In that case, let's dismantle the piano." Xing Ye handed Teacher Ding a hammer. "The more broken it is, the better."
Teacher Ding scratched his head. "Isn't that too much? In a chaotic world, victory isn't limited to one faction. All we need to do is find a quest item and hand it over to the designated NPC. If there are seven items, and each of the seven players gets one, then everyone can win. And the winning points remain the same, 100 points, regardless of whether one person hands in seven or one item. We don't need to compete so fiercely. If you can guess the hidden message on the piano, so can others."
His idea was naive, but Xing Ye didn't get angry after hearing it. Instead, he replied, "I'm glad you're such a kind person. If everyone were like you, all we players would have to do was sit down and reveal our identities to each other and work together to overcome the levels. But that's not the case. In the melee world, you can attack each other, and you can earn side quest points in hidden plots. We need to grasp some key information, at least to exchange for self-protection."
"For example," Xing Ye pulled out his electric baton and pointed it at Teacher Ding, "I want to hurt you, but you have crucial information I can't get. You can use this information in exchange for your own protection. Do you understand?"
Teacher Ding suddenly understood and nodded, "I see. Let's tear it down."
Xing Ye and Teacher Ding first used an upright piano to block the door to prevent anyone from breaking in. Together, they dismantled the piano into a pile of junk. As Teacher Ding brought down the final blow, a piece of paper fluttered down from the piano's frame. The paper was cleverly hidden, and would have been difficult to find had the piano not been dismantled.
Teacher Ding picked up the paper: "Huh? Special QR code."
Xing Ye's expression remained unchanged. He moved closer to Teacher Ding, staring at the QR code carefully and memorizing it frantically.
This is something that Teacher Ding picked up. As a collaborator, Xing Ye cannot snatch it away without a falling out.
"Here you go," Teacher Ding thought for a moment and handed the QR code to Xing Ye. "Generally, wherever you find it, the QR code has that special ability. I know nothing about music, so I might not be able to make good use of this piano music QR code. You're better than me, so it's best for you to keep it."
Xing Ye didn't take the QR code, but asked, "How many special QR codes do you have?"
"There are five," Teacher Ding said. "There's nothing in the novice world, just one as a winning reward. But the last world was pretty good, I picked up four, and then I got another as a winning reward. I used one in the last world, so I have five left now."
The luck of the Shun Ming camp is really... When they dismantled the piano, it was Teacher Ding who picked up the QR code, not Xing Ye.
"I'll trade one of my player identities with you," Xing Ye said. He picked up his phone and showed Teacher Ding Di Kuang's photo. "His name is Di Kuang. He's bound to be the most formidable enemy in the campus hidden object game. I think his identity deserves a special ability. You should pay more attention to him."
After that, he opened the QR code interface on his phone. A light shone on the paper, and then the paper disappeared. The QR code appeared on the phone with a brief introduction:
A QR code found on a dilapidated piano in a music classroom might be related to music, or it might turn into a piano and be used to kill someone. Who knows? Perhaps it's neither.
Teacher Ding leaned over to look at the QR code description and sighed, "Luckily I didn't take this. The description was too vague, and I didn't know the specific effects. It looked very deceptive. I found a QR code in a flower bush before, and the description directly said that the fragrance of the flowers has the ability to intoxicate people, which should be able to stun the enemy."
Xing Ye: "…"
Never mind, getting a special QR code is a big deal.
Teacher Ding is so naive that it makes people worry. If Xing Ye hadn't seen someone like Jingzi in the Shunming camp, he really couldn't believe that in this world, there is actually someone as kind as Teacher Ding. It is rare in modern society.
Of course, he doesn't really trust Teacher Ding now. His simple magnanimity may be a disguise, so he still needs to be on guard.
"How did you get into this game?" Xing Ye asked casually.
He once asked the mirror this question, and the mirror said that he didn't know either. One day he woke up and found himself in a black and white space. He was so scared that he almost cried. Of course, even if he cried, he cried very beautifully.
Teacher Ding's face darkened. "One day, a friend of mine handed me his phone and asked me to scan it. He said it was a new game his company had developed, and they were looking for people to sign up to increase the user base. I scanned it and clicked on it, and that's when I ended up here."
Xing Ye knew that players could invite others, and he entered the game after scanning the QR code shared by Xing Shuo.
"Me too." Xing Ye answered simply, trying to get more information from Teacher Ding.
Teacher Ding looked at Xing Ye with sympathy. "You got tricked too, didn't you? I only found out in the third world that I would die if I didn't enter by the deadline. He actually dragged me into such a dangerous game, just for 2,000 points and a QR code."
It turns out there are benefits, but wouldn't that mean players could just keep inviting others in and become invincible? No, there must be some restrictions, or only certain people can bring others in, and the number of invitations is limited. Otherwise, everyone would be able to participate in the game by now.
At least there is no prompt on Xing Ye's current mobile phone interface to invite friends to play games together.
"It's human nature," Xing Ye commented simply. "Now that we're here, let's make the best of it and focus on the mission."
Teacher Ding said, "I'm just a little sad. He... Oh, forget it, I won't say anymore. Right now I just want to quietly complete each mission. Once every seven days is bearable for now. Besides, if I die in the game, I won't die in the real world, so I'll just bear it for now."
"Where is your friend?" Xing Ye asked.
"He was just a friend from another place, and he left after we had a meal together. I have a job and a family, so there's no way I'm going to fight him." Teacher Ding lowered his head, looking like someone who was used to being bullied.
"Have you tried telling anyone?" Xing Ye would never try such a meaningless thing, but he was very interested in the consequences of trying.
"I wanted to tell my wife, but I couldn't say it, as if something was stuck in my throat. I tried calling the police, writing, and sending messages, but nothing worked. Haven't you tried?" asked Teacher Ding.
"I generally don't do useless work."
Xing Ye collected the information he wanted and added Teacher Ding as a WeChat friend. The two moved the upright piano back to its original place, and Teacher Ding took Xing Ye to find the principal.
If a physical education teacher finds that students have damaged school property, even if the items have already been discarded, he or she cannot let the matter go unpunished.
Xing Ye arrogantly threw the money on the principal's desk and said, "It's just a broken piano. Just smash it and pay the money."
The principal looked at Qian with a complicated expression and said, "This is not about money. Why did you smash the piano?"
Xing Ye replied, "I don't like it."
"I think we need to ask your parents to come to the school."
Of course no problem, Xing Ye also wanted to know whether the world was perfect enough to invite parents.
The principal used Xing Ye's phone to call his father. It was unclear what was said on the other end of the line. After about ten minutes of conversation, the principal handed the phone back to Xing Ye. "Considering that this is your first offense and you've admitted your mistake well, I won't expel you. During the flag-raising ceremony next Monday, you will be publicly criticized and given a warning."
Xing Ye took back his phone with an expression that said, "I knew it would be like this."
The principal looked at him for a moment and said, "That piano... Actually, the school has wanted to destroy it for a long time, but... Well, forget it. You should be more careful at night. If you encounter any problems, go to the Political Education Department's standby room in the office building. There are usually teachers on duty there."
What's the problem? It seems that smashing the piano can trigger a special event.
After leaving the principal's office, Teacher Ding was waiting outside. When she saw Xing Ye, she pulled him into a corner and asked in a low voice, "Is it really okay for you to take all the responsibility and let me pretend to be an ordinary teacher?"
"It's okay," Xing Ye said nonchalantly. "Just think of yourself as a teacher who discovers a naughty student. Try not to let anyone discover your identity as a player. But... well, never mind. Even if they do, it doesn't matter. Just say you know the hidden message in the piano and no one will hurt you."
If Mr. Ding is as innocent as he appears, his identity as a player probably won't be hidden for long.
"But you didn't tell me?" Teacher Ding asked in surprise. "What if someone asks me?"
"The only way to keep the secret is to not tell you. If the other party uses extraordinary means, you should immediately ask them to come to me. We will separate for the time being and contact each other through mobile phones." Xing Ye pushed Teacher Ding away and tried to keep a distance from him.
Although he is a collaborator on the surface and Teacher Ding seems trustworthy, caution is Xing Ye's principle in dealing with people.
Teacher Ding walked away confused. He had a physical education class in the afternoon and had to prepare to teach.
Xing Ye did not leave the office building immediately, but followed the floor index to find the standby room of the Political Education Department. The standby room was on the fourth floor. There was no house number on the entire fourth floor, but if you speculate based on the numbering method of the school buildings, the standby room happened to be Room 404.
It was getting more and more interesting. Xing Ye walked to the first floor and felt someone patting his shoulder.
He didn't look back, but took out the mirror in front of his chest and looked at his face. When he was not alone, the mirror was very well behaved and tried hard to be a responsible mirror.
Seeing his face in the mirror after a long time, Xing Ye tilted the mirror slightly. There was no one behind him, but someone had indeed tapped his shoulder.
Interesting, smashing the piano can trigger the shoulder tap. If he hadn't suddenly decided to do it, how long would it take the seven players to discover this?
Xing Ye didn't look back, pretending that he didn't feel anything. He put away the mirror and walked slowly back to the teaching building. The afternoon classes had already started. The corridor was quiet, and he was the only idle person.
When passing by the men's restroom, a hand suddenly reached out and pulled him into the restroom. Xing Ye was not afraid. When he looked closely, he found that it was Cao Qian.
"Classmate, this is the men's restroom." Xing Ye reminded.
Cao Qian's face turned grim as she shoved Xing Ye against the wall. She said angrily, "What the hell are you doing? Yesterday you were haggling over a head for no apparent reason, and today you smashed the piano. If you want to die, I don't mind adding a legend to the school about a body appearing in the men's restroom!"
She was very strong, and Xing Ye struggled with his own physical strength, but was unable to break free.
Although the bodies in the magic mirror world and the campus world are different, Xing Ye's strength and physical mobility are his own, otherwise he would not be able to kill the captain of the guards in one move.
Now, Cao Qian, a girl of only 1.6 meters in height and ordinary appearance, could pin herself down with just one hand, making her unable to move. Did she use any special props, or was her strength just that great?
Xing Ye understood her anger. He frantically flipped through the musical score for most of the day, but before he finished finding the differences, he heard that the piano had been smashed. If it were Xing Ye, he would be just as angry.
"You're a gamer, right?" Cao Qian asked. "I wasn't sure last night, but you were pretending to be one. Why aren't you pretending today?"
"Because I'm fearless now," Xing Ye said calmly. "Yesterday, I wasn't sure of everyone's identities and was worried about being attacked, so I had to hide my identity. But today, I got the clue in the piano, and now I'm the only one who knows it. Players won't touch me easily, and most will choose to cooperate with me, right?"
Cao Qian gritted her teeth, her eyes looking as if she wanted to eat Xing Ye.
"If you kill me and get half of my points, the mission might not be completed." Xing Ye asked, "This mission doesn't seem to have a time limit. What if we can't find it? We are in our second year of high school and will graduate in a year."
"Kill each other, and the last one left commits suicide to leave the game world," Cao Qian said, "otherwise you will be trapped here."
Suicide... In the previous world, Xing Ye could have chosen a suicide-style ending, but he was cautious and did not do so, not knowing what the consequences would be.
Xing Ye: "I've played so many games and never tried to commit suicide. Have you ever tried?"
"Pain and despair are minor matters. What's important is choosing suicide. The player will return to their starting state. Even a high-level player will become a novice, and all previous efforts will be wasted. They will have to start from the novice level again. As the Black and White Cube says, fate will not pity those who give up their lives easily."
Xing Ye was sensitive to the fact that Cao Qian looked unhappy. He asked, "Have you ever attempted suicide?"
"Shut up!" Cao Qian pulled out a gun from somewhere, pressed it against Xing Ye's forehead, and said, "To be honest, I was trapped in the game at 20,000 points and had to commit suicide to leave. Now it's my second world. I only have this one, unerring gun I drew from the system. I have nothing. Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. It doesn't matter even if I kill you and then commit suicide. It's just playing the novice world again."
Cao Qian's mental state isn't very good... After finally reaching 20,000 points, it's very hard to go back to the pre-liberation era with a single misstep. Besides, her luck...
"Are you from the anti-fate camp?" Xing Ye asked.
"Do I look like I'm lucky?" Cao Qian was full of anger.
"Then your 100% accurate gun should only have ten rounds of use. Do you think a 50% hit rate makes sense for the Fate-Defying faction?"
Cao Qian became even angrier: "Of course it's useless! 50% is 100% for those who obey fate, but only 0% for those who go against fate. I must be crazy to choose the side that goes against fate!"
"Calm down first and put the gun away. I am doing this to protect myself, and I also want to win. The bullets in this gun are so precious, they cannot be used on me." Xing Ye tried to calm Cao Qian down.
Cao Qian also knew that killing Xing Ye was useless. She wanted to win more. After being angry for a while, she put away the gun with a sullen face, but her hand was still pressing on Xing Ye's shoulder.
Xing Ye made such a big fuss about destroying the piano, which was a desperate move, in order to attract the attention of the remaining two players and catch them.
Because everyone knows that after the piano was destroyed, Xing Ye was the only one who knew the clue.
The game was full of uncertainties, and the players lurking behind the scenes hadn't been identified, so a preemptive strike was necessary. This plan required teammates to execute, and Xing Ye was constantly searching for collaborators.
Three people are best.
"Is such great strength your initial skill?" Xing Ye asked after seeing Cao Qian calm down.
"What else?" Cao Qian said, "Most people's initial skills are to increase physical strength."
Is that so? Xing Ye's initial skill is different from hers, and since it has the word "initial", this skill should be able to be upgraded.