Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 34

Kofi Link

Lin Qiao couldn’t bear to listen anymore: “You… so you mean everyone uses Mr. Yan Ting’s card to get in, and Mr. Yan Ting has to sacrifice himself for us? This, this isn’t fair.”

“Without Mr. Yan Ting, everyone would have died in the sun during the disaster and wouldn’t have even boarded the plane. Anyone could stand here to open the door for everyone, except Mr. Yan Ting.”

“Didn’t you hear what the researcher said? Without Mr. Yan Ting, even if we get in, we won’t have a good outcome.”

“What do you suggest we do then?” The brown-haired man’s former minion got up from the ground: “You like your Mr. Yan Ting so much, why don’t you open the door for the sake of your love! I don’t want to die!”

Lin Qiao’s words were a reminder to the NPC passengers that without Yan Ting going in with them, they might be driven out of the shelter and would still die. It was also a warning to the players that although the scenario was called “Plane Escape,” the conclusion that “entering the shelter equals successful escape and game over” was merely the players’ own speculation. It was very possible that the game would continue after entering the shelter, and the players would have to complete the survival duration.

So both NPCs and players needed Yan Ting to be alive. Zhong Minglang, the bodyguard player who had purchased clues, knew that killing Yan Ting would only increase the game’s difficulty, so he was the first to agree with Lin Qiao: “Mr. Yan Ting must be alive. The research institute will give Mr. Yan Ting face, but they might not give us the same consideration.”

Yan Ting likely understood this as well, which was why he handed over the card without hesitation, because Yan Ting himself was the best pass.

Time was running out, only about ten minutes left, and they had to choose someone to stay behind and face death. This feeling was not pleasant, as if everyone had placed their lives on the chopping block, and anyone could be the one to die.

The players whispered among themselves. The female lover said, “Fortunately, the NPCs haven’t all died. This matter should be handled by the NPCs, since they won’t really die.”

“When the scenario starts again, they will still be alive, but if a player dies, they’re really gone.”

The female internet celebrity looked at the men in black suits: “Is there anyone who is so loyal to Yan Ting that they would be willing to die?”

“Unlikely,” Zhong Minglang thought Yan Ting wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice his own men, especially since the black suits’ combat strength was needed as leverage to enter the shelter.

The brown-haired man’s two minions had already set their sights on the blonde mother and son, suggesting, “How about the kid? After all, it’s the end of the world; he won’t live long anyway.”

“He’s so young and can’t do anything; he’s just a burden.”

The blonde mother held her child protectively: “What are you saying? No one is going to touch my son! If you dare to target my son, I will kill you.”

The two minions wanted to get rough, but the other three NPC passengers had clearly found a higher-level approach: never underestimate a mother’s love.

“Madam, your child is so young; he won’t have time to experience the rest of his life.”

“I know this sounds despicable, but you are a brave mother. If you are willing to sacrifice yourself for everyone, we will take good care of your child.”

The blonde mother, who had been glaring angrily, slowly reddened her eyes upon hearing these words. Yes, she was different from these people; she was willing to die for her son.

Just as the blonde mother was wavering, the little boy’s expression was unusually cold: “Mom, you’re not allowed to do that.”

“But I love you, Nelson,” the blonde mother kissed the top of the little boy’s head.

The blonde boy looked up and said, “But they are all bad people. How do you know they will keep their word?”

The blonde mother was stunned, and then she realized: if she were alive, she could still protect her son, but if she died, her son wouldn’t live long either.

The NPCs’ intentions were exposed, and the brown-haired man’s minion said, “Go on, what are you waiting for? Don’t waste so many words with her. Just grab her child and threaten her to go!”

Only Lin Qiao kept searching for materials around and trying to find a way to fix the card to the stone. Originally, everyone wanted to get the pass card, but now everyone was avoiding it like the plague. Only Lin Qiao picked it up, not minding at all that the card in his hand was like a ticking time bomb. Lin Qiao whispered, “It would have been great if we had found tape on the way here.”

Unfortunately, everyone was in a hurry to travel and wouldn’t waste time searching for miscellaneous items. They even wanted to throw away all their burdens to get to the research institute as quickly as possible. The doctor player was lost in thought, looking at Lin Qiao, and didn’t retreat even after being noticed by Yan Ting.

Over there, the NPC passengers had already had a conflict with the blonde mother and son. The players didn’t stop them and tacitly allowed the incident to happen. As the blonde little boy was about to be dragged away, he suddenly turned his head and shouted loudly to the female lover, “I am the last player, help me stop them!”

“Ah? What?” The female internet celebrity was very surprised. She thought the last player would never show up, or maybe he was hiding among those NPC passengers, but she didn’t expect it to be this little boy. Even Zhong Minglang was taken aback: “It’s impossible. How could there be a player so young?”

The sound of the blonde mother’s gun echoed through the night, but she was quickly subdued by several men. She seemed to resign herself to her fate and threw herself at Yan Ting’s feet: “Sir, I don’t ask you to save me. I am willing to open the door for everyone.”

“You held my child for me, do you remember? Please… please give Nelson a little chance to live. Don’t let him die, okay? I beg of you.”

Yan Ting did not respond, and his expression remained unchanged, as if he had seen such a scene countless times before, so that when it happened again right in front of him, his heart was unmoved.

The blonde mother became desperate and let out a mournful howl like a mother beast at the end of its life.

At that moment, the base’s door, disguised as a wall, began to vibrate, and the “rumble” of friction sounded as the shelter’s iron doors actually started to open.

The blonde mother forgot to cry… Who, who was it…

Even the blonde boy’s face showed astonishment. He put away his game props and suddenly looked towards the stele.

“Everyone, hurry up and go inside,” Lin Qiao stood there, the light from the display screen shining on him, still looking thin and delicate: “We’re about to be rescued. We should be happy.”

Yan Ting’s expression finally changed: “You…”

“Sir,” Lin Qiao interrupted Yan Ting: “If I’m not mistaken, the wealthy man brought his mistress not only for rewards and a blood bank, but mainly because the mistress loves you.”

“If the mistress could make it here alive, she would definitely open the door for you.”

Lin Qiao believed that even at a critical moment, one’s character couldn’t collapse. He had thought about having the black graffiti help open the door. But exposing the black shadows to players and NPCs would make it impossible to explain how the “mistress” character could make the monsters in the scenario obedient. It would be noticed by the game, and Lin Qiao dared not take the risk.

After Yan Ting suddenly approached, he threw away the card in Lin Qiao’s hand. The NPCs who saw the door open and ran over could only watch helplessly as the door closed again.

Lin Qiao truly felt that he was the most suitable one to open the door. He wouldn’t die, but Yan Ting’s bloodshot eyes were really intimidating.

So Lin Qiao became a bit timid: “S-sir… didn’t you respect my choice?”

“Shut up,” Yan Ting’s emotions were somewhat out of control, and he wanted to say something but stopped. His handsome face became even more gloomy and impatient.

The card happened to fall at the doctor player’s feet. After hesitating for a few seconds, he picked it up: “The sun will rise in four minutes. The clouds on the horizon have already changed color. Where there is light, there is danger.”

The doctor player nodded at Yan Ting: “I’ll open the door. You take Lin Qiao and go.”

“But…” Lin Qiao wanted to say something more, but Yan Ting covered his mouth.

The doctor player, taking advantage of the fact that Yan Ting couldn’t hear him, boldly spoke up in front of Yan Ting: “Jojo is an NPC, and I’m a player. We will never be together.”

“You might not hear what I’m saying; it will probably be covered by the game’s prepared lines.”

“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter.”

“I really like Jojo. If in the real world, I wouldn’t die for a guy I’ve only known for a few days.”

“Actually, I don’t particularly, particularly like you now, like being willing to sacrifice myself. I just…” The doctor player frowned, not knowing how to express himself: “It’s just for myself. Don’t feel burdened.”

“They say points can extend life and buy items to fulfill wishes.”

The sunlight grew brighter and brighter, and both players and NPCs were running towards the door.

Yan Ting held Lin Qiao’s hand and stayed at the back. Lin Qiao kept looking back.

“But I don’t need to extend my life. Only the dying enter the game. Their deaths might be accidents, murders, or natural causes…”

“They all have the will to survive, but I chose to die. I don’t need points to extend my life.”

Lin Qiao led Yan Ting through the shelter’s door, and the light outside became brighter and brighter.

“No item can fulfill my wish. I want to openly say that I like boys, want to have a lover like Jojo, and want my parents to sincerely bless me.”

“But what item can change prejudice? What item can change people’s hearts? Can hearts changed by items still be considered genuine?”

The door hadn’t closed yet. The doctor player wanted to see Lin Qiao a bit longer. Lin Qiao also looked back, and the surrounding players and NPCs were all in a hurry.

“Does he really like an NPC? Is he crazy?”

“Not closing the door is to perish with us. Who has a gun, shoot him!”

As dawn broke and the sun rose high, the dazzling sunlight that symbolized hope swept across the earth. Inch by inch, the light brought not warmth but death.

The doctor player took away the card, and the door was closing. He waved at Lin Qiao, standing straight like a tall, straight poplar tree. In his memory, Jun Shuyang had a low presence.

He always kept his head down, not wanting to offend anyone, and was polite to both the brown-haired man and the NPCs. He should be very afraid of death, as he was called selfish for not wanting to fight the black shadows.

But at the last moment, it was he who took the card, exchanging it for the possibility of others’ survival.

The doctor player smiled at Lin Qiao and silently mouthed something. He said, “Jojo, you must live on.”

The door was about to close, and Lin Qiao suddenly got up and ran outside. He was like a white bird flying towards the sun.

Yan Ting’s face changed drastically as he reached out to grab him, but unfortunately, Zhong Minglang was also paying attention to Lin Qiao. He couldn’t stop Lin Qiao but mistakenly thought that Yan Ting was going to follow, so he held Yan Ting back. In just a few seconds, the door slammed shut, and Yan Ting could only see Lin Qiao’s resolute back for the last time.

The outside world became bright, and Lin Qiao ran desperately but couldn’t reach Jun Shuyang’s side. In the distance, Jun Shuyang’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression a mix of sorrow and joy.

They ultimately didn’t get to embrace but disappeared together in the light.

In his last moment, Jun Shuyang thought, “He heard my confession. My dream, he ran towards me…”