Chapter 87.1 Crimson Sunset Expedition
Five seconds passed, and their palms were still touching in mid-air.
The reason why the teenager high-fived and shouted “Yes!” was because Wen Shi’s skill was sealed, not his own. If he successfully managed to seal a few more, he would have an absolute advantage before the game ended. The only drawback was the upcoming scenic spots to visit, and with many deaths, they might have had to bring in new batch of players.
Among the current batch, six were brought in by Li Nan using a teaming item, and their shadows’ skills were also good. The next batch might not be the same. The original selves being strong wasn’t the problem. The issue was dealing with foolish teammates who might hinder progress, like the current situation.
“You’re finished.” The similar peach blossom eyes narrowed, resembling a cunning fox.
Wen Shi opened his eyes, and his cat-like round pupils were filled with a smile. “Little fool.”
The scarecrow went to find a brain. For now, let this teenager bore this title.
Wen Shi lowered his hand again and adressed everyone, “The House of Screams would surely create a side quest. Remember, I still have the refresh item.”
As soon as these words were spoken, pairs of eyes appeared quite bright in the darkness.
“It couldn’t refresh special side quests.”
Up until now, Wen Shi had only completed one special side quest, “Butler’s Request,” in the ancient castle instance. The House of Screams certainly didn’t count as a special side quest. Under normal circumstances, the risk for this quest was very low. As long a player of average strength was chosen, clearing it would be easy.
Unfortunately, the more ordinary something was, the more it tested people’s hearts.
Even if all the players voted for a weaker member, due to uneven team distribution, the decision-making power still rested with the shadows.
Shadows found joy in killing players. They wouldn’t directly target heavyweights like Li Nan or Yu Xingzhou, as the risk was too high. The best approach was to eliminate someone relatively strong yet within manageable limits. Combining the shadows of a few powerhouses with the their original counterparts could easily seal a newbie’s skills.
The plan was beautiful, but reality was brutal.
Wen Shi took a preemptive approach. “No guarantees about the outcome.”
As a complimentary attraction provided by the travel agency, the House of Screams was a must-visit place. The best-case scenario would be a re-voting process, but the worst-case situations were all possible.
“It’s okay,” a player immediately reassured.
No matter what would happen, it was still better than the current situation.
However, Wen Shi stood aside with his arms crossed, not making any move, clearly indicating to everyone: I’m going to raise the price.
He turned to the ticket seller and asked, “How many people voted for me and my shadow?”
The ticket seller at the newly upgraded 5A-level scenic spot had a friendly attitude. “Twenty-seven people.”
With the tour guide and the teenager removed, about half of the players wanted to know what his skills were.
Since the game temporarily disabled the points transfer function, and shadows didn’t have player IDs, any in-game transactions were impossible. After a brief moment of consideration, Wen Shi looked at the players. “Those who voted, step forward. Use an item to replace your vote. An individual’s offering must not be lower than three thousand points’ worth of spiritual compensation.”
Then, he turned his gaze to the shadows. “As for all of you, use a contract item to promise me a future favor. Of course, this favor doesn’t include unreasonable requests like sacrificing yourselves.”
“Dream on.” Burnt Player was the first to retort. Sporting a cold smile on his face, he didn’t need to elaborate. The shadows of the high-profile players would never consent.
Unexpectedly, Wen Shi’s next statement singled out a few individuals, including the shadows of formidable players like Yu Xingzhou. “You can forget about it.”
Stirring up discord was a skill Wen Shi possessed as well.
“Wanting to hitch a ride with others, without even considering if they can catch it.” Suddenly, he realized the brainless little scarecrow wasn’t so foolish after all.
A few players looked towards Li Nan and the others, hoping someone with authority would step forward and say a few words. After all, such massive casualty wouldn’t benefit anyone.
Xiao Hua did speak up, but unfortunately, she didn’t say what they wanted to hear. Her smile grew even more profound as she said, “Earlier, when our guild leader spoke, not a single word came from any of you. Don’t forget what the guild leader’s skill is. We’re going to use the lives of some fools to open up a safe passage.”
As soon as this statement came out, the faces of some who had hoped to take advantage of the situation turned grim.
—Time freeze.
Yu Xingzhou’s skill wasn’t much of a secret. Some had even witnessed it with their own eyes back at the waiting hall.
Shadow Xiao Hua asked coldly, “Anyone willing, anyone unwilling?”
Wen Shi remained composed. “One person short, and I won’t form a team.”
Shadow Xiao Hua glanced at the teenager, who had a refresh item as well. Perhaps they could undercut the price through fierce competition.
Paying no heed to his teammate’s signals, the teenager sensed that his invisible advantage was about to be eradicated once more. A faint trace of resentment glinted in his eyes.
Wen Shi wanted to acquire items with the intention of selling them outside. These items held no value for him, and he couldn’t trade the useless items in the instance.
In a flash, the horrifying House of Screams shed its bloody colors as everyone gathered together to negotiate.
Some players swore they definitely didn’t vote for Wen Shi, while others demanded the use of a truth detection item to uncover the real culprits.
Burnt Player: “Not gonna give anything even if I die.”
Xiao Hua: “Either give in, or let Pei Wenwei arrange a discount for the shadows. We’ll hire them to take care of you.”
Someone nervously asked, “Isn’t a three-thousand-point item too much?”
The shadows were even noisier on their end.
“With his character, if he agrees now, he’ll definitely deceive us in the future, won’t he?”
“The crucial point is to have a future. Have the more powerful ones establish contract regulations.”
“So annoying, Why didn’t we listen to advice from the beginning?”
The tour guide, holding a bill, was absent-minded all along. “I don’t want to wash dishes, don’t want to wash dishes…”
The quarrel escalated with every exchange, nearly leading to blows in the end, like a chaotic marketplace.
The girl silently covered her ears and moved to the side.
Wen Shi glanced at the clock on the wall. It was well past eleven. He figured they’d probably argue until midnight. Helplessly, he walked to the counter and engaged the ticket seller in conversation to pass the time.
The argument ended more quickly than Wen Shi had anticipated, as a small group of individuals with influence quickly made a decision. Pressured by the majority’s mindset, they eventually reached a consensus.
“We’ll go with what you said… Where is he?”
The player who spoke looked around, finally spotting Wen Shi engrossed in a lively chat with the ticket seller at the counter. They were even served tea, both of them laughing and talking.
Is this what a human being would do?!
Suddenly, it grew quiet behind him. Wen Shi turned around. Facing a series of resentful glances, he raised an eyebrow. “Have you made up your minds?”
Everyone nodded.
Honestly, the price wasn’t too high and was within the affordable range for most. Only about half of the players voted for Wen Shi’s shadow, so it didn’t spark a team-wide conflict.
In the next ten minutes, Wen Shi received so many items that his hands felt numb. He regretted that shadows didn’t have player IDs, otherwise, he could’ve raked in a bunch of points.
“Oh well, can’t be too greedy as a person.”
Once outside, he could sell the items, and then he could activate the【Come to My Place】feature.
The contract regulations for the shadows were drafted by Shadow Yu Xingzhou. Considering various situations, they agreed to do something for Wen Shi only as long as it didn’t violate these regulations.
Wen Shi glanced at the regulations briefly. “No problem, let’s sign.”
The restrictions set by the shadows were all for their own safety. Seeing how readily Wen Shi agreed, Shadow Li Nan seemed to have realized something.
The teenager’s expression darkened a notch, only now realizing Wen Shi’s true intention: he wanted to use these people to keep him in check.
“Behave a little, and I won’t secretly instruct anyone to harm you.” Wen Shi blinked.
The girl, at some point, stood in front of the teenager with a serious expression, gazing fixedly at Wen Shi. When she dropped the act of being gentle, her overly dark pupils held a commanding presence.
Surprisingly, Wen Shi took a step forward and smiled brightly. “Compared to his life, I’m more interested in the life of the scarecrow’s shadow. My scarecrow needs to evolve.”
Some things couldn’t be replicated. They had the same memories, but the teenager’s wrist was far inferior to Wen Shi’s.
The girl admitted that she, at his age, didn’t possess such scheming mind. His first sentence was to reassure the shadows completely, implying that the target to be killed was the teenager. His second sentence was to ease her mind, telling her that the teenager was less important than the scarecrow in his eyes.
“Actually, I have a third purpose,” as if knowing what the girl was thinking, Wen Shi lowered his voice and said, “I believe you’ll find out soon enough.”
As the words fell, he used the【King’s Card Box】.
“Detected that you’re currently in the【House of Screams】. Do you want to refresh the side quests in this area?”
“Yes.”
The moment the item took effect, everyone simultaneously heard the system’s notification sound:
“Attention all personnel, Player 460872 has used an item to refresh the group side quests. Since the House of Screams is a mandatory tourist attraction, the quest cannot be refreshed. Currently, there are two options:
“1. Re-vote
“2. If the chosen one remains the same, the House of Screams will be downgraded from a 5A-level to a 2A+ level scenic spot, and the quantity and power of unique skills will be adjusted accordingly.
“3. As this is a group quest, the voting result will be determined by the majority.”
The game loved to play with human nature. Wen Shi had considered all possibilities, but he hadn’t expected it to pull this move at the last moment.
The risks have been significantly lowered, rekindling the greedy desires of players who had just suffered the loss of their items. With it being a 2A+ grade scenic area, the fatality rate shouldn’t be too high.
The shadows didn’t even need to be mentioned. Everything that happened earlier illustrated the variety and horror of Wen Shi’s skills. If some weren’t sealed, they would become the shadows’ biggest threat in future team battles.
Noticing the changes in these people’s expressions, Song Yan felt somewhat scared. He moved closer to Wen Shi and swallowed. “Will anyone choose option two?”
Wen Shi: “Have you ever seen a gambler quit? Remember to stay closer to Li Nan and the others later.”
With a 5A level in front, the subsequent almost 3A level seemed unimpressive. This was the perceptual confusion brought by comparison. In reality, what initially used to be an A-level scenic spot had more than doubled in difficulty. Clearing it wouldn’t be easy at all.
“Black market, huh,” Wen Shi sighed heavily.
Pricing something at fifty versus forty-nine brought different psychological feelings. 2A+ and 3A- were practically the same, but the former was more likely to be readily accepted by the people.
The teenager, standing to the side, didn’t curse these idiots this time. He switched to calling them “dumbasses.”
He suddenly felt a trace of human sorrow. Such was the mentality of a gambler. When they placed their first bet, they were destined to gamble until they had nothing left.
Barely half a minute passed before the game’s cold notification sound came back online:
“Option two has been chosen.”
“The quest details have been updated.”
【Side Quest: House of Screams
Quest Details: After a long journey, you’ve finally reached the first tourist stop, the House of Screams. Having endured the arrogance of a player throughout the earlier travels, you decide to work together here to seal his skill.
Note: Please read the House of Screams safety guidelines carefully.】
After the notification sound ended, the ticket seller’s previously held-down mouth corners drooped a bit. “Strange, why haven’t some of the frozen fossils thawed yet?”
In the plastic basket, only a small portion of the fossils was wriggling.
The tour guide’s ears twitched, confirming she hadn’t misheard. She charged towards the counter, her momentum fierce. “We have other activities later, no time to wait. Thaw as many as you can right now, and we’ll use them.”
The ticket seller felt somewhat regretful, but seeing no signs of the remaining fossils thawing, she had to reissue tickets for settlement.
She needed to soak the living specimens further, so she went upstairs to prepare, while everyone gathered to read the regulations. There weren’t many points to note, apart from the one Wen Shi had just seen. Only two more remained:
1. Tourists must experience all themes before leaving and cannot stay for more than thirty minutes.
2. Tourists must not make loud noises. When a tourist’s noise exceeds a certain decibel level, items may be stolen!
It was only half an hour later that the ticket seller came back downstairs, panting, and said, “You can go upstairs now. Today, there are a total of three themes for everyone to explore: ‘Sword in the Tune,’ ‘Have a Bowl,’ and ‘Night of Resurrection.'”
When Wen Shi heard the names, his mouth slightly opened. He couldn’t even control his expression.
Game, you really know how to play.
The complicated and twisted expression piqued the curiosity of those trying to uncover his secrets. Misinterpreting it as annoyance before a secret was revealed, they mistakenly felt more intrigued. Facing the House of Screams, which had been downgraded by three levels, besides fear, there was an underlying excitement.
Xiao Hua walked over to Wen Shi with a knowing smile. “Willing to give a hint?”
Wen Shi knew Xiao Hua wouldn’t vote for him. He pondered for a moment and said, “Protect…”
The ticket seller interrupted their conversation. “Please, all visitors, enter the house for the tour.”
Clearly, such communication wasn’t allowed.
Wen Shi glanced suggestively at Xiao Hua’s head, indicating to protect their heads. The first two themes were easy to guess. As for the last one, “Night of Resurrection,” it should target those with a health points of one hundred and one.
Under the ticket seller’s urging gaze, everyone lined up and ascended the stairs, not forgetting to stay vigilant around each other in the narrow staircase.
The second floor had only a simple cloth curtain as a door. Li Nan was the first to walk in. He glanced at those intentionally lingering behind, wanting to enter later. He said, “The tour guide made it clear that we’re a unit this time. If one doesn’t enter, we can’t start.”
Just as he said, upon entering, there were no immediate threats. The old walls were whitened and bulging, with a hasty label affixed, “Sword in the Tune,” representing the theme content.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
