Chapter 56: Entering the fifth floor
The thought time was now compressed to a quarter of the previous round.
Five—
If Shen Ti wanted to survive, it must be the situation of ‘YYN’, two not to eliminate, one to eliminate.
Four—
Three—
In the last round, Yang Erci chose “eliminate,” and she succeeded. In this round, she should be more confident in her choice. The possibility of changing the selection was very high this time.
Shen Ti was a variable.
“Last two seconds!”
At the same time the rabbit declared the end, An Wujiu blurted out.
“I choose to eliminate.” / “Time’s up.”
The rabbit smiled and said, “I’m really curious; what kind of result will the five seconds of struggle bring us?”
“Is it a surprise, or a shock?”
“Wow.” The rabbit, like a child opening a Christmas gift, bluntly showed disappointment before the surprise had faded.
“An Wujiu, you are really lucky.”
“Such a precious unlocking opportunity, and you used it on this door.”
The final result was two not to eliminate and one to eliminate, which was NNY.
Although An Wujiu made the safest choice, leaving the only different decision to the one who needed to unlock this round, the final result was not as expected, largely due to the short time.
In the third metal room, Yang Erci, upon hearing the rabbit announce the result, also frowned.
The pressure on her had been released a lot after the last successful choice, as it was finally not a consecutive three identical decisions. But with only five seconds, there was no time to think too much.
The simplest way was indeed to choose “eliminate,” because only Shen Ti remained, and it was safest if Shen Ti chose “not to eliminate” himself.
But Shen Ti was not the type to follow the rules…
Thinking of this, time was running out. Yang Erci ultimately chose “not to eliminate.”.
She couldn’t figure out Shen Ti and could only test once. Rather than having another situation of three “eliminates,” she would prefer NNY.
“Too bad.” The rabbit smiled at Shen Ti and said, “Your good friend did not successfully save you.”
Shen Ti also returned a smile, “Who told you he’s my good friend?”
“Am I not the star of a disaster with no connection to the world at all?”
After several confrontations, the rabbit had learned to ignore his retorts.
“Say whatever you want; anyway, it’s difficult to change the fact that you’re about to face elimination. The last chance, fifty-fifty chance.”
Although the rabbit said these words, in Shen Ti’s eyes, it was all just alarmist talk.
This kind of game’s biggest challenge, aside from the set of obstacles and illusions, was trust.
The other challengers were separated from each other. Even if all three people could not survive, the ones who had been eliminated wouldn’t suffer any loss. In solo battles, there was one less point contender, and no one knew what kind of purpose he might have or what choices he would make.
And An Wujiu created a perfect natural advantage for the three of them, which was a sense of trust.
If it weren’t for An Wujiu consistently adhering to the principle that everyone should survive and leave, there wouldn’t be enough companions outside willing to sacrifice for them, and the situation inside the room would be unpredictable.
The electric shocks continued to assault the four individuals’ pain receptors. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, and the voices outside the door were now hoarse.
“Final question.”
Upon hearing the rabbit speak, An Wujiu also withdrew from their pain. His strong empathy made him feel incredibly exhausted, with the pain squeezing his heart as if he could sense the illusion of electric currents stimulating his entire body. However, he was acutely aware that this was far less than one-millionth of what they were enduring.
The only fortunate thing was that, due to the “mistake” in the previous round, at least they didn’t have to worry about the elimination of a specific gene of their companions outside by the holy altar.
“But it’s a bit regrettable. Your companions can no longer endure this pain. Most of them have completely passed out, and the electric shock cannot awaken their rationality. So, your time this time is even shorter.”
“Only two seconds.” The rabbit’s tone couldn’t hide its excitement. “This is your only chance to save Shen Ti.”
An Wujiu remained silent.
“Don’t be so nervous; worst-case scenario, you’ll be eliminated.” The rabbit smiled as if remembering something suddenly and added, “Oh, by the way, I seem to have forgotten to tell you. For those who fail to escape, staying here may not be as simple as elimination.”
An Wujiu frowned. “What do you mean?”
The rabbit chuckled, “You’ll know soon enough.”
“Now, the seventh round of questions officially begins. Tell me the answer in two seconds.”
The countdown started directly with the number 2, ticking away rapidly.
An Wujiu didn’t hesitate: “Eliminate.”
He trusted Shen Ti and Yang Erci. As long as there was a chance to test, they wouldn’t go wrong this time.
On the other side, the rabbit asked Shen Ti, who answered first, “Are you sure?”
Shen Ti smiled: “Generally, when the questioner asks this kind of question, it’s because the respondent has given the correct answer. Rabbit, what do you think?”
The rabbit’s gaze shifted to the rightmost room, where the woman with long hair stood quietly. There was no emotional fluctuation on her face, as if everything had already been settled.
“The reason you’re not worried is because you were released in the first round, right?”
Yang Erci lifted her eyes contemptuously and said, “It’s because I know I won’t be wrong this time.”
The screams outside finally stopped, making the metal room unusually quiet. The rabbit didn’t even announce the answer itself; the synthesized voice commonly heard in the containment center took over.
“This round’s result: eliminate, not eliminate, eliminate. Scenario B is achieved.”
“Player Shen Ti’s lock has been unlocked!”
“All trapped players have successfully escaped, setting a new game record!”
The trial-and-error results of the sixth round made the three of them completely understand each other’s thoughts. Yang Erci was clear that Shen Ti would voluntarily choose the different answer, and An Wujiu would step back and choose the “finalize” option that required two people.
She believed that these two wouldn’t change their decisions in the final round because their goals were aligned.
This round had to be the one to release Shen Ti.
“All seven rounds of questioning have ended. Successfully unlocked players, please leave the room.”
The door in front suddenly opened, and through it, An Wujiu didn’t see Wu You and the others, but without much hesitation, he left the room. As he turned his head, the first person he saw coming out of the door simultaneously was Shen Ti.
“Thank you.”
That was the first thing Shen Ti said to him.
An Wujiu was momentarily stunned. He didn’t understand why Shen Ti was thanking him. The next second, he worried if the rabbit had said something strange to Shen Ti.
For example, telling Shen Ti that he cared a lot about why his door didn’t open.
Seeing An Wujiu’s confusion, Shen Ti smiled slightly, extended his hand, and placed his palm on An Wujiu’s head.
“If it weren’t for your kindness influencing everyone, I might have died in this round.”
His sincerity made An Wujiu feel uncomfortable, or rather uneasy. So, he just replied, trying to brush it off, “No, you would have survived even without me.”
This sentence sounded strange, but An Wujiu didn’t want to delve into it further.
But the voice behind him affirmed Shen Ti’s words.
“This time, he said something humane.”
An Wujiu looked back, and Yang Erci’s face showed a rare and relaxed smile. “Indeed, thanks to you, I dared to believe in others at the altar for the first time.”
An Wujiu’s mouth curled slightly, and his face displayed a calm smile.
Three shining golden fragments appeared in front of the three individuals, each inscribed with “love,” “hell,” and “nobody.”.
Love, hell, nobody…
While still contemplating, An Wujiu heard Yang Erci’s voice.
“Take them.”
He was somewhat surprised because she had been arguing with him earlier about the ownership of the fragments. However, An Wujiu didn’t want to continue discussing such a simple decision at this moment. He needed to hurry and check on Wu You and the others.
“I’ll take them, but rest assured, these belong to all of us.” After saying this, An Wujiu went to find the other four.
“The rabbit just mentioned passing out; they shouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger.”
Finally, in the rear of the metal room, he found four surgical tables, and the other four were all there. An Wujiu rushed over, checking their pulses and breathing.
Seeing Wu You’s pale face and the bed sheets on the surgical table that had been torn to shreds, An Wujiu felt uneasy. He looked at Wu You’s hands, and even his fingertips were worn out.
For some reason, seeing Wu You, he seemed to see the shadow of his own sister.
But upon careful recollection, his impressions of his sister were not very clear. It was more about her appearance during their childhood.
“They are all very weak now.” Yang Erci pinched their muscles, checking them one by one. “The electric shocks targeted the temporal areas. It’s strange; this intensity didn’t have much impact on the muscles. I suspect the shocks weren’t severe, and the system adjusted their nerve sensitivity. That’s why they passed out due to intense pain. It will probably take some time for them to wake up.”
Just as she finished speaking, Josh on the far right opened his eyes drowsily, mumbling incoherent words and constantly begging for mercy. An Wujiu immediately walked over, grabbing his arm. “Don’t be afraid; you’ve been rescued.”
Seeing An Wujiu, Josh’s tears welled up immediately. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
He continued to apologize, repeating that he shouldn’t have pressed that button.
“I thought I caused harm to all of you. I thought you couldn’t get out.” Josh wiped away tears, his face filled with a relieved expression.
“It’s not your fault.” An Wujiu knew deep down that anyone in the same situation would have the right to press the stop button for their own safety.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Yang Erci, unusually comforting others, said, “Everyone’s tolerance is different. If it wasn’t too painful for you, you wouldn’t have pressed it.”
Perhaps because she experienced a game that seemed isolated and helpless, yet behind it, many people were offering assistance, Yang Erci finally understood why her father named her Erci, probably hoping she would possess a compassionate heart.
“We should be the second group to clear this game.” Shen Ti diverted everyone’s sorrowful emotions with a subtle shift. “I heard it from the rabbit.”
Yang Erci frowned, “How much did that rabbit say exactly?”
“The second group?” An Wujiu was curious. “Who is the first group then?”
“The legendary player with the highest score.” Shen Ti shrugged, “But we don’t know the specifics.”
“The highest score?” Yang Erci remembered something. “I heard there’s someone with a current score of 200,000. They were publicly disclosed in the Hall of Shame for violating the rules, but it only lasted for a day.”
“What rule did they violate?” An Wujiu found it strange. The rules in the altar’s games generally had few restrictions, especially considering that the games themselves could potentially involve rule violations or cheating to mislead players.
“They killed an NPC in a game where violence is prohibited,” Yang Erci explained simply. “And it was an NPC about to respawn. You know, those who are eliminated still have a chance to resurrect in the game. As long as they complete enough NPC tasks, they can re-enter the game. If they survive the re-entry, they can officially resurrect.”
“It’s really tough.” Shen Ti sighed deeply. “Dying is simpler.”
Upon hearing this, An Wujiu felt a small knot form in his heart. He originally wanted to say something but ended up changing his words.
“What’s the person’s name?”
Yang Erci thought for a moment. “Maguire, an American. I don’t know if he has the highest score, but he’s the highest I’ve seen.”
During their conversation, Wu You also opened his eyes. Shen Ti was the first to notice.
“You’re awake?” Shen Ti reached out to pinch his face. “Do you feel anything? Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you got electrocuted and went silly.”
Wu You was irritated and forcefully pushed away Shen Ti’s hand. “Get lost…”
“I won’t tease you anymore.” Shen Ti smiled.
An Wujiu asked if he felt any discomfort, and Wu You just shook his head lightly. In an attempt to show that he wasn’t in pain at all, he even forced himself to sit up. However, he didn’t mention a word about the pain he had just endured, maintaining a stubborn silence.
“Thank you.” An Wujiu patted his head sincerely.
Wu You smiled back at him, not saying anything.
Then he turned his head, staring at Nan Shan, who hadn’t opened his eyes yet. “He won’t die, right…”
“No.” Shen Ti teased him on purpose: “Disappointed?”
“I’m most disappointed that you didn’t die.”
“It seems like nothing serious happened. You’re arguing with me already.”
Nan Shan gradually opened his eyes during their banter. The pain made his reactions sluggish. Wanting to get off the bed and stand up, he accidentally fell onto Wu You.
Wu You, who seemed accustomed to it, although showing a look of disdain as if saying “I knew it,” still honestly extended both hands to catch him.
“Taoist, you’re really weak.”
“Sorry…” Nan Shan simply decided to lean on him for a while before standing up straight.
Yang Erci helped Zhang Yirou up from the bed. She noticed that the marks on Zhang Yirou’s neck had actually disappeared, leaving no trace.
So she turned her head and looked at Nan Shan.
Nan Shan could still speak and seemed much better than Zhang Yirou. The marks on his neck also seemed to have disappeared.
Was it a problem with this floor?
“We should leave this place.” Yang Erci carried Zhang Yirou off the bed but suddenly realized that she had opened her eyes.
“I can manage on my own…”
At that moment, the gate to heaven appeared before them.
“Let’s go.”
But in the next moment, the metal walls on all sides suddenly rose upward.
It turned out that these were not walls; they were just doors separating the different sections. Cold air poured out from the rising metal walls, resembling a flowing mist. Behind the walls, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Numerous neatly arranged transparent nitrogen freezing pods looked like collected experimental specimen bottles. They were stored here, row by row, column by column, each containing a human.
There were hundreds of them.
They wore identical white trial suits, but their heads were covered with a white hood, obscuring their faces.
From their figures and height alone, these people looked almost identical.
An Wujiu suddenly recalled the movie title on the B05 holographic control screen.
“Clones…”
At that moment, the doors of the cryo-pods began to open.
Shen Ti didn’t think too much. Taking advantage of the fact that the gate to heaven had not yet opened, he casually walked over and randomly chose one of the pods, preparing to remove the hood from the person inside.
The moment his fingertips touched the hood, the gate to heaven slowly opened.
To the surprise of An Wu Jiu and the others, words were flashing on the door.
[A02: They all want to kill me.]
“What does this mean?” Wu You also noticed it.
Soon, they heard a children’s rhyme coming from above, with crisp and pleasant voices.
[Second brother dies, big brother buries, third and fourth brothers carry the coffin, fifth brother cries, sixth brother laughs, seventh brother says, hurry and bury, don’t let the second brother climb out…]
“This song… does it imply something?” Josh frowned.
The second brother dies…
The children’s rhyme continued to play, and suddenly, as if receiving some command, all the cloned people in the cryo-pods “came to life.” The ones on the lower level started moving their bodies and walked out, while those on the upper level jumped down one after another. The scene was eerie and surreal.
They moved like zombies, stiff and twisted, gradually advancing. Their limbs started to swell, and rings of densely packed spikes appeared.
“Shen Ti!”
Shen Ti’s forearm was scratched by the spikes of the clone monster in front of him. Fortunately, he dodged in time and immediately retreated.
“Go upstairs quickly!” He covered his arm and ran toward them.
Hundreds of identical monsters chased after them, swarming to encircle and intercept them. The suddenly appearing spikes nearly grazed An Wujiu’s throat.
Were these children undergoing some kind of mutation?
No, these were clearly adults.
An Wujiu thought of what the rabbit had said about the consequences of being eliminated and staying in the metal room.
The outcome might be directly devoured by these monsters.
In the chaos, they fled to the fifth floor. When they were about to reach the door, An Wujiu suddenly heard Josh’s scream. Turning around, he realized that one of Josh’s lower legs had been pierced by the spikes of a monster’s arm and was being dragged downward.
“Help!”
An Wujiu rushed over to grab his hand. In the next moment, a gunshot rang out, and Shen Ti hit the monster’s shoulder. The arm with the spikes fell off directly.
Josh crawled and dragged the monster’s arm, fleeing into the door of the fifth floor. Yang Erci and Wu You put down the other two to assist him.
This place was completely different from what they had imagined.
The floor of the corridor was covered in blood, extending all the way to the corner.
Monsters filled the entire spiral staircase, still desperately advancing.
“Shoot once and leave!” An Wujiu told Shen Ti, “This place is not safe.”
“Okay.” Shen Ti was surprisingly obedient, shooting at the monster he had just hit.
He originally intended to kill it in one shot, aiming for vital points like the neck.
But the peripheral gunfire also shattered the hood on the monster’s head.
The neck broke open.
Revealing the face beneath, it was An Wujiu’s face.
Chapter 56: Entering the fifth floor
The thought time was now compressed to a quarter of the previous round.
Five—
If Shen Ti wanted to survive, it must be the situation of ‘YYN’, two not to eliminate, one to eliminate.
Four—
Three—
In the last round, Yang Erci chose “eliminate,” and she succeeded. In this round, she should be more confident in her choice. The possibility of changing the selection was very high this time.
Shen Ti was a variable.
“Last two seconds!”
At the same time the rabbit declared the end, An Wujiu blurted out.
“I choose to eliminate.” / “Time’s up.”
The rabbit smiled and said, “I’m really curious; what kind of result will the five seconds of struggle bring us?”
“Is it a surprise, or a shock?”
“Wow.” The rabbit, like a child opening a Christmas gift, bluntly showed disappointment before the surprise had faded.
“An Wujiu, you are really lucky.”
“Such a precious unlocking opportunity, and you used it on this door.”
The final result was two not to eliminate and one to eliminate, which was NNY.
Although An Wujiu made the safest choice, leaving the only different decision to the one who needed to unlock this round, the final result was not as expected, largely due to the short time.
In the third metal room, Yang Erci, upon hearing the rabbit announce the result, also frowned.
The pressure on her had been released a lot after the last successful choice, as it was finally not a consecutive three identical decisions. But with only five seconds, there was no time to think too much.
The simplest way was indeed to choose “eliminate,” because only Shen Ti remained, and it was safest if Shen Ti chose “not to eliminate” himself.
But Shen Ti was not the type to follow the rules…
Thinking of this, time was running out. Yang Erci ultimately chose “not to eliminate.”.
She couldn’t figure out Shen Ti and could only test once. Rather than having another situation of three “eliminates,” she would prefer NNY.
“Too bad.” The rabbit smiled at Shen Ti and said, “Your good friend did not successfully save you.”
Shen Ti also returned a smile, “Who told you he’s my good friend?”
“Am I not the star of a disaster with no connection to the world at all?”
After several confrontations, the rabbit had learned to ignore his retorts.
“Say whatever you want; anyway, it’s difficult to change the fact that you’re about to face elimination. The last chance, fifty-fifty chance.”
Although the rabbit said these words, in Shen Ti’s eyes, it was all just alarmist talk.
This kind of game’s biggest challenge, aside from the set of obstacles and illusions, was trust.
The other challengers were separated from each other. Even if all three people could not survive, the ones who had been eliminated wouldn’t suffer any loss. In solo battles, there was one less point contender, and no one knew what kind of purpose he might have or what choices he would make.
And An Wujiu created a perfect natural advantage for the three of them, which was a sense of trust.
If it weren’t for An Wujiu consistently adhering to the principle that everyone should survive and leave, there wouldn’t be enough companions outside willing to sacrifice for them, and the situation inside the room would be unpredictable.
The electric shocks continued to assault the four individuals’ pain receptors. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, and the voices outside the door were now hoarse.
“Final question.”
Upon hearing the rabbit speak, An Wujiu also withdrew from their pain. His strong empathy made him feel incredibly exhausted, with the pain squeezing his heart as if he could sense the illusion of electric currents stimulating his entire body. However, he was acutely aware that this was far less than one-millionth of what they were enduring.
The only fortunate thing was that, due to the “mistake” in the previous round, at least they didn’t have to worry about the elimination of a specific gene of their companions outside by the holy altar.
“But it’s a bit regrettable. Your companions can no longer endure this pain. Most of them have completely passed out, and the electric shock cannot awaken their rationality. So, your time this time is even shorter.”
“Only two seconds.” The rabbit’s tone couldn’t hide its excitement. “This is your only chance to save Shen Ti.”
An Wujiu remained silent.
“Don’t be so nervous; worst-case scenario, you’ll be eliminated.” The rabbit smiled as if remembering something suddenly and added, “Oh, by the way, I seem to have forgotten to tell you. For those who fail to escape, staying here may not be as simple as elimination.”
An Wujiu frowned. “What do you mean?”
The rabbit chuckled, “You’ll know soon enough.”
“Now, the seventh round of questions officially begins. Tell me the answer in two seconds.”
The countdown started directly with the number 2, ticking away rapidly.
An Wujiu didn’t hesitate: “Eliminate.”
He trusted Shen Ti and Yang Erci. As long as there was a chance to test, they wouldn’t go wrong this time.
On the other side, the rabbit asked Shen Ti, who answered first, “Are you sure?”
Shen Ti smiled: “Generally, when the questioner asks this kind of question, it’s because the respondent has given the correct answer. Rabbit, what do you think?”
The rabbit’s gaze shifted to the rightmost room, where the woman with long hair stood quietly. There was no emotional fluctuation on her face, as if everything had already been settled.
“The reason you’re not worried is because you were released in the first round, right?”
Yang Erci lifted her eyes contemptuously and said, “It’s because I know I won’t be wrong this time.”
The screams outside finally stopped, making the metal room unusually quiet. The rabbit didn’t even announce the answer itself; the synthesized voice commonly heard in the containment center took over.
“This round’s result: eliminate, not eliminate, eliminate. Scenario B is achieved.”
“Player Shen Ti’s lock has been unlocked!”
“All trapped players have successfully escaped, setting a new game record!”
The trial-and-error results of the sixth round made the three of them completely understand each other’s thoughts. Yang Erci was clear that Shen Ti would voluntarily choose the different answer, and An Wujiu would step back and choose the “finalize” option that required two people.
She believed that these two wouldn’t change their decisions in the final round because their goals were aligned.
This round had to be the one to release Shen Ti.
“All seven rounds of questioning have ended. Successfully unlocked players, please leave the room.”
The door in front suddenly opened, and through it, An Wujiu didn’t see Wu You and the others, but without much hesitation, he left the room. As he turned his head, the first person he saw coming out of the door simultaneously was Shen Ti.
“Thank you.”
That was the first thing Shen Ti said to him.
An Wujiu was momentarily stunned. He didn’t understand why Shen Ti was thanking him. The next second, he worried if the rabbit had said something strange to Shen Ti.
For example, telling Shen Ti that he cared a lot about why his door didn’t open.
Seeing An Wujiu’s confusion, Shen Ti smiled slightly, extended his hand, and placed his palm on An Wujiu’s head.
“If it weren’t for your kindness influencing everyone, I might have died in this round.”
His sincerity made An Wujiu feel uncomfortable, or rather uneasy. So, he just replied, trying to brush it off, “No, you would have survived even without me.”
This sentence sounded strange, but An Wujiu didn’t want to delve into it further.
But the voice behind him affirmed Shen Ti’s words.
“This time, he said something humane.”
An Wujiu looked back, and Yang Erci’s face showed a rare and relaxed smile. “Indeed, thanks to you, I dared to believe in others at the altar for the first time.”
An Wujiu’s mouth curled slightly, and his face displayed a calm smile.
Three shining golden fragments appeared in front of the three individuals, each inscribed with “love,” “hell,” and “nobody.”.
Love, hell, nobody…
While still contemplating, An Wujiu heard Yang Erci’s voice.
“Take them.”
He was somewhat surprised because she had been arguing with him earlier about the ownership of the fragments. However, An Wujiu didn’t want to continue discussing such a simple decision at this moment. He needed to hurry and check on Wu You and the others.
“I’ll take them, but rest assured, these belong to all of us.” After saying this, An Wujiu went to find the other four.
“The rabbit just mentioned passing out; they shouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger.”
Finally, in the rear of the metal room, he found four surgical tables, and the other four were all there. An Wujiu rushed over, checking their pulses and breathing.
Seeing Wu You’s pale face and the bed sheets on the surgical table that had been torn to shreds, An Wujiu felt uneasy. He looked at Wu You’s hands, and even his fingertips were worn out.
For some reason, seeing Wu You, he seemed to see the shadow of his own sister.
But upon careful recollection, his impressions of his sister were not very clear. It was more about her appearance during their childhood.
“They are all very weak now.” Yang Erci pinched their muscles, checking them one by one. “The electric shocks targeted the temporal areas. It’s strange; this intensity didn’t have much impact on the muscles. I suspect the shocks weren’t severe, and the system adjusted their nerve sensitivity. That’s why they passed out due to intense pain. It will probably take some time for them to wake up.”
Just as she finished speaking, Josh on the far right opened his eyes drowsily, mumbling incoherent words and constantly begging for mercy. An Wujiu immediately walked over, grabbing his arm. “Don’t be afraid; you’ve been rescued.”
Seeing An Wujiu, Josh’s tears welled up immediately. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
He continued to apologize, repeating that he shouldn’t have pressed that button.
“I thought I caused harm to all of you. I thought you couldn’t get out.” Josh wiped away tears, his face filled with a relieved expression.
“It’s not your fault.” An Wujiu knew deep down that anyone in the same situation would have the right to press the stop button for their own safety.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Yang Erci, unusually comforting others, said, “Everyone’s tolerance is different. If it wasn’t too painful for you, you wouldn’t have pressed it.”
Perhaps because she experienced a game that seemed isolated and helpless, yet behind it, many people were offering assistance, Yang Erci finally understood why her father named her Erci, probably hoping she would possess a compassionate heart.
“We should be the second group to clear this game.” Shen Ti diverted everyone’s sorrowful emotions with a subtle shift. “I heard it from the rabbit.”
Yang Erci frowned, “How much did that rabbit say exactly?”
“The second group?” An Wujiu was curious. “Who is the first group then?”
“The legendary player with the highest score.” Shen Ti shrugged, “But we don’t know the specifics.”
“The highest score?” Yang Erci remembered something. “I heard there’s someone with a current score of 200,000. They were publicly disclosed in the Hall of Shame for violating the rules, but it only lasted for a day.”
“What rule did they violate?” An Wujiu found it strange. The rules in the altar’s games generally had few restrictions, especially considering that the games themselves could potentially involve rule violations or cheating to mislead players.
“They killed an NPC in a game where violence is prohibited,” Yang Erci explained simply. “And it was an NPC about to respawn. You know, those who are eliminated still have a chance to resurrect in the game. As long as they complete enough NPC tasks, they can re-enter the game. If they survive the re-entry, they can officially resurrect.”
“It’s really tough.” Shen Ti sighed deeply. “Dying is simpler.”
Upon hearing this, An Wujiu felt a small knot form in his heart. He originally wanted to say something but ended up changing his words.
“What’s the person’s name?”
Yang Erci thought for a moment. “Maguire, an American. I don’t know if he has the highest score, but he’s the highest I’ve seen.”
During their conversation, Wu You also opened his eyes. Shen Ti was the first to notice.
“You’re awake?” Shen Ti reached out to pinch his face. “Do you feel anything? Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you got electrocuted and went silly.”
Wu You was irritated and forcefully pushed away Shen Ti’s hand. “Get lost…”
“I won’t tease you anymore.” Shen Ti smiled.
An Wujiu asked if he felt any discomfort, and Wu You just shook his head lightly. In an attempt to show that he wasn’t in pain at all, he even forced himself to sit up. However, he didn’t mention a word about the pain he had just endured, maintaining a stubborn silence.
“Thank you.” An Wujiu patted his head sincerely.
Wu You smiled back at him, not saying anything.
Then he turned his head, staring at Nan Shan, who hadn’t opened his eyes yet. “He won’t die, right…”
“No.” Shen Ti teased him on purpose: “Disappointed?”
“I’m most disappointed that you didn’t die.”
“It seems like nothing serious happened. You’re arguing with me already.”
Nan Shan gradually opened his eyes during their banter. The pain made his reactions sluggish. Wanting to get off the bed and stand up, he accidentally fell onto Wu You.
Wu You, who seemed accustomed to it, although showing a look of disdain as if saying “I knew it,” still honestly extended both hands to catch him.
“Taoist, you’re really weak.”
“Sorry…” Nan Shan simply decided to lean on him for a while before standing up straight.
Yang Erci helped Zhang Yirou up from the bed. She noticed that the marks on Zhang Yirou’s neck had actually disappeared, leaving no trace.
So she turned her head and looked at Nan Shan.
Nan Shan could still speak and seemed much better than Zhang Yirou. The marks on his neck also seemed to have disappeared.
Was it a problem with this floor?
“We should leave this place.” Yang Erci carried Zhang Yirou off the bed but suddenly realized that she had opened her eyes.
“I can manage on my own…”
At that moment, the gate to heaven appeared before them.
“Let’s go.”
But in the next moment, the metal walls on all sides suddenly rose upward.
It turned out that these were not walls; they were just doors separating the different sections. Cold air poured out from the rising metal walls, resembling a flowing mist. Behind the walls, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Numerous neatly arranged transparent nitrogen freezing pods looked like collected experimental specimen bottles. They were stored here, row by row, column by column, each containing a human.
There were hundreds of them.
They wore identical white trial suits, but their heads were covered with a white hood, obscuring their faces.
From their figures and height alone, these people looked almost identical.
An Wujiu suddenly recalled the movie title on the B05 holographic control screen.
“Clones…”
At that moment, the doors of the cryo-pods began to open.
Shen Ti didn’t think too much. Taking advantage of the fact that the gate to heaven had not yet opened, he casually walked over and randomly chose one of the pods, preparing to remove the hood from the person inside.
The moment his fingertips touched the hood, the gate to heaven slowly opened.
To the surprise of An Wu Jiu and the others, words were flashing on the door.
[A02: They all want to kill me.]
“What does this mean?” Wu You also noticed it.
Soon, they heard a children’s rhyme coming from above, with crisp and pleasant voices.
[Second brother dies, big brother buries, third and fourth brothers carry the coffin, fifth brother cries, sixth brother laughs, seventh brother says, hurry and bury, don’t let the second brother climb out…]
“This song… does it imply something?” Josh frowned.
The second brother dies…
The children’s rhyme continued to play, and suddenly, as if receiving some command, all the cloned people in the cryo-pods “came to life.” The ones on the lower level started moving their bodies and walked out, while those on the upper level jumped down one after another. The scene was eerie and surreal.
They moved like zombies, stiff and twisted, gradually advancing. Their limbs started to swell, and rings of densely packed spikes appeared.
“Shen Ti!”
Shen Ti’s forearm was scratched by the spikes of the clone monster in front of him. Fortunately, he dodged in time and immediately retreated.
“Go upstairs quickly!” He covered his arm and ran toward them.
Hundreds of identical monsters chased after them, swarming to encircle and intercept them. The suddenly appearing spikes nearly grazed An Wujiu’s throat.
Were these children undergoing some kind of mutation?
No, these were clearly adults.
An Wujiu thought of what the rabbit had said about the consequences of being eliminated and staying in the metal room.
The outcome might be directly devoured by these monsters.
In the chaos, they fled to the fifth floor. When they were about to reach the door, An Wujiu suddenly heard Josh’s scream. Turning around, he realized that one of Josh’s lower legs had been pierced by the spikes of a monster’s arm and was being dragged downward.
“Help!”
An Wujiu rushed over to grab his hand. In the next moment, a gunshot rang out, and Shen Ti hit the monster’s shoulder. The arm with the spikes fell off directly.
Josh crawled and dragged the monster’s arm, fleeing into the door of the fifth floor. Yang Erci and Wu You put down the other two to assist him.
This place was completely different from what they had imagined.
The floor of the corridor was covered in blood, extending all the way to the corner.
Monsters filled the entire spiral staircase, still desperately advancing.
“Shoot once and leave!” An Wujiu told Shen Ti, “This place is not safe.”
“Okay.” Shen Ti was surprisingly obedient, shooting at the monster he had just hit.
He originally intended to kill it in one shot, aiming for vital points like the neck.
But the peripheral gunfire also shattered the hood on the monster’s head.
The neck broke open.
Revealing the face beneath, it was An Wujiu’s face.
