The game was so efficient that the police, after receiving an anonymous tip, secretly launched a search and quickly apprehended the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Suhr also received another reward for being the host: a USB drive.
After plugging it into the computer, a prompt popped up: [The self-destruct program will be activated after reading. Please keep the battery fully charged during viewing. Recording is prohibited.]
When Ji Heng came back from shopping, he saw Su Er sitting in front of the display screen, tapping his fingers on the table. He looked impatient and kept muttering, "Why is it taking so long to load?"
Hearing the door close, he subconsciously closed his fingers and asked with a smile, "Are you back?"
Ji Heng: "Check the results?"
Because of the murderer's incident, the students couldn't wait to go back after being in closed management for more than half a year, and the grades for several courses were still pending.
Seeing that he had already started walking towards them, Soul told the truth: "It was sent by the game."
The originally agreed price was for 180 photos.
Ji Heng sat beside him with amusement: "You don't want to see the real person, but the photo?"
Su Er is a very rational person who knows how to grab the most benefits: "A few years ago, you were still young, and your figure and face were at the golden peak of your life."
"…"
The loading icon finally disappeared, but when he opened it, he saw not a photo but a video. The protagonist in the video wasn't just Ji Heng. Su Er also saw himself, looking and sounding the same as he did now, wearing a badge and with slightly longer hair...
·
If players were asked to choose the most annoying dungeon type, battle royale games would definitely be in the top three.
This is a very large category, and sometimes survival games can be barely categorized into it, and there is often a key word that cannot be missed - hunger.
At this moment, a wobbly ship was sailing on the sea.
The dungeon requires players to take a boat to a designated location—a charity cemetery. Before arriving, they still harbor a subtle sense of luck. There are many different types of charity cemeteries: ancestral halls, schools, public fields... places where coffins are temporarily stored.
As long as it's not the last one.
In the evening, the boat hurriedly docked for a moment and then left quickly. Someone had tried to talk to the boatman earlier and asked when the boat would come to this place again, but found that all the people on the boat had their tongues cut off and their hands trembled when they held a pen.
Unable to get any more useful information, everyone could only pray devoutly that it was not a morgue. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. After getting off the boat and following the map provided in the copy, they arrived at a very desolate place.
"The road is gone."
The horrifying truth was soon discovered. The path they came from turned into a dense forest. Every tree was covered with colorful mushrooms, and the same was true on the ground.
It was too late to explore, and a game wouldn't be a game if it didn't go awry. After the initial surprise, everyone quickly entered the coffin. In the center stood a striking coffin.
Whether or not to open the coffin became the first question to consider.
This time, there were fifteen players in total, and it was a large-scale dungeon. When there were disagreements, about two or three of them consulted Ji Heng. As the player with the highest power, he held a greater weight in decision-making than the others.
"Open." Ji Heng didn't hesitate at all and took the lead in prying out a few nails with a dagger.
Zhao Sanliang didn't care what others thought and just followed his orders. As a result, as soon as his hand touched the coffin lid, he felt sticky and greasy.
Looking down, I saw a strange green liquid on my fingers.
Zhao Sanliang looked up at Ji Heng, who looked around and said, "Come and lend a hand."
Everyone retreated a little, and only one young man came over.
Ji Heng glanced at the other person's badge, then quickly looked away and said, "The coffin lid isn't nailed shut. If the three of us pry it open together, it should be almost open."
Soul nodded.
At this moment, a voice interrupted: "We don't know what's inside yet. Isn't it too risky?"
Ji Heng was too lazy to respond, but Zhao Sanliang rolled his eyes: "How can we know if we don't open it?"
The other party was stumped by the question and smiled awkwardly.
"In a large-scale dungeon, even if there's an opening kill, you can still avoid it if you're strong enough. If you form a group when there are more people, your chances of survival will be higher."
Sur's sudden words made many players with low strength values look unhappy. They were about to start cursing, but when they saw that the person who was speaking had low strength values, they had nothing to say.
Those who are closest to danger and doing practical work don't say anything, so they naturally have no right to make comments.
Zhao Sanliang found a few thick tree trunks and handed one to Suer.
"Not afraid?"
Before opening the coffin, Ji Heng asked a rare question.
Su Er shook his head. "For thousands of years, the coffins in the charity cemetery seem to have only produced one kind... zombies."
As he finished speaking, he pressed down hard on the other end of the tree trunk. The actual process was smoother than expected. It was pried open easily, as if the coffin was here waiting to be pried open.
Lying in the coffin was a person with iron-blue skin and very long nails with black tips.
Sur had his reasons for daring to open the coffin. Besides the fact that he had a small peach wood sword that was specifically designed to counter this thing, he also had encountered zombies in the dungeon and had more experience.
The person who opened the coffin did not show much surprise. Instead, the onlookers almost retreated to the door. Only when they found that the zombie showed no signs of getting angry did they go back in.
"Wake-up method..." Soul noticed a line of bloody words written on the side of the coffin and read it out: "Five drops of human blood, nine strands of human hair. After resurrection, the zombie will be awake for three hours each day."
"What the hell?" A bald player walked over and touched his head: "Discrimination against me?"
His companion's mouth twitched: "What does this have to do with you?"
Who would take the initiative to wake up the zombies?
Suer noticed that when Ji Heng heard this, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, but the smile was more mixed with a hint of sarcasm.
The first night was spent quite vigilantly, and nothing happened.
The next day, the host finally appeared. It was a crow. It sat on some straw and spoke in human language: "Live on, live for seven days."
When a zombie is found after opening a coffin, most people tend to think that the mission is related to zombies, but they never expected that the requirements for passing the level do not mention zombies at all. While they are still carefully guarding against zombies, a more important problem becomes prominent: food.
The path they had come from mysteriously disappeared at the beginning, leaving no other houses in sight. Fifteen of them had no choice but to split into three teams and search the woods. Besides poisonous mushrooms scattered across the ground, not even a single weed could be found. If there were a source of water, they could barely survive a few days, but unfortunately, they had walked far and still found no lakes.
"There can't be no water at all, otherwise how can these plants grow?"
There are too many things in the copy that cannot be inferred by common sense. The person who said this sentence in an attempt to comfort himself became weaker and weaker in tone and could not even convince himself.
Everyone returned empty-handed. A day's search had left them exhausted. There was no water source and no one was willing to speak.
On the third day, someone finally couldn't hold on any longer, so he pulled out a mushroom, took a light bite, and soon died of the poison.
The crow lowered its head and pecked at its feathers, knowing they were nearing their limit. As a bystander, it arbitrarily tampered with a famous quote: "The world is not without food, but only lacks the eyes to discover it."
Those who were sitting on the ground to maintain their strength looked at each other, their gazes somewhat evasive.
Ji Heng and Zhao Sanliang went out on the pretext of going to the restroom. Unlike others, they had a bargaining chip to save their lives... an item that could instantly restore 20 points of strength. Increasing strength is equivalent to restoring certain functions of the body.
After making sure that there was no one around, Zhao Sanliang felt much better after using the props.
He put the button in his mouth, trying to secrete more saliva, and asked vaguely, "Is it true that it will rain?"
Ji Heng: "There are two ways to pass the level. One is to endure until you reach a limit, and then a way out will appear."
"What other kind?" Zhao Sanliang asked impatiently.
Ji Heng sneered: "Eating the flesh and blood of fellow players, players cannot kill each other, they can only take advantage of a little."
Zhao Sanliang's pupils shrank: "Zombie?"
The fog suddenly cleared before his eyes, and he finally understood why there was a coffin and why the awakening method was specially marked.
Swallowing his saliva, Zhao Sanliang asked with lingering fear, "Should we inform the rest of the people in advance?"
Ji Heng shook his head: "There are too many people and too many disagreements."
Besides, he just used the props to divine, and he couldn't be sure when it would rain. No one would easily put their life in the hands of others.
Zhao Sanliang seemed to be thinking of something bad: "That's right. Human nature is so bad. If we can't hold on any longer, we will become the target of public criticism."
People who are on the verge of despair are likely to turn their butcher knives against their own people first.
"There's one more thing," Ji Heng said, "that child..."
"Children?" Zhao Sanliang thought about it and didn't find any children among the players.
The game is quite authentic in this respect, at least it has never attracted minors.
However, Zhao Sanliang quickly thought of Suer. Among these people, that boy was undoubtedly the youngest.
Ji Heng said seriously, "He is silently watching the coffin."
Zhao Sanliang's first reaction was that the other party was trying to wake up the zombie, but he also felt that something was wrong. Frankly, his first impression of Su Er was that he was willing to come out and open the coffin, which was quite good.
As the two were talking, Ji Heng suddenly turned around.
Su Er came out of the charity cemetery at some point, licked his cracked and bleeding lips, and walked straight to Ji Heng.
"Can you lend me your dagger?"
Zhao Sanliang thought this man was crazy, but what surprised him even more was that Ji Heng actually handed over the dagger.
Soul hid in his sleeve and didn't move until that evening.
Hunger and thirst were enough to drive a normal person crazy. A young man was the first to be unable to bear it. He quietly prepared his hair and cut his fingers, ready to wake up the zombies when no one was paying attention.
According to the instructions on the coffin, even if a zombie is awakened, it can only stay awake for no more than three hours a day. He was confident that he could survive and then rely on the corpses of others to survive until the last day.
Just as the young man was thinking about it, someone took action first.
Sur ran to the coffin as fast as he could and stared at the zombie inside.
"What are you going to do?" Several questioning voices were raised at the same time, but no one stopped him. Some people even wanted him to do so in their hearts.
Unexpectedly, Soul cut the zombie's arm, licked some blood from his lips and said, "It doesn't taste good, but it's acceptable."
The young man frowned: "Zombie blood is poisonous."
Sur said calmly: "Everyone has healing items in their hands. Use them while eating to survive."
After saying that, he raised his hand and slashed with his knife. The dagger, which could cut through iron like mud, instantly cut off one of the zombie's arms. Su Er held it up and asked, "Who wants this?"
"…"
The air was eerily silent.
Soul smiled strangely: "Zombie meat is better than human flesh."
It seemed that this sentence had an effect. The young man was the first to speak, gritting his teeth and saying, "Give it to me."
Soul smiled and called on everyone: "Pick up the firewood, light the flames, and let's eat charcoal-grilled zombies today!"
Just as he was waving the dagger at the zombie, he suddenly heard a voice saying "Be careful."
The zombie that had been sleeping suddenly woke up and bit Sur's neck.
Ji Heng quickly flashed to his side.
"It's okay." Sur rejected the offer and stood there without even the slightest intention of hiding. He watched the angry zombie state the facts: "You violated the rules."
According to the rules of the game, without a wake-up ceremony, it should remain dormant.
Even the host, considered aloof and superior by the players, didn't dare to challenge the rules easily, let alone a mere zombie. Just as its sharp teeth were about to pierce its delicate flesh, it was struck hard to the ground by a mysterious force, black blood flowing from its severed limbs.
The zombie covered his wound with a wronged look and looked at the crow.
The crow, combing its feathers, accidentally pecked a feather too hard and broke it. Seeing this, it responded coldly, "This is a punishment from the game. It has nothing to do with me."
With nowhere to turn, and facing the humans who were staring at him with eager eyes, the zombie shuddered and actually spoke: "Hold on a little longer, and there will be rain..."
Before he could finish his words, he was seriously injured by the rules because he revealed the secret.
No one really wanted to eat zombie meat, so with hope in their eyes, everyone decided to wait patiently for a while.
The days passed like years, and it still didn't rain the next day. Players began to look at zombies as if they were food.
The zombie, still seriously injured, had to drag his weak body to give them some inspirational words: "Don't give up easily. Maintain an optimistic attitude even in desperate situations... Believe in yourself! You can do it!"
The price of waking up illegally is not small. The game restricts most of the main body's abilities, making it impossible for it to attack the player.
At this moment, the zombie felt more desperate than these people.
The bald man was so hungry that he lost his mind: "Just one leg, let me gnaw on one of your legs."
The zombie ripped off his clothes to prove: "I have green hair, it really doesn't taste good..."
That afternoon, a heavy rain finally fell from the sky. The poisonous mushrooms in the forest all changed color, and wild rabbits appeared running in the mountains.
The player had a delicious meal and relied on it to get through the last few days. After successfully completing the mission, he was teleported back to the transit station.
Soul returned the dagger: "Thank you."
Ji Heng suddenly asked: "Do you want to join our team?"
Su Er said without looking back: "I like to be alone."
Ji Heng: "New members joining the organization can obtain three high-level items."
Su Er came back after a sudden stop and extended his hand to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to work with you. Please take care of me in the future."
Zhao San, standing by, opened his mouth wide and asked in disbelief, "When did the organization provide this benefit?"
Ji Heng said calmly: "Just now."
"…"
After signing the agreement, Ji Heng took Suer to meet other members of the organization. Here, Suer unexpectedly found an acquaintance.
Yao Zhi was also surprised to see him and pushed his glasses... No wonder his student was always in a listless state.
Noticing the changes in both parties' expressions, Ji Heng raised his eyebrows: "Do you know each other?"
Su Er was helpless: "I'm a math teacher."
Ji Heng: "That's great. Let's team up and go to dungeons in the future, and try to learn the game at the same time."
"…"
·
The video ends here, and the USB drive turns to ashes in an instant.
Su Er was stunned for a moment: "So this is how we knew each other in the past." After a while, he sneered and said: "History is so similar."
It turned out that the other party had already had the idea of letting him make up for his lessons in the game.
"It's all over." Ji Heng turned off the computer without changing his expression.
Su Er tilted his head and squinted at him, then suddenly suggested, "I want to have braised prawns in oil tonight."
Ji Heng nodded, put on an apron and went to the kitchen to work.
Su Er went online for a while, then offered to help. While chopping onions, he said, "I forgive you. After all, the extra lessons are for my own good... In return, can you please forgive me for having to make up my advanced math exam?"
"..." Ji Heng: "How many points did you get in the exam?"
"58.5," Su paused for a moment, "I guess this is the result of the teacher's hard work."
Once the score reaches 50, university teachers will generally not be stingy with the points they can give, and will try their best to push students towards the passing line.
Ji Heng: "How confident are you in passing the make-up exam?"
Su Er was silent for a moment and then said, "It depends on the difficulty of the test paper."
Ji Heng: "Tell the truth."
Soul: "Eight points."
Ji Heng suddenly walked outside to get his cell phone.
Su Er had a bad feeling: "What?"
Ji Heng turned around and said quietly, "I'll find a tutor for you."
Just then, a flock of wild geese flew across the sky. Sur sniffed and felt that a wonderful vacation was about to slip away from him. He couldn't help but pray that the game would ask him to be the host again... Traveling at public expense is much better than taking extra classes.