PTYS Chapter 24

“Why is the password 857142?” Chen Kaijie, a person of strong mental fortitude, had already discerned some characteristics of this game level. He hadn’t paid much attention to what Shen Qingqiu had just said, so he immediately asked her.

“This level initially gave a hint that ‘numbers are the origin of everything,’ and the fact that the password is related to numbers confirms this hint.

In the meeting room, there was a row of books on the bookshelf, and thinking about numbers in those books led me to mathematical books.

All the books were grouped together by category, except for six mathematical books which were placed separately. So I paid attention to their positions,” Shen Qingqiu explained, uncharacteristically willing to elaborate.

Hearing this, everyone recalled that row of books and remembered that they were indeed placed separately.

“Damn! It actually worked,” Lin Hai muttered, clearly recalling how he almost messed things up by randomly moving the books.

Chen Kaijie, who was beside her and Xiao Muyu, was still somewhat puzzled, “But I heard you say the numbers were 9, 15, 23, 25, 30, 33? How does that relate to 857142…”

Before he could finish, Chen Kaijie suddenly realized, his eyes filled with amazement and admiration, “I get it! Those six books divide the other books on the shelf into 8, 5, 7, 1, 4, and 2. When combined, they form 857142! That’s incredibly… difficult.”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu, then with a hint of slyness said, “I initially found the books strange and noted their positions to test Muyu’s reaction.

She then mentioned the numbers again, and since the password was six digits, I instinctively calculated it, and coincidentally, it matched those six numbers.”

Shen Qingqiu was very sensitive to numbers and had personally counted the books. She realized that the number of other books matched the room numbers’ last digits, so she immediately caught on.

“That’s too obscure. If we hadn’t noticed, wouldn’t we have died in there?” Su Jin said with lingering fear.

“No, didn’t you notice that although those mirrors have been tormenting us, they never intended to kill us? Otherwise, we wouldn’t have lasted a minute, let alone nine. Even if we didn’t open the door, we wouldn’t die; we’d just wish we were dead.”

Xiao Muyu’s last few words made everyone look grim.

“What about the third round of the game? Do we still go into the room?” Zuo Tiantian, her voice hoarse and spirit dispirited, mumbled.

“Everyone think quickly, why is the password 857142? The numbers are undoubtedly related to our room numbers’ last digits. But why this sequence, and what deeper meaning does 857142 have?” Chen Kaijie recalled the initial hint from the system, emphasizing that even though this is a supernatural level, logic and brains are still useful.

“Didn’t they say the books hinted at it?” Wang Yushan was confused by the question.

“Chen Kaijie means there are still four rounds left, likely involving more number games,” Su Jin whispered.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu remained silent, while the others racked their brains but couldn’t understand.

Xiao Muyu felt she was missing something, like the answer was right in front of her but obscured. The series of tense games had muddled her mind, and she needed a moment to clear it.

Moreover, Xiao Muyu felt there was another important issue. She looked at the group seriously, “This is basically everyone’s second time playing a level, so you should have some rewards. I don’t know what you have, and I won’t force you to reveal it, but remember, if there’s a limitation, use it at the right moment. The six rounds of games will only get harder, and if you use your resources recklessly, you might run out of options later.”

Xiao Muyu’s topic was sensitive, and no one responded immediately. Ideally, everyone should share and allocate their resources reasonably to avoid wastage, but she understood their hesitation as these were their trump cards.

The system didn’t give them much time to ponder. Another door opened.

“Congratulations to the nine players for completing the second round. Now, the third round begins!”

Their hearts tensed up again.

The third round had the same rules and layout, but the nine players, after barely escaping from the previous room and being tormented by twelve ghosts, felt like cursing at the sight of their twisted, excited smiles.

This time, Xiao Muyu had no time to think. They couldn’t guess the password, and fifteen minutes later, although all nine of them came out alive, almost none except Shen Qingqiu could stand steadily.

Shen Qingqiu helped Xiao Muyu sit down and then sat beside her.

Dressed in black, it was hard to see how much blood she had on her, but Xiao Muyu knew she had fought those ghosts alone for fifteen minutes. The dagger had slashed those undead monsters countless times, and her body was covered in blood.

Xiao Muyu herself had a few cuts, not too serious but utterly exhausted.

No one used their items, thinking it wasn’t yet a life-and-death situation. Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu, then lowered her eyes, her expression cold.

Having witnessed Shen Qingqiu’s two performances, the group was now too intimidated to entertain any thoughts about her.

She was a fierce fighter, hacking at those inhuman creatures without flinching.

But Xiao Muyu knew she was still human.

Leaning against the wall, Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu and then at herself, before moving a bit further from her and closing her eyes.

Xiao Muyu could clearly see her chest rising and falling and the sweat soaking her hair.

She wanted to say something, but Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, her voice tired, and murmured, “Getting through by sheer endurance is impossible. We must find the door password.”

She leaned her head against the wall and swallowed. Her neck was long and beautiful, with well-defined lines.

The pale skin of her neck revealed the veins and the swallowing motion, which was very alluring.

Xiao Muyu stared at her in a daze, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the scene.

Shen Qingqiu continued, “Earlier, I saw a number on one of those ghosts. I thought it was a 9, so I kept an eye on them during this round.

Just now, I saw a 2. From my angle, it was upside down, so I realized it should be a 6.”

“This is getting more and more confusing,” Chen Kaijie said, clearly frustrated with the increasing number of digits.

Xiao Muyu furrowed her brows but suddenly her eyes lit up, and she spoke urgently, “Do you mean you saw a 6 in the round where the password was 857142?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded.

Xiao Muyu murmured, “I can’t believe I missed it. How could I forget about 142857? It’s such an obvious answer, and I only just realized it now.”

She spoke to herself, leaving the group bewildered. Shen Qingqiu, with a sudden flash of insight, couldn’t help but say, “142857 × 6857142.”

Xiao Muyu nodded. Shen Qingqiu was indeed formidable, not only excelling in combat but also having a sharp mind.

“What are you two talking about?” The others were utterly confused.

“I was misled by the room numbers, thinking 142857 was just part of the game setup. But the room numbers themselves hold the secret. The sequence 142857 is a special number, supposedly discovered in the Egyptian pyramids. It demonstrates the seven-day week and is known as a cyclic number,” Xiao Muyu explained.

Feeling a bit annoyed, she continued, “The initial meeting room gave many hints. The calendar with the Egyptian pyramid background was a clue. This cyclic number, 142857, was something I learned in middle school but had forgotten over the years. I didn’t connect the dots.”

Even the rotating six rooms, like a cyclic pattern, were a hint. But such an obscure clue, combined with the intense game, made it difficult to notice. The first round gave hints through room numbers, the second through book placements.

“What does cyclic number mean?” The concept was so obscure that the others had never even heard of it.

“If you multiply 142857 by any of the digits 1 through 6, the result is a permutation of those digits. For instance, 142857 × 1 is 142857, and 142857 × 2 is 285714. Multiply by 7, and you get 999999.

Western cultures see the seventh day as a day of rest, so 9 stands in for it.

Moreover, 142857 has a close relationship with 9. For example, 14 + 28 + 57 equals 99, and 142 + 857 equals 999. This is why the books were arranged in sets of seven, but we only needed six. The game has six rounds; the seventh is a rest,” Shen Qingqiu added, taking a breath.

“Seven digits? What’s the other number?” Xiao Muyu asked instinctively, noting that Shen Qingqiu hadn’t mentioned it.

“The six books divided them into seven groups. The last number is 9.”

“No wonder. So, in the first round, we could have used 142857 as the password. The missing digits 4316 and their 4313, with the last digit being 9, indicate that 9 is also crucial.”

After listening, the other seven stared at the two women with a mix of astonishment and admiration.

“You both know about this cyclic number?” Chen Kaijie was surprised.

Shen Qingqiu was displeased with their astonished expressions. She pulled her left leg up to support her body and said calmly, “Is there a problem?”

“No, no. We’ve long noticed Miss Xiao’s exceptional intelligence, but Miss Shen, you not only excel in combat but are also very knowledgeable. It’s quite an eye-opener.”

Chen Kaijie dared not offend the two. He knew his own abilities in intelligence and combat were above average, but compared to these two, he was outmatched.

“Simple-minded, physically strong,” Xiao Muyu suddenly commented. When Shen Qingqiu looked at her in surprise, she added, “Neither of these descriptions fits Miss Shen.”

It wasn’t that Shen Qingqiu lacked strength; her tall, slender frame belied her incredible power.

“So, does this mean we can figure out the passwords for the next few rounds?” Lin Hai asked hopefully.

“In theory, yes. However, it’s clear these seven sets of numbers won’t appear in order. The first round was 142857, the second 857142. We couldn’t figure out the third round, but since we saw a 2, it should be 285714.

As for the remaining rounds, whether they are multiples of 3, 4, or 5, or if they repeat, we don’t know. But I think I know where to find hints,” Xiao Muyu said, glancing at Shen Qingqiu.

“You mean I should pull up their sleeves?” Shen Qingqiu smiled.

“If you can’t, we’ll have to try the combinations one by one. There are only seven possible passwords. But the system might anticipate this and not give us the chance. Besides, one person can’t fend off all the attacks.”

At this point, Xiao Muyu looked at the others, making it clear that relying solely on Shen Qingqiu’s combat skills was unrealistic. They shouldn’t depend solely on her.

“I have an A-grade item, a piece of red string. It can bind one target, human or ghost, for thirty seconds, but it takes thirty minutes to recharge,” Zuo Tiantian hesitated but revealed her item.

With her opening up, the others felt compelled to share as well.

Wang Yushan had a B-grade peach wood sword, about a foot long, like a child’s toy.

“It’s not very durable. It will break after three uses.”

Su Jin, being a newcomer, had nothing. Ni De had a ball.

“In the last level, there was a ghost child who liked playing with a ball. Throwing this ball will attract any ghosts nearby, but it also takes thirty minutes to recharge.”