Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 27

Jiang Yuqing had become younger.

This matter wasn’t noticed by He Xiaowei until Zhou Qian mentioned it. But after hearing it, he took a closer look and felt that Jiang Yuqing indeed seemed younger.

“Could it be…” He Xiaowei thought of a terrifying possibility. “Did he set up some kind of magical formation, killing those two caretakers? His purpose was to kill and rejuvenate himself—”

He Xiaowei’s voice rose. “I get it. Jiang Yuqing is the boss of this instance. Aren’t we supposed to fulfill his last wish? I think his wish is to become young again! Now… he has killed two players and three janitors in a side mission. And two caretakers vanished in the main storyline…”

“It’s horrifying. Extremely cruel. He must have used some dark magic?!”

Zhou Qian, looking through the window into room 701, said, “I don’t think so.”

He Xiaowei: “Huh?”

Zhou Qian continued, “There must be a way to clear this game, and the clearance rate of this stage is as high as 60%. If Jiang Yuqing’s wish is to kill all of us and become young, and we need to fulfill this wish to clear the level… think about it, isn’t that contradictory and impossible?”

He Xiaowei nodded vigorously. “Right. True. This building feels very strange.”

“It is strange,” Zhou Qian said. “Have you ever seen, in the real world, an entire nursing home where everyone revolves around just one person?”

“No… I haven’t!” He Xiaowei exclaimed. “You mean, this isn’t real?”

What He Xiaowei meant was ambiguous since they were both in a game world, which wasn’t reality.

But Zhou Qian understood him.

Regardless of the game’s backdrop, based on the plot in this instance, everything they encountered didn’t seem to follow the logic of the real world. They seemed to be in a virtual space, like an illusion.

Zhou Qian began, “If my guess is right, this might be Jiang Yuqing’s conscious world, where he controls our existence and disappearance.”

“He slept for an hour in the afternoon. During this hour… we entered another layer of his conscious world, which was the side quest.”

“The side quest called ‘Checks and Balance’ isn’t easy to clear, but surviving it is simple. Players avoiding those 12 rooms, enduring an hour, and returning to 701 can leave the side quest and return to the regular 7th floor. In reality, Jiang Yuqing would wake up after that hour, ending the dream.”

“However, since we cleared it, everything we experienced, and the ending scenes are significant and might be related to the hidden achievement.”

“The S squad’s gunman kills the 7 squad members with bullets marked ‘S’. Our mission was to help a young officer collect 12 bullets marked ‘7’, which he then used to retaliate against the 12 S squad gunmen.”

“There’s a meaning in this, but I haven’t linked them to the main plot. Also—”

Looking at the peculiar damp photo on the wall, Zhou Qian said, “I still can’t grasp the meaning of that photo.”

On the photo were seven blurred faces. When the side mission started, touching the photo would reveal a handsome officer giving players hints. Dead players would vanish when the side mission ended. All the janitors disappeared during the side mission, and caretakers started disappearing as well…

What was the meaning behind these images?

It was as if a curtain covered the truth.

Now, Zhou Qian had lifted most of it. Just a bit more, and he would see the entire truth.

At that moment, there was movement in room 701.

Jiang Yuqing asked three times in a row, “Where’s my osmanthus cake?”

With the two girls lost in their thoughts and not answering him, he began to act.

[Target: Jiang Yuqing]

[Rank: B]

[Specialty: ???]

[Due to not getting his beloved osmanthus cake, Jiang Yuqing becomes agitated and shows a strong murderous intent. Players, be careful!]

Suddenly, all four players received this notification.

At this moment, Situ Qing calmly nestled beside the bookshelf, as if nothing had happened. This was probably due to her physical and mental fatigue and also because the protective shield around her had not yet completely disappeared.

Yun Xiangrong quickly hid near the door. Pushing it open, she exchanged a glance with Zhou Qian and silently moved to the other side of the corridor.

Following Yun Xiangrong out of the room was the little dragon Zhou Qian had brought with him earlier. Sensing danger, it widened its eyes in surprise, let out a faint “yelp”, and rushed out of the room, jumping straight into Zhou Qian’s arms.

Zhou Qian patted its head, and it curled up into his embrace without making any fuss.

At the door, He Xiaowei first curiously looked at the little dragon, then turned his gaze, full of concern, towards Yun Xiangrong not far away. Seeing her red eyes, he seemed to want to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. So he lowered his hand and whispered to Zhou Qian, “Hey, did Jiang Yuqing’s irritability happen because he didn’t get to eat the osmanthus cake? Should we give it to him?”

“Yes. But wait, let’s observe first.”

Zhou Qian held the little dragon close and signaled He Xiaowei to be quiet, then continued to look into the room.

Inside the room, only Situ Qing and Jiang Yuqing remained. Even though the system had alerted that Jiang Yuqing now had a strong killing intent, he didn’t seem to show any noticeable aggression towards Situ Qing.

However, Jiang Yuqing was indeed “irritable”. He first smashed a vase on the table, then walked to the bookshelf. Without even glancing at Situ Qing by its side, he pulled out several books and threw them on the floor, stepping on them forcefully.

With a fierce look in his eyes, he seemed ready to tear the books apart when he suddenly froze. It appeared he remembered something, slowly turned around, and then looked at the photographs, walking towards them.

“What the hell—” At the door, He Xiaowei frowned and asked Zhou Qian, “Bro, have you figured anything out yet?”

“How can a man with only three days left to live suddenly become a Rank B ‘monster’?” Zhou Qian countered.

He Xiaowei quickly responded, “So, you were right! This is a consciousness world, not reality! In reality, Jiang Yuqing indeed has only three days left to live! But now, we are in a consciousness world. So, this consciousness form of Jiang Yuqing, under someone’s control, can suddenly become powerful!”

“Yes, it should be like that. But if… the elderly Jiang Yuqing in front of us is aggressive towards players, and the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’ related to the 12 rooms is also his creation in a dream, based on these points, it’s safe to infer that in this instance, this elderly Jiang Yuqing is hostile towards us players. But at the same time—”

Inside, Jiang Yuqing was walking towards the photograph. Zhou Qian glanced at the photo three times and then said, “The young military officer in the photo gave us clues to pass ‘Checks and Balance’; in the end animation, it was also him who dealt with the 12 gunmen. Does this mean that the young officer is opposed to Jiang Yuqing? That is, in this instance, unlike Jiang Yuqing, this officer is relatively friendly to players.”

Before He Xiaowei could respond, Zhou Qian suddenly entered the room. The moment he stepped in, he said to the person opposite, “Mr. Jiang, your osmanthus cake has arrived.”

These words were as soothing as a spring breeze, calming all turbulent emotions. Jiang Yuqing immediately smiled.

[Player triggers clue hint: “Wang’s Osmanthus Cake” can soothe Jiang Yuqing’s emotions; Jiang Yuqing’s irritable state is resolved.]

[Player unlocks two states of Jiang Yuqing: 1. Manic Jiang Yuqing; 2. Dementia Jiang Yuqing.]

So, the system had now clearly indicated that this elderly Jiang Yuqing indeed had dementia.

After the manic episode subsided, Jiang Yuqing, like a child, happily walked up to Zhou Qian, stretching out his hands in a candy-seeking gesture.

Zhou Qian handed him a piece of osmanthus cake he had prepared earlier. Receiving the cake, Jiang Yuqing showed an innocent, childlike smile and carelessly sat on the wooden floor, eating the cake bite by bite.

The centenarian sat on the floor eating sweets, crumbs scattering everywhere. But he seemed not to care at all.

He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian into the room. When he saw the scene, he felt rather emotional.

Throughout one’s life, people would go through the long passage of time, experiencing childhood, youth, middle age, and old age… But when people reached a certain age, it seemed like they had returned to their childhood.

Physically, they would lose their ability to take care of themselves, and they would have to rely on others for eating, drinking, and their daily needs. Mentally, they became like children in their infant stage, seemingly losing all reason and becoming prone to crying and fussing.

‘Perhaps life is a cycle,’ He Xiaowei thought.

As for Zhou Qian, he didn’t pay much attention to Jiang Yuqing. Instead, he looked at the photo again.

The reason he had entered the room just in time to give the osmanthus cake was because he had seen—when Jiang Yuqing in his manic state approached the photo, he tried to grab it, seemingly intending to destroy it.

From Zhou Qian’s previous analysis, whether it was the [Manic Jiang Yuqing] or the [Dementia Jiang Yuqing], both were harmful to the player. The former might attack the player, while the latter could use dreams to activate the “Check and Balance” mechanism to harm the player.

By contrast, it seemed that the only one who could help the player right now was the young officer in the photo.

So, Zhou Qian must prevent the photo from being destroyed, lest the officer in it disappear.

After giving Jiang Yuqing a piece of osmanthus cake, Zhou Qian hid most of the remaining cake in his bag.

Now he approached the photo again, trying to take down the framed picture to prevent Jiang Yuqing from potentially destroying it unexpectedly at night.

However, Zhou Qian found he couldn’t remove it.

The frame didn’t seem glued or nailed to the wall, but Zhou Qian simply couldn’t take it down.

He gave up, and at that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his collar.

Turning around, Zhou Qian found himself face to face with Jiang Yuqing.

Jiang Yuqing’s gesture had no other meaning.

He simply hadn’t had enough snacks and was asking for more.

Zhou Qian raised his hand, playfully tugged at Jiang Yuqing’s white hair, and said as one would to a child, “That’s all. Eating too many sweets is bad for you. You can have more tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuqing looked somewhat displeased.

But he didn’t say anything, silently turned to a bookshelf, and began reading a book.

It seemed that a small piece of osmanthus cake was enough to calm him down. He didn’t become agitated again.

The osmanthus cakes in the bag might come in handy later.

Then, Zhou Qian noticed that the book Jiang Yuqing was reading was on physics.

The “Check and Balance” level was related to mechanics in physics.

This could be seen as a clue—the side quest was constructed by the thoughts of Dementia Jiang Yuqing in his dream.

With Jiang Yuqing now calm and engrossed in his book, Zhou Qian looked around the room. Books were scattered on the floor, thrown by Jiang Yuqing during his fit.

A blue and white porcelain vase with fake flowers had been knocked over, its petals scattered like stars.

Suddenly, Zhou Qian looked at another bedside table. He noticed something amiss. On the other bedside table, there was supposed to be a glass vase with fake flowers. But now it was gone.

Zhou Qian glanced down at the little dragon in his arms and whispered in its ear, asking if anyone had moved the vase when he wasn’t in the room.

The little dragon, having witnessed everything, obediently shook its head.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian’s expression turned serious.

If no one moved the vase, it meant that it had vanished out of thin air.

Could it be that the elderly caretakers, Lao Yu and Lao Tie, and even many others who “left without getting their salaries” as the front desk recalled, had they also disappeared in the same way?

There was no so-called magic circle that reverses aging, nor any haunted supernatural events.

Many objects and people simply disappeared in this consciousness space.

But what did that imply?

Among the myriad clues, Zhou Qian grasped at a fragmentary piece of evidence.

He began to have a rough idea of the whole truth.

A moment later, the phone in room 701 rang.

Zhou Qian answered it, hearing the voice from the front desk. “Just letting you know, security and I are about to clock out. We’ve turned off the elevator, so just stay on the 7th floor and rest. See you tomorrow!

“Oh, and Mr. Jiang likes to read at night. If he’s tired, he’ll go to sleep early. He usually doesn’t cause trouble at night. No special precautions needed. You guys should rest too!”

Since this statement was from the front desk, it basically meant:

Players will live here for the next three days. The main plot probably won’t resume until tomorrow. All plot clues have come to a temporary close. Everyone can finally take a break.

With that, the players left Room 701 one after another, returning to their own rooms to rest.

The front desk prepared six rooms for the caretakers. Due to the deaths of two people, only four were now available.

Zhou Qian casually chose Room 702, right across from 701, also at the very end of the corridor.

Before entering the room, he heard He Xiaowei nervously say to him, “Bro, be careful. Rooms at the end of the corridor tend to be haunted!”

Zhou Qian: “That’s nice. Being alone is boring.”

He Xiaowei: “…”

Bidding farewell to He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian entered room 702.

The room was actually quite good, like a standard hotel room. But Zhou Qian undoubtedly looked down on it.

Once upon a time, he only stayed in high-end suites.

While squeezing into the tiny shower, Zhou Qian was showering when he suddenly remembered a middle school trip.

The teacher took them to a famous scenic spot in Lin City, with green mountains and clear waters. But the location was remote, so the accommodation wasn’t great.

The moment Zhou Qian entered the hotel lobby, he showed his dissatisfaction and was even more disdainful after seeing his room.

His repulsion peaked when he found cobwebs on the window, refusing to stay in the “shabby inn” of the scenic area. He insisted on going to the city to find a star-rated hotel and sneaked away when the teacher wasn’t looking.

That night, Bai Zhou, the class president, concerned about Zhou Qian, followed him.

To this day, Zhou Qian still remembers Bai Zhou’s very serious expression that night.

He also remembers saying to Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, do you think I’m wasteful? But my dad’s a gambler. He might go bankrupt one day. If I don’t splurge now, I won’t have the chance in the future!”

Bai Zhou ignored Zhou Qian’s bizarre logic and tried to persuade him to go back. “Stick with the group. You don’t know this place. It’s not safe.”

Zhou Qian faked sickness and lay down on the bed. “I can’t move. I have a fever.”

Bai Zhou: “If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you back.”

Zhou Qian refused and made excuses. “Actually, I have a reason for not going back. I’m avoiding the beauty of the class next door. She confessed to me yesterday. When we were assigned rooms, she was right opposite me. It’s so awkward!”

“No, Zhou Qian—”

“Huh, why did your face change when you heard this? Do you like the beauty from next door?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Come back with me!”

“You go back if you want to. I won’t!”

Bai Zhou sighed. “I’m mainly worried about you. If you go alone—”

Zhou Qian smiled at him, tempting him to break the rules. “Then why don’t you stay here too? If you don’t leave, I won’t be alone.”

Bai Zhou: “…”

Suddenly, Zhou Qian sat up and looked into Bai Zhou’s eyes. “Actually, the beauty from the next class likes you. I heard she’s writing you a love letter. Hey, will you accept that letter?”

…..

After showering and turning off the showerhead, Zhou Qian’s thoughts, immersed in memories, came back.

Then he solemnly frowned, feeling that his junior high self was embarrassingly childish.

As he dried his hair and lay down to rest, Zhou Qian turned his full attention back to the current game.

First, he entered the trading house.

The system’s trading house consists of several different sections.

In the first section, all sellers were the system, equivalent to a system store, selling daily necessities like food, water, tissue, and common tools like daggers and scissors.

Regardless, in Zhou Qian’s view, the fact that the game didn’t provide food and required players to buy it from the trading house was purely a money-grabbing move by the system.

In the second section of the trading hall, the sellers were players.

Players could sell unwanted items or tools they’ve made or collected to earn money.

Rare items like health potions, when listed, were usually snatched up immediately.

There was also a third section in the trading house. This section was for buyers seeking purchases.

If players wanted to buy something they couldn’t find, they could list a “wanted” item, state their demand, and offer a suitable price; if a seller agreed, they could chat privately and enter a system-supervised transaction platform.

In the trading hall, Zhou Qian first went to the system store section to buy water and food. Reluctantly eating the food, which he found barely palatable, he then headed to the diverse second section to try his luck at finding some good items.

Players, when resting in a completely safe environment, would slowly recover health and mana. However, this recovery was painfully slow. Zhou Qian’s health was full, but he estimated that by tomorrow, his mana would only be half full. By common sense, the mainline instance levels would become more challenging, and he would inevitably face monsters. Having only half his mana might not suffice. Mana recovery potions were rare to come by, so he hoped to find some useful items in advance.

After buying food and selecting some items, Zhou Qian proceeded to the third section. Knowing the chances were slim, he still listed items he wanted to buy, including a mana recovery potion.

Zhou Qian gave his purchase request a very catchy title— [High price for purchase¹, sincere offer…]

Three minutes later, he saw some comments under his post.

[Whoa, I thought it said ‘paying a high price for a child¹‘ at first.]

¹Clarity: Zhou Qian’s listing is (重金求购). The comment replying to it says he thought he saw (重金求子) with purchase (购) replaced with child (子).

[Same upstairs.]

[+10086]

[You’re not right, I’m not right, we’re all not right.]

Zhou Qian: “…”

He quickly replied, [If you’re not selling, don’t comment.]

Then, Zhou Qian went to sleep. But he didn’t sleep well. Roughly two hours later, he woke up.

The system notified him of unread messages. Upon opening, he saw someone had responded to his purchase request. The person had sent a trade request.

[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 MP; Quantity: 2]

[Trade Price: 3 gold coins]

[Seller: “137”]

[Trading Item: “I Feel Powerful Again”; Potion; S grade; restores 200 HP; Quantity: 4;]

[Trading Price: 3 gold coins]

[Seller: “137”.]

Previously, there was someone named [Hidden Blade] who at least had a codename. This person’s name was just a string of numbers. Was “137” his codename? What kind of weird code name was this?

Opening the trade interface, Zhou Qian immediately messaged, [Who are you?]

A moment later, the reply came: [I am a friend of Hidden Blade. I heard he recently took you on as a disciple. I saw your purchase request while browsing the trading house, so I sent over the potions you needed.]

A friend of Hidden Blade? But didn’t Hidden Blade say he took me as a disciple on someone else’s behalf? Was that “someone” this “137”?

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes while typing back. [I never agreed to be his disciple.]

The other side paused before asking, [Then what kind of master do you want?]

Without waiting for Zhou Qian’s reply, he added, [The master-disciple system is just for convenience—to send messages, transfer items, etc. In future special instances, the system may limit regular chats and trades, but the master-disciple system will remain unaffected.]

Ignoring the question, Zhou Qian cheekily asked, [How about you? Who’s stronger, you or Hidden Blade?]

Before he received a reply, Zhou Qian rapidly shot back several probing questions.

[Are you considering taking me on as a disciple?]

[Do you think Hidden Blade is better suited to be my master? Why?]

[Oh, is it because you think he’s stronger than you?]

[So, you’re not up to the mark?]

Feeling quite pleased with his cheekiness, Zhou Qian quickly agreed to the trade to avoid offending “137” into canceling the deal. He then leisurely waited for “137” to respond, sipping on a bottle of juice.

However, after a while, there was no reply from “137”. Zhou Qian, slightly puzzled, initiated a trade request, only to receive a system prompt he found very strange.

[The other party has gone offline. Trade cannot be initiated.]

Offline?

This was the first time Zhou Qian saw this term. It was strange since he had never seen anyone in an “offline” status before. Whether in the game battling through instances or back in reality, players were always “online”, as they could still chat, trade items, team up, participate in instance matching, and so on.

That was to say, Zhou Qian had always thought that the player was always “online”, the only difference being whether they entered the instance or not. Unless they died, Zhou Qian still had no idea how a player could go “offline”.

“137” remained offline since. Zhou Qian waited for a while and, not seeing him, fell back asleep.

By the time Zhou Qian woke up, it was almost midnight. He was awakened by a noise. The sound was harsh, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, causing Zhou Qian to immediately frown. When he got up and looked, it was the small dragon he had conjured using scales, scratching at the door, seemingly wanting to get out.

Three scales could conjure up three small dragons that fully obeyed him. That was what the System had explained. But why did this dragon now seem to have its own consciousness?

Walking up to it, Zhou Qian squatted down and patted its cute little head. “Where do you want to go?”

“Ah, ah, ah…” The little dragon tilted its head and smiled at Zhou Qian, then pointed outside. It couldn’t speak, but it seemed to have a place it wanted to go.

Zhou Qian squinted slightly, didn’t say much, but stood up and cracked the door open. He then quietly followed the little dragon, only to find it heading to room 701.

The little dragon tilted its head and stared at the door of room 701, looking a bit lost. It tentatively pushed the door, and finding it locked, its eyes showed a bit of urgency. In its haste, it seemed to want to scratch at the door again.

With the corridor light shining, Zhou Qian peered through the window into the room. Jiang Yuqing was already asleep. He was lying quietly on the bed, looking very peaceful. For now, it seemed that he hadn’t become agitated or tried to destroy the photo frame.

Zhou Qian thought for a moment, squatted down, and tried to calm the dragon. The little dragon quickly settled down, its eyes glistening as it looked at Zhou Qian, appearing extremely adorable.

“Don’t disturb others’ sleep, okay?” Zhou Qian whispered to it. The dragon stared at Zhou Qian in confusion, but it was very obedient. It blinked in comprehension, not making any noise or trying to scratch on the door of room 701. Instead, it cuddled in Zhou Qian’s arm and nestled into his embrace.

Patting its head again, Zhou Qian felt a twinge of reluctance, thinking that it would disappear by tomorrow afternoon. After all, to him, animals were much more adorable than humans. Even though this little dragon was artificial and didn’t have life.

Zhou Qian then asked, “Do you want to stay here?”

The little dragon nodded.

Zhou Qian said, “Alright. Then you’ll help me keep watch here. Make sure the person inside doesn’t destroy any furniture or clues. If he acts up, come to my room and alert me.”

The dragon smiled, obediently nodded, and hopped to the entrance of room 701, sitting down and assuming a serious guarding posture.

Zhou Qian waved at it and turned to head back to his room. Just then, he heard footsteps. Looking over, he saw Situ Qing approaching from the end of the hallway.

Under the cold lighting, Situ Qing’s hair and eyes appeared even darker, exuding a cool elegance. Her red lips added a touch of allure. It seemed she had recovered quite a bit, looking much better than her previously distraught state. But when her gaze met Zhou Qian’s, she frowned.

In the corridor, Zhou Qian’s tall figure cast a slender shadow. His face was sharply defined by the lighting, and his dark, emotionless eyes held a hint of mockery. “Did your gambler send you? He wants to check on Jiang Yuqing’s condition at night and see if he’ll destroy that photo?”

Situ Qing avoided Zhou Qian’s gaze, her face turning slightly pale. She continued walking to the door of room 701 and turned to look inside at Jiang Yuqing, leaving Zhou Qian with a view of her slim and straight back.

Watching her, Zhou Qian said, “The previous two times, I told you two sharp truths. They might not have been pleasant to hear, but they were accurate.”

“The first was that he fears you becoming too powerful and slipping from his control. The second was that he wishes to control you because you’re useful to him. Now, let me tell you a third thing. Hey, don’t be so quick to leave. This one will sound much better than the previous two.”

Seeing Situ Qing turn away, but her silhouette momentarily paused, Zhou Qian chuckled. “You have a talent for output, but you lack the wisdom to play such games. That’s why you can only act based on his cues and commands.”

“But think about it from another perspective,” he continued. “It seems you’re living in his shadow, but perhaps he can’t afford to lose you either. Why would he go to such lengths to control you otherwise?”

“That brings me to my third point. If he still needs to control you, it means you’re still valuable to him. So, while you’re still of use to him, you should take the chance to escape. I can help you.”

Hearing this, Situ Qing stayed silent for a while. Finally, she turned to face Zhou Qian and met his gaze. “I’ve told you before, you’ve got it all wrong. You misunderstand our relationship.”

“Really? And what is your relationship?” Zhou Qian probed.

Situ Qing replied, “It’s one of mutual love. We love each other. There’s no control or manipulation like you’re suggesting.”

“Oh, so you’re willingly imprisoned by your love for him?” Zhou Qian’s words grew more cryptic. “I’ve said it before, a bird in a cage usually doesn’t meet a good end.”

For a brief moment, a look of surprise flashed across Situ Qing’s clear eyes. But she quickly turned cold again. “I love him. That’s more important than anything else.”

Did she truly love him? Or was she saying all of this for his benefit, knowing he’d be watching?

Regardless, this conversation between Zhou Qian and Situ Qing had only deepened the rift between them.

Zhou Qian laughed with a hint of malice. Then he heard Situ Qing’s tone become more urgent. “You really don’t get it. Talking about caged birds…You’re so presumptuous. How much life experience do you think you really have?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian, without hesitation, revealed a painful memory. “Actually, my mother was an amateur singer. She sang beautifully. Her best song—do you know its name? It’s called ‘Caged Bird’.”

Situ Qing frowned upon hearing this. Zhou Qian continued, “For her, I’d say I pity her misfortune but am angry she never fought back. She wouldn’t dare defy my father, even when he tried to harm me and gambled me away.”

“Really?” Situ Qing asked, “And what happened to her afterward?”

Zhou Qian stepped closer. His dark pupils were fixed on Situ Qing as he whispered, “She died. My father killed her.”

Situ Qing instinctively stepped back, as if Zhou Qian was some malevolent creature. If she got any closer, she might get ensnared by him. After a deep breath and a long pause, she finally looked back at Zhou Qian.

Situ Qing said in a hoarse voice, “I know what you’re trying to do. Our conversation can be heard by him. You’re intentionally saying all of this to sow distrust between us so you can find our weakness later. Zhou Qian, an enemy like you, is truly terrifying. They say one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry, and no one would usually share such dark secrets. But you’re willing to share even this with your enemy to break me down and ruin our relationship. Honestly, I admire that. But you should know—”

At that exact moment, it struck midnight. Suddenly, Situ Qing froze mid-sentence, her expression turning to one of utter shock, as if she was seeing something unimaginable.

Then, from down the hallway, He Xiaowei’s voice exclaimed in panic, “Fuck! My face! There’s something wrong with my face! Brother Zhou Qian—oh, you and Situ Qing are here! Shit, your face too… I’m going to get Yun Xiangrong—!”

Three minutes later, four players stood in front of a large mirror in the 7^th floor bathroom. Three of them, Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei, and Yun Xiangrong, had visibly changed features, somewhat recognizable but drastically different from before.

[Player Zhou Qian, Transformation 40%]

[Player He Xiaowei, Transformation 40%]

[Player Yun Xiangrong, Transformation 40%]

The three of them not only had their facial features changed, but they also received these notifications. From start to finish, the only one who hadn’t undergone any changes or received any notifications was Situ Qing.

Late at night, with a chill in the air, even the cold lighting added a sense of eeriness.

He Xiaowei couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror for more than a few moments. He turned away, dripping with cold sweat, and didn’t dare look at the mirror again.

He couldn’t help but hug his arms tightly. “What’s going on? I’m so scared… Wuwuwu. Have I been possessed by a ghost?”

Zhou Qian glanced at his reflection in the mirror with a calm expression.

Then he said, “During the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’, in order to find the clue to pass, the three of us touched the photo in room 701 and experienced illusions to varying extents. Only Situ Qing didn’t touch it. That’s probably why we transformed, but she didn’t.”

---

The author has something to say:

Zhou Qian: Zhou Ge, are you not up to the task?

Bai Zhou: ???????

——

P.S. Mu Sheng and Situ Qing are not blood related.

“The Caged Bird” is a lovely old song. Highly recommended~.

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 26

The dark, narrow, and eerie corridor was now filled with dense fog.

The thick fog severely impaired one’s vision and hearing, invoking involuntary feelings of trepidation and panic.

Contrastingly, when the “jingle” sound resonated, it was as if, amidst a mountainscape obscured by thick clouds, a trickling spring suddenly made itself heard, providing guidance and vitality to those lost.

The sound was crisp and pleasing, capable of making one forget all worries.

Yet at this moment, it was the most terrifying weapon of murder, foreshadowing the impending sweep of snow and ice upon this world.

At the crucial moment, Zhou Qian rapidly analyzed the current situation in his mind.

First was Yun Xiangrong’s side.

Just before Gao Shan’s death, Situ Qing had feigned a major move with her bell, intending to deceive him. At that time, she was far from Rooms 6 and 7, remotely controlling the situation as if she was just an observer.

At that moment, Lu Mengmeng was also far from there. After swapping two number plates, he quickly moved away to avoid suspicion.

He Xiaowei should’ve been following Zhou Qian towards Room 7. But Zhou Qian was delayed searching for evidence for quite some time, during which He Xiaowei probably moved on. From his subsequent comments, he wasn’t near Rooms 6 or 7, so he had no idea how Gao Shan died.

Thus, when Gao Shan took a bullet in room number 6 and ran out, only Yun Xiangrong was initially close to him.

But to hear Gao Shan’s dying words, Zhou Qian expended a lot of mana to freeze time and approached Gao Shan, becoming one of the closest people to him.

Before and after stopping time, Zhou Qian’s position changed.

As a result, from Yun Xiangrong’s perspective, Zhou Qian appeared to have teleported in front of her and Gao Shan.

Moreover, only Yun Xiangrong saw Zhou Qian’s teleportation due to the distance and the thick fog; none of the other players in the game noticed it.

During the time freeze, after learning everything that had happened from Gao Shan, considering the well-coordinated actions between Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing, Zhou Qian wasn’t certain but began to suspect the gambler’s side.

Therefore, before Gao Shan’s last moments, his words, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me”, were intended for the gambler, not Gao Shan.

What Zhou Qian meant by this was simple.

Facing a terrifying organization alone, Yun Xiangrong likely has only a path of death. So, let her hate and target me. I won’t truly harm her.

Time heals both love and hatred. After she vents her anger on me, perhaps she can calm down, and then I can persuade her to genuinely let go.

Zhou Qian purposely said this, both to test if the gambler would leak secrets and to prepare for subsequent plans. He never truly intended to oppose Yun Xiangrong. He was just putting on a show for everyone.

And without a doubt, Yun Xiangrong received his message.

Firstly, after witnessing Zhou Qian’s teleportation to Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong could probably guess the skill he used.

Secondly, before dying, Gao Shan transferred a large amount of gold and items to Yun Xiangrong via the trade house.

Being astute, she understood the implications—Gao Shan, who should’ve died immediately, had the time to make such arrangements, possible only due to Zhou Qian freezing time, delaying his death.

Thus, trusting Yun Xiangrong’s intelligence, when she approached Gao Shan’s body and shoved him away, Zhou Qian whispered in her ear, “Gao Shan told me everything. I’ll avenge him.”

In essence, Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong never truly opposed each other. From the moment Yun Xiangrong pushed him, their coordinated act had begun.

By declaring in front of the gambler that Yun Xiangrong should hate him, Zhou Qian set the stage for their “fallout”.

Later, the so-called retrieval of the bullet from Gao Shan’s corpse, or claiming to have the Tick Tock Clock but not giving it to Yun Xiangrong, even making her kneel and cry until her eyes bled…

All of it was a performance by the two of them, aiming to avenge Gao Shan.

If the enemy didn’t believe that Zhou Qian truly faced universal abandonment and was at his weakest… How would they casually reveal their hand and decide to strike him down?

As expected, Situ Qing should have been just watching from the sidelines. Now that Yun Xiangrong had shown genuine intent to kill Zhou Qian, Situ Qing fully revealed her murderous intent.

Probably, it was Yun Xiangrong’s statement of “Reviving Gao Shan is more important than revenge”, that convinced Situ Qing—Yun Xiangrong was indeed out to kill Zhou Qian and definitely wanted to seize the Tick Tock clock.

From Situ Qing’s point of view, within these 30 seconds, He Xiaowei entered room 10 to find evidence. Yun Xiangrong truly stood against Zhou Qian. With Zhou Qian out of mana, it was the perfect time for her to act.

Situ Qing was indeed fooled. Not only was she fooled, but her vulnerability was also exposed.

Why did she wait for Yun Xiangrong to express her intent to kill Zhou Qian before acting? It could only be because she didn’t dare act rashly unless she was sure that Yun Xiangrong and Zhou Qian were indeed adversaries.

This could only mean one thing—her mana was also running low.

Previously, she and Lu Mengmeng set up a series of traps—lowering the corridor’s temperature to reveal fake clues on the door, deploying a powerful move to create the illusion of killing Zhou Qian, deceiving Gao Shan, and then using her ability to kill Lu Mengmeng…

She probably didn’t have much mana left—perhaps just enough for one ultimate. Given that Yun Xiangrong might heal Zhou Qian, and even He Xiaowei, who was somewhat of a healer, might assist, Situ Qing couldn’t ensure a kill on Zhou Qian with one blow, so she was still waiting and didn’t act directly. After all, she only had this 30-second window. If she missed it, the tide would completely turn against her.

Yun Xiangrong’s fake intent to kill Zhou Qian indeed increased her “confidence”, successfully deceiving her to act at this moment.

Speaking of which, there was a crucial element in this game—mana or skills. Regardless of how powerful a player’s skills were, they were limited by their mana, and no one could use their skills indefinitely.

This meant that in this game, especially in the early stages, no player would recklessly confront teammates using skills directly. Even if they wanted to kill a teammate, they were more likely to exploit the instance’s inherent traps and dangers rather than engage directly. After all, if they exhaust their mana competing against teammates, how would they fight the boss later?

Given this mechanic, mana recovery potions were almost nonexistent in this game. Health potions were already rare, and those available in the market might only recover 1% or 2% of the health. Mana potions were even rarer, basically legendary, even scarcer than resurrection tools.

During combat, predicting an opponent’s mana was crucial. Zhou Qian guessed right; Situ Qing probably had mana just for one ultimate. Situ Qing also saw Zhou Qian was out of mana and believed Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t heal him, so she dared to act.

What Situ Qing didn’t expect was—Zhou Qian actually had an extremely rare mana potion, given by someone named [Hidden Blade].

That day, while observing Zone X from a tree with binoculars, Zhou Qian received a message from someone wanting to take him as a disciple. The person was [Hidden Blade].

Zhou Qian neither accepted nor refused but replied, “You should show some sincerity if you want to take on a disciple, right?”

Soon, a trade request was sent.

[Player Zhou Qian, Hidden Blade has initiated a trade request.]

[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 mana.]

[Trade Price: 0]

Zhou Qian quickly accepted and asked, [Why do you want to take me as a disciple?]

The reply was, [Oh, I have many disciples. I have disciples everywhere*. If you agree, you can be a junior in my sect. I didn’t really want to take you. I prefer obedient disciples. Clearly, you’re not one.]

*Peaches and plums all over the world (桃李满天下) Idiom that refers to having many talents or students that could be found everywhere.

Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed, and then he saw a message: [Ahem, well, someone asked me to. I’m just doing a favor for a friend.]

Who this “Hidden Blade” and his “friend” were wasn’t Zhou Qian’s current concern. But now, at least he could use this mana potion called “I Can Still Fight”.

This potion would restore 400 MP to Zhou Qian. Not enough for a big move, but enough for a small one. His small skill was “Bone Nightmare”, a control skill that could trap the target in an illusion.

So now, first and foremost, Zhou Qian had to ensure that Yun Xiangrong would help him and prevent himself from being instantly killed by Situ Qing.

Next, as long as he could hold out until He Xiaowei emerged from the adjacent Room 10, he could also get He Xiaowei’s assistance. Considering that Situ Qing had been trying to kill so many people, it was uncertain whether she would sacrifice her own teammates to pass the game. He Xiaowei wasn’t stupid; he had no reason not to help Zhou Qian.

Lastly, with the help of these two, as long as Zhou Qian could withstand one of Situ Qing’s ultimate attack, Zhou Qian, with his 400 mana, could even launch a minor attack that would be enough to control Situ Qing and then find a way to defeat her.

At this very moment, accompanied by the clear “jingling” sound, Situ Qing did launch an ultimate attack at Zhou Qian.

[Warning! Player Situ Qing has used the skill on you: Silver Blossom Ice Spike.]

[Rank attack, three rounds of continuous damage. Please dodge!]

With a gesture from Situ Qing, a bell floated into the air and began to sway violently. The “jingling” sound rapidly increased in frequency, becoming piercing. Suddenly, thousands of droplets appeared in the void, slowly condensing into sharp icicles, about to turn into the sharpest weapons.

However, this scene didn’t scare Zhou Qian at all.

Because he noticed that all of Situ Qing’s moves had a characteristic—they required a casting time.

That was, she couldn’t release her ultimate immediately. During this casting period, the temperature within the range of the skill decreased at a certain rate, providing the conditions for her moves.

Taking advantage of the time it took for her to channel her move, Zhou Qian acted quickly.

His first move was to take out a shimmering, deep blue scale from his bag. He threw the scale to the ground, and a little dragon burst out.

The little dragon was blue all over, about the height of Zhou Qian’s knee, and extremely cute. Its large, round eyes were also deep blue. Under the light, they shimmered like the sunlit sea. The dragon blinked at Zhou Qian, tilted its head, and smiled.

Although the dragon couldn’t speak, it stared at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian gently patted its head and whispered something. The dragon then darted back into a room to gather evidence.

Zhou Qian’s second move was to take out the mana potion, restoring 400 MP. His third action was to pull out a pre-purchased defensive cloak to slightly shield him from damage.

Quickly putting on the cloak, Zhou Qian gripped a Rib of God in one hand and narrowed his eyes in the direction of Situ Qing.

The first round of ice spikes abruptly fell.

The Ice Queen’s long-range attack power was formidable. Zhou Qian was an entire level below her, not good at defense or offense, making the situation incredibly perilous.

Fortunately, the Ice Queen’s skill was an AOE attack. The floor, ceiling, and corridor walls were instantly encased in glistening ice and frost, which to some extent, absorbed some of the damage meant for Zhou Qian.

Still, this was only enough to prevent him from being instantly killed.

Countless ice spikes mercilessly struck down, first tearing Zhou Qian’s cloak. Then, he had to withstand the icicles with his body.

His hair, brows, and long black eyelashes were all frozen white. He felt a bone-chilling coldness, especially in his knees, making him feel like they were about to freeze off. Without even realizing, he was already on one knee. Simultaneously, his body was hit by numerous ice spikes, causing blood to pour out. He was in so much pain that he broke into a cold sweat, but the sweat immediately froze on his body.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 50%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 30%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 10%.]

There were three rounds of ice spike attacks. After withstanding just the first round, even with a shield to help him, Zhou Qian’s health was already down to 10%. At this rate, he definitely wouldn’t survive the third round.

In the distance, Yun Xiangrong was about to act with her flute when someone else acted first.

The door of Room 10 was suddenly pushed open, and He Xiaowei actually came out earlier than expected.

A flowing melody suddenly filled the air. The invisible soundwaves instantly clashed with the frost, turning them into flurries of snowflakes. The sound waves warmed like spring water, melting the ice and reviving everything…

However, the actual situation was: [Zhou Qian’s HP recovered to 13%.]

Zhou Qian: “…”

Yun Xiangrong in the distance: “…” It seems I still have to step in.

He Xiaowei, who rushed out of the room clutching his guqin: “……”

“Hey, my ability adds health at random. How much health I can restore depends on luck. This only proves that you, Zhou Qian, are unlucky!”

“What the hell is happening? Situ Qing, why did you kill so many people?”

“Damn it, I have to stay and help you, don’t I?”

“Hey, Yun Xiangrong, what are you staring at? Can you come and help? The dead are gone; shouldn’t we, the living, move forward?”

Before He Xiaowei could finish, he looked up.

Countless icy rains came from the void, once again about to form countless ice spikes.

In the brief moment before the ice spikes fell, He Xiaowei’s shoulder was gripped by the severely wounded Zhou Qian.

Turning around, he saw Zhou Qian spitting out blood from the corner of his mouth. His whole body was covered in wounds, and his blood even dyed his thick down jacket red. To He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian seemed on the verge of death.

However, Zhou Qian’s eyes looked no different than usual.

He simply asked He Xiaowei, “So, what’s your ultimate move? Can you still use it?”

“Ugh, my ultimate is a scam. It’s a sacrifice type! It consumes either health or mana!”

“I… Well, considering you’re about to die, I can share half of my health with you. But if I… never mind, I won’t overthink it. I’ll just share half of my health with you! Wait—”

He Xiaowei was about to lament and then reluctantly planned to unleash his ultimate, but Zhou Qian interrupted him.

In the mist, He Xiaowei felt Zhou Qian’s gaze turn somewhat mad for some reason.

Then Zhou Qian asked, “Can you share half of your mana with me?”

“Uh… huh? Look, Zhou Qian, I just used three of my minor skills to send the corpses and bullets to three different rooms. So I only have 1,600 MP left. Let me quickly explain my skills.”

He Xiaowei’s skills were unique.

He had a total of 2,000 HP and 2,000 MP, which was the same as an average Rank D player’s attributes.

With a cost of 1,000 MP, he could share half of his health with someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Life].

He could also consume 1,000 HP to give half of his mana to someone else. This move was called [Sacrifice Soul].

“Brother Zhou Qian, based on my skill’s nature, if I share my remaining 1,600 MP with you, I won’t be able to heal you with my ultimate! Because my remaining mana isn’t enough for the healing ultimate, get it?”

“You know, my healing with minor skills depends on luck…”

“So, you get what I mean? It’s not that I don’t want to share my mana with you. It’s just, if I do, and those ice spikes fall, you might die instantly.”

“What use is the mana if you’re dead?

“So, I should just use [Sacrifice Life] to heal you!”

“No. I don’t need health. I need mana,” Zhou Qian said. “I’m preparing for my ultimate.”

“What do you mean…”

“Hurry!”

“Alright, alright, you’ll have it! Just don’t shout at me!” He Xiaowei quickly strummed his strings, sacrificing half of his health, then shared half of his mana with Zhou Qian.

The 400 MP he got from a small mana potion, combined with the 800 from He Xiaowei, made a total of 1,200 MP, just enough for Zhou Qian’s ultimate.

In the void, the ice spikes had taken form and were about to fall.

Before He Xiaowei’s eyes, Zhou Qian did something completely unexpected—he took off his down jacket, as well as the protective suit underneath, revealing his lean and scarred body. Because sweat and some of the blood had frozen, the protective suit was practically stuck to his wounds. But he took it off without a care, reopening many wounds in the process.

Zhou Qian only frowned slightly at the sight of the blood, then seemed to dismiss it. He then took out a dagger and stabbed it directly into his left shoulder.

In an instant, blood poured out, completely drenching Zhou Qian’s already bloodied body. When he pulled out the dagger, blood splattered across his pale and thin face, staining his lips. Yet he was smiling, appearing wildly insane but oddly charming.

While hurting himself, Zhou Qian saw Yun Xiangrong a few steps ahead, seemingly about to play her flute. He quickly shook his head at her, and she hesitated before putting the flute down.

At that moment, a system warning sounded.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 12%.]

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 11%.]

…

[Player Zhou Qian’s health has dropped to 9%.]

Just a moment before the myriad of icicles thundered down—Zhou Qian unleashed his ultimate.

This action completely stunned He Xiaowei.

Holy shit, is this the legendary skill of unleashing your ultimate move while at low health?

[Player Zhou Qian released the skill: Bone Kill]

[Harnesses the power of a Rib of God to attract resentful energies nearby to attack enemies. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the attack. Triggered when the player’s health is below 10%. Consumes 1,200 MP.]

There were numerous corpses in this corridor, filled with countless resentful energies. And this resentment was exactly what Zhou Qian could control.

The bodies of Lu Mengmeng and a janitor, under the influence of this resentment, were controlled by Zhou Qian to fly upside down and appear instantly above Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei.

“Boom!”

The countless icicles finally fell, but the majority were blocked by the two corpses controlled by Zhou Qian.

Only a few icicles slipped through, stabbing into Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei’s thighs and arms. However, the damage was minimal, only slightly reducing both of their health.

Both Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei quickly adjusted their positions, curling up to protect their vital areas from the icicles. At the same time, He Xiaowei constantly monitored Zhou Qian’s health. At its most critical moment, when it dropped to 2%, He Xiaowei immediately boosted it to 8%. In this way, He Xiaowei both saved Zhou Qian from dying and ensured his health didn’t exceed 10%.

He Xiaowei had always complained about this basic skill of his; although it consumed minimal mana, the healing was too little. He never imagined that this skill would come in handy at this critical moment.

After withstanding the second wave of icicles, only one round remained. Moments later, the third wave of icicles began to form.

Zhou Qian summoned two more janitor corpses to block all the icicles.

In the end, He Xiaowei’s health was reduced to 13%, while player Zhou Qian’s health remained at 5%.

The terrifying three-wave attack was finally over, and Situ Qing’s ultimate move had come to an end. All the raindrops scattered, and the temperature in the corridor gradually rose.

Zhou Qian’s body was now covered in countless wounds. His limbs, neck, and even his cheeks were all filled with tiny cuts from the icicles. Most of his injuries were from the first wave of attacks. The subsequent waves were less intense due to the two corpses that shielded him.

At this moment, covered in wounds and blood, Zhou Qian clenched the Rib of God and walked step by step towards Situ Qing. He was bleeding so much that each step left a bloody footprint in the corridor.

Staring mercilessly at the pale-faced Situ Qing, Zhou Qian said in a deep, slow voice, “You’ve used your ultimate move. Now it’s my turn. Gao Shan—”

At this moment, Zhou Qian looked like a blood-soaked demon. Stepping over a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, he emerged from hell, full of murderous intent, seeking vengeance!

“Gao Shan, take your revenge personally.”

With a sinister tone, Zhou Qian said these words and pointed the Rib of God towards Room 6.

Immediately, the cold corpse on the ground eerily stood up. Influenced by the resentful energy, he quickly appeared beside Zhou Qian, then turned to face Situ Qing.

In that instant, Yun Xiangrong’s heart leaped into her throat. Her body trembled, but she didn’t move a step forward.

She watched from a distance as Zhou Qian, standing behind Gao Shan, gently patted his shoulder with his bloody hand and said, “Go on, Shan Ge. Seek your revenge.”

A faint mist emanated from the Rib of God, and when it merged with the corpse, it unleashed a tremendous force. The cold corpse seemed alive, and in one leap, he reached Situ Qing, catching her by the throat before she could react.

Situ Qing’s eyes widened in horror as she struggled to break free. Desperately, she drew a dagger and fiercely stabbed it into Gao Shan’s arm.

Yun Xiangrong, standing not far behind, immediately burst into tears. Holding back her emotions and not stepping forward, she even pinched her thigh so hard that she drew blood.

She was relieved to see that Situ Qing couldn’t move Gao Shan’s grip.

The current Gao Shan was, after all, a corpse and not a real living person. He didn’t feel pain and acted only under Zhou Qian’s control. Until the effect of [Bone Kill] expired, he would only obey Zhou Qian’s commands. The order was to kill Situ Qing, so at this moment, his arm was like it was welded with iron, leaving Situ Qing with no chance of escape.

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 50%]

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 10%]

[Player Situ Qing’s HP drops to 5%]

……

Zhou Qian’s body was riddled with injuries, and the pain near his knee was becoming unbearable. He had to lean against the corridor wall to stand. Yet, throughout, he remained indifferent, wanting to witness Situ Qing’s death personally.

However, Situ Qing didn’t die immediately. When her health dropped to 3%, a pair of golden, semi-transparent wings suddenly appeared behind her. The wings unfolded and then enveloped her, protecting her from all harm.

The next moment, the effect of the [Bone Kill] skill disappeared. The moment Gao Shan’s corpse fell, Yun Xiangrong rushed to embrace him. Situ Qing, under the protection of her wings, fell to the ground, barely alive.

It was clear that Situ Qing had an item that saved her life, which was probably why she dared to gamble. But it didn’t matter. In Zhou Qian’s eyes, she was already dead. Holding a dagger, he walks step by step to look down at Situ Qing. “Such an item won’t last long. Your death is certain. If Gao Shan couldn’t kill you, it doesn’t matter. I’ll finish you with my own hands.”

Lying on the ground, gasping for air, Situ Qing didn’t have the strength to reply. At this moment, Zhou Qian’s watch vibrated—a message from Qi Liuxing finally arrived.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian was relieved. He knew Qi Liuxing’s character. He wouldn’t let someone die. The lack of response earlier meant either he faced a massive threat and couldn’t check the system messages, or he was dead. Now it seemed he was safe.

Checking the system panel, Qi Liuxing traded the Tick Tock Clock and attached a message:

[Of course I’m willing to save Shan Ge. I was busy fighting the boss earlier and didn’t check the messages. I’m safe now and have left the instance.]

The moment Zhou Qian took out the Tick Tock Clock from his bag, Yun Xiangrong rushed over. Desperate, she snatched it and quickly ran to Gao Shan, attempting to use the clock to revive him.

At this moment, there were only 30 seconds left until the end of the challenge. Zhou Qian’s dragon returned, bringing with it nine bullets marked with the number “7”. Taking the nine bullets and combining them with the three he had, he now had twelve in total.

System prompt:

[Side Quest “Checks and Balance” completion: 100%]

[A cinematic is about to play. Players, do not panic; you will not be harmed.]

[Note: The corridor and 12 rooms will disappear. Please return to Room 701 within three minutes.]

Suddenly, a young man in a military uniform appeared in front of Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian realized he was the NPC and also the young man he saw in the photo illusion.

In the illusion, in front of candlelight, he wrote a love poem, burned it, and passed the challenge to Zhou Qian.

Now, in this foggy moment, he approached Zhou Qian, took the twelve bullets, and loaded them into a gun.

Then, the young officer turned and, over the course of one and a half minutes, entered each of the twelve rooms.

“Bang,” “Bang,” “Bang”…

Twelve gunshots rang out as the officer took out the twelve gunmen. Finally, he returned to Zhou Qian, thanked him, and started to fade away.

And throughout, whether it was the thick fog or something else, Zhou Qian couldn’t clearly see his face.

Watching the officer disappear before his eyes, Zhou Qian once again felt the sensation he had when he touched the photograph.

His heart started to beat rapidly, and at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of desolation. He reached out to touch the officer, but the officer had already disappeared.

Not only had the officer vanished, but the entire scene also began to turn transparent.

The mist was dispersing, but the corridor, ceiling, 12 doors—none of these objects became clear.

There was still a minute and a half left in the end animation. Everything in the corridor would completely disappear in a minute and a half.

And the players needed to return to Room 701 before then, or they might face danger.

Suddenly thinking of something, Zhou Qian’s heart sank, and he looked at the two nearest cleaner corpses.

They were also turning transparent.

Including Lu Mengmeng, his originally pale face had almost become completely transparent.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian immediately ran to Gao Shan’s side.

Yun Xiangrong was kneeling next to Gao Shan, adjusting the Tick Tock Clock.

Unlike regular clocks with minute and hour hands, this clock had one pointer. Adjusting the pointer to different frequencies would make it tick differently.

When the ticking could resonate with the heartbeat of the departed, it could travel to the heart of the deceased and make it beat.

When Yun Xiangrong began adjusting the clock, her hand was shaking. She forced herself to calm down so she could adjust the pointer’s frequency steadily.

The countdown was at 80 seconds.

Then 70 seconds.

60 seconds, 50 seconds… Yun Xiangrong had not succeeded and was sweating profusely.

Zhou Qian observed for a while, then turned his attention to other parts of the corridor—as the corridor continued to become transparent, the walls and floor began shaking rapidly. A wall lamp shattered on the ground, its light extinguishing immediately, and the shards also began turning transparent.

“He Xiaowei, Yun Xiangrong, take Gao Shan’s body back to 701,” Zhou Qian said, drawing his dagger. With some stumbling but determination, he walked step by step to Situ Qing, who was still lying on the ground.

The flash of the knife blade, cold and sharp, neared Situ Qing’s neck. Delicate beads of blood rolled down the blade. If Zhou Qian pressed on, Situ Qing would undoubtedly die.

But just in the nick of time, the melodious sound of a flute echoed, and willow catkins floated around, tightly wrapping around Situ Qing. They healed her wound, restored some of her health, and gave her the strength to stand.

Zhou Qian, taken aback, turned to see Yun Xiangrong holding the flute, looking at him in despair.

By her side, Gao Shan’s body was turning transparent like the cleaner NPCs.

He couldn’t be saved.

When time was up in this level, the dead truly die.

They would vanish along with the disappearing level.

On the ground, Situ Qing hadn’t fully managed to get up, seemingly not believing that she had been given another chance at life. In a place hidden from Situ Qing and her gambler, Yun Xiangrong stood behind her. As all the mist cleared, she mouthed to Zhou Qian, “Given the situation, let me continue this act.”

At first, in front of the gambler, Zhou Qian told Yun Xiangrong to resent him.

Later, in front of all the players, through various means, he successfully made everyone believe that he and Yun Xiangrong had truly cut ties.

However, his plan was only meant to last until the end of this level, once they had successfully killed Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing.

But now, Yun Xiangrong implied—since Gao Shan couldn’t be saved, she might as well continue the act of their falling out.

For now, Gao Shan couldn’t be brought back.

However, after all, Situ Qing was just a gun.

If they killed Situ Qing now, they might lose the only lead they had, never knowing who was really behind her.

So, Yun Xiangrong wanted to spare Situ Qing’s life for now until they could draw out the person behind her.

She even wanted to use her “enemy of Zhou Qian” identity to get closer to that person. After all, an enemy of an enemy was a friend. Yun Xiangrong’s goal now was to form an “alliance” with the legion behind Situ Qing.

Yun Xiangrong not only wanted to know who the enemy was, but she also wanted to infiltrate their ranks, uncover the secrets of the organization behind Situ Qing, and completely destroy them.

Only then would she have truly avenged Gao Shan.

Walking step by step toward Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong did something that surprised everyone.

Situ Qing was disoriented; her ears were plugged and she was unable to hear anything.

But through the screen, her gambler saw everything unfold.

Upon accessing the system panel, Yun Xiangrong chose to reset all of her 150 skill points, only to get back a mere 30 in return.

To prevent players from frequently changing their skill directions, the system had rules. Once skill points were used, they couldn’t be easily reverted. If a player wanted to reset a certain skill and replace it with another, a significant number of skill points would be wasted.

Just like Yun Xiangrong, she had cleared numerous instances to earn those 150 points, investing all of them in healing-related skills. But now, after resetting her healing skills, she only had 30 points left.

Yun Xiangrong converted all these 30 skill points into offensive capabilities. She then turned to Zhou Qian, “Shan Ge is dead. There’s no one left for me to heal. From now on, I’ll only be an attacker.”

“Zhou Qian, I know… maybe it was unintentional on your part. But if it weren’t for you, Shan Ge wouldn’t have been shot; if you hadn’t been so reluctant to hand over the Tick Tock Clock, I wouldn’t have been too late to save him. Now Shan Ge has vanished before me… He had a chance to live, but you killed him, twice… exactly twice!”

Zhou Qian knew Yun Xiangrong was acting. But there might be a bit of real blame in that act, which made her speak with gritted teeth, her eyes red as if they were about to bleed.

Under the guise of this act, Zhou Qian also responded with what was on his mind. “Perhaps anything I say now is too late. But I really did want to save him. Although I’m not a good person and, in my opinion, most people in this world tend to do evil, Gao Shan is an exception, just like…”

Just like Bai Zhou was also an exception.

Gao Shan and Bai Zhou, in terms of personality, appearance, intelligence… were nothing alike. But to Zhou Qian, they were both good people. For that alone, he would’ve tried his best to save Gao Shan. But just as he could never find Bai Zhou again, Gao Shan had now vanished from his sight.

Considering himself smart and cunning all his life, Zhou Qian realized he had never been able to protect the ones he truly wanted to keep safe.

Leaning against the corridor, with a bleeding wound on his shoulder, Zhou Qian looked up at the completely transparent ceiling, as if seeing a god hidden in some void.

Then he solemnly declared, “If this game is orchestrated by some god, whether a god testing human hearts or a malicious god playing with mortals… I will confront him and force him to return all the people I wish to keep, whole and intact!”

…..

The level ended, and the four surviving players returned to Room 701.

Then something miraculous happened—everyone’s health was fully restored to 100%.

An hour later, Jiang Yuqing woke up. It felt as if the players had shared a dream with him.

Now that everyone was awake, all injuries vanished, their health was restored, and they were back in their caregiver uniforms. Only the complete disappearance of Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng and the depleted MP, visible only to them, reminded them—everything wasn’t just a dream.

Upon waking up, Jiang Yuqing mumbled, “Where’s the osmanthus cake… Why isn’t it here yet?”

When Zhou Qian and the others first arrived at this building as caregivers, they took Elevator B up. They met two senior caregivers, Lao Tie and Lao Yu, outside Room 701, who were leaving the 7^th floor to buy osmanthus cake for Jiang Yuqing.

They mentioned that if Jiang Yuqing didn’t get his osmanthus cake, he’d be upset. So, this [osmanthus cake] seemed pretty important. Moreover, an hour had passed, so why hadn’t they returned?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian said to He Xiaowei, “Shall we go downstairs and check?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” He Xiaowei glanced at Yun Xiangrong, who was sitting on the floor in silence, and Situ Qing, who was sitting by the bookshelf with her eyes closed, nodded, and followed Zhou Qian out.

The room became completely silent. Situ Qing glanced at Yun Xiangrong, paused for a moment, and then looked at the system panel displayed on her watch, visible only to her. It was a message from her younger brother.

[Keep an eye on Yun Xiangrong; either win her over or find an opportunity to kill her, eliminating future threats.]

Situ Qing exhaled softly, ignoring the message, leaned her head against the bookshelf, and closed her eyes again. Even though the injuries on her body had disappeared after the side quest ended, she still felt extremely exhausted, to the point where her consciousness was still in a state of disarray.

Even when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t shake off that uncomfortable feeling.

She could only tightly wrap herself in the golden wings, the prop that had saved her life at a crucial moment—the [Guardian Wings].

This precious tool was given to her by her younger brother, who was also her gambler.

His name was Mu Sheng.

Perhaps it was because she had seen Jiang Yuqing’s sickbed that every time Situ Qing closed her eyes, she saw another one.

On that bed, the pale boy, Mu Sheng, just opened his pitch-black pupils, looking at a younger version of herself.

Situ Qing saw her younger self trembling, but her eyes were full of pity when she looked at the boy.

The young Mu Sheng said to the equally young Situ Qing at the bedside, “I can’t walk anymore, right?”

“I’m sorry!” The young Situ Qing held his hand. “A’Sheng*, I will take care of you for the rest of my life!”

*(阿) When used in front of a name, it is an affectionate way to call someone, signifying closeness.

“It’s your fault.” Mu Sheng looked at her with malicious eyes. “It’s all because of you and your mother. You pushed my mother to her death and caused my disability! I’ll hate you forever!”

Tears fell from the young Situ Qing’s eyes as she swore, “I will make it up to you. I definitely will!”

The scene shifted.

Many years had passed.

Mu Sheng had grown up. Sitting in a wheelchair, he smiled gently.

Situ Qing asked him, “What have you been up to recently? Where did you get your money? I know you’re smart, but please… Please don’t break the law! I’ll work hard to earn money! I’ve been working several jobs recently—”

Situ Qing noticed Mu Sheng was often busy with a phone and computer.

She knew her brother was smart and good with computers, but she feared he might venture into hacking.

However, she heard Mu Sheng laugh. “Sister, would you play a game for me? You don’t need to work so hard to earn money. Just finish the game, and we’ll have endless wealth. Also…”

Whispering into Situ Qing’s ear, Mu Sheng said, “Didn’t you promise to make it up to me for a lifetime? Now’s your chance. Would you be willing to get me a pair of legs? Sister, I want to stand.”

Since then, Situ Qing felt she was being drawn deeper into an abyss.

Reaching Rank S was her goal. Only at Rank S could she approach the so-called god and have the chance to let Mu Sheng stand.

But at the same time, she knew—several near-death experiences were caused by Mu Sheng.

Whether she was forced to kill or faced danger, it was all because of Mu Sheng’s coercion.

It was Mu Sheng who pushed her into the abyss, staining her hands with indelible blood.

But every time she was close to death, just like the protective wings she now wore, they were also gifts from Mu Sheng.

He wanted her dead, but he also kept her alive.

She couldn’t distinguish his good from his bad.

Perhaps some people were destined for lifelong tribulations.

……

On the other side.

Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei opened room 701. Outside was no longer the eerie hallway with 12 rooms, but back to its previous appearance.

They took the elevator down, and the receptionist was calculating bills while the security guard stood at the entrance.

“Hmm? Why are you two here?” The receptionist looked at Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei, holding up a box of osmanthus cakes. “Want some? I just bought them.”

Zhou Qian said, “Mr. Jiang wants some osmanthus cakes. Maybe he’ll get angry if he can’t have them. Can I give these to him?”

“Of course. We’re all supported by Mr. Jiang’s salary.” She smiled. “Our principle is to meet Mr. Jiang’s needs.”

After taking the osmanthus cakes, Zhou Qian asked, “Where are Lao Yu and Lao Tie? Did they go to buy osmanthus cakes too? Have you seen them?”

The receptionist shook her head in surprise. “No, they never came down.”

He Xiaowei asked the security guard, “Did you see Lao Yu and Lao Tie come down?”

The security guard shook his head. “No, only you two.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian looked up to find a security camera facing the elevator’s direction.

Zhou Qian asked, “Can we see the hall’s surveillance footage?”

“Sure, you can use the computer at the front desk. Which part do you want to see?”

The security guard readily agreed.

A moment later, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei were standing in front of the computer at the reception desk. Using fast-forward mode, they quickly checked the past hour’s surveillance.

At 3:15 in the afternoon, six players took Elevator B upstairs. During the playback, upon seeing Gao Shan and Lu Mengmeng, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh before continuing to watch.

Just two minutes later, Elevator B descended to the ground floor on its own. After the door remained open for 10 seconds, it closed automatically without anyone exiting.

The next movement of the elevator was an hour later. At 3:18 pm, when the elevator doors opened, Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei walked out.

This bizarre surveillance footage gave He Xiaowei goosebumps. Zhou Qian frowned slightly and rewound the video to 3:17 pm when Elevator B opened and then closed in the ground floor lobby.

As the elevator door opened, Zhou Qian pressed the pause button and zoomed in on the image. Inside, there was no one.

He Xiaowei exclaimed in horror, “That was when Lao Yu and Lao Tie took the elevator downstairs! We watched them from the seventh floor as they entered Elevator B. They pressed the button for the ground floor, so the elevator descended there. But when the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the ground floor, it was empty! It means that—”

“Somewhere between the seventh and ground floor, they disappeared into thin air!!!”

The stark light shone down, reflecting coldly off the marble floor. Under this light, the receptionist and security guard appeared unusually pale.

Walking away from the screen, Zhou Qian was the first to approach the elevator and press the button to go up. “Let’s quickly send up these snacks.”

He Xiaowei looked at him in disbelief. “Dude, you still dare to take the elevator?”

Zhou Qian replied, “There are no stairs here. We can only take the elevator.”

He Xiaowei hesitated. “What if we also disappear?”

Zhou Qian suggested, “Let’s take Elevator A then. After all, the incident occurred in Elevator B.”

“That sounds reasonable,” He Xiaowei agreed instantly.

Soon, the two entered Elevator A.

As the elevator moved smoothly upwards, He Xiaowei sighed with relief, “Seems we’re safe.”

Zhou Qian suddenly said, “Their sudden disappearance has nothing to do with the elevator’s number.”

He Xiaowei: “?”

Zhou Qian explained, “The disappearance of Lao Yu and Lao Tie is clearly part of the main storyline. In other words, it was an event destined to happen. But them taking Elevator B downstairs was just a random event.”

Zhou Qian’s point was clear. When the players went upstairs, both elevators were on the ground floor, and they randomly chose Elevator B. When they reached the seventh floor, Elevator B stayed there, and naturally, Lao Yu and Lao Tie took it to go down.

Thus, the two NPCs taking Elevator B were a result of the players’ random choice, but their disappearance was inevitable and had nothing to do with which elevator they chose. This implied their disappearance might not be related to the elevator itself.

“Wait, then why did you…” He Xiaowei was baffled.

“Just to rush you upstairs,” Zhou Qian said calmly. “Let’s deliver the snacks to Jiang Yuqing first.”

He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Damn bro, that’s too much! I saved you!”

“Thank you,” Zhou Qian responded unenthusiastically. As soon as the elevator reached the seventh floor, he immediately walked towards Room 701 with a box of osmanthus cake.

He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian to the door of Room 701 and noticed he didn’t enter but was observing from outside.

“What are you looking at?” He Xiaowei whispered.

Zhou Qian replied, “I wanted to observe Jiang Yuqing to see if he’d become agitated without the snacks and act abnormally. But now I’ve noticed something else.”

“What?” He Xiaowei asked curiously.

Through the door’s window, Zhou Qian observed Jiang Yuqing standing in the room. He seemed to have dementia, appearing somewhat dazed. However, there were significant differences in his appearance.

His forehead, cheeks, and the corners of his eyes—the wrinkles there had lessened. His once-stunning youthful looks were starting to emerge.

Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank as he whispered, “He’s becoming younger.”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 25

Zhou Qian claimed that his strategy for clearing the level required him to sequentially visit rooms 4, 7, and 8, where he would have three gunmen each fire a bullet. He would first try room number 4.

If he failed to use his time-slowing skill to dodge the bullet, he would undoubtedly die. At that point, he would need He Xiaowei to save him with the Tick Tock Clock and then completely abandon this sub-quest.

However, if he succeeded, he could consecutively use his time-slowing skill three times to clear the level.

Now, Zhu Qiang discovered that Zhou Qian was lying.

He doesn’t have enough mana to use the skill three times!

He hasn’t even successfully obtained the Tick Tock Clock from Qi Liuxing!

Furthermore, when players opened unsafe rooms, they were invariably shot at, and the gunman’s accuracy was 100%! This meant that Zhou Qian shouldn’t be able to dodge the bullet in Room 4…

All in all, Zhou Qian wouldn’t enter Room 4. All of this was his deception!

From the moment Zhou Qian was accused by Situ Qing of being the murderer who killed Gao Shan, he didn’t even defend himself. He kept emphasizing that the game’s time limit was nearing its end and that everyone should focus on clearing the level.

Pretending to be a fanatical lunatic only concerned about clearing the level, he appeared not to care about Gao Shan’s life, Yun Xiangrong’s hatred, being misidentified as the killer, or even potentially being shot…

He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng… were all deceived by him. Zhou Qian even took a long time explaining the principles of this level, trying to convince them of his method. To further appear genuine, he pretended that he needed He Xiaowei’s, and even Lu Mengmeng’s, cooperation and help.

But what if all this was just a ruse Zhou Qian put on?

Everyone believed he would enter Room 4, but in reality, he wouldn’t.

Since he wouldn’t actually walk into this dangerous room to face the bullet, what was his real purpose in slowing down time?

It could only be to commit murder.

Who would he kill?

It had to be Lu Mengmeng, who possessed extremely fast speed.

Thus, the real purpose of slowing down time wasn’t to decrease the bullet’s speed but to decrease Lu Mengmeng’s speed!

Zhou Qian’s range for slowing down time was limited to an area of 10 square meters. If he openly expressed his intention to kill Lu Mengmeng, he would be on guard and escape in advance.

But with Zhou Qian’s series of deceits, Lu Mengmeng thought that the time-slowing skill was only to dodge the bullets. He wouldn’t run away; instead, he’d approach Room 4 out of curiosity to see the outcome.

So… Lu Mengmeng was likely doomed.

In the bathroom of the luxury suite, realizing this, Zhu Qiang’s hand trembled, and his phone dropped to the floor. His face went pale, and his body started shaking.

He shouldn’t…

Shouldn’t have gone against Zhou Qian.

From the beginning, when Lu Mengmeng discussed this matter with him via video call, he should have persuaded him to cooperate with Zhou Qian. But he was afraid. He trusted Lu Mengmeng, Situ Qing, the mysterious man advising Situ Qing on the phone, and even himself.

He thought he knew Zhou Qian well enough after observing one of his games. With the information he got from Yu Xian and combined with Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng’s input, he believed he could defeat Zhou Qian.

But he was terribly wrong.

In the game, Lu Mengmeng followed He Xiaowei to the front of Room 4, watching intently as Zhou Qian approached the door. The fog made it hard to see clearly, so he took another step forward, eager to understand Zhou Qian’s actions. He was incredibly curious—could Zhou Qian genuinely dodge the bullet by slowing down time?

At this moment, Yun Xiangrong was crying beside Lu Mengmeng, but he seemed oblivious. It seemed he had even forgotten that he was the one who killed her true love.

Lu Mengmeng was obsessed with clearing the level.

In this game, every time a player exited an instance, the system would restrict the time for their next entry—typically 7 to 10 days. If a player didn’t enter the instance within this time frame, they would instantly die.

However, Lu Mengmeng never cared about these time constraints. After each exit from an instance, he would rest for just one night and immediately enter the next one. Although he didn’t achieve any significant feats, at least he always managed to complete the dungeon with just a sliver of health left.

Due to the frequency of his instance runs, Lu Mengmeng, who was otherwise average in performance, managed to ascend to Rank D.

After clearing each level, Lu Mengmeng felt profound satisfaction. Clearing these levels touched a raw nerve in him, evoking an indescribable sensation.

It reminded him of something he did half a year ago.

About six months ago, Lu Mengmeng saw the list of graduate students selected for research in his department. Upon checking, he found his academic points were just one rank below his roommate’s, causing him to miss out. One night, in a fit of rage, he climbed onto his roommate’s bed with a knife and stabbed him in the chest…

Now that you’re dead, I can move up a rank and qualify for the department.

Blood spurted as he pulled out the knife, covering Lu Mengmeng’s face. Chaos erupted in the dormitory, with roommates screaming, calling the police, and trying to restrain him. But he didn’t react. Holding the knife, he felt an indescribable thrill. He believed he had cleared the “Research Qualification” level.

In the present, reminiscent of the night when he had suddenly awoken and reached for the knife in his drawer, Lu Mengmeng felt the excitement of nearing another level completion, so much so that his eyes turned red. He moved closer, watching as Zhou Qian was about to open Room 4.

To him, the scene of Zhou Qian pushing the door seemed infinitely slow because time around him had decelerated. Everything became distorted, and he anxiously waited. Suddenly, he was caught off guard by a piercing cold gaze. Zhou Qian had turned to look directly at him.

Sensing danger, Lu Mengmeng stepped back. But his feet felt heavy. He wanted to activate a skill to increase his speed but couldn’t. As Zhou Qian approached, the malice in his eyes intensified. At that moment, Zhou Qian seemed like a god about to punish a sinner.

Panicking, Lu Mengmeng activated a skill to boost his speed by 80% and tried to flee. Many times, this skill had saved him from monsters or bosses. He believed he could escape. He told himself it would definitely work; he must escape!

But suddenly, time slowed even further. The effect negated all his speed boosts, leaving him running only slightly faster than a jog.

At the same time, he felt that Zhou Qian behind him wasn’t affected by the slowing of time. He stood outside of time like a god, looking down on him with a mocking gaze, as if watching a clown, seeing him run hopelessly in a cage he couldn’t escape from.

In the next moment, Lu Mengmeng’s nape was forcefully gripped by a hand.

Soon after, he was flipped over by the person behind him, with his neck being held. As he was forcibly turned around, out of the corner of his eye, Lu Mengmeng noticed he was now at the location of Room 9.

Directly in front of him, Zhou Qian’s eyes, filled with murderous intent, magnified immensely.

A sharp pain emanated from his neck as Zhou Qian pressed a dagger against it. Lu Mengmeng’s heart trembled violently, and his pupils dilated rapidly in fear…

With one hand holding the pale and frail neck of Lu Mengmeng, Zhou Qian used the other hand to wield a common dagger he bought from the trading house, pinning him against the door. It seemed that with just a gentle push, Lu Mengmeng could be thrown directly into Room 9.

The blade of the dagger pierced the surface of Lu Mengmeng’s neck; tiny beads of blood rolled out, almost casting a dark red shade in the depths of Zhou Qian’s eyes.

With those deep red eyes, Zhou Qian coldly stared at Lu Mengmeng.

“You… You want to kill me…”

Due to the slowing of time, Lu Mengmeng’s voice sounded incredibly stretched, as if the playback speed was lowered. Even the tremors of his body and the fluttering of his eyelids were slowed down, making him look somewhat comical.

Zhou Qian’s mouth curled into a derisive smirk. “You swapped the number plates, leading to Gao Shan’s death, didn’t you?”

Lu Mengmeng immediately denied. “I… I didn’t! It was…”

Zhou Qian whispered, “Swapping plates multiple times, drawing misleading symbols on doors, and just now using your major skill to come here… Out of mana, are you? Otherwise, I’d have to be wary of your assassin abilities. Even if affected by time slow, your dagger would stab slowly, but I can’t be careless.”

Lu Mengmeng panicked. After using his skills so many times, he indeed had no mana left. His already pale face now looked utterly bloodless, trembling in front of Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian pressed him further. “So there’s no point in denying it. It was you. But I want to know, did Situ Qing direct you?”

Lu Mengmeng murmured, “You… I don’t know…”

The dagger in Zhou Qian’s hand advanced mercilessly. The pain caused Lu Mengmeng to wince, tears streaming down instantly. He stared at Zhou Qian in horror. “What… What are you…”

“Killing a mere pawn like you would only dirty my hands. It’s not worth it,” Zhou Qian whispered seductively in his ear. “Tell me, what do you know? Who’s behind you and Situ Qing?”

Lu Mengmeng’s voice quivered uncontrollably. Yet the cold blade kept pressing deeper, forcing him to speak, “It… It’s a legion…”

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

The sound of bells approached from behind, accompanied by a chilling frosty aura. It felt as if an immense snowstorm was about to engulf the world. Though powerful, due to the slowed time, it hadn’t reached Zhou Qian yet.

Ignoring the creeping cold from behind, Zhou Qian moved the knife, lifting Lu Mengmeng’s pale chin, forcing him to look straight into his eyes.

From this superior stance, Zhou Qian demanded, “Tell me the name of that legion. Or I’ll give you two choices: have your throat slit by me or be thrown into Room 9 to face bullets.”

“I… I…” Tears streamed from Lu Mengmeng’s terrified eyes, his body shaking uncontrollably. He felt the encroaching cold. Whether he answered or not, death seemed inevitable.

Zhou Qian’s voice resonated close to his ear. “Speak. You’re merely a tool, controlled and ordered around. You’re not my real enemy. If you talk, I might spare you.”

But on the other side, the approaching snowy aura hinted that if he spoke, he might be silenced permanently.

“I’ll spare you.”

“Not just that, I’ll also help you clear the game.”

“The condition is, you need to tell me—what’s the name of that legion?”

The words “clear the game” seemed to stimulate Lu Mengmeng. At the mention, his eyes reddened. He opened his mouth, seemingly about to confess. But suddenly, a crystalline snowflake floated by, sealing his lips.

Then, the bell sound grew louder, as if time, slowed down earlier, was returning to its normal pace. Lu Mengmeng felt an immense blizzard approaching rapidly. Overwhelmed by fear, his pupils contracted. But it seemed like his entire body was immobilized by the frost, with no escape.

In the corridor, time indeed resumed. With Zhou Qian’s mana almost depleted, visible only to him and Yu Xian, his skill bar had dropped to 5%.

Using the last 4% of his mana, Zhou Qian slowed down time once more, stepping outside its bounds. He quickly retreated, escaping the blizzard. Lu Mengmeng, drained of mana and unable to use any skill to evade, was enveloped by the blizzard and harshly thrown into Room 9.

Three seconds later—”Bang!”

A gunshot echoed, and Lu Mengmeng died inside Room 9. He didn’t even make it back to the corridor like the others who were shot.

At this moment, only 7 minutes remained until the one-hour time limit to clear the level.

Turning around, through the thick fog, Zhou Qian saw the hazy figure of Situ Qing, who was known as the “Ice Queen”.

She stood far at the other end of the corridor with a cold and composed expression.

Time slowed down, and her movement speed was reduced to a crawl.

Yet, with her powerful long-range attack capability, even from that distance, she could kill Lu Mengmeng.

Expressionless, Zhou Qian said to Situ Qing, “Even under my time-slowing effect, you managed to come here to silence him. Did you guess what I was up to?”

“In this game, players can see each other’s health but not their mana. Also, no one should know what my skill’s special feature is. So, no one should know that my mana isn’t sufficient to slow down time thrice and guess that my real target was Lu Mengmeng.”

“So, you shouldn’t be here.”

His eyes filled with scorn, Zhou Qian disdainfully looked at Situ Qing. “So, even though you silenced Lu Mengmeng and prevented him from telling me who’s manipulating you all from behind, your actions now reveal one thing—the group backing you is powerful, so powerful that you fear them deeply.”

“Earlier, you did everything to protect Lu Mengmeng, not letting him spill your alliance’s secrets. But now, you’re scared. You fear revealing the group’s secrets and facing punishment, so you attack Lu Mengmeng. Moreover—”

“From your actions now, I’m sure that your group can identify my real identity and my gambler status, right? The secret of my skill should only be known to my fellow gambler. So how did it get leaked?”

Without looking at Situ Qing, Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted to a certain point in the void.

Coincidentally, through the phone screen, Yu Xian saw Zhou Qian’s cold gaze as if they were making eye contact. He shivered involuntarily.

“Yu Xian, is Qiang Ge next to you?”

“You have two choices: either kill him or hide so far away that you never see him again in this lifetime. Otherwise, once I leave this game and return to reality, the first thing I’ll do is deal with you. Got it?”

“Your Qiang Ge, in collusion with Lu Mengmeng, wants to kill me. Did you even realize that?”

“Forget it, I guess you can’t do it. So, listen to me and run. Now.”

At the phone screen, Yu Xian was stunned.

It took him a full ten seconds to come to his senses.

Grabbing his phone, he rushed to the bathroom of the suite, but he pulled back just before his hand touched the door.

Should I listen to Zhou Qian and leave immediately, or should I talk to Qiang Ge?

Yu Xian was truly torn because he couldn’t believe Zhu Qiang could betray him like this.

It was Zhu Qiang who brought him to this city when he didn’t know where to find work.

Finding jobs, renting a place… Zhu Qiang had always taken care of him.

When he first arrived and wasn’t accustomed to the new environment, falling sick often, it was always Zhu Qiang who took him to the hospital.

He couldn’t believe that Zhu Qiang would betray him so easily.

At that moment, inside the bathroom.

Zhu Qiang sat on the cold tiles, looking at the luxurious bathroom. The shower space alone was bigger than the rented room he used to live in.

Zhu Qiang laughed—a laugh filled with self-mockery and despair.

He realized he was crying when he felt the wetness on his face.

He didn’t yearn for wealth and luxury when he didn’t have them.

But once he experienced them, he couldn’t let go.

His phone kept vibrating.

It was messages from the System.

[Gambler Zhu Qiang, the player you bet on, Lu Mengmeng, is dead.]

[Lu Mengmeng failed the challenge. You are no longer qualified for the two million.]

[The System will deduct your bet amount of 1 million.]

[Gambler Zhu Qiang, your bank balance is insufficient. Please recharge within three days. If the debt exceeds ten days, you will die.]

[If you recharge within three days, you can choose another player to bet on.]

[We hope your choice of players gets better. If your player reaches Rank S, you can become an advanced gambler.]

[Advanced gamblers can enter the main game hall. Then, you will have a chance to approach the gods.]

I still have a chance…

As long as I get one million within three days… I have another shot…

I can repay all the money I lost outside!

If I win just once more… I can repay all the money.

After that, I’ll quit and never touch this game again!

But where can I get the money for these three days…?

In a moment of hesitation, Zhu Qiang heard the hoarse voice of Yu Xian from outside the door. “Qiang Ge, can I… Can I ask you a question? Are you… are you…”

He already knows.

Then there’s nothing I can do.

Zhu Qiang’s gaze finally rested on the razor at the washbasin. Rising from his seat and moving towards the washbasin, he said to the door, “It’s not what you think, Lao Yu. Listen to me… I’ll explain to you. I’ll be right out…”

…..

Three minutes later, Yu Xian lay in a pool of blood. He stared at Zhu Qiang, seemingly unable to believe what had happened.

Zhu Qiang’s hand holding the razor trembled. “I’m sorry, Lao Yu… I took the money I earned from this game to the casino, and I lost it all, racking up a lot of debt. Now that Lu Mengmeng is dead… I can’t repay it. I have to keep going…”

Extending his other hand, Zhu Qiang took a bank card from Yu Xian’s pocket. “I’m sorry. I just… just wanted to take the money when Zhou Qian wins, and the prize money arrives in your account. I just… just wanted money… Yu Xian, I… No, that’s not right!”

Suddenly, Zhu Qiang’s expression changed. He glared angrily at Yu Xian and said, “No, it’s not my fault! It’s yours! I warned you about this game. I told you not to start! But you insisted on continuing! I only continued because I saw you doing it!”

“It’s your fault! You forced me into this debt; you made me a murderer…”

“You used to always be less than me, why… Why is your player better than mine? Why can you win effortlessly…”

Yu Xian couldn’t answer any of Zhu Qiang’s words because he had stopped breathing.

After a while, Zhu Qiang stood in the pool of blood, closing his eyes exhaustedly. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring.

Zhu Qiang jumped up, panicked, glancing in the direction of the door, then hastily tried to clean the bloodstains. Just then, he received a text message.

[Gambler Zhu Qiang, I know what you did. Let’s talk.]

A minute later, Zhu Qiang opened the door to let in a refined and elegant-looking man. He had a gentle yet stern demeanor, giving off a somewhat old-fashioned vibe. He looked like a doctor, or perhaps a lawyer.

The man walked straight into the house and sat on the sofa. Passing by Yu Xian’s body, he didn’t even blink an eye, as if he were used to such sights.

When he sat down, Zhu Qiang immediately asked, “Who are you? You…”

The man replied, “I’m also a player in this game. You can call me the [Priest].”

“Priest? Game? What do you mean? What the hell is going on…”

Priest succinctly said, “You acted too impulsively. Killing is a crime. With such a crude method, I predict the police will arrest you within 48 hours. By then, you won’t be able to gamble anymore. Your phone will be confiscated.”

Stunned, Zhu Qiang’s back was drenched in cold sweat. “I…”

After watching the game for a long time, he seemed to believe he was a player in the game. Players often fought and killed with their skills. As a result, he forgot that he was in reality and that he shouldn’t have acted this way.

At this point, Zhu Qiang vaguely felt that somehow, while watching the game, he had been influenced. He wouldn’t have acted so impulsively, so recklessly, and so cruelly before. But now, his mental state was off. He seemed to have turned into a madman.

The Priest continued, “The police will arrest you within 48 hours. I can get you a lawyer, and even arrange for… a mental evaluation.”

“Mental evaluation? What does that mean?” Zhu Qiang clenched his hands together.

“I’ve already reserved a bed for you at Spring Hill Mental Asylum.” Priest stood up. “I met you today just to give you a heads-up, so you’re not too scared when the police arrest you. Don’t worry, you won’t go to prison. Farewell, see you at Spring Hill Mental Asylum.”

“Wait, what do you mean by mental asylum? Explain yourself!”

“You have two options now. First, wait to be arrested by the police, be unable to continue as a gambler, owe a huge debt, and be killed by the system in ten days. Second, come to Spring Hill Mental Hospital, become a game player, and earn coins to repay your debt. You’re smart; you should know which option to choose.”

Zhu Qiang collapsed to the ground, seemingly devoid of a soul. As Priest left, Zhu Qiang heard him say one last thing.

“Welcome, player, to the game. I hope you enjoy it.”

……

Inside the game.

The temperature in the corridor had dropped below zero.

The sustained cold temperature couldn’t decrease the health of living players, but it severely affected their condition.

Zhou Qian, sensitive to both summer heat and winter cold, immediately opened the trade house and bought a down jacket to wear. As he leisurely buttoned up his jacket, he looked at Situ Qing and said, “Earlier, you only threw Lu Mengmeng into Room 9, but you didn’t actually try to kill me. Why? Because you want me to help you clear this stage, right?”

“There are only 6 minutes left to clear the level. Now, perhaps you are thinking of pushing either me, He Xiaowei, or Yun Xiangrong, one by one, into two rooms. You want to sacrifice us to pass the level?”

Situ Qing replied indifferently, “You figured out my intention, yet you’re not planning to flee?”

Zhou Qian laughed. “Why should I? You aren’t attacking me now.”

Situ Qing frowned and stayed silent. Zhou Qian continued, “Killing us might be easy for you. But, to throw two living people into two specific rooms to trick the bullets and do all this within 6 minutes… That’s tough.”

Situ Qing remained silent.

Buttoning up, Zhou Qian said, “See, you just admitted something: you are interested in the side quests. So… the person behind you forbids you to play them, right? You should really consider breaking free from his control. I can help.”

Situ Qing simply said, “Don’t try to sow discord between us.”

Zhou Qian responded sarcastically, “Last time I told you, he doesn’t want you to get stronger because he wants to control you.”

“Now, let me tell you another harsh truth. Generally, when someone wants to control you, it’s because you’re useful to him. But have you ever thought about what happens when you’re no longer useful? Will he abandon you or… kill you?

“Just like… you had to kill Lu Mengmeng because he was no longer of any use.”

“Zhou Qian, let me tell you once again—” Situ Qing’s voice became colder. “You don’t understand our relationship. Don’t be so presumptuous!”

Zhou Qian just chuckled and walked towards a room.

Just then, He Xiaowei came running.

He was shivering from the cold and looked dazed. But when he saw the frost on the door of Room 9, he realized something. After a terrified glance at Situ Qing, he quickly distanced himself from her and found Zhou Qian.

“What the hell is going on?” He Xiaowei asked in surprise.

Zhou Qian replied, “Situ Qing pushed Lu Mengmeng into room 9. So, it’s clear who harmed Gao Shan, right?”

“Heck, that’s scary. Why did she kill Lu Mengmeng? Why didn’t she harm you?”

“If she hurt me, who would help her clear the side quest?”

“So, what do we do now? Fuck, Room 9’s gun is short of a bullet. How are we going to handle this?”

“It’s simple,” Zhou Qian said. “Now, the lowest rank is Room 6. Rooms 7 and 8, which were safe rooms, are no longer safe and need to be entered.”

“We will go into Rooms 7 and 8 in turn, making each lose one bullet. Finally, we return the ‘S’ bullet, which was found under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, to Room 9.”

“You mean, you want to continue delaying and dodging bullets?” He Xiaowei asked uncertainly.

Zhou Qian sighed. “Ah, I ran out of mana.”

He Xiaowei exclaimed, “Fucking hell, what now?!”

Without speaking further, Zhou Qian quickly returned to the door of Room 12.

There were three dead bodies of the cleaners.

“You overlooked the NPCs provided by the game. Three NPCs began the game, and they can also end it. The only solution now is to manipulate these three bodies to enter the doors, using them to fire three bullets.”

“But, since Lu Mengmeng’s body already received one, we only need two now. So, Brother Xiaowei—”

Zhou Qian turned back to him. “Can your ability achieve this?”

There was one thing Zhou Qian was unsure about—whether the gunners would target bodies without vital signs.

If using bodies didn’t work, he would have to send his two dragons, both with his life signals, to cheat the bullets.

However, the actual situation showed that the bodies were indeed useful.

The game specifically set a scene where three cleaners ran back to the corridor before dying, instead of dying in their rooms directly, which seemed to have a hidden meaning.

Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei each carried a corpse and quickly ran to Rooms 7 and 8.

Immediately, He Xiaowei took out a guqin, raised his amusingly 八-shaped eyebrows at Zhou Qian, and then seriously looked towards the door of Room 7, saying, “Although my attack power isn’t high, I’m still a long-range attacker. Using the sound waves produced by the guqin, I can send corpses or bullets!”

He Xiaowei sat down cross-legged, holding up the instrument with one hand and plucking the strings with the other. As he played, the sound flowed, and an invisible soundwave instantly burst from the strings. A cleaner’s corpse was lifted by the sound wave and crashed straight into Room 7.

“Bang!” The corpse successfully drew a bullet.

Overjoyed, He Xiaowei used the same technique to send another corpse into room 8. In this way, rooms 7 and 8 each had one less bullet.

Up to now, on the entire abstract turntable, Rooms 12, 1, 2, 6, 9, 7, and 8 had each lost a bullet. Rooms 12 and 6, 1 and 7, 2 and 8 could, respectively, form three diameters. They were all lightened by the weight of one bullet, and their effects on the entire turntable canceled each other out. The only point that truly affected the imbalance of the turntable was now Room 9.

Room 9 was missing a bullet, making the center of gravity of the turntable at point 3. Just returning one bullet to point 9 will balance the turntable.

He Xiaowei took the bullet from Zhou Qian, plucked the string, and the bullet rose into the air, about to be sent into room 9.

Zhou Qian reminded him, “Remember the position I told you about? You must hit the shooter.”

Zhou Qian had already experimented; no matter what weight was added to the room, whether it was a corpse, a bullet, or even heavy weights, it didn’t affect the turntable. The only thing that could be abstracted into the turntable model, creating a “position” change, was the 12 gunmen themselves. Zhou Qian also found that anything that tried to stick or got added to the gunman’s body would fall off. Even strong adhesive didn’t work. According to the logic of this level, the only thing the gunman would accept is a bullet.

The difficulty of this level lay in finding an abstract model, analyzing from which rooms to cheat out bullets, and deciding which room should receive the bullet back. Without any additional information, the game shouldn’t make returning the bullet itself a new challenge. Therefore, as long as the bullet was shot back at the shooter, it should be enough.

The only premise was… He Xiaowei, who hadn’t entered the room, didn’t know the shooter’s location and was separated by a door panel. Could he accurately shoot the bullet based on Zhou Qian’s description and drawings?

“Come, He Xiaowei, look at my drawing again. You must aim accurately.”

When Zhou Qian’s voice came, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but glance at him, meeting his extremely serious gaze. He Xiaowei couldn’t help but complain, “Damn, you look like a teacher checking my homework! I graduated years ago. Stop it!”

Zhou Qian glared at him. “Hurry up, be quick and accurate!”

“Oh, I got it! Your gaze is murderous.”

He Xiaowei quickly plucked the strings, using the sound wave to send the bullet towards Room 9. The bullet, under the effect of the sound wave, pierced through the door, leaving a small hole, and continued into the room.

Then, without He Xiaowei needing to aim, the shooter inside opened his hands and directly caught the bullet.

[Side Quest ‘Checks and Balance’ Completion: 50%.]

[The 12 shooters’ ranks have been balanced. They cannot shoot to kill.]

[Hint: There are only three minutes left before the end of the level.]

Seeing the system’s message, He Xiaowei immediately started laughing, holding his guqin.

“Hahaha, great! We just need to quickly find the 12 pieces of evidence, and we can pass the level!”

“Yes. Remember what I said? The evidence is near the shooters. Once inside, don’t waste time elsewhere. Go straight to the shooter,” Zhou Qian said. “I’ll start from the left of room 9, you start from the right. We’ll split up.”

“Got it!” After saying this, He Xiaowei directly rushed into Room 10. The evidence from Rooms 7 and 8 had already been collected, which were two bullets marked with “7”, so Zhou Qian headed straight to Room 6.

At that moment, a girl suddenly appeared, blocking his path. It was Yun Xiangrong. Raising her flute, she said to Zhou Qian, “Give me the Tick Tock Clock. I need to save Gao Shan. If you don’t give it to me, I will temporarily join forces with Situ Qing and take it from your corpse. Right now, reviving Gao Shan is more important to me than revenge.”

Yun Xiangrong’s words had just fallen when an icy chill came over once again.

Approaching Zhou Qian step by step was Situ Qing.

Raising the bell in her hand, she said to Zhou Qian, “You were right earlier. When I killed Lu Mengmeng, I didn’t strike at you at the same time. There’s a reason for that. If I killed you, who would help me complete the side quest?”

“Whether or not I’m interested in the side quest, the opportunity to complete it is now right in front of me. Why wouldn’t I take it?”

“Zhou Qian, you’ve completed your task. You can die now.”

“I can kill you in just 30 seconds. The remaining two and a half minutes will be enough for me to gather all the clues.”

“Initially, I thought it would be better not to kill you directly in front of other teammates and instead quietly use the instance trap. But now… I think I should deal with you earlier, especially when you’re out of mana.”

“Perhaps you’re thinking of using that pill of yours to immobilize me? Fortunately, that gambler named Zhu Qiang informed me about it in advance. In fact, with such tools, as long as I’m prepared in advance and don’t hear your command, I can totally evade its effects.”

Taking out two items resembling earplugs, Situ Qing promptly plugged her ears. Then she raised her bell towards Zhou Qian.

“Zhou Qian, you can’t escape.”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 24

In the corridor, in the thick fog, in front of Room 8.

Zhou Qian’s words seemed to completely baffle He Xiaowei. “What the hell does this mean? What do you mean by going to an unsafe room to find a gunman to shoot… No, Zhou Qian, explain yourself.”

[The lowest ranked cannot be kill!]

[Balance of power is the only solution!]

Zhou Qian took out the hints he got from the photos and showed them to everyone. “The keywords in these two hints are ‘ranked’ and ‘balance’… Do you remember the name of this side quest?”

He Xiaowei immediately replied. “I do! It’s called ‘Checks and Balances’!”

“Right, so when the rank of the gunman changes and their power becomes unbalanced, killing ensues. The key to cracking this mission is actually already given to us in the title—balance, to restore the rank of the 12 gunmen to equilibrium.”

Zhou Qian said, “I suspect that at the beginning, the rank of the 12 gunmen was balanced. Do you remember how the first cleaner died? She wore a military uniform with a ‘7’ on it. Why would the game designer intentionally design a plot point about stealing a military uniform? There must be a deeper purpose.”

He Xiaowei seemed to have an epiphany. “Let’s assume that the military unit where Jiang Yuqing belonged is called Unit 7; then these gunmen belong to the S Unit. So, 7 and S might be opposing forces? Therefore… seeing a uniform from Unit 7 triggered the gunfire?”

“Exactly,” Zhou Qian said. “I believe that’s the case. If we had randomly entered any of those 12 rooms at the beginning, probably no one would have been shot. The first cleaner was killed because she wore a uniform with ‘7’, which was an intentional plot point. That uniform triggered the hatred of Unit S and brought the first bullet. From then on, the ranks of the 12 gunmen became unbalanced, and the killings began. Hence—”

Zhou Qian concluded, “The 12 gunmen of Unit S were originally in some kind of balanced state. The first cleaner’s death, based on the hidden plot of S opposing 7, led to the shooting, disrupting the original balance. Subsequently, every time a gunman fires a bullet, the rank of the 12 gunmen changes.”

“After the third cleaner went into rooms 6 and 7 and found them safe, he was killed in room 2. After that, I went into room 7 without any issues, but Gao Shan was killed in room 6. This is because the bullet from room 2 that killed the third cleaner changed the rank of all the gunmen. Now, we need to restore the balance of the 12 gunmen. Only then will all 12 rooms be safe. We can freely enter all rooms and gather the so-called ‘evidence’.”

Beside them, Lu Mengmeng couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, “If shooting disrupts the balance, and S and 7 are opposing forces, can we infer that if a gunman from Unit S kills someone from Unit 7, they gain merit and improve their rank?”

Zhou Qian bluntly replied, “Absolutely not.”

Lu Mengmeng realized his mistake. “Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. After the first death, the shooter in room 12 should have gained the highest rank, making the shooters in rooms 1 to 11 the lowest in rank. Thus, they shouldn’t be able to shoot, and there shouldn’t be subsequent shootings. My hypothesis is flawed.”

Zhou Qian glanced at him and said, “Even so, your guess has its basis. It just doesn’t align with reality, so we have to rule it out. In fact, the game doesn’t provide us with any narrative clues as to why ‘shooting’ would change a gunman’s ‘rank’. From the narrative’s perspective, we have no way to find a solution.”

What exactly is Unit S? What is Unit 7? Who is Jiang Yuqing? What happened between Unit 7 and Unit S? The players were completely in the dark, with no clues to tell them regarding the story of that time.

He Xiaowei pondered over it, increasingly frustrated. “There’s no clue at all! How are we supposed to figure this out?!”

Zhou Qian replied, “If we can’t deduce from the plot, then we won’t. Because the solution is probably unrelated to the story itself.”

He Xiaowei sighed in despair. “I just don’t get it.”

Zhou Qian suddenly changed the subject and said, “After I entered Room 8 just now, I quickly found the evidence. Its location was almost identical to the evidence in Room 7, both near the gunman. The reason I took some time to come out was that I was conducting an experiment.”

“What experiment?” He Xiaowei asked.

“I teased the gunman,” Zhou Qian laughed.

He Xiaowei: ???

Wow, bro, you’re badass.

A moment ago, Zhou Qian entered Room 8.

No gunshots were heard within three seconds. Once again, Zhou Qian noticed that the gunman in front of him had lowered his gun. At that moment, Zhou Qian realized that the position of this gunman was exactly the same as the one in Room 7.

Zhou Qian stepped forward and looked closely at the gunman.

He had no facial features—just a shadowy figure blurred in the mist, and it was the same size as the one in Room 7.

“Can you see me?” Zhou Qian asked.

The shadowy gunman did not respond.

Crouching down and reaching out, Zhou Qian grasped the gunman’s gun.

Yet, the gunman remained unresponsive.

Then, Zhou Qian tried to pull the gun away but found he couldn’t.

Seems like the level has set it so that the gunman’s position can’t be changed and his gun can’t be taken by the player.

This setting undoubtedly reinforced Zhou Qian’s speculation about the “pattern”.

Zhou Qian took out his bone prop and placed it on the gunman’s shoulder. As soon as it touched the gunman, it fell off, and Zhou Qian caught it immediately.

After some thought, Zhou Qian opened the trade window, buying a universal adhesive and a weight. He then applied the adhesive to the weight and tried sticking it to the gunman’s shoulder. But the adhesive didn’t work, and both items instantly fell to the ground.

Having observed all this, Zhou Qian left Room 8 and returned to the corridor.

At this moment, He Xiaowei was utterly baffled by Zhou Qian’s account. “Bro, I don’t get it!”

Zhou Qian explained, “My experiment shows that in this level’s setup, we can’t increase the weight of the gunman but can increase the room’s weight. This indicates that the weight of the gunman is crucial to the game and cannot be altered, but the room doesn’t matter.

“Therefore, the change in ‘rank’ is related to the gunman and has nothing to do with the room.”

He Xiaowei: “So…”

Zhou Qian: “When playing a game, facing certain levels, if the plot doesn’t provide clues, we need to change our thinking. Shooting leads to a change in the rank of the 12 gunmen. Without plot clues, we’ll take another approach—abstract the 12 gunmen.”

He Xiaowei was utterly perplexed. “Abstract? What do you mean?”

Zhou Qian took out a blank piece of paper, drew a circle, and marked it with 12 numbers like a clock.

“The word ‘rank’ has been given too many meanings by us, such as power, merit, wealth… But sometimes, we often overlook the most basic meaning of the word.

“Have you ever thought that at this level, the meaning of ‘rank’ might be straightforward? For instance, whoever stands at the lowest point has the lowest rank.”

As he spoke, Zhou Qian suddenly asked He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng. “Have you ever played roulette?”

“Ah… Ah!” He Xiaowei seemed to have a vague realization but couldn’t grasp the key point yet.

Zhou Qian continued, “We abstract the 12 gunmen, imagining them as 12 bullet holes on a roulette turntable. Let’s assume each hole contains an equal number of bullets—let’s say 10 in each hole.

“At first, the turntable is horizontal, with the bullet holes evenly distributed. At this time, the turntable is ‘balanced’, meaning all gunmen are at the same level.

“The center of gravity of this turntable is Room 701, located right at the center.”

In the midst of He Xiaowei’s gaze, interwoven with shock and excitement, Zhou Qian uttered the idea that was slowly forming in He Xiaowei’s mind. “The balance of the horizontal turntable has been disrupted by the cleaner in military uniform. She attracted the shot from Gunman No. 12, causing one less bullet in the bullet hole at 12 o’clock. From then on, the horizontal turntable tilted and spun… When it finally stopped, which point would it be at the bottom?”

Lu Mengmeng took over. “6 o’clock! There are only 9 bullets left at 12 o’clock, it becomes lighter, but the other 11 points are equally heavy; all still have 10 bullets… So, if the turntable is viewed as a whole, its center of gravity will be at the 6 o’clock position! Turn this turntable… It will definitely fall to 6 o’clock in the end, so the position of 6 o’clock is the lowest!”

The sensation of cracking a tough problem excited him. At this moment, his voice was much louder than a mosquito’s, and he seemed to completely forget that he had killed someone not long ago.

Zhou Qian glanced at him and said calmly, “With one less bullet at 12 o’clock, the turntable’s center of gravity shifts to 6 o’clock. 6 o’clock becomes the lowest point, which is what is meant by the ‘lowest rank’ in the literal sense. At this point, the gunman at 6 o’clock should not fire, and room 6 is safe.

“Then, the second cleaner entered Room 1 and died. The bullet hole at the 1 o’clock position also lost a bullet. Thus, 12 and 1 both reduced the weight by a bullet, and the turntable’s center of gravity shifted again, falling between 6 and 7.

“As a result, at that time, both 6 and 7 had the lowest rank and were on the same horizontal line. So, rooms 6 and 7 are safe. The third cleaner entered these two rooms and was not killed. But he was killed when he entered room 2.”

For some reason, He Xiaowei felt a shudder down his soul, repeatedly murmuring, “Holy crap… Holy crap? Holy crap!!”

At this moment, the delicate footsteps of a girl approached from the distant corridor. Zhou Qian squinted slightly but continued talking. “After the third cleaner died, the 2 o’clock point was lightened by one bullet. Now, 12, 1, and 2 all reduce the weight of one bullet. The focal point of the turntable falls on point 7. Therefore, Room 6 is no longer safe. Only Room 7 is safe.”

As the footsteps grew closer, Zhou Qian’s narration did not pause. “For this reason, I entered Room 7 and was unharmed, while Gao Shan entered Room 6 and died.”

“With Gao Shan’s death, the bullet hole at the 6 o’clock point lost one bullet. The overall center of gravity of the turntable changed again.”

“At this moment, in this abstract turntable composed of 12 gunmen, the center of gravity is between 7 and 8. Both 7 and 8 have the lowest rank, so both rooms are safe.”

By now, He Xiaowei had fully grasped the situation. Currently, points 12, 1, 2, and 7 all had a reduced weight of one bullet, making them lighter than the other eight points, causing the turntable to be imbalanced. To make every room safe, players need to restore the center of gravity of the turntable to the center position—that was, room 701. Only then could all 12 points possibly return to the same level.

However, a new problem arose. How could the turntable’s center of gravity be restored to the center? With four rooms each missing a bullet, should they go to the remaining eight rooms one by one? If this was the case, probably no one except a nine-lived cat demon could pass this level.

Should they just give up on this side quest?

As he pondered, He Xiaowei took the pen and paper from Zhou Qian’s hand and began to deduce, but he remained puzzled. “I graduated from high school so many years ago… This is a physics mechanics problem, right? Isn’t it about torque balance? I can’t solve it! Besides letting eight more people die, I can’t find a way to clear the level.”

Lu Mengmeng seemed to understand something. “Actually, we don’t need to do specific calculations. We just need to find symmetry points. Look… currently, points 12, 1, 2, and 6 are light, right? Let’s look at it symmetrically. Points 12 and 6 are two points on the diameter of the circle and have a center-symmetry relationship. So…”

“Both of these points have one less bullet, so their effects on the turntable actually cancel each other out.

“In this case, we can temporarily ignore points 12 and 6 and just consider 1 and 2. With 1 and 2 reduced in weight, the overall center of gravity will shift to their center-symmetric points, 7 and 8, making 7 and 8 the safe rooms…”

Eyes shining slightly, Lu Mengmeng said, “So, to restore balance to the turntable, we just need to get the gunmen in rooms 7 and 8 to each fire a bullet, right? Then the whole turntable will be balanced!”

He Xiaowei shook his head emphatically. “That’s the contradiction! We can’t get these two gunmen to fire. They are at the lowest position now. How can they shoot? We can only run once in each of the other rooms… You’d need the nine lives of a cat to clear this!”

“If you can’t cheat a bullet out of the safe room… then this problem has no solution! Even if you had nine lives, you couldn’t solve it.” Lu Mengmeng took He Xiaowei’s draft paper, connected 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, 11 o’clock to 5 o’clock… and so on, drawing a total of six diameters across the circle.

“Even if you won’t get shot and can keep going to the unsafe rooms to get the gunmen to fire and reduce bullets, there will always be one remaining at the center of gravity—the lowest safe point. To balance the turntable, you have to get the lowest-status safe room to lose a bullet. But at that moment, the gunman wouldn’t fire… This contradiction will always exist!”

Lu Mengmeng was out of ideas, and his brows furrowed in frustration. Beside him, He Xiaowei suddenly became excited. “No! I’ve got it! I’ve found a way!”

Looking at Zhou Qian, he said smugly, “Not long ago, you said your solution was to go to the unsafe rooms and get shot, right? You were wrong! I’ve thought of the real solution!”

He Xiaowei’s eyes were so red with excitement. “You all forgot something. Although the gunmen can’t shoot when they’re at their lowest rank… there’s an exception! The exception is that ‘7’ uniform! We’ve already figured out that as long as Rooms 7 and 8 each lose a bullet, we can clear the stage! But how can we get the gunmen to fire in a safe room? Hahaha, of course, by wearing that uniform!”

Contrasting with He Xiaowei’s excitement, Lu Mengmeng’s voice trembled slightly. “So… we just need to wear the uniform to enter these two rooms and lure the gunmen to fire to clear the level? But who will go? Does this mean… to clear the level, we have to sacrifice two players?”

Lu Mengmeng’s words, like a bucket of cold water, doused He Xiaowei’s enthusiasm.

He was stunned. Indeed, do they have to sacrifice two people to clear the level?

Beside them, a thickening fog slid past Zhou Qian’s cold, beautiful eyes. He quietly watched He Xiaowei without saying anything, waiting for his answer.

After a moment, He Xiaowei sat on the ground with a sigh. “That won’t work… Let’s give up this side quest. We’ve already lost one player. How can we let more die? This level is so hard; the rewards must be significant… but no matter what, we can’t sacrifice our teammates. I have principles…”

Hearing this answer, the corner of Zhou Qian’s mouth twitched. After a pause, he finally spoke, further disappointing the already disheartened He Xiaowei. He said, “You’re wrong. The uniform can no longer trick bullets out. The blood on the corpse has completely covered that ‘7’. This was deliberately done by the game designer to block that solution. I guess the bloodstains are also hard to wash off completely. Otherwise, the solution would be too simple. Try it if you don’t believe me.”

“Damn it, I’ll try.”

Feeling defeated by Zhou Qian’s rebuttal, He Xiaowei was a bit unconvinced. But as he got up from the ground to try and take the uniform from the body, he stopped.

“Damn, why would I try? If I really tried, I’d be the one sacrificed! Zhou Qian, you must be tricking me!”

“I’m not tricking you. That solution will absolutely not work, so you’re definitely safe. I found a bullet marked ‘S’ under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, and that’s the real solution to clearing the level. Now, let me tell you the answer.”

Zhou Qian said, “The method you were thinking of was to trick the gunman in the lowest safe room to fire, reducing its weight to balance with other points. But there’s another way, and that’s to give the bullet back to the gunman across from it, who is one bullet heavier.”

“We assume that the last remaining safe point is 10, and its corresponding point is 4. In other words, points 4 and 10 are centrally symmetrical. Connecting these two points results in a diameter passing through the center of the circle.”

“At this moment, except for points 4 and 10, the other points are balanced. The remaining pairs of centrally symmetric points, when connected by their diameters, have their center of mass back at the circle’s center. So, we only need to balance points 4 and 10 to restore the equilibrium of the entire turntable.”

“Now, the lowest point on this turntable is point 10, because it has one more bullet than point 4. Therefore, if we return a bullet to point 4, the problem will be solved.”

“Of course, the bullet found on the corpse is not usable. I’ve checked. The cartridge has separated and is severely damaged; some small fragments are nowhere to be found. We can’t piece them together into a complete bullet and give it back to the gunmen. Fortunately, I found this intact S bullet under Jiang Yuqing’s pillow.” With a faint smile, Zhou Qian held up the bullet in his hand. “We just need to return it.”

Even though He Xiaowei was rugged, at this moment he looked into Zhou Qian’s eyes, almost sparkling.

For an instant, in his eyes, Zhou Qian’s figure seemed to grow immensely tall, shining brilliantly as if radiating a holy light.

But a few seconds later, the light in He Xiaowei’s eyes dimmed.

It was because Lu Mengmeng made another discouraging remark, “So, your method indeed works, but…”

“But now Rooms 7 and 8 are equally low! To balance them, we need to return a bullet each to their opposite points, Rooms 1 and 2! But we don’t have two bullets; we only have one S bullet!”

“We… We still need to make adjustments and go to other rooms to continuously dodge bullets until there’s only one room left as the center of mass. But this means… we still have to sacrifice many people!”

It seemed Zhou Qian didn’t hear Lu Mengmeng. He just said, “I’ve already calculated it.”

Taking back the paper he initially drew the turntable on, Zhou Qian quickly wrote down the solution.

[The first step is to enter Room 4, let the gunman in Room 4 shoot, decreasing the mass at point 4. The center of mass will then be between points 8 and 9, leaning towards 8, making Room 8 the only safe one.]

[The second step, enter Room 7, and the center of mass shifts to point 9.]

[The third step, enter Room 8, and the center of mass moves to point 10.]

Zhou Qian explained, “After these three steps, that is. After the gunmen in rooms 4, 7, and 8 each shoot a bullet, the remaining diameters will all be balanced, returning to the center, room 701, except for the diameter connecting points 4 and 10.”

“At this time, the turntable’s center of mass is at point 10. Returning the bullet to the gunman at point 4, opposite point 10, will allow us to pass.”

He smiled and concluded, “In summary, we just need to enter rooms 4, 7, and 8, have each of the three gunmen shoot once, and then return one bullet to the gunman in room 4. Of course, when returning the bullet, some skill is needed. Xiaowei, what’s your skill? Can you remotely return the bullet to the gunman without opening the door?”

He Xiaowei’s expression transitioned from confused to stunned to shocked.

He then said, “Wait, never mind my skill for a moment. Your method… doesn’t that still mean three people will die?! What the hell?!”

“Brother Zhou Qian… sacrificing me, Situ Qing, and Lu Mengmeng, so you can return the bullet to the gunman in room 4, right? We three are just stepping stones for your success, aren’t we? Look, Gao Shan is dead, and you win the beauty? Fuck, Zhou Qian, are you trying to be the biggest winner here?”

“Oh.” Zhou Qian seriously pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Good idea!”

He Xiaowei: “…”

Zhou Qian then shook his head. “But I won’t let you guys die. We still have the main quest ahead. I’ll need you.”

He Xiaowei: “…”

Giving He Xiaowei an up-and-down look, Zhou Qian said earnestly, “Also, I don’t seem to like girls.”

He Xiaowei took a step back. “Could it be that you…”

Zhou Qian quickly interjected, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”

He Xiaowei: “What do you mean? I think I look okay. I was once considered the most handsome guy in our department!”

Zhou Qian, surprised, said, “Really? You rated yourself that way?”

He Xiaowei: “………”

“Let’s get back to business. I want to clear this, but I don’t need to sacrifice any of you.”

Zhou Qian held up the [Rib of God] and approached Room 4. “My weapon has the power to slow down time.”

“The bullets are fatal in one shot because the shooter is accurate and ruthless. A bullet that directly hits the heart can’t be stopped by any defense, no matter how strong. Its speed is so fast that at our current level, no one can escape. But what if—I slow down time?”

Did Zhou Qian intend… to slow down time and thereby reduce the bullet’s speed to dodge its attack?

He Xiaowei was a bit stunned.

He immediately said, “But it’s still very risky! Even if you slow down time, there’s no guarantee you can dodge it. Didn’t the level description say the bullet has a 100% hit rate? What if it’s programmed to always hit you?”

“Moreover, even if you can successfully dodge, your powerful skill must have a cooldown and consume a lot of mana, right? Can you enter three rooms and use it three times?”

“That’s why, Brother Xiaowei, I need your help,” Zhou Qian began. “Regarding your first point, I’m not sure if it’ll work; I have to try.”

“Look at the trade box and remember to approve. My friend gave me the [Tick Tock Clock]. Then I’ll trade it to you. If I die, you can use it to revive me. Of course, this would mean my method isn’t viable. We might have to give up this side quest.”

“On the other hand, if my test is successful, then I can definitely dodge the bullets from the other two rooms in the same way. Don’t worry about my skill limitations. The Rib of God I have was awarded for an ultimate hidden achievement. It’s a rare gift from the gods and extremely powerful. It does consume mana, but just enough to use it three times in three rooms.”

Without wasting any more time, Zhou Qian walked towards Room 4.

Suddenly, a voice stopped him.

It was Yun Xiangrong, her voice shaky and tearful. “Zhou Qian, wait.”

Zhou Qian halted but didn’t turn around. In that moment, he seemed to guess what Yun Xiangrong would say. But with his back turned, no one could see his expression.

“If the ‘bullet hit rate is 100%’ is a compulsory setting for the level, then going into Room 4 now will be a waste of the Tick Tock Clock. This hidden achievement is optional. There are countless other levels waiting for you.”

“But Gao Shan only has one life!”

“I just tried contacting Qi Liuxing but couldn’t. Since he gave you the Tick Tock Clock…”

“I hope you use it to save Gao Shan. I beg you.”

As she spoke, Yun Xiangrong kneeled down, tears streaming down her youthful face. Her plea for her lost boyfriend touched everyone.

Especially He Xiaowei, who approached Zhou Qian. “Forget it. I can give up the hidden achievement. Just… save her boyfriend! And about that transaction, I haven’t—”

Zhou Qian cut him off, whispering in his ear, “Watch over Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong for me.”

Without further delay, Zhou Qian was about to push the door open.

He Xiaowei reached out in a desperate attempt to stop him. “Wait, you—”

But his voice was drowned out by another piercing scream—

“Zhou Qian—!!!”

Yun Xiangrong, who had never raised her voice, shouted with all her might.

But it was in vain.

With tears in her eyes, she watched Zhou Qian, who seemed ready to push the door open. Her eyes, swollen from crying and filled with hope, hurt immensely. It seemed as if her vision was clouded by blood. As her anguish reached its peak, it appeared as though her eyes were bleeding.

The blood-red haze spread, painting everything in its hue, until her vision narrowed down to Zhou Qian’s resolute back.

He never looked back.

“Zhou Qian… I hate you. I’ll hate you for the rest of my life. You’d better kill me. Let me die with Shan Ge. Otherwise, I swear. I’ll never let you go in this life. I’ll kill you!”

“It’s a pity, Yun Xiangrong. You should know that in life, things often don’t go as planned.”

After Zhou Qian finished this sentence, in Yun Xiangrong’s eyes, his action of pushing the door became infinitely slow.

That was because he activated his skill, slowing down the flow of time.

At the same moment, outside the game, in front of a phone screen.

Yu Xian became very excited because Zhou Qian was incredibly strong. He found the sensation of effortlessly winning delightful.

However, Zhu Qiang’s face suddenly turned a bit pale.

His voice somewhat parched, he said, “Lao Yu… I can’t see the description of Qian Ge’s skill. What’s going on with that time skill of his?”

Yu Xian replied, “Ah, the mana consumption of his skill is related to how much power he wants to exert. The greater the power, the faster the mana is consumed. Like when Gao Shan died earlier, Qian Ge almost made time stop completely. At that level, his mana consumption was massive! But if he just slightly slows down time, then the mana consumed will be less.”

“This skill comes with his weapon and isn’t one of his personal skills, so there isn’t much of a cooldown limitation. But then again, if he wants to maximize the power of this skill, he’ll nearly deplete all his mana. Given that, there’s actually no need to limit the cooldown… After all, if he runs out of mana, he can’t use the skill… Oh shit—!!”

“Eh?!! I just checked, and Qian Ge only has 30% of his mana left. That’s not enough to use his time-slowing skill three more times! What is he trying to do?”

Zhou Qian only had 30% mana, and it was still decreasing. If he wanted to clear the game using his stated method, he would have to enter three rooms and slow down time three times.

But given the rate at which his skill consumed mana, he simply couldn’t achieve that.

Yu Xian was stunned. “What the hell is Qian Ge trying to do? Is he tricking everyone again and pulling some strange move? This is so weird…”

“Eh, Qiang Ge? Why aren’t you speaking? Hey, why are you running to the bathroom? Do you also have diarrhea?!”

Zhu Qiang, while rushing to the bathroom, shouted back, “There was something wrong with today’s hot pot! I feel terrible… I need to go for a bit!”

Upon reaching the bathroom, Zhu Qiang quickly took out his phone and, with a trembling voice, reported Zhou Qian’s current situation to a mysterious man on the other end.

A few seconds later, inside the game, Situ Qing glanced downward and saw a message from the gambler.

But due to the slowed-down time, every word on the system panel appeared extremely slow.

So she watched the message appear, word by word: [Beware of Zhou Qian. He might be planning to kill Lu Mengmeng.]

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 23

Time resumed its flow, and the lingering frost in the air brought a cold chill.

Zhou Qian felt the fog in front of him thicken. He could see a silhouette weaving through the fog. Pushing him aside, it rushed directly towards the body on the ground.

It was Yun Xiangrong, tightly hugging Gao Shan’s body. She must be in utter despair and sadness now, but due to the fog, Zhou Qian couldn’t discern her expression.

Putting away the bone in his hand, Zhou Qian stood up and said to Yun Xiangrong in a very indifferent tone, “Time is of the essence. You can cry for five minutes. After that, please move aside. I need to extract the bullet from his body to see if there’s an ‘S’ engraved on it.”

He Xiaowei, standing nearby, found this comment utterly absurd. He couldn’t help but rush over and say, “Dude, are you out of your mind?”

“He’s already dead. The body is of no use now,” Zhou Qian responded. “For the smooth progress of our mission, I need to verify the bullet in his body.”

“It’s impossible.” Yun Xiangrong’s voice trembled. Crouching down, holding Gao Shan’s hand, she didn’t even look at Zhou Qian. “If you dare touch Shan Ge, I swear I’ll go all out against you. I’m contacting Qi Liuxing right now. He… He will bring the clock. Shan Ge will be revived; he’s not dead… He’ll wake up soon! Stay away from him! I won’t allow you to touch him!”

“Actually, you should be more rational. In this game, you can use gold coins to exchange for what you want, right? So you can totally revive him. Now that he’s dead and useless, if you clear the level faster, you can revive him sooner. You should make full use of his body.” Zhou Qian crouched next to Yun Xiangrong, unexpectedly pulling out a small knife and attempting to make an incision on Gao Shan’s body.

Yun Xiangrong swiftly pushed him away, angrily slapped him across the face, and then grabbed him by the collar, glaring fiercely. From this close proximity, Zhou Qian could clearly see the redness and bloodshot eyes. Her hands were shaking, and her voice was trembling to the extreme. “If you dare harm a hair on his body, I swear, I’ll make your life a living hell!”

The fog thickened so much that Zhou Qian couldn’t even clearly see Yun Xiangrong’s reddened eyes anymore. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly. Room 6, which had witnessed Gao Shan’s death, was slowly drifting away from him.

At this moment, facing Yun Xiangrong, Zhou Qian turned his head slightly, constantly glancing behind. A swift shadow moved through the fog without making a sound. After being pushed away by Yun Xiangrong, Zhou Qian stepped back several paces, stopping only when his back hit the wall beside Room 6.

Pretending to glance unintentionally, he noticed that the room number had changed back to “6”.

Everything he said to provoke Yun Xiangrong was deliberate. Their argument, combined with He Xiaowei’s intervention, provided the perfect opportunity for Lu Mengmeng to switch back the room number.

Zhou Qian quickly looked away, acting as if he knew nothing, his attention seemingly still on Gao Shan’s body. His tone was cold and mocking. “Honestly, Yun Xiangrong, there’s no need for you to be so upset. Why did Gao Shan go to Room 6? The game’s clues clearly indicated one thing—the safe room isn’t constant. If he couldn’t figure that out, it’s his own foolishness to blame.”

As Zhou Qian continued, He Xiaowei couldn’t bear it any longer. “Dude, are you messed up? It’s a life we’re talking about. Why are you saying such things, especially in front of his girlfriend—”

Interrupting Zhou Qian, Situ Qing stepped forward, her voice raised due to the fog, “Interesting. I think you’re the one who got Gao Shan killed. And now you even want to touch his body.”

This statement made He Xiaowei recoil in fear. He immediately stepped back, distancing himself from Zhou Qian. “What do you mean? Why is Zhou Qian responsible for Gao Shan’s death?”

Situ Qing said, “Because Zhou Qian came out of room 7 very early, but he has been hiding and not making any sound. I guess he indeed found some patterns, confirming that room 7 is safe. However, he’s not sure if his pattern is valid, so he needed someone to test it.”

“After he came out of Room 7… No, we don’t even know if he ever went into Room 7. He might have pretended to enter Room 7, but he never did. We can’t confirm this. This thick fog makes it really convenient for him to hide.”

“Anyway, when we called him, we didn’t hear his voice. We thought he was in Room 7, but he wasn’t. He was hiding in the corridor, watching us like a lurking killer. But he couldn’t escape my sight. So I used my skill on him.”

He Xiaowei immediately said, “Hiss! No wonder I felt like it was snowing.”

Situ Qing continued, “When I found out he wasn’t in Room 7 but in the corridor, I guessed his malicious intentions.”

“That’s why I used my skill on him—to force him out of hiding. Once he ran, he would definitely be exposed, and he couldn’t continue lying in front of everyone.”

“I used my skill only to expose him, but… I don’t know why Gao Shan ran into Room 6. Anyway… He might have been influenced by Zhou Qian, thinking that if 7 is safe, then 6 is definitely too.”

What Situ Qing said didn’t deceive Yun Xiangrong. She probably didn’t intend to deceive her.

She revealed her murderous intent early on, even deliberately attracting Yun Xiangrong’s attention. From the beginning, her plan was to attract all the guards and hatred, letting Lu Mengmeng deceive them in the dark.

They just didn’t succeed and changed their strategy halfway through.

Since Situ Qing couldn’t deceive Yun Xiangrong, she had two main reasons for saying such things:

First, she wanted He Xiaowei to doubt Zhou Qian and not form an alliance with him.

Second, she bore all the hatred, not exposing Lu Mengmeng and letting Zhou Qian believe that she was his only enemy.

So, on one side were Situ Qing, Lu Mengmeng, and He Xiaowei; on the other side were Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong.

In her eyes, it was at least a three against two situation.

Of course, through Zhou Qian’s deliberate creation of conflicts, Situ Qing now believed that Zhou Qian and Yun Xiangrong probably wouldn’t form an alliance.

Zhou Qian was happy to let her continue thinking this way, hoping she would think even Yun Xiangrong would turn against her, making it four against one.

Zhou Qian pretended not to know that Lu Mengmeng had exchanged the numbers. He didn’t seem to mind being accused by Situ Qing at all. He didn’t even bother to defend himself and just stood there arrogantly.

He walked up to Situ Qing and looked at her contemptuously. “There are only 35 minutes left for this level. Do you want to waste time playing murder mystery, pointing fingers at each other over who killed Gao Shan, or focus on clearing the level?”

“I’ve said it, I’m not interested in the side quests.” Situ Qing replied coldly.

“Really? But I don’t believe…” Zhou Qian stared into her eyes, trying to peer into her soul. “Everyone here has a wish, but who could fulfill it? Have you ever doubted that a god created this game? Have you thought that only by digging through the hidden achievements of each instance can you get closer to him? For instance…”

Lifting his hand, Zhou Qian showed off the Rib of God he had.

Flaunting the bone, Zhou Qian said, “Even if we don’t talk about such mysterious things. You shouldn’t ignore side quests and hidden achievements. Just for the experience points, what you can get from hidden achievements is not comparable to quickly completing the main quest. You might not match one hidden achievement even after completing 20 normal instances. Not to mention the special rare skills, items, and lots of gold that can be obtained through side quests. So, if someone suggests you only play the main quest…”

With malicious intent in his eyes, Zhou Qian sneered at Situ Qing, “Have you ever thought that the person giving you this advice might just not want you to become stronger?”

“I once raised a cat. I wanted it to be smarter—even learn to use the toilet. But I didn’t want it to be too smart. Because if it was too smart, it might have its own thoughts, become disobedient, and not be controlled by me.”

When Zhou Qian finished saying this, Situ Qing’s face turned pale.

Seeing her expression, Zhou Qian laughed. He knew he had probably guessed right.

From the moment they entered Room 701, when they tried to talk to Jiang Yuqing, Situ Qing stood by the window without speaking, just occasionally glancing at her watch. When they tried to find clues from the photos, Situ Qing stood outside the door, still occasionally glancing at her watch, then suddenly said she didn’t care about the side quest at all…

Furthermore, looking at her personal situation, she had a strong ability to act, but her intelligence and strategies were clearly average. Under these circumstances, if she wanted to kill and took the smart approach, it could only be because she was being instructed by someone. She was like a gun, firing whenever she was pointed at.

Lastly, her seamless coordination with Lu Mengmeng was so perfect that even if they communicated privately through the system, it would be hard to achieve this effect. Because communication and discussion actually take time.

Judging from the incident of trying to kill Gao Shan, when their initial plan failed, they immediately switched strategies and collaborated on a second plan. One immediately used a bell to interfere with Gao Shan’s judgment of distance and pretended to target Zhou Qian, while the other stealthily swapped the room signs at the perfect moment…

It seemed more like they were both under the command of a third party, executing the orders without hesitation.

Since there were gamblers in this game who could send messages to the players, the one directing Situ Qing was likely her gambler.

Through probing, Zhou Qian realized that, unlike his relationship with Yu Xian, the relationship between Situ Qing and her gambler seemed unusual. The only thing Zhou Qian didn’t know was why Situ Qing’s gambler could also direct Lu Mengmeng simultaneously.

Due to the thick fog, Zhou Qian bent down, getting closer to Situ Qing. As she looked up, she saw his mesmerizing eyes. Zhou Qian whispered, “Birds in cages usually don’t end up well. He doesn’t want you to get stronger; why don’t you resist? Don’t you want to know what rewards we could get if we solve this side quest?”

Situ Qing took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was back to normal. “Zhou Qian, you might be too full of yourself and have misunderstood something. Things aren’t what you think.”

“Is that so?” Without saying anything more, Zhou Qian walked away, passing He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng.

Pretending to be oblivious to Lu Mengmeng’s actions, Zhou Qian said, “I don’t accept Situ Qing’s accusations. I also think she has no reason to kill Gao Shan or me. Perhaps the fog blurred her vision, causing her to mistake someone else’s shadow for mine and creating a misunderstanding. But I don’t have time to clear my name right now. I’ll prove it with my actions.”

“I wanted to examine the bullet in Gao Shan’s chest to understand the story behind this level and prepare for future ones. But that has nothing to do with the current puzzle. I’ve already found the solution and have the evidence from Room 7. I don’t need others to test it for me. So next, I’ll personally open another safe door.”

“It’s not easy to get into an instance with hidden achievements. So even if you have many judgments against me, why not wait until the end of the side quest?”

“Hey you…. You…” He Xiaowei pointed at Zhou Qian speechlessly. To him, both Situ Qing and Zhou Qian seemed to have valid points. Even if Zhou Qian was wrong and intentionally or unintentionally harmed Gao Shan, currently, only he knew how to clear the level.

He asked Situ Qing, “Do you know the pattern?”

Situ Qing didn’t answer. It seemed she didn’t know.

With a mocking tone, Zhou Qian laughed. “See, Situ Qing. Your clever gambler didn’t tell you the solution. He truly doesn’t want to see you grow stronger.”

Having said that, Zhou Qian headed towards a corridor. He Xiaowei quickly followed but kept his distance, as if fearing Zhou Qian might push him into a room.

However, Zhou Qian didn’t. He Xiaowei followed him to Room 8, watching as he swiftly entered. The door opened and closed, and Zhou Qian’s figure vanished. Three seconds later, no gunshot was heard.

At that moment, He Xiaowei, who had been nervously waiting outside, almost jumped in excitement. Zhou Qian seemed to have really found the pattern. With such a difficult level, there seemed to be hope, making He Xiaowei quite thrilled.

About three minutes later, Zhou Qian came out.

He said, “Both Room 7 and Room 8 hide a bullet with the number ‘7’ on it. This is the evidence we are looking for.”

“If I’ve guessed correctly, there are 12 rooms and 12 bullets with the number ‘7’ on them. If we gather them all, we’ll pass this level.”

“Which room should we go to next?” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Mengmeng followed closely behind, and his constant innocent act apparently didn’t arouse He Xiaowei’s suspicion.

He Xiaowei pulled Lu Mengmeng closer and said to Zhou Qian, “Bro, I now fully believe that you have figured out the pattern. We can help you. If we all search for the evidence together, it will be easier!”

“Do you really want to help me?” Zhou Qian looked at He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng as if he wanted confirmation.

“Of course!” He Xiaowei nodded emphatically.

Lu Mengmeng also nodded. “Who doesn’t want to clear the level? I’m willing.”

“Good. Because this level requires cooperation to complete. I can’t do it alone,” Zhou Qian said.

“How can we help? Which room is safe now?” He Xiaowei asked.

“At the moment, except for rooms 7 and 8, no room is safe,” Zhou Qian said. “But we’ve already found the bullets marked ‘7’ in these two rooms.”

He Xiaowei was taken aback. “What…?”

Zhou Qian suddenly said something that stunned He Xiaowei. “If we want to find other safe rooms, someone must first enter an unsafe room and let the gunman shoot.”

On the other side.

After watching the three men leave, Situ Qing remained still for a long time. A moment later, her gaze landed on Yun Xiangrong.

With a cold and ruthless expression, Situ Qing seemed to feel no remorse and wasn’t afraid of Yun Xiangrong seeking revenge.

However, Yun Xiangrong’s next move intrigued her.

In Situ Qing’s eyes, Yun Xiangrong was a gentle girl. She chose to practice healing arts for her boyfriend without considering any backup plan. In a situation like this, where she had lost her boyfriend, she should have been devastated, probably crying beside Gao Shan’s body until she passed out…

But to Situ Qing’s surprise, Yun Xiangrong stood up and headed in the direction Zhou Qian and the others had left.

As she watched Yun Xiangrong’s figure disappear into the fog, Situ Qing received another message from that person.

[Sister, don’t trust Zhou Qian’s divisive words.]

[You can’t handle this side quest. To clear it, you need to sacrifice players—at least three of them.]

[I’m stopping you for the sake of your main quest later.]

[Be careful and don’t fall for Zhou Qian’s tricks.]

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 22

Approximately seven minutes ago.

He Xiaowei shouted, saying that he had found two bullets. After Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong failed to find anything in Room 701, they went to the corridor to look, leaving Zhou Qian alone to search the room.

After seeing the bullets, Gao Shan noticed that Situ Qing raised her hand, holding a bell, and approached the door of Room 3.

She seemed to be constantly tapping and knocking in the corridor, checking every tile. Now, she was inspecting the gaps between every two rooms. Finally, she focused her attention on the doors of the 12 rooms themselves.

Approaching the door of Room 3, Situ Qing took a sniff and then asked, “Do you smell anything unusual?”

He Xiaowei was the first to respond, “Huh? What smell? All I can taste in my mouth is the stench of a corpse and cleaning agent… It’s so pungent. I won’t be doing this job again. I feel like throwing up!”

The door of Room 701 faced Rooms 12, 1, and 2.

Three corpses entered these rooms and died, respectively, and thus all were piled up on this half of the circular space.

So Situ Qing turned and walked to the other half of the corridor.

“I noticed that all 12 room doors have a strange smell. There are corpses here; if you can’t smell it, then come with me and sniff there. Actually, this clue I found… should be related to the side quest. Even though I don’t want to solve math problems and can give up the side quest at any time, it seems we’ve already found a way to clear the side quest, so let’s give it a try.”

He Xiaowei wiped his hands and, without hesitation, followed Situ Qing.

At this moment, Lu Mengmeng stood up, imitating Situ Qing’s actions, and approached the door of Room 3.

He gently held the door and carefully leaned his hand over. He made a sniffing motion and then said, “The cleaning agent on the floor is indeed very pungent, affecting our sense of smell. But my nose is quite sensitive, and the smell at this door is indeed different.”

Leaving Room 3, Lu Mengmeng went on to smell the doors of Rooms 4 and 5.

At this point, the fog in the corridor became a bit thicker. Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wanted to get a clearer view of Lu Mengmeng’s exploration, so they clasped their hands and followed.

Within those two minutes, the corridor hadn’t grown as long as it would later. The five individuals split up and quickly circled around Room 701 before gathering back at its door.

He Xiaowei blinked and said, “There seems to be a scent, quite different from cleaning agents. What do you all think?”

Lu Mengmeng confidently replied, “There is a smell. Every door has a strange odor.”

After discussing briefly, the dense fog started to thicken, and the corridor began to stretch, making the entire circular space grow larger.

At this point, footsteps could be faintly heard near Room 701’s door. He Xiaowei quickly inquired if Zhou Qian was coming out.

Zhou Qian responded, saying he wanted to check Room 7.

Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei immediately followed.

Once both of them moved away from the vicinity of Room 701, Gao Shan realized he couldn’t see them anymore.

The fog obscuring the view was unsettling.

With this thought, Gao Shan gripped Yun Xiangrong’s fingers even tighter. “Rongrong, be careful.”

Despite being so close, he could barely see her clearly and felt comforted only by holding her hand tightly.

Moments later, after discussing with Yun Xiangrong, the two followed Zhou Qian’s direction to see his results in Room 7.

During this, they could hear faint footsteps from behind, likely Lu Mengmeng and Situ Qing following.

In this order, with Zhou Qian leading, followed closely by He Xiaowei, and then Gao, Yun, Lu, and Situ, all six players moved in the same direction towards Room 7.

Due to the heavy fog, even though they knew it was harmless, the psychological burden on Gao Shan and the others increased significantly.

No one took any chances, and they all moved slowly.

Shortly after, while on their way to Rooms 6 and 7, Gao Shan heard Situ Qing’s voice.

The strange dense fog in the corridor seemed to muffle sounds. Even though Situ Qing was just a few steps away, Gao Shan had to focus intently to hear her clearly.

Logically, Zhou Qian should be nearby, but Gao Shan couldn’t discern if he had opened the door to Room 7 or if he had already entered, as he couldn’t hear any sound from Zhou Qian’s direction.

Situ Qing’s voice came in a distant, ethereal manner. “This is just the first side quest of the second-level instance. Actually, deciphering the so-called ‘pattern’ is quite simple. I feel that this whole floor is just full of smoke and mirrors—I suspect the method to pass through is directly written on the door.”

Yun Xiangrong’s voice rang in Gao Shan’s ears. “Do you mean… there are symbols on each door made with some chemical agent, and when the temperature rises or falls, words will appear on them?”

“This floor seems to be a mental space related to Jiang Yuqing. Isn’t Jiang Yuqing a scientist? I think this guess about the chemical agent matches his identity. Moreover, haven’t we all played escape room games? This is a very common trope. I can help you all out.”

As Situ Qing’s cold words fell, Gao Shan felt the sound of crisp bells ringing.

“Jingle jingle jingle…”

” Jingle jingle jingle…”

With the sound of the bells, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.

Snow suddenly began to fall in the corridor. Gao Shan spread his hand and watched a snowflake land in his palm, then melt away. However, he couldn’t see the other snowflakes clearly. As soon as they landed, they disappeared into the fog.

The temperature rapidly dropped, and soon after, from the direction of Room 6, faint sounds from Lu Mengmeng could be heard. Even though he wasn’t far away, the weird fog made the sound seem as if it came from the clouds.

Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, followed the sound and saw Lu Mengmeng standing in front of a door not far away. Due to the thick fog, only when they approached the door did Gao Shan realize that there was a symbol on it that hadn’t been there before—an “S”.

“I am an assassin, and I’m very fast. To save time, I will check all the rooms for you.” After saying this, Lu Mengmeng drew a short dagger, and in a flash, he disappeared from Gao Shan’s sight.

“He’s really fast,” Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but exclaim. Just after she spoke, a shadow approached, stopping in place. To their surprise, it was Lu Mengmeng, who had returned. Although he seemed not very strong in attack and appeared weak in defense, holding the dagger made him move faster than Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong could imagine.

Lu Mengmeng quickly said, “I found it! On the 12 doors, each door has a secret! Rooms 3 4 5 6 7 all have an ‘S’ on the door, and the other seven rooms all have a ‘7’. So, so…”

“I get it! Even though we haven’t found a specific clue related to status or the story plot, we can find the answer from the demonstrations of those three janitors!”

“Firstly, rooms 6 and 7 are definitely safe! Didn’t Zhou Qian say that Room 7 is safe? He’s going to Room 7! I just searched and didn’t find him, which means he’s already in Room 7, searching for evidence. But he didn’t die! So, Room 7 is safe, and so is Room 6!”

Lu Mengmeng’s voice became excited. “Rooms 6 and 7 are safe; their doors have the ‘S’… Since 3 4 5 6 7 all have ‘S’, but other rooms have ‘7’, we can infer from this that the squad with the ‘S’ rank is lower in status than the squad with ‘7’. So, 3 4 5 6 7 are safe rooms! Zhou Qian has already entered Room 7. Let’s go into Room 6 now!”

With that, in the fog, Gao Shan faintly saw Lu Mengmeng turn and head towards Room 6. He was about to push the door but hesitated and seemed to turn his head, possibly looking at Gao Shan. “I’m a bit scared on my own, how about we go together—”

“No, stop!” This voice was Yun Xiangrong’s. She said seriously, “This symbol on the door is strange, it’s definitely a trap!”

Not understanding his girlfriend’s meaning, Gao Shan immediately asked her, “What’s wrong?”

Yun Xiangrong explained the conditions set by the system for the players. “…So, Shan Ge, the safe rooms change. They can’t be constant. We need to find what will cause the gunman’s status to drop; only then can we solve the puzzle.”

“I see…” Gao Shan’s eyes sharpened, and he immediately took a step towards Room 6, saying in a stern voice, “Lu Mengmeng, stop! Don’t go in!”

“Ah, ah, oh… okay… so that’s how it is…”

From in front of Room 6’s door came such a voice from Lu Mengmeng.

After that, Gao Shan couldn’t hear anything.

Gao Shan felt that what Lu Mengmeng said was strange.

Logically, he almost died when he nearly entered Room 6; his voice should be filled with relief from having a narrow escape from death, or maybe filled with fear and afterthoughts. Yet, for some reason, Gao Shan sensed a hint of disappointment and hesitation in his words.

After this, for a long time, Gao Shan didn’t hear Lu Mengmeng speak again.

Concerned about his situation, Gao Shan, holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand, took a few more steps forward and saw the frail figure still in front of Room 6, which reassured him. He shouted, “Lu Mengmeng, are you okay?”

“Cough cough…” After a while, Lu Mengmeng’s voice came. “I’m fine! I was just pondering a question… If everything just said was a trap, then someone is plotting against us? Could it be that the S and 7 were drawn by someone?”

Hearing this, Gao Shan leaned close to Yun Xiangrong, their foreheads almost touching.

In the thick fog, at such a close distance, they could see each other’s eyes.

Their understanding was impeccable, and Gao Shan grasped Yun Xiangrong’s meaning—the one who plotted against everyone is probably Situ Qing. After all, she had been wandering the corridor from the beginning, had ample time to fabricate clues, and was the first to claim that there was a chemical smell on the door.

Gao Shan replied, “That’s probably it. Someone wants us dead.”

Then he heard Lu Mengmeng say doubtfully, “But… who is it? Who would do this? What is their purpose? But… regardless, I’ll look for clues. This space is getting bigger. You’re too slow. I still have MP, so leave it to me. I’ll quickly run around the corridor and check all 12 doors to see if there are any traces that reveal the identity of the plotter. Someone so malicious… I must find them!”

After saying this, Lu Mengmeng used his skill again; his shadow flickered and disappeared in front of Gao Shan.

Holding Yun Xiangrong’s hand tightly, Gao Shan frowned and said, “This is really strange. Why does Situ Qing want to kill us? What does she gain from killing everyone?”

At that moment, they heard a faint noise from the side.

However, as the entire space was continuously expanding, standing at the entrance of Room 6, they couldn’t immediately determine whether the sound was coming from the adjacent Room 7 or somewhere farther away.

Yun Xiangrong, sensing something, pulled Gao Shan in the direction of the noise and whispered, “Killing us doesn’t make sense; maybe Situ Qing is targeting Zhou Qian.”

Gao Shan frowned. “Why?”

Yun Xiangrong said, “Our game video can be seen by Rank S players and high-level gamblers. I believe we didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know about He Xiaowei and Lu Mengmeng, so let’s not discuss them. But Dong Xiang’s death had something to do with Zhou Qian. Maybe someone hired the Rank C Situ Qing to kill Zhou Qian for revenge on behalf of Dong Xiang. Otherwise, why would she, a Rank C player who claims to have no interest in hidden instances, come here?”

“Right! That’s probably it! She wants to kill Zhou Qian!”

Gao Shan immediately became serious and pulled out his shield. “Zhou Qian wasn’t fooled by the traps she set on the doors. So, she might use direct force. Now, with this thick fog, it’s a good opportunity for her to act!”

“Jingle jingle jingle…”

“Jingle jingle jingle—”

The bell rang again.

Gao Shan felt Yun Xiangrong grip his hand tighter. “The previous snowstorm was a smokescreen by Situ Qing. Based on her previous actions, we might think her bell is continuing to lower the temperature using a skill. But her real intention is to kill with her skill. This is a bell that can kill!”

Listening to his girlfriend, Gao Shan felt the bell ringing all around; its continuous “jingle jingle” sound was so distracting that it could drive someone mad. Meanwhile, snow seemed to be gathering, forming a visible shadow in the fog.

After a glance at Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan took her hand, and together they followed the sound of the bell and the snow, moving through the fog.

After a while, a massive snowball formed from the swirling snow, directly hitting the direction of a door. Approaching quickly, Gao Shan noticed a “7” carved on that door.

That was Zhou Qian’s room!

He should be searching for evidence inside right now.

The Ice Queen Situ Qing had unleashed a powerful attack on him; she was trying to kill him!

Thinking of this, Gao Shan released Yun Xiangrong’s hand and raised his shield with both hands. “I’ll rush into the room and unleash my power, helping Zhou Qian block some of it!”

“Wait, Shan Ge, I…”

Yun Xiangrong felt something was amiss, but her thoughts lagged behind her instinct. She couldn’t immediately articulate her concerns.

In truth, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

No matter if the other rooms could be entered, Zhou Qian just said he entered Room 7. Room 7 should indeed be relatively safe…

“Rongrong, we need to save him. First, it’s in my nature not to stand by and watch someone die. Second, we genuinely need his help to move forward.”

Turning back to Yun Xiangrong with a smile, Gao Shan said, “Sorry, I’m not smart enough to guide you smoothly all the way to the end by myself. Fortunately, we met Zhou Qian. I believe he can lead us all the way, achieving hidden accomplishments, earning gold coins, and eventually… obtaining what you desire most.”

“Shan Ge…”

Yun Xiangrong’s eyes widened.

The next moment, a giant ice ball fiercely smashed towards the door of Room 7.

Fearful that the Ice Queen’s powerful attack would harm Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan pushed her aside and quickly charged into Room 7 with his shield raised—

“Bang!”

The sound of a bullet firing.

……

Time rewound to that moment.

Zhou Qian quickly pulls open the door and looks to the side.

Through the dense fog, he vaguely saw a figure rushing out. The situation resembled that of the previous three cleaners. The shadow fell heavily onto the ground. What followed was an ear-piercing, heart-wrenching cry of despair from a woman, which sent shivers down one’s spine…

Without the time to identify the face of the figure, the combination of his silhouette and the despairing cry echoing in the corridor made Zhou Qian’s heart skip a beat. He roughly inferred what had transpired.

Reacting swiftly, his first action was to draw out the [Rib of God], utilizing the unique ability of this weapon.

Yun Xiangrong’s crying became incredibly elongated, but her pace towards Gao Shan never arrived.

The corridor, walls, and ceiling all began distorting in the thick fog, and both the corridor’s lengthening and the fog’s thickening became exceedingly slow.

Zhou Qian had decelerated the flow of time.

Everything was slowing down, including Gao Shan’s impending death. The blood from his gunshot wound almost stopped flowing.

Within this space, the only person seemingly standing outside of time was Zhou Qian himself.

His first move was to raise his left hand, enter the system’s trading interface, and attempt to contact Qi Liuxing.

He needed Qi Liuxing to send over the [Tick Tock Clock], which had the power to resurrect, to save Gao Shan.

However, after waiting for a while, there was no response from Qi Liuxing. Given that the ability of the Rib of God had a time limit, Zhou Qian quickly shifted his attention from the system and, clutching the bone in his hand, quickly approached Gao Shan.

Crouching in front of Gao Shan, Zhou Qian held one end of the Rib of God, placing the other end in Gao Shan’s hand.

In this way, Zhou Qian temporarily pulled Gao Shan out of the normal timeline.

Everything around them came to an almost complete standstill.

The only ones who could move and speak were Zhou Qian and Gao Shan.

Lowering his head and peering through the fog, Zhou Qian immediately saw the blood oozing out from Gao Shan. This color, which he despised so much, mixed with a strong scent of iron, made his temples throb uncontrollably.

Some restless element deep within his bones and blood, after repeatedly seeing blood and especially realizing it came from Gao Shan, seemed unable to be suppressed any longer.

The dense fog in front of him was no longer white but appeared blood-red.

Zhou Qian didn’t feel anger or sorrow, only intense irritation.

It felt as if millions of ants had crawled into his bloodstream, causing every nerve in his body to ache. He needed to vent this frustration forcefully.

Previously, when he fell ill in reality, it was always Li Xuehai who rushed over to inject him with a tranquilizer.

But now, inside the game, he didn’t have that tranquilizer.

He could only rely on himself.

Closing his eyes and forcing himself to exhale a long breath that tasted almost like rusty blood, Zhou Qian managed to suppress the surge of discomfort.

Then he quickly spoke to Gao Shan. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t grant you a quick death, making you suffer and talk to me through the pain. But I need to know what happened to you. Tell me everything. I’ll help you take revenge.”

Exhaling slowly, Gao Shan lay on the ground, one hand weakly holding the Rib of God that allowed him to stand outside of time. He spoke softly, recounting everything that had just transpired to Zhou Qian.

Then he said, “I was sure I went to room number 7, why would…”

Zhou Qian quickly looked behind Gao Shan.

The door there had closed again, and the number plate indeed showed a “7”.

But Zhou Qian knew he had entered the real “Room 7”.

The room Gao Shan entered was the deadly “Room 6”.

Someone had swapped the number plates for these rooms!

In that moment, Zhou Qian immediately understood what had happened.

He had previously suspected that Situ Qing had collaborated with someone. Now it seemed that person could only be Lu Mengmeng.

Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng conspired to deceive Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, leading them to the so-called safe Rooms 3 4 5 6 7.

However, Yun Xiangrong was alert and wasn’t fooled.

So the two quickly changed their strategy.

Using the thick fog that obscured vision and affected hearing, and the rooms that changed position because the corridors kept lengthening, they swapped the plates of adjacent rooms 6 and 7, luring Gao Shan into room 6, where a gunman would shoot.

The faint, distant “jingle” sound was made by Situ Qing.

Yun Xiangrong had previously judged that Situ Qing was ringing the bell to kill Zhou Qian.

But she was wrong.

Situ Qing’s real intention was to simply distract Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, disrupting their sense of distance.

The fog and the elongated corridor, combined with the distant and near bell sounds, led Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong to believe they had walked a similar distance in the fog. When they saw a room with a “7”, they didn’t doubt its authenticity and mistook it for Room 7.

The only one who could swap the numbers of these two rooms so quickly was the assassin Lu Mengmeng.

With his exceptional speed and the cover of the fog, he moved swiftly, swapping the numbers, making it incredibly hard to notice.

In the end, the two of them succeeded.

They successfully lured Gao Shan into what he believed was room 7, which was in fact room 6, where he was shot.

However, originally, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong wouldn’t have been deceived.

Deep down, Zhou Qian knew—the reason Gao Shan went to room 7 was to save him.

A brief pause in his gaze, looking through the bleeding Gao Shan, Zhou Qian seemed to see someone else.

Then, looking deeply into Gao Shan’s eyes with utmost seriousness, Zhou Qian said coldly, “Do you know what I hate most? Owing someone a life.”

Struggling to lift his head to look at Zhou Qian, Gao Shan sighed. “Zhou Qian, you said earlier… you would take revenge for me, but I don’t need it. This was my mistake. It has nothing to do with you.”

Zhou Qian stared coldly at him. “What? Even now, you still want to play the good guy?”

The agitation inside him was becoming unbearable.

Zhou Qian’s feelings about joy, sorrow, love, and hate were usually subdued, but now he felt a surge of irritation and anger.

If this continued, his condition might flare up again.

Staring intensely at Gao Shan’s eyes, Zhou Qian said through gritted teeth, “Most people in this world are villains. There are hardly any true good people. In my life, I’ve only met two genuinely good people. One was Bai Zhou, and the other is you.”

Earlier, what Zhou Qian had said to Zhi Liuxing was incorrect.

During the “Apple Paradise” instance, he did try to threaten Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong with a deal. If they didn’t help, he would lure the cultists to them and let everyone die together.

But before he sent that message, he received one from Gao Shan.

Gao Shan said he was worried and had convinced Yun Xiangrong to help. They would be there soon.

At this moment, in this frozen time, even death seemed to have paused.

But Zhou Qian knew it was an illusion, like a fleeting dream.

Soon this brief pause would end.

And the inevitable death would eventually arrive.

Looking at Gao Shan, Zhou Qian said in a very hoarse and deep voice, “I’ve only met two good people in my life. But Bai Zhou is dead, and now you’re dying. It seems that in this world, good people die young, while the wicked live long. So I—”

Gao Shan interjected with a bitter smile, “So, you want to become one of those wicked ones?”

“Right.” Zhou Qian’s fingers clenched the Rib of God so tightly that his veins nearly popped. “So I want to become a bad guy, a villain. I…”

Gao Shan waved it off, immediately cutting him off. “Zhou Qian, I don’t need you to avenge me. Nor do I want Rongrong to seek revenge.”

“Thank you for buying me some time. Using this time, I’ll leave part of my gold and items for you and the rest for Rongrong…”

Taking a deep sigh, Gao Shan continued, “I’m giving you these gold and items to ask you a favor. Rongrong might seem gentle on the outside, but she’s more stubborn than anyone. You must persuade her not to seek revenge for me. Otherwise, I’m afraid she’ll go astray…”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s eyes went dark and deep.

After a moment, he stared at Gao Shan with emotionless eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t convince her. You’re right. She’s very stubborn deep down, and she’ll definitely seek revenge.”

Faced with his impending death, Gao Shan was calm.

But now, he became anxious.

Enduring the severe pain, he reached out and tightly gripped Zhou Qian’s wrist, almost trembling as he spoke, “You… You try to persuade her for me. I know you’re good at convincing people; you have a knack for it…”

“It’s impossible to try and convince Yun Xiangrong to give up on avenging you. So—”

Before Gao Shan could interrupt, Zhou Qian shifted his words, saying something that left Gao Shan stunned.

“Then, let her hate me.”

Zhou Qian said this emotionlessly.

He calmly continued, “Your and Yun Xiangrong’s analysis is wrong. For a scum like Dong Xiang, I don’t believe someone would set up such a scheme for revenge on his behalf. Or rather, someone of his caliber can’t afford to hire Situ Qing.”

“Situ Qing and Lu Mengmeng are eerily in sync, suggesting someone else might be pulling the strings.

“So, behind all this, there might even be an organization that’s best not to mess with.”

“Of course, regardless of the truth, the assassins were definitely targeting me.”

“You and Yun Xiangrong got involved because of me. If Yun Xiangrong tries to avenge you alone against such an organization, it’s very risky. So, I promise you, I won’t let her get involved.”

“First, Gao Shan, I’ll try to contact Qi Liuxing to get the ‘Tick Tock Clock’ to save you.”

“If that doesn’t work, I’d ask you to sleep a bit longer and wait for me. I’ll definitely make it to the end of this game and find a way to save you. In the meantime—”

In a tone that sounded utterly indifferent, Zhou Qian said, “Let Yun Xiangrong hate me and come after me.”

After a long pause,

The effect of the Rib of God wore off.

Time resumed its normal pace.

In a pool of blood, Gao Shan closed his eyes forever.

And the moment Zhou Qian pulled the Rib of God from Gao Shan—

A faint white shadow floated out of Gao Shan’s body, eventually being absorbed into the bone.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Well, they do say, nice guys finish last.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 21

Near the door of room 701, the smell of blood was growing stronger. Three corpses lay nearby, each with a hole torn through their chest. Thick blood flowed from their wounds, gradually creeping towards the door of room 701, even showing signs of seeping into the room.

The side quest “Checks and Balance” seemed like a puzzle about identifying a pattern. The game designer had vividly displayed the puzzle before everyone using the corpses of these three janitors.

On a circular plane, room 701 was at the center. Surrounding it, 12 rooms formed a perfect circle.

Now, the three janitors were labeled as A, B, and C.

Janitor A entered room 12 and died.

Janitor B entered room 1 and died.

Janitor C first went into rooms 6 and 7 safely but died upon entering room 2.

The hints for passing the level were two sentences written on a piece of paper that Zhou Qian obtained by touching a black-and-white photograph. After him, Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, Lu Mengmeng, and He Xiaowei also tried touching the photo in succession, but they couldn’t gather any more clues. The only one who hadn’t touched the photo from the beginning was Situ Qing.

“Arithmetic sequence? Geometric sequence?” He Xiaowei, frustrated, exclaimed in room 701 after scribbling down some calculations. “Damn, I can’t solve this puzzle! Also, what do those two sentences mean?”

Beside him, Yun Xiangrong was also drafting calculations on a piece of paper on the floor. While He Xiaowei attempted to find a pattern among the numbers “1” through “12,” Yun Xiangrong drew a diagram of the rooms, trying to connect specific points and draw diagonals. However, in a short span, she couldn’t identify a reliable pattern and frowned in frustration.

Seeing Yun Xiangrong frown, Gao Shan grew concerned. “Even if we can’t find the pattern quickly… rooms 6 and 7 are safe. Let’s check them first for clues, maybe we can find some evidence. We only have one hour left… I’m afraid time is running out.”

He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, we can go check!”

Yun Xiangrong shook her head, stopping them. “Wait. Let me think…”

She didn’t elaborate further, deeply engrossed in thought, seemingly searching for the key solution, and not yet ready to discuss it with the others.

Lu Mengmeng, who looked pale and frail, slightly opened the door to room 701. “It’s so confusing. Are there any clues outside this room? Should we go out and check?” Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei glanced outside and noticed a faint mist. “What the hell?”

Situ Qing, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke. “This is a common tactic of side quests inside the game, just to distract the players. The side quest is to find evidence inside the rooms. When we open one of the 12 rooms, the mist will flow in and hinder our vision. But apart from that, the mist has no other significance.”

“Wow, you really are worthy of being a Rank C player! Miss, not only are you beautiful, but you’re also so skilled! What do you think about this? Why didn’t you touch the photo earlier? What do you think the pattern is?” He Xiaowei’s barrage of questions came to an abrupt halt under Situ Qing’s cold gaze.

With an arrogant tilt of her chin, Situ Qing stated, “My leveling method involves rapidly completing a large number of instances, accumulating experience points in a short time to level up quickly, enhance my combat capabilities, and earn coins. I don’t care about so-called hidden achievements and item rewards. Hence, I usually focus on the main quest and can give up on the side quests depending on the situation.”

She nodded towards the corridor. “If we can’t find a definite pattern, opening any room out of the 12 might lead to us getting shot. On the other hand, if we don’t open any rooms, we won’t die. The side quest is probably related to a hidden achievement. But, as I said, I don’t care. Don’t ask me about ‘identifying patterns’; I’m not interested in math problems. The secret exit from this space might be hidden somewhere on the corridor walls or beneath a floor tile. I’ll go look for it. I only focus on the main quest.”

What Situ Qing said indeed somewhat shook the morale of everyone to a certain extent.

The time limit for the clearance was only an hour, and if the wrong pattern was identified, people could die. But if they held their forces and did nothing, the players would always be safe.

Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong exchanged glances, both seemingly detecting hesitation in each other’s eyes. But remembering Zhou Qian’s performance in the previous instance, they both turned to look at him.

It would seem out of place if Zhou Qian didn’t do something unexpected.

And indeed, Zhou Qian made a move.

His actions were still eccentric and baffling to the onlookers.

He left Room 701 and headed into the corridor. Surprisingly, he walked towards the cleaning tools casually left on the ground by the three janitors.

Mops, brooms, towels, disinfectants, stain removers, scissors—all sorts of tools were available.

Zhou Qian was rummaging through these tools as if he was searching for something.

Watching him, Uncle He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up.

He Xiaowei immediately approached Zhou Qian and said, “Smart move, bro! Why didn’t I think of that? Right, these tools were brought by NPCs! They must be useful for this side quest! Hahaha… So, did you find any useful tools?”

“No. This blood is really annoying,” Zhou Qian replied. “I just want to clean up.”

He Xiaowei: “…”

Gao and Yun: “…”

After selecting his cleaning tools, the first thing Zhou Qian did was actually spray detergent on the floor and then mop it up.

However, after cleaning the blood off the floor, Zhou Qian found three deformed bullet casings near the three bodies. The casings were badly deformed, with significant cracks in some places, and the broken fragments were nowhere to be found.

After a sniper took a shot from a concealed position, the casing would fall near the muzzle of the gun. Typically, to avoid revealing their location, the sniper would toss the casing elsewhere.

It seemed the gunmen in these 12 rooms had the same trait as snipers. When the bodies were removed from the rooms, they also threw out the bullet casings.

After collecting the three casings, Zhou Qian took out a new towel and squatted next to one of the bodies.

Undoubtedly, Zhou Qian’s actions attracted many people’s attention.

Under their gaze, he carefully pierced the victim’s chest wound with scissors. The body was still warm, and the blood hadn’t cooled.

Blood spurted out as Zhou Qian made the incision. Frowning, Zhou Qian wiped the blood with a towel while pushing the scissors further into the chest.

“What… What are you doing?” He Xiaowei blinked and asked.

After a moment, before Zhou Qian could answer, He Xiaowei saw it.

Zhou Qian extracted a bullet from the victim’s chest.

He kept frowning throughout, only relaxing once he had cleaned the blood off the bullet and sprayed it with disinfectant. It turns out that his frown wasn’t because he was dealing with a corpse but because he despised blood.

Once the bullet was cleaned, the engraved symbol on it became very clear.

It was the letter “S”, a mark resembling a snake.

He Xiaowei, who was close enough to see it, exclaimed, “S?! What does that mean?”

“In Jiang Yuqing’s room, everything is related to ‘7’. Their troop number must also be related to ‘7’. So, this ‘S’ might refer to his enemy, but in any case, it’s not from the same unit as his.” Zhou Qian theorized, then with a smile, he added, “Why don’t you help extract the bullets from the other two NPC corpses and see if their bullets also have an ‘S’?”

“Sure,” He Xiaowei readily agreed. “You hate blood, right? Leave it to me.”

With such a ready agreement, He Xiaowei completely thwarted Zhou Qian’s plan to coax him into helping. Zhou Qian paused, then smiled, holding the bullet with the “S” engraving and heading back into Room 701.

Of the other players, many seemed curious about what Zhou Qian intended to do, and Gao Shan quickly followed him. He Xiaowei, on the other hand, took the cleaning tools selected by Zhou Qian and started extracting bullets from the two other bodies in the corridor.

Standing near the room door was Yun Xiangrong, who didn’t immediately follow Gao Shan into the room but observed the other two people in the corridor.

The first one she looked at was Lu Mengmeng. Curious about the bullet, Lu Mengmeng slowly walked over to He Xiaowei to observe. He looked pale and frail, not at all resembling the typical assassin.

Afterwards, Yun Xiangrong looked towards Situ Qing.

In the rather quiet corridor, Situ Qing’s footsteps were very clear. She was pacing back and forth, seemingly trying to find if any of the tiles were hollow, wondering if there might be an exit to leave this space hidden underneath.

At this moment, Yun Xiangrong noticed that Situ Qing took out a bell from her bag and tightly held it in her hand.

This bell must be her weapon. But what does she want to do with it?

She once said she didn’t care about the side quests, so she wouldn’t directly confront those snipers with a 100% accuracy rate. If so, this weapon wasn’t meant to deal with NPCs.

Who is she aiming for? The players?

A chill went down Yun Xiangrong’s spine. She closed her notebook and entered room 701.

……

Inside room 701.

Gao Shan and Zhou Qian stood in front of a seven-tiered bookshelf.

The range of books there was vast.

First, there were medical books covering bandaging, first aid, pharmacology, and even acupuncture and massage. Next, there were many books on physics, mathematics, and mechanics, some even discussing airplanes and train engines. The last section was filled with literature, including ancient texts and modern prose and poetry.

Gao Shan casually flipped through a few books and commented, “Could the clue be hidden here? Every book here is complex! And we only have an hour. If the clue is in one of these books… it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!”

Yun Xiangrong’s voice came from behind him. “Given the limited time, could the clue be related only to the titles? We don’t need to look inside; perhaps the secret lies in the titles?”

“Just looking at titles might not be enough.”

Zhou Qian responded, scrutinizing the bookshelf before adding, “However, you two can search the shelves. Focus on finding something other than books.”

“Something other than books… What do you mean?” Gao Shan inquired.

“Literally what I said.” Zhou Qian blinked at him, intending to leave the room.

“Hold on—” Yun Xiangrong called out to him.

“What is it?” Zhou Qian paused.

Glancing at the corridor outside, Yun Xiangrong approached and closed the door. She then addressed both Zhou Qian and Gao Shan, “I have a feeling… something’s off with Situ Qing. We should be cautious. None of us can match her one-on-one. Let’s avoid being alone with her.”

Curious, Zhou Qian asked, “How did you figure it out?”

“Just intuition. Her aura is too strong. She even blatantly carried her weapon, not hiding her murderous intent at all! I always feel…”

Yun Xiangrong shook her head and continued, “But, a barking dog seldom bites. If she really wanted to kill, she wouldn’t display her aggression so openly. Maybe I’m overthinking.”

It might not be an overthought on Yun Xiangrong’s part. From the earlier group details, Zhou Qian also had suspicions about Situ Qing. If Situ Qing was so openly aggressive, her accomplice could hide their intent.

One in the open, one in the shadows; it was a common strategy.

The one in the open was Situ Qing, so the hidden one was either He Xiaowei or Lu Mengmeng.

Zhou Qian said, “In any case, it’s never wrong to be cautious. Don’t trust anyone, not just Situ Qing. Stay together and don’t split up. It’d be tough for anyone to take down both a tank and a healer in a few moves.”

“Alright, understood,” Gao Shan replied, then asked Zhou Qian, “Earlier, Situ Qing said we could skip side quests. I’ve been considering it since she might have a point. I don’t have a talent for puzzle-solving. Should I consider her approach? Given the game’s current mechanics, coasting through main quests is easier, albeit with lesser experience. But if I grind more than others, leveling up quickly and earning gold, that’s also viable.”

“No. I don’t agree with her,” Zhou Qian answered firmly. “Remember the [Seed of Fire] we obtained? It’s currently useless. But if we achieve hidden achievements from similar quests, obtaining other items, its value might skyrocket. If one can clear the game through sheer combat power, then why design so many plots? I believe we should aim for key hidden achievements to get closer to the game’s ultimate secret. But of course, this is just my suggestion—”

Gao Shan pondered for a moment and said, “Alright. Let me think again… No, there’s no need to think anymore. I’ll listen to you.”

Hearing this, Yun Xiangrong couldn’t help but look at Gao Shan with surprise.

Meeting her gaze, Gao Shan patted her head. “Before coming here, didn’t we discuss this? Zhou Qian is quite reliable. We can join his team—”

Turning to Zhou Qian, Gao Shan continued, “We think that although you might be a potential psycho… you indeed have the capability to lead a team. Going solo in this game won’t work. We’re willing to follow you. Since you’ve decided to take the side quests, we can assist you. We’re near the bookshelf now, let’s look for that ‘something other than a book’ you mentioned.”

“Thank you.” Zhou Qian waved at them and walked out. “I’ll go take a look outside and be back soon.”

…..

Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.

Several large draft papers lay in front of Yu Xian, each displaying the floor plan of the 13 rooms he had drawn. Not long after, he gave up, threw his pen away, and took a big gulp of beer.

“Darn it, I can’t figure it out. Qian Ge didn’t even take out a pen; I wonder if he noticed anything… Hey, Qiang Ge, do you have any idea what those two clues mean? What does ‘the lowest ranked cannot kill’ mean?”

“I don’t get it either.” Zhu Qiang opened a bottle of beer for himself.

With a disappointed look, Yu Xian lamented, “Before entering the game, I promised Zhou Qian I’d help him solve the riddles!”

Zhu Qiang: “But this pattern is too complicated. We’re both bad at math, what can we do? Why not… let him try rooms 6 and 7? They must be safe. That male janitor already checked.”

Yu Xian snapped, “You said that two minutes ago! I tried that! I’ve already sent that hint to Zhou Qian! He saw it and didn’t respond!”

Zhu Qiang shrugged. “Then there’s nothing we can do.”

“I… Oh!” Before Yu Xian could finish, he suddenly jumped up and ran to the restroom. “My stomach hurts so much. Was there something wrong with the hot pot today? I’m going to complain…”

Zhu Qiang remarked, “This is your second trip to the restroom. I’ll go to the pharmacy to get some medicine for you… I’ll be right back!”

As Yu Xian headed to the bathroom, Zhu Qiang’s expression turned solemn. He soon left the suite and went into his room next door. Taking a deep breath, he returned a call he had missed earlier.

Before entering the game, Zhu Qiang had secretly made contact with Lu Mengmeng behind Yu Xian’s back. At that time, Lu Mengmeng told Zhu Qiang they had to kill Zhou Qian. Killing Zhou Qian was something Lu Mengmeng had no choice but to do, or else he feared he’d be silenced by Peach Blossom. And if he died, Zhu Qiang would be in deep trouble too.

Recently, Zhu Qiang had been spending recklessly, even visiting the casino. Not only did he not save money, but he also accumulated debt. He had to make sure Lu Mengmeng survived this round. Otherwise, he’d never be able to pay off his debts.

Back then, during their video chat, Lu Mengmeng gave Zhu Qiang a phone number, stating it was from a high-ranking member of Peach Blossom, and that this person would be giving instructions to Zhu Qiang.

At this moment, the call connected, and Zhu Qiang heard a deep magnetic voice, yet it sounded youthful.

Swallowing hard, Zhu Qiang felt a hint of nervousness, then said, “I’ve tried as you instructed, attempting to use Yu Xian to guide Zhou Qian into rooms 6 and 7. But Zhou Qian didn’t fall for it!”

After a few seconds, the man on the other side instructed, “Find a way to get Yu Xian’s phone and send Zhou Qian a message in Yu Xian’s name, saying—

[Qian Ge, my good buddy Qiang Ge, the one you’ve met, is also playing ‘Last Wish’ and is on the same level as you all. They found a hidden clue in a hallway wall, indicating that rooms 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the lowest rank. So, all five rooms are safe!]

While on the phone, Zhu Qiang received the message. His hand trembled. “All five rooms are safe… This clue, you made it up, right?”

The man laughed. “Of course I did.”

After a brief pause, the man went on to further explain to Zhu Qiang, “The hint from the handsome man in the Republic era picture is, ‘The lowest ranked cannot kill’ and ‘Balance of power is the only solution’.”

“These lines can be interpreted easily. There are 12 gunmen in 12 rooms, and their ranks are not equal. The lowest ranked among them cannot shoot and kill. Therefore, his room would be safe. The challenge then is to determine which room that is.”

Zhu Qiang pondered and said, “I see…”

The man continued, “So, I’ll have my player create a false clue related to ‘rank’ to mislead others. Of course, she will pretend that the clue was found inside a fake wall or hollow floor tile in the hallway. The false clue will suggest, metaphorically, that the ranks of the five rooms are very low. These rooms are 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The cleaner had personally tested rooms 6 and 7 and confirmed they are safe.”

“Therefore, first, there’s the false clue in the corridor; second, the NPC’s personal trial; and third, false external information provided by gamblers. With these three combined, they’re bound to fall for it.”

Zhu Qiang swallowed hard. “Wait, I have a question.”

The man said, “Go ahead.”

Zhu Qiang nervously asked, “You’ve prepared the fake clue… So, have you already discerned the real ‘pattern’ of those 12 rooms?”

The man confidently replied, “Of course. I’ve figured it out.”

After hesitating a bit, Zhu Qiang said, “You might not be aware, but Zhou Qian is really clever. Even if he doesn’t show it, I feel like he might have figured it out just like you did. So, if I send this fake clue to him, he will be suspicious! He will doubt either Yu Xian himself or me! Then, not only will we fail to kill him in this side quest, but we’ll also alert him. It’ll be difficult to kill him afterward because he won’t fall for false information anymore!”

“Hmm. You, rookie gambler… quite interesting.” The man chuckled but didn’t refute Zhu Qiang’s words. After a while, he said, “Alright, don’t send the message to Zhou Qian. Tell me first, what did Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, and Zhou Qian do in the room?”

Zhu Qiang then recounted the entire conversation between the three.

The man responded, “Understood. So, they’ve indeed formed an alliance. In that case, forward the fake message and clue I sent you to your player, Lu Mengmeng.”

“Lu Mengmeng? How can I lead him to his death?” Zhu Qiang exclaimed in distress; his back soaked in sweat.

The young man responded, “Of course, we’re not leading Lu Mengmeng to death. Tell him it’s a fake message. Then, have Lu Mengmeng make Gao Shan believe it’s real, leading him to any of those five rooms, say room number 6.”

“You… you want to kill Gao Shan?” Zhu Qiang’s face turned pale.

“Yes. Killing a healer isn’t very beneficial. She can only heal so much, and she seems clever enough not to fall for it easily,” the man said. “I anticipate danger in the later stages of this instance. It’s best to get rid of Zhou Qian, the main tank, first.”

Zhu Qiang remained silent for a long while. Finally, he asked, “You figured out the ‘pattern’ so quickly just by looking at a mobile screen? How did you determine which rooms are ‘lowest ranked’?”

The man replied, “Exactly. This challenge can be difficult or simple depending on how you view it.”

Zhu Qiang said, “I have no idea how to clear it…”

The man smiled. “Then you have to trust my abilities, trust the capabilities of our Peach Blossom. Believe that you haven’t chosen the wrong side and that following us is the right choice.”

For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Zhu Qiang felt a chilling sensation. Trembling, he said, “Who are you gambling for? He Xiaowei doesn’t seem like it… It must be Situ Qing, right?! You are Si Tu Qing’s gambler!”

“Yes, Situ Qing’s role is to attract all suspicions on the surface. When everyone is wary of her… the one striking in the shadows will be Lu Mengmeng. We will coordinate well. Furthermore, you should know that I am the puppet master behind all of you.”

Holding the receiver tightly, the man’s voice slithered into Zhu Qiang’s ear like a venomous snake.

“I control you through the phone, control Situ Qing through the gambler system, and indirectly control Lu Mengmeng through both of you…”

“All of you must follow my orders.”

“Zhu Qiang, don’t feel guilty. Get rid of your conscience completely. Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle it.”

“Remember my instructions. Guide Gao Shan to Room 6 as I taught you.”

……

Inside the game.

Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong were flipping through books in front of a bookshelf, while Zhou Qian went out and took another round around room 701.

Starting from room 12, which was directly opposite the door of room 701, Zhou Qian walked at a rather slow pace, eventually returning to room 12, as if calculating something in his mind.

After completing a round, Zhou Qian returned to room 701.

Inside, Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan were still flipping through books.

Zhou Qian casually asked them, “Did you find anything?”

They both responded quickly.

“Judging by the titles, Jiang Yuqing seems to be a physicist. I skimmed the physics books here; they are filled with his notes and formulas. These notes are very specialized. If you don’t study this, you can’t understand.”

“In addition, he seems to have read medical books quite seriously, making many notes. But compared to the physics books, his medical notes seem a bit naive; he seems like a layman in the field of medicine.”

“His math notes are still very professional. Of course, if he’s a physicist, he would need to be proficient in mathematics.”

“Furthermore, he seems to be good at mechanics, especially in areas like kinematics.”

“Wait a minute—” Zhou Qian interrupted. “Did you find any clues apart from the books?”

Yun Xiangrong replied, “No, I flipped through the books and let Gao Shan search around. There are really only books on these shelves. Even after flipping through many books, there were no postcards or any letters.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian looked around the room. The room’s layout was rather simple. He went forward and casually opened a bedside table, only to find it empty.

“There probably isn’t anything in this room. Apart from the bookshelf and two bedside tables, everything can be seen at a glance. What exactly are you looking for?”

Just as Yun Xiangrong finished speaking, He Xiaowei’s voice came from outside.

“Damn, I finally dug out two bullets! It was so hard. Searching around someone’s corpse… I never want to do such a thing again; it’s too disgusting.”

“Let’s see if those two bullets are also marked ‘S’?” Yun Xiangrong looked at Gao Shan and Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian said, “You guys go first. I’ll be right there.”

Thus, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong left together.

Zhou Qian stayed in the room, continuing to search for clues.

However, after opening both bedside tables, he found nothing.

As Yun Xiangrong said, the room’s layout was simple, and apart from the two cabinets and bookshelf, there was no place to hide anything.

But then…

Zhou Qian turned his head to look at Jiang Yuqing.

The elderly man had only three days to live.

At the moment, he was deep asleep on the bed, completely unaware of the outside world.

Zhou Qian looked at him, stepped closer, bent down, and closely examined his wrinkled face.

Despite his old age, he wasn’t unattractive, making one wonder how handsome he must have been in his youth.

So, could the thing I’m looking for be hidden on you?

Approaching the bed, Zhou Qian bent down, reached over Jiang Yuqing, and lightly touched the space beside his pillow.

He gently patted the empty space beside Jiang Yuqing’s pillow, as if trying to wake up a sleeping child. With no response, Zhou Qian patted several more times and then lightly pushed his shoulder.

This action was effective.

Jiang Yuqing stretched out his hands and quickly waved them towards the other side of the pillow, as if playing a game in his dream. With this movement, he slowly turned to his side and curled up, freeing up most of the bed and half the pillow.

Zhou Qian immediately sat down on the vacant spot on the bed, moving his hand back and forth on the bedding.

After finding nothing, he lifted the pillow.

This time, he was rewarded.

“Thankfully, it was hidden under the pillow and not on you. Otherwise, having to strip you down and wake you up might have caused trouble.”

Zhou Qian muttered to himself while staring at Jiang Yuqing, then quickly reached under the pillow and pulled out the object he had been searching for.

It was also a bullet. But a complete bullet with its casing intact.

There was a letter engraved on the bullet, still the letter “S”.

Finding this, Zhou Qian could confirm—he had indeed found the pattern to crack this level.

He pocketed the bullet and took a deep look at Jiang Yuqing, who was lying on the bed, before exiting the room.

After leaving Room 701, Zhou Qian noticed that the mist in the corridor had become much thicker.

He could barely see the bodies of three cleaners nearby.

At this moment, the other five players were busy in the corridor, seemingly searching for other clues.

Zhou Qian overheard He Xiaowei saying, “I can’t see clearly… Did Zhou Qian come out? I cleaned the other two bullets. They both have an ‘S’ on them.”

“Mm. I know.” Zhou Qian walked past the crowd and turned left.

“Hey, where are you going?” He Xiaowei asked.

Zhou Qian simply replied, “I’ll try Room 7. If I succeed, I’ll tell you how to pass this level.”

“Damn, bro, impressive! You’re going for results before explaining. Good on you! Hahaha.”

He Xiaowei, while praising Zhou Qian, followed him. “I’ll come with you. If you get shot and die, I’ll take care of your body!”

Of course, after saying this and getting a cold glare from Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei immediately refrained from joking around.

Zhou Qian’s gaze was chilling.

Turning his head, Zhou Qian continued walking. He found that the corridor had mysteriously lengthened, making his walk from Room 701 to Room 12 take longer than before.

As he walked, the mist got even denser.

He could sense He Xiaowei close by, but when he turned, he could barely see him. Moreover, although He Xiaowei, being a burly man, usually had loud footsteps, now his steps were as quiet as a whisper, almost inaudible.

The lengthened corridor and thickened mist were added challenges for this level.

Considering this, even without figuring out the “pattern”, searching all 12 rooms for evidence within an hour wasn’t easy.

After a long while, Zhou Qian finally stopped between Rooms 6 and 7.

……

Outside the game, in a presidential suite of a hotel.

After using the bathroom, Yu Xian returned to his room to find that Zhu Qiang was gone.

Assuming that Zhu Qiang went to buy some medicine, Yu Xian waited patiently with his phone. When Zhou Qian approached Rooms 6 and 7, Zhu Qiang finally returned.

As soon as Zhu Qiang entered, Yu Xian urgently called him over. “Come here quickly! Look! Isn’t it weird? We said before that the cleaner had been to Rooms 6 and 7, personally verified, and they’re totally safe!

“I even sent Zhou Qian a hint as you suggested! But he didn’t go!”

“He didn’t, and neither did anyone else… but now he’s trying to enter these two rooms!”

Zhu Qiang looked at the phone screen and saw Zhou Qian indeed standing in front of Rooms 6 and 7.

A moment later, Zhu Qiang’s expression changed. Yu Xian, sensing this, asked, “What is it? Did you think of something?”

Zhu Qiang said, “I just realized something crucial…”

“What is it?” Yu Xian asked impatiently.

Zhu Qiang continued, “In this floor’s 12 rooms, there’s a gunman in each one. From the hints the players received, the gunmen can only kill under specific conditions, when their rank is not the lowest.”

“But have you noticed the system’s level description?”

“Level description?” Yu Xian thought for a moment and exclaimed, “Yes! The system mentioned… in this level, all 12 rooms have evidence. Players need to collect all the evidence to clear the level!”

Zhu Qiang added, “Exactly. What does that mean? It means that the players have to visit all 12 rooms. And what does that imply?”

After a moment, Yu Xian realized. “Ah, I get it! This means that no room is ever completely safe! The safe rooms keep changing, right? The safe room, in some pattern, appears consecutively among the 12 rooms? Players need to find this changing pattern to go through all the rooms! Fuck, this is so difficult!”

In the 12 rooms, each one hid a gunman.

Whether the gunman would fire depended on whether his rank was the lowest or not. There might be some hidden conditions that would lead to a change in their rank. Once the rank among the gunmen changed, which one, or which rooms were safe, was no longer a constant but a variable.

Players needed to find the pattern related to this variable.

Zhu Qiang explained to Yu Xian, “Right. When the rank is the lowest, the gunman won’t shoot, making the room safe. But what causes their rank to decrease? That’s the key factor players need to search for. But… I haven’t figured out what this key factor is yet.”

“Holy shit! I don’t care what this factor is! All I know is, even if rooms 6 and 7 were safe before, they might not be safe now! But Qian Ge is about to enter! Fuck, I need to warn him!”

Yu Xian, with trembling fingers, picked up his phone. However, before he could send a message, he saw in the game that Zhou Qian walked straight to the door of room 7 and entered.

“God damn it, Qian Ge, please be safe!

“I’ve bet a million this time! If something happens to you, I’ll be in huge debt!!!”

……

Inside the game, Zhou Qian stepped into room 7.

Following him, the door closed on its own.

“1—”

“2—”

“3.”

Zhou Qian silently counted to three, and nothing happened.

The room was also filled with thick fog, and Zhou Qian could vaguely see a shadow in front of him holding a gun pointed at him.

But after three seconds, the gunman didn’t shoot; he lowered his weapon.

“Thank you.” Zhou Qian smiled at him and started searching the room.

He was looking for the so-called “evidence.”

The room was spacious with seemingly no obstacles, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the evidence. If there was indeed no furniture in the room, the evidence might be just lying somewhere on the floor.

However, given the size of the room and the fog, it still took Zhou Qian quite some time to find it.

After finding the evidence, Zhou Qian examined it closely.

It was also a bullet.

But instead of an “S”, it had the number “7” engraved on it.

A force related to “S”, and one related to “7”…

Was there any gunfire incident between these two?

Before he could think further, Zhou Qian pocketed the bullet and approached the door.

Just as he was about to leave the room, suddenly—

“Bang!”

A gunshot echoed from a nearby room!

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 20

There was only one day left before Zhou Qian entered the game.

Late at night, Zhou Qian and Qi Liuxing sat on their respective beds, staring at the system panel that popped up from their watches, studying it.

Zhou Qian first opened the treasure chest he had obtained from the last instance via the system.

[Player acquired item: Bilingbiling’s Brush]

[Function: The system has sensed your obsession with cleanliness and has gifted you this amazing brush. After using a weapon, wipe it with this brush, and the weapon will be instantly renewed! Blood? Mud? Sweat? Dust? All gone with a single swipe!]

[Grade: D level]

Zhou Qian: “…”

Then, following the system’s suggestion, Zhou Qian lit up a group control skill.

[Player Zhou Qian acquired Common Skill 1: Bone Nightmare]

[Skill Description: Group control. Causes enemies within range to fall into a dreamlike state, reducing their movement and attack speed by 10%. There’s a 30% chance of backlash, causing the user to fall into the same dream state. Use with caution.]

[Player Zhou Qian acquired Ultimate Skill 1: Bone Kill]

[Skill Description: Can only be triggered when the player’s health is below 10%. It draws nearby death resentment to attack the enemy. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the attack. Consumes 1,200 MP.]

Without saying anything, Zhou Qian took a glance, and Qi Liuxing immediately frowned. “What? You can only use your ultimate when you’re severely injured? And there are conditions for using your ultimate. If there’s no death resentment nearby, you can’t even use your ultimate! Wait, this skill consumes more than 50% of your mana? This skill is so trolling!”

Zhou Qian: “Future Sword God, calm down. You’re ruining your image.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian took out the bone weapon and made a gesture with it, then put it away, smiling faintly. “It’s not about how the skill looks, but how you use it. I think it’s not bad.”

After preparing, Zhou Qian chose to enter “Last Wish”.

He then received a system prompt, informing him that he could video call his gambler.

Staring at the words “Yu Xian” in the system for a while, Zhou Qian initiated a video call request. He then saw two people—naturally, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang.

“Hello.”

Zhou Qian adeptly showed a silly smile, like that of a naive rich young master, looking both innocent and sweet.

Yu Xian was momentarily dazzled, but then he quickly cleared his throat. “Haha, Qian Ge! It’s great to talk to you!”

Yu Xian’s reaction was like seeing his favorite celebrity. When he regained composure, he introduced Zhu Qiang. “Qian Ge, this is my buddy, Zhu Qiang. We’ve been watching you clear that last level. You’re amazing.”

Zhou Qian then greeted Zhu Qiang.

Unlike Yu Xian’s enthusiasm, Zhu Qiang seemed more introverted.

Zhu Qiang didn’t say much, and Yu Xian added, “When we watch you play, Zhu Qiang often predicts your strategies. I can’t do that. Haha, seems like I’m bad at gaming.”

“Oh?” Zhou Qian looked at Zhu Qiang with curiosity. “So, Qiang Ge is also a gambler? Do you have a player you’ve bet on?”

Before Zhu Qiang could answer, Yu Xian laughed. “Yes, but we want to keep it a secret for now and not reveal who that person is.”

“I see.” Zhou Qian looked at Yu Xian thoughtfully and didn’t say more.

Yu Xian added, “In any case, we’ll do our best to help you! We succeed or fail together!”

After ending the call, Zhou Qian didn’t take Yu Xian’s words to heart.

All this talk about “succeeding or failing together”? They were merely bound by mutual interests. People who come close due to interests might betray for the same reason. Zhou Qian understood this better than anyone.

Afterwards, Zhou Qian clicked on the “Ready” button on the system panel, preparing to officially log into the instance.

Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.

Yu Xian turned to Zhu Qiang. “Hey, Qiang Ge, why did you say we should keep it a secret that your gambler, Lu Mengmeng, will be in the same instance as Zhou Qian? To give him a surprise?”

Zhu Qiang chuckled shyly. “Actually, I’m afraid Zhou Qian might look down on Lu Mengmeng and, by extension, me. It feels a bit awkward. Don’t mind it. I feel like a protective father toward Lu Mengmeng. He’s the player I’ve bet on, and you’ve bet on Zhou Qian. But Lu Mengmeng is nowhere near Zhou Qian’s level. I feel conflicted about that…”

“We’ve both struggled together to get to where we are now. How can there be any disparity between us? Strange.” Yu Xian yawned, speaking in a slightly drunken tone. “It’s a pity. This morning, when Lu Mengmeng contacted you, I took your advice and played the slot machine. Otherwise, I could have greeted him! How was your chat with him? What did you guys talk about?”

Zhu Qiang quickly changed the subject. “How did it go with the slot machine?”

Yu Xian replied, “I lost… I lost 300,000 by myself, and the 100,000 of yours was lost too.”

Zhu Qiang patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. I think they’re about to start another round. I’ll go buy you some food.”

“Alright.” Yu Xian collapsed on the bed. “I really can’t understand this game… Have you noticed that when we watch them play, time around us seems to slow down…”

Without answering Yu Xian’s question, Zhu Qiang turned to leave the suite, his expression becoming exceptionally solemn.

Yu Xian, I can’t get out of this anymore.

I’m sorry, don’t blame me.

……

Half an hour later.

[Player Zhou Qian entered the instance: “Last Wish”]

[Instance difficulty: Level 2; Pass rate: 60%]

[Hidden achievement completion rate: 7%]

[Number of players: 6]

Upon entering the game, Zhou Qian found himself standing in front of a building approximately seven stories high.

The building’s glass doors were tightly shut, likely waiting for all the players to arrive.

In front of the building were green trees and red flowers. A large lawn, its grass swaying gently in the breeze, spread out, touching the blazing afternoon sky.

After a while, two more people arrived.

They were Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong.

Zhou Qian noticed that as soon as the three of them entered the game, not only did they all have system-provided bags, but their outfits also looked similar—blue and white uniforms.

Glancing back at the sign in front of the building that read “Pastime Nursing Home”, Zhou Qian guessed that they might be playing roles like caretakers.

[3/6 players loaded]

[Waiting for 3 more players]

…

[4/6 players loaded]

After the system prompt, the fourth player arrived.

She was a woman, appearing a few years older than Yun Xiangrong, a typical cold beauty. She gave a brief nod to Zhou Qian, Gao Shan, and Yun Xiangrong as a greeting.

Through the system panel, Zhou Qian learned her name was Situ Qing, a high-ranking Rank C player skilled in long-range attacks and even capable of AOE attacks.

Monsters in “Apple Paradise” were tough due to its special instance. But Situ Qing, being skilled in AOE, meant she could deal damage to multiple targets at once.

After Situ Qing, a tall and burly man, around 35 years old, entered.

He greeted everyone with a cheerful demeanor.

[Name: He Xiaowei]

[Rank: D]

[Skills: Long-range damage; Group healing]

[Gambler system assessment: A growing pianist trying to cultivate two skills simultaneously. However, as the saying goes, if one tries to master everything, one ends up mastering nothing. Both of his skills are relatively weak. It is recommended to specialize in one in the future, either pure damage or pure healing.]

Unlike others, He Xiaowei’s gambler system evaluation seemed a bit derogatory.

After greeting He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian noticed another system prompt.

[6/6 players loaded]

[Loading storyline, please wait…]

The last player was a slender young man, around the same age as Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong. In contrast to Situ Qing’s cold demeanor and He Xiaowei’s friendliness, he struck a balance, politely greeting everyone before looking down, appearing contemplative.

His skin was pale, and the sunlight illuminated the fine hairs on his face, making him look as though he might slowly fade and disappear.

[Name: Lu Mengmeng]

[Rank: D]

[Skills: Close combat, assassin abilities, high mobility]

[Gambler system assessment: Always completes games with just 1% HP remaining. Please keep working hard and stay safe.]

Haa. The gamblers are quite harsh.

Moreover… such a frail figure, and he’s an assassin?

Zhou Qian took another glance at Lu Mengmeng and saw that the system had finally sent a plot prompt.

[Identity of the six players: Former nursing home caretakers, responsible for taking care of an old man named Jiang Yuqing.]

[Jiang Yuqing is nearly a hundred years old and is expected to pass away in three days.]

[Player mission: Help Jiang Yuqing fulfill his last wishes within three days.]

[One of the main quests has been activated: Jiang Yuqing resides in room 701. Please proceed to room 701 within 5 minutes to care for him.]

[Note: The second to sixth floors are under maintenance and are not open to the public.]

[For a smooth clearance, players should actively seek clues. Good luck!]

After the system prompt disappeared, the glass doors of the building opened.

They weren’t automatic doors. Instead, an NPC resembling a security guard came over, unlocked the iron chain in front of the door, and ushered the players in.

Upon entering the lobby, they saw another NPC at the reception desk—a woman in her 30s wearing high heels and a welcoming uniform. Seeing the players dressed as caretakers walk in, she waved and greeted, “You must be the new caretakers? Mr. Jiang is in 701. Please go straight ahead.”

Zhou Qian, sensing something from her words, immediately asked, “Yes, we’re the new caretakers. Where are the old ones?”

The receptionist sighed. “Only two of the old caretakers are left, and they’re currently in room 701. I wonder how much longer they can endure.”

“Why? Is Mr. Jiang difficult?” Zhou Qian inquired.

“Yes. Taking care of him is no easy task, which is why he requires so many caretakers. And Mr. Jiang has a temper; he often gets angry and breaks things!” The receptionist added, “It seems that the caretakers couldn’t stand it anymore and left. But what’s strange is that none of them came to settle their wages. They all just disappeared. Hmm, it’s so weird. Who doesn’t like money these days?”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow, and both Yun Xiaorong and Gao Shan exchanged quick glances.

Could it be that those caretakers didn’t just leave because of Mr. Jiang’s temper but instead met a more sinister fate?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian continued, “So today we can only go to the seventh floor? Why can’t we visit the other floors?”

“Huh? How did you know the other floors are off-limits?”

The receptionist looked at Zhou Qian in surprise, then explained, “Currently, this nursing home only has Mr. Jiang as its sole resident. Since there are no other guests on the other floors, we’re renovating them, so the security has sealed them off.”

Only Jiang Yuqing lives here?

From the receptionist to the security guard and all these caretakers, everyone is working around just one person?

“Oh yes, the two old caretakers are called Lao Tie and Lao Yu. You should go up quickly and listen to their handover. Be diligent, as I’ll be monitoring your attendance!” After urging the players to head to the seventh floor, the receptionist got busy with her work.

As Zhou Qian approached the elevator, he overheard her mumbling, “I heard that Mr. Jiang was a very handsome man in his youth. It’s a pity he’s old now…”

……

There were two elevators, A and B. The six players randomly chose elevator B and soon arrived on the seventh floor.

The corridor on the seventh floor had a light wooden floor, beige walls, and some luxury-style paintings, making the entire floor feel relaxed and cozy.

Given the time constraint of the main storyline, the players didn’t dally and went straight to room 701. But before they could enter, two NPCs dressed similarly to them opened the door and walked out. They were probably Lao Yu and Lao Tie, the two old caretakers the receptionist had mentioned.

The two spoke in turn, addressing the players.

“Mr. Jiang insists on eating [Wang’s Osmanthus Cake] every afternoon, or he gets moody! We’ll take a cab to buy it and be back in about an hour. Please take care of Mr. Jiang during this time.”

“Mr. Jiang had a nightmare about fighting someone last night. He seems to be in a bad mood today. Please be cautious. Taking care of someone isn’t easy. It’s your first day, so you’ll need to adjust!”

After delivering their lines, the two headed for the elevator, taking elevator B to leave. Just as they left, a “ding” sounded from elevator A next door. The doors opened, and three NPCs in blue cleaning uniforms stepped out, carrying brooms and cleaning tools. They appeared to be janitors.

Walking straight towards room 701, a janitor said, “Mr. Jiang loves cleanliness, so we came to help clean his room. Once we’re done with his room, we’ll help clean up for you new caretakers!”

With that, three janitors, plus six caretakers played by the players, entered room 701 together.

Upon entering room 701, Zhou Qian was immediately drawn to a wall on one side.

There hung a framed black and white photo that took up a third of the wall’s area.

The photo had an overall hue of dried maple leaves, yellowish-brown in color. It should be dry, as there was no sign of moisture, yet the people and scenes in the picture seemed blurred and distorted, possibly due to some kind of smudging effect. From a distance, it appeared as if the photo had been soaked in water.

Straining his eyes, Zhou Qian managed to identify seven individuals.

All seven were in military uniforms, which were tattered and stained with blood and mud, as if they had just come out of a battle. Their heights, body shapes, and sizes varied, and due to the severe damage to the photo, their genders couldn’t be distinguished. However, they seemed close, with their arms around each other.

The seven had two things in common.

First, their facial features were all blurred, resembling water damage, making it impossible to identify any of them.

Second, even though their uniforms were worn out, they all had a clear emblem—”7″.

The two caretakers had mentioned that Jiang Yuqing had dreamed of warfare the previous night. It seemed that he used to be a soldier. He was likely one of the seven in the photo, and their unit number had something to do with “7”.

Drawn by curiosity, Zhou Qian approached the photo and reached out to touch it.

For a split second, he felt a peculiar sensation—as if his fingers were dampened by the moisture from the photo.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Qian realized the scene in the photo was likely a rainy day.

Through his eyes, he felt the rain dropping, as if it were overflowing from the picture, and then filling the room…

An intense, ominous aura enveloped Zhou Qian, and he felt as though the seven blurred figures from the photo were sliding out and staring down at him.

A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively retracted his hand and stepped back. By averting his gaze from the eerie photo, everything else returned to normal.

Apart from this strange picture, the room had a cozy, homelike feeling.

For the moment, Zhou Qian turned his attention from the picture to the rest of the room’s furnishings.

The walls were powder blue, with most furniture made in a light-colored wood style. The bed was in the center of the room, with dried flowers on nightstands on both sides. One vase was made of celadon, and the other was semi-transparent crystal glass.

On one side of the room stood a bookshelf, lined with many books. In front of the shelf were two soft couches and a small coffee table, with pastries and water.

On a coat rack by the bed hung a brand new military uniform.

After glancing around, Zhou Qian’s eyes were firmly drawn to this uniform.

It also bore the number “7”.

Did this uniform belong to Jiang Yuqing?

Its design looked quite old, definitely not something a current soldier would wear.

Considering the era of the black and white photo, Jiang Yuqing’s time in the military was likely long ago. Yet why did his uniform look brand new, without a single wrinkle?

Many thoughts ran through Zhou Qian’s mind.

Finally, his attention settled on the number “7”.

The building had seven floors, there were seven people in the photo, and the uniform had the number “7”…

Was there anything else related to seven?

Zhou Qian quickly glanced at the nearby bookshelf filled with various titles. Counting, he found that the bookshelf indeed had seven shelves.

At this moment, Jiang Yuqing, the key character in this scenario, finally spoke.

He was leaning on the bed with half-closed eyes, looking quite relaxed.

Seeing so many people enter the room, he didn’t even bother to open his eyes fully, but in a very hoarse voice, he asked, “Osmanthus cake… Did you buy it?”

Answering him was the tall and burly man, He Xiaowei.

“Not yet, Mr. Jiang. Is there anything else you’d like us to do for you?”

Jiang Yuqing muttered some inaudible words and then repeated, “Osmanthus cake. I want osmanthus cake. I want to eat…eat osmanthus cake…”

During this, Zhou Qian remained silent, recalling that the front desk had mentioned that Mr. Jiang was very handsome when he was young. Hence, he took a few more glances at Jiang Yuqing.

Indeed, he looked like a nearly hundred-year-old man, so old that the wrinkles on his face had folded all his facial features together. It was impossible to tell what he originally looked like.

Yet even so, he didn’t appear repugnant. He possessed a special noble aura, which didn’t allow anyone to look down upon him. One couldn’t help but wonder; he must have been a breathtakingly handsome man in his youth.

A moment later, after trying to communicate with Jiang Yuqing but achieving no results, He Xiaowei scratched his head and whispered to the other players, “I think Mr. Jiang seems a bit out of it. Does he have dementia?”

Lu Mengmeng, who hadn’t spoken much during the journey, remarked, “Our mission this time seems related to fulfilling Jiang Yuqing’s last wish. What if… he’s forgotten his own wish, and it’s up to us to find it? But how do we go about that?”

“Hey bro, you’re quite sharp,” He Xiaowei genuinely complimented him. “But what should we do next?”

Yun Xiangrong took over the conversation. “Didn’t the system say that we need to actively look for clues? We should start now since there’s nothing else going on. However, considering both the receptionist and the elderly caretakers said we should take good care of Jiang Yuqing…”

She pointed to a red button beside the bed, adding, “Although there’s a service call button here, if he needs something and we don’t attend to him in time, there might be issues.

“So, it’s better if we split into two teams. One group stays in the ward to watch over Jiang Yuqing, and the other goes to explore the other places on the seventh floor. Later, we can share our findings.”

Yun Xiangrong was indeed an intelligent girl; her suggestion was very prudent and reasonable.

But for it to be fully effective, there was a prerequisite—the players splitting into teams should trust each other and share all the information.

Zhou Qian, Yun Xiangrong, and Gao Shan knew each other. The other three seemed to be strangers.

From Yun Xiangrong’s perspective, if she reluctantly trusted Zhou Qian and didn’t want to be separated from Gao Shan, the best choice would be for her and Gao Shan to be in one group, with Zhou Qian in the other; after the two groups finished their exploration, they could exchange information.

As expected, Yun Xiangrong’s gaze subtly shifted towards Zhou Qian. “Gao Shan and I will stay in the ward. The rest of you…”

Picking up on her hint, Zhou Qian was the first to turn and walk out. “Alright, I’ll search the other rooms for clues.”

When opening the door to room 701, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately leave but kept an eye on the situation behind him.

That was when he heard He Xiaowei’s voice. “I’ll also go outside and look around. There’s not much in this room, and it’s boring to just stare at an old man who’s out of it.”

“Then… I’ll go too. I’m quite curious about how the other rooms in this corridor look,” Lu Mengmeng chimed in.

He Xiaowei said, “Alright, the three of us will go out and explore, while the three of you stay in the room with Jiang Yuqing, waiting to see if there’s any special plot or story. This works perfectly—three people in each team!”

Hearing this and casting a subtle glance behind, Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank slightly as he continued to open the door. So, the ones exploring with him were Lu Mengmeng and He Xiaowei, while Situ Qing chose to stay in the ward.

According to Yun Xiangrong’s grouping, either Lu or He might know Situ Qing.

Why would they pretend not to know each other?

The astute Zhou Qian naturally showed no sign of suspicion on his face.

At this moment, something unexpected happened—three janitors rushed over and opened the door before him.

As they left, the three janitors chatted among themselves.

“Mr. Jiang’s room is fine. Not much cleaning needed there.”

“Right, let’s clean some of the caretakers’ rooms instead.”

“Let’s hurry. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can clock out!”

The sudden appearance and departure of the janitors were somewhat odd.

Zhou Qian quickly observed them and noticed that one of the female janitors was holding Jiang Yuqing’s military uniform.

“Why are you taking Mr. Jiang’s clothes?” Zhou Qian asked without hesitation.

“Shh!” The female janitor anxiously glanced at Jiang Yuqing, relieved to see him staring blankly, seemingly unaware. She then glared at Zhou Qian and said, “Hey, we all work hard for our living. We should understand each other. This uniform must be worth quite a bit. He has dementia and amnesia, so he won’t know if we take it. At most, I’ll share the money with all of you later, okay? Please don’t report me!”

Zhou Qian remained silent for the moment, just waiting for the three janitors to leave. However, he noticed that after they reached the corridor outside the door, the three of them suddenly froze.

Zhou Qian guessed that they originally came to clean the room. But after seeing the military uniform, they stole it, and without even cleaning the room, they hastily tried to escape with the stolen item.

However… if they were in such a hurry to leave, why did they freeze in the corridor?

What did they see?

As the thought crossed his mind, Zhou Qian decisively stepped out of the room, only to find himself momentarily stunned.

Seeing the three janitors and Zhou Qian all standing frozen in the corridor, the other players in room 701 sensed something was amiss. One by one, they came out, and soon, everyone was frozen in the corridor.

The corridor outside wasn’t the same as when they arrived. When they first came, the corridor was straight with a total of 12 rooms, 6 on each side of the elevator.

Room 701 was located at the very end of the corridor near elevator B, and its opposite room was 702. But now, coming out of room 701, the room directly in front was no longer 702. Instead, there was a sign reading “12”. The once straight corridor had transformed into a circular shape.

After a brief pause, the three janitors were the first to move.

Among them, the two women walked to the left, and the man went to the right. However, a few minutes later, they all met again in front of room 701.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian left the door of room 701 and tried walking to his left. After a full circle, he returned to room 701, now having a clearer understanding of the layout.

Opening his mouth, Zhou Qian explained to the other players, “Both elevators have disappeared. The corridor has become circular. There are 12 rooms in this circular corridor, numbered ‘1’ to ‘12’. That means…”

Pointing to the room still marked “701”, Zhou Qian continued, “That means there are now 13 rooms on this floor. There are 12 rooms forming a circle around the 13th room, numbered 1 to 12. Jiang Yuqing’s room, 701, is now in the center, making it the 13th room.”

“When we arrived, the building was square! How could there be a circular floor?

“What’s going on?” He Xiaowei exclaimed in shock.

His voice was very deep, but probably because of his humorous appearance, the fearful shout seemed funny—like a rugged man whining.

“So, room 701, along with its walls, moved to another space as a whole?” Yun Xiangrong frowned. “Is this some kind of supernatural instance? Or some… alternate dimension?”

Hearing her say this, Gao Shan quickly looked inside 701 and then came out. “Jiang Yuqing is asleep. Nothing else has changed. Everything in the room is as usual.”

Here, a few players quickly discussed the current situation.

Meanwhile, the three NPC janitors were also discussing with fearful expressions.

“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”

“I don’t know. Should we… try opening one of the doors to see?”

“Yeah, maybe opening a door will reveal the elevator or some other way out?”

Hearing this discussion, Zhou Qian immediately looked at them.

The female janitor, who had stolen Jiang Yuqing’s uniform and was now wearing it, acted first.

She went straight to room 12, opposite room 701.

The door was unlocked. She pushed it, and with a “creak”, it opened, and she went inside. Shortly after she entered, the door closed on its own with a “click”.

About three seconds later, something unexpected happened.

A gunshot rang out from room 12!

The gunshot, like a thunderbolt on a clear day, jolted everyone present.

Gao Shan quickly shielded Yun Xiangrong, who held onto his collar tightly in return. He Xiaowei turned and leapt, practically hanging onto the door of room 701, looking like a clumsy, large koala. Lu Mengmeng also seemed terrified, closely following He Xiaowei and quietly grabbing the hem of his clothes.

Zhou Qian remained motionless. He propped up one leg and stood leaning against the wall next to room 701’s door, squinting towards room 12.

At that moment, he noticed that Situ Qing didn’t run away; instead, she took a step closer to the door of room 12.

Following the sound of a gunshot came a scream. It came from inside room 12, presumably let out by the female janitor in military attire just before her death.

With a loud bang, the door to room 12 was thrown open, and the janitor ran out.

There was a large bloodstain on her chest, the result of the gunshot she had just received. Not far behind her, a dark figure was raising a gun towards her, but no subsequent shot was fired.

It was a swift, ghost-like silhouette with no discernible features or expressions.

Zhou Qian took a step forward, seemingly trying to see the face of the mysterious person.

However, just then, the door abruptly closed on its own.

As for the janitor, she fell face down on the cold corridor floor, never to breathe again.

He Xiaowei: “What the hell is going on? Why are there gunmen? Is this game supernatural? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Damn it, is it set in a gunfight scenario? We don’t have any guns!”

Gao Shan: “Rongrong, you go back to room 701 first. I’ll stay in the corridor to check.”

Yun Xiangrong: “No way. What if something happens to you? I’ll stay to heal you.”

He Xiaowei retorted, “Damn it, don’t single dogs have rights? I can heal too! Why isn’t anyone teaming up with me?!”

Beside them, seeing their coworker killed like this, the other two janitors were clearly panicking.

One of the women said, “What… What’s happening… We need to get out of here quickly, or we’ll be trapped until we die! I need to go pick up my daughter from school!”

The male janitor responded, “Ah, I told her not to take someone else’s military uniform! This might be karma! We’ll be fine!”

“Right, you’re right… Then… I’ll try another room.”

Swallowing hard, the second female janitor glanced left and right, then chose to enter room 1 next to room 12.

Seeing her move, all the players immediately focused on her. Under their watchful eyes, she entered the room.

Shortly after, the same thing happened as with the previous janitor: a gunshot followed by a scream, and she ran out with an obscured figure with a gun behind her. Finally, the door to room 1 closed, and the second janitor fell into a pool of blood.

“What’s going on…? Can’t we open any doors on this side…?”

The third male janitor murmured.

Seeing the incidents in rooms 12 and 1, he paced back and forth, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.

“Is this… some kind of endless loop*?”

*Ghost hitting the wall (鬼打墙吗) Idiom describing a phenomenon where a person feels like they’re walking in circles and can’t find their way out (AKA going in circles).

“What the hell is happening…?”

“I need to get out of here. This is too terrifying… Am I going to die too?!”

Muttering to himself, the male janitor ran halfway around the circular corridor to the other side.

Zhou Qian quickly followed, and the other players figured that as long as they didn’t enter those 12 rooms, they wouldn’t be attacked. Since the gunmen in the two rooms didn’t chase anyone into the corridor, everyone else followed as well.

Before their eyes, after hesitating between rooms 6 and 7, the male janitor finally decided to enter room 6. After the door closed, the six players moved closer to get a better view, waiting in silence. But nothing happened this time. No gunshots.

A minute later, the janitor emerged from room 6, looking much more relaxed.

“It’s safe! No one tried to kill me! But there’s no way out in there. I need to keep searching.”

After muttering to himself, he immediately opened the adjacent room 7. Room 7 opened and closed, yet no gunshots ensued. Another minute passed, and the janitor came out again.

“It’s strange. There’s no exit in this room either… How can I get out…”

Holding his head in despair, he slowly made his way back to the opposite side of room 701, with the players in tow.

As they passed by the bodies of the two female janitors, the male janitor sighed, seemingly lamenting their deaths. He then looked up, his gaze drifting from one room to another in confusion.

“A’Hua went into Room 12 and died; Xiao Wang went into Room 1 and died; I went to Rooms 6 and 7 and didn’t die… but I also didn’t find the way out. I can’t die trapped here…” Mumbling these words, he approached Room 2.

“Room 12, Room 1… people died in both. It can’t be that there are killers in three consecutive rooms, right?”

Having said this, the male janitor pushed the door open and entered Room 2. The door slammed shut. But three seconds later, a gunshot rang out swiftly! The same thing that happened to the previous two female janitors happened to him. It seemed he saw something terrifying and tried to escape from the room. Unfortunately, he was shot in a vital spot and died in the hallway.

Three mysterious gunshot incidents happened so quickly, right before the players’ eyes. After the brutal killings, three janitors lay in the corridor. The air was thick with an unpleasant smell of blood.

Zhou Qian always despised blood. He frowned slightly, standing in front of Room 701, glanced inside through the open door. An elderly Jiang Yuqing was sound asleep, seemingly oblivious to the three shootings outside.

He Xiao Wei roared with a deep voice. “What’s going on? What the hell is this?”

Yun Xiangrong calmly said, “The game designer arranged this plot. Perhaps they want us to find a pattern based on the janitors’ entry and exit from the rooms. It’s a puzzle for us. Among the 12 rooms, some are safe, some are not. We need to find the pattern and explore accordingly.”

Gao Shan seriously added, “But it seems difficult; I can’t discern any pattern.”

Just as Gao Shan finished speaking, all six players received a system notification:

[Players triggered side quest ①: “Checks and Balance”]

[Time limit for completion: One hour]

[12 rooms contain 12 important pieces of evidence. Players must find all evidence to clear the stage.]

[Note: Once the bullets in the rooms are fired by the killer, they have a 100% hit rate】

He Xiaowei: “What does this mean? Side quests? Does that mean we can skip this task?”

Gao Shan: “But if we don’t take the side quest… will we be trapped here forever?”

Yun Xiangrong raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Qian, who was heading into Room 701. Shaking her head, she said with a smirk, “Even if we don’t want to do the side quest, Qian Ge will probably force us to.”

He Xiaowei, who was unfamiliar with Zhou Qian’s methods, innocently asked, “Huh? What do you mean?”

A few seconds later, sure enough, Zhou Qian’s voice echoed from the room. “Just observing the manner of death of those three janitors won’t help us find the pattern. We probably need to search Room 701 for more clues. Let’s all come in and look for hints.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Shan looked at Yun Xiangrong and gave her a wink. Yun Xiangrong responded with a “I told you so” look.

Inside the room, Zhou Qian approached a black and white photo. Looking up, he gazed at the seven blurry faces on it. “Will you give me information?”

Reaching out, Zhou Qian touched the photo again. Enduring the unsettling, cold aura, he tried to stay focused to see what would happen next.

Usually, players wouldn’t face a risk of death without any logic or hint at the very beginning. Now they had activated a side quest, and the risk of death was the 12 rooms. So, everything in this room should be safe for the time being.

Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan, and the others indeed followed Zhou Qian into the room. But they kept their distance, waiting to see what would happen to him.

The black and white photo, looking as if soaked in rain, began to fog. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the photo itself that fogged up but rather the images of the seven individuals, as if spirits were converging within the figures, ready to emerge. Seeing this, Yun and Gao tightly held each other’s hands with a tense expression.

But Zhou Qian was closest. He touched the photo and felt an overwhelming sadness. This sensation was very strange for him. Zhou Qian had been emotionally numb for a long time. Although he wasn’t completely void of emotions, his emotional reactions were extremely muted. But now, it was as if the heart of someone in the photo was directly placed into his chest, making him feel an indescribable sadness deep within.

Directly in front of Zhou Qian, a strange scene suddenly appeared.

It seemed to be inside an old house from the Republic of China era. A man was bent over a table, writing poetry beside a white candle.

The man was tall and had an exceptionally refined and calm demeanor. Through a mist of clouds and fog, Zhou Qian couldn’t make out his facial features clearly, but he could vaguely see that the man was very handsome.

Zhou Qian silently watched him finish a poem—

“You ask of my return, yet there’s no set date; rain falls on the Bashan mountains, filling the autumn pond.”

“When shall we together snip a candle at the western window and talk of the rain on Bashan at night?”

His handwriting was in a neat regular script, both elegant and bold. Zhou Qian’s own handwriting resembled chicken scratch, but Bai Zhou’s handwriting was excellent. Thus, Zhou Qian always had a soft spot for those with good penmanship.

In the scene, after finishing the poem, the man let out a deep sigh. Instead of sending out the poem, he surprisingly burned it in the flame of the white candle.

Zhou Qian felt as if his heart was beating in tandem with the man’s. Now, his heart felt as though it was being squeezed, as if it was being consumed by the flames with the poetry lines, causing waves of burning dull pain.

This unique empathetic force from the photo brought Zhou Qian a long-lost sadness. He squinted and continued to watch the man in the scene, attempting to ask, “Why did you burn it? Who did you write this poem for?”

Affected by the sadness, Zhou Qian’s voice was unusually hoarse and heavy. The man in the scene seemed to hear him and looked up at him.

“It’s you, you all came! You’re really here!”

“Am I seeing this right?!”

“It’s great… even if it’s an illusion… I can see you in my lifetime. It’s wonderful.”

Who does this “you all” refer to? Is it referring to our group of players? Can you in the photo see the “us” in this room?

With a thoughtful squint, Zhou Qian saw the man quickly write two more lines and handed the paper to him.

Taking the paper, before he could read it closely, a sudden downpour obscured the scene. In no time, the man, furniture, candlestick, the antique room… all were drenched, distorted, and blurred, becoming a yellow-tinted black and white, finally merging with the color of the photo.

After a brief moment of realization, Zhou Qian looked up to see the same strange black and white photo. He was back in room 701. Everything that just happened seemed like an illusion he experienced by touching the photo. However, he now held a tangible piece of note.

Beside him, Gao Shan, Yun Xiangrong, He Xiao Wei, and Lu Mengmeng quickly gathered around to see the two lines written on the note.

Yun Xiangrong: “This must be a clue!”

He Xiaowei: “Definitely! These two lines must hint at the pattern of those 12 rooms!”

The peculiar feelings inside Zhou Qian faded, and his sensations became blurry, indifferent to joy or sorrow. He then looked at the note. The two lines the man in the photo wrote to him were—

[The lowest ranked cannot be kill!]

[Balance of power is the only solution!]

……

Outside room 701, looking at the players inside, Situ Qing raised her wrist and glanced at the system panel popping up on her watch. Her disabled younger brother, also her gambling partner, sent her a message.

[Your main task is to kill Zhou Qian. No need to focus on completing the side quests.]

[You can try persuading the other players to give up on the side quest. It’s best to win over Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan; otherwise, they’ll cause trouble.]

[If necessary, deal with the couple first.]

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 19

Zhou Qian truly was a man of his word.

The very next morning, he took action.

After his rounds, Zhou Qian ordered a large box of tiramisu cake and delivered it to a familiar young nurse, trying to persuade Qi Liuxing to stay. The two laughed heartily, as if they were the naive sons of the landlord. They then managed to get three hours of outdoor time.

Leaving the hospital and hailing a cab, the two went to the New Dragon Cemetery.

New Dragon Cemetery was very far from the city and was poorly managed. Of course, because of this, the plots are quite cheap. Zhou Qian speculated that Bai Zhou was buried here partly because of his family’s modest means and couldn’t afford a more expensive plot, and partly because his parents’ affection for him was quite average.

After many years, Zhou Qian found that the management of New Dragon Cemetery was still chaotic. When he reached the reception hall of the management building, all the staff were playing mahjong.

Zhou Qian had prepared plenty of red envelopes in advance. He directly approached each person and handed them out.

“For good luck, for good luck!” he said while distributing the red envelopes, stating his request to change his brother’s tombstone.

Being a poorly managed cemetery, the staff didn’t verify Zhou Qian’s identity. After accepting the red envelopes, two of them happily left their mahjong game, where they had only won or lost a few yuan all afternoon, and led Zhou Qian to Bai Zhou’s grave, immediately removing the tombstone. Zhou Qian then saw the rectangular urn underneath.

The urn was wooden with a simple design. It was only about the size of two adult hands—unbelievably small.

After cremation, only a small portion of the remains were placed in the urn. Zhou Qian found this very regrettable.

In Zhou Qian’s memory, Bai Zhou was always tall. Now only this small amount remained. He vividly imagined the scene at the crematorium—Bai Zhou’s body being cremated, and afterward, his parents probably just casually chose some ashes to put in this small box.

Beside him, one of the workers, who had moved the tombstone, patted his bulging pocket, seemingly pleased with the amount in the red envelope. He smiled at Zhou Qian and said, “Actually, there was no need to remove the old tombstone today! The new one will take some time to make. You can order it today and replace it later.”

The other added, “That’s right. We’re understaffed, and tombstones take a while to make. But if you’re willing to pay more, we can hire more workers to expedite the process—”

The cemetery was located on a hillside, shrouded in mist from a recent drizzle, making the air damp.

Hundreds of tombstones lined up row by row, somewhat orderly. But due to poor management, most of the graves were overgrown with weeds. Leftover offerings from tomb-sweepers, like joss paper and candles, lay scattered on the ground, blending in with the grass, adding to the unique scenery of the cemetery.

Qi Liuxing, who had never been to such a place, looked around curiously.

At the same time, he occasionally shot glances at Zhou Qian, trying hard to keep a straight face. The two workers were also curious about Zhou Qian but were too lazy to inquire further. After realizing Zhou Qian was an easy target, they hoped to extract more money from him.

All three of them stood behind Zhou Qian, so no one saw the grim expression on his face. But when Zhou Qian turned to face them a moment later, his expression was back to normal.

Zhou Qian smiled and said, “The reason I removed the tombstone is mainly that I wanted to replace the urn. Last night, I dreamt of my brother. He said his home was leaking. I was worried that the wooden urn might have been damaged by insects, so I hurried over to check. Now that I see it’s fine, I’m relieved. But since I’m here, I might as well replace the urn.”

After saying this, Zhou Qian turned and squatted down, lifting the urn. He then stood up and asked the two workers, “Will the new tombstone be ready in a week?”

The workers grinned, rubbing their fingers together in a gesture that meant everything was negotiable with money.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay enough. The tombstone must be made of the best materials. It should be taller, more magnificent, and more luxurious than the others around. Xiao Qi—”

Zhou Qian looked at Qi Liuxing. “I don’t have cash on me. Can you pay for me? Let’s give these two gentlemen a generous tip for their hard work.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

What kind of weird competitive mentality is that?

Wait a minute? Why am I the one paying? Are you being casual? Not everyone is a second-generation rich kid like you!

Zhou Qian only said to the staff, “Add me on WeChat. Update me anytime. I’ll transfer the money to you whenever?”

The staff quickly replied, “Don’t worry, as long as the payment is settled, we’ll work overtime… Guarantee it will be done in a week!”

“Okay. Then I’ll come to rebury my brother in a week.”

Zhou Qian smiled at the staff holding the urn, slightly nodded towards Qi Liuxing, and then left with him.

Leaving the cemetery, the two hailed a ride towards the city center.

Qi Liuxing thought to himself that this trip was much smoother than expected.

At least they didn’t have to sneak in in the middle of the night and dig the grave themselves.

Those workers were really irresponsible.

Of course, when he sat in the back seat with Zhou Qian, Qi Liuxing’s expression became more and more speechless.

Because he watched as Zhou Qian opened the urn.

Though Qi Liuxing really didn’t want to look, curiosity got the better of him.

Inside the urn were mostly ash-colored powder and some small bone fragments that weren’t fully burned.

Zhou Qian reached in, picking out a small piece of bone to examine closely, even smelling it.

Afterwards, for better light, he even held the bone up to the window.

Looking sideways, Qi Liuxing saw the sunlight shining through the window, illuminating both the bone and half of Zhou Qian’s face.

Under this light, Zhou Qian’s expression looked dreamy. His eyes were intensely focused, with a crazed look.

Then he muttered to himself, “Hmph, is this really human bone?”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

The driver in front: “…”

The driver must have been shocked that he drove in an S-shape.

After a while, Qi Liuxing asked him, “Want to know what I think?”

“Oh?” Zhou Qian turned his gaze, looking at Qi Liuxing curiously. “What’s on your mind, Xiao Qi?”

Qi Liuxing: “I think you’re really insane.”

Zhou Qian: “Oh, I’ve always been that way.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian laughed, put the bone back in the urn, and closed the lid.

Then he asked Qi Liuxing, “What’s the deal with the ghost you mentioned earlier? Tell me in detail. What’s your relationship with him?”

Qi Liuxing thought deeply, holding his chest as if holding an invisible sword.

After a while, he began. “What if I told you… I grew up with a ghost. You wouldn’t believe me, right?”

Zhou Qian: “Go on.”

When Qi Liuxing was six, he watched a cartoon.

In it, two brothers were very close.

He envied that and wished for a brother, so he told his parents he wanted a younger brother.

When he said this, his parents looked sad. They told him that he did have a younger brother who died shortly after birth. Qi Liuxing was only two at the time, so he didn’t remember.

Strange events started happening after that.

Qi Liuxing often saw a child two years younger than him who called him “big brother” and was very dependent on him. He felt that he was his real younger brother.

His brother grew up with Qi Liuxing, reading with him, doing homework, attending classes…

Except that no one else could see him, their relationship seemed just like normal brothers.

Qi Liuxing said to Zhou Qian, “I originally thought he was the ghost of my brother, but logically, ghosts don’t grow up. So… I don’t know what’s going on.”

Zhou Qian seemed to understand. “But your parents think it’s your imagination? Or you have schizophrenia?”

“Yes. They thought my condition was getting worse, so they sent me to a psychiatric hospital,” Qi Liuxing said. “When entering this game, the system said… you can exchange gold coins for what you want. I wanted my brother to truly come alive.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian thoughtfully looked at Qi Liuxing. “So your brother now…”

Qi Liuxing: “Sometimes he comes out, sometimes he doesn’t. Now… Ah, he’s here! Let me introduce you!”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Qi Liuxing sat in the middle of the back seat. He raised his hand and gestured towards the empty seat on his right. “Brother, let me introduce you. This is Zhou Qian. He’s impressive. Thanks to him, I managed to get the hidden reward. Mhm? Okay, I understand.”

Qi Liuxing turned and smiled at Zhou Qian. “My younger brother says he wants to thank you.”

Zhou Qian waved at the empty seat, narrowing his eyes and smiling warmly. “Hello. No need to be polite.”

Suddenly, a sharp, jarring friction sound abruptly rang out.

Accompanied by an emergency brake, the car violently stopped by the roadside.

Qi Liuxing was about to ask the driver if something had happened, like a tire blowout. But he saw the driver stretching out a trembling hand from the front seat. “You should leave. I won’t continue this job.”

“Um, sir, there might be a misunderstanding—” Qi Liuxing realized something and tried to explain.

“No, no, no. Just spare me! I beg you! I have a family!” The driver’s voice was on the verge of breaking down. “It’s hard for me to take ridesharing jobs in my free time! I will never take jobs near the cemetery again! Not even in the daytime!”

Moments later, Qi Liuxing and Zhou Qian stood on the deserted asphalt road at the foot of the hill, feeling the cold wind.

Zhou Qian calmly held an urn against the wind. Occasionally, passersby would see him and immediately keep their distance.

Qi Liuxing shook his head and involuntarily stepped back.

After a while, seeing Zhou Qian making a phone call, Qi Liuxing asked with a strained voice, “Who are you calling? Where are we going now?”

Zhou Qian replied, “When in trouble, we should seek help from the police. So, we’re heading to the police station to find Officer Chen. Let’s see if he can help us identify this or find out how Bai Zhou died.”

……

Two days later. Semi-open instance A711.

The so-called semi-open instance mainly served as a lobby for players and gamblers to discuss matters. It was also known as the game hall.

Only players and gamblers of a certain level could enter, hence the “semi-open”.

At this moment, all the people in the hall were Rank S players with various skills and gamblers with “Senior Gambler” badges.

They held phones or tablets, displaying numerous scenes of players below Rank S tackling different challenges.

In this game, players below Rank S were considered novices. When these novices played, only their respective gamblers could watch live.

But once they finished, their gameplay could be viewed by Rank S and above players and Senior Gamblers.

This way, other players and gamblers had no real-time interference in the novices’ gameplay.

They periodically review novices’ play videos to scout for potential apprentices or recruits for their teams.

For gamblers, it was about selecting future betting subjects to earn more money.

Players like Zhou Qian, being a novice, of course, couldn’t enter such semi-open instances.

Suddenly, a Rank C player appeared at the entrance, undoubtedly drawing attention.

With a cold smirk, the gatekeeper said, “People below Rank S can’t enter.”

The Rank C player was a very beautiful girl.

With a cold beauty and a reserved demeanor, she resembled the typical ice queen.

Facing the gatekeeper, she confidently replied, “I was invited. In fact, without the special invitation [Pass] from the legion, I wouldn’t even know about this place or be able to get here, right?”

“Tsk… Nowadays, novices have no manners.” The gatekeeper sighed.

Having guarded the entrance for a long time, he was well aware of the rules.

Normally, only Rank S players and Senior Gamblers could enter. But legions, aiming to nurture and train novices, had the authority to distribute a certain number of [Pass].

Those novices who received this [Pass] were eligible to visit.

They were considered reserves for the legions, and if they grew appropriately, they could become the backbone of the legion.

Legions were entities formed by highly capable Rank S players who applied through the system.

They were somewhat like guilds in MMORPGs but more complex.

Of course, some highly skilled veteran players could also directly distribute [Passes] to their disciples on their own.

The gatekeeper, despite clearly knowing the person in front of him had a pass, still wanted to give her a hard time. He had no other intention but to get a little bribe from her. Gold coins, useful items, anything would do.

However, the icy beauty in front of him was clearly unbending. She directly took out her pass and slapped it down in front of the gatekeeper with a loud “slap”.

“If you fucking refuse a toast, you’ll be forced to drink a forfeit*. Believe it or not, next time I’ll have someone kill you in the game—”

*(敬酒不吃吃罚酒) Idiom referring to submitting under pressure after turning down the first request.

Before she could finish, the gatekeeper silenced. Because he saw that the pass she presented was issued by the Peach Blossom Legion.

The term “Peach Blossom” in the Peach Blossom Legion came from the famous ancient poem: “Last year at this door, the human face and peach blossoms reflected each other’s red glow*.”

*Line from a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Xin Qiji. It conveys a sense of nostalgia and the fleeting nature of time by juxtaposing the enduring beauty of peach blossoms with the transient beauty of a human face.

The founder was a legendary player known as the “Peach Blossom God”. It was said that when she had the opportunity to see the gods, she emerged from a scarlet peach forest. Her skills were also related to peach blossoms, hence the name.

While Peach Blossom was still active, the Peach Blossom God had been missing for a long time. Rumor had it that after a massive civil war between the game’s legions years ago, the Peach Blossom God disappeared, her whereabouts unknown. This resonated with the phrase: “The human face is gone, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze*.”

*Also another line. It refers to while the human is gone, the peach blossoms continue to bloom year after year, reflecting the importance of human life.

While the founder vanished, the legion was dormant. Only recently did they become active again, ranking second among all legions.

Just moments ago, the gatekeeper was betting with someone—

“That new player named Zhou Qian seems pretty strong. Do you think Peach Blossom will recruit him?”

“It’s hard to say. The Peach Blossom Legion has peculiar standards for recruitment.”

The gatekeeper soon realized the accuracy of the statement. After all this time, the Peach Blossom Legion was finally attempting to nurture newcomers. But this newcomer wasn’t the outstanding Zhou Qian, but this seemingly unremarkable girl standing before him.

Given that she was chosen by the Peach Blossom Legion, the gatekeeper didn’t dare offend her. He quickly stepped aside.

Before she entered, the gatekeeper accessed her game profile.

[Name: Situ Qing]

[Rank: C]

[Specialty: Long-range Damage; AOE]

[Gambler System Evaluation: Ice Queen; Snow Goddess; Potential DPS Queen]

……

Retrieving her pass, Situ Qing stepped into the game lobby. Despite her proud and cold demeanor, a touch of reverence was evident in her gaze. She had struggled for so long in lower-level instances and thought reaching Rank S was her limit in this game. But now, she realized that Rank S seemed to be just the beginning. This game was even grander than she had imagined.

On a panel in the center of the lobby was a list of the most recent newcomers and their rankings. At the top was the name “Zhou Qian”.

[Player Zhou Qian, Rank D, Overall Performance Score: 100]

[Skill Prediction: Agility-based, Team Control]

[Spiritual Potential: Infinite]

[Probability of Becoming a “Shepherd”: 99%]

Situ Qing was a classic “potential-type” player, meaning she needed to spend a lot of time leveling up initially, but her power in the later stages would be unimaginably strong, akin to a late bloomer.

Despite being informed of this, Situ Qing couldn’t help feeling a bit downcast. She had struggled for so long to reach Rank C, but Zhou Qian had advanced to Rank D after just one dungeon.

Scanning the lobby while meeting the curious gazes of others, Situ Qing began to explore the game lobby. This was her short-term goal. She hoped to come here in the future without needing a pass.

“Why did Peach Blossom choose her and not Zhou Qian?”

“Have you seen Zhou Qian’s performance? That guy obviously isn’t easy to control. He prefers to lead rather than be led. I guess Peach Blossom likes obedient members. Plus, Zhou Qian’s skills aren’t practical!”

“That makes sense. I remember Situ Qing’s previous system assessment. She’s a potential-type, just like Qi Liuxing. They might be average now, but in the future, they’ll be incredibly strong damage dealers.”

“By the way, has any legion shown interest in Zhou Qian? With his abilities, everyone must be fighting over him, right? He should get a lot of attention.”

“No way he’d be left out!”

“Those who scored nearly or at full marks during their novice phase are all currently legendary players! They’re the leaders of various legions! How can no one want Zhou Qian?”

“Those big shots before, when they were rookies and scored full marks, either had immense positive energy, persuading everyone to cooperate with their charisma; or they relied on unbeatable output and just did it! Otherwise, they were extremely evil, sacrificing teammates… But I haven’t really seen anyone as reckless as Zhou Qian.”

“Yes, that’s the point. People like Zhou Qian are too dangerous. People like him… if you can’t get them, you must kill them before they grow stronger. Otherwise, they will be endless trouble!”

“But strangely, it seems like there’s no news about him now! No one is competing for him!”

“Really? No one wants him??”

“In fact, there’s one thing that all of you overlooked.”

A deep male voice suddenly came from the direction of the hall’s entrance. A man in a suit and leather shoes with a refined demeanor walked over. Because he used a special item, no one could see his name. They only knew his codename was [Priest].

Priest’s rank seemed very high, and his background was mysterious; nobody knew which legion he belonged to. He knew many secret messages, often surprising everyone, like a prophet with a third eye. Thus, when everyone saw him coming, they all stopped talking, staring at him, waiting for his big reveal.

Priest directly took out two tablets and placed them side by side on the table. He turned on the left tablet, tapped a few times, and displayed a group of new players entering “Apple Paradise”. He fast-forwarded to when the players first met the Great God Epoh, paused, adjusted the angle, and zoomed in on Epoh’s face for a clear close-up. Then he turned on the right tablet, bringing up the moment Zhou Qian met Epoh, and similarly zoomed in on Epoh.

At this point, it was clear that the facial features and expressions of the two Epohs were identical. In fact, these players had seen different groups of players clear this instance many times before.

Facing the Epoh on the first screen, their feelings were no different than usual, just like seeing an ordinary NPC in a low-level instance. But when they looked at the Epoh before Zhou Qian, they felt something unusual… It was as if that Epoh wasn’t just game data anymore but a living being, as if he would crawl out of the screen the next second and stand before them.

Priest continued to operate the two tablets, trying to analyze the various attribute data of the two Epohs in detail. The left tablet quickly displayed the data of the Great God Epoh NPC, such as HP, MP, attack power, skills, and the like.

But on the right tablet, a message popped up:

[The relevant player has activated advanced permissions and will not publicly display specific attribute values.]

“What the hell? Advanced permissions?”

“I know what advanced permissions mean! That’s… it’s a privilege only for god-tier players! Wait, I think I’ve encountered this situation before. This is, this is…”

“Priest? Care to explain?”

“I got it! A god-tier player loaded their consciousness into the body of an NPC in the instance! Under these circumstances, he can’t control the NPC, can’t OOC*, and can’t interfere with the instance…”

*Out of character. Basically, they have to follow the plot.

“It’s as if he attached his mental consciousness to the NPC, watching regular players play the game without affecting the game!”

“They do this to select ‘Shepherds’ for themselves! So, which god-tier player did this?”

“He closed our query permissions because he was worried that his health and skills would also be displayed. He doesn’t want us to recognize him!”

Those who were in this hall, to put it nicely, were all Rank S, but they were the lowest level of Rank S players, always within the range of regular players.

Legends told that the most advanced players were the ones who really opened up the world of gods, stepping into that realm and gaining supreme power through deals with them. Hence, they were called “god-tier players” by regular players. The founders of several major legions were god-tier players.

But no one present had seen them, nor did they know what that supreme power meant.

They only knew that the highest-level god-tier players would occasionally upload their consciousness into the instance, becoming an NPC within, choosing a qualified [Shepherd] for themselves.

It was said that after achieving godhood, god-tier players sometimes experience a loss of mental control.

During those times, they need a qualified [Shepherd] to control them. No matter how powerful or invincible a god-tier player was, if they lost their sanity or went berserk in the instance, they might still fail to clear the level. But if they cooperated well with a [Shepherd], they would be unstoppable.

“Priest, are you suggesting that a god-tier player has chosen Zhou Qian as his Sheperd? Did he become Epoh for Zhou Qian?”

“Even though it’s just their consciousness that’s uploaded, if the NPC gets hurt, the player will feel it too, right? Playing as Epoh, who enjoys pain, how much pain and suffering would that entail!”

“Which god-tier player would do such a thing? Just to observe Zhou Qian? Isn’t this a bit too exaggerated?”

“Before ‘Apple Paradise’, Zhou Qian had already passed the tutorial. How did a god-tier player notice him and immediately turn into Epoh? That’s unbelievable!”

“I’m so curious. I’ve opened the player rankings. Who the hell is that god-tier player?”

“[Scholar], [Blood Demon], and [Hidden Blade]… All these god-tier players are on my list! Who? Who took an interest in Zhou Qian?”

In response to everyone’s queries, Priest’s expression was somewhat inscrutable. “I don’t know who this god-tier player is, but if you keep looking, you’ll be able to guess soon.”

“Why?”

“If Zhou Qian is someone a god-tier player is interested in, then if the other god-tier players can’t have him, they’ll likely resort to killing him.”

……

Having overheard everything happening in the hall, Situ Qing entered a private room in the tea area. Inside, a pale, thin young man with a somewhat gloomy look was sitting.

“Any initial thoughts on this place?” the man asked her.

“My worldview has been turned upside down. What will become of this game in the future?” Situ Qing inquired.

“All you need to know is that you’ll possess immense power and be able to achieve your desires.” The man chuckled. “So, how do you feel now? Want to join the Peach Blossom Legion?”

“For someone weak like you… You’re not even a player. Why are you part of the legion?” Situ Qing was puzzled.

The man laughed. “Because I’m smart. Through this period, with the help I provided for you in clearing the instances, you should have felt it, right?”

After a moment of silence, Situ Qing countered, “You said before, if I want to join the Peach Blossom Legion, there’s a condition?”

“Yes. There’s a player named Zhou Qian. Due to his high score, the system will open a special instance for him called ‘Last Wish’. Given his personality, he will definitely go directly to this instance. The Peach Blossom Legion will provide you with an entrance ticket for ‘Last Wish’. This type of instance is rarely open, and as long as you and he make choices around the same time, you’ll definitely be matched together.” With a stern look, the man said, “Kill Zhou Qian in ‘Last Wish’, and that’s the condition for joining the Peach Blossom Legion.”

Situ Qing frowned. She was somewhat aware of Zhou Qian’s capabilities.

Seemingly sensing her hesitation, the man said, “He’s only Rank D, with an HP of just 2,000. Your HP is twice his. Besides, you have my real-time assistance. Furthermore—I’ve found a great helper for you.”

“Helper? Who?” Situ Qing was suspicious.

“You just went to a newbie instance to farm experience, right? You’ve gained a little fan. You saved him, so he’ll listen to you.”

“You mean… Lu Mengmeng?” Situ Qing furrowed her brows.

The man confirmed, “Yes. You both live in Spring Hill Asylum Zone 2. When you leave here later, find him and persuade him to cooperate with you. Tell him that if he performs well, he can also join the Peach Blossom Legion.”

“I don’t quite get it. That Lu Mengmeng is weak in every aspect.” Situ Qing asked with some surprise, “Why choose him?”

“Because his gambler is Zhu Qiang. Zhou Qian’s gambler is Yu Xian. And Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang are a pair of unemployed best friends. So…” the man grinned, “Are you ready to watch the drama of two brothers turning against each other?”

Situ Qing fell silent. She looked out the window. It was a false landscape constructed by virtual space—the moonlight covered the valley, making it look like a fairyland. The moonlight was breathtakingly beautiful. But every time she approached the valley, trying to reach out and grasp it, she always came up empty-handed.

“Don’t be afraid. I know, for my sake, you would surely kill Zhou Qian and survive.”

The man pushed the wheelchair forward toward Situ Qing, then leaned close to her ear, whispering the gentlest yet seemingly most cruel words.

“My dearest sister, I am your most devout gambler.”

……

Spring Hill Mental Hospital Zone 1, at the edge of the outdoor activity area, near the small river.

[Player Zhou Qian, you have not chosen the next instance to log into. The system reminds you to make a choice as soon as possible.]

[Due to your outstanding initial evaluation results, the special instance “Last Wish” with hidden rewards has been specially opened for you.]

[For players who have reached Rank E, some rules have been updated. Click to view the detailed introduction of the updated gambler system.]

[Currently, you and your gambler cannot enter semi-open instances and meet directly online. However, before the game starts, the gambler and player can have a video call to get to know each other better.]

[Whether the player passes or not affects whether the gamblers can receive rewards. Thus, gamblers can help players pass through their understanding of the game. During the game, gamblers can send message hints to players.]

[Please note that during the game, players cannot contact gamblers; gamblers can only send messages to players unilaterally.]

[At this stage, every game played by a player will be archived and can be searched and viewed by advanced gamblers; the higher your current score, the more likely you are to attract their attention; in the future, they will provide great help on your gaming journey.]

When Zhou Qian received this message, he was in the rest area, holding a binoculars, and preparing to climb a tree.

He casually asked Qi Liuxing, “So, at this stage, each player is only bound to one gambler, and the gambler can see our game performance in real-time. Players above Rank F can receive message hints from gamblers during the game?”

“Yes,” Qi Liuxing replied.

Zhou Qian asked, “But how come I see that Dong Xiang, you, Yun Xiangrong, and Gao Shan seem to not receive any hints?”

Qi Liuxing: “Perhaps our gamblers are too weak, weaker than us.”

“This system is quite strange. Think about it, gamblers just watch from outside, unlike us, who immerse ourselves in the game. How can they know more than us? Besides, while we risk our lives, they benefit from the sidelines… How is this fair? Something feels off.”

At this stage, each player had one gambler.

But a player’s performance could attract the attention of advanced gamblers.

In the future, when a player upgraded to Rank S, many advanced gamblers might bet on this player, realizing mutual prosperity and loss.

But as Qi Liuxing doubted, is it that easy for gamblers to reap without sowing?

Thoughts crossed Zhou Qian’s mind, but he temporarily set them aside.

As usual, he climbed the tree and began observing the building on the opposite side with his binoculars.

Qi Liuxing sat beneath the tree, bored, having kept watch for Zhou Qian for several days.

Yawning and looking up, he saw Zhou Qian with the high-powered binoculars, observing intently. Qi Liuxing joked, “If you were a woman, you’d turn into a ‘wife-waiting stone*’.”

*This is referring to a legend that tells of a devoted wife who waited for her husband to return from a journey. She waited for so long that she eventually turned into a stone statue, gazing in the direction her husband left. Nowadays, there are many stones that are labeled as this providing tourist attractions.

“Huh? Can’t a man wait for his husband?”

“??”

“Sorry, you’re too young.”

“…???”

Qi Liuxing: “So, did you see anything?”

Zhou Qian shook his head. “That person has been lying down. Nothing different from usual.”

Qi Liuxing, at a loss for words, changed the topic. “Hey, what about the ashes?”

Zhou Qian: “Chen Yangzhou said the results are still pending. We don’t know if those ashes are fake.”

“Okay…” Qi Liuxing asked again, “Where are you heading for the next instance? Do you want to go to ‘Last Wish’?”

“Yes.” Zhou Qian nodded. “This instance is also open to Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong. They replied that they are willing to team up.”

“So… have you chosen what to add to your skills?” Qi Liuxing inquired further.

Zhou Qian: “Team control.”

Upon noticing Qi Liuxing’s hesitance, Zhou Qian looked down to find an awkward expression on his face, even his ears turning a shade of red.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qian asked him.

Qi Liuxing remained silent, his ears reddening further. After a while, he finally said, “Promise you won’t laugh at me.”

Zhou Qian raised two fingers. “I promise I won’t.”

“Well… would you like to form a team with me?” Qi Liuxing asked.

Zhou Qian: “?”

Qi Liuxing blinked twice. “You know… um, ‘Sword’s Courage, Heart’s Tune*’ or something.”

*Courage of a swordsman and the soul of a musician (剑胆琴心). Metaphor referring to someone who’s courageous and sentimental. This is often used in old novels, mostly to describe talented scholars who are capable in writing and martial arts (thus why Zhou Qian replied like so below).

Zhou Qian laughed. “As expected, an ancient-styled, chuunibyou.”

Qi Liuxing looked irritated. “You just said you wouldn’t make fun of me!”

“Mm. But I couldn’t hold back.”

“…No, you’re lying! You’re obviously emotionally stunted!”

“Wow, you’ve become smart.”

“…………”

Watching as Qi Liuxing, trying hard to keep a straight face, became redder by the moment, Zhou Qian stopped teasing him. “What made you think of this?”

Qi Liuxing pointed to his system panel. “The system extracts gamblers’ opinions of me, combines them with my performance, and plans my development. The system suggested that I not go to the ‘Last Wish’ for my next instance but to a specially customized instance. The reward for that instance is a musical instrument that matches my skills very well. So if you’re willing, you can join me and then possess skills related to the musician.”

“What are the musician’s skills?”

“Probably a healer. I’m not sure.”

“Oh, then never mind.”

“…………”

Catching a glimpse of Qi Liuxing’s disappointed look, Zhou Qian said, “I’m not interested in the whole healer thing. But we can still form a small team in the future.”

“Mm… That works too!” Qi Liuxing quickly smiled. “Let’s also invite Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan!”

Regarding Qi Liuxing’s proposal, Zhou Qian didn’t commit either way, but just gave him a few more glances. He could sense that ever since he blocked for Qi Liuxing, the young man’s attitude towards him had changed. Beneath the aloof and rebellious facade, he was genuinely naive.

Having grown up at that age himself, Zhou Qian understood the mindset of young people. At that age, it was easy to believe in forever. They often think that a promised lifetime means an actual lifetime and that a recognized friend can remain a friend for life.

In truth, Zhou Qian had been taking advantage of this. Playing this game requires teammates. Qi Liuxing was clearly a promising DPS. He might even become a Sword Master in the future. So Zhou Qian needed him on his team, preferably following his every command. Every move he made in the game, including every word he said to Qi Liuxing, had a purpose: to make Qi Liuxing grateful, feeling indebted, and ultimately become an obedient teammate.

Nevertheless, Zhou Qian asked, “Why are you willing to team up with me?”

“You’re strong. And… you’ve helped me. I’m grateful,” Qi Liuxing said.

Regarding his own schemes, Zhou Qian was blunt. “But you should know, I’ve been using you all along.”

Qi Liuxing was taken aback. “…”

Jumping down from the tree and looking straight into Qi Liuxing’s eyes, Zhou Qian continued, “The reason I shielded you was because I knew I wouldn’t die. Even if I wasn’t 100% sure, I had at least 90% certainty. I did that to make you wholeheartedly follow my orders and help me get the hidden achievement. Knowing this, would you still want to team up with me?”

“Why… Why are you putting it like this…” Qi Liuxing frowned.

Zhou Qian smiled at him. “Being so blunt?”

Qi Liuxing: “Yes, blunt… and what you said seems too opportunistic. I still don’t believe you used me entirely. Because at that moment, the most dangerous part was over. You didn’t actually need me afterward…”

Zhou Qian shook his head. “That’s uncertain. I might have guessed the general course of events, but not all of it. When the believers who ate the apple would be punished by Epoh and stop attacking us, I had no idea. So, from my perspective, we might still face a significant crisis. If you were genuinely moved because I blocked for you, I might ask you to take a hit for me later, maybe even die for me.”

Qi Liuxing fell silent, leaning his head against the tree trunk, his face slightly pale and his expression rigid. Zhou Qian asked, “So, do you no longer wish to team up with me?”

“I…” Qi Liuxing spoke softly. “I don’t mind. I mean… no, I still believe you’re not as bad as you say.”

He looked up confidently. “It was a level 1 instance. Although the hidden achievement is hard to get, they wouldn’t give us no chance at all. Those deified believers wouldn’t attack us endlessly. The last and strongest one was already Rank B, and it’s safe to say he was the final boss! So you must have calculated correctly. You didn’t use me.”

“You’re saying I didn’t use you then… but I might in the future?” Zhou Qian laughed again. “Like now, when you seem to trust me a lot.”

Qi Liuxing: “Why do you always paint yourself in such a bad light?”

“Because it’s essential to put the unpleasant words out first.” Zhou Qian stopped smiling and became serious.

“Qi Liuxing, I’m not a good person to begin with. You should assume that I am as bad as I say. If under these circumstances, you’re still willing to team up with me, I welcome it. If not, we can part on good terms—”

He paused, then added, “It’s better for you to see this side of me now rather than doubting my intentions in a critical in-game situation, refusing to follow my orders, and jeopardizing my plans. So—”

Staring deeply at Qi Liuxing, Zhou Qian asked again, “Are you willing?”

To Zhou Qian’s relief, Qi Liuxing didn’t agree immediately but pondered for a full ten minutes.

It seemed as if he was reviewing the entire game in that time.

In the end, he said, “I’m willing to team up with you, and I trust you. Not just about your character, but… your intelligence. Right—”

“I have one last question.”

“What question?”

“Why did Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, who had already fled to the treehouse, come back to help me? You couldn’t have possibly foreseen that.”

“Oh, it’s simple. Because I threatened them,” Zhou Qian casually said.

Qi Liuxing: “?”

“I traded them some small items and gold through the market and left a message—that they shouldn’t think they’re safe there. I’ll attract the believers there. If one of us dies, we all die.”

“…”

Zhou Qian chuckled, climbed back up the tree, and peered through his binoculars.

However, his expression quickly changed.

With both hands, he gripped the binoculars tightly.

Room No. 03X87 was unexpectedly empty! When did the person inside leave?

Shortly after, Zhou Qian’s wristwatch vibrated.

He checked it and saw a message from a stranger.

The person’s name didn’t show up in the system.

He only had a title, which read [Hidden Blade].

Seemingly sensing something, Qi Liuxing on the ground below asked, “What happened?”

With a tone half mocking, half serious, Zhou Qian replied, “Someone wants to take me as an apprentice.”

“Holy shit, is a max-level big shot coming to our newbie village to recruit disciples?” Qi Liuxing was curious.

Zhou Qian hissed, “While we’re fighting tooth and nail in the game, low-level gamblers watch our moves in real-time. High-level gamblers watch replays afterwards. Then there’s a group of Rank S players watching, considering whether to invite us to their legions or take us as apprentices… Xiao Qi, doesn’t that piss you off?”

“It is infuriating. So, are you going to accept him as your master?” Qi Liuxing asked curiously.

“No,” Zhou Qian decisively replied.

“But I won’t refuse him outright. I’ll just leave him hanging.”

“A person who won’t even show me their name isn’t sincere. Who knows what kind of tricks they’re playing? I don’t get played by others. Hmm, [Hidden Blade]? That title is intriguing. I must find an opportunity… to turn the tables on him.”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 18

In 15 minutes, Zhou Qian completed the transformation into a god and turned into a creature resembling a fish, briefly losing his sanity and experiencing the pain that Epoh had once endured…

Now, everything had passed. His sanity had returned, and all the physical pain had disappeared. Zhou Qian was about to face his final test—to survive in the midst of Epoh’s attack.

However, Zhou Qian’s consciousness still seems to be scattered.

He was trapped in a distant nightmare that he still couldn’t let go of.

So much so that when he was pinched by a powerful god by his chin, he could only stare closely into the god’s eyes and accusingly proclaimed—

“Bai Zhou, you’re a coward!”

“I’ll hate you. I’ll hate you forever!”

What finally woke Zhou Qian up was a series of system notifications.

[Warning! Player Zhou Qian is about to be attacked by God Epoh!]

[System assessment: Player Zhou Qian cannot resist!]

[Player Zhou Qian, the system has prepared a basic grave for you. Rest in peace. If you pay 300 gold coins, you can upgrade to a premium grave. Your balance is insufficient. The system provides you with a funeral donation feature—]

Quickly realizing his situation, Zhou Qian looked into the eyes of Epoh through his sweat-soaked hair, who was close by.

Those eyes were clear and beautiful, reminding him of scales that sparkled like blue stars.

But at the same time, they were cold and showed an uncompromising killing intent.

In those beautiful eyes, Zhou Qian saw his reflection and his dire situation.

The powerful god’s killing intent had reached its peak.

In this crucial moment, Zhou Qian reached into his bag and pulled out a black pill.

With a slight smile at Epoh, Zhou Qian whispered into his ear, “Dalang, it’s medicine time.”

Epoh: “………”

A moment later, God Epoh obediently took the black pill from Zhou Qian and ate it.

After which, he remained frozen in place.

With a loud bang, the one-hour limit finally arrived. The gates to Apple Paradise finally opened.

Catching his breath, Zhou Qian stood up and looked at the opened gate, telling his three stunned teammates, “This pill can hold him for three minutes. Let’s go now!”

Inside the paradise, a gigantic apple tree was laden with tempting red apples. Below the tree were white petals scattered like snow.

The palace was windy, making the trees sway and the petals dance. But the blue lake in front of the gigantic tree remained without ripples, as if made of crystal.

The lake was calm, just like Epoh’s eyes.

The stunning God Epoh, entangled in branches and under the influence of the medicine, hovered mid-air. His mirror-like eyes watched the players leave.

He watched them step over the snow-like petals, cross the crystal bridge, run into the green apple forest, and eventually sprint towards the newly opened gate without ever looking back…

The four players ran desperately towards the palace gate.

Zhou Qian was the first to run out of stamina and, in the end, was practically carried by Qi Liuxing and Gao Shan.

When they were 30 meters away from the gate, the three-minute limit ended. Zhou Qian felt a gust of wind from behind—either God Epoh was trying to teleport him, or he had appeared behind him.

Zhou Qian didn’t dare to look back.

“Three, two, one, jump!”

He commanded loudly, and his teammates leaped with him, all of them tumbling out of the palace!

[Players successfully cleared “Apple Paradise” and received a treasure chest. Upon opening, they can obtain random items.]

[Players achieved a hidden achievement and will receive a special reward. Please wait for the end-game animation.]

[Player Zhou Qian successfully “Transformed into a God”, achieving the ultimate hidden achievement.]

……

With the continuous notifications, a treasure chest appeared in front of each of the four players. They stored the chests for now, not opening them immediately, since the end-game animation was still playing.

Turning around, they looked together at the palace gates and saw the entire paradise undergoing a massive transformation—the doors, stone pillars, and countless apple trees were all twisting and leaning towards the ground. Eventually, they all fell into the mud, becoming part of the branches, and slithered like snakes toward the center of the paradise…

The previously serene azure lake suddenly whipped up into a tumultuous storm, and its blue waters turned a deep crimson. A blood-colored deluge surged to the skies before pouring back into the roots of the giant tree.

The tree seemed to breathe, and in a moment, it had devoured all the lake water.

Perhaps the lake was truly the blood flowing within the tree’s veins.

It seemed everything in this paradise was a part of the giant tree, or perhaps a part of Epoh.

Now, as the illusion faded, everything returned to its original form.

The giant tree grew even larger, its countless branches twitching. From afar, it resembled a creature with innumerable tentacles. And at the center of this creature was the god Epoh.

His long hair, intertwined with the green leaves, enveloped his radiant, elongated body. He hovered in mid-air, looking down upon the world with the posture of a god.

Kneeling before him were the two goddesses in white dresses.

They no longer laughed with naive romance; fear filled their faces, and their bodies trembled.

At this moment, since the players had completed the game, they could observe everything up close.

Thus, they walked toward the central part of the original paradise.

Observing the scene of the goddesses kneeling, Yun Xiangrong remarked, “The goddesses lied. They’re not gods transformed from eating apples. Otherwise, like the followers, they would’ve been killed long ago. They were just deceiving and tempting the believers! Remember—”

Gao Shan picked up from there. “I recall now! Adam and Eve were warned by God not to eat the forbidden fruit. Yet, seduced by the devilish snake, they ate it and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. And that devilish snake was… was…”

“…The incarnation of Satan,” Zhou Qian added, just as the two goddesses collapsed, writhing in pain.

After a soft sigh from Epoh, they turned into ashes.

God created angels, but they aspired to overthrow him, falling and becoming the devil Satan.

In this game’s narrative, Epoh created the goddesses, but they harbored evil intentions.

They tempted humans to eat apples and become gods. What was their next move? Would they unite the god-turned followers against Epoh?

Comparing these symbolic images with legendary stories, Zhou Qian noticed that Epoh in the sky was looking in their direction.

Raising his hand, Epoh waved lightly, and in front of each player floated something resembling a matchbox.

Upon opening it, Zhou Qian found it was indeed a matchbox containing several matches.

Looking up, Zhou Qian asked Epoh, “Is this our reward for completing the hidden mission?”

Epoh, enveloped in branches and leaves, appeared mysterious in the shadows of his silhouette. He gazed at Zhou Qian, merely saying, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. Now, God grants you the ‘Seed of Fire’.”

[Players received the item: Seed of Fire]

[Function: ?]

[Grade: ?]

The system panels of the four players simultaneously displayed this notification.

Uncertain about the purpose of the [Seed of Fire], the players were taken aback, all wondering what special reward Zhou Qian, who achieved the ultimate hidden achievement, would receive.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Epoh who was floating in the air.

Epoh slightly tilted his head, looking down at Zhou Qian.

He raised his right hand—long-fingered yet powerful.

Not long ago, he had placed this hand on Zhou Qian’s neck, intending to end his life. But now, he pointed to Zhou Qian’s chest.

Transformed, Zhou Qian felt as though his chest was being torn open. Flesh separated, blood pouring. Yet he felt no pain—

Epoh reached into Zhou Qian’s chest, extracting a rib.

Both the tree and Epoh vanished from their spot, instantly appearing before Zhou Qian.

Bending down, Epoh handed the bloody rib to Zhou Qian, saying, “Take it.”

These words echoed, sounding as if they were from the far horizon.

God created the first human, Adam. To prevent him from feeling lonely, God took one of Adam’s ribs and transformed it into his wife, Eve.

Now, Epoh also took one of Zhou Qian’s ribs and crafted it into a weapon for Zhou Qian.

The eyelid lifted, and Zhou Qian instantly saw a palm covered in fresh red blood as well as a rib enveloped in thick blood.

“This is quite a unique gift.” Zhou Qian smiled, then added, “Wait a moment for me.”

Epoh remained silent.

Everyone else: ???

Zhou Qian then took out a tissue from his bag, wrapped it around his palm, and reluctantly took the rib.

Everyone: “…”

Isn’t your cleanliness a bit over the top?!

After accepting such a gruesome reward, Zhou Qian wiped the blood with the tissue, then asked Epoh, “Now that I’ve ascended, this rib after ascension… it’s not going to turn into a girl like Eve, right? I don’t want a wife; I want a weapon. Can it be used as a weapon?”

The system panel answered in place of Epoh.

[Player Zhou Qian Rank: F→D]

[HP: 300→2000]

[MP: 300→2000]

[Initial Skill Points: 100]

[Suggested Skills: Agility, Control]

[Acquired Weapon: Rib of God]

[Weapon Function: For Rank D players, only one function can be unlocked—slowing down time; Range: 10m²; other functions to be unlocked.]

……

In the wilderness, dusk had set.

After cleaning the rib, Zhou Qian looked up at Epoh, who seemed about to leave.

“Are you just data, or are you a real person?” Zhou Qian asked again.

Epoh turned his head, his emotionless eyes meeting Zhou Qian’s gaze, seemingly still not understanding what he meant.

Zhou Qian raised his right hand, where Epoh’s strand of hair was wrapped around his index finger.

“Will I see you again? Epoh.”

Epoh still didn’t answer.

So Zhou Qian asked, “So, at the end of this story… What’s your fate? To leave forever?”

“Yes, I will leave forever.”

A god once passed through a land and found humans living there, who were backward, poor, and without any special abilities.

The god was willing to grant favors, fulfilling humans’ wishes, as long as they believed in him and became his followers.

People thought the god must have ulterior motives behind his kindness. But they were wrong; the god had no such intentions. Human power was too insignificant to be of any use to him.

God bestowed pure kindness upon humans, earning their devout worship. But because it came too easily, the followers took God’s blessings for granted. So, when one day God’s powers waned and he could no longer fulfill their desires, they began to resent him.

To vent their anger, God allowed them to hurt him. But God’s blessings also came to an end.

When the followers overstepped, wanting to become gods, coveting his power, and even standing beside him…

God felt murderous.

“So, do you resent humans? Do you resent us?” Zhou Qian asked again.

Zhou Qian’s main purpose wasn’t just to explore the game’s depths or storyline, but to understand the true intent behind the game’s design.

If the level design of a game could reflect the character of the designer behind the game, could the plot of the instances in the game also reflect the selfishness of the designer?

To be able to construct such a vast game world, this kind of power surely exceeded human comprehension.

Then, like Epoh in this story, could the game designer also be a god?

If he really was a god, what was his purpose in designing this game?

Would he, like Epoh, resent humans?

And as the name “Epoh” suggests, would he rob humans of their hope?

If the game designer was indeed a god, what was his purpose in creating the game?

From midair, Epoh calmly said, “Humans are not worthy of God’s hatred. He is just disappointed. Disappointed in humans and this land. That’s why he chose to leave. God abandoned humans and this land.”

Sometimes, the opposite of hope wasn’t despair, but disappointment.

Zhou Qian looked up, his eyes reflecting the countless stars in the sky. Staring at Epoh, he said, “I have another question for you.

“You said earlier… God selflessly bestowed kindness upon humans. I disagree. You fulfilled Li Dafu’s wishes, but you harmed a young boy. What did the boy do wrong?”

Epoh replied indifferently, “God only cares about his followers.”

“Oh, so because the boy didn’t believe in you, his life didn’t matter to you? Li Dafu did evil things, but as long as he’s your follower, you don’t care?”

Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed, emitting a very oppressive aura.

“Actually, for me, the life and death, good and evil of humans aren’t important.” Epoh looked at Zhou Qian, his face showing no pity. “Would you care about the goodness or wickedness of an ant?”

After he spoke, branches, like tentacles, writhed in the air and enveloped Epoh completely.

Suddenly, a massive tree ascended, touching the sky in a moment, looking like a meteor returning from the earth to the sky. It soon vanished into the vast night.

The magnificent palace disappeared as if it had never existed, signifying this land was now abandoned by the gods.

The surroundings fell silent, and the background began to fade. This indicated that the end animation was about to disappear, and players would soon return to reality.

While staring at the place where the palace used to be, Zhou Qian heard Yun Xiangrong ask, “Why did you ask him that question? I always felt that you didn’t seem like…”

Zhou Qian noticed that Gao Shan was also looking at him.

It seemed they all believed that he wouldn’t care about the life or death of a little boy who was an NPC.

“Perhaps it’s because—” Zhou Qian calmly said, “I almost ended up in a situation like his.”

The three were visibly shocked at his words, exchanging uneasy glances.

Zhou Qian looked up at the near-transparent night sky.

“I am satisfied with Epoh’s answer. It should be that way. In a crisis, no one will come to your rescue. Don’t even think of pleading with so-called gods. No one cares about your good or evil, or life or death, except yourself.”

……

During the player logout period, all scenes completely disappeared.

In the pitch-black environment, Zhou Qian noticed a faint glow coming from his body.

Looking down, he realized—his appearance was still that after “becoming a God”, resembling a non-human entity.

As for the source of the light, it was from the scales on his body.

The scales, shimmering like deep-sea stars, inevitably reminded him of the near-death night and a dragon that pierced the haze towards him.

In a moment, Zhou Qian noticed the webbing on his hands fading, and most of the scales’ glow gradually dimmed.

With the game logout process nearly complete, he was slowly returning to his normal human appearance outside the game.

Finally, with a “ding” sound, three scales fell to the ground.

He picked them up. The darkness vanished, and he was back in the hospital room.

[Player Zhou Qian obtained the item: Divine Scale]

[Function: Shiny scales from a creature the system has never seen. What kind of human, driven by what obsession, would grow such luminous scales? A tiny scale with a significant effect, it can transform into a dragon entirely controlled by the player with absolute obedience. It can be used for playful pranks or as a cute decoration!]

[Note 1: The dragon formed by the scale is born from a living player, so it has similar vital signs to the player. Wanting it to sneakily approach someone for a surprise? The system advises against it, as it is easily detectable! It has no attack power or any skills.]

[Note 2: The scale is a consumable. Each dragon created by a scale can only exist for 24 hours; cherish the time spent with the dragon.]

……

Spring Hill Asylum, Ward 1, Room 302.

Upon leaving the game, Zhou Qian found himself lying on a hospital bed. He checked the time on his phone; it was only 8:10 pm.

When he left, it was 8 pm. He had spent several hours in the game, but in reality, only 10 minutes had passed.

All the physical pain from the game disappeared after logging out.

However, the mental exhaustion was substantial.

Feeling extremely tired, Zhou Qian took a shower and went back to bed. But he couldn’t sleep.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw that colorful dream, those unforgettable scales, and the dragon. If not, it was the young boy’s departure on the sycamore tree-lined path. The boy waved, saying “goodbye” as if he were just a regular schoolboy, but he never returned…

Getting up, Zhou Qian took out the sleeping pill prescribed by Li Xuehai from his bedside table, took one, and finally fell asleep.

He slept until noon the next day.

After freshening up, he went to the dining hall of Ward 1.

After disdainfully glancing at the lunch, he didn’t take anything and left.

Back in his room, he opened the game panel and saw that he had received 600 gold coins as a reward for clearing “Apple Paradise”.

According to the system, one gold coin could be exchanged for ten thousand yuan. Zhou Qian tried to exchange for thirty thousand yuan. After succeeding, he quickly picked up his phone to call a luxury hotel he had often visited in the past. The call was answered by a manager familiar to Zhou Qian. Recognizing it was Zhou Qian, the manager hesitated. “But you’ve gone bankrupt, so…”

Zhou Qian immediately transferred the money. “Check your WeChat.”

“Oh! I’ll send it to you right away!”

“As for the dishes, you can decide for me. Do you remember my preferences?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Of course!” replied the manager professionally. “You don’t eat onions, ginger, garlic, coriander, celery, fennel, star anise, or fish with bones or shrimp with shells. Right?”

“Correct.”

An hour later, Zhou Qian was having a lavish lunch in his hospital room. When Dr. Li Xuehai came for a checkup, he caught Zhou Qian sipping coffee.

Entering the room, Li Xuehai noticed the mess of plates and cups everywhere. With a twitch in the corner of his eye, he tried to maintain a serious demeanor. “You should cut down on coffee. It’s a stimulant—”

Zhou Qian, looking at him curiously, asked, “Dr. Li, what happens if I take coffee and sleeping pills together?”

Li Xuehai: “…”

Keeping a straight face, Li Xuehai approached Zhou Qian, took out his notebook, and began asking routine questions such as how he slept, if he felt uncomfortable anywhere, or if he felt irritable. Zhou Qian obediently answered all the questions. When Li Xuehai was done writing, Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and asked, “By the way… Why did you only come for a checkup this afternoon?”

Li Xuehai frowned. “Something came up. The hospital leadership called an urgent meeting. I didn’t prioritize you since your case is mild.”

“What happened?” Zhou Qian pressed.

Setting his notebook down at the foot of the bed, Li Xuehai walked to the window, deeply troubled. “Two patients from Zone B died yesterday. One jumped off the building, and the other died suddenly.”

Behind him, Zhou Qian became serious. “What were their names?”

“Wang Lu and Dong Xiang,” Li Xuehai answered, sensing something off about Zhou Qian’s inquiry. “You usually aren’t interested in other people’s affairs. Why the sudden curiosity?”

Zhou Qian replied, “It seems you don’t know me well. I’m quite interested.”

Li Xuehai: “…”

Zhou Qian continued, “Have there been many deaths in the hospital recently?”

“Besides the sudden two last night… everything else seems normal. Zone 1 is fine, but patients in Zone 2 and Zone X are very severe. Some desperately try to commit suicide. Despite strict control, there are always oversights.” Li Xuehai frowned. “Why are you asking this?”

“No reason.” Zhou Qian yawned and continued sipping his coffee. He and Dong Xiang were both from Spring Hill Asylum and both appeared in the game. It wasn’t a coincidence. He mentioned in the game that they were all mental patients, and no one refuted him, indicating he was right. It seemed the game was selecting players from mental hospitals. From what he could tell, the mysterious deaths at Spring Hill Asylum weren’t widespread, indicating the game had only recently affected the hospital and involved few patients.

While lost in thought, Zhou Qian kept the conversation going with Li Xuehai.

When Zhou Qian teased him by saying, “Huh, why are you wearing the same pants as yesterday? Can’t afford multiple pairs of that brand?” He finally managed to annoy the doctor into leaving. Zhou Qian then turned his attention to the notebook left at the foot of his bed—Li Xuehai had left behind his records.

Driven by curiosity, Zhou Qian picked up the notebook. A sharp intuition pierced his mind, causing a throbbing pain in his temple.

Pressing one hand against his aching forehead, Zhou Qian hesitated for a moment before flipping open the notebook.

The notebook was categorized by ward, including the dangerous Zone X.

Is Li Xuehai also responsible for the patients in Zone X?

Zhou Qian frowned and turned to the records related to Zone X. The first page of this section was a list of patients and their room assignments.

As he read further, Zhou Qian’s expression turned from curiosity to seriousness, shock, and disbelief. His pupils nearly contracted to pinpoints, and his entire body tensed up.

He saw the record on a certain line in the list.

[03X87, Bai Zhou.]

……

The dimly lit sycamore tree path appeared again in front of Zhou Qian.

Time flowed like water, moving forward in ripples under the gentle breeze, and the path seemed to sway, leading back to a much earlier afternoon.

Zhou Qian became an observer, watching his younger self doing homework with a similarly young Bai Zhou. Or more precisely, Bai Zhou was the one doing the homework, and he planned to copy.

At that time, they had just started their first year of junior high.

Outside the window, the wind rustled the sycamore tree leaves, making them fall. The sound of the falling leaves was similar to the sound of Bai Zhou’s writing.

Fwish, fwish, fwish…

After an unknown period, Bai Zhou closed his workbook. Zhou Qian made a move to snatch it, but Bai Zhou evaded him.

Zhou Qian nudged Bai Zhou with his elbow. “Give it to me.”

“Do it yourself,” Bai Zhou replied with certainty.

“I can’t.”

“I can teach you.”

Out of boredom, Zhou Qian opened a page in his workbook. “I don’t know how to do this problem.”

Bai Zhou took out a piece of scratch paper, writing down the calculation while explaining it earnestly to Zhou Qian. Bai Zhou was looking down while writing, so Zhou Qian, sitting straight, could see his drooping eyelashes.

After a while, Bai Zhou asked him, “Did you understand?”

Distracted, Zhou Qian reached out to pinch Bai Zhou’s eyelashes. “No, I don’t understand.”

Bai Zhou dodged Zhou Qian’s hand and patiently said, “Then let me explain it again.”

Ignoring him, Zhou Qian, failing to pinch Bai Zhou’s lashes, decided to pull his hair.

Bai Zhou had to grab his wrist, looking him in the eyes. The young Bai Zhou’s gaze was already quite intimidating. “Zhou Qian, sit still.”

Thus, Bai Zhou patiently explained a simple question to Zhou Qian three times.

After the third time, Bai Zhou asked, “Do you understand now?”

Zhou Qian shook his head, looking at Bai Zhou with a mischievous glint in his eye.

What will he do next?

Bai Zhou gave him a casual glance and handed over his scratch paper. “Alright then. Copy my calculations 10 times. If after 10 times you still don’t get it, copy it 100 times. Repetition can lead to understanding. Start copying now, no matter how late it gets, I’ll be with you.”

Zhou Qian sighed. “Why do you insist on helping me?”

Is it just because we’ve been classmates since the first grade?

But Bai Zhou said, “Because in the one-on-one tutoring program, we were put in the same group. I promised the teacher that I would be responsible for you.”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Is it just because of the teacher’s request?

Due to a hidden past, Zhou Qian was actually sick at that time. When not having episodes, he was sweet and had high emotional intelligence, getting along with everyone. But when an episode hit, he would lose control.

Zhou Qian had been on medication for some time and hadn’t had an episode in a while.

But that day, for reasons even he couldn’t fathom, he became uncontrollably angry when Bai Zhou spoke. He grabbed Bai Zhou’s neatly written homework and tore it to shreds.

The torn pieces fluttered like snowflakes, falling as the two sat side by side, looking at each other.

Then Zhou Qian said with malice and mockery, “Don’t think you’re better just because you’re the class president and rank first. No matter how well you do in school, what’s the use? You might work your whole life and still not be able to afford my family’s villa in the city center. No, you might not even afford a bathroom in my house.”

After venting his anger, Zhou Qian thought—Given Bai Zhou’s modest background, my words must have really hurt, right? He’ll be angry, give up on me, right?

Much later, Zhou Qian realized why he had said those words that day.

In an almost pathological way, he was testing Bai Zhou’s limits.

How could someone be so good? Beneath that gentle exterior, could there be another side to him that no one knows?

How bad do I have to be for you to leave me, to give up on me?

It wasn’t intentional.

He simply couldn’t believe that Bai Zhou would care for him when even his own parents didn’t. The naive him firmly believed that Bai Zhou should have distanced himself earlier because they were simply not from the same world.

Even though Bai Zhou’s family background was rather ordinary, in Zhou Qian’s eyes, he had everything he should have—the most ordinary, yet warm and loving family life, filled with lively chatter and warmth.

But Zhou Qian was different. On the surface, the Zhou family appeared glamorous, but it had been rotting from the inside for a long time.

Facing Zhou Qian’s actions, Bai Zhou seemed entirely unmoved.

He just got up, went to the balcony, fetched a broom, and meticulously cleaned up the torn bits of paper. Then he returned to his seat, picked up his pen, and started to do his work. “I’m starting my homework from the beginning; you might as well join me.”

Some time later.

Zhou Qian apologized to Bai Zhou.

The sycamore leaves were still withered yellow, and the autumn breeze and sunlight were as gentle as ever.

The same classroom, the same spot by the window.

Zhou Qian stared unblinkingly at Bai Zhou before him.

A breeze lifted his hair, revealing Bai Zhou’s beautiful eyebrows and eyes. The corner of his eye had a little red—a mark made intentionally or unintentionally with a red pen during their playful scuffle.

“Zhou Ge,” Zhou Qian softly began, his tone noticeably rising.

“Hmm?” Bai Zhou looked up at him. “What is it?”

Zhou Qian asked, “Why are you always so gentle? Is it just towards me or everyone?”

Bai Zhou simply patted his head. “Do your homework.”

Zhou Qian blinked a few times and then suddenly said, “I didn’t mean what I said last time.”

Bai Zhou asked, “Which time?”

“When I said you couldn’t afford a villa like mine,” Zhou Qian blinked again and earnestly said, “I don’t know why, but that day I just wanted to make you angry. Don’t take my words to heart. If you want, you could earn a lot in the future. You could buy a thousand, no, ten thousand of my villas.”

Bai Zhou chuckled. “Why would I keep buying your villas?”

Zhou Qian didn’t answer but instead sought reassurance. “I’m actually quite good-natured most of the time, right? I’m not always like this… My mom often calls me a little lunatic. Do you think I’m mad?”

“No,” Bai Zhou answered seriously.

“Bai Zhou, have you never gotten angry? Even when I’m not around, are you the same?”

“Do you always find the world so wonderful?”

“Have you ever felt resentment or discontent?”

“Do you ever feel life has been unfair to you?”

“Why is there someone as perfect as you in this world?”

“Do people like you really exist?”

……

Zhou Qian asked Bai Zhou many questions.

He remembered all of Bai Zhou’s answers.

Perhaps because Bai Zhou was too perfect, heaven took him away too soon.

Those who were strong were easy to break, and those who were too wise would die prematurely. Probably, the same principle applied.

Shaking off the memories, Zhou Qian looked at the name on the list before him.

What’s going on? Is it a namesake?

……

Three days later.

A new patient, Qi Liuxing, joined Zhou Qian in his hospital room.

Originally, Qi Liuxing was staying at the Second People’s Hospital in the neighboring city, another psychiatric facility.

After leaving the game this time, a new patient was admitted to his room, which made it inconvenient for him to log into the system and enter or exit the game.

After contacting Zhou Qian and learning that he was alone in his room, Qi Liuxing decided to transfer.

Now they both resided in Ward 302 at Spring Hill Asylum. After moving in, Qi Liuxing wanted to discuss with Zhou Qian their next adventure in the game. However, he was first tasked by Zhou Qian with a mission—to keep watch.

Every day from 2 to 6 pm, some patients from Zone 1 were allowed to be outdoors within a designated area. So, at 5 pm that day, during the outdoor activity time, Qi Liuxing was called by Zhou Qian to a tree at the edge of the garden.

He watched Zhou Qian climb the tree and take out a high-powered binoculars, peering in a specific direction. His task was to stand below and ensure nobody saw Zhou Qian.

Confused by Zhou Qian’s actions, Qi Liu Xing whispered, “What’s happening?”

Zhou Qian countered, “Ever heard about the structure of Spring Hill Asylum?”

“There’s Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone X? Besides Zone 1, the other zones are practically like prisons, right?” Qi Liuxing said, glancing in the direction Zhou Qian was looking, “You’re looking at Zone X?”

Indeed, Zhou Qian was observing Zone X.

On the manual, Bai Zhou’s number was 03X87.

Using the excuse that he had a friend in Zone X and wanted to visit, Zhou Qian had inquired about it with a nurse he was familiar with.

The nurse’s answer was, “What’s your friend’s number? If it starts with 01 or 02, there’s still a chance to visit… but 03 is absolutely out of the question. Those with numbers starting with 03 are held in the West Hua Building, facing Gate 1. Gate 1 is sealed all year round and is under the tightest security. This is because the people in West Hua Building are extremely dangerous. Especially…”

“I heard there’s one with the number 03X87. He’s the most dangerous one—must have committed a very serious crime. Don’t even think about going there.”

03X87. That was exactly Bai Zhou’s number.

How did he become the most dangerous and inaccessible person?

Zhou Qian was determined to find out what was going on in Zone X.

Spring Hill Asylum was built on a mountain.

Zones 1 and 2 were on the north side, and Zone X was on the south.

A small river separated Zone X from the other wards, much like the Chu-Han boundary. Guards were posted in front of the stone bridge over the river, preventing any unauthorized access. On the riverbanks, there were metal fences, with electric wires stretched above.

Fortunately, the West Hua Building was close to the first door, directly facing the activity area of Zone 1.

This allowed Zhou Qian to observe the West Hua Building with binoculars.

At that moment, sitting on a rather thick tree trunk, Zhou Qian looked at the building on the opposite bank of the river with his high-powered binoculars. According to the patterns he had learned, patient number 03X87 was in the 7^th room on the 8^th floor.

He counted the rooms one by one through the binoculars and quickly located the room where Bai Zhou was.

The weather was overcast, with the setting sun mostly obscured by thick clouds. Thus, when Zhou Qian looked from afar, his view wasn’t very clear, as if everything was covered by an orange-gray filter.

Under this grayness, he saw the situation inside the single room.

There was indeed a person lying on the bed, wearing a restraint suit, completely tied to the bed, unable to move at all.

Due to the angle, Zhou Qian couldn’t see his face clearly, but he could see a little of his nose and a thin, slightly pale chin.

Qi Liuxing’s voice came from below the tree. “What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Zhou Qian said. “His name is Bai Zhou.”

“Bai Zhou? What’s special about him?” Qi Liuxing asked.

Zhou Qian paused for a moment and then said, “Nothing special. He’s been my… rival since childhood.”

After saying this, Zhou Qian laughed at his own joke. The term ‘rival’ had always been a joke on his part.

Bai Zhou never took the joke seriously or even got mad at him, probably because he never took Zhou Qian seriously.

“Your rival is in Zone X?” Qi Liuxing curiously asked.

“It might just be a coincidence, because…” Zhou Qian’s voice suddenly faltered.

Zhou Qian’s eyelids were flat, and his eyes were narrow. When he looked down, he easily seemed melancholic. Hearing the change in his voice, Qi Liuxing looked up and saw him like this.

Noticing his unusual demeanor, Qi Liuxing asked, “Why?”

“Because he’s dead,” Zhou Qian replied.

“How did he die?”

“I don’t know.”

Zhou Qian really didn’t know.

Holding the binoculars, he stared intently at the distant room and began to recount, “On the surface, he seemed gentle, but it felt like he was always competing with me behind the scenes, always trying to one-up me. Was it because he was too arrogant?”

Zhou Qian had average physical strength but had honed his skills in gambling under his father’s guidance. His skills weren’t just evident in card games but also in playing table tennis.

For a while, he was very interested in table tennis and often participated in school competitions.

In one final match, as expected, Zhou Qian faced Bai Zhou.

Hearing this, Qi Liuxing curiously asked, “Who won?”

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, seeming lost in memory. “I won. He lost. After that, he transferred schools. Do you think he couldn’t handle the loss?”

Qi Liuxing didn’t know how to respond, so he remained silent.

Looking at the half of the chin exposed from the restraint suit, Zhou Qian slowly said, “After he transferred, I lost contact with him. I held a grudge against him for a year. When I went to his house later… his mother said I came at an unfortunate time, as he had just died. When she talked about him, she spoke as if discussing a stranger.”

“Why?” Qi Liuxing was extremely surprised. “Usually… it wouldn’t be like this, right?”

Zhou Qian replied, “When I went to their house, I saw his mother holding a chubby baby. They probably preferred their second child.”

Qi Liuxing asked again, “Is it possible… that Bai Zhou never actually died? His mother just admitted him to a mental institution and gave you a random excuse?”

“No.” Zhou Qian shook his head. “His mother gave me the address of his grave. I’ve been there. There’s a photo of him on the tombstone. He’ll forever remain 17—he hadn’t even reached adulthood.”

“Besides, even if he didn’t die…”

Zhou Qian’s pupils contracted. “Why would he be in Zone X? Many people in there have committed serious crimes.”

The sky was about to turn dusky.

The wind rustled the leaves, blending the fresh scent of grass and trees, entering Zhou Qian’s nostrils. It inadvertently reminded him of the time right after the final table tennis match in the first year of high school.

Outside the west gate of the campus, the small path was almost overshadowed by the sycamores on both sides, making the sunset appear like twilight. The streetlights were on, with countless specks of dust floating in the beams.

Bai Zhou stood beside the dim streetlight.

Looking at him in the light, Zhou Qian’s gaze carried the sharpness unique to young boys, while the slight smile on his lips had a hint of disdain.

He asked, gritting his teeth, “Why did you deliberately lose to me? Looking down on me?”

In contrast, Bai Zhou’s gaze at Zhou Qian was extremely calm. “I didn’t lose on purpose. You won on merit.”

“Bullshit.” Zhou Qian stepped forward aggressively, grabbing Bai Zhou’s collar. “That second last ball, you clearly could have caught it. Why did your hand tremble? Trying too hard, huh? And that last service error was even more ridiculous. Everyone knows you’re good at serving.”

“Bai Zhou, I really wanted to beat you, but not like this! I don’t need your pity!”

“Today, I indeed made mistakes. Next time, I’ll play my best against you.”

“When is ‘next time’?”

“We should have many opportunities like this. I promise you.”

“You…”

All of Zhou Qian’s anger, hostility, and bad temper seemed to hit cotton when faced with Bai Zhou’s nonchalant gaze. The energy went out, but no feedback was received. Zhou Qian’s glare intensified, no longer just about the match but also about why Bai Zhou remained so calm. It was probably something akin to a childish mentality of “I want to fight him, but he just won’t fight back”.

Despite the anger boiling inside, without realizing, Zhou Qian’s grip on Bai Zhou’s hand loosened.

He heard Bai Zhou say, “Goodbye, Zhou Qian,” before turning away.

The autumn sycamore leaves fell one after another, and under the row of streetlights, everything from that after-school evening in his memories took on a warm hue.

The boy walked away, his school bag on his back.

That was the last time Zhou Qian ever saw Bai Zhou.

At this moment, a few green leaves fell. Qi Liuxing played with them while asking Zhou Qian a few questions.

Zhou Qian didn’t answer. He sat on the tree, motionless as if frozen in time, seemingly lost in deep memories.

Qi Liuxing didn’t disturb him and simply took a nap right there.

After about fifteen minutes, Qi Liuxing was awakened by someone—it was Zhou Qian.

“What is it?” Qi Liuxing asked, still groggy from sleep.

Zhou Qian, with his dark pupils blending with the night, said, “You looked bored. How about accompanying me to dig a grave?”

“…?” Qi Liuxing, still half asleep, was confused. “What?”

Zhou Qian’s dark pupils became darker with the night. “I’m going to dig up Bai Zhou’s grave.”

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