Xiao Pang was killed, implying that the hidden S Army was about to launch a roundup plan on the few remaining members of the Falcon Squadron.
On the eastern side of the long street, there was a bank. It was the tallest building on this block. After Zhou Qian received a message from the system, he quickly assessed the situation of the entire street and then swiftly directed the other players to take cover inside the bank.
At that moment, Situ Qing was still struggling emotionally, but after Zhou Qian tapped her on the shoulder and asked, “Do you really want to die here?”, she finally wiped away her tears and quickly entered the bank.
Meanwhile, everyone received another message from the system.
Except for Situ Qing, who was slightly behind, the other three players were at the same rate. Zhou Qian estimated that by the end of this task, the three of them would directly reach 100%.
As for the subtask he triggered by gifting the mooncake, he probably had to find Jiang Yuqing to complete it.
Among the four, Zhou Qian was the last to enter the bank. As he was quickly figuring out the next move in the game, he took out an item from his bag.
[Item: Snail Transmitter]
[Function: Made up of snail brothers. Only the size of a real snail, but it’s great at picking up sounds! Stick the younger snail somewhere discreet and place the older snail in your ear. Whatever the younger hears, the elder will relay to you!]
After sticking the younger snail on the lamppost behind Xiao Pang’s body, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately enter the bank. He scanned the surroundings, then sent out the small dragon he always carried with him.
After giving it an item and whispering a few words to it, Zhou Qian felt that he was adequately prepared. Only after completing these two tasks did he finally enter the bank.
Upon entering, Zhou Qian immediately closed the door and went straight up to the top floor, the seventh floor, via the stairs. Looking out of the window, he was vigilant for any signs of the S Army.
At this moment, He Xiaowei approached him, crouching. “Hey… Could the S Army possibly plant bombs, seeing us hide here, encircle us with them, and blow us up?”
Narrowing his eyes and looking around, Zhou Qian accessed the system’s map to check something, then said, “It’s certainly possible.”
He Xiaowei: “What?!”
Zhou Qian continued, “But remember, this isn’t a real war setting; it’s a heavily scripted game. The shot that hit Xiao Pang indicates the onset of the S Army’s rampage, yet the hidden sniper hasn’t acted against us right away.”
He Xiaowei realized. “Right. So, the game gives us some prep time to find cover.”
Zhou Qian responded, “Exactly. Knowing this, I sent my dragon out covertly to accomplish a task during this brief window.”
He Xiaowei curiously asked, “What task?”
“Let’s wait until it succeeds before I tell you.”
Zhou Qian added, “However, what you mentioned earlier could indeed happen, so we definitely can’t stay here for long.”
As they spoke, Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing approached, each holding a large box. Inside were two guns and three grenades.
Yun Xiangrong said, “While you were coming up, we searched the ground floor and found a basement. It seems to be an intelligence agency’s hideout. Look, these guns have a ‘7’ symbol on them.”
“Good find.” Zhou Qian looked at them and asked, “But among you, who knows how to shoot?”
After a moment of silence, Situ Qing took the initiative to pick up a rifle. She skillfully changed the magazine and then just as expertly attached the silencer. Her movements were clearly professional.
“Damn, how do you know how to use a gun?” He Xiaowei looked at her in surprise.
Situ Qing walked to the window and looked out, saying indifferently, “I worked at a shooting range and often played with the guests. They liked to challenge people. I usually let them win.”
A little later, He Xiaowei and Yun Xiangrong went into the building to look for more usable weapons.
Situ Qing stood by the window with her rifle, acting as a temporary sniper.
Zhou Qian continued to study the city map. The city was well planned, with several main roads crisscrossing, leading everywhere. Buildings neatly lined both sides of the roads, connected by countless small alleys…
In such a big city, where could Jiang Yuqing be hiding?
With the limited information they had, it was hard for the players to decide. Searching inch by inch was clearly impossible, especially with countless S Army troops possibly about to flood the city.
After a while, Yun Xiangrong and He Xiaowei returned. As expected, He Xiaowei brought back a can of oil from the kitchen. However, they didn’t find much else.
While Zhou Qian was deep in thought, studying the map, Situ Qing whispered, “Two people are coming!”
Zhou Qian looked out the window and saw two armed figures in the streetlight, looking similar to the gunmen from the 12 rooms.
They walked over and glanced at Xiao Pang. Using the snail tool, Zhou Qian easily heard their conversation.
One asked, “Are you sure it’s here?”
The other replied, “Yes. A scout killed this kid and reported seeing members of the Falcon Squadron nearby. At the time, only the scout was here. The Falcon Squadron members are all skilled, so he only killed the kid and fled, not daring to act rashly against the others.”
“Then they’re probably hiding around here. Send people to search every house!”
“Yes.”
“And see if Jiang Yuqing is hiding on this street too!”
“Yes.”
“I’ll remind you again, Jiang Yuqing has something very important… He’s too cunning. He hasn’t left a single draft! All the formulas are in his head! We must capture him alive. Don’t harm him.”
“Understood, boss.”
Having overheard this, Zhou Qian quickly relayed their conversation to his teammates. He Xiaowei immediately frowned. “Damn, this level is hard. We’re just four, but the S Army is countless! It’s already hard to escape under their noses, let alone searching the whole place for Jiang Yuqing. It’s impossible! This mission is impossible!”
Zhou Qian said, “That’s why I think—searching for Jiang Yuqing isn’t our job. We should let others do it for us.”
He Xiaowei: “Huh?”
Zhou Qian continued, “Didn’t they say? They want to capture Jiang Yuqing alive because of the important data he has. So, it’s not wise for us to search the city for him. The real way to pass the level is to let them find him. We follow them discreetly, and once they find him, we rescue him.”
“Although the S Army outnumbers us, we have the advantage of surprise.”
In reality, He Xiaowei didn’t feel that his group had much of an advantage. The enemies had guns and cannons, and to exaggerate a bit, they might even have poison gas grenades. But his own group only had two rifles and three hand grenades.
At this moment, Zhou Qian coldly watched the two men on the street, continuing to eavesdrop.
The commander said, “Search this street quickly! If Jiang Yuqing isn’t here… I don’t care where the Falcon Squadron is hiding. Just plant explosives and blow up the entire street!”
“Yes.” One of the subordinates pulled out a walkie-talkie, said something, and quickly entered a nearby three-story building. He came out a minute later.
By this time, over ten more S Army troops had arrived, beginning their door-to-door search.
Having taken in the entire scene, Zhou Qian glanced at the time displayed on the system panel, saying, “They’ll find our building in about five minutes. So, listen closely to my deployment plan—”
“Situ Qing, you’ll take one minute to teach He Xiaowei how to use a gun. I don’t need him to be precise, just to be able to fire the bullets.”
“He Xiaowei, after you’ve learned how to shoot in one minute, leave this building first. The street runs north to south, and the S Army is searching from south to north. Therefore, exit the bank building through the back door and run north through the alley outside. After passing four buildings, find an appropriate sniping position. You must complete this within three minutes.”
“Three minutes later, Situ Qing will snipe from our current position. He Xiaowei’s task is to shoot from a building four buildings to the north, covering her.”
“He Xiaowei, just shoot freely. If you hit someone, great; if not, no worries. Our real sniper is Situ Qing. Just cover her and protect yourself.”
“Yun Xiaorong will leave with He Xiaowei. Follow him to the sniping position four buildings away, and within three minutes, set up an ignition mechanism using this barrel of oil. The fuse must be placed just right. When He Xiaowei shoots, time it right and ignite the fuse to explode the barrel.”
“If the trap works to its full potential, it’s best to trap the enemy army when they try to enter the building to shoot He Xiaowei.”
“Of course, even if it doesn’t kill the enemy, it’s okay. Its primary purpose is to help you and He Xiaowei escape. Once the building catches fire, they will be blocked and can’t directly pass through that building to the alleyway where you’re escaping.”
“So, I need to emphasize, measure the fuse correctly. It shouldn’t explode before you and He Xiaowei leave the bank. Time it perfectly. If it doesn’t kill, it’s okay; the primary goal is to ensure your escape.”
After listening, the three of them asked Zhou Qian in unison, “What about you?”
You’ve planned for us meticulously; what about yourself?
Zhou Qian said, “This city has three main roads. The street we’re on is on the outermost layer. I guess the S Army will close in layer by layer, searching every house for Jiang Yuqing and us. By the way… have you played PUBG*?”
*PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. A battle royale game in which up to one hundred players are parachuted onto an island where they scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill other players while avoiding getting killed themselves.
He Xiaowei immediately responded, “Yes! I have!”
“That’s right. In PUBG, there’s the shrinking play zone, right? 100 players drop onto a map, shooting at each other, and the safe zone keeps changing, getting smaller, forcing the remaining players into a tiny point for a final showdown…”
“It’s similar for us now. We can consider these three main roads, along with their surrounding alleys, as three safe zones.”
“Currently, we’re in the outermost zone. The S Army will probably spend less than half an hour checking this entire area. Once they confirm Jiang Yuqing isn’t here, they’ll bomb this place. By then, this initially safe zone will no longer be safe, and we have to flee to the next zone, the second main road—Changjiang Road.”
“The enemies will keep increasing. During our escape, we take down whoever we can. So, I’ve devised this plan, especially since a few of their leaders seem to have emerged. We must eliminate them first.”
“Let me reiterate the overall plan—Situ Qing will try to shoot as many S Army soldiers as possible. He Xiaowei will provide cover from the building four structures away. Once he attracts the enemy, Yun Xiaorong ignites the fuse, and they both retreat. Situ Qing, remember to withdraw in time. Don’t expose your position. If you don’t hit anyone, it doesn’t matter; first, preserve your life and run.”
“Remember, your retreat location is Changjiang Road.”
At this point, Zhou Qian pointed towards the east, where a cross faintly appeared, signaling a church.
“The church is located on the second main road, Changjiang Road. That’s our next safe zone. Do you see the tall building next to the church? That’s our rendezvous point.”
“That building is the tallest on the second main road. It’s similar to this bank and is an excellent vantage point.”
“After all, this is just a game. If all the tall buildings are filled with snipers, it becomes too hard for us. So, I assume, like this bank, that tall building hasn’t been occupied by the S Army.”
“The idea remains the same. The S Army is encircling from the outskirts of the city, layer by layer searching inwards, bombing buildings, until they locate Jiang Yuqing. Hence, there probably aren’t any enemies inside that building for the time being.”
“But this is just my initial guess. It may not be 100% accurate. There might still be snipers hidden inside. So, while you all move, I’ll act immediately.”
“You just asked me, ‘What about me?'”
“Now, I’m telling you. I’ll reach that tall building first to check if there are any ambushes from the S Army.”
“If I die, He Xiaowei—” Looking at He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian said, “Please persuade Yun Xiangrong to use the Tick Tock Clock to save me. If I’m alive, I’ll message you through the system, instructing you to regroup here.”
To save time, Zhou Qian explained everything swiftly. Given the urgency, hardly anyone had time to doubt or discuss better options. In such situations, absolute obedience was the most efficient response.
Zhou Qian was the first to descend the building. Exiting from the bank’s back door, he went through an alley and hid behind garbage bins, peeking out to observe the street’s situation. After a little over half a minute, he heard movement behind him. As expected, He Xiaowei and Yun Xiangrong followed.
Utilizing the sparse light from the street, He Xiaowei gestured to Zhou Qian, then quickly moved into another alley, heading to the northern four-story building. Yun Xiangrong, carrying an oil barrel and moving slower, tried to keep pace.
The layout of Cypress City was clear. The sea lay to the west of the city, hence the name West Pier. The first main road from West Pier to the east was the very street the S Army was sweeping. The bank where Zhou Qian and the others were located was near the main city area, on the eastern side of the street.
This meant they could avoid crossing the main road during their escape and could directly reach the tallest building on Changjiang Road through a maze of alleys.
At the moment, many S Army soldiers had gathered on the main street. They searched house by house, swiftly clearing each alley, moving from south to north. After clearing a building, they planted explosives, intending to blow everything up soon.
Witnessing all this, Zhou Qian hoped that the explosion Yun Xiangrong would cause with the oil barrel might ignite the bombs the S Army placed prematurely, inflicting heavy casualties. But that was quite an idealistic hope. If everything went according to plan, just reaching the next rendezvous point after killing some S Army soldiers would be great.
Three minutes later, a gunshot was heard. It was Situ Qing acting punctually. Without any bravado, she shot the leader’s head. A dozen S Army soldiers instantly raised their guns, rushing out of various buildings, looking for the shooter. Another shot was fired by He Xiaowei from the outskirts of the four-story building, shattering a streetlight, drawing the soldiers’ attention.
“Over there! Throw grenades at that building!”
“Yes!”
After this command, three soldiers with grenades moved towards He Xiaowei’s location. However, four crisp gunshots rang out from Situ Qing. All her shots found their marks. The three grenade-bearing soldiers fell before reaching He Xiaowei’s building, and the commander who ordered the grenades was also killed.
[Situ Qing, you might be exposed. Run now. Saving your life is most important.]
Upon receiving this message from Zhou Qian, Situ Qing immediately fled. Just as she left the building and hid in an adjacent alley, shouts were heard on the main street. “Wrong! The real sniper is in the bank! Move in quickly and eliminate them! This Falcon Squadron is too cunning!”
At this very moment, Situ Qing, who was desperately running for her life in the darkness, felt her heart skip a beat.
He’s different. Zhou Qian really… is different from Mu Sheng.
Upon reflection, she thought she should have realized this earlier. Most people in this world weren’t like Mu Sheng.
Mu Sheng was an anomaly—a demon dragging her down with him. She should have… should have left him long ago.
Elsewhere, Zhou Qian quickly sent messages to He Xiaowei and Yun Xiangrong.
[Successfully took out two of their minor leaders. Without a leader, they’ll be more chaotic; the mission is accomplished. Run now.]
After sending the two messages, Zhou Qian dashed toward the tallest building near the second main road.
He estimated that it was unlikely for an ambush to be there, but he wasn’t completely sure.
As he ran, Zhou Qian pulled out a second dragon scale, quickly summoning another small dragon.
After giving the dragon its orders, it flew from his embrace, heading straight for the tall building.
The dragon carried Zhou Qian’s life essence and would be treated as if it were a human.
It could test if there was a sniper hidden in the building.
After the dragon left, Zhou Qian stopped momentarily in a small alley far from the main street.
He stood with his back against a tree, blending into the shadows of the night. His gaze remained fixed in the direction the dragon had gone, not wavering in the slightest.
However, just a minute later, “Bang”—
From a distance, the sound of a gunshot echoed, and something fell, motionless.
At this very moment, Situ Qing, Yun Xiangrong, and He Xiaowei had split into two groups, each rushing towards that tall building. They had temporarily hidden in secluded spots, waiting for a definite message from Zhou Qian before converging at the building.
But they all heard the gunshot unexpectedly.
He Xiaowei almost shouted, but Yun Xiangrong covered his mouth just in time.
“Qian… What if something happened to him?” He Xiaowei’s voice shook uncontrollably. “Even if you guys had disagreements, objectively speaking, he’s not the main culprit. Without him, we might not get through the next level. This—”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice was also grave. Her dark eyes stared intently at the building, trying to locate the sniper.
She whispered, her voice hoarse, “Don’t worry. After all, he is Zhou Qian. I don’t think he’d die so easily. Let’s wait for further updates and not panic.”
As Yun Xiangrong spoke, a loud noise erupted behind them.
It was an oil drum trap set up by Yun Xiangrong, now detonated.
The resulting fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire building in moments.
Among the flames, distant shouts of the S Army could be heard.
“We should retreat to the perimeter!”
“Right, retreat! We’ve set up so many bombs; the fire will surely set them off!”
“Jiang Yuqing is definitely not here; otherwise, they wouldn’t cause an explosion!”
“Retreat to the pier! Then blow this place up! We have many men… after the explosion, let them all come down, and we’ll push towards the city center!”
“Right! They won’t have anywhere else to run!”
Hearing this, He Xiaowei said, “Qian was right! The safe zone is shrinking… we have to keep moving towards the city. And did you hear? They’re getting reinforcements from the west pier! Isn’t their army on the ships? Did I hear it wrong?”
“You heard right,” Yun Xiangrong replied. “Their main forces are at the west pier.”
He Xiaowei exclaimed, “But our mission is to escort Jiang Yuqing to the west pier to board a ship! Do we really… have to take them all out as Qian said? How can we do that? With our mana, we could run out at any moment… How can we fight so many soldiers?! This mission is impossible!”
On the other side, Situ Qing had similar thoughts.
Zhou Qian turned out to be different from what she had imagined. Mu Sheng always pushed her to take risks. But although Zhou Qian was the team leader, guiding everyone’s actions, he also took risks himself. But…
Is he dead?
This mission was like facing a hundred enemies with just one person.
Can we really succeed?
Zhou Qian, the man everyone was worried about, was standing beneath a tree.
He watched as the dragon he had dispatched fell in the darkness. Its body slowly became transparent until it turned into a dim dragon scale, impossible for him to find.
Upon hearing the loud explosion, Zhou Qian turned around emotionlessly, looking at the building behind him that was engulfed in roaring flames.
The reflection of the fire in his unfathomably cold eyes made them seem as if they were ablaze.
He faintly felt that this time… he might actually be a little angry.
The moonlight was like water, and hundreds of ghosts surged out like waves from various alleys.
Zhou Qian stood with his back to the crowd of ghosts, leaning slightly against a streetlamp. The light illuminated his long and beautiful eyes, making him appear calm and composed but also cold and ruthless.
Silently, he pulled out a snow-white and eerie object—it was the Rib of God.
He then raised his eyes and calmly gazed down the long street, the corner of his mouth curling up with a determined smile.
Ahead of him, Yun Xiangrong and He Xiaowei saw the message he sent. Pretending to walk towards Situ Qing, they slowed down after a few steps and quickly moved away from her.
Situ Qing was oblivious to what was happening behind her.
She just shivered all over and took a long breath. The sensation of the ghosts crawling on her just now was terribly uncomfortable, reminding her of eels. That cold and chilling sensation seemed to penetrate her soul, making every cell of hers tremble, completely different from her own icy aura.
By comparison, Da Shou standing next to her felt much warmer. Now, she just wished for a living person to come closer.
With that thought, Situ Qing took a few more glances at Da Shou. She found his appearance and demeanor reminded her of Mu Sheng when he was young.
When they were both young, there was no rift or conflict between them. They were of the same status—neighbors, childhood friends, closer than real siblings. She was two years older than Mu Sheng. They went to school together, and she helped him with his homework. However, Mu Sheng was so smart that he soon didn’t need her help, sometimes even solving problems faster than her.
Back then, he often cheerfully called her “sister” without any mockery. His innocent and kind expression was exactly like Da Shou’s just now.
Outside the game, separated by a screen, Mu Sheng saw Situ Qing actually walking with Da Shou. He shook his head slightly and quickly sent her a message: [Stay away from this kid. He will hurt you.]
But Situ Qing didn’t see it in time because Da Shou had grabbed her wrist.
In the game, Situ Qing felt a vibration at her wrist, but Da Shou’s position blocked her view of her watch panel. She didn’t push him away immediately, partly because she longed for the warmth on her wrist, especially after being surrounded by the coldness of the ghosts. She was desperate for the warmth of a living being.
However, after just thirty seconds, she tried to pull her hand back but found that Da Shou had a firm grip on her, making it hard for her to break free. Realizing something was amiss, she pushed Da Shou away, quickly accessed her system panel, and saw Mu Sheng’s message.
But it was already too late. Before she could turn and run, she saw Da Shou take action—he removed his jacket, revealing explosives strapped to his waist. He intended to take both of them down!
Situ Qing heard him say, “Sister, I’m sorry. But if I don’t do this, I won’t be able to see my mother. I just want to see her… I miss her so much!” Then with a click, Da Shou triggered the explosives.
Situ Qing’s heart sank.
She knew she couldn’t escape. In theory, her special ability might be able to freeze everything, including the explosives that hadn’t detonated. If Mu Sheng had sent the message earlier, she would have had time. But all her skills had a long casting time, and she would be blown to pieces before her icy powers took effect.
She knew she couldn’t make it. Mu Sheng’s message came too late, and she saw it half a minute too late.
She knew she was going to die in this instance.
Despite knowing she couldn’t survive, her survival instinct made her turn and try to run back. At that moment, she saw Zhou Qian standing under a nearby streetlight—under its illumination, he was holding up a bone and seemed to be murmuring something.
Then, the entire street, including the reflected moonlight and streetlights, started to warp. The explosion behind her didn’t happen immediately, and her running became extremely slow.
Zhou Qian has slowed down time!
Did he use such a massive amount of mana just to save me?
Why would he waste mana to save me?!
Wait, he only slowed down time. He didn’t stop it entirely.
Just as Situ Qing realized this, she heard a massive “boom” behind her.
The bomb had exploded!
A heat wave suddenly rose, and the entire back of Situ Qing was engulfed in flames, causing her so much pain that she couldn’t help but scream.
At that moment, she realized that there was not an inch of good skin left on her back.
[Player Situ Qing’s HP has dropped to 50%]
By the time she saw this prompt, Situ Qing was drenched in cold sweat.
But she knew she wasn’t dead yet. She was only slightly hurt by the outermost layer of the explosion.
Immediately after, time slowed down even more, so much so that the truly life-threatening shockwave was still delayed.
Biting her teeth hard, Situ Qing trembled from the pain. She then looked up and saw Zhou Qian slowly approaching her. He looked like a demon about to slay her, but at the same time, like a god who could save her.
Zhou Qian was smiling.
In Situ Qing’s eyes, that smile was endlessly mocking.
Situ Qing knew Zhou Qian was toying with her.
If he wanted to kill her, he wouldn’t need to slow down time.
But if he wanted to save her, why did he wait until after she was hurt by the outermost shockwave to further slow down time?
Does he want to save me or send me to my death?
The intense pain from her back made Situ Qing’s mind a bit foggy. She could even smell her burnt skin. Cold sweat had completely soaked her forehead, neck, palms, and back.
“What do you want?” Situ Qing managed to ask him, her voice hoarse.
She wasn’t even sure if she had actually said the words.
Because her time was also slowed down, perhaps she never got the words out.
But Zhou Qian seemed to have understood her.
Holding the Rib of God, he walked step by step towards her, looking down on her, and said, “Of course, I want you to beg me. Beg me, and I might consider saving you.”
“Don’t you see? Who pushes you into hell, and who saves you?”
“You… you…” Situ Qing wanted to argue, but she had to admit that Zhou Qian was right.
Considering Mu Sheng’s intelligence, he should have known that the child was problematic, so why didn’t he tell her sooner? Why wait until the very last moment?
Suddenly, Situ Qing looked at her watch again, as if trying to question Mu Sheng through the system panel, who was watching her in danger.
From this action, Zhou Qian saw right through her.
Walking up to Situ Qing, he placed the Rib of God on her shoulder.
And with that, Zhou Qian took Situ Qing out of time.
Unable to bear the pain on her back, Situ Qing almost collapsed.
Zhou Qian chuckled softly and said in a deep voice, “He pushes you into grave danger, and just before that danger strikes, he sends you a warning to save you. This way, you’ll become more and more reliant on him.
“He’s the one who sets the trap for you, but he’s also the one who rescues you. It’s like him slapping you and then offering you candy… Gradually, you can’t break free from him. Not only can you not leave him, but you might even begin to feel sympathy for him, empathizing with him to some extent…”
“Situ Qing, this isn’t love. You’re sick. This condition is similar to Stockholm syndrome*. He’s the kidnapper that trapped you. How can you fall for him?”
*Condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors.
“I guess he’s used this method many times. But if you walk in the night too often, you’ll eventually encounter ghosts*. Maybe the previous times he saved you at the last second. But just now… seems like he made a mistake. If he had warned you a bit earlier, would you be in this situation?”
*Idiom referring to if one constantly engages in risky or dubious activities, they will eventually face negative consequences or run into trouble.
While gasping in pain, Situ Qing asked Zhou Qian, “Putting me in extreme danger and then saving me at the last moment… Zhou Qian, isn’t what you’re doing now the same?”
Zhou Qian laughed again, looking into her pain-filled eyes. “Of course not. I’m not asking you to love me.”
“There’s no emotional entanglement between us. If there is any, it’s just hatred. After all, you killed a good man named Gao Shan.”
His tone turned cold as he looked into her eyes. “Situ Qing, I’m just trying to wake you up. You’re in an extreme emotional state because of him. How can I wake you up if I don’t use extreme methods?”
“Come on, Situ Qing, grab this bone and come see the light with me.”
No, I cannot be swayed by him.
How can there be any light on him?
I’m just stepping from one abyss into another.
The constant pain in her back reminded her that if she didn’t hold onto that bone, she would die. She would definitely die.
“Come, Situ Qing. Look behind you.”
Zhou Qian pressed the bone against the side of her head, forcing her to turn and look behind her.
Immediately, Situ Qing saw a sight that filled her with unspeakable terror.
A mushroom cloud from an explosion was just a stone’s throw away from her.
The mushroom cloud almost illuminated the sky, blindingly bright yet seemingly having the power to obliterate everything.
If… If Zhou Qian were to release that bone, she would be instantly blown to smithereens.
Situ Qing shivered uncontrollably, her survival instincts overtaking her rational mind and any mental defenses, making her swiftly grab the bone pressed against her head.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian gave a faint smile, turned, and ran with her out of the explosion’s range.
Then he deactivated his skill, and time returned to normal.
“Boom—!” The mushroom cloud bloomed, like the most magnificent flower.
But apart from the explosion’s epicenter, no one died.
Watching this from a distance, sweat poured off Situ Qing as if she had been drenched in water countless times.
The boundless terror and never-ending pain had completely sapped her strength, and she collapsed onto the ground.
After catching her breath for a moment, she looked up at Zhou Qian beside her. “What did you—”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian had used an ordinary skill on her.
[Bone Nightmare]: Induces the target into an illusion, with a 30% backlash chance.
This ordinary skill of Zhou Qian had a unique feature.
If the target’s mental and physical conditions were good, the induced illusion would be extremely basic, similar to seeing an elf in water when drinking. It would be neither harmful nor particularly offensive.
However, if the target’s mental state was compromised, Zhou Qian could exploit it.
He remembered the detailed skill description mentioning that his current level was too low to maximize this skill’s potential. If he tried, he might suffer a backlash that could even threaten his life.
But when he reached a higher level with stronger base attributes, he could create and control the illusion.
Currently, Zhou Qian couldn’t craft or control an illusion to make Situ Qing completely lost in it.
But given her current fragile state—pain from the explosion, fear of death, threats from Zhou Qian, combined with her feelings of disappointment, fear, love, and hate towards Mu Sheng—all these negative emotions were overwhelming her.
In such a state, Zhou Qian could show her the illusion she feared the most.
……
The intense pain on her back made Situ Qing drift in and out of consciousness.
The moment the bone passed before her eyes, she felt a weight on her head and fell unconscious.
She felt like she was back in her childhood, with scenes from her past fast-forwarding before her eyes. At first, she was an observer, but eventually, she merged completely with her past self, reliving her life.
Situ Qing’s mother was named Situ Xue, who, to many, seemed as pure and beautiful as snow*.
*[Xue] (雪) means snow.
Situ Xue raised Situ Qing by herself. When Situ Qing was nine, they moved into an apartment where she met Mu Sheng. They were neighbors, living door-to-door.
Situ Qing and Mu Sheng weren’t siblings, but their bond was even stronger. She was very kind to Mu Sheng, largely because Mu Sheng’s mother was kind to her and her mother.
Mu Sheng’s mother, feeling sorry for the mother-daughter duo, always invited them over whenever she made something tasty.
Thus, the two families got along very well.
But no one expected Mu Sheng’s father to end up with Situ Xue.
They claimed they were in true love. Mu Sheng’s mother went through immense emotional pain, eventually falling into depression.
One day, while she was driving to pick up Mu Sheng, her mental state was compromised. It was unknown if it was due to a momentary lapse or if she wanted to end both their lives. Regardless, a tragic accident occurred.
After the accident, Mu Sheng’s mother passed away, and Mu Sheng was left with a lifelong disability.
At his bedside, Situ Qing was consumed with guilt. She kept apologizing to Mu Sheng, saying she would dedicate her life to make up for it.
Finally, Mu Sheng said to her, “Then let’s run away. I can’t stand being in this house, even for a moment. How can I face my father and your mother? They are murderers. Maybe I’ll lose control and kill them.”
And so, Situ Qing really took him with her.
No one had ever told her that the mistakes of adults should not be something a child should bear.
Yet, she felt so guilty towards Mu Sheng. Because of her mother, his entire life was ruined.
In reality, Situ Qing’s life trajectory had also been completely altered.
Back then, Situ Qing was only in her second year of high school.
To pay for Mu Sheng’s school fees and their living expenses, she dropped out of school early and worked various jobs, doing loads of work every day.
She was tired and resentful but bore it silently. Even when Mu Sheng’s temper was extremely bad, even when he dragged her into a bottomless abyss with him.
There was one incident that Situ Qing remembered particularly well.
One day, she was working at a milk tea shop. As it was close to the end of the year, many office workers from nearby buildings were working overtime and having lots of meetings. Hence, the demand for milk tea was particularly high.
That afternoon, Situ Qing made almost 300 cups of milk tea. She was almost exhausted to death and didn’t finish work until midnight.
She was so worn out that she could barely walk. She texted Mu Sheng that she wouldn’t come home that night and would spend the night at the milk tea shop and return the next morning.
After sending the message, Situ Qing laid down on the shop’s sofa to rest.
But she barely rested before deciding to return home.
She was worried about Mu Sheng being alone at home. If she didn’t cook dinner, Mu Sheng might not eat at all, especially given his mobility challenges.
Dragging her exhausted body, when Situ Qing arrived home, she encountered something she’d never expected.
Below their rented apartment, she saw Mu Sheng’s father’s car.
The next day, Situ Qing asked Mu Sheng, “Did your father find us?”
Mu Sheng replied, “Sister, how can you be so naive? We’re two minors. Is it hard to find us? They reported it to the police and found us long ago. It’s just that you were working that day, so only I met them.”
Situ Qing asked, “Didn’t they ask us to go back?”
“Of course they did. But I told them if they dared to force us, I’d not only kill myself but also take you with me. They got scared and let us stay out for the time being.” Mu Sheng chuckled. “My father foolishly believes… in at most half a year, I’d cool down and be willing to return. Who does he think he’s driven to death?”
Situ Qing, puzzled, inquired further. “Then… What was your father doing here last night?”
Mu Sheng’s gaze became inscrutable. “He came to see me and brought some money. I told him to just transfer it to my bank account in the future.”
Situ Qing frowned. “If he knew where we were all along, has he been sending money before?”
Mu Sheng nodded, “Of course. They’re afraid we won’t have enough to eat or wear.”
“Why then… Why…” Situ Qing clenched her fists. “I could have continued studying and not worked. Why did you…”
Interrupting her, holding Situ Qing’s hand, and looking into her eyes, Mu Sheng said, “Because I love you, sister.”
Situ Qing found herself unable to understand Mu Sheng’s actions. “What… What did you just say?”
“I said I love you.” Whispering into Situ Qing’s ear, Mu Sheng continued, “Without seeing you willingly sacrifice for me, how would I know you love me? I just wanted… you to prove your love for me.”
“Sister, I’m disabled. How can I be sure you’ll stick with me for life?”
“I just wanted to make sure… you were truly willing to sacrifice everything for me.”
“No, Mu Sheng… my mother wronged you, but I have my own life. I could’ve—”
“Sister, I just love you too much. Maybe I’m young and don’t know how to handle our relationship. After all, I hate your mother, and you resemble her… but I truly love you. Can you forgive me? I was just too afraid you’d leave me.”
“Mu Sheng…”
“If you knew my father would give us money, you might just abandon me.”
Situ Qing didn’t know what to say. Her grievances turned into tears.
But she couldn’t push Mu Sheng away.
She’d rushed to the scene of the accident and saw Mu Sheng’s mother in a pool of blood, her eyes staring at her as if Situ Qing had committed an unforgivable sin, owing her too much.
“Sister, don’t cry.” As Mu Sheng wiped her tears, he said, “I don’t want to use my father’s money. It feels dirty. Only what you give is good. I just want to love you.”
When this incident first happened, Situ Qing was deeply shocked. However, as similar incidents occurred more frequently, she seemingly became accustomed to it, even becoming numb.
What could she do even if she felt terrible? How could she leave such a Mu Sheng? She already owed him, so how could she really abandon him with his disability?
For a long time, Situ Qing had been having a recurring nightmare. After preparing breakfast for Mu Sheng, she forgot to turn off the stove and hurried to work. A fire indeed broke out at home, but since she was out working to earn money, she knew nothing about it. Poor Mu Sheng, due to his physical disabilities, couldn’t escape and perished in the flames.
In her dreamlike state, Situ Qing never imagined that this dream would come true.
Dragging her tired body, Situ Qing returned to the entrance of her building only to see her rented apartment engulfed in flames. Thinking of the helpless Mu Sheng, she felt she had once again failed him—because she was busy working and couldn’t attend to him at all times, leading to this disaster.
Fear and guilt surrounded Situ Qing, and she recklessly tried to rush into the fire.
“It’s dangerous, young lady!”
“Don’t go! The firefighters are here!”
Such voices continuously echoed in her ears, and she was held back by the crowd.
After an unknown period of worry and anxiety, when guilt and concern nearly suffocated her, two firefighters carried out Mu Sheng. However, by that time, Mu Sheng had turned into a charred corpse.
Mu Sheng was dead, completely and utterly.
“No—!”
Situ Qing knelt on the ground, completely devastated. The person she loved the most, who also tormented her for a lifetime, was now dead. Her world suddenly felt empty. It seemed like she couldn’t feel anything.
It seemed like Situ Qing and Mu Sheng had been intertwined for a long time. Both were young, but they seemed to have been entwined for countless days and nights. Love or hate between them was indistinguishable. Who owed whom was also blurred.
All Situ Qing knew now was that all her guilt, concern, secrets, heaviness, and twisted love and attachment had abruptly left her before she could thoroughly understand it, before she was prepared.
Her world used to be colorful and sweet. Back then, the boy next door was adorable, her mother was beautiful, and the neighboring aunt and uncle were friendly… Later, after a sudden change, she lived alone with Mu Sheng, working tirelessly. Her world turned black and white.
Now… Staring at the charred corpse, where even the facial features were indiscernible, Situ Qing felt her world was empty. It seemed like she lived in a world where nothing existed. No Mu Sheng, no parents, no one. That world was void of even black and white.
This emptiness lasted for a long time until Situ Qing gradually regained her senses. She realized she was kneeling on the street with many kind-hearted people around, seemingly comforting her. They must have been doing it for a while, but she felt deaf to it all.
It was only then that her senses gradually returned, and Situ Qing started feeling the pain in her heart. It felt as if someone was tightly squeezing and crushing it, the pain even surpassing the severe injuries on her back.
Wait…
Where did the injuries on her back come from?
At that moment, Situ Qing abruptly woke up from the most terrifying dream and found herself in tears. She hadn’t cried when she was close to death or when her back was severely burned by the explosion wave. But she was utterly shattered because of a dream.
Instinctively touching her face, feeling as if it had been repeatedly drenched in rain, Situ Qing took several breaths and opened her eyes, seeing Zhou Qian looking down at her. His eyes were cold and cruel. He was mocking her—the most ruthless and terrifying devil in the world!
With all her strength, Situ Qing reached out and tightly grabbed Zhou Qian’s shirt.
“Zhou Qian, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you!”
Zhou Qian’s face remained calm. He looked at Situ Qing with deceptive eyes while speaking in a soft voice. “Situ Qing, tell me, what was your most genuine feeling just now? Face me honestly and face yourself honestly. When you saw his corpse, what was your first reaction?”
“I…”
Seemingly recalling a feeling of emptiness, as if everything was drained from her, Situ Qing was left speechless.
The deep voice of Zhou Qian continued, “Situ Qing, be honest. You’ve felt it, haven’t you? Let me see if there’s any hope left for you.”
“I… I…”
Tears streamed down Situ Qing’s face once again. She couldn’t help but break down. Unconsciously, she let go of Zhou Qian’s shirt, which she had been gripping. She covered her face and began to sob uncontrollably.
Ever since the day after Mu Sheng’s mother died, she started suppressing herself, holding back all the pain, even the longing for her mother. And now, for the first time in so many years and countless nights, she cried her heart out.
Amidst this emotional breakdown, she answered Zhou Qian with sobs. “I felt… relieved, as if a weight had been lifted. I feel liberated. I feel free now. I feel like I should be happy… I feel like I can have a normal life. I… Zhou Qian…”
“When I saw him die, my first reaction was… relief. So, Zhou Qian…”
“Are you satisfied?!”
“Are you satisfied now, Zhou Qian?!”
Zhou Qian waited quietly for her to cry for a full minute. Then, he extended his hand and patted her shoulder. “This proves there’s still hope for you. Remember this feeling, Situ Qing.”
“Remember this feeling of freedom, liberation, and relief.”
“Now you can let him go.”
“Forgive yourself and live for yourself.”
Outside the game, in front of the tablet screen.
Mu stared as Zhou Qian looked up. His cold gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, staring right at him. With a malicious, mocking tone, he said, “Did you hear that? Seeing you dead, her first reaction was relief.”
“The thing she feared most in her life was causing your death due to her negligence.”
“But what she most looked forward to was also—to see you die.”
Later on, this game video of Zhou Qian was watched countless times, garnering the highest attention and eliciting numerous comments.
[Holy shit, that’s next-level strategy! I’ve never seen such a crafty move! He’s so skilled at winning people over!]
[I don’t get it. He expended so much mana, just to anger Situ Qing and turn her against her gambler? So, what’s Zhou Qian planning for Situ Qing next?]
[I don’t know about later, but in this instance, his move was worth it.]
[Right? Among the four of them, who could deal normal damage? If he doesn’t win over Situ Qing now, then when? There’s a tough fight coming up!]
[I kind of feel sorry for Situ Qing.]
[To the person above, there’s something hateful in every pitiable person!]
[That might be true… She was forced into this. Let’s see if she can make amends in the future. Maybe she’ll work hard to earn gold coins and finally trade them to Yun Xiangrong to get Gao Shan back?]
[I think you guys are missing the point. Why would a low-level player like Situ Qing, who seemingly has no past grudge with Zhou Qian, attack him? Whose orders?]
[Peach Blossom Legion, perhaps? I heard they gave her a pass to enter this hall…]
[Why would Peach Blossom want to kill Zhou Qian? Didn’t their senior retire?]
[Didn’t Priest analyze for us last time? Zhou Qian caught the eye of a Rank God player, who wants to train him as his “shepherd”!]
[Is Zhou Qian caught in a struggle between Rank God players? I heard there are factional struggles among high-level players… Could that be true? I’ve heard rumors that Rank God players are selecting who can truly stand beside the gods!]
[Yeah, isn’t it a contest between [Scholar] and [Blood Demon] for the top spot? Whoever’s on top will rule the game and lead all of us!]
[I’ve heard the same. They’re even forcing players to pick sides. There’s a big battle brewing between them! It’s unclear which side the Peach Blossom Legion is on. High-level players are currently vying for powerful [Shepherds]. For someone like Zhou Qian… it’s better to kill him if they can’t have him!]
[Having only completed two dungeons, Zhou Qian is already the most watched newbie, currently ranking first. So being pursued is the treatment for the top newbie? I really don’t envy that!]
[Yeah, high-level players, please don’t give me the same attention as Zhou Qian! Leave me be; I don’t want to be your [Shepherd]. Let me be free, thank you!]
[The two above are so narcissistic. Do you see anyone paying attention to you?]
Inside the private room, Priest silently observed everyone’s comments and, for some reason, sighed softly.
Then he opened a letter he had received, bearing a distinct peach blossom mark at the corner.
……
At this moment, in the game.
Dark clouds approached, obscuring the moonlight.
The long street became even darker.
Situ Qing broke down in tears, while Zhou Qian looked towards the street.
Not long ago, Da Shou, with explosives strapped to him, wanted to drag the players to death with him. However, he failed in the end, and only he died.
On the other side, Xiao Pang ran swiftly down the entire street, scattering dog’s blood everywhere and sticking talisman papers.
As a result, all the ghosts that were in groups vanished one after another.
After receiving a message from Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong and He Xiaowei not only quickly distanced themselves from Da Shou but also quickly paid attention to Xiao Pang’s movements.
When Zhou Qian used the “Bone Nightmare” skill on Situ Qing, Xiao Pang had just dealt with a horde of ghosts. Seeing that Da Shou blew himself up without taking any players with him, Xiao Pang rushed towards the players again.
He Xiaowei’s eyes widened instantly. “Fuck, does he also have a bomb on him?”
Yun Xiangrong said in a deep voice, “Quickly, use the guqin to control him!”
As soon as Yun Xiangrong spoke, He Xiaowei took out his guqin and began to play it.
The system didn’t provide any warnings about the danger of Xiao Pang and Da Shou. This meant that they were not the “monsters” that needed to be defeated in the instance. Their attacks were covert, without any special skills, which also meant they were vulnerable.
Sure enough, when He Xiaowei plucked the strings aimed at Xiao Pang’s feet, Xiao Pang immediately tripped.
As he fell, Yun Xiangrong swiftly attacked, with willow catkins falling, precisely targeting Xiao Pang’s arms.
Yun Xiangrong’s damage output was mediocre, but it was enough to handle Xiao Pang, an NPC that wasn’t even considered a monster.
Once Xiao Pang was incapacitated, Yun Xiangrong quickly brought out a rope, first tying his hands behind him to prevent him from triggering the explosive. Once the explosive risk was neutralized, she tied up his feet.
He Xiaowei rushed forward to help, and in the end, together with Yun Xiangrong, they tied Xiao Pang to a lamppost.
After staring at Xiao Pang for a while, He Xiaowei heard footsteps and turned to see Zhou Qian.
“Qian’er, I don’t understand. What’s happening?” He Xiaowei nudged Zhou Qian’s arm and glanced at the still-crying Situ Qing.
Zhou Qian said, “Using some mana now is worth it. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome later. With Situ Qing around, things are a bit easier.”
He Xiaowei glanced at Xiao Pang again and couldn’t help but ask Zhou Qian, “So… what’s going on? Why did they want to harm us? Are they children? The ghosts… don’t pose a threat to us?”
Zhou Qian counter-asked, “Did you see any ghost hurt you?”
He Xiaowei rubbed his hands. “Well, not really.”
Zhou Qian continued, “It’s all easy to deduce. Think about it, what’s the background of this city?”
He Xiaowei replied, “The S army invaded… The Seventh Army protects the civilians!”
“Right,” Zhou Qian said. “Now, think about it, what did the old lady ask us to do when she saw us?”
“Aha, I get it,” He Xiaowei exclaimed. “She said there are many traitors in the city lately and warned us not to reveal our identities. She asked us to take off our military uniforms. In a way, she was protecting us!”
“Exactly,” Zhou Qian replied. “Additionally, remember when you were about to get married as Dong Shui, the young Jiang Yuqing appeared. In his perspective, he didn’t see those people as ghosts. He looked at them the same way he looked at us.”
“Don’t forget, we deduced early on that young Jiang Yuqing would protect us and is on our side.”
“So, his appearance, besides introducing a subplot, was also a hint from the game—that the ‘ghosts’ in this level are actually on the good side.”
After a brief pause, Zhou Qian added, “Recall not long ago when we were surrounded by those young beggars. They didn’t intend to harm us. They didn’t know they were dead and continued to rob, just like when they were alive. But when they saw me take out the uniform of the Seventh Army, they immediately stopped and were overjoyed. They spread the word that the Seventh Army had arrived. They thought… they could be saved.”
He Xiaowei paused, then said, “The old lady told us to change our clothes. But we were still exposed. We…”
After a brief moment of distraction, he said, “We’ve been exposed for a while! Hearing the suona sound on the way to the wedding, we wore our military uniforms. We were seen by people long ago. But, the people who saw us were… were…”
He Xiaowei’s gaze turned to the tied-up Xiao Pang. He furrowed his brow tightly, as if feeling that the truth he discovered wasn’t only saddening but also so incredible that it was almost hard to accept.
“In times of war, nothing is impossible,” Zhou Qian said. “When the S army invaded Baicheng, they slaughtered the civilians… Miss Zhang couldn’t wait for her Dong Shui to return and had already passed away.”
Thinking of the smiling expression in Miss Zhang’s eyes in the photograph and thinking of the piece of red wedding dress and the embroidered shoe found in the mass grave, tears welled up in He Xiaowei’s eyes.
“This is a world of mixed truth and illusion,” he continued. “What happened in that mass grave probably really happened. This city is empty because nearly everyone in Baicheng was slaughtered back then. As for the wedding of Dong Shui and Miss Zhang, it never really happened. This was Jiang Yuqing’s vision. He knew everyone was dead, but he hoped that even in ghost form, his comrade and Miss Zhang could have their wishes, so he created such an illusion in this conscious world.”
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and said, “Real memories and false visions together make up this world. We need to discern which parts are real and which are fake. For example, the malicious intent of those two children may be real.”
Jiang Yuqing’s memory couldn’t have possibly conjured the bones and mass graves from thin air. This was probably from what he had seen with his own eyes. The most logical guess was that after Dong Shui and Miss Zhang broke off their engagement, they left Baicheng, met up with the rest of the Falcon Squadron, and began the mission to escort Jiang Yuqing to Nancheng.
Perhaps during their escape, they passed through Baicheng and saw the desolation and emptiness left behind by the war. They came across numerous bodies, found many mass graves, and even discovered parts of Miss Zhang’s wedding dress and the embroidered shoe.
But entering Baicheng must have been extremely dangerous, as it would have been filled with S Army forces. So, what role did these two children play at that time?
Being locals and children, they would have easily gained the trust of the Falcon Squadron.
Perhaps at a moment of crisis, Xiao Pang and Da Shou appeared and said, “Big brother, big sister, follow us. We can save you.”
Maybe someone in the Falcon Squadron fell for it, and the children detonated the bombs they carried, sacrificing themselves in the process.
He Xiaowei looked at the tied-up Xiao Pang, struggling to find words, and then asked Zhou Qian, “But why? If the entire city was surrounded by the S Army, wouldn’t it be easy for them to exterminate the Falcon Squadron? Why would they force two children from Baicheng to do this? Why would the children agree?”
Zhou Qian’s expression turned cold. “The S Army is like their name implies—they are venomous snakes. Perhaps even more venomous than snakes. They not only wanted to kill the people of Baicheng but also wanted to watch them kill each other. Perhaps ordinary killing methods no longer satisfied them, so they forced two children from Baicheng to turn against those they originally looked up to in the Seventh Army.”
He Xiaowei’s eyes reddened, and he was rendered speechless. Zhou Qian walked towards Xiao Pang and asked, “Did they force or trick you by using your mother? Did they tell you that if you carried the bomb and led us into a trap, they would spare your mother?”
Looking up at Zhou Qian, Xiao Pang trembled and tears flowed. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to find my mom… I just wanted her to come back.”
Just then, there was a “bang”.
Xiao Pang was killed, lying in a pool of blood.
The S army had killed everyone in the city, leaving only Da Shou and Xiao Pang. When the Falcon Squadron entered the city, they were trapped, and the two children were tasked to kill them. If they succeeded, the S Army would have enjoyed a cruel spectacle of brethren killing each other. If they failed, the S Army would simply take care of the Seventh Army members themselves.
Now, the two children had undoubtedly failed, and the S army lurking in the shadows was about to emerge.
Zhou Qian stepped closer to Xiao Pang. Although Xiao Pang could no longer hear, Zhou Qian whispered, “You don’t need to apologize. You’re not our enemy, the S Army is.”
“Qian’er, we… we…” He Xiaowei swallowed hard, torn between fear and rage.
The system soon sent a message.
[Player triggered main plotline: Jiang Yuqing was captured by the S Army in Baicheng, where they tortured him to extract scientific research secrets; Jiang Yuqing would rather die than betray but was later saved by a spy from the Seventh Army hidden within the S Army inside Baicheng.]
[Player Mission: On behalf of the Falcon Squadron, locate Jiang Yuqing and take him to the western pier to escape by boat.]
“Xiaowei Ge—”
Suddenly hearing this voice, He Xiaowei turned to look at Zhou Qian.
At this moment, the clouds had dispersed, and the moonlight made Zhou Qian’s gaze exceptionally clear.
“What’s…what’s up?” He Xiaowei asked.
Unlike his usual comedic demeanor, affected by the plot, He Xiaowei’s tone was dull, lacking energy.
Then he saw Zhou Qian, with his shining eyes, say, “How about we go all out?”
“How do we go all out?” Seemingly influenced by Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei gradually became somewhat excited.
Zhou Qian said, “In reality, we can only be the villains. So, in this instance, let’s be… heroes.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Of course, to annihilate all the members of the S Army and avenge everyone!”
The bride as beautiful as a blooming flower, the enthusiastic old matchmaker, the kind and approachable parents, the guests chatting and drinking at the banquet…
All vanished in an instant.
He Xiaowei’s “husband and wife bow” ended up being made of thin air.
For a moment, he should’ve felt relieved, perhaps even exhilarated from narrowly escaping a dangerous situation. Yet, strangely, looking at the now-empty wedding hall, he felt a sense of loss, as if he had truly lost his bride.
After some time, He Xiaowei quickly took off his wedding clothes and ran to Zhou Qian. “Qian’er, what’s…”
But he saw Zhou Qian facing a direction, seemingly waiting for something. After a while, a little dragon climbed over the white wall and jumped into Zhou Qian’s arms.
Without turning his head, Zhou Qian said, “See? You’re so undesirable, even a ghost bride didn’t want to marry you.”
Unable to hold back, He Xiaowei retorted, “Damn it, Zhou Qian, your mouth is too poisonous! You weren’t like this when you needed my help!”
At this point, everyone had a question in their minds—was that it?
One player was forced to marry a ghost bride, while others were made to attend… Everyone was constantly on edge, thinking there might be some greater danger lurking.
But now, the ghosts just vanished out of thin air. The players, vigilant for so long, were unsure whether to relax or brace themselves for further risks. This game was so bizarre, keeping their nerves taut as if they had no room to relax.
Suddenly, a system notification sounded.
A new exclamation mark appeared on the map, instructing players to head to that location to trigger the next part of the storyline. It was a location everyone was familiar with—the wide street they had walked down twice when they first left the pier and entered the main city.
Having read the system prompt, He Xiaowei blinked twice. “So, should we go now?”
Zhou Qian petted the dragon’s head, saying, “You guys go first. I’ll catch up.”
Upon hearing this, Situ Qing was the first to ask, “Where are you going?”
Seeing that Situ Qing seemed keen to follow and fearing he might harm Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei immediately said, “Then I’ll come with you!”
If both of them were to accompany Zhou Qian, it seemed unreasonable for Yun Xiangrong to go alone to the street.
She said, “Then I’ll come see as well. For now, the system hasn’t set a time limit for us to trigger the next event. Before we go, it might be necessary to explore freely.”
Zhou Qian didn’t look at the two ladies and just nodded at He Xiaowei. He then left the wedding hall from the back door, went to the west chambers, passed its courtyard, and reached the back door of the house.
Pushing the door open, he found a narrow alley. Following the alley, he arrived at a large orchard.
“Why are we here?” He Xiaowei asked, pulling a powerful flashlight from his bag.
“When you changed into the wedding clothes, I explored the alley and had the little dragon help me find something.” Zhou Qian pointed ahead and continued, “There—”
Though the system stated that the little dragon didn’t have any special skills, was weak in offense and defense, and couldn’t heal, its advantage was that it had human-like life energy. It obeyed commands and could walk, jump, and search for things just like a human.
So, Zhou Qian had instructed it to find an open area like a lawn, wasteland, or garden. The more open, the better. If it found such a place, it was to dig. The dragon quickly located an open orchard and actually dug up something. It swiftly returned to Zhou Qian’s side and led him back.
At that moment, when the flashlight shone in the direction Zhou Qian was pointing, everyone could see that its beam was shaking erratically—because He Xiaowei’s hand was trembling violently. When he saw what was buried in the orchard, he was so terrified that he could hardly control himself.
Zhou Qian stepped forward, patting He Xiaowei’s shoulder to steady him and raising his arm for better illumination. With He Xiaowei serving as his makeshift spotlight, Zhou Qian moved closer to inspect what the light revealed—a vast pit filled with one skeleton after another.
This place appeared to be a makeshift mass grave. Many corpses were discarded here, hastily buried under the soil, making it easy for the little dragon to unearth them. At this moment, the little dragon let out a couple of whimpering noises at Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian looked at it and nodded, and the little dragon immediately jumped out of his embrace, then rummaged through the dirt for a while. In no time, the little dragon had found numerous clues.
As the group of curious onlookers approached, Zhou Qian put all the clues into his bag. He Xiaowei was taken aback. “Qian’er, what do you mean by this?”
Zhou Qian glanced towards Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong. “My little dragon and I spent so much effort exploring, and you two just want to reap the benefits? If you want to see the clues, we can negotiate a trade. I’ll show you the clues, but in return, you need to promise not to backstab or harm me until this instance ends.”
Situ Qing frowned. “What if you want to kill me? If you attack me, shouldn’t I defend myself?”
“It seems you still harbor intentions to kill me. Even if you change your mind now, I won’t show you the clues. Xiaowei Ge, let’s go somewhere private to look.”
Zhou Qian didn’t need to look to guess that Situ Qing made an unpleasant expression. Knowing she was upset, he felt extremely pleased.
With a joyful smile, Zhou Qian indeed led He Xiaowei to another corner of the orchard.
Before leaving, he heard Situ Qing say to Yun Xiangrong, “No matter who you want to seek revenge on after the instance ends, right now you don’t have the strength to confront anyone. I think—”
“No need to consider. The one I want to deal with is Zhou Qian. He’s not completely evil and still has a shred of humanity. Because of Gao Shan, he won’t hurt me. But unfortunately, without him, Gao Shan wouldn’t have died. I will definitely seek revenge on him.”
Yun Xiangrong’s voice was cold and heavy. “I was willing to destroy all my skills at this stage. I fear nothing. And of course, you’re next. After Zhou Qian dies, if I’m still unsatisfied, maybe it will be your turn.”
“Your current skills are useless. We won’t need you for the next challenges,” Situ Qing told her. “Aren’t you afraid I might kill you now?”
Yun Xiangrong scoffed, “At least I have a brain, and it works better than yours.”
Situ Qing paused, seemingly not angered by this. “By damaging your skills like this, are you trying to show your allegiance to me? Showing that you have completely broken ties with Zhou Qian while also demonstrating that you’re presenting yourself to me defenselessly, so I should trust you? After all, in your current powerless state, you can only cooperate with me.”
Yun Xiangrong replied indifferently, “I see. You’re not that dumb after all.”
Situ Qing asked her, “What kind of grudge… makes you willing to cooperate with his enemy to kill Zhou Qian?”
“The love of my life is dead. From now on, I will live only for revenge. Is that reason hard to understand?”
Situ Qing pressed. “How can I be sure… you won’t seek revenge on me later?”
“As I said, I definitely will. But Zhou Qian is my top priority. You can cooperate with me, and after he’s dead, you can deal with me. Or, if you don’t trust me, you can kill me now. Consider which option is more beneficial for you. The only promise I can make is—” She took a step forward, looking directly into Situ Qing’s eyes. “During our cooperation, I won’t turn against you. I’ll plan my revenge meticulously.”
With that, Yun Xiangrong headed towards the mass grave. “Let’s also find some tools to dig. The little dragon might have missed something. There might be more clues here.”
On the other side, as He Xiaowei walked away with Zhou Qian, he overheard the conversation between the two women.
“Shit, they’re openly discussing a conspiracy against you!”
Zhou Qian seemed unconcerned. “So, are you going to team up with me or them?”
He Xiaowei decisively replied, “With you. Women… I can’t handle even one. The heart of a woman is like finding a needle in the sea… But, speaking of which, figuring out what’s on your mind is even harder than guessing a woman’s. That’s like finding a needle in the Pacific Ocean…”
Feeling the murderous glare from somewhere, He Xiaowei quickly changed the topic. “Oh, Miss Zhang, my heart belongs to her…”
Zhou Qian ignored his rambling and, feeling they had put enough distance between themselves and Situ Qing, stopped and took out the clues found by the little dragon. “Perhaps among these clues, there’s a story about your beloved Miss Zhang.”
Using a flashlight, the first thing the two of them saw was a black-and-white photo.
The people in the photo were easily recognizable—it was a photo of Dong Shui and Miss Zhang.
Both were dressed in school uniforms, indicating it was taken during their student days.
This couple truly were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love.
After Zhou Qian looked at the photo, He Xiaowei quickly took it, holding it as if it were a precious treasure, as if he really saw himself as Dong Shui.
Zhou Qian then looked at another photo.
It was a group photo of six people with the caption: [Falcon Squadron Memorial Photo, December of XX36.]
Upon seeing it, He Xiaowei exclaimed, “There are only six people in this? Eh? Jiang Yuqing isn’t in it!”
Zhou Qian pondered while holding the photo. “Jiang Yuqing never really seemed like a soldier. He should be a physicist.”
After thinking for a moment, He Xiaowei said, “Jiang Yuqing and us belong to the Seventh Army—the seven of us are comrades-in-arms. However, Jiang Yuqing isn’t a frontline soldier; he’s a researcher and not a member of the Falcon Squadron. Only the six of us here are squad members.”
“Yes, that seems about right,” Zhou Qian concluded as he put away the photo and found a letter.
The letter was signed “Dong Shui,” likely written to Miss Zhang.
“A’Hua, the Falcon Squadron has received a very important task, and I will be temporarily leaving Baicheng. A doctor surnamed Jiang has just returned from studying abroad. He possesses vital knowledge that might completely change our nation’s passive fate. However, he’s been targeted by the S Army. I heard that the S Army either wants to capture him alive and make him serve their country or kill him.
“The Falcon Squadron needs to escort him to Nancheng. The journey is perilous, and I can’t guarantee my return. Our engagement, merely a verbal joke from our parents, shouldn’t be taken seriously. I’m heading north to join the rest of the squad. If I don’t return within a year, find a good man and marry him. Don’t wait for me.”
After reading the letter, a part of the buried historical truth was truly revealed.
The “Dr. Jiang” mentioned must be Jiang Yuqing.
It seemed he indeed wasn’t part of the Falcon Squadron. He and the Falcon Squadron belonged to the Seventh Army and was an important researcher. To protect him from being captured by the enemy, the Falcon Squadron’s mission was to escort him to Nancheng.
Zhou Qian wondered—Yun Xiangrong said that Jiang Yuqing liked Bei He. Could it be that he fell in love with Bei He while the Falcon Squadron was escorting him? Did Bei He like him?
He Xiaowei, who took the letter, read it three times, then asked Zhou Qian, “If I’m understanding correctly, this…this…”
Zhou Qian replied, “You’re not mistaken. Dong Shui never married Miss Zhang. Neither the Falcon Squadron nor Jiang Yuqing came to Baicheng for the wedding. Judging from the beginning of the letter, Dong Shui wrote it after leaving Baicheng. When he wrote the letter, Jiang Yuqing might have been nearby. That’s why, deep in his consciousness, there’s the memory of this letter.”
He Xiaowei exclaimed, “So you’re saying…all of this might be Jiang Yuqing’s wish?”
“He must have visited Baicheng when he was young; otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a vivid city environment deep in his consciousness. So, what we’re seeing is probably a mix of reality and fiction. We need to keep investigating to understand the whole truth.”
After saying this, Zhou Qian looked at the last two clues found by the little dragon.
The first was a piece of red cloth, possibly torn from a red wedding dress.
The other was a red embroidered shoe, which also seemed to be worn during a wedding.
Upon seeing these items, He Xiaowei’s hands trembled. “Could this be…”
Without saying much, Zhou Qian handed him the items and headed down the street. “Let’s go to the next location marked with an exclamation point. By the way, where’s the military uniform you took off? Did you leave it at that house?”
“No! It’s in my bag,” He Xiaowei replied.
“Good.”
“Is the uniform…useful?”
“It is. Just wait. After so much foreshadowing… the climax is probably coming.”
……
A short while later, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei arrived at the marked location first, with Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong trailing behind.
When they first arrived at this street, it was close to dusk.
But now, the entire street was shrouded in darkness.
A crescent moon hung high, illuminating the road. Streetlamps stood silently on both sides of the street. From a distance, they looked like shining stars, echoing the moon in the sky.
In the curve of the moonlight, Zhou Qian once again saw the beggar he had glimpsed through the little dragon’s eyes. The little girl was still squatting at the street corner, holding a broken bowl.
But unlike before, when she was alone, this time there were many children behind her. These children, boys and girls of varying heights and weights, looked different in age. Some appeared to be in their late teens, around sixteen or seventeen, while others looked as young as six or seven.
They all had one thing in common: dirty faces, ragged clothes, and none of them had feet.
The group of children initially went about their own business, but as Zhou Qian and his party approached, their eyes immediately turned towards them.
Under the moonlight, the children’s eyes shone eerily, like a pack of hungry wolves spotting their prey.
He Xiaowei was the first to retreat. For him, ghosts were already terrifying, but ghost brides and ghost dolls, which were often featured in countless horror stories, were even more so. He never imagined he’d encounter both in such a short span of time.
He Xiaowei was the first to move back and was also the first to be noticed by the little ghosts. A child of about eight lunged at him. He let out a piercing scream and was immediately surrounded by seven or eight of them.
In no time, not just him but everyone was completely surrounded by these ghosts. He Xiaowei couldn’t scream anymore as one of the little ghosts had covered his mouth, making him feel like he couldn’t breathe.
Even Situ Qing took out her bell, summoning wind and snow to try to fend off the ghosts. But it was no use. These ghosts seemed to fear neither weapons nor the biting cold.
Zhou Qian glanced at the other three players and then at the children surrounding him. A very young child jumped onto his shoulder, his cold breath chilling Zhou Qian’s ear, feeling even colder than Situ Qing’s icy spell.
Another child hung upside-down from his neck, patting his chest. Ghostly hands swiftly moved over Zhou Qian’s waist and thighs. But soon, Zhou Qian realized that they were just searching for the pockets in his clothes.
It seemed their main interest was money, not causing harm.
With this realization, Zhou Qian calmly stood still, glancing in both directions of the street. He quickly spotted Xiao Pang and Da Shou, holding a variety of items, likely things like dog’s blood and talismans, presumably to exorcise ghosts.
They peeked out from behind a streetlamp, curiously observing Zhou Qian and his group, pondering their next move.
Pretending not to notice them, Zhou Qian shifted his gaze back to the other players. They were all being entangled by the ghosts, and the more they resisted, the tighter the grip became.
Among them, Yun Xiangrong was the calmest. Perhaps after experiencing the death of Gao Shan, she felt nothing could be worse. Still, facing this situation, her face turned pale. Unlike the previous wedding scene, where none of the ghosts touched her, these ghosts clung to her, their icy touch sending chills down her spine.
Beside her, the “Ice Queen” Situ Qing was also rattled.
It felt as though the gates of the underworld had opened, and every ghostly touch felt like an invitation to hell…
Zhou Qian momentarily pondered how he’d feel under normal circumstances, concluding he’d probably be afraid. But unfortunately, he was currently emotionally impaired and felt no fear.
Seeing that the three players were tied up by the little ghosts, Zhou Qian relaxed.
With the ghosts tugging at him, he slowly moved backward, then addressed the ghost child around his neck. “Trying to steal something?”
A ghost child skillfully replied, “If you want to pass through the West Pier, you have to pay the toll!”
“Oh? Quite young, but seems you’re quite seasoned in mischief,” Zhou Qian remarked, and from that, he had a rough idea of the children’s background.
It was a time of war and chaos, and there were too many people who were neither well-fed nor well-clothed.
Coastal cities, however, were relatively prosperous during that period. In places like the docks, there were many visits from high-ranking officials and aristocrats. As a result, homeless children gradually formed a small organization, often banding together to steal or rob at this place.
During the day, probably wary of the patrol guards, they would act discreetly, begging innocently or looking for opportunities to steal. But when it became dark and the streets were deserted, they would brazenly rob.
Zhou Qian couldn’t help but think, ‘This is Jiang Yuqing’s conscious world. Everything here isn’t fabricated out of thin air.’
The wedding of Miss Zhang and Dong Shui may not have actually happened, but it might be Jiang Yuqing’s hope and imagination. He wished for his comrade Dong Shui to find happiness in life; hence, the wedding existed in his consciousness.
As for the robbery by the young beggars… Zhou Qian doubted Jiang Yuqing would imagine himself being robbed. Thus, this scene likely stemmed from the real-life experiences of the scholarly Jiang Yuqing.
For someone like him, if he was harassed by a bunch of rascals, he probably wouldn’t know what to do. Imagining him trying to manage urgent matters while being bothered, but unable to harshly reprimand the hungry and cold kids due to his sympathy, Zhou Qian thought that the scene must be quite amusing.
However, Zhou Qian’s analysis wasn’t meant to mock Jiang Yuqing. He actually realized a crucial point— the presence of these kids in this conscious world indicated that they had a profound impact on Jiang Yuqing.
Zhou Qian thought that based on this judgment, he knew what he should do next.
Moments later, on a street facing away from his three teammates, Zhou Qian took out a military uniform from his bag. He deliberately displayed the part marked with the number “7” and made a “shush” gesture to the children.
Their eyes lit up immediately, and they quickly started to laugh. They seemed very happy, wanting to shout out loud but holding back after reminders from their peers.
“It’s the Seventh Army!”
“I can’t believe it’s someone from the Seventh Army!”
“You’re here to fight the S Army, right? I knew you’d come! Please drive them away!”
“This is great! I need to tell others! I need to inform everyone!”
“Me too! I want to tell the entire city!”
In an instant, the seven or eight kids surrounding Zhou Qian disappeared. He Xiaowei couldn’t handle it anymore. After being surrounded and freed repeatedly, he yelled out desperately, “Qian’er! Qian’er, help me! My Qian’er, where have you gone?”
Suddenly, He Xiaowei saw Zhou Qian standing alone under a streetlamp, not bothered by any ghost. He shouted, “Qian’er! How did you do that?! Teach me! Help me! I’m about to be eaten! Ahhh, little brats, where are you touching! Wuwuwu Qian’er—”
After his loud cry, Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong also looked towards Zhou Qian, wondering how he always finds solutions so quickly. But before they could relax, they saw a more terrifying scene. Those kids had come back, and they brought a horde of ghosts.
Men, women, tall, short, elderly, children, and even crawling babies… a large group of ghosts surged towards the players like a tidal wave. Every ghost had a ghastly pale face, and when gathered together, they shone even brighter than the moonlight.
None of them had feet, but they floated swiftly towards the group of players.
He Xiaowei’s legs gave out, and he knelt down. “Now I’ve really seen what a ‘sea of ghosts’ looks like…”
Just then, he heard a child’s voice from behind. “Brother, sister, come with us. We can handle these ghosts.”
Turning around, He Xiaowei saw two children, one thin and one chubby. They looked normal and had feet.
Finally seeing humans, he let out a sigh of relief. The chubby child then sprinkled some black blood from a bottle around them, followed by the thin child placing some talismans. The surrounding ghosts vanished instantly.
Seeing the effectiveness of the two children, He Xiaowei laughed. “Damn, that’s impressive! Wait a minute. Zhou Qian mentioned there were exorcists outside the wedding earlier. Were you guys the ones?”
The two children nodded and then urged them to leave quickly.
Xiao Pang said, “There are too many ghosts here. We’re not sure if we can handle them. Anyway, you guys go with my elder brother first. I’ll stay behind and try to seal them as much as possible so they can’t catch up!”
Da Shou then took the hand of the nearest Situ Qing. “Yes, let’s go quickly, sister.”
The word “sister” seemed to make Situ Qing momentarily dazed.
Then she nodded, lifted a foot, and prepared to flee with the two children.
Not far away, a large group of ghosts was pouring out of the alleyway, heading their way.
If they intended to harm anyone, Zhou Qian would undoubtedly be the first victim.
However, with a bright moon overhead and street lights shining like stars, the mountain of ghosts surged forward… Zhou Qian stood motionless against such a backdrop, expressionless, as if he were a detached bystander.
He turned his back to the group of ghosts, looking distantly at the two living children.
Da Shou was leading Situ Qing and the others away, while Xiao Pang was sprinkling dog’s blood and throwing talismans along the way; both of their expressions were tense.
Squinting slightly, Zhou Qian raised his left hand, accessed the system panel, and quickly sent two messages.
Then a smile crept onto his lips.
Previously, he thought it would feel satisfying to kill Situ Qing in the side quest. He had to thank Yun Xiangrong for sparing her life. Indeed, what’s the use of killing a puppet?
Destroying all of the puppet’s beliefs, completely controlling it…
Then the master behind her would truly… feel enraged.
At that moment, outside of the instance, in Game Hall A711.
In a certain private room.
On a wheelchair, a pale and sickly young man named Mu Sheng was quietly watching on a tablet, but he hadn’t sent any messages for a long time.
Sitting next to him was an inscrutable figure, Priest.
Priest asked him, “Mu Sheng, you haven’t sent a message for a long time. Don’t you care about her?”
Mu Sheng pressed his lips together, not responding.
Priest continued, “Ah, I see. Do you want her to be in danger? Wait for her to fall into peril, then send instructions, rescuing her at the crucial moment… so she’ll be grateful and can’t leave you?”
Mu Sheng lifted his cup and took a sip, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “She hasn’t improved at all. She can’t even see such an obvious trap.”
Priest laughed. “In my opinion, it’s not that she hasn’t improved. It’s probably that child’s calling her ‘sister’ that softened her heart.”
With that, he glimpsed a hint of amusement in Mu Sheng’s eyes as Priest added, “So you see, she cares about you. And you still care about her. I suggest you send her a message soon. Otherwise… I’m afraid Zhou Qian will beat you to it.”
“Zhou Qian…” Mu Sheng’s eyes turned icy. “Even if I have to use that thing, I… will make sure he dies in this instance!”
“Ah, brother, do you think this is a living person?”
“Yes, he’s alive, not like those ghosts.”
Zhou Qian stood in the alley, hearing the voices of two children from behind a wooden door. After they finished their conversation, seemingly confirming Zhou Qian was alive, they opened the door.
One child was chubby and short, while the other was thin and tall. At a glance, they looked nothing alike, but upon closer inspection, their facial features shared some similarities, suggesting they were brothers.
Upon opening the wooden door, the two quickly invited Zhou Qian in. The shorter and chubbier one peeked out, looked cautiously left and right in the alley, and then quietly closed the door.
After chatting briefly with the two, Zhou Qian learned that they were indeed brothers. The shorter one was called Xiao Pang1, the younger brother, while the taller one was called Da Shou2, the older brother. The two currently resided in the suburbs and rarely ventured into the city.
1Little fat/chubby. Named after how they look. 2Big thing. Named after how they look.
The strong smell of blood came from a dog. Behind the wooden door was a courtyard where a dog, already dead, was tied to a fence. Its throat had been slit, and beside it was a bowl meant to collect its blood. There were also splatters of blood on the ground from the bowl’s overflow.
Zhou Qian asked, “So… what’s going on in this city? Why has it become deserted?”
Da Shou replied, “We don’t know! One day we woke up and everyone was gone. We wandered around and realized there were ghosts everywhere in the city. Feeling something was amiss, we fled to the suburbs. We always played hide-and-seek in a particular spot in the woods, so we hid there.”
Thinking deeply, Zhou Qian asked, “Why did you return?”
Tearfully, Xiao Pang said, “Our mother is also missing. We want to find her!”
Da Shou patted Xiao Pang’s shoulder to comfort him, then added, “Now that the city is empty, we come here to find food. No one’s around to charge us anyway. We can’t hunt, so…”
Sighing, Da Shou continued, “We hope you don’t think we are stealing. Our mother taught us never to steal from others. However—”
“It’s okay.” Zhou Qian smiled. “Given the circumstances, you’re doing what you must to survive. But this dog…”
Da Shou explained, “Our mother had a pastry shop in the next alley. Across from her shop was a funeral parlor. The owner knew some rituals and taught us a bit. So, when we return to the city and encounter ghosts, we use those rituals to seal them.”
Zhou Qian nodded. “So, you’re using the dog’s blood to fend off the ghosts? How?”
Da Shou replied, “We caught this dog in the suburbs. We heard noises here, and sure enough, the place was haunted! We killed the dog. Soon, we will sprinkle its blood throughout this alley, encircle the house where the wedding is taking place, place talismans on the front door, and then the ghosts will be sealed.”
Xiao Pang added, “Yes, we will do our best to trap all the ghosts. We think our mother is hiding because she’s scared. Once all the ghosts in the city are sealed, she won’t have to hide, and we can find her.”
Most of the city’s inhabitants had become ghosts. Among the few survivors were these two brothers. They risked their lives to find their mother, using their abilities to fend off ghosts, hoping she wouldn’t have to hide anymore.
But could it be that so many ghosts exist because so many people died in the city?
It didn’t seem to occur to them… that their mother had also died and become a ghost?
Zhou Qian pondered, grasping a hint from the children’s words. Setting aside the matter of the ghosts, he asked, “You mentioned your mother runs a pastry shop? What’s it called?”
Without hesitation, Xiao Pang replied, “It’s called ‘Wang’s Osmanthus Cake’.”
Wang’s Osmanthus Cake? Wasn’t that Jiang Yuqing’s favorite osmanthus cake?
Seeing that Zhou Qian had no further questions, one child prepared the dog’s blood, while the other took out blank talisman papers, seemingly ready to draw symbols. Seeing this, Zhou Qian decided to leave.
Seeing Zhou Qian about to leave, two children stopped him.
Da Shou, the taller one, said, “Ah? Sir, are you going to attend the wedding banquet? It’s haunted there!”
“Aren’t you guys here drawing talismanic symbols to ward off the ghosts? Seeing your confidence, I feel assured. I’m just going for the spectacle,” Zhou Qian responded, and as he headed out the door, he glanced back. “By the way, I might be staying here for a while. If I encounter any ghosts… Can I ask for your help? Where can I find you?”
After thinking a bit, Da Shou replied, “Why not… let’s meet here. We come here every now and then anyway. You can leave a note for us on this table!”
“Thank you.” Zhou Qian waved at the two young boys and left.
Not far away, there was some noise coming from the large red doors at the end of the alley. Judging by the sounds, the wedding hadn’t started yet.
Thus, Zhou Qian decided not to rush back. Remembering what the children mentioned, he went to the pastry shop they talked about.
After walking down a corridor to the adjacent alley, Zhou Qian saw the aforementioned shroud shop and easily located the snack shop called “Wang’s Osmanthus Cake” opposite it.
The place looked deserted, but before he got close to the shop, Zhou Qian smelled the fragrance of osmanthus mixed with sweet dough. As he walked in and lifted the pot’s lid, he found it full of osmanthus cakes, seemingly freshly made and still fresh.
After gazing at the cakes for a moment, Zhou Qian took a bag and packed them all before heading back to the “Dong Shui” residence, which was about to host an odd wedding.
Upon returning to the end of the alley, the vibe was quite different. Moonlight shone bright, and red lanterns swayed in the wind. Lively chatter was heard from inside, indicating an impending celebration.
However, once inside, the atmosphere changed. Zhou Qian entered the main hall to find guests seated, chatting, and drinking, but their faces were unnaturally pale, and none had legs below. It was as if ghosts were having a party.
The wedding hadn’t officially begun. Soon, Zhou Qian found the old matchmaker with a distinctive mole and asked, “Where are our Falcon Squadron comrades? Where is Dong Shui?”
The old matchmaker replied kindly, “Oh, they’re in the west chambers. Let me take you there!”
Immediately, Zhou Qian followed her through the lobby, went through the back door into a courtyard, passed through the moon gate on the west side, and arrived at the west chambers.
The old lady opened the door and led Zhou Qian in. At this point, Zhou Qian saw that Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong had indeed changed out of their military uniforms and were wearing ordinary cloth clothes. He Xiaowei was also in the room, having been forcibly dressed in a groom’s attire.
Zhou Qian looked him up and down, smiled, and said, “Not bad. Just yesterday, you told me you were looking for a girlfriend, and today you’ve directly found a wife.”
“Come on, stop making fun of me!” He Xiaowei gave him a smile that was uglier than crying and then took a deep breath. “Qian’er*, seeing you puts me at ease. I almost thought you had run away. I mean, we’re with a bunch of—”
*Er (儿) When added to an address, it is a form of endearment or an affectionate way to address someone.
After glancing at the old lady, He Xiaowei swallowed the word “ghosts” and didn’t dare to say it out loud.
“You two chat; I’ll bring you some food and drinks. Dong Shui, don’t be nervous. I’ll remind you of the process later. The auspicious time is coming soon!”
The old lady left with a cheerful smile.
After she left, He Xiaowei closed the door and sat down, patting his chest. “Not nervous? I’m marrying a ghost? How could I not be? I told myself before coming that I would not encounter a supernatural instance. I never expected this!”
Zhou Qian said, “If it’s arranged, just go with it. If the plot wants you to marry, then marry!”
“I don’t want to! Why am I Dong Shui? Why? Why not you?” He Xiaowei lamented. “You’d have been a better Dong Shui. Why are you Bei He?”
“I wish,” Zhou Qian replied. “Marrying a bride sounds fun. In reality, who would marry a lunatic like me? Here, even an NPC is willing, even if she’s a ghost.”
He Xiaowei was speechless for a moment, then slammed the table. “You’re just talking because it’s not you! I’m not marrying, I swear!”
Just then, the door opened with a “swoosh”. The old lady had returned. She brought a lot of fruits and tea, and surprisingly, a photograph.
Handing it to He Xiaowei, she said, “Your comrades haven’t seen your bride yet, right? Show them her picture first! Miss Zhang is absolutely beautiful. Dong Shui, you are lucky!”
After the old lady left again.
He Xiaowei continued to wail, “I really won’t marry. It’s impossible for me to marry! Why even look at the photo. Ah, this… ah, ah this…”
Zhou Qian didn’t care at all that the food was brought by a ghost. He directly grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and began munching on them. As he munched, he realized that He Xiaowei’s tone had changed, so he looked over at him.
He Xiaowei was holding the photo in his hand, completely stunned.
Zhou Qian teased, “What? Saw an immortal?”
Staring at the photo, He Xiaowei mumbled, “Isn’t this an immortal?”
Curious, Zhou Qian took a look, and Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing came over as well.
The girl in the photo was indeed beautiful. Dressed in a qipao, holding a paper umbrella on a stone path, with almond eyes and delicate eyebrows.
The photo was black and white, but her gentle gaze made everything seem colorful.
Seeing such a beautiful Miss Zhang, He Xiaowei couldn’t bring himself to say “I won’t marry her” anymore.
A moment later, the old lady came back with two servants. “Dong Shui, hurry up. It’s an auspicious time. Let’s start the ceremony! The wine for toasting the relatives is ready, it’s diluted, so you won’t get drunk.”
He Xiaowei looked hesitantly at Zhou Qian. “Well, Qian’er…”
Seeing his state, it seemed like he had genuinely fallen for the girl at first sight.
Zhou Qian said, “Go ahead. If you want to marry, then marry. Don’t be afraid.”
He Xiaowei: “Really?”
Zhou Qian nodded. “First, we haven’t received our actual quest yet. At this stage, no one should die unexpectedly. Second, I guess… this wedding won’t be completed.”
He Xiaowei, unsure whether to feel happy or disappointed, asked, “Why? Why?”
Zhou Qian simply said, “Because someone outside will exorcize the ghosts.”
As the auspicious moment approached, the groom He Xiaowei was taken away. Several players, identifying as the Falcon Squadron, were invited to the main hall.
The old matchmaker specially arranged a table for the three of them. Contrasted with the cheeriness at other tables, the three people at this table— Zhou Qian, Situ Qing, and Yun Xiangrong—all remained silent, with no one speaking.
Yun Xiangrong had decided to play her part to the end, even if it meant depleting her skill points. Even if she had any thoughts now, she had to pretend to be estranged from Zhou Qian and wouldn’t discuss matters with him openly.
As for Situ Qing, she sat quietly for the time being, seemingly not up to any tricks. However, Zhou Qian couldn’t tell if her gambler would come up with another plot. Given this, Zhou Qian had no plans to share any clues he had found.
After a while, Zhou Qian picked up a glass of wine and mingled among the guests, chatting here and there. For a moment, he seemed to get along harmoniously with the ghosts. Amidst the clinking glasses, he suddenly spotted someone.
Yes, it was a person. The difference between him and the other ghosts was clear—he had feet.
The man was tall and slender, wearing a trench coat and a tall black hat. He didn’t enter the main hall but stood near the courtyard. Even if his face wasn’t clear, through his stature and aura, Zhou Qian recognized him instantly.
He was the handsome officer from the photo illusion, the one who killed 12 gunmen in the end credits of “Checks and Balance”—the younger Jiang Yuqing.
Zhou Qian immediately stepped out but didn’t approach right away. Leaning against the door, holding his wine, he lifted his chin towards Jiang Yuqing.
Behind Zhou Qian, there was a lively celebration, but in front of him, there was a serene autumn courtyard. Jiang Yuqing stood quietly next to a withered tree, making the whole world seem peaceful.
After a while, a young servant approached, took a red-wrapped gift from Jiang Yuqing, and asked, “Mr. Jiang, won’t you come in for a while?”
“I have matters to attend to. I must go,” Jiang Yuqing replied and quickly left.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian immediately followed.
“Wait,” he called out.
Hearing Zhou Qian’s voice, Jiang Yuqing indeed stopped and turned his head.
Zhou Qian met his gaze, approached, and offered his drink. “Since you’re here, won’t you have a drink?”
Jiang Yuqing looked up, accepted the drink, and said, “Alright, I’ll drink. Thank you, Bei He.”
The wide brim of Jiang Yuqing’s hat cast a large shadow on his face. Only two red lanterns illuminated the dark night, making it hard for Zhou Qian to see his face clearly.
As Jiang Yuqing drank, Zhou Qian tried to lift the hat to see his face. However, he was a tad too slow as Jiang Yuqing swiftly turned away.
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, seemingly annoyed. He leaned closer, so close that his forehead touched the brim of the hat, and asked, “Hey, Mr. Jiang, won’t you let me see your face?”
Jiang Yuqing replied, “Bei He, I have things to do. I must go.”
As he turned, Zhou Qian grabbed his wrist. “Wait. I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell me you can’t see that those people are ghosts.”
To Zhou Qian, the ghosts behind him in the wedding hall seemed unaware of their deaths and were still immersed in their past lives. The two children, Xiao Pang and Da Shou, recognized them as ghosts and even thought of using dog blood and talismans against them.
In this game setting, humans and ghosts were distinctly different. Ghosts’ faces and feet weren’t like humans’, not to mention the joss paper all over the doorway.
So why couldn’t Jiang Yuqing see that they were ghosts?
It was now September of XX37. Was this Jiang Yuqing really from this timeline?
Zhou Qian looked closely, trying to discern Jiang Yuqing’s face, expression, and even his eyes in the dim light.
Soon after, he heard Jiang Yuqing say, “I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. Bei He, are you… afraid of ghosts?”
Zhou Qian retorted immediately, “Afraid my ass!”
He wasn’t He Xiaowei after all.
Then he heard Jiang Yuqing laugh.
The laughter was extremely refined and gentle. In Zhou Qian’s mind, an image of a handsome officer writing love poems by candlelight immediately formed.
It seemed like he wouldn’t get answers about the mysterious matters, so Zhou Qian switched topics. “Jiang Yuqing, do you have… someone you like?”
He then said, “I have dedicated my life to the nation. How could I also have a personal commitment? Matters of romantic love—I’ve long set them aside.”
Zhou Qian bluntly responded, “I don’t believe that. I clearly saw you secretly writing love poems!”
Jiang Yuqing seemed a bit agitated, and his tone became stern immediately. “That’s absolutely untrue. Don’t spout nonsense!”
“Just kidding. Why so serious?” Zhou Qian looked at Jiang Yuqing. Whether it was the glow from the red lanterns or something else, he noticed that Jiang Yuqing’s ears seemed to be turning red. Teasingly, he flicked the brim of Jiang’s hat and then tried to grab his ear.
It seemed he had truly annoyed the usually composed and refined Mr. Jiang, so Zhou Qian quickly took out a piece of Wang’s osmanthus cake from his bag. “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Do you want to eat this?”
Seeing Jiang Yuqing in a daze, Zhou Qian asked him, “Why aren’t you taking it? Isn’t this your favorite snack?”
Jiang Yuqing accepted the cake slowly, as if lost in thought.
Then he said something that surprised Zhou Qian, “I’ve always said I don’t like sweets. You keep teasing me, then you give me these things that kids like… I’m not a child.”
Don’t like sweets?
Even when Jiang Yuqing was suffering from dementia, he couldn’t forget the osmanthus cake.
How could he not like it?
What Jiang Yuqing did next surprised Zhou Qian even more.
He kept insisting he didn’t like it but still put the osmanthus cake in his mouth. Unlike the scene Zhou Qian witnessed in room 701, where the elderly Jiang Yuqing was messy while eating the cake, this time he ate with utmost elegance, covering his mouth with one hand and taking small bites with the other. In the end, he even took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe his fingers clean.
“I really have to go now. I have other things to attend to. Bei He, see you later.”
Waving at Zhou Qian, Jiang Yuqing pocketed the handkerchief and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian received a notification.
[Player Zhou Qian gave osmanthus cake to Jiang Yuqing, triggering a side quest: “Night Rain Addressed to the North”. Current completion: 30%]
Turning around and heading back through the vermilion gates, Zhou Qian frowned, seemingly puzzled about something. Just then, he saw Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
It looked like they had followed him and witnessed his conversation with Jiang Yuqing.
The smile was gone from Yun Xiangrong’s face, but she surprisingly initiated. “Zhou Qian, did you not understand the storyline just now? No matter how intelligent you are, there are things you might not grasp.”
“The things I don’t understand… you do?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Yes.” Yun Xiangrong looked up at the dark night sky. “Gao Shan doesn’t eat spicy food. But when we first started dating, I didn’t know. I took him to eat hotpot based on my own preferences. He seemed to enjoy it a lot. I thought he really liked it. But in reality, he didn’t like hotpot or spicy food. He acted like he did only because he liked me. So—”
“Jiang Yuqing doesn’t like osmanthus cake. He likes Bei He.”
“The poem ‘Night Rain Addressed to the North’ is likely written for Bei He.”
“Ah, so not only does He Xiaowei have a romance line, but I do too,” Zhou Qian said with a smirk. “I wonder if there’ll be any melodramatic twists.”
Unexpectedly, just after mentioning ‘melodramatic’, Zhou Qian detected the smell of dog blood.
Turning around, he saw Da Shou running over and hiding behind a stone lion, holding a talisman in one hand and putting a finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture. On the other side, Xiao Pang did the same, ready to cooperate with Da Shou to deal with the ghosts.
Zhou Qian’s smile faded slightly, but he didn’t say much. Following the old woman’s shouts, he returned to the hall with Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing.
A moment later, Zhou Qian stood amidst a group of ghosts, looking at the newlywed couple above the hall. The bride, Miss Zhang, had a veil covering her face, obscuring her features. Additionally, eerily, she had no feet. But from her silhouette, she was clearly beautiful.
Beside her, Zhou Qian noticed He Xiaowei’s hand trembling when he grabbed the red ribbon, unsure if it was out of excitement or fear.
“Bow to heaven and earth!”
Following this command, under semi-coercion by the old woman, He Xiaowei and the bride performed the ritual bowing to heaven and earth together.
“Pay respects to the high hall!”
He Wei and the bride turned together. Before him were Dong Shui’s parents.
Two elderly people, both without feet, sat serenely. Their smiles should have been kind, but their faces were too pale. Combined with wrinkles all over, they looked genuinely eerie.
“Exchange bows between husband and wife!”
After this bow, the ceremony would be officially complete.
Perhaps thinking of this, when they got to this step, He Wei’s hand trembled extraordinarily.
Before his eyes, Miss Zhang gracefully bowed, her body bending forward.
He Wei remained motionless, being urged by the old matchmaker. “Dong Shui! Dong Shui!! What’s the matter? Hurry up, bow with your wife!”
Cold sweat soaked He Wei’s back.
The allure from the photo of the beautiful woman seemed to have faded.
Facing the reality that he was about to exchange bows with a footless female ghost, his legs felt so weak that he almost knelt.
But at that moment, he heard an incredibly pleasant voice.
“Dong Ge? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to marry me anymore? Don’t you love me anymore?”
The voice made He Xiaowei feel tingly all over.
He suddenly felt a determination that if there was such a sweet-voiced girl, even if she was a ghost, he would marry her.
But just as he bent his waist, about to lower his head, several talismans drifted into the courtyard, blown by the wind.
Suddenly, before his eyes, the bride, the matchmaker, the parents, all the guests… all vanished.
Upon entering this level, the four players automatically changed into military uniforms. Moreover, except for Situ Qing, who retained most of her appearance despite being slightly behind in progress, the faces of the other three players became increasingly similar to others.
After looking around the deserted pier, the three tried to walk towards the city area.
Five hundred meters from the dock was the city area. It was evident that this city was once quite prosperous. Skyscrapers and buildings were closely packed, and the streets were built very neatly. But on the long streets, in the tall buildings, and in the alleys… there was not a soul to be found. It seemed like a ghost town.
There was no sign of life in this city. It was enveloped in an eerie silence. After walking down a long main street, Zhou Qian noticed a small alley to the side. He took out the little dragon from his bag and whispered some instructions to it. The little dragon nodded obediently and slipped into the alley.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but hiss. “Your pet is so cute. It’s inhumane to do this. Did you send it to scout the alley for danger?”
Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “Yes, it’s quite inhumane. Why don’t you go?”
He Xiaowei bumped Zhou Qian’s shoulder playfully. “If something happened to me, who would take care of you?”
Zhou Qian tilted his chin towards the alley and said, “I’ll be responsible for your safety now. At the beginning of the game, players are separated, but later levels often require collaboration. But the four of us…”
Zhou Qian didn’t need to finish his sentence, He Xiaowei understood.
Yun Xiangrong had changed from a healer to an attacker, but with only 30 skill points, she could only get very low-level standard attack skills, meaning her attack output could be ignored.
Situ Qing had offensive capabilities, but she clearly wasn’t trustworthy. As for He Xiaowei, though he could both attack and heal, and his skills had no cooldown and consumed little mana, both his attack and healing were weak.
Finally, Zhou Qian wasn’t an attacker, at least not a consistent one. He had a control ability, but his ultimate consumed a lot of mana and had stringent conditions. Without corpses or souls to utilize, his ultimate would be nearly powerless.
The more He Xiaowei thought about it, the more uncertain he felt about their future. At that moment, the little dragon quickly returned from the alley and jumped into Zhou Qian’s arms. Zhou Qian gently patted its head.
He Xiaowei remarked, “You’re not bothered by its dirty legs? So you’re not a clean freak; just averse to blood?”
Zhou Qian didn’t respond, asking the little dragon something in a low voice. The dragon shook its head, and they proceeded into the alley.
Both sides of the alley were lined with breakfast stalls, some selling steamed buns and others selling soy milk and fried dough sticks. The steam rose from the buns, and oil bubbled in the frying pans, but there were no vendors or customers.
At the end of the alley was a small open park with several large trees, and under each tree was a chessboard, some with Chinese chess set up, others with Go. The Go pieces were in mid-battle, but the players were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Qian noticed an open window in a nearby building and had the little dragon jump in. It soon opened the door from inside.
Zhou Qian led He Xiaowei into the building first to investigate, and as expected, found no one inside.
On the balcony, one cloth shoe was hung up to dry, while the other was on the floor. It looked as though someone was in the process of hanging the shoes when they suddenly disappeared. Next to the shoes, a watering can was half-filled with water and tipped over on the ground; inside, a bun with a bite taken out of it was slowly getting cold on the dining table…
Throughout their journey, Zhou Qian saw many such strange scenes. It was as if the city’s residents were living their normal lives, and then, in an instant, they all disappeared.
Leaving the empty room, Zhou Qian and his group returned to the alley.
At that moment, the sound of musical instruments came from not far away.
As dusk approached, thick clouds obscured the setting sun, shrouding the entire city in a peculiar gray-yellow hue and a strangely quiet atmosphere.
The sudden appearance of celebratory music at this time seemed rather out of place.
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and quickly approached Zhou Qian.
Just as he reached out, intending to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, Zhou Qian swiftly stepped back, avoiding him.
He Xiaowei: “…”
Did you seriously just step back from me?
Suddenly, a system panel notification popped up.
Zhou Qian opened the system map and noticed an exclamation mark on a nearby street.
The System then sent a message:
[Main quest “West Pier” initiated.]
[Proceed to the location marked by the exclamation point for the main storyline.]
With the festive music echoing through the city that was about to fall into dusk, despite finding it bizarre, players had no choice but to follow the sound.
Situ Qing took out her bell and took the lead with a cold expression.
Yun Xiangrong retrieved a protective shield given to her by Gao Shan, glanced back at He Xiaowei and Zhou Qian, and followed Situ Qing.
After another unsuccessful attempt to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, He Xiaowei cautiously took out his guqin, which was ever so contrasting with his demeanor, yet he remained vigilant to his surroundings.
The four of them returned from the alley to a main street close to the pier and continued moving towards the marked location on the map.
The main street was as quiet as before, though it seemed dimmer due to the evening gloom.
Walking along the deserted street, Zhou Qian suddenly noticed something unusual with the little dragon in his arms. The creature tapped Zhou Qian’s shoulder and pointed to a spot around the corner, making a “yip” sound.
That spot seemed empty, but the little dragon kept staring at it, blinking, seemingly perplexed.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei instantly jumped back several meters.
Zhou Qian covered the little dragon’s eyes with his hand, trying to see through its eyes.
The little dragon was formed from his scales after he had transformed into a god. The System also said that the little dragon would share a life essence with him, so in a sense, it was a part of him.
Moments later, although the vision wasn’t clear, Zhou Qian succeeded.
Through the little dragon’s eyes, he saw a young girl at the corner.
She wore ragged clothes and crouched on the street, holding a bowl with a chipped edge.
Her face was dirty, and her uneven hair, which appeared to have been haphazardly cut by herself, reached her shoulders.
She seemed to be a beggar, probably asking for alms on this street near the pier because of the numerous well-off individuals passing by.
The vision Zhou Qian received was blurry, resembling an old water-damaged photograph.
Before he could get a clearer look at the girl’s face, she vanished as if disappearing into thin air.
Animals often could perceive things humans couldn’t, like ghosts.
Could the girl be a ghost rather than a human?
Had everyone in the city died and turned into ghosts? How did they die? Where are the other ghosts?
Wait, if the girl was indeed a spirit, did she genuinely vanish, or was it just that the little dragon’s ability to perceive spirits momentarily waned?
Following this line of thought, the city might not be deserted after all.
Perhaps the streets, even the entire city, were occupied by spirits, still living their lives, unaware of their deaths.
Players couldn’t perceive them simply because they couldn’t see them.
Could this new main quest be a supernatural instance?
With these thoughts, Zhou Qian, accompanied by his teammates, following the system map’s directions, entered a relatively broad alley.
The joyous music grew louder. At the end of the lane, there stood a lavish residence adorned with lights and decorations. Two stone lions, draped with red silk, guarded its entrance, while two bright red “囍*” characters adorned the main gate.
*Happy. Often used for weddings.
It seemed someone was about to get married.
Such a festive door should be matched with a bustling crowd. However, the deserted alleyway contrasted starkly with the vibrant red everywhere. The only thing matching the big red “double 囍” character was the sound of the suona* approaching the alley.
*A traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. It had a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and was used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly in those that perform outdoors.
Yet whether it was the suona or the “double 囍” character, in this desolate setting, as the sunset gradually receded, the scene seemed eerily eerie.
After a short while, night had fully set in. The only illumination came from two lanterns hanging in front of the vermilion door.
The wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway. Through the lantern fabric, the shadows cast on the ground wavered. He Xiaowei, out of the corner of his eye, mistook it for a ghost in red, quickly grabbed Zhou Qian’s arm. Zhou Qian managed to dodge just in time, barely avoiding He Xiaowei’s grasp.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Fuck me, I was scared! I thought there was a ghost…” He Xiaowei realized it was just a lantern and took a deep breath.
But to his surprise, Zhou Qian immediately said, “You’re right, there is a ghost.”
He Xiaowei: ?!!
The ghosts came from the alley behind the players, and there was more than one. When Zhou Qian, who had dodged He Xiaowei’s grasp, looked back, the first thing he saw was a large amount of paper money fluttering down like snowflakes.
The coins made of yellow paper floated down like snow, and the sound of the suona and traditional music grew louder and nearer. Four figures, seemingly without feet, carried a bright red sedan chair. They appeared to float as they approached the vermilion door from the alley.
On each side of the sedan were two maidens, and beside them walked an old lady with a mole typical of a matchmaker on her face. Behind the sedan was the group responsible for the music. The joyful tunes that the players had been hearing came from them.
Looking at their faces, their skin was pale but otherwise normal. The issue was with their feet—it looked like they weren’t walking but floating above the ground.
Seeing the players, the old matchmaker walked over with a smile and greeted them warmly. “Ah, you must be [Dong Shui’s] comrades! You’re all from the Falcon Squadron, right? I’ve heard it’s tough to get into your squad! No wonder you all look so outstanding! Haha, good to see you all. Let’s go in and enjoy the wedding feast!”
[Dong Shui] was the character that He Xiaowei was currently role-playing as. Was the current plot about him marrying a ghost bride?
Indeed, the next second, the matchmaker looked at He Xiaowei: “Ah? [Dong Shui], why are you here? Hurry up and change into your wedding attire! The bride is here. Why haven’t you changed?”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes in fear, but before he could escape, the vermilion door flung open, and two servants rushed out, swiftly taking him inside.
“Oh dear young master, why are you here?”
“If the master and madam see you haven’t changed, they’ll scold us!”
“We need to hurry and get you changed. Don’t miss the auspicious time!”
The two servants whisked He Xiaowei away, and soon after, the bright red bridal sedan chair was also carried inside to the sound of festive music.
Moments later, a lively group of “people” walked from the alley into the vermilion gate, leaving the matchmaker chatting with the players.
“Ah…times are tough. Just think about it, [Dong Shui] abandoned his vast family business to join the army. He said that the youth should be willing to die for the country… Yes, his intentions are noble. But as his elder, we worry for him.”
“He joined the army, and now he’s off on a special mission with the Falcon Squadron. I heard it’s extremely dangerous. The [Zhang] family girl is so stubborn… She insisted on marrying him even after Dong Shui wanted to call off the engagement.”
Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, the matchmaker continued, “They’ve known each other since they were children and wanted to get married… but who would have expected such national calamities? Dong Shui, in fact, cares deeply for Miss Zhang and didn’t want to hold her back, fearing he might die on his mission. He wanted to break off the engagement, but she insisted on marrying him.”
“Now he’s joining the Falcon Squadron for a mission. She wanted to get married before he left. She said if he were to sacrifice himself, at least she would have no regrets being his wife.”
The matchmaker sighed deeply. “But I could tell from her tone, if anything happens to Dong Shui, she might join him in death.”
After wiping away her tears, the old matchmaker turned her attention to the players. It seemed like something suddenly dawned on her and her expression turned serious. “Wait? Why are you wearing the uniforms of the Seventh Squadron? I heard that the S Army is about to attack! It seems they’ve placed spies in Cypress City beforehand and are constantly monitoring the movements here!”
“Quick, quick, come with me! I’ll take you to change your clothes! You absolutely can’t go around in these uniforms!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian sensed something and promptly took a step back. So, the ones the matchmaker grabbed by each hand were Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
“Come on, hurry. I’ll take you to change, then we should hurry to the wedding banquet!”
Zhou Qian glanced at Yun Xiangrong, then said to the old matchmaker, “They can go with you first. I’ve left something behind. I’ll go get it and be right back.”
Immediately, Zhou Qian turned around, swiftly took off his military uniform, and stashed it in his bag. After purchasing a random T-shirt from a trading stand and putting it on, he returned to the alley they came from.
Has everyone in this city truly turned into ghosts?
Could there possibly be a few living humans who had survived?
If there were any living people here, given the haunted nature of the city, they would surely hide.
The loud wedding procession just now might attract any survivors. Out of fear, they wouldn’t dare approach these ghosts. But once the ghosts entered the vermilion gate, perhaps the survivors would venture out.
This was the reason Zhou Qian came back to investigate the alley.
It didn’t take long for Zhou Qian to find something.
When he reached the middle of the alley, he heard a wooden door “creak” open. Through the crack of the door, two pairs of pitch-black eyes, as big as soybeans, were staring at him.
At the same time, through the gap in the wooden door, Zhou Qian detected a strong, pungent smell of blood.
At night, the temperature in the public restroom was very low. The warm breath exhaled by the players gradually formed a thin layer of frost on the huge mirror. The frost obscured the reflections of their features, making it difficult for the players to clearly see their own appearances in the mirror.
However, when they faced each other directly, they could still clearly see the changes in their teammates’ faces.
He Xiaowei, a burly man, was visibly frightened at this moment and instinctively stepped back towards Zhou Qian’s direction.
Zhou Qian asked him, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”
“Uh, well…” He Xiaowei blinked twice without admitting his fear.
In fact, through their recent experience dealing with Situ Qing, Zhou Qian had an unexpected realization—He Xiaowei’s skills actually complemented his own very well.
Moreover, He Xiaowei’s personality seemed quite obedient. Thus, Zhou Qian decisively decided to win him over. “Don’t be afraid. Follow me, and I’m sure I can help you clear this instance.”
He Xiaowei seemed to genuinely respect Zhou Qian. “Indeed, through that ‘Checks and Balance’ game, I’ve come to fully realize it! But, Brother Zhou Qian, you see, I consumed half of my HP to replenish your mana. If you don’t back me up later on, it wouldn’t be fair, right?”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian asked, “Would you like to join my team?”
He Xiaowei looked at him warily. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian responded, “Your gambling habits suggest you dabble in everything without mastering anything. Have you considered specializing in healing?”
He Xiaowei immediately declined. “No!”
Zhou Qian tried to persuade him. “In our team, there’s an exceptional damage dealer, a Swordmaster. You could form a duo with him and call it ‘Sword and Heart*’!”
*This is referencing the idiom courage of a warrior (sword), soul/heart of a musician (lute) (剑胆琴心). It refers to someone who is both sentimental and courageous. || In this context, they will literally be that, with Qi Liuxing being the sword and He Xiaowei being the musician (since he uses the guqin).
He Xiaowei hesitated. “Is that person a girl?”
Zhou Qian shook his head. “No.”
He Xiaowei also shook his head. “Then what’s the point? I want to team up with a girl… I want to find a girlfriend.”
Zhou Qian solemnly remarked, “Why are you so fixated on gender?”
He Xiaowei: “……”
“Anyway, I don’t want to.”
“Alright then… If we can’t agree, I’m going back to my room.”
“Hey, don’t! Given the weird situation, shouldn’t we all stick together?! Granted, there are many conflicts between the four of us… but—”
Looking at the others, He Xiaowei continued, “We should cooperate temporarily, right? After all, if we keep fighting, what if we all die here?”
He Xiaowei’s words made a lot of sense.
The game designer’s intentions were truly malicious.
In “Apple Paradise”, players had to go through a scoring game before proceeding with the main storyline. The intention was clearly to divide players through the scoring game. The same pattern was evident in “Last Wish”. Before realizing they could use corpses to draw out the bullets, players’ first instinct was likely to sacrifice 2-3 players, leading to disagreements and division into smaller groups.
However, the reason for Zhou Qian and his team’s division wasn’t about sacrifices, but it was now quite challenging for them to cooperate.
Frowning slightly, Zhou Qian turned and left the restroom. Worried that Zhou Qian might truly abandon him, He Xiaowei quickly followed. “Alright, alright! I’m willing to be a healer… I mean, a healing dad*, okay? I’ve come to realize that there are very few dedicated healers because they lack offensive capabilities and can’t even clear mobs. If I specialize in healing… I’ll definitely be the favorite in our group! Everyone will call me ‘Dad’!”
*Clarity: The term usually used in online gaming for healers is “milkmaid or wet nurse” (奶妈). Given his machoism, he changed it to “healing dad or manny/daddy daycare” (奶爸). This is probably also why he doesn’t fully focus on healing (because of his machoism), since he views the profession as more feminine and doesn’t have any offensive capabilities (not cool for a guy).
Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow. “Hmm…?”
He Xiaowei quickly added, “Except for you.”
With a satisfied smile, Zhou Qian thought: Mission accomplished.
Leaving the restroom, Zhou Qian walked along the corridor bathed in cold lighting. Instead of returning to his room, he stopped in front of Room 701. The small dragon with deep blue scales was still waiting there. It looked up and smiled at Zhou Qian, leaping into his arms. Zhou Qian caught it and peeked into the room.
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was still sleeping peacefully.
Zhou Qian opened the door slightly, observing the room while stepping in. Using the faint light from the hallway, he glanced at Jiang Yuqing and noticed that he didn’t seem to have grown any younger. Zhou Qian then turned his attention to the photograph on the wall.
The light at this moment was too dim, and the tone of the photo was also dark. Zhou Qian couldn’t see it clearly for a moment, so he took out a miniature flashlight he had purchased in advance from his bag. He shined the flashlight directly on the photo without illuminating other areas, startling Jiang Yuqing, who was asleep.
Through the cold light, Zhou Qian discovered that the photo had indeed changed.
The seven people in the photo were originally blurry; their facial features seemed to have been blurred by the dampness of the rain. But now, the appearances of three of them have become somewhat clearer. The faces of these three were very familiar to Zhou Qian; they resembled himself, Yun Xiangrong, and He Xiaowei, whom he had just seen in the mirror of the restroom a few minutes ago.
In other words, the faces of three people in the photo were becoming clearer. And the appearance and identities of Zhou Qian and his companions were moving closer to those three individuals.
By touching the photo, by ten minutes past midnight, the transformation of the three of them had reached 40%. So, after a while longer, would they completely become the people in the photo?
There was a noise from the bed behind him, which was Jiang Yuqing turning over. Seeing this, Zhou Qian left room 701 and put the little dragon down to guard the door.
After giving He Xiaowei a glance in the corridor, the two of them went to room 702 together.
As He Xiaowei entered while complaining, he asked, “Are you sure this place isn’t haunted?”
Zhou Qian replied indifferently, “If this instance really had ghosts, you would’ve been possessed by now.”
He Xiaowei: “……”
Watching Zhou Qian sit on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought, He Xiaowei quickly sat across from him. “I didn’t dare to go in just now. What’s going on?”
Zhou Qian looked at He Xiaowei and suddenly asked, “How were you able to enter this instance?”
He Xiaowei was momentarily confused by the question. “Huh?”
“I just thought of something. This instance has a hidden achievement. That Yun Gao couple and I can come in because we cleared ‘Apple Paradise’ with the same property. But it seems you didn’t.”
Zhou Qian looked intently at He Xiaowei. “So, how did you get in? Don’t tell me it’s just by luck that this instance just happened to open for you.”
He Xiaowei responded, “Huh? Isn’t that possible? Some people repeatedly do low-level instances to get tickets to hidden instances!”
“But you don’t seem like them. Xiaowei bro—” Zhou Qian continued, “I did say earlier that your skills complement mine well, and I intended to invite you to our group. But what if this is a carefully arranged coincidence?”
“What kind of arrangement? You’re just being overly suspicious. Just because one teammate wants to kill you, do you think everyone else has issues?” He Xiaowei was getting irritated. “Have I done anything to harm you?”
Zhou Qian replied, “No, but it’s always better to be cautious. Given my guess, the upcoming instances won’t be easy. I need to be sure.”
“Damn, I indeed didn’t get the ticket myself. But my involvement in this instance has nothing to do with you! It’s a test from my future master!” He Xiaowei immediately explained.
“Oh? And who is your future master?” Zhou Qian immediately asked, sensing that something was amiss.
He Xiaowei said, “His name is Hidden Blade! Let me tell you, he’s incredibly strong! He’s a Rank God player! We are at Rank D now, and you probably think Rank S is the highest in this game, right? But that’s not the case. Rank S is just the beginning! From what I heard, Rank God players were chosen by the gods right from the start. Their progression is entirely different from ours! They probably never did the instances we did! When they started this game, they were already at Rank S! They’re naturally talented and inherently strong!”
Zhou Qian asked, “How many Rank God players are there?”
He Xiaowei: “There shouldn’t be more than 10!”
After a pause, He Xiaowei added, “This is all from a guy I met in the last instance. He is one of Hidden Blade’s chosen disciples! Man, Hidden Blade is amazing! His weapon seems to be a skull, one that can give nightmares to anyone. His skill set is about crowd control, similar to yours…”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian quickly started connecting the dots. He speculated that it might have been that 137 person who asked Hidden Blade to take him as a disciple. Even though Hidden Blade was reluctant, he still sent an invitation because of the request from 137.
So, did 137 want Hidden Blade to be his master because both of them had crowd control abilities?
He Xiaowei continued, “In any case, I also wanted a powerful master. So, after exiting the last instance, I’ve been lurking around the trade house and such. In the dead of night, I finally saw Hidden Blade post a message seeking some small prop!”
“I immediately approached him for a private chat and tried to team up!”
“At first, he declined, saying that my skill direction didn’t match his. But who would’ve thought…”
“After a day, he contacted me again, saying he would take me as a disciple, but only if I come to this instance!”
“So, the entry ticket to the ‘Last Wish’ instance was given to me by him.”
After hearing this, Zhou Qian was silent for a moment, then asked, “Is it possible that Hidden Blade really doesn’t want to take you as a disciple, but after someone urged him, he agreed?”
He Xiaowei was taken aback. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
Zhou Qian then asked, “Rank God players… There might only be 10 of them. Have you ever heard of 137?”
“Ah? No, I haven’t.” He Xiaowei shook his head. “Does someone use a number as a code name???”
Zhou Qian asked again, “How much do you know about Hidden Blade’s abilities? Is he the strongest among those 10 Rank God players?”
He Xiaowei: “I really don’t know. But from the description by the guy in the last instance, Hidden Blade seems extremely powerful. Given our level with 12 gunmen, I think he might be able to make all the gunmen fall asleep, then directly go in and get evidence!”
“Let’s assume that in this game, there are very few people who can truly become friends. Let’s also assume that Hidden Blade and that 137 aren’t particularly close. Then, if even a strong player like Hidden Blade has to listen to 137, act on 137’s orders to recruit disciples, and give out small potions to lower-tier players… Does this imply Hidden Blade owes 137 something?
“Does it further imply that 137 might be stronger than Hidden Blade?”
He Xiaowei: “Brother Qianqian, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Zhou Qian smiled. “Nothing much. I’m just thinking that this 137 must be quite powerful.”
He Xiaowei: ?
Zhou Qian said gleefully, “So, even if I don’t know who he is, it seems I can make good use of him!”
He Xiaowei: “Ahem, Qian Ge, what about this instance…”
Zhou Qian let out a yawn and headed to his bed. “Sleep now, Xiaowei Ge. By tomorrow morning, you should know what’s happened.”
Indeed, at 6 o’clock the next morning, He Xiaowei learned of the events. He and Zhou Qian received messages at the same time.
[Player Zhou Qian: Transformation rate 60%, direction – Bei He]
[Player He Xiaowei: Transformation rate 60%, direction – Dong Shui]
After reading the system prompt, having slept on the sofa, He Xiaowei immediately ran to Zhou Qian. “What does this mean? What’s this Bei He, Dong Shui?”
“If I’m not wrong—” Zhou Qian yawned, glanced at the system prompt, and said, “These are names. There are seven people in the photo. We will transform into two of them, named Bei He and Dong Shui.”
After the two finished washing and eating, they left the room and met Yun Xiangrong, who also received a new prompt. She would transform into someone named Xi Jiang.
Hearing her name, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but say, “Hiss… Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, Bei He. Our names all combine a ‘direction’ with a ‘water’ word. It’s a pity that Situ Qing didn’t trigger this*—”
*Clarity: North River [Bei He] (北河), East Water [Dong Shui] (东水), West River [Xi jiang] (西江)
Just then, Situ Qing walked out of her room. She not only looked like herself but also bore the shadow of someone else. After glancing at the others, she shared the information she had, probably because she didn’t want to die in the main plot.
“Last night, I went to Jiang Yuqing’s room and touched that photo. I saw a military officer writing poetry, and then he burned the poem. That illusion should be the same as what you all saw. Currently, I’ve achieved a 20% transformation rate. However, I still don’t know who I will transform into or what his name is.”
He Xiaowei blinked. “Anyway, your surname will most likely be ‘Nan*’, and your name will be related to water.”
*South.
The corridor fell silent. Apart from He Xiaowei, no one else spoke. He looked at the others with a complicated expression, feeling that aside from him, they all had ulterior motives, each harder to deal with than the last. Of course, Zhou Qian being the biggest devil among them.
By 7 a.m., someone finally arrived. It was the security guard they had met the day before. The guard, holding a notebook and pen, stepped out of the elevator. Seeing the four caretakers in the hallway, he said with satisfaction, “Good! Everyone’s here!”
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and bravely asked, “Is it really everyone? Don’t you remember… there were six of us yesterday? No, if you count Lao Yu and Lao Tie, there were eight of us in total?”
The security guard looked at him in surprise. “When was this? Were you dreaming? Weren’t there just the four of you? Fine, as long as everyone is here, my attendance task is completed.”
“Has Mr. Jiang woken up? Take good care of him. Oh right, when he wakes up in the morning, he usually reads for a while. Then he goes back to sleep. If you all want to slack off, wait until he’s asleep. Other floors are still not open. Don’t run around!”
After instructing the players, the security guard turned to press the elevator button.
However, Zhou Qian called out to stop him. “Wait. Were you in charge of our attendance?”
Yesterday afternoon, when they first entered the building, Zhou Qian clearly remembered that the receptionist at the front desk was responsible for attendance. The receptionist even emphasized that she was responsible for everyone’s attendance.
The security guard looked back at Zhou Qian and replied naturally, “Yes! I’m in charge!”
Zhou Qian asked, “Wasn’t there a receptionist yesterday? Haven’t you seen her?”
The security guard shook his head in confusion. “We haven’t hired a receptionist. I’ve even helped post several job advertisements. Probably because the job’s far, the pay’s low, and the workload is high, no one even applied!”
He Xiaowei felt flabbergasted and couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the hell?”
The security guard shrugged. “Is it your memory that’s faulty or mine? Are you guys dreaming, or am I?”
Before entering the elevator, he concluded, “You all must be dreaming. My memory is perfectly fine!”
The security guard took elevator A and left. At this point, He Xiaowei was pretty convinced of one thing—people’s sudden disappearance in the building had nothing to do with the elevators. He wanted to share a glance with someone, but Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing weren’t responsive. As he wasn’t sure how to approach the girls, he turned to Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian said, “Didn’t the security guard ask us to take care of Jiang Yuqing? Let’s go to his room. We can’t go to other floors anyway. We can only go to 701.”
Before Zhou Qian finished speaking, a system notification popped up.
[Main Quest Triggered: Players must go to Room 701 within 5 minutes to take care of Jiang Yuqing.]
Thus, the four players had to return to Room 701.
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was already awake, reading a book quietly without causing any disturbance.
Seeing this, the players, although tasked with “taking care” of Jiang Yuqing, felt it redundant and aimless.
He Xiaowei turned to Zhou Qian. Even though he thought Zhou Qian was intimidating, he was currently the only person He Xiaowei could communicate with.
He Xiaowei whispered, “I suddenly realized something. Jiang Yuqing hasn’t eaten, drunk, nor used the restroom. At first, I thought taking care of an elderly dementia patient would involve lots of dirty work. But we haven’t had to do anything like that!”
“Moreover, since yesterday, aside from a piece of osmanthus cake, he hasn’t eaten anything. There isn’t even a cafeteria in this building. I haven’t even seen anything like a water dispenser. Him not eating or drinking… it’s totally illogical!”
Zhou Qian responded, “Actually, it’s logical.”
He Xiaowei: ?
Zhou Qian explained, “This only further proves that this is Jiang Yuqing’s consciousness world. In real life, he has severe dementia. He doesn’t remember eating, drinking, or taking care of basic needs. Perhaps the [Wang’s Osmanthus Cake] is very precious to him, something he hasn’t forgotten. So, in his consciousness world, it’s the only food that remains.”
He Xiaowei: “Makes sense.”
Zhou Qian continued, “The same goes for this building. Normally, buildings are designed with staircases. But perhaps in real life, Jiang Yuqing never used the stairs. He might have been wheelchair-bound and taken directly to 701 via the elevator. So, in his consciousness world, there are no stairs. Or maybe he did use the stairs but just completely forgot about them.”
“Also, due to dementia and probably rarely visiting other floors, he has no memory of them. Maybe there is a cafeteria on one of those floors, but he doesn’t know. So, in this memory world, the other floors remain permanently sealed.”
He Xiaowei: “Oh shit, it’s like this! Wait, wait! I suddenly had a thought!”
Zhou Qian spoke up, voicing his thoughts. “So, in our current world, the reason why people disappear out of thin air one after another is just because they are forgotten.”
The vase on the bedside table and the flowers inside vanished into thin air simply because Jiang Yuqing forgot.
The caretakers who looked after Jiang Yuqing disappeared one by one because he forgot about them and couldn’t recognize them anymore.
The receptionist disappeared, of course, because Jiang Yuqing forgot her.
As for this room. The reason the faces of the seven people in the large photo were always blurred was simply also because Jiang Yuqing forgot their appearances.
Even Jiang Yuqing’s own features seemed vague.
It was also because he forgot himself.
Turning his head, Zhou Qian looked at the photo on the wall, which seemed to have been soaked in water, and said, “There are seven people in the photo. And there are six players who came this time. One Jiang Yuqing, plus six players—isn’t that exactly seven?”
He Xiaowei: “!!!”
“The reason why the elderly Jiang Yuqing became young yesterday evening isn’t because he was practicing some sort of rejuvenating magic. It’s just that through yesterday’s ‘Checks and Balance’ level, we helped him recall a bit of his past. So he remembered a bit of what he looked like when he was young.”
Pointing to the photo, Zhou Qian continued, “The same goes for the others. I think Jiang Yuqing and these six people are all comrades from the 7th Brigade. Just as he forgot himself, he also forgot their appearances. Of the six people, we still don’t know the names of three, but now at least we know that the other three are called Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, and Bei He.”
“So I think—”
Turning around, he walked to Jiang Yuqing, squatted down, and looked at his still aging face with indistinct features.
He took Jiang Yuqing’s old hand and said softly, “Your so-called ‘last wish’ is just not to forget, right?”
“Mr. Jiang, you don’t want to forget the past, don’t want to forget yourself, and don’t want to forget those six comrades, right?”
“You want us to help you, right?”
On the side, watching quietly, He Xiaowei felt a bit moved.
He wasn’t sure if Zhou Qian was acting.
All he was doing might be trying to get information from the NPC.
Yet He Xiaowei was still deeply touched. How many precious memories does one have in a lifetime? Although he felt his life was mundane, he still had many memories that he would never want to forget until death.
The first day of school, the first friend, the first love, the taste of the first piece of cake, the feeling of the first plane ride, the first college entrance exam, the first job interview… he never wanted to forget any of them.
Physical death was one thing, but if memories remained, perhaps one wasn’t truly gone. But if even the memories were gone…
It was as if one had truly vanished from the world.
In the warm room, the elderly expressionless Jiang Yuqing sat in a chair, holding a book in his lap. One hand was held by the squatting Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian’s gaze was clear and tender, but Jiang Yuqing looked confused.
After watching this scene for a bit longer, He Xiaowei felt his eyes become moist.
So, Jiang Yuqing’s real last wish wasn’t to live a few more days or to become young.
He just didn’t want to forget.
Jiang Yuqing seemed still not sure how to speak and didn’t understand what Zhou Qian was saying. So he withdrew his hand and continued to read.
Zhou Qian stood up and looked back at the old photo.
Wiping away a tear, He Xiaowei quietly asked, “So our task…”
“Our current direction is correct. The caretakers come and go and are seen by the elderly Jiang Yuqing. But they are not Jiang Yuqing’s most precious memories, so they were forgotten one after another. Jiang Yuqing’s most precious memories are probably the years he spent with those six comrades. Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, Bei He… as long as we complete the transformation to 100%, we can fully become his comrades. In this way, we can say we live in his memories. If we survive in the memory world, we are not forgotten and thus complete the task.”
He Xiaowei still had questions. “By the way, in the photo illusion, what’s the deal with that young officer?”
Zhou Qian thought for a moment. “We previously triggered two states of Jiang Yuqing, [Manic Jiang Yuqing] and [Dementia Jiang Yuqing]. That officer… is probably also Jiang Yuqing, and he might be the [Young Jiang Yuqing].”
He Xiaowei: “What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian explained, “We analyzed it yesterday. The manic and dementia versions of Jiang Yuqing are both harmful to players and show hostility. However, the young officer aids the players, showing good intentions. Based on today’s new findings, we can understand yesterday’s analysis from a different perspective—”
“The elderly Jiang Yuqing with dementia and manic, in essence, represents his old age. Only the officer represents his younger version.”
“Let’s anthropomorphize this a bit: when you grow old, there are two personas fighting inside your head. One is killing your memories, every individual in them; while the other is trying desperately to protect those in your memories.”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes. “Ah, I get it… The young officer represents Jiang Yuqing’s youthful memories, so he’s protecting us!”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Exactly. That’s why the officer said, ‘It’s you who came’ when he saw us yesterday. The young officer is still Jiang Yuqing. In this world, by protecting us, he is essentially safeguarding his comrades and, in turn, his memories.”
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei didn’t feel elated from nearing the real solution to the game but instead sighed heavily, feeling melancholic.
About forty minutes later, as the clock approached 8:30 in the morning, Jiang Yuqing put down his book and went back to bed, soon drifting into a deep sleep.
He Xiaowei snapped out of his daze, his expression turning serious. “He’s sleeping again in broad daylight; could it be—”
Before He Xiaowei could finish, Zhou Qian had already reached room 701’s door and swung it open.
Outside the door was no longer a hallway but, unexpectedly, a vast sea.
A new consciousness world had indeed emerged, indicating that a new level had been activated.
Moments later, He Xiaowei, Yun Xiangrong, and Situ Qing also stepped out of room 701. The moment the door closed behind them, room 701 vanished completely.
Before the players, the hallway was replaced by a desolate sea. The water wasn’t a deep blue but had a dull gray tint with hints of yellow and black.
In the distance, where the sea met the sky, the heavens were also a dull gray. Such a setting set the tone for this part of the game.
Oppressive and gloomy, no one felt uplifted.
They stood on a pier, which looked rather luxurious. Several passenger and cargo ships were docked. However, there were no dock workers or passengers. The sea and dock were eerily quiet.
The only option for exploration seemed to be the city.
Turning their gaze forward, right in front of the three players was a sign. It read: [Year XX37, September, Cypress City, West Pier.]
Zhou Qian looked down at his attire. He was no longer wearing the caretaker’s uniform but was dressed in a military uniform with a “7” inscribed on it.
This matter wasn’t noticed by He Xiaowei until Zhou Qian mentioned it. But after hearing it, he took a closer look and felt that Jiang Yuqing indeed seemed younger.
“Could it be…” He Xiaowei thought of a terrifying possibility. “Did he set up some kind of magical formation, killing those two caretakers? His purpose was to kill and rejuvenate himself—”
He Xiaowei’s voice rose. “I get it. Jiang Yuqing is the boss of this instance. Aren’t we supposed to fulfill his last wish? I think his wish is to become young again! Now… he has killed two players and three janitors in a side mission. And two caretakers vanished in the main storyline…”
“It’s horrifying. Extremely cruel. He must have used some dark magic?!”
Zhou Qian, looking through the window into room 701, said, “I don’t think so.”
He Xiaowei: “Huh?”
Zhou Qian continued, “There must be a way to clear this game, and the clearance rate of this stage is as high as 60%. If Jiang Yuqing’s wish is to kill all of us and become young, and we need to fulfill this wish to clear the level… think about it, isn’t that contradictory and impossible?”
He Xiaowei nodded vigorously. “Right. True. This building feels very strange.”
“It is strange,” Zhou Qian said. “Have you ever seen, in the real world, an entire nursing home where everyone revolves around just one person?”
“No… I haven’t!” He Xiaowei exclaimed. “You mean, this isn’t real?”
What He Xiaowei meant was ambiguous since they were both in a game world, which wasn’t reality.
But Zhou Qian understood him.
Regardless of the game’s backdrop, based on the plot in this instance, everything they encountered didn’t seem to follow the logic of the real world. They seemed to be in a virtual space, like an illusion.
Zhou Qian began, “If my guess is right, this might be Jiang Yuqing’s conscious world, where he controls our existence and disappearance.”
“He slept for an hour in the afternoon. During this hour… we entered another layer of his conscious world, which was the side quest.”
“The side quest called ‘Checks and Balance’ isn’t easy to clear, but surviving it is simple. Players avoiding those 12 rooms, enduring an hour, and returning to 701 can leave the side quest and return to the regular 7th floor. In reality, Jiang Yuqing would wake up after that hour, ending the dream.”
“However, since we cleared it, everything we experienced, and the ending scenes are significant and might be related to the hidden achievement.”
“The S squad’s gunman kills the 7 squad members with bullets marked ‘S’. Our mission was to help a young officer collect 12 bullets marked ‘7’, which he then used to retaliate against the 12 S squad gunmen.”
“There’s a meaning in this, but I haven’t linked them to the main plot. Also—”
Looking at the peculiar damp photo on the wall, Zhou Qian said, “I still can’t grasp the meaning of that photo.”
On the photo were seven blurred faces. When the side mission started, touching the photo would reveal a handsome officer giving players hints. Dead players would vanish when the side mission ended. All the janitors disappeared during the side mission, and caretakers started disappearing as well…
What was the meaning behind these images?
It was as if a curtain covered the truth.
Now, Zhou Qian had lifted most of it. Just a bit more, and he would see the entire truth.
At that moment, there was movement in room 701.
Jiang Yuqing asked three times in a row, “Where’s my osmanthus cake?”
With the two girls lost in their thoughts and not answering him, he began to act.
[Target: Jiang Yuqing]
[Rank: B]
[Specialty: ???]
[Due to not getting his beloved osmanthus cake, Jiang Yuqing becomes agitated and shows a strong murderous intent. Players, be careful!]
Suddenly, all four players received this notification.
At this moment, Situ Qing calmly nestled beside the bookshelf, as if nothing had happened. This was probably due to her physical and mental fatigue and also because the protective shield around her had not yet completely disappeared.
Yun Xiangrong quickly hid near the door. Pushing it open, she exchanged a glance with Zhou Qian and silently moved to the other side of the corridor.
Following Yun Xiangrong out of the room was the little dragon Zhou Qian had brought with him earlier. Sensing danger, it widened its eyes in surprise, let out a faint “yelp”, and rushed out of the room, jumping straight into Zhou Qian’s arms.
Zhou Qian patted its head, and it curled up into his embrace without making any fuss.
At the door, He Xiaowei first curiously looked at the little dragon, then turned his gaze, full of concern, towards Yun Xiangrong not far away. Seeing her red eyes, he seemed to want to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. So he lowered his hand and whispered to Zhou Qian, “Hey, did Jiang Yuqing’s irritability happen because he didn’t get to eat the osmanthus cake? Should we give it to him?”
“Yes. But wait, let’s observe first.”
Zhou Qian held the little dragon close and signaled He Xiaowei to be quiet, then continued to look into the room.
Inside the room, only Situ Qing and Jiang Yuqing remained. Even though the system had alerted that Jiang Yuqing now had a strong killing intent, he didn’t seem to show any noticeable aggression towards Situ Qing.
However, Jiang Yuqing was indeed “irritable”. He first smashed a vase on the table, then walked to the bookshelf. Without even glancing at Situ Qing by its side, he pulled out several books and threw them on the floor, stepping on them forcefully.
With a fierce look in his eyes, he seemed ready to tear the books apart when he suddenly froze. It appeared he remembered something, slowly turned around, and then looked at the photographs, walking towards them.
“What the hell—” At the door, He Xiaowei frowned and asked Zhou Qian, “Bro, have you figured anything out yet?”
“How can a man with only three days left to live suddenly become a Rank B ‘monster’?” Zhou Qian countered.
He Xiaowei quickly responded, “So, you were right! This is a consciousness world, not reality! In reality, Jiang Yuqing indeed has only three days left to live! But now, we are in a consciousness world. So, this consciousness form of Jiang Yuqing, under someone’s control, can suddenly become powerful!”
“Yes, it should be like that. But if… the elderly Jiang Yuqing in front of us is aggressive towards players, and the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’ related to the 12 rooms is also his creation in a dream, based on these points, it’s safe to infer that in this instance, this elderly Jiang Yuqing is hostile towards us players. But at the same time—”
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was walking towards the photograph. Zhou Qian glanced at the photo three times and then said, “The young military officer in the photo gave us clues to pass ‘Checks and Balance’; in the end animation, it was also him who dealt with the 12 gunmen. Does this mean that the young officer is opposed to Jiang Yuqing? That is, in this instance, unlike Jiang Yuqing, this officer is relatively friendly to players.”
Before He Xiaowei could respond, Zhou Qian suddenly entered the room. The moment he stepped in, he said to the person opposite, “Mr. Jiang, your osmanthus cake has arrived.”
These words were as soothing as a spring breeze, calming all turbulent emotions. Jiang Yuqing immediately smiled.
[Player triggers clue hint: “Wang’s Osmanthus Cake” can soothe Jiang Yuqing’s emotions; Jiang Yuqing’s irritable state is resolved.]
[Player unlocks two states of Jiang Yuqing: 1. Manic Jiang Yuqing; 2. Dementia Jiang Yuqing.]
So, the system had now clearly indicated that this elderly Jiang Yuqing indeed had dementia.
After the manic episode subsided, Jiang Yuqing, like a child, happily walked up to Zhou Qian, stretching out his hands in a candy-seeking gesture.
Zhou Qian handed him a piece of osmanthus cake he had prepared earlier. Receiving the cake, Jiang Yuqing showed an innocent, childlike smile and carelessly sat on the wooden floor, eating the cake bite by bite.
The centenarian sat on the floor eating sweets, crumbs scattering everywhere. But he seemed not to care at all.
He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian into the room. When he saw the scene, he felt rather emotional.
Throughout one’s life, people would go through the long passage of time, experiencing childhood, youth, middle age, and old age… But when people reached a certain age, it seemed like they had returned to their childhood.
Physically, they would lose their ability to take care of themselves, and they would have to rely on others for eating, drinking, and their daily needs. Mentally, they became like children in their infant stage, seemingly losing all reason and becoming prone to crying and fussing.
‘Perhaps life is a cycle,’ He Xiaowei thought.
As for Zhou Qian, he didn’t pay much attention to Jiang Yuqing. Instead, he looked at the photo again.
The reason he had entered the room just in time to give the osmanthus cake was because he had seen—when Jiang Yuqing in his manic state approached the photo, he tried to grab it, seemingly intending to destroy it.
From Zhou Qian’s previous analysis, whether it was the [Manic Jiang Yuqing] or the [Dementia Jiang Yuqing], both were harmful to the player. The former might attack the player, while the latter could use dreams to activate the “Check and Balance” mechanism to harm the player.
By contrast, it seemed that the only one who could help the player right now was the young officer in the photo.
So, Zhou Qian must prevent the photo from being destroyed, lest the officer in it disappear.
After giving Jiang Yuqing a piece of osmanthus cake, Zhou Qian hid most of the remaining cake in his bag.
Now he approached the photo again, trying to take down the framed picture to prevent Jiang Yuqing from potentially destroying it unexpectedly at night.
However, Zhou Qian found he couldn’t remove it.
The frame didn’t seem glued or nailed to the wall, but Zhou Qian simply couldn’t take it down.
He gave up, and at that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his collar.
Turning around, Zhou Qian found himself face to face with Jiang Yuqing.
Jiang Yuqing’s gesture had no other meaning.
He simply hadn’t had enough snacks and was asking for more.
Zhou Qian raised his hand, playfully tugged at Jiang Yuqing’s white hair, and said as one would to a child, “That’s all. Eating too many sweets is bad for you. You can have more tomorrow.”
But he didn’t say anything, silently turned to a bookshelf, and began reading a book.
It seemed that a small piece of osmanthus cake was enough to calm him down. He didn’t become agitated again.
The osmanthus cakes in the bag might come in handy later.
Then, Zhou Qian noticed that the book Jiang Yuqing was reading was on physics.
The “Check and Balance” level was related to mechanics in physics.
This could be seen as a clue—the side quest was constructed by the thoughts of Dementia Jiang Yuqing in his dream.
With Jiang Yuqing now calm and engrossed in his book, Zhou Qian looked around the room. Books were scattered on the floor, thrown by Jiang Yuqing during his fit.
A blue and white porcelain vase with fake flowers had been knocked over, its petals scattered like stars.
Suddenly, Zhou Qian looked at another bedside table. He noticed something amiss. On the other bedside table, there was supposed to be a glass vase with fake flowers. But now it was gone.
Zhou Qian glanced down at the little dragon in his arms and whispered in its ear, asking if anyone had moved the vase when he wasn’t in the room.
The little dragon, having witnessed everything, obediently shook its head.
If no one moved the vase, it meant that it had vanished out of thin air.
Could it be that the elderly caretakers, Lao Yu and Lao Tie, and even many others who “left without getting their salaries” as the front desk recalled, had they also disappeared in the same way?
There was no so-called magic circle that reverses aging, nor any haunted supernatural events.
Many objects and people simply disappeared in this consciousness space.
But what did that imply?
Among the myriad clues, Zhou Qian grasped at a fragmentary piece of evidence.
He began to have a rough idea of the whole truth.
A moment later, the phone in room 701 rang.
Zhou Qian answered it, hearing the voice from the front desk. “Just letting you know, security and I are about to clock out. We’ve turned off the elevator, so just stay on the 7th floor and rest. See you tomorrow!
“Oh, and Mr. Jiang likes to read at night. If he’s tired, he’ll go to sleep early. He usually doesn’t cause trouble at night. No special precautions needed. You guys should rest too!”
Since this statement was from the front desk, it basically meant:
Players will live here for the next three days. The main plot probably won’t resume until tomorrow. All plot clues have come to a temporary close. Everyone can finally take a break.
With that, the players left Room 701 one after another, returning to their own rooms to rest.
The front desk prepared six rooms for the caretakers. Due to the deaths of two people, only four were now available.
Zhou Qian casually chose Room 702, right across from 701, also at the very end of the corridor.
Before entering the room, he heard He Xiaowei nervously say to him, “Bro, be careful. Rooms at the end of the corridor tend to be haunted!”
Zhou Qian: “That’s nice. Being alone is boring.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Bidding farewell to He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian entered room 702.
The room was actually quite good, like a standard hotel room. But Zhou Qian undoubtedly looked down on it.
Once upon a time, he only stayed in high-end suites.
While squeezing into the tiny shower, Zhou Qian was showering when he suddenly remembered a middle school trip.
The teacher took them to a famous scenic spot in Lin City, with green mountains and clear waters. But the location was remote, so the accommodation wasn’t great.
The moment Zhou Qian entered the hotel lobby, he showed his dissatisfaction and was even more disdainful after seeing his room.
His repulsion peaked when he found cobwebs on the window, refusing to stay in the “shabby inn” of the scenic area. He insisted on going to the city to find a star-rated hotel and sneaked away when the teacher wasn’t looking.
That night, Bai Zhou, the class president, concerned about Zhou Qian, followed him.
To this day, Zhou Qian still remembers Bai Zhou’s very serious expression that night.
He also remembers saying to Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, do you think I’m wasteful? But my dad’s a gambler. He might go bankrupt one day. If I don’t splurge now, I won’t have the chance in the future!”
Bai Zhou ignored Zhou Qian’s bizarre logic and tried to persuade him to go back. “Stick with the group. You don’t know this place. It’s not safe.”
Zhou Qian faked sickness and lay down on the bed. “I can’t move. I have a fever.”
Bai Zhou: “If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you back.”
Zhou Qian refused and made excuses. “Actually, I have a reason for not going back. I’m avoiding the beauty of the class next door. She confessed to me yesterday. When we were assigned rooms, she was right opposite me. It’s so awkward!”
“No, Zhou Qian—”
“Huh, why did your face change when you heard this? Do you like the beauty from next door?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Come back with me!”
“You go back if you want to. I won’t!”
Bai Zhou sighed. “I’m mainly worried about you. If you go alone—”
Zhou Qian smiled at him, tempting him to break the rules. “Then why don’t you stay here too? If you don’t leave, I won’t be alone.”
Bai Zhou: “…”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian sat up and looked into Bai Zhou’s eyes. “Actually, the beauty from the next class likes you. I heard she’s writing you a love letter. Hey, will you accept that letter?”
…..
After showering and turning off the showerhead, Zhou Qian’s thoughts, immersed in memories, came back.
Then he solemnly frowned, feeling that his junior high self was embarrassingly childish.
As he dried his hair and lay down to rest, Zhou Qian turned his full attention back to the current game.
First, he entered the trading house.
The system’s trading house consists of several different sections.
In the first section, all sellers were the system, equivalent to a system store, selling daily necessities like food, water, tissue, and common tools like daggers and scissors.
Regardless, in Zhou Qian’s view, the fact that the game didn’t provide food and required players to buy it from the trading house was purely a money-grabbing move by the system.
In the second section of the trading hall, the sellers were players.
Players could sell unwanted items or tools they’ve made or collected to earn money.
Rare items like health potions, when listed, were usually snatched up immediately.
There was also a third section in the trading house. This section was for buyers seeking purchases.
If players wanted to buy something they couldn’t find, they could list a “wanted” item, state their demand, and offer a suitable price; if a seller agreed, they could chat privately and enter a system-supervised transaction platform.
In the trading hall, Zhou Qian first went to the system store section to buy water and food. Reluctantly eating the food, which he found barely palatable, he then headed to the diverse second section to try his luck at finding some good items.
Players, when resting in a completely safe environment, would slowly recover health and mana. However, this recovery was painfully slow. Zhou Qian’s health was full, but he estimated that by tomorrow, his mana would only be half full. By common sense, the mainline instance levels would become more challenging, and he would inevitably face monsters. Having only half his mana might not suffice. Mana recovery potions were rare to come by, so he hoped to find some useful items in advance.
After buying food and selecting some items, Zhou Qian proceeded to the third section. Knowing the chances were slim, he still listed items he wanted to buy, including a mana recovery potion.
Zhou Qian gave his purchase request a very catchy title— [High price for purchase1, sincere offer…]
Three minutes later, he saw some comments under his post.
[Whoa, I thought it said ‘paying a high price for a child1‘ at first.]
1Clarity: Zhou Qian’s listing is (重金求购). The comment replying to it says he thought he saw (重金求子) with purchase (购) replaced with child (子).
[Same upstairs.]
[+10086]
[You’re not right, I’m not right, we’re all not right.]
Zhou Qian: “…”
He quickly replied, [If you’re not selling, don’t comment.]
Then, Zhou Qian went to sleep. But he didn’t sleep well. Roughly two hours later, he woke up.
The system notified him of unread messages. Upon opening, he saw someone had responded to his purchase request. The person had sent a trade request.
[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 MP; Quantity: 2]
Previously, there was someone named [Hidden Blade] who at least had a codename. This person’s name was just a string of numbers. Was “137” his codename? What kind of weird code name was this?
Opening the trade interface, Zhou Qian immediately messaged, [Who are you?]
A moment later, the reply came: [I am a friend of Hidden Blade. I heard he recently took you on as a disciple. I saw your purchase request while browsing the trading house, so I sent over the potions you needed.]
A friend of Hidden Blade? But didn’t Hidden Blade say he took me as a disciple on someone else’s behalf? Was that “someone” this “137”?
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes while typing back. [I never agreed to be his disciple.]
The other side paused before asking, [Then what kind of master do you want?]
Without waiting for Zhou Qian’s reply, he added, [The master-disciple system is just for convenience—to send messages, transfer items, etc. In future special instances, the system may limit regular chats and trades, but the master-disciple system will remain unaffected.]
Ignoring the question, Zhou Qian cheekily asked, [How about you? Who’s stronger, you or Hidden Blade?]
Before he received a reply, Zhou Qian rapidly shot back several probing questions.
[Are you considering taking me on as a disciple?]
[Do you think Hidden Blade is better suited to be my master? Why?]
[Oh, is it because you think he’s stronger than you?]
[So, you’re not up to the mark?]
Feeling quite pleased with his cheekiness, Zhou Qian quickly agreed to the trade to avoid offending “137” into canceling the deal. He then leisurely waited for “137” to respond, sipping on a bottle of juice.
However, after a while, there was no reply from “137”. Zhou Qian, slightly puzzled, initiated a trade request, only to receive a system prompt he found very strange.
[The other party has gone offline. Trade cannot be initiated.]
Offline?
This was the first time Zhou Qian saw this term. It was strange since he had never seen anyone in an “offline” status before. Whether in the game battling through instances or back in reality, players were always “online”, as they could still chat, trade items, team up, participate in instance matching, and so on.
That was to say, Zhou Qian had always thought that the player was always “online”, the only difference being whether they entered the instance or not. Unless they died, Zhou Qian still had no idea how a player could go “offline”.
“137” remained offline since. Zhou Qian waited for a while and, not seeing him, fell back asleep.
By the time Zhou Qian woke up, it was almost midnight. He was awakened by a noise. The sound was harsh, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, causing Zhou Qian to immediately frown. When he got up and looked, it was the small dragon he had conjured using scales, scratching at the door, seemingly wanting to get out.
Three scales could conjure up three small dragons that fully obeyed him. That was what the System had explained. But why did this dragon now seem to have its own consciousness?
Walking up to it, Zhou Qian squatted down and patted its cute little head. “Where do you want to go?”
“Ah, ah, ah…” The little dragon tilted its head and smiled at Zhou Qian, then pointed outside. It couldn’t speak, but it seemed to have a place it wanted to go.
Zhou Qian squinted slightly, didn’t say much, but stood up and cracked the door open. He then quietly followed the little dragon, only to find it heading to room 701.
The little dragon tilted its head and stared at the door of room 701, looking a bit lost. It tentatively pushed the door, and finding it locked, its eyes showed a bit of urgency. In its haste, it seemed to want to scratch at the door again.
With the corridor light shining, Zhou Qian peered through the window into the room. Jiang Yuqing was already asleep. He was lying quietly on the bed, looking very peaceful. For now, it seemed that he hadn’t become agitated or tried to destroy the photo frame.
Zhou Qian thought for a moment, squatted down, and tried to calm the dragon. The little dragon quickly settled down, its eyes glistening as it looked at Zhou Qian, appearing extremely adorable.
“Don’t disturb others’ sleep, okay?” Zhou Qian whispered to it. The dragon stared at Zhou Qian in confusion, but it was very obedient. It blinked in comprehension, not making any noise or trying to scratch on the door of room 701. Instead, it cuddled in Zhou Qian’s arm and nestled into his embrace.
Patting its head again, Zhou Qian felt a twinge of reluctance, thinking that it would disappear by tomorrow afternoon. After all, to him, animals were much more adorable than humans. Even though this little dragon was artificial and didn’t have life.
Zhou Qian then asked, “Do you want to stay here?”
The little dragon nodded.
Zhou Qian said, “Alright. Then you’ll help me keep watch here. Make sure the person inside doesn’t destroy any furniture or clues. If he acts up, come to my room and alert me.”
The dragon smiled, obediently nodded, and hopped to the entrance of room 701, sitting down and assuming a serious guarding posture.
Zhou Qian waved at it and turned to head back to his room. Just then, he heard footsteps. Looking over, he saw Situ Qing approaching from the end of the hallway.
Under the cold lighting, Situ Qing’s hair and eyes appeared even darker, exuding a cool elegance. Her red lips added a touch of allure. It seemed she had recovered quite a bit, looking much better than her previously distraught state. But when her gaze met Zhou Qian’s, she frowned.
In the corridor, Zhou Qian’s tall figure cast a slender shadow. His face was sharply defined by the lighting, and his dark, emotionless eyes held a hint of mockery. “Did your gambler send you? He wants to check on Jiang Yuqing’s condition at night and see if he’ll destroy that photo?”
Situ Qing avoided Zhou Qian’s gaze, her face turning slightly pale. She continued walking to the door of room 701 and turned to look inside at Jiang Yuqing, leaving Zhou Qian with a view of her slim and straight back.
Watching her, Zhou Qian said, “The previous two times, I told you two sharp truths. They might not have been pleasant to hear, but they were accurate.”
“The first was that he fears you becoming too powerful and slipping from his control. The second was that he wishes to control you because you’re useful to him. Now, let me tell you a third thing. Hey, don’t be so quick to leave. This one will sound much better than the previous two.”
Seeing Situ Qing turn away, but her silhouette momentarily paused, Zhou Qian chuckled. “You have a talent for output, but you lack the wisdom to play such games. That’s why you can only act based on his cues and commands.”
“But think about it from another perspective,” he continued. “It seems you’re living in his shadow, but perhaps he can’t afford to lose you either. Why would he go to such lengths to control you otherwise?”
“That brings me to my third point. If he still needs to control you, it means you’re still valuable to him. So, while you’re still of use to him, you should take the chance to escape. I can help you.”
Hearing this, Situ Qing stayed silent for a while. Finally, she turned to face Zhou Qian and met his gaze. “I’ve told you before, you’ve got it all wrong. You misunderstand our relationship.”
“Really? And what is your relationship?” Zhou Qian probed.
Situ Qing replied, “It’s one of mutual love. We love each other. There’s no control or manipulation like you’re suggesting.”
“Oh, so you’re willingly imprisoned by your love for him?” Zhou Qian’s words grew more cryptic. “I’ve said it before, a bird in a cage usually doesn’t meet a good end.”
For a brief moment, a look of surprise flashed across Situ Qing’s clear eyes. But she quickly turned cold again. “I love him. That’s more important than anything else.”
Did she truly love him? Or was she saying all of this for his benefit, knowing he’d be watching?
Regardless, this conversation between Zhou Qian and Situ Qing had only deepened the rift between them.
Zhou Qian laughed with a hint of malice. Then he heard Situ Qing’s tone become more urgent. “You really don’t get it. Talking about caged birds…You’re so presumptuous. How much life experience do you think you really have?”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian, without hesitation, revealed a painful memory. “Actually, my mother was an amateur singer. She sang beautifully. Her best song—do you know its name? It’s called ‘Caged Bird’.”
Situ Qing frowned upon hearing this. Zhou Qian continued, “For her, I’d say I pity her misfortune but am angry she never fought back. She wouldn’t dare defy my father, even when he tried to harm me and gambled me away.”
“Really?” Situ Qing asked, “And what happened to her afterward?”
Zhou Qian stepped closer. His dark pupils were fixed on Situ Qing as he whispered, “She died. My father killed her.”
Situ Qing instinctively stepped back, as if Zhou Qian was some malevolent creature. If she got any closer, she might get ensnared by him. After a deep breath and a long pause, she finally looked back at Zhou Qian.
Situ Qing said in a hoarse voice, “I know what you’re trying to do. Our conversation can be heard by him. You’re intentionally saying all of this to sow distrust between us so you can find our weakness later. Zhou Qian, an enemy like you, is truly terrifying. They say one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry, and no one would usually share such dark secrets. But you’re willing to share even this with your enemy to break me down and ruin our relationship. Honestly, I admire that. But you should know—”
At that exact moment, it struck midnight. Suddenly, Situ Qing froze mid-sentence, her expression turning to one of utter shock, as if she was seeing something unimaginable.
Then, from down the hallway, He Xiaowei’s voice exclaimed in panic, “Fuck! My face! There’s something wrong with my face! Brother Zhou Qian—oh, you and Situ Qing are here! Shit, your face too… I’m going to get Yun Xiangrong—!”
Three minutes later, four players stood in front of a large mirror in the 7th floor bathroom. Three of them, Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei, and Yun Xiangrong, had visibly changed features, somewhat recognizable but drastically different from before.
[Player Zhou Qian, Transformation 40%]
[Player He Xiaowei, Transformation 40%]
[Player Yun Xiangrong, Transformation 40%]
The three of them not only had their facial features changed, but they also received these notifications. From start to finish, the only one who hadn’t undergone any changes or received any notifications was Situ Qing.
Late at night, with a chill in the air, even the cold lighting added a sense of eeriness.
He Xiaowei couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror for more than a few moments. He turned away, dripping with cold sweat, and didn’t dare look at the mirror again.
He couldn’t help but hug his arms tightly. “What’s going on? I’m so scared… Wuwuwu. Have I been possessed by a ghost?”
Zhou Qian glanced at his reflection in the mirror with a calm expression.
Then he said, “During the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’, in order to find the clue to pass, the three of us touched the photo in room 701 and experienced illusions to varying extents. Only Situ Qing didn’t touch it. That’s probably why we transformed, but she didn’t.”
The author has something to say:
Zhou Qian: Zhou Ge, are you not up to the task?
Bai Zhou: ???????
——
P.S. Mu Sheng and Situ Qing are not blood related.
“The Caged Bird” is a lovely old song. Highly recommended~.
The dark, narrow, and eerie corridor was now filled with dense fog.
The thick fog severely impaired one’s vision and hearing, invoking involuntary feelings of trepidation and panic.
Contrastingly, when the “jingle” sound resonated, it was as if, amidst a mountainscape obscured by thick clouds, a trickling spring suddenly made itself heard, providing guidance and vitality to those lost.
The sound was crisp and pleasing, capable of making one forget all worries.
Yet at this moment, it was the most terrifying weapon of murder, foreshadowing the impending sweep of snow and ice upon this world.
At the crucial moment, Zhou Qian rapidly analyzed the current situation in his mind.
First was Yun Xiangrong’s side.
Just before Gao Shan’s death, Situ Qing had feigned a major move with her bell, intending to deceive him. At that time, she was far from Rooms 6 and 7, remotely controlling the situation as if she was just an observer.
At that moment, Lu Mengmeng was also far from there. After swapping two number plates, he quickly moved away to avoid suspicion.
He Xiaowei should’ve been following Zhou Qian towards Room 7. But Zhou Qian was delayed searching for evidence for quite some time, during which He Xiaowei probably moved on. From his subsequent comments, he wasn’t near Rooms 6 or 7, so he had no idea how Gao Shan died.
Thus, when Gao Shan took a bullet in room number 6 and ran out, only Yun Xiangrong was initially close to him.
But to hear Gao Shan’s dying words, Zhou Qian expended a lot of mana to freeze time and approached Gao Shan, becoming one of the closest people to him.
Before and after stopping time, Zhou Qian’s position changed.
As a result, from Yun Xiangrong’s perspective, Zhou Qian appeared to have teleported in front of her and Gao Shan.
Moreover, only Yun Xiangrong saw Zhou Qian’s teleportation due to the distance and the thick fog; none of the other players in the game noticed it.
During the time freeze, after learning everything that had happened from Gao Shan, considering the well-coordinated actions between Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing, Zhou Qian wasn’t certain but began to suspect the gambler’s side.
Therefore, before Gao Shan’s last moments, his words, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me”, were intended for the gambler, not Gao Shan.
What Zhou Qian meant by this was simple.
Facing a terrifying organization alone, Yun Xiangrong likely has only a path of death. So, let her hate and target me. I won’t truly harm her.
Time heals both love and hatred. After she vents her anger on me, perhaps she can calm down, and then I can persuade her to genuinely let go.
Zhou Qian purposely said this, both to test if the gambler would leak secrets and to prepare for subsequent plans. He never truly intended to oppose Yun Xiangrong. He was just putting on a show for everyone.
And without a doubt, Yun Xiangrong received his message.
Firstly, after witnessing Zhou Qian’s teleportation to Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong could probably guess the skill he used.
Secondly, before dying, Gao Shan transferred a large amount of gold and items to Yun Xiangrong via the trade house.
Being astute, she understood the implications—Gao Shan, who should’ve died immediately, had the time to make such arrangements, possible only due to Zhou Qian freezing time, delaying his death.
Thus, trusting Yun Xiangrong’s intelligence, when she approached Gao Shan’s body and shoved him away, Zhou Qian whispered in her ear, “Gao Shan told me everything. I’ll avenge him.”
In essence, Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong never truly opposed each other. From the moment Yun Xiangrong pushed him, their coordinated act had begun.
By declaring in front of the gambler that Yun Xiangrong should hate him, Zhou Qian set the stage for their “fallout”.
Later, the so-called retrieval of the bullet from Gao Shan’s corpse, or claiming to have the Tick Tock Clock but not giving it to Yun Xiangrong, even making her kneel and cry until her eyes bled…
All of it was a performance by the two of them, aiming to avenge Gao Shan.
If the enemy didn’t believe that Zhou Qian truly faced universal abandonment and was at his weakest… How would they casually reveal their hand and decide to strike him down?
As expected, Situ Qing should have been just watching from the sidelines. Now that Yun Xiangrong had shown genuine intent to kill Zhou Qian, Situ Qing fully revealed her murderous intent.
Probably, it was Yun Xiangrong’s statement of “Reviving Gao Shan is more important than revenge”, that convinced Situ Qing—Yun Xiangrong was indeed out to kill Zhou Qian and definitely wanted to seize the Tick Tock clock.
From Situ Qing’s point of view, within these 30 seconds, He Xiaowei entered room 10 to find evidence. Yun Xiangrong truly stood against Zhou Qian. With Zhou Qian out of mana, it was the perfect time for her to act.
Situ Qing was indeed fooled. Not only was she fooled, but her vulnerability was also exposed.
Why did she wait for Yun Xiangrong to express her intent to kill Zhou Qian before acting? It could only be because she didn’t dare act rashly unless she was sure that Yun Xiangrong and Zhou Qian were indeed adversaries.
This could only mean one thing—her mana was also running low.
Previously, she and Lu Mengmeng set up a series of traps—lowering the corridor’s temperature to reveal fake clues on the door, deploying a powerful move to create the illusion of killing Zhou Qian, deceiving Gao Shan, and then using her ability to kill Lu Mengmeng…
She probably didn’t have much mana left—perhaps just enough for one ultimate. Given that Yun Xiangrong might heal Zhou Qian, and even He Xiaowei, who was somewhat of a healer, might assist, Situ Qing couldn’t ensure a kill on Zhou Qian with one blow, so she was still waiting and didn’t act directly. After all, she only had this 30-second window. If she missed it, the tide would completely turn against her.
Yun Xiangrong’s fake intent to kill Zhou Qian indeed increased her “confidence”, successfully deceiving her to act at this moment.
Speaking of which, there was a crucial element in this game—mana or skills. Regardless of how powerful a player’s skills were, they were limited by their mana, and no one could use their skills indefinitely.
This meant that in this game, especially in the early stages, no player would recklessly confront teammates using skills directly. Even if they wanted to kill a teammate, they were more likely to exploit the instance’s inherent traps and dangers rather than engage directly. After all, if they exhaust their mana competing against teammates, how would they fight the boss later?
Given this mechanic, mana recovery potions were almost nonexistent in this game. Health potions were already rare, and those available in the market might only recover 1% or 2% of the health. Mana potions were even rarer, basically legendary, even scarcer than resurrection tools.
During combat, predicting an opponent’s mana was crucial. Zhou Qian guessed right; Situ Qing probably had mana just for one ultimate. Situ Qing also saw Zhou Qian was out of mana and believed Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t heal him, so she dared to act.
What Situ Qing didn’t expect was—Zhou Qian actually had an extremely rare mana potion, given by someone named [Hidden Blade].
That day, while observing Zone X from a tree with binoculars, Zhou Qian received a message from someone wanting to take him as a disciple. The person was [Hidden Blade].
Zhou Qian neither accepted nor refused but replied, “You should show some sincerity if you want to take on a disciple, right?”
Soon, a trade request was sent.
[Player Zhou Qian, Hidden Blade has initiated a trade request.]
[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 mana.]
[Trade Price: 0]
Zhou Qian quickly accepted and asked, [Why do you want to take me as a disciple?]
The reply was, [Oh, I have many disciples. I have disciples everywhere*. If you agree, you can be a junior in my sect. I didn’t really want to take you. I prefer obedient disciples. Clearly, you’re not one.]
*Peaches and plums all over the world (桃李满天下) Idiom that refers to having many talents or students that could be found everywhere.
Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed, and then he saw a message: [Ahem, well, someone asked me to. I’m just doing a favor for a friend.]
Who this “Hidden Blade” and his “friend” were wasn’t Zhou Qian’s current concern. But now, at least he could use this mana potion called “I Can Still Fight”.
This potion would restore 400 MP to Zhou Qian. Not enough for a big move, but enough for a small one. His small skill was “Bone Nightmare”, a control skill that could trap the target in an illusion.
So now, first and foremost, Zhou Qian had to ensure that Yun Xiangrong would help him and prevent himself from being instantly killed by Situ Qing.
Next, as long as he could hold out until He Xiaowei emerged from the adjacent Room 10, he could also get He Xiaowei’s assistance. Considering that Situ Qing had been trying to kill so many people, it was uncertain whether she would sacrifice her own teammates to pass the game. He Xiaowei wasn’t stupid; he had no reason not to help Zhou Qian.
Lastly, with the help of these two, as long as Zhou Qian could withstand one of Situ Qing’s ultimate attack, Zhou Qian, with his 400 mana, could even launch a minor attack that would be enough to control Situ Qing and then find a way to defeat her.
At this very moment, accompanied by the clear “jingling” sound, Situ Qing did launch an ultimate attack at Zhou Qian.
[Warning! Player Situ Qing has used the skill on you: Silver Blossom Ice Spike.]
[Rank attack, three rounds of continuous damage. Please dodge!]
With a gesture from Situ Qing, a bell floated into the air and began to sway violently. The “jingling” sound rapidly increased in frequency, becoming piercing. Suddenly, thousands of droplets appeared in the void, slowly condensing into sharp icicles, about to turn into the sharpest weapons.
However, this scene didn’t scare Zhou Qian at all.
Because he noticed that all of Situ Qing’s moves had a characteristic—they required a casting time.
That was, she couldn’t release her ultimate immediately. During this casting period, the temperature within the range of the skill decreased at a certain rate, providing the conditions for her moves.
Taking advantage of the time it took for her to channel her move, Zhou Qian acted quickly.
His first move was to take out a shimmering, deep blue scale from his bag. He threw the scale to the ground, and a little dragon burst out.
The little dragon was blue all over, about the height of Zhou Qian’s knee, and extremely cute. Its large, round eyes were also deep blue. Under the light, they shimmered like the sunlit sea. The dragon blinked at Zhou Qian, tilted its head, and smiled.
Although the dragon couldn’t speak, it stared at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian gently patted its head and whispered something. The dragon then darted back into a room to gather evidence.
Zhou Qian’s second move was to take out the mana potion, restoring 400 MP. His third action was to pull out a pre-purchased defensive cloak to slightly shield him from damage.
Quickly putting on the cloak, Zhou Qian gripped a Rib of God in one hand and narrowed his eyes in the direction of Situ Qing.
The first round of ice spikes abruptly fell.
The Ice Queen’s long-range attack power was formidable. Zhou Qian was an entire level below her, not good at defense or offense, making the situation incredibly perilous.
Fortunately, the Ice Queen’s skill was an AOE attack. The floor, ceiling, and corridor walls were instantly encased in glistening ice and frost, which to some extent, absorbed some of the damage meant for Zhou Qian.
Still, this was only enough to prevent him from being instantly killed.
Countless ice spikes mercilessly struck down, first tearing Zhou Qian’s cloak. Then, he had to withstand the icicles with his body.
His hair, brows, and long black eyelashes were all frozen white. He felt a bone-chilling coldness, especially in his knees, making him feel like they were about to freeze off. Without even realizing, he was already on one knee. Simultaneously, his body was hit by numerous ice spikes, causing blood to pour out. He was in so much pain that he broke into a cold sweat, but the sweat immediately froze on his body.
[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 50%.]
[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 30%.]
[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 10%.]
There were three rounds of ice spike attacks. After withstanding just the first round, even with a shield to help him, Zhou Qian’s health was already down to 10%. At this rate, he definitely wouldn’t survive the third round.
In the distance, Yun Xiangrong was about to act with her flute when someone else acted first.
The door of Room 10 was suddenly pushed open, and He Xiaowei actually came out earlier than expected.
A flowing melody suddenly filled the air. The invisible soundwaves instantly clashed with the frost, turning them into flurries of snowflakes. The sound waves warmed like spring water, melting the ice and reviving everything…
However, the actual situation was: [Zhou Qian’s HP recovered to 13%.]
Zhou Qian: “…”
Yun Xiangrong in the distance: “…” It seems I still have to step in.
He Xiaowei, who rushed out of the room clutching his guqin: “……”
“Hey, my ability adds health at random. How much health I can restore depends on luck. This only proves that you, Zhou Qian, are unlucky!”
“What the hell is happening? Situ Qing, why did you kill so many people?”
“Damn it, I have to stay and help you, don’t I?”
“Hey, Yun Xiangrong, what are you staring at? Can you come and help? The dead are gone; shouldn’t we, the living, move forward?”
Before He Xiaowei could finish, he looked up.
Countless icy rains came from the void, once again about to form countless ice spikes.
In the brief moment before the ice spikes fell, He Xiaowei’s shoulder was gripped by the severely wounded Zhou Qian.
Turning around, he saw Zhou Qian spitting out blood from the corner of his mouth. His whole body was covered in wounds, and his blood even dyed his thick down jacket red. To He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian seemed on the verge of death.
However, Zhou Qian’s eyes looked no different than usual.
He simply asked He Xiaowei, “So, what’s your ultimate move? Can you still use it?”
“Ugh, my ultimate is a scam. It’s a sacrifice type! It consumes either health or mana!”
“I… Well, considering you’re about to die, I can share half of my health with you. But if I… never mind, I won’t overthink it. I’ll just share half of my health with you! Wait—”
He Xiaowei was about to lament and then reluctantly planned to unleash his ultimate, but Zhou Qian interrupted him.
In the mist, He Xiaowei felt Zhou Qian’s gaze turn somewhat mad for some reason.
Then Zhou Qian asked, “Can you share half of your mana with me?”
“Uh… huh? Look, Zhou Qian, I just used three of my minor skills to send the corpses and bullets to three different rooms. So I only have 1,600 MP left. Let me quickly explain my skills.”
He Xiaowei’s skills were unique.
He had a total of 2,000 HP and 2,000 MP, which was the same as an average Rank D player’s attributes.
With a cost of 1,000 MP, he could share half of his health with someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Life].
He could also consume 1,000 HP to give half of his mana to someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Soul].
“Brother Zhou Qian, based on my skill’s nature, if I share my remaining 1,600 MP with you, I won’t be able to heal you with my ultimate! Because my remaining mana isn’t enough for the healing ultimate, get it?”
“You know, my healing with minor skills depends on luck…”
“So, you get what I mean? It’s not that I don’t want to share my mana with you. It’s just, if I do, and those ice spikes fall, you might die instantly.”
“What use is the mana if you’re dead?
“So, I should just use [Sacrifice Life] to heal you!”
“No. I don’t need health. I need mana,” Zhou Qian said. “I’m preparing for my ultimate.”
“What do you mean…”
“Hurry!”
“Alright, alright, you’ll have it! Just don’t shout at me!” He Xiaowei quickly strummed his strings, sacrificing half of his health, then shared half of his mana with Zhou Qian.
The 400 MP he got from a small mana potion, combined with the 800 from He Xiaowei, made a total of 1,200 MP, just enough for Zhou Qian’s ultimate.
In the void, the ice spikes had taken form and were about to fall.
Before He Xiaowei’s eyes, Zhou Qian did something completely unexpected—he took off his down jacket, as well as the protective suit underneath, revealing his lean and scarred body. Because sweat and some of the blood had frozen, the protective suit was practically stuck to his wounds. But he took it off without a care, reopening many wounds in the process.
Zhou Qian only frowned slightly at the sight of the blood, then seemed to dismiss it. He then took out a dagger and stabbed it directly into his left shoulder.
In an instant, blood poured out, completely drenching Zhou Qian’s already bloodied body. When he pulled out the dagger, blood splattered across his pale and thin face, staining his lips. Yet he was smiling, appearing wildly insane but oddly charming.
While hurting himself, Zhou Qian saw Yun Xiangrong a few steps ahead, seemingly about to play her flute. He quickly shook his head at her, and she hesitated before putting the flute down.
At that moment, a system warning sounded.
[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 12%.]
[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 11%.]
…
[Player Zhou Qian’s health has dropped to 9%.]
Just a moment before the myriad of icicles thundered down—Zhou Qian unleashed his ultimate.
This action completely stunned He Xiaowei.
Holy shit, is this the legendary skill of unleashing your ultimate move while at low health?
[Player Zhou Qian released the skill: Bone Kill]
[Harnesses the power of a Rib of God to attract resentful energies nearby to attack enemies. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the attack. Triggered when the player’s health is below 10%. Consumes 1,200 MP.]
There were numerous corpses in this corridor, filled with countless resentful energies. And this resentment was exactly what Zhou Qian could control.
The bodies of Lu Mengmeng and a janitor, under the influence of this resentment, were controlled by Zhou Qian to fly upside down and appear instantly above Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei.
“Boom!”
The countless icicles finally fell, but the majority were blocked by the two corpses controlled by Zhou Qian.
Only a few icicles slipped through, stabbing into Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei’s thighs and arms. However, the damage was minimal, only slightly reducing both of their health.
Both Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei quickly adjusted their positions, curling up to protect their vital areas from the icicles. At the same time, He Xiaowei constantly monitored Zhou Qian’s health. At its most critical moment, when it dropped to 2%, He Xiaowei immediately boosted it to 8%. In this way, He Xiaowei both saved Zhou Qian from dying and ensured his health didn’t exceed 10%.
He Xiaowei had always complained about this basic skill of his; although it consumed minimal mana, the healing was too little. He never imagined that this skill would come in handy at this critical moment.
After withstanding the second wave of icicles, only one round remained. Moments later, the third wave of icicles began to form.
Zhou Qian summoned two more janitor corpses to block all the icicles.
In the end, He Xiaowei’s health was reduced to 13%, while player Zhou Qian’s health remained at 5%.
The terrifying three-wave attack was finally over, and Situ Qing’s ultimate move had come to an end. All the raindrops scattered, and the temperature in the corridor gradually rose.
Zhou Qian’s body was now covered in countless wounds. His limbs, neck, and even his cheeks were all filled with tiny cuts from the icicles. Most of his injuries were from the first wave of attacks. The subsequent waves were less intense due to the two corpses that shielded him.
At this moment, covered in wounds and blood, Zhou Qian clenched the Rib of God and walked step by step towards Situ Qing. He was bleeding so much that each step left a bloody footprint in the corridor.
Staring mercilessly at the pale-faced Situ Qing, Zhou Qian said in a deep, slow voice, “You’ve used your ultimate move. Now it’s my turn. Gao Shan—”
At this moment, Zhou Qian looked like a blood-soaked demon. Stepping over a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, he emerged from hell, full of murderous intent, seeking vengeance!
“Gao Shan, take your revenge personally.”
With a sinister tone, Zhou Qian said these words and pointed the Rib of God towards Room 6.
Immediately, the cold corpse on the ground eerily stood up. Influenced by the resentful energy, he quickly appeared beside Zhou Qian, then turned to face Situ Qing.
In that instant, Yun Xiangrong’s heart leaped into her throat. Her body trembled, but she didn’t move a step forward.
She watched from a distance as Zhou Qian, standing behind Gao Shan, gently patted his shoulder with his bloody hand and said, “Go on, Shan Ge. Seek your revenge.”
A faint mist emanated from the Rib of God, and when it merged with the corpse, it unleashed a tremendous force. The cold corpse seemed alive, and in one leap, he reached Situ Qing, catching her by the throat before she could react.
Situ Qing’s eyes widened in horror as she struggled to break free. Desperately, she drew a dagger and fiercely stabbed it into Gao Shan’s arm.
Yun Xiangrong, standing not far behind, immediately burst into tears. Holding back her emotions and not stepping forward, she even pinched her thigh so hard that she drew blood.
She was relieved to see that Situ Qing couldn’t move Gao Shan’s grip.
The current Gao Shan was, after all, a corpse and not a real living person. He didn’t feel pain and acted only under Zhou Qian’s control. Until the effect of [Bone Kill] expired, he would only obey Zhou Qian’s commands. The order was to kill Situ Qing, so at this moment, his arm was like it was welded with iron, leaving Situ Qing with no chance of escape.
[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 50%]
[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 10%]
[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 5%]
……
Zhou Qian’s body was riddled with injuries, and the pain near his knee was becoming unbearable. He had to lean against the corridor wall to stand. Yet, throughout, he remained indifferent, wanting to witness Situ Qing’s death personally.
However, Situ Qing didn’t die immediately. When her health dropped to 3%, a pair of golden, semi-transparent wings suddenly appeared behind her. The wings unfolded and then enveloped her, protecting her from all harm.
The next moment, the effect of the [Bone Kill] skill disappeared. The moment Gao Shan’s corpse fell, Yun Xiangrong rushed to embrace him. Situ Qing, under the protection of her wings, fell to the ground, barely alive.
It was clear that Situ Qing had an item that saved her life, which was probably why she dared to gamble. But it didn’t matter. In Zhou Qian’s eyes, she was already dead. Holding a dagger, he walks step by step to look down at Situ Qing. “Such an item won’t last long. Your death is certain. If Gao Shan couldn’t kill you, it doesn’t matter. I’ll finish you with my own hands.”
Lying on the ground, gasping for air, Situ Qing didn’t have the strength to reply. At this moment, Zhou Qian’s watch vibrated—a message from Qi Liuxing finally arrived.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian was relieved. He knew Qi Liuxing’s character. He wouldn’t let someone die. The lack of response earlier meant either he faced a massive threat and couldn’t check the system messages, or he was dead. Now it seemed he was safe.
Checking the system panel, Qi Liuxing traded the Tick Tock Clock and attached a message:
[Of course I’m willing to save Shan Ge. I was busy fighting the boss earlier and didn’t check the messages. I’m safe now and have left the instance.]
The moment Zhou Qian took out the Tick Tock Clock from his bag, Yun Xiangrong rushed over. Desperate, she snatched it and quickly ran to Gao Shan, attempting to use the clock to revive him.
At this moment, there were only 30 seconds left until the end of the challenge. Zhou Qian’s dragon returned, bringing with it nine bullets marked with the number “7”. Taking the nine bullets and combining them with the three he had, he now had twelve in total.
System prompt:
[Side Quest “Checks and Balance” completion: 100%]
[A cinematic is about to play. Players, do not panic; you will not be harmed.]
[Note: The corridor and 12 rooms will disappear. Please return to Room 701 within three minutes.]
Suddenly, a young man in a military uniform appeared in front of Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian realized he was the NPC and also the young man he saw in the photo illusion.
In the illusion, in front of candlelight, he wrote a love poem, burned it, and passed the challenge to Zhou Qian.
Now, in this foggy moment, he approached Zhou Qian, took the twelve bullets, and loaded them into a gun.
Then, the young officer turned and, over the course of one and a half minutes, entered each of the twelve rooms.
“Bang,” “Bang,” “Bang”…
Twelve gunshots rang out as the officer took out the twelve gunmen. Finally, he returned to Zhou Qian, thanked him, and started to fade away.
And throughout, whether it was the thick fog or something else, Zhou Qian couldn’t clearly see his face.
Watching the officer disappear before his eyes, Zhou Qian once again felt the sensation he had when he touched the photograph.
His heart started to beat rapidly, and at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of desolation. He reached out to touch the officer, but the officer had already disappeared.
Not only had the officer vanished, but the entire scene also began to turn transparent.
The mist was dispersing, but the corridor, ceiling, 12 doors—none of these objects became clear.
There was still a minute and a half left in the end animation. Everything in the corridor would completely disappear in a minute and a half.
And the players needed to return to Room 701 before then, or they might face danger.
Suddenly thinking of something, Zhou Qian’s heart sank, and he looked at the two nearest cleaner corpses.
They were also turning transparent.
Including Lu Mengmeng, his originally pale face had almost become completely transparent.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian immediately ran to Gao Shan’s side.
Yun Xiangrong was kneeling next to Gao Shan, adjusting the Tick Tock Clock.
Unlike regular clocks with minute and hour hands, this clock had one pointer. Adjusting the pointer to different frequencies would make it tick differently.
When the ticking could resonate with the heartbeat of the departed, it could travel to the heart of the deceased and make it beat.
When Yun Xiangrong began adjusting the clock, her hand was shaking. She forced herself to calm down so she could adjust the pointer’s frequency steadily.
The countdown was at 80 seconds.
Then 70 seconds.
60 seconds, 50 seconds… Yun Xiangrong had not succeeded and was sweating profusely.
Zhou Qian observed for a while, then turned his attention to other parts of the corridor—as the corridor continued to become transparent, the walls and floor began shaking rapidly. A wall lamp shattered on the ground, its light extinguishing immediately, and the shards also began turning transparent.
“He Xiaowei, Yun Xiangrong, take Gao Shan’s body back to 701,” Zhou Qian said, drawing his dagger. With some stumbling but determination, he walked step by step to Situ Qing, who was still lying on the ground.
The flash of the knife blade, cold and sharp, neared Situ Qing’s neck. Delicate beads of blood rolled down the blade. If Zhou Qian pressed on, Situ Qing would undoubtedly die.
But just in the nick of time, the melodious sound of a flute echoed, and willow catkins floated around, tightly wrapping around Situ Qing. They healed her wound, restored some of her health, and gave her the strength to stand.
Zhou Qian, taken aback, turned to see Yun Xiangrong holding the flute, looking at him in despair.
By her side, Gao Shan’s body was turning transparent like the cleaner NPCs.
He couldn’t be saved.
When time was up in this level, the dead truly die.
They would vanish along with the disappearing level.
On the ground, Situ Qing hadn’t fully managed to get up, seemingly not believing that she had been given another chance at life. In a place hidden from Situ Qing and her gambler, Yun Xiangrong stood behind her. As all the mist cleared, she mouthed to Zhou Qian, “Given the situation, let me continue this act.”
At first, in front of the gambler, Zhou Qian told Yun Xiangrong to resent him.
Later, in front of all the players, through various means, he successfully made everyone believe that he and Yun Xiangrong had truly cut ties.
However, his plan was only meant to last until the end of this level, once they had successfully killed Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing.
But now, Yun Xiangrong implied—since Gao Shan couldn’t be saved, she might as well continue the act of their falling out.
For now, Gao Shan couldn’t be brought back.
However, after all, Situ Qing was just a gun.
If they killed Situ Qing now, they might lose the only lead they had, never knowing who was really behind her.
So, Yun Xiangrong wanted to spare Situ Qing’s life for now until they could draw out the person behind her.
She even wanted to use her “enemy of Zhou Qian” identity to get closer to that person. After all, an enemy of an enemy was a friend. Yun Xiangrong’s goal now was to form an “alliance” with the legion behind Situ Qing.
Yun Xiangrong not only wanted to know who the enemy was, but she also wanted to infiltrate their ranks, uncover the secrets of the organization behind Situ Qing, and completely destroy them.
Only then would she have truly avenged Gao Shan.
Walking step by step toward Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong did something that surprised everyone.
Situ Qing was disoriented; her ears were plugged and she was unable to hear anything.
But through the screen, her gambler saw everything unfold.
Upon accessing the system panel, Yun Xiangrong chose to reset all of her 150 skill points, only to get back a mere 30 in return.
To prevent players from frequently changing their skill directions, the system had rules. Once skill points were used, they couldn’t be easily reverted. If a player wanted to reset a certain skill and replace it with another, a significant number of skill points would be wasted.
Just like Yun Xiangrong, she had cleared numerous instances to earn those 150 points, investing all of them in healing-related skills. But now, after resetting her healing skills, she only had 30 points left.
Yun Xiangrong converted all these 30 skill points into offensive capabilities. She then turned to Zhou Qian, “Shan Ge is dead. There’s no one left for me to heal. From now on, I’ll only be an attacker.”
“Zhou Qian, I know… maybe it was unintentional on your part. But if it weren’t for you, Shan Ge wouldn’t have been shot; if you hadn’t been so reluctant to hand over the Tick Tock Clock, I wouldn’t have been too late to save him. Now Shan Ge has vanished before me… He had a chance to live, but you killed him, twice… exactly twice!”
Zhou Qian knew Yun Xiangrong was acting. But there might be a bit of real blame in that act, which made her speak with gritted teeth, her eyes red as if they were about to bleed.
Under the guise of this act, Zhou Qian also responded with what was on his mind. “Perhaps anything I say now is too late. But I really did want to save him. Although I’m not a good person and, in my opinion, most people in this world tend to do evil, Gao Shan is an exception, just like…”
Just like Bai Zhou was also an exception.
Gao Shan and Bai Zhou, in terms of personality, appearance, intelligence… were nothing alike. But to Zhou Qian, they were both good people. For that alone, he would’ve tried his best to save Gao Shan. But just as he could never find Bai Zhou again, Gao Shan had now vanished from his sight.
Considering himself smart and cunning all his life, Zhou Qian realized he had never been able to protect the ones he truly wanted to keep safe.
Leaning against the corridor, with a bleeding wound on his shoulder, Zhou Qian looked up at the completely transparent ceiling, as if seeing a god hidden in some void.
Then he solemnly declared, “If this game is orchestrated by some god, whether a god testing human hearts or a malicious god playing with mortals… I will confront him and force him to return all the people I wish to keep, whole and intact!”
…..
The level ended, and the four surviving players returned to Room 701.
Then something miraculous happened—everyone’s health was fully restored to 100%.
An hour later, Jiang Yuqing woke up. It felt as if the players had shared a dream with him.
Now that everyone was awake, all injuries vanished, their health was restored, and they were back in their caregiver uniforms. Only the complete disappearance of Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng and the depleted MP, visible only to them, reminded them—everything wasn’t just a dream.
Upon waking up, Jiang Yuqing mumbled, “Where’s the osmanthus cake… Why isn’t it here yet?”
When Zhou Qian and the others first arrived at this building as caregivers, they took Elevator B up. They met two senior caregivers, Lao Tie and Lao Yu, outside Room 701, who were leaving the 7th floor to buy osmanthus cake for Jiang Yuqing.
They mentioned that if Jiang Yuqing didn’t get his osmanthus cake, he’d be upset. So, this [osmanthus cake] seemed pretty important. Moreover, an hour had passed, so why hadn’t they returned?
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian said to He Xiaowei, “Shall we go downstairs and check?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” He Xiaowei glanced at Yun Xiangrong, who was sitting on the floor in silence, and Situ Qing, who was sitting by the bookshelf with her eyes closed, nodded, and followed Zhou Qian out.
The room became completely silent. Situ Qing glanced at Yun Xiangrong, paused for a moment, and then looked at the system panel displayed on her watch, visible only to her. It was a message from her younger brother.
[Keep an eye on Yun Xiangrong; either win her over or find an opportunity to kill her, eliminating future threats.]
Situ Qing exhaled softly, ignoring the message, leaned her head against the bookshelf, and closed her eyes again. Even though the injuries on her body had disappeared after the side quest ended, she still felt extremely exhausted, to the point where her consciousness was still in a state of disarray.
Even when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t shake off that uncomfortable feeling.
She could only tightly wrap herself in the golden wings, the prop that had saved her life at a crucial moment—the [Guardian Wings].
This precious tool was given to her by her younger brother, who was also her gambler.
His name was Mu Sheng.
Perhaps it was because she had seen Jiang Yuqing’s sickbed that every time Situ Qing closed her eyes, she saw another one.
On that bed, the pale boy, Mu Sheng, just opened his pitch-black pupils, looking at a younger version of herself.
Situ Qing saw her younger self trembling, but her eyes were full of pity when she looked at the boy.
The young Mu Sheng said to the equally young Situ Qing at the bedside, “I can’t walk anymore, right?”
“I’m sorry!” The young Situ Qing held his hand. “A’Sheng*, I will take care of you for the rest of my life!”
*(阿) When used in front of a name, it is an affectionate way to call someone, signifying closeness.
“It’s your fault.” Mu Sheng looked at her with malicious eyes. “It’s all because of you and your mother. You pushed my mother to her death and caused my disability! I’ll hate you forever!”
Tears fell from the young Situ Qing’s eyes as she swore, “I will make it up to you. I definitely will!”
The scene shifted.
Many years had passed.
Mu Sheng had grown up. Sitting in a wheelchair, he smiled gently.
Situ Qing asked him, “What have you been up to recently? Where did you get your money? I know you’re smart, but please… Please don’t break the law! I’ll work hard to earn money! I’ve been working several jobs recently—”
Situ Qing noticed Mu Sheng was often busy with a phone and computer.
She knew her brother was smart and good with computers, but she feared he might venture into hacking.
However, she heard Mu Sheng laugh. “Sister, would you play a game for me? You don’t need to work so hard to earn money. Just finish the game, and we’ll have endless wealth. Also…”
Whispering into Situ Qing’s ear, Mu Sheng said, “Didn’t you promise to make it up to me for a lifetime? Now’s your chance. Would you be willing to get me a pair of legs? Sister, I want to stand.”
Since then, Situ Qing felt she was being drawn deeper into an abyss.
Reaching Rank S was her goal. Only at Rank S could she approach the so-called god and have the chance to let Mu Sheng stand.
But at the same time, she knew—several near-death experiences were caused by Mu Sheng.
Whether she was forced to kill or faced danger, it was all because of Mu Sheng’s coercion.
It was Mu Sheng who pushed her into the abyss, staining her hands with indelible blood.
But every time she was close to death, just like the protective wings she now wore, they were also gifts from Mu Sheng.
He wanted her dead, but he also kept her alive.
She couldn’t distinguish his good from his bad.
Perhaps some people were destined for lifelong tribulations.
……
On the other side.
Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei opened room 701. Outside was no longer the eerie hallway with 12 rooms, but back to its previous appearance.
They took the elevator down, and the receptionist was calculating bills while the security guard stood at the entrance.
“Hmm? Why are you two here?” The receptionist looked at Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei, holding up a box of osmanthus cakes. “Want some? I just bought them.”
Zhou Qian said, “Mr. Jiang wants some osmanthus cakes. Maybe he’ll get angry if he can’t have them. Can I give these to him?”
“Of course. We’re all supported by Mr. Jiang’s salary.” She smiled. “Our principle is to meet Mr. Jiang’s needs.”
After taking the osmanthus cakes, Zhou Qian asked, “Where are Lao Yu and Lao Tie? Did they go to buy osmanthus cakes too? Have you seen them?”
The receptionist shook her head in surprise. “No, they never came down.”
He Xiaowei asked the security guard, “Did you see Lao Yu and Lao Tie come down?”
The security guard shook his head. “No, only you two.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian looked up to find a security camera facing the elevator’s direction.
Zhou Qian asked, “Can we see the hall’s surveillance footage?”
“Sure, you can use the computer at the front desk. Which part do you want to see?”
The security guard readily agreed.
A moment later, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei were standing in front of the computer at the reception desk. Using fast-forward mode, they quickly checked the past hour’s surveillance.
At 3:15 in the afternoon, six players took Elevator B upstairs. During the playback, upon seeing Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh before continuing to watch.
Just two minutes later, Elevator B descended to the ground floor on its own. After the door remained open for 10 seconds, it closed automatically without anyone exiting.
The next movement of the elevator was an hour later. At 3:18 pm, when the elevator doors opened, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei walked out.
This bizarre surveillance footage gave He Xiaowei goosebumps. Zhou Qian frowned slightly and rewound the video to 3:17 pm when Elevator B opened and then closed in the ground floor lobby.
As the elevator door opened, Zhou Qian pressed the pause button and zoomed in on the image. Inside, there was no one.
He Xiaowei exclaimed in horror, “That was when Lao Yu and Lao Tie took the elevator downstairs! We watched them from the seventh floor as they entered Elevator B. They pressed the button for the ground floor, so the elevator descended there. But when the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the ground floor, it was empty! It means that—”
“Somewhere between the seventh and ground floor, they disappeared into thin air!!!”
The stark light shone down, reflecting coldly off the marble floor. Under this light, the receptionist and security guard appeared unusually pale.
Walking away from the screen, Zhou Qian was the first to approach the elevator and press the button to go up. “Let’s quickly send up these snacks.”
He Xiaowei looked at him in disbelief. “Dude, you still dare to take the elevator?”
Zhou Qian replied, “There are no stairs here. We can only take the elevator.”
He Xiaowei hesitated. “What if we also disappear?”
Zhou Qian suggested, “Let’s take Elevator A then. After all, the incident occurred in Elevator B.”
“That sounds reasonable,” He Xiaowei agreed instantly.
Soon, the two entered Elevator A.
As the elevator moved smoothly upwards, He Xiaowei sighed with relief, “Seems we’re safe.”
Zhou Qian suddenly said, “Their sudden disappearance has nothing to do with the elevator’s number.”
He Xiaowei: “?”
Zhou Qian explained, “The disappearance of Lao Yu and Lao Tie is clearly part of the main storyline. In other words, it was an event destined to happen. But them taking Elevator B downstairs was just a random event.”
Zhou Qian’s point was clear. When the players went upstairs, both elevators were on the ground floor, and they randomly chose Elevator B. When they reached the seventh floor, Elevator B stayed there, and naturally, Lao Yu and Lao Tie took it to go down.
Thus, the two NPCs taking Elevator B were a result of the players’ random choice, but their disappearance was inevitable and had nothing to do with which elevator they chose. This implied their disappearance might not be related to the elevator itself.
“Wait, then why did you…” He Xiaowei was baffled.
“Just to rush you upstairs,” Zhou Qian said calmly. “Let’s deliver the snacks to Jiang Yuqing first.”
He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Damn bro, that’s too much! I saved you!”
“Thank you,” Zhou Qian responded unenthusiastically. As soon as the elevator reached the seventh floor, he immediately walked towards Room 701 with a box of osmanthus cake.
He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian to the door of Room 701 and noticed he didn’t enter but was observing from outside.
“What are you looking at?” He Xiaowei whispered.
Zhou Qian replied, “I wanted to observe Jiang Yuqing to see if he’d become agitated without the snacks and act abnormally. But now I’ve noticed something else.”
“What?” He Xiaowei asked curiously.
Through the door’s window, Zhou Qian observed Jiang Yuqing standing in the room. He seemed to have dementia, appearing somewhat dazed. However, there were significant differences in his appearance.
His forehead, cheeks, and the corners of his eyes—the wrinkles there had lessened. His once-stunning youthful looks were starting to emerge.
Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank as he whispered, “He’s becoming younger.”
Zhou Qian claimed that his strategy for clearing the level required him to sequentially visit rooms 4, 7, and 8, where he would have three gunmen each fire a bullet. He would first try room number 4.
If he failed to use his time-slowing skill to dodge the bullet, he would undoubtedly die. At that point, he would need He Xiaowei to save him with the Tick Tock Clock and then completely abandon this sub-quest.
However, if he succeeded, he could consecutively use his time-slowing skill three times to clear the level.
Now, Zhu Qiang discovered that Zhou Qian was lying.
He doesn’t have enough mana to use the skill three times!
He hasn’t even successfully obtained the Tick Tock Clock from Qi Liuxing!
Furthermore, when players opened unsafe rooms, they were invariably shot at, and the gunman’s accuracy was 100%! This meant that Zhou Qian shouldn’t be able to dodge the bullet in Room 4…
All in all, Zhou Qian wouldn’t enter Room 4. All of this was his deception!
From the moment Zhou Qian was accused by Situ Qing of being the murderer who killed Gao Shan, he didn’t even defend himself. He kept emphasizing that the game’s time limit was nearing its end and that everyone should focus on clearing the level.
Pretending to be a fanatical lunatic only concerned about clearing the level, he appeared not to care about Gao Shan’s life, Yun Xiangrong’s hatred, being misidentified as the killer, or even potentially being shot…
He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng… were all deceived by him. Zhou Qian even took a long time explaining the principles of this level, trying to convince them of his method. To further appear genuine, he pretended that he needed He Xiaowei’s, and even Lu Mengmeng’s, cooperation and help.
But what if all this was just a ruse Zhou Qian put on?
Everyone believed he would enter Room 4, but in reality, he wouldn’t.
Since he wouldn’t actually walk into this dangerous room to face the bullet, what was his real purpose in slowing down time?
It could only be to commit murder.
Who would he kill?
It had to be Lu Mengmeng, who possessed extremely fast speed.
Thus, the real purpose of slowing down time wasn’t to decrease the bullet’s speed but to decrease Lu Mengmeng’s speed!
Zhou Qian’s range for slowing down time was limited to an area of 10 square meters. If he openly expressed his intention to kill Lu Mengmeng, he would be on guard and escape in advance.
But with Zhou Qian’s series of deceits, Lu Mengmeng thought that the time-slowing skill was only to dodge the bullets. He wouldn’t run away; instead, he’d approach Room 4 out of curiosity to see the outcome.
So… Lu Mengmeng was likely doomed.
In the bathroom of the luxury suite, realizing this, Zhu Qiang’s hand trembled, and his phone dropped to the floor. His face went pale, and his body started shaking.
He shouldn’t…
Shouldn’t have gone against Zhou Qian.
From the beginning, when Lu Mengmeng discussed this matter with him via video call, he should have persuaded him to cooperate with Zhou Qian. But he was afraid. He trusted Lu Mengmeng, Situ Qing, the mysterious man advising Situ Qing on the phone, and even himself.
He thought he knew Zhou Qian well enough after observing one of his games. With the information he got from Yu Xian and combined with Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng’s input, he believed he could defeat Zhou Qian.
But he was terribly wrong.
In the game, Lu Mengmeng followed He Xiaowei to the front of Room 4, watching intently as Zhou Qian approached the door. The fog made it hard to see clearly, so he took another step forward, eager to understand Zhou Qian’s actions. He was incredibly curious—could Zhou Qian genuinely dodge the bullet by slowing down time?
At this moment, Yun Xiangrong was crying beside Lu Mengmeng, but he seemed oblivious. It seemed he had even forgotten that he was the one who killed her true love.
Lu Mengmeng was obsessed with clearing the level.
In this game, every time a player exited an instance, the system would restrict the time for their next entry—typically 7 to 10 days. If a player didn’t enter the instance within this time frame, they would instantly die.
However, Lu Mengmeng never cared about these time constraints. After each exit from an instance, he would rest for just one night and immediately enter the next one. Although he didn’t achieve any significant feats, at least he always managed to complete the dungeon with just a sliver of health left.
Due to the frequency of his instance runs, Lu Mengmeng, who was otherwise average in performance, managed to ascend to Rank D.
After clearing each level, Lu Mengmeng felt profound satisfaction. Clearing these levels touched a raw nerve in him, evoking an indescribable sensation.
It reminded him of something he did half a year ago.
About six months ago, Lu Mengmeng saw the list of graduate students selected for research in his department. Upon checking, he found his academic points were just one rank below his roommate’s, causing him to miss out. One night, in a fit of rage, he climbed onto his roommate’s bed with a knife and stabbed him in the chest…
Now that you’re dead, I can move up a rank and qualify for the department.
Blood spurted as he pulled out the knife, covering Lu Mengmeng’s face. Chaos erupted in the dormitory, with roommates screaming, calling the police, and trying to restrain him. But he didn’t react. Holding the knife, he felt an indescribable thrill. He believed he had cleared the “Research Qualification” level.
In the present, reminiscent of the night when he had suddenly awoken and reached for the knife in his drawer, Lu Mengmeng felt the excitement of nearing another level completion, so much so that his eyes turned red. He moved closer, watching as Zhou Qian was about to open Room 4.
To him, the scene of Zhou Qian pushing the door seemed infinitely slow because time around him had decelerated. Everything became distorted, and he anxiously waited. Suddenly, he was caught off guard by a piercing cold gaze. Zhou Qian had turned to look directly at him.
Sensing danger, Lu Mengmeng stepped back. But his feet felt heavy. He wanted to activate a skill to increase his speed but couldn’t. As Zhou Qian approached, the malice in his eyes intensified. At that moment, Zhou Qian seemed like a god about to punish a sinner.
Panicking, Lu Mengmeng activated a skill to boost his speed by 80% and tried to flee. Many times, this skill had saved him from monsters or bosses. He believed he could escape. He told himself it would definitely work; he must escape!
But suddenly, time slowed even further. The effect negated all his speed boosts, leaving him running only slightly faster than a jog.
At the same time, he felt that Zhou Qian behind him wasn’t affected by the slowing of time. He stood outside of time like a god, looking down on him with a mocking gaze, as if watching a clown, seeing him run hopelessly in a cage he couldn’t escape from.
In the next moment, Lu Mengmeng’s nape was forcefully gripped by a hand.
Soon after, he was flipped over by the person behind him, with his neck being held. As he was forcibly turned around, out of the corner of his eye, Lu Mengmeng noticed he was now at the location of Room 9.
Directly in front of him, Zhou Qian’s eyes, filled with murderous intent, magnified immensely.
A sharp pain emanated from his neck as Zhou Qian pressed a dagger against it. Lu Mengmeng’s heart trembled violently, and his pupils dilated rapidly in fear…
With one hand holding the pale and frail neck of Lu Mengmeng, Zhou Qian used the other hand to wield a common dagger he bought from the trading house, pinning him against the door. It seemed that with just a gentle push, Lu Mengmeng could be thrown directly into Room 9.
The blade of the dagger pierced the surface of Lu Mengmeng’s neck; tiny beads of blood rolled out, almost casting a dark red shade in the depths of Zhou Qian’s eyes.
With those deep red eyes, Zhou Qian coldly stared at Lu Mengmeng.
“You… You want to kill me…”
Due to the slowing of time, Lu Mengmeng’s voice sounded incredibly stretched, as if the playback speed was lowered. Even the tremors of his body and the fluttering of his eyelids were slowed down, making him look somewhat comical.
Zhou Qian’s mouth curled into a derisive smirk. “You swapped the number plates, leading to Gao Shan’s death, didn’t you?”
Lu Mengmeng immediately denied. “I… I didn’t! It was…”
Zhou Qian whispered, “Swapping plates multiple times, drawing misleading symbols on doors, and just now using your major skill to come here… Out of mana, are you? Otherwise, I’d have to be wary of your assassin abilities. Even if affected by time slow, your dagger would stab slowly, but I can’t be careless.”
Lu Mengmeng panicked. After using his skills so many times, he indeed had no mana left. His already pale face now looked utterly bloodless, trembling in front of Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian pressed him further. “So there’s no point in denying it. It was you. But I want to know, did Situ Qing direct you?”
Lu Mengmeng murmured, “You… I don’t know…”
The dagger in Zhou Qian’s hand advanced mercilessly. The pain caused Lu Mengmeng to wince, tears streaming down instantly. He stared at Zhou Qian in horror. “What… What are you…”
“Killing a mere pawn like you would only dirty my hands. It’s not worth it,” Zhou Qian whispered seductively in his ear. “Tell me, what do you know? Who’s behind you and Situ Qing?”
Lu Mengmeng’s voice quivered uncontrollably. Yet the cold blade kept pressing deeper, forcing him to speak, “It… It’s a legion…”
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
The sound of bells approached from behind, accompanied by a chilling frosty aura. It felt as if an immense snowstorm was about to engulf the world. Though powerful, due to the slowed time, it hadn’t reached Zhou Qian yet.
Ignoring the creeping cold from behind, Zhou Qian moved the knife, lifting Lu Mengmeng’s pale chin, forcing him to look straight into his eyes.
From this superior stance, Zhou Qian demanded, “Tell me the name of that legion. Or I’ll give you two choices: have your throat slit by me or be thrown into Room 9 to face bullets.”
“I… I…” Tears streamed from Lu Mengmeng’s terrified eyes, his body shaking uncontrollably. He felt the encroaching cold. Whether he answered or not, death seemed inevitable.
Zhou Qian’s voice resonated close to his ear. “Speak. You’re merely a tool, controlled and ordered around. You’re not my real enemy. If you talk, I might spare you.”
But on the other side, the approaching snowy aura hinted that if he spoke, he might be silenced permanently.
“I’ll spare you.”
“Not just that, I’ll also help you clear the game.”
“The condition is, you need to tell me—what’s the name of that legion?”
The words “clear the game” seemed to stimulate Lu Mengmeng. At the mention, his eyes reddened. He opened his mouth, seemingly about to confess. But suddenly, a crystalline snowflake floated by, sealing his lips.
Then, the bell sound grew louder, as if time, slowed down earlier, was returning to its normal pace. Lu Mengmeng felt an immense blizzard approaching rapidly. Overwhelmed by fear, his pupils contracted. But it seemed like his entire body was immobilized by the frost, with no escape.
In the corridor, time indeed resumed. With Zhou Qian’s mana almost depleted, visible only to him and Yu Xian, his skill bar had dropped to 5%.
Using the last 4% of his mana, Zhou Qian slowed down time once more, stepping outside its bounds. He quickly retreated, escaping the blizzard. Lu Mengmeng, drained of mana and unable to use any skill to evade, was enveloped by the blizzard and harshly thrown into Room 9.
Three seconds later—”Bang!”
A gunshot echoed, and Lu Mengmeng died inside Room 9. He didn’t even make it back to the corridor like the others who were shot.
At this moment, only 7 minutes remained until the one-hour time limit to clear the level.
Turning around, through the thick fog, Zhou Qian saw the hazy figure of Situ Qing, who was known as the “Ice Queen”.
She stood far at the other end of the corridor with a cold and composed expression.
Time slowed down, and her movement speed was reduced to a crawl.
Yet, with her powerful long-range attack capability, even from that distance, she could kill Lu Mengmeng.
Expressionless, Zhou Qian said to Situ Qing, “Even under my time-slowing effect, you managed to come here to silence him. Did you guess what I was up to?”
“In this game, players can see each other’s health but not their mana. Also, no one should know what my skill’s special feature is. So, no one should know that my mana isn’t sufficient to slow down time thrice and guess that my real target was Lu Mengmeng.”
“So, you shouldn’t be here.”
His eyes filled with scorn, Zhou Qian disdainfully looked at Situ Qing. “So, even though you silenced Lu Mengmeng and prevented him from telling me who’s manipulating you all from behind, your actions now reveal one thing—the group backing you is powerful, so powerful that you fear them deeply.”
“Earlier, you did everything to protect Lu Mengmeng, not letting him spill your alliance’s secrets. But now, you’re scared. You fear revealing the group’s secrets and facing punishment, so you attack Lu Mengmeng. Moreover—”
“From your actions now, I’m sure that your group can identify my real identity and my gambler status, right? The secret of my skill should only be known to my fellow gambler. So how did it get leaked?”
Without looking at Situ Qing, Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted to a certain point in the void.
Coincidentally, through the phone screen, Yu Xian saw Zhou Qian’s cold gaze as if they were making eye contact. He shivered involuntarily.
“Yu Xian, is Qiang Ge next to you?”
“You have two choices: either kill him or hide so far away that you never see him again in this lifetime. Otherwise, once I leave this game and return to reality, the first thing I’ll do is deal with you. Got it?”
“Your Qiang Ge, in collusion with Lu Mengmeng, wants to kill me. Did you even realize that?”
“Forget it, I guess you can’t do it. So, listen to me and run. Now.”
At the phone screen, Yu Xian was stunned.
It took him a full ten seconds to come to his senses.
Grabbing his phone, he rushed to the bathroom of the suite, but he pulled back just before his hand touched the door.
Should I listen to Zhou Qian and leave immediately, or should I talk to Qiang Ge?
Yu Xian was truly torn because he couldn’t believe Zhu Qiang could betray him like this.
It was Zhu Qiang who brought him to this city when he didn’t know where to find work.
Finding jobs, renting a place… Zhu Qiang had always taken care of him.
When he first arrived and wasn’t accustomed to the new environment, falling sick often, it was always Zhu Qiang who took him to the hospital.
He couldn’t believe that Zhu Qiang would betray him so easily.
At that moment, inside the bathroom.
Zhu Qiang sat on the cold tiles, looking at the luxurious bathroom. The shower space alone was bigger than the rented room he used to live in.
Zhu Qiang laughed—a laugh filled with self-mockery and despair.
He realized he was crying when he felt the wetness on his face.
He didn’t yearn for wealth and luxury when he didn’t have them.
But once he experienced them, he couldn’t let go.
His phone kept vibrating.
It was messages from the System.
[Gambler Zhu Qiang, the player you bet on, Lu Mengmeng, is dead.]
[Lu Mengmeng failed the challenge. You are no longer qualified for the two million.]
[The System will deduct your bet amount of 1 million.]
[Gambler Zhu Qiang, your bank balance is insufficient. Please recharge within three days. If the debt exceeds ten days, you will die.]
[If you recharge within three days, you can choose another player to bet on.]
[We hope your choice of players gets better. If your player reaches Rank S, you can become an advanced gambler.]
[Advanced gamblers can enter the main game hall. Then, you will have a chance to approach the gods.]
I still have a chance…
As long as I get one million within three days… I have another shot…
I can repay all the money I lost outside!
If I win just once more… I can repay all the money.
After that, I’ll quit and never touch this game again!
But where can I get the money for these three days…?
In a moment of hesitation, Zhu Qiang heard the hoarse voice of Yu Xian from outside the door. “Qiang Ge, can I… Can I ask you a question? Are you… are you…”
He already knows.
Then there’s nothing I can do.
Zhu Qiang’s gaze finally rested on the razor at the washbasin. Rising from his seat and moving towards the washbasin, he said to the door, “It’s not what you think, Lao Yu. Listen to me… I’ll explain to you. I’ll be right out…”
…..
Three minutes later, Yu Xian lay in a pool of blood. He stared at Zhu Qiang, seemingly unable to believe what had happened.
Zhu Qiang’s hand holding the razor trembled. “I’m sorry, Lao Yu… I took the money I earned from this game to the casino, and I lost it all, racking up a lot of debt. Now that Lu Mengmeng is dead… I can’t repay it. I have to keep going…”
Extending his other hand, Zhu Qiang took a bank card from Yu Xian’s pocket. “I’m sorry. I just… just wanted to take the money when Zhou Qian wins, and the prize money arrives in your account. I just… just wanted money… Yu Xian, I… No, that’s not right!”
Suddenly, Zhu Qiang’s expression changed. He glared angrily at Yu Xian and said, “No, it’s not my fault! It’s yours! I warned you about this game. I told you not to start! But you insisted on continuing! I only continued because I saw you doing it!”
“It’s your fault! You forced me into this debt; you made me a murderer…”
“You used to always be less than me, why… Why is your player better than mine? Why can you win effortlessly…”
Yu Xian couldn’t answer any of Zhu Qiang’s words because he had stopped breathing.
After a while, Zhu Qiang stood in the pool of blood, closing his eyes exhaustedly. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring.
Zhu Qiang jumped up, panicked, glancing in the direction of the door, then hastily tried to clean the bloodstains. Just then, he received a text message.
[Gambler Zhu Qiang, I know what you did. Let’s talk.]
A minute later, Zhu Qiang opened the door to let in a refined and elegant-looking man. He had a gentle yet stern demeanor, giving off a somewhat old-fashioned vibe. He looked like a doctor, or perhaps a lawyer.
The man walked straight into the house and sat on the sofa. Passing by Yu Xian’s body, he didn’t even blink an eye, as if he were used to such sights.
When he sat down, Zhu Qiang immediately asked, “Who are you? You…”
The man replied, “I’m also a player in this game. You can call me the [Priest].”
“Priest? Game? What do you mean? What the hell is going on…”
Priest succinctly said, “You acted too impulsively. Killing is a crime. With such a crude method, I predict the police will arrest you within 48 hours. By then, you won’t be able to gamble anymore. Your phone will be confiscated.”
Stunned, Zhu Qiang’s back was drenched in cold sweat. “I…”
After watching the game for a long time, he seemed to believe he was a player in the game. Players often fought and killed with their skills. As a result, he forgot that he was in reality and that he shouldn’t have acted this way.
At this point, Zhu Qiang vaguely felt that somehow, while watching the game, he had been influenced. He wouldn’t have acted so impulsively, so recklessly, and so cruelly before. But now, his mental state was off. He seemed to have turned into a madman.
The Priest continued, “The police will arrest you within 48 hours. I can get you a lawyer, and even arrange for… a mental evaluation.”
“Mental evaluation? What does that mean?” Zhu Qiang clenched his hands together.
“I’ve already reserved a bed for you at Spring Hill Mental Asylum.” Priest stood up. “I met you today just to give you a heads-up, so you’re not too scared when the police arrest you. Don’t worry, you won’t go to prison. Farewell, see you at Spring Hill Mental Asylum.”
“Wait, what do you mean by mental asylum? Explain yourself!”
“You have two options now. First, wait to be arrested by the police, be unable to continue as a gambler, owe a huge debt, and be killed by the system in ten days. Second, come to Spring Hill Mental Hospital, become a game player, and earn coins to repay your debt. You’re smart; you should know which option to choose.”
Zhu Qiang collapsed to the ground, seemingly devoid of a soul. As Priest left, Zhu Qiang heard him say one last thing.
“Welcome, player, to the game. I hope you enjoy it.”
……
Inside the game.
The temperature in the corridor had dropped below zero.
The sustained cold temperature couldn’t decrease the health of living players, but it severely affected their condition.
Zhou Qian, sensitive to both summer heat and winter cold, immediately opened the trade house and bought a down jacket to wear. As he leisurely buttoned up his jacket, he looked at Situ Qing and said, “Earlier, you only threw Lu Mengmeng into Room 9, but you didn’t actually try to kill me. Why? Because you want me to help you clear this stage, right?”
“There are only 6 minutes left to clear the level. Now, perhaps you are thinking of pushing either me, He Xiaowei, or Yun Xiangrong, one by one, into two rooms. You want to sacrifice us to pass the level?”
Situ Qing replied indifferently, “You figured out my intention, yet you’re not planning to flee?”
Zhou Qian laughed. “Why should I? You aren’t attacking me now.”
Situ Qing frowned and stayed silent. Zhou Qian continued, “Killing us might be easy for you. But, to throw two living people into two specific rooms to trick the bullets and do all this within 6 minutes… That’s tough.”
Situ Qing remained silent.
Buttoning up, Zhou Qian said, “See, you just admitted something: you are interested in the side quests. So… the person behind you forbids you to play them, right? You should really consider breaking free from his control. I can help.”
Situ Qing simply said, “Don’t try to sow discord between us.”
Zhou Qian responded sarcastically, “Last time I told you, he doesn’t want you to get stronger because he wants to control you.”
“Now, let me tell you another harsh truth. Generally, when someone wants to control you, it’s because you’re useful to him. But have you ever thought about what happens when you’re no longer useful? Will he abandon you or… kill you?
“Just like… you had to kill Lu Mengmeng because he was no longer of any use.”
“Zhou Qian, let me tell you once again—” Situ Qing’s voice became colder. “You don’t understand our relationship. Don’t be so presumptuous!”
Zhou Qian just chuckled and walked towards a room.
Just then, He Xiaowei came running.
He was shivering from the cold and looked dazed. But when he saw the frost on the door of Room 9, he realized something. After a terrified glance at Situ Qing, he quickly distanced himself from her and found Zhou Qian.
“What the hell is going on?” He Xiaowei asked in surprise.
Zhou Qian replied, “Situ Qing pushed Lu Mengmeng into room 9. So, it’s clear who harmed Gao Shan, right?”
“Heck, that’s scary. Why did she kill Lu Mengmeng? Why didn’t she harm you?”
“If she hurt me, who would help her clear the side quest?”
“So, what do we do now? Fuck, Room 9’s gun is short of a bullet. How are we going to handle this?”
“It’s simple,” Zhou Qian said. “Now, the lowest rank is Room 6. Rooms 7 and 8, which were safe rooms, are no longer safe and need to be entered.”
“We will go into Rooms 7 and 8 in turn, making each lose one bullet. Finally, we return the ‘S’ bullet, which was found under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, to Room 9.”
“You mean, you want to continue delaying and dodging bullets?” He Xiaowei asked uncertainly.
Zhou Qian sighed. “Ah, I ran out of mana.”
He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Fucking hell, what now?!”
Without speaking further, Zhou Qian quickly returned to the door of Room 12.
There were three dead bodies of the cleaners.
“You overlooked the NPCs provided by the game. Three NPCs began the game, and they can also end it. The only solution now is to manipulate these three bodies to enter the doors, using them to fire three bullets.”
“But, since Lu Mengmeng’s body already received one, we only need two now. So, Brother Xiaowei—”
Zhou Qian turned back to him. “Can your ability achieve this?”
There was one thing Zhou Qian was unsure about—whether the gunners would target bodies without vital signs.
If using bodies didn’t work, he would have to send his two dragons, both with his life signals, to cheat the bullets.
However, the actual situation showed that the bodies were indeed useful.
The game specifically set a scene where three cleaners ran back to the corridor before dying, instead of dying in their rooms directly, which seemed to have a hidden meaning.
Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei each carried a corpse and quickly ran to Rooms 7 and 8.
Immediately, He Xiaowei took out a guqin, raised his amusingly 八-shaped eyebrows at Zhou Qian, and then seriously looked towards the door of Room 7, saying, “Although my attack power isn’t high, I’m still a long-range attacker. Using the sound waves produced by the guqin, I can send corpses or bullets!”
He Xiaowei sat down cross-legged, holding up the instrument with one hand and plucking the strings with the other. As he played, the sound flowed, and an invisible soundwave instantly burst from the strings. A cleaner’s corpse was lifted by the sound wave and crashed straight into Room 7.
“Bang!” The corpse successfully drew a bullet.
Overjoyed, He Xiaowei used the same technique to send another corpse into room 8. In this way, rooms 7 and 8 each had one less bullet.
Up to now, on the entire abstract turntable, Rooms 12, 1, 2, 6, 9, 7, and 8 had each lost a bullet. Rooms 12 and 6, 1 and 7, 2 and 8 could, respectively, form three diameters. They were all lightened by the weight of one bullet, and their effects on the entire turntable canceled each other out. The only point that truly affected the imbalance of the turntable was now Room 9.
Room 9 was missing a bullet, making the center of gravity of the turntable at point 3. Just returning one bullet to point 9 will balance the turntable.
He Xiaowei took the bullet from Zhou Qian, plucked the string, and the bullet rose into the air, about to be sent into room 9.
Zhou Qian reminded him, “Remember the position I told you about? You must hit the shooter.”
Zhou Qian had already experimented; no matter what weight was added to the room, whether it was a corpse, a bullet, or even heavy weights, it didn’t affect the turntable. The only thing that could be abstracted into the turntable model, creating a “position” change, was the 12 gunmen themselves. Zhou Qian also found that anything that tried to stick or got added to the gunman’s body would fall off. Even strong adhesive didn’t work. According to the logic of this level, the only thing the gunman would accept is a bullet.
The difficulty of this level lay in finding an abstract model, analyzing from which rooms to cheat out bullets, and deciding which room should receive the bullet back. Without any additional information, the game shouldn’t make returning the bullet itself a new challenge. Therefore, as long as the bullet was shot back at the shooter, it should be enough.
The only premise was… He Xiaowei, who hadn’t entered the room, didn’t know the shooter’s location and was separated by a door panel. Could he accurately shoot the bullet based on Zhou Qian’s description and drawings?
“Come, He Xiaowei, look at my drawing again. You must aim accurately.”
When Zhou Qian’s voice came, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but glance at him, meeting his extremely serious gaze. He Xiaowei couldn’t help but complain, “Damn, you look like a teacher checking my homework! I graduated years ago. Stop it!”
Zhou Qian glared at him. “Hurry up, be quick and accurate!”
“Oh, I got it! Your gaze is murderous.”
He Xiaowei quickly plucked the strings, using the sound wave to send the bullet towards Room 9. The bullet, under the effect of the sound wave, pierced through the door, leaving a small hole, and continued into the room.
Then, without He Xiaowei needing to aim, the shooter inside opened his hands and directly caught the bullet.
[Side Quest ‘Checks and Balance’ Completion: 50%.]
[The 12 shooters’ ranks have been balanced. They cannot shoot to kill.]
[Hint: There are only three minutes left before the end of the level.]
Seeing the system’s message, He Xiaowei immediately started laughing, holding his guqin.
“Hahaha, great! We just need to quickly find the 12 pieces of evidence, and we can pass the level!”
“Yes. Remember what I said? The evidence is near the shooters. Once inside, don’t waste time elsewhere. Go straight to the shooter,” Zhou Qian said. “I’ll start from the left of room 9, you start from the right. We’ll split up.”
“Got it!” After saying this, He Xiaowei directly rushed into Room 10. The evidence from Rooms 7 and 8 had already been collected, which were two bullets marked with “7”, so Zhou Qian headed straight to Room 6.
At that moment, a girl suddenly appeared, blocking his path. It was Yun Xiangrong. Raising her flute, she said to Zhou Qian, “Give me the Tick Tock Clock. I need to save Gao Shan. If you don’t give it to me, I will temporarily join forces with Situ Qing and take it from your corpse. Right now, reviving Gao Shan is more important to me than revenge.”
Yun Xiangrong’s words had just fallen when an icy chill came over once again.
Approaching Zhou Qian step by step was Situ Qing.
Raising the bell in her hand, she said to Zhou Qian, “You were right earlier. When I killed Lu Mengmeng, I didn’t strike at you at the same time. There’s a reason for that. If I killed you, who would help me complete the side quest?”
“Whether or not I’m interested in the side quest, the opportunity to complete it is now right in front of me. Why wouldn’t I take it?”
“Zhou Qian, you’ve completed your task. You can die now.”
“I can kill you in just 30 seconds. The remaining two and a half minutes will be enough for me to gather all the clues.”
“Initially, I thought it would be better not to kill you directly in front of other teammates and instead quietly use the instance trap. But now… I think I should deal with you earlier, especially when you’re out of mana.”
“Perhaps you’re thinking of using that pill of yours to immobilize me? Fortunately, that gambler named Zhu Qiang informed me about it in advance. In fact, with such tools, as long as I’m prepared in advance and don’t hear your command, I can totally evade its effects.”
Taking out two items resembling earplugs, Situ Qing promptly plugged her ears. Then she raised her bell towards Zhou Qian.
In the corridor, in the thick fog, in front of Room 8.
Zhou Qian’s words seemed to completely baffle He Xiaowei. “What the hell does this mean? What do you mean by going to an unsafe room to find a gunman to shoot… No, Zhou Qian, explain yourself.”
[The lowest ranked cannot be kill!]
[Balance of power is the only solution!]
Zhou Qian took out the hints he got from the photos and showed them to everyone. “The keywords in these two hints are ‘ranked’ and ‘balance’… Do you remember the name of this side quest?”
He Xiaowei immediately replied. “I do! It’s called ‘Checks and Balances’!”
“Right, so when the rank of the gunman changes and their power becomes unbalanced, killing ensues. The key to cracking this mission is actually already given to us in the title—balance, to restore the rank of the 12 gunmen to equilibrium.”
Zhou Qian said, “I suspect that at the beginning, the rank of the 12 gunmen was balanced. Do you remember how the first cleaner died? She wore a military uniform with a ‘7’ on it. Why would the game designer intentionally design a plot point about stealing a military uniform? There must be a deeper purpose.”
He Xiaowei seemed to have an epiphany. “Let’s assume that the military unit where Jiang Yuqing belonged is called Unit 7; then these gunmen belong to the S Unit. So, 7 and S might be opposing forces? Therefore… seeing a uniform from Unit 7 triggered the gunfire?”
“Exactly,” Zhou Qian said. “I believe that’s the case. If we had randomly entered any of those 12 rooms at the beginning, probably no one would have been shot. The first cleaner was killed because she wore a uniform with ‘7’, which was an intentional plot point. That uniform triggered the hatred of Unit S and brought the first bullet. From then on, the ranks of the 12 gunmen became unbalanced, and the killings began. Hence—”
Zhou Qian concluded, “The 12 gunmen of Unit S were originally in some kind of balanced state. The first cleaner’s death, based on the hidden plot of S opposing 7, led to the shooting, disrupting the original balance. Subsequently, every time a gunman fires a bullet, the rank of the 12 gunmen changes.”
“After the third cleaner went into rooms 6 and 7 and found them safe, he was killed in room 2. After that, I went into room 7 without any issues, but Gao Shan was killed in room 6. This is because the bullet from room 2 that killed the third cleaner changed the rank of all the gunmen. Now, we need to restore the balance of the 12 gunmen. Only then will all 12 rooms be safe. We can freely enter all rooms and gather the so-called ‘evidence’.”
Beside them, Lu Mengmeng couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, “If shooting disrupts the balance, and S and 7 are opposing forces, can we infer that if a gunman from Unit S kills someone from Unit 7, they gain merit and improve their rank?”
Zhou Qian bluntly replied, “Absolutely not.”
Lu Mengmeng realized his mistake. “Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. After the first death, the shooter in room 12 should have gained the highest rank, making the shooters in rooms 1 to 11 the lowest in rank. Thus, they shouldn’t be able to shoot, and there shouldn’t be subsequent shootings. My hypothesis is flawed.”
Zhou Qian glanced at him and said, “Even so, your guess has its basis. It just doesn’t align with reality, so we have to rule it out. In fact, the game doesn’t provide us with any narrative clues as to why ‘shooting’ would change a gunman’s ‘rank’. From the narrative’s perspective, we have no way to find a solution.”
What exactly is Unit S? What is Unit 7? Who is Jiang Yuqing? What happened between Unit 7 and Unit S? The players were completely in the dark, with no clues to tell them regarding the story of that time.
He Xiaowei pondered over it, increasingly frustrated. “There’s no clue at all! How are we supposed to figure this out?!”
Zhou Qian replied, “If we can’t deduce from the plot, then we won’t. Because the solution is probably unrelated to the story itself.”
He Xiaowei sighed in despair. “I just don’t get it.”
Zhou Qian suddenly changed the subject and said, “After I entered Room 8 just now, I quickly found the evidence. Its location was almost identical to the evidence in Room 7, both near the gunman. The reason I took some time to come out was that I was conducting an experiment.”
“What experiment?” He Xiaowei asked.
“I teased the gunman,” Zhou Qian laughed.
He Xiaowei: ???
Wow, bro, you’re badass.
A moment ago, Zhou Qian entered Room 8.
No gunshots were heard within three seconds. Once again, Zhou Qian noticed that the gunman in front of him had lowered his gun. At that moment, Zhou Qian realized that the position of this gunman was exactly the same as the one in Room 7.
Zhou Qian stepped forward and looked closely at the gunman.
He had no facial features—just a shadowy figure blurred in the mist, and it was the same size as the one in Room 7.
“Can you see me?” Zhou Qian asked.
The shadowy gunman did not respond.
Crouching down and reaching out, Zhou Qian grasped the gunman’s gun.
Yet, the gunman remained unresponsive.
Then, Zhou Qian tried to pull the gun away but found he couldn’t.
Seems like the level has set it so that the gunman’s position can’t be changed and his gun can’t be taken by the player.
This setting undoubtedly reinforced Zhou Qian’s speculation about the “pattern”.
Zhou Qian took out his bone prop and placed it on the gunman’s shoulder. As soon as it touched the gunman, it fell off, and Zhou Qian caught it immediately.
After some thought, Zhou Qian opened the trade window, buying a universal adhesive and a weight. He then applied the adhesive to the weight and tried sticking it to the gunman’s shoulder. But the adhesive didn’t work, and both items instantly fell to the ground.
Having observed all this, Zhou Qian left Room 8 and returned to the corridor.
At this moment, He Xiaowei was utterly baffled by Zhou Qian’s account. “Bro, I don’t get it!”
Zhou Qian explained, “My experiment shows that in this level’s setup, we can’t increase the weight of the gunman but can increase the room’s weight. This indicates that the weight of the gunman is crucial to the game and cannot be altered, but the room doesn’t matter.
“Therefore, the change in ‘rank’ is related to the gunman and has nothing to do with the room.”
He Xiaowei: “So…”
Zhou Qian: “When playing a game, facing certain levels, if the plot doesn’t provide clues, we need to change our thinking. Shooting leads to a change in the rank of the 12 gunmen. Without plot clues, we’ll take another approach—abstract the 12 gunmen.”
He Xiaowei was utterly perplexed. “Abstract? What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian took out a blank piece of paper, drew a circle, and marked it with 12 numbers like a clock.
“The word ‘rank’ has been given too many meanings by us, such as power, merit, wealth… But sometimes, we often overlook the most basic meaning of the word.
“Have you ever thought that at this level, the meaning of ‘rank’ might be straightforward? For instance, whoever stands at the lowest point has the lowest rank.”
As he spoke, Zhou Qian suddenly asked He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng. “Have you ever played roulette?”
“Ah… Ah!” He Xiaowei seemed to have a vague realization but couldn’t grasp the key point yet.
Zhou Qian continued, “We abstract the 12 gunmen, imagining them as 12 bullet holes on a roulette turntable. Let’s assume each hole contains an equal number of bullets—let’s say 10 in each hole.
“At first, the turntable is horizontal, with the bullet holes evenly distributed. At this time, the turntable is ‘balanced’, meaning all gunmen are at the same level.
“The center of gravity of this turntable is Room 701, located right at the center.”
In the midst of He Xiaowei’s gaze, interwoven with shock and excitement, Zhou Qian uttered the idea that was slowly forming in He Xiaowei’s mind. “The balance of the horizontal turntable has been disrupted by the cleaner in military uniform. She attracted the shot from Gunman No. 12, causing one less bullet in the bullet hole at 12 o’clock. From then on, the horizontal turntable tilted and spun… When it finally stopped, which point would it be at the bottom?”
Lu Mengmeng took over. “6 o’clock! There are only 9 bullets left at 12 o’clock, it becomes lighter, but the other 11 points are equally heavy; all still have 10 bullets… So, if the turntable is viewed as a whole, its center of gravity will be at the 6 o’clock position! Turn this turntable… It will definitely fall to 6 o’clock in the end, so the position of 6 o’clock is the lowest!”
The sensation of cracking a tough problem excited him. At this moment, his voice was much louder than a mosquito’s, and he seemed to completely forget that he had killed someone not long ago.
Zhou Qian glanced at him and said calmly, “With one less bullet at 12 o’clock, the turntable’s center of gravity shifts to 6 o’clock. 6 o’clock becomes the lowest point, which is what is meant by the ‘lowest rank’ in the literal sense. At this point, the gunman at 6 o’clock should not fire, and room 6 is safe.
“Then, the second cleaner entered Room 1 and died. The bullet hole at the 1 o’clock position also lost a bullet. Thus, 12 and 1 both reduced the weight by a bullet, and the turntable’s center of gravity shifted again, falling between 6 and 7.
“As a result, at that time, both 6 and 7 had the lowest rank and were on the same horizontal line. So, rooms 6 and 7 are safe. The third cleaner entered these two rooms and was not killed. But he was killed when he entered room 2.”
For some reason, He Xiaowei felt a shudder down his soul, repeatedly murmuring, “Holy crap… Holy crap? Holy crap!!”
At this moment, the delicate footsteps of a girl approached from the distant corridor. Zhou Qian squinted slightly but continued talking. “After the third cleaner died, the 2 o’clock point was lightened by one bullet. Now, 12, 1, and 2 all reduce the weight of one bullet. The focal point of the turntable falls on point 7. Therefore, Room 6 is no longer safe. Only Room 7 is safe.”
As the footsteps grew closer, Zhou Qian’s narration did not pause. “For this reason, I entered Room 7 and was unharmed, while Gao Shan entered Room 6 and died.”
“With Gao Shan’s death, the bullet hole at the 6 o’clock point lost one bullet. The overall center of gravity of the turntable changed again.”
“At this moment, in this abstract turntable composed of 12 gunmen, the center of gravity is between 7 and 8. Both 7 and 8 have the lowest rank, so both rooms are safe.”
By now, He Xiaowei had fully grasped the situation. Currently, points 12, 1, 2, and 7 all had a reduced weight of one bullet, making them lighter than the other eight points, causing the turntable to be imbalanced. To make every room safe, players need to restore the center of gravity of the turntable to the center position—that was, room 701. Only then could all 12 points possibly return to the same level.
However, a new problem arose. How could the turntable’s center of gravity be restored to the center? With four rooms each missing a bullet, should they go to the remaining eight rooms one by one? If this was the case, probably no one except a nine-lived cat demon could pass this level.
Should they just give up on this side quest?
As he pondered, He Xiaowei took the pen and paper from Zhou Qian’s hand and began to deduce, but he remained puzzled. “I graduated from high school so many years ago… This is a physics mechanics problem, right? Isn’t it about torque balance? I can’t solve it! Besides letting eight more people die, I can’t find a way to clear the level.”
Lu Mengmeng seemed to understand something. “Actually, we don’t need to do specific calculations. We just need to find symmetry points. Look… currently, points 12, 1, 2, and 6 are light, right? Let’s look at it symmetrically. Points 12 and 6 are two points on the diameter of the circle and have a center-symmetry relationship. So…”
“Both of these points have one less bullet, so their effects on the turntable actually cancel each other out.
“In this case, we can temporarily ignore points 12 and 6 and just consider 1 and 2. With 1 and 2 reduced in weight, the overall center of gravity will shift to their center-symmetric points, 7 and 8, making 7 and 8 the safe rooms…”
Eyes shining slightly, Lu Mengmeng said, “So, to restore balance to the turntable, we just need to get the gunmen in rooms 7 and 8 to each fire a bullet, right? Then the whole turntable will be balanced!”
He Xiaowei shook his head emphatically. “That’s the contradiction! We can’t get these two gunmen to fire. They are at the lowest position now. How can they shoot? We can only run once in each of the other rooms… You’d need the nine lives of a cat to clear this!”
“If you can’t cheat a bullet out of the safe room… then this problem has no solution! Even if you had nine lives, you couldn’t solve it.” Lu Mengmeng took He Xiaowei’s draft paper, connected 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, 11 o’clock to 5 o’clock… and so on, drawing a total of six diameters across the circle.
“Even if you won’t get shot and can keep going to the unsafe rooms to get the gunmen to fire and reduce bullets, there will always be one remaining at the center of gravity—the lowest safe point. To balance the turntable, you have to get the lowest-status safe room to lose a bullet. But at that moment, the gunman wouldn’t fire… This contradiction will always exist!”
Lu Mengmeng was out of ideas, and his brows furrowed in frustration. Beside him, He Xiaowei suddenly became excited. “No! I’ve got it! I’ve found a way!”
Looking at Zhou Qian, he said smugly, “Not long ago, you said your solution was to go to the unsafe rooms and get shot, right? You were wrong! I’ve thought of the real solution!”
He Xiaowei’s eyes were so red with excitement. “You all forgot something. Although the gunmen can’t shoot when they’re at their lowest rank… there’s an exception! The exception is that ‘7’ uniform! We’ve already figured out that as long as Rooms 7 and 8 each lose a bullet, we can clear the stage! But how can we get the gunmen to fire in a safe room? Hahaha, of course, by wearing that uniform!”
Contrasting with He Xiaowei’s excitement, Lu Mengmeng’s voice trembled slightly. “So… we just need to wear the uniform to enter these two rooms and lure the gunmen to fire to clear the level? But who will go? Does this mean… to clear the level, we have to sacrifice two players?”
Lu Mengmeng’s words, like a bucket of cold water, doused He Xiaowei’s enthusiasm.
He was stunned. Indeed, do they have to sacrifice two people to clear the level?
Beside them, a thickening fog slid past Zhou Qian’s cold, beautiful eyes. He quietly watched He Xiaowei without saying anything, waiting for his answer.
After a moment, He Xiaowei sat on the ground with a sigh. “That won’t work… Let’s give up this side quest. We’ve already lost one player. How can we let more die? This level is so hard; the rewards must be significant… but no matter what, we can’t sacrifice our teammates. I have principles…”
Hearing this answer, the corner of Zhou Qian’s mouth twitched. After a pause, he finally spoke, further disappointing the already disheartened He Xiaowei. He said, “You’re wrong. The uniform can no longer trick bullets out. The blood on the corpse has completely covered that ‘7’. This was deliberately done by the game designer to block that solution. I guess the bloodstains are also hard to wash off completely. Otherwise, the solution would be too simple. Try it if you don’t believe me.”
“Damn it, I’ll try.”
Feeling defeated by Zhou Qian’s rebuttal, He Xiaowei was a bit unconvinced. But as he got up from the ground to try and take the uniform from the body, he stopped.
“Damn, why would I try? If I really tried, I’d be the one sacrificed! Zhou Qian, you must be tricking me!”
“I’m not tricking you. That solution will absolutely not work, so you’re definitely safe. I found a bullet marked ‘S’ under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, and that’s the real solution to clearing the level. Now, let me tell you the answer.”
Zhou Qian said, “The method you were thinking of was to trick the gunman in the lowest safe room to fire, reducing its weight to balance with other points. But there’s another way, and that’s to give the bullet back to the gunman across from it, who is one bullet heavier.”
“We assume that the last remaining safe point is 10, and its corresponding point is 4. In other words, points 4 and 10 are centrally symmetrical. Connecting these two points results in a diameter passing through the center of the circle.”
“At this moment, except for points 4 and 10, the other points are balanced. The remaining pairs of centrally symmetric points, when connected by their diameters, have their center of mass back at the circle’s center. So, we only need to balance points 4 and 10 to restore the equilibrium of the entire turntable.”
“Now, the lowest point on this turntable is point 10, because it has one more bullet than point 4. Therefore, if we return a bullet to point 4, the problem will be solved.”
“Of course, the bullet found on the corpse is not usable. I’ve checked. The cartridge has separated and is severely damaged; some small fragments are nowhere to be found. We can’t piece them together into a complete bullet and give it back to the gunmen. Fortunately, I found this intact S bullet under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow.” With a faint smile, Zhou Qian held up the bullet in his hand. “We just need to return it.”
Even though He Xiaowei was rugged, at this moment he looked into Zhou Qian’s eyes, almost sparkling.
For an instant, in his eyes, Zhou Qian’s figure seemed to grow immensely tall, shining brilliantly as if radiating a holy light.
But a few seconds later, the light in He Xiaowei’s eyes dimmed.
It was because Lu Mengmeng made another discouraging remark, “So, your method indeed works, but…”
“But now Rooms 7 and 8 are equally low! To balance them, we need to return a bullet each to their opposite points, Rooms 1 and 2! But we don’t have two bullets; we only have one S bullet!”
“We… We still need to make adjustments and go to other rooms to continuously dodge bullets until there’s only one room left as the center of mass. But this means… we still have to sacrifice many people!”
It seemed Zhou Qian didn’t hear Lu Mengmeng. He just said, “I’ve already calculated it.”
Taking back the paper he initially drew the turntable on, Zhou Qian quickly wrote down the solution.
[The first step is to enter Room 4, let the gunman in Room 4 shoot, decreasing the mass at point 4. The center of mass will then be between points 8 and 9, leaning towards 8, making Room 8 the only safe one.]
[The second step, enter Room 7, and the center of mass shifts to point 9.]
[The third step, enter Room 8, and the center of mass moves to point 10.]
Zhou Qian explained, “After these three steps, that is. After the gunmen in rooms 4, 7, and 8 each shoot a bullet, the remaining diameters will all be balanced, returning to the center, room 701, except for the diameter connecting points 4 and 10.”
“At this time, the turntable’s center of mass is at point 10. Returning the bullet to the gunman at point 4, opposite point 10, will allow us to pass.”
He smiled and concluded, “In summary, we just need to enter rooms 4, 7, and 8, have each of the three gunmen shoot once, and then return one bullet to the gunman in room 4. Of course, when returning the bullet, some skill is needed. Xiaowei, what’s your skill? Can you remotely return the bullet to the gunman without opening the door?”
He Xiaowei’s expression transitioned from confused to stunned to shocked.
He then said, “Wait, never mind my skill for a moment. Your method… doesn’t that still mean three people will die?! What the hell?!”
“Brother Zhou Qian… sacrificing me, Situ Qing, and Lu Mengmeng, so you can return the bullet to the gunman in room 4, right? We three are just stepping stones for your success, aren’t we? Look, Gao Shan is dead, and you win the beauty? Fuck, Zhou Qian, are you trying to be the biggest winner here?”
“Oh.” Zhou Qian seriously pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Good idea!”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Zhou Qian then shook his head. “But I won’t let you guys die. We still have the main quest ahead. I’ll need you.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Giving He Xiaowei an up-and-down look, Zhou Qian said earnestly, “Also, I don’t seem to like girls.”
He Xiaowei took a step back. “Could it be that you…”
Zhou Qian quickly interjected, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”
He Xiaowei: “What do you mean? I think I look okay. I was once considered the most handsome guy in our department!”
Zhou Qian, surprised, said, “Really? You rated yourself that way?”
He Xiaowei: “………”
“Let’s get back to business. I want to clear this, but I don’t need to sacrifice any of you.”
Zhou Qian held up the [Rib of God] and approached Room 4. “My weapon has the power to slow down time.”
“The bullets are fatal in one shot because the shooter is accurate and ruthless. A bullet that directly hits the heart can’t be stopped by any defense, no matter how strong. Its speed is so fast that at our current level, no one can escape. But what if—I slow down time?”
Did Zhou Qian intend… to slow down time and thereby reduce the bullet’s speed to dodge its attack?
He Xiaowei was a bit stunned.
He immediately said, “But it’s still very risky! Even if you slow down time, there’s no guarantee you can dodge it. Didn’t the level description say the bullet has a 100% hit rate? What if it’s programmed to always hit you?”
“Moreover, even if you can successfully dodge, your powerful skill must have a cooldown and consume a lot of mana, right? Can you enter three rooms and use it three times?”
“That’s why, Brother Xiaowei, I need your help,” Zhou Qian began. “Regarding your first point, I’m not sure if it’ll work; I have to try.”
“Look at the trade box and remember to approve. My friend gave me the [Tick Tock Clock]. Then I’ll trade it to you. If I die, you can use it to revive me. Of course, this would mean my method isn’t viable. We might have to give up this side quest.”
“On the other hand, if my test is successful, then I can definitely dodge the bullets from the other two rooms in the same way. Don’t worry about my skill limitations. The Rib of God I have was awarded for an ultimate hidden achievement. It’s a rare gift from the gods and extremely powerful. It does consume mana, but just enough to use it three times in three rooms.”
Without wasting any more time, Zhou Qian walked towards Room 4.
Suddenly, a voice stopped him.
It was Yun Xiangrong, her voice shaky and tearful. “Zhou Qian, wait.”
Zhou Qian halted but didn’t turn around. In that moment, he seemed to guess what Yun Xiangrong would say. But with his back turned, no one could see his expression.
“If the ‘bullet hit rate is 100%’ is a compulsory setting for the level, then going into Room 4 now will be a waste of the Tick Tock Clock. This hidden achievement is optional. There are countless other levels waiting for you.”
“But Gao Shan only has one life!”
“I just tried contacting Qi Liuxing but couldn’t. Since he gave you the Tick Tock Clock…”
“I hope you use it to save Gao Shan. I beg you.”
As she spoke, Yun Xiangrong kneeled down, tears streaming down her youthful face. Her plea for her lost boyfriend touched everyone.
Especially He Xiaowei, who approached Zhou Qian. “Forget it. I can give up the hidden achievement. Just… save her boyfriend! And about that transaction, I haven’t—”
Zhou Qian cut him off, whispering in his ear, “Watch over Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong for me.”
Without further delay, Zhou Qian was about to push the door open.
He Xiaowei reached out in a desperate attempt to stop him. “Wait, you—”
But his voice was drowned out by another piercing scream—
“Zhou Qian—!!!”
Yun Xiangrong, who had never raised her voice, shouted with all her might.
But it was in vain.
With tears in her eyes, she watched Zhou Qian, who seemed ready to push the door open. Her eyes, swollen from crying and filled with hope, hurt immensely. It seemed as if her vision was clouded by blood. As her anguish reached its peak, it appeared as though her eyes were bleeding.
The blood-red haze spread, painting everything in its hue, until her vision narrowed down to Zhou Qian’s resolute back.
He never looked back.
“Zhou Qian… I hate you. I’ll hate you for the rest of my life. You’d better kill me. Let me die with Shan Ge. Otherwise, I swear. I’ll never let you go in this life. I’ll kill you!”
“It’s a pity, Yun Xiangrong. You should know that in life, things often don’t go as planned.”
After Zhou Qian finished this sentence, in Yun Xiangrong’s eyes, his action of pushing the door became infinitely slow.
That was because he activated his skill, slowing down the flow of time.
At the same moment, outside the game, in front of a phone screen.
Yu Xian became very excited because Zhou Qian was incredibly strong. He found the sensation of effortlessly winning delightful.
However, Zhu Qiang’s face suddenly turned a bit pale.
His voice somewhat parched, he said, “Lao Yu… I can’t see the description of Qian Ge’s skill. What’s going on with that time skill of his?”
Yu Xian replied, “Ah, the mana consumption of his skill is related to how much power he wants to exert. The greater the power, the faster the mana is consumed. Like when Gao Shan died earlier, Qian Ge almost made time stop completely. At that level, his mana consumption was massive! But if he just slightly slows down time, then the mana consumed will be less.”
“This skill comes with his weapon and isn’t one of his personal skills, so there isn’t much of a cooldown limitation. But then again, if he wants to maximize the power of this skill, he’ll nearly deplete all his mana. Given that, there’s actually no need to limit the cooldown… After all, if he runs out of mana, he can’t use the skill… Oh shit—!!”
“Eh?!! I just checked, and Qian Ge only has 30% of his mana left. That’s not enough to use his time-slowing skill three more times! What is he trying to do?”
Zhou Qian only had 30% mana, and it was still decreasing. If he wanted to clear the game using his stated method, he would have to enter three rooms and slow down time three times.
But given the rate at which his skill consumed mana, he simply couldn’t achieve that.
Yu Xian was stunned. “What the hell is Qian Ge trying to do? Is he tricking everyone again and pulling some strange move? This is so weird…”
“Eh, Qiang Ge? Why aren’t you speaking? Hey, why are you running to the bathroom? Do you also have diarrhea?!”
Zhu Qiang, while rushing to the bathroom, shouted back, “There was something wrong with today’s hot pot! I feel terrible… I need to go for a bit!”
Upon reaching the bathroom, Zhu Qiang quickly took out his phone and, with a trembling voice, reported Zhou Qian’s current situation to a mysterious man on the other end.
A few seconds later, inside the game, Situ Qing glanced downward and saw a message from the gambler.
But due to the slowed-down time, every word on the system panel appeared extremely slow.
So she watched the message appear, word by word: [Beware of Zhou Qian. He might be planning to kill Lu Mengmeng.]
Kinky Translations 