Chapter 128: A Pigeon’s Solution

Chapter 128: A Pigeon's Solution

【Ding—Congratulations to players Yu Cong, Zhang E, ... Xie Fangcheng for clearing the dungeon [Red Infant Theater Troupe], Dungeon Survival Rate: 100%. A new record has been established.】

【Dungeon Rating: ???】

【Dungeon Evaluation: …】

【Dungeon Evaluation Update: S-Rank】

【Dungeon Evaluation Update: B-Rank】

【Dungeon Evaluation Update: S-Rank】

【Dungeon Evaluation Update…】

It seemed as though two different forces were at odds, causing the dungeon rating to fluctuate constantly.

Yu Cong and the others had never witnessed such a scene before, not only was a 100% survival rate unheard of, but also the system seemingly glitching, constantly flip-flopping the ratings, was new to them.

Of course, the true unprecedented sight was the boss standing before them.

In fact, their performance that evening had a minor hiccup.

In Xie Fangcheng's script, there were over ten roles, yet they only had seven people; the remaining roles were merely background characters or minor supporting roles.

Initially, everyone thought they could simply find someone from the troupe to fill in, right? However, when it came to actually finding someone, it turned out to be quite difficult. The NPCs in the troupe were somewhat traumatized by the thought of performing on stage at Shou Fang Village.

It was the deputy leader who reminded them, "You guys should have fifteen people in total, shouldn't you?"

Indeed.

There were seven players, and the remaining eight were the NPCs who had been scared off by Xie Fangcheng when they entered the dungeon. One particularly objectionable individual had already been disciplined by Manager Xie, leaving the other seven to live in trepidation daily. They did come out to eat, grabbing their bowls and running away, finding each mealtime as thrilling as bungee jumping.

Manager Xie couldn't be bothered with them, knowing that after clearing the dungeon, he could simply gesture to the sky, and the white mist would take care of these NPCs for him.

Now reminded by the deputy leader, Xie Fangcheng didn't hesitate and, sword in hand, went to kick down doors.

The seven NPCs were dragged out, trembling from head to toe, confused about what was happening. Before they knew it, they were forced to don theatrical costumes and stand on the stage.

They had virtually no lines, mostly serving as background scenery. The players, under the guidance of two hired veteran teachers, managed to put up a decent facade... not in terms of vocal performances though, as they still hadn't memorized their lines. Clutching their individual copies of the script and reading aloud, their acting prowess was even inferior to the NPCs who had just set foot on stage, some of whom managed to deliver a few respectable lines.

And so, a play was "performed" in this manner. The applause from the audience was thunderous, and the system seemed to be generous with its approval, possibly due to the decent performance by the NPCs. Thus, they could be considered to have successfully made their debut.

After all, it's a horror game, not an opera game. Expecting the players to perform well in just three days was absolutely unrealistic.

No one expected that the correct duration for this dungeon was originally three days, but everyone managed to meet the clear conditions on the second day, even causing the system to freeze momentarily.

"Is this the prowess of a boss..." someone muttered in awe.

Fortunately, the system glitch lasted only for half a minute, with the final victory going to the S-rank.

After receiving the system notification to "Teleport back to the lobby in three minutes", everyone bid their farewells, trying to get in the good graces of Xie Fangcheng.

"Brother Xie, how about we go out for a meal together?"

Xie Fangcheng was always amenable to such invitations, "Sure."

Everyone enthusiastically discussed what they would eat at the restaurant later.

A flash of white light.

This time, Xie Fangcheng intended to inquire about the newcomer on the Book of Life and Death, but the scene changed abruptly with a flash of white light, and he found himself exiting with the others around him.

Huh?

Was it because of the nationwide dungeon?

Xie Fangcheng was somewhat puzzled.

Before he could ponder further, a wave of messages flooded the friends' channel, creating a cacophony.

Before Xie Fangcheng could open it, Wei Yuan, who had been waiting, spotted him first.

"Brother Xie!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the other players from Ronghua Guild.

No one expected Xie Fangcheng to exit the dungeon this early. What kind of dungeon had he cleared? With Manager Xie's damage output, if it was a combat dungeon, it would take less than half an hour to complete.

If it wasn't a combat dungeon, then two days seemed too short.

Everyone gathered around at this point, engaging in a lively discussion.

Some asked about the nature of Xie Fangcheng's national dungeon, others inquired about the difficulty level of this dungeon, and some updated him on the events that transpired during his absence over the past couple of days.

"Brother Xie! Not long after you entered the dungeon, Ji Chaoyang and his younger brother exited their dungeon!"

During the nationwide dungeon event, the busiest place was the players' lobby. Although there was no queue, the hustle and bustle resembled a bustling marketplace.

In such an environment, a flash of white light heralded the appearance of Ji Chaoyang at the teleportation point, his face marked by a distinctive scar.

Both he and Ji Ge were renowned figures, distinguished by their unique appearances. The moment they appeared, regardless of whether people had met them before or not, their identities were immediately recognized.

By now, all the players in the game were aware that the rooftop of the Chaoyang Guild had been ripped off and Ji Ge's collection had been moved to the lobby for display. The guild was now almost disintegrated, leaving only the steadfastly loyal followers like Yue Chen.

Ji Chaoyang was once a towering figure, but now, his reputation and guild were gone. Whether they bore grudges against him or were just there for the entertainment, everyone was curious about his reaction. The players couldn't resist turning their heads to silently watch the unfolding drama focused on the duo.

Ji Chaoyang stood frozen in place, his eyes glazed, occasionally moving his finger as if scrolling through messages from friends.

After a short while, he seemed to understand what had happened from the messages he read. His facial expression remained unchanged, only a slight furrow appearing between his brows as he looked at Ji Ge's displayed collection.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the foremost player in the game waved his hand, and a fire dragon sprang forth, charging directly towards the surrounding collection.

Before entering the dungeon, Zhang Dao'an had instructed them that the purpose of displaying these collections was merely to publicize Ji Ge's deeds and reveal Ji Chaoyang's misdeeds behind the scenes. Once brought to the player's lobby, the purpose of the collection had been served.

If Ji Chaoyang decided to destroy these items upon exiting the dungeon, everyone should flee, rather than try to protect the items.

At that moment, the fire dragon swept through, reducing the collections to ashes at a blistering pace.

Instead of rushing forward to save the artifacts, the players from Ronghua Guild retreated to a corner, ready to escape at any moment.

However, Ji Chaoyang merely glanced at them, eventually locking eyes with Wei Yuan, not uttering a single word before turning his gaze towards Ji Ge.

Ji Ge was furiously gearing up to rush over and attack the players of Ronghua Guild, but Ji Chaoyang stopped him.

"Don't bother with them."

Ji Ge took several deep breaths before finally nodding in agreement.

Shortly after exiting the teleportation point, the two entered another, and with a flash of white light, they disappeared from the crowd's sight once again.

"Those two are definitely up to no good!"

Xie Fangcheng strongly agreed.

But figuring out their exact intentions was proving to be a challenging puzzle.

It seems a consultation with Professor Zhang is in order!

Just as he harbored this thought, a flash of white light appeared beside him, followed by a familiar figure.

Zhang Dao'an hadn't expected to find Xie Fangcheng standing beside him upon his arrival.

Xie Fangcheng exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence!"

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Dao'an couldn't help but smile, "Indeed, quite a coincidence."

For some reason, Xie Fangcheng felt that Zhang's mood had suddenly improved significantly.

The surrounding players from Ronghua Guild raised their hands one after another.

"Brother Jie, Brother Shen, now that you are out, can we proceed to the dungeon?"

At this moment, both of them are out... well, there's also the terrifyingly powerful Lang Gu who hasn't come out yet, but having one with literary skills and one with martial prowess is already quite sufficient.

Many members of the Ronghua Guild are capable of entering the level five dungeons, out of a guild comprising a hundred people, over seventy can freely form teams to venture into the level five dungeons together.

The public dungeon entrance lasts for three days, and this is already the second day.

Jie Fangcheng was about to nod when he suddenly remembered something. He tiptoed to have a look outside and noticed that the players who exited the previous dungeon with him were now pushed to the outskirts of the crowd.

Everyone knew that Jie Fangcheng was a member of Ronghua, and evidently, he had important matters to attend to now. Whether or not they could have the meal seemed not to matter much.

After all, getting to add a big shot as a friend was quite an accomplishment in itself.

At this moment, Jie Fangcheng was struggling to poke his head out from the crowd.

"Yu Cong, go ahead and eat first! I'll treat you all after the public dungeon event is over!"

"Sure, sure!" The crowd walked away cheerfully and spiritedly.

Shen Daoan remained silent, watching him. When Jie Fangcheng landed back on his feet and met Shen's gaze, he froze for a moment, suddenly grasping the meaning behind those eyes instinctively.

"It wasn't intentional that I stood you up before; I just forgot, you know!"

It was during the time at the "Zombie Siege" dungeon, Jie Fangcheng had promised that Nie Shuangshuang would treat them to a meal. However, when Shen Daoan had already ordered at the restaurant, Jie, along with Nie Shuangshuang and Wei Yuan, were dragged into the dungeon by Qi Chanyang, leaving Shen Daoan waiting alone at the restaurant.

Of course, eventually, an item facilitating easy transportation was used to bring Shen Daoan into the dungeon as well — at that time, the bill for the food had been settled, and the dishes were being served. Yet, Shen Daoan didn't manage to eat a single bite before being pulled into the dungeon.

This time, Jie Fangcheng remembered it.

After his explanation, Shen Daoan said indifferently, "It seems you remember everyone else's appointments but forget mine. That's quite special, isn't it?"

Jie Fangcheng responded earnestly, "It's not just you, I seem to have stood up quite a few people."

But when it comes to standing someone up, it obviously becomes difficult to remember once it's done.

Shen Daoan gave him another glance.

The people around them were confused by the conversation, but they felt that the atmosphere between the two was somewhat strange.

Nie Shuangshuang still lacked the ability to read the room, as she continued to smile blissfully.

"Shall we proceed to enter then?" She said, then, ever economically-minded, added, "Once we go in, we shouldn't summon the two of you at first. We can assess the difficulty level of the dungeon first. If it's not too hard, summoning Brother Jie should be enough, right? Summoning one person is cheaper than summoning two!"

After she finished speaking, she felt an inexplicable chill down her spine for some reason.

Qiao Mai quickly pulled her back into the crowd, saying, "She's just blabbering nonsense. If we summon, we'll definitely summon both!"

From behind the crowd, Nie Shuangshuang's voice rang out, "Huh? Why? Isn't it cheaper to summon just one... Qiao Qiao, why are you covering my mouth?"

"Ahem..." Wei Yuan cleared his throat, bringing up the suggestion again, "Shall we get going now?"

Jie Fangcheng swept his hand grandly: "Let's go, let's go!"

Seventy people huddled at the same teleportation point, a grand spectacle of white light enveloping them all.

A bystander player who didn't know the details witnessed this and exclaimed in surprise: "So many people entering a single instance, have these people lost their minds??"

The companion beside the onlooker hastily tugged at them.

"Fool! Those are people from Ronghua!"

This single explanation rendered any other reason unnecessary.

Jie Fangcheng walked towards the central pillar, where screens hanging from it were live broadcasting the level-five instances.

Finding someone from Ronghua was quite simple; a quick search in the latest instance would suffice.

The details of the instance that the Ronghua guild members were participating in were already available, Jie Fangcheng took a glance.

"Divine Favor?"

Seeing the conditions for clearing the instance, he immediately felt a bit overwhelmed.

A survival instance with a duration of two weeks.

Initially, the difficulty level of this kind of instance is low, primarily involving collecting clues and interacting with NPCs.

But assuming that this kind of instance is straightforward would be a mistake.

Just like the previous "Zombie Siege" instance, there were no immediate dangers, but improper handling during the early stages could cause a sudden spike in the danger level at some point, making the choices made during this period extremely crucial.

Clearly, the members of Ronghua were aware of this.

As soon as they entered the instance, Nie Shuangshuang greeted through the lip-reading screen — Jie brother, you go and rest, we will call you when it's dangerous.

She didn't need to say this, upon seeing the "survive for two weeks" condition, Jie Fangcheng turned his head to ask Jie Dao'an: "Shall we go for a meal?"

He truly hadn't had a good meal in the last instance!

Jie Dao'an nodded.

The two engaged in conversation as they walked towards the restaurant.

Noticing that Jie Dao'an could exit so quickly, Jie Fangcheng casually asked him. This man had a hundred percent survival rate in the instances, and seeing him coming out alone, it was apparent that he used the pseudo-name method again.

His approach to clearing the instance clearly had Professor Jie's style.

"The instance I was in was rather simple, 'Law of the Wolf Clan'. Players turn into wolves, managed by the alpha. Although the alpha is powerful, its lust for luxury means the wolf clan is constantly bullied by other groups. Not only does it not put an end to this, but it also offers wolves from its tribe in exchange for temporary peace. I simply replaced it."

Jie Dao'an's expression remained calm, making it seem like this wasn't a challenging feat at all.

True to his philosophy background, this youngster really has a knack for rebellion!

Jie Fangcheng couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After arriving at the restaurant, they surprisingly didn't encounter players from the previous instance.

The players on Jie Fangcheng's side hadn't cleared many rounds; they had only heard about the delicious food at the restaurant, which came at a steep price, with a single dish costing thousands of points.

Despite Jie Fangcheng's wealth accumulated through plundering, flaunting assets worth tens to hundreds of millions, for the average player, they would ration a system potion worth ten thousand points, let alone splurge on these gastronomical delights devoid of any special attributes.

Consequently, after browsing the menu, the group left the restaurant, unanimously deciding to celebrate with some casual street food instead.

The situation on Jie Dao'an's side was even simpler.

After the transformation into wolves, everyone hardly recognized each other, knowing only by names.

At this time, there were only a few players in the restaurant; most were preoccupied preparing to clear the public instance, leaving no time for leisurely meals.

The restaurant was also on its last day of business, as the owner planned to participate in the public instance clearance from tomorrow.

Following the public instance, nearly thirty percent of the survival rate would eliminate a significant portion of the players, with the bustling scenes taking a year to recuperate, and the next big elimination happening the following year.

The duo didn't opt for a private room, choosing a corner instead to order their meals. Jie Fangcheng did share details about his instance with Jie Dao'an, curious about the proper way to clear it.

Jie Dao'an was indeed no ordinary individual, quickly pinpointing a breakthrough based on the description alone.

"Successfully stage 'The Tale of the Black Basin'? With a cast of over ten people? And only seven players available?" Jie Dao'an pondered briefly, "Given that other NPCs from the theatre troupe cannot appear on stage, the only available NPCs are the eight who entered the instance with you, indicating that among them must be friendly NPCs."

Jie Fangcheng contemplated briefly, realizing that indeed some NPCs didn't emit a foul odor.

But this wasn't a surefire indication; he was only certain about those NPCs who had a very distinct stench.

"Identify the friendly NPCs and collaborate with them... As for finding them, I suspect these NPCs might possess some talent in opera, or at least have a knack for it. As you mentioned, towards the end, your group demonstrated coordinated movements, not absurdly out of place. But the improvements came from audience guidance, something regular players can't achieve, only friendly NPCs can."

"And then? Instigate an NPC uprising? Assassinate the troupe leader? Star in 'The Tale of the Black Basin'?"

Jie Dao'an chuckled, "Given the three-day timeframe, it might be challenging for ordinary players. The simplest way to clear is to incite conflict between hostile NPCs and the corpses, having the former deal with the latter while the players seize the opportunity to perform in 'The Tale of the Black Basin'. However, without participating myself, I'm not sure about the feasibility of this strategy."

Jie Fangcheng had great faith in him: "It will definitely work!"

Jie Dao'an pursed his lips, seemingly in high spirits once again.

But just then, a "ding ding" sound from Jie Fangcheng's friend message notification interrupted the moment.

He opened it and froze for a moment before turning towards Jie Dao'an with a slightly embarrassed look.

For a fleeting moment, Jie Dao'an felt a sense of foreboding, a familiar sensation flooding his mind.

Meanwhile, the dishes they ordered arrived. Jie Fangcheng cleared his throat.

"Uh... A friend of mine encountered some danger in the instance, I need to leave first, okay?"

He received a plea for help from someone he had never even considered.

Aunt Li.

Knowing that Aunt Li had a summoning device, Nie Shuangshuang bought one for her, emphasizing time and again that she should summon her if something were to happen.

However, Aunt Li understood that if Nie Shuangshuang were to come to her rescue at her current strength, it would truly be at the cost of her own life.

So, she made a different choice.

Upon receiving the summons, Jie Fangcheng looked towards Zhang Dao'an and said, "Keep eating, I'll be right back."

Zhang Dao'an quietly gave him another glance.

In a split second, Jie Fangcheng grasped his intent, "Uh... how about you keep eating? I'll come back in an hour to fetch you. You should be done by then, right?"

Manager Jie is now well-off though not particularly wealthy in points, and he has a good number of gadgets on him. His summoning device was even prepared by Zhang Dao'an.

Professor Zhang gave him seven or eight of them right away.

"If ever there's a mission requiring your strategizing skills, feel free to call on me anytime," Zhang Dao'an had said.

That was what Zhang Dao'an had said.

Jie Fangcheng had not anticipated that the need would arise so soon.

Zhang Dao'an simply shook his head.

"Just pull me in when you go."

"Sure!" After saying this, Jie Fangcheng clicked 'accept,' followed by a flash of white light.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Dao'an received his summon.

The summoning message read three words: "Professor, urgent!"

A flash of white light.

.

[Instance: Weight-Loss Livestream Room (Level 1)]

[Description: Introducing Mei Lei Company's new product—Mei Lei Yeast is now available! Rich in Mei Lei elements, this product will make you slimmer the more you eat! In celebration of Mei Lei Company's 10th anniversary, we are hosting a "Weight-Loss Contest"! Everyone is welcome to participate!]

[Content:]

Intergalactic

In this era, thinness is considered beautiful. Being overweight is often stigmatized as lazy and unkempt, while thinness is celebrated as a symbol of discipline and excellence. In a society where the average weight of young adults is less than a hundred pounds for women and no more than a hundred and twenty for men, a plethora of weight loss competitions and live-stream rooms have emerged. You and fifteen others enter one such competition, forming a group of a hundred people along with eighty-four locals. The group is divided into six teams to compete for approval from the live-streaming audience, with the winner earning the title of "Weight Loss Star."

【Clearance Condition: Have a weight lower than the average or receive 10,000 “Beauty Slim Points” from the audience.】

【The historical highest survival rate for this instance is less than 13%; the system will provide new hints.】

【Hint: Although Meilei Company’s products are excellent, don’t overindulge!】

Jie Fangcheng felt something was amiss the moment he entered the instance.

He looked up, realizing that he hadn't seen any of the highly advanced surroundings before.

As for the person who had summoned him, Aunt Li - truth be told, Jie Fangcheng couldn't recognize her at first glance.

Not only did he fail to recognize it was Aunt Li, but he also couldn't even tell it was a human being.

Aunt Li, leaning against the corner, was so emaciated that she was unrecognizable. The once spirited, brisk, and kind middle-aged woman now had shaved hair, prominent cheekbones, a bandage stained with traces of blood wrapped around her waist.

Her exposed limbs were frighteningly thin, resembling a skeleton at a glance.

"Aunt Li?" Jie Fangcheng hardly dared to confirm.

Aunt Li looked at him, as if trying to muster a smile, but her lips merely twitched, unable to exert any more energy.

Just as Jie Fangcheng was about to help her up and inquire about what had transpired, the door suddenly burst open.

A similarly emaciated tall man stepped in, his face twisted in anger.

“What's going on?? Why has the weight in this room suddenly exceeded the limit by so much? What are you up to... who is this???” The man turned to Jie Fangcheng, initially startled, then almost hysterical in the next moment, “Why is there another person here!! Our group is only six pounds away! Just six pounds!! Adding one more person, and someone of his build! Have you gone mad!!”

His rage was oddly intense.

Not to mention that Jie Fangcheng was now widely recognized, encountering someone who would dare to yell at him was rare; the underlying implication of the man's words suggested that adding another person could have serious consequences.

Before Jie Fangcheng could respond, the man in front of him charged over furiously.

“Damn it... we must deal with him before the patrol officer finds out! He cannot become the broadcaster!”

The thin man rushed forward, brandishing a large cleaver to attack.

However, the anticipated scene of blood splattering didn't occur. Instead, the knife flew uncontrollably out of his hand... no, it was the man himself who was thrown away.

Only after crashing to the ground did the man recover, holding his arm and screaming in agony.

"Ahhh! Who the hell are you!!"

This was indeed peculiar.

Not to sound narcissistic, but the number of players who didn't recognize him now was very few. The common greeting nowadays was: Hey! Do you know that green guy?

Even if they didn't recognize him, they should at least recognize the green glow on him!

Yes, after exiting the previous instance, the green glow on Manager Jie had returned once again, highly conspicuous and distinctively unique.

"Jie Fangcheng." After briefly introducing himself, Jie Fangcheng plunged his massive sword into the ground, furrowing his brows, "Wang Dongsheng, what's going on now?"