FEG | Chapter 16

Chapter 16, High-End Match

There were men and women among the ten people, and their age range spanned thirty years. The oldest looked to be in his forties, and the youngest was only around ten years old.

She was a little loli around ten years old, with straight shoulder-length hair and long bangs covering her eyes, revealing only her small, cute nose and chin. Her little mouth was pinkish-white, and she wore a floral dress, holding a cloth doll over a foot long in both hands.

“How come there’s a child too?” The oldest man, around forty-six or forty-seven, was the first to speak. He had deep furrows between his brows and carried a bit of the bearing of someone in power. He looked like he had a bad temper.

The little girl lowered her head even further and lifted the cloth doll higher to block her face.

Seeing that no one answered, the man grew rather displeased. “Since everyone has entered the same game, it’s like boarding the same boat. Only by helping each other through the same boat can we achieve the best result. In my view, it’s very necessary for us to make simple self-introductions, deepen our understanding, and plan our formation, so that we can work together to get through this difficulty.” After delivering this impassioned speech, the man slightly raised his chin and waited. After a long while, he probably realized that no applause would come, and he cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness.

“I’ll give everyone a demonstration.” He raised his hand to reveal the black, glossy watch on his wrist. “You can call me Bureau Chief Chen. I’ve already cleared seven tasks. My soul weapon skill is Shield, which can protect a range within two meters around me, for thirty seconds each time.”

Although this guy’s official tone was extremely annoying, his introduction was really skillful, Sun Fangchi thought. Showing what should be shown and hiding what should be hidden, he not only demonstrated his own advantage, but also concealed the trump card of how many times he could use his skill.

Once one person had opened the topic, the others no longer held back.

“Du Shuangqin, I run business, you can call me Old Du.” Old Du was in his thirties, with a face that seemed to come with a smiling expression. Even the way he spoke sounded like he was smiling. “As for my skill, it’s the same as big brother’s, protection. The range is only one and a half meters. I’ve cleared five games.”

“Zhou Xin, I run my own company, cleared five times.” The cold woman adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and said, “My skill is Scout, which can obtain the number and positions of vicious ghosts within a twenty-meter radius.”

“Lao Hongli, middle school teacher, also cleared five times. My skill is Concealment, which can help two people, including myself, hide their aura. Vicious ghosts can’t see through it. Duration, 30 seconds.”

“Wei Tao, security guard, cleared six times. Skill is Intimidation. Duration, 30 seconds.”

“Zhang Xu, athlete, cleared five times. Skill is Speed Up. For now, it can only speed up myself.”

“Jin Qiao, cleared six times. Skill is Reflect, can reflect 70% of vicious ghost attacks.” Jin Qiao’s voice seemed to have a hook in it, drawing the gazes of all the men. Her looks could only be considered above average, but her whole body gave off a deadly seductive air.

“Ma Daobin, uh, still unemployed, cleared four times. Skill is Petrify.”

The little loli took a note out of the cloth doll’s pocket. On it, written with strokes like iron hooks and silver lines, were the words: “Yueyue, skill Substitute.”

Sun Fangchi listened to each introduction. He kept his expression unchanged, but inside he was cursing like hell. Was this really still the game he had cleared once? Why did it feel like a newbie had accidentally wandered into a high-end lobby?

“This child can’t even speak?” Bureau Chief Chen’s gaze toward Yueyue grew even colder, clearly revealing his thoughts.

“Don’t be so fierce, you’re scaring the child.” Lao Hongli could not stand him and shielded Yueyue behind her.

“Hey, Bureau Chief Chen, don’t get too worked up. There’s still one little brother who hasn’t introduced himself.” Old Du advised with a smile.

As the final person to speak, Sun Fangchi felt enormous pressure under everyone’s expectant gazes. He forced himself and said, “Sun Fangchi, professional streamer, skill Summon.”

“Summon?” Nearly half the people asked at the same time.

“What does it do?” Bureau Chief Chen asked seriously.

“Well...” Sun Fangchi had a bad feeling. “It summons a vicious ghost to help resist damage, for thirty seconds each time.”

Sun Fangchi heard more than one sharp intake of breath.

“Yours... isn’t that just junk...” Zhang Xu said hesitantly.

“...Not exactly, it works.” Sun Fangchi tried to vindicate the summoning ring.

“Hah!” Zhou Xin let out a cold laugh and said nothing.

Old Du looked at Sun Fangchi with regret. “Tell the truth, this is your first game, right?”

Sun Fangchi: “...Second.”

“Wow, so you survived the first one by luck?”

Damn it.

Bureau Chief Chen was even more direct. He simply started discussing what came next and ignored Sun Fangchi entirely. “Since everyone has finished introducing themselves, I think we need to study our next course of action...”

From being the center of attention to being despised by everyone, it had taken less than five minutes. Sun Fangchi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“...The clear condition is to survive in the apartment for three days. First, let’s figure out the night-shift security guard’s cause of death. He must be an important clue.” Bureau Chief Chen said.

Old Du raised his hand. “I’ve already found out about that. I heard the night-shift security guard was a young man. He usually looked pretty healthy, so he didn’t seem like he had heart disease. His shift was from eight at night to six in the morning. This morning, someone found the guard dead in the downstairs lobby, with a terrified expression on his face. A lot of people guessed he was scared to death.”

Including Sun Fangchi, everyone looked at Old Du in shock. Old Du smoothed his glossy slicked-back hair and modestly said, “Basic operations, nothing worth mentioning. I’m a salesman, I usually like chatting with people.”

Bureau Chief Chen gave a couple of constipated-sounding grunts and said, “Let me say a few words. Since the security guard may have been scared to death, that means the vicious ghosts should appear at night. I suggest we stay together at night and take turns on watch, so we can discover the vicious ghosts in time.”

Old Du raised his hand again. “That’s not very good, is it? I found out that the apartments here are mixed residential and commercial buildings, each unit is forty square meters. If the ten of us stay together, it’ll be too crowded, and it’ll also increase the chance of being attacked by vicious ghosts. I think it’d be better to form groups freely, two people to a group.”

Zhou Xin agreed. “I also think two people to a group is better.”

Bureau Chief Chen’s face twitched slightly. “...Then two people to a group.”

“If it’s two people to a group...” Jin Qiao twirled a key between her slender fingers, her enticing gaze sweeping over the men. “There’s no restriction on men and women, right... I’ll have to find someone who can protect me...”

Zhou Xin was ashamed to be in the same company as her, and sidestepped two steps away to put some distance between them. “It’s precisely because people like you exist that people think women have no backbone! Teacher Lao, let’s team up.”

Lao Hongli hesitated a little. Aside from Jin Qiao, the two of them were the only adult women. It would of course be good if they could stay together, but, “Let Yueyue stay with us too...”

“This...” Zhou Xin was unwilling. She had asked Lao Hongli to team up, partly because they were both women, and partly because she valued Lao Hongli’s skill. But Lao Hongli’s skill could only hide two people. If a third person were added to the group, that would make things difficult.

Seeing this, Ma Daobin, who had an honest, simple-looking face, volunteered, “I’ll team up with her. She’s about the same age as my daughter. When I see her, it’s just like seeing my daughter.”

Lao Hongli breathed a sigh of relief and stood together with Zhou Xin, while Ma Daobin stood beside Yueyue.

In the blink of an eye, two groups had already formed.

Jin Qiao swayed her waist as she walked to Bureau Chief Chen’s side. “Bureau Chief, I’ll team up with you. What do you think?” As she spoke, she used one finger to draw circles on Bureau Chief Chen’s shoulder.

Bureau Chief Chen’s face flushed red. He struggled to keep a stern expression and said, looking very reluctant, “Mm, fine.”

The remaining four men looked at one another.

Wei Tao was a taciturn man. Aside from one self-introduction that was concise to the extreme, he had not said another word. At this moment, he walked off by himself to the side. “I’m alone.”

Old Du immediately reacted, pulling Zhang Xu over to stand on the other side.

Sun Fangchi: ...

Old Du apologized without much sincerity. “Sorry about that, brother.”

Bureau Chief Chen said, “Since the teams are all formed, let’s each find a place to stay. Tomorrow at ten in the morning, we’ll gather here again and make our next plan.”

Sun Fangchi took his own key out of his pocket. It had a sticker marked 414 on it, and he once again felt the game’s deep malice.

Shaking his head, Sun Fangchi followed behind the others and entered through the building’s front entrance. The sky was dim, the surroundings turned somewhat desolate, and dark patches began appearing in the uneven parts of the ground.

The door was an automatic glass door. After entering, there was an empty lobby. Directly facing the door was a backdrop wall, and in front of the backdrop wall was a semicircular service desk. At the moment, there was no one inside, so that should be where the security guard was stationed.

Behind the backdrop wall were the elevators going upstairs, three side by side. Further in was the stairwell.

Ten people crowded into one elevator. Wei Tao and Ma Daobin took Yueyue and got off on the second floor, Zhou Xin and Lao Hongli got off on the third floor, Sun Fangchi got off on the fourth floor, and the remaining four went to the fifth floor.

The corridor was fifty to sixty meters long, with twenty apartments from east to west. The doors faced each other in pairs. There were only three lights in total, one in front of the elevator entrance, and one in the middle of each of the left and right corridors.

Sun Fangchi lived in room 414, and there just happened to be a light in front of his door. The key went into the metal lock hole, the touch was stiff, and it made a faint scraping sound.

Pushing the door open, what came into view was a large window. The distant horizon was fully visible, with no buildings at all. The room had a few simple pieces of furniture, a separate bathroom, and an open kitchen. It was quite a layout suited to living alone.

Sun Fangchi locked the door from the inside. Looking out through the peephole, he could clearly see the distorted doorway and the empty scene beyond it.

The water and electricity in the room were working normally, and natural gas could also be used. The water heater and toilet in the bathroom both worked, and there was also a clear mirror.

The only shortcoming of this house was that there were no curtains. He did not know whether only this room had not been fitted, or whether none of them had.

The sun in the distance slowly sank below the horizon.

Sun Fangchi did not touch the food in the refrigerator. Instead, he planned to endure hunger and make it through the night. Without Bu Xiling by his side, he had to be twice as careful. Sitting on the sofa, Sun Fangchi felt something pressing into him, and he reached into his pocket to take out a bead.

It was the one he had gotten from Shijing Village.

Holding it in his hand, Sun Fangchi suddenly saw a prompt appear in his mind:

[Found soul energy crystal, use it to strengthen the soul?]

Sun Fangchi was shocked. This thing could actually be used in the game?

Thinking about it, Sun Fangchi turned over his hand to look at the summoning ring.

[Soul weapon: Summoning ring]

[Attached skill: can summon a vicious ghost to help resist attacks, just call the vicious ghost’s name]

[Usage limit: can be used four times per task, each summon lasts 30 seconds.]

Three more uses than in the last game!

Sun Fangchi could be sure that he had absolutely not missed a single system prompt. There had been no reward or upgrade prompt, so why had the ring’s summon count suddenly increased?