Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 112 Part 3

Chapter 112.3 Merfolk Shore

The academy’s cafeteria was similar to ordinary schools, offering a variety of dishes, with the cheap ones running out each day without being replenished.

Every time special admissions students enrolled, the demand for these low-cost meals was insatiable.

A sweaty player pushed his way out, carrying several portions of food. He looked at the soup stains on his body with disdain. “Expensive and not tasty at all. What’s the point of waiting in line for food?”

Skipping a meal wouldn’t lead to death.

This was a trio that could be called a golden team, their skills fitting together perfectly, almost always forming a party to tackle in-game challenges.

“Eating normally benefits your health,” the team leader said with a dual meaning, “Sick poultry is always prioritized for slaughter.”

Clearly, he had also deduced that the weak would be the first to be preyed upon by the monsters roaming the dormitory building at night.

The girl from the same team took her food and chimed in, “The captain is right. Issuing campus cards also has a limit, and within that limit lies a hidden death rule.”

These three were core members of the Sixth Commandment Guild, with the captain being the guild leader. After spotting Wen Shi on the train, they immediately used a disguise item.

The girl said, “Disguise items cost a lot of money. I feel a bit sorry for spending so much.”

Over the years, the Sixth Commandment had developed in a lukewarm manner, keeping a low profile. Their intention to kill Wen Shi wasn’t fueled by enmity but rather by self-interest.

The girl looked at the young man with a delicate appearance and rolled her eyes. “Captain, you keep saying that killing Pei Wenwei has benefits, but aren’t these benefits outweighed by the points we’d spend?”

“It’s a matter of surpassing the limits.”

One sentence caused both members to pause simultaneously.

Those who could lead the top ten major guilds were not ordinary individuals. The strength of the guild leader of the Sixth Commandment might be a bit weaker, but his reasoning abilities were remarkably strong. He had long reached the same conclusion as Li Nan: the new round of key-dropping instances had a strong connection to Pei Wenwei.

“I only had a vague suspicion originally, until not long ago when Li Nan and Pei Wenwei teamed up for an instance.”

Li Nan was an early bird for any opportunity that offered profit. He was definitely aiming to verify something.

Then there was Yu Xingzhou. The only reason both guild leaders would join an instance simultaneously was one: the key.

“Over these years, the instances that drop keys have been decreasing, and they’re mostly the same old ones repeated,” the captain’s gaze grew dark. “There’s only one possibility: the new round of instances that truly hold keys hasn’t been launched.”

So, for the past two years, they had been lying in wait.

However, the atmosphere, whether in the shadows or openly, had changed recently. Not long ago, he received a secret tip that the guild leader of the Fourth Commandment had obtained a key in the【Maternal and Child Health Hospital】instance.

This was just what he knew. In the shadows, there were probably many more who had collected keys.

The starting point for everything could be traced back to when the 3S instance was triggered.

“Moreover, the new instances with keys are mostly related to hospitals. Among the scenes sold in the in-game store, there were initially eighty-four scenes with hospital elements. Recently, more than thirty scenes have been discreetly taken down. It’s likely to prevent players from farming.”

In-game scenes were functionalities added to fleece players. Wen Shi had originally planned to heed Ji Yuanzhi’s advice and purchase a scene with paranormal elements to lure Pei Hongxin in.

The guild leader of the Sixth Commandment had always been keeping track of the number of different themed scenes, using it for crucial moments as a reverse confirmation.

Giving them no time to digest the information, the captain directly revealed the secret he knew: “Killing a key holder allows us to reclaim their key.”

The shock on the faces of the two team members couldn’t be contained. It was common knowledge that when a player died, everything got wiped out.

“I’ve caused the death of a player before, and a key automatically appeared in their backpack.”

The girl’s chest heaved intensely, and she could hear her own heartbeat clearly. “Pei Wenwei has only entered instances a few times. The possibility of having a key should…”

“Whether he has a key or not is another matter.” The captain’s lips curled. “As a core instance triggerer, he definitely has a【World Shard】, which is similarly a reclaimable item.”

The other two members were not familiar with the secrets of the【World Shard】. After becoming leaders of the top ten guilds, their codenames would bear the gold seal of the game’s authentication, granting them access to secrets that ordinary players couldn’t reach.

“If we succeed, I’ll compensate each of you with thirty thousand points,” the captain spoke candidly. “The guild leaders of the Ten Commandments possess some of the game’s open privileges. Under the same circumstances, keys or fragments will definitely fall into my hands.”

He laid out the plan directly, “Afterward, I’ll use the【Queen’s Card Box】. Xiao Xiao, your task will be to lead him into making a wrong judgment.”

The【King’s Card Box】could refresh side quests, while the【Queen’s Card Box】would elevate the difficulty level of a quest.

The captain had thoroughly studied Pei Wenwei’s way of doing things. He was certain that Pei Wenwei would compete for the class representative position.

The quest emphasized choosing the right teacher. If he made the wrong choice, the already elevated quest difficulty would increase further. In S-level instances, this could be fatal.

The girl’s skill was【Misguided Steps】, allowing her to make the target choose the wrong side when faced with uncertain decisions.

She asked uncertainly, “Is it feasible?”

The captain nodded. “At the moment of elevated difficulty, a causal relationship with the outcome has already been established. The key will definitely end up with us.”

Based on his observations, besides Lily, the current information couldn’t pinpoint which of the other two mentors was safer.

“An opportunity that comes once in a millennium.”

They operated entirely in the shadows, avoiding direct confrontation with Ji Yuanzhi. Even in failure, they could retreat unscathed.

The captain suddenly stopped talking, and the girl looked over to see Pei Wenwei and his group heading to the cafeteria.

At this moment, unlike when they had just finished class, excessive surveillance would surely be noticed. The group walked calmly by the fountain towards the dormitory building. After creating some distance, the girl locked onto her target and used the【Misguided Steps】skill.

After successfully using it, her face turned pale in an instant. Curses-based skills were harmful to the user unless they were channeled through a medium.

To avoid drawing attention to any abnormality, she quickened her pace to walk back.

Wen Shi, who had just sat down in the cafeteria, shivered inexplicably. Despite not shapeshifting, he felt an urge to bristle.

Jian Qingrong, returning from getting food, noticed Wen Shi’s abnormality and cast an inquiring gaze at him.

Wen Shi summed it up as, “An intermittent sixth sense episode.”

Players have all experienced moments of foreboding, and these premonitions often turn out to be quite accurate.

Forgetting to pick up some side dishes, he swallowed a mouthful of plain rice. He needed to be extra vigilant these next couple of days.

In the afternoon, there was a Moral Cultivation class, an unusual non-specialized course at Mingzhu Academy. The teacher was relatively friendly. During the break, many players took the opportunity to play the role of enthusiastic students, trying to indirectly gather information.

“I admire Mr. Ruan so much.”

“Ms. Lily is clearly more impressive.”

There were many such coordinated exchanges. Those who went up to interact with the teacher were players who intended to become class representatives, attempting to extract information.

Unexpectedly, Arlon also went up to the platform.

Wen Shi noticed that Arlon had perfectly blended into the group of players, thanks to his black-framed glasses.

It wasn’t until the next class was about to begin that the players around the teacher dispersed.

As Arlon returned, Wen Shi once again felt that prickling sensation from the almost imperceptible smile on his lips. He called out to him.

Not accustomed to wearing glasses, Arlon resisted the awkward urge to take them off. “Just getting some information about the campus layout. Going into action alone requires having a map, after all.”

He casually rested his arm on the edge of the table, taking the opportunity to mention his participation in a past battle, then veered the conversation towards discussing terrain advantages, successfully diverting the focus.

After two class sessions ended, as they exited the building, nearly every classroom seemed to have people inside.

In order to secure a performance slot at the concert, senior students were intensively rehearsing their acts. Being selected not only earned them academic credits but also granted them priority access to debut opportunities after graduation.

Seeing Wen Shi’s gaze linger momentarily on each classroom they passed, Arlon promised, “Little Brother, I’ll make sure your dreams will come true.”

Touched, Wen Shi nodded earnestly. “Thank you, Big Brother.”

Ji Yuanzhi’s glasses slid slightly down his prominent nose.

…There’s no need for such formalities among siblings.

“I’m going to the library for a bit,” Arlon said as they left the classroom building. “To learn more about the culture of this world.”

The library was relatively safe during the day, and it still had several hours before closing time. The only inconvenience was needing a student ID.

Arlon wasn’t bothered by this. If he wanted to get in, he would find a way.

Jian Qingrong handed over his phone, directing his gaze and words solely toward Wen Shi, “Here’s a communication device to help you stay in touch with him.”

Wen Shi nodded. “You’re always thoughtful.”

Jian Qingrong added in a soft tone, “That octopus always causes you trouble. I wanted to do something to make up for it.”

Avoiding this trap, Wen Shi walked side by side with him toward the dormitory building.

Once back, Wen Shi headed to the bathroom to take a cold shower. He felt like his mind wasn’t entirely clear this afternoon, and when he came out, he was in a sort of daze.

“Mr. Qi or Mr. Ruan.” As the numbers on the selection panel kept decreasing, Wen Shi found himself undecided for a moment.

With his luck, blind selection would probably work in his favor too, but there was still some unease in his heart.

It was almost ten o’clock. Arlon hadn’t returned yet.

Wen Shi grew concerned and made a phone call.

“I just came out.”

The sound of wind whistling could be heard on the phone, indicating he was indeed at the library. The strong gusts of wind suggested he was near that area.

Wen Shi felt relieved upon hearing this.

Another forty minutes passed. Ji Yuanzhi was already in bed, reminding him to lock the door.

Arlon still hadn’t returned, delayed by something unknown. Wen Shi was about to call again to inquire when his phone vibrated.

“It’s me,” Arlon said, “I’m a bit busy for a while. Please don’t call me right now.”

Wen Shi instinctively asked him what he was up to.

“Verifying the identity of the mentors for you,” Arlon said calmly, “Little Brother, I’ve had bad luck since I was young. I don’t like multiple-choice questions, and I won’t let you face one either.”

Outside the faculty dormitory building, a tall figure blended perfectly into the darkness. Arlon took off his black-framed glasses, regaining his usual air of dominance.

“I confirmed the residences of those two mentors from the library security guards.” Arlon looked up at the faculty dormitory building where only a few lights were still on. “And I also reconfirmed the merfolk civilization. It’s actually quite simple…”

He gazed calmly at the occasional dark figure passing by the window. “Let’s see if they have a taste for human flesh after they wake up.”

Wen Shi’s voice sounded panicked for the first time, “Big Brother, calm down, you…”

“Consensual matters, isn’t merfolk mating all around?” Arlon’s cool gaze carried a hint of danger. “The one who eats merfolk flesh must have picked up some merfolk habits. I don’t know which one I’ll encounter.”

“Big Brother…”

“Big Brother prefers fair skin, translucent white matched with the interrupted breaths between sharp teeth. It’s twice as delicious, wouldn’t you agree?”

In reality, he almost knew it already. During the daytime class, there was someone who looked at the students with the eyes of a hunter, a terrifying beast seeking mating targets. That aggressive and restless gaze shouldn’t have appeared in this peaceful campus.

Arlon’s fingertips scraped against the rough bark of a nearby tree, successfully luring a rational lunatic. It was much easier than winning a battle.

As he had put it, it was a consensual matter. The final outcome depended on who emerged on top.

Room 502.

Wen Shi: “But after merfolk mate…”

Beep-beep-beep—

Only the busy tone remained on the other end of the line.

Wen Shi absentmindedly finished the remaining half of his sentence, “…but after merfolk mate, they lay eggs.”

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