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Changsheng Building
Chapter 203: Your luck doesn’t seem too great.
“Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Hahahahaha!]
[Hahahahahahahahaha!]
[Finally, after waiting so long, I got to see this moment. Totally worth it!]
[Hahahahaha, this is the first time I’ve seen such a classic ‘I’ve seen a ghost’ expression. So funny.]
Hearing Su Cheng’s abrupt stop behind him, Qi Qian paused, turned his head, and asked:
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Su Cheng snapped back to reality. The girl in the white dress beside him raised her innocent face and gave him a sweet smile.
“…”
Su Cheng’s forehead twitched.
With a stiff face, he looked at Qi Qian in the distance, shook his head, and dryly replied, “It’s nothing.”
Qi Qian’s probing gaze shifted between the two, then he frowned and looked away:
“Keep up.”
After tossing out those two words, he turned around and walked toward the building.
Following the crowd, Su Cheng forced himself to move forward, with Wen Jianyan cheerfully following behind.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Su Cheng stared straight ahead, his voice intentionally lowered, as if squeezing the words out through his teeth.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes curved as he responded in a similarly low voice, “In this instance, ‘I’ can’t participate.”
He used his natural voice, clear and low.
The next second, the girl’s timid voice sounded, soft and delicate, with a slight hint of a smile: “But I can.”
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng’s spine tingled, and he turned his head, looking at Wen Jianyan with horror in his eyes. His voice changed:
“I’m begging you; can you act normal for once?”
“Alright, alright.”
Wen Jianyan replied with a cheerful smile, his voice returning to normal.
Although Wen Jianyan always activated a different appearance outside of instances and was very careful not to reveal his true appearance outside of instances, unless someone had participated in multiple instances with him or closely followed his rise, it was generally difficult to associate him with the latest rising star, number 34.
However, all of this was based on the premise that no one was paying attention.
Before the previous instance, Wen Jianyan had at most offended some ordinary members of large guilds within instances. At most, it was a small fuss that wouldn’t attract too much attention or resources. However, after saving Su Cheng in the last instance, the situation completely changed.
He had officially put himself in the spotlight.
Wen Jianyan had no doubt that, with the connections and resources accumulated by Oracle over a long period, his real appearance was no longer a secret. Even the appearances he frequently used might be under scrutiny.
This time, he had really gone all out.
Using an appearance within an instance was extremely expensive, calculated by the second. Using it once could almost consume all the rewards from clearing a mid-level instance.
However, after using the appearance, Wen Jianyan understood why it was so expensive.
Unlike outside the instance, within the instance, the appearance manifested in a “mask” form.
A soft mask that adhered to the skin. Though it couldn’t truly alter his physiological structure, it could change the perception of those around him.
It was practically like some kind of artifact.
The advantage was that it could be worn or removed at will, changed as desired, without restricting his body despite the change in appearance.
But there was a downside.
Even though Wen Jianyan entered the instance using this appearance, it wasn’t completely different from his original face. Instead, it bore a four to five-tenths resemblance…
However, Wen Jianyan was confident in his ability to change his demeanor. As long as he wanted to, no one could associate this face with his former self.
“So, why did you choose this appearance?”
Su Cheng’s voice sounded almost through gritted teeth.
“Why?”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head and glanced sideways at Su Cheng, a harmless, soft smile on his lips, “Don’t you think I’m good-looking?”
“…”
Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan in disbelief, his eyes clearly spelling out a few big words:
Do you have any shame?
But before Su Cheng could say anything, Wen Jianyan suddenly shifted his gaze, looking into the distance.
Unconsciously, they had already reached the front entrance of the Changsheng Building.
The layout resembled that of an old-fashioned department store. The door and frame were dirty brass, rusted in spots, and the bricks on the walls looked aged.
Peering inside through the open door, only a dark, foggy space could be seen.
It was very eerie.
If there had been low whispers among the anchors just moments before, now everything had gone completely silent, sinking into a heart-palpitating dead silence.
Everyone knew that what was about to happen was no joke.
In such an oppressive environment, the group wordlessly stepped into the building.
As they stepped inside, an extremely chilling sensation engulfed them, like stepping into a freezer on a hot summer day. The sudden coldness penetrated their skin, causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.
A faint, strange smell floated in the air.
It was like the stench of rotting flesh.
Wen Jianyan looked around.
He was now inside an old-fashioned department store. The layout of the building was simple, a square structure with an atrium in the middle leading upward and shops lining the walls.
Inside the building, there was no lighting, but the surroundings were still clearly visible.
The glass doors of the shops were tightly closed, and everything inside was shrouded in gray, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
Wen Jianyan raised his head and looked upward.
The entire atrium was enveloped in a gloomy fog, only faintly revealing the lower floors, but beyond that, everything was obscured.
—Bang!
A loud noise erupted from behind.
The sound echoed throughout the entire department store, startling everyone and making them instinctively turn towards the source.
Behind them, the entrance doors of the Changsheng Building had slammed shut.
Clearly, the sound just now was the door closing.
The way back was cut off; there was no way out.
At the same time, a familiar system announcement rang in their ears:
“Welcome, anchors, to the A+ level instance ‘Changsheng Building’. This instance is a limited elimination-type team instance! Complete the main task to clear the instance.”
Although the anchors had mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of not being able to leave, actually seeing it happen brought undeniable psychological pressure.
Tap, tap, tap.
The steady, stiff footsteps ahead suddenly stopped.
Under everyone’s gaze, the tall, thin man in the security uniform turned around, his murky eyes looking at the anchors behind him, and said:
“From today onwards, you are all employees of the Changsheng Building.”
With that, he stepped aside and said:
“Draw your lot.”
Behind him was a square red box, smeared with thick, conspicuous red paint. In the gray and murky building, it stood out starkly, so glaring that it seemed you could almost smell the faint scent of blood just by looking at it.
The surroundings fell silent, with no one daring to be the first to step forward.
“…”
Qi Qian lifted his eyes, scanned the area, and took the lead, walking forward.
His footsteps echoed alone and clearly, drawing all eyes to him as he approached the red box.
He reached into the opening at the top of the box, fumbled around for a while, and then pulled something out.
Qi Qian was about to turn back to his team when the security guard’s cold voice rang out:
“Wait.”
In an instant, the entire place fell silent.
Qi Qian paused, his lowered hand clenched slightly, and he slowly turned to look at the security guard behind him.
The security guard fumbled in his pocket and took out a flat matchbox:
“Here.”
His murky gray eyes fixed on Qi Qian, his voice flat and unchanging: “Lights out at night.”
Though his words were simple, his voice carried a chilling, eerie undertone.
With Dark Fire, the large guild, taking the lead, the other anchors grew bolder. The leaders of the various teams stepped forward one after another, heading towards the blood-red lot-drawing box.
On the Dark Fire side, everyone crowded around, looking at what Qi Qian had drawn.
Qi Qian opened his palm.
In his hand was a rusty brass key, with a small tag hanging from it.
The number on the tag was faint and dull.
04.
Wen Jianyan squinted slightly.
Given the layout of this instance, which resembled an old department store, and the information the security guard had just revealed, it was easy to deduce that this key probably opened a particular shop.
“Four, huh.” One team member rubbed his neck and took a sharp breath, “Not very lucky.”
He looked at Qi Qian: “Captain, your luck doesn’t seem too great.”
“Shut up.”
A female team member nearby glared at him coldly and scolded, “Don’t jinx it.”
Only Su Cheng silently looked at Wen Jianyan.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
He silently looked away.
“Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[LOL, Su Cheng is so used to this, he immediately found the problem!]
[Hahahahaha, so, for those who have seen this instance, is 04 the hardest difficulty?]
[Hard to say, this instance changes a lot each time, but it does rely on luck…]
[Doomed.]
[Doomed.]
After drawing the key, the anchors’ phones in their pockets buzzed.
They exchanged glances and took out their phones.
Wen Jianyan opened his phone screen.
Since the instance had officially started, the content of his Nightmare app identity card had also been updated.
Name: Wen Jianyan
Age: 24 years old
Occupation: Shop assistant at Shop 04 on the first floor of the Prosperous Building
Related Plot: Not yet unlocked
【Initial Survival Time Allocation Completed.】
On the screen, a blood-red countdown timer began: 2:00:00
【Main Task: Survive for 12 hours】
The rules of this instance… were a bit peculiar.
Wen Jianyan gripped his phone, his face showing a thoughtful expression.
“By the way,” Qi Qian put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Su Cheng, “This is your first time participating in a team instance, right?”
Su Cheng nodded.
Qi Qian: “You might need to understand some basic rules.”
Although they might have already gone over the basics before entering the instance, every instance was different. Only after entering could they truly understand what type of instance this was.
“This time, the team instance mechanism is elimination-based, meaning the most basic way to pass is still unchanged—surviving for twelve hours is enough. However, the key here is the concept of elimination.”
Qi Qian narrowed his eyes, looking very cautious:
“This means that, besides the basic survival mechanism, there is likely another hidden elimination rule we need to explore and uncover. If we trigger this rule, the entire team will be eliminated, and the live broadcast will be shut down.”
In other words, total team death.
In team instances, all members of a team are like locusts tied to the same rope.
United we stand, divided we fall.
“Have your survival times been allocated?” Qi Qian asked.
Everyone nodded, reporting their initial survival times.
Three hours, four hours, the highest being five hours, but they were all within this range.
In lower-level instances, the longer the initial survival time, the greater the advantage, allowing one to simply hold out and pass the time. However, this rule does not apply in higher-level instances, especially in team instances. Here, besides survival time, there are many hidden death mechanisms. Merely having a long survival time is not enough to stay alive.
But still, having more time is better than having less.
Qi Qian nodded: “If any of you are running out of survival time, report to me, and I’ll transfer some points to you—”
As the captain, it was his responsibility to ensure the basic survival time of his team members so they wouldn’t fail due to unforeseen threats.
Before he finished speaking, a soft voice sounded from beside him:
“I have two hours.”
The air suddenly went still as everyone turned towards the source of the voice.
The girl blinked her eyes and timidly hid behind Su Cheng, only revealing a pair of amber eyes that sparkled. The soft lines of her eyes drooped slightly, giving the impression of innocence and harmlessness.
Her voice was low, seemingly anxious:
“Sorry… does it seem a bit too short?”
Su Cheng, who was standing in front of her as a shield, had no expression:
“……”
As expected of you, still as unlucky as ever.
Still as much of a performer.
Qi Qian frowned.
He knew this girl was Su Cheng’s teammate, sent by that guy No. 34 to protect his prophet—
Although No. 34 claimed his achievements were entirely due to the prophet’s help, Qi Qian knew how fragile a prophet could be in a team. In many high-difficulty instances, even with a prophet’s help, those without sufficient ability would still fail. Therefore, 34 was certainly not as useless as he humbly claimed.
That’s why Qi Qian agreed to take two outsiders into his team, reducing their own numbers.
Such a delicate-looking girl, yet able to survive until now and even earn the trust of No. 34…
This seemingly fragile girl was definitely not as simple as she appeared.
Qi Qian’s gaze fell on the girl in the white dress, and he sighed in compromise:
“I’ll transfer you one hour of points.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Wen Jianyan said it with a smile.
Su Cheng: “……”
As expected of you, always ready to take advantage of anyone.
Missing no opportunities.
During this time, all the teams had drawn their keys and door numbers from the eerie red box, and they also received a flat matchbox.
After everything was done, the tall, thin security guard stepped forward with stiff steps, bent down, and picked up the red box. At that moment, the faint stench of decay in the air grew stronger.
Wen Jianyan, with sharp eyes, noticed that the edges of the box perfectly matched the brownish stains on the security guard’s tattered clothes.
Without saying a word, the security guard turned and left, carrying the box.
He walked towards a room in the southeast corner of the first floor, his tall, stiff figure quickly disappearing into the gloomy fog.
The anchors exchanged glances, understanding the situation.
It seemed the NPC’s guidance had ended here, and the rest was up to them to figure out on their own.
“Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Not surprising for a high-level instance, the NPC provides very little information, just enough to hint at what’s going on.]
[The higher the level, the more they only show you the tip of the iceberg.]
After the security guard disappeared, the other anchors dispersed, each heading towards the numbered shop corresponding to their keys. Throughout the process, they deliberately kept their distance from other teams. Although this instance was an elimination-based team instance, it was extremely unwise to engage in conflicts with other teams before fully understanding the rules.
Even though conflicts and even deadly confrontations might arise later, maintaining surface-level peace was crucial for now.
Qi Qian looked down at the brass key in his hand and the door number on it:
“Let’s go, let’s check out Shop 04.”
They walked towards a row of shops along the edge of the atrium and quickly found the corresponding shop.
The door was pitch black and foggy, tightly locked, with nothing visible inside. Beside it, a small brass plate was deeply embedded in the wall, with tiny letters:
Shop 04.
Qi Qian inserted the key into the lock and gently turned it.
With a “click,” the door was unlocked.
Inside was complete darkness, with a heavy stench of decay wafting out.
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