novellk Chapter 1700 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [44] [This is your second regret: the friends you nev
Chapter 1700 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [44] [This is your second regret: the friends you nev
Chapter 1700 Final Chapter - The Shore Crossing [44] - [This is your second regret: the friends you never met.]
The first image is of Ludo (a board game). The second image is of a hazy, gray fog, reminiscent of a horror game. The third image resembles a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) console.
Since it matched his major, Su Ming'an chose option two. As for options one and three, one depended too much on luck, and he wasn't familiar with the other.
"Shh!"
……
[Your selection is complete. Your second round of the game begins.]
……
The next moment, Su Ming'an appeared in a dimly lit room.
The wooden floorboards creaked underfoot, and beside them lay a bed stained with dried blood, reminiscent of a scene from a paradise on white sand. Looking out the window, it was a small three-story wooden building; the other players were likely scattered throughout different parts of the building.
……
"Ding dong!"
[Participant (Su Ming'an), your second game is: Granny.]
[Game Type: Indie Game. Participants can cooperate, compete, or choose not to interfere with each other.]
[Number of players: 10]
[Game Introduction: A terrifying old woman lives in this wooden building. She has lost her ability to recognize people and will seek out and kill any "grandchildren" she sees. She has extremely sensitive hearing but weaker than normal vision. Your physical strength and abilities are limited to the level of an average person, and you need to escape successfully within one hour.]
This building has three escape exits: the main entrance, the back door, and the underground passage.
[Escape route via the main gate: After finding the key, locate and open the main gate. Grandma can close the gate again; after closing it, she will hide the key in her favorite spot.]
[Back door escape method: Locate the car stored inside the wooden building, use its battery to raise the back door gate, start the car, and force your way out. This method can only allow the driver and passenger to escape.]
[How to open the tunnel: You need to collect three scattered planks and repair the tunnel in the basement. Grandma can destroy the repaired tunnel; you'll need one more plank to repair it before you can pass through.]
[Special Escape Method: Search the wooden building to find items such as "Grandma's Diary," piece together the building's backstory, and you can pass the level.]
[Game Victory Rules: A participant wins by leaving the wooden building through any exit. One hour later, the building is engulfed in flames, making escape impossible.]
……
Each player starts with one special item.
[Participant (Su Ming'an), your special item is: a map.]
……
Su Ming'an fell silent for a moment.
...It's really his old specialty. This is the type of horror game he's most skilled at during his live streams. Although both the maps and escape methods have changed significantly, he's very experienced.
Could it be that the Lord of Dreams added something to target him? Or was it the automatic mechanism of the Source Point?
He pulled out his prop—a building structure diagram, showing three floors above ground and one below. The map was rather rudimentary, containing only the names of each room and the location of the stairs.
In horror games, besides weapons, the most essential thing is a map. It ensures that the player doesn't end up in a dead end when being chased by ghosts. After quickly memorizing the map, Su Ming'an rolled it up and put it in his pocket. This thing was more precious than gold. At this stage of the trial, he had to be wary of enemies lurking in the shadows.
Of the three escape routes, the main gate route only requires one key, but Grandma may have hidden the key in a tricky place.
The car route may be fixed in the basement, and starting the car will be noisy, but it is stable.
The underground route is too uncertain, requiring the collection of three planks whose location is unknown, so it's basically not being considered.
"Click".
Suddenly, it got dark.
No… all the lights in the wooden building went out. It wasn't complete darkness; you could only see a small circle in front of you.
The game has begun.
Su Ming'an took off his shoes, leaving only his socks, to minimize the sound of his footsteps. Grandma's hearing was extremely sensitive, and the floorboards creaked all over.
In a half-open drawer on the bedside table, his fingers touched a small object—a rusty Phillips screwdriver. He put it in his pocket and noticed a glint in the corner of the wall; it was a needle.
He put the screwdriver in his pants pocket, hid the needle in his sleeve, and felt around to find a line of small charcoal writing on the door:
“They all seemed to be stained with blood, and I dared not touch them anymore. As soon as I picked up the scalpel, I saw the patient’s face…” At such close range, he could see these words clearly.
……
[You have obtained Clue 3: The writing on the wall.]
……
This should be the fourth way to pass the level; piecing together the story background here will allow you to pass. However, this method of passing the level is too uncertain, so Su Ming'an plans to try the car escape route instead.
In the final stages of the game, I found myself regaining the tension and excitement I felt when I first entered the game, as if I were playing a live-action horror game. I silently crept to the door, pressed my ear against the old door panel, and held my breath.
Outside the door was a silent corridor. The only sound was the occasional creaking of wood from the house.
He slowly pressed down the doorknob and opened it a crack. The corridor was dimly lit, with only a small window at the end letting in a sliver of light. There were several similar doors on both sides of the corridor, all tightly closed.
Just as he was about to squeeze through the doorway—
"Boom!"
A sound like a heavy object falling to the ground came from somewhere downstairs! In the absolute silence, it was no less than a clap of thunder!
Immediately afterwards, a hoarse, inhuman old woman's voice pierced the silence:
"My dear grandson!"
...Grandma has arrived.
Su Ming'an's heart tightened, which meant that a player had accidentally made a noise and been discovered by his grandmother.
Almost the instant his grandmother's voice rang out, Su Ming'an heard frantic footsteps coming from downstairs, along with a young man's suppressed, terrified cry: "Don't come any closer! Ah—!"
"Squeak—bang!" It sounded like furniture being knocked over and a door being slammed shut.
Then, a chilling sound of footsteps moved past! Accompanied by the groaning of the wooden floor.
...Now's the time!
Su Ming'an slid out of the room and ran down the corridor. His bare feet slammed onto the wooden floor, making a screeching sound that made people frown!
However, the noise downstairs was even louder! In an instant, the entire building became noisy, as if countless pots and pans were clattering at the same time, and several footsteps thumped from different floors, all running! This tacitly coordinated footsteps were both funny and absurd. The quiet wooden building instantly turned into a bustling market. People who dare to choose this game are quite daring. They didn't hide in their rooms, but took this opportunity to run away!
"Boom boom boom, boom boom boom!"
At the end of the corridor was a downward staircase. Su Ming'an turned sideways and looked down. The living room on the first floor was vaguely visible, and the outlines of the furniture looked like crouching monsters in the dim light. He heard a short, abrupt scream come from the other side.
……
[Remaining participants: 9/10]
……
...Direct casualties? No revival mechanism?
Su Ming'an quickly descended one level, realizing a crucial point—he had to be fast. As the number of people decreased, the difficulty would increase; if only the two of them remained, escape would be virtually impossible.
He could tell that he had just been on the second floor because he had just seen the staircase leading upwards, and the sky could be seen from the window on this floor.
He held his breath, his bare feet touching the cold floor, and moved along the wall.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the second floor directly above, like heavy furniture being overturned, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.
"Damn it! She's coming up! Run!" A man's shout could be faintly heard.
Almost simultaneously, Su Ming'an heard footsteps rapidly approaching from the depths of the first floor—from the direction of the restaurant. Grandma, drawn by the commotion upstairs, was hurrying towards the stairs.
He immediately slipped behind a cabinet in the living room, an angle from which he could catch a glimpse of the dining room entrance. He saw a hunched figure in a dark floral dress rush past the doorway, dragging an axe. She was too fast to see clearly; she was gone in the blink of an eye.
After his grandmother left, he heard soft breathing beside him.
...There's actually someone hiding here!
He turned his head and saw a girl with light blue hair. She wore a head full of colorful accessories, her twin ponytails were curled and hung down, her skin was painted with wounds, her arms were bandaged, and her attire was complicated. This appearance made Su Ming'an pause for a moment.
He rarely saw players dressed so elaborately in the world of the game; most players wore combat gear, long sleeves and trousers for practicality. He himself wore the same few simple outfits for years, only changing them for special occasions. He never expected anyone to dress like this for the battlefield.
This style is quite distinctive. It seems the girl is quite capable, which gives her the confidence to dress like this.
The blue-haired girl's breathing was a little rapid, seemingly due to nervousness. Sensing his gaze, she crossed her hands in front of her lips, meaning: Don't speak.
She pointed towards the kitchen, her index fingers and thumbs forming a rectangle, meaning: car.
...Is that the entrance to the basement? Su Ming'an quickly understood.
Opening the door requires the cooperation of two or more people: one to operate it while the other uses tools to distract the old lady. I only have a map and a screwdriver; it would be great if the blue-haired girl had a weapon.
Just then, the blue-haired girl made a throwing gesture, indicating that her weapon was a stun grenade.
Su Ming'an took out a map and handed it to her.
The blue-haired girl's mouth dropped open in surprise; she clearly realized how valuable this item was. She continued gesturing: "Let's work together then. Let's find another companion, and then we can open the door."
Even if the blue-haired girl had a stun grenade, it could only last a few seconds and couldn't hold off the old woman for long. They needed someone else to cooperate with the girl to buy them more time. Otherwise, if the girl made a mistake and the old woman returned, Su Ming'an would also be in trouble.
"Do you have any information here?" Su Ming'an gestured.
The blue-haired girl raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, seemingly not understanding Su Ming'an's "gesturing wildly".
[You, the clue.] Su Ming'an tried to break down his gestures as much as possible, pointing to the girl and then to the house.
The blue-haired girl seemed to finally understand Su Ming'an's gesture and handed over a photo from her arms.
The faded photograph shows a family of three: an elderly grandmother, a man in a white coat, and a little boy in the middle. All three have happy smiles on their faces.
...This grandmother must be that terrifying grandmother. Why did she become like this? And where did the other two go...?
Su Ming'an pondered.
……
You have obtained Clue 4: Family Portrait
……
"Let's go check it out first. We can ask around if we meet anyone along the way." The blue-haired girl pointed to the basement entrance, lifting her leg to indicate that she should go first.
The two of them, supporting themselves on the cold, rough wall, moved forward step by step.
Along the way, Su Ming'an noticed that the girl clearly didn't recognize him. There were indeed players in the world who didn't know Su Ming'an, but they were rarer than pandas—mostly marginal figures who didn't pay any attention to livestreams. Of course, this could also be related to her personality.
The basement was even darker than the first floor, with only a faint light outlining the shapes of the clutter. The two split up and groped their way through the darkness.
Suddenly, the blue-haired girl gently tugged at Su Ming'an's sleeve. Su Ming'an was startled and looked puzzled.
The girl turned to the side, revealing a small iron door behind her painted the same color as the wall.
Su Ming'an nodded, picked up the screwdriver and stepped forward. Amazingly, as soon as the screwdriver was brought close, a progress bar automatically appeared in front of him, and the door would open when it was full.
"Squeak--squeak--"
The iron gate rattled intermittently, and the two remained alert for a while, but Grandma seemed to have her attention drawn to the other players.
While Su Ming'an waited for the progress, the girl always stood several steps in front of him, holding the explosive, to ensure that even if an enemy rushed in, she would be the first person they saw.
With a "click," the screwdriver broke off automatically, and the iron gate opened.
The two carefully entered, which was a monitoring room filled with equipment.
A row of old CRT monitors hung on the wall, only two or three of them lit up, displaying blurry images of several areas inside the wooden building: the first-floor living room, the second-floor stairwell, the third-floor attic... In the basement garage, there was a black sedan. It seemed like a car route could be taken.
Su Ming'an glanced around and saw his grandmother running at an astonishing speed across the second-floor corridor, chasing after a young woman. The woman was running desperately, heading straight for the stairs leading to the first floor.
If the woman is chased into the basement by her grandmother, the three of them will be trapped in this enclosed space with no way to escape. Going up now would likely result in them being blocked at the stairwell.
Su Ming'an saw an old cabinet next to him. For now, they had to hide inside.
However, the blue-haired girl pointed. Su Ming'an looked down and discovered that the girl's legs were strapped with seven or eight sharp kitchen utensils—a boning knife, a meat cleaver, and scissors!
So she was carrying all those heavy knives the whole time? They were so heavy, yet she didn't make a single sound...
The girl picked up a knife, weighed it in her hand, and said, "I'll distract that guy. You go find the car!"
In the darkness, her crimson eyes showed no fear or trepidation, as if she were truly confident.
Time was of the essence; the footsteps upstairs and Grandma's screams grew closer. They had to act quickly; hiding together in the closet was too dangerous—if they were discovered, it would be a double kill. He nodded rapidly, signaling caution. He could tell she was a skilled player; perhaps she had her own kiting techniques.
The blue-haired girl smiled back and darted out of the monitoring room like a nimble cat.
Su Ming'an was really curious; he had never seen such a special person on the world forum before.
[Who is this player? She's so unique; I don't believe she's not on the leaderboard.]
I've searched through all the top-ranked players' avatars, but she's not among them.
The information departments of the Joint Mission and the Human Self-Rescue Alliance are conducting a full investigation to find out her true identity.
[The sudden appearance of the girl, their perfectly coordinated actions, and her completely calm demeanor... Could this girl be a spy sent from some higher dimension?]
[Her identity still hasn't been confirmed... that's really strange.]
[She's so cool, it's surprising she's not a top player.]
[Too late. The game was almost over when we finally spotted this player. It really shows how many talented people are buried in the vast sea of players.]
……
After confirming that the girl had left, Su Ming'an headed towards the garage. He quickly found the heavy wooden door at the end of the clutter, and after pushing it open, he saw a black sedan parked in the empty garage.
He opened the car door and immediately saw the car battery on the passenger seat. He quickly picked up the battery, opened the hood, and began connecting the wires.
……
You need a screwdriver.
……
...It seems that a screwdriver is a prerequisite for repairing tools.
Su Ming'an could only turn around to search, but suddenly heard a heavy breathing sound.
A figure covered in blood stumbled over—it was the woman being chased! The surveillance screen was too blurry, and only then did Su Ming'an realize it was someone he knew—Violet!
Violet was momentarily taken aback when she saw him, but quickly smiled and said, "Long time no see... Don't worry, I've shaken off Granny."
The garage was well soundproofed, and Violet stumbled a few steps closer, keeping the sound very low.
Su Ming'an felt a sudden weight in his hand—it was a screwdriver! He looked up and saw her smiling eyes.
“You need this, right?” she gasped.
Violet happened to have a screwdriver on her, which saved a lot of time. Su Ming'an helped her sit down and saw several deep claw marks on her abdomen that revealed the bone.
Su Ming'an had a deep impression of Violet. She was the only one who stayed by Lin Guang's side for a long time without being driven away. She single-handedly calmed Lin Guang during his manic periods, which showed her high emotional and intellectual intelligence.
"I really... never expected..." Violet clutched her stomach, saying helplessly, "After dominating the world games for so long, I'm now as weak as a chick in this kind of game." She chuckled, turning to look at Su Ming'an, "Is this what you call returning to basics?"
These rounds of the game made all the players feel like they had returned to when they first entered the world game, and they were worried about being killed by powerful enemies at every step.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be leaving soon,” Su Ming’an said.
Time was of the essence, and the sounds of pursuit upstairs were terrifying. Violet, supporting herself against the wall, helped Su Ming'an precisely connect the battery circuitry. Her fingers were frighteningly steady, showing no signs of having just escaped death.
“It’s done.” A few seconds later, Violet whispered, pointing to a control panel in the corner of the garage connected to a cable leading to the back door. “Start the car engine, and it should provide power.”
Lightning flashed inch by inch, Su Ming'an closed the lid, and suddenly—
"boom."
His pupils contracted.
It was the sound of a silenced pistol being fired.
The bullet came from the shadows at the garage entrance and pierced Violet's side precisely!
She groaned as the force of the impact slammed her against the cold wall, and blood instantly soaked through her clothes.
“Heh…heh…” A man’s figure staggered out of the shadows. He was wearing a stained shirt, his eyes were cloudy and unfocused, his pupils were abnormally dilated, and his face was twisted with a mixture of fear and fanaticism.
...Someone actually found a gun!
Su Ming'an immediately caught Violet as she fell, his hand reaching towards her waist—
"Don't move!" The man instantly pointed his gun at Su Ming'an, stammering, "Don't move!"
His condition was clearly abnormal, as if he had accidentally ingested or been injected with psychotropic drugs found in the building.
"Tsk... Does this weakling try everything on himself?" Violet frowned in pain and bit her lip. "He's probably trying to steal an escape spot. Let's give it to him."
She quickly assessed the current situation and realized there was no need to take risks with the guns; she should back down if possible.
The man showed no sign of giving up. He raised the muzzle of his gun, panting heavily, and walked straight toward Violet, his eyes filled with twisted desire.
The next moment, Su Ming'an immediately stepped forward, stopped the man, and pushed Violet into the car.
"boom!"
"Uh!" Caught off guard, the man stumbled from the impact, his cloudy eyes fixed on Su Ming'an's face, his surging anger and jealousy almost overflowing.
"You...!" the man growled, swinging the gun butt at Su Ming'an's head with a backhand strike! Su Ming'an dodged the blow, the gun butt grazing his forehead. The man then grabbed Su Ming'an's shirt, using his size to his advantage, and shoved him heavily onto the cold concrete floor!
...to return to simplicity and authenticity.
Su Ming'an thought of this word in that instant.
He instinctively wanted to use his divine power, but he quickly suppressed it; this was not a desperate situation at all.
"Bang!" A dull thud as his back hit the ground, the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against his chin, the salty smell of metal and gunpowder filling the air.
"I'm really annoyed with you! You...you...!" The man held a gun firmly against Su Ming'an with one hand, while his other hand gripped Su Ming'an's neck like an iron clamp, his distorted face almost pressed against Su Ming'an's.
"Why... huh? Why do you get all the good things, even in this desperate situation, someone helps you!" The man's voice was hoarse and sharp, filled with resentment and venom. "Didn't I try my best? I've struggled until now, suffered so much, killed so many people! Why don't I have your brains, your abilities, why no one loves me, why so many people are willing to die for me?!"
His grip tightened, making it difficult for Su Ming'an to breathe. His cheeks flushed red from lack of oxygen, but his eyes remained unusually calm as he coldly stared at the face above him, which was completely distorted by jealousy.
“Your failure is not because no one helped you, but because of your actions,” Su Ming’an said coldly. “The people around you are living, breathing people, warriors you can rely on, not spoils for excrement like you to fantasize about when you are down.”
The man's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his roar echoed in the empty garage, almost crushing Su Ming'an's throat: "I'll kill you right now... kill you! No, no... damn it! I'll make you taste something more painful than death!"
There was a difference in size and strength, putting Su Ming'an at a disadvantage. However, his gaze was sharp as a knife as he provoked the man while observing his breathing rhythm.
Yes, things are different now.
Even if I were to return to my physical condition before the start of the game, becoming that frail student again... it would be completely different.
A few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to analyze things so calmly and skillfully.
The man was clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, right at the height of his emotional frenzy—
A cold needle slid out from the cuff of Su Ming'an's hanging arm, and his index and middle fingers together plunged into the inside of the man's right arm.
"Ugh—!"
The man let out a strange gasp, and a sharp, tingling sensation shot from his elbow straight to his fingers, causing his right hand to open uncontrollably.
"Bang—!"
The pistol slipped from his fingers with a spasm and crashed to the ground with a thud.
The man's eyes went from madness to terror. He immediately tried to clench his fist again, but found that his right ring and little fingers were completely unresponsive, and his middle finger was also semi-numb.
The point where Su Ming'an stabbed controls the fine motor skills of his ring and little fingers, and is also a key nerve node in the fingers that hold the gun. This is basic biological knowledge, and I appreciate Akto's emotional resonance.
at the same time--
"boom!"
A steel pipe suddenly came flying from behind!
A chilling, crisp sound of bones shattering rang out!
The man's eyes instantly lost focus, and he collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes, blood rapidly seeping from the back of his head.
A tall figure approached, wearing a faded old military jacket, his short red hair like burning flames, a deep scar running diagonally from his left temple to his jaw, his face rugged and weathered. The man carried a bloodstained steel pipe, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.
"You're a real piece of trash! Disgusting!" Si Nian spat at the man, his voice hoarse but steady. He looked at Su Ming'an and extended his hand. "Are you alright?"
Su Ming'an propped himself up and took Si Nian's hand.
A deep hum came from under the hood of the black sedan, and the headlights came on.
“Thank you… Come on, get in.” Violet said with a pale smile, leaning against the car door. Her hand had just touched the bone-crushing knife at her waist, but she withdrew it now.
Su Ming'an picked up the man's gun:
"There are only two escape spots. Sinian, Violet, you two go."