Matryoshka Off-Limits

Chapter 76: virtual reality

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As Wen Shi bowed his head in mourning, the white jade coffin slowly sank into the ground.

The amber jade light on the coffin lid seemed to be reflected back into the night sky, the color of the blood moon gradually returned to normal, and the abundant yin energy in Fengguan Village no longer showed any sign of increasing.

Players are accustomed to strange scenes in the game and did not pay too much attention to this scene.

Only the host looked thoughtfully at the dusty coffin and the full moon in the sky, which indicated that the hole in the ghost world had been blocked.

"Aaron." He pondered the name for the second time.

The whole burial process was over very quickly. Wen Shi was the first one to turn around. When he saw A Sang and the mini scarecrow who was also wearing mourning clothes, he was stunned for a second.

I have to admit, the scarecrow's body is kind of cute.

Soon, the staff climbed up the mountain and informed the main station that the car was waiting outside the mountain pass.

Just like the way they came, the players walked along a long and rugged path and finally saw the shadow of the bus. But this time there were two buses, one to pick up the staff back to the main station and the other to take the players back.

Wen Shi was the last one to get on the bus. After thinking for a moment, he turned back and said to the host: "I wish you a bright future."

After all, he was the penman who exposed the hospital's dark side, and he didn't want the other party to die halfway.

The host turned his face away somewhat awkwardly, but finally waved his hand.

“Dear audience friends…”

As soon as he got on the car and heard the voice, Wen Shi saw through the window that the host adjusted his burnt tie, stood in front of the camera crew members as usual, and gave a speech in the direction where the camera was usually located.

“… Thank you for watching the 10th anniversary special of Crazy Love Season. This is also the last episode. Goodbye.”

Without the ubiquitous direct camera shots, Wen Shi was still a little uncomfortable when he got back on the bus. He looked around and took the initiative to sit next to Tian Wanling.

Seeing this, the big-eyed boy's eyes widened even wider.

Wen Shi grabbed the scarecrow and brought it in front of Tian Wanling.

Tian Wanling seemed to understand something and stretched out her hand to check, but her finger was pierced by the upright straw and a bloody hole was left.

"Sorry." Wen Shi quickly apologized for Scarecrow and made up an excuse: "He has social phobia and will behave aggressively when he sees strangers."

Glancing at the big eyeball with a warning look, Wen Shi cut into the main body: "Can your skills make him a more suitable body?"

Tian Wanling shook her head directly: "It may be possible to develop [Fabric Art] to the highest level, but I am still far from that level now, but..."

Having been pricked before, she didn't dare to reach out again: "I can help him sew up the cut on his face."

The cracks are caused by the straw demon coming out of the ghost gate. There is not so much negative energy in the outside world, and if it is not dealt with for a long time, it will easily cause the body to rot.

As You Wenshi watched, the scarecrow was relatively quiet while Tian Wanling was mending it.

Tian Wanling lowered her head to thread the needle and whispered, "This copy can help me solve a problem." She paused and said, "The dead cannot be resurrected."

Just like her mother, Pei Wenwei's adoptive father, gone is gone.

Wen Shi looked out the window. When he experienced birth, old age, sickness and death on the Ghost Highway, he understood this truth. He had to wait until he extinguished the candle to stop the painful cycle.

It’s just that his father rarely gave him any profound lectures, and Wen Shi always felt that there was something deeper behind it.

Ah Sang, who was sitting obediently in the front row, turned around and kept promoting the father-son zombie team: "Dad, if you don't die, you won't be resurrected."

He looked a little listless. Asang could feel a force repelling him and he would have to leave here soon.

Wen Shi moved to sit next to the child and reminded him in a low voice: "There will be a tea party."

A Sang's spirit and energy finally recovered a little.

"That lunatic will be there too..."

A Sang was completely refreshed.

Tian Wanling felt that the scarecrow's body seemed to be tense. When she looked again, she saw that the scarecrow was clenching his fists. She didn't know what he was angry about.

A Sang and Big Eyes had a rare tacit understanding: beat to death the psychopath in pajamas.

With a ding sound, all players finally received the system settlement notification sound, including Wen Shi, but the content was a little more than others -

"Congratulations to the player for completing the special mission: Sealing the coffin."

"The rewards for the special mission and the side mission [Return to the Village] have been sent to your backpack, please check it carefully."

"Congratulations to the player for clearing the A-level copy of "Crazy Love Season."

"The copy settlement will be carried out soon."

"The player's role-playing degree in this game has reached 100%, and he has been awarded 1.5 points, for a total of 5,250 points." "Based on the player's performance in the dungeon, you have been given a new codename [Heir]."

"Added corresponding function [Mailbox]."

"Mailbox: The true heir who is living abroad, you can use this mailbox to keep in touch with the rebels. The current recipients are [Count] and [Host]."

The rebels

It should refer to the rebellion against Frank Hospital&#Then why give a code name to the heir

Wen Shi couldn't tell for a moment whether Yugi wanted him to take back Frank Hospital or overthrow it.

In this matter, the attitude of the game is the most bizarre.

A pair of small hands suddenly clenched Wen Shi's palm, and the system prompt sound that had just ended came online again, reminding him that his new companion skill had been issued.

Wen Shi was very curious about what kind of power A Sang could lend him, so he didn't wait to be transferred to the virtual world and directly opened the attribute panel to check.

[Companion Skill: The Walking Dead

Points required for a single use: 200

After activation, you can freely choose any of the following effects

Run: Limited-use skill, can only be used once in a copy, can run five miles in two minutes

Shell Breaking: Randomly smash the head of a high-level monster. Use times per instance: 0/2

Bacteria: Infected organisms will experience fever, night sweats, vomiting and other symptoms; the duration and symptoms vary depending on the strength of the infected person; non-lethal virus]

It is affordable and useful, especially the sprint that is faster than a car. Although each copy can only be used once, it can save lives at critical moments.

Wen Shi picked up Ah Sang and said, "You are really a great son of Daddy."

Ah Sang looked at him steadily, grasping the key point: "Is there another Er'er?"

Wen Shi thought for a moment and said, "It should be gone."

A'sang is in a special situation. Ordinary children definitely do not have the ability to survive in the copy, so the game will not push it.

Before he could say more, Wen Shi's arms that were holding A Sang suddenly began to lose strength. The player's body became illusory at the same time. The moment before his body completely turned into particles and disappeared, Wen Shi took the sewn scarecrow from Tian Wanling.

Far away from the remote village, the bus finally got on the highway. The driver accelerated, but inside the car, the passengers disappeared one by one.

virtual reality.

Finally, there weren't so many people guarding the exit watching the fun, and Wen Shi still felt a little uncomfortable after coming out.

He looked at his empty palms; the scarecrow was gone. The game did not allow special life forms to enter the virtual world.

The square looked deserted today. After entering the second half of the year, many players would wait for the next dungeon in ten days and would not enter in advance, instead focusing on real-life matters. A man with shifty eyes watched from the edge for a long time, and finally came over. When he saw Ji Yuanzhi, he smiled awkwardly, quickly stuffed a business card into Wen Shi's hand, and said as he ran away, "Contact me if you need anything."

Even in the virtual world, Wen Shi was very careful. When a business card was stuffed into his hand, he immediately blocked it with his sleeve to prevent someone from poisoning it.

He looked at the three words written in capital letters on the business card, "Jie Yin She?"

"It's a small guild that studies cause and effect, and is dedicated to studying the criteria for selecting players for the game." Liu Yunhe explained, "They have to contact almost every new player privately."

Wen Shi laughed: "To win over?"

Liu Yun: "No, doing business."

When Wen Shi asked further, it was Ji Yuanzhi who answered him: "This guild claims that it can use some special means to pull people in reality into the game."

His breathing was only stagnant for a second, but Wen Shi remained expressionless and asked with a smile, "Can they really do it?"

Ji Yuanzhi smiled but said nothing.

Zhou Lulu then said, "This guild has contacted me before. They will sign a prior agreement and return 90% of the points if it is unsuccessful."

Wen Shi asked without thinking: "So they make that 10% of the money?"

Zhou Lulu looked at him deeply and said, "You are an expert."

Many new players become arrogant when they have achieved a little success, and Jie Yinshe uses this to lure players, claiming that they can help them pull designated targets into the game. Many players will be deceived, some to pull in enemies, and some to pull in relatives and friends who are already desperate criminals.

Wen Shi wondered, "No one reported it and asked for revenge?"

Zhou Lulu looked up at the sky, Liu Yun and others coughed lightly, their expressions somewhat unnatural.

Ji Yuanzhi: "Because they have a backer."

"yes… "

Before he could even ask who it was, Wen Shi looked at Ji Yuanzhi and suddenly understood something.

What a profiteer!

Ji Yuanzhi took a step calmly: "There are rumors that Jie Yin Society is protected by the Second Commandment Guild, and the players believe it, so no one is interfering."

The person involved was not embarrassed, but others were. Zhou Lulu: "I suddenly remembered that I have something to deal with."

"Me too." Liu Yun said, "I want to see how Xiaoyuan is doing."

Except for Liu Yun, the rest of the players are really preparing to return to the real world.

In the blink of an eye, only Wen Shi and Ji Yuanzhi were left walking side by side.

Wen Shi did not throw away the business card. Instead, he asked, "Do you need me to call in person?"

Ji Yuanzhi stopped.

Wen Shi: "As the second largest guild, they won't embezzle such a small amount of money. If I'm not mistaken, Jie Yin Society really has a way to do this. Those failed cases are just a cover."

A tall tree attracts the wind, and some things will inevitably cause an uproar once they are made public.

Dealing with smart people is easy, but sometimes it can also be a headache.

Ji Yuanzhi did not deny it, his eyes behind the glasses were unfathomable: "The president asked him to contact you."

"I know."

If Ji Yuanzhi wanted to get himself involved with the Jieyin Society, he could just say so.

Wen Shi: "Your president also..."

As if he knew what he was going to ask, Ji Yuanzhi adjusted the frame of his glasses and said, "Before I entered the dungeon, he didn't know about your experience."

Wen Shi smiled and said, "But now you know, right?"

Ji Yuanzhi nodded.

It should be that the change in his attitude towards Pei Wenwei aroused his curiosity, so he took advantage of the time when they were in the dungeon to conduct a private investigation.

Wen Shi was not surprised that the president of the Second Commandment could do this.

The big guys in the game can basically call the shots in real life. This person can surpass Ji Yuanzhi to become the president, so his ability and background must be extraordinary.

"Can we meet in person?" Wen Shi asked.

Ji Yuanzhi's eyelids jumped because of his wording. He turned on the communicator and sent a message. After a moment, he said, "Go back to the hotel first. Someone will pick you up later."

After Wen Shi returned to the hotel, he took a shower and changed his clothes, and all his tiredness disappeared.

The front desk didn't call, which proved that he had to continue waiting. With nothing to do, Wen Shi began to check the rewards for special missions and side quests.

[Shroud: About four meters long, defense 10 after wrapping. ]

“…” Wen Shi shook his head and continued to check the belated side quest rewards.

[Chip: Communicator can read.]

He once asked the game to replace the reward for the return to the village mission with a video recording of his experience in time travel. Did the game compromise

Wen Shi studied it and found that there was a small card slot on the diagonal side of the communicator. After inserting the chip, the phone screen went black.

After about two or three seconds, the communicator came back on, and the picture flickered for a while, with very poor clarity. With a buzzing sound, the video finally became a little smoother, and it was vaguely clear that it was a man in a white coat standing under the street light.

Wen Shi sat up straight unconsciously. He originally thought that the video recorded what happened in the self-built house before the fire, but unexpectedly it was the picture of his father.

"How about a bet?" the man in the white coat muttered to himself.

"Of course this child is different from me. I am going to die anyway, so I can't ask him to sacrifice himself for a stranger. You have to let him enjoy the free help of others first and develop feelings for them."

Mirage is born towards death. If you choose death, you will live, but if you choose life, you will die.

A peace locket suddenly appeared under the street light, indicating that the invisible existence agreed to the bet. The man picked up the peace locket and walked towards the dark alley opposite.

The picture stopped abruptly and the chip shattered in the card slot.

“So that’s how it is…” Wen Shi touched his chest out of habit and remembered that the peace locket was gone.

It turns out that the peace locket that can increase luck was obtained by Dad and Youxi through a bet.

His father is indeed an amazing person. On the surface, he is trying to cater to the game and test human nature, but in fact, he has won him help from his own parallel world.

"But being a son is not bad, right?" Wen Shi smiled at the black screen of the communicator: "I didn't take the way of life you gave me, nor did I take the dead end of the game. I overturned the chessboard for him."

Before he could clean the debris in the card slot, the phone on the cabinet rang.

"Hello, is this Mr. Pei? Someone is looking for you. Please come to the hotel lobby as soon as possible."

"good."

Wen Shi didn't act boring. He took the elevator down as fast as he could and ran to the door.

"I am coming!"

The bodyguards waiting in the lobby didn't expect that this legendary strongest newcomer would be so... lively.

He was wearing a suit and sunglasses and was a burly man, dressed like a standard bodyguard. Wen Shi couldn't help but say, "The virtual world is really full of dangers. Even big shots need bodyguards."

He asked a lot of questions along the way, but the bodyguard remained silent the entire time. He led him to the door of a club in silence and said, "The president is waiting for you inside."

The club is also an industry under the Second Commandment. It is more like a den of money-spending. The special glass does not let in much light even during the day.

Men and women, players of all professions flirt here without any scruples. The first floor is just an ordinary place, and there is a card room on the second floor. The atmosphere is full of decadence and debauchery.

"Tsk tsk, is this the legendary place of entertainment?" Wen Shi was amazed.

Someone else came over and led him down the elevator to the basement floor.

"Just keep going straight ahead."

The foreman did not continue to lead the way. Wen Shi walked alone along the empty corridor. When he reached the end, there was only light coming from one room.

This is an underground billiard room. Today, the room has been cleared of guests. Only a man wearing a funny smiley mask is standing in front of the billiard table, rubbing the billiard cue with powder. Hearing the footsteps, he said without raising his head, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Aaron."

His voice is mellow, giving people a very down-to-earth feeling, which is incompatible with the mask.

Accustomed to being called Pei Wenwei, it was the first time that Wen Shi heard players call him by his character name in the game.

He also picked up a pool cue. He hadn't played pool for a long time, so he was eager to try it out.

"Hello." Wen Shi replied absentmindedly, lowering his body to find the angle.

"Aaron, this name is also recorded in the Bible, and it means the one who brings light."

The masked man paused and said slowly, "What a coincidence, the ten major guilds are named after the Ten Commandments, which also comes from the Bible."

Clang.

The man was startled for a second by the noise.

All the balls on the table were scattered. Wen Shi squinted and stared at the numbers on the balls. His waist-to-hip ratio was perfect, even more intriguing than art paintings. Under the light, Wen Shi kept adjusting the angle and cleared the table with one shot.

Unlike his beautiful figure, his eyes were cold. “I’m not interested in theology or religious studies. The only thing I’m interested in right now is whether Jie Yin Society can really help me get people into the game.”

First, strike Pei Hongxin's industry in reality, and then let the devil enter the game to see the real devil. Wen Shi seemed to have thought of some interesting pictures and laughed silently, and his smooth and tight muscle lines trembled slightly.

The masked man's communicator rang at this time. It was a message from Ji Yuanzhi: [Let's chat for a while.]

He thought something was wrong and called back. There was some noise on the other end of the line, and he heard someone complaining about the difficulty of puncturing balloons and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Pei Wenwei's birthday is in two days, so I plan to celebrate it with a few other players in advance."

When Ji Yuanzhi was investigating the information, he naturally did not miss the date of birth recorded in the information.

Ji Yuanzhi rarely interfered in other people's affairs, and he rarely reminded him, "Don't overdo it, he's quite pitiful."

He didn't have a good childhood, and his only relative died in the game.

Pitiful

The masked man looked over subconsciously.

At the table, Wen Shi had laughed enough and straightened up again, rubbing the end of the cue with his fingers. The ruthlessness in his eyes made him look both beautiful and perverted.

Where's the pity

Are they blind or do they have no eyes

Faced with the nonsense, the masked man simply ended the communication.

He returned to the original topic: "Not all props cannot be brought back to reality. For example, players need to carry a pass with them when entering and exiting the virtual world. According to our research results, if some special items are used by people in reality and have a benefit to themselves, they are likely to be pulled into the game."

Wen Shi's expression remained unchanged, but he was shocked inside.

Their conclusion was correct. He himself was the best example. The peace locket brought him luck and successfully sent him into the game.

Wen Shi held his breath and asked, "Do you have any special items like this?"

"Of course." The man answered without hesitation.

Wen Shi realized that he had underestimated the strength of the big guild before, so he asked bluntly: "Conditions."

Masked man: "I'll contact you again."

After the meeting, he had a preliminary understanding of Pei Wenwei and was sure that the other party would not pay too much for it. If he was patient enough, he could even go find this special item himself.

So the price is not easy to set. If it is too high, people will refuse it. If it is too low, it will be insignificant to the guild, so it is better to change to other things.

"At your service."

Wen Shi had a good impression of the president. He was experienced and did not fuss over details.

The man first explained the method of pulling people into the game, at least on the surface he showed his sincerity. Of course, Wen Shi believed that once he leaked this information, he would definitely be hunted down endlessly, and by then even Ji Yuanzhi would not be able to protect himself.

"Want a game?" asked the masked man.

Wen Shi nodded.

This time the man hit the tee shot, and he left some room for the ball to go directly into the pocket.

Both sides were holding back during the fight, and the masked man lost interest after a while. He happened to be going to the hotel, so he took Wen Shi with him.

"Someone upstairs is preparing a birthday surprise." As soon as they arrived at the hotel, the masked man ruthlessly "betrayed" Ji Yuanzhi.

Wen Shi lost his previous shrewdness and scratched his hair unnaturally, and his head instantly became a little messy, "I'm so embarrassed."

When he looked at the masked man, he suddenly took the initiative to invite him: "Then you can come too."

There was a hint of conspiracy in Wen Shi's smile, and the masked man was curious and wanted to see what other tricks he could play in the virtual world.

The two went upstairs together.

When Wen Shi used the room card to swipe open the door of the suite, there was chaos inside: Zhou Xiaochun blew up a balloon out of surprise, Liu Yuan and Liu Yun were competing with latte art, and Zhang Suihe and the others had also arrived and were arranging the food.

The sound of "pa pa pa" bloomed in his ears, and in an instant, Wen Shi's hair was covered with colorful ribbons. Behind the door, Ji Yuanzhi calmly turned the firework tube manually and said, "Happy birthday."

People come back early, so things can’t be wasted.

Wen Shi pulled off the ribbon in front of him with one hand and thanked everyone sincerely.

Liu Yuan roughly finished the arrangement, clapped his hands and said: "It's a coincidence, except for the year, the date of Fengguan Village is the same as that of the outside world."

Wen Shi smiled and said nothing. It was not a coincidence but a human factor. This was a July 15th copy specially arranged by his father.

"Now that we're back, let's get started." Zhou Xiaochun pursed his lips. With President Erjie around, they couldn't help but feel restrained.

The cake on the table was ready. After Wen Shi sat down, Liu Yuan divided the cake and poured champagne. Then everyone took out their gifts.

Zhou Xiaochun and the others had just found out about Wen Shi’s birthday, and it was Ji Yuanzhi who asked someone to bring the message.

It is difficult for a lone wolf to survive in the game. Necessary favors are good for Zhou Xiaochun and others, and even more so for Wen Shi. Players are brought together by interests, and they treat each other sincerely in the process of getting along. For example, now, because several people owed Wen Shi a favor in the dungeon, although the time was short, Zhou Xiaochun and others prepared gifts without any ambiguity.

"Let's not do those empty things, just focus on practicality."

They crowdfunded and bought a prop that looked like a playing card box.

The moment Wen Shi's finger touched it, the system identification flashed:

[King Card Box: A one-time item. After shuffling the cards, you can refresh the side quests.

Note that special side quests cannot be refreshed.]

"How magical." It was the first time that Wen Shi knew that side quests could be refreshed.

That is to say, once he encounters a side quest that he has no clue about, he can replace it by shuffling the cards.

Ji Yuanzhi knew that he was wealthy, so he naturally didn't need to share the bill with others. He took out a very cute doll from under the table.

The short and fat curly bear has a pair of buttons representing its eyes that shine with the dazzling colors of gems.

Wen Shi had never played with these things since he was a child, and he felt a little at a loss when he picked up the teddy bear.

"Come on, smile." Liu Yuan took a photo for him.

Wen Shi’s happy expression was not captured, but the moment of surprise was captured.

Wen Shi’s surprise came from the game’s identification results.

The Hug Bear is also a prop, and it can even be considered a relatively rare prop.

[Huggable Bear: A loyal friend who guards your sleep. If it sees something dirty while on night watch, it will wake you up.

Note that some things are invisible.]

Although it is not 100% reliable, with it, the safety factor in the dungeon at night will be greatly improved.

Wen Shi rubbed his head against the teddy bear's fat face: "I'll rely on you from now on."

Without any dirt, the prop has no reaction, just like an ordinary little bear.

Liu Yuan pressed the camera button for the second time and took a picture of Wen Shi's childish behavior. She felt an inappropriate motherly mood and understood why some parents like to buy gifts for their children continuously.

After putting the things into his backpack, Wen Shi stood up and raised his glass: "Cheers, my friends, cheers, our sponsor."

Everyone raised their glasses, and then including Wen Shi, suddenly looked at the masked man who was eating cake.

"… "

The spoon was nearly broken.

The president finally understood why he was invited to the birthday party. It turned out that he came to ask for gifts.

The air was unexpectedly quiet. He frowned beneath the mask, but was too lazy to bother with this little thought and prepared to transfer a hundred points and leave.

However, at this moment, Wen Shi couldn't help laughing out loud, and there was a rare childish innocence in his dimples, which was completely different from the state he was in the billiard room.

"I'm just kidding. I've been staying in the hotel for free, so it's only natural that I should treat you to a piece of cake."

It was mainly a small prank to retaliate against the leak, otherwise his birthday could have been a little more surprising.

After the cups were touched to each other's walls one by one, Wen Shi said seriously, "I hope everyone is safe."

The players had different expressions, and their smiles were slightly helpless and confused. Finally, Ji Yuanzhi said, "It's too difficult to be safe, so let's just celebrate today."

"cheers!"

The sound of cheers was crisp, and the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the scene of Wen Shi bending down to blow out the candles. Unlike the candle that represented the last chance of life in Ghost Highway, this time, his eyes were full of smiles.

(End of this chapter)