PTYS Chapter 198

When the door opened, sure enough, it was Chen Kaijie and the others. The three of them carried large bags of groceries inside. After greeting Xiao Muyu, they looked ingratiatingly at Shen Qingqiu, who was sitting in the West Tulania restaurant, and then put the groceries into the kitchen.

Seeing the three of them being so diligent and careful, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but find it both amusing and exasperating. “Come on, you’re here already, do you think I’d kick you out? Besides, I’m not the one doing the hard work. I’m just here to eat; you’re the ones helping out, so there’s no need for me to play the bad guy.”

Su Jin laughed and quickly shook her head. “No, no, we’re just really happy to see you feeling better, Vice Captain.”

Shen Qingqiu ignored them, helping to put things away. Once everything was set, the five of them sat in the living room and started chatting.

“After experiencing the seventh instance, we have a general understanding of some of the system’s characteristics. This time, because it’s an S-level instance, the difficulty increased significantly. After we returned yesterday, the three of us thought about the ‘Happiness’ instance carefully. We felt it was almost unbelievable that we managed to clear it. If it weren’t for Captain Xiao and you, Vice Captain, we would have surely died.”

As they talked, the topic inevitably shifted to the instances. Chen Kaijie couldn’t help but express his thoughts, his face showing both relief and worry.

The three of them were not very confident. The entire instance was intricately designed, and a single mistake could mean total failure. Even with Xiao Muyu, they had a tough time getting through.

They speculated that if it had just been the three of them, reaching the second stage would have been a victory. This realization made them quite fearful.

Xiao Muyu wasn’t surprised by their thoughts. To be fair, the difficulty of instance 007 was indeed much higher than before.

The detailed settings and the intensity of the tasks were exhausting. In fact, if it were only Xiao Muyu, she couldn’t have cleared it either.

“I understand your worries, but the reality isn’t like that. Why does SkyNet force team formations in later instances? It’s because the system anticipates that some instances are impossible to complete alone.

“For example, in the first task, if it weren’t for you all, Qingqiu and I wouldn’t have seen the second task.

“We missed some details and couldn’t find the way out. Without Tiantian’s guiding incense, it would have been in vain.

“It’s precisely because we have more people, and everyone is united, working together, that our overall strength becomes stronger.”

Xiao Muyu, always perceptive, knew how to address her teammates’ concerns with reassuring words.

“And besides, I think you’ve become quite spoiled,” Xiao Muyu suddenly added with a shift in tone.

Chen Kaijie and the others were stunned for a moment. Xiao Muyu continued, “You probably haven’t thought about how many other teams fail not due to lack of strength, but because of issues within the team. Remember the ‘Deadly G City’ instance? Despite its difficulty, teams led by Qi Hongyue and Jiang Wei succeeded, indicating there were many skilled players. So why were there so many casualties?”

Shen Qingqiu chimed in, “Think about it. If Muyu and I had been cowardly or too cautious, unwilling to take risks for the Nine-Link challenge, our team would have lost at least one or two members.

“Even if we did take on the challenge, if you two were cowardly and didn’t protect Muyu with all your might, she wouldn’t have been able to complete it either, and people would have died. Do you understand?”

Shen Qingqiu then looked at them disdainfully. “Everyone has their strengths. You have loyalty, courage, and wisdom. Just follow Muyu boldly.

“And remember, there are inherent differences between people. When comparing yourselves, exclude Muyu. You’re not in the same league, so don’t get discouraged.”

Chen Kaijie laughed awkwardly, “We know, it’s just that we’re a bit uneasy. There are still three more instances. This S-level instance was tough right from the start, and we can’t imagine how difficult the remaining ones will be.” This topic was heavy, and after a moment of silence, Xiao Muyu spoke, “We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. Things may be difficult, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope. As I mentioned before, the system seems to be targeting Qingqiu and me. Sometimes, I feel like it wants to kill us.

“In ‘Happiness,’ we were chosen to enter the coffins and get married, which were not player-triggered events but pre-arranged ones. Qingqiu and I couldn’t avoid them.

“When I was in the coffin, I couldn’t break it open with my sword because it was completely sealed. But then the system posed a question, asking why I was chosen.

The answer was given openly from the beginning. Based on this principle, I was able to break the seal and open the coffin.”

Xiao Muyu had explained these details before. Now, revisiting them outside the context of the instance, the others better understood the intricacies involved.

“And Qingqiu, controlled by Bai He Langjun with paper figures, was powerless. But once we arrived, we could rescue her from a ghost.

“Every stage was deadly, but each offered a slim chance for survival. If we seized it, the system had to let us go.”

Su Jin nodded repeatedly but looked serious. “Captain Xiao, you said the system targets you and the Vice Captain. We can feel that too. But what’s even more bizarre is how contradictory the system’s actions are.

“It sets so many deadly traps but also provides ways to overcome them.

“When drawing cards, the ones you and the Vice Captain get are peculiar, but none are useless, except for the ‘Thank You for Your Patronage’ card you mentioned. Even cards that seem worthless become incredibly powerful when combined.”

Zuo Tiantian, unable to sit still, added, “Exactly. For instance, the extinguished revolving lantern that the Vice Captain reignited with the ‘Heartbreaker’ card.

Or the broken bronze sword perfectly matching the imitation one.

And the brainless zombies, even though they weren’t drawn by the Vice Captain, they were drawn by someone in the team, so they would inevitably be combined.

These cards aren’t dropped in the same instance, making such combinations extremely rare. It’s like…”

She hesitated, and Chen Kaijie quickly continued, “It’s like the system wants to give you good things but can’t do so directly, so it gives you seemingly trashy cards that lower your apparent luck, but actually help you.”

The three of them looked earnestly at their two captains. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu remained calm, clearly having understood this long ago.

Su Jin lowered her head, her expression hesitant and somewhat dejected. After a while, she took a deep breath and said, “Captain Xiao, we’ve been hesitant to ask you this question because we believe knowing or not knowing it doesn’t change our view of you. It won’t affect the bond and loyalty within our team.

“But we feel you’re our most important partners and friends in this world. We want to understand what you’re going through and help you as much as we can. Keeping things to yourself sometimes feels really bad.”

Xiao Muyu already knew what they wanted to ask but hadn’t expected them to realize it so quickly.

She glanced at Shen Qingqiu, who was watching the three of them with an amused expression. When she saw Xiao Muyu looking at her, she shrugged, indicating that she would let Xiao Muyu handle it.

Seeing this, Xiao Muyu softened her expression. “Ask whatever you want to know.” She hadn’t mentioned these things before because she felt they were unrelated to the others, but over time, her perspective had changed.

She had been lonely and indifferent for too long. In the past, she didn’t feel the need to share her suffering with others because there was no one around who needed her to do so. But now, she genuinely considered them good friends.

Upon hearing this, Su Jin’s eyes brightened. She glanced at Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian, who both nodded at her.

Su Jin then asked, “Did you and the Vice Captain know each other before, I mean before the instances? Otherwise, the system wouldn’t target both of you?”

Xiao Muyu thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, but we only confirmed this recently.”

This answer shocked Su Jin and the others. They realized the situation was far more complicated than they had imagined. Su Jin, recalling Xiao Muyu’s breakdown when she regained her memories, felt a tightness in her chest.

“As SkyNet’s world, it had over 50 million players when I joined. Normally, it shouldn’t target both of you. So, Captain Xiao, did you have other interactions with the system?”

Xiao Muyu smiled at them. They were indeed part of her team, their minds sharp.

Having come this far, Xiao Muyu didn’t want them to keep guessing and dropped a bombshell.

“That’s what Qingqiu and I are trying to figure out. Both our memories have issues, so we only recently confirmed that we knew each other.

But whether this acquaintance was in reality or within the game, we don’t know.

The reason the system targets us, as far as I know, is that it wants something from me, but I don’t know what.”

Xiao Muyu’s words stunned the three of them. They exchanged glances for a long time.

Chen Kaijie, now anxious, asked, “Captain Xiao, you once mentioned that SkyNet might be a program. If a program wants something from you, then what is it? How does this world exist, and what about us players?”

The three of them were at a loss for a long time, especially Chen Kaijie, who kept wiping his face, feeling his worldview shatter.

But after going through so many hardships, the three people still accepted this unbelievable setting. “Could it really be an AI with its own consciousness? I’ve always been curious about how we actually entered the game. Has technology advanced to the point where it can manipulate people’s lives like this? Why is no one regulating this? I don’t understand.”

Su Jin had just come out of the shock and murmured, “Yeah, if it’s really a program, how did we players get in? If we die, do we really die? Does our consciousness die? And if we clear the game, can we really leave?”

“It’s impossible for humans to control so many players on such a large scale; this responsibility is beyond human capacity. If what Captain Xiao guessed is true, I even think the system might have its own consciousness, and it is altering things and playing with humans,” Zuo Tiantian, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head after Su Jin finished speaking.

She continued, “Captain Xiao, have you noticed that those instances are so terrifying and full of dangers, where one wrong step can be fatal, with many settings that seem almost malicious, but each script is meaningful.

As we mentioned before, if the instances weren’t so vicious and players didn’t really die, then what is the core of this game if we strip away the horror?”

A sudden light appeared in Chen Kaijie’s eyes. “Karma, retribution. Although it’s extreme, it’s telling us that some of the bitter fruits are the debts people have sown themselves. It’s more like a warning, right?”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu looked at each other, feeling like they had once again touched the edge of the truth.

Some things are not that they couldn’t think of them, but that they needed someone to remind them so they could find a thread in the tangled thoughts.

They talked for a long time this time. Although Xiao Muyu couldn’t tell them everything, the important information was already known to everyone. Except for temporarily hiding the card that Shen Qingqiu shouted about.

At night, the two of them lay on the bed, still thinking about today’s events. Shen Qingqiu had almost recovered, and her fever had subsided.

It seemed that the system was just warning her, or perhaps it had bigger actions, but for now, Shen Qingqiu didn’t plan to think about those things.

Thinking that this was the second day back in the instance, Shen Shiyi should have received the news by now.

Shen Qingqiu remembered what Shen Shiyi had said and couldn’t help but ask, “Muyu, you said Shen Shiyi wanted to leave Skynet, so when does he plan to team up with us? Did he tell you how many instances he has cleared?”

Previously, Shen Shiyi vaguely said that Xiao Muyu and the others could take him away. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu deduced from Shen Shiyi’s words that he was also a player.

Because he was a player, he could team up with them. Once they cleared the game, Shen Shiyi could naturally leave.

Xiao Muyu listened to her words and pondered for a long time. “At least it’s S-rank, otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed for so long.”

But after saying that, she felt something was wrong. “Qingqiu, why is Shen Shiyi so clear-headed?”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t understand at first, but Xiao Muyu continued, “He clearly knows he’s a player, but from my interactions with other NPCs, they all seem unaware and think they are different from us.”

Shen Qingqiu’s expression turned serious. “Indeed, either he’s truly extraordinary, or he has some special means. Next time we see him, we need to probe more.”

Seeing Xiao Muyu so serious, Shen Qingqiu moved closer and said, “Alright, let’s not think about these things for now. We’ve been troubled by these matters all day, and it’s almost nine o’clock. We need to rest.”

Xiao Muyu’s thoughts were just shifting from serious matters and she didn’t realize the problem, subconsciously saying, “It’s not even nine o’clock, why rest so early? Are you still feeling unwell?” It should be noted that Shen Qingqiu usually slept around eleven.

But as soon as she said that and saw Shen Qingqiu’s smiling expression, she immediately understood and her cheeks reddened. “What are you thinking?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes twinkled with a smile, and she whispered, “Muyu, did you notice something changed last night?”

Xiao Muyu was taken aback. “What changed?”

Shen Qingqiu, as if enduring for a long time, excitedly whispered, “Give me your left hand.”

Xiao Muyu, not understanding, handed her hand over. Shen Qingqiu held her left hand, flipped over, and lightly pressed down. “Rest a bit, and you’ll know.”

The saying “taste once and crave more” probably describes Shen Qingqiu, and of course, Xiao Muyu too, a little bit.

After they did it once, when Xiao Muyu was in a daze, Shen Qingqiu brought their clasped hands in front of her eyes.

In the dim light, a bright red thread appeared, loosely wrapped around Shen Qingqiu’s ring finger, and the other end was tied to Xiao Muyu’s left ring finger.

In that instant, Xiao Muyu was completely defeated.

She surrendered her heart and soul to the person in front of her, closing her eyes and tightly hugging Shen Qingqiu.

The author has something to say: This chapter is to sort out the clues again, to avoid forgetting, let’s organize the revealed information:

1. It’s clear that Skynet is a program;
2. The system has a contradictory aspect, the reason is unknown;
3. There are three states: Skynet natives, players, and NPCs are players;
4. Shen and Xiao have a past, they loved each other but forgot; — Shen Shiyi’s conversation in chapter 156 —