No matter where you go, I will accompany you.

Xing Ye believed that Xing Shuo would not harm him, he had the choice at the time.

If Xing Ye had accepted his brother’s cause of death without investigating or overthinking, he would never have realized that his brother’s last words had a deeper meaning.

If Xing Ye refused to accept this cause of death and continued investigating, he would eventually discover the QR code after scientific methods failed to provide answers.

Of course, this also included the fact that Xing Ye was able to recall the QR code he saw many days ago and was willing to use it as a clue to enter the game.

Entering the game also required actively choosing the Fate-defying player, which had a probability even lower than the luck of Fate-defying players, around only 0.1%.

Xing Shuo prepared a 99.9% chance for Xing Ye to safely get through the rest of his life, but Xing Ye chose that slim 0.1% chance, and his brother was willing to bet on that 0.1% as well. That’s probably what it means to be brothers.

Guan Ling and Cao Qian were unaware of Xing Ye’s brother’s situation and were hearing for the first time that Xing Ye’s family also died in this game. They were at a loss but were worried that Xing Ye, immersed in this matter, might forget their purpose.

Guan Ling couldn't help but say, “Boss, I know you’re very sad, but we still need to get out. If we don’t, we won’t be able to do anything.”

Humans are strange creatures. Guan Ling was just sitting on the stairs waiting to die, but now that it seemed Xing Ye was about to give up hope, he didn’t want to die anymore.

“I’m not sad,” Xing Ye turned around and said. “The time to be sad has long passed. People cannot dwell on the past.”

Cao Qian listened to Xing Ye’s words thoughtfully.

Xing Ye said to the two of them, “The reason I’m examining this painting is to understand why we ended up in this mausoleum, why the game let us in here, what this place is, and how it manages to intervene in the game.”

“So, Boss, have you figured it out?”

Xing Ye replied, “I have thought of a few things, and it was that wind earlier that reminded me. For a moment, I guessed that my brother wanted to tell me something, which is why he pulled me into this world. But upon closer reflection, that cannot be the case. No one knows what they will encounter after death, so if Xing Shuo wanted to tell me something, he must have said everything he needed to before he died.

“Coming here was an accident, something my brother probably didn’t anticipate. But that wind must be his way of giving me a hint.”

“Hinting that you should save him or that he’s here?” Guan Ling asked.

Xing Ye shook his head, “No, he wouldn’t need to do that. He would only remind me of where we are and how we should get out.”

“Then I know you must have thought of something else,” Guan Ling said with certainty, his dim eyes gradually regaining some colour.

Xing Ye said, “I have thought of something, but all my guesses are based on the assumption that ‘the wind was my brother trying to tell me something.’ If this assumption proves false, everything I have speculated might be wrong. For now, it seems we can only take a gamble.”

“Gamble, gamble, gamble!” Guan Ling raised his hand and said, “Boss, right now we’ve got nothing to lose. Waiting to die is still death; taking a gamble, even if we die, it’s not a loss. If we survive, it’s a gain. Besides, I believe your brother must be as outstanding and smart as you.”

His flattery pleased Xing Ye, who showed a faint smile: “I think that wind we felt earlier was trying to tell us that the deceased in the game still have some level of consciousness… or rather, residual awareness, although it’s very faint. One person’s power can only manage to barely move a piece of paper at most.

“But since there is consciousness, our presence in the mausoleum must be the desire of this consciousness. One residual thought alone couldn’t accomplish it, but thousands of residual thoughts from all the deceased could. They could only connect the spiritual world with the passage here, but once that connection was made, they had no more power. We can see this from the fact that we haven’t been attacked since entering the castle.”

Cao Qian raised her hand and asked, “What about the players who were tricked into the doors?”

Xing Ye replied, “It could be either that the collective residual awareness wanted to pull others down with them, or that after the passage was established, the system didn’t want other players to know about this place and thus kept everyone alive here.”

“So why did they want to sabotage our game mission and bring us here?” Cao Qian asked, puzzled.

Xing Ye speculated, “There are probably two reasons: first, resentment. They resent the living players and would harm anyone they can; second, desperation. The dead in the game are trapped behind the doors, and it’s a very painful situation for them. They want to leave, so they keep trying to seek help.”

“But we’ve never encountered this before. Why did it succeed this time?” Guan Ling, who had met quite a few players in the game, had never heard of such a thing. Even the reincarnation player Randy had never mentioned it.

Xing Ye had his own speculations, but just as he was hesitating whether to speak, Lu Mingze in the mirror suddenly spoke up: “I think it’s because of me.”

Cao Qian and Guan Ling turned to look at him simultaneously.

Lu Mingze’s voice was soft and had a fragile tone: “There’s a door on the second floor that belongs to me, which means I have a certain connection with this world. It’s probably through this connection that the passage was established using me as a medium.”

He made a valid point, and Xing Ye thought so as well, but he didn’t want to tell Guan Ling and Cao Qian.

Cao Qian said, “If we’re talking about it this way, then Lin Lin should count as well. Although she hasn’t been to the final stage like you, she should have a door too.”

Swan Crystal trembled in fear, worried that Cao Qian would blame her. But Cao Qian just patted the swan’s wing and said nothing.

Xing Ye understood Cao Qian’s intention; she didn’t want anyone to blame the little mirror. Everyone was a teammate, and internal conflict shouldn’t happen.

The system was right; although it was a bug, there was a certain resemblance to the spiritual world here— the longer you stayed, the more uncomfortable it became.

Xing Ye patted Lu Mingze on the back and said, “I suspected you might think that. Actually, I also think it’s related to me. Since I entered the game through a backdoor, I might be a bug myself, which is why the residual consciousness could connect the passage with my presence. Thinking further, it’s likely that everyone shares some responsibility. It’s pointless to assign blame. We need to find a way out.”

“I think if I enter the door that belongs to me, it will cut off the connection and everyone will be able to return,” Lu Mingze mumbled.

“It’s clearly not like that. If you were really the passage, then your disappearance would mean the passage is cut off, and we wouldn’t be able to leave,” Xing Ye reassured. “Don’t overthink it. I already have a way to get out.”

“Boss, you have a solution?” Guan Ling, who had been feeling particularly conflicted, sometimes wanting to blame the little mirror and sometimes suspecting Linda, then considering his own position as a Fate-defying player and understanding the props perspective, found himself tangled in doubts. His cardiovascular system felt like it was getting knotted up.

Only Xing Ye’s words gave him a glimmer of hope.

Xing Ye pointed to the attic and said, “Sometimes, opportunities lie hidden within crises.”

Cao Qian said, “I think there must be something terrifying up there. How could it be a way out?”

Xing Ye explained, “Continuing from what we were discussing, I mentioned that the collective consciousness pulled us into the mausoleum for two possible reasons. First, malice. If they simply wanted us dead, why not release the monsters in the attic to eat us directly or push us into the doors? It’s clear that the monsters are sealed by the collective consciousness, so they could also release them.

Second, desperation. If it’s about seeking help, then the things upstairs are also a threat to the collective consciousness. What could pose a threat to the mausoleum?”

“The game system!” Cao Qian and Guan Ling suddenly realized.

Besides that, there was nothing else.

“So I believe that there’s a passage back to the system world in the attic, but it’s guarded by some terrifying creature that won’t let us through, and we can’t let it leave the attic,” Xing Ye explained. “Honestly, my brother is on the second floor, and I can’t guarantee what will happen if the door is destroyed. I don’t want to take that risk.”

“But we have no clues about that creature, and we don’t even know if the QR code or initial skills are useful. What should we do?” Guan Ling asked worriedly.

Xing Ye didn’t respond. Lu Mingze in the mirror looked up at him and suddenly said, “No matter where you go, I will accompany you.”

Xing Ye was somewhat surprised, realizing that Lu Mingze had guessed his thoughts.

“What… what?” Guan Ling felt a bad premonition rising in his heart.

Cao Qian looked at him and said, “You want to go through your brother’s door?”

Xing Ye nodded slowly, “I believe that the wind we felt earlier was more than just a small hint. I want to see him.”

Guan Ling immediately protested, “Boss, you’ve heard from the little mirror what happens to people who enter the door. You’re so smart; are you really going to take this risk?”

Xing Ye firmly said, “I know this idea may seem a bit crazy, but some risks in life are worth taking. The previous players entered doors that were originally unoccupied, so they got trapped inside. But I want to enter a door that already has someone inside. I believe it’s still worth a try.”

“Besides, didn’t another player come out?”

“But he wasn’t human anymore; he committed suicide!” Guan Ling almost jumped up.

But he suddenly stopped halfway, realizing, “Wait a minute. It’s actually quite simple to leave here—just commit suicide. I’m not in a rush to go to the advanced world. Returning to the beginner world would actually be a good thing. Doing so to escape the bug definitely doesn’t count as shirking my duties. I guess I really don’t need to worry about how to get back.”

Cao Qian couldn’t help but laugh a little: “I think I just realized that too.”

Just a moment ago, they had been sitting on the stairs as if their souls had been lost, seemingly unable to find a way out. Who would have thought that the solution to their problem was so simple?

Cao Qian had already been back to the beginner world once, so going back again didn’t matter much.

Xing Ye said, “Of course, I don’t want everyone to choose this most passive method, but if I’m in there for too long or if you encounter any issues after I leave, you must make a decisive choice.”

Guan Ling nodded vigorously, “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ve always got a gun on me. I can kill Cao Qian first and then commit suicide. That way, Cao Qian will only lose half of her points.”

With three bullets remaining in his Hundred Percent Hit gun, Guan Ling’s hand trembled slightly, but he was resolute.

Cao Qian also said to Xing Ye, “I hope we don’t have to take this route. I hope you come back safely.”

“Thank you.” Xing Ye gave his two teammates a friendly smile.

He was truly grateful for Guan Ling and Cao Qian’s understanding.

Xing Ye knew that everything was just an excuse. Once he guessed that the door belonged to his brother, he had to go in. At this moment, the mausoleum was not a bug to him, but an opportunity.

An opportunity to see the truth.

Xing Ye was not afraid of death. Since he entered this game, he had never been afraid. His only concern was for the little mirror, worried that if something happened to him, the mirror would be assigned to someone unknown by the system.

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingze was the most supportive of him at this moment and even insisted on going in with him.

“If anything happens to you, I might end up going through the door too,” the little mirror muttered, “It’s better to go in with you. We share an initial skill, so it might come in handy.”

“Thank you.” Xing Ye lowered his head and gently kissed the mirror.

 

Translator : DarNan