CH 59

(The NPC’s Soup)

Edited by Silver Wind 

After what they experienced last night, none of the players were in the state of mind to sleep and they came out when the first dim light encroached the skies.

They did not know if it was their delusion but the temperature was colder than yesterday.

The Businessman felt the bone-piercing chill the moment he exited his tent and he approached the burning campfire with shuffled feet and sat down in its proximity to warm up.

The others gradually woke up, and in a short moment’s work, the campfire was completely surrounded by people. 

Due to the identification that happened during last night’s dinner, everyone’s treatment of each other was comparatively rigid as they did not make a single utterance, allowing the crackling of the fire to fill the silence.

The Businessman broke the dead silence: “There’s still two more people.”

Internet Celebrity spat, “Who knows what those two dead gay guys are doing.” In actuality, she was quite jealous of the pair; they were obviously in the same game but they did not look like they were under the slightest pressure and it was as if they were having a vacation on the snow-capped mountain. They even brought along a suitcase of snacks with them.

When she thought about the food, Internet Celebrity pressed her hand on her stomach and she could perceive the rumbling it was making.

The others were hungry too.

Logically speaking, players who had experienced more than two games prior to this instance should have experienced a strengthening in their physique and they were not supposed to become hungry so easily. However, only a night has passed thus far and yet their stomachs were unbearably hot and anxious.

The Businessman with a potbelly felt worse; he expended more energy by virtue of his size and he was so hungry that his eyes were glinting.

Only Braided Pigtails was slightly better off. She whispered: “You should drink the soup that Lisa made, at least you won’t suffer from hunger.” 

Internet Celebrity rubbed her stomach, “It is highly improbable to starve to death in the game, it’s better to stay away from the NPCs’ stuff.”

The group waited for a while but they did not see the pair come out and they started becoming slightly impatient.

Braided Pigtails suggested: “I’ll go and find them.”

The others were already hungry to the point where they were jittery, and in order to preserve their energy, they did not reject Braided Pigtails’ suggestion. 

Thus, Braided Pigtails stood up and drilled into the camping grounds, her short and petite figure concealed by the tent canopies.

However, just as Braided Pigtails left, they heard the noise of a zipper being opened from one of the tents, whileShen Dongqing and Zhou Wenyan came out of it one after another.

Internet Celebrity looked behind the pair but she did not see Braided Pigtails’ figure.

“Where’s Braided Pigtails?” 

Her voice just landed when Internet Celebrity heard a faint voice sound from her side: “Here.”

Internet Celebrity twisted her head in that particular direction reflexively, and she did not know when but Braided Pigtails was already back and she had sat down by her side. She leapt up in fright and patted her chest. “Can you make some noise? Don’t scare people.”

Braided Pigtails gave her a glance before she lowered her head again, hiding her entire face in the shadows.

Businessman rose to his feet. “Since everyone is here, let’s set off then.” 

The Doctor agreed, “The faster we find the deceased, the earlier we can leave this copy.”

Hence, the group of people left the camping grounds.

The initial dark blue skies similar to the blue dome of heaven was slowly blanketed by grey clouds and started releasing snowflakes. 

As they moved further away from the campsite, the wind and snow became fiercer.

In the entire expanse of snow, the six figures looked exceedingly insignificant and they were akin to small ants as they inched forward bit by bit.

The Doctor said: “I saw Internet Celebrity’s corpse here.”

He pointed at the mark on the ground. 

Maybe because there was no snowfall last night, the mark was not covered away, distinct and visible.

The Doctor squatted down and started digging at where the mark was.

The Businessman went up to help as well.

Meanwhile, Internet Celebrity stood by with folded arms. “I don’t believe that my corpse will appear, I’m standing right here, how could I be dead?” 

Braided Pigtails stood at the corner, not issuing a word, but she would occasionally lift her head and observe everyone in front of her, an eerie glint flashing across the depths of her eyes.

As Shen Dongqing stretched his hand out to catch a snowflake, he turned his back to sweep across his surroundings.

Zhou Wenyan squeezed his shoulders, “What’s the matter?”

Shen Dongqing: “I felt someone watching me.” 

Hearing that, Zhou Wenyan scanned the people at the scene but could not find any abnormalities in the moment.

No, it was more accurate to say that everyone here was strife with strangeness, which was why the strangeness was normalised.

Shen Dongqing did not mind the spying that was happening in secret; he would allow them to continue watching, it was not like he would lose something.

However… 

“I’m so hungry.” Shen Dongqing rubbed his stomach.

Zhou Wenyan took out a lollipop from his outer coat’s pocket and offered it to him.

Vtfc Gbcudlcu rtbbx tlr tfjv: “Pa’r cba atlr asqf bo tecufg.”

Lf tjv fjafc delaf j iba bo rcjmxr ktfc atfs kfgf lc atf afca yea tf kjr ralii tecugs cbk, jcv atlr rbga bo tecufg kjr wbgf bo j qrsmtbibulmji mgjnlcu gjatfg atjc j qtsrlmji cfmfrrlas. 

Pa kjr rlwlijg ab j tecugs utbra, la tjv bynlberis ubgufv larfio ecali lar rabwjmt kjr jybea ab yegra yea la mbeiv cba rjalros lar qrsmtbibulmji tecufg.

Zhou Wenyan peeled open the wrapper, “Better than nothing.”

Shen Dongqing agreed with his words, and he lowered his head to contain the lollipop in his mouth.

The lollipop which had gone hard in the cold weather slowly melted on his tongue and it seemed to comfort the starving feeling in his stomach. 

While he sucked on the lollipop, he said: “I don’t like it here.”

Not only was there no internet or electricity, it even went as far as to deprive him of food to eat. This game was not fun at all.

Zhou Wenyan consoled him by ruffling his hair, “Bear with it, we’ll be fine once we get out.”

Shen Dongqing made an unhappy noise in response. 

On the other end, the Businessman and Doctor started arguing all of a sudden.

The Businessman pointed at the Doctor and accused, “Are you trying to toy with this old man? We’ve been digging for half a day and there’s nothing!”

At a loss, the Doctor dropped to the ground and gestured at the deep hole they had dug and said: “I obviously saw it yesterday…”

Businessman: “Obviously your ass, I think you’re trying to deceive us.” 

Internet Celebrity walked over, pleased. “Forget it, forget it, let’s go to the next place now.” She pointed at the big rock that was not too far away. “I saw the corpse over there.”

The Businessman shook off the snow that had accumulated on his body and strode past the Doctor. “Let us go.”

Internet Celebrity made a solemn vow as she said: “I was waiting behind the rock, waiting for the Doctor to come out when a corpse suddenly slid down from the rock and gave me a huge scare…”

She stopped in her track, seeing that it was absolutely empty behind the rock. Shocked, her eyes widened: “This, this…” 

The Businessman became annoyed, “Are each and every one of you trying to play me?”

Internet Celebrity: “I’m not, I really saw it!”

She fell to the ground, digging at the snow desperately as mutters spilled from her lips constantly, ”It’s definitely here, I saw it, it’s definitely here…”

Hugging both his shoulders, the Businessman gave the Internet Celebrity a side eye. “I feel like I have spoken correctly.” 

Under such circumstances, it was a matter of course that people would believe what their eyes saw.

Having made a wasted trip, the players returned back to the campsite.

The Doctor and the Internet Celebrity were in a bad state and their expressions were absent minded.

Whereas the Businessman walked with his head held up high as he brought the players towards the place he had discovered the corpse yesterday. 

“Like I said, I was the one who was correct……” Before he finished his words, the Businessman came to an abrupt halt.

The thicket of deadwood was still present but the corpse had disappeared.

After recovering from his surprise, the Businessman burst out with an expletive, “Fuck me.”

Finally realising that something was not right, he turned around to ask Braided Pigtails: “Lady, where did you see your corpse?” 

Braided Pigtails kept her head down, unspeaking.

The Businessman repeated his question.

It was only then that Braided Pigtails raised her head slowly, revealing an ashen-pale face where her cheeks were hollowed out and blue bruises could be seen under her eyes.

The Businessman took a step back, fearful. 

Braided Pigtails opened her mouth and spat out a word, “Hungry……”

Then, she threw herself onto the Doctor who was closest to her.

It was evident that the Doctor was a man with a height taller than one metre seven but he was still pressed into the snow by Braided Pigtails who was just a little lady. Taken aback by surprise, it took him a moment to react by struggling and attempting to get to his feet.

However, Braided Pigtails exploded with a strength that did not conform with her stature and she nailed him to the ground firmly. 

The matter developed as fast as sparks jumping out of a struck flint; the people at the scene could barely process it and they watched with wide eyes as Braided Pigtails dropped her head and bit down on a large chunk of flesh.

It caused the Doctor to issue a miserable cry, frightening Internet Celebrity silly.

Businessman rushed up hurriedly, wanting to pull the pair apart.

However, Braided Pigtails refused to let go no matter what and she could not be pulled away. Rather, it was the big-bellied Businessman who was pushed away instead. 

Braided Pigtails drew back her lips, revealing her teeth which were stained with fresh blood before she lowered her head again, leaning closer to the Doctor’s neck, wanting to tear off another piece of meat.

Ka da—

Her teeth grating together was sharp and clear.

Braided Pigtails’ distance from the Doctor’s neck was but a millimetre, but no matter what she did, she could not touch it. Terribly anxious, her eyes turned red as she howled, “Hungry, hungry…..” 

But shouting was of no use.

Zhou Wenyan grabbed Braided Pigtails by the collar and dragged her back forcibly before throwing her to the side.

Alas, Braided Pigtails was still unreconciled. Her four limbs propped against the ground and she tried to climb back up.

In response to that, Shen Dongqing lifted his foot and trod on her, pressing Braided Pigtails into the snow. 

Braided Pigtails lifted her head with much difficulty, licking at the blood around her mouth as she screamed: “I’m hungry, let me eat……” She flailed, wanting to get up but she could not break free from the sole of Shen Dongqing’s foot.

Internet Celebrity supported the Doctor up.

The Doctor was bitten at the lower half of his neck and he was in a bad condition; the wound at his neck was so deep that bone could be seen, and even as he covered the injury with his hand, blood was still seeping down from the cracks between his fingers.

With one insane and another injured, they could only go back to the camping grounds before speaking again. 

Lisa was currently cooking her soup when she saw the group of people walking back in and she greeted them with shock. “You, what happened to all of you?”

Shen Dongqing had Braided Pigtails seized like she was a little chick and she was still putting up a struggle. Her face was smeared with blood and compared to just now, her cheeks were even more gaunt as if she had thinned and shed her previous body.

And the doctor was bending his neck as he covered the wound.

Thankfully, the weather was freezing and it stopped the blood in a short while. Had that not been the case, he would have bled to death before he could even clear the instance. 

The Businessman replied to the NPC by saying: “She went insane.”

Lisa muffled her mouth, “How did it…”

Borg ambled over, pushing up his glasses as he said: “It’s very normal or such a thing to happen in a snowfield. They could not adapt to the snowy environment and started to hallucinate.”

Lisa came back to herself, “Right, right, we’ve seen it before when we went camping, she’ll be fine once she drinks the soup, she’ll be fine once she drinks the soup.” 

Saying that, Lisa ran back to the soup pot swiftly and ladled out a bowl of soup.

Once Braided Pigtails smelled the stench of the hot soup, she became quiet instantly and she took the bowl with both hands before she downed it directly, not the least afraid of being scalded.

Perhaps the soup was truly effective because Braided Pigtails no longer yelled about being hungry. Instead, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

However, the Businessman was not assured. In order to prevent Braided Pigtails from biting people again, he went as far as stuffing her mouth with a cloth after he tied her up securely and placed her in the corner. 

Lisa gazed at the injured Doctor again and shouted in a loud voice: “Leo, bring the medicine box over.”

After a short while, Leo walked over with a small box as requested.

The Doctor took the medicine box and thanked him before he dealt with his wound. When he applied the antiseptic, the pain made him suck a cold breath and he did not notice that Leo was looking at him with a slightly odd expression.

Having experienced a series of misfortunate events, the Businessman was so tired that he was physically paralysed on the ground and he could not resist scolding: “What the fuck is going on exactly?” 

Leo, who was seated at the side, asked: “What happened?”

The Businessman shot a look at Leo, feeling like he could gain some clues from the NPC so he told him the events chronologically and in great detail.

After hearing the full story, Leo slapped his thigh and laughed: “Haha, all these are normal, after staying at a snowfield for a long time, it is very easy for hallucinations to occur.”

Businessman echoed, “Normal?” 

Why couldn’t he see anything normal in said course of events?

Leo: “You’re in a place that is a vast expanse of white; after looking at it for a long time, your eyes will start to deceive you.”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Wenyan spoke: “Do you experience hallucinations as well?”

Leo answered subconsciously, “Of course, aren’t you…” 

Lisa coughed lightly, interrupting Leo’s words.

Leo stopped himself, letting out a “haha” before he said: “Aren’t you the ones who experienced the hallucinations?”

In order to prevent Leo from speaking further, Lisa held up the soup pot and asked: “Does anyone want to drink the soup.”

It was unknown whose stomach answered her query. 

The Businessman hesitated a little, looking towards Braided Pigtails who was placed in the corner. In his heart, he wondered, Is Braided Pigtails’s insanity related to the NPC’s soup?

Once he thought about that point, he resisted in spite of how hungry he was.

“No need,” he rejected Lisa.

Lisa did not mind and she asked them one by one. 

In the end, only the Doctor accepted the soup.

Businessman: “You don’t want your life?”

The example of Braided Pigtails was placed right in front of them.

The Doctor held the soup bowl and sniffed the scent it was emitting and replied in a careless manner: “It’s either I starve to death or I go insane, between the two, I choose to be a ghost who died full.” 

Saying that, he drank the soup in large gulps, and because one bowl did not suffice, he asked for a second bowl from Lisa.

The Doctor drank three bowls in one breath before he stopped,  and the spectating Internet Celebrity and Businessman found it harder to suppress their urges.

Lisa stared at the soup pot and said abruptly: “Aiya, there’s not enough ingredients to make the soup anymore, but the rescue team is not here yet…”

Borg said: “It’s fine, we’ll have something to eat later.” 

Lisa nodded her head, a queer smile appearing on her lips: “Yeah, we’ll have something to eat later.”

In the six-person player team presently, there was one insane, one injured, and the other players were not in the mood to search for clues when they were starving. Thus, they sat by the fire quietly and waited for dinner time to arrive.

Businessman said: “Why don’t we vote her out first?” He pointed at the currently unconscious Braided Pigtails. 

From a general standpoint, Braided Pigtails was the most suspicious; judging from her greenish-white complexion and her appearance that resembled an emaciated walking skeleton, did she not look more dead than a dead person?

The Doctor was still in pain from the bite he had received, and he hated her so much his teeth were gritted. Naturally, he agreed with his choice.

Previously, Internet Celebrity had seen Braided Pigtails’ corpse so it went without saying that she did not have a differing opinion.

Businessman looked at Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing, asking, “What about you?” 

Zhou Wenyan replied: “Up to you.”

He was curious as to what the consequences of voting wrongly were.

Shen Dongqing did not like guessing riddles and decrypting puzzles, and he hadn’t figured out anything up until now. Hence, he chose to listen to Zhou Wenyan’s words.

He pointed at the person beside him: “I’ll follow him.” 

In a short moment’s work, the Businessman won over all the player’s votes. He said with some smugness: “Listening to me isn’t wrong.”

The other players remained silent when they heard him say that.

They were similar in the sense that they wanted to probe the rules of the games. If they guess correctly they could clear the instance, but what punishment would be inflicted on them if they were wrong? Either way, the person being voted for was not them, it was a transaction where they would make steady profits without making a loss.

When dinner time arrived, the game’s voice rang out punctually: 

【 Identification time has started 】

【 Please identify who you think is the deceased 】

The Businessman said in a hurry: “It’s Braided Pigtails!”

Everyone else followed suit and voted for Braided Pigtails. 

The game’s voice continued to sound:

【 Unfortunately, you did not find the deceased 】

【 Please continue to work hard on the third day 】

【 However, please be careful, the deceased has begun to reveal their true colours slowly 】 

If Braided Pigtails was not the deceased, who was the deceased exactly?

The Businessman observed his surroundings vigilantly, feeling that everyone was a suspect but he could not bring out any reliable evidence.

The reason why he managed to gather everyone’s vote today was because Braided Pigtails looked abnormal, but he might not attain such an outcome tomorrow, which meant that even if he found the real “deceased”, he might not necessarily persuade everyone.

This was a difficult riddle to solve. 

Today’s identification was a waste of time again.

After the skies darkened, the players returned back to their respective tents to rest, leaving Braided Pigtails outside alone.

Internet Celebrity was no Virgin Mary. She did not want to wake in the middle of the night to discover that her neck had been bitten off by someone, and she could only make Braided Pigtails submit to the will of the Heaven.

When all was said and done, the game was not some playhouse; she would lose her life if she was the slightest bit careless. 

Shen Dongqing shot Braided Pigtails – who was still in her dreamland – one last look before he bent his body and entered his tent.

Zhou Wenyan followed behind him.

As the pair lay in the cramped tent interior, they could hear the cold wind brushing past, and it caused a gurgling sound when it blew against their tent.

It was uncertain as to whether he was too hungry but Shen Dongqing was unable to sleep despite tossing and turning repeatedly. And when he finally managed to adapt to his hunger and the white noise outside after much difficulty, his mouth was bitten by someone when he finally felt the first urges to sleep;. 

He did not react and that person reached for a yard after getting an inch as he pried open his lips bit by bit. Just as he was about to take the opportunity to intrude, Shen Dongqing opened his eyes drowsily. “Wuu……”

Zhou Wenyan ceased his actions, “Sigh.” He gave him another light peck before he suppressed his voice and said: “Let’s go out.”

Shen Dongqing’s sleepiness disappeared after a while and he mouthed out: “Go out to make trouble?”

Zhou Wenyan replied, “It can be considered that way.” 

If you had to know, this game was incredibly boring, there was only snowy ground everywhere and apart from that, there was nothing else!

Once Sheng Dongqing heard that they could make trouble, he immediately climbed up and he was so excited he almost knocked into the top of the tent.

Zhou Wenyan pulled his partner back down and helped him wear his scarf. Then, he pulled open the zipper slowly and walked out on light feet.

Shen Dongqing stuck to Zhou Wenyan’s back, holding hands as they sneaked out of the tent and stepped out into the snow. 

The wind and snow had stopped.

It was dead silent outside, like a piece of dead ground.

As they were slipping out of the tent, Shen Dongqing looked around subconsciously.

Borrowing the bright and clear moonlight, it could be seen that only one player was sleeping soundly in the tent next to theirs. Apart from their own tent, the remaining three tents were a mix of NPCs and players, but now, only the players were present while the NPCs have disappeared without a trace. 

The other two tents were the same; when they pulled open the zippers, it was large and spacious inside.

The players slept on, oblivious, and the Businessman was even snoring, completely unaware of the fact that the person beside him was missing.

Where did the NPCs go?