Chapter 26: 26: Survive

Chapter 26: Survive

Feng Yu Lan probably wasn’t aware that weapons possessed a will of their own; however, this wasn’t at all a good thing.

The chambers gave all players a weapon. Its creation and origin was based upon the players’ various physical qualities, mental capacity, as well as their spirit. That is to say, one’s personality and physique determined one’s ideal weapon. Just like Luo Jian, some people were innately suited for knives. And, usually, those who used knives tended to be rather aggressive in nature; they all possessed a sort of ‘viciousness’ within them. Perhaps these attributes weren’t conspicuous on the surface, but they existed; they were simply buried within the depths of one’s heart, the very place a person’s true self was hidden.

In that sense, Luo Jian was a very cruel person in some respects; he was quite inhumane.

But what of Feng Yu Lan? The chambers gifted him a grimoire, which may suggest that he was a man of ancient lineage, as this magic tome was primarily written in an ancient language. But moreover, this book embodied the predisposed complexities within Feng Yu Lan, such complexities he was forever doomed to possess. For instance, take a look at the surface of the book. One could never understand just how complicated, how intricate and unfathomable, the narrative written inside truly was just based on the cover. It was this sort of complexity, this mystery, that formed this kind of ridiculous weapon.

And weapons possessing their own self-will further highlighted that ironclad fact.

In the dimly lit bar, the boss mentioned to Luo Jian, “Weapons will guide you in combat. When you hold on to them firmly, they will arouse the evils that dwell deep inside you, infinitely amplify them, until all that occupies your mind are your fighting skills and survival instincts. This is the process we call ‘demonizing1’.”

“Weapons are both good and bad. Every person will carry a weapon unique to them. For some, it may be a dagger; for others, it may be a needle. But amongst these weapons are ones that have their own special category, and those weapons are ones with self-will. These are the worst kind. Weapons that possess a mind of their own typically represent their owners—those suffering from split personalities.”

“Human beings are undoubtedly complex. There are many people who die without knowing their hidden alter ego. You might see a successful man who is righteous and well-dressed during the day, but he may suddenly become a completely different person when the night comes, abandoning all restraints, lacking integrity, having no limitations. This is precisely the double-nature of humans. This kind of contradiction is what creates such players. They are naturally docile and calm on the surface, but when they engage in battle…they can change into someone entirely different! Become someone selfish, someone who cannot recognize their own family, someone who is unable to distinguish between friend or foe. Indeed, this is the most dangerous, as well as the most tragic.”

【Demonizing is complete.】

The grimoire floated in the air and shuddered violently. A few characters manifested on the pages of the book. The grimoire seemed to be very excited. It frantically spun around Feng Yu Lan; the words on the pages became increasingly chaotic, warped. Feng Yu Lan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes and waved his hands to swat that god-awful book away.

But the magic tome was stubborn; it eagerly flew back and hovered near Feng Yu Lan’s side. Feng Yu Lan then stood up; there wasn’t the slightest change in expression on his bloodstained face. It was as if all emotions had been ripped away from Feng Yu Lan’s body, turning him into an unfeeling machine. His entire being lost the color of a living man.

In the presence of Feng Yu Lan, the battle between Luo Jian and Duan Li progressed halfway, but the outcome of this battle was already clear as day. Luo Jian wasn’t a match for the other. Clutching at the heavy wound on his abdomen, he leaned against the wall behind him. He never expected this man named Duan Li would be so difficult to deal with. Taking faints, striking swiftly, his style of attack was too imposing. It was obvious he was an expert, he had already perfected his skills; he was a dozen times better than Luo Jian, a beginner who wasn’t even suited for such things but who still strived to improve.

To Duan Li, Luo Jian was absolutely unworthy of his attention, completely beneath his dignity. He curled his lips in disdain and chuckled grimly. He then flung the blood off his tang dao and suddenly opened his mouth, talking slowly, “Judging from you guys’ appearances, you’re probably members of the chambers.”

Luo Jian gasped for air, but he didn’t answer. He refused to show his weakness to Duan Li.

“Rest assured, I won’t kill you.” Duan Li laughed and continued, “Rookie, allow me to introduce myself. You know….I trust that anyone who’s entered the chambers for the first time believes with certainty that they’d be able to escape that place forever. By some chance, all of them continue to persevere and hope; they’re convinced that an ‘escape’ truly exists.”

Luo Jian couldn’t hold in the shock in his heart and he wondered, “You…could it be that you’re also…?”

“Hehehe…I wouldn’t still be here if I was really powerful to that extent.” Duan Li seemed to be mocking himself. He swept his eyes over Luo Jian’s face, then took his time to glance at Feng Yu Lan who stood at the side. Ah Lan’s enchantment had already finished, but he still hadn’t made his move; he merely stood in place, motionless.

“You guys are still rookies, so you probably don’t know there’s this rule in the chambers. Players who’ve experienced no more than five chambers have the opportunity to ‘survive’. This is the only advantage granted to all newbie players.”

“Survive?”

“Ah…yeah, it’s five chambers or less though. Even if you die in the chambers at the time, it doesn’t matter, you can still return to reality. But that’s only on one condition. You must escape within twenty-four hours—escape being killed by me!” The smile on Duan Li’s face was very strange; the tang dao in his hand fiercely stabbed the ground over and over again.

“You’ll pursue us?” Luo Jian couldn’t exactly understand; he asked in surprise, “Who are you?”

“You players call me by many names. Some call me a serial killer, others call me an assassin. There are even some who call me a cleaner, garbage collector, scavenger, et cetera, whatever one pleases. I hardly care about what they call me. My job is to kill those players who have been given the opportunity to ‘survive’ within 24 hours, nip their hopes of ever seeing a bright future in the bud.

“You should all know there are those monsters called Stalkers in the chambers. They are hunters specialized in killing the players only in the chambers. On the other hand, me…I’m a ‘Stalker’ who specializes in preying on players in the real world.”

That crazed smile remained on Duan Li’s face as he turned his malevolent gaze to Feng Yu Lan. “My task is essentially no different from a Stalker’s task, but there still is a difference, because I’m ultimately a human who has a will! But Stalkers, on the other hand…Stalkers are monsters who’ve been completely stripped of their emotions, their memories. These monsters have been given only one command, and that’s ‘to kill’! They used to be the same as you guys, the same as me too, a player…human!”

“These people used to stand at the very peak of the chambers. They had dreadful powers; their strength was so monstrous that it would leave you in despair. They were so fearsome to the point that they were capable of escaping these infinite chambers! But they were still no match for it, no match for it at all, still a bit inferior. In the end, it’s these chambers that deserve to be called fearsome! No one can escape from this cage, no one ever escapes!”

“What are you trying to do?!” Luo Jian felt like this guy was a bit insane. This guy who called himself Duan Li just rambled endlessly to himself without getting to the point. While he was still babbling, he started advancing towards Feng Yu Lan; the tang dao scraped against the ground and issued an ear-piercing screech.

“No one can escape…No one! No one!” Duan Li tore his mask off, revealing his entire face. Half of his face was as beautiful as an angel’s, but the other half was riddled with hideous scars, resembling a devil’s.

Luo Jian wasn’t feeling too well; his whole body was paralyzed. The wound on his abdomen continued to bleed profusely. He never felt so powerless in his life as much as he did now. He raised his head and shouted loudly at Feng Yu Lan who was still standing motionless. “Ah Lan! Run!”

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“Is it really true that no one can escape the chambers?” Feng Yu Lan dismissed the yells he heard. He lifted his head, exposing an ice-cold, impassive face, and stared directly at Duan Li.

Duan Li laughed nastily. He raised his sword and pointed it at Feng Yu Lan, “Death is the only eternal escape!”

The sharp tip of Duan Li’s blade was heavily imposing. Seeing this, Luo Jian’s heart froze in fear; he screamed desperately, “Wait! Don’t attack Ah Lan! Didn’t you say you only chase and kill survivors?!”

Duan Li straightened his spine and continued to hold that blade straight. He turned his head around to grin at Luo Jian. “Is he not a survivor?”

“But he never died in the chambers!”

“He died. Besides, his name’s also on my list.”

Feng Yu Lan spoke up at the same time, blankly confirming, “I really did die.”

Luo Jian was horrified. His eyes turned wide in sheer shock, and he bellowed, “It can’t be! I took you out! You couldn’t have died! It’s impossible!”

Feng Yu Lan was silent for a long time. Suddenly, a slight smile appeared on his wooden face, and he explained, “While we were trapped in the water, I had already died.”

Luo Jian couldn’t believe this. He stubbornly shook his head as if his life depended on it. “Impossible!”

“It’s true. My body was too weak; I absolutely couldn’t withstand the cold. I had already exceeded my limits in that freezing water. While you were still struggling to open the door, I had already suffocated. My final thoughts at the time were that I had to hold onto you tight and never let go, and that’s it. My conviction was too deep; perhaps a part of my soul is forever trapped in that ghost ship.” Feng Yu Lan spoke as if he was narrating another person’s story. Then, unlike his usual self, he pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. “When I woke up in the hospital, I couldn’t understand what was going on. If I was considered a survivor, but you managed to escape with me from the chambers just before I died, I should be considered to have successfully passed the ordeal. But even if I managed to pass through that ordeal without troubles, this guy’s death list would still have my name on it.”

“Oh, so you’re both? Poor child.” Duan Li rubbed his shoulders and clapped his palms together, itching to get on with it already. He looked at Feng Yu Lan’s face, and smiled grimly. “Well, in any case, you’ll never be able to escape the fate of death.”

“Yeah.” Feng Yu Lan responded. “The time limit is twenty-four hours. From the time I woke up to when the sun rises tomorrow, you’ll persistently chase me to kill me, right?”

Duan Li didn’t say anything. Still grinning evilly, he sliced down with his blade. Feng Yu Lan nimbly drew back, effortlessly avoiding the attack.

Feng Yu Lan shook his head and laughed, “But I won’t be killed by you that easily. Being granted a second chance in life is more important than anything else.”

After being demonized, Feng Yu Lan became calmer than ever before. He gracefully evaded all the attacks Duan Li threw at him. The floating spell still seemed to be working it’s magic on his body, for his body was incomparably lithe. He even casually skipped over to Luo Jian’s side and recited a brief incantation. Luo Jian immediately felt a faint tingle near the wound on his body, and soon, the injury gradually stopped bleeding; it appeared to be healing.

Magic certainly wasn’t as glorious or majestic as films and novels depicted it to be, because there weren’t any shining lights when Feng Yu Lan chanted his spells, and he didn’t even flick a magnificent wand and dazzle the place with those brilliant shimmers. He merely uttered a few short, awkward-sounding syllables, and just like that, his speech came true; he broke some natural laws of this world, and this so-called fantasy became a reality within reality.

Duan Li wasn’t at all disheartened now that his opponent was strong; on the contrary, he was rather excited. He brandished his tang dao, and instantly rushed towards Feng Yu Lan at an incredible speed. Dealing with these mages who possessed magic powers was simple for him. He only needed to keep pressuring his opponent so that the other didn’t have enough time to recite an incantation!

However, Feng Yu Lan slightly raised his hand, allowing his grimoire to hover in front of his body. The grimoire promptly created a semicircle protective shield. Duan Li’s blade clashed against that transparent shield, and a reverberating clang sounded in the area.

“Reciting incantations is too slow, so a weapon will be used in this kind of situation. My grimoire can also instantly employ all spells I’m capable of using at this stage.”

“But there’s a limit to that, correct?” Duan Li didn’t believe the chambers would gift Feng Yu Lan a weapon that was so heaven-defying. In order to maintain balance, there’s bound to be some sort of restriction.

“Right. I can’t use this book to initiate offensive spells; it’s only useful for defense and support.” Feng Yu Lan patted his grimoire and continued, “In other words, if I want to attack you, I’ll have to recite incantations. And what’s worse is that these damn attack spells are so fucking long.”

“So it all comes down to endurance.” Duan Li analyzed the current situation. “As long as I keep interrupting your attack spells, you’ll be forced to use that magic book to defend yourself. It’s impossible for you to possess something so useful like endless spiritual power; you will eventually become tired. And all I need to do is get you to that point of exhaustion.”

“You can also try to use more strength to forcefully break through my defense.” Feng Yu Lan spread his palms wide and grinned, “But I can’t waste more time on you, so I suppose I should flee from you, huh?”

“What…??” Feng Yu Lan’s words left Duan Li baffled, but then he saw Feng Yu Lan turn around and increase the force of his floating spell. Now that he was soaring, his entire being was like a martial arts2 hero who bounded onto roofs and vaulted over walls! He rapidly leaped off the dilapidated building walls in the alley, climbed up, and, at last, hopped onto the roof!

“Fucking hell! He can seriously fly!” Duan Li couldn’t process what he saw and a stream of profanities burst from his mouth. Naturally, he was unwilling to just leave it be, and he immediately followed suit. Interestingly though, this guy obviously didn’t use any spells, but his body was as light and nimble as Feng Yu Lan’s. The two men bounded away, one fleeing and the other chasing, leaving behind a pitiful Luo Jian who sat in the corner by himself.

“Uh, hello?! Ah Lan, I’m still here! Don’t forget about me ah!” Luo Jian rolled his eyes and huffed in exasperation. However, the two individuals who were already far away couldn’t hear him.

“I have to save Ah Lan.” Luo Jian thought. He had witnessed Feng Yu Lan’s unrivaled condition just moments ago, but having known him since back then, Luo Jian clearly understood that expression on his face. That so-called ‘demonizing’ did, indeed, increase Ah Lan’s power, but, in exchange, he would suffer extreme repercussions. Feng Yu Lan certainly wouldn’t be able to hold up for an hour.

So, as of this moment, Luo Jian’s number one priority was to restore his strength as soon as possible; in one hour, he’ll help suppress Duan Li, and when that time comes, Feng Yu Lan can also take advantage of that period to recover his own strength. In this endless to-and-fro tussle, these two had to be in sync, they had to alternate accordingly in order to survive these twenty-four hours!

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