Chapter 81.1 Crimson Sunset Expedition
Witnessing the law of camaraderie in the jungle firsthand, Wen Shi’s reaction was fascinating. He pointed at the curtains and said, “Please close them.”
The worms, split into two on all sides, began moving again. Wen Shi walked over, closed the curtains, and turned on the floor lamp to help each other see better.
Adapting flexibly, Wen Shi summarized strategically, “You probably don’t have shadows either.”
The meaty worms all nodded.
After a few seconds of thought, Wen Shi noticed that these large meaty worms acted a lot like humans when they were active. They went out with bags, carrying items that humans commonly used.
Each person had different starting points. The worms’ motives were obvious—they would do anything to survive. As a thought crossed his mind, he bent down, looking straight at the worm’s severed part.
Seeing the imposing figure stoop down, the worm immediately knelt using its truncated body, and then it crawled on the ground, displaying a humbling demeanor.
Despite being a youthful and cheerful boy, his smile turned ominous at that moment. Wen Shi asked cheerfully, “If we had just walked directly through this train carriage, apart from the ghost children, you wouldn’t have killed anyone, right?”
The meaty worm hesitated briefly before nodding.
Wen Shi grinned. “Tell me, what’s on your mind?”
The air fell silent.
“Speak.” Wen Shi’s finger lightly tapped on the suitcase handle, emitting an unspoken threat. “I know you can talk like humans.”
He was just called “Shortie” by the chubby worm.
“L-let you crawl on the ground.”
“Drink water from the toilet.”
“Wash our feet.”
No single worm dared to fully explain by itself. The meaty worms took turns discussing many torturous methods.
The last one said, “Those willing to obey, we’ll eat their arms or legs. Those unwilling, we’ll consume them entirely.”
Expecting a furious outburst, these worms shivered together after speaking. Unexpectedly, no storm came as Wen Shi calmly passed by them, dragging his suitcase.
The newbie quickly followed, asking from behind, “If players choose to submit to survive, would they also turn into worms?”
Wen Shi nodded. “Very likely.”
Just like Qian Laiye’s initial query to the tour guide, when only primal instincts remain, what was the difference between humans and beasts?
The game provided thirty minutes to return, but Wen Shi managed it in three minutes, dragging his suitcase.
All the players returned to the original train carriage smoothly.
“Side Quest: Return, completed.”
The system’s notification didn’t bring much joy. Xiao Hua expressed concern, “What should we do about the guild leader’s situation? Dealing with the shadows simultaneously is one thing, but also having to face…”
Suddenly, the eyes in the suitcase met Xiao Hua’s gaze from across the space. She withheld the rest of her words, her worry showing even more in her expression.
Wen Shi’s expression turned somewhat odd. He held back from speaking, but Shadow Yu Xingzhou smirked and spoke directly, “What are you mourning? His misfortune is partly your own.”
The radiant look Xiao Hua had when binding the shadow was noticed by all players, causing them to shift their gaze uncomfortably.
“……” Xiao Hua fell silent.
Comparing others to Wen Shi, Song Yan saw all high-level players as god-tier. He hadn’t realized the horror inside the suitcase yet. “You seem to have never experienced a rebellious phase. You’ve always been a good person.”
Most of those with rebellious tendencies reverted to their younger selves.
A thin and feeble arm extended from the suitcase, startling Song Yan. The hand beckoned to Wen Shi, who approached. Pressing his ear against it, he addressed the group, “My Grandma said she had a unique constitution, and the game couldn’t reverse her age. However, her shadow reflects her younger self.”
The old lady entered the game as her true self. Clearly, she wasn’t a regular human being. The game couldn’t easily ‘turn back the clock’ for her like it did for players.
Song Yan whispered, “Could we ask your grandmother how rebellious she was when she was young?”
Wen Shi conveyed his words exactly and after a moment, he said with a complex expression, “She would kill all of you. She wants me to rely solely on her.”
“……”
Trembling, Song Yan extended the thought, “What about the train carriage where the shadows are…”
Wen Shi understood what he was getting at, “The game must have set some kind of limitation beforehand.”
It wouldn’t allow the shadows to end in chaotic killing.
After a quiet pause, Song Yan questioned with a concerned soul, “Why is your grandmother in the game too?”
Wen Shi remained composed and made up a story, “Second generation of the game. My foster father and his relatives are all in the game. Some have passed away, some are still here. The ones who are still here can maintain some rationality to help me.”
Players had long suspected that those eliminated in the game would truly become ghosts, forever trapped inside. But for an entire family to be absorbed as players was extremely unusual.
They couldn’t verify Wen Shi’s words, feeling the mix of truth and falsehood hard to distinguish.
Xiao Hua remembered the might of the old lady’s kitchen knife. She frowned. “I hope the train reaches its destination soon.”
The earlier, the safer it would be for the boss.
…
Yu Xingzhou, who was on another speeding train, was being contemplated by the others, worrying about him.
An old green train with no crawling creatures, no suitcases. The curtains were tightly drawn since departure, and the air inside was oppressively hot.
The shadows could withstand the heat far better than the players. Among them, there was no order, and all suppressed instincts were unleashed, much like this sweltering steamy environment, needing an outlet.
When Shadow Xiao Hua got up to go to the restroom, an inconspicuous thin man followed closely. He gazed at her well-shaped figure, barely covered by a loose short sleeve, his sinister intentions growing deeper.
The thin man pretended to head to the sink but the moment the restroom door opened, he grabbed Shadow Xiao Hua’s arm. In a swift motion, he sidestepped inside, locking the door behind him.
Shadow Xiao Hua calmly looked at him. “Do you know who I am?”
The thin man’s gaze shifted downwards, his voice faltering, “Without skills, you’re just a weak woman…”
Shadow Xiao Hua delivered a mid-air kick, daringly aimed at the thin man who relied on a few years of practicing Sanda and an assortment of underhanded tactics. While fending off the attack, he managed to throw a punch, concealed glass shards between his fingers. In such tight quarters, any slight delay in movement could lead to a precise hit. However, Shadow Xiao Hua’s speed exceeded his expectations. She pressed her body against the wall, bending her knees at a clever angle, and skillfully targeted a crucial point with her kick.
Intense pain struck. Before the thin man could even cry out, his throat was firmly gripped.
“Want to stay alive?”
The thin man’s neck couldn’t move, so he blinked desperately, indicating his desire to live.
Shadow Xiao Hua’s eyes held bitterness. “There’s no reason for us to have any issues on our end.”
The train gradually slowed as it pulled into the station. She had seen some monsters waiting on the opposite platform earlier. Over there was chaos, but here everything was calm. Something wasn’t right.
“I suspect there’s a spy. Later, find a way to shift the suspicion onto Yu Xingzhou’s shadow.”
The thin man didn’t understand.
Shadow Xiao Hua continued, “First, I understand him. His skills are well-suited to dealing with us. Second…”
Her smile grew sinister, “I really want to slowly tighten a rope around that boss’ neck, and watch him lower his arrogant head.”
“……”
The thin man followed her out of the restroom like a quail.
Shadow Xiao Hua hurriedly turned back, only to find two people missing from the scene.
Knowing what they were looking for, Shadow Li Nan smiled faintly, “Said things are too peaceful, it doesn’t feel right. They’re going to inspect the train carriages for safety.”
He also suspected there was a spy among the shadows, most likely within the powerful players. Originally, he intended to start probing from Yu Xingzhou, but unexpectedly, Shadow Yu Xingzhou took away Shadow Pei Wenwei. This prompted Shadow Li Nan to alter the plan and decide to probe the others first, waiting to see what would happen when those two returned.
On the other side, having left two carriages in a row, Yu Xingzhou stopped in his tracks.
The teenager climbed onto the middle bunk, resenting his current height. Maintaining a downward gaze, he asked, “Why did you bring me out?”
The steel pipe in his hand bore traces of blood. Even though the blood had dried, a faint and elusive metallic scent still lingered.
Yu Xingzhou spoke calmly, “I’d like to ask you to stay here for a while. It would be convenient for me to handle something.”
“Handle something?” Shadow Wen Shi lightly touched the steel pipe, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. “You want to kill someone.”
Yu Xingzhou nodded.
As the teenager’s leg suddenly moved, Yu Xingzhou took two steps back to avoid the fate of his chin being lifted with the tip of his shoe.
“Apologies,” Shadow Wen Shi showed no remorse on his face, “I just thought that you should look up while talking to me.”
Much like demons, shadows magnified the distinctive traits of their parallel world selves, such as relishing control over others.
Yu Xingzhou had only one thought: Ji Yuanzhi, you blind fool!
What he truly wanted to resolve was Pei Wenwei’s shadow, given its high degree of unpredictability. However, based on Ji Yuanzhi’s words and the information gathered from his subordinates, it seemed that Pei Wenwei could gather formidable assistance in instances by invoking familial connections. He had to consider the worst-case scenario: that Pei Wenwei had summoned an ally in this instance, and that ally had a shadow too.
Direct confrontation would likely invite retaliation from the shadow. Yu Xingzhou could only choose a daring move: self-destruction.
“I have a task to hunt down two shadows. Care to designate the targets?”
Unlike Wen Shi, the shadow’s gaze was equally clear. His purity stemmed from unrestrained indulgence. The shadow saw through Yu Xingzhou’s reason for showing weakness: fear.
Fear of his own ally.
“Just as you suspect, I can manipulate someone to kill you.”
Yu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, not doubting the truth of the statement. There was no dead end in the game. If shadows could kill him, there must also be a possibility that they wouldn’t.
Observing the arrogant teenager, he knew he had to quickly identify where that possibility lay.
They exchanged glances, one high, one low. Gradually, a smile appeared on the teenager’s face–a prelude to killing once his patience was exhausted.
After briefly considering kidnapping the shadow and coercing its assistance, Yu Xingzhou ultimately chose the safer path, “I will help you deal with Pei Hongxin and his wife, making them pay the ultimate price.”
Memory duplicates, and that hatred would be inherited. No matter how powerful the shadow was, they couldn’t escape the game.
“Are you confident enough to kill the original? Let’s suppose Pei Wenwei dies–his real-life enemies will go on living carefree,” in the gloomy carriage of the train, Yu Xingzhou spoke calmly, “I, on the other hand, have a scapegoat item. Even if we lose in the team battle, I can still survive.”
“… I could even bring that couple into the game. You possess Pei Wenwei’s memories. You should be aware of Jie Yin Society. If you’re not reassured, we can use a contract item.”
The teenager slightly leaned forward, his smile growing. “Congratulations, you’ve found the key to survival.”
While they conversed, a few inconspicuous long strands of hair hung down, quietly moving towards the blood vessels on Yu Xingzhou’s neck.
A cool sensation reached his back. The sixth sense developed over time in the game prompted Yu Xingzhou to act instinctively. He sidestepped while simultaneously activating the skill【Time Freeze】.
As Wen Shi speculated, the game didn’t completely seal his skills. They were only downgraded to their lowest level. This was an extremely rare and terrifying ability. True to its name, it could freeze time for an instant.
In that split second of pause, Yu Xingzhou stepped back a few paces, and in the spot where he had stood, another person appeared.
The girl wore a white dress, her hair coiled up with a red flower at the end. She had been hidden somewhere earlier, and her hair was a bit disheveled.
The teenager was clearly surprised by this surprise attack, using the steel pipe to block the still-moving strands of hair.
The girl’s face was filled with regret, “If only the kitchen knife were still here…”
She had almost succeeded just now.
“You can only rely on me,” she said softly, a mix of fragility and grievance in her tone. “How could you accept help from others?”
Teenager: “?”
The girl took another step forward. Despite her incredibly young appearance, she kindly took the teenager’s hand with affection, “From now on, we’ll rely on each other for our lives. He…”
The teenager interjected in time, “Unless you can help me deal with enemies from another world.”
Only then did the girl manage to suppress the cruel intent in her eyes.
Yu Xingzhou raised his hand in silence.
The girl nodded as if granting a favor, “Go on.”
“I have to kill two shadows. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can leave,” Yu Xingzhou glanced at the Shadow Wen Shi and belittled himself, “This also saves him from mingling with people like me who are neither here nor there.”
The girl seemed to seriously consider his words. “There’s one with a sinister look in his eyes that I dislike. You can kill him. And there’s another one wearing a bracelet. When my well-behaved grandson got on the train, he didn’t greet him with a smile. He even mocked him a bit. You can kill him too.”
Well-behaved grandson?!
“Oh, by the way,” the girl’s voice turned gentle and soothing, enough to make one’s bones feel weak, “You can also kill that pretty girl in short sleeves. She’s planning how to bind and suppress you.”
Yu Xingzhou: “……”
A blind Ji Yuanzhi, a Xiao Hua seeking to create chaos, along with a whole train full of shadows. All these words condensed into a heavy sigh beneath his emotionless mask.
As Yu Xingzhou sighed about the worthlessness of the world, on the K6666 train, Xiao Hua kept sneezing repeatedly.
“Ah-choo.” Her nose turned slightly red. “Is someone talking badly about me?”
Wen Shi liked people who were clueless like this, because he was like that sometimes too.
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