Chapter 88.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
On the bed, the girl opened her eyes and wiped away a tear, “One is too soft-hearted, the other is useless. What should I do?”
Unable to kill his original self and being used as a bargaining chip.
The girl struggled to find a solution. Unfortunately, during this age, the original self had just settled a major grudge. Torn between continuing to kill anyone remotely associated to her enemy and rejoining the world to integrate into civilized society by studying culture, after much consideration, she finally decided to latter.
Regrettably, it was the original self who had the culture and experience, not her.
Under the dark moon and strong wind, the second cat poked its head out.
Wen Shi leaned against the bed and yawned, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
“Deal.” The teenager had no interest in engaging in more conversation. He got straight to the point, “But you have to promise that no matter who wins in the end, you won’t let anyone target her.”
Wen Shi nodded.
The teenager still found it odd that the other party would use someone close as leverage. His cat-like eyes shifted, “What other schemes do you have?”
“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe it.”
“Tell me first.”
Wen Shi brought out the teddy bear Ji Yuanzhi had given him, using it as a guard during the night. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes, “My limited kindness has been mostly spent on you.”
“Bullsh—t.”
“……”
Knowing this would likely be the outcome, Wen Shi curled up with the teddy bear to sleep. “It’s a bit chilly tonight. Could you close the window a bit?”
Should’ve just burned you alive.
The departed teenager cursed angrily, his tail giving the window edge a sharp flick.
The most painful thing about traveling was getting up early, but the next day, the tour guide allowed everyone to rest until ten in the morning before leisurely preparing for departure.
“Today is free time for activities. We’re heading to the famous street in Sunset Town—Wangjing Road,” the tour guide’s smile was bright, “To make the trip more enjoyable, I’ve arranged a small competition for you all. Before six in the evening, each person must complete at least five checkpoints. Among these five checkpoints, one of them must be from the top three must-visit places in Sunset Town.”
She distributed badges to the tour group one by one. “By wearing this, you can experience many activities for free.”
After finishing, she let out a fake sigh. “Made so many badges, but there aren’t many tourists left now.”
In the House of Screams, seven people died. If they hadn’t chosen cooperation in the last two themes, the casualty count would have at least doubled.
Although it was a team battle with both sides hoping for higher casualties on the opposing team, half of their group had already been lost after just arriving at the tourist destination. The strong shadow of death made it impossible for them to take pleasure in others’ misfortunes.
Wen Shi glanced at the badge, with the name in front and a list of free activities behind: Wax Museum; Big Tongue Bookstore; Wow Wow Shout Chain Restaurant…
There were a total of six free activities, and the names already hinted that they weren’t good places.
Cheap things weren’t good quality, which was evident from the inn they stayed in.
Someone asked, “Among the free activities, are there any of the top three must-visit places?”
The tour guide nodded, “The Sky Tower is one of them, where you can experience free bungee jumping.”
The group didn’t look too pleased. The risks of aerial activities were much higher than those on the ground.
The tour guide continued, “If you’re not satisfied with the travel agency’s arrangements, you can also choose to pay for other activities. However, you can only approach the bosses with stamps. After successfully completing the checkpoint, they’ll stamp your badge.”
The system’s prompt came in very timely:
【Side Quest: Free Day Out.
Quest Objective: Successfully check in at five places.
Reminder: Players who haven’t completed the task by six in the evening will lose something for each checkpoint not checked.
Reminder: Apart from a few must-visit places, the higher the cost of the activity, the safer it is.】
Two paths lay ahead for the players: either find a way to earn money for safe activities, or venture into high-risk checkpoints at the travel agency’s partnered stores.
The tour guide brought out a small box. “As a token of appreciation for your support, I personally funded a museum ticket. The museum is one of the must-visit places. Those who want to participate in the lucky draw can come forward.”
She shook the box, making a tinkling sound inside. “There are sixteen balls in here. Drawing a red ball gets you a ticket, while drawing a black ball means you’ll face a small punishment.”
Some players were enticed. “How many red balls and how many black balls?”
“Fourteen black balls and two red balls.”
“……” Even using lucky items wouldn’t change these odds.
The tour guide deliberately walked around in front of Wen Shi while holding the box in her hands. “The turtleguy said you’re unusually lucky. Why not give it a try?”
At that moment, the teenager stepped forward, “I’ll give it a shot.”
However, the tour guide didn’t offer him the box. She smiled and said, “I’m sorry, passengers from K6666 have priority selection rights.”
Someone: “She wants to change the fate again.”
Paying for the entrance ticket from her own pocket, it was clear who it was aimed at.
Wen Shi shook his head, looking at the tour guide with a resigned expression, “Miss, you know nothing about my luck.”
He had once accurately selected the most precious flowers from among thousands cursed ones. Compared to those odds, what were a dozen balls?
Without hesitation, he pinched two fingers together and the red ball shone brightly in the sunlight.
“……”
Wen Shi earnestly warned, “In gambling, you can end up with nothing.” Finishing his words, he casually tossed the red ball into the other person’s arms, “Give me the ticket.”
After a few seconds of silence, the tour guide reluctantly took out a ticket from her pocket. “You…”
“Hand it over.” Without a moment’s hesitation as he snatched the ticket, Wen Shi turned away without a second thought, waving his hand. “Goodbye everyone, I’m off to visit the museum.”
Among the shadow team, the teenager glanced at the tour guide, coldly smiling with a steel pipe in hand, seemingly mocking. It was understandable, considering the tour guide’s insistence on the priority privilege earlier.
The girl helped him by his side, fanning the air. “Dear grandson, don’t tire yourself out. I’ll come work to earn money later.”
The teenager shook his head. “I’ll first go ask the town residents about the must-visit places and check out the shops.”
The girl nodded. “Okay.”
The two walked away side by side.
Who wouldn’t feel envious watching this scene? Qian Laiye saw it and clutched his heart, “I really envy these pampered folks.”
Completing the task of visiting five locations in the instance wasn’t an easy feat. People dispersed to make the most of their time. As for the tour guide, she hailed a taxi and her destination remained unknown.
The Sunset Town’s most bustling street was the Wangjing Road, where one could see many beastkin during the daytime.
The daily job hours were too long to allow for sightseeing. Everyone had to find gigs that paid by the hour. The commercial area had quite a bit of work. The girl managed to find a job handing out flyers.
She had a good appearance and demeanor, but unfortunately, her overly pitch-black eyes seemed eerie, causing people to avoid her.
Standing for an hour, she managed to give out fewer than ten flyers.
Someone approached and took a flyer from her hand.
The person who arrived was Yu Xingzhou. He had quite a few admirers among the young ladies. When he spoke, he slightly lowered his head and his gaze, appearing relatively gentle and courteous.
The girl frowned, issuing a warning, “You’re blocking my work.”
Yu Xingzhou didn’t budge. “I’m curious about something.”
The girl’s patience with outsiders was a fraction of what she had for the shadows. At times she felt like acting out, but a certain phrase made her lift her eyes inquisitively.
“Why did the shadow impersonate Pei Wenwei?”
The atmosphere instantly tightened like a taut string. The girl’s dark eyes brimmed with vigilance and a hint of murderous intent.
Yu Xingzhou pointed out a loophole, “The shadow persistently wanted to replace the original self, yet also attempted to appear different. Pei Wenwei is left-handed, while his shadow deliberately uses the right hand to hold things.”
Yu Xingzhou had spent quite some time with the shadow team on the train, becoming well-aware of the subtle actions that differentiated them from their original selves.
The teenager who had just held the steel pipe used his left hand.
“If I wanted to expose it, I wouldn’t have waited until now.” After returning last night, Yu Xingzhou had a lengthy conversation with Li Nan, exchanging perspectives on the instance. They both agreed that there seemed to be some undisclosed collaboration between the tour guide and the ticket seller.
Their lodging cost only fifteen yuan per person per night, while the House of Screams required over a hundred for just one activity. The tour guide had mentioned that generally it took about five or six fossils, which meant the maximum expenditure could reach around seven hundred yuan. Introducing this new attraction didn’t make sense at all.
Judging from the tour guide’s behavior last night, this collaboration wasn’t about money. Since they still had to pay the required fees, it could only involve the tourists.
After hearing his words, the girl felt a bit irritated. Why did all these people suddenly become so thoughtful?
Yu Xingzhou spoke calmly, “The ticket seller has the ability to explore the ticket holder’s hidden cards. Pei Wenwei’s sealed skill must be the one that can ensure survival.”
Perhaps the box was prepared for the other party from the beginning, enticing the extremely lucky Pei Wenwei to visit the museum. Under the circumstances of a sealed survival skill, escaping wouldn’t be easy.
Yu Xingzhou had thought that Pei Wenwei might come to him or Li Nan to persuade them into exchanging a scapegoat item. However, he hadn’t heard from him until he noticed the habitual hand usage just now, immediately considering a possibility: Pei Wenwei convinced the shadow to act as him.
This truly was the most ideal plan. Neither the tour guide nor the ticket seller would have ever thought that they’d be dealing with a shadow with maxed-out skill points.
Regardless of whatever arrangements they’ve made, their outcome probably wouldn’t be favorable.
“If you’ve already guessed, then why bother asking?” The girl really felt like taking him down.
Yu Xingzhou repeated the initial question, “Why would the shadow be willing to impersonate Pei Wenwei?”
He had always been curious about what made Pei Wenwei appealing to people. He was intelligent, yes, but the smarter someone was, the harder it often was for them to gain trust. Yet with Pei Wenwei, it seemed to be the opposite.
The girl: “What do you think?”
The mask concealed his furrowed brows. Yu Xingzhou, uncertainly ventured, “Because of… the brilliance of humanity? His shadow was moved by him. I know someone who said that Pei Wenwei is a person who would lend an umbrella to others even if he gets wet in the rain.”
Yu Xingzhou used to find that idea far-fetched, but now he considered it quite plausible. If Pei Wenwei could move Ji Yuanzhi, then it wasn’t surprising that he could move the shadow as well.
He could have this misconception all thanks to Ji Yuanzhi’s influence.
The girl’s nails were close to tearing through the flyers. A few seconds later, she silently turned around, with Yu Xingzhou following in step.
Before long, the two arrived at a massage parlor on a street corner.
The sunlight streamed in perfectly through the transparent windows, casting a soft glow onto the comfortable beds inside. Looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they saw a teenager enjoying a shoulder and neck massage.
The price list at the entrance clearly indicated that a one-hour massage cost one hundred and eighty. This price point definitely fell into the high-end and safe service category.
Yu Xingzhou was taken aback, “Where did he get the money?”
“Found a few turtlekin. Thirty for stepping over his feet. Fifty for stepping over the waist. A hundred for stepping over the head.”
The girl grew angrier as she thought about it. Meanwhile, she could only hand out flyers on the street, saving up money for her dear grandson. She initially wanted to snatch the money, but her grandson had instructed her in the morning to behave, to avoid triggering any strange rules.
Yu Xingzhou’s expression was one of utter disbelief.
“Customer, is this pressure okay?” As the elephantkin kindly inquired, the elephant trunk tapped and massaged the back.
“It’s fine, a bit heavier.”
Wen Shi didn’t lie to the teenager. He had used up all of his limited kindness on him.
With his important skills sealed, once the teenager strategized and calculated, he would surely move to kill him immediately. Normally, faced with someone who had been a constant threat and on the brink of killing him at any moment, Wen Shi would have found a way to strike back. Perhaps because of their striking resemblance, he felt a touch of pity. The fact that the teenager was willing to make the deal for the sake of his family’s safety indicated there was something restraining him. It was similar to the self-restraint his father had over him.
Given this situation and the fact that the teenager had helped him today, Wen Shi would find a way to ensure the safety of both him and the girl.
If the teenager had rejected the deal last night, Wen Shi would have gone to find Li Nan and the others. The big shots surely had spare scapegoat items on them, and acquiring one for self-defense wouldn’t be difficult. Highly classified information, keys, World Shards—just one of these items would be enough to tempt the teenager. He might even need to pay a price difference.
In that case, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate the shadow that dreamed of devouring him. He might not even need to take action himself. Exchanging the key for a scapegoat item and aiding in the killing of the teenager, Li Nan and Yu Xingzhou would probably be more than eager to agree.
“Customer, you seem to be in a good mood.” As a gold-tier masseur, the elephantkin knew how to please customers. While asking about topics that might make the customer happy, they rhythmically pounded the back with their elephant trunk.
How could it be good? At the very least, one less death.
Ever since the day he acquired the blood-locking feature, stabbed in the heart, turned into an air cushion, impaled by ghost claws and turned into a corpse… Damn it, every instance involved a death.
It hurt like hell.
He had a premonition that if he were the one to venture into the museum today, his death tally would definitely increase by one!
“Oh hohohohoho…” Wen Shi burst into a series of laughter, somehow managing to sing along while enjoying the elephant trunk massage, “I want—a blossoming life—”
That rebellious little rascal was finally going to taste the bitterness he had experienced.
No one understood himself better than he did. Without a bit of hardship, you wouldn’t truly fear death. He had been through the rain, so he was going to tear off the shadow’s umbrella. Thinking about this, Wen Shi burst into maniacal laughter again, “Buwahahaha…”
The laughter drifted away, coinciding with dark clouds rolling in from the horizon, as if the sunlight had been pushed back a few meters.
At the entrance, the girl asked Yu Xingzhou expressionlessly, “Brilliance of humanity? Are you blind?”
Yu Xingzhou: “……”
Ji Yuanzhi, you blind fool!
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