Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 189: Good News

At 1:00 a.m. Beijing time, exactly one hour into the Owl, Xu Wang finally received the first message from 9/23.

“Sorry, something unexpected happened.” Han Buting’s voice was as cold as ever, making it hard to detect any emotional fluctuations, but the fact that he started with a reflection showed he understood the gravity of the situation.

“What happened?” Xu Wang’s expression became serious. Since it wasn’t a deliberate lack of response, they must have encountered a problem.

Wu Sheng, Chi Yingxue, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai all turned their attention to him upon seeing this.

The Owl Jade of level 13 had been found, and now all they could do was wait.

“Okay, got it. There’s still time. Take it slow.” After the communication ended, Xu Wang looked up. “Han Buting and his team encountered a new hell.”

Qian Ai widened his eyes. “A brand-new one?”

Xu Wang: “A newly launched hell, unboxed for the first time.”

“Doesn’t that mean starting from scratch?” Kuang Jinxin asked worriedly. “Can we still find the source of fear?”

Xu Wang sighed. “Hard to say.”

It was a level without a map to begin with, only knowing that the Owl Jade was hidden in the “source of fear”, but exploring the core of an unfamiliar hell wasn’t so easy.

“What kind of hell is it?” Wu Sheng inquired.

“World War?” Chi Yingxue offered an irresponsible guess.

“You’re very close to the truth.” Xu Wang patted Xiao Xue’s shoulder. “Star Wars.”

Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, Chi Yingxue: “…”

“They are now piloting a spaceship, dealing with a fleet of some unknown force.” Xu Wang faithfully relayed the situation. “Captain Han says it’s only a matter of time before they’re shot down.”

Qian Ai cautiously asked, “Shot down, and land where?”

Xu Wang: “Disintegrate—turned into dust drifting in the universe.”

Qian Ai: “……”

Wu Sheng frowned. “Isn’t there any chance of victory?”

Xu Wang pondered for a moment. “It depends on whether Qi Shan can perform a miracle.”

The four companions looked puzzled, not understanding.

“Only Qi Shan knows how to pilot the ship.” Xu Wang spread his hands. “He’s now the captain.”

Qian Ai was astonished. “There are schools for learning to pilot spaceships now?”

“It’s said that there are many simulation spaceship games abroad, with control panels and consoles being quite similar, and Qi Shan was really into it for a while.”

Qian Ai: “Their team really is full of talent…”

Wu Sheng wondered. “If Qi Shan is piloting the ship, whose nightmare of Star Wars is it?”

Xu Wang: “Li Zijin.”

Qian Ai: “Clubs here don’t play those kinds of games, right?”

Xu Wang: “Maybe it’s a white moonlight hidden deep in his heart.”

The four companions: “…”

This glimmer of moonlight is too hardcore.

Meanwhile, 10/23 Aeroplane Chess.

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Poseidon’s Wrath] on you~~]

The chessboard’s water surface surged with waves, crashing against the pitted stone walls. The stained glass cracked, drenching all the friends playing Aeroplane Chess.

A young man with a buzz cut finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you guys ever going to stop?! Are we playing Aeroplane Chess here, or is it forced demolition?!”

For sixty minutes, they hardly moved a few steps on the chessboard, and the entire space was nearly destroyed by these two mad teams.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes—it was like a grand assembly of disaster-themed stationery.

And the stationery wasn’t even used on them but on the buildings and water; it wasn’t considered an attack on the challengers by the rules.

“Lao He—” Fu Wenqing couldn’t care less about his colleague, focusing on controlling the waves caused by the stationery to a suitable scale, close to but not touching his teammates, to avoid a direct attack.

The wave surged right beside He Lanshan, with a hint of purple barely visible in the water.

He Lanshan reached into the curtain of water and grasped firmly.

Just like the previous times, the Owl Jade soaked in water was slippery like an eel. In addition, the water waves weren’t stable, so it slipped away as soon as it was caught!

“Tsk!” He Lanshan voiced his frustration at another failed attempt.

They had managed to bring out the Owl Jade early on, and since then, it had been elusive in the water. They dared not use [Great Yu Controls the Flood] or similar stationery for fear the Owl Jade would be carried away by the water, leaving them nowhere to cry.

“Captain Fu, we can’t leave the chess square. It’s too restrictive.” The captain of Yue’s Fourth Circle Team provided a new idea. “Let the stationery go on its own.”

Let the stationery go on its own?

Fu Wenqing paused, then understood.

“Muchen.”

Zhao Muchen knew what Fu Wenqing meant. As soon as the captain of Yue’s Fourth Circle Team finished speaking, he got it, probably needing to use his special stationery. It wasn’t about reluctance; it was just that he had kept it for so long and inevitably formed a bond with it.

But thinking about the Owl’s closure and never seeing these stationeries again, it was better to witness its true form now. After all, it carried countless romantic and beautiful fantasies…

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Mermaid] on you~~]

[Poseidon’s Wrath] suddenly calmed, and beneath the rippling water, a figure flashed and dived deeper, leaving only a graceful illusion to those onshore.

Zhao Muchen held his breath, staring fixedly underwater, not daring to blink, while continuously sending the thought of finding the Owl Jade to the other side.

Fu Wenqing’s team and Yue’s Fourth Circle Team involuntarily quieted down, their tension palpable in the faint sound of water.

The buzz-cut young man and his teammates were also tense. Facing two mad teams, should they stubbornly play to the end, or escape early for safety?

Splish.

The Owl Jade emerged from the water as if thrown, bringing a small splash and landing in Zhao Muchen’s arms.

The buzz-cut young man squinted, suddenly realizing he might have overlooked something. These two teams weren’t mad; they had found a treasure worth going mad for.

What exactly was that translucent purple object…

Crack!

Without wasting a second, Zhao Muchen grabbed the Owl Jade and crushed it underfoot, his specially worn spiked shoes finally proving their worth after an hour of discomfort.

The buzz-cut young man: “……”

Not playing the game, just throwing stationery around as if it cost nothing, finally digging up the treasure, and then crushing it.

Crushed it.

This is madness—all ten of them!

Splash—

A larger splash and a wet head appeared, leaning on the edge of Zhao Muchen’s chess square, looking up at him with a smile.

A mermaid.

Zhao Muchen looked into those eyes that shone like stars, forgetting to breathe… out of anger.

Fu Wenqing, He Lanshan, and Wu Yanchao all looked away, hardly bearing to watch.

Qin Rui, just a square behind him, reached out to comfortingly pat his back. “Well, there’s always a gap between ideals and reality…”

The mermaid was beautiful, the kind that could make all the men in the world pale in comparison—handsomely beautiful.

13/23, Finance Office.

“Did we succeed?” Xu Wang couldn’t help but clench his fist in victory. “That’s great!”

“Is everyone okay?” After the joy, he asked worriedly again.

“Uh, basically,” Fu Wenqing unusually hesitated for a moment.

Xu Wang immediately sensed something was wrong and directly messaged Qin Rui, the least likely to hide anything—[Did anyone in your team get hurt?]

[Eh, how did you connect to me? No one’s hurt. Oh wait, does heartbreak count?]

[Who’s heartbroken?]

[Zhao Muchen. Ah, he’s been fantasizing about a mermaid sister. Just now, when we used it, it turned out to be a big brother, though also really good-looking…]

[Wait, wait, used?!]

[Used it to find the Owl Jade.]

[…Oh.]

[Xu Wang, were you thinking of something not suitable for children just now?]

[No!]

Decisively cutting off the communication, Captain Xu calmed himself for two seconds, just about to share the good news with his teammates, when another message came through the always ready captain’s hotline in his mind.

“Captain Xu, this is 1/23. The Owl Jade is dealt with. It’s now broken into four big pieces and two small ones. Do we need to grind it down further?”

“Uh… if you’ve got nothing better to do, go ahead.” It’s always better to be thorough.

“The first and tenth levels are also completed.” Xu Wang immediately reported the progress to his teammates.

1, 10, 12, 13 completed—nine more to go.

Wu Sheng suddenly asked, “How’s Le Xing and his team?”

Zhao Yukang had said they would reach the Owl Jade location in an hour during their first connection. Xu Wang checked his phone; it was now 1:14. An hour had passed.

Concentrating, he called out to Le Xing.

No response.

He then signaled Zhao Yukang, trying several times but to no avail.

Xu Wang opened his eyes, his heart sinking. “I can’t connect with Le Xing or Zhao Yukang.”

The four companions looked at each other while Wu Sheng frowned. “Try connecting with someone else.”

Fu Qi, Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi.

Xu Wang silently recited these three names, sending the message continuously.

Finally, Jing Jinglin and Fu Qi responded—

[Captain Xu.]

[Xu Wang?]

“How’s it going? Did you reach the location?” Xu Wang directed this question to both.

Jing Jinglin: “We’re here, digging now.”

Fu Qi: “We’re here. Don’t rush. It’s almost done.”

Xu Wang didn’t want to disturb them, but he was really worried: “I can’t get in touch with your captain or Zhao Yukang.”

Fu Qi: “The three of them went ahead.”

Xu Wang: “Three?”

Fu Qi: “And Dong Xi. All were forcibly ejected.”

Xu Wang got alarmed. “What happened?”

Fu Qi: “The electric stove exploded during a game of Fight the Landlord.”

Xu Wang: “Why is there an electric stove in Fight the Landlord?!”

Fu Qi: “Hot pot Fight the Landlord. It’s a lot of fun to play while eating. Luckily, the table couldn’t fit five, or we’d all be gone.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Jing Jinglin: “Ah—”

Fu Qi: “Fuck!”

“What happened?” Xu Wang’s face changed.

Wu Sheng’s heart tightened, and after a while, he saw Xu Wang looking over. “Fu Qi said the tour leader, and the two college students started fighting. Trouble’s brewing.”

If Fu Qi and Jing Jinglin were also forcibly ejected, that would really be the end.

The team leader is the tour guide, and during their challenge, there were two college students in the team, along with a pair of female best friends, a long-distance couple… Wu Sheng remembered clearly because he had sent them cards.

“Tell Fu Qi to throw a card.” Wu Sheng suggested.

Xu Wang swallowed hard. “Really try it?”

They indeed had each team carry a stack of the advisor’s custom-made cards 3.0, but…

“If it works, it’s a bonus. If not, no loss.” Wu Sheng, after so much research and practice without seeing results, was still not ready to leave the Owl without trying.

Xu Wang reluctantly suggested to their side. “Throw a card over there. See if you can divert their attention?”

Fu Qi, Jing Jinglin: “……”

Despite their doubts, they followed through.

“How did it go?” On this side were Captain Xu and Advisor Wu’s eager expectations.

“It worked.” Came the resigned response from Fu Qi and Jing Jinglin. “The corner of the card scratched the team leader’s face. Now we’re officially joining the fight.”

Meanwhile, 2/23, the Red-Eye Flight.

“This—this passenger. Please stop rummaging through the overhead bins.” The flight attendant was near tears yet dared not truly intervene. Several male attendants had already been magically wiped out by these ruffians, leaving her the only crew member besides the pilots.

Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face also wanted to cry. The luggage compartment was clearly marked, right in the middle, but even after rummaging through all the luggage and prying open people’s carry-ons, there was nothing. They even got into several fights with the passengers involved.

“The location has to be here,” Fair Face said, holding the map for comparison. “If it’s not in the luggage compartment, then the only place left is…”

“Inside the plane?” Stick Figure’s heart trembled.

Long Legs frowned. “Are we supposed to dismantle the airplane?!”

In an inconspicuous seat in economy class, Ma Liuba looked out at the clouds, feeling very peaceful inside. He had planted a bomb on the plane, intending to sacrifice everyone on board for himself. He knew that some force would warn the chosen ones about the bomb in advance, and these people would prevent his sacred and great ritual.

He even looked forward to confronting them and letting them know that God cannot be defeated by mortals.

But he had been waiting, and no one had come to stop him.

God felt disappointed.

3/23 Doomsday City, South of the City.

A lemon-yellow Jeep sped towards the southernmost end of the city.

The car was crammed with five people, nearly squashing Ding Xiaoche into a pancake, who was still worried about the outsiders. “What kind of map are you guys using? Are you sure it’s accurate?”

“Shut up!” Yue’s Second Circle Team had always been polite to this NPC but couldn’t stand his constant nagging anymore. His incessant chatter was driving them crazy.

Ding Xiaoche didn’t want to talk too much. Meng Zhang had said that the outsiders had their own set of rules, and they just needed to cooperate. Talking too much could cause trouble. But today was different; he had lent his car countless times, and only this time did the outsiders not head to the north but to the south, which was strange.

Ding Xiaoche knew he was too kind-hearted and couldn’t change. “Hey, shouldn’t you be going to the hospital? The hospital is in the north!”

His earnest persuasion finally caught the attention of the four outsiders.

The captain of Yue’s Second Circle Second Team, who was also the driver, slammed on the brakes, turning around incredulously. “What did you say?”

Ding Xiaoche felt a bit nervous under their gaze. “I-I said, the hospital is in the north…”

The captain of Yue’s Second Circle Second Team stared at him intently. “Do you know what we’re here for?!”

Ding Xiaoche: “…Huh?”

Everyone in Yue’s Second Circle Second Team: “Pretending to be dumb now is too late!”

“NPC awakened?!” Xu Wang, upon hearing the message from 3/23, was so shocked that he jumped up.

Wu Sheng’s eyes flashed with astonishment. Kuang Jinxin opened his mouth wide, and Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow interestedly.

“What the hell?” Qian Ai doubted he heard correctly.

“The second team said, the NPC who lent them the car knew they were going to the hospital…” Xu Wang said, still finding it hard to believe. “And knew they were looking for a vaccine…”

Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes. “Is it the same person who lent us the car before?”

“According to the second team’s description, yes. He even said his name was Ding Xiaoche…”

“Is it really an awakening? Or maybe an update to the setting?”

Xu Wang couldn’t answer—not just because he wasn’t there, but even if he was, he might not be able to judge.

Wu Sheng said, “Ask the second team how many times he has lent the car.”

A minute later.

Xu Wang brought back the second team’s inquiry result: “He said he couldn’t remember how many times, but Meng Zhang told him to keep pretending to have amnesia.”

“Meng Zhang?” Wu Sheng repeated the name, then suddenly lifted his gaze. “The god from the Three Religions Temple?”

Xu Wang nodded. “His immortal boyfriend.”

Wu Sheng couldn’t stay calm anymore. The purpose of giving NPCs cards was to free them from the constraints of the Owl, granting them a form of autonomous consciousness. If it could cause disturbances affecting or even shutting down the Owl, that would be ideal. Unexpectedly, the one who wasn’t given a card awakened on his own!

“Tell the second team to tell Ding Xiaoche the truth.” Wu Sheng stood up. “Say they’re here to shut down the Owl, and once successful, no one like them will ever disturb the city again. If he and his boyfriend can manage to get the vaccine from the hospital, maybe the entire city’s zombies can be eradicated forever.”

“Are you just giving the NPC false hope…” Qian Ai felt this was far-fetched, no matter how it was spun.

“How do we know without trying?” Wu Sheng said. “We never expected NPCs could truly awaken before this.”

“And then what?” Qian Ai still sat on the ground, looking up. “After telling Ding Xiaoche all this, what’s next?”

Xu Wang walked over and put his arms on Wu Sheng’s shoulder. The captain and advisor smiled together. “Let him bring his boyfriend over to unleash some divine power.”

7/23 Story Relay, Game Room.

“Interruption!” The game had only reached its halfway point, and Elegant Gray had used his last interruption card.

By now, the story had twisted through nearly ten scenes, currently ending with Delinquent Boy D and Handsome Senior B breaking up.

Falling in love was the work of Elegant Gray; the breakup was a joint effort by Sports Jersey and Black T-shirt.

“Brother, they’ve already broken up. Don’t drag it back.” Sports Jersey was almost pleading. It was just a game of Story Relay, and the orientations were all getting twisted. They had finally managed to break them apart, only for the opponent to interrupt. He was genuinely scared of the other player’s shocking twists.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. No reconciliation, just reminiscing.” Elegant Gray sincerely reassured, “After the breakup, Delinquent Boy D, unable to forget his old love, returns alone to the place where their fate began—that mini KTV booth…”

“Xu Wang! He’s back in the booth. Hurry and have him keep digging! Just one tile left!”

Even Sport Jersey and Black T-shirt, who had become accustomed to his shocks and the horror of shouting into thin air, were scared for the hundred and first time.

In the finance office, Captain Xu quickly helped relay the message.

On the battlefield of the story, back in the mini KTV booth, Wine Red, using his bare hands, lifted the last tile, finally revealing the purple Owl Jade!

He lifted the floor tile, then smashed it down hard.

The tile and jade shattered, breaking the peace.

“Perfect completion.” This was the first time Xu Wang was responsible for delivering good news.

Elegant Gray and the captain of the third team got up and high-fived each other joyfully across the table.

Sports Jersey: “Can we still play?”

Black T-shirt: “If we don’t play, I’m flipping the table.”

Following closely after the 7/23 Story Relay was the quick report from 8/23 Unexpected Demon.

Jing Jinglin: “The fight’s over, and the Owl Jade is smashed.”

Fu Qi: “Is that good enough? How are the other challenges doing?”

“We’ve taken care of 1, 7, 10, 12, 13. With you, that’s six levels completed.” As happy as he was, Xu Wang was still a bit worried about Le Xing, Zhao Yukang, and Dong Xi, who left with injuries.

“Hmm, not a bad pace.” Fu Qi still had the leisure to comment.

Xu Wang: “Aren’t you worried about the three teammates who were forcibly ejected?”

Fu Qi: “Hey, it’s not the first time. Dying, for us, is just like going home in this level.”

“……” Every team has its own difficult scripture to recite.

2:30 Beijing time.

Messages from 2/23 Red-Eye Flight and 6/23 Castle Hotel came one after the other, one of joy and one of concern.

The Owl Jade on the Red-Eye Flight was completely destroyed, although the cabin was also damaged. Fortunately, they managed to seal the hole with stationery. They are now trying to find the bomb’s password. Although tonight’s goal was the Owl Jade, if possible, they still wanted to avoid experiencing an explosion in mid-air.

The Happy Broom Team encountered a little trouble in the castle. The location of the Owl Jade was in the room of a save-point NPC, but the NPC would only allow them to save, not dig through walls or floors.

“That old writer?” Wu Sheng’s eyes sparkled subtly.

“Yes.” Xu Wang nodded, understanding the other’s full desire, and closed his eyes to make a constructive suggestion to the other side. “Try throwing the card I gave you to him.”

Wu Sheng had given that old man the upgraded version 2.0. Xu Wang thought, maybe it really could…

“No reaction,” came the Happy Broom Team’s reply, interrupting Captain Xu’s optimism. “Actually, I still don’t understand why we had to print so many cards to bring in…”

“Cough, it’s not important. Keep it up and stay in touch.”

Half an hour later, the Happy Broom Team succeeded, and there was also news from Yue Shuai. “The Owl Jade is smashed, and I almost got killed—no, by a ghost.”

Xu Wang laughed, deliberately saying, “It’s fine as long as the Owl Jade is destroyed.”

“Hey—” Captain Yue felt aggrieved.

Xu Wang mercilessly exposed him. “If you were really about to die, could you still chat with me so leisurely?”

“I barely escaped. That Hungry Ghost—have you guys encountered it? It’s utterly fierce…”

Some memory fragments flashed in Xu Wang’s mind, stirring something in him. “If you meet him again, don’t fight, just run.”

Yue Shuai: “You think I can’t beat him?”

Xu Wang: “He’s my friend.”

By 3:00 Beijing time, nine levels were completed, leaving four more—3/23 Doomsday City, 4/23 Moonlight Maze, 9/23 Inner Hell, 11/23 Chaotic Republic Era.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 188: Going to War

At 10:00 Beijing time, Chi Yingxue closed the door of the venue from the inside and looked up to see their team captain already on stage, adjusting the microphone.

Xu Wang needed thirteen teams, but Yue Shuai had found sixteen for him, nine of which Xu Wang had previous interactions with, leaving seven completely unfamiliar teams. However, Yue Shuai trusted them, and Xu Wang trusted Yue Shuai.

With fewer than a hundred people, the large venue didn’t seem crowded. Especially since the teams had no organization or discipline; they could still communicate and exchange polite greetings upon arrival, but it wasn’t long before everyone started to do their own thing—chatting, drinking, browsing on their phones, playing online games, and the like. It hardly looked like a gathering plotting something significant.

Until Xu Wang finally greeted from the stage. “Hello everyone…”

The venue’s sound system was top-notch. This not-so-loud greeting enveloped every corner of the venue, as if whispering in everyone’s ear.

All eyes lifted at the sound, and no matter what they were doing, the atmosphere in the venue changed in an instant.

In those pairs of eyes, there was curiosity, amusement, wariness, and caution.

The moment their gazes met, Xu Wang threw away the speech he had prepared in advance.

“I won’t introduce myself. Those who know me already know me. Those who don’t should have inquired about me by now.”

Holding the microphone, Xu Wang leaped onto the table with one hand, finding sitting much more comfortable than standing, with his legs leisurely swinging.

“Why we’re gathered here today has already been made clear by Captain Yue when he contacted you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. After that, those who wish to stay are welcome; those who want to leave, I won’t stop you. “Xu Wang took out his phone to check the time, placing it beside him on the table. “Ten minutes. Once time’s up, if you’re still here and haven’t left, I’ll consider you in.”

Silence, quiet.

It wasn’t shock; there really wasn’t much to ask. How Xu Wang’s team bought the intelligence, how they summoned the Owl in the Wish House, and how they ultimately gave up the chance to leave early in favor of shutting down. Yue Shuai was completely open about the whole process, even though the intelligence was bought with their money, without hiding anything.

Their presence meant they trusted Yue Shuai. But to follow Xu Wang’s command and arrangement unconditionally, anyone would have doubts. The intelligence was bought by Xu Wang’s team, and the Wish House was entered by them; who could prove what Xu Wang said was the truth?

But raising this doubt would hurt the harmony, and before anything was even done, injuring the harmony was something no team wanted to initiate.

“Six minutes left.” Xu Wang leaned forward slightly, as if ready for a heart-to-heart with the audience. “Not a single question? We’re in such agreement?”

“Tch, have you all gone mute?” Wang Duanran kicked the chair in front of him, easily breaking the silence. “I believe the Owl Jade part. If there weren’t any, it’d be obvious once you start digging.” He nodded towards Xu Wang. “But how can you prove that destroying the thirteen Owl Jades simultaneously will shut down the first thirteen levels and not something else?”

No one expected Mr. Wang to consider timing, place, or face.

With the boss speaking up, Jiang Dachuan had no choice but to follow on behalf of his teammates. “Right, only you and that Owl that’s bugged have talked. What if destroying the Owl Jades is to fulfill your personal wishes?”

“Bang!” Xu Wang slammed the table, the sound booming through the microphone, startling everyone.

Wang Duanran stood up abruptly. “Trying to scare me?”

“See, this is what it looks like when you’re serious about doing something!” Xu Wang jumped down from the table, finally showing some spark in his eyes. “I’m not afraid of your questions. I’m afraid you won’t ask. Xiao Duan, Da Jiang, good questions!”

Wang Duanran: “……”

Jiang Dachuan: “……”

Chen Guan, Gu Nian, and Kong Lizhe exchanged looks—deciding not to speak up was the right choice.

“How can I prove it? I can’t.” The question was raised by Wang Duanran, but Xu Wang’s answer was directed at everyone. “That’s why I’m giving you a chance to back out now. If you decide to stay and later on the battlefield you tell me you’re out, sorry, but you won’t have peace, whether inside or outside the Owl.”

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Xu Wang calmed down. His gaze became fiery and sharp. “Shutting down the Owl requires the combined effort of thirteen levels. Think it over before you join. If you back out at the last moment, it’s all for nothing for the brothers in the other levels.”

When the ten minutes were up, not a single team left.

“Lao Qian, distribute the maps—” Xu Wang placed the microphone back on the table and stepped down gracefully.

There were a total of thirteen maps, two copies per person—one in the soulful style, hand-drawn by Advisor Wu; the other in the realistic style, redrawn by Chi Yingxue based on the soulful drafts.

Including Xu Wang and Yue Shuai’s teams, there were eighteen teams in total. Seventeen teams earnestly reviewed the realistic maps, with only Captain Xu leading everyone to face the soulful version directly.

The location of the Owl Jade determined the difficulty level of being responsible for that level. After reviewing, each team had a rough idea.

Yue Shuai was next to take the stage. Not wasting words, he directly started the selection of levels. The main principle was self-nomination. If a level was desired by several teams, the best fit was chosen.

Fu Wenqing was the first to raise his hand without hesitation. “10/23 Aeroplane Chess. We are very familiar with that environment.”

Qin Rui, He Lanshan, Wu Yanchao, Zhao Muchen: “……”

Only their team captain could describe “never getting past this level” in such a refreshing and elegant manner.

The Happy Line Broom Team, not wanting to ride brooms anymore, immediately stated: “6/23 Castle Hotel, we…”

Yue Shuai: “Okay, it’s yours!”

Happy Line: “……” They wanted to say they absolutely didn’t want 6/23 Castle Hotel!

These two acts of “volunteering” reminded Lao Qian, who immediately turned to the Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face’s team two rows behind, kindly suggesting, “Why don’t you take 2/23 Red Eye Flight?”

“……” Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face didn’t want to speak, only wanting to throw a [(Offense) Words Like Pearls and Jade] at him.

Soon, eleven levels had their responsible teams, leaving only 7/23 Story Relay and 9/23 Inner Hell.

These two levels were the only ones without maps, with just four words of guidance on that page:

7/23 Third Scene

9/23 Source of Fear

The Colorful Assault Team’s Captain, Elegant Gray, had been waiting at 7/23, but Story Relay required at least two teams, so he was still missing a partner.

9/23 had no takers. No one wanted to face their or their teammate’s inner fears again.

Having already chosen 11/23 Chaotic Republic, Teacher Wei’s team, after a long discussion, saw Zhu Mo calmly raising his hand. “Captain Yue, maybe we should switch to nine…”

“We’ll take the ninth level.” Han Buting spoke up, his deep voice naturally resonating, easily covering Zhu Mo’s voice.

Zhu Mo glanced back at him.

Han Buting nodded slightly, all gentlemanly.

But remembering that this gentleman wanted to learn dancing from him as a pick-up line, Zhu Mo felt like hitting him every time.

In the end, the responsible teams for each level were as follows:

1/23 Snowy Forest — Yue’s First Circle Team (Full Name: Captain Yue’s Complex Circle of Social Relationships, Echelon 1)

2/23 Red Eye Flight — Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face

3/23 Apocalypse City — Yue’s Second Circle Team

4/23 Moonlight Maze — Camouflage Muscular Man Team

5/23 Haunted House Infernal Affairs — Yue Shuai, Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, Wei Tianhang, Ji Yiming

6/23 Castle Hotel Exploration — Happy Broom Team

7/23 Story Relay — Colorful Assault Elegant Gray’s Team + Yue’s Third Circle Team

8/23 Unexpected Demon — Le Xing, Zhao Yukan, Fu Ziqi, Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi

9/23 Inner Hell — Han Buting, Li Zijin, Li Xia, Qi Shan, Xu Yange

10/23 Aeroplane Chess — Fu Wenqing, Qin Rui, He Lanshan, Wu Yanchao, Zhao Muchen + Yue’s Fourth Circle Team

11/23 Chaotic Republic — Wei Menghan, Zou Jun, Feng Rang, Zhu Mo, Ji Yunlei

12/23 Halloween Ghost Hunting — Wang Duanran, Chen Guan, Jiang Dachuan, Gu Nian, Kong Lizhe

13/23 Amnesia Building — Xu Wang’s Team

Three additional teams brought by Yue Shuai, not fixed to any level, remained fully mobile for backup in case of emergencies.

Distributing maps and confirming levels was just the first step. In the days to come, each team needed to rush to their respective locations—not every team was already at their designated level. Getting into position also required time.

Fortunately, this wasn’t an urgent matter; they had plenty of time to prepare and coordinate.

Xu Wang, holding the map, optimistically thought.

That night, at 0:00.

The snowy forest was desolate.

The friends had dispersed at noon, but even if they didn’t, entering together would still mean separating—each team was in its own independent space for the first level.

This made it convenient for Xu Wang to test communication.

The team he had previously conspired with was undecided, and Xu Wang, fearing unforeseen complications, resisted the temptation and didn’t use his ability, keeping it tightly under wraps.

Before the ice waterfall, Xu Wang confirmed with his friends, “Shall I start?”

“Hurry up.” His four companions were also looking forward to it.

Closing his eyes, Xu Wang concentrated, trying to establish some kind of connection in his mind, just like the first time he used a stationery. Unlike connecting to stationery, which has a specific direction, this communication connection involved Xu Wang sending signals in all directions, waiting for a response.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

The response came.

“Ah…” Xu Wang suddenly squatted down, clutching his head in pain.

Wu Sheng hurriedly squatted down. “What’s wrong?”

Xu Wang gasped for air, released his hands, and lifted a pale face. “A thousand ducks are quacking.”

Wu Sheng felt both distressed and angry. “Don’t broadcast to everyone. Private chat one-on-one!”

Xu Wang obediently closed his eyes again, regulated his breathing, concentrated, and switched to point-to-point mode. The first person to come to mind was, naturally, Captain Yue.

One minute.

Two minutes.

[Xu Wang? This is nuts. You can enter my mind?!]

“The ability given by the Owl.” Xu Wang slowly opened his eyes, testing to see if the communication would disconnect. “Can you still hear me talking now?”

[Yes. But this kind of telepathic communication is creepy…]

“Then use your mouth, like speaking and using the phone.”

“Damn, why didn’t you say so earlier!” Captain Yue’s voice rang clear in Xu Wang’s ear.

“As long as you can talk, I’m going to try someone else, talk later.”

“Hey, wait, how did the Owl give you this…”

Click.

Captain Xu cut off the voice communication unilaterally, sleek and cool.

Half a minute later.

Le Xing: “How many more hidden skills do you have that we don’t know about?”

Xu Wang: “Really, that’s all. I swear on my boyfriend.”

Le Xing: “…”

One minute later

Wang Duanran: “What kind of stationery is this? So damn cool! Do you have more? How much? I’ll buy!”

Xu Wang: “Someone connected with me, bye.”

Wang Duanran: “Okay, wait… You wait a moment. Can telepathy even cut in line?!”

Half a minute later.

Fu Wenqing: “Is this the communication you’re relying on the day we look for the Owl Jade?”

Xu Wang: “Yes.”

Fu Wenqing: “Good, it solves a big problem. Since we have such convenient conditions, I have some new ideas about the plan. Let’s talk again sometime.”

“……” How obsessed with “talking” is this friend!

The more he used his skill, the more proficient he became, and the waiting time for responses became shorter. After harassing various companions for over an hour, Xu Wang could basically communicate at any time.

After finding an ice cave to rest in, Xu Wang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking about trying a few more times in a couple of days once the teams left Beijing and reached other stages.

But with the long night ahead and nothing else to do, Xu Wang became restless again, wanting to try group chat. Communicating one-on-one was too inefficient; if it could be like a multi-person voice chat, where everyone was online at the same time, it would be more convenient for everyone.

Seeing Xu Wang’s posture, the four knew the captain was about to dial again, so they didn’t disturb him and just quietly watched.

This time, Xu Wang rebooted the first mode, extending the olive branch of communication to all eighteen teams, not leaving out his own teammates.

Soon, a cacophony arose in his mind, causing a headache.

Xu Wang gritted his teeth and persevered, trying to separate the familiar voices of his companions from the mixed sounds, organizing them.

[Didn’t you already try? Testing it again?] This was the impatient Wang Duanran.

[I was having a good dream, and you disturbed it.] This was Teacher Wei, yawning.

[Anything else?] This was the calm Han Buting.

[Only… six days left…]

Xu Wang suddenly opened his eyes, his face full of astonishment.

Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Hmm?”

Xu Wang shook his head, not speaking, and closed his eyes again to search for that voice.

[Only… six days left…]

Intermittent, like an electric current—not a teammate, but the Owl!

“What six days?” Xu Wang panicked.

His sudden voice startled his four companions.

[In six days… the location of Owl Jade… will change completely…]

“Why? You didn’t say there was a time limit before!”

[You… have been detected…]

[Elimination… of instability… has begun…]

“Then wait for Owl Jade to change, and you give us a new map?”

[I… can’t find it…]

“Don’t joke with me.” Xu Wang’s confidence waned. Without a map, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He couldn’t find thirteen needles in the sea overnight.

[Only… six days left…]

[Only… six days left…]

Owl’s last words echoed in Xu Wang’s ears like a nightmare, long-lingering.

A cold wind blew into the ice cave, making him shiver.

If he hadn’t recklessly sent out communication signals and if he hadn’t insisted on separating the noisy voices one by one, he might have missed this message. Just thinking about it scared Xu Wang.

“What’s going on?” Wu Sheng grabbed his cold hand, warming it. “What time limit?”

Xu Wang looked up at him and the other three companions. “In six days, the location of the Owl Jade will change.”

“Repair?” Chi Yingxue hit the nail on the head.

Xu Wang nodded. “It said we’ve been discovered, and the elimination of instability has begun.”

Qian Ai: “Then rather than moving the Owl Jade, they should move us, right?”

Chi Yingxue threw away the ice cube he had been playing with in his palm and said with a snap, “Maybe after moving the Owl Jade, they’ll move us.”

“……” Qian Ai decided not to interject anymore, to avoid hearing more demoralizing speculation.

Ten minutes later, the first successful group chat initiator, Captain Xu, dropped a time bomb—

“Six days?!”

This two-word roar was essentially the first reaction of all teams.

Then slowly, the prospects of each team became clear—

Camouflage Strong Man: “We’re fine. I don’t want to stay here another day!”

Wang Duanran: “With our strength, six days is too long.”

Happy Line team: “Okay, I can recognize every grass and tree in the ancient castle with my eyes closed.”

Elegant Gray: “Then there’s no chance for rehearsals…”

“Shit, we’re still on 5/23!” Captain Le Xing, responsible for 8/23.

A flurry of communications, tumultuous until nearly 5:00, finally quieted down.

Returning to the hotel, Xu Wang was exhausted, collapsing onto the bed without wanting to move.

Wu Sheng lay down next to him, enveloping him in an embrace.

“Only six days left.” Xu Wang closed his eyes, envisioning a road with a vague end.

“There are still six days.” Wu Sheng leaned down, kissing his hair.

Xu Wang gritted his teeth but rested his head against Wu Sheng’s chest. His voice became muffled, but there was no deterrent in its tone. “Keep being blindly optimistic.”

Wu Sheng corrected, “That’s called being optimistic based on strength.”

Xu Wang looked up at him irritably for a long while, then kissed him fiercely.

Five days later, 0:00.

“Hoot—hoot—”

Xu Wang couldn’t remember how many times he had heard this sound, but none were as nerve-wracking as today.

It felt like the final lap bell of a long-distance race, with the finish line ahead and success or failure hinging on this moment.

The misty building was empty and silent, without a soul in sight.

Their 13/23 level had been completed, and strictly speaking, they no longer belonged here. In fact, everyone who had passed this level wouldn’t have a second chance to return here—after submitting their papers successfully, they would directly enter the Wish House. Those who chose to leave would not be mentioned, but those who chose to take on the latter ten challenges would immediately enter the latter ten mode, completely cutting off from the first thirteen levels. Even if they failed to submit, they would follow the rules of the latter ten challenges and wouldn’t return to the previous thirteen.

So, until four days ago, no one knew what 13/23 really looked like, and those who knew had forgotten. Four days ago, Xu Wang and his team returned here, greeted by this building shrouded in cloud and mist.

They didn’t lose their memories again, or rather, the level wasn’t triggered at all. For four consecutive days, it was the same place.

What exactly they had experienced during the thirteenth level, whether it was also in this building, was no longer important to Xu Wang’s team at the moment.

The Owl Jade map for 13/23 was a floor plan of a building. After three recon missions, they had locked down the location of the Owl Jade—in a finance office on the tenth floor of a certain company.

Taking the stairs up to the fifteenth floor, the team familiarly made their way to the finance office. Entering the office didn’t need much explanation; the division of labor was already clear—Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, and Chi Yingxue swung shovels and picks, digging up the floor tiles, while Captain Xu sat in the corner, connecting with other teams and clearing space for his teammates to dig.

[How’s it going?] Xu Wang rapidly dispersed the message.

Fixed points in the twelve levels quickly received the message, and soon feedback came—

Yue’s First Circle Team: “Heading to the marked spot. We have the ice-breaking stationery. Don’t worry!”

Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face: “Just boarded the plane. Haven’t flown yet. It’s not good to dismantle luggage racks now.”

Yue’s Second Circle Team: “We’ve obtained a vehicle. No companions found yet. Zombies pose no threat to us. Rest assured.”

Camouflage Muscles: “Running… huff… Damn maze is too winding… huff… No time to talk more…”

Yue Shuai: “I’m now a Peach Blossom Ghost—so beautiful. Too bad I can’t send you a selfie…”

Xu Wang’s image as a cool commander broke down here. “Dear, your task is the Owl Jade, not ghost house cosplay.”

Yue Shuai hadn’t replied when the response from Happy Broom Team came first. “Ahhhhh—”

Xu Wang tensed up and quickly connected with them. “What happened?”

Happy Broom Team: “Nothing… Ahh… We’re good… Ahhh… About to reach the chimney ahhhhh—”

Xu Wang was silent.

Qian Ai finally dug up a floor tile, wiped his sweat, and asked, “What’s up? Who’s in trouble?”

Xu Wang said, “Nothing. The Happy Team is riding brooms again.”

Qian Ai, Wu Sheng, Chi Yingxue, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Despite six lines, they all kept choosing the Happy Line—isn’t this just saying one thing but doing another!

Xu Wang could hear all the teams, but conversely, each team could only hear Xu Wang and their own voices. The teams in the next few levels were afraid of mixing up with the earlier reports, so they waited a bit, calculating the time difference before they all started speaking—

Zhao Yukang: “All normal, at the current speed of the travel group, we’ll arrive at the location in an hour, I’ll report promptly if there’s new information.”

Xu Wang puzzled: “Where’s Captain Le Xing?”

Zhao Yukang: “Just got grazed by a car, got a bit scraped by a flowerpot, and spilled hot coffee all over himself, so he’s cleaning up. It’s no big deal.”

“……” Xu Wang looked at his teammates, who were energetically digging, and thought they were like angels.

Captain Fu Wenqing, an expert in Aeroplane Chess, interrupted, “No time now; talk later. Qin Rui, stop throwing dice. We don’t need to take off now, use [(Illusory) Fishing for the Moon in the Water*]!”

*(水中捞月) Idiom referring to a fruitless attempt.

Xu Wang was startled, fishing—does this mean… the Owl Jade has appeared in the water? Such efficiency!

Wei Menghan: “Xu Wang, are you there?”

“Yes.” Xu Wang hurriedly replied, as busy as a person working in customer service while organizing information in his head. This classmate should be in 11/23, the chaotic Republic of China era.

“We five refreshed at different points. I’m rushing to the meetup point. Shouldn’t be a big problem.” Wei Menghan had just finished speaking when a gunshot pierced the air.

Xu Wang jumped. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“No problem. The patrol is catching a thief.”

“Then stay away from them.”

“I am the thief.”

“……”

Click!

The sudden sound of breaking interrupted Xu Wang’s call. Looking up, the ground was pitted and mixed with purple fragments.

Xu Wang couldn’t believe it. “Is it done?”

Kuang Jinxin chuckled, Qian Ai grinned widely, and Chi Yingxue’s eyes curved in a shallow smile.

Wu Sheng stood with his shovel, poised and graceful. “Told you, be optimistic based on strength.”

Xu Wang wanted to jump up and give each one a kiss, but Wang Duanran’s voice preempted him. “Done.”

“You too?” The double joy came so suddenly that Xu Wang was a bit overwhelmed.

“Too?” Wang Duanran’s tone rose. “Did someone beat us to it?”

“…No.” Xu Wang now had a broad perspective.

Levels 12 and 13 were completed, while levels 1-6, 8, 10, and 11 were supported.

They were just missing 7 and 9, the only two challenges without a map.

Xu Wang’s heart hung in suspense.

7/23, Story Relay, Game Room.

Elegant Gray, the team captain of Yue’s Third Circle Team—a young man in a sports jersey—and a mature man in a black T-shirt were sitting around a round table.

Everyone was very friendly, and the story relay proceeded in an orderly manner. The completed story went like this:

Cute Girl A secretly loved Handsome Senior B and slipped a love letter into his desk, but Green Tea* Girl C found it and secretly switched it to the desk of Delinquent Boy D, who was in the same class as Handsome Senior B. Delinquent Boy D mistakenly thought Cute Girl A liked him and asked her to go to the movies. After Cute Girl A arrived, she realized the misunderstanding, firmly rejected Delinquent Boy D, and told him her heart belonged to Handsome Senior B. After saying this, Cute Girl A left, and Delinquent Boy D watched the movie in the couples’ seat alone, only to discover that in the seat next to the next, Handsome Senior B was also watching the movie alone.

*It’s slang referring to someone who presents themselves as innocent, pure, or virtuous on the surface but, in reality, is very cunning or deceptive.

“When Delinquent Boy D saw B, he was filled with anger and was about to rush at B…” The man in the sports outfit was telling the story with enthusiasm when he was suddenly interrupted.

“Interruption!” Elegant Gray played his first interruption card, took a deep breath, and after brewing for two seconds, said, “The moment Delinquent Boy D grabbed the collar of Handsome Senior B, he suddenly realized that violence couldn’t solve the problem. It would be better to learn from Handsome Senior B on how to win a girl’s affection, so he decided to become his disciple…”

Elegant Gray played the [Becoming a Disciple] card.

Sports Jersey: “……”

Black T-shirt: “……”

“But becoming a disciple requires a ceremony, so Delinquent Boy D chose what he was most familiar with—a mini KTV booth!”

Elegant Gray played the [KTV] card.

As soon as the card was revealed, he couldn’t wait to shout, “Xu Wang—”

The two others at the table nearly jumped out of their skins at his shout.

Elegant Gray had no time to consider others. “Can you hear me? Have him dig right in the KTV. I’ll control the game room!”

The first scene: the classroom where the love letter was delivered.

The second scene: the movie theater.

The third scene: the mini KTV booth.

Xu Wang, far in 13/23, almost instantly caught the information and immediately passed it on to Sky Blue, Wine Red, Deep Purple, Bright Orange. “The Owl Jade is in the room!”

Actually, without Xu Wang saying so, the Red, Blue, Purple, and Orange classmates were also calculating the scenes. However, according to the plot, the only ones who actually transitioned to the room scene were Delinquent Boy D (Wine Red) and Handsome Senior B (a teammate of Sports Jersey’s team).

Upon entering the room, Wine Red immediately started digging three feet into the ground, touched by the captain’s consideration. Mini, exquisite—to define the third scene’s scope as small as possible, the captain had used all the mini descriptors in his vocabulary.

Handsome Senior B stood by, dumbfounded, confirming there was no new story continuation, so he watched Wine Red frantically search and attempt to dig the ground, silently retreating to a corner, feeling a chill creeping up to his forehead.

The message from the Elegant Gray eased Xu Wang’s tension a bit, leaving only Han Buting’s side without news.

Fifteen minutes ago, 00:01, 9/23, Inner Hell.

Han Buting woke up in his seat, knowing his body was still sleeping in a hidden compartment, but his consciousness had entered his teammate’s mental hell.

This was a space shuttle, recognizable to anyone who had seen a sci-fi movie. Looking out into the vast universe outside the shuttle. He was in the captain’s seat, with his teammates waking up one by one in the co-pilot seats.

Xu Yange, Li Xia, Qi Shan.

Li Zijin was missing.

Everyone, including Han Buting, wore a look of surprise.

This was their fourth time facing this challenge, with the previous three times being Xu Yange’s nightmares. They had naturally assumed this time would be the same.

“How is this possible…” Qi Shan looked around, not giving up, but he understood that indeed, Li Zijin was left in the hidden compartment.

Xu Yange pondered for a moment. “Maybe the previous attempts at this challenge relieved some of my stress. I indeed haven’t been thinking about those things lately.”

When the biggest fear disappears, the next in line naturally steps up.

This was easy to understand, but they hadn’t expected it to be Li Zijin.

What nightmares did Li Zijin have?

The only thing Qi Shan could think of was retirement, but Li Zijin was clearly preparing for a comeback, and he been recently very active. Moreover, what does retirement have to do with a space shuttle?

Boom!

The shuttle shook violently amidst the sound of huge gunfire, and the control panel issued an attack warning.

Qi Shan immediately realized. “We’ve been hit!”

Han Buting, Xu Yange, Li Xia: “……”

What kind of sci-fi nightmare is this?!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 187: Meeting

The author has something to say:

Before we start this chapter, let’s review the friends who have previously appeared.

1. Captain Yue’s Army: Captain Yue, Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, Wei Tianhang, Ji Yiming.
2. Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, Fair Face (featured in 2/23 Red-Eye flight and 7/23 Story Relay. Despite the story nearing its end, they still don’t have names).
3. Camouflage Team: Camouflage Strong Man and Camouflage Teammate 1, 2, 3 (4/23 Moonlight Maze).
4. The 6/23 Castle. The team that took on the Happy Line. Still have no names for its members.
5. The Colorful Jacket Team: Elegant Gray, Sky Blue, Wine Red, Deep Purple, Bright Orange (7/23 Story Relay) Elegant Gray loves chasing stories.
6. Le Xing, Zhao Yukan, Fu Qi, Jing Jinglin, Dong Xi (7/23 Story Relay).
7. Han Buting, Li Zijin, Xu Yange, Li Xia, Qi Shan (3/23 the team that originally formed a team with Xiao Xue in Doomsday City, has now been replaced by Li Zijin’s little fanboy, Qi Shan, who has joined the team).
8. Teacher Wei’s Team: Wei Menghan, Zou Jun, Zhu Mo, Feng Rang, Ji Yunlei (4/23 Moonlight Maze, and even had a meal of skewers with Wangwang and the others).
9. Wang Duanran, Chen Guan, Jiang Dachuan, Gu Nian, Kong Lizhe (6/23 failed to snatch the badge in the Castle Hotel over Wangwang’s team, but in Aeroplane Chess in 10/23, Jiang Dachuan helped Lao Qian regain his confidence and luck).
10. Fu Wenqing, Qin Rui, He Lanshan, Wu Yanchao, Zhao Muchen (12/23 Halloween Ghost Hunt. Lost to Wangwang’s team. Currently struggling in 10/23 Aeroplane Chess).
11. Sun Jiang (Wangwang’s original teammate who he first matched with in the Owl but later refused to leave Beijing and stayed in the first level).
12. Mao Qiping (The Endless Sea merchant who first sold information to Wangwang and the others. Has children at home (poor dad)).
13. Fan Peiyang, Zheng Luozhu, Wan Fengmang, Zhang Qian, Teng Ziyan (Mr. Fan has entered the last ten levels).
14. Tang Lin (Mr. Fan’s CP).

---

“Give me some time to digest this.” Yue Shuai, at the other end of the video, was starting to doubt life.

“No problem. I’ll wait for you.” Captain Xu held his phone; his patience was as enduring as his affection.

They looked at each other in silence for three minutes.

Yue Shuai barely finished digesting it, and his stomach ached. “So, you’ve given up the chance to enter the last ten levels, forsaken the temptation to leave early, and chose to shut down the first thirteen levels instead.”

Xu Wang: “Yeah.”

Wu Sheng: “Right.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Yes.”

Qian Ai: “That’s the deal.”

Chi Yingxue: “Hmph.”

“Damn, don’t suddenly crowd over like that.” Yue Shuai was startled by the full screen of faces, and it seemed someone snorted.

“But we can’t do this ourselves. The thirteen Owl Jades must be destroyed in the same night.” Xu Wang’s nose was almost touching the screen, fearing Yue Shuai couldn’t see the sincerity in his eyes.

“No, Wangwang, have you thought about what to do if it fails?” Yue Shuai genuinely worried for them. “You asked me to help you find teams—okay, but if it fails, we have nothing to lose and can continue. But what about you guys? You’ll be stuck in 13/23 forever.”

Xu Wang gave him a disdainful look. “Why so pessimistic? If not once, then twice; if not twice, then three times. Even Song Jiang attacked Zhujiazhuang three times*.”

*It’s a story in Water Margin, often considered the most exciting and moving. Song Jiang tried attacking Zhujiazhuang three times before succeeding the third time using what is basically similar to the Trojan Horse trick.

Yue Shuai remained pessimistic. “What if it really doesn’t work?”

Xu Wang cast a sly glance. “Isn’t that what you guys are for? The cause must be passed on.”

Yue Shuai: “We would not choose one.”

With the die cast, discussing which choice was actually meaningless now. Xu Wang knew, Yue Shuai was just worried for them. It wasn’t merely polite formalities but genuine concern, as if his own team had made such a decision and was worried for these friends.

“How many teams do we need?” Yue Shuai asked again, less irritable, his voice calm.

“Thirteen levels, fifteen teams.”

“Two reserve teams.”

“7/23 Story Relay and 10/23 Aeroplane Chess each need two teams to trigger the level.”

At this moment, Yue Shuai truly felt the seriousness of the other side. They weren’t just rashly rebelling; they were thinking, planning, and preparing.

To want to do, is belief; to be able to do, is skill.

“Do you have any trustworthy teams?” Yue Shuai asked.

“A few,” Xu Wang said. “We’ve interacted with them, so they’re fairly reliable.”

Yue Shuai nodded. “Give me the list. There might be overlaps with my network.”

“Okay, I’ll send it to you after organizing it.” Xu Wang confidently asserted. “There will be overlaps.”

Yue Shuai raised an eyebrow. “That confident?”

Xu Wang: “Not confidence, but trust in you.”

Yue Shuai’s network was vast, like a net covering the sky and earth.

When the video disconnected, Xu Wang turned around, meeting four pairs of puzzled eyes.

“What’s up?” Xu Wang asked.

“Some levels don’t require teams,” Chi Yingxue reminded.

“Mhmm, mhmm.” Kuang Jinxin nodded vigorously. “Like 3/23, 8/23. One can also roam the city alone.”

With teammates having spoken, Qian Ai could only suggest, “Should we connect with Yue Shuai again and tell him we don’t necessarily need so many teams?”

Wu Sheng pondered for a while, seemingly enlightened. “Do you have other considerations?”

Xu Wang looked down. The phone screen was already dark, but on the other end, probably many teams were currently being disturbed. “If possible, I hope each level can be undertaken by a complete team to search for the Owl Jade. For one, if someone on the team has second thoughts, there are others present. Unless the whole team changes their mind, then I’ll accept it. Secondly.” He sighed softly, as if doing so could lessen the heavy burden on his heart a bit. “It would also feel less lonely.”

The companions’ doubts were resolved. The advisor focused on efficiency, while the captain focused on emotions—a perfect combo.

Wu Sheng quietly watched Xu Wang for a while, then suddenly reached out to snatch the phone from his hand and held it firmly in his own.

Xu Wang looked up.

Wu Sheng smiled confidently. “It will definitely succeed.”

Xu Wang unconsciously curved his lips. He felt the suffocating pressure inside him bizarrely lifted by a large extent. “Yes, you never score low.”

Wu Sheng humbly shook his head. “Except when it comes to love letters.”

The three teammates, who were completely forgotten, silently returned to their own suites. One prepared to start a live stream but decided not to eat and instead chat about love with fans; another planned to seriously review the first thirteen levels in preparation for the final battle; the last one wanted to call his older brother to describe both the carpet style and Xiao Sijin, as both were desired, so it was better to take precautions early—oh right—and also to ask for some money. Although closing the first thirteen levels was a good thing, it couldn’t ensure everyone was willing to work for free, so setting up a prize pool was necessary.

Seven days later, in Beijing, at a certain conference center.

“Damn, who the hell came up with this name?” Qin Rui, with purple hair, stood at the entrance of the conference room in front of the welcoming sign, which was exquisitely made and western style. It had “Beijing Owl Travel Group” in golden dazzling characters, with a line of cursive English below.

“I’m more curious about who found this venue.” Wu Yanchao, a true Beijing resident, knew the city inside out. “This place doesn’t just welcome anybody.”

Fu Wenqing didn’t speak. Instead, he was observing the surroundings for fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, and where the emergency exits were until he knew them by heart, he felt at ease.

“You guys were also called here?” Wang Duanran, with a head full of curly hair, yawned continuously. It was clear he was an old acquaintance of Fu Wenqing. He casually asked, “Which level have you reached?”

Fu Wenqing, Wu Yanchao, Qin Rui, He Lanshan, Zhao Muchen: “……”

Seeing the five silent faces across from him, Jiang Dachuan came to a realization and was so happy that he gave a mischievous smile. “Stuck at 10/23 again, aren’t you?”

Qin Rui seriously asked Fu Wenqing, “Can I hit him?”

Fu Wenqing calmed him. “Wait until after the meeting.”

“Stop showing off.” Chen Guan looked down on Jiang Dachuan. “Only your lousy luck with dice can beat them.”

Jiang Dachuan: “……”

Fu, Wu, Qin, He, Zhao: “……”

One stab, piercing six hearts.

As soon as two teams had just entered, another two met at the entrance. Wei Menghan, Zou Jun, Feng Rang, Zhu Mo, Ji Yunlei came from Xicheng, while Han Buting, Li Zijin, Xu Yange, Li Xia, Qi Shan came from Nancheng. They just so happened to bump into each other at the door.

The last time they met was in 8/23. The two teams were in a standoff until the end without communicating, choosing the same day to challenge the level. The details need not to be mentioned. Long story short, they tortured each other severely. In the end, Teacher Wei’s team luckily won, advancing forward, while Han Buting’s team fell back three levels, after which the two teams had no intersection.

Now, by a narrow path, they meet again.

The Owl Walk sign witnessed the awkwardness of the scene.

In the frozen air, it was still Teacher Wei who, with a gardener’s generous heart, first nodded and smiled at the other side. “What a coincidence.”

But that was all. This simple step gave both sides a way out. Without saying anything else, he led his team inside.

Han Buting’s gaze lingered on the tall, slender figure for a long time.

Li Zijin nudged him with an elbow. “What’s the use of just looking? Ask for his phone number.”

“Did you lose your memory?” Li Xia put his hands in his pockets and began chewing gum. “The captain has asked many times. If he doesn’t give it to you, what can you do?”

Xu Yange smiled, not joining in on the gossip.

Qi Shan leaned close to Han Buting and whispered, “Nothing in this world is difficult for those who set their minds to it. Look at me.”

“I’ve added him already,” Han Buting said indifferently.

Qi Shan was surprised. “When?”

“Asked Yue Shuai for it.”

“……” Truly seizing every opportunity.

Xu Yange couldn’t help but become curious. “You added him, and he just accepted?”

Han Buting straightened the collar of his windbreaker, then said righteously, “I used a burner account.”

Inside the venue, it was bustling. A scene of joy and harmony. Among the arriving teams, some knew each other, some didn’t.

For those who knew each other, they warmly reminisced about the past.

Long Legs: “Let’s go to the Moonlight Maze together again if we get the chance. That [(Illusory) Blissful Death*] you gave me, I haven’t had the chance to return it.”

*(欲仙欲死) Idiom referring to when you’re extremely happy, something sad happens. It’s often used to describe a feeling of extreme sensory comfort that is so extremely happy that it feels like dying.

Le Xing: “No need to be so formal. You guys are always in the first five levels. It’s better to save the stationery.”

Handsome: “What the hell did you say?”

Fu Qi, “Oh, practice.”

Fair Face: “Don’t make a scene here.”

Zhao Yukan: “Sit down.”

Stick Figure: “There’s something definitely wrong with Yue Shuai’s WeChat group. What kind of people aren’t being brought in?”

Jing Jinglin: “Yue Shuai”

Dong Xi: “Someone’s talking behind your back.”

Stick Figure: “Damn.”

For those who didn’t know each other, they quickly struck up conversations.

The muscular man in camouflage: “Wow, colorful jackets. Your team uniform is eye-catching.”

Elegant Gray: “Thanks for the praise. Mainly, it’s easy to recognize, so there’s no fear of losing teammates anywhere.”

Muscular man in camouflage: “That’s quite practical. Gray, blue, red, purple, yellow—one color per person—simple and noticeable.”

Bright Orange: “Uh, brother, this is orange.”

Muscular man in camouflage: “No, our team also needs to improve. It’s too monotonous now.”

Camouflage 1, 2, 3, responded excitedly, “Finally, we don’t have to wear camouflage anymore.”

The muscular man in camouflage pondered for a long while. “Jungle camouflage, ruin camouflage, snow camouflage, desert camouflage, tiger stripe camouflage. Very good, that should be enough.”

Camouflage 1, 2, 3 “……”

Aside from Chi Yingxue, Xu Wang’s team sat in the front row corner, able to oversee the whole scene with a turn of the head but without attracting attention. As more people arrived, Xu Wang inevitably became nervous. The words he was about to say had been thoroughly rehearsed in his mind but standing on such a large platform and facing many “bullied” friends made him inexplicably nervous.

“Haa.” A long yawn caught Captain Xu’s attention.

That person was sitting in the second row, diagonally behind them, barely able to keep their eyes open. He was holding on to the last bit of consciousness while complaining to a teammate, “Who set this for ten in the morning? Don’t they know our biological clocks are all set to night owl mode now?”

“He did want to set it for ten at night, but what would the conference center think? What legitimate organization meets at ten at night?” The teammate, obviously more awake, said, “Go ahead, sleep. I’ll wake you when it starts.”

“No,” the person insisted. “What if they start choosing who’s responsible for the levels right away?”

“We’ll do everything we can to avoid the sixth level, okay?”

“Mm, even if it means a knife to my throat, absolutely not.”

The last sentence, spoken as if chewing each word, made Xu Wang wonder how much they disliked the sixth level. He sneaked a glance and was startled.

Unfamiliar, yet vaguely recognizable.

That’s when it was time to consult his advisor. “Hey.” He leaned in towards Wu Sheng, glancing backwards. “Do you remember them?”

Wu Sheng looked back and immediately pulled up the file. “The Castle Hotel, Happy Line. It was the first time we entered 6/23.”

“……” Xu Wang suddenly remembered the wildly dancing brooms and now understood the grudge.

Yue Shuai, like a butterfly, fluttered through the venue, arranging each team in a suitable position, avoiding putting teams with past conflicts too close, though for those who wished to be near each other, he accommodated.

Most of the teams were found by him, and a small part by Xu Wang personally. When they sent out invitations, they explained the whole situation clearly without hiding anything, so the teams that came today all knew why they were gathered. However, they hadn’t created a large group, so each team knew what they were supposed to do but not who else was involved.

Now, everyone was clear about each other.

This was discussed by Xu Wang and Yue Shuai together. Words could be clearly communicated through voice or video, but to truly plan something, it was better for everyone to sit down and talk face-to-face.

With an uncertain future and unknown fortunes or misfortunes, even with a fire in their hearts, they needed to know who they were igniting the prairie with.

Chi Yingxue stood near a window not far from the entrance of the venue, taking a call. There was a pine forest outside that looked serene and lush. “Something’s up?”

Chi Zhuolin: “How’s the venue?”

“No problems. It’s fine.” Chi Yingxue’s tone was indifferent, sounding more like a CEO.

“The money has been transferred to you.”

“I saw it.”

Chi Zhuolin put down his pen, rubbing his temples, suddenly feeling like he’d never be able to get married and have children in his life. Raising a younger brother had already drained all his energy. “Can you tell me now what you’re planning?”

Chi Yingxue was straightforward. “To distribute prize money.”

“To those travel friends of yours?”

“Mm.” Chi Yingxue said, “But not necessarily. It depends on the situation. If needed, then it will be distributed.”

Chi Zhuolin had investigated this so-called Beijing Owl Travel Group when booking the venue, finding no registration or record; today’s attendees were a mystery, though their names and backgrounds, already on his desk, appeared clean with no illegal or dangerous indications. Yet, the group was too diverse, with every profession represented and completely unrelated individuals coming together, which was peculiar.

Losing some money was inconsequential; he was concerned for his brother’s safety.

“Chi Zhuolin.” Suddenly, his name was called from the other end of the phone.

President Chi immediately sat up straight. “Yes?”

“Thank you.” A mumbled reply came, barely audible if he didn’t prick up his ears.

Chi Zhuolin stood there in shock for a while. A mix of fatigue and unconcealable joy washed over him. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

Allowing his brother to feel grateful and even thank him, as long as this organization didn’t crazily test the limits of law and morality, he was set to be the sponsor.

After a few brief words and hanging up, Chi Yingxue frowned slightly, feeling his brother was overly enthusiastic in the end.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 186: Making a Wish

“Ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Badge scan has been completed and meets the requirements for the Wish Room to open.

A notification took away the 13 badges along with the hidden item inventory, all disappearing from the five companions’ [Stationary Box].

A teasing voice followed in their ears—

[Owl: Dears, the Wish Room will open in thirteen minutes. Think carefully about the wishes you want to take to the next ten levels~~]

The feeling of emptiness brought by the forced amnesia of 13/23 still lingered, and the new prompt was so closely connected that it didn’t give them any time to think. It took a while before Xu Wang realized they had really arrived.

Looking up, the lake-blue door was like a clear azure sky.

He had no wishes to take to the next ten levels; he just wanted to close the Owl. Longing for it, hesitating for a long time, and now standing in front of the door, he found himself without a second of hesitation, so certain it surprised even himself.

Standing in front of the door, Wu Sheng turned back, as if he felt his gaze and mood.

Xu Wang, as if making up his mind, let out a long sigh and gave him a playful smile.

Wu Sheng looked at him, feeling as if he could never get enough. The light in his eyes seemed to be saying, “I’d catch the moon and net the stars for you.” His lips moved silently, conveying three clear words without sound: I’m with you.

If you want to leave, I’m with you. If you want to close, I’m with you. Just do what you want to do. Even if you charge forward recklessly, I’m here.

Xu Wang felt the warmth in his heart spreading to his eyes.

“I can’t stand it anymore. When exactly do you two plan to talk?” Qian Ai sat cross-legged on the carpet, frowning and glaring impatiently, like an angry Buddha.

“Ah? Talk about what?” His thing with Wu Sheng? Was there even a need to talk about it? They were practically wearing matching couple outfits!

Captain Xu’s clueless face made Qian Ai even more irritated. “Aren’t you two planning to close the first 13 levels? The Wish Door is about to open, and you’re still keeping us in the dark?”

Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue didn’t speak, but they automatically sat in solidarity with Qian Ai, clearly showing their stance.

Xu Wang indeed discussed more than once with Wu Sheng about closing the first 13 levels, but no one knew what price it would entail. He himself was unsure, so how could he discuss it with his teammates? Moreover, Mr. Fan said that the choices in the Wish Room are independent; he could choose to close, and his teammates could choose to leave. He didn’t want his teammates to pay for his whims.

But the current question was: how did the news leak?

Xu Wang first looked at Wu Sheng with a sharp gaze.

Advisor Wu flashed back with a look of confusion, as if every hair on his head was screaming “wronged”.

“Speak up.” Qian Ai could see their eye exchange and urged them impatiently. “At this point, are you really planning to keep it a secret till the end, with just the two of you going to be bloody heroes?”

Xu Wang gave up guessing and asked directly, “How did you know?”

Qian Ai, who had been standing on the high ground, suddenly felt uneasy with the question and could only betray his teammate. He turned to Kuang Jinxin. “He told me.”

Xu Wang’s gaze swiftly moved to Kuang Jinxin.

Caught off guard, Kuang Jinxin immediately turned to Chi Yingxue. “He eavesdropped.”

Xu Wang’s gaze shot towards Chi Yingxue.

Chi Yingxue followed his seniors’ example and turned his head… but there was no one else.

“Um, I eavesdropped.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng: “……”

No one spoke for the time being.

Until thirteen minutes passed, the lake-blue door slowly opened. Qian Ai pulled Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue closer and linked their arms with each other, representing their teammate group. He made the final decision. “After going through all the difficulties¹ together, now at the end of fetching the true scriptures², you thought you could leave us three behind? Dream on!”

¹Eighty-One Trials/sufferings. It’s a metaphor referring to numerous hardships suffered. This comes from Journey to the West.
²This is referencing Journey to the West, where the party goes through many hardships (eighty-one trails) in order to find scriptures.

The universe and starry sky were utterly quiet and beautiful.

Nobody expected that beyond the lake-blue door would be such a place. The five felt like they were entering the vast universe, and they were simply specks of dust floating in this endless sea of stars.

[Owl: Welcome to the Wish Room…]

The voice in their ears seemed to come from the depths of this universe.

[Owl: As a reward for entering the next ten levels, I can fulfill one wish with limited conditions for you…]

[Owl: Dears, state your wish…]

Xu Wang stepped forward and turned back.

Wu Sheng smiled and nodded.

Kuang Jinxin clenched his fist in encouragement.

Qian Ai kept gesturing with his chin in urgency.

Chi Yingxue blew a puff of air upward.

Turning his gaze back forward, Xu Wang’s voice was clear and firm. “I want to talk to Owl. I want to talk to Owl. I want to talk to Owl—”

The “universe” suddenly vibrated, with shooting stars streaking across the sky, burning the serene beauty to ashes with their fiery tails.

Once the five regained their balance and their vision cleared, the vast, starry river was gone.

They were in a room with four walls, like an empty house or a prison.

An image slowly appeared on one wall, starting with an owl head, then fading away to reveal two choice boxes.

1. Close 1/23-13/23.
2. Leave early, never to return.

There were no “dings” or ear-prompt tones. Even the projection on the wall wasn’t clear. This segment was so rudimentary that it didn’t seem like the Owl at all.

But the more it was like this, the more it felt different from other places.

This place originally didn’t belong to the Owl, or rather, not to the now perfectly repaired Owl. It belonged to the Owl that only found brief freedom in the gaps of bugs—this rudimentary choice room had exhausted all its energy.

Yet, it still couldn’t stop the erosion, letting the Owl’s built-in strong repair ability forcibly insert an option 2.

No one spoke.

One hand covered option 1, followed by the second, third, fourth, and fifth.

Each of their palms covered the back of the others, all unified, one heart.

The image on the wall blurred, like an old TV with a disrupted signal, and then suddenly disappeared.

The room returned to silence.

Soon, a faint voice appeared in the air, with a familiar electric sound.

[Owl: Finally… you came…]

Xu Wang suddenly tensed. “This voice, the one that spoke to me ten years ago. It’s this voice!”

Ignoring the shock, Wu Sheng hurriedly asked, “How can we close the Owl?”

[Owl: Can only… close the first thirteen levels… The rest… are different…]

“What’s the way to close the first thirteen levels?” Qian Ai was dying of curiosity, almost unable to control his anxiety. “Could you turn the voice speed up to eight times?”

[Owl: For the first thirteen levels… each level… has a piece of Owl Jade… find them… smash them…]

Wu Sheng: “Owl Jade?”

As if to answer him, a purple, transparent crystal board slowly appeared on the wall. The five companions widened their eyes; this was definitely not their first time seeing this object.

Qian Ai: “Isn’t this what Wangwang dug up in the Aeroplane Chess level?”

[Owl: Thirteen pieces of Owl Jade… find them all… in one night… and smashed…]

“The same night?” Kuang Jinxin blurted out, then shut up, but his mind was full of questions. Not to mention their current standings fixed at 13/23 couldn’t be changed, even if the other levels were truly open to them, they could at most split into five ways.

“We only have five people.” Qian Ai also spotted the issue. “Or do you mean you can let us move freely between each level at any time?”

[Owl: Cannot…]

Qian Ai: “……”

“Does ‘the same night’ mean between 0:00-5:00? Must we find all the Owl Jade of the thirteen levels within this time frame and then smash them?” Wu Sheng asked more precisely.

[Owl: Yes…]

[Owl: Owl Jade… is connected to the external… energy source… must be destroyed in the same night… leaving even one… can reopen the other levels…]

The five companions were stunned, then suddenly realized. No wonder, after the little calico smashed the crystal plate, they couldn’t enter the Aeroplane Chess level the next day because the pathway was cut off. It needed energy from other levels to recover.

It’s like a parallel circuit; one line breaking is not a problem as the other lines still have electricity. To completely cut off power, all lines must be broken.

And they had to be quick; a moment’s delay, and Owl would be fully revived.

This self-repair function was terrifying.

[Owl: The location of each Owl Jade…]

Xu Wang was about to ask this when he noticed Owl was already addressing it, so he immediately perked up his ears.

The other companions also held their breaths in anticipation. Understanding that this was crucial. Without a map, coordinates, or hints, let alone one night, they might not find a single Owl Jade in a hundred nights.

[Owl: …The location… is… is… is…]

The electric current sound unexpectedly surged.

This was a critical moment, leaving the five companions clenching their fists in frustration, unsure where to exert their force.

The wall displayed thirteen extremely blurry maps, resembling thumbnails that hadn’t been fully opened, with such low resolution that all five stared until their eyes nearly went blind, unable to discern any of them clearly.

“Do you even want our help?” Qian Ai became impatient. “Even with a microscope, these maps are…”

Wu Sheng stopped him. “No, there’s a problem.”

The Owl continued to repeat “is…”, under the cover of the noisy electric current, sounding like a computer stuck on a loop.

“It’s being interfered with.” Wu Sheng kept his eyes on the wall, watching the thirteen maps that began to clarify slightly, only to suddenly revert. “By the real Owl.”

His words seemed disjointed, but his companions understood.

The Owl speaking to them just now seemed like a small, independent consciousness that had separated out, hiding in option 1, lying in wait. The real Owl had been repaired ten years ago and had been operating up to now.

Since the latter could insert option 2 into the former, disrupting option 1 a bit also seemed feasible.

But choosing this moment to do so was infuriating; they hadn’t seen the maps clearly yet, and they had a belly full of procedural questions to ask!

“Hiss…” Suddenly, Xu Wang’s arm burned with pain, making him inhale sharply.

A light shadow flew out from his arm, landing at the base of the wall. “Meow—”

The burning sensation vanished.

The light dispersed, and little calico looked at them, tilting its head.

“Wangwang…” Xu Wang softly called out.

The little calico pawed at its face, then softly meowed again. “Meow…”

This sound seemed to carry a hint of reluctance.

The electric current noise gradually faded, and the Owl’s voice became clear again. The maps on the wall began to sharpen, while the little calico’s faint outline started to disappear.

[Owl: The location of the Owl Jade… is on… the map…]

The maps started to become completely clear, and the last remaining faint outline of the little calico also disappeared.

This was the energy given to him by Owl of those years, and now it was taking its energy back to resist the invasion of the repair force.

Xu Wang understood but couldn’t help feeling a slight pang in his heart. He seldom called out Wangwang, fearing that too frequent appearances might affect its lifespan. He knew this thought might seem silly, but every time he saw the icon in his [Stationary Box], his heart would warm. It had always been with them, he knew.

Perhaps because the little calico provided enough energy, the Owl no longer fluctuated. Wu Sheng reviewed all the maps once, memorizing them, while the other four companions divided up the maps into 3-3-3-4 among themselves for a second memorization as a double precaution.

After everyone had memorized them, the maps still remained.

“Um, we’ve memorized it,” Xu Wang tentatively said.

The wall’s image slowly disappeared.

Xu Wang inexplicably sighed in relief, but the Owl was still there. “I have another question. If the first thirteen levels are closed, what will happen to the next ten levels?”

[Owl: It won’t affect… the first thirteen… The next ten… are two different… places…]

“But the number of people in the next ten levels won’t increase anymore because we’ve cut off the source, right?”

[Owl: Yes… no more people will be involved… Those already involved… as long as their score… is still in the first thirteen levels… can leave immediately… never to return…]

“What about the people in the levels? I mean, those living in the levels.” Xu Wang knew they might just be a bunch of energy or data, but when they were indistinguishable from real people, it was hard to tell what was real and what was not.

[Owl: Destroying… the pathways… not the levels… The levels and everything within… still exist… but… they will be freed…]

The five companions exchanged looks, trying to grasp the meaning.

[Owl: Never again… day after day… day after day… day after day…]

Owl’s tone didn’t change, but somehow it felt sad.

“What if, I mean if, we fail?”

[Owl: Forever… at 13/23… or… in the Endless Sea…]

“What?” Qian Ai felt a chill run down his spine. “Can’t leave? Stuck in the Owl forever?”

[Owl: 0:00… 5:00… time remains unchanged… never ending…]

Qian Ai breathed a sigh of relief. That seemed negotiable. He could just pretend that he never cleared the game and just check in every night… Damn, he suddenly shivered, realizing he was almost resigned to Owl’s torment!

They couldn’t fail; they had to succeed!

[Owl: Time… is up…]

It seemed time had indeed run out. The Owl didn’t give them a chance to speak further as a wave of dizziness struck.

The five companions awaited the thud of landing on some unknown street, but as they waited, only the dizziness remained, without the fall.

The light faded, and they were still in that rudimentary room.

“What’s happening?” Qian Ai looked around. “Not another bug, right?”

They hadn’t even started the battle and were already caught in a loop?

“Captain…” Kuang Jinxin suddenly spoke up, trembling. “Your arm…”

Xu Wang looked down. His [Stationary Box] had opened automatically, and [Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant] was emitting a strange purple light.

He had almost forgotten about this piece of stationery!

[Owl: I can fulfill one wish within certain conditions…]

The prompt came from Xu Wang’s arm.

Without a trace of jest, it sounded very much like the Owl from ten years ago, but without the intermittent weakness.

What was more astonishing was the content of the prompt, which they had heard upon entering the Wish Room. They had ignored it and directly called out to the Owl from ten years ago. Now, were they back to square one?

But that wasn’t right; the breathtakingly beautiful universe didn’t reappear. The Owl didn’t mention it as a reward for entering the next ten levels, and more importantly, that was an inner-ear prompt, audible to each individually. If they had truly wished to continue to the next ten levels at that time, each could have made a wish. Now, however, Owl seemed to be speaking to only one person.

[Owl: State your wish…]

The voice methodically continued, the script identical to that of the Owl upon entering the Wish Room, except for not calling them “Dears”.

“Close the pathways between the first thirteen levels and the outside world,” Wu Sheng suddenly said.

[Owl: Does not meet the specified conditions.]

Xu Wang looked at him, puzzled.

Wu Sheng grabbed his hand, looking at the “Cao Chong Weighing an Elephant” glowing above. “To possess the ability to traverse all levels at any time.”

[Owl: Does not meet the specified conditions.]

Wu Sheng: “Just the first thirteen levels, or perhaps the next ten?”

[Owl: Does not meet the specified conditions.]

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Sheng stepped back. “To have the ability to communicate at any time with any challenger in any level.”

[Owl: Possible for the first thirteen levels. Does not meet the conditions for the next ten.]

Wu Sheng’s tight lips finally curved into a smile. “Then, I want it for the first thirteen levels.”

[Owl: As you wish.]

“Cao Chong Weighing an Elephant” disappeared. The purple light formed a faint band, wrapping around Xu Wang’s arm for a long while before slowly fading.

The real sensation of weightlessness arrived.

In the whirlwind, Xu Wang finally understood—the Owl had stored two things with him ten years ago: a cat and a wish.

---

The author has something to say:

The final battle is about to begin, roar (～￣▽￣)～

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 185: The End

In the security monitoring room, besides the security guards, there was only one “outsider”—the sneaky man who overestimated himself and attempted to shake off the guards and kidnap Chi Yingxue in the corridor. Baseball Cap was gone; ever since Xu Wang chose the path of coming out to ensure safety, Baseball Cap never came up again, thus permanently severing his connection with the security room.

Three people in gray coats were brought into the security monitoring room. The sneaky man was startled and immediately lowered his head to avoid eye contact.

Xu Wang repeatedly reminded them to pay special attention to everyone’s reaction the moment they entered the door. Kuang Jinxin remembered this, so he didn’t miss the subtle movement.

The security guards’ reactions were quite uniform: they were initially puzzled by their arrival but became alarmed and cautious upon seeing one of their own in a security uniform among the three bound individuals.

Qian Ai explained the situation of the three people to the security guards, who were so frightened that they immediately called the police. The call had just been hung up when Wu Sheng and Xu Wang, along with the person who came down to fix the lights, arrived.

Kuang Jinxin quietly shared his observations with Xu Wang.

Xu Wang glanced at the sneaky man and then at the three in gray coats, noting there was absolutely no communication between them, not even accidental eye contact. Overdoing it could actually be counterproductive; a simple greeting like “Hey, brother, what did you guys do?” would have made things seem more natural.

There was nothing wrong with the security guard, and the maintenance person they brought down was completely bewildered. The identity of the fourth person had been revealed.

At 12:55, a large number of police officers arrived. Xu Wang and the others quickly reported the situation, and the police immediately evacuated the entire building and started a floor-by-floor search for bombs. The three in gray coats and the sneaky man were directly taken to the police car, while Wu Sheng and the others insisted on staying, eventually remaining in the security monitoring room with the frontline commanding officers.

Xu Wang, representing the group, continued to assist the police with a more detailed report.

Wu Sheng leaned against the wall, quickly sorting through the event’s timeline in his mind, checking for anything that might have been missed.

Lin Lin.

This name emerged once again. The event was like a turbulent river, and Lin Lin was a small fish being swept along from beginning to end, only surfacing once, yet her shadow was visible underwater most of the time.

The girl claimed she knew nothing—a result Kuang Jinxin obtained upon resetting the situation.

There were two possibilities: one, the girl wasn’t telling the truth; two, she accidentally witnessed a scene or person, leading the four men to believe she knew of their evil plans, when in fact, she was unaware.

Kuang Jinxin, who was best qualified to judge, said, “Sheng Ge, I don’t think she’s lying.”

With the identities of the four people confirmed and considering Kuang Jinxin’s intuition, Wu Sheng leaned towards the second possibility.

But he dared not gamble any further…

“Captain, the person has been brought in.” A police officer entered, accompanying a panic-stricken girl.

“Okay.” The middle-aged police officer was focused on the monitor and didn’t move. “Keep an eye on her.”

Lin Lin looked around the room and immediately moved next to Kuang Jinxin upon finding a familiar face.

Kuang Jinxin whispered a few words of comfort to her without saying much more.

Wu Sheng finally felt completely at ease.

He and the police had mentioned Lin Lin’s suspiciousness, but with such uncertainty, the police couldn’t just detain anyone. So, they decided to bring her in for monitoring—whether Lin Lin was innocent or not, under everyone’s watchful eyes, she couldn’t do anything, and that was enough.

At 1:30 p.m., a bomb was found on the 5^th floor, different from those tied to the gray coats; it was waterproof, leaving dismantling as the only option.

At 1:50 p.m., it was confirmed that bombs were placed at the same location on every floor.

At 2:40 p.m., Xu Wang finished giving his statement.

At 3:40 p.m., the bomb dismantling progressed to the 5^th floor, with floors 6–22 remaining—17 floors left.

Since the statement was finished, the security room was in a busy yet tense silence. This silence carried the weight of slowly approaching victory but also pressed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

The closer to the end, the more anxious it became.

Wu Sheng broke the silence prematurely. “We’re running out of time.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a sense of dread filled his companions. After fighting side by side until now, they wouldn’t question Wu Sheng’s judgment any further.

“If we can’t dismantle all the bombs by 4:44, they will still explode.”

Wu Sheng had pondered more than once why the test was “survive past 4:44 p.m.”. If it was just about finding the bomb maniac, then this time point had no significance. The only explanation—4:44; that was the time set for the bombs to explode.

“There’s no timer on the dismantled bombs.” The middle-aged police officer, who had been watching the monitors, finally turned around. His expression was as stern and calm as ever.

“What about a remote control device?” With time so tight, Wu Sheng didn’t believe they could be so thorough.

The middle-aged officer paused, then shook his head again. “All four suspects are under our control now. Even if there was a remote control device, they’d have no chance to detonate it.”

“What if no one is needed to trigger it? If they placed the remote control device on some timer, which would automatically press…”

“Team by team.” The middle-aged officer called on the radio, his furrowed brows revealing a hint of anxiety. “Have Lao Geng check the dismantled bombs again… Yes, tear apart and scrutinize every nook and cranny…”

After hanging up the radio, the officer picked up the phone. “Xiao Wang, search those few bastards again… I know the bombs are wet. I’m looking for a remote detonator…”

Three minutes later, the radio buzzed. “Boss, it’s Lao Geng. You guessed right. There’s a remote control device in the bomb. Damn, it was hidden in a really tricky spot…”

Before the radio finished, another call came in. “Boss, no detonator was found on the four suspects.”

The radio and the phone fell silent, and the middle-aged officer slowly turned to Wu Sheng. His gaze was as sharp as a knife. “How did you know there would be a remote detonation? And so certain, the time would be at 4:44.”

Wu Sheng couldn’t explain, as the other party couldn’t see his owl head or [Cheat Sheet]; to them, he seemed even more suspicious than those four suspects.

“Officer.” Xu Wang approached. “You can suspect our identity, but not our purpose. If we wanted the bomb to explode, there’d be no need to catch those people and rush to call the police.”

The middle-aged officer pondered for a moment before his gaze returned to Wu Sheng. “Since you know so much, then help me guess again. Where could the detonator be?”

Wu Sheng confidently said, “It’s in this building.”

The middle-aged officer didn’t hesitate to shake his head. “Anyone could remotely control it from anywhere nearby. Hiding it in this building is too foolish.”

Perhaps foolish.

But this was a test, and the answer wouldn’t be hidden where the test-takers couldn’t reach. Otherwise, it would be unsolvable for everyone, defying logic.

Wu Sheng: “Trust me one more time.”

Re-inspecting the bombs was the first time.

A building-wide carpet search for the detonator was the second time.

4:00 p.m.

4:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m…

Time was running out, but the detonator was nowhere to be found.

In the monitoring room, silence spread into oppression.

The five companions and the middle-aged police officer, just like them, were intently watching the monitors, observing the police busy on various floors while their hands clenched unconsciously.

4:40 p.m.

“Boss, found it! Found it!” an excited shout came through the walkie-talkie.

The four had hidden the detonator behind a refrigerator in a company’s pantry, using ice as the timer. Once the ice completely melted, the detonation button would be triggered.

On the monitor, only a thin layer of ice remained. The police carefully removed the detonator, took out the battery, and eliminated the last bit of danger.

Wu Sheng’s body, tense for so long, suddenly relaxed.

Qian Ai sat down on the ground with a thud, sweating profusely and breathing rapidly, as if he had just finished a marathon.

Chi Yingxue whistled casually and ruffled Kuang Jinxin’s hair to his heart’s content.

Kuang Jinxin brushed his hand away and took out his ID card from his pocket. Before he could hand it over, Chi Yingxue quickly snatched it. He examined it for a long time, his brows relaxing like the clear sky after the rain, and finally, he kissed the photo on the ID card.

Kuang Jinxin’s face flushed red unexpectedly, annoyed as he tried to snatch it back.

Xu Wang let out a long sigh and patted Wu Sheng on the shoulder. “It’s truly a loss for our police force that you’re in IT…”

The words “loss” and an explosion sound mixed together, becoming Xu Wang’s last memory.

12:00, red number: 1.

His mentality collapsed.

Xu Wang stood up and walked out of the office, standing at the door until Baseball Cap arrived.

“Just stab me to death. Hurry up. Give me a quick end.”

Baseball Cap: “……”

Meanwhile, on the top floor.

Qian Ai: “Don’t try to persuade me anymore. I’ve made up my mind… No, no, it has nothing to do with bankruptcy… Brother, let me give you a piece of golden advice. You can rise again without money, but exams are fucking hell…”

On the 7^th floor.

“Director Wu, why do you look so pale…”

On the 15^th floor.

Director Chi fluttered like a butterfly to the 16^th floor.

On the 16^th floor.

Kuang Jinxin was combing through the golden retriever’s back.

Repeated failures had dulled his anxiety and frustration; he just felt empty. There was only one chance left, and they had already tried their best, completely clueless about what else they could do.

What would happen if this last chance was also used up and the number turned to 0? Would they… really die?

The golden retriever ran out of the beauty salon again, was caught by a passing employee, and was brought back.

Kuang Jinxin patted the golden retriever’s head angrily. “This is the last time. Behave.”

“What?” Lin Lin didn’t catch his words clearly.

Kuang Jinxin shook his head at the young girl and smiled with a bit of bitterness.

“What’s wrong? You seem off…” Lin Lin keenly sensed his emotional fluctuation.

Kuang Jinxin took a deep breath and looked at the time. It was 12:03 now, and no matter what, he had to meet up with his teammates first. Even if it was for the last time, he didn’t want to drag everyone down!

“Don’t go to the storage room. Don’t go to the 18^th floor. Don’t go to the rooftop.” He left these three instructions, regardless of whether the young girl understood.

He quickly walked out of the beauty salon, thinking that he might never return here again. His steps suddenly paused.

Although it was only the memory that had repeated itself a dozen times, he still felt a bit reluctant to leave this place and these colleagues.

Turning back, he smiled at Lin Lin, full of farewell. “Your earrings are very pretty today.”

Lin Lin blinked and smiled back. “You’re kidding, right? I’m not wearing earrings.”

“Ah?” Under the half-length hair, Lin Lin’s earlobes faintly shimmered with light. They were obviously earrings, but when the other party said this, Kuang Jinxin became uncertain again.

The girl rolled her eyes at him and, with a bit of coyness, tucked her hair behind her ears. “Look clearly. See? There’s nothing.”

He did see clearly. Right on her left earlobe, a small, sparkling, exquisite, and charming light.

Kuang Jinxin, as if drawn by some force, turned back to Lin Lin and inexplicably raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching the sparkle.

[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 13/23 Amnesia Badge!]

Kuang Jinxin felt as if struck by lightning. His box of memories flooded open!

The Owl, levels, captain, Sheng Ge, Qian Ge, Xiao Xue…

“Xiao Sijin.” Someone was calling him at the door, with beautiful eyebrows slightly raised, exuding an “I’m-the-toughest” vibe, just like their first meeting on the mast.

“Did you, remember too?” Kuang Jinxin’s voice trembled with uncertainty.

Chi Yingxue didn’t answer, leaning against the doorframe. “Why did you give me your ID card?”

Kuang Jinxin was at a loss for words. After a long while, he muttered evasively. “It’s fake anyway…”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, at the moment of regaining their memories, almost simultaneously rushed to the 10^th floor, though Wu Sheng and Xu Wang arrived first since Qian Ai had to run from a higher floor.

Upon meeting, Xu Wang hugged Wu Sheng tightly and wouldn’t let go.

Wu Sheng happily accepted it.

After indulging in the hug, Xu Wang reluctantly loosened his grip—just a bit. “Because of the badge?”

“Should be.”

Once the badge was in hand, the memories returned. It was a clear cause and effect.

“I wonder who found it. They deserve a bonus…” Xu Wang immediately resumed his role as the captain.

Wu Sheng silently observed, wanting to engrave this person into his eyes and his heart, filling in what had been forgotten.

“Oh, right.” He seemed to remember something.

Xu Wang looked up. “Hmm?”

Wu Sheng smiled. “I’m not married, but I’m in a relationship.”

He leaned down to kiss the slightly parted lips—a kiss that was both aggressive and lingering.

When Qian Ai burst into the office, the two had just parted, and though their lips were apart, they still embraced each other.

“When being kissed, you should close your eyes,” Wu Sheng murmured, with a mix of helplessness and indulgence.

Qian Ai silently exited the office, leaning against the wall next to it—what had he done to deserve this!

Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue arrived to see Boss Qian squatting in front of his own office door, hesitating to enter.

The five companions finally reunited. Learning it was Classmate Kuang who found the badge, everyone was unsurprised, even feeling a sense of “it had to be”.

If it had been Lao Qian who found it, they would have been filled with speculation.

“Hey—” Qian Ai protested against such assumptions.

Xu Wang stretched his shoulders, looking at the blood red number 1 outside the window. “From now on, the real challenge begins. Are you ready?”

Without saving, each level had only one chance. They hadn’t wasted 12 chances but had overcome obstacles to finally reach the true starting line of level 13.

Kuang Jinxin followed his gaze outside. “Mm.”

Qian Ai swung his arm and said, “Bring it on.”

Chi Yingxue nodded slightly.

Wu Sheng was silent until all his companions looked at him, then he pointed to his head. “It’s fully unlocked now. My intelligence was discounted before, sorry.”

Xu Wang, Kuang Jinxin, Chi Yingxue: “……”

Qian Ai: “That modesty doesn’t exactly make us happy…”

It turned out that the advisor wasn’t being modest.

12:20.

“Stick to the original plan: catch the gray coats and the guard, bring them to the 10th floor, but don’t call the police…”

12:44.

“Be aware. The gondola is coming over…”

12:50.

“Lao Qian, you and Xiao Xue keep an eye on them here. Xu Wang and Xiao Kuang head to the monitoring room to bring the fourth person over. I’ll go find the detonator…”

At 1:30 p.m., in Qian Ai’s office, the four bomb suspects were securely locked up, the detonator was disconnected, and the situation was entirely the same as last time—except that they hadn’t called the police.

“Why not call the police?” Qian Ai had always been puzzled by this.

Wu Sheng’s gaze darkened. “Because there’s a fifth person.”

Qian Ai was stunned. “Isn’t it four? Could the illusory stationery have malfunctioned?”

“The illusory stationery is fine,” Wu Sheng said. “They indeed only have four people, but there’s also a god.”

[Who is the Mo Lu?]

[Our god.]

The four companions recalled the moment when the gray coats showed fanatical devotion in their eyes, sending chills down their spines.

“This god is working in the building.” Xu Wang understood. He blended into the building like a drop of water, perfectly disguised.

Kuang Jinxin realized. “There are two detonators, one timed with ice and the other in the god’s hands. Last time, he was the one who ultimately detonated the bomb!”

Chi Yingxue nodded. “Then we indeed can’t call the police. Once we evacuate, we’ll never catch him.”

Qian Ai, speechless for a long time, was suddenly filled with doubt. “I must still have memories that haven’t returned.”

It was now 2:00 p.m.

Who is Mo Lu?

This was the most severe question facing the team.

After a long silence, Wu Sheng suddenly spoke up. “There are two things I’ve been unable to figure out.”

“Which two?” Xu Wang knew he was onto something.

Wu Sheng said, “First, the krait in the utility room of Xiao Kuang’s company; second, our carbon monoxide poisoning in the finance room.”

Xu Wang got it instantly. “Because they make no sense?”

“Exactly.” Wu Sheng’s eyes narrowed, a sharp light flashing in them. “Every mishap and accident in this level has a reason. Baseball Cap attacked you because of his girlfriend; Lao Qian jumped off the building because of bankruptcy; Xiao Xue was nearly hit by pliers because someone was fixing the light; the attack in the hallway was because someone was trying to escape…”

“But the attack on Xiao Kuang by that krait came out of nowhere, as if it appeared from thin air. Our attack in the finance room made even less sense. Their goal was to blow up the entire building. Why bother killing us? We didn’t even know their plan at that time.”

“Unless…” Wu Sheng looked around, his gaze finally landing on Kuang Jinxin. “From the beginning to the end, they wanted to kill Xiao Kuang.”

Kuang Jinxin was bewildered. “Why?”

Chi Yingxue wrapped his arms around him from behind, protecting him tightly, looking at Wu Sheng as if he were looking at a bomb maniac.

“That’s something you need to ask yourself.” Wu Sheng took a deep breath. “Xiao Kuang, go over everything you’ve experienced again; this time I want every detail.” He emphasized, “Every single one.”

Kuang Jinxin didn’t hesitate and immediately delved into his memories, this time going through them frame by frame—combing hair, the dog barking constantly, the dog running out, bumping into a colleague, the colleague bringing it back, Lin Lin saying something…

“What did she say?” Wu Sheng suddenly interrupted him.

Kuang Jinxin paused, bewildered, for a long time. He had just awakened at that time, so everything was blurry. Almost every clear memory started with the colleague bringing the dog back. The scenes before that were like dreams shrouded in fog.

Lin Lin’s smile and her words were like the boundary between dream and reality—half illusion, half real.

Kuang Jinxin closed his eyes, piecing together every time Lin Lin spoke, trying to decipher the shape of her lips. “She said… Thank you. Huh, what’s that smell…”

His eyes snapped open. Kuang Jinxin’s memory became crystal clear. “Right, that’s what she said. Huh, what’s that smell?”

“What smell?” Wu Sheng pressed on.

Kuang Jinxin shook his head. “The colleague just smiled and walked away.”

“Did you smell anything?” Xu Wang helped steer the conversation in a new direction.

Kuang Jinxin fell silent, furrowing his brow in thought, and soon sweat appeared on his forehead.

“It was… fireworks,” he finally said. “When I was young, I used to take apart fireworks and play with the powder inside, that’s the smell!”

The last shadow was cleared, revealing the sun.

The krait and the carbon monoxide were targeted at Kuang Jinxin; Mo Lu believed he, like Lin Lin, had glimpsed his secret in that sentence.

Even gods have guilty consciences.

While two stayed on the 10^th floor, Wu Sheng, Chi Yingxue, and Kuang Jinxin rushed to the 15^th floor. The man was still working, appearing very gentlemanly. Seeing them approach, he welcomed them with a smile.

His scholarly glasses cast a gentle light over his eyes, but Xu Wang saw through to the bottomless abyss hidden behind them.

From a distance of tens of meters, the man naturally raised his hand to touch the name tag on his chest.

There was no violence or danger. That moment was as tranquil as a breeze by the lake in the afternoon.

But Wu Sheng was already prepared, using [(Illusory) Meng Po Soup].

His finger stopped at the last moment before touching the name tag.

The detonator, disguised as a name tag, would never have a chance to be pressed again.

Xu Wang used stationery to securely tie up the gentleman. “A god? Win against our advisor first.”

Wu Sheng deactivated the [Meng Po Soup], and Mo Lu’s demeanor turned grim. This was truly the end of the road for him.

Chi Yingxue didn’t get a chance to act, content with the peace.

They called the police, evacuated the building, and defused the bombs.

At 4:44 p.m., only 50% of the bomb defusing was completed, but there was no puppet master to detonate them.

[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 13/23 test and handing in your papers! See you at the Wish House~~]

……

Fragrant, warm, comfortable.

Xu Wang woke up on a soft, long-haired carpet, with his four companions gradually coming to consciousness beside him.

“Did we, make it through level 13?” Qian Ai was the first to speak, scratching his head.

“Should have,” Xu Wang wasn’t entirely sure, “if I remember correctly.”

Kuang Jinxin thought hard but came up blank. “Just like Mr. Fan said, we forgot the content of the level.”

Wu Sheng stood up and approached a lake-blue door without any rash actions. “This should be the Wish House.”

Chi Yingxue lay on the carpet, unwilling to get up, pondering getting the same carpet when he returned.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 184: Incandescence

“Carbon monoxide poisoning?” Qian Ai now looked at his own company as if it were filled with death traps everywhere. If it weren’t for the lack of time to set up a second rendezvous point, he definitely wouldn’t want to come back here. “Is it the kind caused by burning charcoal, like when you have a copper hot pot with lamb without opening windows or ventilating, guaranteeing dizziness within two hours…”

“Boss Qian, huh… you’ve lost your memory, but your life experience is still so rich…” Xu Wang placed his hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath after knocking down the man in a baseball cap and running up from the 3^rd floor to the 10^th. He felt as if he was doing a triathlon.

Without any foul indication on the [Cheat Sheet], and since they hadn’t ingested any suspicious food or water, coupled with the symptoms of drowsiness and sleepiness before the reset, Wu Sheng couldn’t think of any other conclusion besides carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Sheng Ge, is this an accident or deliberate?” Kuang Jinxin’s eyebrows were furrowed. His demeanor was serious and earnest, as if he was truly taking an exam.

“It’s definitely deliberate,” Qian Ai interjected. “We weren’t hot potting in the finance room.”

Xu Wang glanced at him irritably. “If you’re hungry, just go drink some water from the dispenser.” Always thinking about eating—is he a boss or a foodie?

“If it’s deliberate, why would someone do that?” Kuang Jinxin seemed to be asking Wu Sheng, but also seemed to be pondering to himself.

“Let’s do it again, and we’ll know.” Chi Yingxue, who had been quiet, cut in with a tone that was neither salty nor bland.

Sure enough, Kuang Jinxin turned to him. “Do it again?”

Chi Yingxue liked that his gaze was on him. “Go back to the finance room. When the time comes, we’ll know who’s playing tricks.”

Wu Sheng didn’t expect that the first person to align with his thoughts would be Chi Yingxue.

Doing it again sounded simple, but it meant gambling a precious opportunity. Using themselves as bait, winning the bet wouldn’t mean passing the exam but merely solving another major question. Losing the bet would leave them with only 5 chances.

12:30, finance room.

There were still the same six workstations, but this time only three were occupied.

“Once this damn test is over, the first thing I’ll do is pay back that kid, even if I have to sell blood or my body!” Qian Ai punched the desk, making a “thud” sound that rang out his true emotions.

13 minutes ago, they had “hosted” the man with blue hair again. Now, Qian Ai felt more guilty about “bullying” him than “not paying back the debt”, no longer finding Blue Haired irritating but rather like a melancholic blue painting.

“People donate blood for free now…” Kuang Jinxin kindly reminded.

“You—are you selling yourself?” Xu Wang also kindly reminded.

Qian Ai, caring about the second “kindness”, rolled up his sleeves to show off his biceps. “Doubting my physical strength?”

Xu Wang was stunned by his vigor, sincerely suggesting, “Why don’t you come work in our collections department?”

Waiting, especially waiting for danger to come, is always agonizing. It’s easier inside, where chatting and joking can pass the time, with the only task being for three people to create the liveliness of five. Those on watch outside had it harder.

The finance room was located at the very end of the employee office area, with its door facing the corridor, flanked by other department offices. Wu Sheng and Chi Yingxue were hiding in the office area to the right of the finance room door.

It was a shared office space, with frosted glass in the middle and transparent sections at the top and bottom. Wu Sheng and Chi Yingxue hid behind the workstation closest to the glass partition. They sat on the floor using the desk to conceal their bodies. Through the transparent section of the glass, they were able to see the corridor floor.

Time passed silently, with both men not speaking, just looking at each other and somehow finding peace and harmony.

At 14:20, a pair of feet, hands, and a rubber hose appeared outside the transparent glass.

Chi Yingxue noticed them first. In the past half hour, he hadn’t moved at all, just quietly watching outside. His concentration and endurance were even beyond Wu Sheng’s.

The person was bending over, slowly feeding a hose from an unknown source under the crack of the finance room’s door.

The frosted glass obscured their face.

If nothing was done, in another 50 minutes, the colorless and odorless gas from the hose would fill the finance room, just like last time.

But this time, it wasn’t like last time.

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) You’re Under Arrest*] on you~~]

*Fold one’s hand to be captured (束手就擒) Idiom referring to binding your hands and allowing others to catch you without any resistance.

As Chi Yingxue dismissed the pop-up, Wu Sheng had already charged out of the office.

The person’s hands were twisted behind their back by a strange force, as if bound by an invisible rope. Startled, they straightened up just as Wu Sheng emerged.

The next second, realizing something was wrong, they turned and ran.

Scientifically, they were arrested with their hands bound, but their feet were free… Where was the effect of “being arrested”?

Wu Sheng didn’t have time to critique this and ran after the person. He was chasing when Chi Yingxue followed, just in time to see a figure in a gray coat. “Gray coat?”

Wu Sheng chased to the elevator. Just as the doors opened, Gray Coat darted in. Wu Sheng was speechless. The elevator doors don’t close instantly. With his current distance, he could definitely catch up…

“Bang!”

The sound of a high fall made Wu Sheng’s heart skip.

He and Chi Yingxue, who had caught up, rushed to the elevator door, only to find an empty shaft.

Shining a flashlight down, the actual elevator was stopped several floors below, with Gray Coat in a twisted position on top of the elevator shaft—they had four arms.

Wu Sheng caught his breath, then extended his arm with the flashlight further down, finally making out another person.

The person pressed under Gray Coat was mostly obscured. Only their slender arms were visible.

The noise alerted the three in the finance room that the perpetrator had been caught. They came over, only to find Wu Sheng and Chi Yingxue staring blankly at the elevator.

Kuang Jinxin had a bad feeling and rushed to the elevator door. Wu Sheng’s flashlight was still on, illuminating the abyss-like elevator shaft.

“Lin Lin…”

Wu Sheng turned around. “Is that the girl from your company you mentioned, the one who was harmed?”

Kuang Jinxin wanted to say “Mm”, but his throat tightened, and he could only blink away the tears, gently nodding. He remembered how Lin Lin lay on the elevator car; her arms positioned just like that. He had clung to the hope that as long as he and Chi Yingxue didn’t use the elevator, Lin Lin would be safe, like avoiding a side quest in a game. It was just self-deception.

Xu Wang sighed and patted his head comfortingly. “Call the police,” he said to Wu Sheng. “Someone died. It’s not a joke anymore.”

Wu Sheng pondered, suddenly remembering something, and looked for Chi Yingxue. “Xiao Kuang mentioned that the time the elevator broke, the fake maintenance worker attacking you was wearing a gray coat?”

Chi Yingxue skipped the question, pointing directly below. “It’s him.”

Wu Sheng: “The other one is a security guard?”

Chi Yingxue: “Right.”

Wu Sheng: “Then this time, where is the security guard…”

The reminder snapped everyone’s nerves taut.

The five people gathered at the elevator door turned around almost simultaneously. Caught off guard by a tremendous push, four of them fell into the elevator shaft, leaving only Boss Qian clinging to the door frame. Because of his sheer weight, he didn’t fall, and only then did he clearly see the security uniform and the ferocious face.

Time: 12:15, 18^th floor, red number: 5.

The carbon monoxide trap that appeared at 14:20 was too late. This time, they changed their strategy, lying in wait at the place where Lin Lin might be pushed into the elevator shaft—based on the light Chi Yingxue saw looking up from the transparent elevator car, they pinpointed Lin Lin’s falling floor to the 18^th.

Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin went to the stairwell to talk at 12:10 that time, then encountered the security guard, found a flier, and even helped catch a “sneaky suspect” captured by the security guard. Based on this, the time they entered the elevator should be between 12:20-12:30.

Now, it was already 12:20.

Stakeouts, especially with nerves on edge, felt like an eternity.

12:21.

12:22.

12:23.

12:24.

“Bang.”

A sound came from outside the building. Through the building and layer of glass, by the time it reached the five people’s ears, it was already muffled and flat, so they couldn’t discern what the original sound was.

But soon, the commotion from various floors and screams from outside mixed into an unusual clamor.

“Someone jumped off the building—”

The five people, along with the employees eager to see what was happening, ran to the nearest window to look out. Many onlookers had already gathered below. From the high floor, people looked like ants, making it impossible to see the person who fell.

In the end, it was Kuang Jinxin who returned to his company on the 15^th floor to confirm that it was indeed Lin Lin.

“How could this happen…” Xu Wang was a bit dazed. Everything was repeating—the baseball cap, Qian Ai’s attempted jump, the carbon monoxide trap. How did it suddenly change here?

“An object in motion continues to move until an external force changes its course.” Wu Sheng looked up, his pupils reflecting the blood-red number outside. “We’ve been discovered.”

Qian Ai: “You mean the bastard who harmed that girl realized we were staking out?”

Wu Sheng said, “Yes.”

Kuang Jinxin: “What do we do now?”

“Directly pull those two out.” Wu Sheng’s words were directed at Chi Yingxue.

Chi Yingxue shrugged, a gesture that could mean “oh,” “got it,” “fine,” and many others, which was very convenient to use.

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Impression Tracking] on you~~]

The illusory stationery was used on Chi Yingxue himself. He closed his eyes, pulling up the appearances of those two in his memory. Soon after, two scenes entered his mind.

The man in the gray coat was going downstairs; the wall was marked with 14F.

The security guard was also going downstairs; the wall was marked with 15F. It was more like he was protecting than following.

The five were currently on the 15F. They exchanged glances, and without a word, they all rushed to the staircase!

“Bang!” They burst through the staircase door. By this time, the two men should have gone down at least two more floors.

However, Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin, both equipped with speed-enhancing stationery, quickly caught up with Gray Coat and the security guard, respectively.

The two caught their targets, waiting for their companions to join the fight with their stationery, but were reset to 12:00 by a sudden explosion.

The number outside the window: 4.

3^rd floor, Xu Wang: “……”

7^th floor, Wu Sheng: “……”

15^th floor, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

16^th floor, Chi Yingxue: “……”

On the rooftop, Qian Ai: “Did they have to go as far as to blow themselves up—!”

Security guard: “Mr. Qian?”

Qian Ai: “Don’t try to persuade me. Now that I think about it, jumping might be good, really…”

Boss Qian, whose heart was ashen, eventually returned to the 10^th floor—if jumping could solve everything, it would be a relief. But jumping only to find, “Ah, I’m back again”, only led to more frustration!

“The tactics were too crude.” Upon regrouping, Wu Sheng’s first words were this.

Chi Yingxue was tempted to make a sarcastic remark but held back. Not everyone could take responsibility and be the team’s brain, let alone adjust and improve tactics repeatedly. Since he was reaping the benefits, he shouldn’t nitpick.

“Let’s compile our stationery now; we can’t keep attacking, searching, or defending in isolation. We need to combine our efforts.” Wu Sheng pulled over a blank sheet of A4 paper. “[Stationary Box].”

His four companions obediently opened their [Stationery Box], extending their arms like well-behaved kids standing in line to get their vaccination.

Wu Sheng quickly noted down everyone’s stationery, filling half a page.

“Merely restraining them isn’t enough; we need to prevent them from detonating explosives on themselves and have an illusory stationery that makes them tell the truth…” He was completely focused as he muttered to himself, drawing circles and lines on the paper.

The four companions, having retracted their arms, sat quietly beside him, watching him radiate the aura of a top student.

12:20, 18^th floor.

The first move of the combined tactic—Kuang Jinxin, [(Defense) You Can’t See Me].

The invisibility tool ensured there was no chance of exposure.

12:22, Lin Lin appeared, entering the elevator area while looking around, as if searching for someone.

12:23, the security guard appeared. Lin Lin was completely unguarded, and they even exchanged simple greetings.

12:24, Lin Lin seemed not to have waited for the person she expected, and as she was about to leave, the elevator doors opened, and the security guard, seizing the opportunity, forcefully pushed her in.

The second move of the combined tactic—Xu Wang, [(Defense) Soft Landing].

The girl falling into the elevator shaft didn’t make a “clang” sound upon impact. The security guard, sensing something was amiss, looked down.

Now was the time for the fourth move of the combined tactic—Chi Yingxue [(Illusory) Lay Down Your Arms].

The security guard dropped to his knees at the elevator door.

The five companions held their breath.

Half a minute later, sensing something was wrong, the man in the gray coat emerged from his hiding spot. “Hey, you…”

Wu Sheng didn’t let him finish speaking, already deploying the fifth move—[(Defense) Mired*].

*Feet stuck in deep mud (泥足深陷) Metaphor referring to a troublesome situation that you can’t easily get out of.

The man in the gray coat suddenly couldn’t move his feet. Just as he looked down, Qian Ai delivered the long-awaited finishing move—[(Offense) Water Floods Jinshan*].

*(水漫金山) Idiom describing a flood. It comes from The Legend of the White Snake. It’s the spell used by the White Snake during her battle against Monk Fahai, which flooded the Jishan Temple.

A sudden downpour caught everyone off guard, soaking everyone to the bone and lingering until the water reached waist level before it finally ceased.

Whatever explosives were strapped to their bodies were all duds now.

The two men were completely baffled by the combination of attacks, especially since they had no idea where their opponents were.

“Who the hell is messing with me! Come out—”

A shout attracted the attention of employees on the 18^th floor, all peeking out.

Taking advantage of the gathering crowd, the five invisible companions bound the two culprits and carried them back to the 10^th floor at a brisk pace.

The 10^th floor was Boss Qian’s territory, which was thoroughly cleared out.

The world finally quieted down.

The five companions threw the men into Qian Ai’s office, with Boss Qian closing the door behind them. The invisibility stationery was still not disabled.

According to Wu Sheng’s tactic, for safety, they kept using it.

So the man in the gray coat and the security guard could only stare blankly at the air, huddling together in fear.

Wu Sheng stepped forward, delivering the final gift—[(Illusory) Don’t Lie to Me].

Although the prompt was unheard, based on the pre-discussed tactic, the onlooking companions knew what Wu Sheng used. Xu Wang, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin all awaited the effect, while Chi Yingxue slightly frowned, instinctively disliking the stationery.

The illusory stationery slowly took effect.

In the air, Wu Sheng’s voice emerged. “Why kill Lin Lin?”

Straight to the point, without any preamble.

The onlooking friends now viewed Wu Sheng through a “he’s right” filter, which full name was: “Just listen to him, as what he says is right” filter.

During the combined tactic earlier, their approval and admiration for this teammate had reached its peak. Now hearing him speak, it felt like the full set of answers to this exam was about to be revealed.

“She knew too much,” said Gray Coat, his gaze becoming evasive.

The security guard, unable to see others but could see his accomplice, found his accomplice responding to that ghostly voice in the air as if possessed. He was so frightened he forgot to curse, his face turning pale.

“What did she know?” Wu Sheng continued to ask.

Gray Coat said, “She knew we were going to bomb the building.”

Wu Sheng was startled, despite anticipating something like this.

“Bomb the building?” Qian Ai couldn’t help but blurt out.

The sudden emergence of a second unfamiliar voice made the security guard shudder.

However, Gray Coat seemed only to respond to Wu Sheng’s voice.

Wu Sheng asked, “Why would you do that?”

Gray Coat said, “For fun, hehe. Mo Lu says it’s not exciting just to play small pranks. If we’re going to do something, it should make a big splash.”

Wu Sheng didn’t expect that under the illusory stationery, he could still express something akin to “emotion”. How fixated must one be to leave such a deep imprint in their mind? “Who is Mo Lu?”

Gray Coat: “Our god.”

Wu Sheng: “The real name?”

Gray Coat: “I don’t know.”

Wu Sheng: “What do they look like?”

Gray Coat: “I don’t know.”

After a few seconds of thought, Wu Sheng suddenly changed the question. “How many people are in your group?”

The man in the gray coat began, “Four…”

“Thud!”

A sudden impact interrupted the questioning.

Outside, the gondola was swinging violently in the wind, like the clapper of a temple bell, striking the glass repeatedly.

“Crack!”

The tempered glass completely shattered.

“Be careful—” At the same time as the shout, Wu Sheng tackled the nearest Xu Wang and Qian Ai to the ground, immediately looking for defense stationery.

Chi Yingxue, with Kuang Jinxin in tow, hit the ground, wrapping his arms around him.

The tempered glass shattered into countless fine particles, bursting into the room. Since its edges were rounded, it actually couldn’t cause real harm to people.

But what came in along with the shattered glass was the gondola.

In the moment of hitting the ground, Wu Sheng reflexively looked for defense stationery but was a step too slow.

The gondola, with its cable snapped, crashed into the room like a steel cannonball, hitting everyone—in the not-so-large office, everyone on the ground was hit, none spared.

12:00, red number: 3.

All friends, determined and without hesitation, embarked on the exam again!

It was like having almost completed the final big question, only to be handed a blank sheet to start over. They couldn’t wait to fill in the previous answers from memory and get back to the crucial point of the last round.

The tactical approach remained unchanged. Wu Sheng quickly swapped some of the stationery, and then the five perfectly replicated the previous round’s process. By 12:27, they had thrown the people into Boss Qian’s office.

But this time, they lacked the illusory stationery for interrogation.

Fortunately, they already knew almost everything they needed to. The key now was that the opponents had four people.

One creating the attack with the gondola counted as one; there was still one lurking in the building.

In the tense wait, the gondola arrived as expected. Wu Sheng had already used [(Defense) Golden Bell Shield] but didn’t expect the gondola to break through the defense stationery!

Haste often leads to carelessness.

12:00, red number: 2.

The man in the gray coat, the security guard, and the thug disguised as a gondola worker were finally captured by the five. With stationery, dealing with them wasn’t difficult. The challenge was the unexpected events and potential mistakes.

Wu Sheng didn’t want to make more mistakes but couldn’t relax either. With only two chances left, letting their guard down could mean no more opportunities.

“We have one more person left,” he said to his four companions. “Who could it be?”

All faces were blank.

The three suspects, wrapped up by stationery like cocoons, were cornered. Without the interrogation illusory stationery, they truly didn’t utter a word, even when inflicted with slight pain by offense stationery. And the five couldn’t bring themselves to truly torture them.

“Let’s each go over things we’ve experienced alone.” Wu Sheng forced himself to calm down. “No matter how insignificant you think it is, if you’ve encountered it, count it.”

Xu Wang: “The secretary knocked to give me coffee; the man in the baseball cap came looking for revenge; the rest was all with you guys.”

Kuang Jinxin: “I was grooming the dog, then Chi… uh, brother, came looking for me.”

Qian Ai: “I was jumping off the building. The security guard tried to persuade me not to, but actually pushing me was his real intention. Then I went downstairs to my company… Wait.” His eyes widened. “It was that security guard, right! He pretended to save me but actually pushed me on purpose!”

“Let’s keep that in doubt.” Wu Sheng signaled to Chi Yingxue.

Chi Yingxue leaned against the wall, his experiences flashing through his mind like a slideshow. “I got up from my workstation and walked towards the door. The property management was fixing a light. A plier fell from the ladder, which I agilely dodged. I only went down one floor, so I took the stairs, just to meet a security guard bringing someone down. He tried to take me hostage, but I perfectly subdued him. Then I went to Xiao Sijin’s place, and then it was you guys.”

Qian Ai: “Director Chi, you really know how to insert yourself into the narrative…”

“No, wait.” Wu Sheng’s eyes flashed. “Who was the security guard bringing down?”

Qian Ai: “The guy in the baseball cap who attacked Xu Wang. That matches up.”

“It doesn’t match,” Wu Sheng said. “Xu Wang is on the 3^rd floor. The security guard was taking the baseball cap guy downstairs. How could they run into Xiao Xue walking from the 16^th to the 17^th floor?”

Qian Ai: “……”

Xu Wang, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Because that person hadn’t really stirred any waves from beginning to end, always out of the five’s line of sight.

“Three suspects.” Wu Sheng summarized. “The security guard on the rooftop, the designer fixing the light, and the person in the stairwell.”

Xu Wang: “What’s your plan?”

Wu Sheng: “Split into two groups. Boss Qian, Xiao Xue, Xiao Kuang, you three take those three to the first-floor security room and check if the rooftop security guard and the person we met in the stairwell are there. Xu Wang and I will go to the 16^th floor to find the maintenance worker. If the person being taken down is still in the security room, you three don’t act. Wait for us to come over and regroup.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 183: Defense

Soon, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng arrived on the 10^th floor. As soon as the five people met, they heard a unified “ding—”

[Roster]: Team formation complete.

These simple words directly saved the five individuals the steps of confirming their current companions and searching for potential ones. Especially the latter, which was not only time-consuming and exhausting but also mentally draining. You could never be sure if there were other participants, always having to guard against sharing an opportunity again.

Now, they could finally relax.

Still, to be cautious, Wu Sheng confirmed the experiences up to the present with Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue, going through the reasons for the 13 resets and matching them until they were completely assured.

13. Xu Wang was stabbed.
14. Qian Ai was mistakenly pushed down the building by a security guard.
15. Qian Ai was hit with a brick.
16. Kuang Jinxin was bitten by a silver ring snake.
17. Chi Yingxue was stabbed by a fake maintenance worker.

Indeed, death was the trigger condition for the time reset.

However, it was mainly Kuang Jinxin who collaborated with Wu Sheng in confirming these events—Chi Yingxue had already grasped the “truth behind the dog head”, which was actually an owl head, and was thus caught up in the shock of this aesthetic revelation.

Xu Wang, holding a flier, came over to persuade. “Take a closer look. It actually resembles it.”

Chi Yingxue said, “It’s not about resemblance. It’s ugly.”

The other party was actually displeased. “You, as an art director, understand nothing. This is called soulism, a very important painting movement in postmodernism.”

Chi Yingxue: “…”

The arrival of someone with blue hair put an end to this art discussion.

Stationery used up would indeed be used up and wouldn’t reappear with a time reset. Hence, this time, the person with blue hair no longer had the chance to enjoy the “lullaby” treatment. Xu Wang’s move directly eliminated him.

Qian Ai felt somewhat guilty. After all, it was him owing money and violently avoiding debt. He could only pray that Blue Haired’s home was close so he wouldn’t suffer too much on the way.

“The situation is now clear.” Back in Qian Ai’s office, Wu Sheng didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. “We five are a team, sharing 13 chances, with eight left now. Our best record was when Xiao Sijin was bitten by the silver ring snake, lasting until 12:50.”

“Kuang Jinxin.” Chi Yingxue pointed at the name tag on the person next to him, as a reminder.

Wu Sheng paused, not understanding the point. Didn’t Chi Yingxue just call him that, right?

Xu Wang understood and laughed. “Hey, you can call him Xiao Sijin, but we can only call him Kuang Jinxin?”

Chi Yingxue was generous. “Xiao Kuang is also fine.”

Xu Wang: “……”

“What should we call you then?” Qian Ai, keen on stirring things up, leaned in. “Xiao Xue?”

Chi Yingxue frowned, showing undisguised disdain.

Qian Ai: “Xue Zai*?”

*Young/little (仔). It’s similar to [xiao] (小) but is a suffix, and nuance-wise, it’s more diminutive. || In this context, he’s basically saying, “You prefer Little (Xiao) Xue or Littler (Zai) Xue (which, given the two choices, Chi Yingxue prefers the less diminutive form of address).

“The one before.” Chi Yingxue made a decisive choice.

“Address him however you want. The issue now is how to complete the test question.” Wu Sheng lightly tapped on the table, like a teacher emphasizing a point on the blackboard. “This building is full of dangers, and we can’t always be passive. We need to save ourselves.”

Luckily, there was Classmate Kuang who was listening seriously. “How do we save ourselves?”

Wu Sheng calmly said, “First, leave the building.”

A wake-up call for everyone.

Indeed, now that they had formed a team, there was no reason to stay in the building to be slaughtered. Although things were becoming increasingly unscientific, staying away from the “source of disaster” was definitely wise.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Qian Ai was instantly ready—not just to leave for a moment but even for a lifetime if needed—considering his company’s remaining assets were hardly worth packing up.

“Hold on,” Wu Sheng said. “Since it’s a test, the examination area might not be limited to the building. There could be dangers outside too. We need to be mentally prepared.”

Xu Wang looked at him deeply. “We’re ready. We’ll follow you.”

Wu Sheng swallowed. Xu Wang’s trust in him was evident, but now there was something more in his gaze—an indescribable allure.

The group decided to leave, avoiding the elevator and taking the stairs, quickly reaching the first floor. At this time, concerns about absenteeism were irrelevant. If the number went back to “0”, what awaited them was true death. They could hide not just for four hours but four years if necessary.

The first floor was bustling with employees going in and out for their lunch break.

The five pretended to be natural and walked out the front door.

The moment the sunlight hit them, “ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Foul.

Dazed, reset.

Number: 7.

Time: 12:18, 10^th floor. Blue Haired was subdued for the third time, and the five regrouped in Qian Ai’s office for the second time.

No one spoke, but Chi Yingxue didn’t mind breaking the ice. He hummed lightly. “Leaving the building, such a good idea.”

Wu Sheng was silent; indeed, he had been hasty.

Qian Ai found it grating. “Don’t be sarcastic. If you had a better idea, you should have said it earlier. What’s the point of hindsight criticism?”

“I’m not capable, nor do I have any advice to offer.” Chi Yingxue wasn’t annoyed and remained cool.

This calmness infuriated Qian Ai even more. “You motherf—”

“Hey, hey—” Xu Wang timely intervened. Internal strife was detrimental, especially when Qian Ai was quick-tempered and Chi Yingxue could infuriate someone to death without compensation. He was sure it wouldn’t take three sentences before they started fighting.

Qian Ai shut up, huffing to the side. He sat on the couch, looking at the sky, the ground, the window—anything but Chi Yingxue—to avoid irritation.

Chi Yingxue shrugged, appearing nonchalant.

Xu Wang disliked internal conflicts but wasn’t in favor of smoothing things over. “Xiao Xue, we’re all in the same boat now. No one knows the right direction. You say you’re not capable and won’t offer suggestions, which you might see as self-awareness, but I see it as a lack of courage to take responsibility… Don’t look at me; I’m the same as you—Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, we’re all the same. Not offering suggestions means certainly not being wrong. But we won’t kick the only person willing to take responsibility and find a direction off the boat.”

Chi Yingxue remained silent, but his resistance was faintly visible.

He didn’t really mean to do anything to Wu Sheng; a chance was just lost. Couldn’t he make a sarcastic remark?

“Do you also think I’m wrong?” Chi Yingxue noticed Kuang Jinxin frowning at him.

Kuang Jinxin said, “You should apologize to Sheng Ge.”

Chi Yingxue suddenly narrowed his eyes, his beautiful pupils instantly sharpening. “Do you call everyone brother?”

Kuang Jinxin was stunned.

Qian Ai and Xu Wang were also taken aback, not keeping up with the sudden shift in the conversation, leading to a disconnect.

Seeing Kuang Jinxin a bit softened, Chi Yingxue felt a bit soft-hearted and decided to step back. “You call him Wu Sheng, and I’ll apologize.”

Kuang Jinxin looked at him for a long while, then suddenly turned to Wu Sheng. “Sheng Ge, Sheng Ge, Sheng Ge, Sheng Ge.”

He called out in one breath, a total of 1+4 times.

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Qian Ai, watching Chi Yingxue’s face turn completely dark, silently applauded Xiao Kuang in his heart. This is called not indulging bad behavior. Well done!

Kuang Jinxin didn’t know what got into him, but he just didn’t want to go along with Chi Yingxue’s wishes. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Who says that when you’re wrong, you can still act stubbornly, expecting others to accommodate you?

But now, he guessed Chi Yingxue wouldn’t bother with him anymore, which he actually kind of regretted…

“Sorry.”

The abrupt apology interrupted his thoughts.

It was Chi Yingxue who spoke, directed at Wu Sheng.

Kuang Jinxin looked at Chi Yingxue’s profile in surprise, clearly reluctant, but once the words were out, they were out, without being taken back or any unrelated additions.

Kuang Jinxin was surprised, while Qian Ai was shocked.

How the hell was this trained? Not allowed to call brother, yet after calling out five times, the accuser ended up apologizing obediently. Was this some kind of spell?

“It’s okay.” Wu Sheng replied, then added, “I should also say sorry. I’ll be more cautious next time.” This wasn’t just politeness. Wu Sheng genuinely thought so. Treating any challenge lightly is disrespectful to oneself, others, and even to the person who posed the challenge.

Chi Yingxue didn’t say anything further and walked to a sofa.

Qian Ai crossed his arms across his chest, on guard.

Chi Yingxue, without even glancing at him, sat down in the farthest corner and stayed still.

From Qian Ai’s angle, he felt a bit sorry for him, but thinking back to that arrogant attitude, he didn’t feel like sympathizing, so he was torn between “comforting” and “kicking someone when they’re down”.

The awkwardness spread in the silence.

Wu Sheng, full of new ideas and eager to share, also didn’t know how to start.

Kuang Jinxin glanced at Chi Yingxue from time to time, hesitating.

Xu Wang saw this, smiled, walked over, and patted him on the back, whispering, “He’s just a brat. As the older one, you should be more tolerant.”

Kuang Jinxin was amused at his last hesitation, and he decisively moved towards the sofa.

Xu Wang gave Qian Ai a look.

Qian Ai: “Hm?”

Xu Wang was speechless. He walked over and physically moved him to Wu Sheng’s side; the three of them formed a small circle. “Wu Sheng, whatever new ideas you have, share with us first.”

“Aren’t we waiting for those two?” Qian Ai looked back, not seeing anything, before Xu Wang turned him back around.

“Just worry about yourself. Don’t worry about others.”

“But…”

Without waiting for more buts, Wu Sheng wanted to share the latest direction for solving the problem. When the discussion was over, Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin also joined back in. The former still had a calm face, but his eyes revealed his good mood. The latter frowned. He looked annoyed, and his face was a bit red.

Xu Wang observed the two teammates with interest, smiling silently.

Wu Sheng, oblivious to the subtle atmosphere, saw everyone back and immediately offered “discussion notes”. “We’ve just gone over it, and we can confirm that the building is the examination venue. Leaving the venue will be considered a foul, so now we only have two options…”

Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue listened, gradually becoming more serious.

Xu Wang sighed, hoping these two could give Wu Sheng some insight, but now it seemed Wu Sheng was more likely to pull these two back from puppy love to early self-study.

“First, full defense. Since the goal is ‘to survive past 4:44 PM’, we find a relatively safe place, use defense stationery, and wait out the time, dealing with whatever comes our way…”

“Second, take the initiative. Identify and lock down all potential threats that could harm us, tackling them one by one…”

Wu Sheng paused, then continued with a steadier voice. “The first option is safer, helping us avoid some dangers and only dealing with those that come directly to us. Its downside is passivity; the second option is more proactive, but its downside is greater uncertainty and the potential to trigger more unknown risks.”

“All three of us choose the first.” Qian Ai asked Kuang Jinxin, “What do you think?”

Kuang Jinxin nodded. “I also think the first is safer.”

“Cough, what about you?” Qian Ai extended an olive branch to his teammate surnamed Chi, ready to blacklist him if he dared not accept…

“No need to ask me.” Chi Yingxue turned to look at the God of Wealth poster on the wall, mumbling, “The minority complies with the majority.”

Qian Ai’s soul was filled with tears. “Xiao Xue, you’ve matured.”

……

Time: 13:00. Blood number: 7.

They didn’t go anywhere else, just to Qian Ai’s company’s finance room. The cashiers and accountants were long gone, leaving six empty workstations. It was cold and quiet, with a safe even emptier than the workstations.

The five locked the doors and windows, each finding a workstation to sit at, with nothing to do but wait out the time.

Qian Ai, bored out of his mind, casually flipped through a drawer, found two decks of playing cards, and said happily, “How about a game of Fight the Landlord among the five of us?”

Xu Wang, sitting diagonally behind him, shook his head and sighed. “Now I know why your company went under…”

Playing cards in the finance department’s drawer—such professionalism probably followed the boss’ lead.

Qian Ai, poked in his sore spot, reluctantly stuffed the cards back, sighing sadly, “Ah! Actually, amnesia might not be so bad. If we really get through this challenge and regain our memories, you probably won’t see me again…”

“How much do you owe?” Chi Yingxue asked while yawning.

“I don’t know,” Qian Ai lamented. “But given the size of my company, it must be hundreds of millions…”

Chi Yingxue: “Just file for bankruptcy. Then you don’t have to pay it back. At most, your remaining assets will be divided according to the repayment order.”

“That won’t do,” Qian Ai immediately objected. “Owing money and paying it back is only natural. If I file, what about people like that blue-haired guy? They’d have nowhere to cry.”

Chi Yingxue: “You don’t have the money to pay either way.”

“At least—at least they can still find me and have something to cling to…” Qian Ai’s voice grew weaker. In reality, without money, everything is illusory. Material things are one aspect, but people also need something to hold onto spiritually, and he was that something for his creditors.

Chi Yingxue looked up indifferently. “That’s a nice thought, so why jump off a building?”

Qian Ai: “……”

That made sense. He was momentarily speechless. Wait, what did ‘a nice thought’ mean? Even though he understood what the other was trying to say, wasn’t that description a bit off…

Taking advantage of Qian Ai and Chi Yingxue’s conversation, Xu Wang also whispered to Wu Sheng. Their seats were next to each other, so a slight turn of the head allowed them to make eye contact.

Of course, it was Xu Wang who initiated the conversation with Wu Sheng. Otherwise, the latter could stay immersed in deep thought.

“Are you in IT?”

Wu Sheng thought Xu Wang was giving him signals and waving for some important reason, but when he turned around, this was what he heard. Clearly, Xu Wang was eager to chat, and Wu Sheng was open to it, since there wasn’t much else to do.

“Yeah, some kind of enterprise software.” After several resets, Wu Sheng had glanced at the documents on the desk a few times.

“Oh…” Xu Wang leaned on the desk, tilting his head to look at him, whispering like chatting secretly during class. “I’m in financial sales.”

Wu Sheng nodded. “I know, you’ve mentioned it.”

Xu Wang suddenly felt nervous and just blurted out, “Are you married?”

Wu Sheng was taken aback by the question, and after a few seconds, he shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

Xu Wang quickly followed up. “What’s your feeling?”

Wu Sheng laughed. “How could there be a feeling about that?”

“Why can’t there be a feeling? Look at me. I can feel that I like… men.” The last word was so quiet it could only be understood through lip-reading.

Wu Sheng actually read them, and his heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Xu Wang, trying to feel as the other said…

Xu Wang looked at him eagerly, unaware that his gaze was betraying his nervousness and hope.

Wu Sheng looked down subtly, feeling helpless. Whether he was married or not, he couldn’t tell, but the more he looked at Xu Wang, the more he felt unsettled.

Xu Wang started to worry. Was it that bad—thinking so hard it gave him a headache?

He had planned a whole series of questions. If Wu Sheng felt he was single, Xu Wang would make him feel out his orientation. He always thought straight men wouldn’t come up with the idea to use a kiss to dispel suspicions from the guy in a baseball cap. So, if Wu Sheng could feel even a bit of a “preference for men”, Xu Wang wanted to get his number, line up, and once things ended and life returned to normal, if there really was no one by Wu Sheng’s side, he’d make his move.

“Never mind.” Wu Sheng shook his head in resignation, looking at Xu Wang. “If there’s another reset, I can just ask my employees, right?”

“…Right.” Xu Wang blinked, finally catching on. He wondered how he forgot they could just ask directly.

From the moment they met until now, Xu Wang had always been sharp. Suddenly becoming muddled, Wu Sheng found himself unable to look away.

On the other side, Qian Ai and Chi Yingxue also ran out of things to talk about.

The finance room quieted down, with only the wall clock’s hands dutifully moving.

13:30.

14:00.

14:30.

15:00.

In doing nothing, time always seems to pass very slowly. Monotony and silence brought drowsiness and sleepiness, with some of them nodding off or already asleep.

Xu Wang had a soft dream, like falling into marshmallows or breaking into a cloud kingdom. He didn’t remember the specifics—only the floating, soft feeling.

“Knock knock.”

Why would there be a knocking sound…

“Knock knock.”

Xu Wang jolted awake and looked at the clock on the wall in disbelief. 12:00.

Outside, the blood-red number had turned to 6.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 182: Eight

Time: 12:10. The red number: 9.

“Lin Lin, I’m stepping out for a moment.” Kuang Jinxin informed the young girl beside him once again, but this time he added, “You mustn’t go to the storeroom. It’s dangerous there.”

Under normal circumstances, Lin Lin would have suggested he go to the storeroom, but after he said this, the girl didn’t say anything else and just responded blankly, “Oh, okay.”

Kuang Jinxin dragged Chi Yingxue to the stairwell. Along the way, Chi Yingxue was still brooding over revenge, to which Kuang Jinxin was utterly helpless. “What revenge? It’s not a person. It doesn’t know what it should or shouldn’t bite.”

Chi Yingxue felt awkward hearing this. “Why are you speaking for a snake?”

Kuang Jinxin glanced at him. “There’s also someone who took a shovel wanting to fight a snake to the death.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “Besides, that’s a banded krait. It’s extremely venomous. We can’t deal with it.”

Chi Yingxue: “You just covered it with a cardboard box just now.”

Kuang Jinxin: “It was going to bite you. I didn’t think that much.”

Chi Yingxue: “Xiao Sijin.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Hm?”

Chi Yingxue: “Give me your phone number, WeChat ID, and ID card number.”

The two had just entered the stairwell, and their conversation had reached this point.

Kuang Jinxin thought he had misheard and asked again, “What?”

The stairwell was very quiet, so even normal conversation had echoes.

“Phone number, WeChat ID, and ID card number—give them to me.” Chi Yingxue enunciated every word, his voice cool and refreshing like summer shaved ice. “Let’s be friends.”

Kuang Jinxin looked at him warily. “You need an ID card number to make friends?”

“For normal friends, no, but you do,” Chi Yingxue said, blinking as if it were the most natural thing.

Kuang Jinxin found that not only could he not keep up with the other’s train of thought, sometimes he couldn’t even grasp the other’s meaning. This person, trapped in the same time loop as him, was neither anxious nor panicked and always focused on very subtle things. Yet, it wasn’t about being contrary or playing games, but rather… self-centered.

He finally thought of the right word. Yes, “self-centered”. Normally, people consider the environment, events, relationships and combine these to act appropriately. But not this person; he followed his own whims. It was frustrating, yet enviable.

“Brother.” Kuang Jinxin knew the other liked it when he called him that. Usually, starting with this would optimize the success rate of communication. “Can we first get the firefighters here to deal with the snake, then think about how to end the time reversal, and after everything returns to normal, then add each other on WeChat?”

Chi Yingxue: “Phone and ID card number.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Yeah, I’ll give them to you.”

Chi Yingxue didn’t like to wait, but occasionally, exceptions can be made.

When Kuang Jinxin was calling the fire department, he was handed a business card. As the call connected, he saw the words on the card—XX Brand Design Studio, Art Director, Chi Yingxue.

In those five minutes that he was late, not only did he find a shovel but also a business card.

Even with time reversing, he insisted on having a name. Kuang Jinxin didn’t know what to say, but upon further thought, he found it quite endearing.

After calling the fire department, he finally felt a bit more at ease, his thoughts returning to the time reversal. “Why is it just the two of us?”

Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow, also showing rare curiosity.

Was there any connection between him and Xiao Sijin… Chi Yingxue quite liked this speculation.

“What does the countdown number mean? When it reaches ‘0’, will time no longer reverse?” Kuang Jinxin wasn’t really asking for an answer but hoped they could discuss together and brainstorm.

Chi Yingxue finally said, “Not necessarily. Maybe when it reaches ‘0’, we’ll both be dead, truly dead.”

“What if we live past 4:44 p.m. before ‘0’. Does that mean we can end all this?” Kuang Jinxin always felt that the message in the [Cheat Sheet] was the most crucial clue to this matter.

Just as Chi Yingxue was about to speak again, the footsteps of several people came from upstairs, somewhat chaotic.

He remembered the “accident” from before and immediately pulled Kuang Jinxin over, shielding him behind.

Several security guards were bringing down a person with a fierce look, whose gaze fell on Chi Yingxue.

Chi Yingxue had no interest in this person they had previously encountered, with low combat value and even lower attractiveness. What interested him was the flier in the security guard’s hand—the dog head drawn on it was quite artistic.

The criminal came as expected. Chi Yingxue kicked precisely, retracted his leg very naturally, and swiped the flier from the security guard’s hand.

He was seriously appreciating the “dog head” drawing.

Kuang Jinxin peeked out from behind him, but what he saw was the text, and the next moment, he couldn’t help but grip Chi Yingxue’s clothes tighter.

Chi Yingxue frowned, then saw the content of the flier and immediately asked the security guard, “Where did this flier come from?”

The security guard, just having subdued the criminal again and wary of this building employee who could “make a difference with just one kick”, answered immediately, “There are three lunatics distributing them all over the building. If it wasn’t for being too busy today and lacking manpower, we would have caught them already!”

“Too busy?” Kuang Jinxin’s sixth sense suddenly triggered, making him voice question.

“Yeah.” The security guard was full of complaints and obviously worn out. “There’s someone on the rooftop wanting to jump off, someone downstairs looking for their love rival with a knife, and just now we caught this guy sneaking around.” He glanced at the fierce-looking man, venting all his frustration on him. “Glare at your mom. Keep glaring. You think just because you’re stubborn and tough, you’ll be fine? What are you doing, sneaking in here as an outsider? Obviously, you’re up to no good…”

The security guards, dragging the man, cursed as they went downstairs.

Kuang Jinxin asked, “Brother, do you think these incidents are related to the time reversal?”

“Hard to say.” Chi Yingxue pondered for a moment. “Let’s go to the 10^th first.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Okay.”

For now, they would set aside other matters. Knowing about the blood-red number and the owl head, this had to be investigated.

Just as the security guards and the criminal had descended one floor, it seemed they started fighting again. By the sound of it, it wasn’t intense, as the security guards were numerous and could control the situation easily. But the two didn’t want to “cross the battlefield” to avoid more trouble, so they turned back to the corridor and decided to take the elevator instead.

Unexpectedly, just as the elevator descended to the 13^th floor, it abruptly stopped. It wasn’t because someone had pressed the elevator button from the outside; it just stopped suddenly without warning, and it might not even be precisely on the 13^th floor.

The lights inside the elevator flickered and then went out. Along with the lights, the control panel went dark, leaving only the emergency contact button still faintly glowing red.

“…A power outage?” Kuang Jinxin nervously took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and saw Chi Yingxue standing there in a daze, looking bewildered as if he had lost his soul.

Kuang Jinxin’s heart tightened. For some reason, this made him more anxious than being stuck in the elevator. He almost instinctively hugged the other person, patting his back gently like comforting a child: “It’s okay, it’s okay, it will be over soon.”

Chi Yingxue came back to his senses, confused. He was just startled by the sudden power outage and was sure he hadn’t felt any emotional turbulence, not understanding where Kuang Jinxin got the idea that he needed “comforting”.

However…

Being gently patted like this was quite comfortable.

Chi Yingxue raised his arm to wrap it around the other, gently rubbing his head against Kuang Jinxin’s hair, suddenly wishing that time would stop moving forward or reversing and would stop here, in this elevator, stuck.

Unfortunately, just as he closed his eyes, not even having the chance to continue enjoying the moment, a loud “bang” came from above, and the elevator car shook violently.

It was as if something heavy had fallen into the elevator shaft, landing on top of the shaft. The two instinctively looked up, but in the fully enclosed car, they couldn’t see outside.

The echo quickly faded, but their hearts, in the ever-quieter air, were lifted.

“Xiao Sijin, shine the light here.” Chi Yingxue raised his arm.

Kuang Jinxin immediately directed the light to where Chi Yingxue pointed.

Chi Yingxue rummaged through his [Stationery Box] and eventually activated a [(Defense) See-Through Wall].

About seven or eight seconds later, the ceiling of the elevator car, under Chi Yingxue’s gaze, gradually became transparent.

The more transparent it became, the tighter Kuang Jinxin’s breathing grew, until his throat was so tight he could barely breathe.

A girl with blood all over her face was lying on top of the elevator car. Her body was twisted into strange angles, and her eyes opened unwillingly, with blood slowly oozing out from her mouth and broken limbs, staining her branded clothes red.

Lin Lin.

Kuang Jinxin couldn’t help but tear up, unable to believe that the girl who had been smiling sweetly at him not long ago was now gone.

Chi Yingxue narrowed his eyes, spotting the light from the elevator shaft through the gaps around the body.

The presence of light meant only one thing—the elevator doors were open.

17^th floor? 18^th floor? Judging by the position of the light coming through, it was possible that the girl had fallen from that level…

No.

Chi Yingxue’s gaze suddenly sharpened—a person was peering down from the place of light.

They were too far away, and the light was insufficient. He couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, yet he could feel that the person wasn’t panicked. If it were an accident or out of curiosity, one would have many reactions, but that person just stared down steadily, without even a slight shake of their head.

The person was checking if their push had definitively killed.

The blood completely turned the elevator car ceiling into a “blood cover”. Suddenly, knocking sounds came from outside. “Is anyone in there—”

Kuang Jinxin dared not respond, and Chi Yingxue also remained silent.

“The elevator is malfunctioning. I am here for maintenance from the building’s property management. I’m going to pry the door open now. If there’s someone inside, please move back. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick—”

As Chi Yingxue’s gaze shifted, the elevator doors slowly became transparent.

Outside, a technician in a gray coat was using tools to open the elevator doors, his face full of worry and urgency.

Kuang Jinxin’s suspended heart finally settled.

The door quickly opened, and the technician, seeing people inside, looked astonished. “There are people here. Why didn’t you say anything when I called for so long.” Despite his complaints, he still helped them out.

Just as Kuang Jinxin was about to thank the technician, Chi Yingxue suddenly pulled him back and asked lightly. “Master, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?”

The man in the gray coat paused for a moment, then smiled and suddenly pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. He pressed it and the blade popped out. He stabbed upwards towards Chi Yingxue in one swift, skillful move that was terrifyingly proficient.

Chi Yingxue narrowly dodged, pushed Kuang Jinxin away, and immediately captured the opponent’s arm.

Unexpectedly, the opponent turned around and managed to break free with a clever twist.

Chi Yingxue frowned, realizing this person was difficult to deal with.

Kuang Jinxin got up from the ground, having figured it out. Chi Yingxue’s words couldn’t even qualify as “suspicion”. If the opponent truly didn’t want to cause trouble, they would have at least exchanged a few words. However, this person drew a knife right from the start, clearly intending to kill them both, regardless of whether they saw through his disguise!

“What are you doing?” A security guard, sweating profusely, ran over. “Can’t you let people have a moment of peace?”

Kuang Jinxin immediately approached him. “He’s trying to kill us! Also, there’s someone in the elevator shaft…”

Before he could finish, Kuang Jinxin lost consciousness amidst the sound of an electric shock.

Chi Yingxue saw the security guard pulling out a stun gun, but it was too late. This moment of distraction gave the man in the gray coat the opportunity to stab him in the chest. He faced intense pain and dizziness.

……

Time: 12:00, with the number 8 outside the window.

This time, it only took Chi Yingxue fifty seconds to catch up with Kuang Jinxin. Without a word, he pulled the person and headed towards the 10^th floor.

Kuang Jinxin shared the same thought—if he didn’t find someone knowledgeable to ask something, he would be driven mad by this series of “accidents”.

“Don’t leave the beauty salon. Absolutely do not leave, no matter who asks!” Before leaving, he almost begged Lin Lin.

Lin Lin was confused and watched him leave.

The two rushed to the stairwell—they couldn’t trust the elevators in such a short time—without stopping, they continued running downstairs. However, as they ran, they heard someone else running down from above, even more urgently than them, with heavy footsteps that inexplicably tensed their nerves.

Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin sped up while also lightening their steps, finally reaching the 10^th floor and quickly leaving the elevator area.

They thought this would completely avoid the “unknown person” behind them, but as soon as they entered the corridor, that person also followed.

They immediately turned around, fully on guard, and the person also saw them, hurriedly stopping.

“Did you come because of the flier?!” the person asked first, voice trembling, not with malice but seemingly excited.

Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin looked at each other and simultaneously raised their arms, displaying the symbol. One casually lifted, stylish and free, the other obediently raising his hand, as if he was ready to answer a question in class.

Qian Ai was genuinely surprised, not expecting Wu Sheng’s trick to actually work and so quickly too. He also raised his arm, showing an owl. “Classmates. We are classmates!”

Kuang Jinxin: “…Ah?”

Qian Ai approached, enthusiasm closing the distance between them. “Wu Sheng said, we are now in an examination room, taking the same test.”

Kuang Jinxin felt only goodwill and an overwhelming enthusiasm from this person, unconsciously lowering his guard. “Who is Wu Sheng?”

“Someone like us, uh…” Qian Ai hesitated, feeling a bit guilty, and honestly added a condition. “Intellectually speaking, someone like us.”

“And there’s Xu Wang,” he continued. “Also participating in this test.”

Kuang Jinxin was a bit confused. “You keep talking about a test. What exactly is the test?”

“This.” Qian Ai opened his [Cheat Sheet], revealing the message. “This is our test question.”

Kuang Jinxin finally understood.

“How many people in total?” Chi Yingxue suddenly asked.

“Five,” Qian Ai truthfully answered. “Including you and me, plus them two, so far it’s just us five, not excluding the possibility of others.”

“Five…” Chi Yingxue pointed to his arm. “All with the owl symbol?”

Qian Ai nodded. “Yes.”

Chi Yingxue frowned, seriously wondering. “Then why is there a dog’s head on the flier?”

“……” Faced with such a soul-torture question, Qian Ai felt that neither he nor Artist Wu himself could answer, leaving it to Xu Wang.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 181: Someone Else

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng thought that, with the numbers outside the window and the icons on their arms, confirming each other’s identities would be a matter of eye contact. However, it took almost twenty minutes to fully convince Mr. Qian that this wasn’t some high-tech trap and that they were not part of a scam group but rather fellow sufferers in the same predicament.

Xu Wang nearly wore out his lips talking. He thought that Mr. Qian must have been hurt before. Otherwise, where would such a strong sense of caution come from?

He was responsible for appealing to emotions, while Wu Sheng handled the logic. “…In summary, the condition that triggers the reset has been determined to be death. The first time was Xu Wang, the second and third times, both were you.”

“No wonder the first time I was just grabbed by the leg, and then time reversed, and the second time it was falling down that brought me back to 12:00.” Qian Ai, as straightforward as he was, had only noticed this oddity, which now was explained.

“The 13 chances are shared among us, and now we have 10 left.” Wu Sheng glanced at the blood-red number outside the window, pondering for a moment. “If we don’t run around recklessly or provoke trouble, it should be enough.”

“You mean we just sit here and do nothing?” Qian Ai tried to avoid looking outside. The blood-red color reminded him of debt collectors, which was unsettling.

“Right, do nothing. Death equals failure. Correspondingly, staying alive equals success.” Wu Sheng glanced at his watch. “Now it’s 12:38. There are 246 minutes, 14,760 seconds until 4:44 p.m. If we persevere, that’s victory.”

Qian Ai silently turned to Xu Wang. “How did he just rattle off the seconds so easily…”

Xu Wang patted his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”

Being able to calculate in seconds was child’s play for him; this person also had a photographic memory. He was meticulously detailed, remembering every person, event, and object from each reset. While Xu Wang was still bewildered, this person had already proactively sought him out to unite, and when Xu Wang had just begun to grasp a general concept of this test, this person could already use stationery with precision.

Aside from the kiss later on, in this test, he had practically no “contribution” worth mentioning.

After some thought, he gave Mr. Qian another piece of advice as someone who had been through it. “Don’t compare. It affects your state of mind.”

Qian Ai: “……”

He didn’t have that kind of competitive spirit.

The fact that they could restart after dying somewhat reduced Qian Ai’s stress, and he began to wonder about various things. “You say this is a test, so what happens if we pass? Is there a cash prize?”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Xu Wang despaired. “President Qian, how badly do you need money?”

Qian Ai showed him a miserable face. “Director Xu, creditors are coming to my door with bricks…”

Xu Wang: “Our company seems quite informal. We might have those unsecured loans. Want to try?”

Qian Ai: “Goodbye.”

The three fell silent for a moment.

Time passed by in the second, but this calm passage was reassuring.

Qian Ai opened his own owl head, looking at the array of icons in the [Stationery Box], still finding it incredible.

Wu Sheng said these were all usable props, but what effects they had could only be inferred from the category of the stationery (Defense, Offense, Illusory) and their names. The ones used to save him, [Lullaby] and [Impenetrable], were relatively easy to figure out.

With nothing else to do, Qian Ai began to explore his own stationery—

Defense category: [Princess Carry], [Immortal’s Leap]…

Offense category: [Sad Murderous Roar], [Export Into Needles]…

Illusion category: [Help], [Let’s See Who Dies First]…

“……” Why were the names of his stationery so mystical!

Suddenly, the chair started to shake, causing Qian Ai to tremble along with it. Wondering since his seat wasn’t a massage chair, he then noticed everything around him was shaking.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng, at the first shake, quickly stood up, eyes full of alertness.

Xu Wang: “An earthquake?”

Wu Sheng: “Not sure. Get under the table for now!”

Although Xu Wang asked the question and Wu Sheng answered, the first to act was Qian Ai, showing remarkable agility.

The three each found a table and hid under it. As soon as they did, the shaking stopped.

They looked at each other, puzzled and confused.

If this was also one of the “crises”, it ended too quickly and was harmless.

But if this wasn’t a “crisis”, why would the building shake for no reason with no typhoon around?

The three suppressed their doubts, waited a moment, and, finding no further shaking, carefully emerged from under the tables. Before they could fully stand up, they simultaneously experienced a moment of disorientation.

As their vision cleared, Xu Wang found himself sitting in his department head chair, looking out the window with a sense of despair.

The number had changed to “9”.

…How many people are actually in this exam venue?!

……

Forty-five minutes earlier.

Time: 12:05, the number 10, floor 15, pet grooming center.

Chi Yingxue leaned against the door of the grooming room, staring at Kuang Jinxin. “This is the second time I’ve come to find you.” After saying this, he seemed unsure and added with a frown. “Right?”

Even Kuang Jinxin, slow as he might be, realized something was off.

“Lin Lin, I’m stepping out for a moment.” Leaving his position unexpectedly, he needed to notify his colleague.

The young girl held him back, whispering, “Don’t go into the corridor. Use the storeroom over there. Otherwise, if the manager sees you, she’ll say you’re slacking off at work again.”

Kuang Jinxin thanked her, subtly inquired about the specific location of the storeroom, and then stealthily took Chi Yingxue there.

As soon as the door closed, Chi Yingxue pinched his face—not too hard, but definitely not lightly either.

Kuang Jinxin hesitated for a moment, but the next second, he decisively knocked the intrusive hand away. “What are you doing?”

Chi Yingxue asked, “Does it hurt?”

Kuang Jinxin was perplexed. “Of course.”

“Oh.” Chi Yingxue nodded. “It seems it’s not a dream then.”

Kuang Jinxin: “…You could pinch yourself.”

“It hurts.” Chi Yingxue said it as if it was the most natural thing.

Kuang Jinxin was at a loss for words. He wasn’t angry, but he found it amusing and exasperating. “Brother, it hurts me too.”

Chi Yingxue lightly pursed his lips. That word “brother” made his heart flutter as if it was tickled by a feather, giving him a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Glancing at the name tag on Kuang Jinxin’s chest, his eyes softened. “Xiao Sijin…”

These words sounded as if he had said them thousands of times before—affectionate and natural.

Leaning against the door with one hand, Chi Yingxue moved closer to Kuang Jinxin, his voice soft as if pleading, yet his tone carried a domineering edge. “Call me ‘brother’ again, and I’ll let you pinch me back.”

Kuang Jinxin thought this person was good-looking at first sight, but now, up close, he realized he wasn’t just good-looking; he was beautiful. He found it hard to resist, especially when Chi Yingxue spoke, his breath warming Kuang Jinxin’s face and making him dizzy. A little longer, and not to mention calling him ‘brother’, Kuang Jinxin might just lean his face closer for a pinch if Chi Yingxue raised his hand.

Dangerous.

Kuang Jinxin’s defensive instincts automatically kicked in. He slid down the door and dodged to the side, nimbly escaping Chi Yingxue’s grasp. “Can you first tell me what exactly is going on?”

Chi Yingxue looked at the empty doorway, feeling a bit disappointed, but quickly came to terms. The monk can run, but the temple won’t run with him.

“I’d like to know what’s going on too.” He showed his arm, rolled up from his sleeve. “An ugly pattern appeared on my arm, an even uglier billboard appeared outside the window, and time keeps reversing. That’s about it.”

“……” Kuang Jinxin decided to investigate on his own.

He had already seen the number outside the window on his way to the storage room. Now it was 10. According to Chi Yingxue, it started at 13, and with each reversal of time, it decreased by “-1”, much like a countdown.

Kuang Jinxin finally understood why. Despite grooming for so long, Lin Lin said he had only groomed a few strokes, and why the dog ran out many times and was always stopped by the same colleague. It turns out time had been reversing. He just hadn’t noticed.

The question now was, why was this happening, and why with him and this person.

“Uh, what’s your name?” Kuang Jinxin felt a bit embarrassed. He should have asked at the beginning.

Chi Yingxue tilted his head to look at him, not speaking.

Kuang Jinxin had a moment of inspiration. “Brother.”

Chi Yingxue was satisfied. “Director Chi.”

Kuang Jinxin: “…Is that your name?”

“More like a position.” Chi Yingxue thought for a moment and confirmed. “Yes, a position. That’s what the employees call me at the company.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Then what’s your name?”

Chi Yingxue spread his hands; his beautiful eyes full of innocence. “I have amnesia.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Doesn’t this director have any curiosity at all…

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, including the cardboard boxes around them.

Kuang Jinxin immediately braced against the wall, but the shaking grew stronger. Trying to suppress his panic, he looked at Chi Yingxue. “Seems like an earthquake. It’s too late to go downstairs. We need to find a place…”

“Stationery.” Chi Yingxue interrupted him.

Kuang Jinxin didn’t catch that. “What?”

Chi Yingxue said, “It’s not an earthquake. It’s the stationery I used.”

Kuang Jinxin froze, then looked at Chi Yingxue seriously for the first time, noticing that amidst the sudden shaking, he seemed quite intrigued.

“It’s quite interesting.” Chi Yingxue commented, his earnest expression resembling a child reviewing amusement park rides.

Kuang Jinxin was speechless. “Stop it first.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Chi Yingxue: “How do I stop?”

“……” Kuang Jinxin felt that his pre-amnesia self must have been a very patient person, but now he felt like blackening.

The shaking eventually stopped after Chi Yingxue finally figured out how to control the stationery he was using.

The stationery he used, thankfully, stopped in time; a few more shakes, and the building might have collapsed.

Chi Yingxue disagreed with this accusation. “On the verge of collapsing, but it continues to fall without ever actually falling.”

Kuang Jinxin wanted to retort “sophistry”, but his words faded as he saw it.

A black and white snake was on the shelf, hissing at Chi Yingxue.

How could there be a venomous snake here? But Kuang Jinxin had no time to ponder. He knew it was a banded krait, the fourth most venomous snake on land, since its pattern was too distinctive. The mortality rate of those bitten is extremely high.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Yingxue, seeing his face change dramatically, naturally wanted to step forward.

“Don’t move!” Kuang Jinxin’s heartbeat nearly stopped; his voice was so stern that it almost changed pitch.

Chi Yingxue froze, sensing something, and slowly looked down.

Eye contact was made, and the snake moved.

But Kuang Jinxin was faster, grabbing a cardboard box nearby to cover it.

The snake lunged forward with its attack, and the box only managed to press down on its latter half.

Kuang Jinxin pressed down hard, almost putting his entire weight on the box. The snake struggled, its upper body suddenly twisting around, biting onto Kuang Jinxin’s hand pressing the box.

Kuang Jinxin didn’t feel pain—just a moment of dizziness.

By the time he came to his senses, he was back in the grooming room, brushing a dog.

Ten minutes later, Chi Yingxue appeared at the grooming room door, looking gloomier than last time. Five minutes later, holding a fashionable yet retro golden shovel, he planted it on the ground with murderous intent. “Let’s go.”

Kuang Jinxin was astonished. “Going again?”

Chi Yingxue coldly lifted his eyes, his beautiful pupils filled with ice. “To avenge you.”

Meanwhile, on the 10^th floor of the building, the last remaining copier in President Qian’s company was working tirelessly.

“Is this useful?” Qian Ai picked up a freshly printed, still warm A4 paper, uncertain. “It doesn’t look very alike…”

It was a flier written by Wu Sheng in a few minutes.

The content was straightforward—

[Can you see the blood-red number outside the window? Do you also have an owl pattern on your arm? If so, your friends are anxiously waiting for you on the 10^th floor. Please come quickly to meet up!]

Besides the text, there was also an owl head drawn.

“Draw one in a few minutes and let me see.” Xu Wang took the flier and seriously admired it. He finally commented, “Concise text and the illustration capture the essence without losing the spirit. It’s perfect. Coming up with the idea of distributing flyers floor by floor is genius.”

“……” Qian Ai suspected Wu Sheng might have bought financial products from Xu Wang’s company, likely as a major client.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 180: Reunion of Three

Time: 12:01:30. Outside the window, the red number was 10.

“Wrong. There are others participating in this exam!”

The savior rushed in, this being the first thing he said.

Xu Wang closed the door, cutting off the curious gaze of the female secretary. “Are you sure?”

“If the two of us are just chatting normally and time resets, then this problem is unsolvable.” Wu Sheng’s breathing steadied, and his gaze remained firm. “There must be others, triggering the reset condition.”

“So what exactly is the reset condition?” Xu Wang was driven mad by the repeated resets.

“I guess, it’s death.” Wu Sheng lowered his voice.

“Death?” Xu Wang felt a chill down his spine.

“Yes.” Wu Sheng pushed Xu Wang into a guest sofa, then pulled a chair over to sit face-to-face with him. “From the beginning until now, the only unusual event we encountered was the baseball cap guy. As I mentioned before, if the test question is ‘to survive’, there must be obstacles to make us ‘not survive’. The baseball cap guy is one of those obstacles…”

“The result it caused me, is the reset trigger condition.” Xu Wang understood a bit more.

Wu Sheng glanced at the time and sped up his speech. “If this premise is correct, then there must be other test participants who have died twice in places we don’t know. The number is shared, including his part.”

Xu Wang was also prompted to glance at the clock. 12:03.

There wasn’t much time left. He hurriedly asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time. “Benefactor, could you tell me your name?”

Wu Sheng recalled he hadn’t mentioned it before. “Wu Sheng.”

Xu Wang grinned, not sure why he felt so amused. “Both of us have two characters in our names.”

Wu Sheng looked at him leisurely. “Is the probability that low?”

“…Alright, I just wanted to get closer to you.” Xu Wang sighed. “Can’t you play along?”

Wu Sheng reached out, naturally patting his head. “No need to get closer. We definitely have a connection.”

Xu Wang felt something strange inside. “Huh?”

“With so many people available for this exam, it specifically chose us. There must be a reason. Amnesia might be to cover up this information.”

“……” Xu Wang always felt that someone had highlighted the key points of the exam for Wu Sheng. Otherwise, there’s no reason for such a big difference between them.

Wu Sheng looked up at his watch and suddenly stood up.

Xu Wang, without thinking, also stood up.

Wu Sheng glanced at him, suddenly walked over, and firmly hugged him.

Before Xu Wang could react, he was already brought to the office door. Wu Sheng was holding him with one arm while opening the door with the other.

Outside, the female secretary’s ex-boyfriend was coming over with his hands in his pockets. His aura was fierce, while the female secretary was already blocking the door. Facing her obsessive ex, she was helpless and angry.

The sound of the door opening attracted everyone’s attention.

The entire office of gossip mongers was waiting to see how Director Xu would respond. Xu Wang scanned the room. Seeing only eyes filled with schadenfreude, he felt a bit downhearted. Doesn’t anyone think he might be innocent?

Suddenly, the light above was blocked.

Wu Sheng tilted his head and kissed him on the cheek.

Xu Wang was petrified, his heart racing like popping candy.

The baseball cap guy made a sudden stop, staring at them dumbfounded.

The air suddenly went quiet, completely silent.

Wu Sheng didn’t look at anyone else, just at the baseball cap guy, but his voice could be heard throughout the office. “You and your girlfriend can make a fuss all you want. Just leave my boyfriend out of it.”

After speaking, without giving the other party a chance to react, he walked out with Xu Wang.

Once out of the office, Xu Wang realized what had happened and was almost in tears. “Brother, you’re ruining me. How am I supposed to work now…”

“No time to waste on him. We need to find the others.” Wu Sheng glanced back at the baseball cap guy, making sure he didn’t follow with the intention of attacking, then patted Xu Wang’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We might have to reset a few more times. What we say or do now doesn’t matter.”

Xu Wang suddenly grabbed him. “You mean, now we can… do whatever we want?”

His eyes lit up, and the last four words hinted at some eager anticipation.

Wu Sheng swallowed unconsciously. “Yes, we can.”

Xu Wang grabbed the back of Wu Sheng’s head and gave him a firm kiss—not on the cheek but directly on the lips.

He kissed with force, and when it ended with a “pop”, it dominated the scene.

Releasing Wu Sheng, he turned around, facing all the gossip mongers with his head held high. “Yes, I like men. Got a problem? Keep it to yourself!”

Walking out of the office, Xu Wang took a deep breath. “That was refreshing.”

Wu Sheng put his hand on his shoulders and pulled Xu Wang over while looking at him solemnly. “Did you regain your memory?”

Xu Wang felt a bit panicked but told the truth. “Just-just remembered my sexual orientation…”

Wu Sheng: “…What?”

“I like men. I remembered just now when you kissed me…” The last part, Xu Wang murmured, quieter than a mosquito’s whisper.

Wu Sheng was silent, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, unsure how to comment on this “discovery”. He himself was still amnesiac, and now he’s “converted” a fellow examinee?

Since it’s already started, Xu Wang simply laid it all out. “Before I lost my memory, I definitely kept this a secret. I can feel how many years I’ve been suffocated…”

Whether it’s converting or regaining memory, Wu Sheng didn’t want to think about it anymore, as long as Xu Wang was happy. “Okay, now you can freely express yourself.”

Xu Wang shook his head with a grievance. “Can’t be too free. You would resist.”

Wu Sheng gave him a deep look. “Now I suspect you’re also part of my exam.”

Xu Wang immediately denied it with confidence. “That can’t be. I’m too simple.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

The elevator reached the third floor, and the doors slowly opened.

Xu Wang followed Wu Sheng. “Where are we going now?”

Wu Sheng pressed for the first floor. “Security monitoring room.”

Xu Wang: “How do you know the security monitoring room is on the first floor?”

Wu Sheng: “Last time they caught the baseball cap guy, they said they were going to the first floor monitoring room to wait for the police.”

Xu Wang: “Is there anything you don’t know?”

There is.

Wu Sheng looked up at the changing numbers on the elevator screen, lightly licked his lips, and thought seriously about his own orientation issue.

……

Time: 12:00. Outside the building, the red number was 10.

“Mr. Qian—”

“Don’t worry, I won’t jump. Hey, see? I came down. You hurry back to the third floor. In four minutes, your boss will call you.” After a rush of instructions, Qian Ai ran back into the building, decisively forgoing the elevator, dived into the fire escape, and went down floor by floor.

Going downstairs was also physically demanding. By the time he reached the 10^th floor in one go, Qian Ai started to feel a cramp in his calf.

There was no injury on the back of his head, but that brick hit not only his head but also struck his heart. He had to see which bastard made the move.

Why did time suddenly reverse?

Qian Ai felt it was divine intervention, allowing him to seek revenge.

Sneaking out of the stairwell, he quietly approached the elevator along the corridor wall.

Finally, at the corner, he crouched down to peek towards the elevator door, finding no one there.

Qian Ai took out his phone to check the time. It was 12:05. He suddenly realized he was early—last time, he had smoked two cigarettes on the rooftop before taking the elevator down.

Not sure from where the person would come, Qian Ai decided to hide back in the fire stairwell for safety. Even if that person also took the stairs, he could at least run up or down.

Thinking it was about time, he came out again. The corridor was still empty, and he smoothly returned to the corner to scout.

Next to the elevator door, leaning against the wall, was a man in his twenties, wearing a black hoodie, with a handsome face that could be quite attractive if groomed but was marred by dyed blue hair.

Qian Ai inexplicably disliked dyed hair, especially since the man was holding a brick.

The elevator slowly descended, unknown who the unlucky person taking it down was.

The man with blue hair pulled up his hoodie, pressing his back against the wall, weighing the brick in his hand.

The elevator didn’t stop at the 10^th floor but continued downward.

The blue-haired man, who had been waiting for the door to open, turned back to the door numbers. Noticing it had descended below the 10^th floor, his brows deeply furrowed.

Qian Ai initially wanted a direct confrontation, but when the opportunity arrived, his survival instinct suddenly kicked in.

Quietly retreating, he took out his phone and dialed 110.

The other side quickly answered. “Hello—”

It was unclear which female officer it was, but her voice was loud and clear, effectively turning the call into a speakerphone effect. The empty corridor even echoed.

Qian Ai was desperate.

The footsteps of “deng deng deng” grew louder and closer. The blue-haired man blocked the sunlight coming through the window at the end of the corridor.

“Mr. Qian, calling the police, huh?” He smiled, but his eyes were sinister.

Qian Ai straightened up, ending the call very openly. “No.”

The blue-haired man weighed the brick again, its red color contrasting with his blue hair, creating a peculiar CP vibe. “Paying debts is natural justice. I should be the one calling the police.”

“I owe you money?” Qian Ai looked back at the empty and chaotic office behind him, feeling a sudden sadness and somewhat understanding why he had amnesia—it was probably too painful, and his mental state collapsed.

“You have quite a variety of ways to default. Heartbreak the day before yesterday, bitten by a dog yesterday, pretending amnesia today?”

“…What kind of reasons are those!” Even he, the person involved, couldn’t stand listening.

“It doesn’t matter now. I can’t get the money back anyway. Today, I just want you to understand one thing. Yes, we, the party B, are the underdogs, but you, the party A, shouldn’t push us too far. Those who are barefoot aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes*. Let’s see who dies first!”

*It’s a saying referring to those who aren’t rich or powerful (barefoot) and have nothing to lose, so they aren’t afraid versus those who are (wearing shoes).

“No, brother, take a good look with your big double eyelids. My company has already vacated. I’m barefoot too—”

The blue-haired man charged with the brick, no longer listening.

Qian Ai decisively turned and ran.

In terms of recognizing the situation, he seemed to have a remarkable talent.

Unexpectedly, the blue-haired man ran like he was flying, catching up in just a few steps.

Qian Ai didn’t bother to argue, immediately covering his head with his hands.

The blue-haired man struck down on Qian Ai’s hand with the brick.

Qian Ai tripped him, causing the man to fall, and continued running.

The blue-haired man leaped up, aiming for his back.

Qian Ai fell forward and, turning his head, saw the brick coming towards his face.

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Impenetrable] on you~~]

“Pop!”

The brick broke upon hitting the tip of his nose.

Well, it shattered.

Qian Ai sniffed, not in pain, but the red dust raised by the shattered brick choked him.

The blue-haired man, hearing footsteps, turned back cautiously, not clearly seeing the two figures approaching, when distant, peaceful notes rang by his ear.

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Lullaby] on you~~]

Overcome by sleepiness, the blue-haired man collapsed onto Qian Ai, falling asleep peacefully.

Qian Ai on the ground: “……”

To move or not to move—that was the question.

“He shouldn’t wake up for a while.” Wu Sheng approached, capturing that subtle sensation after clicking a pen, and propped the blue-haired man against the wall.

Xu Wang helped Qian Ai up. “Are you okay?”

Qian Ai looked at the shattered brick on the ground. He was still dazed and forgot to be thankful. “How did you do that? Qigong? Magic?”

Xu Wang hurried to introduce himself. Otherwise, the other party may start guessing he was from the Lingxiao Palace*. “My name is Xu Wang, from the financial company downstairs, the one selling financial products…”

*Heavenly palace/Cloud Palace of the Golden Arches. It’s where the Jade Emperor (equivalent to God) resides.

Qian Ai’s jaw dropped. “Is business pulling so hard these days?”

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