Chapter 184
June 6th, 2018, 1 a.m.
In the quiet Beijing, several black figures crossed the buildings at an extremely fast speed, quietly heading in the direction of Dongcheng District. Their figures were also integrated with the night. A breeze blew and they disappeared in the blink of an eye. By 5 a.m., there were more than 30 players gathered near the Temple of Heaven in Dongcheng District.
Starting with the black tower 2.0 version update, the black tower would release an a.s.sembly instance almost every month.
Most a.s.sembly instances weren’t life-threatening. The a.s.sembly instances released by the black tower were different every time, with different missions, different bosses and different rewards. Tang Mo had partic.i.p.ated in two a.s.sembly instances, one in Shanghai and one in Beijing.
The a.s.sembly instance this time was a bit different.
Located in the heart of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven Park was a flat area with few buildings as cover. A week ago, the black tower released this a.s.sembly instance and Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had unanimously agreed to partic.i.p.ate. They would’ve chosen to enter even without Bai Ruoyao’s deliberate provocation. It was because there was a condition to enter this instance.
“The entrants must’ve received the ‘Christmas tree branch’ from the Christmas surprise instance six months ago.”
In the past six months, of the a.s.sembly instances that Tang Mo partic.i.p.ated in and heard of, only the Strange Circus a.s.sembly instance in Shanghai had restrictions to enter. According to Tang Mo’s experience, this type of instance with an entry threshold would generally be very rewarding. The instance content would also be related to some secrets of the Underground Kingdom and players could come into contact with more advanced black tower monsters. Tang Mo called these a.s.sembly instances a ‘special instance.’
The sky was becoming clearer as Tang Mo’s group of four hid in a small building in the Temple of Heaven Park, staring quietly at the Temple of Heaven not far away.
Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo had seen Santa Claus. The gap in strength was very big and neither of them dared to be careless. Fu Wenduo handed his gun to Tang Mo and Tang Mo also brought the king’s gold coin.
“A special instance is different from ordinary a.s.sembly instances. There is a high probability of death.” Tang Mo whispered. In the Strange Circus instance, there was a total of 23 players and only nine survived. “In this instance, it is important to keep your life. Based on previous experience, you won’t die if you fail.” Thus, the most important thing was to save their own lives.
Chen Shanshan and Fu Wensheng nodded.
Time pa.s.sed and it got closer to 6:06.
Fu Wenduo’s body was close to the window as he stared at the entire Temple of Heaven Park. The park was quiet. The dark trees swayed slightly in the wind and there was no sound. Fu Wenduo stopped for a moment on a tree and then two other buildings.
Fu Wenduo grabbed Tang Mo’s hand and wrote the number ‘9’ on it.
Then he wrote the same numbers on the back of Chen Shanshan and Fu Wensheng’s hands.
Tang Mo looked at him with surprise.
Fu Wenduo raised his index finger to his lips in a ‘shh’ gesture and pointed to the ceiling. Tang Mo instantly understood his meaning.
Tang Mo took his phone from his pocket and typed:
[Is there someone?]
Fu Wenduo took the phone. [They came earlier than we did. I just discovered their existence.]
Tang Mo’s expression sank.
Chen Shanshan took a pen and paper from her bag and wrote: [The ones who are qualified to come here are players who have received the Christmas tree branch reward. The returnees shouldn’t be involved in the Christmas instance. Many players who received the reward would’ve died. There shouldn’t be more than 50 people in Beijing who can enter this a.s.sembly instance.]
However, this meant that every player in the instance had strength that exceeded the average level.
Fu Wenduo’s number ‘8’ meant that he found nine people hidden in the Temple of Heaven Park. They also knew that there were more players who hid very well and even Fu Wenduo couldn’t discover them.
Tang Mo thought about it and typed: [Wait.]
Everyone nodded lightly.
The morning sun completely emerged from the horizon but the Temple of Heaven was still empty. There was only one minute left until 6:06 when a black shadow jumped from a big tree towards the square in front of the Temple of Heaven. The next moment, more than a dozen figures jumped and landed on the square.
In the last 10 seconds, a total of 25 players stood in front of the Temple of Heaven, staring vigilantly at the people around them.
Tang Mo heard the sound of wind above them and knew that the person hiding above their heads had also set off.
It wasn’t too late. Tang Mo cried out, “Go!”
The four people leapt from upstairs. Tang Mo carried Chen Shanshan and Fu Wenduo carried Fu Wensheng. The two people arrived in front of the Temple of Heaven at a terrible speed. Tang Mo arrived and saw Bai Ruoyao’s disgusting smile towards him and Fu Wenduo.
Tang Mo narrowed his eyes. At this point, there was only one second left.
Suddenly, Tang Mo saw a person who shouldn’t be hear. He looked at the other person with astonishment but couldn’t see their face before a white light flashed in front of his eyes. The black tower’s childlike voice was heard.
“Ding dong! Player Tang Mo has successfully entered the a.s.sembly instance of ‘Santa Claus’ Quirky Commercial Street’. As of 6:06 on June 6th, 2019, a total of 31 players have successfully entered the instance. There are 20 official players, 1 reserve player, 7 stowaways and 3 returnees.”
The voice of the black tower was transmitted to the ears of all players. There was a white light in front of him but Tang Mo could hear a startled cry to the side.
There’s still a reserve?
…There were returnees?
Then that really was Ning Zheng just now?
“Ding dong! A tip for the Santa Claus’ Quirky Commercial Street instance: Santa Claus has never experienced such a a bad Christmas. A good holiday for children to receive gifts was shamelessly destroyed by the black tower monsters. This matter made Santa crazy and he hasn’t slept well for six months. Thus, today Santa has decided to give a real reward to the good kids who were cheated by the bad bosses. All children who like Santa Claus and like to play Santa Claus’ games are honest and good children. This time Santa Claus won’t mess up the ‘special surprise for Christmas.'”
Tang Mo suddenly felt the sharp sensation was falling. He was about to hit the ground when he subconsciously held out a hand and steadied his body. The place that his fingers touched was soft and very elastic. Tang Mo looked down with surprise and saw that the ground was a large trampoline separated into pink and white squares. His body bounced a few times before settling down.
Tang Mo stood up and quickly checked the situation around him.
He saw Fu Wensheng!
Fu Wensheng was slower than Tang Mo. He had just steadied his body and also saw Tang Mo, showing an expression of surprise. Tang Mo wanted to see who the other people were when the black tower’s mechanical voice filled the room.
“Ding dong! Players have officially entered the Quirky Commercial Street. Violence is prohibited in the commercial street. The use of abilities and all props are also prohibited. In the magical Quirky Commercial Street, players no longer have special ident.i.ties such as official players, reserve players, stowaways and returnees. All players are tentatively reserve customers. Friendly tip: Please find the right way to become an official customer of the Quirky Commercial Street.”
These words finished and Tang Mo finally saw the other two people in the room.
This was a candy-like room with a rubber candy trampoline as the ground, the walls were made of biscuits and the windows were made of rock candy. The ceiling was a giant dome of chocolate and there was no furniture in the room. The sweet smell pierced Tang Mo’s nose, making him frown.
There were a total of four people in this candy room.
Tang Mo, Fu Wensheng, a strange woman in black and Ning Zheng.
That’s right, it was Ning Zheng.
All four people stood in four corners and calmly looked at the others.
Fu Wensheng was very happy when he first saw Tang Mo but he quickly got rid of his expression after seeing the other people in the room. He acted as if he didn’t know Tang Mo and stared vigilantly at the three adults in the room.
Ning Zheng hadn’t expected to fall into the same room as Tang Mo. He suddenly felt that his neck was a bit painful as he remembered his Eve’s apple. He stared coldly at Tang Mo but didn’t start anything. He started observing the room.
The young woman looked curiously at Tang Mo and Ning Zheng. Then her eyes fell on Fu Wensheng and she smiled. “There is a young boy?”
Tang Mo raised his eyebrow. A Cantonese person?
The woman noticed Tang Mo’s gaze and smiled at him before turning to find clues in the room.
Tang Mo and Fu Wensheng didn’t communicate as they both observed the room.
Presumably, the 31 players had entered different rooms after entering the game. Tang Mo walked around while aware of Ning Zheng and the young woman. However, they didn’t act. The four people walked around the room before heading back to the centre of the room.
Ning Zheng silently watched Tang Mo and didn’t open his mouth.
Fu Wensheng pretended not to know Tang Mo and also didn’t speak.
Tang Mo thought about it and wanted to speak when a clear female voice was heard. “It seems that everyonen has looked around?”
This person seemed to be in a good mood and his tone was very pleasant. Tang Mo looked at the woman with a strange expression. It was the first time he had seen a player with such a good att.i.tude after entering the black tower game. It felt like she was just here to play the game and wasn’t afraid of failure. Wasn’t she afraid of death?”
Fu Wensheng nodded. “I’ve seen it.”
The young woman smiled. “This child, are you 13 years old this year?”
Fu Wensheng reflexively replied, “I am 12 this year.” Then he remembered that this person was a complete stranger and he didn’t have to answer the question. Fu Wensheng was a bit annoyed but he was completely unprepared for this woman’s tone of speech.
“So young.” The woman in black touched her chin.
Ning Zheng interrupted their chat. “Tang Mo, what is Eve’s Reward?”
The young woman looked surprised and stared at Tang Mo.
Tang Mo frowned.
Ning Zheng’s words were full of resentment. He casually asked but it was actually very tricky. Previously, Xiao Fu wasn’t present when Tang Mo and Fu Wenduo seized Ning Zheng so he didn’t know that Tang Mo and Fu Wensheng knew each other. Now that he said this, the young woman discovered that Tang Mo had Eve’s Reward.
Eve’s Reward was something that caught the attention of senior players. It was like Pandora’s Box. Everyone thought there was a treasure waiting inside. These players wouldn’t believe it even if Tang Mo told them he lost his memory and had no idea what Eve’s Reward was.
Ning Zheng’s words placed Tang Mo on the opposite side of the three players inthe room.
Tang Mo thought for a long time but only a few seconds pa.s.sed. He calmly replied to Ning Zheng, “A very good prop. However, it is forbidden to use any props in Santa’s a.s.sembly instance and I also didn’t bring it with me. Ning Zheng, how can you be here? You are a returnee. Do you also have a Christmas tree branch?”
The young woman looked at Ning Zheng with surprise.
Players in Beijing knew that Ning Zheng was the last remaining returnee on the time leaderboard in Beijing. Tang Mo’s reputation was very loud in China but Ning Zheng wasn’t lacking compared to him. Tang Mo had Eve’s Reward and this made him the public enemy of players. Ning Zheng was a returnee and his ident.i.ty itself made him the enemy of Earth’s survivors.
Killing Ning Zheng would give them a good prop. This was a game rule for the time leaderboard.
Ning Zheng wanted Tang Mo to be singled out by the players in the room and Tang Mo did the same.
The woman in black saw the faint hostility between the two people and laughed. “Tang Mo, Ning Zheng, i didn’t expect to be so lucky as to meet two famous senior players. You seem to know each other so no introductions are needed. My name is Mo Xue. What is the name of this small friend?”
The reaction of the woman in black was beyond Tang Mo and Ning Zheng’s expectations.
…She just accepted it?
Fu Wensheng told her, “My name is Chen Chensheng.”
The woman in black smiled. “The black tower recommended that we find the right way to become regular customers faster. What do you think of this?”
Based on Ning Zheng’s careful personality, Tang Mo kew he wouldn’t start anything here. Neither side could use abilities and props and there was no certainty of winning against Tang Mo. In the same way, Ning Zheng knew Tang Mo wouldn’t act.
Ning Zheng stated, “There are four windows in this room. There are two to the left and two to the right, as well as a door. I just tried to open the door but it didn’t open. The door is locked. Looking out from these four windows… there are four stores.”
The four people walked to one side with windows and looked out. There were four identical stores outside the window. Each store had beautiful gla.s.s windows and there were exquisite gifts in the window, along with cake and biscuits. They went to the other side and there were the same four identical stores.
There were eight stores with this house as the centre. The stores on the left were a cake store, a candy store, a cookie store and a gift store. The four stores on the right were the same.
The four stores had colourful neon lights used to spell out the names of the store.
“Santa’s Cake Shop, Santa’s Candy House, Santa’s Cookie House and Santa’s Gift Shop.” Fu Wensheng read out the four names.
The door couldn’t be opened and the windows were sealed.
The Quirky Commercial Street prohibited violence but it black tower didn’t say if it prohibited violence between players or all violence. Therefore, Tang Mo didn’t dare violently open the door. He could only quietly wait for the black tower to announce new rules.
Apart from the woman in black whose details were unknown, the other three were senior players who had experienced many games. They weren’t in a hurry.
The black tower would never give inexplicable puzzles. They had found all the clues that could be found and there must be other clues that haven’t been released yet.
Before this, Tang Mo had asked Ning Zheng a question and Ning Zheng hadn’t answered.
Tang Mo lowered his gaze towards Xiao Fu and gave him a look.
Fu Wensheng didn’t have the same tacit understanding with Tang Mo as his brother and only understood Tang Mo’s meaning after a while. At this time, he seemed to be a curious and timid child. He stared nervously at the ‘returnee’ Ning Zheng, his body shrinking back towards Tang Mo. His behavior didn’t arouse NIng Zheng’s suspicion. After all, Tang Mo was an official player and Ning Zheng was a returnee. It was obvious who the child would choose.
Fu Wensheng whispered, “How can returnees enter this game?”
Tang Mo followed his words and asked bluntly, “How did you enter? Did the returnees also experience the Christmas surprise instance?”
Ning Zheng was leaning against the rock candy window when he heard Tang Mo’s words. He asked coldly, “Christmas surprise instance?”
Tang Mo wondered, “How did you get the Christmas tree branch without experiencing the Christmas instance?”
Ning Zheng looked at Tang Mo with strange eyes before sneering. “You don’t want to know what Christmas instance we experienced.” He didn’t say anything else and kept observing the four stores outside the window.
Tang Mo captured the key information.
The returnees had also experienced the Christmas instance.
The Christmas instance that the returnees experienced didn’t seem to be a good memory.
Tang Mo looked at Ning Zheng’s neck. “You have become an official player now?”
Ning Zheng didn’t have the string of gold numbers at his neck.
Ning Zheng stared at Tang Mo. After a moment he asked, “Did Xu Yusheng say something to you before she died?”
What was she supposed to say? Tang Mo replied, “Yes.”
Ning Zheng stiffened. He carefully observed Tang Mo’s expression before snorting. He sighed with relief, “She didn’t say it.”
Tang Mo’s heart tightened.
There were only four people in the room.
Tang Mo and Ning Zheng definitely weren’t friends and Fu Wensheng didn’t dare be close to Tang Mo. The woman in black called Mo Xue stood by and didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the conversation. She looked like she didn’t care about Tang Mo and Ning Zheng as she reached out to touch the biscuit wall. She broke off a piece and chewed on it.
“Um? It is sweet.”
Tang Mo, “…”
Ning Zheng, “…”
This world was full of wonders! How could such a player appear here?
The next moment, Tang Mo saw the woman’s hand grasp a small piece of rock sugar at the window and she used this force to flexibly jump towards the ceiling and take a piece of chocolate. Her movements were beautiful, as if she could freely move on this elastic rubber candy trampoline.
Tang Mo and Ning Zheng realized that this woman’s strength wasn’t simple.
The strange and stagnant atmosphere lasted for five minutes before a familiar voice broke the silence.
“Ding dong! All 100 virtual customers are in place.”
“The 31 reserve players, please be prepared. In five minutes, the Quirky Commercial Street will usher in the first wave of customer frenzy. Please carefully observe to find the store that really belongs to Santa Claus. After three waves of customer frenzy, players can choose the store they want to enter.”
“Please note! You can only turn into a regular customer by walking into the right store.”
Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:
You can also join my discord channel to chat with fellow readers about the novels;