June 02, 2023 by Wyrd
After an uncertain period of time, Ruan Qing’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and his grip on the strap of his shoulder bag tightened. He regained consciousness, but didn’t immediately open his eyes.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of any sound, and the air carried a faint scent of blood and mustiness.
The bed beneath him felt hard, like a makeshift wooden plank.
It was evident that he was no longer in the previous hotel.
It seemed like... the original owner’s rented house?
Ruan Qing confirmed this even before opening his eyes.
His sense of smell and perception were always sharp, and he could easily distinguish the cheap air freshener and moldy odor unique to the original owner’s rented house.
As he lay on the bed, he realized there was another person lying beside him, evident from the barely audible breathing sound.
The faint scent of blood emanated from the person beside him.
Ruan Qing didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was.
The original owner’s landlord, Jiang Sinian.
Ruan Qing had long known that Jiang Sinian was the one who had abducted him.
During his struggles, he had noticed a wound on Jiang Sinian’s waist, a potentially fatal injury.
If he pretended to struggle and inflicted another fierce blow to his waist, he might be able to free himself.
But Ruan Qing didn’t do it.
Because of Ji Yan, and also because of Wen Li.
Ji Yan was different from everyone else. While others might pretend to be a gentleman and act polite, giving false opportunities, Ji Yan wouldn’t. He acted solely based on his own desires, and the other was also incredibly intelligent.
When a person possessed both intellect and physical strength, they became the most formidable. It would be difficult for Ruan Qing to preserve himself in Ji Yan’s hands.
He never wanted to fall into anyone’s grasp and become someone else’s caged canary.
Not only would he lose his freedom, but he also had to constantly worry about his ‘owner’ not being strong enough and being forced to change to another ‘owner’.
As for Wen Li, the hypnosis the other put on him would impair his brain function, and it would increase over time. It wouldn’t be wise to stay with him.
That’s why Ruan Qing hesitated no more and chose to go with Jiang Sinian. After all, Jiang Sinian had a fatal injury and couldn’t do anything. If any problems arose, Ruan Qing would have a chance to escape.
So many things had happened in just one day, leaving Ruan Qing with no breathing space and feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
What’s worse, none of these events were part of the dungeon mission, and there was little progress in the investigation regarding the dungeon instance.
The only thing that could be confirmed at the moment was that Jiang Sinian, Ji Yan, and Wen Li were all connected to the horror livestream room.
Jiang Sinian’s identity could be easily determined. He should be one of the killers in the horror livestream room, which practically ruled out the possibility of him being the owner of the room.
When Ruan Qing initially borrowed 500,000 from Gu Zhaoxi, it wasn’t just a random request. He had three main objectives.
First, he wanted to enter the bar and escape during the chaos. If he borrowed too little, he was afraid that Gu Zhaoxi would directly transfer the money.
Second, he wanted to test whether Gu Zhaoxi was suspicious or not. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably ignore someone borrowing 500,000. But Gu Zhaoxi was very enthusiastic, clearly indicating that something was off.
Third, he wanted to determine if Jiang Sinian could see the livestream room. So he intentionally concealed the character “万“ (wàn) in the message he sent, and the result was obvious—he couldn’t see it. (T/N: This character ‘万’ represented the last three zeroes in the 500,000 that Ruan Qing typed.)
The possibility of someone who couldn’t see the livestream room and wasn’t very smart being the owner of the room was very low.
As for Ji Yan and Wen Li, Ruan Qing was more inclined to suspect Wen Li.
In fact, after realizing he had been hypnotized, Ruan Qing’s main concern was how to discreetly deal with the doctor.
Originally, he thought it would be simple. As long as he smiled at the other, the doctor would be dealt with quickly.
That’s what he believed, but Jiang Sinian failed, and Ruan Qing himself almost got killed due to his misjudgment of the doctor.
At that moment, he had concluded that there was a high possibility of the doctor dying at the hands of Jiang Sinian. It was under the pretense of getting lost that he explored the peculiar hospital building, which revealed strange secrets at every turn.
However, to his surprise, Jiang Sinian not only failed but also allowed the doctor to return so quickly.
Although Jiang Sinian wasn’t the brightest, he wasn’t weak either. So, it must be that the doctor was exceptionally strong.
Presumably, Ji Yan and Gu Zhaoxi wouldn’t succeed in their collaboration either.
Wen Li, that person, was too extraordinary. Whether it was hypnosis or his physical abilities, it seemed to surpass the limits of a human.
On several occasions, Ji Yan almost struck the doctor, but the doctor mysteriously evaded each time. Ruan Qing even deliberately spoke up to distract the doctor during the most dangerous attack.
Yet, the doctor still managed to evade, only receiving superficial injuries.
It was impossible for the doctor to dodge that strike. At least, humans shouldn’t be able to do it unless they surpassed the limits of physics.
But how could humans surpass the limits of physics? Was Wen Li truly... human?
The most important question was, could he be the owner of the livestream room?
Ruan Qing wasn’t certain, but Wen Li was undoubtedly the most suspicious one.
Since their first encounter, he had suspected that the doctor could see the livestream; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the doctor immediately hypnotized him.
Unless the doctor had seen him from the very beginning.
Ruan Qing had an excellent memory, almost photographic. Once he saw someone, he would never forget them.
He was certain he had never seen the doctor before, but the doctor seemed to have seen him.
It was highly likely that it happened within the livestream.
Moreover, every encounter seemed too coincidental. He had just broken into the laboratory when the doctor arrived.
Even when he was captured by Jiang Sinian earlier, the doctor glanced in his direction.
In that instant, Ruan Qing became certain that the doctor could definitely see the livestream.
However, being able to see the livestream didn’t necessarily mean he was the owner of the room. There was only one chance to submit an answer, and if his judgment was wrong, the consequences would definitely not be what he wanted to see.
It was only the second day of the game, and the clues were still too few.
The problem was that he didn’t have much time because the danger level of the game would increase and become even more challenging as time passed, not to mention the bunch of perverts who were eyeing him.
If he didn’t find the answer quickly, he might end up trapped in this virtual world.
While Ruan Qing was contemplating the next question, the person beside him suddenly moved, reaching out and pressing down on Ruan Qing’s body, even leaning over him completely.
The action carried a strong sense of aggression and oppression, as if being tightly entangled by a venomous snake, making it hard to breathe.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that he couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer.
June 02, 2023 by Wyrd
After an uncertain period of time, Ruan Qing’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and his grip on the strap of his shoulder bag tightened. He regained consciousness, but didn’t immediately open his eyes.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of any sound, and the air carried a faint scent of blood and mustiness.
The bed beneath him felt hard, like a makeshift wooden plank.
It was evident that he was no longer in the previous hotel.
It seemed like... the original owner’s rented house?
Ruan Qing confirmed this even before opening his eyes.
His sense of smell and perception were always sharp, and he could easily distinguish the cheap air freshener and moldy odor unique to the original owner’s rented house.
As he lay on the bed, he realized there was another person lying beside him, evident from the barely audible breathing sound.
The faint scent of blood emanated from the person beside him.
Ruan Qing didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was.
The original owner’s landlord, Jiang Sinian.
Ruan Qing had long known that Jiang Sinian was the one who had abducted him.
During his struggles, he had noticed a wound on Jiang Sinian’s waist, a potentially fatal injury.
If he pretended to struggle and inflicted another fierce blow to his waist, he might be able to free himself.
But Ruan Qing didn’t do it.
Because of Ji Yan, and also because of Wen Li.
Ji Yan was different from everyone else. While others might pretend to be a gentleman and act polite, giving false opportunities, Ji Yan wouldn’t. He acted solely based on his own desires, and the other was also incredibly intelligent.
When a person possessed both intellect and physical strength, they became the most formidable. It would be difficult for Ruan Qing to preserve himself in Ji Yan’s hands.
He never wanted to fall into anyone’s grasp and become someone else’s caged canary.
Not only would he lose his freedom, but he also had to constantly worry about his ‘owner’ not being strong enough and being forced to change to another ‘owner’.
As for Wen Li, the hypnosis the other put on him would impair his brain function, and it would increase over time. It wouldn’t be wise to stay with him.
That’s why Ruan Qing hesitated no more and chose to go with Jiang Sinian. After all, Jiang Sinian had a fatal injury and couldn’t do anything. If any problems arose, Ruan Qing would have a chance to escape.
So many things had happened in just one day, leaving Ruan Qing with no breathing space and feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
What’s worse, none of these events were part of the dungeon mission, and there was little progress in the investigation regarding the dungeon instance.
The only thing that could be confirmed at the moment was that Jiang Sinian, Ji Yan, and Wen Li were all connected to the horror livestream room.
Jiang Sinian’s identity could be easily determined. He should be one of the killers in the horror livestream room, which practically ruled out the possibility of him being the owner of the room.
When Ruan Qing initially borrowed 500,000 from Gu Zhaoxi, it wasn’t just a random request. He had three main objectives.
First, he wanted to enter the bar and escape during the chaos. If he borrowed too little, he was afraid that Gu Zhaoxi would directly transfer the money.
Second, he wanted to test whether Gu Zhaoxi was suspicious or not. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably ignore someone borrowing 500,000. But Gu Zhaoxi was very enthusiastic, clearly indicating that something was off.
Third, he wanted to determine if Jiang Sinian could see the livestream room. So he intentionally concealed the character “万“ (wàn) in the message he sent, and the result was obvious—he couldn’t see it. (T/N: This character ‘万’ represented the last three zeroes in the 500,000 that Ruan Qing typed.)
The possibility of someone who couldn’t see the livestream room and wasn’t very smart being the owner of the room was very low.
As for Ji Yan and Wen Li, Ruan Qing was more inclined to suspect Wen Li.
In fact, after realizing he had been hypnotized, Ruan Qing’s main concern was how to discreetly deal with the doctor.
Originally, he thought it would be simple. As long as he smiled at the other, the doctor would be dealt with quickly.
That’s what he believed, but Jiang Sinian failed, and Ruan Qing himself almost got killed due to his misjudgment of the doctor.
At that moment, he had concluded that there was a high possibility of the doctor dying at the hands of Jiang Sinian. It was under the pretense of getting lost that he explored the peculiar hospital building, which revealed strange secrets at every turn.
However, to his surprise, Jiang Sinian not only failed but also allowed the doctor to return so quickly.
Although Jiang Sinian wasn’t the brightest, he wasn’t weak either. So, it must be that the doctor was exceptionally strong.
Presumably, Ji Yan and Gu Zhaoxi wouldn’t succeed in their collaboration either.
Wen Li, that person, was too extraordinary. Whether it was hypnosis or his physical abilities, it seemed to surpass the limits of a human.
On several occasions, Ji Yan almost struck the doctor, but the doctor mysteriously evaded each time. Ruan Qing even deliberately spoke up to distract the doctor during the most dangerous attack.
Yet, the doctor still managed to evade, only receiving superficial injuries.
It was impossible for the doctor to dodge that strike. At least, humans shouldn’t be able to do it unless they surpassed the limits of physics.
But how could humans surpass the limits of physics? Was Wen Li truly... human?
The most important question was, could he be the owner of the livestream room?
Ruan Qing wasn’t certain, but Wen Li was undoubtedly the most suspicious one.
Since their first encounter, he had suspected that the doctor could see the livestream; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the doctor immediately hypnotized him.
Unless the doctor had seen him from the very beginning.
Ruan Qing had an excellent memory, almost photographic. Once he saw someone, he would never forget them.
He was certain he had never seen the doctor before, but the doctor seemed to have seen him.
It was highly likely that it happened within the livestream.
Moreover, every encounter seemed too coincidental. He had just broken into the laboratory when the doctor arrived.
Even when he was captured by Jiang Sinian earlier, the doctor glanced in his direction.
In that instant, Ruan Qing became certain that the doctor could definitely see the livestream.
However, being able to see the livestream didn’t necessarily mean he was the owner of the room. There was only one chance to submit an answer, and if his judgment was wrong, the consequences would definitely not be what he wanted to see.
It was only the second day of the game, and the clues were still too few.
The problem was that he didn’t have much time because the danger level of the game would increase and become even more challenging as time passed, not to mention the bunch of perverts who were eyeing him.
If he didn’t find the answer quickly, he might end up trapped in this virtual world.
While Ruan Qing was contemplating the next question, the person beside him suddenly moved, reaching out and pressing down on Ruan Qing’s body, even leaning over him completely.
The action carried a strong sense of aggression and oppression, as if being tightly entangled by a venomous snake, making it hard to breathe.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that he couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer.
