Arc 2: Internet Addiction Treatment Center
Chapter 14: Seeking Death
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
The electric drill clattered to the ground, its buzzing still relentless, slicing through the summer silence. Qin Dongwan grabbed a chair and smashed it toward the man's head, but he caught it, already sobered from the earlier blow. Half of his face seemed burned beyond recognition, his plain features twisted into something grotesque.
His strength was immense, forcing Qin Dongwan to retreat step by step. Just as she was about to crash into the old cabinet, she suddenly let go and spun aside. A loud "boom" exploded behind her, wood splinters raining down.
The chair in the man's grip shattered into pieces, and the cabinet door swung open from the impact. Qin Dongwan seized the moment and kicked him hard. He stumbled back, but before he could retaliate, a shadow darted out from behind a tall wooden partition. A piercing scream tore through the room as blood sprayed into the air, making him drop to his knees in pain.
When the danger was over, the tension in Qin Dongwan's mind slowly relaxed. She looked at the man on the ground and sighed in relief, then turned to see the girl who had appeared.
It was Luo Shu.
The familiar voice made Qin Dongwan feel a bit calmer and warmer.
The man on the ground was stabbed in the stomach. He wasn't dead, but he couldn’t move. He tried to sit up in the blood, looking at the two of them as they calmly looked at each other. He made a strange “uurrr” from his throat, and blood bubbles appeared in his mouth. He no longer looked as proud as before.
Luo Shu's strike was still as ruthless and quick as ever.
"You still aren't good at fighting," the girl, who was half a head shorter despite wearing high heels, sneered. She casually leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, in the middle of the bloody room.
It was a small room, with the bed and wardrobe taking up most of the space. The partition where Luo Shu had hidden earlier was upright, just enough to hide her petite figure behind it.
Qin Dongwan, still shaken, stood next to her to keep a distance from the body on the bed. She gave a wry smile and said, "Thank you for saving me, Heroine. If it weren’t for you, my hidden companion, I would probably have struggled to survive for ten minutes under that man’s nose."
Luo Shu habitually spoke venomously: "You can just say you're a wimp."
Qin Dongwan: "..."
As the man was subdued, time passed quickly. The teacher, walking in exactly at the ten-minute mark, looked around at the mess and only raised an eyebrow for a moment. Stepping on the debris with her high heels as if it was nothing, she immediately raised her voice by an octave:
"I told you to clean the dorm! How did you end up running off with this crazy person? Hurry up and get back to the dorm, clean up, and then go for a morning run! This is the third time someone's been lazy..."
The NPC, resembling a real person, muttered to herself, "Did this guy hurt himself again? You guys go, I'll handle it here. Clean up and meet on the playground, if you're late, you're in trouble."
The two exchanged a glance and hurriedly left together.
****
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5039729
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
The dormitory was not far away, and following the guidance of the system, the two found it quickly. After simply tidying up the small, shabby room, they walked towards the playground.
Compared to the dilapidated room, this small playground full of pits and holes wasn't much better. Perhaps it had rained a few times, or maybe the people who brought vegetables to the cafeteria liked to pass through here. Rotten vegetable leaves were soaked in the mud by the rain, and the stinky, spoiled oil made the whole playground greasy. It didn't seem like a place for exercise at all. The unbearable smell reminded Qin Dongwan of a slaughterhouse.
Although it was somewhat unrefined to say so, she had once been to such a place with her mother when she was very young. To the organizers of this game, they were indeed like animals gathered together, desperately trying to find any chance of survival. The filthy, greasy oil on the ground merged into a small stream that slid toward the drain. The drain, not very large, seemed like a bottomless pit, constantly swallowing up the filth.
When they arrived at the playground, Qin Dongwan realized that the people gathered here were a mix of real "students" from the simulation and players. She learned from one person that there were often cases of self-harm here, though when she tried to ask for more details, they wouldn’t say much. Just as she was about to turn and ask someone else, a sharp male voice suddenly pierced the air.
“Where the hell is this? Let me out! I’m not filming your damn cursed variety show! Fuck…”
The first level of the game included three challenges. It randomly matched players, so one could end up with complete beginners or someone who had gone through one or two levels.
For these newcomers, this was their beginner level, as well as a turning point in their fate. They may have escaped from a locked room, but it was also possible that they were still in a state of confusion. The young girl who died in the previous level had only followed the crowd without really understanding the rules.
Just as there are obedient people, there are also rebels. While many had arrived at this place with anxious expressions, after experiencing what happened earlier, some still found it hard to believe they had truly entered such a strange game.
Shouting at the top of his lungs and cursing unbearably, the man showed how much he was “seeking death”. A small, thin girl walked behind him. She didn't seem to care about the shouting.
When they reached the group on the playground, a loud click of a lock was heard by everyone. Qin Dongwan quickly looked in the direction of the sound. Where the dorm building had been, there was only thick, black fog, spreading out like milk mixing into water, getting bigger and bigger.
Author's Note:
Wan Shu’s character design is out! The cover should be updated with it tonight!
