By the time Eric returned to the office, it was already past six. The task had stretched interminably long—so much so that the other players presumed her dead.
"Eric, you constantly astonish us. Each time we think you've perished, you reappear," remarked one player.
Eric forced a wry smile but remained silent.
The dining cart was laden with boxed meals—another player had evidently received the task of ordering from the cafeteria today. She casually grabbed one and returned to her workstation. Before she could sit, a player inquired about her mission.
"We'll discuss it later at the symposium. Have the others returned? Why are so few here?" Eric asked, peeling open her meal.
Only six occupants remained in the office.
"No idea—they must be out on their assignments. Who knows how many will survive tonight's symposium? This dungeon is merciless: seven tasks over seven days. Who could withstand that?"
"And don't forget—the seventh night culminates in an award for 'Best Employee.' Those lucky enough to complete all seven tasks may safely endure the evening; the ill-fated face a final, harrowing trial. That's true misery."
Voices rose in shared lament as they dined, lamenting the arduous challenge.
After finishing, Eric sought to rest while time allowed.
By ten o'clock, players gradually trickled back. Those absent were surely among the dead.
"Another loss this afternoon. Anyone catch the name?"
"Janet, I believe—seems she was a young woman."
"Janet's task was… I think cleaning the water tower on the rooftop?"
The group ascended to the rooftop together but found no trace of Janet's corpse. All eyes turned instinctively toward the water tank.
One player swallowed hard. "I… I just filled a water bottle in the pantry… ugh—"
"Ugh… don't scare yourself. Let's see."
Scott climbed the tower, lifted the lid, then swiftly descended with heavy news: "She's inside."
Several gagged in horror; Eric's complexion paled—she had filled water there moments ago but hadn't drunk any.
Janet remained etched in her memory; around Eric's age, yet now lying lifeless inside the tank. Unlike other fallen players, Janet's body was intact, complete even—but what use was that? Death is death.
A nagging question haunted Eric—did the game envelop their physical bodies or their souls?
Whether body or spirit, did death within the game return them to reality? If bodies burned to ashes, souls reincarnated anew, were players granted such mercy?
Or were they trapped within the game?
She forbade herself such thoughts, wary that dread would paralyze her, blinding her resolve.
"Let's proceed—the symposium continues," Justin decided.
During Eric's account of her task, Justin queried, "Did the crates differ in weight?"
"No, they were all identical," Eric replied, shaking her head.
"In that case, it's truly a matter of luck. Yours has been quite remarkable," sneered another player, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Eric chose to disregard him.
Shortly after the symposium, Katherine and another player departed to tackle their respective missions. Two others skipped the meeting; their tasks lay outside the building and required early departure.
Katherine's task was to retrieve a lost USB drive from the conference room.
Nicholas was assigned to clean the archives on the seventeenth floor.
Some players elected to follow Katherine; others trailed Nicholas. Eric first waited at the nearest conference room. Ten minutes passed, but Katherine did not emerge, so she ascended to await Nicholas upstairs.
"There she is! Katherine's out!"
At twelve twenty-one, Nicholas remained absent as Katherine finally appeared.
Eric returned to the thirteenth floor; Katherine looked pale but otherwise well.
She unusually took the initiative. "Have the others returned?"
Eric shook her head. "No signs from the conference room; even if the other two completed their tasks, it takes time to return from outside."
Katherine nodded. "I'll rest awhile and then brief you on the mission."
"Well said, Katherine! Here, have some water—I picked this up from the vending machine."
Some players glanced at Eric, evidently recalling her luck-based explanation from yesterday's task, which failed to convince. Eric feigned ignorance; she could not reveal her secrets nor invent tales that might mislead others. Suspicion of concealment was natural. She neither aided nor harmed others and cared little for their displeasure.
After resting, Katherine prepared to share her experience. Nicholas, however, remained unaccounted for. A player stationed outside the archives pushed in to investigate, finding nothing but a puddle of dirty water, a broken mop, and tattered rags—the archives were deserted; Nicholas had vanished.
Without waiting for the others, Katherine recounted the details of her task along with her strategy.
It turned out that upon entering the conference room, she swiftly located the USB drive on the computer. The moment she withdrew it, the large screen automatically began playing the meeting content. Experienced as she was, Katherine immediately attempted to disable the computer to interrupt the projection. Yet, despite her damage, the screen continued to broadcast relentlessly.
"I realized I had erred—I should have destroyed the screen itself. That was my blind spot. The task instructed me to find the USB, so my attention was fixated on the computer. I hesitated for a moment, and the apparition emerged from the screen. I hurled a chair at it, damaging only a corner of the display, but it still got out. I fled, noticing it sought the USB drive. Earlier that day, I'd purchased several USB drives and discarded them to confuse its vision. Seizing the opportunity, I reinserted the USB into the computer and opened it. Chanting filled the room; upon hearing these prayers, the spirit retreated into the screen. The conference room door opened—mission accomplished."
Eric listened with eyes alight in admiration.
Katherine's every move was fluid—her thought process, emotions, adaptability—a true idol for Eric.
Had it been her, she might have guessed to destroy the screen, but the notion of reinserting the USB had never occurred to her. After all, the task was to retrieve the USB; she had pulled it from the computer with a ghost pursuing it. Naturally, she would have stowed it safely in the supermarket, unwilling to remove it again.
This was the drawback of relying on the supermarket aid. Though Eric recognized the peril in overdependence, it was her most trusted refuge in crises. Having once hidden chicken wings there during the Glass Skywalk dungeon, she was convinced that she would, faced with Katherine's predicament, hide the USB within the supermarket.
Once concealed, it would not be retrieved lightly.
Katherine's successful approach illuminated myriad insights for Eric, plunging her into thoughtful reflection.
"Chanting affects the ghost? The dungeon is vast—could we seek out a true master?" Eric inquired.
"No chance," Katherine replied, eyeing her. "Unless the mission specifically calls for it, I've never witnessed spirit masters, talismans, or magical implements work in these supernatural dungeons—they're useless."
This was a realm unknown to Eric, and she expressed her gratitude to Katherine.
Subsequently, the other three players assigned the midnight task failed to reappear.
As the players discussed Katherine's mission case, they gradually drifted to sleep, only to be roused at five twenty in the morning.
"Task cards have been distributed!"
"Damn! Nearly got caught off guard. Good thing we persisted with night watch; otherwise, we'd be done for!"
"My task? Fix the computer in the conference room at five thirty. Damn, what kind of IT technician arrives that early?!"
The player assigned to repair the computer stamped off, grumbling. Eric's head spun—she could handle a midnight task but had no skill to fix computers.
Her own assignment lay outside the building: volunteer at the Huangquan Road intersection at one p.m.
It was evidently a corporate collaboration with municipal activities, something she had seen while still alive.
A crossroads—the very name exuded menace.
At noon, the traffic was heavy and the pedestrian throng thick. Eric found the volunteer station beneath a sunshade, identified herself, and received a red vest.
"You're on the one o'clock shift. Others will arrive at three. The work's simple: pick up trash by the roadside; maintaining the city's image is important. If you see anyone discard cigarette butts, give them a word of advice. Trash bins are located over there… When the light turns green, help elderly pedestrians who cross slowly."
The instructions were meticulous, delineating her responsibilities in detail. Eric paid close attention.
After briefing her, the coordinator demonstrated by assisting a group of elementary students crossing the street.
Eric's pupils trembled—did she really see what she thought she did?
Among that group was a familiar face: Julie!
This Julie appeared younger, barely in fourth grade judging by her nametag.
Innocent and joyous, she happily passed Eric by with her classmates.
This dungeon, and the elementary school graduation trip dungeon she had previously encountered, shared an NPC present at different points in time.
She had long suspected connections among the myriad dungeons—but to witness such proof was striking. She committed this to memory, imagining it might someday offer a lifeline.
If she survived this task, she vowed to investigate Huangquan Road Elementary. The presence of Julie guaranteed its existence; perhaps even rumors of the terrifying amusement park from the graduation trip dungeon might surface.
At one p.m., the task commenced.
Eric began her duty.
All went smoothly until the red light illuminated. An elderly pedestrian forged ahead heedless of the signal—Eric, nearby, hurried to stop her.
Her hand brushed icy cold flesh, causing a shiver of alarm—it was as cold as ice!
Despite her dread, action outpaced thought as Eric yanked the woman back. A car whooshed past, scattering the woman's hair.
"Th-thank you, dear," the woman said, turning to reveal a thoroughly normal visage. Eric forced a smile, suppressing the lingering chill, fulfilling her volunteer duties: "Please wait. The red light means stop; you'll cross when it turns green. Twenty-one seconds left."
"Oh! My mistake! Sorry, dear."
When the green light glowed, Eric helped the woman cross and watched her safely depart.