Chapter 21-Game Descent: I Am the Sole Player
Back at the basketball court, Shen Yang and her dormmates and teachers had gone off to fight monsters and level up. Two cars had left that morning, and a rough count showed over a dozen people still on the court — some gathered in a circle playing cards with unhurried ease, some pacing anxiously in the sun, and one family in the middle of an argument.
The mayor's group wasn't departing until five in the afternoon, and the two of them didn't get back to the RV until eleven in the morning.
Order was well-maintained in Qianxi Town, which gave Lin Huijun a perfect opportunity to teach Bai Shan how to drive. They'd come at just the right time — no traffic rules to memorize, just find somewhere open and go.
Once Bai Shan put her mind to something she learned fast. The afternoon slipped by in teaching and practice, and the two of them headed early to wait near the town's government office.
They waited in an empty building diagonally across from the office. It was nearly five o'clock when Bai Shan spotted five people assembling in the distance — the mayor in her grey clothes, two local staff members in red vests, Qin Zhen, and a man in his thirties or forties who looked vaguely familiar, someone she'd probably seen at the basketball court, an outsider like themselves.
The middle-aged woman in the red vest whom they'd seen at the intersection the day before brought two people carrying a large crate. The five assembled members took out helmets, gloves, and protective gear from the crate, strapping themselves up tightly without leaving a single gap.
The mayor waved her hand and addressed everyone: "Make sure you're fully protected. Those mantises aren't large, but they're extremely fast."
"If there are no questions, let's move out."
Then she led her people into a sedan, and the two of them watched the car drive away. Lin Huijun gave Bai Shan an anxious tap.
"How are we going to follow them?" she asked.
Bai Shan: "The grain depot is at 230 Tianning Village. The mayor specifically mentioned on the local channel that people should stay away from there."
"Do you know where Tianning Village is?" Lin Huijun asked.
"No." Bai Shan answered honestly, her tone showing no particular urgency. "We'll just get a villager to show us the way."
She patted her sports backpack. "I brought food. I'm not worried about finding someone willing."
She did have the item [Tracking Chewing Gum], but its conditions for use were rather strict — she'd have to stick the gum to someone's shoe. That kind of thing was fine as a bit of fun in a computer game, but there was absolutely no way Bai Shan was going to sneak into someone's room in real life and stick gum to their shoe.
"Alright." Lin Huijun said. "But if we rush over that way, won't we be too slow?"
Bai Shan smiled slightly. "Think of it as a casual stroll."
The town clearly didn't have many available hands — otherwise the mayor wouldn't have gone looking for two outsiders to help. The mantises at the grain depot had probably already killed several of the mayor's staff, and even with the level-ten mayor going in person, a quick victory seemed unlikely.
Besides, her actual target wasn't that group of mantises.
Out in the open space by the government entrance, the red-vest woman was picking up the crate to leave when she suddenly spotted someone meandering over from across the way, carrying a red bucket.
She looked more carefully, recognized who it was, and said in a pointed, sarcastic tone: "Well, well, Wang Lai — didn't you say it was too dangerous outside and you'd die if you came out? How come you're not waiting for us to bring food to your door?"
Wang Lai was a well-known figure in town — he'd been mooching off his elderly grandmother until he was over thirty. The town office had made multiple efforts to support this struggling household, but even when work was handed to him on a plate, Wang Lai wanted none of it, insisting instead that the office find him a wife to take care of him.
On hearing her sarcastic jabs, Wang Lai showed no shame. Instead he stretched out his hand toward the woman. "Exactly — where's my food? Nothing was left by the time I got there. You lot didn't steal it, did you?"
The woman in the red vest was so furious she slammed the crate right into him, sending him staggering and toppling to the ground. The red bucket tipped over and a barely-alive fish slid out across the pavement.
"We announced it a dozen times — eight to eleven in the morning! You didn't follow the schedule, so who's supposed to look after you?"
The forceful woman pointed at his head and berated him, while Wang Lai was busy scooping the motionless fish off the ground and stuffing it back into the bucket, hollering, "I don't want your dried-out stuff anyway! I've got freshly-caught fish here — roast it, boil it, it's all delicious..."
"Where did you get that fish?"
The woman leaned in to take a look, but Wang Lai shielded it like he was afraid she'd steal it. "I caught this fish in the Qianxi stream!"
A stream ran through the town, flowing down from the mountains behind it. The name "Qianxi" didn't come from its shallow depth but from its extraordinary clarity — at first glance, the streambed looked close enough to touch.
Qianxi Town, Qianxi Village, and Qianxi Forest Park all took their names from that stream.
"Don't go eating that carelessly!"
The woman disliked Wang Lai, but out of a sense of duty she still gave him a well-meaning warning: "You can't just eat anything these days. It might look normal, but who knows what could be..."
"Oh, please, it's not like I've never seen monsters before! This fish is a perfectly normal fish. Food is already scarce enough, and you're still being picky."
"The game's going to kill us all in a couple of days anyway — might as well eat something good while we can."
The woman snapped angrily, "Only a lazy good-for-nothing like you would get killed by the game! People in their seventies and eighties are out there forming teams!"
Wang Lai brushed her off and staggered on, muttering curses under his breath.
If the game didn't require you to land the killing blow yourself to gain experience and level up, he'd probably demand that people just transfer experience points directly into his account.
Bai Shan watched from the other side of the street. She'd been considering asking this man to guide them, but after hearing the exchange she dropped the idea immediately — letting someone like that come out ahead would make her skin crawl.
The helpful red-vest woman had gone as well. The two of them stepped out of the empty building, and Bai Shan was glancing around looking for someone to ask for directions when she suddenly felt something, and grabbed Lin Huijun's arm, pulling her back.
Lin Huijun was yanked backwards. She looked down and found a silver snake pressed flat against the wall right beside them.
This snake was extraordinarily strange — long and slender, its body shimmering as though covered in silver scales. It crawled out from the shadow beneath the wall, and its silver body caught the sunlight, scattering prismatic glints like a piece of fine jewellery.
Seeing it was no ordinary animal, Lin Huijun raised the [Frozen Tilapia] ready to strike — but Bai Shan grabbed her arm in time. "Wait!"
The silver snake didn't attack them. Instead it moved in a particular direction at an unhurried pace, just fast enough for them to follow at a brisk walk.
Bai Shan said: "It looks like it wants to lead us somewhere. Let's follow."
The two followed the strange silver snake as it wound out of the town's streets, across the ridges between fields, and over mountain paths. Lin Huijun had been puzzled at first, but watching the scenery along the way, she gradually understood where it was taking them.
"This snake… is it someone's item?" Lin Huijun stared at the snake, thinking, then looked toward Bai Shan.
"It might be an item. It might also be an innate ability of hers."
Bai Shan's steps slowed suddenly, and she gazed into the distance. Lin Huijun looked too — she saw a row of white-walled, black-roofed cylindrical buildings nestled against green hills, the last light of the half-set sun spilling over the white walls and dark tiles, a scene of quiet, pastoral peace.
The people standing before the grain depot had no time to appreciate any of it — they were facing the depot with expressions of mild anxiety, conferring among themselves. Only the young woman in a khaki trench coat stood with easy composure. She hadn't even brought a helmet; she wore a classic checked scarf that lifted in the breeze.
The dust-stained silver snake crawled over to her, up her trouser leg, and burrowed into her scarf.
Qin Zhen pressed her hand over the fluttering scarf. She turned her head and saw two young figures standing on the country road in the distance.
She broke into a broad smile, waved at them, then turned and stepped to the mayor's side, saying: "Mayor, since we can't find them ourselves, why don't we bring in more people to help?"
On the field-road embankment, Bai Shan watched from afar. Whatever Qin Zhen had said, the whole group over by the depot was now looking toward them. With no reason to hide, the two walked straight over.
When the mayor got a clear look at the two of them, surprise crossed her face, followed by hesitation. Before she could organize her words, Bai Shan spoke first:
"Mayor, have you run into some trouble?"
Bai Shan scanned the situation around her. The five of them were completely unharmed — not a scratch on their clothes — and there were no signs of a fight on the ground or walls. She made a guess: "Can't find the mantises?"
"Exactly. We've been here half an hour and haven't seen a single one."
Qin Zhen picked up the thread, an expression of helplessness on her face, her eyes catching Bai Shan's in a brief, unspoken exchange.
"If we really can't find them, we'll have to come back tomorrow at a different time. Everyone head back."
The mayor finally spoke, giving a light shake of her head, still unwilling to let the two join in. These two young people had followed them here without authorization — that only made her feel they were reckless and unreliable. If everyone acted on their own initiative like this, how was she supposed to manage and organize this town?
"I remember mantises are nocturnal, Mayor. Let's wait a little longer."
Bai Shan, seemingly oblivious to the refusal in the mayor's words, stood before the group and analysed things at her own pace. "Animals gain intelligence as they mutate. With all of us gathered here, they might not dare to come out."
The mayor sighed, gazing at the mountains behind the depot. "I think that's probably it."
Since reaching level ten, her five senses had sharpened considerably. She could sense something lying dormant in the mountains behind them, yet it refused to show itself.
The mantises in the depot had to be dealt with. This grain storage was critically important. The two pillars she relied on to maintain order in this town under such extraordinary circumstances were safety and food — meeting people's most basic needs.
If she returned empty-handed today, it would likely spark a degree of panic. What kind of monster was there that even the level-ten mayor couldn't handle? The closer it got to the seventh-day deadline, the more volatile things became. She couldn't afford a single misstep, and every night she lay awake turning over all the frightening, chaotic possibilities.
"This is what we'll do — you all head back."
"I'll take another look."
"Mayor!" Two of the red-vest staff called out in alarm. One ran over and grabbed the mayor's arm, pleading: "You can't take this risk. We're not short on the grain here for the time being. Please, let's go back..."
"You all know what my abilities are. There's nothing to worry about."
The mayor said gently, firmly pulling her arm free. Her expression was unmoved — her mind was clearly made up.
The two red-vest workers exchanged a look and called out, "Then we're not leaving either. We should at least stay nearby!"
Seeing that her people refused to go, the mayor's expression cooled. She was about to rebuke them when another voice added to the disruption.
"I'm not leaving either."
Bai Shan folded her arms and tilted her head, watching the mayor.
The mayor's brow furrowed tight. "You—"
"My level is higher than yours."
Bai Shan told the mayor directly, told everyone present.
Except for Lin Huijun and Qin Zhen, everyone showed expressions of shock. The mayor's level ten was already a one-in-ten-thousand rarity in the real world. Looking across the world channel, players above level ten were extremely scarce. Apart from the mayor, the highest level in the town was only seven.
Bai Shan had never told Lin Huijun her exact level, but Lin Huijun had always had her suspicions. This came as no surprise to her.
Seeing the silver snake return to Qin Zhen, Lin Huijun had been watching Qin Zhen all along. She was actually more surprised by Qin Zhen's reaction — Qin Zhen didn't look the least bit astonished.
"I can help you resolve the problem. All I need is a small amount of supplies in exchange."
As Bai Shan spoke, her gaze shifted from the mayor toward Qin Zhen.
After all the roundabout paths, she was back to her original plan — seizing the opportunity to strike a deal directly with the mayor.
What exactly did Qin Zhen want to do? Bai Shan was beginning to lose her read on her. If Qin Zhen intended to move against the mayor and the grain depot, there would be no need to bring them here.
Everyone's eyes converged on Bai Shan. The mayor no longer regarded her with tolerant, benevolent eyes. Had the person standing here been a sturdy young man with strength greater than her own, rather than someone this young, she might not have been so guarded. But she was.
A mind untested by the world was like an uncut stone — it might yield the rarest, most precious gem of pure-hearted sincerity at its core, but after two days of chaos since the game's arrival, she had come to understand that a young person's character was like a high-stakes gamble on an uncut rock.
"Mayor, I'll team up with you. My friend and I will team up with her. The rest of you head back — that's how we'll arrange it."
Bai Shan considerately arranged everything on everyone's behalf.
The two red-vest staff found it absurd — was some underage kid throwing their weight around with game-granted abilities? Did they really think they were the chosen one? One of them stepped forward, ready to test Bai Shan's abilities, but the mayor stepped in to stop her in time.
"Very well — Miss Qin, are you available to stay?"
The mayor accepted Bai Shan's proposal and looked to Qin Zhen to confirm her wishes. Qin Zhen smiled and nodded. "No problem."
Lin Huijun and Bai Shan exchanged a glance. She understood that Bai Shan wanted her to keep an eye on Qin Zhen.
Bai Shan took out a phone — even without internet access, phones still had their uses. She typed a message in the phone's notes app and handed it to Lin Huijun.
[Her ability is to turn any target she destroys into a weapon — the higher the value of the target, the more powerful the weapon. Once she makes a move, burn it immediately.]
[Be careful. You are her target.]
At that last line, Lin Huijun's pupils contracted involuntarily. She turned to look at Bai Shan, who pulled the phone back from her hands and raised an eyebrow at her.
The last time at the cross-river bridge, the probability that Qin Zhen had approached them out of goodwill and simply wanted to give them a lift was close to zero.
Most likely it was out of ill intent — she'd wanted to send them to their graves.
In the age of the game, people with powerful abilities were undeniably the most valuable of all. Back then, Qin Zhen must have witnessed Lin Huijun instantly burn a truck-sized fish to nothing and assessed her as a "valuable" person.
As for Bai Shan herself — she had originally been an optional afterthought, but she'd just revealed a level above ten, which meant she'd certainly risen on Qin Zhen's value rankings.
An S-rank talent at level eight versus an A-rank talent at level ten — Bai Shan wasn't sure which was stronger, but she had confidence in Lin Huijun.
Besides, Lin Huijun still hadn't once made a move against a person. Rather than waiting for the day she was forced to act, it was better for Bai Shan to hand her a generous experience package now.
The sunset had stained half the sky red. The two groups set off in opposite directions, searching along the rows of granaries before circling toward the mountains behind to look in the places mantises might be hiding. They took walkie-talkies and agreed to rendezvous at the gathering point in front of the grain depot in one hour.
For Bai Shan, this task was simple. She could have done it alone.
That mutated banyan tree had died a worthy and glorious death. The S-rank item she'd gotten from it — [Breathing Wristband] — combined with her second skill [Tyrannical Command], allowed her to sense everything within fifty metres, and in places where the natural ecosystem was flourishing, the wristband's boost from natural energy grew stronger.
Such as right now: with focused intent, she could already feel something lying dormant in a thicket of trees roughly thirty metres away.
"Watch your step."
Bai Shan politely held aside a low-hanging branch for the mayor, her hand smoothly brushing the mayor's arm in passing.
Having assessed the mayor's abilities, Bai Shan thought to herself — yes, those really were abilities well-suited to being a mayor.
On the other side of the mountain.
"I remember your ability is fire? Don't mind me asking — I didn't mean to pry. I happened to see it by accident last time in Rong City."
Walking along a dim forest trail, Qin Zhen began chatting in an easy, leisurely tone.
"Fire counters grass and living things, but if you accidentally set this whole mountain alight, I'd imagine the mayor would have a few complaints."
Lin Huijun walked with her head down. After learning that the person beside her might make a move against her, her body had tensed involuntarily — not the fear one felt facing a monster, but a kind of helpless bewilderment.
In seventeen years of life, she had never once considered the concept of "killing a person."
Even across the five days since the world transformed into a real-life game, she had kept that thought at bay — but she understood in her heart that sooner or later, the day would come.
"Lin Huijun."
Qin Zhen suddenly said her name. Lin Huijun stiffened for a split second before snapping her head up, fixing Qin Zhen with a wary stare.
"That's what I heard Bai Shan calling you. You can call me by name too."
"I've noticed that you and Bai Shan seem to have a bit of a… misunderstanding about me."
*
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