The middle-aged man’s words barely reassured the newcomers and instead only heightened their anxiety.
Especially when they saw the edgy-looking punk yelling and thrashing at the tightly shut door, looking utterly deranged, it made their skin crawl.
The power to drag people from the real world into a different realm was terrifying. And this so-called “Caged Bird” mission world—it sounded unsettling, to say the least.
The woman with the sharp chin asked nervously, “Why do we have to survive for seven days? Isn’t there some kind of danger?”
The middle-aged man responded, “The game’s rule is to survive here for seven days. There’s no why! Of course, there’s danger, but if you make it through, you’ll be greatly rewarded. What kind of reward, I can’t tell you now. Once you finish the first game, a system assistant will explain it to you.”
While the middle-aged man was pacifying the newcomers, the other players couldn’t hold back and began to wander off.
According to the game rules, when there are newcomers around, the initial period in the game world is the safest. This is designed to protect them, so they must seize this safe period to quickly familiarize themselves with their surroundings.
Gu Jiu noticed that the elite man had already taken a seat on a sofa. She saw that before sitting, he even wiped the sofa with a handkerchief, a clear sign of his severe cleanliness obsession.
Three others were with the elite man: two women and one man. Aside from the middle-aged man, there was a pair of twin sisters.
It was clear that the elite man was the leader of the three, as the twin sisters gave him a slight nod before going to scout the surroundings when he sat down.
Gu Jiu wasn’t tired at the moment, so she decided to explore the place herself.
“Ah Ji, let’s go.” Gu Jiu grabbed Lu Ji’s cold hand and walked toward the spiral staircase.
As they left, the elite man sitting on the sofa glanced at them briefly before shifting his gaze and continuing to wipe his hands with a white handkerchief.
The middle-aged man finally finished explaining the game to the newcomers and gave them one last reminder, “If you want to make it through smoothly, it’s best to scout the area quickly and find a safe place to rest. We’ll be here for seven days.”
This only made the newcomers more uneasy. They glanced over at the elite man sitting there. This strikingly handsome and powerful-looking man was a rarity, even in real life. He exuded competence, and some of the newcomers couldn’t help but think of seeking his help.
The sharp-chinned woman approached, batting her eyes and speaking sweetly, “Hey, big brother, I’m Ai Ruyi. May I ask your name?”
The elite man didn’t even look at her.
Feeling awkward and a bit resentful, Ai Ruyi’s big, doe-like eyes blinked as she edged closer to the sofa.
Just as she was about to touch the sofa, the elite man looked up at her with a displeased expression and said, “Plastic surgery disaster, stay away from me.”
Ai Ruyi: “.…”
The other newcomers, who had felt both envious and jealous seeing her approach the elite man, almost burst out laughing at his blunt response. Realizing that the elite man wasn’t easy to get along with, they temporarily gave up on clinging to him and hurriedly went off to explore and find a safe place.
In reality, there was no truly safe place in the game world; it was just something the middle-aged man said to comfort the newcomers, to keep their emotions from unraveling.
Ai Ruyi didn’t dare offend the elite man any further and left, looking quite aggrieved.
When the hall was finally empty, the middle-aged man chuckled and said, “Boss Qi, you can’t act like that; you’ve got to show a bit more respect for the ladies.”
Qi Yuheng responded coldly, “I’ll respect good girls, but for those with ulterior motives, filthy and malicious, why should I?”
“What’s your definition of a ‘good girl’? The two girls who just went upstairs—they look like they might fit the bill.”
The middle-aged man, Ge Guang, mused, recalling those two. They were, without a doubt, the most striking among all the female players in this game instance.
One was a classically beautiful lady, the other an unearthly beauty with a sickly pallor—each unique in her own way.
Even the twin sisters couldn’t compare.
Qi Yuheng replied indifferently, “I don’t know if they’re good girls, but I do know they’re not to be trifled with.”
Not to be trifled with?
This was the first time Qi Yuheng had spoken so highly of any player. Despite encountering powerful players in the past, he had never regarded any of them as truly difficult to deal with.
“Is it really that dangerous?” Ge Guang asked seriously.
Qi Yuheng just nodded, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
—
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji reached the second floor, strolling leisurely along the hallway.
One side of the hallway had windows, and Gu Jiu paused to look outside. She could see the view below—a small garden filled with blooming roses, their vibrant colors almost unreal. Beyond the garden were walls and iron fences, and outside the fences was a stretch of gray, as if the world ended there, or perhaps the outside world had been swallowed by the gray.
The presence of this gray hinted that the game didn’t allow players to leave this house.
There were many rooms on the second floor. Some doors had keys hanging on the handles, meaning they could be opened, while others had no keys and were locked.
Gu Jiu tried using one of the hanging keys to open a room and found a warmly decorated space with a bathroom—a far cry from the accommodations back in Qingshan Village.
She turned to Lu Ji and said, “Ah Ji, the accommodations are much better this time, don’t you think?”
Lu Ji gave a soft “mm.” He wasn’t particular about lodging conditions.
Gu Jiu opened several more rooms, finding each similarly decorated, all resembling standardized dorm rooms.
After a simple tour, they finally completed their exploration of the house.
This was an extensive villa with three floors. The first floor had a hall, kitchen, and storage rooms, while the second and third floors were filled with rooms. Each floor had ten rooms; six were locked, leaving fourteen open for use.
Naturally, the rooms with keys were intended for the players.
“Ah Ji, let’s share a room this time so we can look out for each other. What do you think?” Gu Jiu asked with a warm smile.
Lu Ji nodded casually, though a faint blush tinged her pale earlobes.
Gu Jiu noticed the change with her sharp eyes, showing a playful expression as she reached out to pinch Lu Ji’s flushed earlobe, smiling, “Ah Ji, you can’t be this shy.”
When Gu Jiu pinched her ear, Lu Ji’s eyes widened, her pure black pupils like those of a startled little animal.
Gu Jiu said, “We’re both girls. Can’t I pinch your ear?”
“No.” Lu Ji turned her head away, now blushing down to her neck, muttering, “Do as you please.”
What was with this bullied look?
Not only did the young lady not feel she was bullying an innocent girl, but she mischievously pinched her ear again. When Lu Ji looked back in surprise, Gu Jiu said matter-of-factly, “You said I could do as I please.”
Lu Ji: “….” If he’d known, he would have said no!
They chose a room at the far end of the second floor and took the key hanging on the door handle.
While they were selecting a room, the elite man also arrived on the second floor with the middle-aged man and the twin sisters. They chose rooms near the staircase.
The twin sisters, like the elite man, appeared aloof, but when Gu Jiu and Lu Ji exited their room, they politely nodded at them as a greeting.
Ge Guang whispered to the twin sisters, “Boss Qi said those two girls, like you both, are not to be messed with. It’s good to be respectful.”
He suspected that these two girls were, like Boss Qi, close to advancing to C-level stages—a level only for powerful players.
The twin sisters couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Their politeness towards the two girls was a matter of courtesy. After all, surviving as a female player in the game world wasn’t easy. As long as it didn’t affect their own interests or safety, they were generally more tolerant of other female players.
Except for those who courted trouble themselves.
Following Ge Guang’s advice, the newcomers quickly used the brief period of safety to select their own rooms.
Since they didn’t know the exact nature of the game, the newcomers were wary of staying alone. They opted to share rooms in pairs or groups of three. Ai Ruyi, for instance, chose two sturdy-looking men to room with, and from their suggestive gestures, it was clear what Ai Ruyi’s intentions were.
When Ge Guang saw Ai Ruyi sandwiched between the two muscular men coming down the stairs, he clicked his tongue quietly.
Looks like Boss Qi’s talent for spotting troublemakers is still spot-on.
—
TL: For Lu Ji’s pronouns, it will depend on whose point of view it is.
Thanks for the updates!!