chapter 10
The iron gate had opened just wide enough for one person to pass. None of the children stopped to wonder why a gate they had been unable to budge together was now open.
The instant the three children filed through, they dissolved into the air like morning mist over the sea.
As Cheng Miao stepped beyond the gate, she sensed something and turned to look behind her.
Dense fog had risen over the courtyard. Even Minsheng Lane Building 4 was nearly obscured, leaving only a faint silhouette.
Two figures stood in the center of the courtyard, one large and one small. The larger one wore a faded dark top and held the hand of a little girl in red. The girl’s hair was tied into twin ponytails, and she slowly raised one hand to wave at Cheng Miao.
Cheng Miao watched the chilling scene with cool eyes. Before she could react, darkness swallowed her vision…
She stood in complete blackness, unable to see even the fingers held before her face. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long before the emotionless announcement sounded again.
[Congratulations, player Cheng Miao, on clearing the Solo Game Abandoned Courtyard. Reward: 50 Travel Coins.]
[Congratulations, player Cheng Miao, on completing the hidden plotline in Abandoned Courtyard: Aunt Li’s Resting Place. Reward: 55 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao earned an A performance rating in the Solo Instance Abandoned Courtyard and achieved 100% side-plot completion. Reward: 100 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao earned a total of 205 Travel Coins in the Solo Instance Abandoned Courtyard. Remaining balance: 205 Travel Coins.]
[Based on her performance, player Cheng Miao has received a Newcomer Gift Pack: Swift Running Shoes. Usage Instructions: In times of danger, they may not let you outrun the ghost, but they will let you outrun your teammates ^_^]
Cheng Miao stared blankly. What’s with those instructions? Why do they seem so sketchy?
[Player Cheng Miao recovered 80% of the female ghost Liu Xue’s body. Her performance earned Liu Xue’s affection. Item received: Liu Xue’s Jump Rope. Uses remaining: 4/5. Usage Instructions: Restrains the movements of ghosts and monsters. Duration varies according to the target’s strength.]
No wonder the jump rope, which had appeared so frequently, had been absent from Liu Xue’s hands at the very end. It had become Cheng Miao’s Item reward.
It was a practical Item that could save her life at a critical moment. As for the missing twenty percent, Cheng Miao considered it closely. The only possibilities were the medicinal residue in the jars and the hair in the bathroom.
But the situation had been urgent, and there had been no time to transport everything in multiple trips. Losing that portion of the completion score was hardly unfair.
In fact, finding either the pills made from Liu Xue’s flesh or her skeleton would have been enough to clear the Game. The instance seemed to operate like a collection quest.
[Player Cheng Miao laid Aunt Li’s bones to rest, earning the gratitude and affection of Aunt Li’s lingering soul. Rare Character Attribute received: Friend of Ghosts. Attribute Description: You possess a natural affinity. In supernatural instances, you have a chance of earning the favor of ghosts other than malevolent spirits, and they may appear to help you!]
Cheng Miao fell silent. Thanks, but I really don’t want that.
[Settlement complete. Player returning to the Inn. Return point: Cockroach Dormitory.]
As the announcement ended, Cheng Miao blinked. It seemed… she had arrived outside the Cockroach Dormitory.
She surveyed her surroundings. She stood in an open area, and dense white fog like milk churned not far away. Remembering the movie The Mist, Cheng Miao half expected a colossal tentacle to reach out of it at any moment.
A thick crust of dried blood covered the ground. One glance was enough to cause intense discomfort. It looked as though countless people had bled out here, and the marks left by dragging bodies and desperate struggles inevitably reminded Cheng Miao of the people who had screamed and wailed outside the door before she entered the Game.
A building stood before her, so dilapidated it seemed on the verge of collapse. It had no windows and showed no sign that anything living resided inside. It loomed in front of Cheng Miao like a white tomb.
“Oh, you’re back. Judging by the look of you, you must have cleared it.” When Cheng Miao came to her senses, Ah Zhang emerged from nowhere, flew up to her, and familiarly settled on her shoulder. “If you cleared the Game, your check-in voucher should have been issued. Try your pockets.”
Familiarity had taken some of the edge off her fear. After the torment inflicted by Liu Xue and Doctor Xu, Ah Zhang no longer frightened Cheng Miao as much as he had at first. She reached into her pocket and removed a battered slip of paper.
Cockroach Dormitory
Guest: Cheng Miao; Room Type: Intermediate Dormitory.
This voucher admits one person for a single stay. Void after validation.
Following the instructions, Cheng Miao fed the voucher through the square hatch covered in bloody handprints. She felt nothing, but a sharp click sounded in the air, and the paper vanished from her hand.
“Thank you for your patronage. One night in the Intermediate Dormitory costs 48 Travel Coins. Confirm payment?” Ah Zhang diligently played the part of a Front Desk attendant. Cheng Miao could almost imagine a standard service-industry smile on his face.
Forty-eight for a single night. Cheng Miao’s heart ached. “That’s so expensive. Clearing the Game only paid fifty Travel Coins.”
Ah Zhang rubbed his small front legs together and replied with the seriousness of a clerk facing a haggling customer. “The Game sets the accommodation fees for every Inn. Besides, the Cockroach Dormitory is already extremely inexpensive. In most cases, guests can avoid staying at the same grade repeatedly and clearing multiple Games before they can afford a higher room grade.”
“This is also how the Game encourages players to participate seriously. Only an excellent performance in the Game earns enough Travel Coins to check in.”
“Otherwise, even if someone clings to a stronger player and survives the instance, thus obtaining a check-in voucher, their settlement reward may not cover the room fee. This is especially common with high-tier Inns later on. Most players cannot earn enough in one Game to upgrade their room grade, so they must stay at their current grade again, continue entering Games, and save up.”
Cheng Miao worked to absorb Ah Zhang’s explanation and memorize as many rules as possible. “So if I clear the Game and perform well, my settlement rewards will pay for an Intermediate or Advanced Dormitory. But if I had only scraped by, then even if I cleared it, I would have to stay in the Basic Dormitory and enter another Game to earn money if my reward was less than forty-eight?”
Ah Zhang nodded solemnly, as if he were an animated sticker. “Everything begins with clearing the Game. Without a check-in voucher, no amount of money will get you a room.”
Cheng Miao frowned slightly. “A poor performance creates a vicious cycle. But if someone’s so bad at the Game that they can’t even get a check-in voucher, how would they have any money?”
Tired of maintaining a professional manner, Ah Zhang flitted through the air and answered impatiently. “There are always all kinds of ways to make money. Human ingenuity is limitless. But newcomers have only one path: play hard and earn hard!”
Cheng Miao had no response. Who would’ve thought? Even in an unlimited-flow Game, I’m still just an ordinary corporate drone working for a paycheck.