chapter 10

The iron gate opened a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. None of the children lingered on the fact that the door, which they hadn’t been able to push open together earlier, had now opened by itself.

As the three children filed out one after another, they dispersed into the air like the morning mist over the sea.

The moment Cheng Miao stepped out of the gate, she seemed to sense something and turned to look behind her.

At this moment, thick fog rose over the Courtyard, making even Minsheng Lane Building 4 hard to see-only a vague silhouette stood there.

In the middle of the Courtyard stood two figures, one large and one small. The larger one wore a dark top faded from washing, holding the hand of a girl in red. The girl had her hair in two pigtails and was slowly waving at Cheng Miao with one hand raised.

Cheng Miao watched this chilling scene coldly, but before she could react, darkness fell before her eyes…

Cheng Miao stood in the darkness, unable to see even her hand in front of her face. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before that emotionless prompt sounded again.

“Congratulations, Player Cheng Miao, for clearing the Solo Game [Abandoned Courtyard]. Travel Coin reward: 50.”

“Congratulations, Player Cheng Miao, for completing the [Abandoned Courtyard] hidden plot: Aunt Li’s Resting Place. Travel Coin reward: 55.”

“Player Cheng Miao achieved a performance rating of A in the Solo Instance [Abandoned Courtyard], with 100% completion of side quests. Travel Coin reward: 100.”

“Player Cheng Miao has earned a total of 205 Travel Coins in the Solo Instance [Abandoned Courtyard]. Remaining Travel Coins balance: 205.”

“Based on your performance, Player Cheng Miao has received a Beginner’s Gift Pack: Swift Running Shoes (Usage instructions: While they may not let you run faster than a ghost when in danger, they’ll make you run faster than your teammates ^_^)”

Cheng Miao: = = What’s with this Item description? It feels so unserious.

“Player Cheng Miao helped the ghost girl Liu Xue recover 80% of her body, earning Liu Xue’s affection and receiving the Item: Liu Xue’s Jump Rope, remaining uses: 4/5 (Usage instructions: Can be used to restrain ghostly entities; duration of restraint depends on the ghost’s strength.)”

No wonder at the end Liu Xue in the Courtyard didn’t have that frequently appearing Jump Rope-it had been given to her as an Item reward.

This is a practical Item that could save her life at a crucial moment. As for the missing 20%, Cheng Miao thought carefully; the only possibilities were the leftover medicine dregs in the jar and the hair in the Bathroom.

But things were urgent at the time, and there was no chance to move these items in several trips. It seems losing this part of the completion wasn’t much of a loss.

Actually, as long as you found the pills made from Liu Xue’s flesh or the Skeleton, you could complete the Game. This seems to be a collection-type Instance.

“Player Cheng Miao helped Aunt Li lay her bones to rest, earning the gratitude and affection of Aunt Li’s remaining soul. Reward: rare character attribute-Friend of Ghosts. (Attribute description: You naturally have affinity. In paranormal Instances, you have a certain chance to gain the favor of ghosts other than malevolent ones, and there is a chance they’ll appear to help you~)”

Cheng Miao: …Thanks, but I don’t really want this.

“Settlement complete. Player is returning to the Inn. Return point: Cockroach Dormitory.”

As the voice ended, Cheng Miao blinked. It seemed… she was now outside the Cockroach Dormitory.

Cheng Miao looked around at her surroundings. She was standing in an open area; not far away, thick, milky-white fog billowed. Thinking of the film ‘The Mist,’ Cheng Miao couldn’t help but suspect that at any moment, a giant tentacle might reach out from the fog.
On the ground lay a thick layer of dried blood, enough to make anyone feel uneasy at a glance. It was as if countless people had bled out here, and the dragging, struggling marks made it impossible not to think of the fate of those who screamed and wailed outside the door before Cheng Miao entered the Game.

In front of her stood a building, looking as if it might collapse at any moment, like a dangerous structure. The building had no windows, showing no signs of living inhabitants, standing before Cheng Miao like a white tomb.

“Oh, you’re back. Judging by your look, you must have cleared the Game, right?” As Cheng Miao came to her senses, Ah Zhang suddenly appeared from somewhere and flew in front of her, familiarly landing on her shoulder. “If you’ve cleared the Game, your Check-in Voucher should have been issued. Check your pocket.”

After going through the ordeals with Liu Xue and Doctor Xu, Cheng Miao was no longer as afraid of Ah Zhang as she had been at first. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tattered ticket.

Cockroach Dormitory

Guest: Cheng Miao; Room Type: Intermediate Dormitory.

This voucher is valid for single use only and will be void after verification.

Following the instructions, Cheng Miao inserted the ticket into the square slot smeared with bloody fingerprints. She felt nothing, but heard a “click” in the air as the ticket was verified, and it disappeared from her hand.

“Thank you for your patronage. Checking into the Intermediate Dormitory requires 48 Travel Coin. Do you confirm payment?” Ah Zhang dutifully played the role of the Front Desk, and Cheng Miao could almost imagine a standard smiling face.

“It costs 48 for one night?” Cheng Miao felt a pang. “Clearing the Game only gives 50 Travel Coin.”

Ah Zhang rubbed its tiny front legs, answering seriously as if dealing with a haggling customer: “All Inn Room Fee are set uniformly by the Game. Besides, the Cockroach Dormitory charges are already very low, basically avoiding the need for a traveler to check into the same room type multiple times, or having to clear multiple Instance to upgrade to a higher room type.”

“This is also to encourage Player to participate seriously in the Game. Only by performing well in the Game can you earn enough Travel Coin to check into better rooms.”

“Otherwise, even if you clear an Instance by relying on others, and get a Check-in Voucher, the Travel Coin you earn might not be enough to pay the Room Fee. Especially in the later stages at Advanced Inn, most Player can’t earn enough in one Game to upgrade their room type, so they have to stay in their original room type and keep playing to save up.”

Cheng Miao tried to digest Ah Zhang’s explanation, doing her best to remember the rules of the Game. “So, if I clear the Game and perform well, the Travel Coin I earn will be enough to pay for an Intermediate or Advanced Dormitory. But if I just scrape by, even if I clear the Game, if I don’t earn 48 Travel Coin, I can only keep staying in the Basic Dormitory and keep playing to earn more?”

Ah Zhang nodded seriously. “Everything depends on clearing the Game. Without a Check-in Voucher, no matter how much money you have, you can’t check in.”

Cheng Miao frowned slightly. “If you don’t perform well in the Game, it’s a vicious cycle. But for those whose skills are so poor they can’t even get a Check-in Voucher, how would they have any money?”

Ah Zhang, growing impatient, buzzed around. “There are always ways to make money. Human ingenuity is limitless. But for a Newcomer, the only path is to work hard in the Game and earn money!”

Cheng Miao: … Who would’ve thought, even in an infinite flow Game, I’m still just an ordinary wage slave.