Chapter 36

Chapter 35: Mountain and Sea 13

There were 20 minutes left until the game ended.

Zuo Sanqiu anxiously searched for the way while also looking for Shi Zong.

He had challenged a high-difficulty game in the item shop, spending quite a lot of time, and only then realized he might not even have time to explore the maze.

In this situation, it was good to find Shi Zong first, at least to contribute his own time.

But after so long, he hadn’t seen a single person.

Zuo Sanqiu’s clothes were soaked with sweat. Seeing the chest timer at a reversed “20:00,” he almost called out Shi Zong’s name, but his rationality told him that would attract others, so he forced himself to stay silent.

As he unexpectedly heard footsteps, Zuo Sanqiu was about to reach a fork in the road.

He immediately turned onto the side path, pressed his body tightly against the wall, and peeked toward the intersection. Only when he saw Zhang Qijun did he exhale a shallow breath.

But it wasn’t a full relief.

He recalled a conversation with Shi Zong before breakfast not long ago.

“By the way, since Zhang Qijun should be on our faction, and you are responsible for guiding him through the dungeon, that’s actually good. You can protect him.”

Zuo Sanqiu said to Shi Zong, “Otherwise, if he were in the opposing faction, you’d have to defeat him. If he encounters an accident later due to a debuff… you’d break your promise to Li Rongjing.”

Hearing the word “promise,” Shi Zong smiled.

He asked Zuo Sanqiu, “Did you forget why I went to the Dingjun Mountain guild?”

“Oh. Your heart is with Han while your body is in Cao’s camp. But if Zhang Qijun has an accident, it would be hard to explain to Dingjun Mountain,” Zuo Sanqiu said earnestly.

Shi Zong replied, “We’ll deal with leaving later. First, resolve the dungeon.”

Zuo Sanqiu asked in confusion, “Huh? He’s already on our side. What else is there to resolve?”

Shi Zong asked back, “Remember that photo?”

“What photo? Oh, that one, yes, I remember.”

Zuo Sanqiu, sensitive to homosexuality, shivered. “The media just likes to make a fuss.”

“Anyway, be wary of Zhang Qijun. Don’t believe everything he says.”

“Yes, understood. Though he’s a beautiful and charming female Asura now, I won’t be deceived! I know beneath the beauty is a man!”

Back to the present moment.

Zuo Sanqiu hid a hand in his sleeve, took a deep breath, and pretended to walk forward casually, just “bumping” into Zhang Qijun coming toward him.

“Ah, finally met someone, but…”

Zuo Sanqiu acted serious, stepping back slightly while leaning his upper body slightly toward Zhang Qijun, a posture both wary and slightly trusting.

He asked, “I did the side quest with Male Second. But he should be on the ‘Sea’ side. So you’re with ‘Mountain,’ right?”

“I am with ‘Mountain.’ Time’s short. But since this problem has a solution, the maze exit shouldn’t be far,” Zhang Qijun said.

“Judging by the current situation, it’s easy to deduce the maze’s design. Each player has only 60 minutes; for most of that time, players are unlikely to meet others. This time is for earning item cards.

“As for the latter small portion…”

Zuo Sanqiu continued, “I understand. The system deliberately divided the maze into two parts. In the first part, players walk separately; no one meets anyone, a time exclusively to earn items.

“Why earn items? To use them. The second part is for using items.

“This means in the next 20 minutes, the system will arrange encounters with other players, leading to battles… even multiple people at once, resulting in chaos.

“Since everyone has little time left, and chaotic battles take time, while the system isn’t limited to unsolvable puzzles… the maze exit shouldn’t be far.”

“Yes. So our next step is to cooperate and defeat the other players.”

Zhang Qijun said, “My master said Shi Zong played brilliantly in the newbie dungeon. He can change his fate, even acquire the Knight Emblem, showing his strong ability.

“Pause.” Zhang Qijun’s expression became solemn. “In this battle, we must ensure he reaches the end. If he wins, our team wins.

“You and I first find Shi Zong quickly, protect him, and kill the opposing faction. If there’s no time to find the exit, we’ll sacrifice ourselves to save him! As long as he exits the maze, it’s fine!”

“Yes, okay. Hearing that, I’m relieved,” Zuo Sanqiu said. “No time to waste, we must find Shi Zong quickly.

“But… where should we look? I’m a bit anxious.

“We’ll likely encounter other players next. What if we don’t find Shi Zong first?”

Zhang Qijun said, “Don’t worry. Just follow me. If he’s nearby, I’ll sense it. If I sense anyone from ‘Sea,’ I’ll warn us to avoid them.”

“Wow, your ability is incredible,” Zuo Sanqiu said sincerely. “Luckily, we have you on ‘Mountain.’ We’re destined to win!”

“Not so fast. Don’t get complacent,” Zhang Qijun warned. “‘Sea’ has ghosts and Asuras; their abilities might be special. First, let’s find Shi Zong.”

After this conversation, Zuo Sanqiu seemed to trust Zhang Qijun completely.

While leading him to find Shi Zong, Zhang Qijun took the opportunity to use 【Charm】 on Zuo Sanqiu.

This skill’s hit rate isn’t 100%.

The system had reminded Zhang Qijun that the lower the target’s guard, the easier the skill is to succeed.

So Zhang Qijun didn’t use it immediately but waited until Zuo Sanqiu lowered his guard.

“San San, can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

Zhang Qijun turned to observe Zuo Sanqiu’s expression.

A charmed person shows no obvious reaction, and no physical feature appears.

This was advantageous for Zhang Qijun, as Shi Zong wouldn’t know Zuo Sanqiu had become a “puppet,” no longer worthy of trust.

However, it was inconvenient for Zhang Qijun to confirm the skill’s success.

He needed to test.

After observing Zuo Sanqiu, Zhang Qijun asked tentatively, “San San, how’s your physical fitness? In the maze, everyone needs strong stamina.

“I have an item that enhances stamina. Why don’t you do three push-ups for me? So I can judge if you need the item.”

This was a test.

If Zuo Sanqiu questioned it, Zhang Qijun had a fallback.

Zuo Sanqiu didn’t hesitate and did three push-ups immediately.

After he stood, Zhang Qijun tested further, “Now run into the wall on your left.”

Hearing this, Zuo Sanqiu rushed to the left wall without hesitation.

Zhang Qijun stopped him just in time. “Good. Now tell me all your skills and item card abilities.”

Zuo Sanqiu told everything without reservation.

Zhang Qijun asked again, “Do you know Shi Zong’s abilities? Have you seen his item cards?”

Zuo Sanqiu shook his head.

“Good. Now we need to find Shi Zong quickly. And you—”

Zhang Qijun quickly issued orders, then led him forward without delay.

With about 16 minutes remaining, Zhang Qijun and Zuo Sanqiu found Shi Zong.

Before hearing Zhang Qijun’s orders, Zuo Sanqiu acted normally.

He ran to Shi Zong, relieved, and explained what he saw with Zhang Qijun and their maze guesses.

“So—” Zuo Sanqiu said, “Luckily, Zhang Qijun can detect enemies and find teammates, so the three of us could meet first.

“Otherwise, if enemies defeated us one by one, it would be bad. But we can use Zhang Qijun’s ability to defeat them individually.

“Of course, this is ideal. The three from ‘Sea’ might also have gathered together now.”

“Understood.”

Even while saying this to Zuo Sanqiu, Shi Zong looked at Zhang Qijun cautiously.

He stepped back with Zuo Sanqiu and nodded toward Zhang Qijun. “You lead ahead. I’ll cover the rear.”

Zhang Qijun knew Shi Zong didn’t fully trust him.

He was glad to use Zuo Sanqiu first. Otherwise, using 【Charm】 directly on Shi Zong might fail.

If 【Charm】 failed and he attacked Shi Zong directly, Shi Zong could escape with some equipment, making it difficult to catch him in this large maze.

Zhang Qijun knew Shi Zong was hard to kill, so he needed a precise strike.

The three walked several meters down the straight white corridor.

Then, Zhang Qijun in front made a hand gesture to stop.

Zhang Qijun spoke softly, “Let’s step lightly, move forward slowly, and whatever you do, don’t let them notice.”

Turning around, Zhang Qijun walked forward while occasionally glancing back to monitor the situation behind him.

Shi Zong walked at the end of the group, frequently stopping to look back, probably worried someone might approach from behind.

Zuo Sanqiu walked in the middle. After holding down the item card for ten seconds, the card in his hand disappeared, replaced by a sharp short sword.

Zhang Qijun observed for a while, and once he felt confident, his index finger quietly touched the activation button on the item card in his hand.

When he saw Shi Zong stop and look back again, he immediately gave an order to Zuo Sanqiu, who was gripping the short sword tightly—

“Now!”

At Zhang Qijun’s command, Zuo Sanqiu quickly drew the short sword, spun, and thrust it backward directly at Shi Zong’s back!

At the critical moment, Shi Zong seemed to sense something and twisted his body in time. The sword didn’t hit the vital spot but struck the scapula instead.

The sound of blade cutting through flesh and bone rang out; Shi Zong’s back immediately bled profusely.

He gasped in pain but, seemingly afraid of attracting enemies from the “Sea” faction, clenched his teeth and avoided making too much noise.

Yet the pain was too intense, and he let out several low gasps despite himself.

Zhang Qijun couldn’t help but be impressed that Shi Zong could endure so much pain.

But not only could he endure it—when suddenly attacked by Zuo Sanqiu, Shi Zong didn’t question, nor did he look back at Zuo Sanqiu or Zhang Qijun with a doubtful glance.

He quickly took out the item card in his hand, placed his finger on the activation button, and aimed the card at himself.

Shi Zong probably figured out what had happened within a few breaths, so he didn’t waste a word or even make the unnecessary motion of looking back.

The item card in his hand was 【Return to Start】. If he tried to use it against Zuo Sanqiu or Zhang Qijun while looking back, he would first have to consider whether the card could target the intended user and whether his movements would be noticed or interrupted.

Thus, with a severe injury, the success rate of using the card against either of them was extremely low.

Moreover, he had two opponents, and the card could only send away one. He would still have no path to survive.

Therefore, Shi Zong’s best choice was clear—

—Use 【Return to Start】 to escape and return to the starting point!

In principle, after returning to the start, he wouldn’t have enough time to reach the exit.

But there was an item shop nearby. Perhaps he could play a game there and acquire something to turn the tables.

In any case, escaping first still gave him a chance.

Anything was better than waiting to die there.

Despite the sudden crisis and the heavy blow, Shi Zong remained so calm and made the most advantageous decision for himself almost instantly.

Seeing this, Zhang Qijun couldn’t help but feel admiration.

At the same time, he was grateful to have the Asura role, which gave him a natural advantage in the maze.

Otherwise, he would never have beaten Shi Zong.

One second, two seconds…

Shi Zong’s finger was on the item card’s activation button.

Zhang Qijun quickly ordered Zuo Sanqiu, who stood tightly behind Shi Zong with a bloodied blade: “Take his card! Don’t let him use it!”

The short sword in Zuo Sanqiu’s hand disappeared, and he rushed at Shi Zong, straddling his back and trying to grab the item card from his wrist.

Caught off guard and severely injured, Shi Zong could barely move, his body seemingly giving up the struggle.

But he concentrated all his strength into his right hand, and at the critical moment, forcibly freed his wrist from Zuo Sanqiu’s grip.

Zuo Sanqiu quickly tried to grab Shi Zong’s hand again, attempting to reclaim the card.

But Shi Zong held too tightly, and Zuo Sanqiu couldn’t succeed immediately.

All of this happened within seconds.

Seven seconds, eight seconds…

Time passed, and Zhang Qijun manipulated the item card in his hand while urging Zuo Sanqiu: “Hurry!”

At Zhang Qijun’s command, Zuo Sanqiu inhaled, lifted his upper body slightly, and lunged at Shi Zong with force.

His hands grabbed Shi Zong’s wrists, trying to force him to release the card.

But Shi Zong still held on!

His fingers clenched the card tightly, not letting go an inch.

Yet with his severe injury, one hand couldn’t resist Zuo Sanqiu’s two. His wrist inevitably twisted slightly.

Nine seconds, ten seconds.

With a “ding,” the item activated, releasing a dazzling white light.

Because Shi Zong’s wrist had been forcibly twisted, the light targeted Zuo Sanqiu instead of him.

In an instant, Zuo Sanqiu was transported to the maze’s starting point.

When the white light faded, he was no longer behind Shi Zong.

The pure white corridor of the maze fell silent.

Zhang Qijun gripped the card 【Storm Pear Blossom Needles】, looking down at Shi Zong.

He could see Shi Zong on the ground, pale from blood loss, head tilted to one side, teeth clenched from pain.

As a playwright, Shi Zong had a decadent, slightly neurotic aura.

His paleness gave him a fragile beauty, almost untouchable.

Shi Zong gasped a few times, seeming to recover slightly, and raised his right hand to make a fist.

But he couldn’t. His fingers barely bent. Soon, his hand fell uselessly.

It seemed Zuo Sanqiu had severely injured his wrist.

Zhang Qijun said nothing, simply aimed the item at Shi Zong, silently counting the activation time.

Eight seconds, nine seconds, ten seconds…

“Swish swish swish!”

The Storm Pear Blossom Needles activated.

Countless needles appeared from the void, raining down into Shi Zong’s back.

His head tilted, and he immediately stopped moving.

Zhang Qijun exhaled deeply, then felt his whole body drenched, barely able to move.

Though it was all a game, though he knew killing here didn’t truly end a life, the sensation of killing felt real.

Shi Zong’s pain and blood were real.

This sensation made Zhang Qijun’s body chill.

Born into a poor family, average-looking, average grades, ordinary laborer parents.

His grades were too mediocre for college, no talents like other classmates, no business sense—he would probably just sell his labor all his life.

He felt his life would be as simple as his parents’.

Though young, he seemed to have already glimpsed his whole life.

His life was simple, no particular hobbies, only an interest in Peking opera, likely inherited from his opera-loving grandmother.

He admired and liked Li Rongjing greatly.

So, intentionally or not, he chose to work behind the theater where Li Rongjing often performed.

Unable to afford tickets, even hearing Li Rongjing sing a little from the back entrance was enough.

Later, he delivered water and meals for the theater, running errands, and that’s how he met Li Rongjing.

Despite hearing rumors of Li Rongjing’s temper,

To Zhang Qijun, Li Rongjing’s talent was unmatched and he was courteous and gentle to him. He only saw the art, never looking down on anyone for their status—he was a true national master.

One day, Zhang Qijun was delivering a water bucket to Li Rongjing’s makeup room and overheard him talking about opera with an assistant.

He couldn’t help but comment.

His insight into scripts caught Li Rongjing’s attention.

Li Rongjing had always wanted a disciple but hadn’t found the right person.

Seeing Zhang Qijun’s honesty and steadiness, he had the thought.

To him, Zhang Qijun wasn’t the type to chase fame, use Peking opera as a stepping stone, or immediately join entertainment shows for quick money.

Unfortunately, when he let Zhang Qijun audition, he realized Zhang Qijun had no talent, so he abandoned the idea.

Li Rongjing candidly shared his thoughts with Zhang Qijun.

Zhang Qijun felt some regret.

But he had never expected much anyway.

He was mentally prepared to live an ordinary life like his parents, then grow old and die.

Millions live like this; Zhang Qijun had no complaints.

He still had Peking opera and could speak to Li Rongjing directly—this was the greatest joy.

Thus, when Li Rongjing later gave him the talent to sing and made him his disciple, his joy was like being hit by a giant cream cake falling from the sky.

He was ecstatic, feeling he could never be happier.

The first time on stage, the first time receiving applause after a performance, he cried uncontrollably.

He realized he could have the right to pursue his dreams.

The scenes he had dreamed of were not unreachable.

All of this was thanks to Li Rongjing

He could even die for Li Rongjing.

But by nature he was reserved; he did many things without saying them.

He buried his gratitude and admiration for Li Rongjing so deep that Li Rongjing might not even notice.

So of course he could kill for Li Rongjing.

His promise to Li Rongjing had nothing to do with game points, nor with whatever power Li Rongjing promised him after completing the mission in the guild.

After killing, deep inside, Zhang Qijun felt a fear that almost overwhelmed him completely.

His hands trembled with fear.

He only dared to move forward to check Shi Zong’s breath slightly, not daring to touch his body for further examination.

Fortunately, there was another way to confirm whether Shi Zong was dead—

Zhang Qijun looked down and saw the number on his chest badge had changed to “28:42.”

When he found Shi Zong with Zuo Sanqiu, he had paid particular attention to the time.

At that time, the remaining time for all three of them was the same—“15:50.”

After that, they walked while talking for a little over a minute, then he ordered Zuo Sanqiu to “kill” Shi Zong.

Everything happened extremely fast, just over twenty seconds.

So their remaining time should have been just over 14 minutes.

Now he had “killed” Shi Zong, taken his time, and lost a bit checking his breath; his chest badge showing “28:42” roughly matched.

Shi Zong was indeed “killed” by him.

Zhang Qijun finally exhaled, then left quickly, his mind both suppressed and fearful.

He didn’t want to stay a second longer, nor dare look at Shi Zong’s “body” again.

He only wanted to throw off the fear of his first “kill.”

Because he knew this was just a rehearsal.

Once he left the maze and entered the next stage of the game, he would really “kill” Shi Zong.

By then, he shouldn’t have any fear or hesitation.

Zhang Qijun ran forward quickly to meet Zhu Shuangyun.

The situation was different from what he expected; he hadn’t successfully “killed” Wuya.

But Shi Zong was dead, leaving only one Wuya San San, who posed no real threat.

As time went on, players’ chances of encountering each other would increase.

So Zhang Qijun didn’t dare relax.

Sure enough, after walking a short distance, he sensed another strong presence approaching.

It should be the male second Asura.

He clearly sensed Zhang Qijun as well.

Probably armed with a powerful item, he confidently approached.

Zhang Qijun felt him getting closer.

He had no second Truth Card left, and couldn’t guarantee convincing the male second that he had betrayed the “Mountain” faction.

So he decided to first meet Zhu Shuangyun, then confront the “Sea” faction members together—safer that way.

The first thing Zhang Qijun did was take a detour to shake off the male second.

The male second hadn’t killed anyone, probably couldn’t waste much time, so after following Zhang Qijun briefly, he retreated.

Zhang Qijun exhaled and headed toward the item shop where he and Zhu Shuangyun had arranged to meet.

Maze Entrance 1.

After using 【Return to Start】, Zuo Sanqiu arrived here.

His neck, back, and palms were drenched in sweat.

He was grateful for his extensive real-world murder mystery experience; although he sometimes struggled with hardcore reasoning, his acting was good.

This allowed him to coordinate with Shi Zong in the performance.

Even so, to maintain realism, his short sword had truly pierced Shi Zong’s back.

His right hand was still shaking.

Taking out 【Speed Shoes】, Zuo Sanqiu activated it with his fingers, put them on his feet, then quickly took out another item—【Maintain Call】.

Through 【Maintain Call】, Zuo Sanqiu remotely contacted Shi Zong.

In the distance, Shi Zong felt a warmth on his index finger; in his mind appeared a call button and a system instruction diagram.

Following the diagram, his finger swiped in the air a few times, successfully “answering the call,” and he heard Zuo Sanqiu’s voice.

“Are you okay?” Zuo Sanqiu asked, panic evident in his voice.

“I’m fine.” Shi Zong’s voice was hoarse.

【Golden Bell Shield】 had blocked 70% of the damage, preventing him from dying from the Storm Pear Blossom Needles, but he was injured—his scapula hurt, and multiple needle-like pains all over his body made speaking difficult.

Not long ago, Zuo Sanqiu and Shi Zong had walked forward with Zhang Qijun.

In the middle, Zuo Sanqiu signaled Shi Zong with a glance and a knife-hand gesture, signaling Zhang Qijun to “kill” him.

Shi Zong nodded, silently mouthing: “Play along.”

Since Zhang Qijun kept looking back, their communication was limited.

But Shi Zong conveyed enough information for Zuo Sanqiu.

So he acted as if he were really going to kill Shi Zong, cleverly using 【Return to Start】 to leave, avoiding death at Zhang Qijun’s hands without arousing suspicion.

However, Zuo Sanqiu didn’t understand one thing, and immediately asked: “Zhang Qijun seems cautious. How could he be sure you’re really dead? Faking death seems easy to reveal!”

“Most people aren’t natural executioners, especially considering how well I know Zhang Qijun.

“I’ve seen him at the theater—a barely honest kid. The first time killing is scary enough; he wouldn’t touch the body. Plus, he had to watch his time, because he needed to hurry to ‘kill’ you.

“Only by ‘killing’ you could he feel certain that ‘Mountain’ would inevitably lose.”

Shi Zong said, “Of course, to prevent him from summoning courage and touching the ‘body,’ I used another method—I used 【Extra Time Card】 on him.

“His badge time increased due to the card, but he didn’t know; he thought my remaining time transferred to him after my death.”

“【Extra Time Card】?” Zuo Sanqiu asked. “But the card time is usually fixed, right?”

Shi Zong: “Correct, it only adds 15 minutes, cannot adjust by itself.”

Zuo Sanqiu walked briskly in the maze, eyes wide: “Yeah, but when you ‘died,’ you didn’t have 15 minutes left. That’s a loophole!

“When he sees his time increased by 15 minutes, a full integer, he’d suspect!”

Shi Zong smiled faintly: “Who said I used the card only when ‘dead’? I couldn’t make any move then, not even a finger.”

Zuo Sanqiu: “Then how did you…”

Shi Zong: “When I saw you walking with him, it was exactly 15:50. A quick chat, and the three of us moved forward together.

“I pretended not to trust Zhang Qijun, letting him lead the team. If I seemed guarded, he would think it normal; if too trusting, he might suspect a trap.

“Also, I did this to use 【Extra Time Card】.

“When my badge reached 15:10, I activated it, counting the time, and in the last second before it took effect, I aimed it at Zhang Qijun’s back.

“So from that moment, my remaining badge time and the card’s remaining time synchronized perfectly.”

Zuo Sanqiu almost speechless: “…Holy shit…”

“When we walked forward, Zhang Qijun focused entirely on planning my ‘death,’ no time to look at his badge.

“He wouldn’t know his time had increased.”

Pausing briefly, Shi Zong added: “Even so, there’s always a flaw.

“When ‘dead,’ I noted the time—I had about 14:11 left. If Zhang Qijun really ‘killed’ me, his time should be 28:22. In reality, it’s 29:11—a 49-second error.

“But again, he wouldn’t check his badge while commanding you to ‘kill’ me.

“Also, from the moment you ‘killed’ me, I was fully facing away. He had no chance to notice the badge and detect the time flaw.

“He could only roughly estimate after my ‘death.’

“Besides, he wouldn’t immediately check his badge the first time killing; he’d need a moment to recover.

“By the time he looked, the error was negligible.”

“Ahem. What do I do now?” Zuo Sanqiu’s voice grew excited.

Shi Zong: “If I were Zhang Qijun and wanted to betray my faction, I’d first need one enemy faction member to trust me.

“So he’d probably find a ‘Sea’ faction member first, persuading them to ally.

“When he met us, he was acting alone. I guess he had just separated from his ally. Before separating, they should’ve arranged a meeting point. How do you think they’d meet?”

“I don’t know.” Zuo Sanqiu blinked. “There’s no way to leave marks in this maze.”

Shi Zong: “Correct, the maze walls and

“You can go ahead with confidence, search one by one. As long as you see any ‘Sea’ faction member, that person is most likely Zhang Qijun’s allied partner.

“In the end, you need to use the 【Disguise】 card, impersonate Zhang Qijun in front of them, gain their trust, and then kill them.

“The 【Disguise】 card only lasts five minutes. You must act quickly. Also—

“This matter needs to be done as soon as possible.”

“Alright. I understand everything. Don’t worry, the shoes on my feet give me ten times speed. I’ll definitely be able to, before Zhang Qijun meets that ally, impersonate Zhang Qijun and… ahem.

“What about you? What’s your plan?”

Zuo Sanqiu asked.

“You move quickly first.”

Shi Zong picked up the 【Disguise】 card he had obtained earlier, glanced at it, and said to Zuo Sanqiu, “When you meet that ally, just tell me who they are. Zhang Qijun will get an unexpected surprise.”

Author’s note:

The promised big fat chapter has finally caught up, hhh.

He Zhen: My wife is amazing.