Chapter 33 Returning Home 3: Wind Orange Village
The inns in remote mountain villages are all converted from private houses. The He Gui Inn has five floors in total. Wu Wangwang's room was assigned to the fourth floor, but the staircase was very peculiar. The location of the staircase on each floor was different, so it was impossible to see from the first floor to the fifth floor like in other buildings.
This staggered staircase design provides a degree of secrecy; at least after they went upstairs, they didn't hear any other sounds, confirming that the other players hadn't followed.
The number of rooms on each floor of the hotel is different, probably because different locations were divided when it was renovated. Also, the fourth floor is marked with a number starting with 5. For good luck, there is no fourth floor. Instead, the rooms are numbered one, two, three, five, and six.
Wu Wangwang's room number is 503. There are only three rooms on this floor, all of which are double rooms. All three rooms have balconies with different views.
Once inside the room, Ling Yuanshan couldn't wait to ask, "Didn't I warn you to be careful? Why did you still come in?"
"You had just finished speaking when your greenhouse collapsed, and the housekeeper didn't even have time to save me," Wu Wangwang replied helplessly.
Ling Yuanshan's face hardened: "If I had known you were here too, I would have made him pay with his life while the referee was away!"
Both times he attacked, Wu Wangwang got into trouble as well. Ling Yuanshan could tolerate entering the game again and again, since he was used to it anyway. But Wu Wangwang was innocent. She entered the game because of poverty and her family background, not because she was being dragged down by him.
Wu Wangwang bent down and took off her painful shoes, walked into the room, and sat on the sofa: "Forget it, since we're here, let's make the best of it. We'll work together to get out of here, but this time, we really can't let him get away with it."
For some reason, there was a large woven carpet in the house. Ling Yuanshan hesitated for a moment, then took off his shoes before walking through the entrance hall and sitting down opposite Wu Wangwang: "Yes, we can't tolerate him anymore. I thought it was a misunderstanding, but it seems he did it on purpose."
"By the way, what happened when you arrived? Why did he call you by your real name?" Wu Wangwang found this strange, and she wondered if it would affect the progress of the dungeon if she were also called by her real name.
Ling Yuanshan shook his head: "I don't know, I met him when I was discharged from the hospital..."
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Picking Ling Yuanshan up from the hospital to go home for a family reunion was something that had been planned long ago. His father had a engagement, so he went straight home tonight. Ling Yuanshan had his family's bodyguard come to pick him up from the hospital.
The doctor suddenly called away the bodyguard, and Ling Yuanshan waited near the elevator. A short while later, the surrounding environment suddenly distorted, and he was dragged into the stairwell. The person who dragged him was the classmate who had taken the puppet earlier, named Wei Dong, a second-year high school student. Ling Yuanshan really had no connection with him.
In reality, Ling Yuanshan was already covered in injuries, and he could only rely on props to save himself. However, he found that he seemed to have been bound by Wei Dong's props beforehand.
Wei Dong noticed that Ling Yuanshan had regained consciousness and said, "Oh, you're awake? But it doesn't matter. Whether you're awake or not, it won't affect your entry into the dungeon. Being awake will make it easier for you to escape."
Ling Yuanshan struggled for a moment, feeling as if only his hands could move: "What do you want to do? We don't even know each other, do we?"
"It's precisely because we don't know each other that it's easier to do things. If we did know each other, we wouldn't be able to bring ourselves to do it," Wei Dong said, laughing happily.
The corridor was long and kept turning, as if it were leading to the rooftop.
After many attempts, Ling Yuanshan was finally able to move his hand. He wanted to call Wu Wangwang to tell her to be careful, not to go out, and not to get too close to danger.
Ling Yuanshan believed that if Wu Wangwang was smart enough to lie to Wei Dong and say a few words, she would definitely understand and know to protect herself so as not to be targeted by Wei Dong.
Ling Yuanshan had already set Wu Wangwang as an emergency contact, and he planned to go back and set it up for Wu Wangwang as well, so that Wu Wangwang could contact him if something happened to him in the future.
Unexpectedly, he was the one who used it first, but Wu Wangwang did not answer the phone, while Ling Yuanshan had already been dragged to the top floor by Wei Dong.
On the last floor, Wu Wangwang finally caught up, while Ling Yuanshan had already been carried to the edge of the rooftop. Only after being pushed off did Ling Yuanshan have time to talk to Wu Wangwang, and then he was already in the dungeon.
Upon arriving at the instance, they were at the He Gui Inn. There were six people in total, including Wei Dong. Ling Yuanshan finally breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Wu Wangwang. He thought Wu Wangwang had escaped, so he didn't touch Wei Dong. It's very dangerous to lose control of one's human nature in an instance.
The referee this time was wearing shorts and flip-flops and looked like a construction worker. He casually said that he was based at a nearby construction company and that if anyone felt something was against the rules, they could come to him. He wasn't always available.
The rules for this instance are that they must complete their journey according to their own plan and finally return home.
However, everyone received different firsthand information, and the six players reacted differently. They wanted to ask more questions, but the referee had already predicted it: "Don't ask me so many questions. This level is actually a test of emotions and self-analysis. If any of you have a psychologist, it should be easy to pass."
The referee then lazily left without even mentioning whether they could cooperate, making him far less responsible than other referees in the instance.
As soon as the referee left, Wei Dong confronted Ling Yuanshan, calling him by his full name: "Ling Yuanshan, are you carrying some kind of prop?"
Ling Yuanshan ignored him and wanted to go out to investigate clues and find other safe spots in the village besides the inn.
However, Wei Dong was relentless. He insisted that Ling Yuanshan give an answer and his attitude was quite hostile. He wanted to kill Ling Yuanshan, but he didn't actually kill him. Even when Ling Yuanshan's knife was about to strike him, he just dodged and didn't intend to fight back.
After noticing this detail, Ling Yuanshan kept arguing with him, trying to get some information out of him, but to no avail. Moreover, the other four players didn't help either side and just watched silently. If the conflict got too intense, they would even step in to smooth things over.
Thus, it was delayed until Wu Wangwang came over.
After Ling Yuanshan finished speaking, he suddenly paused: "When...did you come in? Logically speaking, the referee must gather all the players before starting the game. Why are you a day late?"
At this moment, Ling Yuanshan calmed down and began to doubt whether Wu Wangwang was really her.
Wu Wangwang smoothed her hair: "I came in at 10:30 in the morning, but I'm an extra player, so my rules are different from yours."
Upon hearing the words "extra player," Ling Yuanshan suddenly remembered what Wu Wangwang had said downstairs: "You just said downstairs..."
"Well, let's strike first. I was the one who couldn't be with you guys because Wei Dong used an extra item, but we can't let them find out and use this problem. So we need to make them suspicious of each other first." Wu Wangwang carefully found an opening.
The referee only said that it was absolutely forbidden to mention that Mei Su was dead, but he didn't say anything else that couldn't be mentioned. Besides, it's not okay not to mention it now; someone else has to cover for her, since Wei Dong knows her and it can't be kept secret.
Ling Yuanshan frowned, and he stood up worriedly, pacing back and forth: "No, I've seen this situation before. Any kind of external item bound to the game has a problem."
Wu Wangwang had never seen such an item before. Her dungeon naturally had the blessing of the Ghost Mother Goddess, so she wouldn't invite players with linked items into it, as that would make the difficulty of clearing the dungeon too low. She looked up in confusion: "What's the problem?"
“The probability of death has increased,” Ling Yuanshan said with a solemn expression. “These things are different from the red thread I gave you. They are more of a scapegoat. I think the items Wei Dong used were originally meant for me to come in and clear the dungeon for him, but if I fail, he will die outside as well. So, another item was used in combination.”
In other words, a double-layered substitution is used. The first substitute item needs to be bound to Wei Dong and Ling Yuanshan, and their lives are linked together. Ling Yuanshan is the substitute, and he takes Wei Dong's place in the dungeon that is forcibly entered every six months. If Ling Yuanshan dies, then Wei Dong dies; if Ling Yuanshan lives, then Wei Dong has cleared the dungeon.
Wei Dong probably wanted to escape the instance, so he needed to find another scapegoat. He used the second item to have someone else take the blame for the potential impact he might face in the real world, thus having someone to take his place on both ends.
Assuming the game instance is the attacker, Ling Yuanshan is the first shield. Originally, Wei Dong should have been behind him, but he pulled another meat shield in front of him. That is, he used two props to connect and push Ling Yuanshan and Wu Wangwang in front of him to block the disaster.
If Ling Yuanshan dies, Wu Wangwang will inevitably die in Wei Dong's place.
After listening to Ling Yuanshan's analysis, Wu Wangwang roughly understood: "Oh, Wei Dong used a substitute item on you, but for me, he might have used a death transfer item."
The two items seem to have similar effects, but there are actually slight differences. The substitute item is a win-lose situation, while the death transfer item can save you. Wei Dong's series of moves seems to be just to avoid participating in the battle royale, but it is actually a bit like trying to exploit a game bug.
The game's standard is that if a player fails to complete the level, they die, and once their physical body dies, they no longer have a player slot.
If Wei Dong's plan succeeds, it's as if his name, Wei Dong, is already dead in the game. However, by transferring his death, he survives. In that case, he is removed from the game and is still alive. It's like he has received a healing buff from the game. He has a bunch of extremely powerful items in his hands and can live carefree.
It was a brilliant plan; if he hadn't been targeting Wu Wangwang, he might have actually succeeded.
Ling Yuanshan had clearly realized the problem, and he was very anxious: "What do we do now? You're probably already bound to him. If he dies in the dungeon, you'll die too."
This is the only exception. Even if Wei Dong died eight hundred times in this instance, it wouldn't happen. No one can make a ghost or god die again.
Wu Wangwang wasn't worried. She comforted Ling Yuanshan, saying, "Young Master, it's alright. If your assumption is true, then he shouldn't have entered the instance. He kept provoking you to take action, so he probably realized the problem. He was brought into the instance along with the game."
Ling Yuanshan was taken aback: "Right, could his item be of a different type? If so, it's not impossible to exploit loopholes in the dungeon's rules. In some dungeons, the death rules take precedence over items. We don't know what item he used yet, so let's first understand the rules of this dungeon. What information have you received?"
Without delay, Ling Yuanshan immediately began studying the copy.
Actually, after a whole day, if it weren't for Wei Dong stopping him, Ling Yuanshan would have explored the entire map. Wei Dong was dragging him along, probably hoping that Ling Yuanshan would make a mistake and die in the dungeon. Fortunately, Wu Wangwang arrived, bringing other news.
Wu Wangwang took out her list: "The real information I received is this list. The other rules are the same as yours: travel, go home, and that's it."
Ling Yuanshan took it and looked at it: "Huh? There's nothing at the back."
“Well, but this type of information will appear sooner or later, so there’s no need to worry. What about you? What information did you get?” Wu Wangwang was curious about what identity Ling Yuanshan had obtained.
“I have no information, my pockets are empty, but look at this.” Ling Yuanshan said, pulling up his sleeve to reveal his strong forearm covered in scars. These scars did not mean he was injured, but rather they were a result of the identity he was impersonating.
At the hospital, Ling Yuanshan was wrapped up like a mummy. When he came in, he was wearing a cheap T-shirt and jeans, with a dark blue shirt over them. The skin covered by the clothes had countless scars. These scars were the information provided to the players.
Wu Wangwang reached out and touched him, and after finding that Ling Yuanshan didn't feel any pain at all, she asked, "You don't even have a phone? Where's your luggage?"
Ling Yuanshan shook his head: "No, after the referee finished explaining the rules, I tried to check in at the counter and found that my room had been booked in advance. I just needed to come over."
But since it's a trip, there must be other expenses, and Ling Yuanshan doesn't know how he'll get through the rest of the days.
Faced with this situation, Wu Wangwang opened her suitcase to check her wallet and phone balance, and said, "I still have some money. Let's eat together. It should be enough if we're just eating."
"He's already living off a woman at such a young age," Ling Yuanshan nodded helplessly.
"By the way, do you have a name? I mean, the name of this identity." Wu Wangwang thought of this question.
Ling Yuanshan nodded: "I saw it when I checked in. My name is Benli, Ben as in running and Li as in leaving."
Wu Wangwang also told him her name: "My name is Mei Su, Mei as in plum blossom, and Su as in material."
The two exchanged names and then decided to go downstairs for dinner. The hotel had included three meals a day, so they figured they might as well take advantage of it.
The inn was built by the villagers themselves. The owner is behind the counter. She is an older woman who usually sits silently, like an NPC without a storyline.
The lobby is spacious. To the left of the entrance is the counter, and to the right is the restaurant. Directly opposite is a small shop, behind which is the kitchen. To the left of the shop is a lounge area and a staircase. Wu Wangwang and Ling Yuanshan went upstairs from that staircase.
Before Wu Wangwang arrived, the players had been sitting in the lounge area for a whole day without exchanging any messages.
At this moment, Wu Wangwang and Ling Yuanshan came downstairs. The five of them were still sitting in the lounge area. When they heard the sound, they looked up at the two of them at the same time, their eyes showing subtle expressions.
After exchanging messages with Wu Wangwang, Ling Yuanshan felt much more at ease. He didn't want to talk to them, so he pulled Wu Wangwang and walked quickly to the counter. Just as he was about to ask the owner when they could eat, he heard the short girl over there ask, "Are you two a couple?"
The lie I told in the last instance didn't expect to carry over to this one. Ling Yuanshan turned to look at Wu Wangwang and said, "Yes."
After listening, Wei Dong suddenly smiled sarcastically: "Oh, no wonder you guys were so determined to die together before. So you wanted to enter the dungeon together so you could help each other out."
Ling Yuanshan's face darkened: "We didn't die together. You used the puppet item to make me hold her back. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You want us to die in your place so you can escape the game's control!"
Upon hearing this, the other four players immediately moved a little further away from Wei Dong, but some were still tempted. The taller boy greedily sized up Wei Dong and said, "Oh? You have a way to end this awful life?"
Unexpectedly, Ling Yuanshan was so clever that he had already figured out the cause of the matter. Wei Dong glared at Ling Yuanshan and said, "So what if it is? Do you want to live a life of constant uncertainty, always walking on the edge of death? I had the ability to get the props, that's my own skill!"
"Then why should we die in your place?" Ling Yuanshan asked angrily.
"It's all your fault for being too obvious. I couldn't find any other players, only you were the most obvious. Your wife was just a side effect. Anyway, now that you're all in here, you have to risk your lives for me. Otherwise, even if you die, I won't die." Wei Dong laughed heartily.
The other four players exchanged glances and made a decision in an instant. Compared to Wei Dong, the madman with props, Ling Yuanshan, who exuded righteousness, was much easier to get along with.
Ling Yuanshan said expressionlessly, "Then I wish you success."
After saying that, Ling Yuanshan ignored him and asked the owner what food was available. He learned that the hotel served three meals a day: breakfast was served at 6:00 AM and stopped after 7:00 AM; lunch was served at 12:00 PM and ended at 2:00 PM; and dinner was served from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. This was to prevent guests from arriving late and missing out on food.
It's 7:40 PM now, and there's still food left.
The standard for each passenger is three dishes and one soup, with other dishes occasionally depending on the season. Today, Ling Yuanshan and Wu Wangwang received a fruit salad.
The other players also looked hungry, so they sat down. The restaurant had three round tables, each seating eight people. The four unfamiliar players took the initiative to sit with Wu Wangwang and the others and began to introduce themselves.
The tall girl said, "You can call me Guan Lian, Guan as in housekeeper and Lian as in loving one."
The shorter girl chimed in: "My name is Jing Jiang, Jing as in well water, and Jiang as in red lips."
The short, stout man said in a deep voice, "Just call me Tian Ji, Tian as in field and Ji as in season."
The last tall man nodded to Ling Yuanshan: "I am Lei Fu, Lei as in thunder and Fu as in wealth."
Now the players have all exchanged names, but Wei Dong is sitting alone at a table, disdainful of playing with them.
Jing Jiang, holding her soup bowl, casually mentioned, "This instance seems quite simple. We've been here all day, and nothing has happened. Besides, the referee said all we need to do is tour and then go home. Why don't we exchange some information?"
Tian Ji chimed in, "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Ling Yuanshan, your girlfriend has already revealed her information. Let's just treat it as cooperation. There aren't many people in this instance, so cooperation isn't prohibited. Many hands make light work. Maybe as long as we share information, it'll be easy?"
"My name is Mei Su, you can call me by my name," Wu Wangwang mentioned. She didn't want everyone in the entire instance to call her Ling Yuanshan's girlfriend; that would be too strange.
To everyone's surprise, Wei Dong sneered: "No, your name is Wu Wangwang, Wu as in witch, Wang as in hope. Who gave you such an awful name?"
Wu Wangwang's face turned cold. She glanced at Wei Dong and said, "Why are you so insistent on revealing our real names? The information you obtained isn't related to names, is it?"
Wei Dong leaned back in his chair, not turning his head: "No, that's not it. Do you dare believe the information I got? I told you your real names because I already know them. It would be too much trouble to remember your nicknames in the game."
This person is disgusting. The players all showed their disgust. No one would want to associate with such a person, let alone have to guard against him stabbing them in the back.
With Wei Dong interrupting, the exchange of information could not proceed. His words were unpleasant, but they made sense. Under such circumstances, people might not dare to believe what he said. Even if they knew that the information they had was closely related to the conditions for passing the level, they still found it difficult to trust each other.
Everyone finished their meal in silence amidst the sound of rain, and then gradually returned to their rooms. They came here for a vacation, but with such heavy rain and no sign of it stopping anytime soon, it was impossible to enjoy themselves.
After dinner, Ling Yuanshan led Wu Wangwang to his room to familiarize himself with the way. His room was 302, a rather small single room with only a bed and no table or chairs. Fortunately, there was a window, so it wasn't too stuffy.
After entering the room, Wu Wangwang looked around and said, "Why don't you come upstairs with me? It's a double room with a carpet and sofa, enough for the two of us to sleep in."
Ling Yuanshan shook his head: "No, what if the room contains very important information? It's okay, I'm used to staying here."
Upon hearing this, Wu Wangwang walked to the window and shook the bars outside: "But in a room like this, if someone comes to kill you, it will be very difficult to even escape."
"No need, my knife can cut through this window. I'll just jump out the window then," Ling Yuanshan replied with a smile.
With Wei Dong present, Ling Yuanshan dared not bind himself to Wu Wangwang with a red thread. In case the other party's item had some special effect, binding them with a red thread would only make it easier for them to die together.
It was getting late. Ling Yuanshan glanced at the rain outside the window and said with some concern, "Speaking of which, you wrote 'travel' on your list, but it's raining, so it's hard to go out."
Wu Wangwang didn't understand this, so she humbly asked, "Is there anything that must be done when traveling? I've never traveled before."
Such a thing didn't exist in the original owner's memories; travel was probably a very luxurious activity.
Ling Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said, "Usually it's just visiting famous local spots, eating and drinking, etc. I don't know what's fun in this village. How about this, you go back and rest first, and I'll go downstairs and ask the boss. Tomorrow morning I'll take you out for a stroll, partly to complete the mission, and partly to familiarize yourself with the map."
Wu Wangwang had no objection. She and Ling Yuanshan parted ways at the door, one going up and the other down.
Back in room 503, Wu Wangwang rummaged through her small suitcase, looking for new clothes to take a shower. Just as she took them out, she heard a knock at the door. She quickly went to open it and said, "Hello?"
Tian Ji stood outside the door, a simple and honest smile on his face, holding a drink in his hand: "I saw you were soaked in the rain when you came. This is brown sugar ginger soup that I asked the kitchen to make. Drink it before you go to bed to warm yourself up, otherwise you'll easily catch a cold."
Wu Wangwang wanted to say that neither she nor Mei Su would catch a cold, but if they refused, it would be a hassle and cause a lot of trouble. So she accepted it, expressed her gratitude, and closed the door.
Holding the cup, Wu Wangwang sniffed it gently and smelled something inside. Just as she was about to pour it out, she pushed open the bathroom door and saw the referee looking in the mirror. He held out his hand: "Give it to me."
"Huh?" Wu Wangwang handed over the cup in confusion. The moment they were handed over, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling dizzy and as if her life force had been drained away.
The referee downed the entire glass of brown sugar ginger soup in one gulp, then threw the glass into the living room outside, where it shattered on the floor with a loud crash.
Wu Wangwang wiped the blood from her chin: "What does this mean?"
The referee then reached into Wu Wangwang's skirt pocket, took out the list, and unfolded it. A new line of blood-red text appeared on it: "Mei Su is dead, on the first day of the trip."
-----------------------
Author's Note: [End of Chapter]
Wu Wangwang: What kind of trip is this? Dying twice in one day? More for the same price, huh? [Question mark]
Ling Yuanshan: [Fearful]
——
Even in this hot weather, don't overdo it with cooling measures! I slept under a light summer blanket during the day and caught a cold. I had a headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. How can someone catch two colds in one summer just from being chilled? [crying emoji]
————————
Thank you for watching, and I hope you enjoyed the article.
————————
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com