Chapter 1399: Life Can Only Be Lived Through Deception
When the elevator 'dinged' and stopped on the ground floor, Lin Sanjiu and her companions exchanged glances—it seemed they had all misunderstood something.
She looked at the "G" on the elevator screen and asked the volunteer, "So, it isn't a level-by-level challenge? How did we end up back on the ground floor?"
"Oh, no," the volunteer said, smiling as he stepped out of the elevator. "You're directed to whichever game you've been assigned, regardless of which floor it's on."
Exiting the elevator, their surroundings differed from the small town where the Blue Wall Watchers appeared. Lin Sanjiu didn't know how far or in which direction she had traveled underground. Now, back on the surface, she saw a long range of mountains looming over the city not too far away.
It was said that the game's location was not far from the elevator. As they set off, the volunteer closely trailed behind them. Even if someone glanced in a different direction, he would quickly ask with a smiling face, "What's wrong?"—as if he was afraid someone might try to escape.
To put them at ease, the volunteer repeatedly assured, "If you lose the upcoming game, you won't die."
If that was true, it would be great. Hadn't some posthumans tried to escape in the past? What was the point of fleeing one game with the whole world transformed into a gaming arena?
Lost in thought, Lin Sanjiu followed the volunteer to the entrance of an old-fashioned residential house.
"We're here," the volunteer said, politely standing beside the door and gesturing to them like a waiter from a high-end restaurant. "As you can see, this is a two-story old apartment... And this is the lobby, and the mailboxes are over here."
Now, he didn't seem like a game volunteer but more like a real estate agent. "We'll wait in the lobby for a few minutes. Another group of posthumans will be arriving shortly... What? Oh, yes, the roles you're going to play are residents of this building."
Everyone was a bit surprised. People could live in the same building for years without speaking to their neighbors. Could it be a story that didn't involve everyone? Or perhaps individual stories for each person?
After waiting for a short while, another volunteer, acting like a tour guide, brought another group of about eight people who looked unfamiliar to each other. The first volunteer produced a bowl filled with slips of paper and beckoned, "Come, everyone, pick the role you'll be playing."
Thirteen arms reached out like branches swaying in the spring wind, stretching toward the bowl. Sometimes, Silvan's appearance was too distracting; Lin Sanjiu watched another girl shove others aside to place her hand next to his.
Lin Sanjiu grasped a slip of paper from among the many hands. She stepped back from the crowd and opened it up to read.
She stared, then reread it.
Nope, she had read it correctly.
Wanting to ask the grand prize what role he received, she looked up and saw his expression was even more peculiar. Their eyes met, and he gave a bitter smile. "Sis, I might be able to conserve my energy this time."
Lin Sanjiu was taken aback and was about to ask him about his role when the volunteer called out, "Let's walk towards your apartments and introduce the roles along the way. Please, follow me."
Apartment No.1 was just around the corner from the lobby. Ji Shanqing, clutching the corner of her clothes, sighed deeply with reluctance and walked up to the entrance of Apartment No.1.
"Apartment No.1 has two residents," the volunteer said, reading from a slip of paper, and gestured toward Ji Shanqing. "This is... uh, catmint."
'That's an interesting name.'
"A species of clumping shrub; a common decorative houseplant."
'What?'
The volunteer called out to Ji Shanqing at the door. "Please come to your living area. It's time to get into character."
Lin Sanjiu was startled, and looking at the grand prize, it was evident he was unhappy. His face appropriately had a hint of green—he glanced at the doorway disdainfully, brushed off some dust from his sleeve, and reluctantly sat down cross-legged.
"You can move around as long as you don't change your position," the volunteer said, handing him a manual. "This is your character manual. Others can find their own copy in the TV cabinet."
So that's how it was. Playing the role of a plant until the end of the game had no significant consumption.
"The owner of Apartment No.1 is Barbeque Brow," the volunteer said with a wave. "The owner of a failing barbecue restaurant, this character is a rude, middle-aged, alcoholic divorcee, and has unstable behavior."
And he kept a houseplant? Was that even possible?
A middle-aged woman with even-toned skin stepped forward. Although she seemed a bit aged, her appearance was still exquisitely maintained, bearing no resemblance to Barbeque Brow's character.
It was said that everyone could watch the subsequent character introductions on the TVs in their respective apartments. Even the catmint, standing on tiptoes, could see the TV screen from the window, so those whose roles were already introduced did not proceed further.
"Please take good care of this catmint," Lin Sanjiu said earnestly to Barbeque Brow as they left Apartment No.1 for the next. "I'll make it up to you after the game."
Silvan held back for a moment, but before leaving, he couldn't resist patting Ji Shanqing on the shoulder. He told Barbeque Brow, "This plant of yours sure is green."
Catmint Ji could no longer speak. He sat pitifully at the door, watching the retreating figures. Lin Sanjiu looked back several times, feeling sorry for him. Although there wasn't much consumption, he couldn't even enter the door and had to sit outside, which must be uncomfortable.
"The owners of Apartment No.2 are two college-going young girls, Jessica and Leah. Jessica is popular; Leah is more introverted and is said to be a bit jealous of her roommate, but they still have a close relationship."
Jessica was played by an old man who stood about 1.2 meters. His face was far from pleasant to look at. Leah, on the other hand, was a young girl with black hair who looked very unhappy. She whispered to the other volunteer, asking if she could redraw, but the answer was, of course, no.
"Apartment No.3 is occupied by a grumpy, single elderly lady, known as Ms. Chen," the volunteer said, and an individual who perfectly fit the image of a spinster posthuman walked out. It was rare for posthumans to age like this, partly because of physical and genetic changes and partly because many died before they got to this stage.
"Most people aren't interested in the elderly, so there's no detailed information," the volunteer said, glancing at the hand Ms. Chen had just raised. "No, you don't have a cat. Who said every spinster must have a cat? Every time I introduce this role, someone asks about a cat."
Ms. Chen, with saggy and wrinkled skin and a long drooping nose, almost looked like she could fly away on a broomstick any moment. She entered her apartment and slammed the door shut, effortlessly getting into her role.
Apartment No.4 housed a couple named Jet and Goldie—it was unclear why two humans had to be given dog names. The husband was a pharmacist, and the wife hadn't worked for two years. They had a nine-month-old baby, portrayed by an NPC.
Coincidentally, these roles were assigned to Silvan's two young fans. Their roles weren't far from their actual ages, but the twist was that the girl played the husband, Jet, and the boy played the wife, Goldie.
Apartment No.5 and the subsequent ones were on the second floor. The residential building was shaped like the letter 'U,' with an apartment on each side. There was a small lawn in the center of the first floor.
"Apartment No.5 is home to Mr. Grant. He's in his twenties or thirties, a high school teacher, and is a very refined and clean individual."
The girl who had eagerly pushed her way closer to Silvan stepped forward calmly. The role she picked was decent and stable; the only regret might be that she wasn't in the same family as Silvan.
"Deeply infatuated with Jessica," the volunteer added.
It took everyone half a second to remember who Jessica was. Leah's laugh, the girl with black hair from the apartment below, echoed. She had been the one pushed aside during the role draw.
"Apartment No.6 houses a grandmother and her grandson," the volunteer said. "The grandmother is simply called 'Grandma', and no one really knows her real name. She's gentle and a bit absent-minded, the complete opposite of Ms. Chen downstairs."
An unimpressive middle-aged man stood at the door of Apartment No.6, looking around. "Where's my grandson?"
It was rare to see such an expression on Silvan's face—he looked like he had been wrung out like a towel. He coughed and put his hands in his pocket, trying to remain polite. Before moving forward, he whispered into Lin Sanjiu's ear, "Look at the price I'm paying for coming to rescue you."
Lin Sanjiu didn't bat an eye. 'Would you like me to treat you to a meal then?'
Everyone soon learned that the grandson was five years old, about to start school, and named Pink. Next to her grandson, Grandma seemed a bit out of place, making her look like a garden gnome.
Apartment No.7 was Lin Sanjiu's turn.
"This is the residence of Elizabeth Margaret Giles," the volunteer said as he ushered her to her home. "A psychic skilled in reading tea leaves, gazing into crystal balls, divination, casting and breaking curses... or so she claims. Most neighbors believe she's a phony, especially irritated by the fact she entertains clients at home."
Elizabeth Lin took the keys and entered Apartment No.7 with a sigh.
The last one, Apartment No.8, belonged to a single woman named Ivy. The role was played by a sallow-skinned skinny man, but Ivy was a beautiful woman in her thirties who preferred to be active at night. As Lin Sanjiu listened to the TV's introduction, she took out the role manual from the TV cabinet as instructed by the volunteer.
Her game objective was written in the role manual. The short-term goal was currently blank. The ultimate goal was to make everyone believe she was a real psychic.
So, she actually was a phony.