Chapter 39: The Second Ending

Xia Mi didn’t understand what he was saying, and she certainly couldn’t read his lips.

What kind of normal person learns lip-reading for no reason?

But Xia Mi didn’t stress too much over what the Eye had said. It looked like fewer than ten words, hardly enough to convey any critical information.

Even if there were vital secrets, she figured she could just beat them out of the Eye once she caught him in person.

Her primary concern was Liao Tianhua’s safety.

There was a countdown in the top left corner of the screen representing their time limit for the game. When the Medical Kit broke, the timer had shown 30:XX:XX. Xia Mi couldn’t remember the exact minutes and seconds, so she simply rounded up and treated it as a 31-hour countdown.

The mission to rescue the Second Team members had been issued around 4:00 PM on September 22nd. By the time Xia Mi and Liao Tianhua entered the Domain in reality, it was already 11:00 PM. Between fighting the Second Team members, getting her bearings, and playing the game, about two hours had passed. It was now 1:00 AM on September 23rd. Nine hours had elapsed since the game began, leaving 63 hours until the 72-hour limit.

In other words, Liao Tianhua would die in 32 hours.

Right now, he should still be alive and well, fighting the grey Fang Zihan.

Back in the Hani Apartments, “Xiao Mi” had died twice, but those weren’t the actual future. They were endings extrapolated by the game based on the information the protagonist currently possessed.

As long as she could get the intel about the Eye’s betrayal to Liao Tianhua, his life could still be saved.

Through the gameplay just now, Xia Mi had truly acknowledged Liao Tianhua’s strength for the first time.

He was indeed an exceptional soldier.

If Liao Tianhua hadn’t been misled by the Eye’s words and trusted him, he wouldn’t have been blindsided.

Liao Tianhua had fought alone for over thirty hours and held the absolute advantage. No wonder he had been so confident outside Building 6, believing that as long as he could enter the Domain, he could definitely save the residents.

Qiu Hailan, Liao Tianhua…

The Disposal Bureau was truly full of talent. Xia Mi had thought she’d become strong after the battle at Building 6, but she realized now that she had been arrogant.

Her hypothetical enemies were just as powerful.

“I have to get stronger!” Xia Mi resolved silently.

Since she could grow stronger in Building 6, she would surely become even more powerful if she cleared the Illegal Laboratory!

Although the run with the Medical Kit had ended in failure, Xia Mi had gained several key pieces of intelligence.

First, the mutated team members in the Black Domain might not be using their own bodies, their real bodies might be in the Grey Domain.

Liao Tianhua had used many methods to check the Second Team members in the Grey Domain. He had even checked the burn scar on Fang Zihan’s lower back, and everything matched their files. Liao Tianhua had concluded that the people in the Grey Domain were the members themselves, just mentally unstable.

Combining this with the “mirror” intel from the Eye, Xia Mi suspected that the members in the Black Domain had their own minds but bodies created by the mirror, while the members in the Grey Domain had their own bodies but minds created by the mirror.

Second, based on these deductions, Xia Mi judged that to completely rescue the Second Team and destroy the Pharmaceutical Factory Domain, they couldn’t just solve one side. They had to crack both the Grey and Black Domains simultaneously. This required coordination with Liao Tianhua. She needed to find a way to communicate between the two sides.

Third, following the mirror principle, the creator of the Black Domain should also be in the Secret Room. However, she couldn’t rush there blindly, she had to play through it in the game first.

If “Xiao Mi” hit a death ending inside the game, Xia Mi wouldn’t get a third chance.

Therefore, she had to find a way to obtain Zhuo Coins.

The image of the sunflowers she had seen upon entering the Domain flashed through her mind. Perhaps she could harvest Zhuo Coins from them.

She’d had a hard enough time just escaping the greenhouse when she first arrived. Could she really defeat the monsters inside the laboratory?

Xia Mi sat on the floor, staring pensively at her black phone screen. The others crouched beside her, waiting patiently. Only Xiao Qiu, due to her massive size, couldn’t crouch for long. After a moment, she stood up and paced the room, each step shaking the floor like thunder.

Xia Mi looked at Xiao Qiu, and a sudden surge of confidence filled her heart.

What was there to fear? She had teammates, teammates who fought by her side without needing a membership card.

At that thought, Xia Mi beckoned everyone over. “Come here and watch me play. I’m going to kill every monster in the Underground Laboratory. Help me spot their weaknesses and simulate the battles in your heads. In a bit, we’ll use the intel from the game to deal with the real things.”

The others wanted to ask what playing a game had to do with fighting monsters, but Dr. Mi immediately guessed her ability based on Xia Mi’s previous behavior.

Mi Xiangyan said, “No wonder you could handle four mutated Zhuo in Building 6 by yourself. Your game can simulate exactly what happens in the Domain.”

“Exactly!” Xia Mi gave a brief explanation of the Grey and Black Domains and summarized what was happening on the other side. “Xiao Liao is going to take you all out within the next thirty-two hours, and then he’ll be killed by the Eye. We have to stop that from happening.”

No one cared that Xia Mi was calling him “Xiao Liao.” In her eyes, they were all juniors anyway, everyone was equal. They were only concerned with the fact that Liao Tianhua was going to take them all out in the future.

“The entire Second Team can’t beat Xiao Liao?” The same question arose in everyone’s mind.

Qiu Hailan ground her teeth and said to Xia Mi, “Go ahead and play. We’ll help. We’re definitely going to rescue Captain Liao. And after that… heh!”

Xia Mi scratched her head. How did it turn into them rescuing Xiao Liao? Wasn’t Xiao Liao supposed to be here with her to rescue the Second Team?

She didn’t say anything more. Under the watchful eyes of the Second Team, she opened the game from “Xiao Mi’s” perspective.

Xia Mi synchronized the information with “Xiao Mi.” Several teammates appeared behind the character: Xiao Qiu, Xiao Fang, Xiao Dai, Xiao Duan, and two others, along with Dr. Mi.

Dr. Mi was not a combatant, and the other two team members, Xiao Wang and Xiao Li, were severely injured. The three of them remained to guard the archives, while “Xiao Mi” led the four junior team members to begin clearing the laboratory.

“Xiao Mi” first treated Xiao Qiu’s injuries, absorbing the Zhuo Energy bacteria from her arm. During this process, “Xiao Mi” repeatedly drained Xiao Qiu dry, turning her from a two-and-a-half-meter giant bear into a gaunt, withered woman standing one-meter-nine. The real Qiu Hailan, watching from behind Xia Mi, felt her eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Xia Mi kept reloading her save to increase “Xiao Mi’s” proficiency. Eventually, she managed to absorb only the Zhuo Energy bacteria without harming Xiao Qiu’s bear body, perfectly preventing the injuries from worsening.

At this point, Xia Mi paused the game, looked back at Qiu Hailan, and rolled up her sleeves. “Your wound is deteriorating too quickly. Let’s heal you before I continue the game.”

Qiu Hailan’s face filled with terror. Her massive frame recoiled three steps as she shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to turn into a thin bamboo pole that’s one-meter-nine and barely sixty kilograms. I’m fine like this, really. No need, no need!”

Xia Mi forced Qiu Hailan into a corner step by step. With Qiu Hailan trapped, Xia Mi dragged a table over to block her path. Then, she hopped onto the table. Xia Mi’s height of 173cm combined with the one-meter-high table gave her a total height of over two-and-a-half meters, finally making her taller than Xiao Qiu.

Taking advantage of her height, Xia Mi pinned the bear-form Xiao Qiu against the wall with a kabedon¹ and said imperiously, “If I say I can heal it, I can heal it!”

The crowd: “…”

Just how obsessed was Xia Mi with asserting height dominance over Xiao Qiu?

Fortunately, Dr. Mi was present. After a moment’s thought, she understood Xia Mi’s intention and immediately explained, “Xia Mi, is the proficiency of your game character synchronized with your own?”

As expected of a doctor, her ability to grasp the key point far exceeded ordinary people.

Xia Mi nodded. “‘Xiao Mi’ is my ability. Whatever she can do, I can do. Xiao Qiu, Xiao Mi can already perfectly separate the Zhuo Energy bacteria from your mutation state. Relax!”

Only with Mi Xiangyan’s professional reputation as a guarantee did Qiu Hailan suppress the urge to bolt and place her trust in Xia Mi.

With the practice from the game, Xia Mi easily released the Silkworm. Numerous white threads operated on Qiu Hailan’s severed arm with surgical precision. Soon, the blackened flesh of the wound returned to a healthy pink.

Xia Mi retracted the threads. “There, Xiao Qiu’s wound won’t get any worse.”

She jumped off the table with a flourish, turning her back to Xiao Qiu in a cool, detached pose, like a hero who leaves without seeking fame or reward.

With a loud crash, Qiu Hailan smashed the table blocking her path with her one good hand.

Everyone shuddered. They all felt that the target Qiu Hailan really wanted to smash wasn’t the table, but Xia Mi.

Xia Mi looked back at Qiu Hailan and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Qiu Hailan felt a phantom pain shoot through her severed limb for some reason. She quickly explained, “This table was in the way. I wanted to come out and watch you play the game.”

Xia Mi nodded with a smile and offered a self-critique. “My mistake. I forgot to move the table out of your way.”

Qiu Hailan stammered, “No, no, no, you’re too kind. I can handle a small thing like this myself.”

Amidst these polite exchanges and pleasantries, Qiu Hailan completely submitted to Xia Mi.

Xia Mi resumed the game, leading the four-man squad toward the Sunflower Greenhouse.

Behind her, Mi Xiangyan observed the game while feeling an immense curiosity regarding Xia Mi’s ability.

This power to integrate information and simulate reality to change the physical world, wasn’t it a bit too strong?

This was definitely not a Rong that could be nurtured by the four Zhuo in Building 6.

Mi Xiangyan suspected that Xia Mi had become a Rong long before the Building 6 incident, and had simply been lying dormant, never revealing her true nature.

By now, the five-man group led by “Xiao Mi” had arrived in front of the greenhouse.

Seeing that “Xiao Mi” intended to enter herself, Mi Xiangyan instructed from behind, “‘Xiao Mi’ shouldn’t enter the greenhouse. This is a game, and our goal is to let ‘Xiao Mi’ reach the ending as quickly as possible. ‘Xiao Mi’ needs to conserve her strength. Let Xiao Fang, Xiao Duan, and Xiao Qiu go in. Xiao Qiu will draw the sunflowers’ fire in the front, Xiao Duan will use the mantis blades to sever the stalks, and Xiao Fang is fast, so he’ll be responsible for transporting the sunflowers back to ‘Xiao Mi’.”

The four junior members could all be set to auto-mode. Following Dr. Mi’s advice, Xia Mi set the team members to auto-battle and controlled “Xiao Mi” to wait outside the greenhouse for the sunflowers.

In the game, Xiao Qiu, Xiao Fang, and Xiao Duan operated with flexible maneuvers without direct control. There were thirty-seven sunflowers in the greenhouse, and through their seamless coordination, they quickly eliminated them all.

After the fierce battle, Xiao Duan was bitten to death by a sunflower, and half of Xiao Qiu’s head was gnawed off. Xiao Fang remained uninjured due to his speed, but his claws were severely worn and his stamina was depleted, leaving his health bar at only fifty percent.

Fortunately, this was just a simulation. Deaths within the game served as an effective way for the team members to remember where the dangers lay.

“Xiao Mi” pressed forward, slaughtering the monsters in the basement. The game showed that “Xiao Mi” had accumulated 2,300 Zhuo Coins, but the “Use Coins” button was greyed out. This indicated that these coins were illusory, only when Xia Mi herself obtained them could they be used.

By the time “Xiao Mi” had eliminated all the monsters, the four junior members had all fallen in battle.

“Xiao Mi” had no time for grief. She fought her way to the location of the Secret Room within the Grey Domain.

Unlike the Medical Kit’s method of blowing up the lock, “Xiao Mi,” empowered by her 2,300 Zhuo Coins, kicked the door of the Secret Room flying.

This action caused “Xiao Mi’s” coin count to drop by 100, indicating that any action exceeding Xia Mi’s normal physical capabilities would consume Zhuo Energy.

Unlike the rest of the Grey Domain, there were no people inside the Secret Room, only two massive eyes.

One was on the ceiling, and the other was embedded in the floor.

The two eyes were alive. They rolled around, focusing simultaneously on “Xiao Mi.”

In a corner of the Secret Room, there was a pile of objects that looked like anatomical models.

Relying on the fact that she couldn’t truly die, “Xiao Mi” boldly stepped into the Secret Room and approached the models.

Unable to determine if the mannequin that appeared to be Shield was alive or dead, she used Silkworm to absorb a small amount. Upon discovering she had gained a few Zhuo Coins, she immediately stopped.

As long as there were Zhuo Coins, there was vitality, meaning the mannequin was still alive.

“Xiao Mi” clutched the mannequin, and under the gaze of the pair of eyes, she suddenly fell into a frenzy.

She sprinted back to the place where Dr. Mi and the others were hiding, descending into utter madness and killing all three of them, including Dr. Mi.

Xia Mi frantically pressed the buttons on her phone to control “Xiao Mi,” but in the end, she could only make “Xiao Mi’s” hands tremble slightly.

However, that slight tremor was enough to cause the mannequin “Xiao Mi” was carrying to fall, landing right on top of the unconscious Sister Shield.

The moment Sister Shield touched the mannequin, her eyes snapped open. She rushed forward and grabbed “Xiao Mi’s” head with both hands, pressing her thumbs firmly against “Xiao Mi’s” temples.

Xia Mi found that she could control “Xiao Mi’s” body once again.

In the game, Sister Shield spoke: “Quick, take me to the Secret Room.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Sister Shield began coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.

“Xiao Mi” hurriedly carried Sister Shield to the door of the Secret Room. Fearing she would go mad again if she entered, she hesitated at the threshold. To her surprise, Sister Shield shoved “Xiao Mi” aside and ran into the Secret Room alone.

The two eyes began to spin frantically, as if attempting to seize control of Sister Shield.

Sister Shield showed no fear. One after another, transparent protective barriers expanded outward from her, enveloping the entire room and trapping both eyes within the shield.

The pair of massive, frenzied eyes suddenly stopped their erratic spinning. It was as if a person had regained their sanity, large droplets of water began to leak from the ceiling, and puddles started to form on the floor.

These were the tears of the Eye.

Exhausted, Sister Shield collapsed to the ground and said, “Tong Ming, you must…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her strength failed her. She died, her eyes closing forever.

The moment she died, the pair of eyes became turbid once more, and “Xiao Mi” lapsed back into madness.

A block of text appeared in the game:

[Player failed to find the key item. All members of the Second Team have been killed in action, Liao Tianhua has been killed in action, Shield has been killed in action. Eye has completely transformed into a Shi. The player has been killed in action. Project Queen Bee has selected a new host and continues to operate steadily.

Due to the death of Liao Tianhua, the player did not receive a Bianzhi or a second-class merit.

Regrettably, until the moment of your death, you were nothing more than the unemployed Xia Mi.]

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Translator’s Notes

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1. kabedon: A loanword from Japanese (壁咚, bì dōng) describing the action of pinning someone against a wall with one’s hand, creating a ‘thud’ sound. It is a common trope in East Asian media used to show dominance or romantic aggression. ↩