INSIDER Chapter 62

Lu Chu was momentarily lost in thought. Quickly, he composed himself, feeling a sense of awareness.

He looked down at his wrist, where the time displayed on his bracelet read 79′59″.

Surrounded by a few scattered items and floating “rules,” Lu Chu knew that the next step was to wait for the door to the illusion to open, meet with Song Gui, and then undertake a multi-person mission.

During the wait, Lu Chu did not remain idle. He continuously trained using the methods taught by 7, pushing himself to the limit, taking brief rests, and then resuming his self-training. Once they entered the “game,” their physical appearance and abilities would slightly adjust to match their real-world bodies. Currently, Lu Chu’s biggest disadvantage was his physical strength, which lagged behind others, so he couldn’t afford to slack off.

The time passed quickly during his intense training, and before he knew it, the familiar door appeared before him again, leading to the unfathomable darkness beyond.

He glanced at the bracelet time—74′59″.

Using a 24-hour cycle as a reference, every time the door to the illusion opened, the bracelet’s time decreased by five minutes. Completing a single-player mission added only ten minutes, resulting in a net gain of just five minutes. Hence, the reward for solo missions was too small, explaining why Song Gui repeatedly invited him for multi-person tasks despite the risks.

With this thought, Lu Chu stepped through the door.

As he exited, he was greeted by warm sunlight mixed with a slightly salty breeze. The bright light made him squint and close his eyes until he adjusted to the dazzling glare.

This time, the illusion was set by the sea.

Huge white waves crashed against the beach, bringing the salty, sweet scent of the sea. The beach was dotted with colorful shells and live crabs and shrimps. Houses lined up behind, including shops selling swimsuits, snacks, and souvenirs. Tall coconut trees cast shadows, and sun umbrellas and chairs were scattered on the sand. In front was the vast, deep blue ocean, stretching to the horizon, merging with the clear sky in a magnificent, seamless view.

Lu Chu pondered where the illusion’s real sea ended and where the virtual barrier began.

Reflecting on the landscapes he had seen since regaining his vision, he ironically thought he should thank the “rules.”

Lu Chu stood there waiting, and soon saw Song Gui emerge from the same door.

Seeing Lu Chu, Song Gui immediately smiled and excitedly called out, “Little Chu!” and lunged at him.

Lu Chu sidestepped his enthusiastic hug, leaving Song Gui exclaiming dramatically, “Wow, Little Chu, how did you suddenly become so agile? Did you face any tough challenges in the last game? Growing in adversity is good, but thinking about you suffering in unknown places makes my heart ache!”

Song Gui exaggeratedly wiped non-existent tears from his eyes.

Lu Chu smiled wryly, knowing this wasn’t the time for banter. “Alright, I can’t stay long in the illusion. We should quickly plan and prepare for the multi-person mission.”

Song Gui immediately became serious, his handsome face looking very dignified.

“Are you teaming up with me for the next mission?” Song Gui asked.

Lu Chu nodded. “I’ve completed two solo missions successfully. It’s time to try a group task with more than five people.”

Song Gui responded gravely, “Actually, my relentless pursuit of time on the bracelet has other reasons. This group mission is a test to see how well I and my chosen teammates can work together. If successful, we will form a fixed team, and I will reveal the reason behind my obsession with the bracelet time.”

Lu Chu had long suspected Song Gui had many secrets, so he wasn’t surprised. “What about the other teammates? Have you decided?”

Song Gui smirked. “I’ve already approached them. We had been thinking of forming a team for a while but were missing one person. I didn’t want to compromise, as that would repeat the mistakes of the last group mission. Now with you, we have just the right number.”

This was an affirmation of Lu Chu’s abilities.

Lu Chu asked, “Do you know how many people are left under our ‘rules’?”

Song Gui shook his head. “Not exactly. Some people don’t appear immediately when the door to the illusion opens. From what I’ve seen, there are about twenty or so.”

“I see,” Lu Chu said. “Who are the other teammates? I should meet them to avoid going in blind.”

“Of course,” Song Gui replied. “A group mission of more than five is different from solo or duo tasks. Though the maximum allowed is seven, I wouldn’t trust that many. Including you and me, we have five. The others you’ve already met.”

“Really? Like who?” Lu Chu thought for a moment. “Roqi?”

“Yes, Roqi, and the short-haired girl, Yuan Kejie, and the fierce-looking Qian Zhen.”

Lu Chu began to recall their appearances. Roqi, the unique girl, he had met more than once. Qian Zhen and Yuan Kejie, he had encountered only once. Yuan Kejie, in particular, left a faint impression. However, Lu Chu trusted Song Gui’s judgment in selecting reliable teammates.

“Alright, where are they? I should meet them.”

Song Gui, pleased by Lu Chu’s trust, said, “Roqi, that little yellow-haired girl, always rushes out as soon as the door opens. Yuan Kejie varies, and Qian Zhen is the least anxious. Since you accepted my invitation, they aren’t gathered yet. We can wait for Qian Zhen here.”

As he spoke, Qian Zhen and Yuan Kejie stepped through the door.

“Speak of the devil,” Song Gui said with a smile.

Yuan Kejie asked, “What’s up?”

Qian Zhen, sensing something important, looked at Song Gui, urging him to speak.

“Do you remember our agreement?” Song Gui asked.

Yuan Kejie smiled. “Yes, did you find someone?”

She looked at Lu Chu.

Qian Zhen also examined Lu Chu with a curious gaze.

“Yes,” Song Gui put his arm around Lu Chu’s shoulder. “Meet our last teammate, Lu Chu.”

To Lu Chu’s surprise, they didn’t question Song Gui’s decision. Instead, they asked, “Are we starting the next group mission?”

Clearly, regardless of their relationships, they trusted each other’s abilities.

“Yes,” Song Gui confirmed. “Next round. You all want to know the reason behind my obsession with the bracelet time.”

Qian Zhen nodded. “Let’s go.”

Yuan Kejie added, “Let’s find Kiki.”

Lu Chu guessed ‘Kiki’ was Roqi, noting the closeness between Yuan Kejie and Roqi.

The group set off to find Roqi. Song Gui guessed she would head towards the food stalls, so they walked towards the back where food was sold.

As they walked, Lu Chu, Yuan Kejie, and Qian Zhen sized each other up.

Yuan Kejie had neat short hair with bangs, looking like a well-behaved college student. Qian Zhen was tall and muscular, standing at least 1.9 meters with solid muscles visible under his clothes and a fierce face.

Soon, they reached the stalls selling coconut juice and snacks. Sure enough, Roqi was there, sitting with a broken tree branch on her shoulder, sipping coconut juice. She was small, only 1.3 meters tall, her large clothes covering her tiny frame. With her cute, fair face, she looked like an adorable, innocent little girl.

However, this cute girl had incredible strength and a violent streak.

Roqi, never on good terms with Song Gui, swung the tree branch at him as soon as she saw him. Song Gui dodged nimbly and quickly said, “Calm down, we’re here to discuss serious matters.”

Roqi stopped and put the branch back on her shoulder, looking at the four of them. “Decided?”

“Yes,” Yuan Kejie said. “Song Gui found the last teammate.”

Roqi looked at Lu Chu, then put down the branch and rubbed her shoulder. “Alright, let’s try the mission.”

“No, not try,” Lu Chu smiled. “We must succeed in every round.”

Roqi blinked and handed Lu Chu an open coconut. “You’re interesting. I like you.”

Lu Chu, Song Gui, Roqi, Qian Zhen, and Yuan Kejie formed a temporary alliance, becoming teammates.

They were now ready to face the next challenge together.