In Virtual Reality 102 ☆ The Hydrangea Park (26/33)

Wang Jin Long found himself in a bewildering encounter with a stranger, their connection shrouded in mystery. He couldn't fathom what had triggered such animosity from this strange figure. His bewilderment hung heavy, yet curiosity had no place in this dire moment.

The Yellow-robed Youth lunged, wielding a peach wood sword, its blade glistening with fresh crimson. Panic surged through Wang Jin Long as he fumbled for his knife, but it had vanished. A haunting thought crept in—could this be reality, not a dream?

With determination, he clenched his fist and slapped his thigh, rousing himself from his daze. Pain seared through his leg, blood staining his pants from a knee scraped on the gravel path. Gritting his teeth, he staggered to his feet, defying the pain, and staggered onward.

Yet, where could he escape to?

Only one path stretched ahead, but he vaguely remembered a fork just a short distance away. One led north to the park, the other westward.

Before he could reach the crossroads, his legs gave way, and he tumbled clumsily.

"Whoosh!" A wooden sword sliced past, a hair's breadth from his head. In an instant, a shiver raced down Wang Jin Long's spine, a surge of terror coursing through him.

When confronted with death, primal instincts took over, impossible to deny.

His blood ran cold, throat constricted, and he propelled himself forward with all his strength, executing a desperate roll to distance himself from Celestial Master, who panted heavily after his frantic sword swing.

Both were drained, occupying contrasting poses yet sharing the same expression of exhaustion.

On the dimly lit park road, one knelt, struggling to free the sword from the ground. The other sat gasping for breath, realization dawning.

There lay a dilemma.

Since their return to this perilous game following their "deaths," their physical prowess had drastically diminished. Even a brief sprint felt suffocating. Celestial Master held an advantage, his belongings intact, his longsword menacing.

But Wang Jin Long faced a different fate. As a werewolf, everything he'd used to vanquish foes had been snatched by Excelsior, rendering him defenseless—a lamb awaiting the slaughter.

Two weary figures, drained and battered, found respite on the ground, each eyeing the other warily. Their plan was clear: spring into action at the slightest hint of danger.

"Hei~!"

And then, a voice cut through the eerie silence, emerging from the gravel path like a specter. A furry head tumbled down the slope, and there it was—a teddy bear, its head adorned with a crown of verdant leaves. 【Yearning for Freedom】 raised its gaze, scanning the surroundings, briefly acknowledging Celestial Master before settling its eyes on Wang Jin Long.

In a slow, deliberate voice, it ventured, "Hey?"

Hey, indeed. Who was this odd character?

Struggling to their feet, both of them couldn't help but notice the teddy bear's bulging belly, covered in stubborn foliage that it painstakingly brushed off. The brownish-gray bear tilted its head left and right, as if searching for something.

"Are they alive?" wondered the little bear aloud before turning its attention to them. "Are you players in the game?"

Celestial Master clenched his teeth and replied, "Yes..."

"Oh my heavens!" The teddy bear's exclamation resonated with both astonishment and excitement as it surged toward him. Its plushy belly pressed against the Yellow-robed Youth's chest, threatening to smother him. "I've finally found a player after all this time!"

The plushie's embrace, undeniably soft, was just too constricting, leaving Celestial Master gasping for breath. Desperation gripped him as he frantically raised his right hand, attempting to peel the oversized doll off his body. His eyes nearly bulged out as he stuttered, "L-let go…!"

But the little teddy bear continued its jubilant outburst, lamenting, "Do you know how long I've been waiting?! Over three hours!"

【How tragic…】

【Just a passerby, is this some kind of violent toy bear soloing Celestial Master?】

【So fluffy, it looks so soft, want to touch it】

【Aren’t any of you paying attention to Celestial Master almost being choked to death?! Brother Celestial!!】

The barrage of bewildered onlookers seemed almost mournful as they shed crocodile tears while watching the unfolding confrontation.

In a desperate struggle, Celestial Master finally managed to extricate himself from the teddy bear's tight embrace. His hands clutched his throat, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he recovered from the near-asphyxiation. Hoarsely, he rasped out a question, "Who... who are you?"

With an air of unwavering confidence, the little teddy bear shook its oversized head and introduced itself, "I am 【Yearning for Freedom】, a werewolf."

Celestial Master blinked, his expression a question mark incarnate. "?"

【?】

For once, both the barrage and the audience shared a collective gasp of astonishment.

Celestial Master scratched his head in bewilderment, needing a moment to wrap his head around the bizarre turn of events.

"You," he stammered, "just spilled your secret identity like that?"

The petite teddy bear extended its plush paw and gave Celestial Master's shoulder an affectionate pat. "I know, right? My barrage just spilled the beans about your wild ride, courtesy of Excelsior, and your return to the real world." It seemed remarkably well-informed, with incoming messages from the audience that had already pieced together the truth from the scattered clues. "The outcome of this game doesn't hold much significance for me," it admitted with a nonchalant shrug. "I was merely following Ye Sir's Dog's instructions for a test run." The little bear's voice carried a hint of mischief. "But the buzz generated from this impromptu internal livestream has blown his expectations out of the water. As for the game's outcome, well, I doubt too many folks are losing sleep over it, are they?"

After all, every player in the room now shared a common objective: exacting revenge on Wang Jin Long.

Celestial Master couldn't help but nod in agreement, but a sudden thought struck him, and he swiveled his head to scan the area behind the small teddy bear.

True to his suspicions, the figure that should have been there had vanished without a trace.

**

Xu Jin Yi gripped the dagger tightly in her hand, her eyes locked on the dissipating mist.

The swirling mist enveloped her, conjuring ephemeral scenes that faded as quickly as they materialized within Xu Jin Yi's grasp. As the mist ebbed away, Hydrangea Park unveiled its vibrant details before her eyes—fallen leaves, fluttering petals, insects, intricate patterns adorning the branches; it all came into view. She surveyed this familiar landscape with a subtle furrow in her brow.

Hydrangea Park was neither excessively large nor overly small, but it proved a perfect snare for Wang Jin Long if he were indeed everyone's target.

In the heart of the woodland, a soft rustling reached her ears.

"...He's there." "There, there..." "Found him, all found..."

Reluctantly, Mrs. Magnolia had agreed to assist her after accepting the detergent. Xu Jin Yi harnessed the Ghost Eye Trees scattered throughout Hydrangea Park to monitor Wang Jin Long's movements. The trees sprouted minuscule eyes on their trunks, darting glances and murmuring among themselves. Amidst them, she stood, catching fleeting glimpses of Wang Jin Long.

He was steadily advancing toward the western gate, guided by Celestial Master's map—an elaborate trap that did not surprise her. Wang Jin Long possessed an uncanny knack for detecting slivers of hope even in the darkest of circumstances.

She set off in the direction of the west gate, but halfway there, an unexpected buzzing noise halted her in her tracks. She quickly patted herself down.

The smartphone in the game remained silent, leaving her puzzled.

Removing her VR goggles, she noticed her phone on the coffee table incessantly vibrating. Her curiosity piqued, she hesitantly answered the call, remaining silent.

The voice on the other end wasted no time. "Hello, is this Excelsior, Miss E?"

Xu Jin Yi's brows furrowed in confusion. Miss E? What in the world...?

"Um," she replied, lowering her voice to mask her normal tone. "What's the matter?"

"Well, Miss E," the voice continued, nearly cutting her off, "this is Murphy Official. We've detected that the NPC data package we provided to you may be corrupted, so we wanted to inform you in advance."

NPC data package? What NPC data package?

Xu Jin Yi was left dumbfounded.

Wait... this message was from Murphy Official?

A shiver cascaded down her spine, a palpable dread gripping her as she posed the question, "What data package?"

"You must be jesting," came the casual reply. "It's the Wang Jin Long NPC data package, naturally. Delivered to you a mere week ago."

A week ago? Seriously?

She fought back the urge to let out a scream through the phone.

Once, she'd scoffed at Wang Jin Long as a mere two-dimensional data package, but now he felt all too real. To disavow his existence meant embracing her own status as nothing more than a 2D game character.

Xu Jin Yi couldn't muster the courage to shout. Ultimately, reason overruled emotions, and with a nasal hum, she managed a response.

The voice on the other end continued, "You see, we've taken notice of widespread player discontent with this character. Regrettably, we can't replace NPC Wang Jin Long in the upcoming game release. Would you kindly cease this internal game testing and delete the date pakage? We can't risk the data package becoming corrupted before the official launch."

"Delete it?" She retorted, her senses returning as she wiped away the cold sweat from her forehead. Her tone turned icy. "That seems rather hasty, don't you think?"

A silence lingered on the line.

"...We apologize sincerely," the official Murphy customer service repeated their apology, though their tone remained unyielding. "But you must understand, cutting off a revenue stream is akin to orphaning someone. We can only promise to compensate you to the fullest extent. Besides, aren't you eagerly anticipating the official release of 'Murphy's Playground'? If the game data pack gets corrupted, the official version will never see the light of day. Would that not be a tragedy?"

The official release of 'Murphy's Playground'...

A deafening crash reverberated in her mind, almost plunging her into darkness.

"So, you mean 'Murphy's Playground' will be playable again...?"

"Yes."

"That means NPC Wang Jin Long will return."

"Indeed."

"Then..." Her own heartbeat drummed in her ears, alarmingly rapid. "What about Officer Ye?"

The customer service replied dutifully, "Officer Ye will be reset as well, Miss E."

——— Translator's Notes ———

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