In Virtual Reality

As Cao Wei Min took a step forward, his body tense and ready to follow, the young police officer seated with his back to the door called out politely, "Excuse me, sir?"

He halted in his tracks, uncertain whether to continue or retreat. He couldn't go out recklessly now.

His thoughts turned to Wang Jin Long, wondering why he was at the police station at this time. Was he involved in this mystery? Had "Silence" surfaced in this case? Perhaps the shenanigans were over, and that was why he was here.

He frowned, realizing he hadn't heard anyone discussing the case. Was he wholly excluded?

A sudden glimmer of humour flickered in his eyes as he turned to the young officer and smiled, "It's okay, just stretching my legs."

He hesitated momentarily, then decided it was best not to venture outside after all.

Bowing his head, he sent a message to Wang Ju, who was on standby at the police station.

Whether it was Wang Jin Long or "Silence," Li and his team would be paying attention to it.

He sighed, reflecting that his presence might not make a difference even if he were there.

**

The man emerged from the hall, his features handsome yet pallid. He cast a fleeting glance at the empty police station lobby, his thoughts disrupted.

"Did he really not follow?" he mused aloud. "It appears he remains unaware of Ye Cheng Jing's predicament," he clicked his tongue, vexed. "Relying on television for updates is nothing but a nuisance."

He pondered how much the authorities knew about the Shenanigence matter.

The lad saved by Ye Cheng Jing should have surfaced by now, akin to him. But did he perish outside or survive, like him, living clandestinely?

If it's the latter, he couldn't fathom if the police withheld intel that rendered his search fruitless.

And that officer...

He swivelled his head and scanned the entrance, still empty. He shrugged, then turned and departed.

If only Ye Cheng Jing's nephew aligned with him, everything would be more uncomplicated.

He must devise a plan to entice Cao Wei Min out.

**

After Huang Yang's departure, only Zeng Zhi remained.

Xu Jin Yi withdrew her hand from the "open door" button and observed the elevator doors slowly shutting.

"Zeng Zhi," she called out to the seated UP creator, "Press the button for the 32nd floor."

When would the elevator reach the 32nd floor again?

Zeng Zhi flinched at her summons, then sluggishly pressed the floor button.

Which level would come next?

Now only a wretched one-leg monster could be thrown out of the elevator.

Xu Jin Yi rested her folded arms against the elevator wall, utterly disengaged, waiting for the next door opening.

"Huang Yang…" Zeng Zhi had yet to rise, fiddling with his camera as he asked, "Did he leave?"

"Hm, Yeah."

'How can you be so sure?' Zeng Zhi opened his mouth but faltered.

He shut his eyes.

The longer he stayed here, the more numb his nerves became.

So exhausting…

"Do you truly know nothing of 'Murphy's Amusement Park'?" Xu Jin Yi probed again, still faced with Zeng Zhi's vacant look.

She exhaled a sigh. When would the official version of 'Murphy's Amusement Park launch? She missed Officer Ye. 'How could an NPC like that be killed by Wang Jin Long?' Xu Jin Yi wondered, perplexed.

The game's beta version had only allowed for a limited number of rollbacks, preventing her from saving Ye Cheng Jing in the end. 'Wang Jin Long managed to escape from Murphy's Amusement Park,' she added, her thoughts tinged with frustration.

She clicked her tongue. 'Tsk, Is there no justice in this world? No, it's simply because I didn't have enough rollbacks! If it were the official version, I could have given Ye Cheng Jing the perfect ending he deserved.'

Xu Jin Yi could only hope that the official release of "Murphy's Amusement Park" wouldn't be delayed any longer. The thought of never seeing Officer Ye again in her lifetime was a depressing one.

On the game's forum, she had come across fan-made creations of Ye Cheng Jing, and it was clear that other players shared her high expectations for this character. However, there were also some strange pairings, like Wang Jin Long x Ye Cheng Jing. When she first saw it, she had to do a double-take. What were those forum players thinking? Did they want to subvert the official storyline?

"Ding~."

The sound of the elevator door opening interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced at the floor display. Unfortunately, it was the floor pressed by the barefoot ghost.

【23】

This time, she focused her gaze on the thin, tall figure who had been withdrawn the whole time. Thin Ghost: "..."

Xu Jin Yi grabbed their thin, withered wrist, smiling kindly. "Have a good journey~!"

Accompanied by a piercing wail, the slender figure thrashed about in the elevator with frenzied abandon. Zeng Zhi cowered in the corner, hoping to avoid being struck.

Twice the flailing figure hit Xu Jin Yi, causing her vision to momentarily darken, but not enough to trigger a GAME OVER. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the hand with desperate force. "I'm just taking you home!" she yelled.

One of the slender figure's wild movements accidentally sent the spicy hot pot toppling from the corner, scattering food across the milky white elevator floor. The tempting aroma filled the air while the mess on the floor was overwhelming.

Xu Jin Yi froze in her tracks. This was bad!

The slender figure took advantage of her hesitation and squeezed past her to the elevator's opposite corner, feigning nonchalance.

But then something strange began to happen.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The figure's lone foot began to dissolve, and the liquefying elevator floor devoured it relentlessly, causing the once towering monster to slowly shrink in size. Despite its best efforts, the figure could not free itself from the floor's clutches.

Zeng Zhi watched in horror, fearing that he, too, might be "eaten" by the elevator. He tiptoed anxiously, desperate to avoid the same fate.

Xu Jin Yi, on the other hand, remained still. She had not caused this chaos, nor had she knocked anything over. Turning slightly, she saw that the large pile of spicy hot pot had vanished without a trace.

Nobody had yet exited the 23rd floor. Xu Jin Yi feared that the emaciated figure would be consumed, leaving no one to take its place as a sacrifice.

With gritted teeth, Xu Jin Yi seized the skinny figure's wrist.

The skinny figure:!

It was elated and clasped Xu Jin Yi's outstretched hand. Together, they strained against the lift as if competing in a tug-of-war.

The speed of its consumption slowed considerably.

Xu Jin Yi breathed a sigh of relief but knew she had to get the skinny figure out of the lift before it was too late.

She hammered the "Y" button with lightning-fast reflexes, waging a frantic struggle against the lift. Finally, she triumphed over it...or did she?

The skinny figure unleashed a mournful cry as its waist was violently ripped apart. Xu Jin Yi flung the upper half of its torso out of the lift while the lift devoured the lower half.

As the thin figure's body extended more than halfway out of the elevator, the doors abruptly slammed shut, severing the body in two!

Xu Jin Yi whirled around as the explosive black substance sprayed her back.

The elevator behind her fell silent, and Xu Jin Yi promptly glanced at the display.

The light on the 23rd floor flickered a few times before grudgingly snuffing out.

Now, only Xu Jin Yi and Zeng Zhi remained in the elevator.

Xu Jin Yi saved her progress and eyed her lone NPC teammate.

Zeng Zhi's gaze vacantly.

Xu Jin Yi: "…"

Bad news, Zeng Zhi's sanity level has dropped too low! She took a giant stride and crouched before him, shaking his shoulders.

Hold on a second, why does this sanity restoration require a QTE! Her mind whisked her back to the Screaming Haunted House game, where she had to incessantly prattle to salvage Tian Si De's sanity. Back then, she could hardly bear to utter a word because of the aftermath! With no other choice, Xu Jin Yi saved her progress again and commenced another round of QTE.

Xu Jin Yi's fingers were nearly worn to the bone before Zeng Zhi's sanity level finally reached the passing mark. Once it did, his sanity would slowly recover on its own. Although it was currently stuck, it would soon improve.

Xu Jin Yi saved her progress before standing up to rub her fingers.

Zeng Zhi was dizzy from the terror that had just unfolded and barely managed to regain his composure.

He massaged his temples and whispered, "Shh, what should we do now?"

It wasn't that he didn't want to use his brain, but his efforts were futile. When she moved, everything was resolved. When he moved, everything went wrong!

Zeng Zhi's sanity level was too quickly diminished, causing Xu Jin Yi some distress.

Just then, the elevator stopped once again.

【17】

It was the floor the barefoot ghost had pressed. Xu Jin Yi thought, 'Why was i so unlucky?' Could two people even escape the elevator on the 17th floor?

Xu Jin Yi held her breath and returned to the previous save. Since the elevator stopped on a random floor each time, this time, the save brought them to:

【18】

It was still the floor the barefoot ghost pressed. Xu Jin Yi wanted to drag the barefoot ghost back and give it a good beating.

"Continuing to rewind," Xu Jin Yi said as she furiously tapped the save file.

【22】

She continued to rewind.

【9】

"...Still rewinding!"

【13】

"Rewind!!"

【32】

"Re-... hold on, not this time."

Perhaps, after being plagued by misfortune, their luck had finally turned. The elevator had stopped on the 【32】 floor, which was the one Zeng Zhi had pressed earlier.

Xu Jin Yi sighed in relief, realizing there was no need to rewind again. She pressed the 'open door' button. "It's your turn now."

Zeng Zhi looked at Xu Jin Yi, confused. "Me?" Zeng Zhi's eyes widened in surprise. 'Was I really that lucky?' From his perspective, he had almost just pressed the 【32】 floor button.

As Xu Jin Yi pushed Zeng Zhi out of the elevator, he felt like he was in a daze. Zeng Zhi gripped his camera tightly and prepared to move forward cautiously into the darkness. However, his legs seemed to have a mind of their own, propelling him forward in great strides.

Zeng Zhi:???

He had never run this fast before, not even during his university physical exams!

His legs moved so quickly that they left a trail of afterimages behind them, but he felt no pain. Only after he crossed the white border did he regain control of his body...and then he collapsed.

Holy shit!

His heart was pounding so fast that it felt like it was about to die. His calf muscles twitched and ached, and a sweet, metallic taste rose from deep within his throat. The cold air filled his lungs, making every breath feel painful.

Zeng Zhi lay on the grey concrete for what felt like an eternity, slowly recovering from his burst of energy.

The sun in the sky was strikingly prominent, its orange-yellow light filtering through the window without glass and casting his face in a warm glow. Zeng Zhi squinted his eyes wearily.

Has the sun already risen?

Zeng Zhi rose, gasping for air as he fished out his phone.

"...?"

Several messages from Wang Jin Long lit up his phone screen, but Zeng Zhi was flabbergasted by the time displayed.

How could he have been in there for three days?

And it was 6:00 pm...so this wasn't sunrise, it was sunset??