Chapter 76.1 Virtual World
The white jade coffin slowly sank into the ground. Wen Shi bowed his head to mourn.
The amber glow of the jade on the coffin lid appeared to reverse and flow back into the night sky’s reflection, restoring the blood moon’s color to its usual hue. The gloom in Sealed Coffin Village no longer increased.
Players were used to the strange scenes in the game and didn’t pay much attention to this scene.
Only the host looked thoughtfully at the dusty coffin and the full moon on the horizon. This signaled that the opening to the Ghost Realm had been sealed up.
“Aaron,” he thought about this name again.
The entire burial process finished swiftly. Wen Shi was the one who turned around first. When he caught sight of A’Sang and the mini scarecrow, both dressed in mourning clothes, he paused for a moment.
It was worth mentioning that the scarecrow’s body had a bit of cuteness to it.
Soon enough, the crew climbed up the hill and notified that the main station’s vehicle was waiting outside the mountain pass.
Just like when they arrived, the players walked along a long, rugged path and finally saw the silhouette of the bus. But this time, there were two vehicles—one to take the crew back to the main station, and one to send the players back.
Wen Shi was the last to board. After a moment’s thought, he turned to the host and said, “Wishing you a bright future.”
After all, he was the one who exposed the hospital’s dark secrets. He didn’t want the host to meet an untimely end on the way.
The host turned away somewhat awkwardly and eventually waved.
“Dearest viewers…”
Just as he got on the bus, Wen Shi glanced through the window and saw the host adjusting his charred tie. Out of habit, the host stood in front of the camera crew, addressing the general direction of the camera.
“…Thank you for watching the tenth-anniversary special episode of ‘Crazy Love Season.’ This is also the final episode. Goodbye.”
Without those ever-present close-up shots, Wen Shi felt a bit uncomfortable returning to the bus. He looked around and voluntarily sat beside Tian Wanling.
Tian Wanling’s big eyes widened even more at the sight.
Wen Shi casually grabbed the scarecrow and placed it in front of Tian Wanling.
Tian Wanling seemed to understand something and reached out to examine it. However, her finger was pricked by one of the upraised straws, causing a small wound.
“Sorry,” Wen Shi quickly apologized for the scarecrow, making up an excuse, “It has social anxiety and tends to act aggressively towards strangers.”
With a warning glance at Big Eye, Wen Shi got to the point, “Can your skills give him a more suitable body?”
Tian Wanling shook her head. “Perhaps when my【Fabric Crafting】skill reaches its highest level, but I’m far from that level right now. However…”
After being pricked earlier, she hesitated to reach out again. “I can help stitch up the cracks on his face.”
The cracks occured when the scarecrow passed through the Ghost Gate. If not dealt with promptly, the lack of sufficient Yin energy in the outside world could lead to the decay of the demon’s physical form.
With Wen Shi watching, the scarecrow remained fairly calm as Tian Wanling worked on sewing and patching.
While Tian Wanling was focused on threading the needle, she whispered, “Speaking of which, this instance helped me resolve a personal issue. Death is irreversible.”
Just like her mother, Pei Wenwei’s foster father, once gone, was gone forever.
Wen Shi gazed out of the window. When he experienced the life, aging, illness, and death on the Fierce Ghost Highway, he understood this truth. He realized that he had to wait until his own candle went out to stop the cycle of pain.
However, his father rarely imparted any profound teachings. Wen Shi felt that there was an underlying meaning to his words.
A’Sang, sitting obediently in the front row, turned around and persistently pitched the father-son zombie duo, “Dad, if you don’t die, you won’t be reborn.”
He observed A’Sang seeming a bit drained. A’Sang sensed a force repelling him. He was about to leave this place soon.
Wen Shi shifted over to sit beside the child and quietly reminded, “There’s still the tea party.”
A’Sang’s spirits recovered a bit only now.
“That lunatic will also be present…”
A’Sang was now fully reenergized.
Tian Wanling felt the straw body tensing up. Upon a closer look, she saw the scarecrow clenching its fist, seemingly upset about something.
A’Sang and Big Eye had an uncommon understanding. They wanted to take down the lunatic in the nightgown.
With a ‘ding’ sound, all the players finally received the system notification for settlement. This included Wen Shi, with a bit more content than the others—
“Congratulations to the player for completing the special task: Seal the Coffin.”
“Rewards for the special quest and the side quest【Returning to the Village】have been sent to your backpack. Please check it.”
“Congratulations to the player for clearing the A+ level instance ‘Crazy Love Season.'”
“Instance settlement is about to begin.”
“Player’s role-playing score in this session reached one hundred percent, granting a 1.5 point reward, totaling twenty-five hundred points.”
“Based on the player’s performance in the instance, the designation【Heir】has been added to you.”
“New feature added:【Mailbox】.”
“Mailbox: As the true heir wandering in the outside world, you can use this mailbox to stay in contact with the resistance members. Current recipients:【Earl】and【Host】.”
Resistance members?
It should refer to those opposing Frank Hospital. But then, why would they assign a designation of ‘heir’?
Wen Shi struggled to figure out whether the game wanted him to reclaim Frank Hospital or overthrow it.
When it came to this matter, the game’s stance was the most puzzling.
A small hand suddenly tightened around Wen Shi’s palm. The system notification sound that had just ended sounded again, informing him that a new companion skill had been granted.
Wen Shi was quite curious about what power A’Sang could lend him. Instead of waiting for the virtual world transfer, he directly opened the attribute panel to check.
【Companion Skill: Reanimated Corpse
Points required for single use: 200
After activation, you can freely choose any of the following effects:
Wild Dash: A limited-use skill, can only be used once per instance. Can cover five miles in two minutes.
Shell Breaker: Randomly crush the head of a higher-level demon. Usable 2 times per instance.
Fungal Strains: Infected creatures will experience symptoms like fever, sweating, vomiting, etc. Duration and symptoms vary based on the infected’s strength. Non-lethal virus.】
Practical and useful, especially Dash which could outrun cars’ speed, though it was limited to one use per instance. It could be a lifesaver in critical moments.
Wen Shi picked up A’Sang. “You’re really Dad’s good firstborn son.”
A’Sang stared at him. “Do you have another son?”
Wen Shi thought for a moment. “I think not.”
A’Sang was an exception due to his unique circumstances. Most ordinary kids wouldn’t have the capability to survive in the instance, so the game wouldn’t prompt their participation.
Before he could say more, Wen Shi suddenly started losing strength as he held onto A’Sang’s arm. Simultaneously, players’ bodies turned ethereal and completely dissolved into particles. In that split second before disappearing, Wen Shi received the sewn scarecrow from Tian Wanling’s hands.
Departing from the remote village, the bus finally entered the highway, the driver accelerated, but inside the bus, passengers were vanishing one by one.
……
Virtual world.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many onlookers at the exit. Wen Shi felt a bit uneasy after coming out.
He glanced at his empty palm. The scarecrow was gone. The game didn’t allow special life forms to enter the virtual world.
The square looked quite deserted today. As the second half of the year began, many players would wait for the ten-day mark before entering an instance, focusing more on real-life matters. A shifty-looking man had been observing from the outskirts for a while and finally approached. Catching sight of Ji Yuanzhi, he offered a sheepish grin, swiftly passing a business card into Wen Shi’s hand. As he made a hasty exit, he added, “Feel free to reach out if you require assistance.”
Even in the virtual world, Wen Shi remained cautious. He quickly shielded himself with his sleeve as the business card was handed over, guarding against possible poisoning.
He looked at the three capital letters on the card, “Jie Yin Society?”
“It’s a small guild that studies causality, dedicated to researching the criteria for selecting players in the game,” Liu Yun explained to him, “They privately contact nearly every new rising player.”
Wen Shi laughed. “Recruitment?”
Liu Yun: “No, business.”
As Wen Shi was about to ask further, Ji Yuanzhi answered, “This guild claims to use some special methods to pull real-world individuals into the game.”
With only a slight hesitation in his breath, Wen Shi maintained his composure and asked with a smile, “Can they truly accomplish that?”
Ji Yuanzhi smiled in response.
At this point, Zhou Lulu spoke up, “This guild contacted me before as well. They offer a pre-contract. If it fails, they return ninety percent of the points.”
Without hesitation, Wen Shi asked, “So they make money from that ten percent?”
Zhou Lulu looked at him deeply and said, “You’re quite wise.”
Many newbies could become somewhat conceited after gaining achievements. The Jie Yin Society exploited this tendency to lure players. They claimed to be able to bring designated targets into the game. Many players would fall for it—some did it to get revenge, while others pulled in acquaintances who were already on the run.
Wen Shi: “Why don’t people expose them for revenge?”
Zhou Lulu looked up at the sky, and Liu Yun and the others cleared their throats, their expressions somewhat uneasy.
Ji Yuanzhi: “Because they have backers.”
“Who…”
The question “Who’s the backer” hadn’t come out yet when Wen Shi looked at Ji Yuanzhi and suddenly understood something.
Shady business, huh!
Ji Yuanzhi calmly stepped forward. “Rumors say that the Jie Yin Society is backed by the Second Commandment Guild. Players believe it, so nobody dares to interfere.”
The main subject wasn’t embarrassed, but the others were. Zhou Lulu said, “I suddenly remembered I have something to take care of.”
“Me too,” Liu Yun added, “I need to check up on Xiao Yuan.”
Except for Liu Yun, the rest of the players were truly planning to return to the real world for a bit.
In the blink of an eye, only Wen Shi and Ji Yuanzhi were walking side by side.
Wen Shi didn’t discard the business card. Instead, he asked, “Do they need me to make the call in person?”
Ji Yuanzhi halted his steps.
Wen Shi: “As the second-largest guild, they wouldn’t be interested in such a small amount of money. If I’m not mistaken, Jie Yin Society actually has the means to achieve this. Those failed cases are just a smokescreen.”
Being in the spotlight naturally drew attention. When specific matters were made public, they inevitably stirred up quite a commotion.
Dealing with intelligent people was generally smooth, but sometimes it could also be a headache.
Ji Yuanzhi didn’t deny it. His gaze behind the lenses was inscrutable. “The guild leader instructed him to contact you.”
“I’m aware.”
If Ji Yuanzhi wanted to associate him with Jie Yin Society, he could have just said it outright.
Wen Shi: “Your guild leader also…”
As if he knew what he was about to ask, Ji Yuanzhi adjusted his glasses and said, “Before I entered the instance, he wasn’t aware of your background.”
Wen Shi smiled. “But now he knows, right?”
Ji Yuanzhi nodded.
It seemed Ji Yunazhi’s change of heart towards Pei Wenwei caught the guild leader’s attention, using their instance time to conduct a private investigation.
Wen Shi wasn’t surprised that the guild leader of the Second Commandment could accomplish this.
In the game world, the big shots generally held considerable influence in reality as well. This person’s ability to surpass Ji Yuanzhi as the guild leader indicated a complex skillset and background.
“Could we face chat?” Wen Shi asked.
Ji Yuanzhi’s eyelids twitched at his choice of words. He opened his communicator, sent a message, and after a moment said, “Head back to the hotel for now. Someone will come to pick you up later.”
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