Spring Banquet (30)

The Days I Clear Escape Games Pretending to be an NPCCh64 - Spring Banquet (30)

Players jumped out from the hole in the ground one after another. When they looked up, they saw that there were demons all around, while on the other hand, the demons also saw them. Neither side moved nor speak. Suddenly, a delicate balance was created at the scene.

'Pa', Ren Yifei, who was standing at the centre, snapped his fan closed and gave Saman a brief glance. O15V8K

"I want the perfect interpretation, as well as the Ghost Card," he thought to himself. Greed finally returned and slightly influenced his temperament.

The players finally reacted and looked at the stone egg in Ren Yifei's hand, as well as the obviously abnormal-looking table under the stone egg. Their expressions all changed as they wordlessly rushed forward with their props.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Saman also raised his sword after being dazed momentarily.

There were all veteran players so they could tell at a glance that the stone egg with many broken pipes attached to it must be the thing that they were looking for. It was the 'ghost'! Zdcmpe

A flash of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere and the players who were closer to it were all immediately sent flying.

After the flash of light disappeared, the peacock demon unfolded his gorgeous wings and appeared at the centre with his back pressed against Ren Yifei's. He faced the players as he smiled and said, "Although I don't know what's going on, provoking a big demon is a crime punishable by death."

On the other side, Qing Hong had also taken out a black jade sword and killed a group of players with one swing. His red eyes slowly swept over the remaining players.

"Who dares to take a step forward?"

WEBUS8

No one answered, and even took a step back to avoid the blade.

There were also big demons, such as the orchid mantis, who drew their swords and stared at the players with ugly expressions on their faces.

While the players and NPCs were having a standoff, Ren Yifei didn't seem to be aware of it at all. Instead, he continued to gently caress the stone egg.

"I did this last time too?" GIik2x

The stone egg's voice was weak as he cried, "And— and you beat up father."

"Really?" Ren Yifei smiled.

"If you were given the chance to live another life in another place, would you be willing to come with me?" As soon as he said this, the players looked sideways. They felt that there was something wrong with his words, but they couldn't tell what it was.

The stone egg in his hand trembled, "I'll go with you. Don't be angry with father, don't kill him." dIaHCi

"Good. Your name is He Gui," after saying this, Ren Yifei opened his mouth once again to say three words to the stone egg.

Saman, who was holding the giant sword, felt that something was wrong. A particularly familiar suffocating feeling hit his heart.

There's no way right?

How could this be possible? s0yVmE

"What are you planning to do?"

As soon as he moved, the tip of the black jade sword in Qing Hong's hand was held up to Saman's throat.

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Qing Hong surpassed the regret and pain deep in his heart as he held the sword with one hand.

He will live to atone for his sins if that was what his senior brother asks. E193CD

"Step aside!" Runes lit up across the giant sword in Saman's hand and a ray of light shone brilliantly. He also has a reason to go forward.

The giant sword immediately collided with the black jade sword. Saman skillfully wield the giant sword with both hands and swung it with what seemed to be 15 000 kg of force. Qing Hong was supposed to be very skilful, but this clash was able to create a crack in his defence.

Before he even realises, Qing Hong only felt a gust of wind blow past him. On the other hand, Saman used the momentum from the sword and rushed to the back where Ren Yifei was.

The blade cut through the 'force field' formed by the wind and Saman stretched out his hand; his fingers were almost touching Ren Yifei's sleeves. CquMQD

"You're the ghost."

It was too late, Saman's fingertips merely grazed his sleeve before his entire body staggered a step forward and he stopped.

After the identification was finished, the stone egg shone brightly before a pale skin baby in a red apron appeared in his hand.

The baby had silver-white hair with a few strands of cinnabar-red hair on his forehead, his eyes were black and bright, while his face was rosy and cute; he was a little He Jun. GuroXp

His pink and chubby hands with finger dimples reached over, causing Ren Yifei to stay frozen in place and not dare to move.

He... seems a little scared of the baby.

"Goodbye, father," the little baby said goodbye to Qing Hong and turned into a card before falling on Ren Yifei's hand.

Ren Yifei immediately breathed a sigh of relief and put away the card. d6bcdB

The demons were all instantly fixed in time. The colour on their bodies faded and they turned into white wax statutes before turning to scattered sand the next second.

As the fine grains of sand flew into the sky, Ren Yifei looked at Saman and smiled.

Separated by time and space, the background of the two games overlapped and everything became blurry. Only this demon in white... no, this player in front of him was real and clear.

Saman stared at him, carving the smile deep into his mind.

This was the smile that he had dreamt of.

"Play— a player?!" One of the players who had survived made an incredulous sound as he pointed at Ren Yifei and asked in a trembling voice.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, you have all let me win," Ren Yifei stretched out his hand and a card appeared in it. He then turned his palm over and the card disappeared.

The speed at which the instance was collapsing had all of a sudden accelerated, and the apocalyptic scene outside was becoming fragmented, leaving the stunned players whose worldview was broken standing in the flying sand. H2nd69

"Look outside," a player exclaimed and attracted everyone's attention. They all walked over to the edge of the tall tower and looked down.

Through the gaps of the black smoke and flames, they were able to see the crumbled underground territory which revealed black dots crawling out from the translucent networks of vein-like tree roots.

"Doesn't it look like a plate of stir-fried vermicelli noodles with deep-fried ants sprinkled on top?" A player gave a spirited description.

Don't say that, it's too explicit. Qt4a2M

It was too far away for them to see what those black dots actually were, but most of the players had come from below so they knew that these dots were players who have not died after being made to be supplies for the 'ghost'.

"They have good luck."

If the game was cleared a few hours later, then none of these players would've been able to survive.

"Who came out on top?" There were players who had just arrived by climbing up the walls of the pagoda. They knew that they were a step too late, but they felt reluctant so they asked the players who had arrived earlier. QfuJv7

Who would've thought that these players would have an even more complicated expression on their faces, "Don't ask. You'll be happier not knowing anything." Ask and you'll feel despair.

While the players were looking for the 'ghost', the other party was actually being escorted by the NPCs?

Not one or two, but multiple?

Does this player carry the protagonist's halo and gained one hundred per cent of the NPCs' favourability? WmeX2z

At this moment, there were not many people at the top of the pagoda. The NPCs have disappeared and a batch of players had previously died, so there were only seventeen or eighteen people at the scene. This current group was basically the best player and the ones with the most game experience.

Because of this, they knew very well how difficult it was to get the NPCs to take the initiative to protect them.

"I seem to be witnessing the birth of a legend," Ji Yu, who was the player wearing a red feather coat, sighed.

The banquet's host's senior brother, the person who was secretly loved, and a powerful demon with tens of thousands of followers... Despite having so many complex attributes, this player was able to put on a disguise that was flawless to the point that there were NPCs who voluntarily guarded him until the very end. 9Ew43m

Isn't such abilities more than scary? It's simply terrifying.

Of course, if it was on your side, then it would be lovely.

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Ji Yu took a step forward and introduced himself, "Hello. I'm from Fu Kong Kingdom's 'Xue Gong', my code name is Xiao Hua. Haven't we met before? This..."

"My name is Wu Chu, I'm from Wu Wang Ocean's 'North Island Alliance'. How may I address you?" Other people also came over. UwGem8

"We only just met by chance, why is knowing your origin and name relevant?" Ren Yifei chuckled, still slightly estranged and indifferent.

The players were all unwilling to leave. There were very few who could get here, and they all wanted to pull Ren Yifei into their team.

Compared to the other types of players, the players that specialise in disguises have always been the 'assistant' everyone dreamt of. Many people like to cooperate with those players because they would be able to obtain more clues and help from the NPCs.

However, it's a pity that Ren Yifei was not interested at all. abhJXi

His sleeves drew a curve as Ren Yifei turned to leave. He was a loner by nature and he doesn't like to interact with other people. He was most comfortable being by himself.

"Please wait," a hand hooked on the thin belt around his waist.

Looking back, he recognised that it was the player who was previously holding a giant sword— the same one who has a burnt bitter aroma with just the right amount of sweetness.

Was it because he was displeased by the previous fan attack and came over to complain? Ren Yifei thought that this was the case and asked, "Did you come to me to cause trouble?" Ey5h9T

"No, you forgot something," Saman's voice was deep and gentle. His smiling eyes seemed to hold a vast expanse of spring water, and amidst his ruthless appearance, seemed to contain affection.

Not expecting the other party to act like this, Ren Yifei raised an eyebrow and also replied with a gentle smile, "Oh? What did I forget?"

"..."

Wanting to know what the hell the other party was up to, Ren Yifei held his hand out. A small blue flower with a missing petal fell out of Saman's hand and landed in his own. It felt warm, but not scalding. JBrQj8

"You forgot my... gratitude. Nice to meet again, A Fei."

"Wait a moment," Ren Yifei grabbed his wrist and showed a gentlemanly smile, "You call me A Fei?"

The name A Fei was known only to the players of the first two games. The dessert player happened to be a participant in the last game. Did he recognise him as Song Bozhi from the last game world?

Does this person think that there won't be another disguise specialist player in such a short amount of time, or does he really find traces of the same actor in two very different interpretations? CbDkdN

If it was the former, then that's fine. But if it was the latter...

Acting has always been what he was proudest of, and it was also one of his skills used for survival. He may not love it, but he must regard it as his life.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

To whoever doubts his life, he will make them doubt theirs.

Saman stared at him unblinkingly. He watched as the other party instantly curb all of his sharpness and assume a harmless and gentle facade. qW2yz7

Camouflage is an instinct a creature utilises to protect itself, therefore...

He must have really cared about it.

Saman's smile deepened.

"Aren't you A Fei?" He asked again, but this time, he was full of confidence. jSc4GA

This question was thrown back at Ren Yifei. However, Ren Yifei's expression remained unchanged as he made a mental note to himself: This guy's intentions are unknown, he has an ulterior motive, and he's no good...

At this point in time, the instance was crumbling underneath the players' feet since the quarter-hour waiting time was about to end. Saman glanced at the other players who were unwilling to disappear and then turned to Ren Yifei who showed a perfect yet false smile.

"That day in the garden, I had wanted to say that you have beautiful eyes."

"?" Ren Yifei was puzzled. dvx32E

"The last time I saw them were on Song Bozhi's face, they were full of hope and enthusiasm."

To a person who cares about his acting and has outstanding acting skills, what can he say in order to leave an impression? A compliment? No.

"Of course, I'm not using this to prove that you're the same person. There was a huge flaw in your interpretation. As for that flaw, I'll tell you the next time we meet."

Tick ​​tock, the time has come. dPCVZb

With doubts that he desperately wanted to know the answers to, Ren Yifei was directly thrown out of the game. When he opened his eyes, he sat up from the bed and saw that it was his own cement house.

Just as the guide elf was about to speak, it saw him stand up and quickly rush into the bathroom. He looked at his face and eyes which were reflected in the bathroom mirror.

Hope?

Enthusiasm? Rzcvja

"Very good." Ren Yifei recalled this person's name, the name which puts him in an unpleasant mood, "Saman."

"Dear player, are you feeling very excited at this moment?" The guide elf could hardly hold back the sound of its machine core running.

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The player Ren Yifei smiled brightly, "Yeah, very excited."

"..." The guide elf looked at the mood index that dropped by 0.05 and shivered, "Why, what's wrong?" Isn't the settlement exciting enough? 5vGrLw

"System," Ren Yifei looked at the white screen, "What is the probability of a person encountering the same player twice in a row?"

"Almost zero," the guide elf answered without hesitation.

"How about three times in a row?"

"Probably zero," the guide elf then added, "But there are props that can do it. Fate alone does not produce enough money to make it." sEYhCA

"You know a lot," Ren Yifei's smile was almost as bright as the sun.

If the guide elf had legs, it would've already knelt down: I will correct what I did wrong, so please don't smile like that.

"Heh..." not far away in a tree house, Saman, who had just woken up, ran his fingers through his hair and let out a chuckle. The pair of slightly threatening and scrutinising eyes were still in his mind.

Not even paying attention to the rewards, Saman immediately called the subordinate who had collected information. UnQfNu

"Have you found that person?"

A wild unclaimed god of the disguise specialist category, the price of possessing such talents was unknown.

Pinching the bridge of his tall nose, Saman's eyes gradually blurred. The white-robed demon with a dual personality, as well as the shy and naive blind youth, all appeared in his subconsciousness with different expressions.

The curvature of the corner of the eyes when smiling, the angle of the mouth when it bends into a mocking sneer, the twitching of the eyebrows when surprised….. dHDAjz

The roles that were played can be different, but the same soul would have the same changes in micro-expressions.

"The sample is still too little, it's impossible to form a reference point. If only we can meet again," the person behind the layers of masks faintly showed a slender appearance.

"When all is said and done, you..."

"Look for a person who had just recently entered the Cape of Desolation, En, from the Potential Star List." GC38fT

Lightly tapping his fingers on the table, Saman doesn't believe that this person's light could be hidden, therefore, he must be a newcomer and he must be on the Potential Star List."

"...Unless the officials are blind, he must be there," Saman checked his rewards while talking.

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A newly harvested prop caught his attention. Saman clicked on the prop and a six-petaled translucent blue flower appeared in his hand.

"A gift from a friend?" QEYMC8

While the tree house was filled with joy, the real winner in the concrete house was dejected.

"Should we settle the rewards now?" The guide elf cautiously asked. It doesn't know what happened to the host. Could it be that, in the past two days in the game, he had fallen in love at first sight, promised to marry after they meet again, but was then separated forever?

"Let's settle it," Ren Yifei sat on the chair with a world-weary face.

In the next second, he heard a clanging sound of metal colliding against each other. kWReNo

"Did you hear that?"

Hualala~ Hualala~ what was that sound? It was the sound of shell coins of varying colours falling.

Ren Yifei looked at the white screen silently, "En, I know you can add sound effects."

"That's not it," the guide elf rattled again, "Look at what you've achieved this time!" Mc9Tmv

"Without being exposed, in addition to successfully identifying the 'ghost', the points you will earn this time are: 8 + 6 + 6. Furthermore, due to the special condition of the welfare instance, there will be an additional 10 points. Your current total is: 50."

"You cleared the game perfectly again this time, plus the reward for completing the character quest, the final amount of white shells rewarded is 10, 000. Because of the particularity of the welfare instance, there are an additional 10, 000 white shells. You now have 20, 806 white shells left."

"Wait," Ren Yifei held his chin. His finger swiped across the reward page and stopped on the home page, "What is this?"

On his personal page, there were two large red words: Weak state. yq6rsl

"That's right, you choose to sacrifice yourself in order to save others..."

"Don't, hearing that makes me sick," he was sensitive to the words sacrificing and saving.

"En," after a short pause, the guide elf immediately changed his phrasing, "That is, you had made the same decision as the character, and that character had chosen to sacrifice himself. Although you won't lose a life, the price of making that choice is to recuperate for seven days. Over these seven days, your body is in a weak state, you'll be prone to sickness and you won't be in suitable condition to enter another game."

Ren Yifei's eyes drifted into the distance: He Jun is dead. CtnLwk

Ghosts and gods exist in that world, so could He Jun survive as a soul? Maybe he could, after all, his will had travelled through time and space to reach the Cape of Desolation.

In the sky above the yard outside, wild geese flew past accompanied by the sound of their honking.

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"System," he suddenly spoke.

"At your service." Cr2FRV

"You previously said that we players are from various parallel worlds. So, does He Jun's world also have parallel worlds? There's probably no Qing Hong in his parallel world, right?"

In his line of sight, there seems to be a red-crowned crane, breaking from the sun and completely reborn as it flew straight into the sky.

T/N: And that's the end of arc 3 of PNCP, Sigh— The journey was long but fun. Here's a gift:

yoE96K

Inspired by this comment:

Hahaha, the joy of being a light bulb should be shared~

On another note, I think we will all miss Kong Que, our tsundere peacock. Characters like him are a pleasant surprise and the reason I feel disappointed when an arc end... Oh well, see you guys next week! ^^ x56jgV