Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Qi Yang was as simple-minded as ever. “Ah, the King is amazing! He even flew with me.”
Zhao Zhaozhao also had a moment of cleverness, acting like a devoted fangirl. “Whether it’s Ning Banxian or Ning Wang, they’re both so handsome.”
Players: “Duh! They have the same face, of course they’re ‘both’ handsome!”
Then there was the matter of the connection between Ning Shuo and the Secret Mission Agents. Some players claimed Ning Shuo’s Secret Mission was to destroy the Paradise’s Clown, but other players immediately shot back: would the System really issue a mission to a player to destroy itself?
Voices from all sides chimed in on this topic, and its popularity remained sky-high.
As for the relationship between Ning Wang and Ning Shuo, most players concluded from the Dreamweaver’s Script that they were past and present lives of the same person. However, because neither of them discussed the topic during their subsequent livestreams-or simply cut the stream entirely-the discussion, while popular, never reached a definitive conclusion. After a few days, the fervor began to die down.
Subsequently, the thread became a paradise for certain fan groups, the majority of whom were female fans. They seemed to have formed some sort of subculture, using jargon that outsiders couldn’t understand, such as “Narcissus” and “kdl.”
There were also several permanently high-heat, stickied threads related to High-level Players. The most popular ones featured Willow and Z. Most of the engagement there came from the same group of female fans as the Shuo Wang thread. However, the threads for High-level Players were different from the Shuo Wang thread; their fanbases were broader and more diverse. Those in the know understood they were shipping characters; those who didn’t thought it was some new strategy for clearing games. It wasn’t until someone explained it to them that they felt utterly speechless, thinking: *We’re in an infinite game, and people still have the energy for modern CP-fan antics?*
Where there was dissatisfaction, there was pushback. Facing public ridicule, the CP fans retorted loudly: “Who knows if I’ll die in the next Script? Can’t I have a little fun before I kick the bucket!”
Ning Shuo skipped over the fluff and focused on finding a few exclusive threads for team-based players.
Rao Lin, Rank 1 on the Ranking List, code name Willow. Specialty: Melee and Ranged combat. Number of Scripts: Currently unmeasurable. Current Heat: 213,762,914 (Heat Points are updated in real-time).
Song Zhu, Rank 7 on the Ranking List, code name Z. Specialty: Skilled in Healing and Strategy. Number of Scripts: Currently unmeasurable. Current Heat: 98,342,675 (Heat Points are updated in real-time).
…
Luo Li, Rank 26 (↑1) on the Ranking List, code name Lolita. Specialty: Skilled in Prediction. Number of Scripts: Currently unmeasurable. Current Heat: 19,983,124 (Heat Points are updated in real-time).
…
Most other players had at least a count of cleared Scripts, but these three did not.
After finishing his general overview, Ning Shuo was about to say something when he looked up and saw Ning Wang scrolling through a certain thread. “…What are you looking at?”
He looked at the Fanfiction on the thread, his pupils shrinking in shock. This was bad-some bored person had actually found a writer to commission Fanfiction and posted it on the Forum!
Ning Wang watched with great interest. “It’s quite well-written. You can tell the ‘Great Teacher’ has some solid skills from the modern world.”
Good grief, he’d even learned a new vocabulary word.
Ning Wang suddenly asked out of curiosity, “If you were to write Fanfiction about the two of us, would you write it better than her?”
Ning Shuo gave a tight smile. “First of all, I don’t write. Second, why on earth would you want to read Fanfiction about us?”
Ning Wang pondered for a moment. “To experience new literature?”
No, this was “earthquake literature.”
That evening, they entered the Matching Room. Once it showed 5/5, they were automatically matched into a game.
[Hello, Player Ning Banxian. Welcome to the PvE mode Script: “Seven-Day Vacation at the Rose Castle.”]
[Your identity is a Traveler invited by the Castle Owner. Usually, the Castle Owner often visits the small town where you live to enjoy himself with everyone, and the residents have a very good relationship with him. At the invitation of the Castle Owner, you need to spend a seven-day holiday in the castle.]
[Note: This Script is in PvE mode. There is no competitive relationship between Players; only the Murderer NPC is capable of lying.]
[If a murder occurs, Players must find the Notary Office Clown to make an Accusation.]
Ning Shuo looked up and saw that he was now wearing a khaki windbreaker.
The people around him were all wearing the same outfit. Ning Shuo counted them.
There were thirteen people in total.
This was the Script with the largest number of Players Ning Shuo had ever seen.
Ning Wang explained in a low voice, “A standard Murder Mystery Game Script usually has 5 to 10 people. Since we started the match with Willow and the others, and they are High-level Players, we’ve naturally been matched into a high-tier Script they haven’t played yet. In these kinds of Scripts, the number of people becomes less important.”
They looked for familiar faces among the remaining people, and then, Ning Shuo spotted a familiar face.
At the same time, the familiar face saw them too, his eyes lighting up. “King! What a coincidence!”
Hearing this title, almost everyone looked over. Ning Wang couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you brainwash him when you were on the Ferris wheel together?”
“What’s it to you?”
Ning Shuo stepped forward without any psychological burden, calmly accepting the title of “King” in front of the other Players.
He greeted Qi Yang with a smile. “Qi Yang? What a coincidence to be matched into the same Script.”
Qi Yang gave a shy smile. “I figured I’d earned quite a bit of Heat at Paradise, so I might as well grind out my Script quota for the month. If I play my cards right, I can rest for two months.”
He scanned the surroundings. “Your Knight is here too… Eh?”
His gaze fell on the High-level Players who were walking toward them, drawing gasps and hushed squeals from the other Players. Qi Yang let out a small shriek. “He, he, he… Willow!”
“And Z! …My god, Lolita is here too!”
Just like the other Players’ exclamations, Qi Yang’s eyes were full of stars. “How am I so lucky to be matched into a Script with High-level Players!”
Ning Shuo teased him, “What, you didn’t seem this happy to be matched with the King.”
Qi Yang’s face turned red. Before he could say anything, Rao Lin had already walked up to them.
Seeing Qi Yang, Rao Lin raised an eyebrow. “Such a coincidence? We meet again.”
Qi Yang’s breath hitched as he frantically filtered through the places where he might have met Rao Lin. Finally, a flash of inspiration struck, settling on a certain Sika Deer. “…Li Hua?”
“Mm-hmm.”
After greeting Ning Shuo and Ning Wang, Qi Yang finally understood why he was lucky enough to be matched into a Script with so many people he had met before.
When Luo Li introduced herself, Qi Yang said without thinking, “Little Flower?”
“…” Luo Li looked at him expressionlessly, and Qi Yang nervously retreated behind Ning Shuo.
He had intended to ease the pressure the young girl was putting on him, but his arm was suddenly grabbed. Ning Wang pulled him behind himself. “Don’t stand behind him. He’s not in good health.”
Qi Yang: “?”
Qi Yang was bewildered. “The King is in poor health, but what does that have to do with me standing behind him?”
Of course, it didn’t.
It was just that Xie Ning wasn’t used to unfamiliar people standing behind him; he would instinctively become guarded.
Ning Shuo tilted his head to look at him and smiled slightly.
*Thanks.*
Ning Wang looked elsewhere as if nothing had happened.
Almost everyone had met before, except for Song Zhu.
Song Zhu’s self-introduction was cold and distant. “I am Song Zhu, code name Z.”
As they were meeting on this side, a wail suddenly erupted from the other side: “Ah! How did we get matched into a Script with Rao Lin and Song Zhu?!”