When Shen Ling woke up again, he felt a noticeable jolt. He was lying in a small and narrow room with a hard bed, surrounded by a salty and fishy smell.
As soon as Shen Ling opened his eyes, he saw a man sitting at a desk opposite him.
The man leaned against the chair, arms crossed, wearing a loose sailor uniform. His brown hair, not tended to for a long time, partially covered his eyes. The man was resting, emitting a faint breathing sound.
When Shen Ling looked over, the man sharply opened his eyes, with no signs of grogginess but rather a sharp focus in his light-colored pupils.
“Awake?” Yan Xiu asked in a low voice, trying not to disturb Shen Ling.
Shen Ling asked him, “What’s going on?”
“Passed by a merchant ship,” Yan Xiu began, “They found us by the seaside and rescued us. We were all saved.” After a pause, he added, “Moon Sinking Town?”
Yan Xiu fell silent for a moment, then said, “Shortly after the merchant ship picked us up, the island suddenly sank. By the time it disappeared from our view, the island had just vanished.”
“Then…” Shen Ling clutched the blanket, his lips trembling, hesitant to ask the next question.
Yan Xiu approached, brushing aside the strands of hair on Shen Ling’s forehead. He touched Shen Ling’s sweaty forehead and said, “Take a little more rest.”
“I dreamed of many things,” Shen Ling shook his head and said, “It’s like I am Lisa. I saw a lot of things she went through. This game feels too real.”
Yan Xiu nodded, “I dreamed too.”
The room fell into silence.
Shen Ling lay back down, closing his eyes, “I’ll sleep a bit more.”
“Sure,” Yan Xiu responded and sat by Shen Ling’s bed, watching as Shen Ling turned away from him. There was a momentary urge to go from behind and embrace Shen Ling, but Yan Xiu knew the boy had a pride that shouldn’t be touched.
He just needed to quietly stay by his side.
However, Yan Xiu couldn’t resist reaching out and gently touching Shen Ling’s short hair. His fingertips lifted a strand of hair, and he leaned down to kiss it.
Yan Xiu sighed, saying subconsciously, “It’s just a game. You always get too immersed.”
Shen Ling shivered but remained silent.
Even Yan Xiu wasn’t sure why he said that.
When Shen Ling woke up again, he felt refreshed. Yan Xiu and he stood together on the deck.
The sea was calm, and the sea breeze tousled Yan Xiu’s soft golden hair.
That day, the merchant ship entered the harbor, and the imperial capital’s largest port was bustling with activity. As Shen Ling stepped off the ship onto the ground, he felt a soft and uncertain sensation under his feet. Amidst the chaotic sounds of vendors, sailors, and children, Shen Ling distinctly heard a flower seller shouting, “Buy a bouquet for the lady beside you, sir! She’s so beautiful! Lilies suit someone like her!”
Shen Ling saw the golden hair flash before his eyes and quickly disappear into the crowd.
The fragrance of lilies wafted through the air, and Yan Xiu casually handed a lily to Shen Ling, saying, “Here.”
Shen Ling looked at the lily and said, “Her original name was Lilium, meaning lily, also a witch and a fairy.”
He looked towards the street corner where the golden hair had disappeared.
The harbor’s sea breeze carried the salty scent, and the fireworks of life lit up a corner of the world.
He hoped her world would be free from misfortune, filled with a room full of fragrance.
“Let’s go!” Bai’er shouted eagerly, “We won, and this damn game should finally let us go, right? We’ll get gold skins at the end of the season!”
Freud smiled, feeling good too, “I haven’t finished reading my book.”
Nana remained silent, her eyes revealing concern. As it turned out, a woman’s sixth sense was quite accurate.
The magician, back in his paper-man disguise, smiled at them and said, “This is just the first door.”
“What do you mean by the first door?!” Bai’er was very excited.
With a snap of his fingers, the world fell into stillness, and then everything, the prosperity and noise, seemed to swiftly disappear like a falling curtain.
They stood in a pitch-black world, with the sound of waves in their ears. Not far away, a row of tall doors stood, some with red lights at the top, and others with green lights. Light emanated from the cracks, but it was so thick and heavy, like a flowing black mud.
“This is just the beginning, not the end,” said the game master, 98, while lightly snapping his fingers. A coin with tentacles engraved on it appeared in the air. “This is a reward, given to the one who performs outstandingly. The Eye of Heaven will monitor your actions throughout and provide fair and impartial judgment. Luck and skill are the criteria for evaluation.”
The coin floated towards Shen Ling and landed in front of him.
“If there are no objections, each of you can receive a bronze coin,” 98 continued. “Please keep your coins. Oh, let me tell you in advance, once eliminated in the game, you will lose all your coins.”
“Once eliminated?”
“Yes, for example, in the recent module, Hewen, also known as Liufacai, was torn up.”
“…Does that mean death?”
98 smiled without directly answering the question, “Of course, there are opportunities for remedy. You can use a gold coin to buy a chance for resurrection, and this coin is not limited to yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“If your teammate has a gold coin, they can resurrect you, but they will lose the coin. In each game, a gold coin can be used three times. The first time costs 1 coin, the second time costs 2 coins, and the third time costs 4 coins.”
Shen Ling fidgeted with the gold coin in his hand, feeling its texture similar to a regular coin. The surface patterns hinted at something sinister.
“So, what’s the condition for clearing the game?” Shen Ling asked.
“Six gold coins,” 98 said softly. “As long as you collect six gold coins, you can leave this world. Three bronze coins can be exchanged for a silver coin, and three silver coins can be exchanged for a gold coin. You can also buy game items at the store. The prices can be found in the store, and purchases can only be made during the intermissions in the corridor.”
“The corridor?”
“That’s where you are, the corridor for each round of the game.”
Han Qianqiu, now back in his sweaty undershirt and shorts, looked messy again. He asked, “Can we see what we can exchange for?”
“Of course.”
98 produced a staff, leaning on it with one hand, and a large red curtain suddenly fell behind him, as if waiting for a performance on stage.
Like a magician, 98 snapped his fingers mysteriously, gradually revealing a dozen dice on the stage.
“Let me introduce these,” 98 said. “These are Reward Dice, with 1d3, 1d6, and 1d10, which can increase your chances of success in checks. For example, if you want to make a perception check with a value of 50, and you roll 51, just one point higher than the required value, you can use a 1d3 Reward Die. This die will subtract a random number between 1 and 3 from your check result, allowing you to pass the check with 50/51-1. It’s useful for avoiding critical failures or achieving critical successes.”
“Regeneration Dice. After this beginner module, you’ll create your game characters. At that time, you can roll three sets of numbers and choose one set as your base attributes. This Regeneration Die adds an extra set of numbers, giving you more choices. What if you encounter a tough situation?”
“Resurrection Dice can exempt you from one death and permanent insanity.”
Bai’er asked, “May I inquire about the prices?”
“Don’t bother, you can’t afford it. I’m just showing off to tempt you,” 98 said with a grin.
Everyone looked at him with exasperation.
Shen Ling pointed to the dice with question marks on all six sides and asked, “What is the golden dice for?”
“That’s a random die. If you’re lucky, you might get double the gold coins.”
“Oh,” Shen Ling said, “give me one.”
“???” 98 looked confused.
Others said, “Are you crazy? We finally got these gold coins; don’t waste them.”
Shen Ling tossed the gold coins in his hand to KP, who hastily caught them. Shen Ling looked at KP in silence and asked, “Are you sure?”
Shen Ling: “What? Planning to give me a buy-one-get-one-free deal?”
KP: “…”
Golden sparks flickered as a die with question marks on all six sides appeared in front of Shen Ling.
Shen Ling: “Is everything there?”
KP: “Everything is there. All rewards and punishments, with bad luck possibly resulting in the confiscation of all your coins.” KP paused, “Realizing this now, isn’t it a bit late?”
Shen Ling chuckled, snapped his fingers on the die, and it began spinning rapidly.
Everyone held their breath as Shen Ling watched with a nonchalant expression. The die stopped in front of them, bursting into colorful sparks. In the end, the question marks on all six sides transformed into images of two stacked gold coins.
Double gold coins.
Shen Ling: “Oh?”
Others: “…”
KP: “…”
The endless European dog.
Shen Ling: “How about two more?”
KP: “Are you treating me as a person? Gambling to the end…”
Shen Ling: “Do you have everything?”
KP remained expressionless.
Shen Ling smiled lazily and said, “Just kidding.”
Two gold coins fell into Shen Ling’s hands. He played with one and said to KP, “Can the reward dice from the previous module be exchanged for coins or carried over to the next module?”
KP: “Yes.”
Shen Ling: “Alright, I have no issues.”
The red curtain closed, and the world returned to silence.
“Alright! Your day as KP ends here. Thank you very much, players, for joining us. It’s unfortunate for Mr. Liu Facai to have such a tragic ending. As someone who’s been through it, I hope you understand that getting torn apart in the game is normal. Cherish your lives and stay away from tricky maneuvers. You can prepare for the second game now.” KP stepped aside, and the white paper figure became increasingly faint, gradually fading from their view. “The green doors are all open, meaning there aren’t enough people yet. But there are requirements for entering each room, such as the number of game sessions and the number of coins on you. Once you enter, you can’t leave the room. Choose carefully.”
The fading echoes dissipated in the void of the room, and the figures completely vanished from sight.
Han Qianqiu hugged Shen Ling and said, “Ling Mei!! I will follow you! Where you go, I go! Nothing can separate us, not even death!”
Shen Ling: “Get lost. Whom are you calling Mei?”
Han Qianqiu: “Your cross-dressing left a deep impression on me. I think I’ll have spring dreams.”
Shen Ling kicked him, and Han Qianqiu, still holding Shen Ling’s thigh, looked back plaintively. Yan Xiu extended his long leg, ready to kick him further.
Han Qianqiu: “Big Bro…”
Yan Xiu looked at him expressionlessly, his eyes deep.
Han Qianqiu, quick to adapt, went up to hug Yan Xiu’s thigh. “Big Bro, take care of your little brother.”
“Don’t cry wolf, choose a room,” Shen Ling said expressionlessly, walking ahead.
After individually inspecting several rooms, Zhang Yang stopped at the entrance of a room, saying, “Sorry, I won’t be with you guys for the next module. If I keep following Xiao Lin, I may never get a gold coin. I want to go back sooner; my sister needs surgery, and I want to be with her.”
Shen Ling nodded understandingly.
Mrs. Carter thought for a moment and also said, “I plan to choose a room on my own. There was a theme about a gourmet competition just now, and I think it suits me.”
“Okay,” Shen Ling said. “Wish you both success.”
The two of them joined their respective rooms.
Han Qianqiu stood in the spacious corridor, asking in confusion, “Sis Lin, where are we going?”
Shen Ling looked up at the rooms beside them and said, “Too lazy to choose. Let’s go to this one.”
“Ah?” Han Qianqiu followed Shen Ling’s gaze and looked up. The sign on the door read—1024 Ward.
[1024 Ward]
Number of people: 5; Restriction: None; Background: A fictional era in the 21st century; Tags: Exploration, Horror, Mystery.
Han Qianqiu: “…”
Horror theme?!!
No way!
