Chapter 75.1 Crazy Love Season (End)
All things could be crafted using data, like a mouthwatering cake or a lifelike human figure… Programs could drive each step as per the designed sequence, except they couldn’t reverse life and death.
The man had his leg operated on due to an unexpected incident, leaving behind the telltale imprint of steel plates on his bone structure.
In the end, Wen Shi tried it with reluctance.
“Do you want to activate Advanced Drunken Reverie—Feigned Corpse skill?”
“Yes.”
“Current skill usage failed, points have been reverted to the original account.”
In the Mirage Landscape, enemies could be fabricated based on players’ memories for a revenge plot, but they couldn’t make real corpses speak.
This corpse was the sole reality inside the virtual game, unrelated to data.
Wen Shi knelt quietly on the ground for a while, the air almost seemed to stand still. Even the host didn’t dare to disturb the situation. Suddenly, a voice came through, “Such a touching father-son bond.”
Wen Shi paused, then turned around to face a face with only skin hanging.
“!”
Even the deepest sorrow couldn’t withstand the shock of a sudden appearance. With A’Sang and Big Eye around, Wen Shi was initially completely unguarded against his surroundings. Suddenly facing a ghostly face, who could endure that?
The owner of the ghostly face was the Old Man Ghost.
Wen Shi was so startled that he almost bumped into the bones. He asked with fierce glare, “How did you manage to come out?”
The Old Man Ghost asked with a hint of bitterness, “Did you put me back after using me?”
Wen Shi opened his mouth but his words stuck in his throat.
The Old Man Ghost asked again, “Do you know how hard it was for me to chase after the car?”
A twinge of guilt flashed in Wen Shi’s eyes as he remembered releasing the Old Man Ghost to target the drone, only to completely forget about this matter afterward.
The Old Man Ghost had his share of bad luck too. When he shot down the drone, he was thrown out. His arm was injured, and then he saw a candidate. Wanting to absorb some Yin energy, he went after them. Little did he know that the whole world would turn upside down shortly after. By the time he rushed back, Wen Shi had already boarded the hearse. He gave it his all to squeeze in before the doors closed.
Just seeing Wen Shi call out “Father” and kneel before the corpse, his eyes were almost moved to the point of falling out.
“With a filial son like you, your father can rest in peace. Not like me… fathered a wretched child and ended up being given away.”
The Old Man Ghost’s sadness came from the depths of his heart, momentarily appearing even more sorrowful than Wen Shi.
Wen Shi was speechless. Your ‘son’ is right behind you, staring at you.
Many workers’ memories at Big Factory had been altered by Jian Qingrong. After the Old Man Ghost was sent as a gift, he mostly stayed inside the Ghost Box, still unaware of Jian Qingrong’s true identity.
Right now, Wen Shi truly didn’t have the energy to explain things to him. Given the Old Man Ghost’s mental resilience, it might be best not to let him know.
Seeing someone break the deadlock, the host forced a smile and approached with a grin. “Happy birthday! Just a quick question, when will you provide the information? Also, about changing the director, where did the previous one go?”
Suddenly, Wen Shi felt like he and the Old Man Ghost had something to talk about.
He sighed. “Regarding those matters, we’ll discuss them once we’re back in Sealed Coffin Village.”
A’Sang handed over his bowl. “Happy birthday, Dad.”
He couldn’t even eat a full meal, had not a single cent to his name, only a bowl remained.
“No need for gifts,” Wen Shi smiled as he gently stroked the child’s soft hair, “The most important thing on your birthday is having family by your side. Your presence is the best gift.”
A’Sang seemed to half-understand and gave an “Oh.”
Wen Shi lifted his eyelids, not seeing the scarecrow’s figure. His ears, however, keenly caught the rustling sound. Following the source of the sound to the seat, the mini scarecrow was in the back, plucking straws to spell “Happy Birthday.” Midway through, it heard footsteps, lifted its head, and stared at him with its big eye.
“Um… I understand your difficulty.” The sorrow of having no mouth.
Big Eye exuded resentment, once again realizing the importance of having a mouth.
“Actually, my birthday is still a few days away,” Wen Shi had a knack for hitting the mark instantly, “Isn’t there a tea party as well?”
The tea party happened every seven days, and taking a few days off would coincide with his birthday.
Big Eye came back to life.
Wen Shi returned to the driver’s seat, clasped his hands together in front of the skeleton, and bowed. The mini scarecrow followed suit, clasping hands full of sharp straws, earnestly bowing alongside Wen Shi.
A’Sang imitated from the side.
The Old Man Ghost said, “Look, even a scarecrow knows how to respect the elderly. But my unruly son, sigh!”
Before he could howl again, Wen Shi stuffed the Old Man Ghost back into the Ghost Box. As the box closed, the world fell quiet once more.
He removed a shard from the skeleton’s hand.
Upon touching the sharp edges of the shiny chip, the system’s cold prompt sounded in his ear:
【World Shard: A piece that fell out from the underworld’s rupture, one of the sealing-coffin materials.】
Moving the bones aside, Wen Shi signaled to the eagerly watching host, “Let’s drive.”
There was no driver now.
The host had been all over the place recording shows, so driving a hearse was a piece of cake, not a challenge at all.
After tidying up the driver’s seat covered in flour residue, he started the car with a cheerful smile, yet a hint of darkness flashed in his eyes.
Those who could enter the Ghost Gate were no ordinary beings. First, they must avoid the nightly procession of countless ghosts. Besides the incident that occurred during this recording, surprisingly there were actually others who entered the Ghost Gate midway, without even a whisper reaching the outside world.
“Aaron…” the host mused over the name, finding it intriguing that the corpse that trespassed into the Ghost Gate was addressed as “Father.”
“Can we go?” Wen Shi asked as he noticed the host hesitating to step on the gas.
“Of course.” Eager to uncover some filthy secrets, the host immediately revved up to hit the road.
With the Ghost Gate wide open, creatures came and went. Many supernatural beings roamed the Fierce Ghost Highway. Most of them were driven by their insatiable desire to prey, paying no attention to the spectacle of countless lanterns floating above the road, a phenomenon that had never appeared before in the sky.
A’Sang rushed to the top of the carriage, one bowl, one ghost. Before the monsters could approach and cause mischief, their souls would be taken away in advance.
Without the nuisance of those filthy creatures, Wen Shi enjoyed his cake while quietly admiring the scenery along the way.
Only he could savor the cream cake. The scarecrow couldn’t possibly eat it, and the host had to drive. A’Sang’s menu remained outside.
“Hospital…” The silky cream made his muttered words unclear. Wen Shi’s gaze carried a hint of mild sharpness, “So, it turns out I’m a second-generation.”
In the letter, his father mentioned causing a passage into the underworld, making it clear who established Frank Hospital.
However, among the guidelines set for him by the other party, it was all about starting something new rather than inheriting. So, did the game end up confiscating such a massive hospital?
Old thief, give back the father and son’s hard-earned money!
The host’s speed was breakneck, far from the steady pace of the faceless driver. The cold wind blowing in gave him headaches. Wen Shi signaled A’Sang to return, temporarily closing the window on the side.
The darkness gradually receded, and halfway through, the sky lanterns vanished. The sun peeked out from behind the horizon, everything returning to the way it was when they first arrived. The red gate representing life finally appeared ahead, and the hearse plunged right in.
The light dimmed, the hearse speeding up. Wen Shi felt dizzy and disoriented.
“Slow down, slow down.” Seeing Wen Shi’s pale face, A’Sang took the bowl and used it to threaten the host.
The latter continued pressing the accelerator vigorously, “Little ancestor, take a look behind before talking so lightly.”
A’Sang turned to look back, finding nothing at first. As he walked to the back, he finally noticed something amiss. Gazing through the rear window, he saw an abyss of endless darkness. His vision and perception far surpassed human limits, immediately realizing that this road was vertically inclined at a ninety-degree angle.
The hearse, capable of freely navigating in the Mirage Landscape, remained firmly attached to the road as it sped on. The red light on the front blinked once more, and the speed gradually slowed down.
The host unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Get out.”
Wen Shi carried the corpse on his back. As the door opened for a split second, he saw the red threads he had spotted when jumping off the coffin earlier. The skeletal framework on Wen Shi’s back was bound and hoisted away.
Just as he was about to reach out for it, the next moment his own joints were entangled too. The red threads acted like an elevator, pulling them upward with force.
During the movement, Wen Shi keenly realized the concept of things being simple when leaving but tough when returning. The process of being dragged upward was far more uncomfortable than the wild plummet when he jumped straight down. The most discomforting part was that Wen Shi hadn’t consumed much food in Sealed Coffin Village and had just polished off an entire cake alone.
Motion sickness coupled with the current pulling sensation stirred a tumult in his stomach.
The scarecrow had been perched on Wen Shi’s shoulder all this while, eager to ask a caring question, yet unable to produce a single sound.
Right then and there, he resolved that, by any means necessary, he would get himself a mouth.
……
Sealed Coffin Village, graveyard.
The dim glow of eternal lamps enveloped the players, casting somber shadows on their faces. Liu Yun held a lamp, occasionally glancing into the coffin. “Why hasn’t he come out yet?”
There was a time disparity between the inside and outside, but as long as they didn’t enter the underworld, the time difference wasn’t significant. It had been several hours since the players left Mirage Landscape. As promised earlier, they had been waiting by the entrance of the white jade coffin, ready to pick up Wen Shi.
Amid the anxious waiting, a rustling sound finally emerged from below.
Liu Yun leaned forward to take a look, her chin nearly colliding with a suddenly extended skull. Startled, she took a step back, almost stumbling, and quickly shielded the eternal lamp in her arms.
Sun Geng promptly supported her from behind, his eyes locked onto the skull, “Another ghost coming out from the Ghost Gate?”
While they had been guarding here, only a few monsters had returned to the underworld. Very few came out.
Most ghosts and monsters intending to travel had already left before 2 AM.
“Give us a hand.” A familiar voice came from below, “Help me get my father out first.”
“Father?” Everyone was taken aback, approaching to see a skeleton entangled with various threads. They quickly confirmed it was indeed a skeleton, lacking attack power, not a monster’s trick. Hastily and clumsily, they began to pull him out.
In no time, two pallid hands gripped the edge of the coffin and pushed hard. Wen Shi crawled out, gasping for breath.
When only a short distance remained, the red threads stopped pulling, and he had to climb the rest of the way himself. To save points, he didn’t bother transforming.
Following him was the host, who appeared much more composed compared to Wen Shi’s disheveled state. As for A’Sang and the scarecrow, climbing was as easy as writing for them.
Illuminated only by the eternal lamp, the graveyard was eerily silent except for the sound of breathing. After a while, Sun Geng cleared his throat, “You just said that’s your father. You’re joking, right?”
Wen Shi: “My foster father.”
He didn’t shy away from mentioning this detail, as being upfront could dispel many unnecessary speculations from outsiders.
Sun Geng’s brain froze for a couple of seconds. “He was a player too?”
It was unbelievable how coincidental this was, a father and son both matched to the same instance. Upon reflection, the game manipulated their loved ones for the scenario, everyone saw their dearest ones. It didn’t seem too strange for Pei Wenwei to see his foster father here.
Tian Wanling: “Are you sure?”
Inside Mirage Landscape, she had tried to seek her deceased mother, fearing she might be trapped similarly.
Wen Shi nodded, “My father had been in this instance and caused some mishaps. Now, it’s a case of son paying off his father’s debts.”
The game’s most vital piece of information went unheard by the host. Otherwise, he would have undoubtedly unraveled everything, eager to be the first to uncover this mind-blowing revelation.
Caused some mishaps?
Zhou Lulu and Liu Yun exchanged a glance. It seemed Wen Shi’s father was an impressive person. But a look at Pei Wenwei cleared things up instantly—father and son were identical.
Tian Wanling swallowed. “So, you’re a second-generation.”
In that moment, they finally understood why a newbie could be so formidable.
This was precisely what Wen Shi wanted—to make sense of things before wild speculations in the virtual world took over. As a second-generation player, everything could fall into place.
No matter how skilled an inheritor was, others would still link them to their parents. This way, it could diminish the air of mystery and, in the future, if he were to make any unconventional moves… Yes, that’s right, it was all my family told me. This excuse couldn’t be more perfect.
Lowering others’ guard was the way to survival.
Satisfied with the players’ expressions, Wen Shi was confident his objective was achieved, until he noticed the out-of-place Ji Yuanzhi. Rather than showing surprise for the skeleton, Ji Yuanzhi shook his head slightly, his gaze carrying a touch of complexity.
Their eyes met, and Ji Yuanzhi softly said, “My condolences.”
During his investigation, Ji Yuanzhi had been puzzled by how a living person disappeared completely later on. Issues like identity, residence, and more—how would they be resolved? If the person who saved Pei Wenwei was a player, everything could be explained. For experienced players with some clout, managing such matters would be a piece of cake, let alone hiding their prowess in the real world.
Fortunately, Pei Wenwei had truly been saved back then, both in body and spirit. Unfortunately, the person who saved him was no longer around, and even his remains had to be retrieved personally.
What a sad tragedy.
“……” Wen Shi now finally understood the fear of suddenly receiving concern from a friend.
Though the age difference wasn’t that significant, this sponsor was actually looking at him with eyes that held sympathy for a lonely child.
“Hiss…” He uncomfortably rubbed his arm, attempting to rid himself of the goosebumps that had surfaced.
Sun Geng broke the night’s silence for the second time, shifting the topic back to the instance itself, “Today is the last day of recording. The crew is gone, so there probably won’t be any more gaming segments.”
As long as they endured and didn’t trigger the instance’s death rules, they could smoothly exit.
Wen Shi nodded. “That’s right, our priority now is to hold out.”
Catching a glimpse of A’Sang, whose eyes were emitting a green light as he held a bowl and gazed at the countless ghosts and monsters in the village below the mountain, he cleared his throat and said, “Come on, repeat after me. The Ghost Festival is very dangerous. We need to be cautious first.”
A’Sang had sampled a few appetizers on the Fierce Ghost Highway and ended up getting frightened out of his wits by Wen Shi’s “death.” In a state of panic, he attempted a rescue.
Because Wen Shi departed from this world so abruptly, without instructions and combined with the fact that he was genuinely lifeless at the time, A’Sang barely had any time to take a bite. He managed to collect a few drops of blood from his heart, but Wen Shi still couldn’t absorbed it.
Losing blood can be taxing on the body, and right now he really needs to replenish, “H-hundred household smells delicious.”
Wen Shi emphasized, “Endure.”
“Hungry, hungry, rice, rice, anything!”
In truth, besides eating, A’Sang had other goals to achieve. Seeing the skeleton, his previous determination wavered, “Is it because of the mourning period, we can’t eat meat?”
Or is it that we can’t take a life?
If that was the case, he would just have to grit his teeth and endure.
A twitch formed at the corner of Wen Shi’s mouth. “… Actually, our family doesn’t follow that tradition. I’m just concerned for your safety.”
A’Sang: “No one can catch me.”
It was impossible to gorge on the entire buffet. He’d finish a round and make a timely exit.
With his repeated assurances, Wen Shi finally relented, “Go ahead.”
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