Ding Shi didn't make a fuss. He admitted Chu Yu's suggestion was a good one; since she had the courage to bring up the rear, he wasn't going to let stubborn chauvinism get in the way.
Chu Yu's performance could hardly be called stunning, yet she was the only companion Ding Shi had truly come to acknowledge since entering Yita World. Such acknowledgment meant not only respecting her character, but also affirming her capabilities. At the same time, Ding Shi believed Chu Yu had accepted and acknowledged him as well.
There were too many random variables in an instance; even with mutual respect, the chances of ever meeting again were slim. Precisely because of that, Chu Yu taking the initiative to bring up the rear made Ding Shi see her in a whole new light.
On the fifth day at 10:00 p.m., the Yuyu Car pulled up in front of an apartment building in Beiyang County. Beside the main entrance sat a human wearing a hat. Ding Shi got out of the car, and Chu Yu stepped out with both hands gripping her gun on alert—over the past few days, she had developed a basic grasp of handgun skills.
Ding Shi walked up to the man in the hat and asked, "Lao Gui?"
The other replied, "I am Lao Gui, you are Lao Gui, we are all Lao Gui."
Ding Shi took out the X pathogen and handed it over. Receiving the X pathogen, Lao Gui said, "Thank you very much for your dedication and hard work."
System notification: Speedy Express quest completed.
Ding Shi walked back over to Chu Yu and extended his right hand. "Brother, I hope to see you again."
Chu Yu chuckled and shook Ding Shi's hand. "I believe we will."
Ding Shi watched Chu Yu get into the car and drive off before walking toward the apartment building's entrance. The next second, Ding Shi appeared inside a room.
It was a room with a fireplace, beside which sat a stack of firewood, a rocking chair, and a bed. Next door was a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator and a dining table, where a short-haired girl was stir-frying dishes, flames whooshing up around the wok.
What in the world?
Ding Shi had imagined that once the main quest ended, he would return to the island, get some free time, or indulge in food and leisure. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to end up here. Where even was this?
The short-haired girl turned around to plate the food and spotted Ding Shi standing there dumbfounded. Pleased and surprised, she raised her right hand, holding up four fingers. "You're finally here!"
This person was none other than Mumu, who had been shot and killed by Shabi. Ding Shi looked at Mumu and asked, "What's going on?"
Serving the dish onto the table, Mumu said, "After dying, all players who took on the Speedy Express quest were granted a special revival match by the system for commendable courage. As long as you successfully revive, it counts as completing the main quest. In the revival match, you can invite a partner to join you, but that partner is only teleported in after they finish their own main quest."
The revival match: God Shrimp Werewolf.
Each game had eight players, and each player had an identity: two Werewolves, Seer, Witch, Hunter, Elder, Guard, and Villager. Their general functions were similar to standard Werewolf.
Winning or losing in God Shrimp Werewolf was not determined by eliminating all werewolves or good guys, but centered primarily on deducing identities.
This was a village with eight houses, each inhabited by one person, numbered 1 to 8. On the table were eight cards. In each round, one could place the eight cards onto slots 1 through 8 and click confirm. If all identities were completely correct, the player won. In the end, three winners would emerge to be revived, while the other five would be eliminated.
The partner could not leave the house; their role was to serve as an advisor and an alarm clock to keep the player from falling asleep and neglecting their duties.
One hour after each round of the game ended, the next round would begin. For instance, if it started at 7:00 and the first round ended at 7:31, the second round would take place at 8:31.
Ding Shi was about to ask how to identify roles when the village bell tolled. From the sky came a deep, magnetic bass voice: "Night falls; please close your eyes. Werewolves, open your eyes. Werewolves, make your kill."
Mumu whispered, "The two werewolves have to meet up inside the village, walk up to a target house together, and point at it."
Ding Shi asked, "And then that person dies?"
Mumu: "Let me ask you: if the villagers know there are werewolves in the village and they can't escape, what should they do?"
Ding Shi replied, "Discuss who the werewolves are and banish them."
Mumu scoffed disdainfully, "Are you stupid? Obviously they reinforce their doors and windows and set traps to avoid getting killed by werewolves at night."
Ding Shi: "Huh?"
Mumu explained, "God Shrimp Werewolf follows logic. As werewolves, they have to work, even if it's pointless work. They go to a villager's doorstep together. But after all, they're only wolves, unable to breach fortified houses, so the person inside doesn't die."
Ding Shi: "Huh?" Let me go pick up the pieces of my worldview first.
Mumu said, "Since the werewolves can't break into the house, they have to return to their own rooms to avoid freezing to death."
The bass voice: "Seer, open your eyes."
Ding Shi said, "The Seer can check everyone's identity. Wouldn't that make them the easiest to clear the game?"
Mumu replied, "But the Seer can't get into the villagers' houses either, so how could they check? If they could check from afar, they could just sit at home. So our local Seer walks up to the target villager's house and then heads home. That said, all roles can knock on doors. Whether to open up is decided by the occupant."
Ding Shi immediately thought of an exploit: "You could ally with three players."
Mumu said, "Suppose you're the Seer. If you knock on my door during the Seer's active time, I might open it, but you have to touch me to verify my identity. However, as soon as I see you, I know you're the Seer. Why would I still need to ally with you?"
Ding Shi thought for a moment. "This crappy game feels surprisingly deep. Who are you?"
Mumu said, "The Hunter."
The bass voice: "Hunter, open your eyes."
The door cracked open softly. Outside was a snowy night with a high, bright moon.
Mumu picked up her hunting rifle and walked out. Ding Shi poked his head out to look—Mumu was in House 7. She walked up to the door of House 1, stood silently for thirty seconds, fired a shot at House 1's door, stood quietly for another thirty seconds, and walked back to her room.
Ding Shi was now utterly bewildered. "Were you rooted in place?"
Mumu answered, "Players can hear gunshots, so they can deduce the Hunter's general location based on travel time."
The village had eight houses arranged in a circle. Due north was House 1, numbered clockwise. Thus, Mumu standing still for thirty seconds was meant to create a distraction and muddy the waters, preventing others from figuring out which house belonged to the Hunter.
Each night, the Witch had to take a cauldron outside and brew potions in front of her door. The smell was foul, growing stronger the closer one got to the Witch's house, so players could gauge the Witch's location by the stench's concentration.
The Guard had to carry a shield and walk to any house. Since the Guard wore armor and carried a shield, walking inevitably produced metallic clanks; players could pinpoint the Guard's location based on the volume or trajectory of the sound.
The Elder had to head to a table in the center of the village to keep accounts—which was actually solving a jigsaw puzzle. The Elder was advanced in years and had poor immunity; the longer he stayed outdoors, the more likely he was to catch a cold. The worse the cold, the more frequently he sneezed. Players could listen for the sneezes to determine the Elder's residence. At the same time, the Elder could fake sneezes to mislead other players.
The final role was the Villager. As an ordinary role without special abilities, the Villager could not leave the house and was the only role that didn't need to step outside.
Mumu herself was in House 7, and her Hunter card was placed in slot 7. The only unidentified ones left were Houses 2, 3, and 4, corresponding to the Witch, Guard, and Elder.
Players couldn't make wild guesses in this game; everyone had only one chance to submit their verification. If verification failed, they were eliminated immediately. Eliminated or deceased players would be replaced by NPCs until three victors emerged.
The eight players had no idea how many among them had already been eliminated or how many had completed their verification.
Listening to the sneezing fade, Ding Shi said, "Number 2 is the Elder."
Mumu placed the Elder card into slot 2. "I think so too. Number 2 is definitely the Elder. Now only the Witch and Guard are left." Those two roles were in Houses 3 and 4, while Mumu was in House 7; the distance was too great to tell them apart easily.
Ding Shi asked, "As the Hunter, can you knock on doors?"
Mumu answered, "I can, but they might not open. Even if they do, if they block the doorway, I can't enter the room."
Ding Shi said, "You knock. If they open the door, kill them, then go inside to see if there's a cauldron. If there is, it's the Witch; if not, it isn't."
Mumu questioned, "Kill them?"
Ding Shi said, "Don't you have a gun?"
Mumu asked again, doubtful, "Is that allowed?"
Ding Shi was doubtful too. "Probably?"
In the new round, Mumu knocked on House 3's door, but no one opened. She knocked on House 4's door, and it opened; Mumu shot the occupant dead. After looking around inside their room, Mumu returned to her own and told Ding Shi, "There was armor inside House 4. He's the Guard. House 3 is the Witch."
Mumu placed the Witch and Guard cards into their slots and submitted them for system verification. Verification succeeded. Mumu was teleported out of the instance, replaced by an NPC to continue the game.
Ding Shi was also teleported out of the revival quest, returning to his Sea-Island Villa.
Chapter 61