Chapter 50

Chapter 50 – Sorry, Yuan Yuan!

In February of 2008, a severe snowstorm hit the southern regions of China, with Xiangnan Province suffering the most. ChuBei Province was also affected, even though it was already February, the outdoor temperature remained unbearably low.

“Only a small amount of snow fell yesterday, but the ground has already frozen over.”

Today, Xia Yuan wore cream-colored winter boots. As they were new, she found them slippery and had to hold onto Lin You Xi’s arm carefully as they walked on the icy ground. Mei Fang followed slightly behind, watching the two girls’ backs and reminiscing about the past.

After the moving incident, the three maintained a long-lasting and stable friendship. However, as they entered adolescence, apart from the obvious physical changes due to secondary sexual characteristics, Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s personalities also shifted.

Xia Yuan was no longer the crybaby she once was; she was always in high spirits, seemingly having endless good news. She now preferred short hair with a small braid, reminiscent of a呆毛 (a term for a single, often exaggerated hair strand).

Lin You Xi was no longer as lively as she was in fourth grade; she started growing her hair out and liked putting her hands in her pockets when walking.

Although she wasn’t as aloof as in her previous life, she still exuded an aura that said “don’t bother me.”

“Brother Fang, help me! Help me! Help me!”

Xia Yuan slipped and almost fell, and Lin You Xi was trying hard to pull her up. Seeing this, Mei Fang hurriedly ran forward, grabbing Xia Yuan’s hand and pulling both her and Lin You Xi up.

Xia Yuan clung to Mei Fang’s shoulder, panting heavily in front of him, “Phew… I was so scared. If I fell, my butt would hurt for days.”

“That’s why I told you not to go out today. You almost got what you deserved.”

Xia Yuan stuck out her tongue playfully, “There’s a new shooting game at the arcade that simulates fighting zombies. With the snow, there are fewer people around, so we should check it out!”

As Lin You Xi reflected, the old-fashioned arcade with joysticks in Baimei County had quickly declined, replaced by a more complex one with slot machines, fishing games, racing games, and shooting games. The value of tokens also skyrocketed, from 1 yuan buying 6 tokens to 1 yuan buying only 2 tokens, and some advanced games required 2-4 tokens per play. Despite this, such arcades were still popular in small towns like Baimei, where many families like Xia Yuan’s could afford them.

Xia Yuan eagerly exchanged 20 yuan for tokens and rushed to the new light gun shooting game.

“This is it!”

The game she played was none other than the famous “House of the Dead 3.”

The screen displayed horrifying zombies, and two new shotguns were placed in front of the machine. Xia Yuan picked up a shotgun and showed off the loading action to Mei Fang, “How do I look? Like a lone female gunman?”

“I find it strange. You used to like cute things, but suddenly you’re interested in zombie games…”

“There’s nothing strange about it. Liking cute things doesn’t stop me from liking exciting things.”

Xia Yuan looked very curious and amused, “Brother Fang, tell me the truth. Are you afraid to play?”

Lin You Xi, who was playing with the light gun, chimed in, “He’s always been timid, even too scared to play with frogs.”

“Haha! Now I remember! Brother Fang, you really are afraid, aren’t you?”

“What am I afraid of? I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Fang. If you’re scared, just watch us. We won’t laugh at you.”

“Who cares?”

So, Xia Yuan continued to insert tokens, picking up a gun along with Lin You Xi, while Mei Fang watched.

This classic light gun game, despite its simple mechanics, had excellent shooting feel and story presentation. Each time reloading, one needed to load the gun properly.

The zombies in the game were particularly terrifying, especially their sudden appearances. Xia Yuan, playing for the first time, screamed every time a zombie appeared unexpectedly. She died three times in the first chapter.

“Wu… I’m too weak. Sorry, You Xi.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You did great, Yuan Yuan.”

“But you’re much better than me!”

“I… I’ve played similar games on the computer more often, hehe.”

Even though it was her first time playing a light gun game, Lin You Xi had excellent shooting skills. She focused intently on the screen, ready to take down any zombie that came her way.

“Come on… Brother Fang, now it’s your turn. Let’s see if you’re afraid.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Sorry, Yuan Yuan!

Standing before you is the first player in Baimei County to clear “House of the Dead 3,” the record holder for the least coins used, Mei Fang!

As a versatile game planner, Mei Fang’s gaming experience and technical skills were top-notch in the county. He was revered by other kids when he sat in the arcade.

Back then, the biggest obstacle to Mei Fang clearing the game was his poor English skills. But now, having gone to college, reading English posed no problem. He played effortlessly, guiding Lin You Xi through the process.

“You Xi, when rescue events happen, target the enemies marked as ‘danger.’ This will help us survive. Keep aiming for the head during boss fights. If we don’t hit the weak points during cutscenes, we’ll both lose health!”

Despite being a new game and their impressive gameplay, Mei Fang and Lin You Xi’s thrilling battle quickly drew the attention of many children.

Now, these two teenagers were becoming legendary figures in the small town, and their exploits would be passed down by word of mouth among the children, turning into urban legends within the arcade.

“Oh, we’ve run out of tokens.”

“We made it to Chapter Three on our first try. That’s enough for now.”

Mei Fang and Lin You Xi decided to stop before the Chapter Three boss and didn’t continue inserting tokens.

To perform a one-life clear in the arcade, one needs to practice extensively by repeatedly inserting tokens.

After all, unscrupulous arcade owners often set the game difficulty high to make players either quit or insert more tokens. However, they usually don’t set it to the highest level to give players a false hope of completing the game in one life, otherwise, the arcade might be nicknamed a coin-eating machine, which would spell its demise.

Moreover, shooting games require holding the gun continuously and reloading frequently, which can be quite tiring.

Mei Fang and Lin You Xi stepped down, and Xia Yuan immediately grabbed Mei Fang’s arm excitedly.

“Brother Fang, your speed is amazing! No wonder you’re so good at video games.”

“What speed? It’s skill.”

“Aren’t they the same thing?”

Xia Yuan scratched her head in confusion, then noticed the vending machine next to the light gun game.

“Brother Fang, there’s a new claw machine! Let’s go play!”

Welcome to the daily updates! Don’t forget to follow the ongoing story.

Tonight, there’s no update, but feel free to come to the group and urge me to write more.

(End of Chapter)