Chapter 230: The Two Ends of the Scale 11
Today is an overcast day, and the storm at sea is fierce.
However, the weather forecast did not predict this huge storm. Fishing boats out at sea are rushing back to port at full throttle, and tourist cruise ships are swaying back to the port.
The sea breeze lifts the sand on the beach, where not a single person is to be seen. The owner of a guesthouse, wearing flip-flops, is bustling about the beach, trying to gather all the large umbrellas before the wind damages them.
The torrential rain arrives suddenly, with raindrops growing larger, soaking the golden beach as the waves at sea become even more violent.
The guesthouse owner has just collected the last umbrella and is about to return to his residence when he inadvertently turns around and suddenly spots a small fishing boat swaying in the storm. The boat is bobbing in the turbulent waves, as if it could be swallowed by the angry seas at any moment.
The rain is falling so heavily that it feels like the sky and the ground are covered by a gray curtain.
The fishing boat appears vaguely through the gray veil. Thunder rumbles overhead, and the sound of relentless rain and crashing waves fills the air. Yet, the guesthouse owner shudders, feeling an inexplicable silence—the place concealed by layers of gray, at the boundary of sky and sea, where only that fishing boat approaches slowly like a ghost ship drifting on the water.
“What are you just standing there getting soaked for? Get inside!” his wife’s voice jolts him back to reality.
“Oh, oh, oh! Coming!” He shrinks his head and runs back into the house, shielding himself from the rain with his free arm.
The fishing boat is far from him, and he doesn’t see a man standing at the bow, dressed in black.
The boat is rocking violently, yet the man stands firmly at the bow.
Behind him, the crew in the cabin looks like silent sentinels, puppets devoid of self-awareness, mechanically operating the fishing boat, steering it toward the shore.
Suddenly, there is a loud noise from beneath the boat; it has run aground, throwing the crew inside into chaos.
The man sways but quickly returns to the cabin, issuing mental commands to the crew. They scramble to their feet, attempting to control the boat, but water has already begun to flood the hull.
“Damn it, so close…” The man assesses the distance to the shore. “Looks like I have to swim over.”
He takes a few steps back into the cabin, grabs the collar of a person lying on the floor, and drags him outside.
The person on the ground looks pitiful, having lost consciousness. His clothes are stained with splotches of blood, and his body is tightly bound with rope. Even more horrifying, there appear to be countless small lumps squirming beneath his skin, sending chills down the spine.
During the dragging, the bound man regains a bit of consciousness. His gaze is vacant as he asks, “Who… are you…”
The man smirks, “Didn’t I already tell you? My name is Augus.”
A sharp knife appears in Augus’s hand as he plunges it into the captive’s throat, releasing his blood. The captive, having lost too much blood, immediately passes out again, while the wound on his throat begins to heal slowly.
Augus tears a rope from the deck, picks up a buoyant life ring, and secures the captive to it with the rope. Then, he lifts the captive with one hand and throws both the captive and the life ring into the sea. Dark blue water splashes with a hint of crimson, as the blood mixes into the water, soon becoming completely invisible.
Augus glances back at the crew on the boat, pondering for two seconds. “Forget it… Getting my hands dirty will draw attention. Let’s leave it to the sea…”
He steps over the railing and jumps into the water, grabbing the life ring, and begins to swim through the waves towards the shore with the captive.
…
It has now been three days since Kui Xin completed the leave of absence process.
The process of applying for leave was fraught with difficulties. The counselor inquired about her family situation with concern, repeatedly offering help if she needed it. However, Kui Xin handled it well and ultimately managed to secure her leave.
Standing outside the department office, she looks at the stamp of “Leave of Absence” on her blue student ID and involuntarily exhales, feeling a rare sense of relief.
Finally, she can carve out time to deal with urgent matters amidst her studies.
The counselor presented her with two options: one was to take a leave for an entire academic year and return to attend classes with the freshmen the following year, effectively repeating a year; the other was to take a semester off, allowing her to stay with her class without repeating, but she would need to make up the credits for any missed courses, which means undergoing coursework exams alongside the newcomers.
After some thought, Kui Xin chose the latter.
A half-year’s time is long indeed; the game’s impact on the real world is so significant and the changes so drastic. If an apocalypse truly awaits in the future, it undoubtedly wouldn’t take as long as half a year to arrive—perhaps it will be sooner.
Just two weeks after the first round of beta testing, the second round has begun. Perhaps in the near future, the third round will commence as well. The number of players in the second beta is ten times that of the first. If the third round follows suit, the player count could soar to a million.
At that point, the order of the First World is bound to be severely disrupted, and the situation between the First and Second Worlds will become clear.
Taking her student ID, Kui Xin walks out of the office building, wondering if there’s a way to prevent the game from continuing.
If the third beta begins, will there be a surge of new “anchor points” among the players? Eliminating so many anchor points won’t be easy.
Is there a way to stop… is there a way to stop? Kui Xin falls into thought.
“Senior.” Someone calls out to her.
“Xi Liang?” Kui Xin turns around.
“What are you doing here? I just saw you come out of the office building,” Xi Liang says.
There’s no need to hide the leave of absence; it’s easy for anyone to find out about it.
Kui Xin replies directly, “I applied for a leave of absence.”
“I see… If it weren’t for my family’s situation, I’d want to take a leave too… Studying so hard at universities in both worlds—who can bear it?” Xi Liang says.
“Have you sorted out your tuition?” Kui Xin asks.
“I applied for a loan with another company; their interest is quite high. I might be paying it back for a long time,” Xi Liang says awkwardly. “Having a school to attend is better than not having one, so I’ll go with it for now. There might be opportunities for a turnaround in the future.”
Kui Xin gives a slight “mm” in response.
“I’ve submitted my application,” Xi Liang whispers. “Now I’m just waiting for it to be approved.”
Kui Xin glances at him, nodding. “Just make sure you’ve thought it through.”
“Can you give me a hint, senior? Do I need to go through any tests or anything…” Xi Liang asks anxiously.
Kui Xin ponders, “Let’s talk once you’ve communicated with Black Snake. If you pass, someone will definitely contact you.”
Xi Liang replies nervously, “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”
Kui Xin bids him farewell and walks directly towards her rented apartment.
She didn’t bring much with her on this trip to university, and the rented place feels empty. It seems she won’t be able to stay here for a while. Though no one is living there, renting the place isn’t a loss; the rent is reasonable and she can treat it as a base in another city. With uncertain changes ahead, being prepared never hurts.
She booked a ticket to return to Tonglin City tomorrow morning, needing to stay here one more night.
Li Wanran’s research and investigation into the tobacco factory have hit a standstill. Regardless of whether they sent in living or dead creatures, everything gets consumed. Even with ultra-strong ropes fixed to the items sent in, the ropes are inexplicably cut, and whatever is tied to them vanishes without a trace.
The players gathered in Tonglin City for night patrols are patrolling diligently every day, but after several days without incident, their nerves have begun to relax a bit, leading to some complacency.
In these days without incidents, the atmosphere on the forum has returned to calm. The news about Black Snake’s personal section expanding recruitment, after a few days of fermentation and discussion, is gradually settling down.
During this time of quiet, Kui Xin busies herself with the identity qualification reviews. The number of people in her personal section has slowly increased to five hundred now.
Amidst the crisis, the players find temporary peace, but beneath this calm lies an even greater crisis.
After taking a shower in the independent bathroom of her rental unit, Kui Xin receives a message from Yu Hansue: “I convinced my aunt; she wants me to stay a few more days to observe the situation. If things stabilize, she’ll arrange to discharge me so I can return to Tonglin City for treatment. Have you finished your leave of absence process?”
“It’s done. I booked my ticket; I’m going back to my hometown tomorrow,” Kui Xin types back. “I’m pretty free right now. How about I come visit you? What would you like to eat? I can bring some for you.”
Since Yu Hansue is officially a patient and has dietary restrictions, she can’t eat much, and during this time she’s been craving food. Just yesterday, she complained to Kui Xin that she hadn’t had hot pot in a long time.
While Kui Xin can’t bring her hot pot, she can still bring her favorite spicy strips and hot pot-flavored rice crackers.
But unexpectedly, Yu Hansue declines, “No need, Xin Xin. You should rest. You must be exhausted. I have a caregiver taking care of me tonight, so it’s not convenient for me to eat.”
“I can sneak over at midnight,” Kui Xin suggests.
“That would be too much trouble for you. Just listen to me and get some proper rest,” Yu Hansue replies.
Kui Xin furrows her brows and responds, “Alright.”
After drying her hair, Kui Xin lies on her bed, feeling that something is off.
She’s leaving tomorrow. Given Yu Hansue’s character, she would usually make an effort to see her since their next meeting might not be for a week or two. Just for some spicy strips, Yu Hansue keeps pushing it off… this doesn’t seem to be in line with her character.
Back in middle school, Yu Hansue was audacious, daring to encourage Kui Xin to skip the summer tutoring classes that the school arranged. The two of them played hooky together.
Lying on her bed with a blanket over her, Kui Xin closes her eyes for a short nap.
In the middle of the night, she opens her eyes, getting dressed and putting on her shoes. After disguising herself, she climbs over the college’s wall, avoiding surveillance.
On her way, she buys two packs of spicy strips and rice crackers from a vending machine.
The night is very quiet; the subway has stopped operating. It takes Kui Xin some time to reach the hospital.
But when she pushes open the door to Yu Hansue’s hospital room, the bed is empty, with only a pile of scattered bandages.
The caregiver is slumped at the bedside, sleeping heavily, and despite Kui Xin calling out to her twice, she can’t wake her.
A gust of wind sweeps through, lifting the curtains in the hospital room, revealing that the window is wide open.
Kui Xin looks at the window with a serious expression, her instincts sending waves of anxiety through her.
Yu Hansue is not here! Did she drug the caregiver and quietly leave the hospital? What is she planning to do?
