Xing Ye and Cao Qian's current game progress: four clues to incredible events on campus, the QR code that Teacher Ding gave to Xing Ye, and the commission for a human head.
The Mona Lisa crying in the corridor points to the information about Class 3, Grade 3 and the time limit of the game, but there should be more than that. Xing Ye has not found the painting yet, so he cannot jump to conclusions.
The young man who was running with a human head in his arms on the night of the new moon had not yet noticed that there was a contradiction here.
There's only one new moon night within seven days. If you miss this opportunity, you'll never be able to complete the mission. Players will then be forced to kill each other, leaving one person to commit suicide and return to the novice world. Players with higher points are less likely to act rashly...
"Huh?" Xing Ye couldn't help but ask.
"What's wrong?" Cao Qian's eyes were always fixed on Guan Ling. She didn't shift her gaze when she heard Xing Ye's voice, but just asked casually.
"I fell into a misconception before," Xing Ye said. "We always considered Di Kuang's team our rival."
"Isn't that right?" Cao Qian said, "Those who are not of our race must have different hearts. If we are not in the same group, we are in a competitive relationship. They dare not act rashly now because they don't know our true strength. Once they know we are weaklings, they will definitely harvest our heads. Even a mosquito leg is meat."
Xing Ye shook his head: "In theory, it's true, but in reality, it's not."
"What's going on?" Cao Qian didn't look away until Guan Ling disappeared into the corner.
Xing Ye said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We still have a day and a half. Should we go find Di Kuang for cooperation?"
"Huh?" Cao Qian really couldn't keep up with Xing Ye's ever-changing thoughts, and blindly followed Xing Ye to the third-grade classroom.
At noon, most students were taking a nap in the dormitory or doing free activities, but Di Kuang was standing in front of the classroom of Class 3, Grade 3, looking at the famous quote by Leonardo da Vinci.
As expected, he had thought of this. Xing Ye walked towards Di Kuang without fear. When he noticed someone coming, Di Kuang turned his head and looked at Xing Ye.
"Hello, I'm Xing Ye. I guess you already know me." Xing Ye extended his hand very politely, as if he and Di Kuang had a very friendly and cooperative relationship.
Di Kuang put his hands in his pockets and did not accept Xing Ye's kindness. He said bluntly: "You killed one of us and you dare to come to me directly. You are very brave."
His words hinted to Xing Ye, I have known about your existence for a long time, and I also know that you are aware of my existence. We understand each other tacitly, so there is no need for any witty remarks.
Di Kuang held up his phone, revealing a QR code. Xing Ye knew his first words were crucial; if he said them wrong, Di Kuang would attack immediately. He raised his hand to indicate he wasn't holding his phone, then got straight to the point: "I have 200 points, Cao Qian has 1100, and 1000 of those were earned after killing Li Hong."
"Huh?" Di Kuang never expected that the two people he had always regarded as opponents would take the initiative to attack, and the first words they said to him were these!
"We just came out of the Novice World, and this is our first free-for-all world," Xing Ye said. "You can get 100 points for killing me. As for Cao Qian... Cao Qian, if someone attacks you, immediately use all your points on your initial skills, leaving only 200 points. Don't let your opponent get away with it."
Cao Qian: "…"
After the pyramid scheme, Xing Ye started to act like a rogue again. He is such a changeable person...
No, he is not versatile, but he will use any means to win.
"You mean to say that I, a support teammate with 30,000 points and very special initial skills, was killed by you two newcomers who just came out of the novice world?" Di Kuang asked with a frown.
Xing Ye wanted to say he was lucky, but then he remembered how the two of them who defied fate would dare to compete with those who obeyed fate. He could only smile bitterly and say, "The Obey Fate camp is good in every way, except that it's prone to complacency. You should be aware of this since you're working with them."
Di Kuang accepted this statement, but he did not let his guard down. "Points and experience don't mean anything. Instead, they prove that you two are quite strong. We must be on guard."
"But I've already destroyed the piano," Xing Ye said, "If you kill us, one of the clues will be lost. Then we can choose one person to commit suicide and return to the novice world."
Di Kuang's expression remained unchanged, unmoved by Xing Ye's words. "Do you think we weren't prepared? Why didn't Wu Yu attack you that night in the girls' dormitory? Because he only had two QR codes and he didn't want to waste them. Every time we enter a world, we'll be prepared for failure, with one team member responsible for bearing the consequences. If the time limit is up and we can't complete the mission, we'll help each other out, leaving Wu Yu to return to the novice world. You can't threaten me."
After hearing what Di Kuang said, Cao Qian's face turned very bad.
Xing Ye: "I'm not threatening you, I'm just here to help you settle a score.
If you kill us, we will definitely resist. You will at least lose a powerful QR code and some points. At the same time, you will lose the clue and fail the game. You will not be able to get the points for the task reward and the hidden points in the game. In the end, one person will have to return to the original state.
Cooperating with us and sharing clues with each other may sound like we are taking advantage, but we don't gain much and we don't lose much either, but you are different."
Di Kuang remained silent.
"I believe you haven't wasted time these two days and must have grasped one or two clues, and so do we. We all have trump cards, so why not uncover them together? After all, we still have to solve the problem of the boy on the night of the last new moon. Are you sure you can solve the mystery while you and I are scheming against each other and hindering each other? You only have one chance." Xing Ye continued to persuade Di Kuang.
Frankly speaking, Xing Ye and Cao Qian were not afraid of shoes. With only a few points and almost no QR codes, the loss wouldn't be huge. Di Kuang and the others, on the other hand, had over 30,000 points for their support, Li Hong. Could they afford to lose?
Xing Ye did not push Di Kuang too hard. He left with the words "You can think about it and give me an answer before dark" and left with Cao Qian.
On the rooftop, Xing Ye held up a laptop and a card reader and said to Cao Qian, "This way, we're safe for now. Nothing will happen before the new moon night."
"Will Di Kuang agree to cooperate?" Cao Qian asked with a frown.
"They will before the decryption," Xing Ye turned on the computer and inserted the card reader containing the memory card into the laptop. "But when all the secrets are revealed, they will take action. We must be careful then."
"It's like trying to get the skin of a tiger." Cao Qian shook her head and did not agree with Xing Ye's approach.
"The skin isn't earned, it's taken from the tiger," Xing Ye said. "I have a question. We use our phones to activate skills and use QR codes. What if our phone is taken away or broken? And in modern society, phones are updated so quickly. What if I want to change my phone in the real world?"
Cao Qian picked up the phone that Xing Ye had placed at his feet and threw it down the stairs. A sound of breaking was heard.
Xing Ye: "...Throwing objects from high places is illegal. It would be bad if it hit an NPC, and that's my phone."
Cao Qian's speed was too fast, faster than his reaction speed. If it was a game, Cao Qian's hand speed was too much of an advantage, and the opponent might have been shot in the head before he saw her.
The initial skill of agility may seem unremarkable to most people, but in actual operation, it is often the time difference of 0.01 seconds that determines the victory.
Cao Qian is a persistent, quiet, and highly motivated person. Her speed and strength are top-tier, and she doesn't waste points. They're both newbies, growing up together, making them a perfect teammate. Furthermore, because she's too straightforward and doesn't speculate about her friends, she's easy to ditch.
Qualified props that can be discarded after use...
Recalling Cao Qian's various behaviors, Xing Ye could roughly guess what she had been through.
Cao Qian, not knowing what Xing Ye was thinking, said, "Killing players here is fine, and throwing objects from high places is even fine. Look at your hands."
Xing Ye raised his hand and saw a black and white bracelet on his wrist, which displayed: Do you want to search for new devices and bind a new phone?
"Cellphones can't be snatched or destroyed," Cao Qian said. "Even if they are taken, they will transform back into a bracelet, which is more convenient for use in combat. It's just that in the real world, cellphones are more common, and their interfaces are easier to navigate than bracelets, with more comprehensive functions. So, in non-combat situations, people keep their phones. A world without cellphones is a different story."
Xing Ye didn't have a new phone, so he could only check his wristband. He clicked "Search for new devices," and the wristband prompted: "Please keep your device's Bluetooth turned on to facilitate downloading information."
It's also very advanced.
Similar to the way of entering the game by scanning a QR code, the existence of the Challenge Destiny game is not physical, but is saved in the form of information, and is very compatible with modern technology. This makes Xing Ye wonder whether the reason why the game uses information processing methods is to make it easier for people living in modern society to accept.
The QR code is just one form. In other eras, the game can be played in another form.
Temporarily turn off the new device download function of the bracelet, as he will have to buy a new phone soon.
Looking at the smashed cell phone downstairs, which did not hurt ordinary people, Xing Ye sighed slightly. He was going to be blamed for violating school rules again.
In two days, Xing Ye, who was once a model student and the student union president, smashed pianos, doors, and threw mobile phones from the roof. He did all the bad things he had never done in his life in the game world. He was a complete bad student.
"I think we need to agree on one thing," Xing Ye said to Cao Qian seriously. "I know humans tend to feel superior when they possess abilities beyond common sense, but that's not advisable. In another world, we can attack players according to the system's rules, but we shouldn't easily harm ordinary people in that world. We can't violate morality, bottom lines, or conscience. Throwing objects from high places is not allowed."
Cao Qian was a little surprised: "I thought you were a person who was not bound by rules and would not care about these things."
Xing Ye shook his head: "No, in this world, no one can live without rules. What we need to do is to value the rules, use the rules, and even create the rules. The rules are not constraints, but protection for us.
Most importantly, do you think you can stay in this world forever? No, we still have to return to reality.
No matter what time it is, people must have a bottom line and cannot relax their requirements on themselves just because this is not the real world.
Take another gamble, take another puff, be greedy again, no one will find out anyway, when you think this way, this will never be the last time.
A person without rules is like a kite with a broken string, and will only fall.
I think you're a good teammate and I want to team up with you. That's why I hold you to my own standards. Do you agree?"
The last question was whether Cao Qian was willing to form a team and whether she was willing to restrain herself.
"I don't care, but you're really weird." Cao Qian looked at Xing Ye.
Xing Ye smiled and didn't explain.
The two of them had reached a tacit understanding, and the atmosphere was quite good. At this time, someone climbed onto the rooftop. Teacher Ding, sweating profusely, walked over to Xing Ye and said, "Why did you meet on the rooftop? It's too high. I'm afraid of heights."
Xing Ye: "We think the rooftop is quieter. Sorry, I didn't know about your situation. We'll change seats next time. Let me introduce you, Cao Qian, Teacher Ding. We're all teammates. The three of us are in the same group."
Xing Ye had clearly said before that he couldn't trust Teacher Ding, but now he called him over. Cao Qian was a little puzzled, but her advantage was that she didn't ask any questions and shook hands with Teacher Ding without any expression.
"Now that everyone is here, let's start watching the video. Teacher Ding, I will explain to you the source of the video later." Xing Ye said as he opened the video resources stored in the memory card.