Chapter 88.1 Crimson Sunset Expedition
The tour guide, showing rare sympathy, turned to pay the admission fee for the House of Screams tour.
A male player suddenly said, “As a well-known retirement town, Sunset Town must have good healthcare services. Perhaps the organs can be replaced as long as the damage isn’t too severe.”
Following the sound, Wen Shi looked over. Among the three people brought in by Li Nan, he only had a deep impression of Qian Laiye. Xiao Min had a lively personality but they didn’t interact much. The other was the male player who had just spoken, Fu Zhixu.
Usually quiet and reserved, the person really surprised everyone when he spoke up. Fu Zhixu didn’t seem talkative, so it was strange that he suddenly started caring about the injured players.
Saving face was not as important as preserving bodily integrity. Those who had been flattened grew restless and eager to take action. In the end, they straightforwardly asked the ticket seller, “Could you help us…”
Going up to retrieve the organs themselves would be like going through the House of Screams again. The risk was too high. Right now, they could only see if the ticket seller was willing to help.
“Shut up!” The ticket seller’s expression changed.
Since they had already lost face like this, there wasn’t much to worry about. The person continued, “Taking someone else’s lost item is wrong.”
The ticket seller couldn’t even muster a fake smile anymore. “If you want to visit the House of Screams again, pay up. And you lot of poor souls, do you have money for the hospital?”
The players fell silent.
Fu Zhixu was acting out of character tonight. No one was sure what he was thinking as he supported the injured group, “Return the organs first. We can negotiate with the hospital about the next steps. Whether it’s feasible is another story.”
The ticket seller brought out a “Closed” sign and began ushering the guests away, “Give up. The hospital prices here are steep. You can’t afford them.”
The group of people were more or less chased out.
The night breeze was chilling enough to bring tears. Especially for some players and shadows, it felt like the wind was tunneling through something.
The wormplayer offered a touch of humanity, “You can join the worm…”
“Shut it.” Someone rejected with a trembling voice.
Considering their current mood, the wormplayer didn’t retort.
While returning, the tour guide continued to lead the way. Li Nan’s perpetually gentle smile now seemed slightly strained upon seeing Wen Shi. Perhaps every time he saw this person in the future, he would recall that single sword strike.
During the train journey, the game implemented various restrictions, including a considerable weakening of Wen Shi’s【Cutting Princess】aura. Even though his sword skills were sealed at the moment, his battle record halo was still shining, giving people an inexplicable sensation of tension in their lower bodies.
With a sigh, Li Nan focused on the matter at hand. He began by using a barrier item to prevent eavesdropping and then said, “Fu Zhixu mentioned to me earlier that from the train station to the inn, we passed by three hospitals, all bearing the sign of cosmetic surgery clinics.”
Wen Shi was somewhat surprised that Fu Zhixu had paid attention to such a detail. Before the surprise could even fully form, he immediately sensed that something was off. Li Nan, instead of discussing the issue with Yu Xingzhou first, had come to him. He wasn’t confident enough to believe he was unique in the eyes of someone powerful.
Though wearing a smile on his face, Wen Shi was actually on high alert.
In the darkness, Li Nan’s expression seemed shrouded in silence. “Don’t forget the high price I paid to set up this instance.”
“The key,” Wen Shi chimed in.
Ironically, they found it ironic that the tour guide would consult a turtlekin for fortune-telling, yet the very reason that drove Li Nan to take action was the【Divination】by his subordinate, which unveiled the pivotal clue of the ‘key’.
“The key to leaving the game is definitely more likely to drop in a high-difficulty instance. This standalone fits the bill perfectly.” Li Nan’s tone shifted as he brought up another point, “Based on my investigation, the instances you’ve entered all involve hospital elements.”
Wen Shi: “Just a little.”
It wasn’t much of a secret. Back in the Sealed Coffin Village, Wen Shi even willingly shared the clue about Frank Hospital with the players.
Li Nan smiled, “Your identity as a【Doctor】can persist, indicating a connection between these instances.”
Wen Shi’s brows furrowed slightly.
“No need to be surprised. I’ve been engaged in an exchange of information and interests with Yu Xingzhou. You’re entangled in too many secrets. If we hadn’t reached an agreement on sharing information, why would I remain inactive, considering your closeness to the Second Commandment?”
Li Nan continued, “Players in the virtual world have never given up on researching the connections between instances that drop keys.”
“I read about it in the guide,” Wen Shi said. “It involves rules related to the Ten Commandments.”
Their current instance also included one: “Thou shalt not steal.”
On the train, a player almost lost his life for stealing a piece of candy.
“Still, there are differences. In the past, it would have been a critical factor for completing an instance. But that player on the train didn’t even die. I’ve suspected more than once that whenever someone collects a key, there’s a possibility that the connection point of the instance where the key popped out will refresh. This continues until someone disrupts it or does something to this connection point, creating a new hub. Otherwise, it would just keep being reused.”
Worried he might be making it too complex, Li Nan gave an example, “Among the players who completed instances before, the successful ones not only collected the keys but also replaced old elements with new ones. For instance, they substituted ‘hospital’ for ‘ten commandments’. Subsequently, all instances that drop keys would involve hospitals.”
Listening, Wen Shi felt his heart race. He didn’t have a profound understanding of the concept of keys, but he intuited that Li Nan’s explanation was getting dangerously close to the truth.
High-difficulty levels easily yielded keys. With 3S instances already being the highest difficulty, a fresh round of all instances containing keys would likely revolve around Frank Hospital as the central point.
“Returning to our previous topic, a newbie triggering a 3S-level instance is almost an impossible event. So, after your unexpected appearance, I investigated and found a common element: hospital.” Li Nan’s tone suddenly carried a hint of mockery. “But your instance choices are limited, so this guess lacks substantial evidence. Fortunately, further confirmation isn’t difficult, as the introduction of this standalone presents an opportunity.”
Wen Shi’s expression soured.
Li Nan: “So even if you hadn’t come to me that day, I would have sought you out. Who knows, I might have even offered a substantial amount of points as an additional incentive.”
If there truly was a connection, having Pei Wenwei’s identity would make exploring hospitals much easier.
Wen Shi clutched his chest. No wonder Li Nan hadn’t put on an air of authority when they met that day. He simply accepted whatever Wen Shi said. When he lost control while boarding the train, it was Li Nan who had personally intervened first.
He realized he had oversimplified certain matters.
“Billions of points, billions!”
If he had exercised a bit more restraint, he would have already earned enough points by now and activated new features for his homestead.
Li Nan had considered the various possible outcomes after this conversation, but he hadn’t anticipated that Wen Shi would be so deeply affected by points to the point of heartbreak.
“Before the departure, I asked Fu Zhixu to pay attention to things related to hospital elements…”
“Points, my precious points…”
Li Nan laughed, “Exchanging the King’s Card Box for tens of thousands of points earlier, this journey isn’t a loss for you.”
Wen Shi shrugged, setting aside his regret, returning to his usual calm demeanor.
He realized that both Li Nan and Yu Xingzhou shared a common trait: they never monopolized a big opportunity alone. When Li Nan’s subordinate divined that an instance was perilous, instead of assembling the guild’s best players to venture in, he sought out Yu Xingzhou to optimize their team.
If Yu Xingzhou were to obtain the key later on, according to their agreement, Wen Shi could receive a substantial points compensation from him. Overall, it wouldn’t be too much of a loss.
Sharing the risks was undoubtedly the right approach. Otherwise, it would have been Li Nan who was sent to K9999 for the soul hunting quest. Although Yu Xingzhou’s time manipulation ability had been downgraded to a mere one-second freeze, Li Nan’s crowd controlling ability wasn’t on par with his. Under that downgraded state, it wouldn’t have been easy for Li Nan to hunt down two shadows and escape unscathed.
Wen Shi followed a similar strategy. He constantly dropped hints related to hospitals to select potential team for the future 3S instance.
When elite players caught wind of this, they actively sought him as a partner to gain more insight and, when necessary, to safeguard their safety. Meanwhile, Wen Shi could observe their personalities and skills during this process, filtering out more reliable 3S instance partners.
“If it involves cosmetic surgery clinics, it could explain the issue of appearances.” Wen Shi didn’t continue along Li Nan’s line of thought, shifting to the topic of instances.
In that brief exchange of glances with the tour guide while picking melon seeds, he realized something, “Even though it’s the same evolution, the differences are quite significant.”
Worms hardly resembled humans, and those beastkin struggled to maintain a human appearance. However, the tour guide, judging solely from her appearance, bore almost no difference from a regular person.
“The definition of successful individuals in the story setting differs from reality.” Li Nan smiled. “From the perspective of the House of Screams, successful individuals refer to those with exceptional skills, namely the players. As the standard humans, we’re likely a rare species in this world.”
The tour guide didn’t utter a single truthful word. Aside from making money, there must be other reasons for guiding tour groups. That reason was the key to maintaining her human appearance.
Their conversation abruptly halted.
Li Nan had achieved his purpose for the night. He was merely reminding Wen Shi that cooperation would lead to mutual benefit and to identify the most fitting partner to join him in tackling the 3S instance.
Few people ventured out in this area during the night. After Li Nan disabled the item, besides the sounds of footsteps, only the heavy breathing of the injured players remained.
The paper lantern at the inn’s entrance became the sole source of light in the alley. The decaying wooden door was bathed in a crimson glow, and the inn’s entrance was wide open in the night, with the mosquito landlord energetically seated by the doorway.
A waft of a bloody scent blew over from afar. He narrowed his eyes in enjoyment and took a few deep breaths, “Delicious.”
The taste of blood was the most exquisite in the world!
His half-closed eyes opened, and the mosquito landlord turned his head in the direction from which the blood aroma drifted. He happened to spot a group of people approaching, their pants stained with blood around the crotch area. His needle-like mouth moved slightly, only to realize that the blood scent he had just greedily savored came from someone else’s lower body.
“Ugh—”
He almost made himself sick to the point of vomiting the blood in his stomach out.
Just like the tour guide, facing the guests with various injuries, the mosquito landlord refrained from mockery and earnestly advised, “Tonight, our establishment offers you free hot water. Go wash up quickly.”
Blood had an irresistible allure to him. The mosquito landlord hoped this group of people would clean up swiftly, as the bloody scent in the air felt dirty. In case he involuntarily took a few sips again. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Thanks to a bunch of idiots, Wen Shi got to enjoy a warm bath.
His short hair from his youth had its advantages. After washing up, he didn’t bother to dry it. He casually flicked his head a couple of times, and used his shapeshifting skill.
Concerned that the sound of opening the door might draw attention, Wen Shi decided to exit through the window. Utilizing the agility of a cat, he quietly slipped out.
He didn’t roam around the street recklessly but instead crawled into another window of the inn.
The moon was dark, the wind high, a cat’s head peeked out.
Just as his head emerged, a steel pipe pressed against his throat. Wen Shi blinked, “Good evening.”
The teenager had also just finished his bath. His skin, veiled in steamy warmth, bore a slight rosy tint. Water droplets cascaded down his forehead and through his disheveled hair, adding a touch more humanity to his appearance.
“You’re not genuinely afraid of death.”
“It’s not that I’m not afraid, it’s that I know you won’t make a move.” Wen Shi’s cat ears twitched. “Because you haven’t figured out how, after killing me, you’ll save another person’s life.”
The teenager’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes gathering coldness, as if he couldn’t understand what was being said.
Wen Shi: “Can we discuss this indoors?”
In response, the icy steel pipe nudged forward again.
Wen Shi had to struggle to cling to the window’s edge. Fortunately, this kind of inn had plenty of spots to rest, although speaking was a bit strenuous.
“You don’t care about life or death. Even if death is inevitable, you would still want to take me down with you.”
The shadow’s desire to kill the original self was instinctual.
Wen Shi: “But if I die by your hand, the girl will surely die too.”
There were still Jian Qingrong and his parallel world selves. They would undoubtedly spare no effort to eliminate these two individuals for revenge. The teenager must not have figured out how to solve this problem yet.
Wen Shi asked with a sly smile, “How about making a deal?”
The teenager retracted the steel pipe, turned, walked to the table for a drink of water, and spoke a single word, “Scram.”
Initially, he hadn’t made up his mind, but soon an extremely rare opportunity arose.
“I’ve already left a farewell message. If I die, regardless of whose hands it’s by, someone will deliver a message to my Grandma, asking that girl to be buried alongside me.”
The teenager tightly gripped the cup’s handle, turned his head slightly, a terrified look in his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.” Wen Shi nodded candidly. “As long as you help out a bit, I promise no one will trouble her.”
Outside the window, the cool breeze was growing stronger, and the teenager’s complexion reverted to its usual cold paleness.
“Do you find me shameless? But I’ve never been a good person.” Under the moonlight, his twin-colored eyes held a playful glint, “I made a promise to my father to do one good deed a day. So, I’m always willing to help others tirelessly. I’ve similarly promised someone to stay alive, and naturally, I’ll use every means to do so.”
A sense of unease welled up inside the teenager.
They both shared the same memories. The teenager was well aware that his original self wouldn’t harm others proactively. Using the shadow of himself from a parallel world as leverage wasn’t Wen Shi’s style at all.
However, everything the other party had done lacked any other explanation. The original self placed great importance on the agreement with his foster father. Resorting to any means to survive seemed plausible too.
“I don’t care whether she lives or dies.” The teenager bent down, seemingly conveying a threat through their eye contact. In reality, he was observing Wen Shi’s subtle expressions, “I detest being controlled by others, and I’m fed up with her interference in my affairs.”
Suddenly, Wen Shi pointed towards the door. His cat-like hearing was exceptionally keen, and he heard someone outside.
The teenager went to open the door. It turned out to be the girl who had stayed behind to watch the ticket seller at the House of Screams for him.
The teenager also realized that the NPCs in the instance who resembled humans were the most dangerous. From the conductors to the tour guide, and now the ticket seller, it seemed like the group was involved in some sort of sinister industry chain. After leaving the House of Screams earlier, he had instructed the girl to hide nearby and observe the situation.
The girl’s usual low profile made her absence hardly noticeable. The events of the night were so impactful that not even the tour guide, fellow players, or shadows realized someone was missing.
As the teenager turned around, Wen Shi had already vanished.
The girl entered the room and began recounting what she had discovered while following the ticket seller, “Not long after you left, she went to a street called Wangjing Road. It seems to be a cultural and tourist commercial street. I didn’t follow her further.”
The street had a sinister feel at night. She could sense the aura of death lingering. Deaths must have occurred there quite often. Engaging with something sinister might alert unwanted attention.
After sharing her findings, the girl offered her usual words of advice, “You sleep well, my dear grandson. I’ll keep watch for you.”
It seemed she hadn’t heard their conversation just now.
“We can take turns. I don’t like owing people,” the teenager said with little expression, “My hair isn’t dry yet, so you sleep first. We’ll switch halfway through the night.”
The girl initially wanted to decline, but upon seeing the impatience in the teenager’s expression, she obediently got into bed and fell asleep.
Time passed by, and after about half an hour, the teenager noticed her grip on the blanket had loosened slightly, indicating she had fallen asleep. He had noticed during their time on the train that she had a habit of holding onto something tightly while sleeping and only releasing it once she was asleep.
The teenager also shapeshifted and quietly slipped out through the window.
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