Chapter 258: The Ghost in the Mirror (Part 21)

Chapter 258: The Ghost in the Mirror (Part 21)

"The guild leader? Zhang Daowu?"

"Yes." Mentioning his name brought a hint of a smile to Guan Yingying's face. "Thank goodness for the guild leader."

They were just as clueless back then, entering the universal instance in "Do Not Answer" like all other players during that phase.

However, upon entry, everyone sensed something amiss.

...The system notifications had ceased.

But at that time, none of the players realized they hadn't entered the universal instance.

Because what appeared before them was truly an "instance."

Only, in that "instance," they were no longer players. They became NPCs and lost their memories of being players in "Do Not Answer"—just as Guan Yingying had earlier.

Guan Yingying still remembered, it seemed like a straightforward apocalyptic instance.

In "Do Not Respond", a hundred players became NPCs at the human bases post-apocalypse, possessing complete memories of their NPC identities.

In their memories, they were native inhabitants of this microcosm. When the apocalypse hit, they were exceptionally fortunate, acquiring superhuman abilities that the average person couldn't possess, thus becoming the saviors of the world.

The hundred players were scattered across nine major human bases, resisting mutated flora and fauna, and dedicating their strengths for humanity's survival.

Then, something extraordinary happened.

A new group of individuals with unique abilities suddenly appeared in the base. They materialized out of nowhere, each highly skilled. Strangely, the rest seemed unaffected by their presence, believing they had always been there.

Astute individuals like Zhong Daowu and Guan Yingying quickly noticed the anomalies of this world. Pretending to be as oblivious as other NPCs to the newcomers, they slowly approached them.

These people didn’t seem to care much about them. Though cautious in public, they'd privately discuss topics most wouldn't.

Topics like gaming, players, NPCs, Level 2 dungeons...

Daowu soon realized that the world they inhabited might not be as they perceived. They might be NPCs—no, based on the "players'" descriptions, they weren’t ordinary NPCs, especially since they noticed the inconsistencies.

Instinctively, the hundred players who sensed the incongruities quickly rallied to Daowu.

From the shadows, they watched the "players" in plain sight. Daowu quickly discerned their intentions.

—They were here to seize the energy core of the mutated Level 5 plant, the King Dandelion.

Though unaware of their peculiar interest in this particular mutated plant, under Daowu's guidance, the players managed to eliminate these deceitful "players", securing the King Dandelion's energy core.

But when Daowu got hold of the core, he was taken aback.

[Item: Dandelion Seed (Unidentified)]

What was this? Its purpose? Daowu was clueless.

At that moment, the human base was on the brink of collapse from the onslaught of the mutated species.

Daowu decided to use the item.

Then, a notification sound rang in his mind.

[Alert: Congratulations players [Zhong Daowu], [Guan Yingying], [Qian Hu], [Lu Congshan] for completing the dungeon [Drifting Dandelion].]

[Alert: Abnormal player status detected, commencing repair.]

[Alert - Repair successful.]

The memories of Zhong Daowu and his companions were restored.

Only their memories had returned.

It didn’t take long for Daowu to comprehend.

"Ranking skills... Only the four of us have them."

The other players remained oblivious, still believing they were natives of this world.

The world, which was on the brink of destruction, rejuvenated with the [Dandelion Seed]. When used, this menacing mutated plant seed scattered, giving rise to an endless sea of dandelions.

This seemingly harmless sea of dandelions possessed a formidable defensive strength, capable of encircling the entire human base, creating a dandelion protective barrier.

These seeds took three days to grow and could only sprout above ground. Once sown, they couldn't be relocated. At first glance, it seems a trivial advantage; if acquired by players, it wouldn’t be of significant use.

However, for this world, it symbolized a new hope for humanity.

Watching the smiling faces of the players whose memories hadn’t returned, Daowu, after some contemplation, conferred with his three companions and decided to keep this discovery to themselves.

They could summon a system panel - distinct from that of other players. Their panel appeared antiquated, with [“Three Thousand Worlds” Trial Version] displayed in the corner.

The features were limited, all grayed out.

Daowu theorized that they had likely entered a new game.

Everyone worried about the players left in "Do Not Respond." Their sudden disappearance must have concerned their in-game friends.

Yet, in this new game, out of the original hundred players from "Do Not Respond," over thirty were members of Ronghua guild.

They initially aimed to enter a Level 5 dungeon with an exceptionally low clearance rate - a Ronghua tradition. During the all-player dungeon event, while other players strived for dungeons with higher clearance rates, Ronghua's players deliberately chose unbeaten dungeons. Taking advantage of the unique event status that allowed for live streaming, they'd share the unbeaten dungeon's details as widely as possible.

They had previous experience in how to enter these unbeaten dungeons, using items like bad luck charms and misfortune potions to increase the chances of entering such deadly instances.

No one had expected that, this time, instead of entering the all-player dungeon, they'd be thrown into a new game.

The astute Daowu quickly understood the situation.

"We've most likely entered [Reincarnation Trials]."

He made such a claim not because he understood the game, but because he knew Ji Chaoyang.

Occasionally, Ji Chaoyang would unintentionally reveal certain information, like the fact that ranking skills aren’t typical player abilities. Such skills weren't originally a part of "Do Not Respond."

Only in this new game did Daowu come to understand.

Those ranking skills weren’t from "Do Not Respond"; they were keys to accessing "Three Thousand Worlds."

What do these ranking skills represent?

Everything seemed shrouded in mist.

Daowu and his three companions decided to make a life in this world first.

They were uncertain how to return to "Do Not Respond", but the people around them were also their allies. In such a pivotal moment for the world’s survival, they naturally chose to stand with their friends.

Even if this felt like an illusion, Daowu hoped his friends could find happiness within it.

Just when they believed everything was improving and the dandelion seeds might grant humanity a final lifeline... a car appeared overhead in their microcosm.

It was so massive that one of its wheels could crush their entire world.

The vehicle was pitch-black, its body continuously enveloped in streams of black data. Its front resembled the gaping mouth of a beast, revealing a cabin inside that looked like a black hole.

[Alert - Warning! The [Devourer] has appeared! Applying for player connection to the main system!]

[Alert - Warning! Version too old, unable to connect to "Three Thousand Worlds" main system! Players, please note: Check if the [Devourer] is in an [Unregistered] state! If in [Unregistered] state, please assist World No.9076501 in resisting the [Devourer]!!]

[Alert - Players are urged to adhere to the player agreement! Prioritize saving the micro-world!!! Thank you for your assistance! The system will also provide maximum safety protection for you!]

Daowu and the others weren't sure what that was, but atop the vehicle, two odd-looking figures appeared.

"Those are players from 'Three Thousand Worlds', right?" Qian Hu, looking up, soon turned to Daowu, "Chairman, 'Three Thousand Worlds' seems to be a game with the objective of saving micro-worlds. The players should be good people. I’ll try to communicate with them."

Before Daowu could stop him, Qian Hu activated his ranking skill.

"Don't go!"

But with unwavering determination, Qian Hu had already charged forward.

He wasn't naive, blindly believing that players from "Three Thousand Worlds" were all benevolent.

Even if the game's purpose was to save countless small worlds, with such a diverse player base, there were bound to be a few bad apples amongst the good.

As the car loomed overhead, everyone felt an impending sense of dread.

If these were players here to aid this small world, they were too late. And their approach hardly seemed altruistic.

Qian Hu knew that rushing in might lead to his demise.

But he also understood that if he didn't test the waters, given Zhang Daowu's style, the leader would inevitably put himself in the line of fire.

But they couldn't possibly fend off this car and these two players.

The overwhelming, barely concealed power emanating from them was beyond human comprehension.

Beneath the heart of a fierce tiger lies a fervent and delicate soul.

As Qian Hu dashed in front of the car, just as he was about to speak, the two "players" merely gave him a dismissive glance, as if gazing at a floating piece of trash, showing no intent to listen.

One of them pressed a button nearby.

Devourer: The train’s front turned towards Qian Hu, swallowing him whole in one bite.

Qian Hu let out a final roar, desperately activating all his skills, but to no avail.

He was like a minuscule flame, instantly engulfed by the overwhelming tidal wave.

Just before being fully devoured, Qian Hu overheard the two "players" conversing.

“Wasn’t this small world at a 99% collapse rate? How did it regress to 96%?”

“You must be new. Some small worlds, if they suddenly have a formidable guardian, might see their collapse rate decrease… But don't worry. As long as it's above 95%, the Devourer can consume it. Rest assured!”

“Ah, so we must constantly monitor these small worlds to ensure their collapse rates don’t rise above 95%!”

“Get back to work. Once done, we need to dump trash at the Dumpsite.”

“Dumpsite? My loaded data says it’s the Dragon's Graveyard…”

“That's the official term. We informally call it the dumpsite. Don’t you find it apt?”

“Haha, indeed!”

Devourer: The massive head turned towards the small world.

Zhang Dao Wu watched in horror as the colossal beast, far beyond any human resistance, opened its mouth wide.

Alert: Player detected in danger, all functions activated! Item and skill transfer feature enabled! Please ensure personal safety!

Alert: Player data not found in the database, some functions limited! Searching for similarity matches to find an optimal solution!

Before the behemoth could consume the entire small world, Zhang Dao Wu quickly transferred all his items and those of other players.

At that moment, in his empty friends list, faintly appeared some familiar names – the members of Rong Hua, friends he met in the game "Do Not Respond".

And as Zhang Dao Wu finished transferring the items from all other players, he spotted an unexpected name.

System

As Zhang Dao Wu clicked, a portion of the System message automatically popped up.

(Administrator 001 not logged in, system cannot be activated)

(System ID updated)

(Updated to: Zhang Dao An (Origin Point))