NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 244: Ren is Already Dead
The cold midnight wind wandered through the streets and alleys, the dense darkness like a lullaby, urging those still burning the midnight oil to drift off to sleep. The half-hanging moon nestled closer to the clouds beside it, tucking itself in, contentedly switching its lights to a late-night mode.
In this time of utter silence, there were still havens for the night owls.
A small grass Slime stared with wide, round eyes at Ren and Li Sushang as they entered the store. Chibi figures sitting by a campfire waved wooden clubs in their hands, and the mysterious X-Men were whispering amongst themselves.
Li Sushang felt like she had stepped into a fantasy world, filled with novel and unfamiliar things everywhere.
"This… what is this place?"
"An arcade."
[Welcome, today this arcade is holding a "Genshin Impact" themed event. Customers participating in the event can receive an exquisite gift: a "Broken Mask."]
A service robot dressed as a Slime had lights flickering in its eyes, introducing the newly arrived pair.
"Genshin Impact? What a strange name." Li Sushang, who had absolutely no experience with video games, curiously observed the brightly lit arcade. Many young men and women, staying up late, were sitting in front of various machines, intensely manipulating buttons. Some looked excited, while others were filled with frustration.
"What's wrong with those people? Why are they crying and laughing?" She tugged on Ren's sleeve, asking softly.
"Probably got unlucky with their gacha pulls."
The service robot added, "You are correct, but "Genshin Impact" is a brand-new open-world adventure game independently developed by E.T. Studio. The game takes place in a fantasy world called 「Teyvat」…"
Interrupting the robot's introduction, Ren took a card from his pocket and inserted it into a slot on the Slime. Soon, several game coins clinked out from the bottom of the robot.
Taking out the coins and handing a few to Li Sushang, Ren explained, "This is the most convenient entertainment venue for young people, although the cost isn't exactly low. Before I was wandering, my family got me a universal game card. Whenever I had nowhere else to go, I'd come here to pass the time and use it as a shelter for the night."
"Although it's a bit noisy, it's better than staying out on the street and freezing. Fortunately, I'm quite skilled at games, so a few coins can usually last me a long time."
"Games, are they similar to cricket fighting or something?"
With a slight smile, Ren didn't elaborate. He simply led Li Sushang to a corner of the arcade. It was much quieter here, and because the games weren't very popular, many machines were available.
Following Ren's instructions, Li Sushang inserted two coins into a game machine, staring blankly at the buttons.
"This is a multiplayer game called Bomber Buddies. The controls are very simple: moving this joystick adjusts the direction, and the buttons are for acceleration, jump, enhanced jump, and placing bombs. Let me give you a demonstration first."
Sitting in front of the machine, Ren effortlessly completed a short match, securing first place.
The numbers on the leaderboard flickered, and the score for Ren's account increased again, leaving the second-place player far behind by nearly tenfold.
Looking at the top spot on the leaderboard, Ren remarked with a sigh, "Because you can get a free continue if you place in the top three in this game, I often use it to get free game coins. I didn't realize I've accumulated this many points."
"It looks simple enough, can I try?" After watching Ren's demonstration, Li Sushang confidently believed that with her skills, mastering this kind of game would be a piece of cake.
"Of course, you can play first. I'll go buy the candied haws you wanted. If you fail, just insert more coins to restart the game."
However, while Ren was explaining the game controls, Li Sushang's attention had already been captured by the little characters on the screen, and she didn't really pay attention to his rambling.
Shaking his head slightly with a wry smile, Ren didn't stay put. But as he was just about to reach the entrance, he felt a faint unease in his heart, as if something unexpected might happen if he simply walked out.
With Ren's current strength, the possibility of a mere illusion was negligible. Any such feeling likely meant that events would unfold in an unfavorable direction.
He looked at the empty street and withdrew his hand from the door, choosing to leave through the arcade's emergency exit instead.
「Welcome!」the service robot announced, as new customers passed by. Ren didn't look back, quickening his pace towards the emergency exit.
Ren didn't notice that just as he entered the emergency exit, a strand of white hair flashed past the arcade's main entrance.
Kiana, having just finished scouting two locations, paused. She looked towards the arcade, a strange sensation pulling her attention. It might have been her imagination, but her heart had inexplicably quickened for a moment.
She stared at the giant Honkai plushie displayed in the arcade window, a bit lost in thought.
"Kiana, don't you like playing games? Do you want to go in and relax for a bit?" Fu Hua was doing her best to ease Kiana's mental stress. When they were students, all she did was urge Kiana to play fewer games and study harder. Now, she actually wished Kiana would play some games to unwind.
"No need, Himeko wouldn't like this kind of place."
Scanning the inside of the arcade through the window, she pretended to be looking for Himeko, but in reality, she was hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain young man.
If Ren were still alive, he would probably be very happy to come to an arcade with her.
Not seeing Ren's figure, Kiana's eyes dimmed. It was just wishful thinking after all.
However, as she looked around the arcade, a girl with long brown hair in the corner caught her attention.
The girl's attire was quite unique, like a chivalrous figure who had stepped out of a manga, out of place among the others in the arcade. This reminded her of the form of Fu Hua's Herrscher persona, ethereal and otherworldly.
More importantly, Kiana faintly sensed fluctuations of Honkai energy emanating from the girl. She was likely a Stigmata Awakened or a Valkyrie.
Li Sushang, currently sitting in front of the game machine, focused intently on manipulating the joystick, completely unaware of Kiana's gaze.
"Damn it, it was so simple, how did I get pushed off? With my skills, how is this possible!" Relying on her own considerable strength, Li Sushang quickly grasped the basic controls of the game. But Bomber Buddies wasn't just about raw skill; it was more about strategy and tricks.
Therefore, Li Sushang, as a newbie to the game, was quickly "rekt" by various tactics, making her grit her teeth in frustration.
Seeing the chibi character with the ID [-REN-] being pushed off the platform by an opponent again, her score plummeting by over a hundred points, Li Sushang's expression grew increasingly grim.
It wasn't like she was losing every time, but winning only added a measly ten-odd points, while losing cost her a significant chunk of her score. She was becoming increasingly aware of how difficult it was to gain points.
Feeling a bit sorry for Ren, she knew she still had to play. She grabbed the last two game coins on the machine and inserted them, focusing all her attention on the game. She curled up her legs, bit her lip, her eyes reflecting the faint glow of the screen.
"Now!" Seizing the moment when the roulette was spinning, she controlled her character to jump high into the air.
Excellent, a perfect landing.
This round felt remarkably good. Having gradually grasped the tricks of the game, Li Sushang didn't make any mistakes. But just as the finish line was in sight, a nearby character suddenly stopped, intentionally occupying the spot where [-REN-] was about to land. Losing her footing, the little character slipped and plummeted off the platform into the void.
[Eliminated.]
The excited expression still frozen on her face, Li Sushang was stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Blankly staring at the "Insert Coin" prompt on the screen, her heart was a mix of emotions. Besides anger, there was more of a regretful disappointment at the shattered hope.
"Forget it, that's enough. That was the last life. Ren is already dead."
"Ren is already dead, huh."
Kiana, who was just about to turn away from the window, froze in her tracks.