ARC 7

[If, on an evening when the sky is bathed in the glow of a crimson sunset, you are walking alone through a bustling street, and a stranger approaches you with a smile and hands you a rose, please, whatever you do, do not accept it. Otherwise you will be selected by the devil and dragged into the game field of another world.

If you can stand out among the thousands of players and successfully clear the game, you can make any wish.

But if you fail to pass, you will become a sacrifice in the game.]

— Excerpt from the work "Crime Scene No. 13" by the internet author Jiang Weimian.

[Given that the original author suffers from familial sleep disorder, leading to a hazy mind and missing memory links, causing numerous revisions with inconsistencies between the content before and after, this book cannot currently retrieve information about the antagonists and any of related content.]

— This sentence quote is selected from a sparkling little diamond-like system.

**

In the cemetery on the outskirts of the city, there was a new tombstone. The photograph depicted a very young man who had died in a car accident just last month. Not only did this signify the loss of a new rising star in the author's circle, but it also indicated that a certain chief editor had lost a capable soldier.

"Rong Xuan, wuu wuu wuu, why did you die so tragically? How could you die like this? It's all my fault! I shouldn't have made you stay late to finish the manuscript. If you hadn't stayed late to finish the manuscript, you wouldn't have come home so late. If you hadn't come home so late, you wouldn't have been killed in a car accident by someone seeking revenge. Wuu wuu wuu!"

A middle-aged man knelt at the cold tombstone, beating his chest and stamping his feet, crying uncontrollably. In recent years, strange events have been happening one after another. Several authors had inexplicably died in the circle, and this was already the sixth one.

Jiang Weimian stood with his hands in his pockets, initially not planning to intervene. However, after seeing the man cry for half an hour, he couldn't bear it any longer and pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, handing it to him. "Editor, please accept my condolences."

After he said these words, he looked up at the sky, and added, "It's going to rain soon. Let's leave early. Rong Xuan's spirit in the heaven wouldn't want to see us get drenched in the rain."

Jiang Weimian had messy hair, as if he had just crawled out of bed, and combined with his perpetual half-closed eyes that always seemed half-asleep, he exuded a careless and indifferent demeanor. Especially after saying the sentence about the rain, he yawned, looking...

Incredibly sleepy.

Editor Lin saw Jiang Weimian's behavior and became furious. He slapped away the green tea-scented tissue paper Jiang Weimian had offered and took out a limited-edition handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away his tears and snot forcefully. He hated iron for not becoming steel and said, "Sleep, sleep, sleep! All you do is sleep. You sleep for 20 hours out of 24 in a day, and the remaining four hours are for eating, drinking, and shitting. You've been writing a single lousy book for three years and still haven't finished it. Are you planning to wait until I die before submitting your manuscript?!"

Jiang Weimian, with his ears calloused from hearing these things, replied, "I've told you so many times. My sleep disorder is a hereditary condition in my family, and having a slow writing pace is normal. You've already pushed Rong Xuan to his limits, and now because of this accident, he's dead. You should take it as a lesson and not push me even further."

After saying this, he turned his head and yawned again.

Seeing Jiang Weimian yawn like this, Editor Lin couldn't take it any longer. He stood up from the ground, pointing and scolding him, "You're yawning in front of someone's grave. This is disrespectful to the deceased, you know?!"

Jiang Weimian, without lifting his eyelids, stared at the pebbles on the ground, gave the gravel a slight kick, and chuckled, "Respect is something kept in one's heart, not something for show. Do you think everyone should be like Author Sang Feiwan, working on their appearance every day and practicing face-saving skill?"

The last sentence sounded mocking no matter how you heard it.

A young man in a casual black suit appeared in the cemetery at some point. He happened to hear Jiang Weimian's words and paused briefly before smiling and strolling towards him. He placed a bundle of white roses, wrapped in white lace, on Rong Xuan's grave. After completing these actions, he turned to Jiang Weimian and smiled at him.

"Teacher Jiang, I personally agree with you very much, but sometimes face-saving skill is also a kind of knowledge, which is better than some people not even willing to save face, right?"

This newcomer was Sang Feiwan, who was currently making a name for himself in the author's circle. Although not known for his exceptional writing, readers adored him for his extraordinarily handsome face that can make his own debut.

A writer without strong skills who gained fame because of his looks was somewhat looked down upon by many authors, including Jiang Weimian. He believed that people like Sang Feiwan were a disgrace to the author's circle, second only to a certain notorious writer known for churning out low-quality novels and dog-blooded shit writings. In a writer's circle filled with handsome individuals, why was it that only Sang Feiwan capitalized on his looks? Why didn't he promote his own looks?

(TL: Is he talking about Shen Liang? LOL)

Jiang Weimian replied, "I advise you not to talk to me."

Sang Feiwan adjusted his cufflinks, his slender hands with distinct knuckles moving gracefully. His lips were even redder than usual, and there is always a lingering lust in his eyes, seducing people all the time, a quality that was difficult to ignore. It was rumored that Sang Feiwan used to write erotic books; whether that was true or not was uncertain.

Sang Feiwan appeared to be puzzled when he heard Jiang Weimian's words. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Editor Lin to hear, "Teacher Jiang, why can't I talk to you?"

Jiang Weimian coldly responded, "Because I want to hit someone."

When Jiang Weimian didn't get enough sleep, his mood was quite bad.

Sang Feiwan paused briefly upon hearing Jiang Weimian's response, and then smiled slightly. He walked over to him, his voice was deliberate, and asked, "Teacher Jiang, have I offended you? Why do you want to hit me?"

Wow, the best green tea in the author's circle, second to no one.

Editor Lin was most annoyed when the authors under his care argued with each other, especially when Jiang Weimian, who was a difficult character, was involved. He exclaimed in frustration, "Jiang Weimian! How many times have I told you all that you're authors from the same company? You should unite, be friendly, and help each other, not quarrel all the time and make a laughingstock out of yourselves!"

Sang Feiwan raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking with a mysterious tone, "Editor, it's alright. Jiang might have been joking with us and spoke in haste. It's fine for me…"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Weimian's face turned black instantly. He couldn't understand why Rong Xuan had been taken away by fate. If someone had to be taken, it should have been Sang Feiwan, the walking green tea bitch. He was the cancer of the author's circle.

He saw that it was getting late and decided to leave the cemetery. He didn't want to stay any longer, as he feared he might not be able to resist the urge to punch someone, including the editor.

Editor Lin, standing there, was frustrated, and he stomped his feet. "Look at him, look at him! What kind of attitude is that?"

Sang Feiwan patiently consoled him, "Editor, don't get angry; your health is more important. By the way, I've finished the last manuscript. When should I submit it to you?"

Editor Lin's body stiffened upon hearing this, then he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and chuckled awkwardly. "Feiwan, let's make a few more revisions... I've said it many times; the content needs to be positive and in line with the core socialist values—strong, democratic, civilized, and harmonious. Take your time and don't rush to submit your work. Good articles need polishing."

For the love of God, don't keep writing pornographic content that won't pass the review, okay?

With great difficulty, he held back the last sentence and smiled even more awkwardly.

On the other side, Jiang Weimian had already driven back home. His sleep disorder was worsening, with fewer than four hours a day of wakefulness. It could be viewed as a medical mystery, and in its advanced stages, it could lead to memory loss, long periods of unconsciousness, which is no different from being dead.

Jiang Weimian's current condition wasn't great. After returning home, he washed his face with cold water, took two pills, and sat in front of his computer to start writing.

The book "Crime Scene No. 13" still had some unresolved plot elements, but Jiang Weimian's memory was so hazy that he was almost forgetting the logical connections in the story. He didn't have the time to revisit the previous hundreds of thousands of words to review the plot. He had to wrap up the story while he was still awake; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to finish it even if he worked in his sleep.

As time passed by, Jiang Weimian's eyelids grew heavier, and his typing speed gradually slowed down. By the end, he couldn't even remember what he had written. He summoned the last ounce of energy to finish the story, clicked "Send," and forwarded the document to the editor.

[Message sent successfully!]

As these words appeared on the computer screen, Jiang Weimian relaxed all over and finally fell asleep at his desk. But he didn't notice that a shining diamond had appeared behind him.

Jiang Weimian's life was coming to an end. If he fell asleep now, he would never wake up again...

The system radiated a bright white light, slowly covering Jiang Weimian's still-warm body. Among the few completed works in his life, the system searched for keywords like "tragic villain" and selected "Crime Scene No. 13."

【Initiating binding…】

【Binding successful...】

【Entering the world of the book...】

【Entered...】

Jiang Weimian felt like he had just had a long and dark dream. When he woke up again, he felt a stabbing pain in his back, as if he were lying on the ground with sharp stones. He instinctively furrowed his brows and sat up from the ground. He realized that he was in a dark alley corner. Across from him, three figures stood in the shadows, whispering to each other.

"He... He's awake…"

"Being awake doesn't help. Damn, it's obvious he's a newbie who just arrived, stuck in this alley like the rest of us..."

"But he's so handsome..."

There were three people on the other side of the alley.

There were three people standing opposite.

A nerd wearing a high school uniform, a black backpack, and black-rimmed glasses.

A bald man with strong muscles and tattoos all over his arms.

A pure girl wearing a plaid skirt and having a bob haircut.

Jiang Weimian saw them and felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before. He subconsciously looked around, trying to find a place where he might have met them.

He noticed another man in the deepest part of the shadow at the alley's entrance. The man's face was mostly hidden, and he was sitting with one leg bent, a mysterious and alluring posture.

Jiang Weimian's eyes traveled up, and as the shadow receded, it revealed a provocative and seductive face with narrowed eyes and a slight smirk. He looked like a...

Rogue.

The man whistled provocatively, appearing to be interested in Jiang Weimian. "Not bad. Among the newcomers who've arrived, you're the only one who's barely passable."

Jiang Weimian subtly frowned. He despised people with such a flirty demeanor. He had thought that Sang Feiwan was already an eccentric character, but this man was on a whole new level.

But this was not the time to dwell on that. Jiang Weimian felt that there was something strangely familiar about the environment, as well as the four diverse individuals in front of him. However, his memory was so jumbled that he couldn't recall where he had seen them before.

Seeing a street lamp outside the alley, he subconsciously took a half step to go outside, but the girl in the plaid skirt interrupted him. "Hey..."

She kindly warned him, "Don't go outside. There's a barrier at the entrance of the alley, and we can't get out. Though we can see the people outside, they can't see us."

Jiang Weimian's mind suddenly flashed with something. He was amazed and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you all here?"

The bald man remained silent, and the male high school student bowed his head, also staying silent. Only the girl replied, "We were all ordinary people, but one day, when passing through the alley at No. 13 Huahai Road, we suddenly received a rose from a stranger, and then we were inexplicably trapped in this alley. We can't leave, and all our electronic devices have failed. It's been nearly 24 hours."

She frowned and stamped her foot in frustration.

The man who had whistled earlier looked at Jiang Weimian with a smile that seemed to hide deeper intentions. He only said a short and cryptic sentence, "This is a game. Those who are selected can only leave this place if they successfully clear it. Otherwise..."

Otherwise what?

He didn't finish his sentence, but it couldn't be anything good.

With the situation now, if Jiang Weimian couldn't react in time, he'd be a complete fool.

No. 13 Huahai Road? A rose? A survival game?

Wasn't that the plot of the novel he just completed? How could he inexplicably travel into a novel?

【Congratulations on successfully binding to the Tragic Villain Rescue System! Little King Kong diligently serves you.】

As soon as Jiang Weimian's thoughts came up, he heard a heavy, mechanized electronic sound in his ears. Then, a large transparent diamond appeared before his eyes, radiating bright light that could blind anyone, as it reported a series of information:

【Author Name: Jiang Weimian

Cause of Death: Hypersomnia

Works: "Unlawful Guilt," "Crime Scene No. 13," etc.

Mission Objective: Save the four villains from "Crime Scene No. 13" – Shen Zuixing, Wang Dabiao, He Man, and Qian Duoduo.

Mission Success Reward: One chance to respawn.

Mission Failure: Obliterate.】

Jiang Weimian: "???"

Jiang Weimian had been somewhat drowsy, but this shocking message had instantly jolted him awake. He stared at the system in stunned silence, wondering if he had just hallucinated. Finally, he asked in a dazed tone, "What villains? What Saving System?" 

The system replied in a grave tone:【I'm sorry, but due to the special circumstances of the novel 'Crime Scene No. 13,' which features four tragic villains, your mission is relatively challenging compared to other hosts. Under normal circumstances, you would need to clear the blackening values of these four antagonists to complete the mission. However, given the current situation, you only need to successfully get them out of this game alive, and the system will automatically recognize the mission as completed.】

The system spoke quietly, flying to Jiang Weimian's ear and whispering,【Shh, this system is bending the rules, don't tell anyone.】

Jiang Weimian felt like his brain was starting to smoke. There was a saying, wasn't there? 'You don't know the value of a book until it's used.'

He could hardly believe that he had ended up inside a novel he had just written, especially since he couldn't recall the plot, let alone the four villain in front of him.

#Serves me right#

Jiang Weimian's temples were throbbing. He covered his head with his hands and remained silent, crouching on the ground for quite some time.

Plaid-skirted girl, He Man, looked at Jiang Weimian with pity and said, "You should try to accept it. Don't be sad. I understand your situation. Even though we can't leave right now, if we think of a way, we'll be able to escape this place."

Jiang Weimian suddenly looked at her and asked, "What's your name?"

She hesitated for a moment and then replied, "I'm He Man."

She then pointed to the bald man who looked like he just came out of prison. "He's Wang Dabiao. And the male student with glasses is Qian Duoduo. As for him..."

He Man looked towards the man in the corner but hesitated to speak.

The man adjusted his posture in the shadows and calmly said, "Shen Zuixing."

Without a doubt, these four were the villains selected by the system. Despite the fact that, except for the intimidating bald man, the other three didn't appear to be bad people, Jiang Weimian couldn't fathom why they were chosen as villains.

Jiang Weimian remained silent, rubbing his face, slowly starting to accept his new reality. He kept staring at the large diamond that kept hovering in front of him, half-believing, half-doubting. Finally, he asked, "Are you sure that after completing the mission, I can be reborn?"

The system tried to tempt him, saying,【You not only get a chance at rebirth, but your hypersomnia will also be cured.】

This was quite a tempting offer for Jiang Weimian.

The alley was eerily quiet, with no one speaking, and it was shrouded in a dead silence. Qian Duoduo, the high school student, rubbed his stomach, sighed, and whispered, "I'm so hungry. Aren't we going to starve here to death?"

"Won't."

Jiang Weimian, who had been quiet until then, suddenly spoke. He rolled up his right sleeve and revealed a pattern similar to a phone battery charging indicator on his arm.

Jiang Weimian explained, "You can think of it as us becoming virtual data within the game. We don't need to eat, drink, or do anything to survive here. The only way to maintain our lives is through the initial electricity provided by the game."

He and the others all had the same pattern on their arms. This left the four of them astounded. Shen Zuixing, who had stayed silent until then, unknowingly covered his right hand and didn't roll up his sleeve. After a while, he slowly lowered his fingers and stared at Jiang Weimian with a puzzled expression.

Jiang Weimian couldn't remember the exact plot, but he still remembered the game's rules. He frowned and said, "I just entered the game, so my initial electricity is four bars. You've been here for 24 hours, so you have three bars. Shen Zuixing is injured, so his battery should be the lowest among us."

Wang Dabiao exclaimed, "Damn grandma! Does that mean we'll die if we run out of battery?!"

Shen Zuixing, while clutching his stomach, leaned against the wall lazily and smiled, "Hey, are you a seasoned player in this game?"

Jiang Weimian glanced at him without confirming or denying it, asking, "And what about you?"

Shen Zuixing, with his hand tightly against his stomach, leaned back against the wall and said, "It's my first time here. I progressed a bit faster than them, but in the second stage, my player badge was stolen by another gamer, so I had to return to the beginner stage."

The others didn't understand the conversation between Jiang Weimian and Shen Zuixing, and Qian Duoduo, adjusting his glasses, raised his hand to ask, "Um, what's a player badge?"

Jiang Weimian explained, "It's like a medal, and only those who pass the beginner stage have it. This badge is crucial because it keeps a record of how many times you've cleared the game. If you get it stolen by another player, your progress is reset, and you go back to the beginner stage."

As he examined his own battery indicator, he continued, "We can only stay in this alley for a maximum of four days. After four days, if our electricity is depleted, we will be immediately eliminated by the game. To stay alive, we have to participate in the game. Each time we clear a stage, we gain one bar of battery, until we successfully complete the entire game."

He Man asked hesitantly, "So... how do we participate in the game? There are only a few of us here in the alley, and no game customer service or anything."

Jiang Weimian knocked on the wall to the right without saying a word, and the others realized there were eight red handprints on the wall. "This game requires a team of at least five people and up to eight people. During the new player stage, if there is any accidental death of a team member, the game will immediately consider it a failure, and you have to start over."

After explaining, Jiang Weimian looked at each of them one by one, finally fixing his gaze on Shen Zuixing. Shen Zuixing responded with a sly smile, whistling at him.

Really a rogue.

Jiang Weimian then averted his gaze. "We have exactly five people, which is enough to form a team. Once the team is set, it can't be changed. Of course, you can continue waiting for new players to arrive here as long as your battery can support it."

He was seeking their opinions.

He Man glanced at Wang Dabiao, then walked over to Jiang Weimian and said, "I have no objections, we should form a team. Staying here longer is just as deadly, and who knows when new players will arrive."

Wang Dabiao directly grabbed Qian Duoduo's collar and dragged him to the wall like a little chick. "Both of us have no objections."

Shen Zuixing shrugged and also expressed no objections.

Team formation was complete. As the five of them placed their right hands on the pattern on the wall, a beam of light suddenly lit up, and a screen appeared before their eyes:

[Confirm team formation?]

Jiang Weimian clicked "confirm."

The screen then displayed another message: 

[Enter a Team Name]

Jiang Weimian remained silent for a moment. He turned to Shen Zuixing, and his face looked particularly deep in the dim light. "What should the team name be?"

Shen Zuixing raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me?"

Jiang Weimian responded, "Haven't you ever formed a team before?"

Shen Zuixing replied nonchalantly, "I've formed a team, but all my team members died."

This statement sent shivers down the others' spines.

Jiang Weimian wasn't too keen on coming up with a name. "What was your team's name back then?"

Shen Zuixing half-seriously, half-jokingly said, "Five idiots."

All right.

Surprisingly, Jiang Weimian actually agreed to it. The others didn't have time to stop him. He quickly typed the name on the screen, and a game notification sound rang in his ears:

[Ding! Team formation completed]

[Team Name: Four Idiots]

[Prepare to start the game, entering the beginner stage…]

Shen Zuixing looked puzzled and asked, "Hey, why is it only Four Idiots?"

Jiang Weimian didn't even raise an eyelid and yawned lazily, "I'm not an idiot."

As soon as he said that, a burst of light appeared, and the five of them vanished in an instant. Jiang Weimian was hit by the intense light, unable to open his eyes. He felt like he was on a roller coaster, with his whole body jolting around, and finally, with a thud, he fell from a great height.

"Damn!"

Jiang Weimian fell in a chaotic manner. He couldn't help but curse. He slowly opened his eyes and focused his gaze to observe his surroundings. He realized he was lying in front of a closed convenience store.

It was a cold night, and the street was desolate.

Jiang Weimian got up from the ground with some difficulty. He was confused about where the others had gone. Suddenly, a weak voice came from behind him, "Hey, you there, aren't you going to help me up?"

Jiang Weimian turned around to find Shen Zuixing lying just a short distance away from him. Shen Zuixing looked pale and was clearly not in great shape.

Jiang Weimian hesitated for a moment but eventually walked over and helped him up. He said coldly, "Jiang Weimian."

Shen Zuixing didn't understand. "Huh?"

Jiang Weimian replied, "My full name."

Shen Zuixing used Jiang Weimian's assistance to stand up from the ground. He let his slightly cool fingertips brush over Jiang Weimian's palm as he smiled slowly and asked in a teasing tone, "Oh, your full name. What's your nickname?"

Jiang Weimian's nickname was "Mianmian" which means sleepy.

Jiang Weimian didn't entertain him and said, "What about the others?"

Shen Zuixing pointed to a nearby trash can and lifted his chin. "There."

Wang Dabiao and He Man had some bad luck and, for some reason, ended up in the trash can. They finally climbed out and looked around. Jiang Weimian then asked, "What is the task?"

As soon as He Man asked, a huge screen appeared in front of them, displaying a text:

[On the evening of June 18th at 10 PM, a female high school student on her way home was murdered at the entrance of alleyway No. 13 on Huahai Road. She was stabbed multiple times, her hands and feet were tied, and she had been sexually assaulted before her death. It is reported that the girl lived nearby and had an argument with her mother because she came home late from school. She ran away from home out of anger and ran into a gangster. She was dragged to an alley and there, the crime scene happened. She was under 17 years old.]

Everyone was stunned for a moment when they heard this, but then another picture popped up on the electronic light screen. It was a black silhouette of a man leaning on a telephone pole smoking, and his face could not be seen clearly.

[This is an information about the murderer]

The game prompt sounded coldly in everyone's ears:

[You are at the scene of a crime, please use the above tips to catch the murderer.]

[Time limit: 2 hours]

The translator has something to say:

This is it! A new arc has began!!!!