Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 19: Economy Class

As Wu Sheng and Qian Ai were locked in a “deep gaze” with the lion, the sky outside the airplane window suddenly darkened. The darkness was abrupt, as if someone had draped a black cloth over the entire plane.

Caught off guard by this change, Wu Sheng was momentarily bewildered until a gust of wind suddenly hit him face-on.

“Watch out—”

Before he could react, Qian Ai had tackled him into the seat. At the same time, something whizzed over their heads and landed down nearby with a thud!

The lights in the cabin flashed on!

Looking past Qian Ai, Wu Sheng saw the lion on the floor of the aisle. Had they been a second slower, they would now be under its claws. But even now, it was only a step away!

“Roar—”

The lion, having missed its pounce, growled furiously. It slightly arched its body, ready to leap up like lightning for a fierce attack!

This time, from a higher vantage, Wu Sheng and Qian Ai were wedged in between seat gaps, seemingly without any chance of a lucky escape.

However, contrary to Wu Sheng’s expectation, Qian Ai, who usually prioritized self-preservation, showed fear but no despair. Instead, there was a determined glint in his eyes—a desperate gamble.

“Biang biang noodles!!!”

Wu Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. In a life-or-death moment, you shout out a dish’s name?! But his ever-racing brain instantly conjured up a bowl of steaming Shaanxi belt noodles, thanks to Kuang Jinxin—the night before, the trio had dined at a nearby inn, and Kuang Jinxin had picked out this uniquely named dish from the menu.

Wait.

Wu Sheng stopped his mental image, starting to understand. He had always believed that “stationery is disposable”, but given the current situation, were Qian Ai’s [Words Like Pearls and Jade] not yet used up?!

As if to confirm his guess, right after Qian Ai’s roar, three wooden, three-dimensional characters appeared out of thin air above the seat! Aside from the character for “面” the remaining two identical characters were so complicated in their strokes that they seemed more like a chunk of wood carved into intricate patterns, so dense that they seemed like solid plates.

In a flash, these three plummeting characters gained a millisecond advantage in the struggle against the beast, landing atop the seats just before the pouncing lion. The lion crashed into the closely arranged characters with a thud, crushing “面” under its hind paws, but no matter what, it couldn’t get past those two ‘biang*’ characters!

*Click the link to see what the character biang looks like to see how complicated it is. It also shows you how to write the strokes (which is relevant per below).

It wasn’t that the lion was ineffective; it was that these characters were too buggy! They were complicated, tightly structured, and unsearchable in any dictionary. Still, as armor, they were “worth three ordinary characters”, none of which could be less than fifteen strokes. According to the innkeeper’s recitation, to write ‘biang’, you need a mnemonic—

Apex rising up to the sky, over two bends of the Yellow River’s side, the character for ‘eight’ is opening wide, while character ‘speech’ enters inside, you twist, I twist, you grow, I grow, sandwiching a big King horse inside, with ‘heart’ below and ‘moon’ beside, leaving a hook to hang the sugar candy low, on our carriage to Xianyang we’ll ride*.

*Clarity: There’s a song that basically teaches you how to write the character ‘biang’. You can watch this YouTube video that breaks down each character and also goes over the song. It’s quite informative.

Wu Sheng: “On the count of three, we’ll flip the wooden characters and the lion together.”

Qian Ai: “Then what?”

Wu Sheng: “Run towards economy class.”

Qian Ai: “I like this plan.”

Five minutes earlier, in economy class.

Wives crying, children fussing, luggage clattering down, balloons flying, flight attendants chasing, a suitcase of cash burned to ashes.

Xu Wang, relying on his strong willpower and psychological quality, had made it to rows 54 and 55, completely drained. Could a diligent mouth bring out a golden foul? He hadn’t managed to do so and felt utterly exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Wusi (54), who had been chatting halfway, suddenly stopped, looking at Xu Wang somewhat timidly. “Do you also think I’m a bit odd?”

Xu Wang sighed tiredly, trying to muster a smile, and waved it off. “Not at all.”

Feng Wusi lowered his head, murmuring, “Everyone thinks that daytime flights are safer, but I just like red-eye flights.”

Red-eye flights, or overnight flights, are so named because passengers often have tired, red eyes from the difficulty of resting well on the plane—Xu Wang had just been educated about this by the passenger.

“You youngsters always pursue these ethereal feels and a sense of ritual.” Before Xu Wang could speak, Hua Wuwu (55), sitting next to Feng Wusi, had already interjected very naturally into the conversation. “Sitting on a plane, what’s the difference between day and night flights? It’s not like you’re piloting it.”

This was a very familiar young man, thin and tall, fashionably dressed with ash-gray dyed hair and delicate, handsome features that inexplicably evoked a protective instinct.

Provided he kept silent.

However, “silence is golden” was too difficult for him. Xu Wang and Feng Wusi had hardly chatted for two minutes before he interrupted at least five times, smoothly taking over the conversation and twisting it into his “storyline”.

But Xu Wang really didn’t want to chat more with this storytelling fellow!

“Learn from me. Pursue something tangible and touchable.” Perhaps influenced by Xu Wang’s previous coldness, this time Hua Wuwu didn’t bother him, instead imposing his “life philosophy” on Feng Wusi. “Life isn’t measured by its length, but by its breadth. When you look back, you won’t regret the colorless or the parched. Then, at your deathbed, you can say, my entire life and all my energy have been devoted to the world’s most magnificent cause!”

Feng Wusi, who had been shrinking, looked up for the first time, locking eyes with Hua Wuwu. There was a light of longing flashing in his eyes. “W-What cause?”

Hua Wuwu leaned closer, uttering each word with the utmost seriousness. “Car—nal—plea—sure*.”

*(声色犬马) Idiom referring to a hedonistic life pursuing sensual pleasure. Broken down, it means sound, color, dogs, horses; the former two refer to the pleasure of song and women, while the latter two refer to hunting and racing (gambling).

Feng Wusi: “……”

Xu Wang clutched his chest. In that moment, he had once again harbored a sliver of hope and illusion for Hua Wuwu’s values. He thought he didn’t need anyone’s help; he would just slap himself!

“But I’m also not one to talk.” Hua Wuwu suddenly changed his tone, looking up slightly with a sad sigh. “As lively as I talk, I’m a giant in thought but a dwarf in action. Haa—” he exhaled gently, as if blowing out imaginary smoke rings. “I too wish to have a fast and furious adventure in these thirty thousand feet of air, alas, a pear blossom falls in the rain in vain, nowhere to find a begonia*…”

*This is referring to the line a pear blossom presses against the begonia (一树梨花压海棠) supposedly written by Su Shi to poke fun at his friend Zhang Xian’s behavior of taking concubines at an old age.  Apparently, Zhang Xian was 80 when he married an 18-year-old concubine; thus, the imagery being painted is the pear blossom (old, white/gray) pressing against a begonia flower (it’s often praised for its beauty). || In this context, he’s basically saying he (the pear blossom) couldn’t find the younger partner (begonia) to press on.

“Enough is enough!” Xu Wang couldn’t bear it any longer. All this was such a mess. Not only was the content unhealthy, but the logic was also flawed. “Do you really understand, or are you just pretending? I know without even trying that speed and passion are inversely proportional on this matter!”

Hua Wuwu was taken aback for a moment, then as if enlightenment had struck him, he looked at Xu Wang with bright eyes, as if he had just truly understood the grand harmony of life. “Oh, you…”

He probably meant to compliment Xu Wang, but as soon as he uttered “you”, a group of passengers suddenly burst out from business class with shrieks and screams.

Probably around ten or twenty people ran frantically to the tail of the plane, huddling there and inadvertently blocking Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face, and Kuang Jinxin who was guarding them. But in their panic, the passengers probably didn’t notice these individuals, as they were running backward the whole time, turning around only when there was no way forward, their eyes filled with terror as they stared at the long corridor at the end—the junction of economy and business class.

Xu Wang was in the middle of economy class, maintaining a sideways stance to give way to the rushing crowd, looking at the terrified faces at the left end, then at the junction of the two cabins on the right, unconsciously swallowing his saliva with a foreboding feeling.

Just as his last hair stood on end, darkness suddenly descended.

Xu Wang dared not move, trying to remain calm while standing still. His heart, however, had leaped to his throat.

Fortunately, it was only a few seconds before the lights in the cabin turned back on.

Seats, passengers, luggage racks—everything became clear and visible again, but the feel of the cabin under the bright daylight was now starkly different. It was still dark outside the windows, like a vast night, and the cabin, though lit, wasn’t very bright, maintaining just the basic visibility, exuding the quiet and eeriness of night.

“A… red eye?” Feng Wusi suddenly muttered to himself, uncertain yet with a tinge of hope.

Xu Wang looked up at the lights in silence, finally piecing together the cause and effect, and turned to pat Feng Wusi’s head. “Congratulations, your wish has come true.”

Having gone through all sorts of disheartening events, Xu Wang genuinely felt Feng Wusi’s little wish was completely tolerable. It hadn’t led to any fires or fights, no spousal disputes or luggage thrown at heads—it might as well be in a children’s amusement park.

By comparison, he was more worried about the situation in business class.

So many passengers running over must mean something “big” had been triggered there. Although he was relatively reassured with Wu Sheng there, as a teammate and old classmate, not going to check it out after hearing the commotion seemed both unreasonable and illogical…

“Roar roar roar—”

…Maybe he shouldn’t go after all!

“Xu Wang, move aside—”

Wu Sheng’s figure and his shout appeared at the same time, and without a second thought, Xu Wang instinctively obeyed, forcibly squeezing into Hua Wuwu’s spot.

Just as he had settled into his seat, Wu Sheng and Qian Ai ran into the economy class, with a relentless lion hot on their heels only a meter behind!

“What the hell—” Xu Wang despaired, feeling the need to apologize to all the passengers in economy class. Compared to this “storyline”, their joys and sorrows were harmony itself!

In the blink of an eye, Wu Sheng and Qian Ai had reached the middle of the cabin, and with a shout of “move”, they, as if pre-arranged, dived into the seats on either side, instantly clearing a wide path in the aisle.

Whether by coincidence or design, Wu Sheng dove right into Xu Wang’s row, who opened his arms to catch him. Just as he steadied him, before he could feel more, Wu Sheng lifted his head and quickly said, “A scumbag cheated and caught his mistress in a dramatic air-bound affair with another scumbag whose girlfriend happened to be a circus magician.”

Xu Wang was confused but realized Wu Sheng was probably answering his earlier question.

But—

“Did you trigger this?”

“Qian Ai.”

“…How many people are even in first class?!”

“He might have used a group attack.”

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 18: Business Class

Business class.

When the person who first discovered the bomb screamed, Wu Sheng rushed from first class to economy class, passing through business class without a second glance. Only after this division of labor for a second search did he truly enter the business class for the first time.

What a prosperous scene it was.

The sunshades were all open, and the entire cabin was as bright as an office area enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass. Excluding Kuang Jinxin, there were fifteen passengers in total, all busy at their own seats, either typing on laptops, holding iPads, or deeply focused, muttering to themselves in thought. The rapid keystrokes and the occasional bursts of inspiration like fireworks, visible only to kindred spirits, intertwined into a bustling, thriving scene of diligent endeavor.

Standing at the doorway of the business class, Wu Sheng had one thought: Who could bring him his laptop? He, too, wanted to start working!

Fortunately, Wu Sheng was still able to prioritize. Despite his wishes, after taking a deep breath, he managed to suppress his boiling blood for the sake of his career and stepped forward.

The aisle in business class was wider and more comfortable to walk through than in economy class, with four seats per row, two on each side. No one noticed the “outsider” here; everyone was too absorbed in their work.

According to Kuang Jinxin, the people here had names in a sequential order, starting with Zheng Qi (7), Feng Jiu (9), Chen Yiling (10), Chu Yiyi (11), Wei Yi’Er (12)… all the way to He Eryi (21), Lu Er’er (22). The only skipped number eight was occupied by himself.

This was similar to what Xu Wang had reported: before the bomb crisis, he had chatted with five people, named Yin Yilingling (100), Mu Jiuba (98), He Jiuqi (97), Huang Jiuliu (96), and Ping Jiuwu (95), skipping 99, which was his own seat.

If nothing unusual, Wu Sheng believed that those passengers he hadn’t yet interacted with would also follow this surname and number format, with the number indicating the order from first class down and the surname likely from the Hundred Family Surnames*.

*This is a record of Chinese Han surnames that was written in early Northen Song dynasty. 

Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen, Han, Yang… all the way to He, Mu, Xiao, Yin—the first one hundred surnames. Wu Sheng had memorized them in high school for fun and still remembered them clearly.

He had suspected that the code might be related to the passengers’ names, but given the current situation, it seemed impossible to deduce the connection out of thin air; he’d have to follow the [Cheat Sheet] methodically.

With limited time, Wu Sheng adopted a “one-to-many” and “row-by-row chat” strategy, only to realize upon talking to the first row why Kuang Jinxin had talked to everyone in business class without gaining any useful information.

“Are you a friend of Xiao Kuang?”

“That kid is so likable and knows so much!”

“Right, after listening to him, I kind of want to have tea too.”

After exchanging names, they started talking about tea—Mr. Kuang wasn’t so much “chatting” with people as he was unilaterally “preaching”!

But it wasn’t entirely useless; at least he had converted all three ladies in the first row into “sister fans”, saving Wu Sheng, who struggled with making close connections, a lot of trouble.

While engaging in the casual group chat, Wu Sheng also carefully observed the three people in the first row.

Sitting by the window was Zheng Qi, dressed casually, with a document open on her laptop, seemingly writing an article.

Next to her empty seat was Kuang Jinxin’s.

Beside the aisle was Feng Jiu. Her iPad was lit up with an array of bar and pie charts for analysis.

Next to her, by the window, was Chen Yiling, using a stylus on a Surface to revise and scribble.

Writer, marketer, teacher.

Wu Sheng almost instantly made clear judgments about their occupations.

Their professions didn’t clear them of suspicion, but they did provide more targeted directions for “inquiry”. Wu Sheng smirked, a small gesture he made when he felt confident or triumphant, usually indicating that he had everything under control.

A triple-question attack!

“I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was young, but alas, I abandoned literature for science. Can you talk to me about the article you’re writing?”

“Coincidentally, I’m in marketing. We’re in the same field.”

“Being a teacher must be tough. What do you teach?”

Efficiency was key; what took others three minutes, he could do in one with parallel processing. That was the power of capability!

His rapid-fire questions didn’t annoy the three ladies; rather, they were quite happy to respond.

Zheng Qi: “I’m not a writer; I’m an experience tester. This is about my ‘first time flying experience’.”

Feng Jiu: “I’m in finance. You’re in marketing; where’s the overlap?”

Chen Shi: “This is my son’s essay. The school requires parents to review and revise it first…”

As the saying goes, taking too big a step can lead to pulling your balls*.

*It refers to taking your time to do something step by step, or you can harm yourself. In this case, it’s more of a crude and humorous way of saying it. 

Wu Sheng, having perfectly dodged all the correct answers, withdrew his three lines of questioning and sat down in Kuang Jinxin’s seat to rest for half a minute, patting his face lightly before looking up again, ready as a wise youth.

“An experience tester? I’ve never heard of that.” He spoke again, his tone natural as if the previous rebuff had happened to someone else.

“Actually, it should be called ‘first-time experience tester’.” Zheng Qi smiled at him. “I only record the feeling of doing something for the first time. First time flying, first time diving, first time on a train, first time riding a motorcycle, first time eating king crab, first time drinking mojito, first time in love, first time kissing, first time…”

“Okay!” Wu Sheng cut her off in time. As a single male student, being thrown into such a situation was miserable enough; he didn’t want to be force-fed any more dog food*, especially by an NPC. “So this is your first time on a plane?”

*It’s a term referring to witnessing affection between couples. 

“Yes, I’ve always been a bit scared. Even though they always say that planes are the safest mode of transportation, if something does happen, there’s no escape.”

“But you came anyway.”

“If you’re going to be an experience tester, you have to have some professional ethics. I hope to provide some useful experiences for friends like me who are afraid of flying.”

Zheng Qi’s expression and attitude were very natural when she spoke; at least Wu Sheng couldn’t find any flaws. Sitting in Kuang Jinxin’s place, actually right next to Zheng Qi, he could glance over and see the text on Zheng Qi’s laptop.

[…It’s different from what I imagined. If you close your eyes, there is no real feeling of flying in the sky. Before the flight, I was afraid of encountering ‘thrills’, but after the flight, I suddenly felt it would have been good if something had really happened. For friends, including myself, who really want to experience flying, maybe]

The cursor was blinking after the word “maybe”. Wu Sheng couldn’t guess what Zheng Qi intended to type next. But the phrase “it would have been good if something really happened” was highly suspicious.

Time was ticking by, and this was only the first person in business class he had spoken with; he was taking too long. With this thought, Wu Sheng simply raised his hand and lightly tapped on the cursor position, asking directly, “Maybe what?”

His voice carried an undisguised suspicion. If Zheng Qi became angry out of embarrassment and confronted him, that would be even better.

However, contrary to his expectations, not only was Zheng Qi not angry, but she was also excited, her eyes shining with “I was waiting for you to ask” excitement. The joy in her eyes made her face glow.

“Dang dang dang dang—” She rhythmically pulled out a large bag from under her seat and presented it to Wu Sheng, eagerly asking, “Guess what this is?”

“A para… Parachute…?” Wu Sheng had played with this in America, but who would skydive from a commercial flight? With the current altitude and air pressure, it was impossible even to open the cabin door!

While he was puzzled, Zheng Qi had already pressed the call button.

The flight attendant quickly came over, smiling kindly. “Hello, can I help you?”

Zheng Qi had already put on the parachute harness and seriously said, “Please open the window; I want to skydive.”

The flight attendant blinked in disbelief, apparently hearing such a request for the first time in her life. Wu Sheng finally reacted, trying his best to laugh. “Stop joking…”

Zheng Qi tilted her head, frowning at him. “I’m not joking. I told you I’m an experience tester. I want to invest my limited life into limitless experiences. I’ve already experienced taking a plane, now I want to fly.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Xu Wang, Lao Qian, Xiao Kuang, do you have any good suggestions for dealing with a lunatic? Urgent, waiting online!

“Tch. Fine then, I’ll do it myself.” Zheng Qi bent down again and rummaged under the seat, and moments later, she had a cordless drill in her hand.

Wu Sheng was stunned. Is there a portable space under this seat?!

“Ever heard of wall drilling?” Zheng Qi suddenly turned around, drill in hand, and asked.

Wu Sheng reflexively said, “Drilling a wall to borrow light*?”

*(凿壁借光) Idiom referring to praising someone for their perseverance and hard work in pursuit of knowledge or goals. It comes from the story of Kuang Heng, who was very poor and couldn’t afford a candle to study at night, so he drilled a hole into the wall to borrow light from his neighbor’s house to continue his studies.

Zheng Qi smiled. “Drilling a hole to break the windows.”

[When you sense something is wrong, end the conversation and don’t linger—]

Once there was a sincere reminder ringing in his ears, he didn’t appreciate it!!!

“Zzzzzz—”

The drill bit made intimate contact with the plane window, emitting a “passionately” loud noise.

Wu Sheng grabbed her wrist in one motion, not caring about being gentlemanly anymore, forcefully taking the drill away and turning it off, breaking into a cold sweat.

Zheng Qi looked dissatisfied and was about to speak, but Wu Sheng was quicker. “Your experience feeling isn’t comprehensive!”

At those words, she froze, no longer attempting to grab the drill back, and retorted, “What right do you have to say that!”

You can insult my character, but you can’t insult my work—every aspiring youth has this problem. Wu Sheng didn’t need to understand Zheng Qi; understanding himself was enough, hitting the nail on the head.

“You only have a sensory experience but lack theoretical support.” Wu Sheng handed the drill to the flight attendant to take to a safe place, then continued, “You say the flying experience on a plane isn’t good, but what specifically isn’t good? Cabin pressure, temperature, meals, and the psychological and physiological impact of a confined space all affect the overall flying experience. Did you consider these?”

Zheng Qi: “I…”

Wu Sheng: “How high is the plane flying now? Seven to twelve thousand meters. If you jump from this height, you’d become an ice corpse. What’s the cabin pressure now? Standard atmospheric pressure is 101.325 kPa, equivalent to about two thousand meters above sea level. Do the math yourself. If I have to remind you again, your experience note will have to include my co-authorship.”

Zheng Qi: “You…”

Wu Sheng: “Remember, anyone can have feelings; anyone can call a couple of sentences ‘experience’. To stand out, solid data support is your core competitiveness.” He patted her shoulder. “Go on, write it. When you’re done, call me, and we’ll discuss drilling the window open.”

Zheng Qi closed her mouth, unable to retort.

After a long silent stare, she seemed to have an epiphany, quickly took off the parachute, and dived into her notebook to write fervently.

Wu Sheng exhaled a long breath. At critical moments, knowledge was still the key.

“Xiao Kuang is cute, but you’re smart.” A voice teased from the aisle.

Wu Sheng turned to look. It was Feng Jiu.

After seeing off Experimenter Zheng, now came Accountant Feng.

She was in a professional suit, crisp and efficient, with light makeup and fine features, and her hair simply pinned up, not disheveled from flying.

“She was about to drill the glass. If I wasn’t quick-witted, I would have lost my life.” Wu Sheng didn’t beat around the bush, speaking straightforwardly. He had discovered that these passengers simply didn’t play by the rules. Even with someone nearby wanting to skydive, this one was still spectating. If he continued to be polite according to social etiquette, he wouldn’t be exhausted to death but wronged to death.

“It’s not her.” Feng Jiu suddenly murmured softly.

Wu Sheng thought he misheard and asked again, “What did you say?”

Feng Jiu smiled lightly and clearly this time. “I said the one who planted the bomb isn’t her.”

Wu Sheng’s nerves tensed in an instant. “Do you know who it is?”

Feng Jiu shook her head again, picking up a tall glass next to her iPad, sipping lightly.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I don’t think the criminal is her.”

Wu Sheng frowned. “You think?”

“Yes, I think,” Feng Jiu gave him a charming smile, “You should believe in a woman’s intuition.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

He was doubting the entire world now. =_=

“By the way, how old do you think I look?” Feng Jiu suddenly asked, out of the blue.

Wu Sheng, perplexed, looked at her for a while and didn’t hold back, stating frankly, “Thirty-seven or thirty-eight.”

Feng Jiu’s smile widened. The red liquid in her highball glass gently swayed with her laughter. “You’re so sweet,” she said with an unfinished smile, her voice very low and light. Even her body slightly leaned towards Wu Sheng, as if what she was about to say was a huge secret. “I’m sixty.”

Thankfully, there was an aisle between them. Wu Sheng didn’t move, just swallowed hard.

“Want to know how I maintain myself?”

“No, thank you.”

It’s not only women who have intuition; men have it too.

For example, right now, intuition was telling Wu Sheng—please, end this dangerous topic!

Feng Jiu pouted unhappily, sat up straight again, and continued to savor her wine—if the bright red liquid in the cup was indeed wine.

Wu Sheng looked past her to Chen Yiling. This parent that was still diligently revising her child’s essay was arguably the most adorable person in the row.

In the next three minutes, Wu Sheng tried to embody Xu Wang’s spirit, not stopping for a moment, speaking as fast as lightning, and swept through the business class in a whirlwind—

Chu Yiyi: “Do you want to hear me sing opera?”

Wu Sheng: “Not really!”

Wei Yi’er: “Why do I carry test tubes around? I’m a chemistry teacher. A student asked me if it’s possible to do a high-concentration, harmless gas production experiment in a closed cabin, whether it would affect the distribution and consumption of oxygen inside the cabin. I think just giving a conclusion isn’t enough. As a teacher, I must present a scientific experimental process…”

Wu Sheng: “Hand over the test tubes, and just sit still!”

Jiang Yisan (13): “Shh, keep it down, or my wife will find out I’m also on the plane.”

Wu Sheng: “Why are you hiding it from her?”

Jiang Yisan: “I don’t want to revise my son’s essay.”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Jiang Shi San: “You’re right, my wife is Chen Yiling. Actually we…”

Wu Sheng: “I didn’t say anything, thank you.”

Shen Yisi (14): “Uncle, is the b-bomb really disarmed… I’m so scared wuwuwu…”

Wu Sheng: “Yes, the captain has announced it. Don’t you trust Uncle, or the captain?”

Shen Yisi: “Okay, I trust! Uncle, I want candy.”

Wu Sheng: “Er, I don’t have any…”

Shen Yisi: “Wuwuwu waaah—”

Wu Sheng: “……”

After finally getting a piece of mint candy from the flight attendant to calm the child down, Wu Sheng stood in the aisle, leaning against the seat, exhausted both physically and mentally.

He retracted his earlier words.

The Kuang Jinxin guarding Handsome, Long Legs, Stick Figure, and Fair Face, the Kuang Jinxin who wandered around the business class with the [Cheat Sheet] notification and asked nothing, and the Kuang Jinxin who only focused on “discussing tea”, wasn’t slow, but truly a darling blessed by fate!

“Hey, buddy.” Someone lightly tapped his shoulder from behind.

Wu Sheng, too tired to turn around, waved his hand dismissively. “Whether you’re fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, wait till I catch my breath.”

The person behind him didn’t leave but leaned closer to whisper, “I know who the bomb perpetrator is.”

Wu Sheng caught his breath, turned around sharply, and met a smug smile.

He saw a young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants with his hands in pockets. He had a sunny, handsome face, except for a hint of arrogance between his brows that was slightly annoying.

“Xu Erling (20).” The person extended a hand.

“Wu Sheng.” He replied.

“I know.” Xu Er Ling shrugged. “I’ve been listening to you introduce yourself several times just now.”

Wu Sheng didn’t bother with further pleasantries and pulled the man to the junction between business and economy class, away from both sides, then got straight to the point. “You know who the perpetrator is?”

Xu Erling shrugged and said calmly, “Not only do I know who the bomb perpetrator is, I also know the bomb hasn’t been disarmed at all. The recent broadcast was just a bluff.” His lips slowly curled up, swaying a finger side to side. “This trick is too childish. It might deceive others, but not me. Tough luck.”

Wu Sheng watched him silently, feeling that this annoying demeanor was familiar—very familiar—often seen, frequently seen.

“That kid,” Xu Erling suddenly lowered his voice and glanced at Shen Yisi, not far away, happily eating the mint candy. He said each word with great certainty. “He’s the bomb perpetrator.”

Wu Sheng: “…He’s only six years old.”

Xu Er Ling: “Washington was chopping down cherry trees at his age.”

Wu Sheng: “That story is made-up.”

Xu Er Ling: “Edison also used a mirror to help his mother successfully perform an appendectomy.”

Wu Sheng: “That story is also fabricated.”

Xu Er Ling: “Lu Binwang wrote ‘Ode to the Goose’ at seven. Cao Chong weighed elephants at five or six. These are true, right?”

Wu Sheng: “Are you trying to exhaust the list of prodigies from all ages and countries to accuse a child?”

Xu Erling was at a loss for words. He stared at him for a while, then clenched his teeth. “I don’t have direct evidence, but the mere fact that a six-year-old child is flying alone is suspicious enough!”

This time, Xu Erling’s argument finally carried some weight.

Wu Sheng glanced at Shen Yisi’s bowl-cut head as reason and emotion began to battle. “Is he really flying alone?”

“You’ve talked to quite a few people just now. None were his parents, right?” Xu Er Ling said. “Don’t believe me? Then talk to the rest of the passengers; you definitely won’t find his guardian.” Having said this and seeing Wu Sheng still half-convinced, he blurted out everything he knew, “I’ve already asked the flight attendant. He boarded the plane alone. It’s too suspicious. I’ve already smelled the scent of crime.”

Wu Sheng’s mind was clear. All the people he had asked, the words said, clearly listed in his mind. But his head was a mess, momentarily unsure whether to follow such a ruthless line of reasoning.

If Shen Yisi is the perpetrator…

Damn, was he going to force a little kid for the code?!

“Bang—”

“Thud—”

“Crack—”

“Ahhhhhhh—”

The sudden disturbance came unexpectedly from first class.

This airplane’s first class wasn’t simply separated from business class by a curtain but by a white plastic sliding door. With the door closed, it was impossible to see what was happening inside.

But those sounds broke through the door, invading the ears of every passenger in business class. The sound of heavy objects falling, people tumbling, various items being knocked over and breaking, and the screams of women and shouts of men—even Wu Sheng, standing at the juncture between business and economy class and a distance from the first-class door, could hear everything clearly.

With a “click,” the door was forcefully slid open. A tall figure dashed out from inside, then quickly turned back to slam the door shut before striding rapidly towards Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng watched Qian Ai rush towards him with puzzlement, yet also felt the comforting warmth of encountering a companion in a deserted place.

Although he knew first class was probably no less chaotic, it had fewer people and, in absolute terms, less trouble, so Wu Sheng felt he had the right to complain. “Lao Qian, let me tell you, it’s all crazy over here. Now they’re even suspecting a preschool child. I should’ve chosen first class when splitting cabins…”

While he was speaking, Qian Ai had already reached him, taking in all his complaints, and then without hesitation, he grabbed his hands. “Let’s switch then.”

Wu Sheng was taken aback for a moment. “Huh?”

Qian Ai looked at him intently. “Can you tame animals?”

Wu Sheng was even more baffled. “What?”

“Bang—”

The sliding door opened again, but this time it didn’t slide open—it was broken through.

A majestic and powerful lion leapt onto the empty chair back of Kuang Jinxin’s seat in first class, arrogantly surveying the entire business class before letting out a roar that shook the mountains and intimidated the plains!

Xu Erling was the first to snap back to reality, screaming “What the hell—” and turned to flee towards economy class. Prompted by him, screams erupted throughout the business class as passengers jumped up and ran, clearing out in the blink of an eye!

The lion king seemed utterly indifferent to their panic, only locking eyes with Wu Sheng and Qian Ai who remained. To say “locking eyes” might not be accurate since the lion’s gaze was half-lidded, exuding a disdainful air.

Well, if it didn’t have the words “靠”, “开”, and “啊”* hanging around its neck, body, and tail respectively.

*Clarity: The characters basically form a curse along the lines of “Fuck! Get away! Ahhhh—” with some characters missing.

Wu Sheng: “Lao Qian, I need an explanation.”

Qian Ai: “Just talking, and it came out…”

Wu Sheng: “And this styling?”

Qian Ai: “Words Like Pearls and Jade.”

Wu Sheng: “?”

Qian Ai: “’Fuck’, ‘Get away’, ‘Ah’. That’s my emotional journey.”

Wu Sheng: “You’re quite composed, then.”

Qian Ai: “I also shouted ‘Help’, ‘Don’t look at me’, ‘It’s not like I cheated’, ‘Ahhhhhhhhhh’, were all torn apart by it.”

Wu Sheng: “…”

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 17: First Class

First Class.

This was the most peaceful place on the entire plane. The space here was comfortable and spacious, and the air clean and fresh. The seats could recline 180 degrees, and there was no disturbance between adjacent seats.

When Qian Ai walked in, of the four passengers, two were asleep on their flat reclined seats. The blinds were all down, casting a layer of tranquility over the area. The earlier broadcast had quelled their last bit of anxiety, and they were now sweetly dreaming.

Seats number three and six were supposed to be occupied but were empty now. The former was Wu Sheng’s seat, and the latter’s occupant was unknown. The seat was reclined and covered with a blanket, but there was no one there.

In seats number one and two were two girls who wasn’t asleep. One had short hair covering the ears, and a mischievous sprite was idly fiddling with an empty water cup. In fact, she was already half asleep but wasn’t reclined back in her chair. She sat there occasionally nodding off and was yawning continuously; the other with shoulder-length hair was wearing glasses, giving her a refined and gentle demeanor. She was quietly reading an e-book with her head down.

The girl was startled, abruptly looking up and becoming completely alert, wishing she could shrink into her seat back. Qian Ai, realizing he was almost overwhelming her, quickly retreated to lessen the intimidation and said, “Miss, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I just want to know if you know the code for the bomb?”

The short-haired girl, still recovering from the shock, asked in confusion, “Wasn’t the bomb already disarmed?”

The broadcast had announced that the criminal was caught, and the bomb would be disarmed, and since it had been about twenty minutes since the broadcast, the passengers naturally assumed the crisis was over. This logic made sense.

Qian Ai couldn’t respond properly and didn’t want to admit that it was a lie, which might complicate things further. So, he awkwardly changed the subject. “I’m just joking with you. The bomb has been defused long ago. Haha. What’s your name?”

In a normal world, the girl would probably throw her purse at him and curse, “Are you sick?” But this was the “Owl”. As Qian Ai changed his question, the girl also seamlessly switched gears, instantly turning her fear into a radiant smile. “Zhao Yi.”

This name was easy to remember.

“Are you traveling by plane, going to school, visiting relatives, or going home?” Qian Ai was anxious inside, counting the time by the seconds, but had to proceed with the conversation gradually.

Unexpectedly, the girl laughed vivaciously, showing her pearly teeth. “Work.”

Qian Ai was unprepared for this answer and blurted out, “I thought you were a student…”

It wasn’t that he had poor judgment; the girl looked young, at most seventeen or eighteen years old.

“Shh.” The girl suddenly looked around, her big eyes darting to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret. I’m actually a magician.”

Qian Ai didn’t believe it for a second but played along. “Then can you conjure up the bomb code?”

“That I can’t do.” Zhao Yi quickly shook her head, her face lively and laughing, clearly taking Qian Ai’s comment as a joke. “But I can make this,” she said, turning her hand, and somehow the paper cup turned into a cupcake!

A golden cupcake topped with a dollop of pure white cream, steaming slightly with the warmth and sweetness fresh from the oven.

“Here you go.” Zhao Yi offered the small cupcake to Qian Ai with a smile.

Qian Ai reminded himself internally not to eat food from strangers, but his hands and mouth had their own ideas—taking it, stuffing it in, chewing, and swallowing all in one go.

Feeling satisfied, Qian Ai started to believe she was a magician.

The short-haired girl seemed to find satisfaction in Qian Ai’s contentment, sighing contentedly and opening the shade to admire the clouds outside.

The code and this girl Zhao Yi were unrelated—Qian Ai made that judgment amid the lingering sweetness of the cake.

Having learned from this, he stood next to his seat, slightly bowed like a flight attendant, and politely interrupted, “Sorry to disturb your reading. My name is Qian Ai, what’s yours?”

The girl with glasses slightly turned her head and gave a polite response without any guards up. “Qian Er.”

Great, a namesake.

“Are you also on this flight for work?”

She dropped her eyes at the casual joke, revealing a sad sigh. “Traveling.”

Her sigh was light, but it carried a weight of sadness.

Qian Ai was stunned. No longer needing to think about it, he naturally followed his instinct and asked, “Traveling should be happy, right?”

The girl smiled bitterly. “Break-up trip.”

Qian Ai had heard of post-breakup consolation trips, but “break-up trip” was a new concept…

“Alone?”

“No, it’s called a break-up trip for a reason. Of course, with my boyfriend.”

A new concept indeed!!!

“That’s him.” She pointed to a spot, which was the fourth seat in the row, smiling gently. “We’ve agreed to break up after the trip.”

Qian Ai originally complained about Wu Sheng’s seat being unfortunate, right in the middle of a couple, but looking in the direction the girl pointed, the carefree young man was sleeping deeply, snoring loudly, spread out without a care in the world. Even if you built a magpie bridge* for him, he wouldn’t bother to walk across it.

*Clarity: This is referencing the bridge made out of magpies in the story of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Despite their love, their romance was forbidden, and they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (symbolizing the milky way). Once a year, a bridge made of magpies would form to reunite them for one single day (the Qixi Festival).

Qian Ai felt old, unable to understand why a breakup necessitated a trip. Wasn’t a quick end better? For instance, a final meeting, a splash of coffee, or a dramatic turn and chase after a bus in the rain seemed ceremonious enough.

But all that wasn’t the point.

“Continue reading, miss. I’ll have a chat with your boyfriend.”

Intuitively, the bomb and this heartbroken traveler, Qian Er, were unrelated. Qian Ai decided to switch his focus immediately.

“Hey, wake up.” Qian Ai pushed the young man, who was deep in sleep and neglecting his girlfriend. “Stop sleeping. Get up for a chat!”

It was unclear whether he didn’t control his strength well or the young man was just too frail, but with one final push, Qian Ai ended up knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

The young man sat on the floor, dazed and disoriented, his arm still entangled with the seat, trying to grasp the reality of the situation.

Qian Ai, having less patience with him, directly waved his hand in front of the young man’s face. “Hey, look here. Are you out traveling?”

Finally regaining his senses, the young man stood up and stared at Qian Ai, perplexed. “Who are you?”

Since he wasn’t worried about being pursued into reality, he introduced himself. “Qian Ai.”

However, upon hearing the name, the young man immediately darkened his expression and turned to shout at Qian Er with a hostile tone. “Bringing family members won’t help. We’re not married. Dating isn’t protected by law. I’ve already told you I don’t love you anymore. When will you face reality!”

Qian Ai was speechless. With the same surname, it was indeed hard to explain the coincidence.

When in love, every word is sweet, but when love fades, every word cuts deep. Miss Qian bowed her head, her shoulders shaking slightly, and if one listened closely, they could hear the faint sound of her sobbing.

Qian Ai, who had been single for twenty-nine years, had always dreamed of finding a sweet girl to cherish and couldn’t stand seeing this. Forgetting this wasn’t reality, he passionately slapped the young man on the head. “Can’t you fucking speak nicely? And if you’re breaking up, then just break up. What’s all this bullshit about traveling? You’re so full of it!”

The young man quickly assessed the physical difference between himself and Qian Ai and reluctantly suppressed his urge to retaliate, only covering his head and protesting. “It was her idea to travel! You think I wanted this?”

Caught off guard, Qian Ai instinctively looked towards Miss Qian. She finally lifted her head, her face streaked with tears, and responded in a hoarse voice, “Yes, it was my idea for the breakup trip, but I didn’t ask you to bring your new love.” Her voice grew fainter towards the end, but a tinge of hatred seeped through her soft words.

Qian Ai’s eyes widened in disbelief—this is outright a fucking scumbag!

The young man was also taken aback, apparently not expecting his girlfriend to have such insight. But soon, he resignedly confessed, “I told you before, changing hearts is my fault, but love is uncontrollable. I’ve fallen for her. I’ve never loved anyone like this, to the point where I would give my life for her. Do you understand? I couldn’t go on this trip with you behind her back. That would be betraying her!”

Qian Ai watched the young man self-righteously explain and felt his worldview shatter—what kind of fucking twisted logic is this?!

Miss Qian suddenly stood up, tears still in her eyes, but walked towards the young man with a determined stride. The young man’s arrogance instantly diminished; he was clearly aware of his wrongdoing, and he unconsciously took a step back.

However, Miss Qian stopped in the aisle between the seats, maintaining a moderate distance, and asked with a steady gaze, “Do you really love her that much?”

Without hesitation, the young man nodded. “Of course.”

His answer was too firm and sincere, and even Qian Ai, who disliked him, had to admit that perhaps he really did love the “other woman”.

Logically, this answer should have hurt Miss Qian more, but surprisingly, she smiled, faintly and even a bit sweetly. “Do you think she loves you?”

“Of course,” he answered with the same conviction.

Miss Qian tilted her head and innocently blinked. “Then why, after all our arguing, is she still pretending to be asleep?” The young man was stumped, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the blanket-covered seat in the back row.

Qian Ai followed his gaze to the mysterious fifth seat, covered with a blanket and completely concealing the person underneath… What is this? A breakup trip with the current, the mistress, and the scumbag all seated together?!

“Maybe she doesn’t want to embarrass you.” The scumbag finally found an excuse for his “true love”.

Qian Ai rolled his eyes unabashedly, knowing even as someone inexperienced in love that the “mistress” was avoiding trouble by feigning sleep. While the scumbag might sacrifice his life for her, she might only consider him a fling or even a backup plan!

“How considerate of her,” Miss Qian said as she walked towards the fourth seat, gently pinching the corner of the blanket. “She’s worried about embarrassing you.”

With those softly murmured words, she yanked the blanket up!

Underneath, in the spacious seat, a woman was laying on top of a man, disheveled and lost in ecstasy.

Qian Ai, tall and strong, didn’t need to move closer. He glanced down and saw everything. The girl had slightly curly waves, red lips, and an hourglass figure, while the man was handsome and well-built with well-developed pecs.

Neither made any sudden movements but instead calmly maintained their “intimate position”. Their eyes swept over Qian Er, who had lifted the blanket, while Qian Ai stood dumbstruck. Finally, his gaze fell on the young man, whose face had started to tremble, and he gave an awkward smile. “Hey.”

The shock was too sudden, coupled with the sting of Cupid’s broken arrow. The young man’s legs gave out, and he collapsed back into his seat, every cell in his body rejecting this dramatic twist of fate.

Qian Ai also weakened at the knees and sat down on Wu Sheng’s chair. Now, he understood why seat number six was empty. But—he was only joking about being entertained or a spare tire; did the plot really need to be this thrilling? And how did they manage to do it without making a sound? Were they covered with a soundproof blanket?!

“You’re really something,” Zhao Yi said, who had been looking out the window. She slowly stood up, turned around without leaving her seat, and just stood there, quietly observing the man and woman behind her. Her delicate features no longer bore a lively smile but only a smear of ridicule. “I really thought you came to work with me.”

The muscular gentleman could no longer remain calm, hurriedly pushing the woman off him and clumsily fixing his clothes. “No, listen to me. It was just a spur of the moment, just playing around…”

Qian Ai’s head hurts. He had never encountered such complex personal relationships in his life. Short-haired Zhao Yi and the muscular man were a couple; glasses Qian Er and the young man were another; wavy-haired beauty was like the third wheel, winning over the fickle young man’s true love, then having an affair with Zhao Yi’s man?

Isn’t living a simple life better?!

“Wait, Zhao Yi, stop!” the muscular man suddenly shouted in panic.

Qian Ai’s body tensed, sensing that the girl might do something foolish. He was about to leap forward—confident he could snatch away whatever self-harming tool she might have—only to find that she was still holding the same empty cup.

Qian Ai brake in time, not acting recklessly. After all, fiddling with an empty cup wasn’t much… Wait, what was her profession again?

In a blink, Zhao Yi’s empty cup magically flipped and vanished into thin air. The next moment, a roar worthy of the king of beasts emanated from seat number six.

The roar was so powerful, it whipped up a gale in the first-class cabin!

Everyone was petrified, too scared to move. Qian Ai, though bold, took a deep breath and unconsciously pressed his back against the seat, trying his best not to make eye contact with the lion occupying seat number six. Meanwhile, he was calculating whether running away or playing dead had a higher chance of survival.

However, both options seemed bleak. The lion, which was sleeping peacefully like a kitten in the cargo hold, was now fully awake and furious. Its gaze was sharp and fierce, just like a real lion king.

He remembered now; Miss Zhao Yi was a magician.

But shouldn’t you have mentioned you’re a circus magician?!

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 16: Division of Labor

Answers and explanations from the “veterans” have for the first time helped the “Fame and Fortune” mini squad, who have been blindly following the “Owl’s” rhythm, find their footing. Like a ship sailing through dense fog, suddenly the mist clears, allowing not only a clear view of the path they’ve come from but also a glimpse of the island ahead.

Right, there’s still the island ahead!

Xu Wang slapped his forehead. “Almost forgot!” He hurriedly leaned closer to the purple circle and asked Long Legs, “What exactly is in the third level?”

Unexpectedly, Tall Guy shook his head leisurely. “I can’t tell you now.”

“Now?” Xu Wang raised an eyebrow. “Then when can you?”

“When it’s almost five o’clock,” Long Legs explained systematically. “According to the agreement, we provide information, and you don’t send us back early. I’ve provided the information now, but whether you’ll really not send us back early, who knows. You hold the initiative, so of course, we need to keep some information as a guarantee of your compliance.”

He smiled amiably, but he was also transparently shrewd.

Stick Figure’s cunningness was written all over his face, but Long Legs’ was hidden under “calmness”. Xu Wang strongly suspected that, in reality, this guy was a wolf in sheep’s clothing*, a sly businessman.

*Pretending to be a pig and eating tigers (个扮猪吃老虎) Idiom referring to using scheming to deceive, deliberately pretending to be weak to let the opponent ignore you, and then taking the opportunity to win the final victory.

“Xu Ge, Wu Ge, I’m back.” Kuang Jinxin’s voice came from the “Clever Burrow”.

The moment he finished speaking, he had already climbed up, agile as a groundhog.

Seeing him alone, Wu Sheng asked in confusion, “Where’s Lao Qian?”

Kuang Jinxin subconsciously glanced at the four inside the purple circle, and considering the image in front of their opponents, some words must be chosen carefully. “Er, he’s… still discussing life with the captain!”

Inside the cockpit.

Qian Ai stood behind the captain and co-pilot’s seats, overseeing the flight path like a supervisor, occasionally tapping the shoulders of the two. “Hey, hey, you’re veering off. This way, this way. Don’t dive into that cloud cluster—”

The co-pilot wanted to turn around but couldn’t. His neck was restrained, and he could only beg in front, “Please look properly. I haven’t moved my hands at all, okay. It’s all on autopilot now…”

The captain, likewise, limited in movement, looked ahead with a tired spirit. “Sir, we’ve already made the broadcast as you requested. Could you please leave the cockpit? Not for anything else, but at least let us focus on flying and ensure flight safety.”

One against two, Qian Ai was a bit flustered and scratched his head, muttering, “I didn’t do anything. Besides, it’s all on autopilot, isn’t it…”

The captain said, “But your presence behind us is creating huge pressure. People under high stress can easily lose control, like suddenly switching to manual control, then deviating the route, engine shutting down, and the plane stalling…”

The more Qian Ai listened, the more he sweated, hastily interjecting, “Don’t threaten me!”

The co-pilot, enduring the pain, made a valiant effort to turn around. “It’s you who are threatening us!!!”

Then, he maintained the posture of fiercely turning back to glare at Qian Ai—his neck stuck, unable to move anymore.

It wasn’t that the co-pilot had any neck problems, but both he and the captain had been adorned by Qian Ai with “heavy shackles”. These were two wooden three-dimensional Chinese characters, similar in size to ancient shackles but even thicker, one “囡” and one “回”*, respectively, fitted around the two men’s necks like buckles, making even turning their heads difficult.

*Clarity: Child 囡, Circle 回. Note: These are the Chinese characters that have become three-dimensional, so look at the characters themselves, not at the meaning.

More importantly, these two “characters” were responsive to Qian Ai. If anyone tried to remove or destroy them, Qian Ai would be alerted.

The ability to create any three-dimensional Chinese character as a weapon through a shout—this was the reward he received in the first level, [(Offense) Words Like Pearls and Jade].

Unfortunately, for the three-dimensional characters he created, Qian Ai’s “sensory” and “elimination” powers were always present, but the “manipulation” power only existed at the moment of their creation. So, he could always sense if they were being touched or destroyed and make these space-occupying characters disappear anytime, but if he wanted to remotely move them, either as swords or shackles, the opportunity was only at the moment they were created.

But these were all details for later. At first use, Qian Ai felt the effects were utterly baffling—who could possibly fathom it!!!

To prevent the co-pilot from getting really hurt, Qian Ai quickly went up to “gently” turn his head back. Despite this, the co-pilot was still dissatisfied. “Couldn’t you have shouted ‘口*’ instead of ‘回’?

*Mouth.

Qian Ai tapped him lightly on the back of the head. “Such a big ‘口’, would that still be a shackle? That’s a necklace!”

Although the item’s effects were bewildering, both the captain and co-pilot seemed to accept it without barriers, which Qian Ai could only understand as “same worldview, same bunch of crazies.”

“From now on, until landing, is it all on autopilot? No need for manual control?” Qian Ai suddenly asked for confirmation.

The captain replied, “Manual control is needed for landing. Although autopilot can also complete a blind landing, given that landing is influenced by many factors like air currents, environment, ground conditions, etc., a tiny miscalculation can cause a huge accident, so switching back to manual control is safer for landing.”

Qian Ai didn’t know how to fly a plane, but since the captain said so, he believed him.

Taking a deep breath, Qian Ai shouted loudly four times, “000000—”

If one had to pick the biggest advantage of this stationery, it would have to be its immediacy. The [One Fell Swoop] and [Beyond the Nine Heavens] attacks they had faced, including Wu Sheng’s later [Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds], were all one-off attack techniques. They were powerful but used up instantly. His stationery was a bit tricky to use and not always handy, and its lethality was even mood-dependent, but it had one good point—it was instantly available whenever he shouted.

As for how long this stationery could be used, whether its time effectiveness was measured in time, levels, or number of characters? Who cares? Isn’t there a saying, “When life gives you joy, revel in it; why bother thinking too broadly*?”

*This is a line from the poem Bringing the Wine by Li Bai.

As Qian Ai’s roar fell, six wooden three-dimensional Arabic numerals “0’s” instantly appeared out of nowhere, like a sudden downpour of numbers from the sky!

Qian Ai gazed at the “0”s, trying hard to squint and grimace, communicating his intentions!

The “0’s”, halfway to their descent, suddenly stopped. Then in the next moment, they scattered with a “whoosh” and firmly wrapped the captain and co-pilot in their seats, from chest to waist, then from waist to legs, three for each, firmly restrained, just right.

Shackles get!

Although the bomb’s countdown was four hours, and by all accounts, the plane should also fly for the full four hours, this was the “Owl”. Who knows if it might throw in an “early forced landing” twist, so it was better safe than sorry.

“I’ll come back to unlock you before we descend. And, I’m not a bad guy. I’m genuinely a righteous and passionate young man!” After summarizing everything in one breath, Qian Ai didn’t linger to see if the pilots understood. Feeling satisfied, he opened the round glass cover and crawled back into the “Clever Burrow”, quickly returning beneath the tea station at the tail of the plane.

“Wu Sheng,” Qian Ai called his teammate softly, looking up from under the hole. As soon as he saw Wu Sheng looking down, he immediately asked with caution, “Where are the other two?”

Qian Ai’s sense of crisis was always proportional to his robust physique.

“They went into the very back of the tea room. Been there for half a day now,” Wu Sheng first stated the fact, then added his reasoning. “They might be planning some shocking tactics, or maybe they’re snacking on airplane meals.”

Qian Ai continued, “Do you need me up there?”

“That’s a rather nonsensical question.” Wu Sheng squatted down, like a worried class teacher educating a stubborn student. “With three hours left until the explosion, and not counting us and them, there are still 92 passengers and 6 flight attendants. If we start questioning from the beginning, each person can only talk for 1.8 minutes. If we simultaneously question in multiple paths, the inquiry time for each passenger will double based on the number of us involved in the questioning…”

“No need to explain. I get it!” Qian Ai interrupted his teammate, climbing out with lightning speed, tackling his life’s first endeavor with speed as fast as the wind.

Wu Sheng watched him, not only getting it immediately but also acting on it and nodded in satisfaction.

Qian Ai smiled at him and then stretched his neck to peek into the tea room. “Xu Wang, Xiao Kuang, hurry up and come out when you’re done. We don’t have much time!”

More importantly, I miss you guys… TAT

Perhaps Qian Ai’s heartfelt call was too sincere, for not even a minute later, Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin indeed came out. They didn’t carry anything in their hands, but they indeed looked like they had formulated some “secret tactic”. Before returning to the purple circle, Xu Wang even specifically put his arm around Kuang Jinxin’s shoulder, earnestly saying, “I’m leaving it to you.”

Kuang Jinxin patted his chest. “Leave it to me!”

Relieved, Xu Wang turned to see Qian Ai had returned, knowing the cockpit situation must have been settled. He didn’t inquire further about the “settling process” but directly addressed the current situation. “Xiao Kuang will guard those four, and the three of us will inquire about the password clues.”

“No problem,” Qian Ai readily agreed. “Where should I start?”

Xu Wang didn’t answer but looked at Wu Sheng—while not great at external communication, Wu Sheng was still trustworthy for internal planning.

Wu Sheng understood immediately, or perhaps he’d been eager to contribute after being sidelined for half the day, promptly saying, “Like I just mentioned, now there are 180 minutes left—no, 178 minutes now—a total of 96 people. If we proceed in three lines, it’s best to keep each person’s conversation within 4 minutes. This way, we’ll still have 50 minutes left for deduction and bomb disarming. If there are no issues…” He quickly surveyed the entire cabin, finally fixing his gaze on Xu Wang. “Lao Qian, you question the first-class cabin, I’ll take business class, you take economy class. After we finish, if there are no clues, we’ll continue in economy class.”

Xu Wang had no objections, just a simple lack of understanding. “Why am I assigned to the most crowded and chaotic economy class?”

“Why do you all ask such simple questions today?” Wu Sheng looked baffled. “You’re a chatterbox, and you talk fast.”

Qian Ai turned around, silently heading towards first-class to avoid being caught by the sports rep’s gratified smile—knowing he wasn’t the only one tortured by the class monitor, he felt balanced.

Just as Qian Ai, with an open mind, passed through the business class, Wu Sheng, who had been kicked, walked to the end of the economy class, and Xu Wang, who regretted only kicking once, also moved forward to the front half of the economy class. At that time, the handsome guy in the purple circle at the tail of the plane suddenly loudly reminded, “If you notice something is wrong, quickly end the conversation. Don’t linger—”

He really shouted with all his might. Not to mention Qian Ai, who had only reached business class; even if he’d entered first class, he probably could still hear.

Xu Wang heard it most clearly and felt the strongest sense of “concern” in the reminder. But this concern came from their opponents, so its authenticity and intention were rather delicate, and they didn’t have much more time to spend on those few.

Still, caution is never wrong, so they’ll heed it and act accordingly.

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 15: Dispelling Doubts

The bomb that was still counting down made everyone on the plane anxious; this wasn’t a good time for spectating. So, when Xu Wang popped up from the ground and shouted, all the seated passengers turned back, but none left their seats. Several reflexively tightened their seat belts; those who happened to be walking immediately left the aisle, darting into nearby seats, regardless of whether they were pressing down on someone else’s thighs.

The passengers “cleared the field” themselves, and the “brawl” ended as quickly as it started, resulting in a complete silence once the victor was determined.

The four men inside the purple circle, all male, ranged in age from twenty-two or twenty-three to twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Though all had unfriendly expressions, they were tall, handsome, thin, and fair, with a clear division of labor.

Bystanders dared not breathe too loudly, and the captives were unwilling to speak first and show weakness. The silent standoff was a test of the victor’s resolve. But this was hardly a challenge for Xu Wang.

He squatted down comfortably, directing orders down the hole with methodical precision. “Xiao Kuang, Lao Qian, cockpit plan. Go!”

From the hole that shouldn’t have been there, two voices full of vigor responded, “Roger!”

Four minutes later, the intercom came alive with the voice that had greeted everyone at the start of the flight, now spreading throughout the cabin again.

“Good day, passengers. I am the captain of this flight. Earlier, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we caused unnecessary panic among you all, and for that, on behalf of all crew members, I express our deepest apologies. Now, the dangerous individuals have been successfully apprehended by four courageous young people, and the dangerous object will soon be dismantled. You can relax and enjoy the remainder of your journey. We wish you a pleasant trip—”

The final blessing was resolute, more a declaration of the triumph of justice and an unyielding spirit than a mere well-wishing.

Instantly, the cabin burst into vigorous applause; some passengers even started cheering and celebrating.

The tension eased, and noise returned. The flight attendants timely pushed out carts to distribute water, allowing passengers to “toast” with their drinks.

No one worried about the “four dangerous individuals” at the tail of the plane anymore. After all, two “courageous young people” were keeping watch.

The four inside the circle had already widened their eyes; their facial muscles twitched upon hearing the broadcast. By now, the handsome one couldn’t hold back his indignation. “We acknowledge your superiority in skills, but to claim the moral high ground is shameless!”

Xu Wang maintained his squat, eye level with them, appearing to be in a position for a good conversation. In reality, it was for an easier “exchange of words”. “A sneak attacker talking to me about morality?!”

The handsome one was indignant and about to retort but was stopped by the tallest among them. He seemed two or three years older than the handsome one, maybe around twenty-five or twenty-six, but he exuded a calmness from his head to his long legs. Including when he was captured, he was the calmest.

“How did you get into the cockpit?” He didn’t waste time on futile arguments and got straight to the point. “Did you use your [Stationery Box]?”

Wu Sheng, who enjoyed straightforward conversations, squatted down to be on the same level as him. Instead of answering, he asked, “Why did you attack us? Is the submission of tasks on the open-sharing platform exclusive?”

The tall one paused, taken aback by Wu Sheng’s sudden interjection and the content of it.

Xu Wang sighed, acting as a translator. “Are these types of levels where different teams can see each other only passable by one team in the end?”

The tall one didn’t immediately answer—not so much because the question was hard, but it seemed he was pondering their negotiation strategy.

The skinniest one, quick-witted, seized the critical situation. “You’re just from 1/23, right? No need to deny it, or else you wouldn’t have exposed yourselves so easily.” He crossed his legs and sat up straight, starting to talk. “But we’re not. We might not have been through hundreds of battles, but we have far more experience than you, and we know much more. Now, you have the advantage in force, and we have the advantage in information. Why not both sides step back and share for a win-win situation?”

Xu Wang mirrored him by crossing his legs, adopting a posture of ready discussion. “I’m all ears.”

The skinny one nodded in approval, seemingly appreciating Xu Wang’s pragmatism. “We can tell you everything we know about the explicit rules, implicit rules, and unspoken rules here, in exchange, you let us go, and we compete fairly.”

“What if you attack us after getting out?” Xu Wang queried.

“If we could attack, we would have done it earlier. We’ve used up all our items. Besides, the risk is higher for us; what if you decide not to let us go after getting the information?”

“You can reveal 50% first, then we let you out, and you complete the remaining 50% afterwards.”

“That’s exactly what I mean!”

“Then I have a suggestion too.” Xu Wang tilted his head, elbow propped on his knee, hand supporting his head, casually proposing, “We ask questions, you answer. If you refuse, we’ll stab you one by one and send you back, courtesy of the ‘Owl’.”

The skinny one’s face changed, and after a long moment, he retorted, “You can’t possibly have knives on you.”

Xu Wang waved his arm with a smile. “But we have items. Want to test it out?”

“You ask, we’ll answer.” The tall one intervened with his usual composure. “The condition is that you don’t need to let us out of the circle, but you also can’t send us back.”

“What if I break the deal?”

“We’re already trapped and are no threat to you. It’s unnecessary to waste another stationery. Moreover, the world is round, this place even more so. We’ll inevitably meet again, and you wouldn’t want to make an enemy unnecessarily.”

Xu Wang nodded, preferring to communicate with this more understanding individual over the cunning skinny one or the impulsive handsome one.

“Hand it over.” He reached out to Wu Sheng.

Reluctantly stripped of his “questioning rights”, Wu Sheng handed over the list of questions they’d compiled while observing from below—after all, he’d already suffered a setback at his first attempt.

Thinking dejectedly, facing an opponent with poor comprehension was like using a good knife to cut a broken pot.

“Name.” Wu Sheng’s “list” didn’t have such mundane questions; this was Xu Wang’s own first inquiry.

The tall one wasn’t keen on complying. “We needn’t bother with names here. Let’s not involve the real world.”

Xu Wang was amenable: “Fine, then I’ll call you Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face.”

Long Legs: “……”

Handsome: “Okay.”

Stick Figure: “……”

Fair Face: “Doesn’t matter.”

“Xu Wang.” Without warning, Xu Wang introduced himself, then pointed beside him. “Wu Sheng, the Wu from the Three Kingdoms Wei, Shu, and Wu, and Sheng from playing the se and blowing the sheng*.”

*Clarity: Wu (吴) is from the Three Kingdoms, where it was divided between the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.  Sheng (笙) is from the phrase playing the se (an ancient term for a zither) and the sheng (one of the oldest Chinese instruments). Modern term would probably be translated as “playing the zither and the flute”.

Wu Sheng: “Why is my introduction so detailed…”

Without waiting for a response, Xu Wang picked up the list and began questioning. The first question was the same as before. “In this kind of level where different teams can see each other, is it true that only one team can pass in the end?”

Long Legs: “Yes.”

Xu Wang: “How do you know?”

Long Legs: “Before attacking you, we were the victims of an attack.”

Xu Wang: “Was your 1/23 also just your own team?”

Long Legs: “Every team’s 1/23 is likely just their own team, so it’s easy to tell you guys just came from the first level.”

Xu Wang: “Were you also forcibly pulled in?”

“Yeah.” Long Legs barely audibly sighed, seemingly wanting to laugh, but the corner of his mouth twisted bitterly. “This damn place, can’t escape, can’t even complain.”

Xu Wang disliked seeing others so dispirited, especially when he could empathize. Though he wasn’t as deeply aggrieved as Long Legs, it was still distressing, so he swiftly changed the topic. “Was the first level also in Beijing?”

Long Legs nodded.

Xu Wang: “Do you know about the thing with coordinates?”

Long Legs: “Just search a satellite map online. Even the slowest would understand.”

Xu Wang: “If each team in the first level is independent and all in Beijing, in the same coordinates, why didn’t we encounter other teams when we returned to reality?”

Long Legs: “Because the trigger points are different.”

Xu Wang: “So your idiom guessing spot wasn’t an ice waterfall?”

They had already asked Qian Ai this question when observing from below. However, according to Wu Sheng, one person’s account wasn’t enough, so they needed to confirm with these four as well.

“Ice waterfall?” Tall Guy seemed to hear the term for the first time, shaking his head. “Never seen it. We all live beyond the West Fifth Ring, and the coordinates for the idiom trigger points are nearby.”

“West Fifth Ring, huh.” Xu Wang had anticipated this answer. “We were all around North Third Ring, and another new teammate was coming from Daxing—that’s even farther south… South Sixth Ring…”

“So, it’s impossible to see each other.” Tall Guy sighed. “Beijing is big enough to isolate a dozen or even dozens of teams.”

The first level worked hard to isolate everyone, creating an impression of mutual exclusion. The second level deliberately brought people together for competition. Could there be anything more malicious!

Xu Wang felt angry inside, but one thing at a time. This was the “Owl’s” doing, and both they and their opponents were victims.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Xu Wang continued to inquire, “How many nights have you been trying to pass this level?”

Tall Guy: “N.”

Xu Wang: “?”

Tall Guy: “Countless. N≥20.”

Xu Wang: “Er, the combat level of your team…”

Handsome: “Ask questions. Don’t attack us personally!”

“Every time we come in, the relationships among the entire flight’s passengers change, making any clues we gathered last time useless.” It was rare for one with the glowing fair complexion to speak so much in one breath, but his tone was still as flat and unemotional as ever.

But clearly, his words were to back up his handsome teammate, as the latter immediately seized upon this as strong evidence for rebuttal. “Right, so each time it’s like a new test paper, starting from zero. Who knows how many days you’d twist and turn!”

“Alright, alright.” Xu Wang decided to cut the discussion short, not wanting to waste words with them, and directly turned to Long Legs to continue with the next question. “Why so eager to make a move? If you waited until we nearly collected all the clues or even when the code is about to be cracked before acting, couldn’t you just reap the benefits?”

“The premise of reaping the benefits is that you manage to catch the fish, but there’s limited time, and we trust ourselves more,” Long Legs replied.

“……” Xu Wang thought better of boasting about any efficiency in clearing levels considering they exposed themselves right upon entering the airport. “What happens if we fail to turn in our… submission…” he suddenly paused. As his mind was translating Wu Sheng’s alien-like language and following the line of questioning, he stumbled upon two words he’d never considered, causing him to freeze momentarily.

After a long pause, he asked again, more seriously, “What’s the punishment for failing our submission?”

For the first time, a flicker of emotion appeared in Long Legs eyes, as if recalling something unpleasant. After a while, he slowly answered, “Return to the starting point.”

Xu Wang was stunned. “The first level?”

Tall Guy nodded. “Yes, 1/23.”

Wu Sheng suddenly interjected with a question not on the list. “Stick Figure just said you could tell us about the third level, which means you’ve been to 3/23. So, does failing a submission either here or the next level mean returning to the first level?”

Stick Figure: “Just because I don’t speak doesn’t mean I agree with that nickname…”

Long Legs: “Yes, back to 1/23.”

Wu Sheng: “So, resubmitting in repeated levels yields no rewards?”

Long Legs was surprised. “You know?”

Wu Sheng: “Isn’t it obvious? N≥20, failure means going back; you must have spent at least ten days on 1/23. If submitting earned rewards, your [Stationery Box] should be full by now. There’s no need to be threatened by us.”

Long Legs: “……” The one in front of him was indeed quick-witted, but he still preferred to communicate with someone else!

Wu Sheng then asked, “Is there any indication when you’re sent back?”

Long Legs sighed. “If mockery counts.”

Wu Sheng frowned. “What do you mean?”

“If you fail to submit, the [Report Card] will scroll out a sentence.” Long Legs said, twitching his mouth corner in a slight sneer, emphasizing each word, “Retreat is the only path for the incompetent.”

He spoke clearly but softly, with disdain and contempt undertones. If the sentence wasn’t in text but was spoken by the “Owl”, then it would probably carry the same tone—infuriating yet unanswerable.

Wu Sheng had no more questions.

Xu Wang’s list was almost complete, but his heart was far from settled. He couldn’t formulate questions as detailed and well-considered as Wu Sheng, so digesting all these answers also took time.

In contrast, Wu Sheng’s brain processor was apparently several generations ahead. While Xu Wang was still ruminating, Wu Sheng had already stood up easily, dusting off his pants.

Knowing all he wanted to know, for Wu Sheng, this “conversation” was nearing its end—

Putting his hands on his knees, he leaned his body forward and approached the faces of the four inside the circle, smiling elegantly. “Attacking us wasn’t your biggest mistake tonight. Not believing in our efficiency in clearing the level—that’s the real mistake.”

The four inside the circle were first baffled, then gradually their expressions turned indescribable.

Xu Wang silently turned his head, internally asking the heavens—why others’ domineering bosses make looking cool so effortless, while his white moonlight at the top of his heart forever emits a hint of eighth-grader syndrome*!

*Chunibyo. Term used to describe someone, typically in their early teens, who has grandiose delusions, who desperately wants to stand out, and who has convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers.

What was even more troubling was, he really fucking likes him. TAT

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 14: Counterattack

[Owl: Someone has used [(Defense) Cicada Sheds Its Shell] on you, oh~~]

As the notification sounded in their ears, Xu Wang, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai’s first reaction was: Damn, it’s not over yet?!

The next second, they landed on the ground with a “thud”, like a few potatoes falling out of a broken plastic bag, rolling away in all directions.

Though the fall hurt, the extreme cold and lack of oxygen from high altitude were instantly relieved. They instinctively took deep breaths, and their stiffened minds slowly recovered, becoming active again.

“It’s tough that you even thought to use your [Stationery Box],” Xu Wang recovered his strength and quickly got up to move his arms and legs. Of course, every joint hurt terribly, but there were no real broken bones or injuries. It seemed their earlier guess was right; the “Owl” intended to keep the damage within a certain limit.

Wu Sheng was already up before him, looking around to assess the situation. “It’s my fault. I had doubts when I met Qian Ai and should have thought it through, not getting carried away by the [Cheat Sheet] and charging forward blindly.”

“Wu Sheng admitting a mistake” was definitely a rare creature. Xu Wang’s heart softened unexpectedly, and gentle words came out. “There’s nothing right or wrong. To be honest, we are even less thoughtful than you. When I met Lao Qian, I didn’t even have any doubts. Just surprised and happy.”

Wu Sheng still shook his head. “You guys not thinking of it is normal. I really shouldn’t have made this mistake.”

“……” Watching the sincerity and seriousness on his face, Xu Wang wanted to give him a roundhouse kick.

If he softened up to this guy again, he would be no better than a pig!!!

In the meantime, Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai also got up one after another. The former looked the most pitiful—his nose red from the cold, his originally fair face all dusty, making one strongly suspect that he landed face-first when they got free. The latter was much better—swinging his arms and moving his neck, back to being a burly man.

“Did we… get tricked? And then saved by Class Monitor again?” When Qian Ai heard Xu Wang’s “It’s tough that you even thought to use your [Stationery Box]” while lying on the ground, he connected it with the prior events; the fact couldn’t be clearer.

“Lao Qian.” Xu Wang asked, “You were at the airport for three days. Didn’t you meet anyone alone?”

“Not a soul.” Qian Ai raised both hands, and every cell in his body wished to prove his innocence. “If there was anyone as hurried as us, I wouldn’t have let them go. Even if we couldn’t team up, a chat would’ve been relieving.”

Xu Wang understood. “It’s not that you didn’t meet anyone. It’s that they didn’t want you to meet anyone.” He sighed. “We’re the fools here. The other teams are much shrewder.”

Kuang Jinxin only understood the situation then and looked shocked. “There are other teams on the plane?!”

Xu Wang massaged his forehead. Kuang Jinxin’s naivety could get him sold if he ever walks past two miles and still helps the seller count the money.

“But that’s not right,” Kuang Jinxin muttered in confusion. “We were all sucked in, wanting to turn in our submission. Shouldn’t we help each other to get through together?”

Xu Wang asked him, “What if there can only be one team that can pass in the end?”

Kuang Jinxin didn’t even need to think. “Then it’s fair competition. Every man for himself.”

Xu Wang: “But what if you have the chance to get ahead?”

Kuang Jinxin frowned disapprovingly. “That’s not getting ahead. That’s a despicable ambush, like false starting in a track and field. You’d get disqualified!”

Xu Wang: “……”

Alright, he took back what he said. Not two miles; this kid could be sold within two steps and still help count the money.

“This is the airplane’s cargo hold.” Wu Sheng, after observing, gave a certain conclusion.

Hearing this, the three of them seriously looked around. It was a long and narrow spacious area, precisely assembled by metal-like plates, with a flat ground covered in longitudinal tracks. It indeed resembled an airplane’s cargo hold, but there was very little cargo. There were only two wooden racks at the end of the hold, and the rest was vast empty space.

“Is this the same plane as before?” Qian Ai asked uncertainly.

“It should be,” Wu Sheng said. “Otherwise, we’d just be waiting dry until five to snap back to reality, and the [Cicada Shed Its Shell] bringing us here would be meaningless.”

Qian Ai nervously swallowed. “So we need to go back to the cabin… to defuse a bomb?”

“Lao Qian, your thinking is problematic.” Xu Wang came over, criticizing his teammate with his hands on his hips. “What time is it now, and you’re still thinking about defusing bombs? We just got brutalized. Don’t you want to fight back?”

“Of course, it’s good to fight back, but clearly the opponent is more experienced, so shouldn’t we plan a few more schemes…” In the situation of unclear friend and foe, Qian Ai was always the cautious one. “Don’t just think about revenge. Also plan for escape and survival…”

His voice grew lower, as even Kuang Jinxin came over. Now it was three against one.

Kuang Jinxin: “I don’t agree with an ambush, but they’ve already hit us. Of course we should respond with our spirit!”

Xu Wang: “If you don’t speak out after being tricked once, you’ll be tricked a second time. Better to lose than to flee.”

Wu Sheng: “What do you mean lose? Why would we lose? There’s no such word in my dictionary.”

Qian Ai: “……”

No one told him during the 1/23 submission that it would turn into a massive multiplayer online battle! He was just a peace-loving idiom-guessing enthusiast. TAT

“By the way,” Xu Wang suddenly said, “I saw them.”

The sentence pulled back Qian Ai’s attention, as well as Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin’s.

“Men, women, old, young, tall, short, fat, thin?” Wu Sheng directly asked the core question. After all, knowing the enemy is the key to revenge.

Xu Wang tried to recall and describe the “enemy appearance” as precisely and concisely as possible. “Male, male, male, male… Tall, handsome, thin, fair!”

Kuang Jinxin was stunned.

Qian Ai felt something was odd.

Wu Sheng frowned.

Xu Wang realized what he had said, regretting that such a unique description might reveal some personal preferences. As he was getting nervous, he saw Wu Sheng stroking his chin and muttering in confusion, “Tall, handsome, thin, fair… Isn’t that just like us?” He looked up seriously. “Is there a standard for team formation in the ‘Owl’ based on appearance?”

Wait a minute.

Xu Wang was a bit lost, subconsciously looking at his teammates.

Qian Ai… indeed tall.

Wu Sheng… quite handsome.

Kuang Jinxin… definitely fair.

As for himself… he knew there weren’t any good words left for him!!!

Having decided on the big direction of “revenge”, the next two things to do were: one, to return to the cabin; and two, to hide themselves, search for the enemy, and wait for the right moment to strike. But all these had to be based on their own “combat power”.

All four arms stretched out. The contents of the [Stationery Box] with all their “combat power” were clearly visible.

Xu Wang: [(Defense) Circular Ground Prison], [(Offense) Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant].

Wu Sheng: [(Offense) Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds].

Kuang Jinxin: [(Defense) A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows], [(Offense) Tears Like Rain].

Qian Ai: [(Defense) A Single Leaf Blocks the Eyes¹], [(Offense) Words Like Pearls and Jade²>.

1(一叶障目) Idiom referring to the whole picture of things cannot be seen (basically, one’s view is so narrow that it prevents them from seeing the bigger picture).
2(字字珠玑) Idiom referring to words and sentences in a speech or writing that’s extremely beautiful. It can also extend to mean words that are concise, powerful, or profound.

Compared to offenses, defenses were obviously easier to understand through text, but they still felt insufficient.

“Shall we scavenge some more?” Xu Wang had been eyeing the two wooden racks at the end of the cargo hold for a while, feeling like they were “treasure chests” that might open up surprises.

“This is someone else’s property. We shouldn’t touch it…” Although it wasn’t the real world, Kuang Jinxin still insisted on his moral standards of “Five Disciplines, Four Graces, Three Loves*”.

*An ideological education and publicity campaign promoted by China. The Five Disciplines refer to decorum, manners, hygiene, discipline and morals. The Four Graces refer to the beauty of the mind, language, behavior, and environment. The Three Loves refer to the motherland, socialism, and the communist party of China. 

But it seemed like no one heard him.

His three companions had already pulled the cloth covering the first wooden rack.

Kuang Jinxin walked over reluctantly, first noticing his teammates’ astonished expressions, then he saw what was on the wooden rack—no, inside the wooden cage.

A sleeping male lion.

It was resting its head on its paws, sleeping soundly. Its majestic mane trembled slightly with each breath, exuding a proud and domineering aura.

The three teammates cracked friendly smiles, as if the king of animals in its dream could see them, tiptoeing around, picking up the cloth, and respectfully covering it back.

Sweet dreams. Xu Wang sent his blessings, mouthing it silently.

Kuang Jinxin watched his three teammates with an indescribable look, his eyes clearly saying—this is what you get for snooping.

However, just as his silent complaint flew by, the cloth on the second wooden rack was pulled down.

This time, it wasn’t a cage but just a wooden rack. Inside was utterly empty, save for a lone deep brown box sitting squarely in the middle of the bottom shelf.

Qian Ai took a trembling step back.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were slightly better, standing still, but their breathing paused.

A lacquered wooden urn.

The box was carved with flowers, with one side depicting bright mountains and clear waters and the other side evergreen, with a black-and-white photo of an old lady in the middle. She wasn’t smiling; just gazing subtly forward, her eyes seemingly meeting anyone who looked at her.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but the cargo hold seemed to suddenly grow colder, the previously circulating air now carrying drafts of chill.

Xu Wang felt his hair stand on end. He hurriedly covered the box back with the cloth clumsily, saying very sincerely, “Sorry for disturbing.”

He spoke out loud this time, feeling that merely mouthing words wouldn’t show sincerity.

Kuang Jinxin felt like crying. “Let’s go back to the upper cabin…”

This time, Qian Ai raised both hands and feet in agreement.

Unable to tame the lion or disturb the old lady’s peace, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng finally got serious, turning their attention back to “themselves”.

[Stationery Box]: Confirm use of [(Defense) A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows]?

Kuang Jinxin, under his teammates’ encouraging gaze, clicked confirm.

Actually, no one knew exactly what [A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows] was, but they guessed from the name that it might lend them a helping hand.

[Stationery Box]: Please choose three hiding places. Bathroom/Tea room/First class/Business class/Emergency exit/Cockpit.

Just as expected!

Their eyes lit up, and after a brief consultation, they quickly made their choice—Tea room, Emergency exit, Cockpit.

As Kuang Jinxin clicked the last hiding spot, suddenly the ground beneath them vanished. Their bodies swiftly lost weight and they felt as if they were plummeting into an abyss!

[Owl: Someone has used of [(Defense) A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows] on you, oh~~]

With this notification, they were caught by a gentle force. Their fall slowed down, and after a while, they landed steadily into a square, narrow space.

The place was like a box, except for the “lid”—the cover above their heads—which was a circular transparent glass about the diameter of a person wide. Everything all around and beneath them was pitch black.

Outside the glass, it seemed to be the cabin, with people occasionally passing by, their shoe patterns clearly visible through the glass.

However, their view was limited like a frog in a well; it was hard to discern even the gender of passersby from the fleeting shadows.

A faint breeze blew from somewhere.

Startled, they fumbled around the pitch-black walls and surprisingly found holes in two walls. They divided up into two groups and crawled through the dark tunnels, quickly reaching the other two spaces that were similarly dark, with only a round piece of transparent glass above. However, they found that the glass could be opened, like an exit to the outside world for these hidden spaces.

Thus, the function of [A Clever Rabbit Has Three Burrows] was fully revealed.

It created a secret space beneath the floor at each of the three chosen locations—Tea room, Emergency exit, Cockpit—where they could hide and observe. The “transparent glass” above was like the one-way glass in police interrogation rooms; those below could look up and see the movements above, while the cabin floor looked normal from above, completely unaware of the watchers below.

And the three locations were connected, allowing the users to move between them.

There was no movement in the Cockpit. The Emergency exit was close to the bomb but also too peripheral with a very narrow view, leaving only the Tea room at the tail of the plane. Taking advantage of the moment the flight attendants left, they slightly opened the “round glass”, getting a clear view of the entire economy class aisle.

So, for the next twenty minutes, that piece of floor opened like a submarine hatch. Whenever there was no one at the tail or the flight attendants were distracted, the floor would occasionally be slightly opened, revealing two spying eyes.

After several rounds of observation, the four of them basically identified their “enemy”. It wasn’t difficult at all—Xu Wang remembered their rough physical features, and besides the flight attendants, they were the most active.

“Ready?” Xu Wang stood in the center, reached up to grasp the horizontal bar of the glass cover above, and turned back to confirm with his teammates for one last time.

Wu Sheng, who couldn’t wait to act, immediately nodded. “Just go!”

“……” Xu Wang felt that this assurance didn’t really comfort him.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the glass cover and sprang out, gesticulating wildly. “Hey, I haven’t reached the nine heavens yet. I’m still here—”

Passengers in the economy class turned around, only to see a man popping up from the floor at the tail, flailing like a madman. Those four also saw him, but their reaction was far more shocked than the passengers—Xu Wang to them was like an evil spirit returning on a night of the living dead—there was no reason to return!

The four initially scattered in the economy class quickly gathered in the middle of the cabin, cautiously facing off against Xu Wang over a distance of more than ten meters.

Xu Wang was waiting for this moment, his lips curling up, feet stomping with a “bang bang”!

He hadn’t covered the lid when he sprang out, so Wu Sheng, already prepared below, immediately leaped out like lightning, charging towards the distant four with [(Offense) Wind That Sweeps Away the Clouds]!

The economy class was suddenly a whirlwind of flying debris and darkness!

The four, not clustered together, would have been fine, but once together, they were like a package ready to be sent off. In an instant, they were lifted into the air, swept by the wind towards the tail of the plane, just like the four of them had been thrown out into the clouds earlier!

Xu Wang knew they had experience, so he was prepared for a new attack, but surprisingly, those four really flew straight towards him and Wu Sheng, as if about to crash into each other like meteors hitting the earth!

Xu Wang quickly used [(Defense) Circular Ground Prison], drawing a purple circle in front of his feet as quick as lightning!

The wind stopped abruptly, and the four, piled up like arhats, fell in front of Xu Wang, eyes wide with rage, yet unable to step out of the circle.

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 13: Attack

The scream stirred the entire economy class into a commotion. Four flight attendants, two men and two women, who were preparing meals at the tail end of the plane, immediately stopped their work and quickly walked down the aisle toward the “scene of the incident”, reminding passengers left and right, “Please stay seated in your own seats and fasten your seat belts.”

They tried hard to make their voices sound calm and firm, but they couldn’t hide the underlying fear and trembling.

The passengers complied, and the noise gradually subsided, soon reaching the other extreme—the entire cabin fell into a suffocating silence.

No longer just watching, Xu Wang stood up and raised his legs, striding over Ms. Mu Nine Eight’s legs, and jogged to the wing area. But he couldn’t see anything because of the four flight attendants blocking the way. He had to crane his neck and ask Qian Ai, who was sitting closer, “What’s happening?”

Qian Ai was seated next to the screamer, so he had a clearer view than the flight attendants and immediately provided information. “It’s a time bomb with a password, taped under the window with duct tape, and the countdown is at 3 hours 58 minutes!”

Xu Wang felt a shiver run down his spine, and before his brain could process, he blurted out, “Move aside, move aside. I can defuse a bomb!”

The flight attendants quickly moved aside, and even the passengers seated in the aisle stood up to give way to Xu Wang.

“You too, come out!” Xu Wang pointed to the passenger sitting by the window who was the first to discover the bomb and screamed.

The passenger was more than eager to move, immediately scurrying out. Without another word, Xu Wang squeezed in to join Qian Ai in a close circle around the bomb, almost touching their noses to it.

It was a black box, taped to the bottom near the window with duct tape in the shape of a cross. The tape was wide and shone with a cold light, like silver foil.

The countdown wasn’t on the black box but on the horizontal silver foil, displaying blood-red numbers, steadily decreasing to 3:57:08. The vertical silver foil was covered by the horizontal one, dividing it into two parts: the upper part was a display screen with four blank spaces “_ _ _ _”, and the lower part had numbers 1–9 and letters A–Z arranged in a 5×7 grid.

The “please enter” implication couldn’t be more obvious. No wonder Qian Ai immediately said it was password-protected.

“When did you learn to defuse bombs?” came a familiar voice filled with mockery. Without turning around, Xu Wang knew it was the first-class passenger.

“I was lying about defusing bombs, but your bad omen is real,” he retorted without looking back. “Thanks to your good luck, we’re really going to be blown up!”

“Don’t panic. If it’s a challenge, there must be a way to solve it.” Wu Sheng squeezed in too, making the tight space even more “intimate”.

Xu Wang tried to ignore Wu Sheng’s presence and focused entirely on “observing” the dangerous object, while Wu Sheng didn’t have to work so hard; he was naturally focused when facing tough problems.

“35 choices for 4 digits,” Wu Sheng said after a glance. “If the four digits can’t repeat, there are 1,256,640 possible passwords. If they can repeat, there’s an additional 243,985 possibilities.”

His tone was calm and assured, and even listening to him, one could feel the glow of intelligence.

Xu Wang, putting aside “old grudges”, turned around excitedly. “Can you crack it?”

“How can I?” Wu Sheng shrugged righteously. “With over a million combinations, even if I tried them one by one, there wouldn’t be enough time, and even if there was, my fingers would wear out.”

“……” He must be blind for liking this guy!!!

Kuang Jinxin was the last to come over. With no more space left in the row, he had to stand in the aisle next to Wu Sheng, struggling with a flight attendant trying to pull him away while straining to listen to his teammates’ discussion, fearing missing a single word that might affect their coordination. After listening for a while, he realized that all three were circling around “cracking the password”, an academically high-end approach, and couldn’t help but lean in after pushing a flight attendant aside. “According to the [Cheat Sheet], shouldn’t we be asking the passengers?”

The teammates, who were about to break their heads thinking, all turned to look at him puzzled. “[Cheat Sheet]?”

“Yes.” Kuang Jinxin never considered himself the smart one. “A diligent mouth can bring out the golden steed. Doesn’t that mean we should ask more questions?”

“Wait a second, it seems our information isn’t quite symmetrical,” Xu Wang said, pulling Kuang Jinxin’s arm over to check the [Cheat Sheet].

Indeed, at the end of a series of boarding prompts, there was an additional message that the other three didn’t have—[ A diligent mouth can bring out the golden steed].

Kuang Jinxin realized something when he saw his teammates’ expressions. “You didn’t receive it?”

“What have you been doing just now?” Wu Sheng skipped the time-wasting questions and got straight to the point.

Kuang Jinxin looked confused and plunged into endless contemplation. With the teammates occupied with thinking, Qian Ai was left to listen in. But his sharp eyes caught a flight attendant trying to pull Kuang Jinxin away again. He immediately sprang up, supporting himself on the back of the seats, and leaped over Wu Sheng and Xu Wang’s heads, landing firmly in the aisle. He grabbed the flight attendant’s neck. “Hey man, try me if you’re tough. Don’t bully the kid!”

His dominance and fierceness were a stark contrast to the person who was behind the locked door not long ago!

Perhaps inspired by his teammate’s robust support, Kuang Jinxin finally caught a clue amidst his chaotic thoughts. “I talked to my neighbor! After a dozen sentences or so, the [Cheat Sheet] rang, and I looked at it and continued chatting more enthusiastically. If it weren’t for the scream, I could have continued to find out everything about them—from their origins to their jobs and social connections!”

That’s it!

In the first challenge, Xu Wang lost his shoes, so [(Defense) My Skate Shoes] was given to him; this time, the only one who genuinely talked to “passengers” was Kuang Jinxin—Xu Wang had asked for names and then quickly dismissed further conversation—so the special [Cheat Sheet] prompt was given to him.

Everything was unpredictable in advance but retrospectively traceable.

Xu Wang looked at Wu Sheng, not with a question but with certainty. “The person who knows the password is among the passengers.”

Wu Sheng nodded, his eyes intense. “If we ask the right questions, we can pass this level.”

Xu Wang pursed his lips, suddenly hesitating. “Is it really that simple?”

Who doesn’t know how to chat? Just by asking around, we can pass the level?

“You’re just overthinking and doing too little.” Wu Sheng stood up, stretching his shoulders. “In the time you’re wondering, we could have questioned several people already.” He scanned the area and then divided the tasks. “I’ll go to the first class, Xiao Kuang to the business class, and you and Lao Qian stay in the economy class. One of you asks from front to back, the other from back to front, to maximize efficiency.”

“Got it!” Qian Ai responded almost reflexively, then, after a moment of reflection, he added, “Class Monitor’s heroic demeanor hasn’t diminished over the years.”

“Even if you flatter me now, you won’t get any test papers to copy,” Xu Wang retorted irritably, then stood up to address the four flight attendants. “We can solve the crisis. We don’t need your help, but we also don’t want you to interfere. Otherwise, if it blows up, no one can escape.”

His usually smiling face became stern, which was all the more intimidating.

“Continue serving water and food as you would. Try to calm the passengers and leave the rest to us.”

The two flight attendants nodded continuously. After Xu Wang finished speaking, one immediately turned to fetch the beverage cart, and the other began to softly reassure the nearby passengers.

The two male attendants were more cautious and didn’t move.

Xu Wang fixed his gaze on the one struggling with Qian Ai, and after a moment, the attendant loosened his grip, signaling a truce.

Qian Ai also relaxed his vice-like grip, dusting off his clothes, all the while exuding an air of a master fighter.

Xu Wang was a bit baffled. “You’re capable of this, so why were you so timid when we knocked on the door earlier and even used your chain lock?”

“I didn’t know how many people were outside the door. Of course, safety first!” Qian Ai said, glancing at the two male attendants with a satisfied smile. “You have to make sure you can take on whoever you’re up against.”

“……” Stripping away the veneer of high-flown rhetoric, wasn’t this just bullying the weak and fearing the strong!!!

Wu Sheng glanced at the bomb’s countdown, about to remind the other two to stop with their nonsense and start acting, but suddenly felt a shadow overhead.

Instinctively, he looked up to see a large net descending out of nowhere!

The four of them hadn’t yet split up, and they had no chance to react against the swiftly descending net. The dense net seemed to have some kind of magic power, passing through seats and everything else, aiming only for them.

In an instant, the net fell and then scooped up, capturing all four and lifting them into mid-air!

“What the hell is this!” Qian Ai struggled within the net; even his tall 1.9-meter frame was futile against it.

“Hey, don’t kick me!” Kuang Jinxin, already disoriented from being scooped up, got kicked by the struggling Qian Ai, adding to his disarray.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng weren’t faring any better.

The four were like fish in a net. No matter how much they thrashed, they couldn’t escape.

A familiar mocking voice rang in their ears at the same time—

[Owl: Someone used ([Offense] One Fell Swoop*] on you~~]

*Capturing all in one net (一网打尽) Idiom referring to an action or event that achieves or accomplishes many results.

The four froze, and before they could react, the net suddenly swung forward, like a plastic bag being thrown along the aisle toward the tail of the plane at breakneck speed!

The flight attendants at the tail, preparing the meal cart, were terrified and instinctively dodged to the sides!

Qian Ai: “I don’t want to dieeeeee—”

Kuang Jinxin: “Shouldn’t the riddles be progressive in difficulty, from guessing idioms to matching poetry lines*?”

*He’s referring to [Fei Hua Ling] (飞花令). It’s a popular game among poets and scholars where one participant throws out a phrase or a topic and the other participants must respond with a poem or phrase that matches the given theme in terms of rhyme, word count, and often must contain a specific word.

Wu Sheng: “Close your eyes, hold your breath, and prepare for a high-altitude fall or water entry. You probably won’t die.”

Qian Ai: “Really?!”

Wu Sheng: “Just a guess.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “Help—”

Qian Ai’s last long wail served as a tragic soundtrack for the net’s collision with the metal wall.

It was also at this last moment that Xu Wang, who had been looking back ever since the net took off, finally caught sight of four unusual faces.

They were scattered among the passengers, blending in with the unknowing travelers, all standing up to look at the “mysterious net.”

If it wasn’t for Xu Wang’s initial intention to “catch someone”, they might have remained unnoticed until the end.

All the passengers were screaming and panicking, but only a few had subtle expressions and shifty eyes, betraying their guilt and revealing a slight nervousness as they awaited the outcome.

The moment the net hit the tail, all four felt an immense impact, as if every bone in their bodies was shattered. The pain was soul-crushing.

Suddenly, the world went quiet.

The temperature plummeted, cold to the bone, and the air thinned.

Pain raged through their bodies, but they could only grab the net’s openings and gasp for breath.

As if thinking they weren’t miserable enough, the mocking voice reminded them again—

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Beyond the Nine Heavens*] on you~~]

*(九霄云外) Idiom referring to a distant place so far away there’s no trace (AKA out of this world).

Wu Sheng was the first to open his eyes, enduring the intense pain and bitter cold, looking around.

They were still in the net, but no longer inside the plane. The net hung like a ball thousands of feet high in the air; below were thick clouds, and above was the glaring sun.

Why could they see Qian Ai without being in a team?

Wu Sheng finally found the answer.

They were caught in one fell swoop.

They were thrown beyond the nine heavens.

They thought it was a level to pass, but in reality, it was a battlefield.

---

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 12: Shocking Changes

“Finally saw me?” Qian Ai gritted his teeth, staring at his two old classmates as he asked, with his voice rising subtly, “Weren’t you supposed to be taking your little cousin on a trip?”

Xu Wang quickly pulled Kuang Jinxin over. “My cousin!”

Wu Sheng, not to be outdone, raised an eyebrow in retort. “Weren’t you supposed to be eating your way across China?”

Qian Ai pulled out a roujiamo from his pocket and took a big bite, chewing furiously and grumbling. “These days, you can’t even trust old classmates!”

Kuang Jinxin, completely baffled, looked from Qian Ai to Wu Sheng and Xu Wang, struggling to make sense of the situation amidst the aroma of the roujiamo. “Is this…a new team?”

After a brief exchange, they managed to share their “sorrowful” stories.

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin had come straight here after their 1/23 submission. In comparison, Qian Ai had it worse, being the only one in his team wanting to come here. He had to leave his group and couldn’t form a new one here, so he’d been wandering around every day, leaving at five in the morning, for three days now.

As the saying goes, cherish the thread of fate that’s linked by the call of the Owl*.

*This is a play on the buzzword saying: Cherish this fate with the help of the internet (网络一线牵珍惜这段缘). It’s a common expression between netizens used to express friendship (basically, the internet brought us together, so let’s cherish that fate). In this case, rather than the internet, it’s the Owl.

Though shocked at first, they felt a tinge of excitement at reuniting—better to join the familiar than let the opportunity pass to strangers. This time, the list for additional members only had three names, still prefixed with 1/23. Excluding Qian Ai, none of the remaining two were familiar to Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, or Kuang Jinxin. Even the names they had seen the night before, including Sun Jiang, were gone.

Qian Ai, having spent three extra days here, had figured out more patterns. “Adding members probably only works with people in the same coordinate range. Like if you’re in Beijing, you can only invite those also in Beijing. Here, you can only invite those also here. Otherwise, how can a team scattered in different places pass the challenge together?”

This made sense, hence the different names on the lists on consecutive nights.

Qian Ai joined the team but felt conflicted. “Is this damn place only haunting our class?”

Xu Wang empathized deeply. To think, old classmates scattered across the world struggling to make a living, now reunited in a magical and uncertain ordeal—it was enough to bring tears to those who knew them, especially their old high school teacher.

Unlike them, Wu Sheng was less sentimental and more observant, scouting for potential dangers or clues. However, his search turned up nothing but new questions—when they parted ways with Sun Jiang on the snowfield, he disappeared immediately, but when they met Qian Ai, he hadn’t teamed up with them yet. This was a seemingly stark contradiction.

Kuang Jinxin’s sudden exclamation broke Wu Sheng’s train of thought. “I remember now! Why does that name sound so familiar!” He eagerly sought confirmation from Wu Sheng and Xu Wang. “Wu Ge, Xu Ge, he’s the Qian Ai you mentioned while guessing idioms on the snowfield, right? The one who can inhale food like a gale!”

As Qian Ai listened, his eyes narrowed until, facing his old classmates, they were sharp slits. “Old friends, care to explain?”

Wu Sheng nonchalantly spread his hands. “We were just stating the facts… Mmph…”

Xu Wang covered his mouth, ruining the team’s mood, and offered Qian Ai a smile of solidarity. “It’s a long story…”

As they were mending their friendship, a “four-in-one” ding suddenly tensed the atmosphere.

Everyone checked their arms. [Cheat Sheet] — [Passenger Kuang Jinxin, Passenger Qian Ai, Passenger Wu Sheng, Passenger Xu Wang, please proceed to counter G4 for check-in as soon as possible.]

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin’s first instinct was to look at Qian Ai, who was bewildered. “Don’t look at me. I’ve never successfully formed a team before. I just stand here foolishly each time I enter. Today’s the first time I’ve received this message.”

Clearly, the Owl only provided new instructions once a team was complete. And now, 2/23 officially began.

Despite no change in their surroundings, a sudden tension gripped everyone.

G4 wasn’t far ahead. It was manned by a handsome guy at the counter but was devoid of any passengers. As the four approached, he efficiently printed out four boarding passes and tossed them onto the counter without looking up. “Go through security. Board at Gate 17. You’re running late.”

His voice was low and eerily magnetic.

Xu Wang wanted to chat more, but the guy suddenly put up a “Temporarily Closed” sign and left without looking back, disappearing behind the luggage conveyor like a ghost. Xu Wang, staring at the empty counter, felt a chill. “Is he… even real?”

“Don’t know, but if you chat with him, he can answer anything.” Qian Ai shared, having nearly chatted up with all the ground staff in his three days, “But as soon as you mention this place is fake, an unreal world, they either don’t understand or look at you like you’re insane.”

“NPCs,” Kuang Jinxin suddenly murmured, breaking his usual silence. “Like NPCs in a game.”

“That’s not quite right,” countered Qian Ai. “NPCs usually repeat a few lines, but I’ve nearly dug out their ancestors’ history. Whether you chat directly or beat around the bush, they can answer everything!”

“Artificial intelligence,” Wu Sheng chimed in, his eyes scanning the passersby as if inspecting lines of code. “Given current technology, seamless human-machine communication is possible, especially here.”

Indeed, especially here.

In a magical space where anything can happen, a mysterious place that forcibly drags people in, it wouldn’t be surprising if these were all willing extras, not to mention if artificial intelligence was advanced enough to simulate human interaction perfectly.

“Ding—”

[Passenger Kuang Jinxin, Passenger Qian Ai, Passenger Wu Sheng, Passenger Xu Wang. Please proceed through security to Gate 17 for boarding immediately!]

The incessant beeping of the [Cheat Sheet] sounded like an urgent call to action.

When destiny calls, they charge forward. Without hesitation, the group headed for the security checkpoint.

With nothing to their names, the four passed through the waiting hall easily, but Xu Wang noticed Kuang Jinxin’s unusually low spirits. Entering such a place would dampen anyone’s mood, but Kuang Jinxin was typically optimistic and lively, making his current state all the more abnormal. Upon inquiry, it turned out that while he was waiting with his backpack for the entrance to open, he was whisked into the terminal in a dizzying spin—he remained, but his backpack was gone.

Though Kuang Jinxin’s backpack lacked valuable items, it contained his carefully chosen “essentials for living”. He claimed that no matter the environment, whether it required food or drink, warmth or cooling, overnight stays or long treks, dancing or singing, his bag had all the “equipment”. Losing it was indeed disheartening.

Xu Wang patted his brother’s shoulder, feeling quite qualified to console him. “Don’t worry, it’s not lost. Based on my experience, your bag is probably lying safely on the hotel floor right now.”

“But I didn’t put any dangerous items in my bag.” Kuang Jinxin lamented with a droop of his eyebrows, looking quite wronged.

“That’s because your bag is too big!” Xu Wang knocked on his head. “Come on, cheer up. No matter how much you mourn, the bag won’t come back. We need to focus on what’s ahead. Who knows what kind of demons or ghosts are waiting for us on the plane.”

“I just thought of something.” Wu Sheng, who was leading the way, turned back abruptly. “If we get ejected back to reality on the plane, wouldn’t that technically be like jumping off a building?”

Xu Wang, following close behind, nearly bumped into him. Barely steadying himself, he was confronted with this brutal thought and felt utterly dispirited. “Can’t you say something more auspicious?”

Wu Sheng tilted his head, then changed the topic. “It probably won’t happen. If it can eject you the moment a bear pounces on you, it means there’s a ‘protection mechanism’ that’s inherently present, so it should’ve anticipated and prevented an ‘ejection from plane’ bug. Okay, I’m fine now.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “Wu Ge, you might be fine…”

Qian Ai: “But we’re all freaking out!!!”

The path through the terminal seemed endless, and Gate 17 felt like a mythical place that only existed in legends. They walked and walked, passing gates numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, even 20, and 30, but Gate 17 was elusive until it finally revealed itself after more than twenty minutes.

By their estimate, they had walked about 1.5-2 kilometers—coincidentally, the distance between the hotel and Zhenbeitai.

After checking in and boarding the plane, they encountered a flight attendant standing at the entrance with a warm and beautiful smile. The four of them took their seats according to their tickets: Wu Sheng in first class, Kuang Jinxin in business class, Qian Ai near the economy wing, and Xu Wang at the back of the economy class.

As they settled, the plane began to taxi slowly, and soon, Xu Wang felt a slight weightlessness and ringing in his ears—the plane had taken off.

What if they got ejected from the plane now?

Xu Wang cursed Wu Sheng for raising this concern, as it had now taken root in his subconscious, even causing his nearly healed shoulder wound to throb again.

“Don’t be nervous. The discomfort only lasts during takeoff and ascent. It’ll be smooth sailing soon,” a kind and hefty voice said next to him.

Turning, Xu Wang saw a middle-aged man wearing glasses sitting beside him. He looked scholarly and elegant, like a professor or teacher.

“First time flying?” the man asked, seeing Xu Wang’s silence. His tone wasn’t intrusive but seemed more like an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness of silence.

His voice was different from the ground staff’s earlier—naturally friendly and indistinguishable from an ordinary person. Yet Xu Wang, still uneasy from the lingering shadows of distrust, asked abruptly, “What’s your name?”

The man appeared slightly taken aback, as if wondering, ‘Is this how people chat?’

Watching the man’s minutely detailed expression, Xu Wang almost believed he was “human”, until he heard the response, “I’m Yin Yilingling (100)*, what about you?”

*Clarity: The characters introduced here are [surname] + [number as their first name]. I’ll put the translated text in parenthesis, so you’ll know what they mean.

What kind of parents would name their child that?

Not giving up, Xu Wang asked the young woman to his right. “What’s your name?”

She smiled sweetly. “Mu Jiuba (98).”

Xu Wang looked past her, asking another passenger across the aisle. “What about you?”

The three passengers in the last row all turned to him, introducing themselves forthrightly—

“Ping Jiuwu (95).”

“Huang Jiuliu (96).”

“He Jiuqi (97).”

As Xu Wang faced their smiling visages, he found himself unable to muster a smile in return.

[You still have four hours~~]

A voice filled with schadenfreude and a hint of mischief suddenly rang in his ear, its playfulness masking a sinister undertone. Xu Wang was all too familiar with it.

It had sent him back home.

It congratulated them on their submission.

Four hours? What did that mean?

As confusion brewed, a passenger near the window in the front started screaming, “There’s a bomb! Ahhhhh—”

…Can the hint be any more blunt?!

---

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

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 11: Airport

One of the four joys of life is meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

Qian Ai quickly undid the chain lock, opened the door wide, and hugged each of his old classmates. Each hug lasted for dozens of seconds, filled with genuine affection.

Xu Wang was almost choked by his tight embrace, and after finally being released, he scrutinized Qian Ai up and down. Then, marveling at Qian Ai’s nearly 1.9 meters tall and burly figure, he commented, “I remember you standing in the front row in high school, taking the cute route. This drastic transformation is quite impressive.”

“You could say I got fat!” Qian Ai laughed heartily. “Back then, I had a big appetite, only gaining weight without growing taller. But once I got to university, I started shooting up. My legs kept stretching every night, and I couldn’t get a single night of peaceful sleep!” As he spoke, he ushered them inside. “Don’t just stand at the door talking. Come in, come in.”

Once inside, Xu Wang realized there was no one else there. It was just a selfie stick holding up a phone, in front of which several local delicacies were spread out on a table. The overwhelming aroma was simply enticing.

After closing the door, Qian Ai hurried back to the phone to give a final update. “That’s it for today, folks. Coming across old classmates while traveling is too rare. I owe you a proper treat. We’ll continue eating tomorrow!”

Xu Wang finally understood what his old classmate was up to and exchanged a knowing look with Wu Sheng.

The latter understood immediately. “Food vlogger.”

Watching Qian Ai quickly end the live stream, Xu Wang felt a bit guilty. “Is this alright? Won’t you lose followers?”

“Yo, you’re well-informed.” Qian Ai laughed, sitting down on the bed, tossing the blanket aside. “The premise for losing followers is having them in the first place. I’m not worried about that, haha.”

He laughed, his eyes squinting, somewhat resembling his rounder appearance from the past.

“But speaking of capability,” Qian Ai turned to Wu Sheng, as if reconfirming. “I’ve changed so much, and you still recognize me instantly?”

Wu Sheng shrugged naturally. “How else would I have been class monitor?”

A complex look flashed in Qian Ai’s eyes. “Class Monitor, you really haven’t changed at all.”

Wu Sheng agreed. “So it’s understandable if we didn’t recognize you, but you not recognizing us is puzzling.”

Qian Ai felt quite wronged. “In the middle of the night, two men knocking at the door in a place I’m unfamiliar with, I was all on alert. How could I have the mind to notice whether you two were round or flat. What if our eyes met and it became a ‘What are you looking at? You looking at me?’ situation? That would be an unwarranted disaster.”

“Do you need to be that cautious?” Xu Wang said exasperatedly. “With your size, who would dare to start something?”

“When you’re away from home, you have to be careful,” Qian Ai stated matter-of-factly, then belatedly realizing, his puzzled gaze shifted between Wu Sheng and Xu Wang. “You two… are traveling together?”

Xu Wang was at a loss for words. A mere complaint about noise had led to a reunion with an old classmate!

“Well, it’s not just us two. There’s… my aunt’s son.” Xu Wang fibbed, feeling cornered. “He’s on holiday and wants to travel. His parents were busy, so I volunteered.”

“What school has holidays in November…” Qian Ai mumbled but didn’t press further, more intrigued by another question. “You took your cousin out and brought Class Monitor for company? What’s this combination?”

“We met in Beijing, and he also wanted to get out for a bit, so we traveled together.” One lie led to another, and Xu Wang felt increasingly guilty, especially as Qian Ai warmly welcomed them.

Qian Ai didn’t doubt them, looking at them and then back at Wu Sheng with a mix of nostalgia and envy in his eyes. “You two were always inseparable back then. After so long, it’s good to see you’re still close.”

“Close or not,” Wu Sheng sighed, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, “depends on how you look at it…”

Xu Wang felt uneasy, unsure of what Wu Sheng would say next. To regain control of the conversation, he quickly changed the subject. “Love Money, what brings you here?”

Caught off guard, Qian Ai hesitated before picking up his phone and waving it. “I’ve recently ventured into a new industry. My ID is ‘Lao Qian Eats Across China’, so I have to walk the talk and put in the effort.”

“Eating across China?” Xu Wang caught the seriousness in his words. “Are you really planning to make this a career?”

Qian Ai nodded solemnly. “Live to eat, eat until old*.”

*Clarity: He’s referring to the proverb: Live until old, learn until old, or better translated, one is never too old to learn (活到老学到老). This idiom refers to the idea that learning is a lifelong process, and one should never stop no matter their age. Qian Ai has replaced the learn, with eat instead, so basically changing it along the lines of “keep eating even after I’m old” (basically his forever ongoing pursuit to eating… instead of learning).

Xu Wang laughed. “Ah, that fits one of your old personas.”

“One of them?” Qian Ai asked, “What’s the other?”

Xu Wang replied, “Loving money.”

Qian Ai seized the opportunity to protest. “Traits like that are more charming when hidden. You always bring it up; it makes me look shallow!”

“Hidden or not, a trait is still a trait.” Xu Wang pointed out yet indulged his old friend. “So what should I call you from now on? Qian Ai? Sounds too formal…”

“Just call me Lao* Qian,” Qian Ai grinned. “That’s what my fans call me. It’s friendly!”

*Old (老) When used as a form of address, it shows familiarity, affection, or respect. This is usually used for people who are older, higher rank, or between close friends.

“…Okay.” Xu Wang acquiesced, feeling as if he’d unwittingly become a fan.

When old classmates meet, there are always endless topics to talk about, but time waits for no one. As 11:30 p.m. passed, Xu Wang could no longer hold back and excused himself, citing his “cousin”.

Fortunately, Qian Ai didn’t insist on them staying.

Returning to their room, Kuang Jinxin was still asleep. Xu Wang nodded in admiration before pulling back the blanket and gently waking him. “Brother, time to get up—”

In this situation, Kuang Jinxin woke up in a daze, while Wu Sheng had already confirmed the distance between the hotel and the coordinates. “It’s less than two kilometers. We just need to head north once we get in.”

Xu Wang had already put his down jacket back on, looking out the window and sincerely hoping, “I hope we don’t encounter any more bears.”

Finally fully awake, Kuang Jinxin quickly dressed and took out three bags of fish filets from his backpack, pocketing one for himself and handing the other two to Xu Wang and Wu Sheng. “In case we encounter them again, we’ll tear these up and throw them into the air as a Fishnado!”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng pocketed the fish filets, the former hesitating to speak, the latter bluntly replying, “We should keep these for ourselves to eat.”

23:59:00

The three companions, having exhausted all idle conversation, watched the time on their phones, quietly waiting for midnight.

“Thump, thump—”

The unanticipated midnight knock sounded more terrifying than an owl’s hoot.

The trio, startled to their core, felt their hearts racing with fear and guilt.

“Thump, thump—”

“Are the kids there—”

It was the voice of the front desk lady who had checked them in during the day.

Xu Wang was the first to react, rushing to the door and pretending to be half asleep, lazily replying, “We’re here, already asleep. What’s up?”

“Don’t fool me. The folks upstairs called the front desk saying your room has been noisy, keeping everyone awake!”

Xu Wang held his forehead, realizing they had been chatting while waiting for the past half hour, but it was really the hotel’s poor soundproofing that was to blame!

“Hoot hoot—”

Midnight.

The Owl’s hoot came from afar, eerie and chilling, like a call from the underworld.

Behind them, a purple light shone; without looking, Xu Wang knew the “entrance” had opened. This made him panic, frantically searching for excuses to deal with the situation outside, but the more anxious he became, the more confused.

The lady outside, unaware of the situation inside, noticed the sudden silence. Usually, such quiet means either “guilt” or “fear”. She immediately became cautious. “Hey, you kids aren’t up to no good in there at night, are you?”

“How could we.” Xu Wang, throwing caution to the wind, replied with all sincerity, “We promise not to make another peep and won’t disturb anyone around us!”

But the lady was clearly unconvinced and started knocking on the door again. “Open up!”

This was a private hotel, and from the demeanor, Xu Wang strongly suspected the lady outside was the proprietress. But it didn’t matter if it was the proprietress or the boss; in a few seconds, they were going to be sucked away. They couldn’t just open the door… Wait. Xu Wang suddenly realized he was trapped in a fallacy. Why couldn’t they let someone see them entering the “Owl”? They might not be able to call the police, but someone who saw them being sucked in might!

Changing his mind, Xu Wang was about to open the door when a sudden, intense headache stopped him, as if his head was exploding!

He had never felt such bone-deep pain before, and it brought him to his knees, clutching his head, wishing for death.

“Xu Wang!” Wu Sheng, not understanding what was going on, suddenly changed his expression and immediately crouched down to check, but just as he bent his knees, a whirlwind started above his head, sucking him, Xu Wang, and Jin Xin standing nearby into a purple vortex!

The time on the phone that had fallen to the ground read—00:02:00.

After a dizzying spin, the trio finally landed.

The headache was gone, leaving only a lingering discomfort, but the dizziness brought on nausea.

Suddenly, someone pulled Xu Wang up, and then he heard Wu Sheng’s voice, which sounded both disdainful and concerned. “What’s wrong with you?”

“My head hurts,” Xu Wang replied weakly, still not recovered from the ordeal.

Wu Sheng, recalling Xu Wang’s painful expression just before they were dragged in, instantly understood. “Did you want the front desk to see us being sucked in?”

Xu Wang nodded, his eyes reflecting frustration.

“It’s useless. If the Owl can prevent Sun Jiang and Xiao Jin from calling the police, it can surely stop you from opening the door…” Wu Sheng mused, then his tone shifted subtly. “But if we suddenly disappear and there’s no response from inside, she’ll know something’s wrong even through the door. I wonder if the ‘Owl’ can handle that.”

If Xu Wang had listened carefully and observed, he would have seen Wu Sheng’s expression resembling that of tackling a difficult question in high school. The harder the problem, the more spirited Wu Sheng became. This thrill of tackling tough questions was beyond Xu Wang’s understanding.

But at that moment, Xu Wang wasn’t paying attention to Classmate Wu. All his thoughts were on his arm—[(Defense) Circular Ground Prison] and [(Offense) Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant] were still there in his [Stationery Box].

His initially elevated heart slowly calmed down, but he was still puzzled. According to Kuang Jinxin and Sun Jiang, they tried to reveal the “Owl’s” secret by calling the police, thus the headache, and then they entered the Owl, and their [Stationery Box] was emptied. So why, when he had the thought of confessing to Qian Ai and also experienced a headache, were his items still there?

Before he could figure it out, he heard Kuang Jinxin mutter, “Xu Ge, Wu Ge, this place…is weird.”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng instinctively looked around, just as perplexed as Kuang Jinxin.

Transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, a dense steel structured dome, bustling crowd, and rows of check-in counters. There were no snowfields or black bears—this was an ordinary airport, with comfortable air conditioning and smiling flight attendants.

Xu Wang rubbed his eyes repeatedly, finally having to accept that he wasn’t mistaken, and then asked his teammates in bewilderment, “Are the four of us in the ‘Owl’ or… Huh? The four of us?”

Something felt off to Xu Wang. He silently counted in his mind: Wu Sheng, Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai, himself. Right, four people, but it seemed like it shouldn’t be these four…

“Lao Qian?!” Xu Wang finally noticed something was amiss, mainly because Qian Ai was standing right next to Kuang Jinxin. His posture and even the expression on his face was too natural, like a “Big White Mian” mixed in with a bunch of “Big White Rabbits”*—completely harmonious.

*Clarity: So the analogy here is that Qian Ai acted so normally inside the Owl among them that Xu Wang thought he was really part of the team before carefully analyzing it again, just like how Big White Mian (大白免) can easily get mixed in without being noticed among Big White Rabbits (大白兔). The [mian] (免) and rabbit (兔) are the same character except rabbit has a small dot in it.

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Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 10: Old Classmate

“Can’t get your leave approved?”

“Yeah, so I quit.”

“Quit?”

“Quit.”

“Alright, I’m booking a flight now.”

“Can you be any less enthusiastic…?”

“Xu Wang.”

“What?”

“I want to support you, but I don’t have enough money right now, so I can’t promise carelessly…”

“Fuck off.”

Annoyed, Xu Wang hung up the phone, regretting that he had hurried to notify the other party of his resignation as soon as he finished depositing his money.

No, what he regretted even more was the confession he made on a whim the day he entered the Owl! Wu Sheng didn’t believe it, which was good, but disbelief didn’t mean it wouldn’t be used to tease him. His leverage in life was now firmly in Wu Sheng’s hands!

He returned to his rented apartment dejected at eleven in the morning, only to be greeted by a room full of tea aroma. Kuang Jinxing was sitting in the living room, leisurely sipping tea across the coffee table from Wu Sheng. The scene was very Zen-like.

“Xu Ge, you’re back!” Seeing him, Kuang Jinxing immediately called out. “Come and try this. No matter what troubles I encounter, a sip of tea always soothes my mind. Try it.”

Xu Wang knew Kuang Jinxing specialized in tea studies and always heard him talk about tea. This was the first time he saw him making and drinking tea, so he approached with interest and took a sip from the teacup.

Kuang Jinxing was waiting for his feedback with eager eyes. Xu Wang felt all the irritation and clutter in his mind dissipate with the aroma of the tea, and he couldn’t help but smile. “It tastes very good.”

He didn’t understand tea and couldn’t articulate the subtleties, but he could distinguish good from bad.

Kuang Jinxing chuckled, his honest face filled with satisfaction. Xu Wang suddenly envied him. It’s a blessing in life to devote time and energy to what one loves.

“The flight is booked.” Wu Sheng put down his teacup and updated him. “It’s at five this afternoon.”

Xu Wang didn’t expect him to act so quickly. “To Yulin?”

“Yes,” Wu Sheng said. “Yuyang Airport.”

Xu Wang nodded, drank the rest of his tea, and got up to pack his bags.

Wu Sheng carried only a laptop backpack, light enough as if he was heading to work in Zhongguancun; Kuang Jinxin, on the other hand, had a huge hiking bag, stuffed full and nearly as tall as a person, heavy as if he was fleeing for his life; Xu Wang was neither as carefree and unrestrained as Wu Sheng nor as thoroughly prepared and life-preserving as Kuang Jinxin, eventually settling for a slightly larger casual backpack.

Just as he finished packing, Wu Sheng appeared at the bedroom door and asked out of the blue, “Did you settle your salary?”

Without a second thought, Xu Wang replied, “Yes, to the last penny.”

Wu Sheng nodded and left crisply. Xu Wang, puzzled, thought for a long time and could only conclude that “Wu Sheng has some conscience, asking if he got his hard-earned money.” But recalling Wu Sheng’s expressionless face, he felt perhaps he was overthinking and being overly sentimental.

After packing, the three grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Nanyuan Airport. In the evening, the flight took off on time.

Their new coordinates (109.7395, 38.3437), accurate to the satellite map and Wu Sheng’s estimate, were in northern Shaanxi—more precisely, four kilometers north of Yulin City in Zhenbeitai.

It wasn’t an obscure place but one of the most imposing sights among the Great Wall relics, on par with Jiayuguan and Shanhaiguan, known as “the first tower of the Great Wall.”

Under normal circumstances, Xu Wang would be excited about this trip, filled with endless wonderful fantasies. But after being tormented for three nights in a row, he now only hoped to end this bizarre “nightlife” as soon as possible and sleep indefinitely with a pillow in his arms.

In fact, that was what he did. As soon as he boarded the plane, he met the Duke of Zhou*. Kuang Jinxing, his fellow traveler, did the same.

*Was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He’s also known as the “God of Dreams”, so is often used as a metaphoric way of saying someone is asleep.

Wu Sheng also wanted to sleep, but the person next to him kept leaning on his shoulder, disturbing his peace. As he pondered whether to shrug off or gently push the person away, the plane suddenly jolted.

Encountering air currents during flight is common, and Wu Sheng was used to it. The plane quickly stabilized. But the jolt woke up Xu Wang, who lifted his head groggily and asked, “What’s happening? Is it midnight yet?”

Wu Sheng replied, “Still early. Go back to sleep.”

The tone was disdainful, but underneath there was an unnoticed tenderness.

Xu Wang, barely awake, heard “still early” and immediately relaxed, placing his head back on Wu Sheng’s shoulder and continued to sleep.

His action was so natural that it stunned Wu Sheng. After a while, Wu Sheng also closed his eyes, pretended to sleep, and gently leaned his head against Xu Wang’s.

Feeling vindicated, Wu Sheng, who finally felt not shortchanged, dreamed all the way to Yulin.

The plane arrived at Yuyang Airport on time at 6:30. Instead of heading to Yulin city center, the trio took a taxi directly to Beiyue Temple Village near Zhenbeitai. As a national scenic spot, Zhenbeitai isn’t open at night. They wanted to sneak in and wait at the coordinates but lacked the courage. If they were caught by security, it would only add insult to injury.

When they got out of the taxi, the sky was mostly dark. The temperature was almost the same as in Beijing, but the wind was noticeably colder, carrying the unique toughness and ruggedness of the northwest.

This was a typical, developing northern village. Along the wide, flat asphalt road were neat apartment buildings and uneven, aged bungalows, with both private cars rushing by and villagers chatting in front of their homes.

“Do you want a double room or a single room?” The front desk lady at the hotel was puzzled by the new customers’ request. “We don’t have single rooms.”

Xu Wang had anticipated this and immediately switched to Plan B. “Then two double rooms.” He then turned to Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxing. “Is that okay?”

Wu Sheng had no objections. Kuang Jinxing also nodded in agreement, though he had a small question. “So… who’s staying with whom?”

Xu Wang touched his nose, his gaze drifting unintentionally. “Uh, whatever. Doesn’t matter who stays with whom.”

“Yeah, whatever. We won’t be staying long anyway,” Wu Sheng said, absorbed in his phone as if it contained the entire world.

Kuang Jinxing always felt there was a subtle atmosphere wafting through the hotel lobby but couldn’t quite discern its significance. As he was pondering, the front desk lady cheerfully said, “Ah, you kids, we have a standard with triple beds available!”

The problem was solved delightfully for Kuang Jinxing. “Great!”

Wu Sheng put his phone away and stared into the distance quietly while Xu Wang took the keys from the lady with genuine praise. “Sister, your hotel has quite the variety of rooms.”

After settling their luggage quickly, the three grabbed a bite nearby. Preoccupied with the evening’s plans, they didn’t taste much of the meal.

Returning to the hotel, it was only 8:40 p.m. Since they had to wait anyway, they decided to set an alarm and get some more sleep. After all, what they lacked the most these past few days was rest.

This time with pillows and beds, the comfort was incomparable to the plane. Not just Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxing, who usually had good sleep quality, but even Wu Sheng fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Soon, three steady breaths filled the room as the weary travelers slowly regained their strength in this rare calm and comfort. Time trickled by, and their dreams grew sweeter…

“That’s buckwheat noodles with glutinous rice and pure lamb soup, with added vegetarian broth and meat broth. I haven’t even tasted it yet, but the smell alone is irresistible…”

“Wow, this soup is amazing!”

“Slurp—”

“Slurp—”

“These noodles are also incredible! In Shaanxi dialect, it’s called ‘excellent*’! The owner told me when I bought the noodles that their buckwheat noodles are still made the old-fashioned way. If you get a fake noodle, you’ll get 10% off guaranteed!”

*[liaozalie] (撩咋咧) In Shaanxi dialect, it means very good, excellent, ect.

“Ah? ‘Regretting not having more meat when eating’—how do I know if it’s the old way? It’s my first time eating them haha…”

“Next up are the fried dough cakes, golden and crispy. Let’s give it a try—”

“Crunch—”

“Crunch—”

“Damn it! Who the hell is this!” Xu Wang jumped out of bed, awakened by hunger for the first time in his twenty-nine years.

Turning his head, he saw Classmate Wu already sitting up, arms crossed, frowning at the wall, every cell in his body troubled.

However, Kuang Jinxing, closest to the wall, was sleeping contentedly, completely blocking out the external disturbances.

“Xiao Kuang’s quality of sleep should be considered high-tech.” Xu Wang envied and gave Wu Sheng a look, whispering, “Shall we go?”

Just three words, but Wu Sheng understood instantly.

“Let’s go.”

It was rare for something to unite Xu Wang and Wu Sheng in shared irritation. They got out of bed, left their room quietly, and without hesitation, knocked on the neighboring door.

The bustle inside the room ceased abruptly, and the corridor quieted down. Soon, a cautious voice came from behind the door. “Who is it?”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng exchanged a glance and said in unison, “Next door.”

The two men’s voices seemed to make the person inside more wary. After a rustle of a chain lock, the door slowly opened a crack, revealing half of a man’s face, clearly built and burly. Xu Wang decided to be diplomatic first. “Hi, we’re from the next room. We’ve had a long day of traveling, and it’s already 10:30. Could you please keep it down with the eating and talking?”

Xu Wang spoke softly and politely. The man inside, clearly not expecting such a gentle approach, paused before scratching his head apologetically. “Sorry, fellas, didn’t realize. I’ll keep it down from now on!”

Xu Wang was pleasantly surprised by the man’s cooperation and smiled amiably. “It’s tough for everyone when traveling. Let’s be understanding.”

The man nodded in agreement, and just as a dispute seemed to be diffusing peacefully, Wu Sheng suddenly spoke up. “Qian Ai?”

The man inside froze, taking a serious look at Wu Sheng for the first time. After a moment, his eyes widened in disbelief. “Class Monitor?!”

“No, wait, what’s going on?” Xu Wang was confused, his gaze shifting between Wu Sheng and the man inside before it dawned on him, staring at the face behind the chain lock. “You’re Love Money*?!”

*Clarity: His name is Qian Ai (钱艾). However, Xu Wang flipped his name around and called him Ai Qian (爱钱) using a different [ai] (爱), which means like/love, that’s a homophone to [ai] (艾) to make his nickname Love Money. 

They locked eyes, and a rush of shared memories from their time together as classmates came flooding back to the man’s mind. “Sports Rep?!”

“……” Xu Wang finally understood; his old classmate identified people by their roles in the student committee.

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