[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 7/23 test and handing in your papers! See you tomorrow~~]
As the world spun dizzyingly around him, Xu Wang was still reeling from the impact of the story’s conclusion. The half-truths and fabrications in their advisor’s tale had left him unable to discern what was fiction and what was truth. He wanted to believe yet feared being wrong, hopeful yet dreading a harder fall.
Wu Sheng wasn’t faring much better. Ever since he decided to narrate such a story, his heart had been unsettled. Whether right or wrong, apologies or regrets, everything between him and Xu Wang was a decade-old story; even the full stop was drawn ten years ago. Bringing up the past under the guise of the challenge seemed pointless, but he couldn’t help himself.
Wu Sheng rarely lost control, but on the few occasions he did, it always involved Xu Wang.
The Owl didn’t give them much time to hesitate. After a brief dizzy spell, reality snapped back into focus.
Two teams, ten people, stood at a subway station entrance in a bustling area of Chongqing.
It was 5 a.m., so the subway hadn’t started running yet, and only a few sanitation workers were cleaning the streets. They occasionally cast wary glances at the eleven young men gathered at the subway entrance.
Yes, eleven.
Elegant Gray, with hands in pockets, stood at the entrance, his face expressing relief as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you guys to finally appear.”
“Who won?” Elegant Gray didn’t bother with pleasantries after a night of staring blankly at each other.
Wu Sheng didn’t answer right away but looked at Xu Wang first.
Xu Wang was startled by the gaze, his heart pounding like a drum. To hide his discomfort, he quickly looked away, towards the roadside.
Wu Sheng had told himself not to have expectations, yet Xu Wang’s avoidance still made his heart sink. He looked at Elegant Gray, disheartened. “We won.”
Elegant Gray had never seen such a dispirited victor.
He thought they must have gone through a tough battle.
“This is only the seventh level,” Zhao Yukun remarked, pulling up his zipper. “The journey ahead is still long.”
Wu Sheng, already feeling heavy-hearted, glanced coldly at him. “If I were you, I’d pray we never meet again.”
Zhao Yukun expected a follow-up, something like “you’d lose even worse next time” or “I won’t hold back next time”. But he had to maintain his composure and wait for Wu Sheng’s next words with a slight smile.
Wu Sheng, thinking he had said enough, waited for Zhao Yukun to back down or challenge him again.
In the morning breeze of Chongqing, they waited for each other.
The air suddenly went quiet.
The other nine people: “……”
Elegant Gray finally understood why the battle took so long to finish after his departure. With these two’s way of communicating, a story could stall indefinitely.
Xu Wang and Le Xing couldn’t take it anymore. One was eager to go home to reminisce about youth and first love, and the other to gather experiences for future battles.
Xu Wang stepped forward, completing Wu Sheng’s thought. “If I were you, I’d pray we never meet again. Losing once might be bad luck, but twice leaves no excuses.”
Le Xing pulled Zhao Yukun back and stepped forward. “Words are meaningless. Let’s see who has the last laugh.”
With the “threats” exchanged, Le Xing decisively turned and led his team away.
Xu Wang turned around, not addressing the suddenly downcast Wu Sheng but instead focusing on the perplexed Elegant Gray. “What exactly are you waiting for here?”
“Waiting for what?” Elegant Gray was struck by the question, feeling a sense of loss. “I’m waiting for the conclusion!”
Not only Xu Wang, but also Kuang Jinxin, Chi Yingxue, and Qian Ai were stunned. They thought the story relay wasn’t the main point.
Elegant Gray asked Wu Sheng directly, “What happened to B and C in the end?”
Wu Sheng quietly answered truthfully after a pause, “They both died.”
Elegant Gray: “……”
Kuang Jinxin, sensing Elegant Gray’s genuine interest in the plot, sympathetically added, “But C left behind a strand of hair.”
Elegant Gray: “A… hair?”
Elegant Gray was baffled, wondering what magical twists the story had taken after his departure.
“And then?” he inquired.
Kuang Jinxin explained, “The hair and the diary’s ashes were blown away by the wind.”
Elegant Gray: “……”
He thought he would see sunny days but was then struck by thunderbolts.
Getting emotionally invested in a story could be risky. Elegant Gray’s expression had turned as gray as his clothes.
Xu Wang, feeling a bit guilty as if he had contributed to the torment, quickly changed the subject. “By the way, why are you alone? What about Wine Red, Sky Blue, Deep Purple, and Bright Orange?”
After a moment of confusion, Elegant Gray realized he was asking about his teammates.
Pointing towards a 24-hour McDonald’s across the street, he said, “They’re sitting there.”
Xu Wang was quite touched. “After a whole night of struggle, they still waited for the team captain to get his conclusion. That’s dedication.”
“It’s not just for that,” Elegant Gray said earnestly, pulling out his phone. He looked at Xu Wang and then at Wu Sheng. “Let’s add each other on WeChat. We can share any new information in the future.”
Wu Sheng and Xu Wang remained silent.
“In the same challenge, we are opponents, but for the most part, we’re brothers in adversity,” Elegant Gray said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Who would believe me if I told them we were summoned by an owl’s call into real-life challenges? Even if they did, they’d forget it the next day.”
“It’s hard to build trust in a competitive environment,” Xu Wang commented, pulling out his phone to open WeChat.
In a competitive environment, trust is difficult but always more desirable than caution.
“You don’t even get a chance to speak,” Elegant Gray remarked, scanning the QR code to add Xu Wang.
“Right, just thinking about it gives me a headache, and then it clears out your [Stationery Box],” Xu Wang said, accepting the friend request. A new friend appeared on his list.
Elegant Gray pocketed his phone and looked at Xu Wang. “That Owl is no good.”
Xu Wang nodded vigorously. “Utterly heartless.”
Quick friendships are formed not only through “mutual affinity” but also through “common complaints”.
Watching Elegant Gray’s figure disappear into the McDonald’s, the five companions hailed two cabs to a nearby hotel.
Five people, three standard rooms.
When distributing room cards, Qian Ai took one with Kuang Jinxin. “We’re not changing the lineup.”
Chi Yingxue glanced at them and stretched his hand towards Xu Wang, who was distributing the cards, with a light smile. “I count as two, perfect for a single room.”
With everyone sorted, Xu Wang had no objections.
After receiving their room cards, each headed to their room. As Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were about to close their door, Kuang Jinxin came over from next door.
At that moment, Qian Ai and Chi Yingxue had already entered their rooms, and the corridor was eerily quiet. Kuang Jinxin stood at the door, asking to borrow a first-aid kit.
Xu Wang looked at him with concern. “Are you hurt?”
“It’s Chi Yingxue,” Kuang Jinxin replied. “On the taxi ride back, I noticed blood on his shoes.”
“Is it serious?”
“I don’t know.”
“If it’s serious, you must tell me. Some injuries can’t be dealt with alone and need to go to a hospital.”
Chi Yingxue’s demeanor had been normal throughout the journey. If it were anyone else, Xu Wang would have assumed it was a minor injury, but he couldn’t be so sure with Chi Yingxue.
This new teammate’s tolerance for pain was even more terrifying than his combat skills.
“Don’t worry, Captain,” Kuang Jinxin assured, nodding vigorously. “If he doesn’t listen, I’ll call you for help.”
Xu Wang chuckled, finding the description “doesn’t listen” surprisingly fitting for Chi Yingxue.
……
“Knock, knock.”
The hotel’s door was thick, making the knocking sound deep.
Kuang Jinxin waited for a moment with no response. Just as he raised his head to knock again, the door opened without warning.
Chi Yingxue was still in the same clothes as when he entered the level, having only removed his jacket. Now he was in a dark T-shirt, but because the T-shirt and jacket were almost the same deep shade, looking indistinguishable at first glance.
“Something wrong?” Chi Yingxue asked, seeing the first-aid kit in Kuang Jinxin’s arms.
Kuang Jinxin lowered his eyes, pointing out. “Your pant leg is wet.”
Chi Yingxue looked down. Indeed, the pant leg was darker than the rest. It wasn’t just wet—it was blood, but the dark color of the pants made it hard to see the bloodstain.
However, on the light-colored shoes, whether it was water or blood was obvious.
“You’ve learned to beat around the bush,” Chi Yingxue commented, taking the first-aid kit and letting Kuang Jinxin in.
He wasn’t concerned about such a wound, but with a medic at the door, he had no reason to turn him away.
“It’s not beating around the bush. It’s being upset,” Kuang Jinxin candidly assessed his own approach.
Chi Yingxue placed his injured foot on a chair, pulled up his pant leg, and revealed a ring of coagulated blood around his ankle. The wound was obscured.
He cleaned the wound with alcohol swabs; his movements were quick and adept, showing no sign of pain. He even had the leisure to ask Kuang Jinxin curiously, “What are you upset about?”
Kuang Jinxin frowned deeply. “You’re reckless in fights.”
Chi Yingxue chuckled, half-jokingly, half-seriously asking, “To survive, one must fight hard, right? How else can you win?”
Kuang Jinxin was immune to his smile. “You don’t just want to win. You enjoy taking risks.”
Chi Yingxue laughed out loud, not arguing, just enjoying the discovery that a grumpy Kuang Jinxin was much more interesting than usual.
As the blood was cleaned off, he threw the swab in the trash, then applied medicine and bandaged the wound.
Kuang Jinxin finally saw it was a jagged wound, like a bite, but not as deep after cleaning the blood.
“You said he’s afraid of pain,” Kuang Jinxin suddenly said.
Chi Yingxue paused, holding the gauze, and looked up.
Kuang Jinxin asked quietly, “Does he call you out to bear it every time it hurts?”
Chi Yingxue’s eyes, calm as water, revealed no emotion. “What if he does?”
Kuang Jinxin didn’t hesitate. “He shouldn’t treat you that way.”
“Maybe,” Chi Yingxue mused. “It’s me getting hurt on purpose, using pain to keep him from coming out.”
Kuang Jinxin frowned slightly. “You shouldn’t do that to him either.”
Chi Yingxue smiled, the warmth reaching his eyes yet tinged with a cool detachment. “Your loyalty doesn’t come cheap.”
“You always want me to take your side,” Kuang Jinxin was astute, “but it’s always you speaking—he never gets to.”
“Want to talk to him?” Chi Yingxue lowered his head and focused on wrapping the gauze. His voice was light but cold.
“I want you both to avoid getting hurt,” Kuang Jinxin said.
The word “both” sounded grating to Chi Yingxue. He finished the bandaging in silence and looked up, suddenly gripping Kuang Jinxin’s wrist tightly and pulling him close.
Nose to nose, eye to eye, in close proximity, he solemnly declared ownership for the first time. “I applied to join the team, so it’s me who is your teammate.”
Having finished speaking, Wu Sheng turned his attention back to his ending card, preparing to put his own final touch on this tumultuous story.
However, before he could speak, the ending card opened by itself.
Wu Sheng: Ending Card — [This is His Last Word Left Behind]
Simultaneously, Zhao Yukan’s ending card also revealed itself — [A Heavy Rain Washed Away All the Evil]
Both competitors raised their eyes warily, meeting each other’s gaze, catching a similar surprise in each other’s eyes.
Above the game room and the storyline, a voice sounded simultaneously—
[Before any narrator recounts their ending card, they must go through a team battle with the spectators. Winning allows the narration of the ending card; losing hands over the storytelling to the winning spectator team. For fairness, all narrators’ ending cards will be revealed immediately.]
Spectators?
Team battle?
Wu Sheng frowned unconsciously, while Zhao Yukan’s displeased expression relaxed.
“You should have given your victory speech after the ending card is played.” He chuckled lightly. “Otherwise, it’s easy to end up in an awkward situation like now.”
Wu Sheng’s frown deepened, and after a long sigh, he said with a heavy heart, “I only prepared one victory speech. What should I say if I win again?”
Zhao Yukan: “……”
In the game room, Advisor Wu was worried about his upcoming “second victory speech”.
In the storyline, Captain Xu’s optimism was more concrete. First, he had confidence in his three teammates; second, since a team battle was required to narrate the ending, it meant that even if they lost this battle, when it was Zhao Yukan’s turn to finish his story cards and narrate his ending card, another team battle would ensue, giving them another chance to seize back control.
Having thought this through, Xu Wang, in his heart, silently conveyed a captain’s reminder to his teammates in the spectator room—Relax. You can do it.
The spectator room.
There was none of the relaxation that Captain Xu hoped for.
Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin, who had been watching through the live broadcast wall, were aware of their advisor’s victory and had already celebrated when they were suddenly cued, one stunned on the spot, the other frantically flipping through something.
Chi Yingxue, who was almost asleep in the corner, initially didn’t listen to what was said from the ceiling until Kuang Jinxin checked his arm and waved his hand in front of him, saying, “Hey, there’s a team battle now…”
Chi Yingxue was momentarily stunned. When he finally understood, the lethargy in his eyes disappeared instantly.
Is this what it means to be possessed in an instant?
Is this what it means to be fully ignited with fighting spirit?
There was no need to imagine, since he could tell just by looking at Chi Yingxue at this moment.
By contrast, Zhao Yukan’s team in the other corner of the spectator room had a much simpler mindset.
With a sudden chance to turn the tables in a seemingly hopeless situation, they naturally wanted to seize it. Whether they could return the humiliation their narrator received, with interest, depended on this battle.
[Team battle duration: 10 minutes. The team with the most remaining spectators on the battlefield wins; if the number is the same, the right to narrate remains unchanged.]
[Narrator 2’s team, you have the right to choose the battlefield. Please enter your chosen battlefield within 2 minutes.]
As the prompt sounded, three doors of light and shadow fell in front of Qian, Kuang, and Chi, each showing a different landscape.
Door 1: School Basement
Door 2: School Back Mountain with a Dry Well
Door 3: Detective C’s Bedroom
Chi Yingxue had no preference for the battlefield, as long as he could fight, so he naturally waited for the other two to make a choice, ready to follow them through the door.
But his two companions, after whispering for a long time, couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Chi Yingxue was getting impatient, but he didn’t show it on his face. When he turned to look at his teammates, he still had a gentle smile.
The two, feeling his gaze, looked up at him simultaneously.
Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow—?
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai stared wide-eyed—!
Chi Yingxue: “……”
A hopeless Qian Ai rolled his eyes, while Kuang Jinxin decisively gave up on eye contact and reached out to pull him over.
This sudden movement caught Chi Yingxue off guard, and instinctively, he grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s wrist fiercely!
Kuang Jinxin flinched in pain, enduring without making a sound, just staring at Chi Yingxue with big, puzzled eyes.
“Sorry.” Chi Yingxue immediately let go, apologizing with a smile. “It was a reflex.”
Qian Ai was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but say, “You really are always battle-ready.”
Kuang Jinxin glanced at the countdown for choosing the battlefield. There were only 40 seconds left, and without wasting more time, leaned closer to his two companions, using the cover of their bodies to quietly lift his arm, the one grabbed by Chi Yingxue, and open the badge handbook.
The badge hint for 7/23 was — Road.
Even in the enclosed spectator room, soft sounds could be heard clearly by the other team, so Kuang Jinxin didn’t speak but just pointed at the badge hint, then at himself, and then looked at them with questioning eyes—Do you understand?
Qian Ai immediately nodded, understanding that Kuang Jinxin was responsible for solving the badge, while he and Chi Yingxue were responsible for the battle. It was obvious, and if they didn’t understand that, they might as well say goodbye to progressing.
Chi Yingxue also realized what was happening but found this way of communicating with glances a bit silly…
Still don’t understand?—Kuang Jinxin, not receiving a response from Teammate Chi, frowned in worry.
Give up. Not everyone is as smart as your Qian Ge here.—Qian Ai patted Kuang Jinxin’s shoulder, slowly shaking his head.
Chi Yingxue: “…I understand.”
Jing Jinglin, Fu Zai, and Dong Xi, who were watching the whole process: “……”
They couldn’t understand what the other team was discussing, but they could see the disjointed rapport between them.
The three teammates finally chose the School Back Mountain. The badge hint was “Road”, and the classroom and bedroom felt somewhat distant from this hint.
As they walked through Door 2, Kuang Jinxin finally had a chance to whisper to Chi Yingxue. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you without warning. I’ll be careful in the future.”
It wasn’t sarcastic or a disguised complaint, but a sincere acknowledgment of his own recklessness.
Chi Yingxue was momentarily taken aback.
Until the cool breeze of the School Back Mountain hit his face.
Kuang Jinxin’s wrist was already red. Chi Yingxue knew his own strength. By tomorrow, the red would turn into a bruise.
[Owl: Someone has used [(Illusory) Death Choir] on you~~]
The sudden prompt in his ear finally brought Chi Yingxue back to reality.
Only Qian Ai remained by his side, as Kuang Jinxin had already run towards the “mountain path” behind them, and on the opposite side were three opponents who had already made their move without uttering a word.
“Launching a sneak attack right away, how despicable!” Qian Ai protested while searching his [Stationary Box], only to remember after a few seconds. “Oh shit, [(Defense) Ignorance of Worldly Affairs*] is Wu Sheng’s!”
*Don’t hear what’s outside the window (两耳不闻窗外事) Proverb referring to not caring about social matters or worldly affairs.
Blaming his memorization of tactics for going too far, Qian Ai now had all his team’s stationery jumbled in his mind.
“I’m using stationery openly and honestly. How is that a sneak attack?” The user of the illusory stationery, the tall and burly Fu Zai, looked exasperated.
“Instead of talking, you should focus on controlling the stationery.” Jing Jinglin’s calm voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Fu Zai shrugged and fell silent, concentrating intently.
Soon, Chi Yingxue, Qian Ai, and even Kuang Jinxin, who had run far away, simultaneously heard an extremely fine, nerve-wracking ringing in their ears, followed by the sound of children singing hymns.
Amidst the holy choir, everything in the three’s vision began to fade and turn white…
These guys were trying to end the battle with just one stationery!
Qian Ai gritted his teeth, tensing his nerves, and shouted to Kuang Jinxin, who had already stopped in the distance. “Don’t listen—”
Kuang Jinxin immediately covered his ears.
At the same time, Chi Yingxue had already locked onto Fu Zai, the user of the illusion stationery, and, with a dangerous squint, charged at him unexpectedly!
Fu Zai was startled and reflexively stepped back, almost stumbling!
The children’s hymn paused for a moment due to this interruption.
However, Chi Yingxue ultimately didn’t reach Fu Zai.
His body slammed hard against an invisible, transparent barrier right in front of Fu Zai.
“Bang—” the sound was so loud that even Qian Ai felt the pain.
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) A Step Away] on you~~]
The notification for the defense stationery came too late.
It wasn’t used by Fu Zai.
Chi Yingxue turned to look at the other two opponents.
Jing Jinglin lowered his arm, his eyes carrying a mix of confusion and amusement. “This is a stationery battle. You didn’t think it was like a street fight where bravery and ferocity would suffice, did you?”
Chi Yingxue stared at him, his expression and gaze calming down.
But this calmness somehow felt even more oppressive.
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusion) Death Melody] on you~~]
Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi, and Fu Zai all heard a voice at the same time.
Chi Yingxue couldn’t hear it but clearly saw the change in their expressions.
“Xiao Xue,” Qian Ai called from behind, offering strong support. “They have [Death Choir], and I have [Death Melody]. Let’s see who can’t hold out first. You just go for it—”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
This [Death Melody] was supposed to complement Plan V in the advisor’s tactical playbook, but the team battle came so suddenly that Qian Ai had no choice but to use it as a desperate countermeasure.
However, even though the illusory stationery was used, and the opponents heard the notification, no sound other than the mountain wind echoed in the air.
Chi Yingxue, Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Jing Jinglin, Fu Zai, Dong Xi: “……”
[Death Melody]… Where’s the melody?!
Fu Zai was the first to regain his composure and quickly focused his attention!
The [Death Choir] started again.
Qian Ai was sweating, having already established a connection with his stationery. Why couldn’t he activate it?
Chi Yingxue watched him silently, experiencing mixed feelings for the first time about relying on someone else’s assistance.
Finally, Qian Ai broke through the last barrier in communicating with his stationery, grasping its full essence…
“Fuck me—”
Qian Ai let out a near-breakdown shout, then resignedly took a breath and began to sing, his melody rich in fragrance spreading across the entire back mountain of the school.
“Oily noodles in a bite, trembling with flavor~~ Spinach noodles, full of nutrition, absolutely beefy~~ Belt noodles, thick and challenging, test your throat~~ Biangbiang noodles with meat, truly acrobatic~~ Soup noodles, remember to wipe your mouth~~ Qishan noodles with many whistles, historically rich~~ Garlic dipped noodles, a bit spicy, watch your tongue~~ Fried sauce noodles, just a bit, can’t eat them, we’ll take them home…*”
*These lyrics are from the rap song “Shaanxi Food” by Black Head.
Each note, following his roaring singing style, assailed Jing Jinglin and the others.
Unlike the “painless death” of [Death Choir], the pain brought by [Death Melody] was direct and intense.
In this pain, there was also disbelief: “They can use stationery like this?!” The anti-human shock of this approach perhaps was even more tormenting than the [Death Melody] itself.
No, even Chi Yingxue, who was unaffected, was taking deep breaths under Qian Ai’s “singing” to calm his emotions.
Only Kuang Jinxin was immune, having heard the song on 2/23 when Qian Ai learned it for a live broadcast of Shaanxi cuisine. He, the captain and advisor, had already experienced the live concert that day; a replay today was basically harmless.
But while his teammate was bearing the brunt of the battle, he, on his part, had gained nothing, which was the most distressing thing.
The mountain path was the only way, and looking down, he could see halfway up the mountain, but since entering, where was the promised glimmer? All he saw were weeds over a foot tall, swaying with the wind.
On the other side, [Death Choir] and [Death Melody] were in a deadlock, one with strong penetrating power and the other with astonishing explosive power, interfering with each other, neither able to get the upper hand.
In the midst of the standoff, the sky suddenly darkened.
Countless huge, colorful cakes and desserts densely filled the entire sky!
Qian Ai looked hungry… Uh, no, he was stunned.
Jing Jinglin and the others were also dumbfounded and still bewildered when they heard the notification in their ears—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Romantic Afternoon Tea] on you~~]
Before the voice faded, a rich chocolate cake was falling straight towards the three of them!
Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi, and Fu Zai scattered, and as the chocolate cake hit the ground, the chocolate sauce splattered, filling the air with its rich aroma!
Qian Ai used the greatest willpower of his life to resist the sweet temptation and seized the opportunity to dash forward, reaching Fu Zai, firmly grabbing the collar of this “[Death Choir] initiator” hanging over the team’s heads!
Fu Zai’s breath hitched, not yet reacting, only to hear Qian Ai sigh. “Let’s do this.”
…Do what?!
Before he could voice his question, his body suddenly shot upwards like a rocket, soaring at high speed!
Soaring along with him was Qian Ai, who was holding onto his collar!
The immense pressure of the rapid ascent made Fu Zai’s heart uncomfortably tight. Just as he was getting used to it, their bodies, having ascended high, abruptly stopped and then, without any warning, started plummeting down!
Falling along with him was still Qian Ai, who clung to his collar.
His heart, which had just felt the pressure, now shattered into pieces with the sudden sensation of weightlessness.
Just as they were about to hit the ground, they ascended again for the second time. Fu Zai finally heard the delayed notification—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Gemini Jumping Machine] on you~~]
If he wanted to use a melody to send his opponent home, he had to sing it himself.
If he wanted to use a [Jumping Machine] to subdue his opponent, he had to “enjoy” it together.
“Do you fucking have any stationery that won’t hurt yourself?!” Fu Zai, who had soared up high for who knows how many times, finally exploded.
Qian Ai, who was fiercely gripping Fu Zia, had already adapted to the up-and-down battle style. When he heard these words, he felt a warmth in his heart. “Even now, you sympathize with me?”
Before Fu Zai could say more, he choked on a mouthful of wind, coughing as if he wanted to die.
There was no more chance to scream his heart out to make the opponent understand—he was afraid that using such stationery for too long would bring bad luck!
While the Gemini stars “ascended to heaven and descended to earth”, on the other side, Chi Yingxue had turned the school back mountain into a tray for afternoon tea.
Chocolate cakes smashed on the ground, cream cakes hit the bushes, doughnuts hung on tree branches, macarons clogged the well, Danish pastries and sandwiches suffocated Dong Xi, and coffee and tea were chasing Jing Jinglin.
Chi Yingxue closed his eyes and then opened them again. Just as Dong Xi was pulling apart a sandwich above his head, a huge sugar cube appeared above him.
Dong Xi, shrouded in shadow, tried to run, but it was too late.
The sugar cube smashed down, shattering and scattering sugar grains!
Chi Yingxue turned to look at Jing Jinglin, who had run away. Somehow, he had managed to turn the two giant cups chasing him into a pile of fragments. Now, he was approaching Kuang Jinxin, who was still focused on searching!
Chi Yingxue, without hesitation, turned to go towards Kuang Jinxin.
After just one step, he heard a “click” of metal clasping together.
Pain shot through his ankle and spread through his entire body.
Chi Yingxue looked down to see a bear trap.
“[(Defense) Hidden Bear Trap].” Dong Xi, whose head emerged from the hollowed-out sugar cube, explained seriously. “You move too fast. While you have the advantage of strong combat ability, you lack good defense. Because of your speed, you don’t have time to think too much and are more likely to fall into traps.”
As Dong Xi finished speaking, he felt warmth above his head, like something hot had landed on it.
He looked up to see a half-warm syrup pouring down!
How can this be? The opponent, instead of freeing himself from the bear trap, attacked him first?!
Before Dong Xi could understand, he was completely drenched in the thick syrup, encased within the sugar cube.
On the verge of suffocation, he was forcibly removed from the battlefield and sent back to the spectator room.
At the moment the syrup poured down, Chi Yingxue bent over and forcibly pried open the [Bear Trap].
As if certain that the opponent had no more ability to counterattack, he discarded the [Bear Trap] and didn’t even glance at the sugar cube, immediately heading towards Kuang Jinxin.
His speed showed no signs of the deep bite marks the metal teeth had left on his ankle just moments ago.
[“I’ll handle that burly guy. Can you take care of the other two?”]
This was what Qian Ai had asked Chi Yingxue before “taking the opponent to heaven”.
Chi Yingxue’s answer was, “I can.”
When Kuang Jinxin heard the sound of footsteps crushing the grass behind him, he knew the situation was bad. He turned around while simultaneously activating [(Defense) Slippery Feet*] that he had prepared earlier.
*To apply oil to the soles of one’s feet (脚底抹油) Idiom referring to quickly removing oneself from an undesirable situation (AKA cut and run).
Jing Jinglin was only a few steps away from him, yet he unexpectedly slipped and fell hard.
He could have attacked from a distance with his stationery, but he wanted to see what this guy, who had been hands-off since the start of the battle, was actually looking for!
Kuang Jinxin stepped back a few paces to regain distance and observed the battlefield for the first time.
To the front left, Qian Ai was grappling with a classmate, flying through the air and diving into the ground. To the front right, Chi Yingxue was confronting… a sugar cube?
Jing Jinglin steadied himself, pondered for a moment, and sincerely advised, “There’s nothing here for you. Don’t waste your effort.”
Kuang Jinxin stared into his eyes and, after a pause, said, “You’re trying to trick me.”
Jing Jinglin was taken aback by his astuteness.
Kuang Jinxin remained silent, just standing there, staring at him.
Jing Jinglin felt uncomfortably scrutinized, as if under direct sunlight, and frowned. “What exactly are you looking for?”
After hesitating for a while, just as Jing Jinglin was growing impatient, Kuang Jinxin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense body easing.
“I’m waiting to see when my teammates will arrive.”
Jing Jinglin’s heart sank, and he quickly turned around, but it was already too late.
Chi Yingxue leaped at him, pinning him down with one hand on his wrist and the other on his shoulder, then exerted force!
Jing Jinglin felt intense pain as his arm with the owl tattoo was forcibly dislocated. Cold sweat immediately drenched his forehead!
He raised his other arm, attempting to counterattack, but as soon as he moved, it was also seized, giving him no chance to negotiate. With a soft “click”, that arm was rendered useless as well.
“If you can’t behave, I’ll make you.” Chi Yingxue said with a smile, adding regretfully, “Actually, you should be thankful this isn’t a street fight,” and gestured towards Jing Jinglin’s abdomen, “or else I wouldn’t just dislocate your arm. I’d stab you with a spring knife.”
Jing Jinglin felt a chill watching his smile and felt a coldness seeping into his bones.
Kuang Jinxin didn’t hear their conversation and focused entirely on the badge.
His task was to find the badge, so he didn’t engage with Jing Jinglin, just waiting for his teammate’s support.
But even as his teammate arrived, he still had no leads on the badge!
Time was running out, and he needed a new strategy quickly!
Opening his [Stationery Box], he pressed on an icon—[(Offense) Wind Sweeps the Grass]
Instantly, a fierce wind blew, making it nearly impossible to open one’s eyes!
In the wind, all the weeds fell, and the remnants of [Afternoon Tea] were blown away, leaving the hill in a state of wind-swept bareness.
With the weeds down, everything hidden became more apparent.
Aside from the stepped mountain path, there was an extremely narrow, hidden dirt path, just wide enough for one foot, surrounded by dense weeds, invisible without the wind.
The moment the path was revealed, a glint of light flashed.
Kuang Jinxin dashed down the path, not daring to even blink. He rushed to where the light vanished and waited with bated breath.
A few seconds later, the light reappeared.
Kuang Jinxin, quick as lightning, grabbed it!
[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 7/23 Story Badge!]
In both the game room and the plot room, a “ding” sounded, unaware of the happenings on the battlefield.
Zhao Yukun and Le Xing’s first thought was that the battle had concluded, but they soon realized that the prompt was only for the opponent, not for themselves.
After reading the message, Wu Sheng smiled wryly.
Zhao Yukun fell silent.
After reading the message, Xu Wang, overwhelmed by this unexpected joy, praised from afar. “Well done! Captain loves you! Mwah—”
“……” Le Xing shuddered, suddenly realizing the long road ahead in his leadership role.
On the team battlefield, Kuang Jinxin, Chi Yingxue, and even Qian Ai, who was still in the [Jumping Machine], felt an inexplicable chill behind their ears.
The 10-minute battle time ended.
The five remaining participants were simultaneously transported back to the observation room.
Fu Zai, gasping for air, lay down immediately upon landing.
Qian Ai was also exhausted, panting heavily.
Dong Xi, who returned earlier, rushed to Jing Jinglin’s side, concernedly asking, “What happened?”
Jing Jinglin looked pale and sweaty.
Kuang Jinxin looked at Chi Yingxue.
Chi Yingxue looked back innocently.
Kuang Jinxin frowned.
Chi Yingxue feigned confusion.
Kuang Jinxin sighed. “It looks painful.”
Chi Yingxue “……”
Shrugging, he turned to help Jing Jinglin fix his arm that had been dislocated, as his teammate suggested.
But as soon as he reached out, Dong Xi swatted his hand away. “No need!”
Chi Yingxue happily retreated.
Kuang Jinxin, feeling somewhat embarrassed, smiled sheepishly at Chi Yingxue, as if realizing he was being meddlesome.
Meanwhile, Dong Xi used an illusory stationery to heal Jing Jinglin’s arm.
On the other hand, Chi Yingxue curiously asked, “Aren’t you angry?”
Kuang Jinxin was puzzled. “Angry about what?”
Chi Yingxue chuckled. “You rallied me for so long, but when I went, he didn’t appreciate it.”
Kuang Jinxin laughed, genuinely unconcerned. “I wanted you to help him with his arm. Now that it’s fixed, it’s all good.”
Fu Zai, recovering from the aftereffects of the [Jumping Machine], grumbled, “If it were five against five, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Qian Ai retorted, “Five on five? Our captain and advisor will show you the sky is red, and the flowers are blue in three minutes!”
“……” Wait a minute. Fu Zai was confused. What colors are the sky and the flowers?
[Observer Team Battle, Team 2 wins. Narrator 2, please conclude your story.]
The announcement in the three spaces marked the end of the tabletop battle.
Xu Wang on the playground unconsciously held his breath, not affecting the sound from above.
In the game room, Wu Sheng sighed to Zhao Yukun. “You think too highly of yourself and too little of others.”
Zhao Yukun replied, “…If you have no new victory speech, you could choose to stay silent.”
Repeating the old, what a move!
Wu Sheng looked at his ending card [These are his last words] and, after a moment, spoke quietly—
“The diary was destroyed, and all involved, A, B, C, D, vanished with it. Everything turned into a small pile of ashes under the second tree on the campus, unknown to anyone. Even the last hair of C was in the ashes. When the wind blew, the ashes scattered, and the hair disappeared…”
“If there’s another fool like me on this campus, remember, before you push someone away, don’t rush. Think for one more second, and you might realize that what you really want to do is not to push away but to hold tight. These are his last words.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Honestly, this is probably my favorite instance of this novel. Such a unique way to confess! I’m rooting for your Wu Sheng!
Just a note: While some stationeries are idioms and their meaning is explained, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the effect reflects the meaning of the idiom. Like in the case of [Slippery Feet], the actual literal text was the effect.
This is probably why many of the teams they encounter don’t like using idiomatic stationery (as their meaning and effects vary greatly—they don’t know whether it’s the literal text or metaphorical meaning that will take effect).
Wu Sheng only had one interruption card left, and after this interruption, Zhao Yukan was also left with just one. However, the right to narrate was currently with Zhao Yukan, putting Wu Sheng in a clearly passive position…
Xu Wang was calculating the situation in the game room, worried for his advisor, when he heard from above—
“To burn the tree, ordinary fire won’t work. It must be the Returning to the West candle…”
Xu Wang felt a chill down his neck and looked at Le Xing somewhat speechlessly. “As soon as your team starts, the atmosphere immediately turns creepy.”
“Your team’s storyline is the scary one…” Le Xing couldn’t help but recall those “tender feelings”, which made it hard to describe his mood. He really preferred ghost stories.
“The ‘Returning to the West’ candle is in a dry well behind the school…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 9 — [Dry Well]
As soon as he finished speaking, the playground where Xu Wang and Le Xing were turned into a desolate wilderness.
“Optimistic Classmate B approached the well, looked down into it, and was suddenly pushed in by Melancholic Boy A. It turned out A’s ghost was being controlled by Xiao Wang…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 10 — [Control]
Xu Wang: “……”
Le Xing: “Sorry about this.”
Xu Wang: “No need for you to push. I’ll jump myself!”
Le Xing: “That wouldn’t fit the plot.”
Xu Wang: “Then just give a symbolic push, and I’ll cooperate, okay…”
Perhaps feeling that the plot was too tragic for Optimistic Classmate B, Le Xing did give a symbolic push.
Xu Wang immediately let out an “Ahhh—” and very cooperatively… jumped into the well.
Of course, he jumped feet first. Fortunately, the well wasn’t too deep, and the soil at the bottom was soft enough. Xu Wang landed without much harm, except for a slight numbness in his legs.
Wait a second.
Xu Wang looked around in the dark well and suddenly realized something was off.
They came to the dry well to find the ‘Returning to the West’ candle. If Xiao Wang didn’t want him to find it, why push him into the well? Wasn’t this bringing him closer to the candle…
“Boy A, possessed, threw a huge rock into the well, attempting to crush Optimistic Classmate B to death…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 11 — [Crushed to Death]
Xu Wang: “……”
Great, now he knew why he was pushed in.
The only light source from above was blocked by the giant rock. Xu Wang looked up, and the dust brought by the rock fell on his face.
He spat out the dust twice, waiting for the plot to unfold.
The worst outcome would be getting crushed to death and then returning to the dark room. Thinking about it, it didn’t seem too bad.
“The moment the rock was about to hit, Optimistic Classmate B blew away the second strand of hair, and the rock suddenly turned into powder, which flew back out of the well, trapping A’s ghost. B quickly dug out the Returning to the West candle from the mud, and while A was trapped, climbed out of the dry well and escaped back to the school…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 12 — [Mud]
Xu Wang climbed out of the well; his face covered in dirt. The wilderness and Boy A vanished, replaced by the school playground.
He returned, holding the Returning to the West candle.
Regardless of how the plot progressed, his situation was manageable. The worst outcome was just putting up a tough fight.
The real battle, however, was happening on Wu Sheng’s side—a war without smoke.
Zhao Yukan was left with only 3 story cards, holding 1 interrupt card, 1 exchange card, and 1 ending card.
Wu Sheng had 4 story cards remaining: 1 interrupt card, 1 exchange card, and 1 ending card.
And now, with the narration still in Zhao Yukan’s hands, Xu Wang couldn’t help but feel that the situation was very, very unfavorable for his advisor!
“Interrupt.” Wu Sheng spoke calmly, but beneath the calmness, there was a hint of seriousness.
Xu Wang’s heart skipped a beat.
Wu Sheng is conceited and proud, always effortless and composed in the face of any difficulty. Seeing Wu Sheng under such pressure was rare and inexplicably heart-wrenching.
After using his interrupt card, Wu Sheng didn’t immediately continue the story but instead said to Zhao Yukan, “There must be countless ways for you to stop the stone from falling, not necessarily by using the second strand of hair.”
Zhao Yukan replied, “You’re so sentimental. Even when everything is lost, you still leave three ways to escape, three ‘possible extensions of the storyline.’ Of course, the sooner they are used, the more peace of mind.”
Wu Sheng said, “Then you might as well blow away the remaining two strands of hair at once. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Zhao Yukan was nonchalant. “Haste makes waste. One must consider the logic of the story.”
After a brief silence.
Zhao Yukan’s voice came from above the playground again. “This is your last interrupt card.” He sighed lightly, as if regretting. “From the moment you used this card, no, from the moment you used your second interrupt card before me, you had already lost.”
Xu Wang didn’t like Zhao Yukan’s show-off attitude.
But he had to admit, it was the truth.
Wu Sheng, with his last interrupt card, gained the right to narrate. But could he play all four of his remaining story cards in this round? Even if he could, Zhao Yukan wouldn’t let him.
He would surely use his last interrupt card to take back the right to narrate.
By then, Wu Sheng, without any interrupt cards, willing or not, would have to quietly listen to Zhao Yukan finish the story.
The only chance for a turnaround was “if Zhao Yukan’s ending card doesn’t match or make sense with the previous story.”
But Xu Wang didn’t believe Zhao Yukan would give him that opportunity.
Above, Zhao Yukan was still “kindly” advising Wu Sheng. “Of course, you still have your last exchange card, feel free to use it. But whatever you swap with me, I can handle it.”
Wu Sheng laughed, seemingly forcing a smile, but his words were not conceding. “My love story is going well, holding a perfect happy ending card. I wouldn’t exchange it for all the gold and silver in the world, let alone for your ghost card?”
“Alright, continue. I’m all ears.” Zhao Yukan’s voice carried the magnanimity of certain victory.
Xu Wang clenched his fists, wishing he could overturn the table.
The usually competitive Wu Sheng, however, seemed completely unaffected by the provocation. When he spoke again, it was to continue the story line—
“Optimistic Classmate B returned to the tree, about to light the ‘Returning to the West’ candle, when the six ghost boys ran over to stop him. It turned out they had just found out that those cursed by the diary have their souls bound to it. Burning the diary would also annihilate them…”
“They pleaded with Classmate B not to burn the tree, to persuade and convince Xiao Wang to let go of his hatred, like many TV drama endings, where the villain repents, and the curse is directly lifted. The souls trapped by resentment would also be freed, and everyone would be happy…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 12 — [TV Drama]
“B refused. He told the six ghosts that not everything can be forgiven with an apology. A killed D; can D accept just an apology from A? C hurt B; can B forgive C with just an apology?”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 13 — [Apology]
“Yes, you didn’t kill Xiao Wang, only roughed him up a bit. A passed the letter to D, seeking peace of mind. C pushed away B, which was just instinct. But the more ‘unaware of their wrongdoing’ people are, the crueler their actions. They don’t realize they’re doing wrong, so their evil is weightless and more hurtful. This is innocent cruelty. But innocence is not an umbrella for cruelty. Xiao Wang doesn’t have to forgive you, D doesn’t have to forgive A, and B doesn’t have to forgive C. Those who do wrong should be remembered for their deeds…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 14 — [Innocent Cruelty]
Under the big tree on the playground, Le Xing frowned at Xu Wang. “Did your narrator… do something against his conscience?”
Otherwise, he couldn’t explain the heavy sense of remorse in his tone!
Xu Wang swallowed hard, his mind in turmoil, with no time to pay attention to Le Xing.
Was this a way of apologizing to him through the story? From the initial regret to now not needing forgiveness, were all these messages for him?
If so… could he not speak on behalf of those involved? Who would hold a grudge for a push after ten years? With that kind of persistence, he would have reached the pinnacle of life long ago!
Interrupt cards can’t be used against someone who has already played 15 story cards. Wu Sheng still had one story card and one ending card left. If Zhao Yukan didn’t interrupt now, once Wu Sheng played his last story card, there would be no more chances.
“You’ve lost.” Le Xing sat under the tree, leisurely playing with the grass on the ground.
Xu Wang looked up at the sky. “It’s not over yet.”
Le Xing shook his head. “Without interrupt cards, how can you win back the right to narrate?”
“Don’t forget,” Xu Wang said, “touching the opponent’s story card also means handing over the right to narrate.”
“You don’t understand Kankan. Being led into saying [Parents] by Narrator 4 and losing the right to narrate was his only mistake in this game. The more it happens, the more he remembers. He won’t make the same mistake twice.” Le Xing stood up, patting the dirt off his backside, smiling. “With your narrator playing the emotional card, I bet Kankan will even avoid friendship themes.”
Above, the new narrator’s voice came, lightly mocking. “Your story is touching, but sorry, the ending is mine, and it’s probably going to follow a horror theme.”
There was no response from Wu Sheng.
Xu Wang’s heart was racing. In front of Le Xing, he had to maintain a calm façade, but inside, he was in turmoil. He wished there was a live broadcast wall above the playground so he could see his advisor—even just an expression or a glance—to at least know Wu Sheng’s state. This kind of restless worry was driving him crazy.
“B rejected the request of the six ghosts and lit the ‘Returning to the West’ candle, but at the moment he was about to burn the tree, he realized that there were not six but seven ghosts. Unbeknownst to them, one more had joined…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 13 — [One More]
“It turned out to be A, controlled by Xiao Wang, disguised as one of the boys, blending in with them…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 14 — [Disguise]
He had only one story card left. Wu Sheng… Xu Wang stared intensely at the sky, as if by doing so, he could transmit his thoughts to the game room.
However, the one who continued the story was still Zhao Yukan.
“B realized too late. A had already made his move, killing B. B died wrongfully and became a ghost, but still used his ghostly power to light the ‘Returning to the West’ candle, burned the tree, and all the ghosts, along with the diary, were destroyed…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 15 — [Wrongful Death]
Le Xing looked at Xu Wang and shrugged with an “I told you so” expression on his face.
“The moment to witness the ending has finally arrived.” Zhao Yukan’s voice came from above, feigning regret. “Ah, though I’m about to reveal the ending, it doesn’t feel as exciting as I imagined.”
“Then don’t.” Wu Sheng, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke.
Zhao Yukan’s voice halted, and even though Xu Wang couldn’t see the game room, he could sense Zhao Yukan’s surprise.
Le Xing, who had been eagerly awaiting his team’s ending, lost his relaxed demeanor and, like Xu Wang, looked up at the sky, eyes slightly narrowed, his entire body tensely wound.
“What did you say last?” Wu Sheng suddenly asked.
“……” Zhao Yukan didn’t answer. Though words spoken and water spilled couldn’t be taken back, instinctively, he didn’t want to cooperate with his opponent.
Wu Sheng didn’t expect him to cooperate and repeated himself. “All the ghosts, along with the diary, were destroyed, right?”
“Sorry, you touched on my keyword.”
With those last words, almost whispered, Wu Sheng played his final story card.
Wu Sheng: Story Card 15 — [Diary]
Interrupt cards can’t be used on someone who has already played 15 story cards, but the triggering of keywords has no restrictions. As long as the person with the keyword story card wants to turn it over, the right to narrate undoubtedly must shift.
Both the game room and the storyline fell into sudden silence.
Even though Xu Wang hoped Wu Sheng could make a stunning comeback, and even though Le Xing and Zhao Yukan were prepared for the worst-case scenario of being overturned, none of them expected that Wu Sheng’s card would be [Diary].
Using his own [Metal Box], he dug out the diary and oriented the storyline around the diary from the start. To play this card, almost every sentence from everyone’s narration was an opportunity. Yet, he saved this key element, almost spanning the entire story, for last.
Zhao Yukan finally spoke, his pride still intact but slightly cracked. “From the moment you brought out the diary from the metal box, you planned to save it for last as an interrupt card, didn’t you?”
“No.” Wu Sheng’s tone was free of any heaviness, filled with ease. “I decided to use ‘Diary’ as the ultimate interrupt card as soon as I got my story cards, and then I led you to dig out the metal box. If another story card had caught my fancy, the course of this story chain might have been entirely different.”
Whether Zhao Yukan understood or not, Xu Wang wasn’t sure, but he did.
Translated, Wu Sheng’s words meant—From the start of this battle, everything was under my control, you foolish mortals. Now tremble.
Xu Wang clutched his chest, feeling a throbbing pain.
What about his “heavy voice” and “sounding like he’s under pressure”? He had been worried about Drama King Wu for the entire second half!
“You should have used the exchange card, swapped out my last card, and you would have won.” In the game room, Wu Sheng toned down his laughter and looked at Zhao Yukan. “But you didn’t believe my last card could turn the tables. Instead, you were worried that I was saving it for you to swap, setting a trap for you, right?”
Zhao Yukan remained silent, his chest rising and falling slightly, losing for the first time in such an embarrassing manner.
“That’s why you failed,” Wu Sheng said calmly, without any mockery, word by word. “You think too highly of yourself and too little of others.”
The author has something to say:
Gaining weight at first is not considered being overweight, but gaining weight later can collapse the bed*. The same logic applies to showing off. Advisor Wu, who has finally learned to control the situation before showing off, has elevated his power! ~(～￣▽￣)～
The ghost army arrived in an instant. Although Zhao Yukan clarified under Wu Sheng’s questioning that “ghosts are not fierce spirits and are very weak,” when their numbers were overwhelming, even if their combat power was as weak as ants, they could still sweep through everything, leaving nothing behind!
Fair Face and Red Wine immediately donned their protective stationery. Xu Wang didn’t put on any protective stationery but instead activated the reward weapon he received on 4/23 from the Moonlight Maze!
When he got this weapon, he knew that there was a successor to [Approaching Science]. He hadn’t used it even when facing the evil spirit on 6/23, waiting for a moment like this to “sweep through thousands of troops!”
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Vajra Exorcism Staff] on you~~]
As expected, the notification sound arrived, and a Vajra Exorcism Staff appeared in Xu Wang’s hand.
Xu Wang thrust the staff into the ground with a clang, causing the sound of iron rings to jingle!
The oncoming ghost army suddenly shuddered as if intimidated by the aura of the [Exorcism Staff].
Xu Wang immediately gained confidence and shouted, “Leave it to me—”
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed forward with the staff, sweeping it around, living up to the saying “one sweep clears a large area”. Where he passed, ghosts were annihilated!
In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed past Fair Face and Wine Red and reached the front.
The latter two hadn’t pinned their hopes on this opponent, but seeing is believing. Xu Wang, wielding the [Exorcism Staff], had the aura of “not entering Nirvana until hell is empty”!
Xu Wang rushed to the end of the corridor, swinging the staff, and the ghosts almost completely dissipated.
When he stopped and turned around, he found four ghosts that had slipped through the net, surrounding Fair Face and Wine Red!
Among these four ghosts, two had parts of their heads missing. They must have been hit by the [Exorcism Staff], yet they somehow survived!
Fair Face, not knowing what protective stationery he used, had already wrapped himself in Buddhist scriptures, fearless in the face of the four ghosts. But Wine Red’s physical defense stationery, which could break through feudal superstitions, had already been used up during the “Ghost Oppression Battle”!
The four ghosts could distinguish strength and weakness, and they all rushed fiercely towards Wine Red!
It was too late for Xu Wang to rush over again.
Wine Red was on the verge of tears. “Wasn’t it you who said ‘leave it to me’—”
He wasn’t really accusing his Optimistic Classmate B. They were opponents, and no one was obliged to block trouble for others. He was about to be sent home. People about to die always shout out, leaving evidence of “I came, I went, I loved.”
The four ghosts were almost upon Wine Red!
At this critical moment, a warm, goose-yellow light suddenly fell from the sky, inexplicably filled with a kind of “compassion”, instantly enveloping the four ghosts!
The four ghostly figures suddenly staggered, splitting to either side in front of Wine Red, two rushing towards the wall on his left and two towards the trash can on his right, perfectly missing Wine Red himself!
Wine Red was stunned. Could it really be his “Passionate Athlete D”, with an innate “righteousness exorcism” trait? Why didn’t it trigger during the ghost oppression…
“What are you dazed for? Run—” Xu Wang was amazed, having never seen someone who hadn’t completely escaped from death yet stay to savor the moment.
Wine Red looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xu Wang rushing over with the Exorcism Staff.
Even he knew he had been saved. As he ran to the other end of the corridor, he envied and hated. “Why do you have so much exorcism stationery—”
“Exorcism my ass! [(Defense) Presbyopia]!” After announcing the defense stationery on the four ghosts, Xu Wang had already arrived where Wine Red was standing, sweeping and hammering wildly with the staff, and finished the job.
Xu Wang breathed a sigh of relief, stomped the [Exorcism Staff] on the ground, turned to Wine Red, and smiled handsomely. “Don’t fall for me.”
“……” Wine Red’s bellyful of gratitude was dead in the womb.
How could he fall in love with a man who would use [Presbyopia] on ghosts on a whim!!!
“You’re much more formidable than you were on 2/23.” Fair Face emerged from a safe corner and rejoined the group, but for safety, the Buddhist scriptures around him remained.
Xu Wang frowned. “The way you say it, people who don’t know would think you were the one who passed on 2/23…”
He and his Detective C (Fair Face) had become familiar with each other through numerous scenes together.
So when they talked, they didn’t bother with insincere pleasantries.
Optimistic Classmate B and Detective C “hurt each other” in just a few words, and the five-minute countdown ended.
Wu Sheng’s voice came from the corridor above—
“Interrupt.”
The current narrator was Zhao Yukan, who had already played 7 cards, tying with Wu Sheng and Elegant Gray, while Long Legs had played 8 cards. Wu Sheng’s interruption meant seizing the right to narrate from Zhao Yukan.
It was his advisor’s turn to narrate. Xu Wang should have been relieved but thinking that this was Wu Sheng’s second interruption card used, he became a bit worried. Zhao Yukan had only used one interruption card, and if, towards the end of the battle, Zhao Yukan still had one more interruption card than Wu Sheng, then the initiative of the battle would be in Zhao Yukan’s hands!
“Boy A’s ghost finally remembered that it was in the sports equipment storage room under the main stand of the playground where he saw this blood-stained wrist guard…”
After using the interrupt card, Advisor Wu quickly continued the story. His voice remained calm, showing no sign of receiving his team captain’s concern.
“A, B, C, and D left the teaching building and came to the storage room under the grandstand on the playground. The door was ajar, and inside came sounds of pain. A, B, C, and D peeked in and saw six students bullying one. Through the laughter of the six students, A, B, C, and D realized that the one being bullied was the same… Xiao Wang from back then.”
A barely audible sigh.
Clearly, the naming of this final boss caused some mental harm to every narrator.
“Optimistic Classmate B, whether this was a reliving of the past or something really happening, insisted on saving the person. Detective C said, ‘You wait outside, and I’ll go in with A and D to save him.’ So B waited outside, and A, C, and D joined forces to drive away the six and rescue Xiao Wang…”
Wine Red and Fair Face really wanted to rush up and wake their narrator. Couldn’t they see the situation and stop involving their team members’ names in every battle!
Le Xing, who had rejoined the team, looked up and appealed to his narrator with a heartbroken expression. “Why are you and him sabotaging each other? First, get those two who still don’t understand the game out of here—”
Fair Face: “……”
Wine Red: “We’re still here…”
“Hold on.” Finally, Zhao Yukan’s voice came from above, not because of Le Xing but because he also had something to say about Wu Sheng’s plot. “If A, B, C, and D all rushed in to save the person, their chances of winning would be higher. In such a dangerous place, choosing to weaken their own fighting power is unscientific. Besides, you’ve talked so much and haven’t played a single card.”
The four who had reached the storage room door stopped and listened quietly to the “confrontation” in the game room above. After all, every sentence could change the plot and the battle situation.
“Why, at this point, does C still need to protect B?” Wu Sheng repeated Zhao Yukan’s question, his voice tinged with a gentle smile. “Your question, A and D just asked too. C’s answer is, ‘I have to protect him.’ As for why…”
The voice above stopped and waited for a moment before sighing deeply.
“It’s love…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 8 — [It’s Love]
Fair Face, Wine Red, and Le Xing slowly turned their heads towards Xu Wang with complex expressions.
Xu Wang: “……”
The card played by their advisor was literally life-threatening.
Xu Wang, protected by the god of love, stayed outside to keep watch. Le Xing, Fair Face, and Wine Red entered through the slightly open door, one after another.
Soon, the original laughter and crying inside were replaced by the sound of fighting.
Bored, Xu Wang started listening to the battle situation by sound. It was actually quite easy; a crisp “clang” meant the vault equipment fell down; a dull thud with a hint of dust meant someone had fallen on the sit-up mat…
“Ding—”
The five minutes of “executing the plot” time flew by in an instant.
The storage room returned to tranquility.
Soon, the door opened, and Le Xing came out with a boy covered in injuries, with no one else behind.
“Xiao Wang?” Xu Wang guessed.
Le Xing nodded and half-jokingly blinked. “Be careful. He might transform at any moment. After all, he’s a candidate for the ultimate boss.”
Xu Wang looked back into the storage room. It was pitch dark, seemingly empty.
The six bullies could appear here, so they must have already turned into ghosts. It was normal for them to flee silently, but… “What about Detective C and Athlete D?”
“Oh.” Le Xing shrugged, his smile fading but his expression calm. “Those six sent them home.”
Xu Wang was stunned, unprepared for this sudden turn of events.
As part of the plot, their task was to “defeat the six boys and rescue Xiao Wang.” Le Xing had completed it, no problem.
He indeed had no obligation to save Fair Face and Wine Red…
[Notice—]
A calm voice came from above.
[Due to the failure of Narrators 3 and 4 to turn in their papers, in the following story, High School Detective C and Passionate Athlete D will no longer appear. Please adjust the continuation of the content accordingly for Narrators 1 and 2.]
In the game room, Long Legs and Elegant Gray were baffled.
As the calm voice faded, Long Legs suddenly had a realization. He looked sharply at Wu Sheng and Zhao Yukan, the former emotionless, the latter seemingly bidding farewell.
“The plot… it’s all real.” He said those last words through almost gritted his teeth.
Zhao Yukan was calm and collected. “Next time you come, you’ll be the senior, able to bully the newbies.”
Outplayed, Long Legs had no choice but to accept his loss.
Although his face was painfully beaten, there would be future encounters.
With this thought, he suddenly smiled. He didn’t say any typical villain lines like “I’ll get you for this,” but he made a serious note of Zhao Yukan’s face.
In a fair competition, it’s okay to lose, but those who step on you after winning must be remembered clearly.
[Owl: Dear~ I’m giving you an early holiday. Sending you home.]
Stepping onto the return train, Long Legs had already calmed his heart.
But Elegant Gray hadn’t. First, he still didn’t understand what Long Legs meant by “the plot is real”, and why he himself had failed his submission; second, having heard only half the story and being forced to leave was inhumane! At least give a bad ending!
Zhao Yukan watched quietly as the two seats emptied, then his gaze shifted to Wu Sheng.
“Actually, during the last round with the hallway ghosts, you could have sent them home early.” He shook his head gently at Wu Sheng, seemingly regretful. “Your plot character wasted a good opportunity.”
“The strategy I use to win is my business.” Wu Sheng lowered his eyes, looking at his remaining cards. “My plot character just needs to have fun.”
The idle talk ended, and the story continued.
With the departure of the two teams, Wu Sheng’s main storyline wasn’t affected.
“The six ghost boys were driven away, but Detective C and Athlete D, one human and one ghost, both died. But Detective C left three strands of his hair for Optimistic Classmate B. Whenever B was in danger, blowing away one strand of hair would solve the crisis…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 9 — [Hair Strand]
On the playground, Captain Xu holding three strands of hair: “……”
He was just moved by the phrase “have fun” a second ago, and the next second he received “three strands of hair”. Now looking at the hair strands fluttering in the wind, his feelings were too complex to describe in words.
“Xiao Wang, now a fierce ghost, accuses B, ‘Why didn’t anyone save me back then? Now it’s too late to come to my rescue. C and D are gone, A is also a ghost, and since you’re close to C, you should die for love…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 10 — [Die For Love]
“As Xiao Wang lunged, B blew away a strand of hair, and a strong wind blew, taking A and B to the second tree on the playground, temporarily out of danger. The six ghost boys, also under the tree, cried upon seeing them, saying their bullying of Xiao Wang back then was just for fun, not realizing the deep hurt it caused. Xiao Wang hung himself on this tree after burying his diary. The tree’s rings absorbed his resentment. Burning the tree would destroy the diary…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 11 — [Tree Rings]
“Interrupt.”
Zhao Yukan finally got the chance to play his card, or rather, the opportunity was smoother and more comfortable than he expected.
“To burn the tree, ordinary fire won’t work. It must be the Returning to the West* candle…”
*(归西) In Buddhism, it refers to someone’s death (similar to how you can say “returned to heaven”, or like “he’s with God now” ect.).
Zhao Yu Kan: Story Card 8 — [Returning to the West Candle]
The author has something to say:
Advisor Wu says that he also wanted to leave some cool and wonderful things for his team captain, like encrypted brocade bags, secret code origami cranes, and so on. But the story card he was dealt with was [Hair Strand]. What could he do? He’s also quite desperate!
Long Legs played the [Interrupt Card] with satisfaction but continuing the story chain after the interruption wasn’t as joyful.
The story progressed to: Happy B runs away, and Detective C decides to embark on a “Diary Destruction Journey” with his twin guardian souls, Melancholic A and Passionate D.
Long Legs’s remaining 11 story cards were:
[Blizzard]
[No Survivors]
[I Testify]
[The Last Supper]
[Call for Help]
[No Mercy]
[Key]
[Innocent]
[Naïve Cruelty]
[Close but No Cigar]
[Bowl]
The ending card was: [There’s Only One Truth]
With these 12 cards, he could create a hundred detective stories. Why does he have to stick to the superstitious storyline of the “Ghost Diary”!
Feeling complicated emotions, Long Legs finally said slowly, “C knows very well that destroying the Ghost Diary is a life-and-death matter, so C decides…” He paused, then suddenly lightened his tone. “To eat the bread he carries first, as his last supper!”
Long Legs: Story Card 5 — [The Last Supper]
Wu Sheng: “…..”
Zhao Yukan: “……”
Elegant Gray: “Narrator 4, you’re really ruining the mood…”
Long Legs knew this card didn’t advance the main plot, so he pretended not to hear anything.
“Just about to eat, he suddenly hears the call for help from B, who had run away…”
Long Legs: Story Card 6 — [Call for Help]
Wu Sheng, Zhao Yukan, and Elegant Gray finally maintained a united silence, watching how Long Legs struggled to continue the story.
Sweating, Long Legs felt his remaining nine cards were like a gluttonous snake, devouring his brain cells. The third card must be related to the main plot. Forcing a new subplot, like a sudden blizzard or finding a strange key, would surely lead to the second warning and his elimination from the game.
Therefore, the story must continue with B’s call for help. Why, where, and how to save B are viable developments, but none align with his story cards! He can’t possibly have B call for help from a [Bowl], can he?!
If he takes too long between two cards, he would be forced to stop.
Long Legs, not wanting to torture himself anymore, directly played his only [Exchange Card].
“I want to exchange a card with you.” He looked at Wu Sheng, his target clear.
Long Legs had thought it through, choosing to exchange with Narrator 2.
First, the emotional line between B and C had already been developed by Narrator 2. Ignoring the “subtlety”, continuing the story along this line wouldn’t be a problem, and his remaining cards, likely “romantic style”, would be easier to play.
Second, Narrator 2 had already played seven cards, leading everyone. Giving him an unrelated card would also create obstacles for him.
Wu Sheng slightly raised an eyebrow, showing no annoyance at being chosen, rather seeming to anticipate the new twist in the story cards.
“The card I’m giving you is…” Long Legs reviewed his remaining cards and chose one he didn’t know how to use. “This.”
With Long Legs’s choice, one of Wu Sheng’s eight cards, [Time Travel], was taken away and immediately replaced with [Naïve Cruelty].
[Time Travel] was taken by the Exchange Card, which was a random win.
[Naïve Cruelty] was given in exchange, the user’s choice.
“I really can’t understand this term, so I have to trouble you with it.” Long Legs seemed apologetic.
Wu Sheng smiled slightly, genuinely pleased, unable to conceal his joy. “Not a bother.” Looking at the card, he sighed. “What’s puzzling for you is wonderful for me.”
Only the exchanging parties could see what was exchanged, so Elegant Gray and Zhao Yukan, unaware of the details, could only guess from Long Legs and Wu Sheng’s expressions.
Ideally, Long Legs, who exchanged an unwanted card, should be satisfied.
But now, Narrator 2, who randomly lost a card and got one someone else didn’t want, also seemed satisfied, even happier than Long Legs.
Long Legs’s expression was one of relief from immediate worry, while Narrator 2 appeared fulfilled, as if extending a beautiful follow-up story.
Even the smart Zhao Yukan and curious Elegant Gray couldn’t understand this situation.
How could such an exchange benefit both? What exactly was written on the card that Long Legs disliked but Narrator 2 welcomed so much?
Long Legs couldn’t be sure whether Wu Sheng’s reaction was genuine or a cunning strategy, but at least he was very satisfied with the exchanged card, and inspiration began to flow—
“The call for help from B came from inside the diary. C, helpless, suddenly saw the diary emit a faint light, sucking C and A, D into it, meaning, one person and two ghosts, all time-traveled…”
Long Legs: Story Card 7 — [Time Travel]
“In the diary’s world, it’s still the same school, but it looks abandoned, with weeds overgrowing the playground and the ivy on the teaching building withered. Following the call for help, they entered the building. Of course, there were no teachers or students. Eventually, they found B trapped in a basement…”
“The basement door was locked and couldn’t be broken. Then, Detective C had an idea to dig under the second tree in the playground and found an iron box—not with a diary this time, but the key to the basement…”
Long Legs: Story Card 8 — [Key]
Zhao Yukan: “You still haven’t explained why B was trapped in the diary.”
Elegant Gray: “And suddenly it turned from suspenseful romance to an escape room genre…”
“…Mm.” Wu Sheng could only agree briefly, having been preempted by his opponent.
“What’s the rush? Take it slow.” Long Legs took a breath, organizing his heavily taxed brain cells. “Where were we? Oh right, found the key, so one person and two ghosts immediately returned to the basement, opened the door, and A, B, C, and D finally reunited in the world of the diary…” He looked seriously at Elegant Gray. “Your turn to continue.”
Elegant Gray was caught off guard. He was still thinking about how Long Legs might continue the story. When he was suddenly called on, he was utterly confused. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Can’t we directly choose the next person to continue if someone can’t? I choose you.” Long Legs no longer cared about revealing his “creative bottleneck”. At this point, he thought anyone could take over the story, as his brain was about to explode anyway.
Elegant Gray: “…”
He finally understood. Long Legs’s “What’s the rush? Take it slow” was an abridged version. The full version was “What’s the rush? If I can’t explain, the next narrator can, so take it slow.”
As for why Long Legs chose him, he understood that too. It was clear to everyone that the story was veering towards Narrator 1 and 2: one steeped in feudal superstition, firmly gripping the main storyline, the other about invincible true love, overflowing with inspiration whenever B and C appeared. If the storytelling opportunity was given back to them, there was no point in playing. But it was different for him. He had a hand of hot-blooded youth cards. If played well, he could turn the situation around; if not, he’d be out. Either outcome would be welcomed by Long Legs.
No matter how accurately he analyzed the situation, it was futile. Elegant Gray, looking at his remaining 10 story cards, felt his brain cells dying, just like Long Legs—
[Never Give Up]
[Foul]
[Friends for Life]
[Sports Day]
[Wrist Guard]
[Next Class Over]
[Physical Test]
[Dream]
[Fight Despite Injury]
[Insignificant]
……
The game setting, a deserted school in the diary, the basement.
Xu Wang, Wine Red, Fair Face, and Le Xing, the four “classmates”, finally, A, B, C, D were all together.
Regardless of the blood and thunder in the game room, as characters in the story, the four friends looked at each other with a sense of kinship as they were “all in the same boat”.
So far, Xu Wang had the least role, mostly in scenes with Detective C, so he hadn’t formally introduced himself to the others.
Taking advantage of Elegant Gray’s pondering, he smiled at the AD duo. “I am the Optimistic Classmate B.”
“The Passionate Athlete D,” said the young man in the wine-red jacket, sighing listlessly. After the intense battle with the ghost, this Classmate D was emanating an exhausted negative energy, a stark contrast to his character, which was a sight both sad and pitiful.
Similarly contrasting was Le Xing, Melancholic Young A, who from head to toe didn’t look a bit melancholic, appearing even brighter than Xu Wang, the Optimistic Classmate B*.
*Clarity: His name (Le Xing) means joyful awakening, which isn’t quite related to “melancholy”.
“I guess I don’t need to introduce myself.” Le Xing first looked at Wine Red, “I killed you,” then at Detective C, “I helped you fight the ghost oppression,” and finally at Xu Wang, “We chatted in the dark room, hehehe.”
Wine Red D: “……”
Fair Face C: “……”
Xu Wang: “We just had a brief chat in the dark room…”
As Detective C, Fair Face remained mostly silent throughout.
He didn’t need to introduce himself either. If there were to be a lead male in this story relay, it would be him. With a character setup of “C” naturally in the spotlight, he would be interacting with every character, participating in every scene, not just drama, but action, and even almost a “pseudo-kissing scene” under the moonlight! God knows he only wanted to be an extra!
Just as the atmosphere was warming up, Elegant Gray’s narration came from above the basement ceiling—
“Optimistic Classmate B asked Detective C, ‘Why did you come here? Do you know it’s dangerous?’ Detective C replied, ‘I know, but I still had to come because we are friends. Friends for life!'”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 6 — [Friends for Life]
Xu Wang: “This is just a story relay…”
Le Xing: “You don’t have to voice-act with so much emotion every time…”
Fair Face: “And why are we back to the emotional storyline?”
Wine Red: “……”
Captain, control yourself. Don’t get caught up in the drama!
While Xu Wang and Fair Face were spouting the impassioned lines of “Friends for Life”, Elegant Gray, perhaps heeding his teammates’ call, toned down the drama in his next narration—
“The four were about to leave the basement when they suddenly found a blood-stained wrist guard on the ground. The wrist guard bore the name of the diary’s owner, a young boy who died in school violence ten years ago… Xiao Wang!”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 7 — [Wrist Guard]
All friends in the game room and plot line: “……”
Couldn’t you just name him Xiao F to keep the style consistent?!
“Narrator 4, you continue.” Elegant Gray couldn’t continue and pointed back to Long Legs.
Just as he finished speaking, a calm voice announced.
[Attention, the right to narrate cannot be repeatedly transferred between the same two narrators.]
Elegant Gray’s heart skipped a beat, fearing he might be sent home, until he realized it was an “attention” and not a “second warning”, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Unable to choose Long Legs, that left Narrator 1 and Narrator 2, who had already played 7 story cards. This was a man who played cards like the wind whenever he got the chance. Narrator 1 had only played 5 cards, but those 5 had locked up the storyline into a supernatural horror theme. Neither was an easy choice…
“Narrator 1.” Elegant Gray finally made his choice.
Narrator 1, who had only played 5 cards, might be strategically cautious or overly conservative, hesitating to make a move, while Narrator 2, who not only played his cards swiftly but also had a certain “captivating” narrative power. Comparing the two, Narrator 1 seemed less dangerous.
In the basement, the four who had just picked up the wrist guard awaited the “relay of destiny” to continue.
Soon, Zhao Yukan’s calm voice came from above—
“Melancholic Boy A tells B, C, and D that he seems to have seen this wrist guard somewhere before but can’t remember where. Meanwhile, the two humans and two ghosts hear some noise outside. Worried about being trapped in the basement by evil forces, they decide to leave first. B, C, and D walked out of the basement first, and A, still pondering over the wrist guard, lagged behind. Before he could leave, the door to the basement was suddenly shut from the outside…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 6 — [Evil Force]
“It turns out this isn’t just a world inside the diary. The diary is merely an entrance. The young boy who died with hatred ten years ago… uh, Xiao Wang, used his resentment to truly drag the two humans and two ghosts into the underworld. The underworld is like a reverse world of the living world. For example, if there’s a school here in the living world, there’s also one in the underworld, but of course, there are no teachers or students, only wandering spirits…”
“B, C, and D, who went up first, saw a large number of spirits gathering because they realized that living humans with unfinished life spans had entered their realm. They wanted to absorb their life force to extend their own lives and return to the world of the living…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 7 — [Unfinished Lifespan]
“B, C, and D closed the door to the basement, telling A to hide inside and not come out, while the three of them prepared to fight. After a tough battle, they defeated countless spirits…”
Xu Wang B, Fair Face C, Wine Red D: “……”
Defeat, countless, spirits?!
Could this get any more difficult?!
“……” Xu Wang looked up. In his heart, ten thousand grass-mud horses had already run through, each with Wu Sheng riding on them!
Don’t you already know the story is really happening? Your team captain is almost being doomed by this. Don’t you have any sense of it?!
“Two problems…” As if responding, Wu Sheng’s questioning voice came from above. “First, A is already C’s guardian spirit, so how can he leave C? Second, three people fighting against numerous fierce spirits and winning is illogical.”
Xu Wang wanted to applaud his advisor!
But Zhao Yukan’s response was quicker, still confident, and composed. “According to the rules, since the Owl didn’t question me, my continuation is valid. But since we’re all playing at the same table and you’ve asked, I’ll convince you completely…”
“First, A becoming C’s guardian spirit is a contract made in the living world, and this is the underworld, where earthly contracts don’t apply. Even if they did, it was C who asked A to stay in the basement, so A obeying his employer is reasonable…”
“Second, you’re misrepresenting the concept. It wasn’t numerous fierce spirits, but rather spirits. Fierce spirits are difficult to fight, but spirits, well, they’re weak. Besides, humans are afraid of ghosts to some extent, but ghosts are more afraid of humans*. Plus, there’s Passionate Athlete D. With his righteousness, sweeping to victory shouldn’t be a problem.”
*This comes from an old Chinese proverb: People are 30% afraid of ghosts, while ghosts are 70% afraid of humans. It’s used to express the idea that often our fears are exaggerated, and the thing we fear might be more afraid of us than we are of them.
Hearing this, Xu Wang and Fair Face slowly turned their heads to look at Passionate Athlete D, Wine Red.
Wine Red looked up, silently accusing the instigator, “Who the hell gave you such confidence?!”
“Ding—”
As the 5-minute countdown for the game room’s rest time began, the battle in the storyline kicked off.
In the corridor on the first floor of the teaching building where Xu Wang, Fair Face, and Wine Red stood, a tidal wave of spirits surged in!
In the basement, Melancholic Boy A, Le Xing, listened to the commotion above and felt genuinely melancholic. “Kankan, you’re really drawing a lot of hate with this game. If this round doesn’t get rid of Classmate B, I reckon your team captain, me, won’t have good days ahead either…”
On the plot broadcast wall in the small black room, Boy A (Le Xing), Passionate Athlete D (Wine Red), and Detective C (Fair Face) finally defeated the bed-pressing malevolent ghost. The battle lasted four and a half minutes.
Optimistic Classmate B (Xu Wang) put his hands behind his head and looked at the three dispirited faces on the plot broadcast wall. Although he couldn’t join the fray, he was spiritually with his “drama group partners”. “I’m not intentionally being lazy. It’s just that the plot doesn’t need me…”
Before the countdown started, the narrator Zhao Yukan’s original words were—
[The ghosts of Boy A and Passionate Athlete D, along with High School Detective C, joined forces to repel the malevolent ghost, but…]
But what?
Optimistic Classmate Xu Wang was full of anticipation for this next twist in the story.
“Ding—”
The end of the countdown sounded in the broadcast wall of the game room.
Wu Sheng, Long Legs, and Elegant Gray all looked at Zhao Yukan simultaneously, waiting for him to continue his “but”.
Zhao Yukan’s gaze twinkled behind his glasses, and he spoke more gently and fluently than before. “The ghosts of Boy A and Passionate Athlete D, along with High School Detective C, joined forces to repel the malevolent ghost, but… at a price, Boy A’s soul was scattered to the winds…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 4 — [Soul Scattered to the Winds]
“Damn, you don’t have to be so harsh on your own character card…” Elegant Gray felt sorry for Boy A. “Bullied, committed suicide, became a ghost, and then destroyed a second time?”
“It’s not about being harsh or not; it’s about the story’s logic,” Long Legs challenged. “They’re all ghosts. Why does Boy A’s ghost scatter to the winds after the battle, while Passionate Athlete D’s ghost remains unharmed?”
Zhao Yukan replied calmly, “Passionate Athlete D was physically fit and loved sports in life; hence, his soul was of higher quality.”
Long Legs: “……”
What the hell? Somehow that made sense, and he felt an urge to start exercising as soon as he got home!
Xu Wang held his forehead as he watched the broadcast wall, feeling a bit sorry for Long Legs, who was speechless. The rules had been clear: if the story became extremely illogical, the Owl would have interrupted. Since the Owl hadn’t spoken, it meant Zhao Yukan’s storyline was accepted. Instead of questioning, it was better to think about how to use his own story cards to continue.
Just as he was worrying about the narrators, a second person suddenly appeared in the small black room.
Le Xing, the soul-scattered Melancholic Boy A, had returned.
“You have the luck of the gods,” Xu Wang shifted to make space for his “drama group colleague” who had finished his role, genuinely envious.
Just a few cards in and he’s already soul-scattered, meaning no matter how the story goes, it has nothing to do with him. He doesn’t have to follow the plot or risk failing.
If this round required a win-win for both “narrators” and “plot characters”, Le Xing had already secured 50%.
“It can’t be helped. My Kankan is all brains.” Le Xing lay down, adopting a similar position to Xu Wang, hands behind his head, fully relaxed. “Pray that your narrator catches on soon too.”
Xu Wang froze.
He hadn’t thought much about it earlier, just felt that Le Xing was lucky to get Melancholic Boy A, a character seemingly doomed early on.
But now, considering Le Xing’s words…
Xu Wang suddenly widened his eyes, looking at Zhao Yukan on the game room broadcast wall, finally realizing that this guy did it on purpose!
Zhao Yukan had guessed the hidden “second battlefield” behind that abrupt “5-minute break”. Even if he wasn’t 100% accurate, his direction was definitely right, so he used the plot to completely write off Boy A, freeing his own “character story card” while also gaining a head start to victory!
Looking at Zhao Yukan, then at Wu Sheng, Captain Xu couldn’t stay calm anymore.
Forget about competing for anything else. Just compete through intelligence!
Xu Wang focused all his attention on Wu Sheng, wishing he could telepathically urge him—Wake up! Someone’s showing off in front of you!
…..
In the game room.
Wu Sheng’s ear itched inexplicably. He pressed it to relieve the itch.
Zhao Yukan continued his story. “After A’s soul scattered, the ghost of Passionate Athlete D told Detective C that he died from a cursed letter, but after his death, that letter disappeared…”
“Hold on,” Long Legs interrupted again. “With such a huge commotion from the ghost battle, especially in Detective C’s bedroom, didn’t his parents react at all?”
“Why do you have so many questions?” Elegant Gray was displeased. “Twice now, just when the atmosphere builds, you question, turning a good story into a mess.”
Long Legs was speechless. “Brother, are you really enjoying this board game? You’re here to compete!”
“……” Elegant Gray suddenly realized his stance might have been a bit off.
Compared to him, Zhao Yukan, the actual subject of the questioning, seemed rather pleased.
Whether it’s a game or a competition, it’s no fun if everything goes smoothly without any challenge.
“Detective C doesn’t live with his parents. His parents,” Zhao Yukan thought for a moment and then had an explanation, “are usually abroad.”
“……” Wu Sheng silently looked up at the ceiling.
Adding one’s own setting and getting hit by someone else’s setting creates subtly different feelings.
“Oh—” Long Legs, hearing the explanation, drew out his words with a mysterious smile.
Zhao Yukan’s gaze behind his glasses paused, sensing a certain premonition.
“Sorry, but you’ve hit my keyword.” Long Legs flipped out his third story card.
Long Legs: Story Card 3 — [Parents]
“It’s a bit of a stretch calling it ‘hit’.” Elegant Gray was somewhat critical. “You mentioned parents first, and naturally, the person explaining would use that term.”
Long Legs shrugged. “The rule says if you touch on another person’s story card keyword, the right to narrate shifts to the person with that card. It doesn’t seem to say anything about ‘fishing for bait’, right?”
Elegant Gray: “……”
“Using the rules cleverly. How interesting.” Zhao Yukan’s lips curved into his first satisfied smile since entering the game room. “Please continue. Don’t disappoint me.”
“Listen well, then.” Long Legs was obviously prepared with the next part of the story. “Although the cursed letter disappeared, Passionate Athlete D still remembered its contents, so he recited it to Detective C. The letter’s sign-off wasn’t the sender, but an address, under the second tree on the west side of the XX High School playground…”
Long Legs: Story Card 4 — [The Second Tree]
“XX High School is the high school where A, B, C, and D attend. The next day, the first thing Detective C did after going to school was to dig under the second tree on the west side of the playground…”
“If I remember correctly, Optimistic Classmate B had promised to accompany C in searching for the truth?” Zhao Yukan gently reminded, in a spirit of unity and friendship.
“……” After pondering for a while, Long Legs reluctantly agreed. “Then Optimistic Classmate B accompanies Detective C in digging.”
He didn’t want to compromise, but following the main storyline, it was unlikely that B would ignore C digging by the tree, especially since there was something unclear and sticky between the two of them. Saying C dug alone was a bit unreasonable.
But…
Optimistic Classmate B is from Team 2, isn’t it? Why would Team 1 help Team 2 maintain their character setting? What’s the motive? Just a love of watching dramas with dual male leads?!
While Long Legs was lost in thought, Wu Sheng’s gaze had already swept over Zhao Yukan.
The latter returned a smile.
As expected.
Wu Sheng lowered his eyes, looking at his story cards, adjusting the plot—the opponent had made a move, and naturally, he had to respond.
Safe because your soul scattered?
Tsk, naive.
……
Inside the waiting small black room, Le Xing waved goodbye to Xu Wang, who was about to dig up the tree. “Good luck.”
Xu Wang twitched the corners of his mouth and quickly pulled a fake smile.
Before disappearing, he took one last look at the live broadcast wall in the game room. At the round table, Wu Sheng had been quiet again for a long time. His advisor wasn’t talkative, but neither was he cold. Xu Wang always felt that since entering this round, Wu Sheng had been unusually quiet.
But at that moment, those handsome eyes finally showed a shrewd, calculating light.
……
In the game room.
“Interruption.” Elegant Gray used his second interrupt card.
There were only three interrupt cards in total, and he knew he had to be careful. But with the current direction of the plot, if he didn’t pull it back, his story cards would really have no chance to come out!
“Fine, the shovel is yours. Continue digging.” Long Legs gave up the right to narrate, curious to see how the opponent would proceed.
“Classmates B and C start digging the tree, right? At that moment, they were discovered by the head teacher who shouted—” Elegant Gray slammed the table. “What are you two boys doing?!”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 3 — [Head Teacher]
Wu Sheng: “……”
Zhao Yukan: “……”
Long Legs: “Can’t you change the line!”
First it was Passionate Athlete D who shouted, and now it’s the head teacher! Where is the creativity?!
Elegant Gray didn’t care and continued in his head teacher role. “Damaging the school’s trees—fifty push-ups as a penalty. Don’t stop until you finish them!”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 4 — [Fifty Push-Ups]
“After they finished…”
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Please pause the narration. There will be a 5-minute break, after which the game will continue.
Elegant Gray’s narration was abruptly interrupted.
He looked at his arm, puzzled. “Another break?”
Zhao Yukan and Wu Sheng remained silent, their expressions natural.
Long Legs frowned, trying to decode this weird sensation but still clueless.
Five minutes later, the break was over.
Elegant Gray continued, “After they finished the push-ups, they were asked to return to class, which was a physical education class…”
His narration echoed over the plotline’s playground.
The panting Optimistic Classmate B (Xu Wang) and the sweaty Detective C (Fair Face) exchanged a glance in despair.
They just did fifty push-ups and are now off to PE class? Does this plot have any humanity?!
In the game room, Elegant Gray played his cards without any psychological burden.
Elegant Gray: Story Card 5 — [Physical Education Class]
Wu Sheng and Zhao Yukan frowned together. Even the tall guy was displeased.
Elegant Gray had played three cards in a row, [Head Teacher], [Fifty Push-Ups], and [Physical Education Class], but the plot was obviously still spinning in place.
Is this even a story relay?
Just as Long Legs was about to protest, a harsh “beep—” sounded above their heads.
[Warning…]
It was the same calm voice, but with an added sternness.
[Warning to Narrator 3: Three consecutive story cards without advancing the main plotline result in a warning. The right to narrate now shifts to the person with the most remaining story cards. Be advised, from this point on, any narrator who triggers another warning will be deemed to have failed and must return home early.]
Hidden rules?!
The four were startled, but upon reflection, they realized this rule made sense. If every narrator just played cards for the sake of playing without advancing the story, there would be no progress.
Long Legs initially wanted to criticize Elegant Gray for forcefully playing his cards, but now that the latter had been officially sanctioned, his bewildered expression elicited some sympathy. “Look on the bright side, you did play three cards, right?”
Elegant Gray sighed heavily.
He knew his approach to the story relay was careless. He wanted to respect the suspenseful and thrilling storyline everyone was building, but who would understand the bitterness of having a hand full of “hot-blooded youth” cards?
[Narrator 2, please continue the story.]
Up to this point, Wu Sheng had played the fewest cards and automatically became the next narrator.
On the plotline’s playground, Captain Xu, who was “in PE class”, heard that it was finally his advisor’s turn to narrate and nearly cried with relief.
Narrator 1 Kankan had already secured Boy A in a completely safe zone, and now Xu Wang desperately hoped Wu Sheng would awaken. Even if not, at least let him follow a plotline that didn’t require physical exertion!
“Classmate B and Detective C decide to come back to dig under the tree at night when no one is around…”
In both the game room and on the plotline, Wu Sheng’s simple and clear narration resonated.
On the plotline, Xu Wang and Fair Face relaxed as the sky suddenly darkened.
The three in the game room listened intently. Narrator 2’s every word was crucial, easy to miss if not paid attention to.
“That night,” Wu Sheng’s slightly furrowed brows suddenly softened, “the moonlight was beautiful…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 4 — [Beautiful Moonlight]
Zhao Yukan, Long Legs, Elegant Gray: “……”
Why does the atmosphere drastically change whenever it’s his turn…
“The two dug up a metal box under the tree, containing a diary from ten years ago. The diary detailed the suffering of a student from school bullying. At the end of his blood and tears, he cursed everyone to death. B and C believed his resentment turned into the cursed letter…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 5 — [Metal Box]
Zhao Yukan, Long Legs, and Elegant Gray all turned serious.
The story had come full circle.
Though Narrator 2 always included some odd elements, one couldn’t deny that the story really gained momentum with him.
“Optimistic Student B, always kind-hearted, felt sad after reading the diary. C comforted him, and he was moved…”
Wu Sheng paused, then added uncertainly, “Or perhaps it wasn’t just being moved. Maybe it was the beautiful moonlight that made him want to kiss C. C, unprepared and scared, pushed him away…”
He paused, exhaled lightly, and then continued in a lower, murmur-like voice—
“Fear in the moment, leading to lifelong regret.”
Elegant Gray found himself following the story’s rhythm and desperately wanted to know what happened next. “And then?”
“And then…” Wu Sheng tilted his head, as if looking at his story cards or perhaps something else. “Optimistic Classmate B got angry and said, ‘I want to break off our friendship,’ and ran away, leaving C behind.” His eyes and brows carried a smile, as if the character in the story, Optimistic Classmate B, had charmed him.
Wu Sheng: Story Card 6 — [Broken Friendship]
Elegant Gray: “Isn’t B too fragile? Didn’t he willingly agree to help C with the investigation? Just because he was pushed away, he wants to break off the friendship?”
Long Legs: “Man, you’re taking this too seriously…”
“The playground, left with only Detective C, tries to burn the diary but can’t. Upon re-examining it, he discovers a curse at the very end, where the diary’s owner made a deal with the devil…”
“C recites the curse, using his own blood to trade with the devil. He reassembles the scattered soul of Melancholic Boy A, summons the ghost of Passionate Athlete D, and binds both ghosts to himself as guardian spirits, unable to say goodbye until the diary is completely destroyed…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 7 — [Unable to Say Goodbye]
Elegant Gray: “What about the runaway B? Does C not care about B? What if B is in danger? He’s already involved!”
Long Legs: “Please wake up! He’s played four cards in less than two minutes—”
If he could reach, he would shake Elegant Man by the shoulders.
“Interrupt—”
Long Legs played his second interrupt card.
He feared hesitating longer would let the opponent bring the story to a grand finale.
Narrator 1, Zhao Yukan, looked calmly at Wu Sheng, his usual composure replaced by unprecedented seriousness.
He had the opportunity to interrupt and prevent the opponent from returning Boy A (Le Xing), but the opponent still had half of their cards left. Even if he could revert it once, the opponent always had a way to pull it back the second time, addressing the symptoms but not the root cause.
This story relay was getting interesting.
……
7/23 Plotline Space, Waiting Room.
Runaway Optimistic Classmate B (Xu Wang) temporarily returned offline.
He was greeted by Le Xing, who had already gotten up and was warming up.
“Even a soul scattered to the winds can be summoned back. Your team’s narrator is really something.” Le Xing, though unwilling, had to admit the continuation was well done.
Four cards played, a significant advancement in the main plot, logically coherent new developments, and even taking out his own teammate while pulling back the opponent’s plot character. This was about the best a segment of the story could achieve.
Le Xing took a serious look at Wu Sheng on the live broadcast wall, confirming that he too had grasped the real gameplay of this board game battle.
As Le Xing’s gaze returned from the live broadcast wall, he belatedly realized that the returned Optimistic Classmate B hadn’t acknowledged him. To be precise, since returning to the waiting room, Classmate B had been in a “dazed state”, appearing to have received some great shock.
Le Xing was curious, but before he could ask, he transformed into “Detective C’s guardian spirit” and vanished in a flash, heading back to the plotline.
Xu Wang sat down on the floor, dazed, sitting quietly for a long time, still confused.
Using a real experience with slight modifications in a story relay was efficient, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Optimistic Classmate B, throwing out the line “I want to break off our friendship”, was incredibly satisfying, and he wholeheartedly supported this plot point!
But what did “fear in the moment, leading to lifelong regret” mean?
Did it have anything to do with the main plot?
If not, who was Wu Sheng speaking to?
“So annoying. Ahhhhh—”
Optimistic Classmate B’s mentality collapsed.
The author has something to say:
Holding the story cards of four friends, writing a bit, my imagination just took off, making various emergency modifications. This story line is now what remains after numerous brainstorming ideas were ‘executed’. I can’t help but laugh and cry about it.
Up to now, the story cards played by the four people are as follows. If friends were to play this game, whose story card would you most like to get and what kind of story would you tell~ (～￣▽￣)～
Wu Sheng: [Optimistic Classmate B], [Good Friend], [Willing to Take the Risk], [Beautiful Moonlight], [Iron Box], [Broken Friendship], [Unable to Say Goodbye]
In situations that were clearly traps, who else should step up if not the team captain?
Kuang Jinxin was a bit worried. “Captain…”
“Maybe you should choose someone with higher combat ability,” Chi Yingxue suggested sensibly.
Xu Wang patted Kuang Jinxin on the shoulder with his left hand. “Don’t worry.” Then he patted Chi Yingxue with his right hand. “The NPC for the submission might just be in the storyline. If you go too wild upfront…”
Chi Yingxue thought for a moment and admitted, “Then I really can’t guarantee his safety.”
Qian Ai: “……”
Are you crazy enough to even attack the submission NPC…
“Ding—”
The narrative participant was chosen, and a new prompt appeared on Xu Wang’s arm.
His three teammates gathered around to read it together.
[Cheat Sheet]: You have been selected as the narrative participant. Please note, the following actions will be judged as task failure: 1) Incomplete execution of the story plot; 2) Cross-team attacks not required by the storyline.
Chi Yingxue: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “We really have to follow the story continuation line…”
“You just pray he doesn’t make me write code.” Captain Xu looked gloomily at the broadcast wall, leaving everything to fate.
The other three teams also gradually selected their narrative participants, namely Le Xing, Fair Face, and Wine Red.
Despite their different personalities, after reading the rules, they all instinctively looked at the broadcast wall, their eyes filled with deep worry about the road ahead.
In the game room, the four participants were still focused on constructing the logical relationships of their story cards, unaware that their teammates’ fates were now bound to their creativity.
Finally, the solemn voice sounded again in both rooms—
[Preparation time is over. Storyteller number 1, please begin your story.]
Wu Sheng looked at his “number 2” tag, maintaining his composure, though there was a hint of unease in his heart.
“The person who has spent the least time here tells the story first.” This rule was clearly meant to let newcomers lead, to make up for the lack of combat experience. He had thought he would be this “strongest newcomer”.
Entering the Owl for 49 days with a record of 7/23, despite spending over a month in the Endless Sea and not retreating at all, skipping 5/23 directly, his progress was still not the fastest in the newcomer teams?
“Well, I’ll start then.” Zhao Yukan, with the “number 1” tag, smiled politely at his three companions. His gaze behind his glasses was calm and collected. “There was a high school student—let’s call him the Melancholic Boy A—introverted by nature, suffering from school bullying…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 1 — [Melancholic Boy A]
“One day after school, Boy A was bullied again. As his tormentor left, Boy A found a cursed letter on the playground. The letter stated that he must pass this letter to someone else, or he would die.”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 2 — [Cursed Letter]
“Boy A, having picked up the letter, decided to give it to the classmate who bullied him the most…”
“Interruption!” Elegant Gray looked at his own story card full of positive energy and couldn’t bear to listen to the increasingly sinister tale.
Zhao Yukan shrugged, giving up the right to continue the story.
Wu Sheng and Long Legs continued to observe, listening intently.
“Boy A was preparing to give a cursed letter to the classmate who bullies him, right?” Elegant Gray took a deep breath and continued firmly. “Just as Boy A was about to give the cursed letter, Passionate Athlete D from the same class appeared at the classroom door and shouted loudly, ‘What are you doing!'”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 1 — [Passionate Athlete D]
“Boy A told Passionate Athlete D the truth. D strongly disapproved of his revenge plan, telling A that to truly stand up to evil, he needed to strengthen himself. As a classmate, he offered to help A get in shape by exercising…”
Elegant Gray: Story Card 2 — [Exercise]
“Interruption!” Long Legs couldn’t bear it any longer, seeing a cruel youth story turn into a passionate campus tale. If he waited longer, who knows where this style of plot would go!
“Ah, exercise, right.” Long Legs breathed deeply, continuing resolutely, “Passionate Athlete D started running with Boy A on the playground. Since they were always running, A never found the chance to pass on the letter. Worried about the curse, he secretly put the letter in D’s backpack when D wasn’t looking. The next day, D died…”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Zhao Yukan: “……”
Elegant Gray: “You just killed my sports student! Where’s your story card?!”
“Hold on, it’s coming… The police investigated Passionate Athlete D’s death but found nothing suspicious. It was eventually ruled as a heart attack, but one person believed there was more to D’s death. He was D’s classmate, High School Detective C…”
Long Legs: Story Card 1 — [High School Detective C]
Wu Sheng, Zhao Yukan, Elegant Gray: “……”
Great, Conan is here. Now, even if a string of deaths occurred, they had no choice but to accept it.
“High School Detective C found D’s death suspicious and was determined to investigate. Boy A, guilty and afraid of being exposed, took matters into his own hands. Deciding to eliminate all threats, he poisoned C…”
Long Legs: Story Card 2 — [Poison]
“Interruption.” Finally, Advisor Wu Sheng spoke for the first time in the game room.
Long Legs, in the midst of excitement, was frustrated by the interruption.
Zhao Yukan and Elegant Gray eagerly waited to see what kind of story this composed opponent would tell.
“The whole process of the poisoning was witnessed by Optimistic Classmate B…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 1 — [Optimistic Classmate B]
“Optimistic Classmate B and High School Detective C were good friends. B saw A poisoning C’s water glass and immediately called the police. The police quickly arrived and took Melancholic Boy A away…”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 2 — [Good Friend]
“Detective C insisted on investigating D’s death, suspecting A, but couldn’t figure out the method. Optimistic B said, ‘I’ll accompany you.’ C said it could be dangerous. B replied, ‘I’m willing to take the risk.'”
Wu Sheng: Story Card 3 — [Willing to Take the Risk]
“Hold on.” Long Legs couldn’t take it anymore. “Why is the story suddenly on fast-forward?”
Elegant Gray also felt overwhelmed. “Can you flesh out the story a bit more?”
Wu Sheng spread his hands innocently. “The logic is very clear.”
Long Legs, Elegant Gray: “But the narrative is too barebones!”
Wu Sheng sighed, considering that if both protested and the Owl imposed a penalty, it would be counterproductive. He tried to recall how his team captain usually expressed himself and tentatively embellished his outline—
“Optimistic Classmate B and High School Detective C weren’t only classmates but also very good friends. B often secretly watched C during and after class, and when C was absent, he would stare at his seat. Watching all day, he noticed A poisoning C’s water glass and immediately called the police. The police arrived quickly and took away Melancholic Boy A…”
“Detective C found out that he had been poisoned by Boy A and suspected him to be the murderer of Passionate Athlete D. However, since D died of a heart attack, Detective C couldn’t figure out how Boy A could have done this and felt that there was more to the story. He wanted to investigate further. The Optimistic Classmate B, sensing danger, didn’t want to let his most important Detective C venture alone, so he said, ‘I’ll go with you to investigate…’”
“Detective C also valued Optimistic Classmate B and didn’t want him to be in danger, so he tried to dissuade him. But the B said, ‘For you, I’m willing to take the risk…’”
Wu Sheng, with a dry mouth from talking, took a breath, frowned, and looked at the other three companions. “Is that detailed enough?”
Long Legs: “Enough…”
Elegant Gray: “Yes, we fully understand the subtle direction and orientation of the story…”
Wu Sheng looked at Zhao Yukan, who hadn’t spoken.
Zhao took off his glasses, gently wiped them, and said, “The 1.5x speed bone-thin logic text is actually quite good.”
After giving his sincere opinion, Zhao Yukan put his glasses back on and calmly said, “Interruption.”
Wu Sheng expected this and waited silently for what was next.
Zhao Yukan: “On the night High School Detective C decided to continue the investigation, Boy A hanged himself at the police station. His ghost, along with the ghost of Passionate Athlete D, appeared in Detective C’s dream, warning him, ‘Don’t investigate further, or you’ll be in danger too…'”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 3 — [Dream Visit]
“Before the two ghosts could finish speaking, Detective C felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing on him. A ghost was slowly materializing on his blanket. Detective C realized he was experiencing ghost oppression1…”
Zhao Yukan: Story Card 4 — [Ghost Oppression1]
1(鬼压床) This is actually a term for sleep paralysis, where you suddenly become conscious but are unable to move your body while sleeping, giving it the name “ghost is pressing on the bed”.
“The ghosts of Boy A and Passionate Athlete D, along with High School Detective C, joined forces to repel the malevolent ghost, but…”
“Ding—”
A “four-in-one” notification abruptly sounded.
Zhao Yukan, who was narrating, and others like Wu Sheng, Elegant Gray, and Long Legs, who were either listening or planning their own storylines, were all stunned.
[Cheat Sheet]: Please pause the narration. There will be a 5-minute break, after which the game will continue.
Long Legs and Elegant Gray furrowed their brows. They felt something odd about this sudden break but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Zhao Yukan slightly tilted his head, and after two minutes, a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.
Wu Sheng looked down at his story cards, and after a while, his gaze settled on “Optimistic Classmate B”. At the same time, the character cards of the other three participants, representing Boy A, High School Detective C, and Passionate Athlete D, also flashed through his mind—
One card per person…No, Wu Sheng quickly narrowed his eyes. They were a team. One character card each.
And now the storyline progressed to A, C, and D fighting ghosts together and a 5-minute break.
Wu Sheng let out a light sigh of relief. ‘Optimistic Classmate B, as long as everything is fine, that’s enough.’
……
7/23 Plot Line Space, Waiting Room.
After being pulled into the plot line by Wu Sheng’s [Optimistic Classmate B] card, Xu Wang left the observation room and entered a mysterious plot space, following his advisor’s narrative, walking along an unknown storyline.
He didn’t expect that in the space of the plot line, there would be such a waiting room for characters who had entered the plot line but were temporarily not needed on stage.
After Zhao Yukan used the “Interrupt Card” to interrupt Wu Sheng’s storyline, he was instantly transported from the classroom where he was talking to Detective C to this place.
There were two video walls here—one broadcasting the plot space and the other the game space.
On the plot broadcast wall, the scene had shifted from the classroom to C’s bedroom, where Boy A (Le Xing), Passionate Athlete D (Wine Red), and Detective C (Fair Face), were fighting fiercely with the bed-pressing ghost. The props were flying chaotically, with Wine Red and Fair Face occasionally accusing Le Xing during the fight—
“Is your team’s narrator crazy?!”
No wonder they were angry.
When following the plot, they could hear the narrator’s story in real-time. Even though it was another team narrating, they were pulled in to complete the storyline, which would frustrate anyone.
“Optimistic Classmate B.” Xu Wang looked at his advisor on the game room broadcast wall, not sparing any praise. “The character card you chose is very good…”
Not so gloomy, not so passionate, not so eager to seek the truth—truly a relief.
If there was a flaw to pick out, it was just one—
[B often secretly watched C during and after class, and when C was absent, he would stare at his seat.]
At midnight, the hands of the manor’s grandfather clock aligned, emitting a loud and profound sound.
The experienced team members had already put down their tea, packed their bags, and tidied their clothes, calmly readying themselves for the new battlefield.
With a flash of bright light, the five of them found themselves in a sealed room.
The room, about half the size of a classroom, had gray-white walls on all four sides. The ceiling and floor were also in the same color scheme, with no windows, no doors, and no furnishings—the entire space resembled a gray-white box.
Such an environment instinctively induced anxiety, but fortunately, after a few seconds, “colleagues” started to appear.
The first to arrive was a team called “Rainbow Assault Team”, falling from a purple vortex that suddenly appeared in the ceiling. Each of the five challengers wore the same style of jacket but in different colors: elegant gray, sky blue, wine red, deep purple, and bright orange. There wasn’t the brightest, only brighter.
Xu Wang’s team exchanged glances with them, capturing a sense of wariness in each other’s eyes, and then tacitly skipped the pleasantries. Each team chose a corner of the room to settle in, quietly waiting for what was to come.
Still, Captain Xu couldn’t help but whisper to his teammates. “That one in elegant gray must be their team captain.”
His four teammates agreed—given the same jacket, while others could only choose flashy colors, he managed to pick a cool and sophisticated shade. There was no other explanation except for the privilege of being the team captain.
Just as the two teams had settled, the center of the room’s floor opened up into a purple vortex, and five more people were delivered.
They were stunned for a few seconds, obviously new to this challenge and unprepared for the overwhelming gray and white, then they noticed the two teams in the corners.
Their reaction was normal when they saw the Rainbow Assault Team: quiet, silent, on guard.
But their expressions became much more animated when they saw Xu Wang’s team.
Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin also widened their eyes in surprise.
In the enclosed space, eight friends simultaneously let out a “joyful shout”—
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face: “Fuck!”
Chi Yingxue and the fifth person from the other team looked baffled.
The Rainbow Assault Team frowned, unable to determine the relationship between the two teams. On one hand, Xu Wang’s team looked as joyful as if they had a “reunion with old friends”, but on the other, Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face’s expressions looked like “enemies meeting on a narrow path”.
“Uh,” the first to speak was the fifth member of Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face, addressing their Long Legs Captain. “Captain, I think I need a backstory here.”
Log Leg’s expression became very subtle.
This wasn’t a good story to brief a new teammate on.
Just then, a third team appeared.
A purple vortex opened in the wall opposite Xu Wang’s team, and five people entered leisurely as if through a door.
The captain was a handsome young man in his late twenties. He had his hands in his hoodie pockets and lively eyes. Upon entering, he surveyed Xu Wang’s team in Corner 1, the Rainbow Assault Team in Corner 2, and Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face in the center. Finally, he waved to everyone. “Hi~”
Following him was a man in glasses, also in his late twenties, but with a more composed demeanor. His harmless-looking eyes occasionally flashed with intelligent insight.
The remaining three teammates entered simultaneously. One was tall and slender with fair skin and delicate features but a cold demeanor, like an ice beauty. Another was vibrant and sunny, with a smile even brighter than the captain’s. The last one was tall and robust, naturally exuding an aura of authority without needing to frown or glare.
The Rainbow Assault Team observed silently.
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face tightened their formation, wary and frowning.
Only Xu Wang’s team curiously observed, with the captain responding with a smile. “Hi~”
“……” Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face alternated their gazes between the two teams, finally understanding the strange dissonance. These two teams had clashed with each other, and it was quite evident!
“Ding—”
“Ding—”
The sound of “twenty-in-one” echoed in the enclosed space with a reverberating effect, especially noticeable when it rang twice in a row.
All four teams checked their arms simultaneously.
[Roster]: You have 5 minutes of exemption time to choose [Retreat] or [Kick]. Countdown starts now.
[Cheat Sheet]: 15 minutes until the official start of 7/23. Don’t be late. Countdown starts now.
The first message was familiar to all teams since they had received a similar prompt in 6/23 when forming five-person teams. Any team in a five-person challenge would receive such a notification upon completion, facilitating those who wanted to adjust their [Roster].
The second message, however, was completely different from 6/23. In the previous challenge, teams in the banquet hall could enter the castle and start the challenge anytime after completing their lineup.
According to Chi Yingxue’s “spoiler”, this message was related to the nature of this challenge’s competition—it was a board game, requiring all teams to start simultaneously. If some teams arrived early and others joined later, the game couldn’t proceed. Thus, whether teams wanted to recruit new members or swap existing ones, they had to complete their roster adjustments within these 15 minutes. If they missed the deadline, even if they had a full team, they couldn’t enter the challenge and would have to wait until the next day.
“All three teams are here for the first time,” Wu Sheng said, lowering his voice after sneaking a glance around.
Xu Wang nodded. “Yes, but any team that has made it this far is not to be underestimated. We can’t let our guard down.”
Qian Ai’s brows furrowed in confusion. “How do you know they’re all first-timers?”
Chi Yingxue explained indifferently, “They’re still reading the prompts. The duration of their reading corresponds to processing and understanding unfamiliar rules.”
Qian Ai: “……”
Kuang Jinxin comforted. “Qian Ge, I didn’t notice it either.”
Qian Ai patted his head. “But you’re lucky…”
Whether cunning, intelligent, physically strong, or a bringer of luck to the team, Qian Ai, who couldn’t identify any strengths in himself, sank into anxiety about being kicked out of the team at any moment.
Fifteen minutes later, the room still housed the same four teams—surprisingly, no new teams had entered.
As the challenges progressed, the number of teams dwindled, something Xu Wang had anticipated but was now feeling acutely for the first time.
[Owl: 7/23 officially begins. Don’t be nervous. It’s just a board game battle~~]
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Please select your participant. Chi Yingxue/Kuang Jinxin/Qian Ai/Wu Sheng/Xu Wang?
All four teammates looked up, unanimously focusing on the pre-decided candidate—Advisor Wu.
Wu Sheng nodded slowly and confidently, his eyes full of determination.
His teammates were reminded of his campaign speech during the day in the manor, discussing who would participate in the challenge—
With a sense of sure victory, the five members together pressed the selection.
Wu Sheng’s figure flickered and then completely vanished.
On one wall of the sealed room, a live broadcast image suddenly appeared. Wu Sheng was now in another room, sitting at a lavish round table with four golden chairs.
Soon, the other three teams completed their selections, and the game room’s round table was finally fully occupied.
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face’s team chose their Long Legs Captain, the Rainbow Assault Team chose the man in elegant gray, presumably also their captain. The last team to enter chose the steady man with glasses. The moment he sat down, he gently pushed up his glasses, and just with that gesture, Wu Sheng, sitting across from him, seemed to sense a kindred spirit and looked over.
The young man with glasses nodded politely and said something.
Wu Sheng smiled back and replied.
The teammates in the observation room then realized, damn it, the live broadcast had no sound!
“Kankan? Hello—” The captain of the team with the glasses guy seemed undeterred, calling out to the broadcast wall again.
“Captain.” The sunny, handsome guy sighed. “Zhao Ge has said many times, he refuses this nickname.”
Before the one addressed as Captain could speak, the tall and robust one was already showing annoyance. “Xiao Dong, Zhao Ge also said not to reveal names casually.”
Xiao Dong looked at him pitifully. “Qi Ge, you just revealed my surname too.”
Burly Fu Qi: “……”
Innocent Dong Xi: “……”
“From now on, both of you are on mute!” Le Xing, the team captain who was close to revealing half of his team’s names, was on the verge of a breakdown.
Jing Jinglin, who had been quiet all along, gave a cool glance over Xu Wang’s team and Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face’s team and sighed. “It’s the same game, but we can’t share names with each other.”
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face’s team: “……”
Xu Wang looked at his teammates with an indescribable feeling. “Do you guys have a sense of déjà vu…?”
Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “Feels like looking at our past selves…”
Chi Yingxue: “A low-budget version.”
“It’s starting,” Fair Face said quietly, looking at the broadcast wall.
In the game room, an owl hologram appeared in the center of the round table, and then the hologram dispersed, turning the entire table surface transparent. The transparent surfaces in front of Wu Sheng, Zhao Yukan, the man in elegant gray, and Long Legs displayed the same image—twenty face-down cards.
The four participants in the battle didn’t rashly touch anything.
As first-timers in this 7/23 level but seasoned players, they knew better than to act hastily.
Sure enough, in both the game and observation rooms, a voice similar to the “Owl’s” but more solemn sounded. This time, it wasn’t inside their heads but from the ceiling, as if both rooms had synchronized loudspeakers—
[Now announcing the game content…]
Everyone, including Xu Wang’s team, perked up their ears.
[This is a game of story continuation. Each participant has 20 cards in front of them, including 15 story cards, 3 interruption cards, 1 exchange card, and 1 conclusion card. Participants must use the keywords on their story cards to tell and continue a story, ultimately leading the story towards their own conclusion card.
The specific rules are as follows: Among the four participants, the one who has spent the least time in the “Owl” will start telling the story. Each time a keyword on a story card is used, the corresponding story card can be played. If the following three situations occur during the storytelling, the right to tell the story is transferred — 1) The story cannot continue, and the next storyteller can be designated; 2) If a keyword from another person’s story card is touched upon, the owner of that story card immediately plays it and continues the story; 3) If interrupted by someone else using an interruption card, the person who used the interruption card continues the story.
The exchange card can only be used when you have the right to tell the story. The user can exchange any card in their hand for a random card of the same type from another person.
The first to play all 15 story cards and 1 conclusion card wins.
Friendly reminder: 1) If the storyteller’s story is extremely unreasonable, it will be forcibly interrupted. 2) If the narrative between two story cards is too long, it will be forcibly interrupted.]
In the game room, the 20 cards in front of each player slowly flipped over. They could see their own cards clearly, but the others’ tables remained transparent.
In the observation room, the sixteen onlookers could no longer see any images on the round table and could only see the four players looking down at their tables, focused and serious.
At this moment, Xu Wang’s team’s emotions were quite complex—
Qian Ai: “Story continuation… Is it strategy, combat, or logical deduction?”
Xu Wang: “Language expression.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Sheng Ge… Can he do it?”
Xu Wang looked at the broadcast wall, his heart sinking.
Can he? Even Kuang Jinxin is doubting him, so he definitely can’t!
“I’m sorry.” Chi Yingxue sighed deeply. “I should have listened to the content and rules before giving up control of my body.”
“Ding—”
In the observation room, another notification sounded.
This prompt caught the sixteen teammates off guard, as the battle was about to begin. What could it be? And from the live broadcast, it was clear that the four participants in the game room didn’t receive this notification.
[Cheat Sheet]: Please select the narrative participant. Chi Yingxue/Kuang Jinxin/Qian Ai/Xu Wang?
Narrative participant?
Xu Wang’s team raised their heads, only to find the other three teams equally puzzled.
The sixteen teammates looked at each other in the gray-white sealed room, slowly enveloped by a shadow called “ominous premonition”…
The second alert sound interrupted the discussion on the other end, as did the eye contact here.
The five companions looked at their arms together. This time, the coordinates received were for 7/23.
“Chongqing.” After a few seconds of thought, Wu Sheng matched the location with the number.
“Hot pot, skewers, hot and sour noodles…” Qian Ai, already smelling the rich aroma, was lost in endless fantasies.
“And the sky train!” Kuang Jinxin had seen videos of the light rail train passing through the high altitudes of the mountain city. It was magical and cool!
“Chongqing…” Captain Xu, who was eager to return to Beijing, felt a bit complicated.
Chi Yingxue looked at Wu Sheng, who instantly determined the location, and the other three, who trusted his judgment without doubt, feeling even more complicated… Had he missed some step of verifying the location with stationery?
As time passed, most of those who wanted to pass the challenge gathered their teams and left the banquet hall. The ones remaining were either those like them, who didn’t need to pass the challenge, or those who couldn’t gather a team or find one.
Kuang Jinxin took some delicious-looking cakes from the dining table and shared them with his friends. When he offered one to Chi Yingxue, he was rejected.
“I hate sweets.” Chi Yingxue’s refusal was simple and direct.
“Oh.” People have their own preferences. Kuang Jinxin respected that and then gave the piece meant for Chi Yingxue to the eager Qian Ai.
Qian Ai devoured the cakes quickly, wiping his mouth afterwards, and educated Kuang Jinxin, “Remember next time, even the best things should be given to those who appreciate them.”
Kuang Jinxin earnestly remembered. “Next time there’s something tasty, I’ll give you double.”
Qian Ai patted his head with satisfaction.
Chi Yingxue, uninterested in watching the deep bond between his teammates, lowered his eyes and started to unwrap the bandage on his arm. His rough movements turned the bandage into a tight knot, increasing his frustration. In a forceful pull, he tore the bandage off, irritating the newly healed skin on his arm, leaving red marks.
In the low atmosphere, a pale-colored small square cake was handed to him.
Chi Yingxue frowned and looked up.
Kuang Jinxin seriously said, “I tried it. It’s not sweet.”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
From next door, another mischievous hand reached out.
Annoying.
“Snap—”
Qian Ai’s attempt to steal cake was thwarted, leaving him with a swollen hand from the slap. Holding his struck hand, he looked pained. “Do you need to be so harsh? Are we just playing around as comrades or settling deep-seated hatreds?!”
As if he hadn’t heard, Chi Yingxue took the small square and tossed it into his mouth.
Indeed, it wasn’t sweet. There was just a faint butter taste and a hint of some unknown fruity fragrance.
Licking the cake crumbs off his thumb, Chi Yingxue felt somewhat unsatisfied and wanted to talk more with Kuang Jinxin. But when he looked up, he saw Captain Xu and Advisor Wu’s faces in front of him—one with a bright smile showing a row of white teeth, and the other with a clear, wise gaze, subtly expressing a joy and anticipation of “I think we can sit down and do some research.”
Kuang Jinxin was already taken by Qian Ai to the long dining table, happily lost in a world of cupcakes, donuts, fruit salads, and sandwiches.
Chi Yingxue discreetly shifted his gaze away from the long dining table and raised an inquiring eyebrow to the two. “?”
Captain Xu gently started. “Xiao Xue…”
Chi Yingxue smiled. “Speak. What’s, the, matter?”
Realizing that acting cute wasn’t quite suitable for the new teammate, Captain Xu immediately switched to a more serious demeanor. “I want to talk to you again about the badges.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Yingxue understood and promptly replied, “I currently have five badges. Besides the castle badge, I also have badges from levels 1, 3, 4, and 8. Except for 8/23, if guys want to collect the others, I can lead the way.”
Xu Wang was surprised by his frankness.
Wu Sheng was more concerned about the implied information in the answer. “Does the hidden location of each level’s badge never change?”
Chi Yingxue hadn’t really thought about this question. When asked, his gaze gradually drifted to an unknown place, falling into memories.
After a while.
“Hard to say.” Chi Yingxue shook his head, giving the most truthful information he could. “I only found the badges from levels 3, 4, 6, and 8 once. Only the badge from level 1, I’ve found three times, with different teams. The location was the same for the first and third times, but it changed the second time.”
Captain Xu remarked, “You mentioned earlier that the badges are related to challenges after 13/23…”
“Something I overheard from a badge-seeking team I once followed.” Chi Yingxue half-joked, half-seriously sighed with a bit of regret. “If I knew it would be useful today, I should have listened more carefully.”
Captain Xu teased, “Was it really an accidental slip of the tongue, or did you intentionally eavesdrop?”
Chi Yingxue laughed, as if recalling something interesting. “I think it’s the former, but the other party firmly believes it’s the latter.”
“……” A team strictly guarding against newcomers and a newcomer who didn’t want to blend in at all, Xu Wang really didn’t know how to comment on this kind of inevitable tragedy.
At this point, the information was clear; the new teammate could only provide “related to after 13/23” and “location information of four badges”, with the latter not necessarily still valid.
Wu Sheng fell into deep thought.
Xu Wang, after pondering for a moment, flexibly switched to Plan B, scanning the entire banquet hall and, sure enough, caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd.
Chi Yingxue had been waiting for Xu Wang to ask a certain question since the beginning of the conversation. Seeing that Xu Wang was about to stand up, he couldn’t restrain himself and took the initiative. “Aren’t you going to ask?”
Xu Wang looked back at him.
[Except for 8/23, if guys want to collect the others, I can lead the way.]
These were the new teammate’s exact words.
The meaning was already clear. Xu Wang thought they had an unspoken understanding, but now it seemed that more communication was needed.
“It wasn’t you who was looking for that badge.” Xu Wang simply stated the facts without much emotional inclination.
This wasn’t the first time Chi Yingxue revealed his split personality to a new team, but this was indeed the first time he met such a calm captain.
Suddenly, he became curious. “If one day I disappear and he comes out, would you kick me out?”
Xu Wang had actually thought about this question. “If you had asked me yesterday, I might have hesitated, as the memories of the amusement park aren’t very pleasant.”
Chi Yingxue’s smile faded, asking lightly, “Changed your mind now?”
“Last night’s badge was obtained by both of you working together,” Xu Wang said softly and sincerely, looking directly into his eyes as if to see through to another soul. “From the moment he took action, he was already a member of this team.”
Chi Yingxue narrowed his eyes, observing for a long while, then understood. “He hasn’t woken up yet. He can’t hear you talking.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Xu Wang complained, glancing at him as if the affectionate captain just now was an illusion.
Chi Yingxue: “……”
This wasn’t the first time he had been honest about his split personality with a new team, but this was the first time he encountered a captain who was so proactive and already trying to connect with the other him…
“You guys continue talking. I’ll be right back.” Seeing the person Xu Wang had locked onto chatting happily with another incomplete team, looking ready to join, Xu Wang couldn’t wait any longer. He left this message and immediately stood up, to prevent the person from disappearing into a new team before he could ask his questions.
Chi Yingxue watched him stride quickly towards the mercenary named Wang Chuming, guessing his intention.
Turning back to Wu Sheng, who was still in front of him, he couldn’t figure out what there was to talk about with him.
Wu Sheng had already sorted out the clues about the badge and could finally close this matter for the time being, opening a second line of questioning. “Are you better at close combat or long-range attacks?”
Chi Yingxue: “Huh?”
Advisor Wu continued on his own. “I notice you don’t like using stationery often. Can you specify your preference for stationery?”
Chi Yingxue: “Preference?”
Wu Sheng: “Do you prefer defense, offense, or illusory stationery? Do you prefer attack or manipulative types?”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
Wu Sheng: “Don’t worry. I won’t devise any complex tactics for you. Understanding your preferences gives you more room to perform.”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
“What concerns do you have?” Wu Sheng couldn’t understand the other’s silence. “You did an excellent job with the badge-finding mission last night.” He patted his shoulder, trying to convey a reassuring strength with his determined gaze. “Keep it up. I will fulfill all your fantasies about battle.”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
……
Beijing time, Xu Wang finished his secret talk with Wang Chuming and gathered all his teammates in a safe corner to share the intelligence immediately.
“A badge manual?” Everyone, including Chi Yingxue, was hearing about this for the first time.
Xu Wang nodded, looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, and then spoke in a low voice. “Yes, this manual has hints for the badge locations of levels 1–13.”
“I knew it.” Qian Ai finally resolved his doubts. “Finding a small badge in such a large challenge, even if it can glow, you need to search for the right place. It’s not that easy to find each one.”
Wu Sheng asked, “How can we get this manual?”
Xu Wang replied, “Buy it.”
Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai: “Buy?”
Xu Wang: “In any shop in any level in the Owl.”
Qian Ai: “With RMB?”
Xu Wang: “Yes.”
Qian Ai: “How much?”
Xu Wang: “One hundred thousand.”
Qian Ai: “…Actually, searching the ocean is also good, really.”
“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin remembered another question. “You just asked about such a secretive matter, and Wang Chuming answered?”
“I have to discuss this with you; due to the special circumstances, I used public funds,” Xu Wang said. “Intelligence fee, twenty thousand.”
Qian Ai: “Twenty thousand?!”
Xu Wang: “He hasn’t had business for a while. He’s relying on these two pieces of information for his New Year’s.”
Chi Yingxue: “Two pieces?”
Xu Wang paused, again ensuring there were no eavesdroppers, before slowly revealing the second piece of intelligence. “Thirteen badges are the key to unlocking the challenges after 13/23.”
Kuang Jinxin: “But no team has reached beyond 13/23, right?”
Xu Wang shook his head. “It’s not that no one has, but our current leaderboard only shows levels 1-13.”
Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin were both confused.
Chi Yingxue vaguely understood a bit, but it wasn’t entirely clear.
The always-quiet Wu Sheng spoke up. “High school and university.”
“Right.” Xu Wang knew his advisor would understand immediately. “The first 13 levels and the next 10 are like two completely different schools, and their report cards are independent of each other. Moreover, teams that have passed 13/23 never returned.”
“That explains why there are so many unfamiliar names on the speed rankings.” Wu Sheng finally resolved a long-standing puzzle. “Those teams that broke records might have given up later, but more likely, they’ve advanced to higher challenges.”
“If they never returned,” Qian Ai wondered, “where did Wang Chuming get his information?”
“From the endless sea.” Xu Wang sighed. “I heard it cost a pretty penny to buy.”
Qian Ai: “Definitely not cheap. He already scammed us out of twenty thousand.”
Xu Wang: “He was asking for fifty thousand.”
Qian Ai: “Captain, I knew I was right to trust you.”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
Now that the whole story was clear, Wu Sheng looked at Xu Wang, seeking the key point. “A shop? Payment?”
“Of course, I asked,” Xu Wang assured him with a look that said, “you can trust me with this matter”. “There’s a shop in this challenge, right below the banquet hall, and it accepts cash payments, but there’s an ATM.”
Kuang Jinxin: “We can withdraw money here?”
Xu Wang: “If Wang Chuming wasn’t lying.”
Qian Ai: “If he dares to take so much money and still give false information, I’ll chase him to the ends of the earth…”
Soon, the five of them arrived at the staircase leading to the basement level mentioned by Wang Chuming. It was an inconspicuous little door, which led to a dimly lit staircase extending downwards.
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng led the way, with Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin in the middle and Chi Yingxue at the back.
While descending, Chi Yingxue was still pondering how Xu Wang instantly grasped the whole picture from Wu Sheng’s simple words “A shop? Payment?” It wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. Apart from carrying a passive-activated [(Illusory) Soul Understanding], Chi Yingxue couldn’t think of any other explanation…
Three minutes later, they reached the bottom of the stairs, where a very simple grocery store awaited them. It resembled a stall commonly seen in a vegetable market, with various items laid out haphazardly. A smiling old lady sat inside, welcoming them with her kind eyes as they appeared at the top of the stairs.
This so-called “basement level” was just a small area, enough for the grocery store and an ATM, leaving barely any room for the five of them.
“What would you like?” the old lady asked kindly. “Sugar? Fruits? Bread?”
Xu Wang stepped forward, saying clearly, “I would like to buy a badge manual.”
The old lady still smiled warmly. “Two hundred thousand. Please pay in cash.”
Xu Wang, Qian Ai: “……Wasn’t it one hundred thousand?!”
The old lady looked confused. “Hmm?”
The teammates unanimously turned to their team captain.
Captain Xu felt immense pressure. “Wang Chuming definitely said it was one hundred thousand, and it was bought in this challenge, but that was half a year ago. It’s possible that prices have soared since then…”
Qian Ai despaired. “Isn’t this price increase a bit too extreme…”
Wu Sheng sighed, asking the most practical question. “How much is left in the public funds?”
Xu Wang sighed even deeper. “I just spent twenty thousand, so there’s only one hundred and forty thousand left.”
They had been busy in the Endless Sea for a month, and this was all they had saved in the public wallet. They thought they were being economical, but now they were in debt overnight.
“Let’s pool our resources,” Qian Ai, heartbroken, suggested. “We need to buy it anyway, better sooner than later.” If they waited and the price increased further, he feared every time he saw the manual, his heart would ache.
Xu Wang: “That’s the only option.”
Fortunately, not all the cash from the Endless Sea’s treasure chest had been confiscated; some went to those who opened the chest.
Given the circumstances, they had to contribute as much as they could.
Xu Wang prepared to withdraw the public account funds from the ATM, inserting the card.
Just as he was about to insert the card, a hand suddenly appeared, blocking the slot.
Xu Wang followed the arm to its owner, Chi Yingxue. “What’s wrong?”
Chi Yingxue’s eyes held a faint question. “Public wallet?”
Xu Wang had only discussed emotions with the new teammate, planning to talk about money once their relationship was stable. Otherwise, if they disbanded tomorrow after paying today, it would be awkward to discuss refunds.
But since the new teammate brought it up, he took the opportunity to explain. “Yes, we set up a team public account for all team expenses on an AA* basis.”
*It’s a term basically meaning going Dutch (where everyone pays for their own expenses).
Chi Yingxue thought for a moment, then confirmed again. “There’s only one hundred and forty thousand left in the account?”
“Yes.” Now that they were on the topic, Xu Wang had nothing to hide.
Chi Yingxue pulled out a wallet from his pocket, inserted a card into the ATM. “I benefited from the intelligence. I’ll pay my share for the manual. It’s only fair that I contribute.”
Xu Wang was surprised by how swiftly he took action. Before he could say anything, Chi Yingxue was already entering his PIN.
The other four teammates instinctively turned away to avoid seeing the PIN.
For the next few minutes, they just heard the machine counting and dispensing money.
Finally, when everything quieted down, they turned back to see Chi Yingxue holding a stack of cash, which was quite a spectacle.
“Is that… forty thousand?” Qian Ai blinked hard, feeling his perception of money’s volume a bit blurred.
“One hundred thousand,” Chi Yingxue replied.
Xu Wang held his forehead, worried about his new teammate’s math skills. “Even adding the previous twenty thousand, the public wallet only has one hundred and sixty thousand. Each person should contribute forty thousand. Why are you taking out one hundred thousand?”
Chi Yingxue explained, “Forty thousand for tuition, sixty thousand as a transfer sponsorship fee.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Transfer?”
Qian Ai: “Sponsorship?”
Xu Wang looked at his new teammate with mixed feelings. “I just want to ask one question. How did such a shiny classmate like you end up with no school willing to take you in?”
Chi Yingxue slightly curled his lips. “Perhaps they still think that money is less important than life.”
Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Is this some kind of midnight horror story?!
“Alright, now that you’ve joined our team, even if you’re rich, you have to follow our rules,” Xu Wang said. “The cost of the badge manual will be split equally among us.”
The captain’s word was final—no objections allowed.
Under the supervision of his teammates, Chi Yingxue redeposited the extra money. While listening to the machine count the cash, he wondered if he was the first customer to use the machine’s “deposit” feature.
They handed over two hundred thousand in cash to the old lady, who counted it carefully. After she counted the last bill, all the money suddenly vanished.
At the same time, all five of them heard a “ding——”
Inside their [Stationery Box], in the hidden item compartment for storing badges, a new icon appeared in the bottom right corner. [Small Booklet].
Upon opening it, the hints for the hidden badges from levels 1–13 were revealed—
Bear’s Paw.
Land of Rampant Desire.
Waxing Crescent Moon.
Ghost in the Wall.
Water Lily.
Wu Sheng: “The hints for 4/23 and 6/23 don’t match the methods and locations where we found the badges.”
Xu Wang: “Wang Chuming said these hints change periodically as the corresponding badges are found.”
Qian Ai: “Can I apply to permanently skip the fifth level…”
Kuang Jinxin: “Qian Ge, don’t you love horror movies? Whether they’re Chinese, American, Japanese, Korean, Indian, or Thai.”
Qian Ai: “Just because I like watching them doesn’t mean I like digging into walls to find ghosts…”
“Did everyone receive the manual?” From behind the miscellaneous goods, the old lady’s caring voice came.
Xu Wang returned a painful but polite smile to the old lady. “Yes, we received it.”
Forty thousand per person!
“Good to hear.” The old lady was relieved, then reached out to an old-fashioned European-style cast iron bell next to her. “Now for the free gift.”
The teammates: “……Free gift?”
“Ding ding ding~~~”
As the bell rang out with an antique sound, the five friends felt a darkness before their eyes and their bodies lightened.
When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in front of a familiar European-style manor.
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Welcome to the [Flying Island VIP Lounge].
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Dear guests, I am the butler of this place, Xiao Feidao! I will guide you from now on, ensuring you are fully recharged before the next midnight arrives.
“Captain!” Kuang Jinxin looked at Xu Wang excitedly. “This is the Flying Island’s VIP Lounge!”
Qian Ai couldn’t help but pat their captain on the back. “We just saved on airfare! Haha!”
Wu Sheng was also satisfied. “Now we can focus on planning our tactics.”
Chi Yingxue was indifferent to food and accommodation, but resting comfortably was certainly better than being on the road.
Among all the teammates, only Captain Xu looked up at the sky in silence.
He wanted to return to Beijing!
This “accidental” transport to a faraway place like Chongqing—what kind of devil’s gift was this?!
……
Twenty-two hours later, the rare extended rest in Beijing time left the teammates more spirited than ever. Even the sulky Captain Xu, after a long sleep, had come to terms with it. After all, having waited ten years, another day and a half didn’t make much difference.
Regarding the challenge of 7/23, Chi Yingxue provided clear and simple information: it was a board game.
There was no map, no new world, no quest line—just each team selecting a representative to play a board game in a room with only one round table.
As for the content of the board game and whether there would be any other storylines or tasks interrupting the game, Chi Yingxue knew nothing. The only time he entered 7/23, just as he saw his team’s representative enter the game room, his body switched to his other self.
This was a spacious suite, large enough to host a small party. Seven hours earlier, Wang Duanran’s team of five was leisurely chatting here, discussing whether to help another team submit their task after obtaining the Castle Badge, to end the challenge early and come back for a rest.
At that time, none of the five could have imagined that they would welcome the sunrise in a state of physical and mental exhaustion.
The first to be hit by the sunlight was Jiang Dachuan, lying on the sofa near the window. He irritably covered his eyes, and after a while, feeling the heat, he slapped the sofa and sat up abruptly, finally erupting, “If we had given our all from the start, we could have definitely won!”
Kong Lizhe, lying on a nearby recliner and playing with a spare phone, didn’t take his eyes off it. “Being able to make others underestimate you is also a kind of strength.”
Jiang Dachuan was frustrated. If making the opponent underestimate them was a tactic, then the bizarre appearance of [Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea] was definitely crucial…
No, he felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. He wanted to report it!
Gu Nian closed the detective novel he had been unable to get into and looked up. He rarely had things he couldn’t understand, but this morning, the confusion lingering on his face was evident. “How exactly did they break the [Meng Po Soup]…”
At the same time, Anyang City, a standard double room in an ordinary hotel.
Chi Yingxue finally fell asleep after Kuang Jinxin experimentally gave him a second pillow.
Even though he was about the same height as Wu Sheng, around 187 or 188 cm, curled up, he didn’t take up much space. Lying there with a pillow under his head and hugging another, his expression was relaxed and even a bit lazy from exhaustion, but his body was tense, as if trying to curl into an invisible point.
The contrast between his defenseless sleeping face and his extremely guarded sleeping posture was stark and strange.
The four teammates squatting by the bed looked at each other, communicating silently through their eyes—
Xu Wang nodded slightly—He should be really asleep this time.
Kuang Jinxin let out a slight sigh of relief—Mm.
Wu Sheng curiously raised an eyebrow—How did you think to give him another pillow?
Kuang Jinxin tilted his head, hands cupped beneath his chin—Holding something while sleeping feels secure.
Qian Ai widened his eyes—What are you all even talking about?!
Ever since coming out from the Owl, Chi Yingxue had been in a state of confused consciousness. He was mumbling incoherently, not fully asleep, yet not fully awake. The four teammates, not knowing where he stayed the previous night, had to carry him back to their hotel.
Advisor Wu analyzed for the teammates the cause of this situation—memory loss from [Meng Po Soup] affecting a single personality, leading to the switch to a second personality, and the restoration of the first personality after breaking the [Meng Po Soup] spell, leading to a competition between the two personalities.
The teammates listened carefully and silently digested this for half a minute.
From the time they returned to the hotel, the four had been by the bed, not moving an inch, worrying about Chi Yingxue’s restlessness. Now, they could finally relax a bit and take a breather.
They were unaware of when the day had broken. Looking outside now, it was already bright and sunny.
“Buzz—”
The vibrating sound of a phone rang out in the quiet room.
The four teammates were startled, looking at each other with innocent faces, searching for the source of the sound, only to find it under the blanket on the bed, from the new teammate’s phone.
The recently asleep Chi Yingxue became restless again, seemingly annoyed by the sound, frowning and hugging the pillow tighter.
The vibration finally stopped.
But before the teammates could relax, the “buzzing” started again, relentless.
“Nn—” Chi Yingxue groaned uncomfortably, eyes still closed, but one hand, as if with its own consciousness, released the pillow, fumbled for the phone, digging it out of his trouser pocket, and threw it away.
The four teammates by the bed were completely unprepared for this action, instinctively dodging to avoid being hit in the face by the flying phone.
The poor phone landed onto the carpet with a thud, still vibrating.
The teammates: “……”
Wastefulness is the deadliest thing!
Chi Yingxue, now comfortable, turned over and continued sleeping.
On the other side, Xu Wang quickly picked up the innocent phone, noticing that although it landed on the carpet, the corner of the screen was still cracked.
Two missed calls on the phone—from Chi Zhuolin.
“Buzz—”
Great, the third call was coming in.
Xu Wang hesitated between answering and muting it, but on the bed, Chi Yingxue suddenly opened his eyes, clear and alert, devoid of any confusion or fatigue—a stark contrast to the pillow-loving person a second ago.
The three teammates by the bed were caught off guard, unsure how to greet him.
Chi Yingxue sat up, glanced at the bed, then at Xu Wang and the familiar phone in his hand, understanding the situation.
“You guys must have had a hard time because of me,” he said apologetically and calmly, with warmth. “I’m back.”
Those simple words carried a declaration of sovereignty.
When he was previously restless, the teammates even discussed that if the awakened personality was a different one, whether they would have to “welcome” him again or bring up the “grudges of the amusement park” and the “achievement of obtaining the badge”. Now, it seemed that none of those were necessary.
The awakened Chi Yingxue was the same as when they first met, distinct from the Chi Yingxue who was dressed in beach holiday style in the cold at the amusement park, making it hard to mistake him for anyone else.
Xu Wang quickly handed him the phone, wanting to explain that the screen was cracked by his own doing, but the fourth vibration came.
Chi Yingxue took the phone, not even looking at the cracked screen corner, pressed to answer, and got out of bed.
“Did you break your phone again—”
As soon as the call connected, this sentence sprang from the earpiece, carrying the impatience of the previous unanswered calls and an almost divinatory guess at the situation.
“Chi Zhuolin, it’s me.” Chi Yingxue pressed the phone to his ear, making the voice from the earpiece indistinct.
“Yes…”
“Henan…”
“Pretty good…”
“Who knows…”
As Chi Yingxue entered the bathroom and closed the door, the call was completely cut off.
From start to finish, the teammates only heard one sentence from the other end of the phone, but Chi Yingxue’s five sentences left them completely baffled.
“Chi Zhuolin?” Wu Sheng repeated the name just heard.
“Yes, Zhuo as in ‘outstanding’, Lin as in ‘to arrive’*.” Xu Wang was the only one who had seen how those few characters were written.
*Clarity: [Zhuo] (卓) from [zhuoyue] (卓越). [Lin] (临) from [Jianglin] (降临).
Kuang Jinxin asked, “Both are surnamed Chi. Is it a family member?”
Qian Ai frowned. “The way he’s calling non-stop, it sounds more like a debt collector.”
The gossip was brief, as Chi Yingxue ended the call and came out of the bathroom.
Before his teammates could ask, he explained directly. “Chi Zhuolin,” pausing for a moment before adding, “is my brother.”
The four teammates: “…Oh.”
Guessing he was a relative, and with the teammate being upfront about it, there seemed little else to respond with other than nodding.
“It’s nothing. I’m always running around outside every day, so it’s just a routine check-in.” Chi Yingxue put his phone back in his pocket.
This further explanation dispelled any doubts the four might have had. It was a private matter, after all, and basic communication sufficed.
“Where are you staying?” Xu Wang asked. “Are you going back to rest, or are you checking out and moving over to join us?”
Chi Yingxue pondered for a moment, sensing the implication of victory in the question, and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You submitted the papers?”
“Yes.” Xu Wang was about to ask if he still had amnesia, but then realized that at the moment of obtaining the badge, it wasn’t the Chi Yingxue in front of him and hurriedly corrected himself. “Both the badge and the submission were successfully completed.”
Having a teammate with dual personalities was useful, but it could be exhausting…
Chi Yingxue tilted his head slightly, looking over his four teammates with a bit of surprise. “Those few with good strength, not bad.”
He knew he was capable of obtaining the badge, even if it required the other him to step in, but he didn’t expect the remaining four to also complete the submission.
The new teammate’s recognition left the team in an awkward silence.
After a while.
Wu Sheng patted their team captain on the shoulder. “Let it be.”
Xu Wang nodded. “Building a sense of team belonging takes time.”
Qian Ai brainwashed himself. “Just focus on combat ability, yes, combat ability.”
Kuang Jinxin shook his head in resignation, then turned to look at Chi Yingxue’s arm, which was slightly stained red through the bandage. “You should change that dressing.”
“……” Chi Yingxue felt like their words all translated to the same thing—there will be time in the future. I don’t have the same opinion as you now.
In the end, Chi Yingxue didn’t change the dressing and went back to his own hotel. Fortunately, he had a bit of team spirit left and said he would pack up his stuff and check out to join them in the evening for the “Owl”.
Watching Chi Yingxue get into a taxi, Qian Ai couldn’t help but mutter, “Does he not know what pain is?”
No one spoke.
That question could only be answered by Chi Yingxue himself.
Back in their room, the four teammates each took a nap. Wu Sheng fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down. The battles of the night had been as exhausting as three nights combined, and now he didn’t want to move even a finger, letting both his body and mind recharge.
Xu Wang was also tired and lay on the bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep.
He had been worried about Chi Yingxue before and hadn’t had time to think about anything else. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, the letters that had been lurking at the bottom of his heart started to stir, making him restless.
His biggest regret now was not bringing those letters with him.
How heavy could a few pieces of paper be? Could they earn interest hidden at home?!
If he could use a stationery item, he would immediately use an [(Illusory) Out-of-Body Experience] to rush back to Beijing. But reality was that his teammates were looking forward to the next day’s rewards and the day after’s new challenges. He couldn’t just suddenly say he wanted to go back to Beijing, could he?
Of course, if there was a valid reason, he believed his teammates wouldn’t mind accompanying him back once. But could he tell them? Could he say, “I think there might be an unsolved code from ten years ago, and now I want to go back and take another look, to study it”?
…Why did he have to like Wu Sheng so much! If he liked a simple and sweet person, he might already be in the seven-year itch phase by now!
Wu Sheng woke up in the afternoon. Opening his eyes, he saw his team captain sleeping on the other bed, turned towards him, with furrowed brows and a tight grip on the blanket, looking angry as if fighting someone in his dreams.
He thought the other must be dreaming about the challenge. After watching quietly for a while, he couldn’t resist reaching over to gently smooth the furrow on his team captain’s brow.
Only when Xu Wang’s brow relaxed did Wu Sheng get up satisfied, refreshed, and went to the bathroom to start a new day!
In the evening, the fully reunited team of five had their first meal together in full force at a hotel nearby.
During the meal, Xu Wang, on behalf of the whole team, extended a warm and friendly welcome to the new teammate, Classmate Chi. The latter seemed not quite used to such a team-building atmosphere and was initially a bit uncomfortable. However, when Qian Ai started live streaming, the other members naturally dispersed, leaving the camera to the host for a solo shot. Amidst phrases like “Thanks to Brother XX for the yacht” and “What? It’s a sister, haha,” he continued to eat and drink with ease. After this, Chi Yingxue didn’t have any more issues adapting…
Like the “[Mirage] plan” from the night before, it was better not to overthink it and just go with the flow.
Another midnight arrived, and the small team, no longer needing to complete challenges, refreshed in the banquet hall.
As soon as they stood still, they received the reward notification—
Xu Wang’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Slipping Hands], [(Offense) Voodoo Doll], [(Illusory) Don’t Want to Grow Up].
Qian Ai’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Cloak of Invisibility, [(Offense) Gemini Jumping Machine], [(Illusory) Ah, Dropped Money]
Kuang Jinxin’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Lost in a Five-Mile Fog], [(Offense) Whose Hand is Brushing Your Black Hair, Whose Hand], [(Illusory) Reincarnate of Hua Tuo*].
*Hua Tao was a Chinese physician famous for his medical skills, so this stationery is basically saying someone as skilled (in medicine) as Hua Tao (thus his reincarnation).
Chi Yingxue’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring], [(Offense) Romantic Afternoon Tea], [(Illusory) I Advise You to Be Kind].
The five teammates found a secluded corner to check the rewards and naturally shared with each other.
Xu Wang: “Lao Qian, your illusory stationery [Ah, Dropped Money] won’t backfire on the teammates, right?”
Qian Ai: “As the team captain, shouldn’t you be more concerned about the user, me?!”
Kuang Jinxin: “Sheng Ge, what does your illusory stationery [I’m Really Scared] mean?”
Wu Sheng: “I’ll tell you once I’ve figured it out.”
Qian Ai: “Hey, Xiao Xue, I’m familiar with [Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring]!”
Chi Yingxue: “Xiao… Xue?”
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Reincarnate of Huo Tuo] on you~~]
Chi Yingxue’s dangerous gaze, brewing due to the new nickname, dissipated cleanly amidst the sudden prompt sound.
The nail injury under the arm bandage and various bruises from the physical fight with Jiang Dachuan were all healed in an instant, as good as new.
Those pains he didn’t care about, but were real, disappeared without a trace.
Only he could hear this prompt; Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, and Qian Ai were still discussing the uses of the new stationery, leaving Kuang Jinxin, who was staring at him, as if waiting for the effect.
Their eyes met, and the user asked uncertainly. “Is it okay now?”
Chi Yingxue nodded lightly. “Yes, full status.”
Kuang Jinxin sighed in relief; his expression seemed to say, That’s good.
Chi Yingxue smiled faintly. “Actually, it wasn’t necessary.”
Kuang Jinxin asked, “Does he also not fear pain?”
Chi Yingxue paused, and after a while, he realized who was being asked about and laughed. “Being overly sentimental” was a very novel experience for him—uncomfortable, but interesting.
“He does. He fears pain terribly.” His tone rose, carrying pleasure and schadenfreude.
Kuang Jinxin slightly frowned, feeling that the answer had a bit of intentional provocation.
“Hey.” Chi Yingxue suddenly leaned in close with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold. “Is this illusory stationery for me, or for him?”
Kuang Jinxin didn’t dodge, looking straight into his eyes. “For my teammate.”
Kinky Translations 