Chapter 100: Hitting the snake with the stick, and making every inch of it
The train sped forward quickly, and the compartment shook regularly with a rattling sound.
With a gloomy face, Wen Jianyan shook off a layer of frog eggs hanging on the barrier, quickly left the compartment in front of him, and found a space not yet polluted by mucus in a corner near the conductor’s room.
At this moment, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his ear:
【Level D anchor…zzzz…task release…zzzz…】
Wen Jianyan was slightly taken aback.
Wait?
The form of this task announcement, as well as the sizzling electric sound that seemed to be disturbed, seemed… a little familiar?
【??? Task: Look for key prop???】
After a few seconds, the mechanical sound of the system stopped, leaving only a dead silence in his ears.
Wen Jianyan slowly narrowed his eyes.
He was too familiar with this so-called “system task”.
The last time he received a similar task was at Decai Middle School.
At that time, the instance was about to end, but he was dragged into the mirror space, not only unable to leave but also unable to use or purchase props. In the space filled with darkness, the exact same system sound sounded in his ears.
Under the circumstances at that time, he had no choice but to complete the task.
It was all because of that damn “body fluid exchange” task that Wen Jianyan woke up that damn “God the Father” unknowingly, causing himself so much trouble.
Thinking of the shitty things that happened after that, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but grit his teeth.
Damn it, if he had known that the follow-up would develop like this, he would have found a way to kill that guy while he was still sleeping. Even if he couldn’t kill him, at least stabbing him twice to relieve his anger would be good.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Still, he had to make sure.
Thinking so, Wen Jianyan took out his phone from his pocket and opened the Nightmare app.
As expected, under the previous main line task, there was another task labeled “???”.
However, because it was neither a main task nor a side task, it was difficult to determine whether he would be rewarded for completing it or obliterated by the system if he did not complete it.
Looking at the words on the screen, Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
Sure enough, when the instance “Decai Middle School” was about to end, the reason why he received such a weird task was because of Wu Zhu.
So… were these tasks issued as a result of the other party’s conscious intrusion into the system or as a result of his unconscious influence on the system?
It was hard to say.
However, Wen Jianyan himself preferred the latter.
After all, while Wu Zhu did say the current task of finding the soul fragment when the previous task was released, Wu Zhu was not only in a state of soul incompleteness but also in a deep sleep, and Wen Jianyan did not believe the other party consciously took the initiative to invade the system at that time.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, turned off the phone screen, and held it in his palm.
In any case, he was now certain of one thing: the other party could invade the system space via marking and affect the system’s task release. The existence of Wu Zhu, the “God the Father”, was most likely unique in the entire Nightmare—At least based on his understanding of Nightmare, he had not yet found a second boss with such supernatural powers.
In his case, despite becoming the only “bishop” of the opposing party, he was not deserving of the title regardless of his treatment or status.
Not only did he have to worry about constantly being the opponent’s ration, but he also had to run errands for him.
—and all for free!
It was ridiculous!
Thinking of this, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help rolling his eyes in anger.
Initially, completing the main line task in this level A instance was already extremely difficult. No matter which project he played, it was like walking a tightrope. One small error could send him tumbling into the abyss.
As a result, he had not even finished a few main-line tasks, and now he had one more!
And it was the kind where if he did not finish it, he would be eaten.
Very bad luck.
However, when he was given the task in the mirror maze…
Although he was terrified at the time, Wen Jianyan did not expect this at all.
Since the other party approached him on his own initiative, he must have other plans.
As for the situation Wu Zhu was in at that time, Wen Jianyan actually had a vague idea in his mind.
After all, although the other party could still shuttle between the mirrors and even manipulate the shadows to pull him into another space, his body could still not leave the mirror.
After noticing this, Wen Jianyan soon had some guesses in his mind.
Although the opponent was the most powerful boss he had seen so far, in instances and system space, the opponent was definitely far from omnipotent.
As a result, even though their hatred was forged in the Decai Middle School, the other party could not enter the system space through dreams, including this time finding himself in the Fantasy Amusement Park, until the mark was left on his own body.
The encounters in the subsequent instances also confirmed Wen Jianyan’s guess.
In the Decai Middle School and Antai Community instances, there was a mirror that sealed the other party’s soul fragments in the map itself, and in the instance of Fukang Hospital, although Wen Jianyan was still not completely sure why the other party appeared, judging from the fact that when he stabbed into the dean’s heart, the other party disappeared…
The other party’s appearance was definitely not something that could be accomplished without any additional conditions.
At least, judging from the information Wen Jianyan had now, if the other party wanted to appear in the instance, he must have a “medium”.
There had to be one, whether it was the mirror that sealed his soul or the physical body of the Dean NPC; otherwise, no matter how special and powerful the other party was in the Nightmare, he would be unable to appear in any area as he pleased.
And without a medium, the opponent’s power would be severely limited.
In this case, for example, Wu Zhu’s power range was clearly limited in the mirror maze or a little further outside, that is, in the leisure park. Even so, without a medium, he could not appear in the instance with his real body; at best, he could be a phantom in the mirror.
After realizing that the other party was not real, Wen Jianyan was no longer as terrified as before.
So, being an implacable liar by nature, he immediately began to look for opportunities to gain an advantage for his own survival.
“Of course, your wish is my mission. I will definitely retrieve your soul fragment for you and do my best to restore your glory.”
In a maze of mirrors in all directions, the attitude of a young man whose body was controlled by the other party had a different attitude and a clever tongue, and one could not find a single flaw in his posture and language.
After finishing the flattery, Wen Jianyan cautiously got to the point.
“So, do you know where exactly your soul fragment is? Do you have any hints about the range?”
However, Wu Zhu’s response was extremely irritating.
He asked Wen Jianyan to solve the problem himself.
…
Wen Jianyan: “.”
Haha, f*ck you.
His expression had not changed in the least. He was still respectful and obedient, like the most exemplary believer in the world: “Thank you for your trust in my ability, but you also know that the map area of this insurance is really large, and the time is also very limited…”
Wen Jianyan peeked through the gaps in his eyelashes and said in a very embarrassed way:
“If there is no clue or any basis for judgment, do you want me to complete the main task in this huge amusement park while finding your soul fragment? How should I put it… There is no possibility at all.”
He inhaled deeply and raised his head. Then he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and smashed the pot:
“——You might as well just eat me now!”
“……”
Wen Jianyan closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and waited in terror.
Of course, it was really not okay to be eaten. If the other party refused to give him even the smallest hint in the end, Wen Jianyan would quickly fall to his knees, promising that he would complete the task without any information.
His heart went up and down.
He had no idea how long it took before the other party squeaked out some information for him, as if in mercy.
If he was close to the soul fragment, the mark on Wen Jianyan’s abdomen would remind him, and due to the peculiarity of the other party’s soul, the fragment would not appear in a particularly easy-to-get place—at least, it would be related to the deep information of the instance.
Of course, these were not Wu Zhu’s words, but Wen Jianyan analyzed the other party’s pathetic hints and came to a conclusion.
Nonetheless, the other party’s willingness to share information was a good start.
Therefore, Wen Jianyan skillfully hit the snake with the stick, and made every inch of it:
“By the way, you see, I am your sole bishop…”
The liar’s posture was submissive, but his eyes were full of cunning, which was completely opposite to his expression:
“Although I dare not ask for your power as a bishop, would not it damage your identity if I am completely the same as other ordinary human beings?”
“I know I am not deserving of your protection, but… there should be some other qualities a bishop should possess… Shouldn’t…”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[…I admit, I underestimated this liar.]
[…I must admit that I underestimated the cunning of this lair.]
[Hahahahahahahaha, f*ck, the anchor is awesome… The opposite side is eager to devour him! So he must obtain all of the information, as expected of you!]
[I can’t laugh anymore. If anyone claims that a liar’s mental quality is poor, I will be the first to disagree!]
[You are truly terrified! You are afraid of farts! (Pointing)]
[Damn it, it is difficult for me to be concerned about him right now… But now, haha, the clown is actually me.]
Wu Zhu: “…”
He lowered his gaze and stared at the human being, who was one size smaller than he remembered.
He was still restrained by the entanglement of shadows and binding nails. Half of his body was attached to the mirror, his upper body was leaned back, and his slender waist stretched, forming a flexible curve.
He raised his head, his soft throat trembling slightly, and he appeared frail and terrified.
Those amber eyes hidden beneath the eyelashes, on the other hand, appeared cunning, dangerous, and full of life.
Wu Zhu’s golden eyes narrowed and flashed with desire.
The cold tip of his tongue licked his teeth, which were ready to move.
Hungry.
“As you wish,” he replied.
Wen Jianyan was overjoyed and abruptly raised his head.
However, before he could ask what he desired, he was roughly picked up by the shadow and thrown back into the train’s pile of frog eggs.
“……”
Wen Jianyan could not help but take a deep breath, raise his hand, and vigorously wipe his face.
Don’t be angry, don’t be angry; there was no one to take your place if you became ill.
Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes and carefully sorted out the clues in his mind.
In any case, the most important problem to solve right now was the project in front of him.
Although he was dragged out for a while in the middle, the Crazy Little Train project did not end when he left. No matter where he went to find the soul fragments of “God the Father,” he had to get off this train first.
If he wanted to leave the train, he had to reunite with your teammates.
But…
Wen Jianyan showed a thoughtful expression.
Although his previous plan had been disrupted, he calculated that the current situation was actually more advantageous to him. After all, for the group of people who chased and tried to kill him before, he was actually “dead” in the last tunnel. If he made good use of this state, it could bring good results.
In a sense, Wu Zhu could be regarded as doing good things with bad intentions.
That being the case, he couldn’t take the initiative to show up in front of the anchors.
Although the system-provided mobile phone allowed teammates to communicate with one another, it was only limited to “teammates” who had completed the team formation when entering the instance, or the faction that had been assigned in the team battle, and Yun Bilan, who was temporarily acting with him, was not recognized as “teammates” by the system. He could only contact temporary teammates by purchasing relevant props from the level C store.
Although Wen Jianyan claimed to be a level C, in fact, he was only a level D.
Moreover, if his four teammates left the compartment together and walked back purposefully, it was likely to arouse the suspicion of those pursuers.
That being the case…
He lowered his gaze to the phone in his hand, and the corners of his lips curled up in a slight arc.
***
“Buzzing buzzing—”
Wen Ya’s phone started vibrating.
She was slightly taken aback.
…What was going on?
Who would try to contact her?
Wen Ya raised her head and took out her phone from her pocket only after she confirmed that no one nearby had noticed her.
After seeing the sender displayed on the screen, her pupils shrank suddenly.
– “In-team communication.”
In the Eternal Day team that entered the instance, aside from her and Lilith… the only member that was left was the mysterious and strongest rookie.
However, after entering the instance, the other party did not try to get in touch with them even once, as if he had disappeared without a word.
Wen Ya thought about the possibility that the other party might have died.
And the odds were not small.
After all, even if the opponent was called the strongest, he was still a rookie who had only experienced three instances, and he was assigned to the terrible A-level instance this time. Even their experienced team could not guarantee that they could survive, let alone a rookie who had just entered the nightmare.
The probability of this possibility gradually increased over time.
Whenever she thought of this, Wen Ya would feel very sorry.
After all, this rookie’s resume was really amazing.
At least in her impression, there was no other rookie who could achieve that kind of performance except him.
If the other party was not so conceited and chose A-level as the fourth instance, he could really become the top-level anchor that the entire Nightmare anchor was fascinated by after a period of experience.
It was a pity…
What she did not expect was for the other party to send her a message after the instance had been open for more than five hours!
Wen Ya took a deep breath, calmed down, and opened the message slowly.
It only had a few short words on it:
“Come to the first compartment.”
The moment Wen Ya saw this message, she couldn’t help but gasp.
——Not only did the newcomer not die, but he was actually in the same project as them!
Who would it be?
She went through all the faces of the anchors she remembered since starting the project, but she could not find any.
However, Wen Ya could also guess the reason why the other party chose not to connect with them.
There were too many people on their previous team, and three people still did not wear the agreed-upon accessories before entering the instance. It was understandable that the other party did not recognize them when they passed by.
So… what made him change his mind now?
“By the way,”
Wen Ya stuffed her phone back into her pocket, turned her head to look at Yun Bilan, and said seemingly unintentionally, “Let’s go to other compartments to see if there are any clues.”
Yun Bilan didn’t think too much and nodded: “Okay.”
Wen Ya turned her head and waved to Lilith.
Lilith was taken aback for a moment and soon noticed the unusual look in her teammate’s eyes.
She seemed to understand something, nodded, and followed quickly.
The two carefully avoided the frog eggs and walked quickly toward the first compartment together.
“The new guy contacted me.” Wen Ya spoke in a low voice.
“!”
Lilith’s eyes widened slightly: “He, he is also on this train?”
Wen Ya nodded: “It seems to be.”
“He has really lived to this day… It’s amazing.” Lilith exclaimed in amazement: “No wonder the higher-ups wanted us to dig him in at all costs and even sent me here.”
She narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly.
Under the flickering lights and shadows outside the train, Lilith had snow-skinned and red lips. Her eyes were charming, and the superior aura provided by her charm talent made her appear even more so:
“Of course, if he is really similar to the person mentioned before, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
The further they went, the more frog eggs and slime they encountered, almost to the point of difficulty walking. They soon had to buy props and barriers to keep those xenomorph larvae from swimming toward them as they became more active over time.
Soon, the first compartment was in sight.
The two looked at each other.
——If the other party didn’t lie about the information, then he should be here by now.
For some reason, they felt a little nervous.
Wen Ya inhaled deeply, raised her hand, and pressed the doorknob in front of her.
The mucus dripped down the barriers on their bodies and landed on the ground, accompanied by their sticky footsteps.
The mucus coverage rate in the first section of the compartment reached nearly 80%, with wiggling frog eggs covering the majority of the area. It was for this reason that after passing through the second tunnel, all the anchors stayed away from this area. After all, although the props could be used, not everyone could afford the cost of constantly activating them.
The only place where the slime coverage was low was a small open area near the conductor’s cabin.
The compartment windows were open, and the whistling wind poured in through them, and the raised curtains fluttered.
The young man sat on the only clean seat, leaning half of his body against the window and staring thoughtfully at the scenery outside the window. The outline of his side face was clear and soft, and the broken light outside the window fell on his face. If not for the squirming sticky frog eggs, this scene would have been as beautiful as a screenshot from a movie.
“Great! You’re fine!”
Lilith’s eyes lit up, and she ran over: “I knew it!”
Wen Ya couldn’t help but relax slightly when she saw that Wen Jianyan was still alive.
It seemed that Yun Bilan’s guess was correct; the other party just disappeared for a short period of time due to some unknown reason rather than any danger.
Although Wen Ya once had enmity with the other party, after this period of time in this instance, the strong hatred and anger had been diluted and even replaced by appreciation and goodwill. Even though she didn’t say anything the moment she saw Wen Jianyan, Wen Ya couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Very good.
She knew that this guy, who could play around with the red team in the entire instance, would not die so easily.
But…
Wen Ya frowned and looked around the entire compartment, looking for the figure of the second person.
But she failed.
Looking around, Wen Jianyan was the only one in the first section of the compartment, and there was no place to hide anyone in the entire compartment, let alone a well-built anchor who was nearly two meters tall.
Could it be…
Did the other party realize that there were other people in the first compartment, so they left early?
“Speaking of which,”
Wen Ya looked at Wen Jianyan and asked, “Have you seen anyone else here—”
She turned her head, and her eyes fell on Wen Jianyan.
In the next second, her voice suddenly stopped, and all the remaining words were stuck in her throat.
Wen Ya’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Her sight that was on Wen Jianyan’s face moved down slowly, little by little, and finally stopped on the other’s neckline.
There, pinned a little iris.
And above her neckline, she also pinned the exact same accessories.
To be precise, they had already worn it before entering this instance—this was the sign of recognition they had agreed upon in advance.
Suddenly, it seemed as if lightning flashed, illuminating the dark sky.
Countless broken clues were connected together in an instant, forming an overly large information flow, which made Wen Ya’s brain stop functioning instantly.
She stared at the young man not far away, dumbfounded, and her dry voice seemed to be squeezed out of her throat:
“You, you—”
“Hello.”
Wen Jianyan withdrew her gaze and looked at the two people, who seemed to be not far away. Realizing something, he stared blankly at his teammates, then stood up slowly:
“Let’s get to know each other again.”
“New anchor, Wen Jianyan.”
The young man narrowed his amber eyes, and the corners of his pale lips twitched slightly. He stood up and showed a casual smile:
“It’s the first time we meet, please take care of me.”
