Matryoshka Off-Limits

Chapter 27: virtual reality

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The news that Wen Shi was staying at a hotel owned by the Second Commandment Guild spread quickly.

Everything about him seemed very out of place. He didn't change his appearance after coming out of the dungeon, and he just moved into the free house without any worries about what would happen after moving in.

On the surface, everyone is in a state of waiting and not doing anything, but in fact, apart from the ten major guilds in the open, some forces lurking in the dark have begun to stir.

At noon, Wenshi welcomed an unexpected visitor, it was A Ling. She was a little surprised to see that she opened the door so readily.

Wen Shi got straight to the point: "The forces at the hotel asked you to be a lobbyist?"

Being exposed by a sentence, A Ling did not deny it: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have been allowed in." After entering the door, she first said: "I didn't tell anyone that you have a war general."

War generals are a great help, but there are not many players in the game who have war generals.

"It doesn't matter." Wen Shi shrugged: "We'll know soon anyway."

He will summon zombies in the dungeon more often in the future.

Ah Ling frowned: "Generally, everyone will hide good things as a trump card, especially players without power, after all, wood..."

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, right?"

Wen Shi smiled and walked to the window nonchalantly: "The virtual world cannot maim or kill people, so what should I be afraid of?"

Isn't it stupid to have a good thing but not use it and fight for life and death

Ah Ling didn't know whether to call him naive. "It's just that you can't cripple someone. There are many ways to torture someone. Besides, once you enter the dungeon, no matter how smart you are, you can't always escape the deliberate harm of others."

Wen Shi did not deny this.

A Ling: "You are now the target of public criticism."

Wen Shi listened to her calmly and asked, "What about you? Don't you want to know the clues related to the copy?"

Ah Ling shook her head: "The best time has passed."

She didn't find an opportunity to attack in the dungeon, and now she was out, there would be more trouble. She didn't even go back to her original guild directly, but took the initiative to find the Second Commandment and take a lie detector test in front of everyone. Otherwise, no one would believe that she didn't get any clues from the newcomer.

"From what I know, a notorious underground organization will take action against you in the near future. Once you enter the dungeon, everyone will be targeting you. Without the protection of a big organization, it will be difficult for you to move forward."

Wen Shi said "hmm" twice perfunctorily and sent A Ling away with the words "I'll consider it carefully".

As soon as Ah Ling left, the manager came over immediately: "How is it?"

"Failed."

This result was expected. They wanted to test each other's thoughts through her.

A Ling said: "Pei Wenwei did not put forward any conditions, nor did he show any intention of cooperation."

The manager frowned. Was he planning to confront everyone? If he really had such an idea, it would not be described as stupid.

The manager couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by Wen Shi's arrogant behavior. If he had a little emotional intelligence, he should have shown some sincerity in return. So in the afternoon, he no longer stopped the person who wanted to deliver the letter, hoping that Wen Shi would recognize his predicament.

As a result, when faced with these letters promising benefits, Wen Shi let them all take away intact, and finally hung a wooden sign on the door saying "Do not disturb" without giving anyone any face.

This even includes the largest guild.

For the first time in their lives, they were turned away. The members of Yijie were so angry that they laughed when they returned home. They sent messages while walking on the road: "Boss, I didn't even get to see the person."

He had just sent a voice message when he saw several suspicious figures wandering around the hotel, two of whom looked very familiar to him.

Someone who is so familiar to Yijie is definitely not a good person. The member continued to input voice: "This newcomer has offended many people at once, and he is already in trouble."

Wen Shi was slow to express his stance, and the hotel was not a charity, so it did not take on the pressure to help him fight against those forces that were waiting for an opportunity.

Outside the hotel, a burly man was leaning against a tree chewing gum. The virtual world only had alcohol but no cigarettes, which was very unfriendly to an old smoker like him.

The big man was hired to deal with the newcomer and test the opponent's cards. Every profession has its own expertise, and the underground organization he belonged to has specially researched a series of methods that can cause people great pain without causing disability.

The accomplice who went to get information came back. The big man spit out his chewing gum and asked, "Did you find out clearly? Which floor does the person live on?"

"Brother Zhang, I've got everything covered. Top floor, presidential suite."

Brother Zhang cursed: "This kid really knows how to enjoy himself. Let's go."

The accomplice was a little worried: "It's not a good idea for us to just walk in so brazenly. Should we try to trick him into coming down?"

This is the territory of the Two Commandments, and committing violence here would be more suicidal than seeking death.

"What are you afraid of? The people of the Second Commandment are eager to find someone to give that newcomer a warning."

Each guild has its own plan, it just depends on who can be quicker.

Top floor presidential suite.

Wen Shi was eating some fruit. The prices in the virtual world were very high, especially for alcohol and food.

Halfway through the meal, the smoke alarm in the corridor went off. Wen Shi heard the sound of someone running and closing a door. It seemed that it was a guest on the same floor.

"Run, there's a fire!"

Wen Shi spat out the grape skins, and instead of running away, he pushed the sofa to block the door.

I clapped my hands and when I turned my head, I saw a face sticking out the window!

It was not a human face, but a mechanical puppet. Its face had obvious joints, and its apple muscles were particularly prominent. It was painted with exaggerated blush, a bit like the bridesmaid makeup that Wen Shi had applied to the zombies. The mechanical puppet raised its right arm at a 90-degree angle, holding a small hammer in its hand, and began to break the window.

During this period, the corners of its mouth were wide open, and its bangs seemed to be welded to its forehead during the intense exercise, motionless.

Wen Shi was silent for a moment. If humans can't kill people, what about controlling machines or hiring killers? He quickly rejected this conclusion. If that were the case, the virtual world wouldn't have the illusion of relative peace it has now.

But as A Ling said, there are many ways to torture people. For example, they lock you up in a dark room, deprive you of water and food for two days, and you won't die but you will feel very uncomfortable.

The lock on the door outside was loose, someone was trying to pick it. Wen Shi was about to call the hotel front desk when there was a loud bang and the glass shattered completely.

He put down the phone, feeling that there was no need to make the call. With such a big commotion, the hotel must have known about it long ago.

The puppet doll jumped in from outside, opened its palm like a flap, and dozens of sharp thin wires shot out from it. Wen Shi threw the nearest chair over, and before he had a chance to catch his breath from the mechanical puppet, the door behind him opened.

When the burly man who broke in saw the puppet doll, he signaled the person next to him with his eyes. The two of them had a tacit understanding. One of them took out a knife and cut off the entangled lines at an incredible speed. He was obviously a martial artist. The other went straight towards Wen Shi.

Wen Shi was forced to retreat step by step to the floor-to-ceiling window. The wind was strong on the top floor, and strong winds came in through the broken holes. He glanced sideways and saw that people were still coming in from outside the hotel.

As long as one person moves, the group of people will soon be unable to hold back.

At least at this moment he was facing two groups of people.

Wen Shi looked at the burly man with a serious expression: "You didn't do it right away because you wanted to force me to use the communicator to contact that deputy gang leader, so that I could use this as a token of my loyalty and gain a backer."

The little guy who was dealing with the puppet looked over in surprise: "Brother Zhang, you..."

Brother Zhang did not deny it. People always strive for higher positions. If everything goes well, he can make Erjie owe him a favor. Of course, if the other party insists on not contacting him, it doesn't matter. He will just complete the task assigned by his original employer.

The bathroom was nearby. Brother Zhang slowly opened the door and turned on the faucet. With the sound of running water, he asked through the frosted glass, "How is your lung capacity?"

Wen Shi frowned and couldn't help but say, "Save water." He paused and said, "Even if you find out anything, you can't leave this hotel."

The hotel let these people in so that they could take advantage of the situation afterwards.

Brother Zhang showed a ferocious smile: "Since we are sure to get in, we are sure to get out."

It was already a mess outside, with various low-key underground forces emerging one after another. Even for the second largest guild, it was not easy to completely control the situation. Seeing that Wen Shi had no intention of contacting the Second Commandment, he did not waste any more time and strode over.

Wen Shi smiled when he saw this. He had started to receive a series of private messages two minutes ago. It was obvious that they wanted to force him to surrender by creating a crisis.

"Player 372355 sent you a private message via a special messaging item. Do you want to receive it?"

"Player 418921 sent you a private message via a special messaging item. Do you want to receive it?"

As long as you know the player number, you can send unilateral messages in the virtual world through props in the game store. Of course, whether the recipient sees it or not depends on the recipient.

When Wen Shi opened it, they all had the same words, saying that as long as he was willing to hand over the copy clues, they would guarantee his safety and find someone to protect him in the copy. Some people also promised him thousands of points and props suitable for newcomers. All the promises were real and valid, and would be signed through contract props.

Wen Shi just thought it was ridiculous after reading it.

A light-hearted word of protection, are you trying to get rid of a beggar

He had waited until now to see how much these people valued the information in his hands. Now it was very clear and could be summed up in one sentence: at all costs.

Brother Zhang had already arrived in front of Wen Shi and grabbed Wen Shi’s neck with his big hands.

Wen Shi looked at him calmly, his lips moving: "Three, two... one."

Just as Brother Zhang was about to roughly grab his hair and drag him to the edge of the pool, the last countdown ended and his communicator rang.

The person on the other side only said one sentence: "Stop the action."

Not only him, but also the hotel security guards who were watching the situation quietly, the underground organization who were exchanging fire in the corridor, and the people who were waiting outside... all received the same message at the same time.

Brother Zhang was stunned for a moment: "I don't understand, if we withdraw now, won't all our efforts be wasted..."

"The people who were called to help you have already withdrawn. The Second Commandment has redeployed the defense of the hotel. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave."

The puppet on the other side seemed to have received some secret instructions and soon disappeared.

When retreating, Brother Zhang was about to contact an acquaintance to ask if anything had happened, when he suddenly found an unread private message. After reading it, his expression changed.

The game mall has a trading platform specifically for players. The transaction amount of any commodity traded in it must not be less than 1,000 points, and the system takes 10% of it. This function is rarely used. If you want to buy or sell something, everyone will go to the trade zone to do offline transactions.

However, there are some benefits. If the number of transactions exceeds 100 or the total amount of a single transaction exceeds 10,000 points, the game will give a 98% discount card and a small item at random.

In short, it is a useless function.

The higher the transaction price of the item, the more valuable it is. If you don’t have enough of it yourself, who would be willing to auction it? The commission money is enough to buy a nice prop.

But someone is using it today.

One minute ago, Wen Shi posted a transaction in the form of an auction, with a starting price of 1,000 points and a start time of midnight tonight. As for the auction item, it was a team quota.

Click in for a more detailed introduction:

[Product: Team quota*1

I promise that I am willing to team up with the final winner to enter the next copy.

Ps: Please provide your own props for the double team]

Brother Zhang’s subconscious reaction was: Crazy.

"Crazy." Almost at the same time, he heard his accomplice make the same statement, and the other party also saw the latest information released.

Using the game mall's trading platform, the game will broadcast a free small broadcast to all players once. Except for those who are playing the dungeon, the entire virtual world now knows the news that Wenshi is about to be auctioned. After the initial shock, they immediately reacted to the intention behind it.

Anyway, no matter how much you pretend to be a grandson, you will offend people, and you will be the focus of attention when you enter the dungeon. Instead of doing that, you might as well make some money from it.

Wen Shi almost said it bluntly: I'm giving you the opportunity to harm me, torture me, and get information from me, but this opportunity requires money.

“Audacious, cocky, crazy… but smart.”

Even Brother Zhang, faced with this operation, couldn't help but comment from an objective perspective.

Before entering the copy, the final winner will not only treat the newcomer as a ancestor, but at least ensure his personal safety.

As for whether anyone will buy it, the answer is yes.

For the big forces, no one can resist the temptation of super-god props. It's not that no one has triggered a new dungeon before, but the highest difficulty is only B-level. As the first person to directly trigger a new dungeon, they always have a lot of useful information and even a unique advantage.

Now it was a mess, and no one was sure they could get any information out. After all, a player who could survive the endgame would most likely be able to withstand the torture of just a few days. They were fighting a protracted war, and no matter how strong their will was, it couldn't withstand the abuse they suffered every time they came out of the dungeon.

Now that things have turned around, everyone is more willing to wait until the auction ends in the evening.

Brother Zhang cursed: "This new guy is definitely worse than us."

The essence of the game is that the capitalists are good at exploitation and plunder, while the newcomer is simply doing a no-cost business. In this auction, he did not pay at all, he only received.

·

Midnight, ten minutes before midnight.

Wen Shi came out of the guest room, ordered the best red wine and steak and sat in the restaurant on the first floor to enjoy them.

The light intensity was just right. No one came down to eat at this time. The whole hall was spacious and bright, and it was very comfortable to sit here.

Halfway through the meal, a man with glasses appeared across from me and asked, "Do you want to add a seat?"

"The hotel is yours, please feel free to do as you please."

Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the riot at the hotel that day.

When they met in the morning, the man with glasses only gave Wen Shi the communicator and contact information, but now he took the initiative to introduce himself: "My last name is Ji, Ji Yuanzhi."

Wen Shi wiped the corner of his mouth and shook his hand with him: "Pei Wenwei."

Ji Yuanzhi: "I'll tell you straight away, the more powerful the players who enter the dungeon, the more difficult the dungeon the game will match them. All the players who will participate in the auction are elite players. You are a new player now, so you will usually be assigned to a C-level dungeon. But if you team up with elite players, you will most likely be assigned to an A-level dungeon."

Wen Shi: "Oh? Oh."

Two 'ohs' in a row, from surprise to disappointment.

The good news is that he doesn't have to go to the A-level copy, the bad news is that he will go to the A-level copy next.

Ji Yuanzhi saw that he was truly fearless, so he adjusted the frame of his glasses and said nothing more.

The clock is about to strike midnight, and many people are destined to remain sleepless tonight.

Ji Yuanzhi sat opposite Wen Shi, preparing to participate in the bidding on the trading platform.

The moment the auction started, Wen Shi crossed his legs, shook his red wine glass, and looked out the window at the night scene from time to time with a deep expression.

The manager, who was standing in the distance and temporarily taking over the waiter's duties, pursed his lips. This scene was really... weird.

It's midnight.

In less than a second, the auction price increased by five hundred. Then, before you could even blink, the price soared all the way to one thousand, two thousand, and within half a minute it broke through five thousand.

Wen Shi created the fastest increase in auction bidding.

His eyelids jumped as he stared at the panel in his mind. Are all these guilds so rich

The Puppet Guild currently offers the highest price of 5,800.

Thinking of the puppet doll that broke into the hotel during the day, Wen Shi retracted his time to look at the night sky, propped up his head and said, "Please introduce me to this possible Party A father."

"Most members of the Puppet Guild possess the [Puppet] skill. Under certain conditions, they can control people's will and even temporarily control players to serve as generals."

Although it is the second largest guild, Ji Yuanzhi was a little apprehensive when he mentioned the Puppet Guild. The current president of the Puppet Guild was quite capable and had no moral bottom line. It could be said that he had maximized the potential of his skills.

Wen Shi didn't seem to be panicked at all. Instead, he said excitedly, "They will definitely pay a high price for this spot. Otherwise, it would be a shame to use this skill to trick people. Help me raise the price to 7,000. They will definitely raise the price."

Ji Yuanzhi gave him a deep look and said, "I will also add it without you telling me."

After adding a thousand points, Ji Yuanzhi asked, "Aren't you afraid of actually teaming up with the Puppet Guild?"

Wen Shi smiled and said, "I will kill anyone who wants to make me into a puppet."

Ji Yuanzhi said calmly: "The copy cannot kill people openly."

"I know." Wen Shi smiled more gently: "But my sister told me that if there is injustice, it can be settled with a sword. Those who kill people will be killed."

The alcohol content of this bottle of wine was much higher than the fake wine mixed with pigments in the dungeon. As the alcohol took effect, Wen Shi's cheeks turned slightly red, and with a pair of peach blossom eyes, he looked as gorgeous as a crabapple flower. What he said was difficult to achieve in the game, and anyone who heard it would sound like a drunk saying something in anger.

While Wen Shi was talking to himself, the auction price had already been called up to ten thousand.

"What a rich man." Wen Shi stared at the string of zeros almost numbly and shook his head with emotion.

“… That’s the price I asked for.”

For a large guild, it is not difficult to come up with 10,000 points.

Wen Shi immediately changed his attitude, sat up straight and said, "Hello, Mr. Goldman."

As a qualified Party B, he did not ask Yuan Zhi how he was going to deal with him after entering the copy, but simply encouraged him to continue raising the price.

Now it is basically a contest between the first commandment and the second commandment.

The whole city is watching this exciting auction tonight, and some are even betting privately on which of the two guilds will give in first.

Wen Shi clenched his fist and cheered: "Come on, come on, come on! If I go to the A-level field, I will most likely die there, and it will be difficult to have this opportunity again in the future!"

"Brother, please cherish me now that I am almost extinct!"

Ji Yuanzhi: “…”

One hundred and one!

twelve thousand!

Fifteen thousand!

When the auction price reached 15,500, First Commandment stopped bidding.

Ji Yuanzhi calmly raised the price to fifteen thousand six.

Wen Shi waited anxiously, but did not receive the first commandment to raise the price again.

"Don't even think about it. If the price exceeds this, they will think it's more appropriate to spend another 10,000 points to kill you."

Wen Shi was not depressed. His eyes and eyebrows were filled with joy at the upcoming points. He asked the manager to bring another wine glass and filled it for Ji Yuanzhi himself: "Cheers, Dad."

"… "

(End of this chapter)