Chapter 39

Chapter 39 I Choose the Red Faction.

The moment she left the game, Ning Rong received the game settlement notice. She raised her eyes and glanced at it.

[Game Name: Amnesia

Game Difficulty: A Rank

Overall In-Game Performance: A

Completed Main Survival Mission: Reward 125 game coins

Completed Side Mission: Reward 75 game coins

(The above earnings already include the 25% newcomer bonus)

Extra Income: 1588 game coins

Total Game Coins Obtained: 1788 game coins]

Compared to last time, this time she received one less S-rank evaluation bonus.

Because clearing this level had relied more on teamwork, her individual performance could only be described as standard and proper, so receiving an A-rank evaluation was not surprising.

What surprised her instead was the extra income, which was much higher than expected.

And beneath the usual categories, there was now an additional section: [Item Reward].

It was Ning Rong's first time obtaining an item from the game, so she immediately focused her gaze on it.

[A-Rank Item: Mist Shadow Searcher. Usable Times: 3.

As long as you input the other party's name and appearance information, their coordinates can be searched.

If the target is constantly moving, the coordinates will update in real time until you are within three meters of the target, at which point the target is considered found and that search ends.

If the target's name is unknown, then additional information is required.]

Ning Rong had not expected to randomly obtain this item.

While inside the game, she had even sighed over how useful Zhong Shu's NPC-searching item was. If he had not taken out that item, they would have needed to spend a lot more effort finding that little girl. Yet the moment she left the game, she herself obtained an identical item.

Although this item was not as rare as the Directly Leave the Game item, it was exactly what she currently needed.

After reading the settlement information, Ning Rong asked Zhou Yujing beside her, “What item did you get?”

Zhou Yujing directly took the item out from his personal space. “Clown Doll. It can attract NPC attention and lure NPCs away three times.” It was neither especially good nor bad, though it might prove useful in certain games.

Ning Rong casually said, “My extra income this time is almost 1600. I can buy one quarter of an In-Game Focus now.”

Zhou Yujing looked somewhat surprised. “Rongrong, what In-Game Focus?”

Ning Rong froze for a moment. “It's the In-Game Focus that appears in the shop after every game ends.”

Zhou Yujing opened the store and looked, then said with certainty, “I don't have that in my shop.”

Ning Rong became curious. “Then what does your shop have?”

Based on the displayed items, Zhou Yujing read while looking. “Highlight Moments, Death Compilation...”

Among the items he listed, aside from Highlight Moments, which Ning Rong did not have, she had all the others.

She thought for a moment and sent Lu Wen a message.

Before long, Lu Wen replied.

[Lu Wen: Sis, you speed-cleared another game again. You're seriously too strong! As expected of my sis! Sis, my shop items include Data Analysis, Death Compilation...]

Ning Rong replied to Lu Wen with, I'll bring you next time, then turned her attention back to the shop items.

She had always thought In-Game Focus was something every player could purchase, but after this round of asking and comparing, she finally realized that every person's shop contained one unique item.

For example, her In-Game Focus, Zhou Yujing's Highlight Moments, Lu Wen's Data Analysis...

From the very beginning, the game had never placed all players on the same starting line. From the second players entered the game, they had already been divided into ranks and classes.

And the players knew nothing about it.

They did not even know that every move they made inside the game would fall into the eyes of audiences from another world.

Ning Rong also happened to want to talk with Zhou Yujing about this game.

She said directly, “There are audiences inside the game, and they are obviously different from us. They treat players as entertainment, enjoying the ugly sight of players struggling desperately.”

“[Highlights Within the Round] can extract barrage messages. From those barrages, I learned quite a lot of interesting things.” The audience took pleasure in watching them make fools of themselves, but she had also gained plenty from those barrages.

Zhou Yujing fell silent.

This was clearly outside the scope of what he knew.

He had become a player for more than a month, and this was the first time he learned that this group of players were merely after-dinner gossip for audiences from another world. But after learning this news, he did not seem to feel much anger or dissatisfaction.

As long as he could stay with Ning Rong forever, he could accept all kinds of settings of the game.

Unfortunately, game coins could not be transferred, nor could they be gifted. Otherwise, Ning Rong would definitely have sent Zhou Yujing some money so he could buy [Highlight Moment] and see what it was. An item priced at 6666 had to be useful to some extent, right?

At this moment, Ning Rong received a message from Yan An.

Yan An probably checked her game status from time to time, so only a few minutes after she left the game, his inquiry arrived.

[Yan An: You’re out? The game has changed a lot recently. How are you now?]

Ning Rong: [I’m fine.]

[Yan An: Then shall we continue the face-to-face meeting?]

Ning Rong: [Sure.]

The meeting place was still the private room of the hotpot restaurant they had arranged before.

When Ning Rong and Zhou Yujing arrived, Yan An was already waiting inside.

Seeing them, Yan An was obviously surprised. He stood up, looked at Ning Rong, then looked at Zhou Yujing, and politely asked, “May I ask, who is Moonlight?”

Ning Rong calmly sat down across from Yan An. “Moonlight is me. The one beside me is my boyfriend.”

She raised her eyes to Yan An. “I brought him with me. You don’t mind, do you?”

Yan An smiled kindly. “Of course not.”

As he sat down, he concealed the trace of shock in his eyes.

Moonlight herself...

Was very different from what he had imagined.

The nickname Moonlight was somewhat gender-neutral. Before meeting Ning Rong, Yan An had guessed whether Moonlight was male or female.

Because of the only sentence Moonlight had ever posted on the forum, he had even specially analyzed what kind of personality Moonlight might have.

From that comment, it was not hard to see that Moonlight held rather deep misunderstandings about the National Team.

And from the words “National Team? Not interested,” it was not hard to guess that Moonlight herself was definitely not very old.

Because she was still young, she acted freely and recklessly, charging ahead with the innocence and courage of someone who had not yet entered society.

The Moonlight he had imagined was a newly adult young man.

Sharp-edged and fearless.

But after meeting Moonlight in person, he realized that Moonlight was not as rash as she had appeared on the forum.

She seemed emotionally restrained, but she herself was certainly confident.

When her height of five foot ten suddenly appeared at the doorway of the private room, it even gave him quite a shock.

She...

Was far taller than he had imagined.

Such outstanding height, coupled with nearly perfect body proportions, was not something one saw often in daily life.

Although he had guessed Moonlight’s gender wrong, it seemed he had also guessed Moonlight’s personality wrong.

The aura around her...

Was very special.

She truly was someone difficult to read.

Yan An took the initiative to extend his hand toward Ning Rong. “Hello, I’m the chief secretary of the National Team, Yan An.”

Ning Rong also extended her hand. “Hello, Moonlight.”

After shaking hands, Yan An also shook hands with Zhou Yujing.

Once both sides were seated, Yan An examined Ning Rong’s complexion and said, “You were suddenly dragged into the game earlier. Did you have a conflict with someone?”

A conflict?

Things were naturally not that simple.

Her current relationship with Yuan Pei was far more than just a conflict.

The other party had sealed her skill and forcibly dragged her into an A-rank instance. This debt needed to be settled properly.

But Ning Rong did not explain in detail. She only said, “The other party used an item to forcibly drag me into the game. What punishment measures would there be for that?”

Yan An gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “Very difficult.”

“First, there are so many players in one game. It’s hard for you to determine that it was definitely that person who used the item on you. Also, even if you know in your heart who it was, if there is no concrete evidence, nothing will come of it.”

No matter when, evidence was necessary. But evidence was also precisely the hardest thing to obtain.

Ning Rong said emotionlessly, “Then that’s all we can do?”

Yan An did not know what specific instance Ning Rong had entered, nor did he know her skill had been sealed. He blinked at her. “At present there isn’t any especially good solution. In reality, players are also not allowed to use skills privately. So... the only option is to repay them in their own way.”

After hearing that, Ning Rong looked thoughtful.

If it were possible to act in reality, Yuan Pei and the people behind him would not have gone through so much trouble. Clearly, even they had to obey certain real-world rules.

After all, if she had failed to come out of the game alive, the matter would at most be defined as a player lacking strength, which would eliminate a lot of trouble.

She asked, “Where can I get an item that forcibly binds another person?”

Yan An answered, “After leaving the newbie protection period, a Trading Hall will appear on the game page. In that hall, some players sell items they do not need, or items that are not essential to them.”

“Theoretically speaking, if you have money, you can buy any item in the Trading Hall.”

“But...”

Yan An quickly added a turn afterward.

Ning Rong asked, “But what?”

“But there are many players who need items, especially rare items, so they’re hard to buy. On one hand, not many players are willing to sell them. On the other hand, if someone does sell one, many people will target it. If several people are eyeing the same item at once, what determines the result is not wealth, but luck. The game will choose the final buyer through a roll-point system. Whoever rolls the higher number gets to buy it.”

Hearing that, Ning Rong wore a half-smiling expression.

She asked in return, “It’s not decided by wealth?”

Yan An sighed. “Even veteran players may be considered comfortable in game coins, but absolutely not wealthy. Players willing to sell items usually won’t set prices too high. If they set a sky-high price, no one could afford it. Usually the price is set at a level players can afford, but only by gritting their teeth a little.”

Ning Rong quickly heard some room for maneuvering in that.

“You can raise the price?”

Yan An glanced at her. “You can, but very few people do that.”

Ning Rong asked again, “If the added price is high enough, then it can guarantee the purchase, right?”

Yan An looked somewhat surprised. “That’s correct, but...” Where would such a rich spendthrift come from? Game coins were not that easy to earn.

Ning Rong lowered her head and looked at the item she had previously bought from the mall.

The item had been showing green the whole time. That meant Yan An’s attitude toward her had always been friendly.

Although people from the National Team were worth trusting, one must still guard against others. Who knew whether Yan An would become a second Chi Cheng?

Fortunately, Yan An and Chi Cheng were still different. After confirming he had no problem, Ning Rong said directly, “I want an item for forced binding.”

Since Yuan Pei could drag her into the game, then she could do the same.

Things inconvenient to settle in reality could be settled inside the game.

Yan An thought for a moment. “The game has no transfer function. Only after leaving the newbie protection period can the Trading Hall be unlocked. Theoretically speaking, right now you can only barter, or trade useful information for it.”

After saying that, before Ning Rong could respond, Yan An quickly continued, “I happen to have this item on hand. I can’t use it for now anyway, so I can give it to you free of charge.”

Although Yan An had no immediate use for it, he could still exchange the item for game coins or other things. But he chose to gift it.

Ning Rong quietly waited for what came next.

Clearly, ever since their first contact on the forum, Yan An had continuously shown goodwill toward her. She could feel Yan An’s closeness toward her.

She had displayed her strength and gained official recognition.

For now, it seemed the officials needed her, and she also needed the officials.

Yan An stared fixedly at Ning Rong. “Moonlight, before giving you the item, I want to ask you one question first.”

The other party’s attitude was overly solemn, so Ning Rong also became serious.

Yan An took a deep breath. “The game has now updated with a faction system. The detailed rules will be announced in one day.”

Ning Rong had hurried over to meet Yan An just now, so she had not gone on the forum yet. This was also the first time she learned that the game had added a faction system. What was this?

“There will be two factions in the game. One is the Blue Tyrant faction, and the other is the Red Benevolent Ruler faction.”

He explained the differences between the two factions. It could be said that these two factions opposed each other.

After explaining, Yan An spoke in a serious tone and asked word by word, “Moonlight, which faction will you choose?”

Yan An could hardly be blamed for asking this.

The game had descended for so many years that many players’ mindsets had already become twisted. In such an environment, wanting to maintain normal values was actually not an easy thing.

Many players had obtained wealth through the game that ordinary people could never gain in a lifetime.

That wealth could allow them and their families to live prosperous lives in reality.

After all, the exchange rate between game currency and real-world currency had reached an outrageous level.

One game coin could be exchanged for ten thousand units of real currency. But in reverse, real currency could not be exchanged into game coins. Game coins were very difficult to obtain.

On the contrary, after becoming a player, getting rich in reality became something very easy.

Under such circumstances, a group of fanatical game supporters had appeared.

They were passionate about entering instances and playing the game, eager to gain even more from it.

In truth, the horror game had indeed changed many people’s lives.

It made the poor rich overnight, and allowed those frustrated in reality to transform into strong figures inside the game.

From the moment the game released the announcement until now, many players with hidden identities had already appeared on the forum and declared support for the Blue faction.

Even though the faction war had not truly begun, they had already started fantasizing about life after becoming Tyrant.

“When I ascend the throne, this world will become my personal domain.”

“If I let you live, you live. If I let you die, you die.”

“Only my believers may live forever.”

There were too many remarks like these to count.

Yan An felt alarmed by this, while also feeling anxious.

If the Blue faction became strong, what would they do?

One had to know that, at present, the horror game still retained a trace of conscience.

Young children, as well as elderly people advanced in age, would not enter the game, nor would they need to endure those terrifying times.

But once the game fully descended, they would all become sacrifices of the game!

This was the scene Yan An least wished to see.

As loyal supporters of the Red faction, they needed a powerful player to lead them to victory.

Yan An was not sure whether Moonlight could withstand these pressures, nor was he sure whether she could truly grow.

Perhaps she was not the player he had been waiting for, the one who could change the current situation.

But right now, he had to confirm Moonlight’s stance.

Only if the stance was correct could they discuss anything else.

After hearing Yan An’s question, Ning Rong did not need to hesitate at all.

She said calmly, “I choose the Red faction.”