(There will be another update today, possibly after midnight. Don't wait, check back tomorrow morning! Love you all!)
(P.S. The author cautiously adds: Dahei will reflect on its actions afterward and will be exceptionally well-behaved, obedient, and affectionate. Take it slow.)
(One more P.S.: Dungeons are all useful!)
(Zhengzheng drawing his knife.gif)
(A small red envelope will be sent to everyone who leaves a comment!)
Chapter 24
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Zheng's vision went black.
A screen appears in front of you, making you feel as if you are in a movie theater—this is the ending short film that can be viewed after achieving the game's ending.
If a player dies before reaching the ending, it will be game over and they will be redirected to the lounge.
He was initially depressed, thinking that death should be a tragedy, but as he watched, he sat up straight.
A little boy was diagnosed with a genetic disorder syndrome, which caused problems with his immune system. He didn't have many years left to live, so his parents carefully cared for him in his room.
He couldn't go out to play, and his parents had to work, so he felt very lonely.
The scenes keep changing, but the only character is always the little boy.
Although the filming was very moving, accompanied by music, Wen Zheng couldn't help but think to himself: What era are we living in? Can't we go online and play games...?
There's no logic to it from the game company. In short, the little boy grew up lonely and found life boring. He talked to birds and insects, and gradually developed delusions, pretending to be a king who could command an army of small animals.
Over the years, the little boy was tormented by illness, becoming weak and uncomfortable. He gradually developed suicidal thoughts and eventually climbed to the roof of his house and jumped off.
The little boy in the video, dressed in thin clothes, is not as aloof and arrogant as he is in the game. He has beautiful brown eyes, soft flaxen hair, and smiles as he jumps down from above, the camera panning towards the azure sky.
The rating screen dropped: 83 points, time taken: 1 hour and 10 minutes. Ending rating... happy ending!?
The person is dead, yet they still say "happy ending"?!
What if the person is rescued? We can't let stopping him from jumping lead to a tragic outcome, can we?
Wen Zheng sat on the rating screen for a while longer, then realized that this dungeon was probably one of those "harmonious" dungeons. Several routes led to happy endings, so as long as he didn't die, he could get a good review.
Similar instances have existed before, and there's more than one. The morality of the plot is hard to define, but in the end, everyone is happy.
After all, being helpful leads to a bad outcome, while failing to help someone in distress leads to a good outcome; in such cases, game companies may be reported to the internet monitoring bureau.
Wen Zheng felt both powerless and agitated. When he exited the instance and settled the results, the rest room was empty. The King was not there.
He took a deep breath, turned on the live chat, and saw lines of comforting words.
-z, don't be angry! Wang Mingzhu is definitely a jerk! (Whispering: I don't think he's wrong either)
-z mostly drinks hot water! (whispering: But Wang Mingzhu is really a jerk; if z gets angry, he should just go along with it.)
- Z, let's eat something good, it's on me [donation] (whispering: No, Wang Mingzhu really has a problem with her values, I support Z!?)
- Z, get some rest! We'll still send you gifts even if you're not streaming! (Whispering: Z, if you're okay, call Xiao Wang; if you need something, call Da Wang; if you're angry, call Wang Mingzhu, hahaha, lol)
Wen Zheng: …………
Were his fans really comforting him?
Opening the friends interface, Wen Zheng saw that Deng Puyue was still in the game, indicating that the underground route wasn't easy either. A new message was flashing in the lower right corner; Wen Zheng clicked on it casually and found it was a friend request.
ID: [大王0719]
Wen Zheng's hand trembled, and he clicked "decline".
The live chat was filled with screams, and Wen Zheng angrily shouted, "I said I don't want to see him!"
Five minutes later, with a somber expression, he opened the interface and sent a friend request to the King. However, the King was no longer online.
"..." Wen Zheng took a deep breath: "Please tell Xiaoyu for me that I'm logging off first today."
The barrage of comments dared not ignite Z's explosive reaction, and instead obediently said goodbye.
After a slight dizziness subsided, Wen Zheng exhaled and sat up.
He felt a slight weight on his leg and looked down to see that Big Black was nestled on his calf, pressing down on him and making him feel slightly numb.
Warm and cozy, a big, fluffy black thing.
Wen Zheng's mood index immediately rose by eighty percentage points, successfully offsetting the negative number created by the king.
Big Black, who had been sulking before the game, was inexplicably fine again. When Wen Zheng tried to move his legs, it wouldn't let him, insisting that he move them himself before stretching out its front paws, sticking out its butt, stretching out a long yawn, and then jumping off the bed with him.
"I've eaten, I've drunk, I've pooped..." Wen Zheng opened the refrigerator, poured a glass of ice water, and gulped it down: "What else are you going to do, freeload?"
"Woo..." Big Black let out a low growl, which didn't sound like a roar, but it was still deep and resonant, not exactly a standard "meow".
So cute. How can there be such cute creatures as cats in the world?
Wen Zheng put down his cup, picked up Da Hei, and its long tail dragged down to his thighs, brushing back and forth, tickling him.
"Didn't you eat enough for dinner?" Wen Zheng walked towards the living room. Dahei had never taken the initiative before, so he suspected the cat was hungry. But it wasn't practical to start cooking now. He had some cat jelly that a colleague had given him in his bag, so he opened it and showed it to Dahei to see if he would eat it.
Halfway there, my phone rang.
There was no one else at home, so Wen Zheng put the phone on speakerphone and continued looking for a disc to make cat jelly for Dahei.
"Congratulations, Little Z!" Shan Yulai cheerfully called out to him, "On the first day, you're already ranked first in your division!"
"Yes," Wen Zheng said, "You're very good too."
He learned from the fans' comments that he had come out on top of Shan Yu later. Saying too much would seem fake and like showing off, so he decided to say less.
"I benefited from my teammate's success," he said objectively. "Without him, I would definitely not be as good as you."
"Haha, I see her, she's a little beauty?"
"..." Wen Zheng felt that the wording was strange, but he still said frankly, "If he himself had three-tenths of the appearance he sculpted, he would already be a great beauty."
Big Black squatted at his feet, and upon hearing this, it raised its tail and even shook the tip of its tail.
Wen Zheng was scooping jelly into a dish with a small spoon when Shan Yu on the other end of the phone said, "When will the number one winner let me hug his leg?"
"...Don't mention it."
"Tianlu isn't playing Survival mode anymore, and I don't have a partner for the time being. Is it okay to duo queue once?" He smiled and asked, "Does Little Z look down on me?"
"No," Wen Zheng said. "It depends on your schedule. I'm available anytime tonight."
Cat jelly is actually fish jelly made from fish broth, with shredded fish meat inside. When mixed, it is crystal clear and looks quite appetizing.
Wen Zheng put the plate on the ground, and Shan Yu's voice came from the phone: "Next week, Friday night, when the data allowance is better."
"Can."
"Then it's settled, I'm going to benefit from your kindness." Shan Yu's words were always like a gentle breeze: "By the way, I recently took a closer look at the password you gave me last time."
Wen Zheng paused for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm".
"First of all, it's certain that the password was replaced. But there are more than 26 numbers, which means it's not a simple matter of replacing letters in order."
Wen Zheng listened quietly, and then the other person said, "You said it yourself, this is the password your parents left you, and you were still young at the time. Excluding complicated Latin, Nordic languages, and all sorts of strange niche languages, the most likely one is simple English or Pinyin."
Wen Zheng had tried everything up to this point. But figuring out the permutations and combinations of numbers and letters was not so easy. Without the key, he couldn't even begin to write a program to try it out.
Sure enough, Shan Yu also said, "If a letter corresponds to more than one number, then the password cannot be cracked without the key."
Wen Zheng's heart sank.
"Little Z, is there really no notification at your home?" Shan Yu asked worriedly.
“…It was burned.” Wen Zheng smiled bitterly: “My parents said the clues were in the room, but before I could look for them, the house caught fire. All the papers were gone, except for the notebook my mother kept in the entryway. But I’ve worn that notebook out since I was a child, and I’m sure there were no clues in it.”
At this point, Wen Zheng, though disappointed, knew he had made a difficult decision for others.
"It's okay, I didn't have much hope anyway. You should go to sleep early."
Shan Yu said considerately, "Okay, little Z, goodnight to you too."
Wen Zheng squatted in place for a long time.
Whether Dahei was genuinely hungry or just being polite, it ate all the cat jelly in the dish, then circled Wenzheng's feet twice before squatting down with him.
When Wen Zheng tried to speak, he realized his voice was hoarse. He got up, poured himself another glass of water, drank it, and then said, "Da Hei."
"Hmm..."
Wen Zheng laughed: "Big Black."
"……roar!"
"You haven't met my parents, have you?" Wen Zheng put down his cup, walked across the living room, and opened a door that had never been opened before: "Let me introduce you to them."
It's a typical bedroom with a large double bed against the wall.
Besides the usual decorations, the second shelf of the bookcase is filled with certificates and trophies, next to a blackened Rubik's Cube, and several large cardboard boxes are placed side by side under the desk.
"These are their belongings."
Wen Zheng picked up Dahei, held one of its paws, and pointed to a group photo on the table, saying, "These are my parents."
The group photo was taken in autumn.
The background is a forest of red leaves, and a sweet couple, who look to be in their early thirties, are smiling with their faces close together.
Wen Zheng's parents weren't particularly striking in appearance; the man was rather rugged, while the woman was more refined. Wen Zheng inherited all the good features and grew into a tall, slender young man.
He looked at the photos quietly for a while, then sighed, "Say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma." He grabbed Big Black's paw and waved it.
Big Black: "???"
It suddenly became agitated, struggled and jumped down, swishing its tail as it dashed out the door.
Wen Zheng wasn't annoyed at all; in fact, he felt that Da Hei had finally woken up from his dream...
After a night of digestion, Wen Zheng felt much better the next day and was no longer disappointed about the password.
The sky was overcast when he went out, and the smart home system kept reminding him to bring an umbrella. Wen Zheng searched for a long time in the entryway before finally pulling out a crumpled black umbrella.
"I'm leaving now. Be good at home."
Big Black wagged its tail casually.