Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 28

Chapter 28.1 Big Factory

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The two wine glasses gently touched, producing a crisp sound as their edges collided.

Nobody was a fool. Being willing to spend over ten thousand points to buy a team slot showed that Ji Yuanzhi had almost absolute confidence in gathering intelligence from Wen Shi.

It might have been a skill or possibly acquired through some kind of item.

Compared to that, Wen Shi actually preferred teaming up with the Puppet Guild. It was dangerous, but at least he knew the source of the danger.

“Reminder: You received 14,040 points.”

“Reminder: Your single transaction amount reached 10,000 points, and you received a 9.8% discount card*1.”

“Thank you for supporting the game trading platform. A random small item was sent to you. Please check it.”

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuanzhi asked, “What gift did you receive?”

He sounded casual, as if it didn’t matter whether the other person would answer or not.

Wen Shi had already opened the backpack and then said, “A thank-you letter.”

After speaking, they both fell silent for a moment.

Because it was too bizarre, Ji Yuanzhi instead believed that what he said was true.

Wen Shi opened the envelope.

Respected leaders of Frank Hospital,

Two years ago, I was depressed due to a business failure, and gradually experienced symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, and sleepwalking. I saw many doctors, but nothing worked. Just when I was desperate, I met Dr. Aaron.

After learning about my condition, Dr. Aaron patiently counseled and encouraged me not to give up. After actively cooperating with a series of treatments, I finally recovered in March of this year.

Thank you, Frank Hospital, for cultivating such an excellent doctor.

Yours sincerely, Patient You.

Wen Shi: “……”

Two years ago, he hadn’t even graduated from college, let alone entered the game.

There was also this patient surnamed “You”, could it be related to the game? So, this was a thank-you letter fabricated by the game?

[T/N: you(游) from game(youxi/游戏)]

He further clicked into the item information:

【Thank-You Letter: A letter from a patient surnamed You that can prove your status as a professional doctor.】

Wen Shi took a slight breath, considering Ji Yuanzhi’s presence, naturally exhaled, but his cheek twitched unnaturally for a moment.

The fleeting change in expression couldn’t deceive the experienced Ji Yuanzhi. He could be sure that this item was more extraordinary than imagined.

“Is this item useful?”

Wen Shi directly picked up the wine bottle and took a sip, then said, “I swear, if you got this gift, you would cry without tears.”

“……”

It took Wen Shi a minute to digest the fact of the thank-you letter. During the previous instance settlement, he obtained the alias of “Doctor” and having this patient’s proof somewhat increased his credibility.

There was nothing else he could find to comfort himself.

With weariness, he yawned and carried the half-empty bottle of wine, preparing to return to his room.

Taking two steps toward the elevator, he remembered something and turned back to wave at Ji Yuanzhi. “Goodnight, Golden Daddy. See you tomorrow.”

Ignoring the address, Ji Yuanzhi seized on the keyword, “Tomorrow?”

Wen Shi nodded. “You want to form a team, right?”

When players didn’t actively enter instances, the game would forcefully send them into instances at regular intervals, usually not exceeding ten days. Ji Yuanzhi thought Wen Shi would procrastinate until the last day.

“I’ve earned a lot of points for free, so it would be a bit impolite to keep mooching off for food and drinks.”

Wen Shi’s thought was about sustainable development. He didn’t dare to go overboard this time. Since the guest room was quite good, he planned to stay again when he came out next time.

His sudden decision to stop caught Ji Yuanzhi off guard and made him somewhat uncomfortable.

The elevator door opened, and Wen Shi walked in. Just before the door closed, Ji Yuanzhi could still see him blowing into the bottle.

Ji Yuanzhi took off his eyeglasses and wiped them but couldn’t see anything that indicated this person had alcoholic tendencies.

In reality, Wen Shi didn’t really like drinking.

Now, in the spirit of recalling bitter experiences to find joy, he remembered the night when he blew into bottles during the first instance match, reminding himself that life was not easy.

…

The next day, Wen Shi took the initiative to contact Ji Yuanzhi.

When it came to being the perfect second party, no one could surpass him. There was no trace of the indifferent attitude he had shown the day before right after leaving the instance.

Ji Yuanzhi knocked on the door, dressed like a waiter. With and without glasses were two entirely different styles. Without glasses, his demeanor seemed much milder, without that sharp and overbearing edge.

“If we’re going to role-play…” Wen Shi paused and said earnestly, “You’ll have to pay extra.”

“I just don’t want to draw attention.” Ji Yuanzhi pushed the food cart aside. “Once others know we’re about to enter the instance, there will be a bunch of people choosing to join, trying their luck to be placed in the same instance.”

The more people were aware, the lower the safety factor was.

【Player 377777 has used a teaming item and sent you a team invitation. Do you accept the invitation?】

Wen Shi: “Your plan isn’t bad.”

After speaking, he made his choice, “Accept the invitation.”

【Team formation successful】

【Matching instance, please wait…】

【Player, please note that the difficulty of this instance exceeds your current capability. We recommend purchasing items or using skills in advance.】

This damn game was trying to trick people into buying more again.

Without even looking at it, Wen Shi disregarded the blind selection of items. Who knew if they would be useful. He chose to consider the latter option, “Can I use skills in advance?”

【Requires extra payment】

“……”

It must be an AI, definitely an artificial intelligence system! Why else would it throw back the exact words he said to Ji Yuanzhi just a minute ago in his face?

Wen Shi could now be considered a junior wealthy player. When it was time to splurge, he didn’t hesitate, “Use the skill.”

【Skill ‘I Am Who I Am’ activated, searching for the target…】

【Do you wish to spend one hundred points to enjoy the game’s recommended support object?】

It was only ten points last time, and now it had caught up to the cost of using the skill itself.

Wait, it hadn’t caught up.

Wen Shi checked his remaining points. The game, with its “requires extra payment,” directly gave him double summoning points.

Without expression, Wen Shi said, “Recommend.”

He wasn’t arrogant enough to confront an A+ level instance head-on yet.

While Wen Shi was taking advantage of the game’s benefits, another section appeared on the projection screen displaying instance matches. At first, no one paid much attention to it, until a player who specialized in checking teammate statuses paused in front of the screen and unexpectedly noticed the player number: 460872.

This extremely ordinary number was now known throughout the virtual world.

The game duration was currently less than thirty seconds, indicating they had just entered the instance.

After being stunned for a few seconds, the player immediately shared this explosive news with the guild:【I can’t believe it! That newbie…the one with the number 460872, actually entered the instance directly!】

The player continued typing, expressing their doubts about the newbie’s immediate entrance to the instance, speculating whether they were threatened by the Second Commandment Guild. Before sending the second message, the communicator rang.

“Which instance? Be specific.”

The player calmed down and looked at the screen again. “It’s called ‘Big Factory.’ Factory as in manufacturing plant. The difficulty level is…”

“Are you dead? Stuck there?”

The player swallowed nervously. “The difficulty is A+.”

A+ and A might seem slightly different, but in reality, they were worlds apart. A+ level instances were far more challenging than A-level ones and have the potential to upgrade to S-level at any time. According to incomplete statistics, around fifty A+ instances were upgraded each year. Players entering such instances had to be extra cautious, and those fifty spots were best avoided if possible.

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