Chapter 43: Contacting Xiao Liao

In the game, “Xiao Mi” led her four junior teammates, wielding sharp weapons as they fought.

This time, the physical proficiency the team members had gained in reality was reflected in the game. Although the game characters were on auto-battle, their movements were more fluid than before, and their combat experience was far richer.

Combined with their new equipment, no one died this time. They only sustained varying degrees of injury.

Xia Mi ran the game at sixteen times speed. In less than ten minutes of real time, the battle was over.

The team achieved a total victory, slaying every monster in the Underground Laboratory with zero casualties.

Once the game confirmed everything was safe, Xia Mi paused it. The group of five, armed with their weapons, set out once again to conquer the Underground Laboratory in reality.

Since the Secret Room was the most critical factor, Xia Mi wanted to save the main event for last, clearing out the minor mobs first.

Within two hours, the group successfully defeated the Man-Eating Tree, the Rafflesia, and the swarm of snakes, wiping out all the monsters in the Underground Laboratory. Xia Mi’s Zhuo Coins reached 1380, the highest amount she had ever held.

By her calculations, at this point in time, Liao Tianhua should have just finished fighting the “Grey” Qiu Hailan and would be lying on the ground covered in wounds, silently using Zhuo Energy to heal himself.

Meanwhile, in the Black Domain, thanks to their experience in the game, the four members of the Second Team had sustained even fewer injuries than their digital counterparts. They had only broken two weapons and were feeling a bit fatigued.

The situation was looking excellent. The team members were working in perfect harmony, their confidence soaring.

Because the game had informed them of Liao Tianhua’s time of death in advance, no one even worried about his safety next door. What was there to worry about? Wasn’t he currently pummeling the Second Team members? Why should the ones being beaten worry about the victor?

In this harmonious atmosphere, they began preparing to rescue Sister Shield.

To deal with the Eye, they had to rescue Sister Shield. Rescuing her was the essential next step.

However, to save Sister Shield, they had to pass the Eye, which meant someone would inevitably be controlled.

This time, Xia Mi had come up with a brilliant plan.

She didn’t have “Xiao Mi” enter the Secret Room. Instead, she arranged for Xiao Huo to carry Sister Shield’s body inside first.

Based on the footage from the previous game session, Mi Xiangyan had reconstructed a map of the Secret Room. By comparing the size of other rooms in the game to their real-world counterparts, she calculated the Secret Room’s length, width, and height, marking these figures on the map.

She also drew the location of the mannequin from memory and plotted a straight-line route between the Secret Room door and the mannequin, ensuring Xiao Huo could rush to its side at maximum speed.

In the game, once the mannequin made contact with Sister Shield’s body, she regained consciousness. Furthermore, Sister Shield was not subject to the Eye’s control. Therefore, their goal wasn’t to rush into the Secret Room to snatch the mannequin, but to deliver Sister Shield’s body to it.

Snatching the mannequin required a round trip, going in and coming back out. Delivering the body only required a one-way trip, which was much faster.

It took time for the Eye to control a person’s mind. By minimizing their action time, their success rate would increase significantly.

In reality, the group of five memorized the route on the map and practiced in an empty room while blindfolded for a period of time, ensuring they could rush to Sister Shield’s position at top speed.

Once the group could skillfully find Sister Shield’s location even while blindfolded, Xia Mi reloaded the game progress and clicked the “Sync” button.

After pressing the button, a prompt popped up: [Syncing characters other than “Xiao Mi” requires Zhuo Coins, 10 coins per person. Proceed with synchronization?]

Xia Mi was wealthy now. Forty Zhuo Coins for four people was nothing. With a wave of her hand, she spent the 40 coins and synced the progress for the other four.

When fighting the monsters earlier, the four members’ proficiency had been higher than their first encounter, but that was because restarting the game meant their base stats were already stronger than the last time.

During a completed game cycle, only “Xiao Mi” herself could sync with Xia Mi at any time. For the other characters, Xia Mi had to pay Zhuo Coins.

Mi Xiangyan silently noted this mechanic.

This time, Mi Xiangyan had already cracked the password for the Secret Room from the data. The five game characters arrived at the door. Xiao Huo entered the password, and Xia Mi equipped him with a blindfold.

Before Xiao Huo pushed the door open, the other four game characters moved to positions where they couldn’t see the Eye and couldn’t be seen by it, leaving Xiao Huo to act alone.

In the game, Xiao Huo rushed toward the target while carrying Sister Shield. Halfway there, his mind began to fracture. He charged back out with Sister Shield still on his back, attempting to attack the other teammates, only to be knocked unconscious by a single swipe from Xiao Qiu’s bear paw.

Watching the game from the side, Xiao Huo’s face twitched. “That hit’s going to cause a concussion, isn’t it?” he whispered. “Will I get amnesia from being hit like that?”

Qiu Hailan replied, “It’s just a game. You don’t have amnesia in reality.”

Xia Mi added, “Even if you get hit in reality, as long as we can rescue Xiao Liao, he’ll heal you. It’s not a big deal.”

Xiao Huo: “…”

Before he could mourn for himself, the next person, Xiao Duan, was already sprinting with Sister Shield.

But this time, Xiao Duan lasted even less time.

In the first round, Xiao Huo had started his sprint from the Secret Room door, but the Secret Room was located inside the records room.

In the second round, once the Secret Room door was open, the Eye’s gaze could reach into the records room. To avoid the Eye’s sight, the four of them were hiding outside the records room door. Consequently, Xiao Duan had to run through the records room to reach the Secret Room door before he could even start toward the mannequin.

The records room was larger than the Secret Room. Xiao Duan was controlled before he even reached the Secret Room door. He frantically carried Sister Shield back to the remaining three and was knocked unconscious by Xiao Qiu’s bear paw as per routine.

Xia Mi looked up at Qiu Hailan and said, “You try last, after me.”

She suspected that if Qiu Hailan went berserk, she wouldn’t be able to restrain her.

Qiu Hailan remained silent for a moment before saying under immense pressure, “But if you get controlled, you’re too agile. I’m worried I won’t be able to catch you.”

Both of them sighed heavily at the same time. This kind of evenly matched strength was truly a hassle.

At that moment, Xiao Fang stepped forward. “Sister Xia, reload the game to before the Secret Room door was opened. I’ll go in with Sister Shield first, starting directly from the door. I’ve timed how long it took for Huo Jing and Duan Feng to be controlled, their times were about the same. I expect I’ll be much the same as them.”

“But I’m faster than them. I’m confident I can finish the task within the time limit!”

Xia Mi was a good leader who listened to her subordinates’ suggestions. She reloaded her save and let Fang Zihan take the lead.

In the third attempt, Xiao Fang charged into the Secret Room at top speed. He was indeed faster than the other two, but strangely, the speed at which he was manipulated was also faster. Xiao Fang was brought under control less than a meter away from the mannequin.

His fate was the same as Xiao Huo and Xiao Duan, he was swatted unconscious by Xiao Qiu.

“Why is my resistance worse than theirs?” Fang Zihan asked indignantly back in reality.

“Because the key factor might not be time, but position,” Mi Xiangyan said.

Mi Xiangyan had been watching the game for a long time and had already deduced the pattern. She analyzed, “Huo Jing was controlled when he stepped into the middle of the eyeballs. At that moment, Xiao Huo was exactly in the center of the two eyes’ line of sight.”

“Duan Feng was controlled for slightly longer than Huo Jing. Before he was manipulated, those eyeballs made a rotating motion. When Duan Feng ran to the convergence point of the upper and lower eyeballs, he was also controlled.”

“Similarly, Fang Zihan was faster, but when he reached the convergence point of the eyeballs’ gaze, his position was almost identical to Huo Jing’s, and he was controlled as well.”

Fang Zihan argued, “But Huo Jing turned back at two and a half meters from the mannequin, while I turned back at one meter. I ran further, so my control point should be deeper than Huo Jing’s.”

Mi Xiangyan shook her head. “Your positions were the same. The reason you covered more distance is that you’re faster than him, your body is longer, and your weight after Zhuo-transformation is heavier. After being controlled, your muscles didn’t retract immediately, you still took a step forward. You’re faster than Huo Jing, your body is longer, and you have two more legs, which allowed you to take two extra steps. Also, after stopping, your mass is greater than his, giving you more inertia. That extra momentum carried you a bit further, which is why there’s a difference in distance.”

But essentially, the point of control had not changed. Even if Fang Zihan reached the mannequin’s side, he would be controlled and unable to reunite Sister Shield with the mannequin, meaning he still couldn’t wake Sister Shield up.

“If the key factor for control is the gaze’s convergence point, then it doesn’t matter who goes. Even if Xia Mi goes, she’ll be controlled at the same spot,” Qiu Hailan said, her head aching.

Mi Xiangyan shook her head, saying with a hint of dejection, “Can we really not break through this Eye stage no matter what?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Xia Mi.

In this team, there were those with speed, those with strength, and those with high intelligence and analytical skills. Everyone had areas where they surpassed Xia Mi. But when it came time to make a decision, only Xia Mi, with her stable emotions, iron will, and courage to take responsibility, could make the final call.

Xia Mi thought for a moment and said, “Then we’ll have Sister Shield’s body and the mannequin reunite before the gazes converge.”

“How do we do that?” Everyone looked at Xia Mi in confusion.

Xia Mi said, “Since superpowers can’t solve the problem, we must believe in materialism, science, and physics.”

Everyone: “…”

We’re all literally manipulating people’s spirits here, and you’re talking about scientific materialism?

“Just as Group Leader Mi mentioned, after Xiao Fang finishes running, he covers two extra steps due to acceleration and inertia compared to Xiao Huo. So, if we stop obsessing over running all the way to the mannequin and try a different method, what if we throw Sister Shield onto the mannequin before being controlled?” Xia Mi made a tossing motion as she spoke.

Everyone: “…”

Fine, that’s very much in line with physics, but it’s not very medical!

Mi Xiangyan glanced at Shield, who had been carried around like luggage the whole time. Because Xia Mi had been tossing her around throughout the journey, after several hours, Shield was covered in black and blue bruises. There were no major injuries, but minor ones were constant.

If they threw her directly like that, Shield might suffer internal injuries.

Xia Mi said, “I know Sister Shield will get hurt, but as long as we contact Xiao Liao, he can heal her.”

The group couldn’t help but marvel at Xia Mi’s talent for “painting cakes¹,” making empty promises.

When people were injured, she looked for Xiao Liao, to provide energy for Shield, she looked for Xiao Liao, and now to heal Shield, she was looking for Xiao Liao again.

Back in Building 6, the membership card promise Xia Mi had painted for the Hairdresser Lin Xiaoli would ultimately have to be paid for by Liao Tianhua.

Everyone began to worry that if they couldn’t rescue Liao Tianhua, they’d be finished!

While the others were anxious, Xia Mi spoke with clear logic. “We are inside history. To leave this place, we must open the passage between the two domains. Otherwise, even if we kill the Eye in the Secret Room, we might be trapped here forever.”

“Contacting Liao Tianhua and cracking the domain are one and the same. Since that’s the case, why shouldn’t we plan from the start with the premise that ‘we will reunite with Liao Tianhua’?”

“This isn’t an empty promise, it’s a conviction! It’s not about trying to do it, but that we must do it! Otherwise, we all wait for death, wait for the Immortal Foundation’s Project Queen Bee to succeed, and wait for them to cause even greater harm to the world.”

“We have no way back.”

Xia Mi’s words caused the light of determination to return to everyone’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Mi Xiangyan wrote in her observation report: The Queen Bee’s desires and emotions are far stronger than an average person’s, and far more positive.

With Xia Mi’s analysis, everyone’s acceptance of the “Project Toss Sister Shield” grew.

They unanimously decided that Comrade Fang Zihan, who had the fastest reaction speed and excellent basketball skills, having once been the runner-up in the police academy’s three-pointer contest, would complete this task.

Fang Zihan picked up Shield with a complex expression. He apologized to her first, then comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. Once we reach Captain Liao, your injuries will be healed.”

To ensure Fang Zihan could complete the task smoothly, Xia Mi decided to let the in-game Xiao Fang practice a few times. Once his proficiency was high enough, she would spend Zhuo Coins to help Xiao Fang synchronize his state before executing the plan.

After all, the Sister Shield in the game was reusable, but the real-life Sister Shield could only be thrown once. They had to ensure nothing went wrong.

The game allowed for the design of Xiao Fang’s action patterns. By inserting a remark, writing down Xiao Fang’s trajectory, and inputting the game coordinates for throwing Sister Shield, one could practice proficiency.

However, inserting a remark cost 10 Zhuo Coins. Xia Mi bit her tongue and paid the fee.

In the game, the four-clawed Xiao Fang was blindfolded. He rushed into the Secret Room holding Sister Shield and threw her at the agreed-upon location. Sister Shield slammed into the wall.

Fang Zihan watched with his heart in his throat. He patted the unconscious Shield and comforted her, muttering to himself, “Sister Shield, it’s just a game, it’s nothing. I even got beaten up severely by Captain Qiu in the game. Don’t look, don’t be scared.”

On the second attempt, Xiao Fang’s strength was too weak, and Sister Shield failed to reach the designated position.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time…

By the fifth attempt, Xiao Fang could throw Sister Shield next to the mannequin, but it wasn’t accurate enough, there was still a risk of error.

To ensure everything was foolproof, Xia Mi repeated the process ten times until Xiao Fang successfully threw Sister Shield onto the mannequin three times in a row. Only then did she decide to execute the plan in reality.

Xia Mi chose to synchronize states. The damn game seemed to sense she had plenty of money, as it charged 20 Zhuo Coins this time. The reason given was that within a single ending, synchronizing the same character’s state twice in a row caused the cost to double each time.

At the rate the game was devouring money, Xia Mi would soon be back in poverty.

After paying the Zhuo Coins with a heavy heart, Xia Mi’s Zhuo assets were down to 1410 coins.

Once the state was synchronized, Fang Zihan picked up Sister Shield and felt a sense of familiarity.

It was the same feeling a basketball player gets when their hands are hot, the moment the ball leaves their fingertips, they are certain it will go in.

Fang Zihan had that touch now.

He moved as fast as possible before the sensation faded.

The group arrived at the records room together. Duan Feng entered the Secret Room password for Fang Zihan, whose hands were full. Xia Mi tied the blindfold around Fang Zihan’s eyes, while Qiu Hailan stood by with Huo Jing to cheer him on.

The moment the Secret Room door opened, Xia Mi and Duan Feng turned and ran out of the records room.

Fang Zihan, as if he had practiced a thousand times, rushed into the Secret Room. At the fixed position, he threw Shield’s body in a graceful arc.

Because his posture and strength were perfect, Shield landed steadily on the mannequin. The angle of her fall was designed to minimize injury.

The moment Shield made contact with the mannequin, Fang Zihan was controlled by the Eye. He ripped off his blindfold and ran out howling to attack his teammates.

As he reached the door, he was knocked unconscious by a punch from Qiu Hailan, as per the routine.

Xia Mi, meanwhile, held a makeshift megaphone that Mi Xiangyan had fashioned out of A4 paper. She shouted toward the records room, “Sister Shield! Sister Shield! Sister Shield! If you’re awake, don’t worry about helping Eye regain consciousness yet! Come meet us first so we can discuss our next move!”

Xia Mi repeated the phrase over and over.

The Eye was just the Eye, it could only affect the team’s vision. It had no way to stop Xia Mi’s voice from reaching the Secret Room.

Shield’s consciousness returned from the mannequin to her own body. She blinked her eyes in confusion, and that was when she heard Xia Mi’s loud shouting.

Though she didn’t quite understand the situation yet, Shield made a quick decision, she would regroup with Xia Mi.

At that moment, Xia Mi spoke to Xiao Duan and Xiao Huo, who were already blindfolded. “Go!”

Xiao Duan and Xiao Huo rushed into the records room. One used bizarre dance moves to draw the Eye’s attention, while the other charged in with a Zhuo blade, hacking wildly at the eyes on the floor.

According to the game’s plot, everyone knew the eyeballs would try to stop Shield from escaping the Secret Room.

It would use methods like releasing light beams to blind Shield or closing the Secret Room door.

Through game simulations, Xia Mi had already found the best solution.

That was to use offense as defense. By having two team members attack the eyeballs, the Eye would be forced to attack them to protect itself, leaving it no time to deal with Shield.

Sure enough, the Eye was enraged. It released a powerful gaze to control Xiao Duan and Xiao Huo, but Shield used that opening to escape.

The controlled Xiao Duan and Xiao Huo ran out, trying to snatch Shield back, but they were each knocked unconscious by a punch from Qiu Hailan and Xia Mi.

The Second Team had finally successfully reunited with Shield!

Although three members were incapacitated, the strongest members, Qiu Hailan and Xia Mi, had preserved their strength. They had completed the mission at minimal cost, keeping their core forces intact and laying the foundation for the upcoming battle!

Xia Mi supported Shield, carrying her on her back as they quickly moved away from the Secret Room. Once they reached a safe area, Shield pointed to the three unconscious members being carried by Qiu Hailan, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Li. “I can wake them up,” she said.

Xia Mi replied, “I know you can, but it will consume a lot of your energy. Our current task isn’t to restore their consciousness, but to contact Liao Tianhua in the other domain. Shield, I know you have the ability to project your consciousness into another domain through the Protective Suits. Can you contact Liao Tianhua through his suit?”

Shield quickly shifted into a professional state and asked, “Has Liao Tianhua’s Protective Suit ever touched my body?”

Xia Mi said with certainty, “Yes! Though you were unconscious at the time.”

The Protective Suit Liao Tianhua was wearing was new, but when she and Liao Tianhua had gone to the safe house to find Shield, Liao Tianhua had helped move Shield from the chair to the bed.

“As long as there was contact, I can try,” Shield said.

Xia Mi reminded her, “Do what you can, don’t overextend yourself.”

It was only then that Shield noticed her entire body felt as if it had been run over by a steamroller. Every inch of her was in pain!

“My waist, my legs, my arms, my face, my cervical spine, my tailbone, my knees, my sternum… why does everything hurt so much?” Shield asked through gritted teeth.

Everyone guiltily looked away.

Xia Mi spoke to Shield firmly, “It’s enough that you’re alive. Let’s hurry and contact Xiao Liao!”

Shield gave Xia Mi a suspicious look, then endured the pain to focus her mental energy, concentrating fully on communicating with Liao Tianhua.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then snapped them open. “Liao Tianhua’s helmet is broken,” she said. “I can’t contact him by writing on his HUD or speaking through his headset, but I’ve established a channel. Does anyone have a communication device to reach him?”

The members of the Second Team spread their hands helplessly. They didn’t even have physical bodies, let alone communication gear.

Only Xia Mi pulled out the walkie-talkie Liao Tianhua had issued her before they entered the Pharmaceutical Factory. She adjusted the channel, pressed the talk button, and said, “Ahem. Xiao Liao, Xiao Liao, calling Xiao Liao.”

Liao Tianhua’s breathless voice immediately crackled through the radio. “Xia Mi? Where are you!”

“I’m in the Black Domain with the brothers and sisters from the Second Team, Group Leader Mi, and Sister Shield. What about you?” Xia Mi said cheerfully.

Liao Tianhua didn’t answer right away, but everyone simultaneously heard a man’s scream.

“That’s my voice,” Xiao Li noted. “Liao Tianhua is beating up my body.”

A series of heavy thuds followed. A moment later, Xia Mi finally heard Liao Tianhua speak. “I’m in the Rep…”

“Oh, I already know you’re in the reptile breeding area punching Xiao Li,” Xia Mi interrupted. “Xiao Li heard it too.”

Qiu Hailan added in her gruff voice, “We’re all listening.”

Liao Tianhua: “…”

The element of surprise was completely gone.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. painting cakes: A translation of the Chinese idiom ‘hua bing’ (画饼), short for ‘drawing a pancake to satisfy hunger.’ It refers to making empty promises or dangling unrealistic rewards to motivate others. ↩