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“No need, I know what you’re going to say. You’re interested in her, right?” Mo Qi tapped her finger on the name Xiang Wansi.
“The one who can truly fulfill wishes” and the constantly blood-stained heart-shaped patterns clearly point to one thing: the current method of exchanging wishes isn’t the true use of the Wishing Box.
Based on the outcome of the first wish, it’s inferred that making a wish with the Wishing Box requires a price to be paid. The current way of wishing is somewhat like overdrawing on credit: fulfilling a wish first and then demanding repayment, leaving the wisher no way out, only to have their life harvested.
However, the heart-shaped pattern gives a different impression, as if one must pay the price first—by collecting four wishes—before they can make a wish.
From this, it’s inferred that only when the heart-shaped pattern turns completely red can the wisher truly make a wish without any harm. The first four wishes are merely sacrifices.
The biggest question now is whether the focus of this task is on “who” or on the “true wish.”
If the focus is on the “who” question, then what they need to do is wait until all four wishes are gathered and then compete for the Wishing Box. Whoever obtains the Wishing Box, which has accumulated enough costs, can make a wish and become the ultimate beneficiary of this task.
But if the focus is on the “true wish,” then it means they need to uncover the wish hidden behind the Wishing Box itself. Under what circumstances would there be a hidden wish behind the Wishing Box? That would be if Qi Qiaoyan was not the first person to obtain the Wishing Box.
Before her, perhaps there was someone else who obtained the Wishing Box, understood the rules of wish exchange, made a wish, and began accumulating blood to fill the heart-shaped patterns, before eventually passing the Wishing Box to Qi Qiaoyan, who harbored intense hatred.
“If it’s the second scenario, we need to find this person. Generally, when choosing the first target to manipulate, most people would likely select someone they have a connection with or even a grudge against, using them as a tool for murder. In the first wish, Ke Xiaoxi clearly harbored strong animosity towards Xiang Wansi, who happened to be the first victim, implicating Xiang Wansi in this,” Mo Qi concluded.
“Are you really a novice?” Xiang Zhuo looked at Mo Qi with astonishment after hearing her analysis.
Xiang Zhuo’s novice level was relatively simple, an R-level mission with not many points earned, but at least there was time to adapt to the game.
Moreover, he wasn’t the initiator of the mission. He was dragged into a game initiated by others. Suddenly, the environment around him changed, and he gained a lot of information about characters in his mind. This quickly made Xiang Zhuo accept the fact that he had entered a game where lives were at stake.
But Mo Qi’s first experience was at SSR-level difficulty. He was also the game initiator, and the environment hadn’t changed—it was exactly like the world he was familiar with. Accepting that this wasn’t reality was already difficult for Mo Qi. Moreover, he quickly entered the game mode under the conditions of 0 points, mutant grass, and the attacks of a perverted senior, searching for clues to decipher the game. This person isn’t normal, right?
“His adaptability has always been strong,” Liao Ruxue said to Xiang Zhuo. “After all, survival of the fittest. If he hadn’t trained himself to have strong adaptability, he wouldn’t even be able to attend university now.”
Xiang Zhuo, seeing Liao Ruxue’s admiration for Mo Qi, asked in confusion, “Do you really admire him, or are you being sarcastic? Why are you praising Mo Qi with such compliments?”
“I’ve always had goodwill and tolerance towards him,” Liao Ruxue said with a smile.
“Ignore him. This guy has issues; his idea of goodwill is different from that of normal people,” Mo Qi said calmly.
Liao Ruxue’s words were not wrong. Mo Qi did indeed have strong adaptability. He had already adapted to Liao Ruxue’s occasional bizarre behavior and understood that Liao Ruxue genuinely believed that messing with him was for his own good.
“You’re right about investigating Xiang Wansi, but I don’t think she’s the mastermind,” Liao Ruxue said calmly to Mo Qi, setting down the knife despite Xiang Zhuo’s attempt to stop him. “Earlier, you mentioned that the price of the first wish was to destroy Xiang Wansi’s throat. If she were behind it all, she wouldn’t put herself in jeopardy.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know the exact price of the wish, or it could be someone infatuated with her,” Mo Qi analyzed. “Anyway, tomorrow we’ll focus on investigating Xiang Wansi and the list of those disciplined, aiming to find the second wisher as soon as possible.”
As he spoke, Mo Qi couldn’t help but yawn. It was 3 AM now, and he had experienced too much today, feeling utterly exhausted.
“You guys can’t go back to the dorms now. There’s a temporary dorm nearby that can accommodate four people. Let’s rest there for a while. We have a tough battle ahead tomorrow,” Liao Ruxue suggested.
Xiang Zhuo stopped him, “Wait, when you say ‘we,’ are you including me, Mo Qi, and… you?”
“Any issues? I’ve helped you all so much,” Liao Ruxue pointed to the stack of documents in Mo Qi’s hands.
“Let me confirm again, you’re really not a player?” Xiang Zhuo asked.
Liao Ruxue adjusted his glasses, revealing a somewhat wistful expression, “If only I were. Maybe then I could have special abilities like you, and wouldn’t be so thoroughly outmatched by Mo Qi in terms of stamina.”
“If you’re not a player, then stay out of this game.” Xiang Zhuo gripped Liao Ruxue’s shoulder and squeezed slightly. There was a “click” as Liao Ruxue’s shoulder dislocated. His hand trembled, and the bone-cleaning knife fell to the ground.
Liao Ruxue grimaced in pain, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Xiang Zhuo spoke in a warning tone, “See that? That’s the difference between a player and an ordinary person. I’ve encountered some clever ‘in-betweeners’ in missions before, but no matter how smart they are, without attribute bonuses and items, they pale in comparison to players. The upcoming missions will only get more dangerous. If you stay out of it, you might still have a chance to see the sun in the real world. But if you insist on getting involved, I won’t care whether an ‘in-betweener’ lives or dies.”
Mo Qi didn’t stop Xiang Zhuo but instead asked, “Are all veteran players so skilled? I noticed from the video that two players had abilities far beyond ordinary people.”
Xiang Zhuo replied, “The three values on the attribute card represent a player’s basic abilities in certain aspects. Players with high Construction values have better memory and spatial awareness than average players. Those with high Execution values have strong physical stamina and agility. As for Affinity… that value is quite subtle. It seems to make it easier for players to gain favor with both players and ordinary people, but it doesn’t seem to have much practical use. As players level up, these values increase proportionally, but you…”
Mo Qi was severely specialized; no matter how he upgraded, his Construction and Execution values remained at zero. It was uncertain how his abilities would evolve in the future.
“I have Xiang Wansi’s contact information, and I can also look into the people she has been in contact with at the campus radio studio over the years. Moreover, I am the student council president. Whoever you want to find, I can summon them in the name of the student council,” Liao Ruxue said, enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder as he continued negotiating terms with Xiang Zhuo.
“President, why do you insist on following us?” Mo Qi asked, puzzled. “With your intelligence, you should know that the tasks we’re involved in are beyond what an ordinary person can handle.”
Liao Ruxue, sweating profusely and weakened, said, “Xiang Zhuo just said I have a chance to return to the real world. Can I keep my memories from here?”
“No, it’s impossible for the game to let an ‘in-betweener’ retain all these memories if you manage to return to reality. Your memories will definitely be wiped,” Xiang Zhuo replied.
Liao Ruxue looked deeply at Mo Qi. “You’re a strong and talented person. I believe you can complete the mission and return to reality. If that happens, I’ll only have these few days. If I miss this opportunity, I’ll forever forget how I feel right now. I won’t experience such intense emotions again, and I’ll regret it.”
Mo Qi replied, “…Forgetting means you won’t feel regret.”
“You don’t understand,” Liao Ruxue said.
“Yes, I may not understand fully, but having you around does make things a lot easier for us,” Mo Qi stood in front of Liao Ruxue and said seriously, “Here’s the deal: you can come with us, but Xiang Zhuo will protect me. Before the final outcome of the mission, if I die, the whole world will become very dangerous. I don’t think Xiang Zhuo is someone who shows mercy to ordinary people. If you cross the line, he will kill you.”
Liao Ruxue nodded. “I understand. It’s either a decisive blow, or when everything is laid bare, Xiang Zhuo’s single-minded pursuit of victory in the mission no longer protects you—perhaps then it will be my chance.”
“Yes.”
Liao Ruxue said satisfactorily, “At least there’s still a chance. I accept.”
“Alright, so we’ve reached an agreement. Xiang Zhuo, you can let him go now,” Mo Qi said.
Xiang Zhuo was dumbfounded by their conversation. “Mo Qi, are you out of your mind? Trading your life for having such a time bomb around?”
“I need to use his identity to do something, and for that, I must pay the corresponding price. That’s the rule of this game, isn’t it?” Mo Qi replied.
“You’re ruthless,” Xiang Zhuo said as he casually reset Liao Ruxue’s shoulder blade. “Let me make it clear first: if he crosses my line, I will kill him.”
“Yeah, I’ll handle that discretion myself,” Liao Ruxue replied.
Xiang Zhuo glanced at him, then looked at Mo Qi, who remained calmly composed, and felt there was something off about these two. Despite being the only seasoned player among them, these two seemed even less like ordinary people.
After reaching an agreement, the three decided to follow Liao Ruxue’s suggestion and rest for a while in the nearby dormitory.
Xiang Zhuo considered tying up Liao Ruxue to prevent him from taking action while they slept, but Liao Ruxue raised his hands and said, “Since you’re a player, your awareness must be high. Even if I were to concoct poison in the chemistry lab to feed him, I wouldn’t resort to a nighttime attack, which is most likely to be discovered, right?”
Reluctantly, Xiang Zhuo instructed Mo Qi, “Don’t touch any food or water he offers.”
With Liao Ruxue’s assurance, the night passed without incident, though Mo Qi had a strange dream.
He dreamed of the painting from earlier that day, but this time he wasn’t standing in front of it. Instead, he found himself inside the painting.
He stood by a small lake. The man in black turned slightly, mist swirling around, obscuring his face.
“You’ve finally come,” Mo Qi heard the man in black say.
Even though it was just a dream, Mo Qi felt incredibly real, as if he had truly been to this lakeside before and seen this person.
“I warned you not to come,” the man in black said.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t intentionally enter the painting to disturb you. Are you the last player? Trying to extract information from us through dreams? Sorry, I’m always cautious in my dreams; I won’t say anything,” Mo Qi replied.
Mo Qi took two steps forward, trying to move to the side to see the man’s face clearly, but he was blocked by the mist and couldn’t get any closer.
“You already don’t remember…” There was a hint of melancholy in the man in black’s voice.
He raised his hand, pointing a finger lightly at Mo Qi’s chest, gently tapping twice, as if hinting at something.
The mist thickened gradually, and Mo Qi distinctly felt a force pulling him out of the painting. The mist grew denser until Mo Qi couldn’t even see the outline of the man in black clearly anymore. He could only hear the faint voice, “I placed a pair of sunglasses in the student exhibition hall. They might be useful to you.”
Then a strong force pushed Mo Qi out of the dream. He woke up suddenly to find Xiang Zhuo and Liao Ruxue both asleep. It was six o’clock in the morning.
Mo Qi was drenched in sweat. Luckily, there was a small shower room in the student union dormitory. He locked the door behind him and quickly took a shower.
As he took off his shirt and stood in front of the mirror, Mo Qi saw a round scar in the center of his chest, resembling a bullet mark.
This was exactly where the man in black had pointed in the dream. Mo Qi touched it; it didn’t hurt, as if it had merged with his skin.
“Weird, when did this scar appear? Did the man in black attack me in the dream?” Mo Qi wondered.
It didn’t seem like it. The man in black in the dream didn’t seem like an enemy.
After Mo Qi finished showering and returned to the dorm room, Liao Ruxue also got up. He groggily glanced at Mo Qi before heading to wash up himself.
Mo Qi watched Liao Ruxue’s back and suddenly thought of something: if he successfully completed the mission and returned to reality, what would happen to Liao Ruxue, who would forget everything? If Liao Ruxue were to be dragged into the game again, would he remember anything that happened in this mission?
The game wiped the memories of “in-betweeners.” Did this mean that if Liao Ruxue had been involved in the game before and left, he wouldn’t remember anything about the game, continuing to live in the real world as usual?
Mo Qi pressed against the scar on his chest through his clothes, suddenly struck by an incredible thought.
Could it be possible that he had once participated in a game as an “in-betweener,” only to forget everything afterward? Perhaps his memories were gone, but the emotions remained, explaining why he had adapted so quickly to this eerie game.