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Chapter 11: What Makes a Seasoned Player
"There’s hope! Boss has contacted me. I’ll report the situation to him, then we can all get out of here together," Robin said hurriedly to Ray, glancing at the line of zombies trailing behind him. "Uh… bring them along too. We don’t have any other choice."
She couldn’t just leave them here to be blown up.
Besides, the shelter door wouldn’t close anyway.
Robin still didn’t fully understand why Ray was being contained or how he managed to make others queue up behind him. Regardless, she found it hard to lump him in with the monsters and anomalies she’d encountered so far.
To her, Ray was human—and surprisingly friendly at that. It only made sense to take him along.
"Who exactly is this ‘boss’ you keep talking about?" Ray leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of her tablet, but Robin instinctively shifted away, clutching it protectively. "You really do act like some kind of spy."
"I am a spy."
"No spy would ever be so scared—"
Ray had already noticed the damp patches on her pants, but under the weight of Robin’s deceptively sweet smile—and the looming threat of the wrench in her hand—he wisely swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Despite her apparent lack of professionalism and reliability, she was undeniably human.
Ray had his own agenda. Escaping with someone else felt safer, and if they ran into security forces, having Robin around might help explain things. Last time, he’d wandered aimlessly and ended up locked away for breaking containment protocols.
So Ray waited patiently as Robin tapped excitedly on her tablet, occasionally tilting her head to listen for collapsing structures nearby. Meanwhile, the horde of zombies shuffled along quietly, maintaining perfect order as always.
---
Shi Rang’s mind was a tangled mess.
He pushed aside the thick stack of documents in front of him, attempting to connect two seemingly unrelated threads. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find where the knots began.
No matter which way he looked at it, these were two entirely separate incidents.
The thief was indeed a thief, and Yingshang had undoubtedly encountered him the day before she disappeared...
But Shi Rang couldn’t establish any link between the man and Yingshang.
On the last page of the file, Angie had scrawled a note in marker: [Isn’t this exactly the kind of news material you’ve been looking for? Whether you uncover anything or not, this stuff should come in handy.]
Angie had thoughtfully covered all bases, but Shi Rang had no intention of tying his work to this case.
The prospects were bleak.
When Yingshang vanished, the thief had been rotting in jail. It wasn’t until a full week later that his accomplices finally bailed him out.
Was this the end of the only lead he’d pursued for nearly two years?
Had he been heading in the wrong direction all along?
Shi Rang leaned back in his chair, taking deep breaths to pull himself out of the void threatening to consume him.
No. No matter what, he had to investigate this person.
Whether it was mere coincidence or part of a larger criminal network didn’t matter.
So what if there was a one-day gap? This suspicious individual was the only person besides Shi Rang who had seen Yingshang before her disappearance.
Yes, he had to keep digging.
With renewed determination, Shi Rang rubbed his face vigorously and sat up straight.
Ideally, he should strike while the iron was hot—draft an investigation plan, submit the paperwork for a business trip, and dive in. But processing everything had drained him emotionally.
In a daze, he opened his browser, hoping to distract himself and kill time.
Glancing at the still-open 404 error page, Shi Rang prepared to close it, pretending the surreal events of the weekend had been nothing more than a bizarre dream.
Just as he moved the cursor toward the close button, he absentmindedly refreshed the page one last time.
His eyes widened in shock the next moment.
The website was back online!
So it had just been a network glitch?
Shi Rang didn’t know much about tech issues, nor did he dwell on it.
What mattered was that access had been restored.
Returning to the chat page, he braced himself to apologize for missing Robin’s updates—but to his surprise, there were none.
Had she given up on the game because the Game Master disappeared mid-game?
Before he could ponder further, a message from Robin popped up.
[Boss! You’re finally back!!! Let me give you a quick update on the situation!]
Shi Rang blinked in confusion, quickly scrolling up to confirm he hadn’t misremembered the plot.
Could Robin be juggling multiple storylines and accidentally sent this to the wrong place?
Why else would the pronouns have changed?
After reviewing the previous exchanges, Shi Rang slipped back into the skin of “Game Master Shi Rang” and plunged once again into the unfinished adventure.
The activity page showed Robin had only 24 minutes left to escape.
Should he apply some pressure, urging her to hurry?
Time was running out anyway; maybe it was best to wrap things up quickly so he could retreat into sleep and escape reality.
[I’ve reached the functional shelter on B2 and even met someone who’s being contained...]
Robin sent a lengthy update, detailing both thrilling moments and sharp deductions.
Notably, in many instances where the Game Master’s intervention would typically be required, Robin had taken matters into her own hands due to Shi Rang’s absence.
Her pacing was impeccable—neither overly lenient nor rushed. She hadn’t simply breezed through obstacles but instead crafted a new NPC based on containment records to push the plot forward. She’d also introduced settings Shi Rang wasn’t familiar with, making it easier for him to guide the story.
Shi Rang was genuinely impressed by the caliber of players on this site.
Just as during their initial collaborative writing sessions, these individuals weren’t merely role-playing—they were co-creating with him!
The frustration that had clouded his mind dissipated, replaced by clarity. He realized his earlier thoughts had bordered on self-sabotage, and he’d nearly let his bad mood seep into the game.
The realization chilled him to the bone.
Had he done the same in real life?
In the early days after Yingshang’s disappearance, he’d received plenty of support and comfort from friends and colleagues. But instead of leaning on them, he’d lashed out, using them as punching bags whenever the investigation hit a dead end. Eventually, he drove everyone away, retreating into new work and superficial relationships to avoid confronting the issue.
No wonder his path had grown narrower and lonelier...
Angie continued reaching out—not because she liked him, but because he was another ally searching for Yingshang. Mushroom still called occasionally out of old friendship, though Shi Rang’s evasiveness had dulled their bond over time.
He couldn’t afford to be selfish anymore.
Collecting his thoughts, Shi Rang opened a new document and began organizing the current clues.
He cross-referenced Robin’s mention of “Ray” with the main database and confirmed his identity: CVA-D-9013, “Queue Order.” The number and description matched perfectly. While Shi Rang had seen objects described as humans before, most were high-level entities commanding significant attention. Lesser figures like Ray rarely caught his eye.
Ray’s ability was intriguing yet limited. According to the file, his influence only worked on humans. So how had it affected the zombies?
Were the zombies considered “human,” or did their striking resemblance to humans render them susceptible to Ray’s power?
Or was this a fan-made addition to the lore?
When Robin faced danger, Ray had turned around, exposing his back to the zombie horde. Instantly, the “queue effect” spread among the synchronized undead, turning them into obedient followers.
At this point, Robin had reached B2, mere steps away from the exit. The lower-level containment objects posed minimal risk, and escape seemed within reach.
Shi Rang reviewed the latest map, noting the extensive damage marked in red across several areas.
Their original route was now overrun by the encroaching “Doomsday Seed.”
Regardless of whether the investigator stopped or pressed on, the plant continued its relentless expansion.
Robin needed a detour.
Tracing the infected zones with his mouse, Shi Rang scanned the map, calculating the time it might take to navigate around them.
Soon, he spotted a promising shortcut.
[Robin, plans have changed. Update your escape route.]
[Head to the nearest stairwell, go up to B1, and cut through the “Control Room” to reach the exit!]
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