Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 119: Old Friends
The cheerful group slowly walked away, soon disappearing at the end of the road, merging into the bustling traffic under the bright sunshine.
The friends quietly watched them leave, remaining silent for a long time.
The sunlight was warm, but it couldn’t dispel the chill shrouding their hearts.
After a while, Xu Wang let out a sigh, relaxing his tense nerves. He turned to talk to Wu Sheng, only to find him, at some point, busily writing on paper with a pen.
“What exactly are you trying to solve?” Xu Wang asked as he leaned in to look.
He had seen Wu Sheng busy the night before and, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts, had patiently waited without asking. Today, however, his curiosity got the better of him.
Wu Sheng was engrossed in writing and didn’t respond.
Xu Wang looked directly at the paper.
An A4 sheet, already half-filled by Wu Sheng, listed a series of harrowing deductions—
1) Intersection + Red Light + Horizontal Heavy Vehicle = Death
2) Intersection + Green Light + Horizontal Electric Bike = Scraping → Falling → Horizontal Vehicle → Death
3) Auto Repair Shop + Doorway Tire Inflation = Explosion → Air Pressure Impact → Death
4) Store = Falling Signboard → Death
5) Manhole Cover = Loose Manhole → Flipping → Falling to Death
6) Bus Stop = Uncontrolled Bus → Death
7) Bridge = Breaking and Collapsing → Death
8) ……
The more Xu Wang read, the colder he felt. By the end, even his curiosity had vanished in the chilly wind.
Although they knew dangers could lurk everywhere, being in the safe zone of the café, their first and most direct reaction to the street view was visual pleasure, followed by a gradual rise in vigilance.
But after reading what Wu Sheng had written, Xu Wang felt as if everywhere he looked was shrouded in darkness, marked with skulls.
Finally finishing the last point, Wu Sheng put down his pen and sighed heavily. He then briefly introduced his findings to Xu Wang, calling them “Death Formulas”.
“……” Although Xu Wang had already guessed the content, hearing Wu Sheng confirm it still left him with mixed feelings.
Qian Ai came over, picked up the formula sheet, and felt as if the gates of hell were opening slowly towards him. “You really listed them all out… Intersections, manhole covers, stores, bus stops… Isn’t there anywhere safe to stand? We can’t just fly the whole time, right?”
“Low altitude flying might hit power lines, high-altitude flying might collide with drones,” Chi Yingxue casually added from his seat, not joining the group but clearly understanding the conversation, helpfully supplementing Qian Ai’s concerns.
Qian Ai glared at him. “You speak as if it doesn’t concern you. Don’t blame me for not warning you. With your head in the clouds, you’re most likely to fall into a trap.”
Chi Yingxue tilted his head, looking innocently at Qian Ai. “Are you cursing me?”
Qian Ai: “……”
To agree would seem uncaring towards a comrade; to disagree would mean succumbing to evil forces. It was an impossible choice!
“Xiao Kuang, stop sitting idly, come over and memorize these formulas.” Qian Ai decided to involve Kuang Jinxin instead.
Chi Yingxue watched them tussle, remaining expressionless. However, seeing Kuang Jinxin eagerly cooperating and rushing to learn about the “Death Formulas”, his brows involuntarily furrowed.
Oblivious, Kuang Jinxin focused on the formulas.
“This is just a preliminary list, based on our previous experiences and the most obvious dangers in daily life,” Wu Sheng explained. “But the challenge won’t be this straightforward and crude. I’ll continue to sort out more complex, coincidence-dependent death traps later.”
Listening, Xu Wang admired Wu Sheng’s intellect. “Fortunately, you’re a good person…”
If he were evil, with that brain, he’d be a terrible force to reckon with!
Wu Sheng looked at Xu Wang uncertainly. “Is this… a compliment?”
“Absolutely,” Xu Wang affirmed decisively.
Wu Sheng was satisfied, and the corner of his mouth raised a smile in relief. “Then my effort tonight was worth it.”
Xu Wang eyed him skeptically, doubting his true motivation. “Are you sure you’re not just enjoying the process of tackling these problems?”
Wu Sheng immediately admitted seriously, “Of course, that’s part of it…”
Xu Wang: “……”
Bullshit! He was certain Wu Sheng was completely absorbed in his obsession with the problems!
“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin gently tugged at Xu Wang’s sleeve, advising, “Don’t be jealous. In the human world, you’re definitely first in Sheng Ge’s heart.”
“Thanks, Xiao Kuang.” Xu Wang patted his teammate’s head. “But that just made me feel worse.”
Wu Sheng stood up and walked around the table to stretch and clear his mind.
The Death Formula could only create awareness of dangers. To really succeed in the challenge, they needed a Survival Formula. But if every scenario required one or multiple specific survival formulas, the data would be overwhelming. Finding a universal formula applicable to all environments would be ideal…
While Advisor Wu was brainstorming, Chi Yingxue somehow got hold of the Death Formula sheet. He glanced through it and nodded in approval. “Pretty good.”
Qian Ai curled his lips upon hearing this. “There’s never a bad tactical note from Wu Sheng.”
Chi Yingxue explained, “I meant these ways of dying are pretty good. Clean, quick, not too painful.”
Qian Ai uncomfortably retorted, “No matter how quick, it’s still death.”
Chi Yingxue: “But it won’t hurt.”
Qian Ai wanted to scream. “You’re dead, no life, no pears to eat, get it?”
Chi Yingxue: “…….”
Kuang Jinxin originally intended to join the discussion but now gave up, sitting in a corner, eavesdropping, and chuckling to himself.
……
Three days later, at midnight, after not encountering any other teams for three consecutive days, the five of them felt as if they were on a solo mission. So when they finally decided to start the challenge and met familiar faces at the real-world coordinates, Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Kuang Jinxin, and Qian Ai were all stunned, their faces a picture of shock.
Only Chi Yingxue remained calm.
But his calmness only excited the others more.
When ten people stepped into the purple vortex together, reappearing behind the open-air café, Yue Shuai’s first words were, “You really recruited him as a new teammate?! When I saw the overall scores, I thought it was someone with the same name!”
Yue Shuai hadn’t intended to start with that. Friends reuniting should be warm and cordial. But the impact of seeing that familiar face was too strong.
Xu Wang said, “With such a nice name, it would be hard to find someone with the same one.”
Yue Shuai: “……”
Wu Sheng, Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai: “……”
Chi Yingxue, hearing his captain’s unintentional praise, smiled satisfactorily.
But before he could enjoy the moment for two seconds, he was met with a hostile gaze. Chi Yingxue looked towards the source of the gaze and asked the question he had been wanting to ask. “Have we met before?”
Wei Tianhang was instantly infuriated. “You almost blew our tires out, and you just forgot about it?”
Chi Yingxue blinked in bewilderment.
“At the amusement park, your captain shouted, ‘Chi Yingxue, shoot the car’,” Su Mingzhan clarified with clear logic and rich detail. “Remember now?”
Chi Yingxue suddenly realized, and looking at Ye Tianhang, he knew where the memory discrepancy was. “You had braids that day.”
Today, with no intention of going through the challenge, Ye Tianhang had let his hair down. “…You remember people by their hairstyles?”
“Not entirely,” Chi Yingxue seriously said. “Only when someone’s looks are really unremarkable do I remember their hairstyle.”
Ye Tianhang: “A’Su, don’t stop me. I’m going to kick him to death today—”
While members of the two teams displayed their “unity and friendship”, the captains of both teams had already moved on to the main topic. After all, the choice of teammates was an internal affair, and Yue Shuai had only made a passing comment. In contrast, information sharing was the real deal.
However, once they began sharing, both captains realized a problem—both teams’ best achievements were up to this point, with no knowledge about the subsequent levels.
Yue Shuai held his forehead. “I thought I could get some information from you guys.”
“Don’t be disappointed just yet,” Xu Wang said. “This is your first time here, right? But it’s our second time. At least for this challenge, we have experience.”
Yue Shuai perked up. “Really? What exactly is this challenge about? Tell me.”
Xu Wang became serious. “Death lurks around every corner.”
Yue Shuai despaired. “I just told a ghost story in the last challenge.”
Xu Wang shook his head. “This time it’s not ghosts, but accidents…”
In just a few minutes, Xu Wang roughly explained the content of the challenge, concluding, “That’s all we know. Last time, we didn’t even make it past this street before we were all wiped out.”
“That’s enough.” Yue Shuai said sincerely, “Thank you.”
“Let’s not be formal with each other.” Xu Wang patted his shoulder. “Our teams, if you think about it, are like childhood sweethearts.”
Yue Shuai looked at him with mixed feelings. “Where do you come up with these phrases? But then again, damn, they kind of make sense.”
Xu Wang grinned. “That’s the art of language.”
“Enough with the banter. Aren’t you planning to go through the challenge today? Hurry up,” Yue Shuai urged them, mindful of the time.
Seeing that he wasn’t planning to join them, Xu Wang asked, “Aren’t you going through today?”
Yue Shuai frowned. “I can’t compete with you guys. It would be like fighting my own family!”
Xu Wang raised an eyebrow, sizing up this “family member”. “Please be honest.”
After a long stare, Yue Shuai reluctantly admitted, “Alright, dealing with NPCs is hard enough. I don’t want to deal with you guys as well.”
Xu Wang: “Can you guarantee you won’t meet other teams tomorrow?”
Yue Shuai: “Other teams coming in will at least observe for a day, right? It’s the eighth challenge. No one would rush in blindly.”
Su Mingzhan: “And even if we do engage in PK, it’s better against other teams than against you guys.”
Yue Shuai: “Exactly. With our relationship, I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Su Mingzhan: “Mainly because even if we did, the chances of winning are not high.”
Yue Shuai: “Captains are talking. The rest should not interrupt!”
Su Mingzhan: “Angry but still handsome.”
Yue Shuai: “……”
Tao Anan: “Captain, aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Oh right, I’ve been waiting to meet you guys to talk about this.” Yue Shuai slapped his forehead and quickly opened his hidden item bar on his arm. “This badge, we got it on 5/23. As soon as we got it, the hidden item bar appeared. Looking at the number of slots, I suspect there’s a badge for each challenge from 1 to 13.”
Xu Wang: “……”
Yue Shuai: “Why are you looking at me when I’m showing you the badge?”
“Not just the badge, but also a manual.” Xu Wang revealed his own badge manual without reservation.
Childhood friends might be a joke.
But some things are real, and without even realizing it, they naturally take on a warm form.
It was Yue Shuai’s first time seeing the manual, and he immediately asked, “Where did this come from?”
Xu Wang said, “At the grocery store in the basement of the Castle Hotel on 6/23. It cost 200,000 yuan.”
“Damn, that’s daylight robbery.” Ji Yiming, who had been watching the commotion between Ye Tianhang and Chi Yingxue, rushed over to take a closer look at Xu Wang’s badge manual. “What’s so expensive? Does it let you pass the level with a single click?”
“Just a hint for the hidden badge location!” Qian Ai followed suit, indignant. “A single click pass? In your dreams! If there was such a thing, the merchants would probably sell it for a million!”
“So, what’s the use of the badges?” Yue Shuai asked.
Xu Wang shook his head. “Collecting all 13 badges is the key to unlocking the challenges after 13/23.”
Yue Shuai was startled, then realized, “No wonder no one has ever passed the 13th level on the leaderboard!” Shocked, he quickly asked Xu Wang, “What’s your phone number?”
Xu Wang was taken aback for a moment. “Huh?”
“To keep in touch.” Yue Shuai now fully recognized the importance of staying connected. “Or leave your WeChat—anything that lets us talk anytime. Can’t always rely on meeting here. That’s like waiting for the stars to align*!”
*Year of the Monkey, month of the horse (猴年马月) Idiom that basically means only God knows when.
Wu Sheng: “s-h-e-n-g-g-e-w-u-d-i.”
Yue Shuai: “His WeChat ID?”
Wu Sheng: “Mine.”
Yue Shuai: “I want his.”
Wu Sheng: “Either add me or stay disconnected.”
Yue Shuai: “……”
Xu Wang: “Cough, well, adding him is the same as adding me.”
“……” Yue Shuai swore that in Xu Wang’s smile, he saw a blinding sweetness.
After days apart, the style of this team is still so puzzling!
……
Beijing time. Yue Shuai, Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, Ji Yiming, and Wei Tianhang stood shoulder to shoulder, bidding farewell to their colleagues.
Captain Yue slowly waved his hand, his eyes heavy with concern. “Be careful. Take care.”
Xu Wang managed a strained smile in return. To those in the know, it was like sending friends off to battle; to others, it might look like they were heading to the gallows.
The five friends left the fence and entered the pedestrian path.
Just two seconds later, noisy footsteps came from around the corner ahead—the city tour group that had already passed the café once was back again.
At the same time, “Ding—”
[The demon causing accidents is among these people. Find them before sunset if you’re still alive.]
From a distance, the tour leader waved the small flag and smiled at the five of them. As the main group arrived in front of them, the leader asked enthusiastically, just like the previous three days, “Are you interested in joining our all-inclusive city day tour?
This time, Xu Wang nodded. “Yes.”
As soon as he spoke, the wind picked up. Under the warm sunlight, there was an ominous chill.
The author has something to say:
Captain Xu told Xiao Yueyue: Wait for me to give you the way to this level~~
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