Cat 274: Let’s Play Roll, Roll, Roll

Chapter 274: Let’s Play Roll, Roll, Roll

To celebrate the so-called Children’s Day, the game developers had decorated all of Central City. Colorful balloons and plush dolls floated everywhere above the city. The best video game console.

Yan Jiyun found the wide-mouthed dolls’ grins particularly unnerving, as if the very next moment they might swallow a player alive.

He thought perhaps they should move their discussions out of the game, back to reality. Yet, wherever they went, it seemed they remained under the game’s control. There was simply no escape for the players, whether in the game or in reality.

All the players were on the move; alleys that were usually quiet had become jammed with people, each heading in different directions.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng managed to leap onto the wall, escaping the surging crowd below. Soon enough, others began to mimic them.

Just how many players were hiding in Central City? Looking out, the place was a sea of people, packed shoulder to shoulder.

Qi Feng suddenly held back Yan Jiyun, who was about to jump down from the wall. “Wait.”

Yan Jiyun thought, if this path is blocked, we’ll just switch to another. There had to be a way to reach the entrance eventually.

Qi Feng whispered, “It’s not that simple. Every player is searching for the entrance now, and Central City has descended into chaos. Everyone is scrambling to rush in before the game starts—this is the game’s trap.”

Yan Jiyun listened thoughtfully. “They’re trying to ensnare us openly, yet we can’t help but fall for it. Are you thinking of taking a different approach? Another way in?”

Qi Feng shook his head. “Forcing our way through wastes both our energy and strength, and we still don’t know where the entrance actually is.”

Yan Jiyun was silent for a moment. Qi Feng was right—the entrance was indeed in this direction, but where exactly, they didn’t know. Rushing now to fight over it with others would waste energy—and stamina.

He looked at Qi Feng with admiration. “You really do have experience.”

Qi Feng took him down from the wall, steering clear of the direction indicated by the arrows, and instead ducked into a nearby, empty tavern.

“I’ll ask some people from the guild,” he said.

Yan Jiyun asked, “The ones who went out with us last time?”

Qi Feng nodded. “There are a lot of people in the guild. They’ll find the entrance before we do.”

Yan Jiyun relaxed. “Connections definitely come in handy at times like these.”

He began reaching out to his own circle of friends. The only one from a major guild was Chu Mo, and now seemed like a good time to leverage that relationship for information.

Before long, Chu Mo replied.

Chu Mo: My team’s been searching for ages—still haven’t found the entrance. How many are you bringing?

Yan Jiyun: Two.

Chu Mo: Let’s team up.

Yan Jiyun: We haven’t found the entrance yet.

Chu Mo: Who are you with?

As Yan Jiyun was about to reply, Qi Feng had already obtained the entrance location to the two-player instance from his own friends list.

“Let’s go; I know where the entrance is,” Qi Feng said.

Yan Jiyun closed his own friends list decisively. “Who gave you the tip?” He knew Qi Feng had a good reputation; anyone who knew him would be willing to help.

“Qi Yunchu,” Qi Feng replied.

Qi Yunchu was the leader of Central City’s largest guild, with members scattered everywhere. Naturally, their information was more reliable and timely than that of Yan Jiyun’s small team.

Yan Jiyun also managed to check on the rest of their group.

Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi had teamed up with Lan Mo and Shi Yan; He Yuanle was with the other three members of Qi Feng’s team; Su Liang was on his own. Everyone was working their contacts, and before long, each of them learned the exact location of the entrance. With the sudden surge of toys, everyone wanted to be first inside the dungeon—no one wanted to fall victim to the game’s merciless difficulty.

But according to the supposed “fairness” of the game, things would be easy in the early stages, but the difficulty wouldn’t decrease later on. Entering earlier or later might not really matter.

Now that they had the entrance, all they needed to do was make their way there. Whether they got in with the first group or not, neither Yan Jiyun nor Qi Feng minded.

No. 34 Linshui Alley was the entrance for two-player teams.

Those who didn’t know the precise location could just head in the general direction, but those with the exact information could choose alternate routes.

Yan Jiyun wasn’t as familiar with Central City as Qi Feng, so it was only natural that Qi Feng led the way.

Someone recognized Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun, realizing they were heading toward the two-player challenge, and quietly followed behind.

The two wished to keep a low profile, not attracting attention. Qi Feng led Yan Jiyun through a series of twists and turns in the alleys, until at last, after ten long minutes, they reached the entrance to the two-player instance.

At the entrance, they found the way blocked by scores of Qi Yunchu’s guild members; standing at the back, they couldn’t even see if there was a sign above the entrance.

Yan Jiyun clicked his tongue and muttered, “No wonder Qi Yunchu told you the entrance directly.”

Qi Feng replied, “We knew this would happen. If we can get in easily, that’s fine—otherwise, it probably doesn’t matter if we’re early or late.”

“That’s true,” Yan Jiyun agreed.

The crowd in front of them was dense—so many people, they could hardly squeeze through.

As game start time drew closer, more and more players converged at the entrance.

Yan Jiyun spotted a few players he’d shared an instance with before—Qi Yunchu, Zhao Nian, Chu Mo, and Wen Ye among them.

“Why is everyone picking the two-player instance? If there’s a competition, wouldn’t we be up against them?” Yan Jiyun wondered aloud.

“There are only three options. No matter which you choose, you’ll run into someone you know,” Qi Feng told him, calm as ever.

Yan Jiyun understood—of course that was the case.

Finally, the game’s countdown clock in the sky ticked to eight in the morning. The best video game console.

[“Children’s Day Party” has officially begun!]

[All players must enter the game within ten minutes, or you’ll be judged as inactive by the system.]

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng sensed a transparent film tightening around them.

Now it was clear why the game had had players searching for the entrance ahead of time—elimination could happen before even entering.

Without further ado, the two joined the crowd moving toward the entrance.

The entrance was a vast blue ripple, like a screen that, once crossed, left nothing tangible behind.

A moment later, lines of text appeared before Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng.

[Please hold hands with your teammate for three seconds.]

Yan Jiyun took his hand at once. Qi Feng was caught off guard as Yan Jiyun mischievously clenched his hands tightly.

[Players Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng have successfully teamed up. You will enter the two-person instance in three seconds.]

[Three, two, one—enter the game!]

The blue ripple vanished, leaving only the players in view.

All around, other players seemed equally confused. Aside from their fellow contestants, all that could be seen was empty wilderness—or, more precisely, a cliffside.

There were at least five hundred players nearby.

How was this supposed to work?

Qi Yunchu and Zhao Nian were there too, likely as members of the first batch to enter.

Yan Jiyun saw that his system’s upper right corner displayed 599/1000, the number climbing steadily until reaching 1000/1000. That meant there were a thousand players in their round—a dramatic increase. He recalled the last “Pinnacle Tournament” had only five hundred. This time, it had doubled.

“How is this going to work? Are we supposed to jump off the cliff?”

“Yeah, never seen a Pinnacle Tournament like this before.”

“This is nerve-wracking. There are a thousand players this time! Isn’t it dangerous—will we get killed by other players at any time?”

“What, you scared? Just go for it!”

“Damn, I only just cleared my first beginner instance—I don’t want to die in the Pinnacle!”

“Why haven’t the rules been announced yet?”

Yan Jiyun pressed closer to Qi Feng—not out of nerves, but confusion.

With so many players, given this game’s danger level, the higher the difficulty, the more players die. Did Fate want to get rid of players, or was it filtering them?

Qi Feng gripped Yan Jiyun’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’m here.”

No matter what, their first priority was survival—they’d see what the rules were.

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Okay.”

As the crowd erupted into noise, the game rules finally appeared, accompanied by a massive rumble. The best video game console.

Suddenly, enormous colorful machines materialized where the barren cliff had been. The world transformed, looking every bit like a children’s theme park.

But the players weren’t blind—they watched the machines snap together, forming a chain of mountains stretching endlessly forward, their turns and loops fading to a horizon none could see.

What was the purpose? Were they meant to climb to the sky?

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng listened as the rules were read.

System: “Welcome to the Children’s Day Party two-person instance. There are one hundred levels in the first round. Each level has a time limit. Within each level, sub-challenges allow for revival, but if the time runs out before you reach the level’s end, you’ll disappear along with the stage. Elimination is death—keep an eye on the clock, everyone.”

“Two-person teams: as long as one teammate finishes, the level is cleared.”

“The first round begins in sixty seconds, with one hundred players per match. The top ten finishers in each match advance to the second round PK tournament.”

“Sixty-second countdown has started. Players, please make your way to the game scene.”

Ding.

“The first game track is now open.”

Ding.

“The first game track is full. The second track is now open.”

The endless dings echoed in Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng’s ears.

Qi Yunchu and Chu Mo avoided familiar faces, each taking a different track.

Thousands of players were quickly sorted; Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng entered the seventh track, meaning they were in the seventh match.

As soon as they entered, a new countdown appeared in the corner of their screens.

They faced the first challenge.

[First level: Let’s Play Roll, Roll, Roll]

[Level countdown: 14:58]

Before them were rows of rolling cylinders—only by crossing them could they advance. Ahead were spinning turntables, accelerating or slowing at random. The spaces between were open and dangerously deep—a single misstep could spell death.

It did look just like a children’s game, but with deadly consequences.

Yan Jiyun looked at Qi Feng. “Shall we go?”

Qi Feng saw the confidence in his eyes and replied, with complete trust, “Let’s go.”

With a spring in his step, Yan Jiyun led the way, more than happy to scout ahead—after all, jumping and running were exactly his forte.