Chapter 29 Platinum Supermarket: He's pretending to be an NPC
There is more than one instance in the same game.
Shi Yu and Shen Su formed a team, but it also seemed like they weren't really a team at all, though neither of them seemed worried about it.
The distorted darkness faded, and the scene before her eyes cleared up. Shi Yu found herself standing in a bustling supermarket, with a shopping cart in front of her containing some stationery.
Shi Yu looked down at his outfit—a light-colored hoodie, jeans, white sneakers, a backpack, and headphones—he looked every bit the male college student.
This is a bit better than the patient identity in the previous game. Being a male college student makes it easier to lower people's guard, and Shi Yu is quite satisfied with this identity.
The supermarket was crowded with people: a family of three, young couples, middle-aged couples, college students like him shopping alone with headphones on, and elderly ladies grabbing discounted vegetables in the fresh produce section... Everyone pushed their shopping carts forward in an orderly fashion.
These customers are most likely NPCs, and very intelligent ones at that. When they choose fruit, they compare the good and the bad, pick up two items and ask their companions which one is better, and ask supermarket staff if they can't find what they want to buy. They seem no different from ordinary people in the real world.
"Where am I?" a slightly impatient voice came from the side and behind. "How did I get here?"
Shi Yu turned her head to look.
Several "customers" nearby also looked in the direction of the sound.
There were three people standing on the shelves in the grain and oil section. The one who was speaking was a man in his forties wearing black-rimmed glasses. When he saw everyone looking at him, he quickly waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."
The "customers" went back to continue selecting items.
Shi Yu also turned around and pretended to compare the different canned goods on the shelf in front of her, while keeping an eye on the other side.
The man lowered his voice and spoke again, but it wasn't quiet. Shi Yu had good hearing and could hear him clearly from where she was standing.
“I can tell you’re different from them. We must be from the same place. I’m Yang Qiwen, a Chinese language teacher at No. 12 Middle School. Do you know where this is?” The man was impatient and couldn’t stop talking once he started. “I just went out to throw out the trash and I arrived here in the blink of an eye. I have to prepare my lesson tonight. Tomorrow morning, I have a public lesson competition with No. 6 and No. 7 Middle Schools. School leaders from various schools will be coming to observe. The principal values me highly, so I can’t afford any mistakes…”
The two people opposite Yang Qiwen were dressed in a suit and tie, exuding a mature and upright demeanor, carrying a briefcase, and appearing to be around thirty years old, like a business elite. The other person wore a bright red dress and a fur shawl, with long, curly brown hair reaching her waist, and bright, flamboyant features, like a movie star.
Neither of them seemed inclined to pay any attention to Yang Qiwen.
This Yang Qiwen is a newcomer.
The other two were clearly not new to the game.
Annoyed by the persistent questioning, the man in the suit gave Yang Qiwen a hint: "You should have an extra black magnetic card on you. Press the raised part in the middle of the card and figure it out yourself."
His words were concise and clear, with a businesslike attitude. Shi Yu guessed that this person was either a senior executive of the company or a lawyer.
"Thank you, thank you." Yang Qiwen said, extending his right hand. "My name is Yang Qiwen, Qi as in 'starting up,' and Wen as in 'literature.' I'm a Chinese language teacher at No. 12 Middle School. May I ask your surname?"
"Gu Heng, lawyer." The man in the suit shook hands briefly with Yang Qiwen, hesitated for a moment, and then introduced the beautiful woman next to him, "Jiang Yan, celebrity."
Yang Qiwen asked in surprise, "You two know each other?"
We just met.
Before Gu Heng could answer, Jiang Yan spoke first.
Unlike her flamboyant and striking beauty, her voice is a typical gentle and mature woman's voice, and she doesn't seem that aloof. Perhaps she just doesn't want to talk to people.
Gu Heng looked down at Jiang Yan, his lips moved, then he closed them again, finally looking away.
While chatting with the two, Yang Qiwen searched his pockets and actually found a black magnetic card. He followed Gu Heng's instructions and stared dumbfounded at the game panel that popped up in front of him, muttering, "This looks a bit like the computer game my son plays..."
“Because this is a game, and we are in the game,” Jiang Yan said.
"I...I don't know how to play games," Yang Qiwen said, somewhat flustered.
Jiang Yan: "It's okay if you don't die."
Yang Qiwen: "..."
It seems this big star also has a sharp tongue.
Afterwards, Yang Qiwen began to study the game panel, while the other two would occasionally answer a question that he wasn't stupid about. The three seemed to have formed a temporary alliance.
.
Shi Yu's fans flocked to her live stream as soon as it started, and then asked the same question.
Why are we in the game again? It's only been an hour since the last game ended! Aren't we going to take a break? Don't they know that there's a week of rest after completing a game?
[They should know, the system will tell you. Could it be punishment?]
They practically destroyed the entire dungeon world in the last game, so being punished is understandable.
[The hostel next door has started live streaming too!!!]
[Did you guys plan this? Damn, I've shipped you again!]
[Good news: Both of them entered Platinum Joy Supermarket. Bad news: They entered Dungeon 1 and Dungeon 3.]
It doesn't matter, I can multitask.
[These two are really something else! I was planning to take a shower, get a good night's sleep, and then continue watching their streams a week later. Now, not only can I not sleep, but I also have to run two accounts simultaneously!]
[Sigh, who isn't?]
...
.
Seeing that there was no useful information here, and not wanting to cooperate with strangers, Shi Yu grabbed a can of food and pushed the shopping cart past the three people.
Pretend to be an emotionless NPC.
"Are NPC models this beautiful these days?"
As Shi Yu brushed past the three people, the famous star Jiang Yan suddenly spoke up, her voice tinged with surprise, her words confirming Shi Yu's pretense.
At the same time, the other two people also turned their attention to Shi Yu.
Shi Yu pretended not to understand and walked forward as if nothing had happened.
The live chat started with a row of question marks, followed by bursts of laughter: [Hahahaha, what is Yu Yu doing? He's pretending to be an NPC, hahaha, how can he be so cute?]
Shi Yu wanted to find a secluded spot to try releasing [Lin Fengbai] from his inventory. He wanted to see what was going on with this "spirit pet".
The doll in Lin Fengbai's hand was getting hot the moment he disappeared. Later, the doll turned into an icon and remained in his inventory. Could there be any connection between these events?
Is it possible that even a trace of Lin Fengbai's consciousness exists within the spirit pet?
Shi Yu found the men's restroom in the supermarket, scanned the room to make sure no one was inside, then went in, locked the door, and double-clicked the [Lin Fengbai] icon.
Then he witnessed a person suddenly appear and disappear.
"The Great Transformation" is exactly what it sounds like; Lin Fengbai appeared out of thin air in front of him, just like summoning a pet in an online game.
Lin Fengbai stood in front of Shi Yu, first rubbing his eyes. After seeing Shi Yu clearly, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes. After thinking for a few seconds, he asked his first question: "Wasn't I dead?"
He then looked up and around, asking his second question: "How did I end up in the bathroom?"
Shi Yu: "..."
Because the restroom was the only empty space.
It seems that the spirit pet not only contains Lin Fengbai's consciousness, but the spirit pet is even Lin Fengbai himself, with his memories intact.
Shi Yu carefully chose her words and gave a relatively objective answer: "I guess it was that doll that saved you. Of course, it's also possible that it was a system bug, or that you didn't die because of a system bug."
Lin Fengbai said "Oh," and then asked, "Then how come I'm in the bathroom?"
Shi Yu: "Because there's only a bathroom..."
Lin Fengbai quickly answered, "Only then can you summon me?"
Shi Yu: "..."
As long as you're happy.
Lin Fengbai was unhappy. He looked troubled and was very dissatisfied that the place that summoned him was the bathroom, but the fact that he was not dead made him somewhat happy.
It's not that he doesn't love life, it's just that his previous life really didn't have anything worth loving. It's not that he's particularly obsessed with freedom, he just wants to escape that oppressive and suffocating environment.
He had a vague feeling that his life would be completely transformed starting today.
No, not starting today.
It starts from this moment, from the moment I see Shi Yu again!
Time was of the essence, and someone could come to the bathroom at any moment. Shi Yu briefly explained to Lin Fengbai that they were currently in another game instance and briefly reiterated the game background and rules.
After saying that, Lin Fengbai asked, "Why isn't Chen Su with you?"
Shi Yu said, "We chose the game together, but we were assigned to different instances. I was in instance three, and he was in instance one."
Lin Fengbai nodded: "So there are so many dungeons in a game."
“Yes.” Before leaving, Shi Yu asked again, “Do you want to stay outside? Or go inside?” He pointed to the item bar on the game panel and added, “It’ll be safer inside.”
Because of the change in form, Lin Fengbai could also see Shi Yu's game panel. He realized that the place he was in before he came out was that square. He said, "I will be forced into sleep after I go in. I'd better stay outside so I can keep an eye on you."
"Okay." Shi Yu respected Lin Fengbai's decision.
The system has rules against live streaming when players are changing clothes or using the restroom, so viewers can only see Shi Yu as one person when she enters the restroom and as two people when she comes out.
Who's that person behind my wife? They look so much like my deceased, unrequited love! What's my wife doing? Is this some kind of stand-in romance?
[This is fucking stand-in fiction! Yu Yu and Lin Fengbai are sisters!]
[It's not just a resemblance; he *is* Lin Fengbai.]
[Did I miss something? Lin Fengbai isn't dead? He died in Lin Qinghe's arms. I saw it with both eyes. That world is gone. Lin Qinghe is most likely dead too. Now I can't even select the Xincheng Hospital instance in the game; it says it's under repair. What's going on?]
Remember when Lin Fengbai gave Shi Yu a miniature version of himself as a doll before he died? Shi Yu has an icon in his inventory that looks exactly like the doll, you get it now?
[@Programmers, come quick! A massive bug! People have appeared out of nowhere!]
.
As Shi Yu led Lin Fengbai out of the restroom and was about to blend into the crowd of shoppers, a young man in a pink shirt with captivating eyes walked straight towards him.
Shi Yu tried to use the same trick as before, pretending to be an NPC to run away, but the person directly called out to him across the crowd: "This way! Mr. Shi, this way! I am Lu Boyue!"
Her upturned lips and curved peach blossom eyes were enough to show her enthusiasm.
Lu Boyue is the store manager of Boyue Supermarket and also the BOSS of this instance.
I've seen people give players cheat codes to find bosses, but I've never seen a boss give players cheat codes to find bosses.
That's outrageous.
As Shi Yu approached, she noticed that Lu Boyue was followed by three other people: Yang Qiwen, Gu Heng, and Jiang Yan.
All three of them stared at him with scrutinizing eyes. After a while, Jiang Yan muttered under her breath, "I knew someone this beautiful couldn't possibly be an NPC."
Shi Yu: "..."
Do you think you're being very quiet?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com