Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor-Zzzz, Proofreader-adjective
Ji Dong felt like he had just blinked his eyes, and when he regained consciousness he had already left the [Film] of [Strange Tales at 24:00] and had returned to the small dark room in the [Peach Blossom Spring].
Familiar with the process, Ji Xiao’niao immediately lowered his head and began to check his equipment.
His precious bow, which had transformed into a bracelet, was securely wrapped around his hand. He still had plenty of the [Onmyoji’s Shikigamis (Beginner Level)] left in his waist pouch, but all of the disposable items like the daggers and ropes were all gone.
In addition, he found something else in his pocket. When he took it out and looked at it, he saw the reward given to them by the Rabbit Faced Man in the [Strange Tales at 24:00] game—a flat glass box about the size of half a palm.
Ji Dong clenched his fist in excitement.
Since he could bring it back to the [Peach Blossom Spring], it meant that this little box was a new collectible.
With that in mind, Ji Xiao’niao raised his hand and touched the smooth, mirror-like wall of the room.
Ripples like water spread out from his fingertips.
[Confirmation, participant C0919 has entered the [Peach Blossom Spring], conscious and in good spirits, ready for interaction.]
AI Xiao Bai appeared from the void.
He had changed his outfit again, and was wearing a pair of checkered overalls in a playful American hippie style from a century ago. His long black hair was slicked back, with a small bun at the back of his head. He tilted his worn-out wide-brimmed hat, looking like he could jump on stage and sing like Elvis Presley in an instant.
[Welcome back participant C0919, Mr. Ji Dong. I’m here to assist you at anytime.]
He playfully winked at Ji Dong.
Maybe it’s because he had been in the [Film] for a long time, but every time he came back, it felt like he had narrowly escaped death and could live for one more month. That’s why even his own AI looked particularly charming and friendly.
So Ji Xiao’niao smiled at AI Xiao Bai and said in a gentle tone, “Alright, let’s settle the points first.”
He waved his hand at the AI and said, “We’ll talk about the rest later.”
[Got it, I’ll settle your points for you right away.]
After changing his outfit, Xiao Bai seemed like a whole different person, even his speaking style had a quirky American accent.
[The [Film]: [Strange Tales at 24:00], Difficulty B, map exploration rate 46%, main line completion rate 98%, branch line completion task 37%]
[Triggered Achievement: “All Team Members Survived;” Triggered Achievement: “HIgh Efficiency Clearance;” Triggered Achievement: “Film Clearance Rate 100%”]
——It looks like this [Film] was completed pretty well.
Ji Dong nodded in his mind.
Although the map exploration was a bit low, it couldn’t be helped. After all, there were a total of thirteen supernatural locations on the map, and it was impossible to visit them all in just three days.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Based on his experience from the previous [Film], each achievement came with a significant point bonus, so he was sure this time’s score won’t be low either.
Sure enough, Xiao Bai then announced his score: [In total, you earned 22,045 points.]
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Although the score may not compare to the over 50,000 points earned after achieving a “Perfect Clearance” last time, it had been three months since he arrived at the “Peach Blossom Spring” and with the addition of the experienced Fan siblings to the team, he had a rough idea of how many points he could earn in a B-level difficulty [Film].
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Ktfc Al Gbcu atbeuta bo j defralbc:
“By the way, Xiao Bai, what’s the deal with [Strange Tales at 24:00]?”
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“I mean, who are the game developers and why does such a peculiar game exist?”
This time, Xiao Bai tilted his head and didn’t immediately answer.
According to the definition implemented in the artificial intelligence, this didn’t fall under the category of “plot recap,” but it also didn’t fall into the forbidden territory of questions the AI couldn’t answer.
After thinking for a moment, he replied:
[Although I can’t disclose the true identity of the game developers, I do have some supplementary information about this [Film]. Are you interested in taking a look?]
Ji Dong nodded.
In the [Peach Blossom Spring], the survival of the participants in each [Film] largely depended on their ability to collect and analyze information.
Compared to the previous three [Films], [Strange Tales at 24:00] felt very unique to Ji Dong.
It didn’t have a clear cause and effect, nor did it give them any opportunity to understand the details of the game organizers.
The entire game system was like a miniature version of the [Peach Blossom Spring], controlling the red and blue teams to complete the designated confrontational tasks set by the game organizers. The only way to end the game was to either win or be eliminated by failure.
[Sure, I will play the latest season’s official promotional material for you, ‘Brave Adventurer.’]
Xiao Bai waved his hand, and the walls of the dark room turned into a playback screen again.
Ji Dong: “???”
——Wait, what did the AI just say?
——Broadcasting “Brave Adventurer”?
——The latest season?
——Official promotional material?
Before he could fully digest the meaning of these combined phrases, familiar applause and cheers filled the room.
On the screen, the camera swiftly flew over the heads of the crowded audience.
These people had blurred faces, making it difficult to see their features. Many of them had outlines that were hard to describe, not resembling normal humans at all.
But without exception, they all excitedly cheered, shouted and applauded as if immersed in a thrilling spectacle.
“Welcome! Welcome everyone!”
The camera zoomed out, extending from a close-up of the audience to the entire venue. It then focused on a massive fluorescent screen standing in the center of the stage.
The screen split in half, with red on the left and blue on the right. The screens on both sides displayed characters that Ji Dong couldn’t understand, and these characters were constantly jumping every second.
For some reason, Ji Xiao’niao immediately guessed – the real-time odds of the two teams participating should be displayed on this fluorescent screen.
At this moment, a familiar rabbit-faced mask suddenly appeared, occupying the entire screen with a close-up shot.
The rabbit-faced man excitedly waved his hand, his voice processed by a voice changer, carrying an exaggerated operatic tone:
“Yes, we’re back! Everyone’s old friend, ‘Brave Adventurer’ Season 12, is making a grand return!”
Now, it’s already Season 12?
Ji Dong felt shocked.
In other words, before them, eleven groups of unlucky people had already played similar supernatural games.
But soon, he realized that he was wrong.
Because what followed was a highlight reel of the previous eleven seasons’ matches.
“In the previous eleven seasons of the competition, we welcomed countless brave participants who were assigned various complex tasks and had to compete against equally formidable opponents!”
The screen flickered rapidly, and Ji Dong saw a dazzling array of reality show challenges that left people mesmerized.
The contestants battled against large insects in jungle-like environments, escaped by stepping on scorching hot rocks in a lava river, captured a large group of green-skinned goblins in a medieval castle, and even piloted mechas to engage in intense battles with peculiar robots that would only be seen in science fiction movies.
Ji Dong thought to himself, it turns out that the abilities of the game developers were far greater than he had imagined, and clearly, the game’s format is not limited to just collecting playing cards at various haunted locations in a city.
“These brave individuals, some emerged victorious, while others faced defeat; some survived and took home rich rewards, while others lost their lives or suffered cruel executions!”
The rabbit-faced man, the male host, continued his voiceover.
In the footage, victory and defeat, survival and death alternate.
It wasn’t special effects or acting, but real people, facing the challenge of life and death.
Watching the real-life moments of life and death from a third-person perspective, Ji Dong couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
The participants of this [Peach Blossom SPring] were no different.
Every month, they are forced to enter a strange “world” and do everything they can to survive, but they couldn’t find their way out from the strange place and could only return here, waiting for the next month’s cycle.
“Now, we’re back!”
The Rabbit-Faced Man’s voice suddenly increased by a whole octave, and the cheers from the audience became even louder, mixed with rough roars and howls.
“More contestants! More exciting matches! More brutal challenges!”
In the footage, the camera overlooks the night view of a city, and Ji Dong almost instantly recognizes it as the place they stayed for three whole days.
[This time, we have arranged a brand new game mode. Brave individuals not only need a strong mind, calm thinking, and unwavering determination but also have to confront their inner fears and seek victory in the darkness!]
The night view of the city transitions into ten blurry silhouettes, divided into two teams, facing each other in a standoff.
[Brave Adventurers] Season 12 – [Strange Tales at 24:00]!
The Rabbit-Faced Man shouted hoarsely:
“Let’s look forward to it together!”
The promotional video ended here, the screen disappeared and returned to a wall with a metallic texture.
However, Ji Dong continued to stare at the blank wall, lost in thought.
Indeed, the strange film world he had just experienced in the [Strange Tales at 24:00] story was quite similar to the [Peach Blossom Spring] in some ways.
Both of them selected and captured participants in a way that goes beyond common sense, forcing them to act according to their own set of rules and exerting absolute control over them.
They were like “gods” in their existence, whether they are players or participants, with their current abilities, they cannot fight against the system.
……………..
——So, besides following the rules of the [Peach Blossom Spring] and repeatedly facing the challenges of one [Film] after another until finally surpassing the SS-level difficulty…
—— Was there no other way?
[Mr. Ji Dong.]
After waiting for a while, Xiao Bai saw that Ji Xiao’niao was still staring blankly at the wall and kindly asked:
[Do you have any other questions?]
Ji Dong quickly snapped out of his thoughts and replied, “No, nothing else.”
His current thoughts were truly rebellious, and he couldn’t let Xiao Bai notice even the slightest clue.
Ji Xiao’niao showed an unprecedented and pleasant smile to his AI:
“I have no more questions, thank you!”
✨💖✨💖