Chapter 256: Spirit in the Mirror (Part 19)

Chapter 256: Spirit in the Mirror (Part 19)

Compared to Dongtan Rui, the other players weren't faring much better.

In the blink of an eye, Zhu Ping found herself in a transformed environment. She hadn’t become Guan Qing; she became her colleague. Yet, she retained her memories as a player.

Based on past experiences, did the final step involve helping Guan Qing and changing her fate?

That's what Zhu Ping thought, and that's what she acted upon.

She went to great lengths to prevent Qiao Qiang from meeting Guan Qing. Under her protection, Guan Qing’s life went smoothly.

Guan Qing graduated from a prestigious university. Though she retained some naivety characteristic of college students, her competence was undeniable, leading to her rapid promotion within the company.

While this success did not come without its share of rumors and gossip, with Zhu Ping's unwavering support, Guan Qing's life continuously improved.

Remarkably, in this tale of spirits, Zhu Ping found a sense of achievement and warmth.

Watching Guan Qing's life flourish was akin to nurturing a plant and watching it bloom. If it hadn't been for Qiao Qiang, surely Guan Qing would have continued to blossom.

Alas—

As Zhu Ping ruminated on Guan Qing's fate, a system alert resonated in her mind.

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Guan Yingying??

Zhu Ping had always felt uneasy about Guan Yingying, having spotted a creature resembling her amid the dark mists.

Yet, she had never truly regarded Guan Yingying as an adversary.

Now, with the system's prompt, Zhu Ping's brows furrowed.

As she tried to piece together the situation, Guan Qing, whom she'd been protecting, turned to face her.

"Sister Zhu Ping, I had a dream last night," Guan Qing whispered, "It seemed like there was another version of me."

Zhu Ping paused, her eyes widening in realization.

—It wasn't Guan Qing who had dreamt.

It was Zhu Ping and the other players who were entrapped in a dream.

The surroundings were enveloped in a white mist, and Zhu Ping was thrust back into "reality."

A reality where Guan Qing, wielding a knife, attempted to kill Qiao Qiang but ended up getting killed instead.

And now, Guan Qing... No.

Standing at the entrance of the community supermarket was Guan Yingying.

A fruit knife was embedded in her abdomen, crimson blood oozing from the wound. Yet, Guan Yingying seemed oblivious to it.

Her gaze was fixed solely on Zhu Ping.

Zhu Ping instinctively took a step back.

What did the system notification say?

"Frenzied"??

"Anomalous NPC"??

What does that even mean?

Having played this game for so long, Zhu Ping had never encountered such alerts before.

But something was clearly off with the Guan Yingying before her, and any player with a pair of eyes could see it.

"You..."

Guan Yingying tilted her head slightly.

She asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

In the next moment, the scenery shifted before her eyes.

When Zhu Ping opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in the middle of the community supermarket.

Opposite her, Guan Yingying was holding a table lamp.

Her pitch-black eyes were locked onto Zhu Ping.

“Should I not have returned this lamp?”

Zhu Ping quickly responded, “No, returning the lamp is your right as a consumer! You can't be blamed for that.”

"Is that so?" Guan Yingying seemed to offer a faint smile.

But in the next instant, as if sensing something, Zhu Ping abruptly turned around.

Behind her, Zhu Ping saw herself.

"Zhu Ping" swiftly grabbed Guan Yingying's hand.

"Let's not return the lamp."

Zhu Ping was momentarily stunned, but quickly grasped the situation.

In order to minimize interactions between Guan Qing and Qiao Qiang, and to deter Qiao Qiang from focusing on her, Zhu Ping had initially intercepted the faulty lamp when she first began altering Guan Qing's fate.

Almost immediately, the scene before her shifted again.

The two were now standing on a street within the residential complex.

Guan Qing's building was adjacent to Qiao Qiang's supermarket, making the route via the supermarket the most convenient.

However, Zhu Ping saw that "she" had chosen to divert Guan Qing.

"Let’s not go this way. Let’s take a detour, consider it a walk."

Before her words could fade, the setting morphed once more.

This time, they were in the office.

Zhu Ping cautiously tried to pave the safest path for Guan Qing, a path where confrontations with others were minimal.

This included the time when Guan Qing heard rumors suggesting her rapid promotion was due to an illicit relationship with the higher-ups.

The gossip was detailed and persistent. Furious, Guan Qing intended to confront the rumor-mongers, but Zhu Ping restrained her.

"Hold on! They're in the majority. If one of them has malicious intentions, you’ll be at a disadvantage."

The setting shifted again…

Through Zhu Ping's eyes, she perceived herself as a diligent and competent gardener, a lifesaver for Guan Qing. Without her, Guan Qing would have offended Qiao Qiang right from the start over the lamp incident.

Yet, now observing from an outsider’s perspective, Zhu Ping realized she had been continually altering Guan Qing... She had only been changing Guan Qing.

At that moment, Guan Yingying's voice broke through again, asking, "Where did I go wrong?"

Something was gnawing at the depths of Zhu Ping's heart.

She never intended to change Guan Qing, to keep her from offending others, or to always have her yield.

Zhu Ping meant well; she was trying to save Guan Qing.

But she never realized that everything she advised Guan Qing "shouldn't" do was, in fact, Guan Qing's rightful prerogative.

Why did it come to this?

"You did nothing wrong... it's not your fault."

"If it's not my fault, then why am I the one who needs to change?"

Zhu Ping murmured, "Because... we can't change our surroundings."

As a gamer, one often feels subordinate in a dungeon, with even minor bosses having more power.

Thus, players are conditioned to "avoid risks" and abide by the rules.

Even when many of the rules seem illogical, they comply for the sake of safety.

In this light, Guan Qing's situation seems eerily similar to the gaming world.

Both are unjust environments where rules seem to bind only the weak, and many natural rights are never wholly protected.

After Zhu Ping's response, Guan Yingying's deep, dark eyes stared at her.

"So who do you think... should be the one to change the environment?"

Who, indeed?

When Guan Yingying posed the question, Zhu Ping found herself speechless.

This question wasn't just about this dungeon. Don't players know about the poor culture within the game?

The leader of Zone C, "Emperor," has a bloodthirsty reputation. He kills on a whim, whether in delight or displeasure.

He even keeps other players as pets, often parading his "favored ones" in public.

He's cruel, indifferent, and deceitful. Yet, few people on the forum criticize him. Some players even admire his prowess, seeing him as an aspirational figure.

Zhu Ping is based in Zone E. It's chaotic here, but not as chaotic as Zone C.

She and her friends privately detest players like "Emperor". They've vented about it, but it's just talk.

Change the gaming environment?

Such a task isn't for a lowly C-ranked hunter like her. She isn't strong, how could she bear such a responsibility?

But then again...

"Isn't the environment composed of the existence of every individual?" Guan Yingying pulled the fruit knife from her abdomen, blood dripping onto the ground.

Zhu Ping's heart skipped a beat.

The next moment, the knife swung horizontally at her.

Zhu Ping hastily blocked with her weapon, but the impact numbed her hand.

The blow sent her flying backward, disappearing into the dense fog.

The fog molded itself, crafting one figure after another.

Tall, short, fat, thin, men, women, old, young.

They passed Zhu Ping indifferently, uncaring about her plight.

From within the thick mist, Guan Yingying's voice echoed from all directions.

"Did you think you saved 'Guan Qing'? No! If 'Guan Qing' escapes, another will suffer. You're also a part of this 'environment'! Doing nothing... always doing nothing!!"

Chills ran down Zhu Ping's spine as she instinctively rolled to safety.

Where she'd been lying moments ago, the fruit knife grazed the ground, leaving a deep gash with a sharp hiss.

"Why don't you act? Why not change Qiao Qiang? Why not punish the rumor spreaders? Because they're stronger, and you're too scared to confront them? You only dare to control the weak! All this talk of 'changing the environment', you never truly thought of change!"

"You deserve death too! All who stand by and watch should die!!"

"Die—"

At that moment, the mist began to churn, rapidly transitioning from white to black.

Cold winds gusted, and the thick fog carried eerie screams from all directions.

Zhu Ping's danger-sensing skill went haywire in her mind, making her tremble with an overwhelming, paralyzing fear.

The next moment, a whooshing sound emanated from the black fog.

Swish—

Zhu Ping rolled frantically, but pain shot through her arm.

She screamed as her entire arm was severed.

Blood spurted everywhere, and the strong metallic scent filled her nostrils. Weak and powerless, Zhu Ping collapsed to the ground.

This is too intense.

Against any other Level 3 dungeon boss, even if she couldn't win, Zhu Ping wouldn't feel this immobilizing threat.

It's a ghost...

Guan Yingying has become a vengeful spirit!

From within the black fog, a bright light streaked directly towards Zhu Ping.

Zhu Ping sighed and resignedly closed her eyes.

The next second, a bell-like sound seemed to ring through the air.

Then—

Vroom—Clang!

The sound of clashing weapons resonated, and Zhu Ping opened her eyes.

A figure stood in front of her, back towards her.

"Jie, Fang, Cheng!"

Guan Yingying's voice was almost a snarl: "You're asking for death!"

Jie Fangcheng held a pipe, seemingly ripped from somewhere. He shielded Zhu Ping, facing Guan Yingying, "Shouldn't the innocent be spared?"

Jie Fangcheng had already escaped the illusion earlier. He saw Guan Yingying attacking Qiao Qiang and the NPCs in the vicinity, but he didn't intervene.

It was a matter of personal grudges between Guan Yingying and these NPCs; Jie Fangcheng wouldn't interfere.

However, when Guan Yingying began to target players, he stepped forward.

"Innocent??" Guan Yingying laughed, a raspy, jarring sound. "What's so innocent about those who stand by and do nothing? Isn't their silence part of the reason we have this corrupted culture now? They perpetuate it! Are they not guilty as well?"

As she spoke, her knife swung down.

"You're right," Jie Fangcheng grabbed her descending fruit knife with one hand, looking earnestly into her eyes, "But just as victims shouldn't bear undue blame, the blade shouldn't be wielded against the defenseless."