After being targeted by the crazy NPC,I Ended Up Calling the Shots - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: World Chat
Jiang Song opened her personal panel.
[Player: Jiang Song]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 24]
[Completed Games: 1]
[Points: 300]
[Online Players: 126,891,023]
The number of online players had dropped by over twenty million. Were those all players who had failed the game? What was the fate of those who failed? Did they really die?
At that moment, Jiang Song noticed that besides her Personal Panel and the Mall, a new section called “World” had appeared on the light screen.
It resembled a forum.
[Donggua Who Loves Wild Boar: Emmm, what is this place? Can anyone see what I’m saying?]
[Endless Joy: Holy shit! There are real people here? Are you guys human? Where is this?]
[Survival Game (Official Verification): Welcome, players! Congratulations on completing the first round of the game challenge. Game Notice: Death in the game means true death in reality. Please treasure your lives. This game is sponsored and launched by official partners Time Bus and Riddle Mall.]
[Time Bus (Official): Hello players, welcome aboard the Time Bus into the game. We will provide you with a more comfortable environment to participate in the games.]
[Riddle Mall (Official): Hello players. Games are fraught with dangers, and items are vital for survival. Welcome to browse and purchase!]
[Spicy Spicy: What the actual fuck…]
[Howling Celestial Dog Bites Lu Dongbin: Did I accidentally join some cult pyramid scheme? Why is this so bizarre?]
[Dou’er: I feel like this game is super unreliable, almost like a bad joke. But I really almost died inside the game… What on earth is going on?]
[Hot Malatang: Speaking of the game, were you guys up against zombies in the last round?]
[Star Lamp Illuminates Your Doorstep: Yes, zombies! It was fucking horrifying! They were howling and chasing after me!]
……
Heated discussions flooded the chat. After surviving such thrilling and terrifying games, encountering fellow human beings naturally sparked a strong urge to vent—and Jiang Song was no exception.
She tapped on the input box, and a window popped up.
[Please enter your nickname.]
Jiang Song pondered for a moment before typing: “That Woman Named Xiao Mei”
[That Woman Named Xiao Mei: Hello everyone, I’m from Linfeng City, Shanbei Province. How did you guys enter the game? I took a nap while riding the bus after work, and when I woke up, I was inside the game.]
Replies quickly poured in.
[Veteran Driver Take Me Along: Oh my gosh, a fellow townsman! I’m from Linfeng City too!]
Before long, this Veteran Driver sent Jiang Song a friend request.
[Veteran Driver: Hello, fellow townsman! My name is Liang Ruqing.]
[Xiao Mei: Hello, I’m Jiang Gongye.]
[Veteran Driver: ……What a unique name.]
[Xiao Mei: Brother Liang, how did you enter the game?]
[Veteran Driver: To be honest with you, I don’t really know either. I was using the restroom at home at the time—just squeezed a little, blinked my eyes, and boom, I was on this bus.]
[Xiao Mei: I see… You’re quite unique too, Brother…]
On the other end, the man scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
[Veteran Driver: Well, I was too embarrassed to share that out in the open, so I only told you. Definitely don’t go telling anyone else, okay?]
Jiang Song: She certainly didn’t have that kind of hobby anyway.
The two chatted about a few game-related topics, but since both were newcomers who had just entered the game, the information they possessed was virtually identical with nothing particularly special. After bidding each other farewell, they logged off.
After closing the chat box, Jiang Song immediately searched the Mall to see if there were any resurrection-type items available. She hadn’t forgotten the rule stated by the game earlier: failure in the game meant true death. After all, she couldn’t guarantee that she would survive every single game.
Searching with such dedication, Jiang Song actually managed to locate such an item. What’s more, the price wasn’t as outrageously expensive as she had imagined—it required only 500 points.
The moment this thought crossed Jiang Song’s mind, she mentally slapped herself. She was getting way ahead of herself; possessing merely 300 points, she actually had the nerve to think 500 points wasn’t expensive.
Yet objectively speaking, 500 points for an extra life wasn’t truly expensive by comparison. As long as one successfully completed two consecutive games, they would earn 600 points—enough for a single chance at resurrection.
Jiang Song still felt anxious in her heart. If she had enough points, she would definitely buy multiple resurrection items. Then again, if she had that many points to spare, she probably wouldn’t be needing resurrection items in the first place.
While Jiang Song was feeling anxious, she noticed a red “1” notification icon in the top right corner of her card interface—an unread record.
[Historical Game Usage Record: 1]
Curious, Jiang Song tapped it open.
[Card Owner: Jiang Song]
[Game Title: Capital Apocalypse]
[Attraction Target: NPC Shen Tingsi]
[Attraction Value: 11]
Staring at this record, Jiang Song recalled the events inside the game. Meeting that NPC was pure bad luck on her part. Fortunately, she had that card; otherwise, who knew how badly he would have screwed her over? He was honestly even more repulsive than the zombies.
Still… the attraction value was only 11? That was a bit too low, wasn’t it?
Luckily, the game was over, so Jiang Song didn’t dwell on it further. She was quite exhausted now; after running around frantically for so many days inside the game—on edge day and night—she had long been worn out.
[Time Bus provides players with an independent living space. Players, please rest. The next game will commence in 48 hours.]
As the system’s voice faded, Jiang Song turned around to discover that the rear of the bus—where rows of seats had originally been—had transformed into an enclosed room. She walked inside to find a bed that looked soft and comfortable, along with an ensuite bathroom. It was beyond thoughtful.
Jiang Song couldn’t wait to pounce onto the bed, which felt just as soft as imagined, giving her immense mental comfort. This environment was infinitely better than her rented apartment—quiet, uncrowded, and free from the nightly sounds of the couple next door exercising or the shrieks of the kid upstairs.
It was absolutely wonderful!
Looking at it this way, this game still possessed a shred of humanity.
Jiang Song rested inside the Time Bus for two days. When the 48 hours came to an end, the mechanical voice sounded once again.
[Time Bus reminds players: Please take your seats. The next destination is about to be reached.]
Jiang Song sat in her seat as the bus accelerated faster and faster, the view outside the window remaining pitch-black. She hadn’t bought anything from the Mall; the Restoration Fluid purchased during the previous game was still unused, and she also had the Substitute Doll item in her possession. These gave her a bit of confidence, so she decided to hold onto her points for now.
[Time Bus reminds players: Destination reached. Please exit the vehicle.]
[10, 9, 8, 7…]
