Chapter 2: Village in the Rain (2)
Su Yue stood there holding a loudspeaker in one hand.
Very handsome.
...I just always feel like I haven't fully woken up yet, and I look a little dazed.
The man in the jacket was speaking to someone in a hurry just now, probably because of the pressure of survival.
Although there is still a lot of pressure to survive, Su Yue saved the lives of the people in the car, so his attitude has become much more polite.
"Dude, you're awesome." The man in the jacket gave a thumbs-up and said carefully and politely, "But now we seem to have a new problem."
Su Yue looked at him, as if asking him to continue.
"I'm not saying you're doing a bad job," the man in the jacket said. "But since you're a veteran, you must know that every game world has a main storyline. 'Sign in' is clearly the main storyline. If you dismantle this speaker, sign in won't work, and we'll be stuck."
"Stuck" is just a relatively peaceful way of saying it, but it is actually a very tragic scene.
For example, being trapped in a closed room and unable to find the key to leave the room, and finally being burned to death in the room by fire.
So if the main line is broken, they are now in the wilderness with a paper driver outside, which is actually very dangerous.
"That makes sense." Su Yue said, "Then I'll put it back."
Man in jacket:?
Just now, Su Yue took down the speaker by just breaking it casually, so the fracture of the speaker is actually very irregular and it is definitely impossible to put it back.
The man in the jacket said, "There's no glue here, how are you going to put it back together..."
Before he could finish his words, Su Yue had already raised his hand and shoved the loudspeaker back to its original position.
Accompanied by a "crack" sound of breaking and deforming, the original loading bracket "clicked" and a hole was formed.
The speaker was forced back into the frame.
The man in the jacket gave a thumbs-up: "...Go ahead, bro!"
.
However, even though he had put it back on, the man in the jacket still had some concerns.
If it is put back together like this and there is no power, the loudspeaker should not work?
Just as I was thinking this, the announcer's sweet voice sounded again: "The sign-in process is about to begin. Please cooperate with the sign-in and do not damage public property. Thank you for your support."
Man in jacket: “…”
He decided to keep his mouth shut from now on.
Not only can the unpowered speaker speak, but the current noise has also been fixed.
They were even considerate enough to go through the sign-in process again.
This means you can’t provoke NPCs, but you can defeat them, right?
.
In short, the thoughtful check-in process began again.
Hearing the familiar "beep" sound before the roll call, male college student Zhao Shuo clutched the armrests of his chair and looked at Su Yue pitifully.
Because his name was the first one called just now, it will probably be his this time too, but he still doesn't know how to sign in.
That means what happened just now will happen again. He is now prepared to rush over, hug the handsome boy's legs and kneel down to him if he messes up. Maybe this way he can save his life again.
I didn't expect that the order of the roll call was changed this time.
"Suyue."
Su Yue thought lazily, Oh, they are targeting me.
If he fails to sign in, a dark shadow will probably come and carry him away immediately.
But when it comes to playing games, he is quite talented. For example, he doesn't think too much like others and just signs in.
Su Yue: "Here."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the loudspeaker, and after a long while, he reluctantly said:
"Tourists confirmed."
Tourists: ???
Zhao Shuo felt like he was about to pass out. After a long moment of disbelief, he asked, "Is signing in that simple?"
Su Yue looked innocent: "Isn't signing in that simple?"
Zhao Shuo: “…”
Signing in is indeed that simple, but who would have thought that signing in in horror games also means this!
On the radio, the sign-in is still going on:
"Cang Zhi, Zhao Shuo, Zhou Hu, Shi Mingjin, Su Chen, Liu San."
In this order, the handsome guy in black clothes, the male college student, the man in the jacket, the man with the briefcase, the little girl and the short guy with a shaved head completed the sign-in.
Everyone followed Su Yue's example and no more accidents happened.
After everyone signed in, the radio started crackling again.
"This bus carries a total of 7 tourists, and 7 people have actually signed in. This is confirmed."
"The bus has broken down and cannot continue driving. Please walk to your destination."
"The mountains are peaceful during the day, but after dark, the wild beasts emerge. For your own safety, please make sure to arrive at Qiyun Village before sunset. Thank you for your understanding."
The announcer threw down such a sentence in a very retaliatory attitude. After that, he might be afraid of being beaten and did not give the passengers any time to react. He pinched the line with a "snap".
——
Although there was an additional task of "must reach the village on foot before dark", because Su Yue had just achieved an overwhelming victory over the NPC, and perhaps after seeing the paper man driver, no one cared about what happened next, the atmosphere in the car was surprisingly briefly relaxed, and everyone was having a simple chat.
Su Yue was still leaning on Cang Zhi's arm. In this regard, his habits were like those of a cat. He would never stand if he could sit, and would never stay awake if he could rest.
The curious briefcase man was talking to Zhou Hu.
"Does that sign-in just now have any special meaning?" asked Briefcase.
"It's hard to say. We need to confirm the player's identity. It may also be related to the game's plot. We'll know after we get to the village." Zhou Hu replied.
"What would have happened if the sign-in just now had failed?" asked the briefcase.
Zhou Hu: "He will probably die."
"What will happen if we don't reach the village before dark?"
Zhou Hu: "He will probably die too."
"What if we find a way to leave here?" Briefcase's curiosity was extremely strong, and it seemed that he had not yet accepted reality.
Zhou Hu was not a person with a good temper. It was because he felt that Su Yue was powerful that he was willing to act like a grandson for a while.
It doesn’t mean you can be asked questions all the time.
Zhou Hu said angrily: "If you don't pass the level, you will die!!!"
briefcase:"……"
Su Yue: "..."
Briefcase sat back down in a melancholy manner. Zhou Hu looked at Su Yue, who was frowning, and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, the weather is nice, Boss. I suggest we start heading towards the village. It's getting late."
Su Yue: "..."
Why are you suddenly calling someone boss?
.
The bus's onboard clock shows that the current time is 14:20.
The date is October 19th, which is different from the real-world date. Judging from the season, it is autumn, and it will be dark at around seven o'clock at the latest.
The broadcast said, "After dark, the wild beasts in the mountains will come out and move around." This is definitely not a safety tip, but the rule of the game.
Telling everyone clearly that it is safe in the mountains during the day, but if you don’t enter the village after dark, you will be dead.
Four or five hours walking on the mountain road, considering that we don’t know how far it is, it is really not time to waste any longer.
When Su Yue got off the car, everyone else followed him. From then on, they had subconsciously regarded Su Yue as the captain.
However, Su Yue himself was not interested in the position of captain. He walked around the broken-down bus, then slowly pulled Cang Zhi to the end of the team, letting Zhou Hu walk in front.
.
It's obvious at first glance that Su Yue Cangzhi and his girlfriend are a very close couple. Anyone with eyes can see it. Even when they are bored on the way, they still have something to talk about.
They passed a valley in the middle, from where they could overlook the scenery of Qiyun Village. Su Yue even spent a few minutes taking selfies with Cang Zhi standing on the edge of the cliff.
Zhao Shuman envied these two people.
If it were shown outside, it would seem that they were showing off their affection too much, but since they had to stay in such a dangerous game world, they had to show off as much as possible. Zhao Shuo completely understood.
But not everyone could understand Su Yue's behavior. For example, the little guy looked at the two of them with a gloomy face and impatience.
Around seven o'clock, the group descended the winding mountain road and hurried to Qiyun Village. It was just getting dark when they entered the village.
.
As soon as I entered the village, I saw a young woman standing at the entrance. She was wearing a short blue jacket with white flowers in the local ethnic style. She had a round face and a low bun. She was holding a baby in her arms, like a beautiful and lively bird in the mountains of the southwest.
"My name is Yima." The young woman looked at Su Yue and the others and took the initiative to come forward.
When she smiled, she was as gentle and bright as the moon. "I'm the village guide. Are you tourists?"
.
It seemed that Yima was the village's guide NPC. Zhou Hu glanced at Su Yue and saw that Su Yue didn't want to talk to her, so he took the initiative to say, "Yes, we are tourists."
"You've finally arrived safely. I've been waiting for you. I'll take you to check in now, and then the trip will officially begin." Yima said with a smile, "For the next seven days, I'll be taking you around the village. I hope you have a pleasant trip."
As a seasoned player, Zhou Hu keenly skipped the clichés and grasped the key point: "This trip will last seven days, right?"
Ima smiled and nodded.
This means that as long as you survive these seven days, you can successfully pass the level.
Seven days is not a very long period, so Zhou Hu breathed a sigh of relief.
The last time he entered a dungeon, he was particularly unlucky. It was a biological laboratory. His role in it was to research and make pickled stinky tofu. He had to survive and make stinky tofu every day. It took him a whole month, and everyone was addicted to the flavor when he came out.
.
Led by Yima, everyone walked towards the inn.
Walking on the night road in the village, you can hear roars coming from the mountains from time to time. Even though the sound is very far away, it is still very scary, like a roar coming from hell.
It's probably the ferocious beast in the mountains at night that was mentioned on the radio just now.
The roaring sound, deep and trembling in the shadows of the dark mountains, could arouse the most primitive fear of predators in humans. No one doubted that if they had not entered the village before nightfall, they would have been wiped out by now.
Even in the village, Briefcase's expression was not pleasant: "What kind of beast is that? A tiger?"
"A ferocious beast has appeared in the mountains recently, and no one knows what it is." Yima smiled and replied, "But don't worry, as long as you don't go out and run around, there will be no danger."
Listening to the sound of the beast does not make people feel "safe", but looking at Emma's reaction, it is indeed "safe" because she can completely treat the roar of the beast as background music.
.
Although Yima is an NPC, she looks no different from a real person and is the type that everyone likes.
She had a sweet face, a gentle smile, and loved to talk. She kept chatting with everyone: "I heard you walked here? Did you see our sea of clouds?"
The newcomers gave her a lot of respect.
Zhao Shuo agreed and said, "I see."
Yima's voice was as sweet as a silver bell as she explained: "When the sun sets, huge fiery clouds gather above the village, illuminating even the roofs and tower spires with a brilliant red glow. It's a truly beautiful sight."
She seemed to recall something and sighed softly, "In the past, every autumn, when the scenery was at its best, there were many tourists coming here to play."
Su Yue, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked, "What about now?"
The smile on Yima's face disappeared in an instant.
.
The child in Yima's arms burst into tears, and the street lights on both sides of the road stretched people's shadows very long.
If you look closely, you will find that the expression on Yima's face flickers in the semi-darkness of the night, and is even a little scary.
She seemed to be very concerned about Su Yue's question.
Briefcase's face turned pale again, and he suddenly remembered what Zhou Hu said, "Don't provoke NPCs."
But then he remembered that it seemed to be Su Yue who provoked the NPC this time.
He looked at Su Yue cautiously. The culprit of the annoying NPC was looking at Yima calmly, as if he didn't feel anything no matter what her face looked like.
Yima lowered her head and rocked the swaddling clothes in her arms, humming softly to comfort her baby.
The singing was light and ethereal, the child's crying gradually died down, and for some reason even the wind seemed to have grown colder.
After she coaxed the child, she looked at Su Yue with a blaming look, staring at him and said, "It's the same now."
But Su Yue happened to turn around and look at the houses on the roadside at this moment. He was completely unaffected by her murderous gaze and replied casually, "Oh."
Emma: "..."
.
After asking this question, Yima seemed to not want to pay attention to Su Yue anymore. She was clearly looking at Su Yue the most just now.
Su Yue didn't seem to want to pay attention to her. He walked on the side of the team, at the outermost edge, holding his cell phone, playing with his head down while walking.
Because Qiyun Village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, it still retains a considerable ancient charm. There are very simple-style houses on both sides of the road, and even many of the courtyard fences are made of bamboo and wood.
What is worrying is that many homes have a golden object placed at their doorsteps. It is too dark to see clearly, and it is a lump about the size of a round stool.
Yima led the tourists all the way to a small courtyard in the southeast corner of the village.
The yard is surrounded by a bamboo fence, separating it from the rest of the village.
There is a three-story stilt house in the yard with the words "Qiyun Inn" written on it.
Stilt houses are a very distinctive building in the southern region. The first floor is a livestock shed, and people can only live on the second floor and above. This design is because the mountainous area is humid and hot, with many snakes, insects, poisonous insects and miasma, and the first floor is not suitable for living.
However, this is an inn, so of course no livestock are raised on the first floor. It is left empty, with only some flamingo standees, coconut tree standees, lifebuoys and other things placed there.
It seems to be a photo prop for tourists to check in.
The internet celebrity photo props don’t fit in with the village’s painting style, and they probably haven’t been used for a long time.
The coconut trees lay haphazardly fallen, covered in dust, and a flamingo's head was stuck upside down in a half-deflated lifebuoy.
Su Yue and the others followed Yima up to the second floor. As soon as they pushed open the door to the lobby, they heard a male voice say, "Guide sister, you're finally back! Hey? Are there any other tourists?"
“Other tourists”?
This time everyone was really stunned.
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