April 29th, Monday, Evening.
Lin Ye was waiting in line with Yukino Yukinoshita, awaiting contact from the waiter at the Chiba Cantonese restaurant, when he received a distress call from Ai Hoshino.
Lin Ye held the phone to his ear with one hand, his eyes glancing toward the black long-haired girl—Yukino Yukinoshita—who was looking at him with curiosity.
He made a gesture, indicating that he was going to the other side to take the call.
Yukino nodded slightly.
Lin Ye left, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner.
The girl sat upright, but her gaze lingered in the direction Lin Ye had departed.
"It's a girl's voice."
She hadn't heard the content clearly, but she had heard a female voice.
"Who is it?"
She searched her memory but couldn't think of any girl she knew whose voice matched. Moreover, she had noticed the change in Lin Ye's expression.
Had something urgent happened?
She became increasingly curious.
To the current Yukino Yukinoshita, Lin Ye was like someone shrouded entirely in mist and secrets, causing her to uncontrollably feel curiosity and a desire to explore.
Lin Ye walked to an unpopulated corner and spoke, "Ai, don't be nervous, don't be afraid. I will go with you; nothing will happen."
"Mhm, mhm."
Ai Hoshino hummed several times in agreement; with Lin Ye's comfort, she felt much more relaxed.
"How much time until the mission starts?"
"Less than thirty minutes."
Ai Hoshino spoke immediately.
"What about the mission content!"
"Strange Invitation Mission, mandatory mission."
"The name is Strange Experiment Center."
"The mission objective is to survive for four hours."
"The restriction is that reality items cannot be used."
The purple long-haired girl spoke quickly, her words somewhat trembling; she was still a bit nervous.
"I understand. There is still some time. Go back to the apartment first. If you can't make it back to the apartment, go to the nearest safe hotel or guesthouse. Change your clothes. Remember the things I told you before."
"You must change your nickname and facial features. Height and body type must also be changed. Remember my nickname."
"Mhm, mhm, I know. I remember everything. Lin-kun, please rest assured."
Ai Hoshino nodded vigorously and responded.
She was very clear that every single one of Lin Ye's suggestions was to increase her survival rate.
"I will contact you in twenty minutes."
"Mhm."
The phone hung up.
Lin Ye pondered.
"Restrictions on using reality items... do weapons and items produced by Strange objects and the Strange Game fall within this scope?"
Regardless, he had to make a trip back to the apartment.
There were some things he didn't carry with him.
Lin Ye walked quickly to Yukino Yukinoshita's front and said to the girl with a slight apology, "Sorry, Yukinoshita, something unexpected happened. I need to leave. We probably won't be able to eat dinner tonight."
The flow of time between reality and the Strange instance mission wasn't a fixed ratio, so he didn't know how much time would pass in reality while he supported Ai Hoshino this time.
"Will it take a long time? If the time isn't long, I can wait for you."
It wasn't that the girl hadn't thought about whether Lin Ye was deliberately finding an excuse to leave to avoid telling her about the ability today.
Lin Ye could lie; this was a fact. She had been deceived. But thinking of Lin Ye's final confession and his current serious appearance, she decided to believe Lin Ye this once.
Even though this guy had deceived her with a face full of seriousness and sincerity before.
"I can't determine the time."
"Two hours."
Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the time. "I will wait for you for two hours. I'll wander around nearby. Contact me if you return."
She shook her phone, signaling Lin Ye to contact her by phone.
Lin Ye also knew the girl's reason.
Eating was secondary; the main point lay in the 'secret of the ability', right!
"Okay. If I haven't contacted you within two hours, just eat dinner by yourself and go back! Sorry, I'm leaving first."
But the girl stood up and followed, trailing Lin Ye until they exited the building's main gate together.
"Pay attention to safety."
She gazed at him, her red lips moving slightly, her eyes expressing concern.
Lin Ye showed a flash of surprise. "I will."
He felt that Yukino must have guessed something.
There was news about the 'Strange Game' and 'Reality's Strange' on the internet and in reality. His superpower made it very easy for people to connect it with the Strange.
Being as intelligent as Yukino, it was impossible for her not to think of this.
Lin Ye walked quickly toward the bustling main street, saw a taxi, and immediately hailed it and got in.
Soon, the taxi disappeared at the corner.
Yukino Yukinoshita took this entire scene into her eyes.
"Very urgent."
Otherwise, Lin Ye wouldn't have taken a taxi.
"Two hours, what can be done?"
Yukino Yukinoshita actually didn't like shopping.
As a girl, she also didn't like buying clothes; what she valued was quality and workmanship.
But now...
She remembered the conversation with her mother. "Let's go look at clothes!"
"Just killing time."
As her voice fell, the black long-haired girl walked along one side of the street, the crisp 'clack-clack' sound of her footsteps ringing out.
Fifteen minutes later.
Under the temptation and encouragement of Lin Ye's extra money, the driver drove at the fastest speed in history, delivering Lin Ye to the destination apartment within just fifteen minutes.
"Keep the change, master."
Lin Ye stuffed a ten-thousand-yen bill into his hand.
"Thank you, thank you very much. You can contact me next time too."
The driver even handed over a business card.
"Mm."
Lin Ye didn't refuse; he accepted the business card and ran toward his apartment floor.
Thump thump thump...
Soon,
Lin Ye returned to his apartment.
He changed his clothes immediately.
Subsequently,
He took out the weapons and supplies from the five empty Storage Grids and placed them in the apartment. Time was tight, so he just stuffed them under the bed.
Lin Ye dug out the items, props, and Strange objects produced by the Strange Game.
"Strange Experiment Center."
"A gas mask is definitely needed."
This was a gas mask from opening a white treasure chest; he would bring it first.
Secondly, there was the alloy dagger from the Strange Game.
As for Strange objects, there was no need to say more.
"Currently, the use of the Strange Game's Storage Grid is really inconvenient."
"One grid can only hold one type of item."
"It would be better to calculate by volume or weight!"
Lin Ye could only hope to obtain spatial Strange objects or props, or hope for an optimization of the Strange Game.
Almost ready. Lin Ye checked one by one again, confirming he hadn't missed anything, and then dialed Ai Hoshino's phone.
"Ai-chan, are you ready?"
"Mhm, mhm, I am already in a hotel guest room and have changed my clothes. I've done everything you said, Lin-kun."
"Good, accept the invitation! After that, use the Blessing to summon me."
"Okay."
Ai Hoshino, who had changed into clothes convenient for movement, took a deep breath.
Thinking that she was about to enter the Strange Game instance world again, her heartbeat accelerated constantly, thumping non-stop.
"Phew..."
Ai Hoshino adjusted her mindset.
"With Lin-kun here, nothing will happen. Absolutely nothing will happen. Lin-kun will protect me."
A few seconds later, Ai Hoshino's eyes became serious. She opened the interface and pressed 'Accept'.
Soon,
A burst of light shone down.
As Lin Ye reminded her,
Ai Hoshino began to fill in a nickname.
[Rina]
She filled it in.
Then she began to change her appearance and figure.
"Hair color will be black."
Lin-kun likes Mai Sakurajima, so he definitely likes black.
"Height a bit taller. Lin-kun said with a taller height, one can run a bit faster."
She belonged to the petite figure range.
Soon, a girl leaning toward a mature style appeared.
She completed the fabrication.
"Lin-kun should like it, right!"
Ai Hoshino clicked confirm.
Subsequently, her consciousness disappeared. When she woke up again, what she saw was a dark gray ceiling.
"This is..."
Ai Hoshino's confused brain quickly cleared. She immediately chose to use the Blessing 'Off-site Support'.
[You have used the Blessing 'Off-site Support'. Please select the player to support.]
[Please note, the target player has the right to refuse.]
"Select player Zero."
[You have selected off-site player 'Zero' as the Blessing object.]
[Waiting for the response of the other player.]
Lin Ye waited, suppressing his heart, but facing the delayed contact, a trace of worry flashed through him.
Finally,
The familiar mechanical sound rang out.
[Player 'Rina' has selected you to become the Off-site Support object.]
[Do you agree?]
[If not accepted within 10 seconds, it defaults to refusal.]
"Accept."
[You have accepted Player 'Rina's' invitation. You will participate in this Strange Invitation Mission — Strange Experiment Center.]
[Since you are an Off-site Support player, based on your level and strength and the difficulty of this Strange Game session, your strength will be restricted to a certain extent.]
[Your current game level is LV3.]
[Your strength will be restricted by 10%, please take note.]
After a series of reminders, Lin Ye felt his body sink, losing support and falling rapidly.
After a burst of weightlessness, Lin Ye found himself lying on a hard bed.
He opened his eyes. A gray concrete ceiling. The air was filled with a faint smell of dust and mold.
Not a good smell.
Lin Ye exerted force with his right hand. The bed made a creak sound. He turned sideways, stood up, and landed on the ground.
At this time, he looked at the clothes on his body.
"Blue loose T-shirt, hospital gown?"
Even the clothes were changed; there were no shoes.
This Strange Game really didn't allow bringing in a single bit of modern items!
Lin Ye's gaze moved, and he quickly noticed the items at the corner of the bed. Those were his Strange objects and game-produced props.
Tap tap...
Lin Ye didn't hesitate. He walked over immediately and put his Strange objects and props into his pockets.
"This clothing pocket isn't convenient. I have to change clothes to be convenient, or find a backpack."
The items placed in the Storage Grid were still there, but the grid he used to test whether reality items stored in the Storage Grid could be brought in was already empty.
"Sure enough, they can't be brought in."
"However, if it is a spatial prop produced by the Strange Game, but contains reality items inside, can it be successfully brought in?"
But it was a pity that Lin Ye couldn't test it.
He didn't possess spatial props belonging to the Strange Game.
An uncomfortable cold sensation came from the soles of his feet.
Lin Ye looked over and discovered shoes placed at the foot of the bed. Beside the shoes was a pair of socks in new packaging, but which had been placed there for who knows how long.
He immediately put on the socks and shoes.
"Counts as humane."
If there were no shoes, mobility would be greatly reduced.
However, these shoes, to tell the truth, didn't feel like much either. One could only say it was better than nothing.
Lin Ye looked at the room's layout while searching for useful items.
Click...
The heavy room door made a clicking sound.
The next second, the room door opened.
Lin Ye didn't rush to go out. Instead, he quickly checked the corners where useful items might exist, but the result was still nothing.
"Not even a fruit knife, bad review."
Footsteps and faint conversation sounds came from outside.
It was other players.
Lin Ye walked out.
Outside was a spacious but somewhat gray hall with modern facilities.
One player after another walked out of the isolated single rooms.
Many players showed strange expressions, seeming completely unable to figure out the current situation.
"Where is this?"
"Why am I here?"
"Who, who kidnapped us?"
"I, I remember I got into a car accident."
...
An air of uneasiness and doubt permeated the words of the selected newcomers.
For anyone suddenly selected and transported to this strange place, not being afraid would be abnormal.
Lin Ye looked over with a glance, but his heart sank.
The number of players was too high.
Just from what he saw currently, Lin Ye estimated there were at least twenty people.
Instance difficulty and the number of people had a certain correlation.
The more people, evidently the greater the difficulty.
"Everyone, don't worry."
Suddenly,
A loud male voice rang out.
A blond man leaped onto a table. He raised his hand high and spoke, "New players, don't worry, don't panic."
But there were still people making noisy sounds. He shouted loudly, "Quiet."
Soon, the hall became silent. Many people in the distance who had just left their single rooms stopped in place.
Lin Ye looked at the surrounding players, searching for Ai Hoshino's figure, but after glancing over, he didn't see the girl's figure.
"I am 'Holy Knight', Level LV3. If there are old players, please raise your hands and come closer. If we want to clear this Strange instance, we need to unite."
"Only by gathering all our strength and wisdom can we successfully survive this Strange mission with as few casualties as possible."
Several old players actively walked toward the position where 'Holy Knight' was.
Survival missions,
More often needed cooperation and coordination.
Especially old players who had experienced it a few times; seeing so many people now, they all realized this was a mission instance with an extremely high mortality rate.
An instance with twenty or thirty players—half the players might die in the first round of crisis.
Even old players couldn't necessarily survive alone.
Lin Ye also actively walked over.
After arriving, he saw an old acquaintance.
"Jack."
The red-haired burly man from the Royal Casino.
Prerequisite being that this wasn't another player using 'Jack's' appearance.
"Zero?"
The red-haired burly man wasn't very sure.
"It's me."
Lin Ye flashed his nickname [Zero · LV3].
The red-haired burly man also actively showed his own nickname [Jack · LV3].
"Congratulations, you've upgraded to Level 3."
"You should be about to upgrade to Level 4, right!"
Lin Ye didn't think Jack was still marking time in place.
"Haha, it's soon. These days, I was mainly busy with other things."
He was in a good mood. Obviously, the 'Royal Casino Admission Ticket' last time helped him greatly. Even exchanging a Strange object for it, he still felt it was very worth it.
Holy Knight took a look and immediately said, "Two friends have already shown their nicknames. If the rest of the friends are willing... please trouble yourselves to show them too."
Holy Knight flashed his own nickname [Holy Knight · LV3].
The group looked at each other and also displayed their nicknames.
[Kuroko · LV2]
It was a black-haired male of smaller stature.
[Lilith · LV2]
A blond loli, less than 1.5 meters tall, the cute type.
Lin Ye's first reaction was whether this blond loli's real body was a feet-picking big man!
Ai Hoshino didn't appear. This was requested by Lin Ye, letting her pretend to be a newcomer was enough.
Having participated in the Strange Game only once, and having hunted no Strange entities in reality subsequently, Ai Hoshino being a newcomer was completely without issues.
"Seems my level is the lowest."
A slightly older middle-aged male displayed his nickname [Youtiao · LV1].
Six old players. Plus Ai Hoshino, there were barely seven old players.
However...
Lin Ye looked at the various new players casting their gazes over.
Among them, there should also be hidden old players who hadn't revealed themselves.
"Hey hey, you guys are done talking. Tell us what exactly is this situation."
"Why did we suddenly come here?"
"What Strange Game."
...
Holy Knight spoke first.
Lin Ye and the few old players also signaled for Holy Knight to speak.
"You have been selected by the Strange Game."
"Only by clearing the Strange Game's mission can you leave here alive."
"Rest assured, as old players, we will provide a certain amount of support and experience to ensure everyone can survive as much as possible."
But just as the blond 'Holy Knight' finished speaking, a sloppy purple-haired man questioned loudly, "You... who trusts you, a stranger! You old players might just want to use us as bait and meat shields."
"I don't trust you."
He even took a step back, which raised a wary psychology in the other few players.
"If we wanted to harm you, simply..."
Woo-woo, woo-woo-woo...
Piercing sirens suddenly sounded.
The warning lights extinguished all around the hall suddenly flashed with red light.
"Warning."
"Warning."
"Detected that the cell door detaining the Strange Experiment Subject has been damaged. It is estimated that the door will be permanently damaged in five minutes."
Thump...
Thump...
Bursts of heavy impact sounds echoed, striking the hearts of everyone in the hall.
New players couldn't help trembling. Emotions of nervousness and fear were spreading at a geometric speed.
Lin Ye realized the difference in this instance in an instant.
Unlike the past where information was given in paper form, this time the Strange Game gave mission information via broadcast.
"The Strange Experiment Subject will then attack all biological creatures within the laboratory."
"All surviving personnel in the laboratory, please flee and hide immediately."
"There are supplies, weapons, and tools in the laboratory; please use them properly."
"Our support personnel are on the way."
"Stand fast."
"Please stand fast."
"Time until support personnel arrive: 3 hours 59 minutes 53 seconds."
A countdown appeared on the lower left side of everyone's vision.
This miraculous scene made more new players accept this strange reality.
"Strange Experiment Subject? It's a monster, right!"
"The monster is coming."
"Four minutes left. Quick, I need to find a place to hide."
"Weapons, where are the weapons? Go look quickly!"
"Run!"
...
"Everyone calm down, don't run around."
"Follow us..."
But there were already new players who wouldn't listen.
They sought a direction they believed to be safe and ran. Among them, many knew each other and fled together.
"Players who trust us, stay where you are."
Lin Ye shouted.
He even used Skill: Persuasion LV3.
The number of players was too high. Lin Ye estimated roughly that in this mission instance, there were at least thirty players. Even with mandatory means, their six old players couldn't stop them from fleeing.
In the end,
Seven people stayed where they were.
Lin Ye saw a cute girl.
Those starry eyes; he recognized her at a glance. It was Ai Hoshino.
This girl gave herself a slightly mature maiden style and changed her hair to black. This was quite nice.
Lin Ye liked straight long black hair.
But under Lin Ye's signal with his eyes, Ai Hoshino didn't speak up immediately to identify herself to Lin Ye.
"Time is tight. I'll speak my thoughts."
'Holy Knight' spoke first. "Four hours isn't exactly long, but it isn't short either. Standing fast in one position is very foolish. If we want to live until the mission ends, guerrilla warfare is the best choice."
"Map. The laboratory map. At least we need to figure out the general terrain situation of this laboratory we are in. These five minutes are also time for us to familiarize ourselves with the map."
"Brother Holy Knight is so amazing."
The blond loli Lilith exclaimed.
Although Holy Knight knew this woman was acting, he couldn't help but be happy.
"Does anyone else have ideas?"
"Zero, do you have any ideas?"
Jack held a considerably high evaluation of Lin Ye's thinking ability.
"First, where would the weapons and supplies mentioned in the broadcast be hidden? At least the single room I appeared in initially didn't have usable items."
"Second, there are three minutes left. I suggest we split into groups to head to the channels in each direction to check the terrain situation. Note down suspicious locations. Half an hour after the game starts, we meet there."
Lin Ye pointed over.
That was a high platform with a broad field of vision.
One could effectively observe the situation in the hall below. There were three passages around it, convenient for fleeing.
"It's easy to be discovered by the Strange body, right!"
"Being discovered doesn't mean immediate death. I believe you all, as old players, definitely have means to escape."
"Third, the Strange body isn't necessarily just one. Please take note."
This was truly...
A few old players who hadn't realized this cast attentive gazes toward Lin Ye.
"Fourth, if anyone has good luck and discovers the location of the laboratory detaining the Strange body before the game starts, please shout immediately..."
The sights of everyone on the scene focused on Lin Ye.
"Zero, you want to..."
"Kill it."
A suggestion within expectations. They thought of it when Lin Ye spoke, but to really dare to hold the intention of killing the Strange body!
"Generally speaking, the strength of the Strange body gradually increases as time pushes forward, so I suggest if possible, gather our strength to kill it."
The idea was very good.
They wanted to as well.
Killing the Strange body, the Strange Game's evaluation would increase exponentially.
Even if not completing the final blow, players who cooperated and contributed could also be allocated corresponding evaluation points.
In this aspect, the Strange Game was fair.
But could it be done? They had no confidence. They might just be used as test subjects to test the Strange Experiment Subject's strength.
"Young people nowadays are truly amazing."
The middle-aged man 'Youtiao' lamented, "I'm old, can't compare to the courage of young people anymore, but I am actually willing to give it a try."
"Big Brother is so brave! Lilith just likes brave men like Big Brother."
The blond loli propped her chin with both hands, blinking her big eyes vigorously.
Disgusting.
A feet-picking big man. This was absolutely a feet-picking big man!
The other few old players didn't object, counting as approval, but as for exactly how it would go when the time came, no one knew.
As for the new players, they tactfully didn't speak, despite a belly full of doubts.
"With so many new players, surviving new players relates to evaluation and rewards."
"I guess protecting new players to survive to the end will be a hidden mission, so..."
Lin Ye's sentence instantly made the remaining new players show pleasant surprise on their faces one after another.
Fortunately, they didn't run away directly without rhyme or reason like the other newcomers.
Compared to themselves who understood nothing, if there were old players guiding and protecting, the survival rate was obviously a large cut higher.
Because there were rewards, they wouldn't be casually abandoned by the old players.
Good thing, really a good thing.
"Newcomers willing to follow me, come to my side!"
Ai Hoshino walked very fast, arriving behind Lin Ye at the first moment.
This made the other few newcomers slightly regretful.
A Lv3 player was the highest level among the old players.
"I choose Big Brother Jack. Big Brother Jack, carry me."
The youth's face was full of expectation.
Red-haired Jack didn't refuse.
Carrying anyone was the same.
"If you can't keep up with me, don't blame me for abandoning you."
"I won't, please rest assured."
Another female new player chose the Level 2 Lilith.
Finally, there was one extra newcomer; he was at a loss in his original spot.
"You follow me!"
Holy Knight spoke, "I am a lv3 player after all; taking care of one more isn't a big problem, as long as you don't drop the ball on me."
"I won't, I won't, I definitely won't."
Personnel allocation and teaming ended.
"I'll take this side."
"Then I'll take this side."
Six groups of people dispersed.
Jack chose the entrance adjacent to the intersection direction Lin Ye was heading. If he really encountered danger and sought help from Lin Ye, the probability of Lin Ye being willing to take action to help was far greater than those other stranger old players whose situations were unknown.
"Good luck."
Dispersing positions,
Lin Ye offered a blessing to Jack.
"You too."
Soon,
Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino entered a passage. Following the passage for a dozen meters, the two entered an area with gray steel tones.
Solid walls of reinforced concrete constructed a closed cage from which there was no escape.
Red warning lights flashed, releasing light.
Here, there were only the sounds of Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino's footsteps.
"No one."
Ai Hoshino looked around, not seeing a trace of a single person at all.
"Keep walking. Remember the terrain. If you see strange places, you must tell me."
"Okay."
Ai Hoshino nodded heavily.
There was one minute left until the Strange Experiment Subject came out of the cage.
In this final period of safe time,
Lin Ye and Ai Hoshino walked quickly.
Occasionally, they saw figures.
Those were new players hiding.
Many people had already found hiding places.
There were thirty seconds left.
Lin Ye suddenly saw a window ledge.
That position, let's use it to transition temporarily.
Finding the location of the laboratory where the Strange Experiment Subject was located was not very likely anymore.
"Let's just be there!"
"Eh!"
A window ledge about three meters high; not exactly high, but not exactly low either.
But would hiding there be safe?
Ai Hoshino immediately thought of Lin Ye's ability.
With Time Stop in hand, how could the Strange Experiment Subject catch them!
"Mm."
Lin Ye moved a one-meter-wide box over.
He first lifted the girl onto the window ledge, and finally jumped up, grabbing the window ledge with both hands and pulling himself up with force.
"Hold my hand."
Lin Ye had tested that he could make items held in his hand enter the invisible state.
So,
Barring any accidents, Ai Hoshino holding his hand could also enter the invisible state.
"Mm."
Ai Hoshino didn't have any hesitation; she held onto Lin Ye's hand immediately.
Soon,
Ai Hoshino saw her own body beginning to gradually become transparent.
"Lin, Lin-kun..."
She couldn't see herself, and couldn't even see Lin Ye.
But the tactile sensation and heat of holding hands let her know Lin Ye was right by her side.
"New ability, Invisibility."
"So that's how it is!"
With this ability, there was no need to worry about being found at all!
Ai Hoshino was excited to the point of wanting to cry.
"I'm letting go."
"Ah!"
"Testing how much time it takes for you to recover after letting go."
"Oh oh oh!"
Five seconds later,
Ai Hoshino appeared. "Seems to be five seconds."
"Mm, the time is the same as non-living items."
Lin Ye held Ai Hoshino's hand once again.
Boom...
A vibration rang out violently.
Thump thump thump...
A certain steel door cracked open, as if some monster was drilling out from inside.
The broadcast played this sound continuously to all parts of the Experiment Center.
Every player's heart trembled endlessly.
They all knew,
The Strange Experiment Subject was about to appear.
Warning...
Warning...
Strange Experiment Subject escaped...
Please all survivors... stand fast...
Wait for support personnel... bzz bzz bzz...
The voice stopped abruptly, rendering a touch of heavy strange and oppressive atmosphere to the suddenly silent Experiment Center.
"Roar..."
A wild shout.
The Strange Experiment Subject had arrived.
Ai Hoshino slowly let out a breath.
It's fine. With Lin-kun here, she will be safe and sound.
And at a certain location in the Experiment Center,
A girl hid in a ventilation duct.
This was the most concealed and safe place she could find.
"Why did I encounter this kind of thing again!"
"How come I just happened to be selected by the Strange Game."
She wanted to cry.
The girl brushed her purple long hair, her heartbeat accelerating, emotions of fear in her heart constantly bubbling up.
"Ryou..."
"I will definitely return alive."
She, Kyou Fujibayashi, had been selected by the Strange Game.
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