Chapter Ch181.1 - Roller Coaster

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

The Crosson Show’s live stream room.

Before entering an advertising segment, the camera showed a bird’s-eye view of every corner of the amusement park. There was Raphael charging down from the top of the pyramid; there was Caesar and Red, who’d insisted on copying answers again, clinging onto Raphael’s boat; there was Wei Yan who was running full tilt beneath the roller coaster…

And there was also Wu Jin, who was talking to Wei Shi and seemed to be shocked silly.

Ying Xiangxiang removed her headphones and handed it to a backstage crew member of the Crosson team, then looked at Wu Jin’s freeze frame on the screen and laughed out loud, “What are they talking about? What kind of expression is that?”

Wu Jin stood facing Wei Shi, and his face practically had words written on it: You’re really making things difficult for me today! …

Soon, however, the live broadcast screen had already been replaced by advertisements from the golden thighed investors.

Sixth elimination match, amusement park arena.

A bunch of cameras were still flying past.

“!” Wu Jin stumbled, “Half-half a minute?”

The big boss made a sound of acknowledgement and calmly loaded up his shotgun. The man’s brow was cold and hard, and when he bowed his head, he exuded a sense of hidden danger. His fingers that were slightly longer than those of ordinary people were the most precise weapons that modified genetics could produce, and his hands moved constantly.

“Take it.” The man’s expression was indecipherable, and his voice was a little heavier than usual.

Wei Shi thrust the gun into Wu Jin’s arms, then held the youth’s hand and wrapped it around the grip, just like giving Wu Jin a carrot and having him hold the top of the carrot. Then, he leaned down to utter a cold warning in Wu Jin’s ear, “If he makes a move on you, shoot.”

Wu Jin simply felt like there was no love in the world.

Wei Shi narrowed his eyes. He propped a hand up against the wall and attempted to intimidate the bold little rabbit, “You’re not allowed to pay attention to him.”

Wu Jin was really speechless, “……”

He now completely believed that the big boss’s emotional lock treatment had been effective! How was this anything like having weak emotional perception? It was simply like upending the entire vinegar jar with a kick! And it wasn’t just one person kicking! The Little Wei and Big Wei who’d been split up in the big boss’s consciousness both regarded each other as imaginary enemies! The two of them faced the vinegar jar and took turns kicking it one after another…

The big boss was just a tiny, tiny bit small minded!

Wu Jin’s heart was full of complaints, but when faced with the big boss’s pressure, he could only tremble and quiver and hold onto the carrot top greens. At this time, their wrist watches beeped.

Wu Jin immediately bowed his head to look, “There are three teams tied for first!”

Wu Jin glanced over to the side. The big boss was unhappy and had taken off his backpack. He pulled out the rope, military dagger, and arrows from the compartments one after another and held them up against himself. It seemed as though he was looking for a ‘torture tool’ that he could use to intimidate Little Cub Wei––

Wu Jin quickly puffed up his small round face and flattered him, “Brother-Brother Wei, how about we head to the roller coaster first. I can’t deal with it by myself…”

The big boss stood up, looked over in the direction of the roller coaster,and made a sound of acknowledgement, “Wei Yan is there.”

Wu Jin could clearly see the satisfaction in the big boss’s eyes. It was clear that his thoughts were going in the direction of eliminating Little Wei, turning Wu Jin into a widow, and handing him over into Wei Yan’s care…

Wei Shi kneaded his soft and fluffy lover and spoke flatly, “Let’s go.”

The roller coaster was situated on the other end of the amusement park, on the exact opposite side from the pyramid.

Wu Jin had been able to see the complex tracks of the roller coaster from the highest point of the pirate ship, but his vision had been unable to capture more precise details. At this time, the information that could be collected gradually increased as they walked along a winding path whose curve resembled sheep intestines.

There was only one way to get to the roller coaster from the pirate ship. Along the way, there were souvenir shops that sold pirate ship related items, such as Italian ship models from the great era of navigation, historical books, and imitation trade pearls that were consistent with the amusement park facility’s theme.

Wu Jin glanced over them once and then looked away. There was a certain historical precedence for the Crosson Show’s fixed map elimination match to have clues hidden in the souvenir vending machines, but it was a far cry from the current reality.

They could sporadically see the heads of other trainees poking up around them.

“The roller coaster level shouldn’t be too difficult.” Wu Jin speculated in a light voice, “The haunted house is at the back of the mountain and is the furthest away from the rest of the facilities. It’s unlikely that other contestants will head there. The roller coaster, pirate ship, Ferris Wheel, and Brave Rapids are four fixed points that gradually head deeper into the park, going from the east to the west.”

“––Since there weren’t many players in the pyramid to the west, it means that there must be teams that started clearing out the task items starting from the east.” Wu Jin looked at the densely packed score rankings on his wrist watch, “And their progress was smooth.”

When they left the pirate ship zone, the terrain changed again.

The soil beneath their feet grew softer, changing from the barren conifer forest soil common in Western trade civilizations to a moist and fertile blackish-brown soil.

Wu Jin leaned over, “Farming.” His gaze flitted quickly over the rice paddies and wheat, “The theme for the roller coaster should be a civilization that originated from an agrarian society…”

Wei Shi gestured for Wu Jin to look in a direction, “There.”

The youth’s eyes lit up.

The entertainment facility closest to them was hidden behind a wall with white tiles. When they approached, the sound of water pouring out could be heard from behind the thin stones and plum trees. On the ground were sheets of rice paper that were still drying. Half the stack was hard and white, while the other half was damp with a lighter color. It should be that half of it had already finished drying, while the other half was still unfinished. Wu Jin suddenly spoke up, “Papermaking!”

After going around the small courtyard, they came to a large mansion-like structure sealed up by a brick wall, and it was unknown what kind of entertainment facility was enclosed inside. Wu Jin looked at the gate for a long time, then exclaimed, “A Jinzhong courtyard house!”

As they followed the bricks and headed further inside, the murals in the hollows of the walls were quite different in style from the romance of the Middle Ages in Western Europe and the mystery of Ancient Egypt. These precise and meticulous relief carvings, freehand brushwork, and calligraphy depicted all kinds of agriculture, industry and commerce, festivals, scenery, ancestral worship…

Wu Jin took a deep breath.

The Chinese civilization.

Huaxia, a concept that represented China, signified both ‘grandness and beauty’.

As they went further inside, all kinds of entertainment facilities could be found in the scattered courtyards. Wu Jin also saw that in a virtual competition event that imitated Qianqing Palace, two teams of trainees were fighting over the throne, and a support player in a team had been dragged over to be beaten ten times with a plank. There was also a tomb duel adventure facility, but it was unknown if anyone had gone in to fight…

The roller coaster was just up ahead!

Wu Jin dragged the big boss behind him and broke into a run as he looked at the small line of text beneath the ride’s sign.

––The Son of Heaven ordered, to go to the dreary land in the north to build a city. The illustrious south, was a place to avoid.

“<The Book of Poems>?” Wu Jin reached out towards the sign. After going through numerous rounds, his fingertips coming into contact with proper script made Wu Jin feel inexplicably happy. It was unclear whether it was due to his advantage with the relevant knowledge, or if his mind calmed with the protection of a familiar cultural context, “The Son of Heaven ordered, to go to the dreary land in the north to build a city… is this a reference to building a city in the orient?”

Only now did Wu Jin remember that his knowledge of his own language was a mess, and his writing was also in the same state.

The roller coaster was nearby, beneath the dazzling sunlight.

They only needed to head past the roller coaster souvenir shop to arrive at the ticket office––

The sudden sound of steps could be heard from the other side of the ticket office!

Wu Jin was surprised and quickly lifted up his shotgun, glancing at the big boss behind him.

… This one glance almost sent his soul flying out of his body.

Wei Shi’s lips were pressed together as he looked silently at Wu Jin. The bow and arrow were tucked neatly into his arms, and his expression seemed twisted, as though he was fighting internally with someone.

Wu Jin: “……” The big boss’s core had changed!

This silent conversion almost shocked Wu Jin into a daze. At this time, the two of them were still holding hands, but it was just that in one second, he was holding onto a fighting machine, and in the next, he was holding hands with a proud little wolf cub.

Wei Shi’s face was blank, “You’re holding his hand?”

Wu Jin quickly put down his paws and tried to pacify the wolf cub!

Wei Shi’s expression became even more indescribable. He asked, “You’re not even willing to touch my hand?”

Wu Jin quickly raised his paws and cleverly held onto Wei Shi.

Wei Shi was furious, “You’re so reluctant… move away!”

Before Wu Jin could react, a stray bullet brushed past from behind, flying close to his ear. Wei Shi elbowed Wu Jin to dodge it, then pulled back his bow and shot out three arrows in a row towards Wei Yan, who was hiding behind the souvenir shop––

The arrows made a shrill noise as they travelled through the air.

Wu Jin dodged quickly, “Withdraw for now. There aren’t any ammunition supplies in the area, and they can’t shoot too often!”

Wei Shi’s lips curved up coldly when he heard these words. Instead of retreating, he advanced and pushed Wei Yan back, step by step, his face carrying a youthful air. His years of experience dominating the R-Code Base had given him marvelous control with cold steel weapons. With the addition of adult Wei Shi’s strength, it wasn’t exaggerating to say that he could shoot apart a cluster of stones with just his bow and arrow.

From behind the souvenir shop, Thin Fire couldn’t refrain from letting out a low cry.

When two arrows shot past, Wei Yan was stunned for half a second and almost ended up being hit.

Wei Yan, who was still shocked, “……”

Thin Fire: “???”

Wei Yan’s eyes suddenly filled with reverence: Brother Wei’s expressions were so rich! It must be that Floating City had made a great breakthrough with the emotional lock! Brother Wei’s Floating City really lived up to its reputation! Brother Wei was really worthy of respect!

Thin Fire couldn’t read any sort of emotion from this human-shaped weapon’s face, so he could only ask politely, “Are we fighting or not? Don’t let them see any important clues…”

Wei Yan: “I’ll provide cover. You go and get the things.”

The sound of gunfire sounded out again. As Wu Jin had expected, Wei Yan and Thin Fire were also short on bullets. They immediately switched to a crossbow that was the same as Raphael’s. During the scuffle, Thin Fire quickly took down an object from the window of the souvenir shop. Wei-Thin then stopped trying to fight, withdrawing quickly––

Wei Shi’s arrow quiver was already half empty.

Wu Jin made a quick decision, “Don’t chase them for now. Find a crossbow like the one they’re using. It’s fine, there’s still stock in the souvenir shop, and they only took away something from the display…”

Wu Jin swiftly leaned over to help the big boss pick up arrows. In the distance, Wei-Thin had already dodged behind the ticket office for the ride. The two of them jumped into the ride’s passenger car.

The back of the roller coaster car suddenly ignited and spat out decorative flames! It was like a flaming arrow that shot out towards the sky, trailing a streak of elongated red light behind it!

Wu Jin’s mouth opened wide.

The roller coaster that was on fire was very impressive.

At the same time, the firelight also illuminated the layout for the entire facility. The area around the roller coaster tracks were made of brick and stone, sandwiched between low mountain peaks. The walls, towers, and passageways around the track were clearly visible, and whenever the roller coaster car passed by, the beacon lights on the tower would light up and emit billowing smoke that seemed to be rapidly transmitting news of war.

––The Son of Heaven ordered, to go to the dreary land in the north to build a city. The illustrious south, was a place to avoid.

The ‘city’ referred to the city walls.

The wind brought frost and snow; it was about building the ten thousand mile long Great Wall.

The Brave Rapids was built into a pyramid, and the roller coaster was the Great Wall.

Wu Jin reached out to grab the cub, wanting to run over and investigate, but when he looked back…

The cub was striding off in the opposite direction.

Wu Jin: “? Brother Wei!”

Wei Shi was suppressing his anger, and his face was gloomy, “He’s about to come out, and he’ll definitely do something to you. I’m going to take him further away first.”

Wu Jin: “……”

Wu Jin: “…………” Are you trying to park your account in a safe zone before you log off? Am I a dangerous Little Witch bomb?!

However, before the cub could get too far, Wei Shi suddenly stiffened and froze.

Wu Jin secretly made a shooting gesture with his hand: Biu! Core change!

Big Wei slowly turned around.

The big boss’s expression was displeased as he looked deeply at Wu Jin, who was off in the distance, “Come here.”

Wu Jin trotted over obediently, but his eyes widened halfway there. That wasn’t right! Wei Shi had run over there by himself, so shouldn’t he be the one coming back? How come he was the one running over?!

The big boss looked expressionlessly at Wu Jin. He looked at him for such a long time that Wu Jin even felt that Wei Shi might have been able to see what had happened behind him just now.

Wei Shi evaluated, “Naive.”

Wu Jin relaxed. The 27 year old Wei Shi who’d been through many hardships was more mature and sophisticated. He was much more stable than the cub! He definitely wouldn’t continue this nonsense…

Wei Shi: “When the change is about to happen again, you’re going to run away.”

Wu Jin was indignant, “!!” Wasn’t this even worse than the cub! The cub would run off on his own, but when it was the big boss, he wanted him to run instead…

Fortunately, Big Wei no longer remained tangled up with this matter. He picked up Wu Jin and walked quickly towards the Great Wall. The big boss spoke coldly, “End the game in two hours.”

Wu Jin looked up in awe and respect.

Back then, during the Crosson evaluation match, the big boss had ended the game quickly in order to go home and feed the cat. Maybe this time, he would head home to beat himself up…

The roller coaster track pierced through the fog.

The two of them each bought a ticket, and the times displayed were 6:07 and 14:00.

“Time is flowing too quickly.” Wu Jin pondered, “Time must be following the movement of the roller coaster.”

The roller coaster car was still racing around the track. At the ticket gate, Wu Jin squeaked and crouched down to examine the tracks. The tracks were actually divided into two layers. The upper layer was a common regular track, and the lower layer was dark and indistinct…

Wei Shi got down on one knee and leaned in over the track. His fingers swept across it, and he rubbed at the residue before bringing it close to Wu Jin’s nose.

Wu Jin inhaled, “… Spices?”