In Virtual Reality 90 ☆ The Hydrangea Park (14/33)

Fox Snap was elated, convinced that she had finally found a Wolf comrade. She immediately inquired about the young girl knight's identity. She surveyed BGM from head to toe, then hesitated and questioned, "What is your skill? How do you kill? And..." Her face contorted momentarily, "Why do you sound so strange? Did you employ a voice modulator or something?"

BGM became irate, "What's so odd about it?! This is my natural voice!"

Ah, it's not odd, just perverted. But that remark clearly didn't belong in this situation. Fox Snap managed a stiff and disingenuous smile, "Of course, of course, it sounds splendid, truly splendid."

BGM regarded the sword and signalled to her, "Behold, I can face-slash."

Just now, the sharp and icy long sword left a deep impression on Fox Snap. Nodding her head, she exclaimed, "Finally, a teammate. You can't imagine what I just went through." She recounted the situation where she had just confronted the Doomsday broadcaster.

The public vote revealed results quickly, but both BGM and the barrage viewers were shocked by the excitement. Both sides expressed their amazement at what had just unfolded before them.

BGM's eyes darted around before he grabbed the microphone and spoke quickly, "How can you be sure that the Doomsday broadcaster is a good person? What if he's on our team? If you vote him out, wouldn't we be screwed?"

Fox Snap was unfazed, "Who plays this game and dares to wear a werewolf skin? Not even the Welded Wolves are that bold. Moreover, when the four of us confronted each other, the Doomsday broadcaster didn't seem to intend to take action. It's highly unlikely that he's a werewolf. Besides," she continued, "there are only ten players in this game. There are only four werewolves at most, and now there is a fixed judge for the good people. That leaves only five civilians."

Fox Snap spoke confidently, "As long as the four of us stick together, we can take out a few players with our knives. Moreover, one player has already been eliminated in the public vote," she paused. Her voice dropped as she realised something.

BGM witnessed the player's sudden expression change and expressed his surprise in the barrage area. "What's wrong?" he asked over the microphone.

"Although the Doomsday broadcaster was eliminated in the first public vote," Fox Snap held the Death Note tightly and looked grave, "the Reaper didn't eliminate him right away for some reason."

This puzzled BGM too. He had glanced at the voting area in the top left corner earlier and noticed that player number 3, who had been voted out, didn't turn grey, but he didn't know why.

"I suspect a player encountered the Reaper earlier and did something," Fox Snap speculated.

【? Who is showing off like this?】

【Is the system bugged?】

【Maybe it was intentionally designed like this? Afraid the game would end too soon.】

"The Excelsior, do you know anything about them?" The beast-eared girl abruptly changed the subject. "I suspect they're behind this."

BGM was caught off guard and almost choked on his saliva. He quickly turned off his microphone, pounded his chest a few times, and then turned it back on. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Confidently, Fox Snap asserted, "Operations like this can only be accomplished by those who know the game inside out or if there's a system glitch. 【Madam】 was with me when we spotted the Reaper NPC, so she couldn't be the culprit. That leaves only Excelsior in the game. I suspect that Excelsior is either neutral or above; otherwise, why delay the results of the public vote?"

[TN: If you are not reading this novel on puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon, please support the original translator by visiting my website. Thank you! :)]

However, BGM held a different viewpoint, "Perhaps Excelsior is a teammate trying to protect other wolf teammates from being eliminated. Besides, If Excelsior has a civilian card, why did they put wanted posters on the forum? Did they have nothing better to do?"

"Wanted for what?" Fox Snap had not yet read the latest news and was confused by the discussion of a "wanted notice." After receiving some information, she quickly deduced, "Could it be just for attention? Maybe they want to be noticed."

BGM was not too concerned about Excelsior's identity and planned to eliminate everyone, one by one. However, Fox Snap had a different plan in mind. She was determined to acquire Excelsior's number. If they turned out to be civilian, she would eliminate the legendary character Excelsior in front of the live audience.

Despite their different motivations, Fox Snap and BGM came to the same conclusion about Excelsior's fate.

For BGM, being seen with Excelsior was a surefire way to garner an insane amount of online traffic. What if Excelsior was a goody-two-shoes? BGM's identity prevented him from taking down a civilian. Therefore it would be better if Excelsior was a werewolf. When he'll launch into his display of righteous judgment, BGM could ride the wave of traffic and publicity.

With their own agendas in mind, the two agreed to venture out and search for other players together.

**

"Marvelous," no player realised they could climb the mountain yet. Xu Jin Yi was delighted and carefree, occasionally standing up and using the telescope to scan the terrain. "If this were a promotional video, it would be even more tempting for easy-going pleasure-seeking players."

Inspired by "Red Staircase," Xu Jin Yi quickly recalled the "interest theory" making rounds online. After all, as long as there were enough benefits, most people would do things they previously believed they would never do. For instance, even though Fox Snap was a fan of Excelsior, as long as she could increase the popularity of her live broadcast and the number of fans, she could kill her idol in the game.

Xu Jin Yi wasn't surprised.

But now...

She supported her chin and began to reminisce.

Wang Jin Long and Lone Wolf had revealed their identities. The former had lied, claiming to be "Silence," and now they were heading to the broadcasting station to meet others. Between the two, if Wang Jin Long wanted to meet the real "Silence," he would undoubtedly reveal his name as "Silence" during the broadcast.

However, players active in the game network and watching Excelsior's videos knew that "Silence" was Excelsior's nickname. And the majority of participants in this competition were pleasure-seekers, so the outcome of Wang Jin Long's use of the broadcast was clear - "a target to kill." Xu Jin Yi couldn't help but chuckle.

The broadcasting station would undoubtedly be a battleground soon, and she needed to descend the mountain to complete her tasks. Otherwise, the next phase of the plan would not be possible. She stood up, unconsciously dusting off the dirt on her body, and then paused.

[TN: :) If you are not reading this novel on puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon, please support the original translator by visiting my website. Thank you! :)]

"I almost forgot," she muttered, "this is a 'game,' after all."

Xu Jin Yi turned around and descended the mountain along the path she had come.

Xu Jin Yi had her own task to complete. In the process, she needed to rescue the pair trapped in the Hydrangea Flower Sea, lest they be killed before meeting their first werewolf.

The way down the mountain was treacherous, strewn with vines that threatened to trip her at every turn. But Xu Jin Yi pressed on, adjusting the brightness to its maximum and following the sturdy stone steps. It was then that she stumbled upon a fragment of detergent.

Xu Jin Yi couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Though the developer team was instructed to ramp up the mission's difficulty, the idea of "detergent fragments" was absurd. She stowed the item in her pocket, lifted the large vine before her, and found herself face to face with the Garden Ghost, who wielded gleaming horticultural scissors.

"Perfect," Xu Jin Yi emerged with a steady composure, then charged fiercely in the right direction!

She knew that time was of the essence, and her legs pumped with all their might to get her to her destination.

**

The Old Attorney's hand slammed onto Celestial Master's shoulder, startling him. The electric shocks running through his body gave the Old Attorney's voice an eerie quality as if the lost souls of hell had returned to the living world.

However, their conversation was short-lived due to the oppressive silence. The chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects had vanished, leaving an unsettling silence. The vast expanse of pink hydrangeas only added to the eerie atmosphere.

Just as they reached a stalemate, a figure emerged from the depths of the hydrangea sea.

【Oh my goodness...】

【This looks incredibly familiar.】

【Of course, the face in front of us is familiar! This thing almost killed streamer before!】

The barrage of comments jogged Celestial Master's memory, causing him to tremble and instinctively raise his peach wood sword.

Meanwhile, the fish-headed man beside him fell silent as he watched the red-clad female ghost drift towards them.

"Hiss-" he took a deep breath, his voice exploding uncontrollably. "Why the 【beep】 would the big boss appear now?! Why would there be a hidden boss at the beginning of the game?! Is she out for a walk?!!"

The outburst immediately caught the attention of the red-clad female ghost. She stopped and turned her head 180 degrees, revealing a bleeding face with seven orifices to show respect to the two players huddled together.

Celestial Master: "......"

Old Attorney: "......"

【Run, run, run!!!】

【Why is the streamer still stunned at this time?! Waiting for the boss buffet?!】

【Waaah, I don't want it! The braised fish head was already pitiful enough, don't come for sashimi, waaaah!】

【Run, run, run!】

【Is it possible that the person who said to run can't actually run away?】

Indeed, the iron gate of the hydrangea sea was already closed and electrified, leaving whoever touched it burnt to a crisp.

Amidst the sea of hydrangeas, there appeared to be no escape as the entire area was overrun with these vibrant flowers. The menacing red-clothed BOSS drew closer. Even if the two of them could evade with expertise, how long could they keep it up?

Old Attorney shoved Celestial Master aside as the red and black figure charged past them. Celestial Master, who tumbled into the flower bed, grabbed the peach wood sword and hurled it at Old Attorney, yelling, "Catch!"

With swift precision, the Fishman warrior, who had been inexplicably targeted, calmly caught the peach wood sword and pointed it at the approaching Red-Clothed Demon.

Like a bullfighter, the Fishman raised his battle flag as the Red-Clothed Demon bided its time for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Celestial Master continued to babble, "By the way, my skin is 【Taoist】, and my peach wood sword increases the ability to slay evil spirits. When you can, aim for the head of the Red-Clothed Demon and strike it."

"What did you say?" The Fishman, who stood not far away, froze, his eyes wide with disbelief. He turned his body and spoke desperately, "Slay evil spirits?"

Celestial Master nodded eagerly, thinking the Fishman doubted the sword's effectiveness. "Yes, yes. Although it cannot kill werewolves, it should still work against these NPCs."

The Fishman fell silent.

【Opponent's Attorney, Please Interrogate】 The participating skin this time was 【Fishman from the Deep Sea】, which was also an evil spirit and fell within the range of the peach wood sword's attack.

Hmm, doesn't holding this sword count as slaying yourself? (Laughs)

——— Translators Notes ———

Welded Wolves (焊狼) is a term used in the game to refer to players who pretend to be werewolves to deceive others.