Chapter 18 Chapter 18 "Want."
Jiang Shizao's condition when entering the copy this time was much better than the last time.
It may also be because he was mentally prepared, so the momentary feeling of weightlessness and dizziness when entering did not have much impact on him.
When he opened his eyes again, his vision quickly returned to clarity.
Wen Qianchuan was standing next to him. Looking around, they found themselves in a forest. The ground beneath their feet was damp, with tangled vegetation and dense, towering spruce trees growing all around them.
At this time, one of them was still wearing the school uniform of Lingcheng High School, and the other was wearing a slim-fitting full suit and leather shoes.
Such a combination appears in this primeval forest far away from the modern human world, and it can no longer be simply described as incompatible.
Jiang Shizao observed the sky and found that it was evening again in the copy world.
The environment this time was completely different from the world Kidd Street was in. They didn't have any equipment to cross the jungle, and in this situation, ordinary people would have little chance of dealing with the dangerous forest after dark.
"By the way, Shi Zao, I suddenly thought of a question." Wen Qianchuan said at this time.
This voice immediately caught Jiang Shizao's attention. He looked at Wen Qianchuan and saw that he looked extremely serious. Jiang Shizao also became nervous.
They had just entered the dungeon and were about to run into crisis?
"Brother, go ahead." Jiang Shizao tried to keep his voice steady—at least one of them had to stay calm. That's what Jiang Shizao thought.
Then he heard:
"If one day, I have a dispute with your friend, who will you help?"
At this time, a shy smile appeared on Wen Qianchuan's face.
But the listeners were already confused: "..."
“???”
For two seconds, Jiang Shi had been staring blankly at Wen Qianchuan.
My brain was struck by lightning, and I was thinking, what kind of question is this?!
For a moment, Jiang Shizao almost thought he heard "If your friend and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"
...Jiang Shizao choked. Why would Wen Qianchuan argue with his friend?
No, isn't this the time to think about this kind of question? What on earth did Wen Qianchuan come up with? ... Besides, it's impossible for Wen Qianchuan to know his friends.
Jiang Shizao took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Calm down, calm down." He looked at Wen Qianchuan in front of him... Could it be that after entering this place, Wen Qianchuan was not as calm as he had imagined, and that he had not accepted this strange thing at all, so he started to have wild thoughts...?
Jiang Shizao's thoughts were racing, and Wen Qianchuan in front of him seemed to be waiting for his answer very seriously.
...Jiang Shizao took another deep breath.
…No matter what, the most important thing now is to get Wen Qianchuan through the dungeon safely. No matter what, no matter what Wen Qianchuan thinks, he must be reassured first.
"Brother, I believe in you. No matter what happens, I...I will definitely help you, brother."
Jiang Shizao finished speaking in one breath, while paying attention to Wen Qianchuan's reaction.
A nice smile appeared on Wen Qianchuan's face, but the next second, he looked behind Jiang Shizao to the left, "Shizao, someone is coming."
Someone is coming——?
When Jiang Shizao turned around, he heard a slight movement coming from the direction Wen Qianchuan pointed.
Is it the protagonist team or the players?
The newcomer didn't seem to be hiding his whereabouts, and Jiang Shi soon heard the distinct sound of someone approaching their location. Wen Qianchuan had already walked diagonally in front of him without him noticing.
The two people are still very close at this moment, but it seems that the person in school uniform is now protected by the person in the suit.
Jiang Shizao glanced at Wen Qianchuan's profile... and in his heart, he was reassured that Wen Qianchuan was truly a good person. Most people would have retreated in such a situation. Furthermore, the other party had clearly been panicking and started babbling nonsense.
Looking at Wen Qianchuan like this, Jiang Shizao secretly clenched his fists, his belief firm: he must leave the dungeon safely with Wen Qianchuan. Then he would continue to be a bus driver.
…
When the tall, blue-eyed foreigner walked out of the jungle, before Jiang Shizao and the others could speak, he greeted them in a very familiar manner:
"Hey guys, wanna team up?"
Hearing this, Jiang Shizao almost immediately confirmed the other party's identity as a player. Furthermore, after seeing his and Wen Qianchuan's outfits, the other party showed no surprise at all.
Seeing that the two men had no objection, the brown-haired, blue-eyed foreigner took a few tentative steps forward.
As he walked, he introduced himself: "Hello, I'm 091. You two should be..."
091 stopped talking here. The distance maintained by both parties was very polite, but the next words of this person surprised Jiang Shizao.
"The two should be 209999 and...210001." said 091.
Jiang Shizao was shocked. Many thoughts flashed through his mind at once.
...The foreign player in front of me is a powerful guy.
Jiang Shizao told himself that it was not surprising that the other party could immediately tell him and Wen Qianchuan's code names.
Do these people have props...skills or something like that?
By the way, 091's outfit was clearly more suitable for walking in the jungle than his and Wen Qianchuan's. He was even carrying an outdoor backpack that looked like it was filled with a lot of stuff.
All thoughts flashed through my mind almost in an instant.
091's gaze flicked between Wen Qianchuan and Jiang Shizao. Seeing neither of them paying any attention, he sighed, spread his right hand, and gave himself a way out. "209999, I just heard of you yesterday, but I didn't expect to meet you today."
091 was speaking to Jiang Shizao. He seemed to be able to tell who was who.
"Have you heard of me?" A question mark flashed through Jiang Shizao's mind, but his expression did not change.
One of the qualities a book traveler should cultivate: no matter what happens, one must remain calm, and never show fear in front of unknown people.
091 was sighing inwardly. Sure enough, topics like this made it easier to keep the conversation going. He said to Jiang Shizao, "Haven't you noticed? Someone on the IDT discussion forum posted something about you and 001...about your last dungeon."
091 added, "'209999' entered this instance, and you're wearing your high school uniform, making you easy to spot... By the way, do you all understand the mission?"
Jiang Shizao was stunned again... What mission? But this time, Wen Qianchuan beside him answered for him: "I almost understand."
Wen Qianchuan said: "A group of college students on foot are trapped in this forest. As long as the player can successfully rescue any one of them, the dungeon exit will open for that player."
091 nodded and said, "That's right. According to the mission description, this time the dungeon exit is for one person only. If each player needs to rescue one person, we need to hurry. Not counting the local tour guide, there are nine trapped college students in total. One of these nine people went missing last night."
In other words, the six game participants now only have three, or even two, people left to rescue them. Furthermore, as the world's plot unfolds, these trapped people will undoubtedly encounter many unexpected events. God knows when they might suddenly encounter an accident.
So 091 said, they have to find these people quickly.
091 observed the two men across from him subtly as he spoke. He thought to himself: Sure enough, although the code numbers are a bit strange, 209999 and 210001 are very human no matter how you look at them.
You just came here in school uniform and a suit... You don't take this temporary copy seriously at all.
091 thought that there must be something wrong with the code names of the two people in front of him, and one of them might be... "001".
Jiang Shizao, who was listening to their conversation, said: "..." At this moment, only two words flashed through his mind: It's over.
Wen Qianchuan received the mission, and 091 also received the mission.
But why didn’t I receive anything——?
This kind of task should be notified by the system, right?
But since he and Wen Qianchuan entered this copy world together, Jiang Shi had not heard the system prompt sound again.
This somewhat painful realization made Jiang Shizao increasingly anxious.
So... wait... could it be that... after the book-traveling system malfunctioned, his infinite flow system also had problems -?
Jiang Shizao didn't receive any mission at all!
Calm down. The boy in school uniform repeated the phrase "calm down" several times in his mind, then thought carefully. Since 091 and Wen Qianchuan received the same mission, it was very likely that all players had the same mission.
So... as long as I can rescue a member of the protagonist's team, his copy exit will be opened?
Listening to the conversation between 091 and Wen Qianchuan, the plot of the copy seemed to have just developed to the page he saw?
One of the heroines in the main team, Leona, disappeared last night. This could be consistent with 091's statement that "one of the nine people disappeared last night."
And now it is evening - evening is the time when the two teams who are looking for Leona separately decide to find a temporary base nearby to spend the night.
One of the two teams, led by a guide, will find a forest cabin with supplies before dark.
Another team will enter an abandoned villa.
"..." Thinking of this, Jiang Shizao's gaze subconsciously fell on his empty hands. He had even carried his backpack into the dungeon world, but the novel "Skadino-via" he was holding was gone.
Jiang Shi has been stuck in my throat for a long time. If only I had known I would have stayed up all night to finish the book last night!!
After sighing softly in his heart, Jiang Shizao cheered up. He looked at his companion beside him. Fortunately... Wen Qianchuan had finished reading!
So the story now goes to the evening of the fourth day after the protagonist team entered the forest.
"We shouldn't be too far away from them now." Jiang Shizao said to Wen Qianchuan based on his experience.
"Yeah, I think so too." Wen Qianchuan said in a gentle voice.
When talking to Jiang Shizao, Wen Qianchuan would deliberately move closer to the young man. Only when talking to Jiang Shizao would this man lean forward and lower his eyes, looking very patient and considerate.
091, standing across from him, suddenly felt like an outsider. Looking at 209999 and 210001, 091 felt as if the air between them was different from what he was breathing.
091's eyes fell on the backpack on Jiang Shizao's shoulder and the briefcase in Wen Qianchuan's hand. Both bags seemed to match their outfits.
091 then interjected, "The background information says that the group split up this morning." 091 gestured to the bag he was carrying, returning to the original topic. He enthusiastically inquired, "My two friends, are you teaming up? I've brought the essentials for wilderness survival. I also have water and dry food..."
That certainly sounds tempting.
But Jiang Shizao looked at 091 opposite him and inevitably became alert.
Are all the experienced, high-level players in this infinite game really this friendly...? Their enthusiasm made Jiang Shizao feel a little uneasy.
After all, in novels, characters like 091, with their personality, opening lines, and approach to conversation... countless possibilities flashed through Jiang Shizao's mind. He even considered: Could it be that they were just pretending to team up with them, but were actually using him and Wen Qianchuan as food? Or bait? Or perhaps a scapegoat for the unlucky newcomer?
Jiang Shizao looked at Wen Qianchuan to inquire about his opinion. Being alone was good, and he could even consult his companions.
Wen Qianchuan, who received the hint, understood it immediately. Seeing Jiang Shizao's hesitation, he immediately turned to 091 and said, "No need. We are not familiar with each other, so let's go our separate ways."
Jiang Shizao: “…” So decisive.
...Great, I don't have to worry about it anymore. Jiang Shi already believed in Wen Qianchuan's judgment...!
"Okay." 091 was a little disheartened after being rejected. But he didn't push it any further. It seemed as if his proposal was really just a suggestion.
Jiang Shizao observed the brown-haired, blue-eyed foreigner. Seeing that he didn't make any advances, he tugged at Wen Qianchuan's sleeve as the man opposite him lowered his head. "Let's go."
"Okay." Wen Qianchuan sounded like he was in a good mood at this time.
Very pleasant and relaxing.
After hearing this, Jiang Shizao felt a little relieved.
After they walked away and confirmed that 091 had not caught up, Jiang Shizao said, "Brother, there is the sound of running water ahead. The guide's group is searching along a stream. Let's follow the stream and look for them later."
Searching for the missing Leona with local guide Alec is Leona's boyfriend Ethan Lindau and her good friend Emily.
Jiang Shi, who had read the previous content of the novel, already knew that there were interactions between Ethan and Emily that went beyond friendship, which often happened during the first three days of the hiking trip.
There are many suspicious points in Leona's disappearance.
"But Ethan and Emily are quite active in finding people." Jiang Shizao thought.
Wen Qianchuan looked back at Jiang Shizao at this time, his eyes gentle: "Zao Zao, do you want to spoil the story?"
It's unknown when this person changed the way he addressed Jiang Shizao from "Shizao" to "Zaozao", and both of them seemed to accept the change well.
The word "spoiler" also touched upon Jiang Shizao's sensitivity as a reader: "..." Under normal circumstances, he would never read spoilers when reading a book.
But in this situation, the next second... the boy looked eagerly at Wen Qianchuan in front of him.
Jiang Shizao said to Wen Qianchuan: "I want it."
The light of the setting sun fell on the woods and was reflected in the amber eyes, like a ball of warm gold. Jiang Shizao's gaze was both expectant and longing for something.
Wen Qianchuan's breath paused, and suddenly he reached out to support the person in front of him, "Zao Zao...be careful of your step."
Jiang Shizao almost stepped on some moss.
However, after holding Wen Qianchuan's hand firmly, Jiang Shizao jumped to his side nimbly. The two of them were now standing on a pile of rocks, and in front of them, a dark red stream was flowing through the cracks of these rocks.
At this moment, the sound of flowing water drowned out other sounds in the forest, making it both noisy and quiet.
Jiang Shizao stood on the rock. Although he knew that the color of the stream here was due to its rich mineral content, he could not help but feel nervous standing on such a dark red stream in this forest at dusk.
In the twilight, the spruce branches on both sides of the stream seemed to be twisted and entangled in the wind.
Jiang Shizao looked at the gradually darkening sky and said, "Brother...why don't you tell me first...what strange...legends are there in this forest?"
As Jiang Shizao spoke further, his voice became quieter, but his heartbeat was clearly audible.
Jiang Shizao's heart was beating vigorously, "boom, boom, boom."
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