The muddy road was very bumpy and the bus driver drove without saying a word.
After Wen Shi got on the bus, he sat in the front seat and stared at the silhouette of the bus driver.
Zhou Xiaochun beside him couldn't help but ask, "No way... you want this too?"
Wen Shi almost choked on the air. He was just worried that the dog game would play a trick on the players in the end and ambush them in the tunnel just like when they first came.
Following the only light source at the tunnel entrance, you can also see monsters wandering inside.
Zhou Xiaochun's hair almost stood up: "This world is hopeless."
"Really?" Wen Shi thought that was not necessarily the case.
The lights in the tunnel were still broken, and the bus was slowly swallowed up by the darkness, until the last section entered the shadows and the entire bus disappeared in an instant.
*
virtual reality.
The exit of the 1629 copy. Since the copy was upgraded, more and more players have been guarding here.
In just over two days, they witnessed the upgrade of the dungeon with their own eyes - the numbers of several players including Tu Bianxi were all black - and the dungeon was completed.
Originally there were quite a few people who came to join in the fun, but after the faces of the people from the Puppet Guild became more and more unpleasant, those who did not have some strength did not dare to offend them and left quietly.
"It's heartbreaking that the Puppet Guild has lost a great general." The ones who were making sarcastic remarks were members of the Ten Commandments. The Puppet Guild had been growing rapidly in the past two years and had almost suppressed them. Now that they had lost Tu Bianxi, the guild's top strength had been directly weakened.
For such a good thing, they wanted to set off firecrackers on the spot to celebrate.
Compared to the tit-for-tat between the Ten Commandments and the Puppet Guild, the Star-Moon Guild where Zhou Xiaochun belongs is much more low-key, standing quietly in a corner of the square, seemingly having no presence at all.
It was such a low-profile organization that even the Puppet Guild would not easily provoke. The members of the Star-Moon Guild were not strong in overall strength, but they all had mysterious skills, so they could play a key role in the dungeon. In addition, there was the Shield Guild where the Liu sisters were, the Blood Dove Guild where Zhang Suihe was, and... the Cuckoo Guild that hurried over.
The Cuckoo Guild is composed of a group of players with main attack skills. There are many people and they are diverse. It was originally thought that Lu Tang would go to the S-level copy early, but he never thought that he was not eliminated.
The light faded, and several figures appeared at the exit. The noise in the square fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Xiaochun and Wen Shi exchanged communicator numbers and immediately ran towards their own guild. Liu Yun and others did the same.
"Hurry up." The Cuckoo Guild urged Lu Tang.
When Lu Tang saw that it was a general from the organization who came to pick him up in person, he was stunned. When did he become so honored
"If you don't want to be arrested and interrogated, don't delay."
The members of the Cuckoo Guild surrounded Lu Tang, and he finally realized the seriousness of the matter. The seemingly peaceful square had hidden many shady organizations in secret. They were trying to capture an eyewitness and force him to tell what happened in the S-level copy.
This is the advantage of having a guild. If he were a lone wolf, he would have been captured by now.
As a free player, Wen Shi took advantage of Ji Yuanzhi's protection and walked leisurely along the way, even looking around... In the coffee shop across the street, a group of people were staring at this place, and there were a few people leaning behind a tree, glancing over from time to time.
The dangers in the dark became more and more numerous, until we returned to the hotel and officially entered the territory of the Second Commandment, and then those unpleasant peeping eyes gradually disappeared.
Ji Yuanzhi smiled and said, "The invitation I sent out is still valid."
He entered the second commandment when he urged Wen.
Wen Shi just nodded, then changed the subject and said he wanted to go to his room to rest.
Severely injured and alienated, Wen Shi suffered too much in the copy, and his body has not yet fully recovered.
Ji Yuanzhi did not stop him and watched Wen Shi enter the elevator.
The moment the elevator door closed, the communicator rang. It was the president of the Second Commandment calling.
Ji Yuanzhi waved his hand to signal the hotel staff not to approach, then walked to the empty stairwell and reported the information he had obtained this time. "Tell the guild members to pay special attention to the hospital scene when they go to the dungeon. Pei Wenwei got a [Doctor] identity in the castle dungeon, which can be used continuously. His health value is different from that of ordinary players. It seems that he has the ability to revive on the spot after his first death. At the same time, Pei Wenwei can have an extra helper in the dungeon. It is not known whether this is only the case in certain dungeons or in all dungeons."
Ji Yuanzhi paused: "I suspect the final 3S copy is related to the hospital."
The copy triggerer has innate advantages, and Pei Wenwei's identity as a doctor is very advantageous.
There was silence on the other end of the communicator, and then he asked, "Do you know anything else about the hospital?"
"The main hospital is called Frank Hospital, and they have branches in other copies."
After Wen Shi went down the elevator shaft, Ji Yuanzhi went to the dormitory where the sanatorium staff lived. The computer was still on at that time, and he stayed at the place where the sanatorium staff went online to verify Wen Shi's identity.
"There is one more thing," Ji Yuanzhi's tone was not as serious as before. He took off his glasses and wiped them, saying, "Tu Bianxi triggered the rule of death, but that guy has long been half-human and half-ghost, so he may not be dead."
"Whether he's dead or alive doesn't matter much." The voice on the other end of the communicator was cold, "What do you think of Pei Wenwei?"
"He's smart, likes to take unconventional approaches..." Ji Yuanzhi hesitated, "He's also good at winning people's hearts. He's a reliable teammate, but it's hard to figure out his mind, so we must be more vigilant."
"I see."
The communicator only had a busy tone and the two parties ended the call.
Hotel, luxury suite.
The bathroom was filled with steam, and the young man's half-long hair was sticking to his neck. He tilted his head back and let the water from the shower flow down his body. After a while, he let out a light breath.
A cloud of mist rose on the frosted glass door, vaguely reflecting the young man's seductive body.
He closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment. After regaining some energy, he opened the attribute panel and the current score was [15695].
The S-level copy was very generous, and it was almost settled with more than 7,000 points. He clicked on the details to check, and it turned out that it included a 1.5 times point reward for reaching 100% role-playing. Combining the first copy, Wen Shi finally figured out the rules of role-playing. Unlike other players, he needed to play the role of [Doctor] well.
"2B, luck, please don't let me down."
Wen Shi took a deep breath and opened three surprise blind boxes in a row.
"Congratulations on winning 1 beauty serum, 1 hair growth serum, and 1 strength pill."
[Beauty serum: The beauty serum that failed in research, no side effects, eliminates wrinkles with one click. ]
[Hair growth liquid: You can have black and shiny hair after using it.]
[Da Li Wan: As a man, you can’t say no.]
"…" Wen Shi turned off the shower head expressionlessly and slowly uttered two words: "Garbage."
He should have thought that the factory director, a miser, would not give him anything good.
The single transaction amount on the trading platform must not be less than one thousand points. This type of stuff may not be sold, so Wen Shi directly packed the three items and threw them into the game mall, setting it to be automatically auctioned at three o'clock in the afternoon.
If you let a third party make the game, they will take a 10% cut, but it is worth it if you spend a little money to buy the game for fun.
He wasn't too depressed after opening the blind box. What Wen Shi really cared about was the special reward for being the captain. "Have some courage!"
This time it's not about appearance.
[Key: A key to the morgue.]
The bronze key had a mixture of blood and rust on its surface and emitted a faint smell of gasoline.
After checking and finding nothing special, Wen Shi put the thing in the safe, guessing that the key might be related to a scene in the 3S copy.
Pulling the bathrobe off the shelf, he stepped out of the shower and checked the last attribute: skills.
Because the copy was not completed before, the skills inherited from the boy were only locked in the primary state.
She wore a loose bathrobe and was too lazy to blow dry her hair. When she was about to lie down on the bed, she saw her naked skin in the mirror.
"Is there anything wrong with the designer of Ji Yuanzhi's hotel installing a mirror at the head of the bed..."
He didn't know that because of the last hotel attack, the presidential suite floor had not yet been renovated, and the rest of the luxury suites were fully booked, leaving only two erotic suites.
In the companion skill column, [Drunkenness and Dreaming of Death] has been improved. In addition to the temptation of the primary state cat, there are two more levels.
[Intermediate Drunkenness and Dreaming-Homeward Bound: After trekking through mountains and rivers, you can always find your way home. 400 points required for a single use, and the duration is 30 minutes.
Advanced Drunkenness-Death Dream-Resurrection: You can make the deceased resurrect for 30 seconds. A single use requires 500 points. A single copy cannot be used more than twice.]
Wen Shi was thoughtful. These abilities were basically derived from the characteristics of cats. When he used them, he would most likely unlock the cat-cat transformation. [Homecoming] could be useful in complex terrains such as mazes. As for [Revelation], he really had no idea what it could do.
I looked at the clock on the wall and found that thirty minutes had passed since I came out of the copy.
"That's enough time for Ji Yuanzhi to make a report to the president of the Second Commandment."
Being able to run such a large industry in the virtual world, Ji Yuanzhi's identity in the real world must be extraordinary, and he probably has offline interactions with many players. Wen Shi has never seen any news about him online... He is low-key, has special skills, and has a rich family background. He is a person with all the necessary qualities.
Tapping his fingers on the edge of the bed, Wen Shi pondered for a moment, called Ji Yuanzhi, and said straight to the point: "I want to go back to the real world, do you want to come with me?"
Ji Yuanzhi was a little surprised when he received the call: "Aren't you afraid that I will take action in the real world?"
"I believe in you." Wen Shi said, "I'll send the address. You go out first and I'll pick you up when the time comes."
After saying that, he hung up and sent the other party his location before he disappeared from the real world.
The "Virtual World Guide" mentioned that the time flow rate in the real world and the virtual world was not much different. Ji Yuanzhi quickly replied that he would be able to reach Tianhai City in about three hours.
Wen Shi put on his clothes, calculated the time and bought a pass. In an instant, his whole body felt like it was burning in flames.
"Bad review… "
Wen Shi wanted to find something to hold on to, but when he stretched out his hand, he only felt something empty. The next moment, the person in the hotel mirror changed from a complete body to a mottled mosaic, until he finally disappeared.
*
Unlike the virtual world that is shrouded in fog all year round, you can still see the blue sky from time to time in the real world.
The dilapidated path was rarely walked even during the day.
An extended luxury car that was out of place with the surroundings was parked on the side of the road. In the car sat several well-trained, muscular men who were obviously not ordinary bodyguards.
In the single back seat, a well-dressed man wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, his hand resting outside the car window.
Ji Yuanzhi was still wondering why Pei Wenwei took the initiative to ask for a meeting. His people had checked in advance and found that the trail was very safe. There was no ambush and no dangerous items such as powerful explosives hidden.
There was movement on the wall ahead. A bodyguard was about to get out of the car to take a look, but a head popped out from the top of the wall first.
"What a dirty game! What kind of teleportation points are these?" The young man cursed as he climbed the wall.
In fact, the game cannot be blamed entirely. It will ensure that the player is in a deserted place when teleporting back. Ji Yuanzhi was already waiting on the trail, and Wen Shi was unfortunately teleported to the dog hole on the other side of the wall.
A person, without a weapon in his hand, whose appearance is no different from that in the virtual world... Ji Yuanzhi looked at himself fully armed and inexplicably felt a little mean.
Wen Shi saw the luxury car and tentatively called out, "Ji Yuanzhi?"
Ji Yuanzhi got out of the car: "It's me."
Wen Shi jumped off the wall and dusted off his hands. "I'm afraid of being ambushed by other players in the real world. You're an old player, so you must have a complete response mechanism."
Ji Yuanzhi was used to calculating, so seeing him standing in front of him defenselessly, he was stunned for a moment and said, "It's okay."
After Wen Shi got into the car, he saw the bodyguard and didn't ask any questions. He sank into the leather seat and the electric lumbar support was very comfortable.
Ji Yuanzhi: "Where to?"
Wen Shi: "Pipi Weng Theme Park."
After Ji Yuanzhi nodded, the driver started the car again.
The Pipiweng Theme Park has only been open for less than a week. It is a special theme park created by Qiongbai Games.
The park has almost completely restored most of the classic scenes in the game, and the staff will wear the costumes of the most popular protagonist Pipion and walk around to liven up the atmosphere. Tickets are sold out every morning, and Ji Yuanzhi got a few more tickets by asking for help from his connections.
There was laughter and joy everywhere. Various cartoon characters could be seen on the floats, and even the ground was covered with unique colored bricks.
Wen Shi and Ji Yuanzhi walked in front, with bodyguards following not far behind.
After experiencing a few projects, Wen Shi looked towards a theme restaurant: "Let's go eat something?"
Ji Yuanzhi had no objection.
Wen Shi casually ordered two set meals, and soon the waiter brought the colorful food, which was interesting but did not look very appetizing.
Ji Yuanzhi finally couldn't help but ask Wen Shi why he came here today.
"They are gay offline." Wen Shi opened his chopsticks and said as a matter of course.
"… "
The TV played the grand opening ceremony of the park in a loop. Pei Hongxin, chairman of Qiongbai Games, personally attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and his legendary business career was also part of the publicity.
Ji Yuanzhi glanced at the scene where Pei Hongxin was talking freely under the reporter's questions, and said casually, "Ten years ago, holographic games had just come out, and soon dealt a fatal blow to the traditional game industry. Qiongbai Games was on the verge of bankruptcy, but Pei Hongxin managed to pull it through. Now the company is thriving, which can be regarded as a business miracle."
Wen Shi’s smile remained unchanged: “Not only that, Pei Hongxin is kind and generous, and his reputation in Tianhai City has always been very good.”
"That's right, his wife Wei..." Ji Yuanzhi paused while breaking the disposable chopsticks.
Wen Shi: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, there's just something wrong with the chopsticks." Ji Yuanzhi changed a pair. "His wife Wei Yue founded the Leyou Charity Fund. I heard that it has been doing good deeds and has helped many out-of-school children."
The two of them barely communicated during the meal. In the middle of the meal, Ji Yuanzhi stood up and said, "I'm going to the bathroom."
After checking that no one was in the restroom, he dialed a number: "As quickly as possible, help me check on Pei Hongxin and his wife, especially the time period when their group had problems ten years ago."
After returning, Ji Yuanzhi asked, "Do you want to continue shopping?"
Wen Shi had no objection.
The park is open until 10pm. There will be a fireworks show tonight, but because it was too late and unsafe, the two of them left early.
Each player's travel time cannot exceed twenty-four hours. Ji Yuanzhi did not return to the neighboring city and stayed in a mountain villa that night. Wen Shi followed him and moved into the detached villa in the manor.
He hadn't slept for almost two nights in the dungeon, so he went to bed early tonight.
On the other hand, Ji Yuanzhi has been studying the information of Qiongbai game after returning.
Pei Hongxin has been married for many years without any scandals. He and his wife Wei Yue are very loving. They once had a child, but the child died unexpectedly ten years ago. It is said that the company's capital chain was broken and it could not pay wages. An employee took revenge and kidnapped the child and set fire to the house. Unfortunately, there was insufficient evidence, and the suspect was only jailed for a few years for arson before being released.
The child was never found. At that time, Pei Hongxin and his wife lived in a self-built house with their child to avoid debt. There was no surveillance around. The only clue was a drunk who claimed to have seen someone holding a bloody child and throwing it to a trash can in the alley that night.
The area was in chaos, with knife-wielding robberies common, so he didn't dare chase after them to see what was happening.
Of course, the drunkard was not sure whether it was an hallucination caused by drinking too much, just like he clearly remembered that he went home later, but he actually climbed up a tree and slept on the branches all night.
At four o'clock in the morning, a man came to the villa where Ji Yuanzhi lived. He was responsible for collecting intelligence on related competing companies on a daily basis and had been serving Ji Yuanzhi's family over the years.
Seeing the information Ji Yuanzhi was browsing, the visitor said directly: "This child is adopted. I went to visit the director of the welfare home this afternoon."
As he spoke, he took out a recorder, which contained the conversation they had during the afternoon meeting. A hoarse female voice was lost in memories as she spoke:
"… I have a deep impression. The couple wanted to adopt the most beautiful child in the orphanage. All the children in our orphanage have the surname "Wen". So they said to the child, "From now on, you can be called Pei Wen Wei, okay? My surname is Pei, my wife's surname is Wei, and your surname is Wen. Put our three surnames together and we will be a family."
"... More than one person wanted to adopt the child, but he was indifferent. But in the end, because of this sentence, the child was moved by the couple..."
After listening to the recording, Ji Yuanzhi asked, "What do you think?"
The visitor knew he was asking about the arson case and said with a mocking smile, "Insurance money."
Ji Yuanzhi was silent for a moment: "The arson happened four years after the adoption, and the insurance claim for missing persons usually takes two years from the time of the accident."
"If it's a murder case, there's no need to wait," the visitor shrugged. "As for the disappearance, it's probably an accident. I don't know what happened in between."
He would not make a wild guess without any evidence. The visitor continued, "Pei Hongxin did buy a high-value insurance policy for the kid, and the person who lent him the money was not a good person. He was heavily in debt at that time. Why would they lend money to someone who had no ability to repay?"
Ji Yuanzhi took off his glasses and said, "Don't always think the worst of people."
"Except for the first year, the couple never tried to find the child after they became rich. They couldn't wait to report the child's death when the time limit was up." The visitor smiled and said, "You asked me to investigate, which proves that you are already thinking the worst."
Ji Yuanzhi did not deny this. Pei Wenwei deliberately chose to go to the amusement park, and his name happened to contain the surnames of the amusement park's investor couple. It couldn't be just a coincidence.
Ji Yuanzhi released the game several hours in advance and had already launched a round of investigation on Pei Wenwei. He sent someone to ask about the award for bravery mentioned by the other party during the interview. There was a college student who had won this award many times. He said that he did not want to be famous and did not allow the rescued people to present banners. He just repeatedly asked the police station about the amount of the bravery reward and asked whether he had to pay taxes, etc. It was obvious that he was a poor college student.
"I need to investigate further what happened specifically." The recorder happened to loop the phrase "family" and the visitor said meaningfully, "Blood relations may not be reliable, let alone an adopted son."
Ji Yuanzhi did not stand up to see him off. Instead, he stared at the documents again, not knowing what he was thinking.
The next day was a rainy day.
six thirty.
Wen Shi was woken up by the alarm. He had slept well last night, and the red bloodshot in his eyes had almost faded. He went to the sink to wash his face and sobered up. Looking at his dripping face in the mirror, he said to himself, "I wonder what Ji Yuanzhi has found out."
Wen Shi took the initiative to reveal the truth in order to completely dispel Ji Yuanzhi's vigilance. Only when the other party feels that he knows him thoroughly will he let go of those unnecessary guards. A person with a tragic past who may seek revenge at any time is the easiest to control.
This is an important step in building a good relationship.
More and more forces in the virtual world are interested in him. Wen Shi needs a capable gaming partner and also needs help to deal with Pei Hongxin.
Ji Yuanzhi also got up early and came to him: "Are you going home?"
There isn't much time left.
Wen Shi: "I'll go home and change my clothes and leave."
The car drove to the old town. The bodyguard went upstairs first to check if there was an ambush in the house, while Wen Shi sat quietly in the car.
The overall environment of this area can be described as dirty, messy and poor, and the narrow alleys have become a paradise for stray cats, dogs and drug addicts.
It was raining outside. Ji Yuanzhi caught a glimpse of the little black cat shivering beside the trash can. Thinking of the drunk's testimony, he somehow felt pity for the cat.
He knew very well that Pei Wenwei deliberately brought him to the amusement park to lead him to investigate, just like the other party chose to save Jian Qingrong, everything was premeditated.
However, unlike most cunning people, Pei Wenwei's calculations were all about exchange. He used his life to gamble for Jian Qingrong's favor, and used his painful past to gain his trust, just like a person who came into the world with nothing, exchanging the only things he had for the right to survive.
After a while, Ji Yuanzhi sighed softly.
Wen Shi went upstairs only after the bodyguard had finished checking. The whole process only took five minutes in total.
When he came out again, he was wearing a simple shirt and trousers. Under the umbrella, his entire outline seemed blurred in the rain.
Ji Yuanzhi sent the bodyguards away and drove the car to a secluded place. Then he and Wen Shi tore open the passes one after another and returned to the virtual world.
Second Commandment Sanhedrin.
Liu Yun sat here a little awkwardly. She was invited by the guild president to talk about what happened in the S-level copy.
Ji Yuanzhi has a lot of responsibilities on a daily basis and doesn't have time to talk about his gaming experiences in detail.
Liu Yun looked at the real head of the second largest organization in the virtual world. He was wearing a funny yet scary smiley mask, with his head slightly lowered, and was looking through the information of the players who died in the same copy as Wen Shi.
Staying in the same space with this person for a long time would make one feel depressed. She quickly recounted what had happened, and when she was almost done, she saw a familiar figure walking outside the door.
Ji Yuanzhi had just returned to the virtual world and the guild had some trivial matters waiting for him to deal with. When he heard that Liu Yun had come, he stopped by to take a look.
As if he knew who the visitor was, the president said without even looking up: "It seems that what you said is right. This Pei Wenwei is very good at winning people's hearts."
In just two days, a bunch of NPCs fell in love with him.
Ji Yuanzhi pondered after hearing this and said, "You can't look at it that way. He did make some sacrifices in the process."
The president's hand froze as he flipped through the information: "He's only in his early twenties and he's already scheming like this. We have to be on guard, right?"
Ji Yuanzhi shook his head and offered a different opinion: "He is very scheming, maybe because he has experienced too much suffering. As long as he doesn't hurt others, that's fine."
The president looked at the list of dead players in the same dungeon as Pei Wenwei and said sarcastically, "So he's not a bad guy?"
Ji Yuanzhi adjusted the frame of his glasses and said "hmm" casually.
"… "
The president was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "I heard that you and Pei Wenwei went back to the real world?"
Ji Yuanzhi nodded.
"How long have you been gone?"
"About ten hours."
“…” Damn, just a dozen hours and you changed your mind
Liu Yun, who had been listening to their conversation silently, asked in surprise: "You guys are back to the real world?"
"Pei Wenwei is worried that someone in the real world might be harmful to him, so he wants me to accompany him."
Liu Yun had been saved by Wen Shi before, and had a good impression of him. Now after hearing this, she couldn't help but frown: "He trusts others too easily."
Ji Yuanzhi thought of the child who was coaxed into being an adopted son just because of a name, and he agreed deeply: "That's right."
President: “…”
(End of this chapter)