VAP - Chapter 168
Chapter 168: The Ruler in the Endless Deep Darkness (1)
When Yue Du opened her eyes, she still looked dazed, as if she’d just woken up.
She wasn’t one to let herself remain in such a state, but as she fully awoke and began to survey her surroundings, her expression only grew more bewildered.
The reason was simple.
Before Yue Du’s eyes was a massive white cruise ship. English letters were painted on its streamlined hull, spelling out the word “Pilgrim.” The enormous vessel and its sharp, upturned bow were so imposing they almost negated the sense of distance, making it seem close at hand when, in fact, nearly half a pier separated her from it.
Yue Du herself was seated in the outdoor area of a pier-side restaurant, her arm resting on the small round table before her. It was clear she had been resting here, like an ordinary tourist taking a short nap after a meal.
The air she breathed was filled with the humid, slightly briny scent unique to the seaside. Yue Du quickly scanned her surroundings, her expression growing solemn.
She shouldn’t be here.
But where should she be? Yue Du tried to recall what happened before she fell asleep, but she couldn’t remember no matter how hard she tried.
She remembered who she was, her family, friends, classmates, and colleagues. She remembered her life experiences, from childhood to adulthood, her life and her work—yet she couldn’t recall her recent daily routine at all, as if her memory had been abruptly severed at some point in the past.
This was not normal. Yue Du took a deep breath, lowered her head, and searched through her personal belongings, trying to find something that could help her understand her current situation.
Soon she found a ship ticket, some cards and IDs, a few personal items, and her own mobile phone. However, apart from the phone, none of the other things belonged to her.
The “Yue Du” on the ID card had a blank expression. The date of birth, address, and ID number were all unfamiliar. Especially the address—there was no such province or city in China…
Yue Du subconsciously clenched her fingertips as a chill climbed up her back.
Just then, a soft, low female voice suddenly sounded in her ear, “Hello there, Xiao Du.”
It had to be said, in the current situation, this voice really startled Yue Du. Her breath caught, and she reflexively turned her head, but saw no one.
So she feigned composure. “You are…?”
The voice chuckled lightly, with a bit of breathiness and a slight huskiness. It was so pleasant it could make a voice-lover’s heart stop and bones melt. Yue Du had never considered herself much of a voice-lover, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but hold her breath—and this time, it wasn’t out of fear.
“I am your bound system,” the voice said. “You can call me Ah Jiu.”
System?
Things were getting even stranger; a plot was emerging. Yue Du decided to hear this Ah Jiu out.
“This is a game. As long as you don’t die in the game and complete the mission, you can return to your own world, and all your lost memories will be returned.”
“The current game instance you are in is called ‘The Pilgrim’s Route.’”
At this point, Ah Jiu paused, as if waiting for her to ask a question. So Yue Du asked, “Then what if I die in the game?”
Ah Jiu said leisurely, “You revive, and then continue the game.”
This answer was a bit strange to Yue Du. She had thought that dying in the game meant real death. After all, wasn’t that the trope in similar horror infinite flow games?
Ah Jiu continued to recite slowly and methodically, like a game narrator:
“Aboard the star cruise liner, the Pilgrim, lurk the followers of an evil god. They are fanatical and devout, and they plan to sacrifice an entire ship of ignorant lambs to their supreme deity. If they are not stopped in time, the sacrificial ritual will summon the god, and no one will survive.”
“You are an ordinary tourist on a group tour. You have never met the other people in your tour group, but you all share the mission of stopping the sacrificial ritual. Please note:
One, you are a tourist.
Two, before the sacrificial ritual can begin, seven pure and flawless souls must be prepared. Otherwise, the ritual cannot proceed. For this, the followers will stop at nothing.
Three, once the ritual begins, it is irreversible and unstoppable.
Four, not all companions are trustworthy. There is a hidden fanatic among you.”
“Go find the followers on the cruise ship who are plotting this terror. As long as you find them, all of this will end.”
“Have a pleasant trip.”
The moment Ah Jiu’s last word fell, Yue Du heard a long, sharp whistle.
She snapped her head up and saw a young woman in casual clothes standing outside the pier restaurant. A blue ID card hung on her chest, and she wore a speaker device near her cheek. She stood perfectly still, smiling and staring straight ahead.
She’s like she appeared out of thin air, the thought popped into Yue Du’s mind.
As if knowing that everyone’s eyes were on her, the young woman adjusted her speaker and said, “Tourists from the Bu’an Travel Agency’s ‘Enjoy Life’ group, please gather over here. We are about to board the ship. Please gather here with me.”
As she spoke, she turned her head from side to side mechanically, like a lagging robot. Her smile was frozen, as if painted on her face, which was horrifying to see.
It seemed this trip wouldn’t be very pleasant.
Yue Du silently responded to the system’s last sentence in her mind.
Including Yue Du, the tour group had eight members in total. They had been sitting scattered around the pier restaurant before, and most of them quickly walked out of the restaurant and formed a line after the young woman—the tour leader—spoke.
Yue Du lined up in the middle of the group.
The remaining small portion, actually only two people who looked like a couple, remained seated, holding each other’s hands in a daze and fear.
Of course, they couldn’t stay there for long. The tour leader repeated the request to gather twice, then walked into the restaurant with stiff steps, suddenly leaned down, and with a smile that was almost face-to-face, invited them to gather.
The young couple followed her over, trembling, and were thoughtfully placed in the spot closest to the tour leader.
“Well then, let’s set off.” The tour leader led the way, speaking in a vibrant and enthusiastic tone. Judging by her voice alone, anyone would have thought she was a normal, professional tour guide.
The “tourists” followed silently.
A long line had formed in front of the cruise ship’s automatic gangway, all passengers waiting to have their tickets checked and board. They chatted and dreamed with the people in front of and behind them, or looked at their phones or stared into space alone. Their behaviors were all different, just as ordinary tourists should be. Yue Du even heard a mother scolding her child, and the little girl sobbed, clutching her small backpack, feeling wronged.
The tour leader led her group to the back of the long line. Compared to everyone else, this eight-person tour group seemed even stranger, less like they were going on a trip and more like they were heading to an execution ground.
Taking advantage of the wait in line, Yue Du asked the system, “Is this tour leader an NPC?”
Ah Jiu: “Yes, a guide NPC. She’s harmless, don’t be scared by her.”
Why does it feel like this system is comforting me? It’s fine, I’m not that scared, Yue Du thought to herself, then asked, “Are the other tourists real people?”
“Yes.” Ah Jiu gave an affirmative answer.
For now, the difference between NPCs and real people was obvious.
The system also said the guide NPC was harmless, which meant there would be other types of NPCs, and they might be able to cause harm…
As Yue Du was thinking, she suddenly heard two girls who had just joined the end of the line discussing in low voices, wondering why the atmosphere among the people ahead was so tense.
Some passing tourists were also attracted by the tour leader’s enthusiastic and sweet voice. They turned to look at her but didn’t notice anything unusual about the leader, glancing a few times before looking away.
They could only perceive the strangeness of the group members, but were completely oblivious to the weirdness of the NPC. Yue Du felt this game was even more sinister, and the chill she had suppressed earlier surged up again.
In fact, despite having inexplicably encountered such a terrifying event, Yue Du felt less fear than she had expected.
She didn’t know if it was because the system had clearly stated there was no danger to her life, or because her own personality was naturally calm, but she felt there was no need to panic; she should just follow the game’s progression.
Except for one thing.
Yue Du: “Are there ghosts in this game? Is it a horror game that strictly adheres to the regulations of a certain bureau, or does it include supernatural elements?”
As a system, Ah Jiu’s voice was surprisingly hesitant. “Um, there might be…”
Yue Du: “…” Sorry, she was a little panicked now.
The line seemed long, but it didn’t take much time before the gangway was right in front of them.
The person checking tickets at the gangway was probably a cruise ship employee. He took the ticket, swiped it on a small machine, and handed it back with both hands. His movements were smooth and natural, not like an NPC.
The staff member behind him handed over a promotional brochure for the Pilgrim and a guide to onboard activities with a broad smile.
Yue Du remembered the first tip from the game, “You are a tourist,” so she quietly put away the two thin booklets.
The tour leader led the group members straight to the elevators in the atrium and said with a smile, “Everyone, please go to your pre-booked rooms to put down your things first. We’ll gather here at five in the afternoon.”
After speaking, she turned and walked to a celadon vase in the corner, stood there smiling with her hands folded in front of her, motionless like a decoration. Passing tourists paid her no mind.
Leaving only the eight fake tourists to stare at each other.
After a moment, a tall, thin young man with a rather scholarly air pushed up his glasses and broke the silence. “Let’s get in the elevator first.”
There was no one else in the elevator. The scholarly man pressed the button for the eighth floor and said, “Let’s gather in one room to discuss things first, and also explain the situation to the newcomers. I’m in cabin 033 on the 8th floor.”
The man from the young couple said loudly, “What newcomers? What’s going on? We never planned any cruise trip! Are you with that weirdo?”
The scholarly man shut him down with a single sentence: “Do you really think we have the ability to kidnap you and arrange a luxury cruise for you?”
The young couple exchanged a look, their faces pale, and fell silent.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor, and the group followed the scholarly man into his cabin.
The cabin was a single room with a balcony. The furnishings weren’t particularly luxurious, but they looked very comfortable. A large suitcase was placed by the bed.
The scholarly man got straight to the point. “Before we begin, let me ask, who among you is experiencing this for the first time?”
Yue Du was the first to raise her hand. The young couple, needless to say, also raised theirs. A chubby boy who looked to be of school age also raised his hand after a moment’s hesitation.
“Four newcomers,” the scholarly man muttered to himself. “Looks like the difficulty isn’t high. There should be more hints later.”
Then he raised his voice. “Check your phones. Is there a new app? Open it, and you’ll understand what’s going on.”
Yue Du had already checked her phone and hadn’t found any extra icons. Instead, Ah Jiu in her mind had been acting as the narrator, making her think that a system was standard issue for game players.
But with a little thought, she knew that if everyone had a system, the young couple wouldn’t be so lost and helpless. They should at least have a clear idea of what they were facing.
Yue Du lowered her head, pretending to swipe on her phone screen, while silently asking, “System, hmm?”
Ah Jiu gave a light cough, and Yue Du watched as an app icon slowly materialized on her screen out of thin air. It was an almost completely black square with a single drop of blood-red in the very center.
Tapping the app opened two messages. The first was “Welcome to the Nameless Game.” The second was information about the “Pilgrim’s Route” instance, which was no different from what Ah Jiu had said.
Yue Du: “…”
System, are you sure you’re not a sentient app?
Ah Jiu explained weakly, “It seems your app is a bit slow to respond.”
The explanation was so obviously fake that it even tainted the system’s irresistibly beautiful voice, making it sound like the deceptive, luring song of a siren.
Its credibility instantly plummeted…
Yue Du’s inherent wariness rose even higher. She didn’t respond, instead looking up at the scholarly man, deciding to hear what he had to say first.
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