilingbiling’s Brush]
[Function: The system has sensed your obsession with cleanliness and has gifted you this amazing brush. After using a weapon, wipe it with this brush, and the weapon will be instantly renewed! Blood? Mud? Sweat? Dust? All gone with a single swipe!]
[Grade: D level]
Zhou Qian: “…”
Then, following the system’s suggestion, Zhou Qian lit up a group control skill.
[Player Zhou Qian acquired Common Skill 1: Bone Nightmare]
[Skill Description: Group control. Causes enemies within range to fall into a dreamlike state, reducing their movement and attack speed by 10%. There’s a 30% chance of backlash, causing the user to fall into the same dream state. Use with caution.]
[Player Zhou Qian acquired Ultimate Skill 1: Bone Kill]
[Skill Description: Can only be triggered when the player’s health is below 10%. It draws nearby death resentment to attack the enemy. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the attack. Consumes 1,200 MP.]
Without saying anything, Zhou Qian took a glance, and Qi Liuxing immediately frowned. “What? You can only use your ultimate when you’re severely injured? And there are conditions for using your ultimate. If there’s no death resentment nearby, you can’t even use your ultimate! Wait, this skill consumes more than 50% of your mana? This skill is so trolling!”
Zhou Qian took out the bone weapon and made a gesture with it, then put it away, smiling faintly. “It’s not about how the skill looks, but how you use it. I think it’s not bad.”
After preparing, Zhou Qian chose to enter “Last Wish”.
He then received a system prompt, informing him that he could video call his gambler.
Staring at the words “Yu Xian” in the system for a while, Zhou Qian initiated a video call request. He then saw two people—naturally, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang.
“Hello.”
Zhou Qian adeptly showed a silly smile, like that of a naive rich young master, looking both innocent and sweet.
Yu Xian was momentarily dazzled, but then he quickly cleared his throat. “Haha, Qian Ge! It’s great to talk to you!”
Yu Xian’s reaction was like seeing his favorite celebrity. When he regained composure, he introduced Zhu Qiang. “Qian Ge, this is my buddy, Zhu Qiang. We’ve been watching you clear that last level. You’re amazing.”
Zhou Qian then greeted Zhu Qiang.
Unlike Yu Xian’s enthusiasm, Zhu Qiang seemed more introverted.
Zhu Qiang didn’t say much, and Yu Xian added, “When we watch you play, Zhu Qiang often predicts your strategies. I can’t do that. Haha, seems like I’m bad at gaming.”
“Oh?” Zhou Qian looked at Zhu Qiang with curiosity. “So, Qiang Ge is also a gambler? Do you have a player you’ve bet on?”
Before Zhu Qiang could answer, Yu Xian laughed. “Yes, but we want to keep it a secret for now and not reveal who that person is.”
“I see.” Zhou Qian looked at Yu Xian thoughtfully and didn’t say more.
Yu Xian added, “In any case, we’ll do our best to help you! We succeed or fail together!”
After ending the call, Zhou Qian didn’t take Yu Xian’s words to heart.
All this talk about “succeeding or failing together”? They were merely bound by mutual interests. People who come close due to interests might betray for the same reason. Zhou Qian understood this better than anyone.
Afterwards, Zhou Qian clicked on the “Ready” button on the system panel, preparing to officially log into the instance.
Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
Yu Xian turned to Zhu Qiang. “Hey, Qiang Ge, why did you say we should keep it a secret that your gambler, Lu Mengmeng, will be in the same instance as Zhou Qian? To give him a surprise?”
Zhu Qiang chuckled shyly. “Actually, I’m afraid Zhou Qian might look down on Lu Mengmeng and, by extension, me. It feels a bit awkward. Don’t mind it. I feel like a protective father toward Lu Mengmeng. He’s the player I’ve bet on, and you’ve bet on Zhou Qian. But Lu Mengmeng is nowhere near Zhou Qian’s level. I feel conflicted about that…”
“We’ve both struggled together to get to where we are now. How can there be any disparity between us? Strange.” Yu Xian yawned, speaking in a slightly drunken tone. “It’s a pity. This morning, when Lu Mengmeng contacted you, I took your advice and played the slot machine. Otherwise, I could have greeted him! How was your chat with him? What did you guys talk about?”
Zhu Qiang quickly changed the subject. “How did it go with the slot machine?”
Yu Xian replied, “I lost… I lost 300,000 by myself, and the 100,000 of yours was lost too.”
Zhu Qiang patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. I think they’re about to start another round. I’ll go buy you some food.”
“Alright.” Yu Xian collapsed on the bed. “I really can’t understand this game… Have you noticed that when we watch them play, time around us seems to slow down…”
Without answering Yu Xian’s question, Zhu Qiang turned to leave the suite, his expression becoming exceptionally solemn.
Yu Xian, I can’t get out of this anymore.
I’m sorry, don’t blame me.
……
Half an hour later.
[Player Zhou Qian entered the instance: “Last Wish”]
[Instance difficulty: Level 2; Pass rate: 60%]
[Hidden achievement completion rate: 7%]
[Number of players: 6]
Upon entering the game, Zhou Qian found himself standing in front of a building approximately seven stories high.
The building’s glass doors were tightly shut, likely waiting for all the players to arrive.
In front of the building were green trees and red flowers. A large lawn, its grass swaying gently in the breeze, spread out, touching the blazing afternoon sky.
After a while, two more people arrived.
They were Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong.
Zhou Qian noticed that as soon as the three of them entered the game, not only did they all have system-provided bags, but their outfits also looked similar—blue and white uniforms.
Glancing back at the sign in front of the building that read “Pastime Nursing Home”, Zhou Qian guessed that they might be playing roles like caretakers.
[3/6 players loaded]
[Waiting for 3 more players]
…
[4/6 players loaded]
After the system prompt, the fourth player arrived.
She was a woman, appearing a few years older than Yun Xiangrong, a typical cold beauty. She gave a brief nod to Zhou Qian, Gao Shan, and Yun Xiangrong as a greeting.
Through the system panel, Zhou Qian learned her name was Situ Qing, a high-ranking Rank C player skilled in long-range attacks and even capable of AOE attacks.
Monsters in “Apple Paradise” were tough due to its special instance. But Situ Qing, being skilled in AOE, meant she could deal damage to multiple targets at once.
After Situ Qing, a tall and burly man, around 35 years old, entered.
He greeted everyone with a cheerful demeanor.
[Name: He Xiaowei]
[Rank: D]
[Skills: Long-range damage; Group healing]
[Gambler system assessment: A growing pianist trying to cultivate two skills simultaneously. However, as the saying goes, if one tries to master everything, one ends up mastering nothing. Both of his skills are relatively weak. It is recommended to specialize in one in the future, either pure damage or pure healing.]
Unlike others, He Xiaowei’s gambler system evaluation seemed a bit derogatory.
After greeting He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian noticed another system prompt.
[6/6 players loaded]
[Loading storyline, please wait…]
The last player was a slender young man, around the same age as Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong. In contrast to Situ Qing’s cold demeanor and He Xiaowei’s friendliness, he struck a balance, politely greeting everyone before looking down, appearing contemplative.
His skin was pale, and the sunlight illuminated the fine hairs on his face, making him look as though he might slowly fade and disappear.
[Name: Lu Mengmeng]
[Rank: D]
[Skills: Close combat, assassin abilities, high mobility]
[Gambler system assessment: Always completes games with just 1% HP remaining. Please keep working hard and stay safe.]
Haa. The gamblers are quite harsh.
Moreover… such a frail figure, and he’s an assassin?
Zhou Qian took another glance at Lu Mengmeng and saw that the system had finally sent a plot prompt.
[Identity of the six players: Former nursing home caretakers, responsible for taking care of an old man named Jiang Yuqing.]
[Jiang Yuqing is nearly a hundred years old and is expected to pass away in three days.]
[Player mission: Help Jiang Yuqing fulfill his last wishes within three days.]
[One of the main quests has been activated: Jiang Yuqing resides in room 701. Please proceed to room 701 within 5 minutes to care for him.]
[Note: The second to sixth floors are under maintenance and are not open to the public.]
[For a smooth clearance, players should actively seek clues. Good luck!]
After the system prompt disappeared, the glass doors of the building opened.
They weren’t automatic doors. Instead, an NPC resembling a security guard came over, unlocked the iron chain in front of the door, and ushered the players in.
Upon entering the lobby, they saw another NPC at the reception desk—a woman in her 30s wearing high heels and a welcoming uniform. Seeing the players dressed as caretakers walk in, she waved and greeted, “You must be the new caretakers? Mr. Jiang is in 701. Please go straight ahead.”
Zhou Qian, sensing something from her words, immediately asked, “Yes, we’re the new caretakers. Where are the old ones?”
The receptionist sighed. “Only two of the old caretakers are left, and they’re currently in room 701. I wonder how much longer they can endure.”
“Why? Is Mr. Jiang difficult?” Zhou Qian inquired.
“Yes. Taking care of him is no easy task, which is why he requires so many caretakers. And Mr. Jiang has a temper; he often gets angry and breaks things!” The receptionist added, “It seems that the caretakers couldn’t stand it anymore and left. But what’s strange is that none of them came to settle their wages. They all just disappeared. Hmm, it’s so weird. Who doesn’t like money these days?”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow, and both Yun Xiaorong and Gao Shan exchanged quick glances.
Could it be that those caretakers didn’t just leave because of Mr. Jiang’s temper but instead met a more sinister fate?
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian continued, “So today we can only go to the seventh floor? Why can’t we visit the other floors?”
“Huh? How did you know the other floors are off-limits?”
The receptionist looked at Zhou Qian in surprise, then explained, “Currently, this nursing home only has Mr. Jiang as its sole resident. Since there are no other guests on the other floors, we’re renovating them, so the security has sealed them off.”
Only Jiang Yuqing lives here?
From the receptionist to the security guard and all these caretakers, everyone is working around just one person?
“Oh yes, the two old caretakers are called Lao Tie and Lao Yu. You should go up quickly and listen to their handover. Be diligent, as I’ll be monitoring your attendance!” After urging the players to head to the seventh floor, the receptionist got busy with her work.
As Zhou Qian approached the elevator, he overheard her mumbling, “I heard that Mr. Jiang was a very handsome man in his youth. It’s a pity he’s old now…”
……
There were two elevators, A and B. The six players randomly chose elevator B and soon arrived on the seventh floor.
The corridor on the seventh floor had a light wooden floor, beige walls, and some luxury-style paintings, making the entire floor feel relaxed and cozy.
Given the time constraint of the main storyline, the players didn’t dally and went straight to room 701. But before they could enter, two NPCs dressed similarly to them opened the door and walked out. They were probably Lao Yu and Lao Tie, the two old caretakers the receptionist had mentioned.
The two spoke in turn, addressing the players.
“Mr. Jiang insists on eating [Wang’s Osmanthus Cake] every afternoon, or he gets moody! We’ll take a cab to buy it and be back in about an hour. Please take care of Mr. Jiang during this time.”
“Mr. Jiang had a nightmare about fighting someone last night. He seems to be in a bad mood today. Please be cautious. Taking care of someone isn’t easy. It’s your first day, so you’ll need to adjust!”
After delivering their lines, the two headed for the elevator, taking elevator B to leave. Just as they left, a “ding” sounded from elevator A next door. The doors opened, and three NPCs in blue cleaning uniforms stepped out, carrying brooms and cleaning tools. They appeared to be janitors.
Walking straight towards room 701, a janitor said, “Mr. Jiang loves cleanliness, so we came to help clean his room. Once we’re done with his room, we’ll help clean up for you new caretakers!”
With that, three janitors, plus six caretakers played by the players, entered room 701 together.
Upon entering room 701, Zhou Qian was immediately drawn to a wall on one side.
There hung a framed black and white photo that took up a third of the wall’s area.
The photo had an overall hue of dried maple leaves, yellowish-brown in color. It should be dry, as there was no sign of moisture, yet the people and scenes in the picture seemed blurred and distorted, possibly due to some kind of smudging effect. From a distance, it appeared as if the photo had been soaked in water.
Straining his eyes, Zhou Qian managed to identify seven individuals.
All seven were in military uniforms, which were tattered and stained with blood and mud, as if they had just come out of a battle. Their heights, body shapes, and sizes varied, and due to the severe damage to the photo, their genders couldn’t be distinguished. However, they seemed close, with their arms around each other.
The seven had two things in common.
First, their facial features were all blurred, resembling water damage, making it impossible to identify any of them.
Second, even though their uniforms were worn out, they all had a clear emblem—”7″.
The two caretakers had mentioned that Jiang Yuqing had dreamed of warfare the previous night. It seemed that he used to be a soldier. He was likely one of the seven in the photo, and their unit number had something to do with “7”.
Drawn by curiosity, Zhou Qian approached the photo and reached out to touch it.
For a split second, he felt a peculiar sensation—as if his fingers were dampened by the moisture from the photo.
Upon closer inspection, Zhou Qian realized the scene in the photo was likely a rainy day.
Through his eyes, he felt the rain dropping, as if it were overflowing from the picture, and then filling the room…
An intense, ominous aura enveloped Zhou Qian, and he felt as though the seven blurred figures from the photo were sliding out and staring down at him.
A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively retracted his hand and stepped back. By averting his gaze from the eerie photo, everything else returned to normal.
Apart from this strange picture, the room had a cozy, homelike feeling.
For the moment, Zhou Qian turned his attention from the picture to the rest of the room’s furnishings.
The walls were powder blue, with most furniture made in a light-colored wood style. The bed was in the center of the room, with dried flowers on nightstands on both sides. One vase was made of celadon, and the other was semi-transparent crystal glass.
On one side of the room stood a bookshelf, lined with many books. In front of the shelf were two soft couches and a small coffee table, with pastries and water.
On a coat rack by the bed hung a brand new military uniform.
After glancing around, Zhou Qian’s eyes were firmly drawn to this uniform.
It also bore the number “7”.
Did this uniform belong to Jiang Yuqing?
Its design looked quite old, definitely not something a current soldier would wear.
Considering the era of the black and white photo, Jiang Yuqing’s time in the military was likely long ago. Yet why did his uniform look brand new, without a single wrinkle?
Many thoughts ran through Zhou Qian’s mind.
Finally, his attention settled on the number “7”.
The building had seven floors, there were seven people in the photo, and the uniform had the number “7”…
Was there anything else related to seven?
Zhou Qian quickly glanced at the nearby bookshelf filled with various titles. Counting, he found that the bookshelf indeed had seven shelves.
At this moment, Jiang Yuqing, the key character in this scenario, finally spoke.
He was leaning on the bed with half-closed eyes, looking quite relaxed.
Seeing so many people enter the room, he didn’t even bother to open his eyes fully, but in a very hoarse voice, he asked, “Osmanthus cake… Did you buy it?”
Answering him was the tall and burly man, He Xiaowei.
“Not yet, Mr. Jiang. Is there anything else you’d like us to do for you?”
Jiang Yuqing muttered some inaudible words and then repeated, “Osmanthus cake. I want osmanthus cake. I want to eat…eat osmanthus cake…”
During this, Zhou Qian remained silent, recalling that the front desk had mentioned that Mr. Jiang was very handsome when he was young. Hence, he took a few more glances at Jiang Yuqing.
Indeed, he looked like a nearly hundred-year-old man, so old that the wrinkles on his face had folded all his facial features together. It was impossible to tell what he originally looked like.
Yet even so, he didn’t appear repugnant. He possessed a special noble aura, which didn’t allow anyone to look down upon him. One couldn’t help but wonder; he must have been a breathtakingly handsome man in his youth.
A moment later, after trying to communicate with Jiang Yuqing but achieving no results, He Xiaowei scratched his head and whispered to the other players, “I think Mr. Jiang seems a bit out of it. Does he have dementia?”
Lu Mengmeng, who hadn’t spoken much during the journey, remarked, “Our mission this time seems related to fulfilling Jiang Yuqing’s last wish. What if… he’s forgotten his own wish, and it’s up to us to find it? But how do we go about that?”
“Hey bro, you’re quite sharp,” He Xiaowei genuinely complimented him. “But what should we do next?”
Yun Xiangrong took over the conversation. “Didn’t the system say that we need to actively look for clues? We should start now since there’s nothing else going on. However, considering both the receptionist and the elderly caretakers said we should take good care of Jiang Yuqing…”
She pointed to a red button beside the bed, adding, “Although there’s a service call button here, if he needs something and we don’t attend to him in time, there might be issues.
“So, it’s better if we split into two teams. One group stays in the ward to watch over Jiang Yuqing, and the other goes to explore the other places on the seventh floor. Later, we can share our findings.”
Yun Xiangrong was indeed an intelligent girl; her suggestion was very prudent and reasonable.
But for it to be fully effective, there was a prerequisite—the players splitting into teams should trust each other and share all the information.
Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong, and Gao Shan knew each other. The other three seemed to be strangers.
From Yun Xiangrong’s perspective, if she reluctantly trusted Zhou Qian and didn’t want to be separated from Gao Shan, the best choice would be for her and Gao Shan to be in one group, with Zhou Qian in the other; after the two groups finished their exploration, they could exchange information.
As expected, Yun Xiangrong’s gaze subtly shifted towards Zhou Qian. “Gao Shan and I will stay in the ward. The rest of you…”
Picking up on her hint, Zhou Qian was the first to turn and walk out. “Alright, I’ll search the other rooms for clues.”
When opening the door to room 701, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately leave but kept an eye on the situation behind him.
That was when he heard He Xiaowei’s voice. “I’ll also go outside and look around. There’s not much in this room, and it’s boring to just stare at an old man who’s out of it.”
“Then… I’ll go too. I’m quite curious about how the other rooms in this corridor look,” Lu Mengmeng chimed in.
He Xiaowei said, “Alright, the three of us will go out and explore, while the three of you stay in the room with Jiang Yuqing, waiting to see if there’s any special plot or story. This works perfectly—three people in each team!”
Hearing this and casting a subtle glance behind, Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank slightly as he continued to open the door. So, the ones exploring with him were Lu Mengmeng and He Xiaowei, while Situ Qing chose to stay in the ward.
According to Yun Xiangrong’s grouping, either Lu or He might know Situ Qing.
Why would they pretend not to know each other?
The astute Zhou Qian naturally showed no sign of suspicion on his face.
At this moment, something unexpected happened—three janitors rushed over and opened the door before him.
As they left, the three janitors chatted among themselves.
“Mr. Jiang’s room is fine. Not much cleaning needed there.”
“Right, let’s clean some of the caretakers’ rooms instead.”
“Let’s hurry. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can clock out!”
The sudden appearance and departure of the janitors were somewhat odd.
Zhou Qian quickly observed them and noticed that one of the female janitors was holding Jiang Yuqing’s military uniform.
“Why are you taking Mr. Jiang’s clothes?” Zhou Qian asked without hesitation.
“Shh!” The female janitor anxiously glanced at Jiang Yuqing, relieved to see him staring blankly, seemingly unaware. She then glared at Zhou Qian and said, “Hey, we all work hard for our living. We should understand each other. This uniform must be worth quite a bit. He has dementia and amnesia, so he won’t know if we take it. At most, I’ll share the money with all of you later, okay? Please don’t report me!”
Zhou Qian remained silent for the moment, just waiting for the three janitors to leave. However, he noticed that after they reached the corridor outside the door, the three of them suddenly froze.
Zhou Qian guessed that they originally came to clean the room. But after seeing the military uniform, they stole it, and without even cleaning the room, they hastily tried to escape with the stolen item.
However… if they were in such a hurry to leave, why did they freeze in the corridor?
What did they see?
As the thought crossed his mind, Zhou Qian decisively stepped out of the room, only to find himself momentarily stunned.
Seeing the three janitors and Zhou Qian all standing frozen in the corridor, the other players in room 701 sensed something was amiss. One by one, they came out, and soon, everyone was frozen in the corridor.
The corridor outside wasn’t the same as when they arrived. When they first came, the corridor was straight with a total of 12 rooms, 6 on each side of the elevator.
Room 701 was located at the very end of the corridor near elevator B, and its opposite room was 702. But now, coming out of room 701, the room directly in front was no longer 702. Instead, there was a sign reading “12”. The once straight corridor had transformed into a circular shape.
After a brief pause, the three janitors were the first to move.
Among them, the two women walked to the left, and the man went to the right. However, a few minutes later, they all met again in front of room 701.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian left the door of room 701 and tried walking to his left. After a full circle, he returned to room 701, now having a clearer understanding of the layout.
Opening his mouth, Zhou Qian explained to the other players, “Both elevators have disappeared. The corridor has become circular. There are 12 rooms in this circular corridor, numbered ‘1’ to ‘12’. That means…”
Pointing to the room still marked “701”, Zhou Qian continued, “That means there are now 13 rooms on this floor. There are 12 rooms forming a circle around the 13th room, numbered 1 to 12. Jiang Yuqing’s room, 701, is now in the center, making it the 13th room.”
“When we arrived, the building was square! How could there be a circular floor?
“What’s going on?” He Xiaowei exclaimed in shock.
His voice was very deep, but probably because of his humorous appearance, the fearful shout seemed funny—like a rugged man whining.
“So, room 701, along with its walls, moved to another space as a whole?” Yun Xiangrong frowned. “Is this some kind of supernatural instance? Or some… alternate dimension?”
Hearing her say this, Gao Shan quickly looked inside 701 and then came out. “Jiang Yuqing is asleep. Nothing else has changed. Everything in the room is as usual.”
Here, a few players quickly discussed the current situation.
Meanwhile, the three NPC janitors were also discussing with fearful expressions.
“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”
“I don’t know. Should we… try opening one of the doors to see?”
“Yeah, maybe opening a door will reveal the elevator or some other way out?”
Hearing this discussion, Zhou Qian immediately looked at them.
The female janitor, who had stolen Jiang Yuqing’s uniform and was now wearing it, acted first.
She went straight to room 12, opposite room 701.
The door was unlocked. She pushed it, and with a “creak”, it opened, and she went inside. Shortly after she entered, the door closed on its own with a “click”.
About three seconds later, something unexpected happened.
A gunshot rang out from room 12!
The gunshot, like a thunderbolt on a clear day, jolted everyone present.
Gao Shan quickly shielded Yun Xiangrong, who held onto his collar tightly in return. He Xiaowei turned and leapt, practically hanging onto the door of room 701, looking like a clumsy, large koala. Lu Mengmeng also seemed terrified, closely following He Xiaowei and quietly grabbing the hem of his clothes.
Zhou Qian remained motionless. He propped up one leg and stood leaning against the wall next to room 701’s door, squinting towards room 12.
At that moment, he noticed that Situ Qing didn’t run away; instead, she took a step closer to the door of room 12.
Following the sound of a gunshot came a scream. It came from inside room 12, presumably let out by the female janitor in military attire just before her death.
With a loud bang, the door to room 12 was thrown open, and the janitor ran out.
There was a large bloodstain on her chest, the result of the gunshot she had just received. Not far behind her, a dark figure was raising a gun towards her, but no subsequent shot was fired.
It was a swift, ghost-like silhouette with no discernible features or expressions.
Zhou Qian took a step forward, seemingly trying to see the face of the mysterious person.
However, just then, the door abruptly closed on its own.
As for the janitor, she fell face down on the cold corridor floor, never to breathe again.
He Xiaowei: “What the hell is going on? Why are there gunmen? Is this game supernatural? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Damn it, is it set in a gunfight scenario? We don’t have any guns!”
Gao Shan: “Rongrong, you go back to room 701 first. I’ll stay in the corridor to check.”
Yun Xiangrong: “No way. What if something happens to you? I’ll stay to heal you.”
He Xiaowei retorted, “Damn it, don’t single dogs have rights? I can heal too! Why isn’t anyone teaming up with me?!”
Beside them, seeing their coworker killed like this, the other two janitors were clearly panicking.
One of the women said, “What… What’s happening… We need to get out of here quickly, or we’ll be trapped until we die! I need to go pick up my daughter from school!”
The male janitor responded, “Ah, I told her not to take someone else’s military uniform! This might be karma! We’ll be fine!”
“Right, you’re right… Then… I’ll try another room.”
Swallowing hard, the second female janitor glanced left and right, then chose to enter room 1 next to room 12.
Seeing her move, all the players immediately focused on her. Under their watchful eyes, she entered the room.
Shortly after, the same thing happened as with the previous janitor: a gunshot followed by a scream, and she ran out with an obscured figure with a gun behind her. Finally, the door to room 1 closed, and the second janitor fell into a pool of blood.
“What’s going on…? Can’t we open any doors on this side…?”
The third male janitor murmured.
Seeing the incidents in rooms 12 and 1, he paced back and forth, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.
“Is this… some kind of endless loop*?”
*Ghost hitting the wall (鬼打墙吗) Idiom describing a phenomenon where a person feels like they’re walking in circles and can’t find their way out (AKA going in circles).
“What the hell is happening…?”
“I need to get out of here. This is too terrifying… Am I going to die too?!”
Muttering to himself, the male janitor ran halfway around the circular corridor to the other side.
Zhou Qian quickly followed, and the other players figured that as long as they didn’t enter those 12 rooms, they wouldn’t be attacked. Since the gunmen in the two rooms didn’t chase anyone into the corridor, everyone else followed as well.
Before their eyes, after hesitating between rooms 6 and 7, the male janitor finally decided to enter room 6. After the door closed, the six players moved closer to get a better view, waiting in silence. But nothing happened this time. No gunshots.
A minute later, the janitor emerged from room 6, looking much more relaxed.
“It’s safe! No one tried to kill me! But there’s no way out in there. I need to keep searching.”
After muttering to himself, he immediately opened the adjacent room 7. Room 7 opened and closed, yet no gunshots ensued. Another minute passed, and the janitor came out again.
“It’s strange. There’s no exit in this room either… How can I get out…”
Holding his head in despair, he slowly made his way back to the opposite side of room 701, with the players in tow.
As they passed by the bodies of the two female janitors, the male janitor sighed, seemingly lamenting their deaths. He then looked up, his gaze drifting from one room to another in confusion.
“A’Hua went into Room 12 and died; Xiao Wang went into Room 1 and died; I went to Rooms 6 and 7 and didn’t die… but I also didn’t find the way out. I can’t die trapped here…” Mumbling these words, he approached Room 2.
“Room 12, Room 1… people died in both. It can’t be that there are killers in three consecutive rooms, right?”
Having said this, the male janitor pushed the door open and entered Room 2. The door slammed shut. But three seconds later, a gunshot rang out swiftly! The same thing that happened to the previous two female janitors happened to him. It seemed he saw something terrifying and tried to escape from the room. Unfortunately, he was shot in a vital spot and died in the hallway.
Three mysterious gunshot incidents happened so quickly, right before the players’ eyes. After the brutal killings, three janitors lay in the corridor. The air was thick with an unpleasant smell of blood.
Zhou Qian always despised blood. He frowned slightly, standing in front of Room 701, glanced inside through the open door. An elderly Jiang Yuqing was sound asleep, seemingly oblivious to the three shootings outside.
He Xiao Wei roared with a deep voice. “What’s going on? What the hell is this?”
Yun Xiangrong calmly said, “The game designer arranged this plot. Perhaps they want us to find a pattern based on the janitors’ entry and exit from the rooms. It’s a puzzle for us. Among the 12 rooms, some are safe, some are not. We need to find the pattern and explore accordingly.”
Gao Shan seriously added, “But it seems difficult; I can’t discern any pattern.”
Just as Gao Shan finished speaking, all six players received a system notification:
[Players triggered side quest ①: “Checks and Balance”]
[Time limit for completion: One hour]
[12 rooms contain 12 important pieces of evidence. Players must find all evidence to clear the stage.]
[Note: Once the bullets in the rooms are fired by the killer, they have a 100% hit rate】
He Xiaowei: “What does this mean? Side quests? Does that mean we can skip this task?”
Gao Shan: “But if we don’t take the side quest… will we be trapped here forever?”
Yun Xiangrong raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Qian, who was heading into Room 701. Shaking her head, she said with a smirk, “Even if we don’t want to do the side quest, Qian Ge will probably force us to.”
He Xiaowei, who was unfamiliar with Zhou Qian’s methods, innocently asked, “Huh? What do you mean?”
A few seconds later, sure enough, Zhou Qian’s voice echoed from the room. “Just observing the manner of death of those three janitors won’t help us find the pattern. We probably need to search Room 701 for more clues. Let’s all come in and look for hints.”
Upon hearing this, Gao Shan looked at Yun Xiangrong and gave her a wink. Yun Xiangrong responded with a “I told you so” look.
Inside the room, Zhou Qian approached a black and white photo. Looking up, he gazed at the seven blurry faces on it. “Will you give me information?”
Reaching out, Zhou Qian touched the photo again. Enduring the unsettling, cold aura, he tried to stay focused to see what would happen next.
Usually, players wouldn’t face a risk of death without any logic or hint at the very beginning. Now they had activated a side quest, and the risk of death was the 12 rooms. So, everything in this room should be safe for the time being.
Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan, and the others indeed followed Zhou Qian into the room. But they kept their distance, waiting to see what would happen to him.
The black and white photo, looking as if soaked in rain, began to fog. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the photo itself that fogged up but rather the images of the seven individuals, as if spirits were converging within the figures, ready to emerge. Seeing this, Yun and Gao tightly held each other’s hands with a tense expression.
But Zhou Qian was closest. He touched the photo and felt an overwhelming sadness. This sensation was very strange for him. Zhou Qian had been emotionally numb for a long time. Although he wasn’t completely void of emotions, his emotional reactions were extremely muted. But now, it was as if the heart of someone in the photo was directly placed into his chest, making him feel an indescribable sadness deep within.
Directly in front of Zhou Qian, a strange scene suddenly appeared.
It seemed to be inside an old house from the Republic of China era. A man was bent over a table, writing poetry beside a white candle.
The man was tall and had an exceptionally refined and calm demeanor. Through a mist of clouds and fog, Zhou Qian couldn’t make out his facial features clearly, but he could vaguely see that the man was very handsome.
Zhou Qian silently watched him finish a poem—
“You ask of my return, yet there’s no set date; rain falls on the Bashan mountains, filling the autumn pond.”
“When shall we together snip a candle at the western window and talk of the rain on Bashan at night?”
His handwriting was in a neat regular script, both elegant and bold. Zhou Qian’s own handwriting resembled chicken scratch, but Bai Zhou’s handwriting was excellent. Thus, Zhou Qian always had a soft spot for those with good penmanship.
In the scene, after finishing the poem, the man let out a deep sigh. Instead of sending out the poem, he surprisingly burned it in the flame of the white candle.
Zhou Qian felt as if his heart was beating in tandem with the man’s. Now, his heart felt as though it was being squeezed, as if it was being consumed by the flames with the poetry lines, causing waves of burning dull pain.
This unique empathetic force from the photo brought Zhou Qian a long-lost sadness. He squinted and continued to watch the man in the scene, attempting to ask, “Why did you burn it? Who did you write this poem for?”
Affected by the sadness, Zhou Qian’s voice was unusually hoarse and heavy. The man in the scene seemed to hear him and looked up at him.
“It’s you, you all came! You’re really here!”
“Am I seeing this right?!”
“It’s great… even if it’s an illusion… I can see you in my lifetime. It’s wonderful.”
Who does this “you all” refer to? Is it referring to our group of players? Can you in the photo see the “us” in this room?
With a thoughtful squint, Zhou Qian saw the man quickly write two more lines and handed the paper to him.
Taking the paper, before he could read it closely, a sudden downpour obscured the scene. In no time, the man, furniture, candlestick, the antique room… all were drenched, distorted, and blurred, becoming a yellow-tinted black and white, finally merging with the color of the photo.
After a brief moment of realization, Zhou Qian looked up to see the same strange black and white photo. He was back in room 701. Everything that just happened seemed like an illusion he experienced by touching the photo. However, he now held a tangible piece of note.
Beside him, Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, He Xiao Wei, and Lu Mengmeng quickly gathered around to see the two lines written on the note.
Yun Xiangrong: “This must be a clue!”
He Xiaowei: “Definitely! These two lines must hint at the pattern of those 12 rooms!”
The peculiar feelings inside Zhou Qian faded, and his sensations became blurry, indifferent to joy or sorrow. He then looked at the note. The two lines the man in the photo wrote to him were—
[The lowest ranked cannot be kill!]
[Balance of power is the only solution!]
……
Outside room 701, looking at the players inside, Situ Qing raised her wrist and glanced at the system panel popping up on her watch. Her disabled younger brother, also her gambling partner, sent her a message.
[Your main task is to kill Zhou Qian. No need to focus on completing the side quests.]
[You can try persuading the other players to give up on the side quest. It’s best to win over Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan; otherwise, they’ll cause trouble.]
After his rounds, Zhou Qian ordered a large box of tiramisu cake and delivered it to a familiar young nurse, trying to persuade Qi Liuxing to stay. The two laughed heartily, as if they were the naive sons of the landlord. They then managed to get three hours of outdoor time.
Leaving the hospital and hailing a cab, the two went to the New Dragon Cemetery.
New Dragon Cemetery was very far from the city and was poorly managed. Of course, because of this, the plots are quite cheap. Zhou Qian speculated that Bai Zhou was buried here partly because of his family’s modest means and couldn’t afford a more expensive plot, and partly because his parents’ affection for him was quite average.
After many years, Zhou Qian found that the management of New Dragon Cemetery was still chaotic. When he reached the reception hall of the management building, all the staff were playing mahjong.
Zhou Qian had prepared plenty of red envelopes in advance. He directly approached each person and handed them out.
“For good luck, for good luck!” he said while distributing the red envelopes, stating his request to change his brother’s tombstone.
Being a poorly managed cemetery, the staff didn’t verify Zhou Qian’s identity. After accepting the red envelopes, two of them happily left their mahjong game, where they had only won or lost a few yuan all afternoon, and led Zhou Qian to Bai Zhou’s grave, immediately removing the tombstone. Zhou Qian then saw the rectangular urn underneath.
The urn was wooden with a simple design. It was only about the size of two adult hands—unbelievably small.
After cremation, only a small portion of the remains were placed in the urn. Zhou Qian found this very regrettable.
In Zhou Qian’s memory, Bai Zhou was always tall. Now only this small amount remained. He vividly imagined the scene at the crematorium—Bai Zhou’s body being cremated, and afterward, his parents probably just casually chose some ashes to put in this small box.
Beside him, one of the workers, who had moved the tombstone, patted his bulging pocket, seemingly pleased with the amount in the red envelope. He smiled at Zhou Qian and said, “Actually, there was no need to remove the old tombstone today! The new one will take some time to make. You can order it today and replace it later.”
The other added, “That’s right. We’re understaffed, and tombstones take a while to make. But if you’re willing to pay more, we can hire more workers to expedite the process—”
The cemetery was located on a hillside, shrouded in mist from a recent drizzle, making the air damp.
Hundreds of tombstones lined up row by row, somewhat orderly. But due to poor management, most of the graves were overgrown with weeds. Leftover offerings from tomb-sweepers, like joss paper and candles, lay scattered on the ground, blending in with the grass, adding to the unique scenery of the cemetery.
Qi Liuxing, who had never been to such a place, looked around curiously.
At the same time, he occasionally shot glances at Zhou Qian, trying hard to keep a straight face. The two workers were also curious about Zhou Qian but were too lazy to inquire further. After realizing Zhou Qian was an easy target, they hoped to extract more money from him.
All three of them stood behind Zhou Qian, so no one saw the grim expression on his face. But when Zhou Qian turned to face them a moment later, his expression was back to normal.
Zhou Qian smiled and said, “The reason I removed the tombstone is mainly that I wanted to replace the urn. Last night, I dreamt of my brother. He said his home was leaking. I was worried that the wooden urn might have been damaged by insects, so I hurried over to check. Now that I see it’s fine, I’m relieved. But since I’m here, I might as well replace the urn.”
After saying this, Zhou Qian turned and squatted down, lifting the urn. He then stood up and asked the two workers, “Will the new tombstone be ready in a week?”
The workers grinned, rubbing their fingers together in a gesture that meant everything was negotiable with money.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay enough. The tombstone must be made of the best materials. It should be taller, more magnificent, and more luxurious than the others around. Xiao Qi—”
Zhou Qian looked at Qi Liuxing. “I don’t have cash on me. Can you pay for me? Let’s give these two gentlemen a generous tip for their hard work.”
Qi Liuxing: “…”
What kind of weird competitive mentality is that?
Wait a minute? Why am I the one paying? Are you being casual? Not everyone is a second-generation rich kid like you!
Zhou Qian only said to the staff, “Add me on WeChat. Update me anytime. I’ll transfer the money to you whenever?”
The staff quickly replied, “Don’t worry, as long as the payment is settled, we’ll work overtime… Guarantee it will be done in a week!”
“Okay. Then I’ll come to rebury my brother in a week.”
Zhou Qian smiled at the staff holding the urn, slightly nodded towards Qi Liuxing, and then left with him.
Leaving the cemetery, the two hailed a ride towards the city center.
Qi Liuxing thought to himself that this trip was much smoother than expected.
At least they didn’t have to sneak in in the middle of the night and dig the grave themselves.
Those workers were really irresponsible.
Of course, when he sat in the back seat with Zhou Qian, Qi Liuxing’s expression became more and more speechless.
Because he watched as Zhou Qian opened the urn.
Though Qi Liuxing really didn’t want to look, curiosity got the better of him.
Inside the urn were mostly ash-colored powder and some small bone fragments that weren’t fully burned.
Zhou Qian reached in, picking out a small piece of bone to examine closely, even smelling it.
Afterwards, for better light, he even held the bone up to the window.
Looking sideways, Qi Liuxing saw the sunlight shining through the window, illuminating both the bone and half of Zhou Qian’s face.
Under this light, Zhou Qian’s expression looked dreamy. His eyes were intensely focused, with a crazed look.
Then he muttered to himself, “Hmph, is this really human bone?”
Qi Liuxing: “…”
The driver in front: “…”
The driver must have been shocked that he drove in an S-shape.
After a while, Qi Liuxing asked him, “Want to know what I think?”
“Oh?” Zhou Qian turned his gaze, looking at Qi Liuxing curiously. “What’s on your mind, Xiao Qi?”
Qi Liuxing: “I think you’re really insane.”
Zhou Qian: “Oh, I’ve always been that way.”
Qi Liuxing: “…”
Zhou Qian laughed, put the bone back in the urn, and closed the lid.
Then he asked Qi Liuxing, “What’s the deal with the ghost you mentioned earlier? Tell me in detail. What’s your relationship with him?”
Qi Liuxing thought deeply, holding his chest as if holding an invisible sword.
After a while, he began. “What if I told you… I grew up with a ghost. You wouldn’t believe me, right?”
Zhou Qian: “Go on.”
When Qi Liuxing was six, he watched a cartoon.
In it, two brothers were very close.
He envied that and wished for a brother, so he told his parents he wanted a younger brother.
When he said this, his parents looked sad. They told him that he did have a younger brother who died shortly after birth. Qi Liuxing was only two at the time, so he didn’t remember.
Strange events started happening after that.
Qi Liuxing often saw a child two years younger than him who called him “big brother” and was very dependent on him. He felt that he was his real younger brother.
His brother grew up with Qi Liuxing, reading with him, doing homework, attending classes…
Except that no one else could see him, their relationship seemed just like normal brothers.
Qi Liuxing said to Zhou Qian, “I originally thought he was the ghost of my brother, but logically, ghosts don’t grow up. So… I don’t know what’s going on.”
Zhou Qian seemed to understand. “But your parents think it’s your imagination? Or you have schizophrenia?”
“Yes. They thought my condition was getting worse, so they sent me to a psychiatric hospital,” Qi Liuxing said. “When entering this game, the system said… you can exchange gold coins for what you want. I wanted my brother to truly come alive.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian thoughtfully looked at Qi Liuxing. “So your brother now…”
Qi Liuxing: “Sometimes he comes out, sometimes he doesn’t. Now… Ah, he’s here! Let me introduce you!”
Zhou Qian: “…”
Qi Liuxing sat in the middle of the back seat. He raised his hand and gestured towards the empty seat on his right. “Brother, let me introduce you. This is Zhou Qian. He’s impressive. Thanks to him, I managed to get the hidden reward. Mhm? Okay, I understand.”
Qi Liuxing turned and smiled at Zhou Qian. “My younger brother says he wants to thank you.”
Zhou Qian waved at the empty seat, narrowing his eyes and smiling warmly. “Hello. No need to be polite.”
Suddenly, a sharp, jarring friction sound abruptly rang out.
Accompanied by an emergency brake, the car violently stopped by the roadside.
Qi Liuxing was about to ask the driver if something had happened, like a tire blowout. But he saw the driver stretching out a trembling hand from the front seat. “You should leave. I won’t continue this job.”
“Um, sir, there might be a misunderstanding—” Qi Liuxing realized something and tried to explain.
“No, no, no. Just spare me! I beg you! I have a family!” The driver’s voice was on the verge of breaking down. “It’s hard for me to take ridesharing jobs in my free time! I will never take jobs near the cemetery again! Not even in the daytime!”
Moments later, Qi Liuxing and Zhou Qian stood on the deserted asphalt road at the foot of the hill, feeling the cold wind.
Zhou Qian calmly held an urn against the wind. Occasionally, passersby would see him and immediately keep their distance.
Qi Liuxing shook his head and involuntarily stepped back.
After a while, seeing Zhou Qian making a phone call, Qi Liuxing asked with a strained voice, “Who are you calling? Where are we going now?”
Zhou Qian replied, “When in trouble, we should seek help from the police. So, we’re heading to the police station to find Officer Chen. Let’s see if he can help us identify this or find out how Bai Zhou died.”
……
Two days later. Semi-open instance A711.
The so-called semi-open instance mainly served as a lobby for players and gamblers to discuss matters. It was also known as the game hall.
Only players and gamblers of a certain level could enter, hence the “semi-open”.
At this moment, all the people in the hall were Rank S players with various skills and gamblers with “Senior Gambler” badges.
They held phones or tablets, displaying numerous scenes of players below Rank S tackling different challenges.
In this game, players below Rank S were considered novices. When these novices played, only their respective gamblers could watch live.
But once they finished, their gameplay could be viewed by Rank S and above players and Senior Gamblers.
This way, other players and gamblers had no real-time interference in the novices’ gameplay.
They periodically review novices’ play videos to scout for potential apprentices or recruits for their teams.
For gamblers, it was about selecting future betting subjects to earn more money.
Players like Zhou Qian, being a novice, of course, couldn’t enter such semi-open instances.
Suddenly, a Rank C player appeared at the entrance, undoubtedly drawing attention.
With a cold smirk, the gatekeeper said, “People below Rank S can’t enter.”
The Rank C player was a very beautiful girl.
With a cold beauty and a reserved demeanor, she resembled the typical ice queen.
Facing the gatekeeper, she confidently replied, “I was invited. In fact, without the special invitation [Pass] from the legion, I wouldn’t even know about this place or be able to get here, right?”
“Tsk… Nowadays, novices have no manners.” The gatekeeper sighed.
Having guarded the entrance for a long time, he was well aware of the rules.
Normally, only Rank S players and Senior Gamblers could enter. But legions, aiming to nurture and train novices, had the authority to distribute a certain number of [Pass].
Those novices who received this [Pass] were eligible to visit.
They were considered reserves for the legions, and if they grew appropriately, they could become the backbone of the legion.
Legions were entities formed by highly capable Rank S players who applied through the system.
They were somewhat like guilds in MMORPGs but more complex.
Of course, some highly skilled veteran players could also directly distribute [Passes] to their disciples on their own.
The gatekeeper, despite clearly knowing the person in front of him had a pass, still wanted to give her a hard time. He had no other intention but to get a little bribe from her. Gold coins, useful items, anything would do.
However, the icy beauty in front of him was clearly unbending. She directly took out her pass and slapped it down in front of the gatekeeper with a loud “slap”.
“If you fucking refuse a toast, you’ll be forced to drink a forfeit*. Believe it or not, next time I’ll have someone kill you in the game—”
*(敬酒不吃吃罚酒) Idiom referring to submitting under pressure after turning down the first request.
Before she could finish, the gatekeeper silenced. Because he saw that the pass she presented was issued by the Peach Blossom Legion.
The term “Peach Blossom” in the Peach Blossom Legion came from the famous ancient poem: “Last year at this door, the human face and peach blossoms reflected each other’s red glow*.”
*Line from a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Xin Qiji. It conveys a sense of nostalgia and the fleeting nature of time by juxtaposing the enduring beauty of peach blossoms with the transient beauty of a human face.
The founder was a legendary player known as the “Peach Blossom God”. It was said that when she had the opportunity to see the gods, she emerged from a scarlet peach forest. Her skills were also related to peach blossoms, hence the name.
While Peach Blossom was still active, the Peach Blossom God had been missing for a long time. Rumor had it that after a massive civil war between the game’s legions years ago, the Peach Blossom God disappeared, her whereabouts unknown. This resonated with the phrase: “The human face is gone, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze*.”
*Also another line. It refers to while the human is gone, the peach blossoms continue to bloom year after year, reflecting the importance of human life.
While the founder vanished, the legion was dormant. Only recently did they become active again, ranking second among all legions.
Just moments ago, the gatekeeper was betting with someone—
“That new player named Zhou Qian seems pretty strong. Do you think Peach Blossom will recruit him?”
“It’s hard to say. The Peach Blossom Legion has peculiar standards for recruitment.”
The gatekeeper soon realized the accuracy of the statement. After all this time, the Peach Blossom Legion was finally attempting to nurture newcomers. But this newcomer wasn’t the outstanding Zhou Qian, but this seemingly unremarkable girl standing before him.
Given that she was chosen by the Peach Blossom Legion, the gatekeeper didn’t dare offend her. He quickly stepped aside.
Before she entered, the gatekeeper accessed her game profile.
[Name: Situ Qing]
[Rank: C]
[Specialty: Long-range Damage; AOE]
[Gambler System Evaluation: Ice Queen; Snow Goddess; Potential DPS Queen]
……
Retrieving her pass, Situ Qing stepped into the game lobby. Despite her proud and cold demeanor, a touch of reverence was evident in her gaze. She had struggled for so long in lower-level instances and thought reaching Rank S was her limit in this game. But now, she realized that Rank S seemed to be just the beginning. This game was even grander than she had imagined.
On a panel in the center of the lobby was a list of the most recent newcomers and their rankings. At the top was the name “Zhou Qian”.
Situ Qing was a classic “potential-type” player, meaning she needed to spend a lot of time leveling up initially, but her power in the later stages would be unimaginably strong, akin to a late bloomer.
Despite being informed of this, Situ Qing couldn’t help feeling a bit downcast. She had struggled for so long to reach Rank C, but Zhou Qian had advanced to Rank D after just one dungeon.
Scanning the lobby while meeting the curious gazes of others, Situ Qing began to explore the game lobby. This was her short-term goal. She hoped to come here in the future without needing a pass.
“Why did Peach Blossom choose her and not Zhou Qian?”
“Have you seen Zhou Qian’s performance? That guy obviously isn’t easy to control. He prefers to lead rather than be led. I guess Peach Blossom likes obedient members. Plus, Zhou Qian’s skills aren’t practical!”
“That makes sense. I remember Situ Qing’s previous system assessment. She’s a potential-type, just like Qi Liuxing. They might be average now, but in the future, they’ll be incredibly strong damage dealers.”
“By the way, has any legion shown interest in Zhou Qian? With his abilities, everyone must be fighting over him, right? He should get a lot of attention.”
“No way he’d be left out!”
“Those who scored nearly or at full marks during their novice phase are all currently legendary players! They’re the leaders of various legions! How can no one want Zhou Qian?”
“Those big shots before, when they were rookies and scored full marks, either had immense positive energy, persuading everyone to cooperate with their charisma; or they relied on unbeatable output and just did it! Otherwise, they were extremely evil, sacrificing teammates… But I haven’t really seen anyone as reckless as Zhou Qian.”
“Yes, that’s the point. People like Zhou Qian are too dangerous. People like him… if you can’t get them, you must kill them before they grow stronger. Otherwise, they will be endless trouble!”
“But strangely, it seems like there’s no news about him now! No one is competing for him!”
“Really? No one wants him??”
“In fact, there’s one thing that all of you overlooked.”
A deep male voice suddenly came from the direction of the hall’s entrance. A man in a suit and leather shoes with a refined demeanor walked over. Because he used a special item, no one could see his name. They only knew his codename was [Priest].
Priest’s rank seemed very high, and his background was mysterious; nobody knew which legion he belonged to. He knew many secret messages, often surprising everyone, like a prophet with a third eye. Thus, when everyone saw him coming, they all stopped talking, staring at him, waiting for his big reveal.
Priest directly took out two tablets and placed them side by side on the table. He turned on the left tablet, tapped a few times, and displayed a group of new players entering “Apple Paradise”. He fast-forwarded to when the players first met the Great God Epoh, paused, adjusted the angle, and zoomed in on Epoh’s face for a clear close-up. Then he turned on the right tablet, bringing up the moment Zhou Qian met Epoh, and similarly zoomed in on Epoh.
At this point, it was clear that the facial features and expressions of the two Epohs were identical. In fact, these players had seen different groups of players clear this instance many times before.
Facing the Epoh on the first screen, their feelings were no different than usual, just like seeing an ordinary NPC in a low-level instance. But when they looked at the Epoh before Zhou Qian, they felt something unusual… It was as if that Epoh wasn’t just game data anymore but a living being, as if he would crawl out of the screen the next second and stand before them.
Priest continued to operate the two tablets, trying to analyze the various attribute data of the two Epohs in detail. The left tablet quickly displayed the data of the Great God Epoh NPC, such as HP, MP, attack power, skills, and the like.
But on the right tablet, a message popped up:
[The relevant player has activated advanced permissions and will not publicly display specific attribute values.]
“What the hell? Advanced permissions?”
“I know what advanced permissions mean! That’s… it’s a privilege only for god-tier players! Wait, I think I’ve encountered this situation before. This is, this is…”
“Priest? Care to explain?”
“I got it! A god-tier player loaded their consciousness into the body of an NPC in the instance! Under these circumstances, he can’t control the NPC, can’t OOC*, and can’t interfere with the instance…”
*Out of character. Basically, they have to follow the plot.
“It’s as if he attached his mental consciousness to the NPC, watching regular players play the game without affecting the game!”
“They do this to select ‘Shepherds’ for themselves! So, which god-tier player did this?”
“He closed our query permissions because he was worried that his health and skills would also be displayed. He doesn’t want us to recognize him!”
Those who were in this hall, to put it nicely, were all Rank S, but they were the lowest level of Rank S players, always within the range of regular players.
Legends told that the most advanced players were the ones who really opened up the world of gods, stepping into that realm and gaining supreme power through deals with them. Hence, they were called “god-tier players” by regular players. The founders of several major legions were god-tier players.
But no one present had seen them, nor did they know what that supreme power meant.
They only knew that the highest-level god-tier players would occasionally upload their consciousness into the instance, becoming an NPC within, choosing a qualified [Shepherd] for themselves.
It was said that after achieving godhood, god-tier players sometimes experience a loss of mental control.
During those times, they need a qualified [Shepherd] to control them. No matter how powerful or invincible a god-tier player was, if they lost their sanity or went berserk in the instance, they might still fail to clear the level. But if they cooperated well with a [Shepherd], they would be unstoppable.
“Priest, are you suggesting that a god-tier player has chosen Zhou Qian as his Sheperd? Did he become Epoh for Zhou Qian?”
“Even though it’s just their consciousness that’s uploaded, if the NPC gets hurt, the player will feel it too, right? Playing as Epoh, who enjoys pain, how much pain and suffering would that entail!”
“Which god-tier player would do such a thing? Just to observe Zhou Qian? Isn’t this a bit too exaggerated?”
“Before ‘Apple Paradise’, Zhou Qian had already passed the tutorial. How did a god-tier player notice him and immediately turn into Epoh? That’s unbelievable!”
“I’m so curious. I’ve opened the player rankings. Who the hell is that god-tier player?”
“[Scholar], [Blood Demon], and [Hidden Blade]… All these god-tier players are on my list! Who? Who took an interest in Zhou Qian?”
In response to everyone’s queries, Priest’s expression was somewhat inscrutable. “I don’t know who this god-tier player is, but if you keep looking, you’ll be able to guess soon.”
“Why?”
“If Zhou Qian is someone a god-tier player is interested in, then if the other god-tier players can’t have him, they’ll likely resort to killing him.”
……
Having overheard everything happening in the hall, Situ Qing entered a private room in the tea area. Inside, a pale, thin young man with a somewhat gloomy look was sitting.
“Any initial thoughts on this place?” the man asked her.
“My worldview has been turned upside down. What will become of this game in the future?” Situ Qing inquired.
“All you need to know is that you’ll possess immense power and be able to achieve your desires.” The man chuckled. “So, how do you feel now? Want to join the Peach Blossom Legion?”
“For someone weak like you… You’re not even a player. Why are you part of the legion?” Situ Qing was puzzled.
The man laughed. “Because I’m smart. Through this period, with the help I provided for you in clearing the instances, you should have felt it, right?”
After a moment of silence, Situ Qing countered, “You said before, if I want to join the Peach Blossom Legion, there’s a condition?”
“Yes. There’s a player named Zhou Qian. Due to his high score, the system will open a special instance for him called ‘Last Wish’. Given his personality, he will definitely go directly to this instance. The Peach Blossom Legion will provide you with an entrance ticket for ‘Last Wish’. This type of instance is rarely open, and as long as you and he make choices around the same time, you’ll definitely be matched together.” With a stern look, the man said, “Kill Zhou Qian in ‘Last Wish’, and that’s the condition for joining the Peach Blossom Legion.”
Situ Qing frowned. She was somewhat aware of Zhou Qian’s capabilities.
Seemingly sensing her hesitation, the man said, “He’s only Rank D, with an HP of just 2,000. Your HP is twice his. Besides, you have my real-time assistance. Furthermore—I’ve found a great helper for you.”
“Helper? Who?” Situ Qing was suspicious.
“You just went to a newbie instance to farm experience, right? You’ve gained a little fan. You saved him, so he’ll listen to you.”
“You mean… Lu Mengmeng?” Situ Qing furrowed her brows.
The man confirmed, “Yes. You both live in Spring Hill Asylum Zone 2. When you leave here later, find him and persuade him to cooperate with you. Tell him that if he performs well, he can also join the Peach Blossom Legion.”
“I don’t quite get it. That Lu Mengmeng is weak in every aspect.” Situ Qing asked with some surprise, “Why choose him?”
“Because his gambler is Zhu Qiang. Zhou Qian’s gambler is Yu Xian. And Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang are a pair of unemployed best friends. So…” the man grinned, “Are you ready to watch the drama of two brothers turning against each other?”
Situ Qing fell silent. She looked out the window. It was a false landscape constructed by virtual space—the moonlight covered the valley, making it look like a fairyland. The moonlight was breathtakingly beautiful. But every time she approached the valley, trying to reach out and grasp it, she always came up empty-handed.
“Don’t be afraid. I know, for my sake, you would surely kill Zhou Qian and survive.”
The man pushed the wheelchair forward toward Situ Qing, then leaned close to her ear, whispering the gentlest yet seemingly most cruel words.
“My dearest sister, I am your most devout gambler.”
……
Spring Hill Mental Hospital Zone 1, at the edge of the outdoor activity area, near the small river.
[Player Zhou Qian, you have not chosen the next instance to log into. The system reminds you to make a choice as soon as possible.]
[Due to your outstanding initial evaluation results, the special instance “Last Wish” with hidden rewards has been specially opened for you.]
[For players who have reached Rank E, some rules have been updated. Click to view the detailed introduction of the updated gambler system.]
[Currently, you and your gambler cannot enter semi-open instances and meet directly online. However, before the game starts, the gambler and player can have a video call to get to know each other better.]
[Whether the player passes or not affects whether the gamblers can receive rewards. Thus, gamblers can help players pass through their understanding of the game. During the game, gamblers can send message hints to players.]
[Please note that during the game, players cannot contact gamblers; gamblers can only send messages to players unilaterally.]
[At this stage, every game played by a player will be archived and can be searched and viewed by advanced gamblers; the higher your current score, the more likely you are to attract their attention; in the future, they will provide great help on your gaming journey.]
When Zhou Qian received this message, he was in the rest area, holding a binoculars, and preparing to climb a tree.
He casually asked Qi Liuxing, “So, at this stage, each player is only bound to one gambler, and the gambler can see our game performance in real-time. Players above Rank F can receive message hints from gamblers during the game?”
“Yes,” Qi Liuxing replied.
Zhou Qian asked, “But how come I see that Dong Xiang, you, Yun Xiangrong, and Gao Shan seem to not receive any hints?”
Qi Liuxing: “Perhaps our gamblers are too weak, weaker than us.”
“This system is quite strange. Think about it, gamblers just watch from outside, unlike us, who immerse ourselves in the game. How can they know more than us? Besides, while we risk our lives, they benefit from the sidelines… How is this fair? Something feels off.”
At this stage, each player had one gambler.
But a player’s performance could attract the attention of advanced gamblers.
In the future, when a player upgraded to Rank S, many advanced gamblers might bet on this player, realizing mutual prosperity and loss.
But as Qi Liuxing doubted, is it that easy for gamblers to reap without sowing?
Thoughts crossed Zhou Qian’s mind, but he temporarily set them aside.
As usual, he climbed the tree and began observing the building on the opposite side with his binoculars.
Qi Liuxing sat beneath the tree, bored, having kept watch for Zhou Qian for several days.
Yawning and looking up, he saw Zhou Qian with the high-powered binoculars, observing intently. Qi Liuxing joked, “If you were a woman, you’d turn into a ‘wife-waiting stone*’.”
*This is referring to a legend that tells of a devoted wife who waited for her husband to return from a journey. She waited for so long that she eventually turned into a stone statue, gazing in the direction her husband left. Nowadays, there are many stones that are labeled as this providing tourist attractions.
“Huh? Can’t a man wait for his husband?”
“??”
“Sorry, you’re too young.”
“…???”
Qi Liuxing: “So, did you see anything?”
Zhou Qian shook his head. “That person has been lying down. Nothing different from usual.”
Qi Liuxing, at a loss for words, changed the topic. “Hey, what about the ashes?”
Zhou Qian: “Chen Yangzhou said the results are still pending. We don’t know if those ashes are fake.”
“Okay…” Qi Liuxing asked again, “Where are you heading for the next instance? Do you want to go to ‘Last Wish’?”
“Yes.” Zhou Qian nodded. “This instance is also open to Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong. They replied that they are willing to team up.”
“So… have you chosen what to add to your skills?” Qi Liuxing inquired further.
Zhou Qian: “Team control.”
Upon noticing Qi Liuxing’s hesitance, Zhou Qian looked down to find an awkward expression on his face, even his ears turning a shade of red.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qian asked him.
Qi Liuxing remained silent, his ears reddening further. After a while, he finally said, “Promise you won’t laugh at me.”
Zhou Qian raised two fingers. “I promise I won’t.”
“Well… would you like to form a team with me?” Qi Liuxing asked.
*Courage of a swordsman and the soul of a musician (剑胆琴心). Metaphor referring to someone who’s courageous and sentimental. This is often used in old novels, mostly to describe talented scholars who are capable in writing and martial arts (thus why Zhou Qian replied like so below).
Zhou Qian laughed. “As expected, an ancient-styled, chuunibyou.”
Qi Liuxing looked irritated. “You just said you wouldn’t make fun of me!”
Watching as Qi Liuxing, trying hard to keep a straight face, became redder by the moment, Zhou Qian stopped teasing him. “What made you think of this?”
Qi Liuxing pointed to his system panel. “The system extracts gamblers’ opinions of me, combines them with my performance, and plans my development. The system suggested that I not go to the ‘Last Wish’ for my next instance but to a specially customized instance. The reward for that instance is a musical instrument that matches my skills very well. So if you’re willing, you can join me and then possess skills related to the musician.”
“What are the musician’s skills?”
“Probably a healer. I’m not sure.”
“Oh, then never mind.”
“…………”
Catching a glimpse of Qi Liuxing’s disappointed look, Zhou Qian said, “I’m not interested in the whole healer thing. But we can still form a small team in the future.”
“Mm… That works too!” Qi Liuxing quickly smiled. “Let’s also invite Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan!”
Regarding Qi Liuxing’s proposal, Zhou Qian didn’t commit either way, but just gave him a few more glances. He could sense that ever since he blocked for Qi Liuxing, the young man’s attitude towards him had changed. Beneath the aloof and rebellious facade, he was genuinely naive.
Having grown up at that age himself, Zhou Qian understood the mindset of young people. At that age, it was easy to believe in forever. They often think that a promised lifetime means an actual lifetime and that a recognized friend can remain a friend for life.
In truth, Zhou Qian had been taking advantage of this. Playing this game requires teammates. Qi Liuxing was clearly a promising DPS. He might even become a Sword Master in the future. So Zhou Qian needed him on his team, preferably following his every command. Every move he made in the game, including every word he said to Qi Liuxing, had a purpose: to make Qi Liuxing grateful, feeling indebted, and ultimately become an obedient teammate.
Nevertheless, Zhou Qian asked, “Why are you willing to team up with me?”
Regarding his own schemes, Zhou Qian was blunt. “But you should know, I’ve been using you all along.”
Qi Liuxing was taken aback. “…”
Jumping down from the tree and looking straight into Qi Liuxing’s eyes, Zhou Qian continued, “The reason I shielded you was because I knew I wouldn’t die. Even if I wasn’t 100% sure, I had at least 90% certainty. I did that to make you wholeheartedly follow my orders and help me get the hidden achievement. Knowing this, would you still want to team up with me?”
“Why… Why are you putting it like this…” Qi Liuxing frowned.
Zhou Qian smiled at him. “Being so blunt?”
Qi Liuxing: “Yes, blunt… and what you said seems too opportunistic. I still don’t believe you used me entirely. Because at that moment, the most dangerous part was over. You didn’t actually need me afterward…”
Zhou Qian shook his head. “That’s uncertain. I might have guessed the general course of events, but not all of it. When the believers who ate the apple would be punished by Epoh and stop attacking us, I had no idea. So, from my perspective, we might still face a significant crisis. If you were genuinely moved because I blocked for you, I might ask you to take a hit for me later, maybe even die for me.”
Qi Liuxing fell silent, leaning his head against the tree trunk, his face slightly pale and his expression rigid. Zhou Qian asked, “So, do you no longer wish to team up with me?”
“I…” Qi Liuxing spoke softly. “I don’t mind. I mean… no, I still believe you’re not as bad as you say.”
He looked up confidently. “It was a level 1 instance. Although the hidden achievement is hard to get, they wouldn’t give us no chance at all. Those deified believers wouldn’t attack us endlessly. The last and strongest one was already Rank B, and it’s safe to say he was the final boss! So you must have calculated correctly. You didn’t use me.”
“You’re saying I didn’t use you then… but I might in the future?” Zhou Qian laughed again. “Like now, when you seem to trust me a lot.”
Qi Liuxing: “Why do you always paint yourself in such a bad light?”
“Because it’s essential to put the unpleasant words out first.” Zhou Qian stopped smiling and became serious.
“Qi Liuxing, I’m not a good person to begin with. You should assume that I am as bad as I say. If under these circumstances, you’re still willing to team up with me, I welcome it. If not, we can part on good terms—”
He paused, then added, “It’s better for you to see this side of me now rather than doubting my intentions in a critical in-game situation, refusing to follow my orders, and jeopardizing my plans. So—”
Staring deeply at Qi Liuxing, Zhou Qian asked again, “Are you willing?”
To Zhou Qian’s relief, Qi Liuxing didn’t agree immediately but pondered for a full ten minutes.
It seemed as if he was reviewing the entire game in that time.
In the end, he said, “I’m willing to team up with you, and I trust you. Not just about your character, but… your intelligence. Right—”
“I have one last question.”
“What question?”
“Why did Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, who had already fled to the treehouse, come back to help me? You couldn’t have possibly foreseen that.”
“Oh, it’s simple. Because I threatened them,” Zhou Qian casually said.
Qi Liuxing: “?”
“I traded them some small items and gold through the market and left a message—that they shouldn’t think they’re safe there. I’ll attract the believers there. If one of us dies, we all die.”
“…”
Zhou Qian chuckled, climbed back up the tree, and peered through his binoculars.
However, his expression quickly changed.
With both hands, he gripped the binoculars tightly.
Room No. 03X87 was unexpectedly empty! When did the person inside leave?
Shortly after, Zhou Qian’s wristwatch vibrated.
He checked it and saw a message from a stranger.
The person’s name didn’t show up in the system.
He only had a title, which read [Hidden Blade].
Seemingly sensing something, Qi Liuxing on the ground below asked, “What happened?”
With a tone half mocking, half serious, Zhou Qian replied, “Someone wants to take me as an apprentice.”
“Holy shit, is a max-level big shot coming to our newbie village to recruit disciples?” Qi Liuxing was curious.
Zhou Qian hissed, “While we’re fighting tooth and nail in the game, low-level gamblers watch our moves in real-time. High-level gamblers watch replays afterwards. Then there’s a group of Rank S players watching, considering whether to invite us to their legions or take us as apprentices… Xiao Qi, doesn’t that piss you off?”
“It is infuriating. So, are you going to accept him as your master?” Qi Liuxing asked curiously.
“No,” Zhou Qian decisively replied.
“But I won’t refuse him outright. I’ll just leave him hanging.”
“A person who won’t even show me their name isn’t sincere. Who knows what kind of tricks they’re playing? I don’t get played by others. Hmm, [Hidden Blade]? That title is intriguing. I must find an opportunity… to turn the tables on him.”
“…As a friend, he will always be remembered by us. May he find peace in the next life. Bow.”
As the host’s voice fell, Ling Xiao bent down deeply with everyone else. When he stood up, tears streamed down his face.
Students lined up to offer the flowers they held in their hands and then silently returned to give Ling Xiao, who stood at the front of the line, a silent embrace. Ling Xiao attended as a close friend of Ping Zong. However, since that incident, Lan Sheng was forcibly isolated by the school authorities and couldn’t even attend the farewell ceremony.
Ying Feng was the last to come forward to say goodbye. He didn’t offer flowers but handed something to Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao looked at the tattered cloth in his hand, a piece cut from Lan Sheng’s cuff. Tears fell like rain.
In Tianxiu, there were no funerals. Sometimes people even gathered to celebrate death. But tragedies like that of Ping Zong, who passed away before even starting his journey, always evoked deep sorrow.
Many people participated in this farewell ceremony—the principal, instructors, students, even the school doctor and her Qizi who didn’t belong to this academy. They stood at the end of the line, silently watching the grief-stricken students pass by. This was the first time these young ones encountered death, especially of someone they had been close to. The faces of the girls were stained with tears, and some boys had red eyes. This was their first real lesson in the harsh reality of the Tianxiu coming-of-age ceremony.
In the end, only a few remained in the hall. Ling Xiao and his friends couldn’t leave him alone. Ying Feng surprisingly stayed as well. The principal and Yao Tai exchanged glances, then approached Ling Xiao.
“Please do not blame Dr. Yao. The whole idea was mine. I thought a gentle mobilization would reduce the students’ resistance to the coming-of-age ceremony. I hoped everyone could pass this stage peacefully, but it had the opposite effect.”
“If I hadn’t been so presumptuous, Lan Sheng might not have had such a severe psychological shock. He wouldn’t have taken such a drastic action, and Ping Zong wouldn’t have sacrificed himself. The entire fault lies with me. I sincerely apologize to you and to all my students.”
The principal bowed his head sincerely. Yao Tai wanted to approach but was stopped by Zhi Shang.
He silently shook his head, signaling her not to disturb. This incident was complicated, with no clear blame. Every coming-of-age ceremony brought tragedy. The principal aimed to reduce such tragedies, but who could predict unforeseen outcomes?
Seeing the principal humble himself before the students, Yao Tai felt inexplicably upset. If anyone should apologize, it should be her, as she was more involved.
Ling Xiao turned, facing the principal. Their heights were nearly the same, and their gazes were almost level, like peers.
“Principal, you don’t need to apologize to me. If time could turn back, even if we knew the truth, they would still have the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“I know their strengths well. Ping Zong would win, Lan Sheng would lose, the outcome wouldn’t change. Lan Sheng’s refusal to become a Qizi wouldn’t change either. Whatever choice was made would lead to the same conclusion.”
With tears in his eyes, he looked at Ping Zong’s portrait. “Perhaps when they decided to be together, this outcome was already destined. The mistakes of others merely sped up their journey to that conclusion.”
He approached Zhi Shang, who had changed his glasses since the previous pair was shattered by Ling Xiao outside the emergency room.
“I should be the one apologizing to you, Doctor.”
“No…”
“Please hear me out,” Ling Xiao interrupted. “Not just an apology, but also gratitude. Thank you for teaching me about the coming-of-age ceremony, a lesson so costly I’ll remember it all my life.”
“If I hadn’t felt this deeply, I might not have realized the cruelty of the coming-of-age ceremony. I might have remained naive, joking about Qizhu and their Qizi, daydreaming during biology lessons. Even though I’m physically undeveloped, mentally I’m even more so. Thanks for showing me my naivety and ignorance.”
His gaze was sharp, tears defiantly in his eyes, making it hard for Zhi Shang to meet his gaze.
“But now I understand. As Dr. Yao said, the goal of a Tianxiu person is to become stronger, conquer the strong, and grow even stronger.”
“My previous understanding of strength, my unwillingness to lose in any endeavor, was just arrogance. Thank you for helping me see my real objective.”
He raised his fist, clutching the piece of the cuff. “I swear, in this life, I will never be anyone’s Qizi. I’ll control my destiny, not letting anyone decide my fate. No matter who I face in future coming-of-age ceremonies, even if it’s someone I deeply love, I will never, ever lose.”
……
Yao Tai, weighed down with concerns, had been walking for a while before she realized that someone was following her.
“What do you want?” She stopped and asked Ying Feng.
“The medicine you injected into me last time seems to have worn off.”
Yao Tai was taken aback. “How can that be? It’s only been a few days.”
“I’ve had unusual physical reactions for two days in a row.”
Yao Tai thought for a moment. “Have you been in close contact with anyone who has already awakened?”
Ying Feng recalled that only Zu Yue had confessed to him that evening that he had entered the awakening period, and the medicine seemed to have failed shortly after that.
“There was one time,” he admitted.
Yao Tai advised him, “If the other party has no intention of suppressing the awakening, and you don’t want to be troubled by the physiological reactions caused by the awakening, I suggest you keep your distance from them.”
Ying Feng had no intention of having any dealings with Zu Yue in the first place. “I will.”
“Come with me, and I’ll give you another injection.”
Ying Feng followed Yao Tai back to the medical building. It was evident that she was troubled. As Ying Feng wasn’t much of a talker, the two walked in silence to Yao Tai’s office.
The cool, transparent medicine was once again injected into him, accompanied by Yao Tai’s advice, “Regular interactions won’t cause the medicine to fail. Only intense physical contact can disrupt hormone levels. Just keep that in mind.”
Ying Feng wanted to mention that he had only spoken face-to-face with Zu Yue briefly. But in the end, he chose not to. After all, he had already decided to keep his distance, and further words seemed unnecessary.
“All done,” Yao Tai said after finishing the injection. Ying Feng slowly rolled down his sleeves, stood up, and prepared to leave.
“Thank you for the other night,” Yao Tai suddenly said.
Ying Feng knew she was referring to the matter with Ling Xiao. “It’s nothing.”
“I know. People like you prefer to be alone. If I hadn’t insisted, you wouldn’t bother with others’ affairs, especially considering your relationship with Ling Xiao isn’t that good. But forgive me; I was overwhelmed at the time. I couldn’t just send him away in that state.”
“I understand,” Ying Feng replied succinctly.
Yao Tai looked concerned. “Ever since the incident with Ping Zong, many students who have registered have requested to postpone the coming-of-age ceremony. The start of this year’s awakening period was harsh. I foresee many challenges ahead. But every Tianxiu person has to face this. Avoidance isn’t the solution.”
“I think they just want to prepare better. I believe our race isn’t that mentally fragile. When they’re ready, they’ll face their future.”
“I hope so,” Yao Tai said, looking at Ying Feng, whom she had always been particularly attentive to. “Even if you haven’t found someone you like yet, you should still be prepared.”
“I always remember what Dr. Yao told me,” Ying Feng said. “Especially after yesterday. What Ling Xiao said is also what I believe. No matter who I face in the coming-of-age ceremony in the future, I won’t lose.”
When Ying Feng came out of the medical building, the sky was getting dark, and lights were lit all over the campus. It was still some time before the curfew. With nothing specific to do, Ying Feng decided to go to the training hall. After the series of events in the past couple of days, he wanted to sweat a bit before going to sleep, which he believed would help him rest better.
But when he arrived at the training hall, he was surprised to find lights inside and occasional thudding sounds.
Someone had arrived before him. Not wanting to share the venue during his private time, he was just curious about who had the same idea as him. Taking a peek, he was surprised to find Ling Xiao, who had just sworn an oath at the Ping Zong farewell ceremony.
Ling Xiao had activated two combat robots. Every punch and kick hit their weak points. Several broken robots lay against the wall, indicating Ling Xiao had been training for a while.
Ying Feng had sparred with him before, but Ling Xiao’s eyes seemed sharper, his expression more serious, and his attacks more precise, capturing Ying Feng’s full attention.
As Ying Feng watched intently, Ling Xiao spun and delivered a flying kick, sending one robot flying against the wall. Its chest opened to reveal a white flag of defeat.
Quickly following up, Ling Xiao kicked the second robot, which flew straight at Ying Feng. Reacting instinctively, Ying Feng punched it, sending the second robot rolling to one side.
“You were spying,” Ling Xiao called out from a distance.
Ying Feng didn’t bother to argue, especially since he was indeed watching secretly.
“I didn’t expect anyone to be here so late.”
“I need to become stronger,” Ling Xiao said with determination. “I won’t lose to anyone in the coming-of-age ceremony. I’ve sworn it.”
“Same.”
Ling Xiao tilted his head. “Then, would you like to train together? Our last duel doesn’t count. I hope you won’t choke this time.”
Ying Feng began to unbutton his uniform one by one, took it off and threw it to the side, then methodically rolled up his sleeves.
“Last time was an accident; I won’t hold back this time.”
Inside the training hall, the two were evenly matched, and for the first time, both found such an invigorating duel.
They fought until both were completely drained. The duel finally came to an end with Ling Xiao sprawled unceremoniously on the floor, sweat drenching the ground as his chest heaved.
Ying Feng wasn’t faring much better. He sat against the wall, one hand resting on a bent knee, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had such a satisfying fight,” Ling Xiao said between breaths.
Though Ying Feng didn’t voice it, he agreed. Fighting a real opponent, especially one of equal skill, was a completely different experience compared to the predictable robots.
“Even though I’ve always been competitive with you, I have to admit, you are indeed strong,” Ling Xiao expressed his appreciation for Ying Feng for the first time.
After a pause, Ying Feng responded, “So are you.”
“Even so, if one day we face each other in the coming-of-age ceremony,” Ling Xiao said confidently, “I won’t lose.”
“Likewise,” Ying Feng hesitated before adding, “But that’s unlikely to happen. You’re overthinking it.”
Ling Xiao felt as if cold water had been splashed on him. He got up unsteadily. “I still haven’t had enough, but it’s almost curfew.”
Ying Feng also got up, picking up his uniform. He initially came here just to sweat it out, but unexpectedly bumped into Ling Xiao, having such an exhaustive duel. He was certain he’d sleep well tonight.
The two made their way back to the dormitory. As they reached the junction in the corridor, Ling Xiao finally spoke again.
“Hey,” he called.
Ying Feng stopped, waiting for him to speak.
“Do you want to continue tomorrow?” He raised his fist. “Train together.”
In the dim corridor light, his gray eyes sparkled, not because of their color, but the passion they emitted.
“Alright,” Ying Feng couldn’t help but agree, seemingly forgetting the recent past when Ling Xiao had vowed to defeat him in front of the whole class. Just a short while ago, their relationship was at a freezing point.
Seeing a positive response, Ling Xiao genuinely smiled. It was the first time Ying Feng had seen him smile since their last encounter at the medical building. In just three days, he witnessed Ling Xiao’s rebound from his lowest point to his peak. It seemed nothing negative could ever bring him down, not even the pain of losing a dear friend. That pain would only serve as unstoppable momentum for him to move forward.
The author has something to say:
Tip: Fledglings in their (pre)awakening phase, if they haven’t received suppressant injections and have frequent, prolonged physical contact with those who have, might cause the suppressant to fail in the latter. Normal interaction is safe. Not injecting is like the appearance of a normal Earthling, not affecting daily life much, but poses risks.
Kinky Translations 