SWBG - Chapter 19

Gu Jing Sheng read the item's instructions, unsure whether to thank [Happy Board Games] for censoring the information or to roast them for actually censoring it ==.

After the draws, Gu Jing Sheng's item inventory had greatly expanded. Even without stacking identical items, it exactly filled all her card slots. Before entering the next game, she had to carefully plan which items to bring into the instance.

[Sender: 08321-7

 I've discovered something in the lottery pool. If you're free, please gather in the lobby to share information.]

Just then, Gu Jing Sheng received a text from Xia Xiao Yun. She had some freshly gained experience from the instance to share, and the message arrived right on cue—like getting a pillow the moment you start to feel sleepy.

Reuniting with her two gameroom mates, though it had only been a few dozen minutes for them, it felt like a full five days and four nights for Gu Jing Sheng.

Gu Jing Sheng waved her arm enthusiastically and said, "Yo!"

Xia Xiao Yun’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest—she simply gave a small nod. Wei Jia Shi, on the other hand, looked a bit wary, as if Gu Jing Sheng were about to pitch him an Amway membership and start digging for his phone number, WeChat ID, and bank card details.

"First, let's confirm something," Xia Xiao Yun said. "Have you both drawn items from the lottery pool as well?"

Wei Jia Shi nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "I originally wanted to save for a 10-draw, but in the end, I couldn't resist my curiosity."

Gu Jing Sheng comforted him, "For a lottery pool with no pity system, it's pretty much the same."

Wei Jia Shi shook his head. "It's not the same. 10-draws are a matter of faith."

Since he was being heartfelt, Gu Jing Sheng responded with equal sincerity: "The situation is special now. No one knows when something might happen, so it's better to arm ourselves as soon as possible."

Wei Jia Shi smiled wryly. "I'd like to arm myself too, but I just can't seem to draw any weapon-type items."

Though she now had an axe, it was entirely due to her own efforts, unrelated to the lottery pool. So, Gu Jing Sheng sympathized with him without any psychological barrier: "Isn't that the truth."

The digression from Gu and Wei didn't derail Xia Xiao Yun's train of thought. She waited a moment before continuing, "I drew some special sale blood vials, coffee packs, bandages, experience vouchers..."

Gu Jing Sheng nodded—it seemed low-star items in the lottery pool had significant overlap.

"And also [Inconspicuous Bearskin Coat] and ['No Entry' Signboard]."

Gu Jing Sheng had long realized that with her shallow gaming experience, guessing an item's effects and side effects just from its name was nearly impossible and could easily lead her astray. She could only wait for Xia Xiao Yun to explain further. The other didn't hold back and said frankly, "Wearing the bearskin coat makes others see you as an unimportant passerby. The signboard makes those who see it think it's best to stop here—the more law-abiding they are, the stronger the urge. But if someone who sees challenging conventional morals and laws as their mission, seeing this would have the opposite effect."

After speaking, Xia Xiao Yun glanced at the other two and said calmly, "I'm not forcing you to reveal your items, but given the current situation, as formal participants from the same room, we might continue to be tied together in future games. Understanding each other will make cooperation easier."

This was the first time since meeting Xia Xiao Yun that Gu Jing Sheng had heard her say so much.

Wei Jia Shi proceeded to confess straightforwardly: "The one-star stuff is pretty similar. Also, there's a ['Until Burned Out' Firewood]. This firewood doesn't need fire, just the thought of using it can ignite it. Once lit, it can't be extinguished until it burns out completely, even in an oxygen-free environment."

Gu Jing Sheng felt that [Newton's Wrath] might have a miraculous effect on Wei Jia Shi's item.

With both Xia and Wei having spoken, four eyes now turned to her. Gu Jing Sheng felt somewhat troubled—she had an overload of information and wasn't sure whether to start by importance or chronological order, and just talk until she was done.

Xia Xiao Yun reminded her, "You don't have to say everything."

Wei Jia Shi agreed: "Right, if there's nothing we need to coordinate on, it's fine not to say it."

Gu Jing Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "I have something to share, but before I do, you might want to bring a chair over."

Wei Jia Shi was puzzled: "You don't have to go into every detail, just focus on the key points."

Gu Jing Sheng: "The key point is that I drew an [Ordinary Board Game Invitation] from the lottery pool and, during the few dozen minutes we were apart, participated in a five-day, four-night game."

Wei Jia Shi: "...I feel like a chair alone might not withstand five days and four nights. How about we move the quilts and pillows over too?"

The three returned to their rooms to bring out chairs—the first full gathering initiated actively by the formal members of Room 08321, focused on information sharing with emotional exchange as a supplement, successfully turned from a standing meeting into a seated one. This time, without much preamble, Gu Jing Sheng got straight to the point and shared with her roommates about the novice guides and the card slot pouch capacity.

Xia Xiao Yun: "My card slots are also ten. You mean that because this room has no senior players, the game compensated us with extra card slots."

Gu Jing Sheng: "I think that's very likely."

Wei Jia Shi frowned: "Then entering the game knowing nothing put us at a big disadvantage."

Gu Jing Sheng recalled the scene in the instance: "Actually, it should be fine. According to other seniors, the survival rate for newcomers is usually around 50%."

Xia Xiao Yun: "Cause of death?"

Gu Jing Sheng: "It's said most of them bring it upon themselves."

Xia Xiao Yun pressed her lips together, a fleeting look of sadness on her face.

Gu Jing Sheng could understand her sentiment—none of the seven originally in Room 08321 had triggered common death flags; on the contrary, they all seemed quite reliable. If someone had guided them then, more than just the three present would have survived.

Wei Jia Shi continued asking: "Then, did the newcomers guided by the senior you met all clear the instance?"

Gu Jing Sheng shook her head, her expression slightly dimmed. “All four standby participants were eliminated, and the official player who had participated in one game also died on the fourth day.”

Wei Jia Shi: "..."

Xia Xiao Yun: "What about their guides?"

Gu Jing Sheng: "Both guides also died."

Wei Jia Shi paused, then cautiously asked: "Then you..." How did you survive?

Gu Jing Sheng explained: "My item [Detective's Friend] can increase luck. Plus, since I was tackling it alone, [Happy Board Games] gave me additional hints."

Gu Jing Sheng briefly explained how she discerned He Suo Wen's abnormality and, after hesitating, also spoke about Old Ivan.

Xia Xiao Yun nodded: "Picking fruit and discovering Old Ivan's identity are like the normal ending and the true ending."

Gu Jing Sheng nodded: "The new instance reset the lottery pool draws. The items I might need your cooperation with are [Water-Stained Brush], [Automatic Bottled Swamp], [Used Movie Ticket Stub], [Newton's Wrath]... [Madam Egret's Pocket Candy Pack] has already been eaten; it enhances physical prowess. ['I Love Studying' Auto-Reply] is a special item that can reject board game invitations. Oh, and [Happy Board Games] also gifted me a weapon-type item: [Axe with Dark Red Stains]." She paused, then reminded them, "In the future, when we enter game instances, we must not only hide our participant numbers but also avoid using our real names."

Xia Xiao Yun nodded. When she spoke again, her expression became noticeably more solemn: "Do you know anything about [Resurrection Vouchers]?"

Gu Jing Sheng smiled wryly and copied Dollface's response word for word: "A senior told me—these things often give us the illusion that we never actually died."

Xia Xiao Yun was silent for a moment, then said to the two: "Do either of you plan to use the vouchers now?"

Gu Jing Sheng: "I don't care either way."

Wei Jia Shi hesitated but finally said: "I want to use it."

Xia Xiao Yun's voice sounded somewhat down: "I also want to use it, even if it's just for two hours."

Gu Jing Sheng was indifferent to begin with, and since there was still time, she said: "If you're both using it, I'll join too." After a thought, she added, "You can reach me at 18, same for WeChat. Uh, provided my phone hasn't been destroyed by a meteorite."

Wei Jia Shi and Xia Xiao Yun also exchanged their contact information.

Gu Jing Sheng suggested: "How about we use them right here in the lobby? I have some ideas I want to test."

Xia Xiao Yun: "Okay."

Wei Jia Shi: "Alright!"

Gu Jing Sheng couldn't help but close her eyes. When she opened them again, she was sitting in the living room of her own home.

Everything around felt unsettlingly real. Though the memories of the meteor and Room 08321 were still vivid, Gu Jing Sheng began to suspect that the recent experiences were just side effects of her extreme sleep deprivation. Just then, her pocket suddenly vibrated—

"..."

The new brick she pulled out was indeed her phone, though its style, functions, and source were completely against Gu Jing Sheng’s personal preferences. Every message inside was a crystallization of blood and tears for her; even the punctuation could stir up painful memories of the game.

Aside from the phone, the small backpack she got as a gift from [The Never-Closing Frog Supermarket] had also refreshed with her on her sofa.

Time was limited, so Gu Jing Sheng could only run simple tests. She grabbed her keys and rushed out, not bothering to choose test subjects—whoever she met in the hallway would do. The phone couldn't be discarded at all; if it was more than 15 meters away, it would randomly appear within arm's reach. Others couldn't touch or see it. No matter what she did with the phone in front of them, it would automatically become a reasonable scene they could understand.

Gu Jing Sheng tried discussing with the auntie downstairs how "Happy Board Games" was a no-good merchant, to which the auntie looked thrilled to have met a soulmate and repeatedly agreed that Chinese cabbage must be fertilized with manure to grow well.

"…"

Before she knew it, Gu Jing Sheng had reached the rooftop. She swore she was just wandering around; even if the view couldn't ease her depression, the breeze might cool her head. But she underestimated the PM2.5 level, and as soon as she opened the door, she was blinded by the wind and dust.

Stimulated retinas produce physiological tears. Without tissues, Gu Jing Sheng could only wipe with her hands, making her eyes redder. She heard someone else come up to the roof but didn't pay attention—until that person approached and tried to pull her back ==.

"Young person, you must try to see things positively," said the man in his fifties who grabbed her sleeve. He had a square face, serious expression, and every wrinkle on his skin seemed to be filled with a sense of social responsibility.

Gu Jing Sheng felt helpless despite being advised. She had originally planned to turn around and go downstairs, but now she’s considering a more direct and quicker way to get downstairs, to put an end to everything TAT.

Volume 3: Escape from the Abandoned Hospital

Translator's Notes

刚瞌睡就遇见了枕头 (gāng kē shuì jiù yù jiàn le zhěn tóu)

• A Chinese idiom-like expression meaning perfect timing or coincidence, often implying that something came exactly when needed

向他兜售安利 (xiàng tā dōu shòu ān lì)

• "start selling him Amway membership" 

• a sarcastic MLM reference

PM2.5 level

• Refers to “particulate matter”

• Implying the air was more polluted than expected

The 2nd arc ended... moving onto the the next arc...