Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 29, Section 29: The Dark Figure

"The sixth death."

"There is a safe zone on the right platform. Once you leave this safe zone, you will be instantly killed without warning. However, I have figured out the mechanism of this safe zone."

in the game.

On his seventh time entering the game, Shinichi Higashiyama, carrying flowers, stood at the edge of the safe zone paved with death and trial and error, and stopped.

A strange smell with a faint fishy stench wafted past the tip of his nose, as if licking Higashiyama Shin, but he dared not take a step over it.

The reason for bringing flowers is that experiments have shown that carrying flowers can extend one's life by two seconds, preventing immediate death.

The key to this fan-shaped security zone lies in... Higashiyama Shin looked back at the surveillance camera on the wall, which was lit up with a red light.

That's right, the spirit that killed him was afraid of being monitored.

Therefore, the best approach is to find areas where surveillance cameras overlap, ensuring that you are always under surveillance.

The Tokyo Metro's surveillance coverage density is not high, mainly concentrated inside the carriages, platforms, and turnstiles, with relatively few surveillance cameras in passageways.

He is currently on the platform, where there is a wide-angle camera every 20 meters, so there must be overlapping surveillance areas.

Higashiyama Shin looked up for a while and quickly found another camera, but it didn't cover the stairs on this side.

After estimating his position, he took a step forward.

The stench seemed to intensify slightly for a moment, but then quickly disappeared into the air on the platform.

Dongshan Shen remained expressionless and continued walking forward, holding the flowers, constantly keeping an eye on the surveillance location to ensure that he remained within the surveillance range.

After walking past several surveillance cameras in this way, he finally saw the red iron cabinet that he had missed so much.

The problem is that the surveillance camera that should have covered the fire cabinet fell to the ground and shattered.

"It's not that simple after all."

Higashiyama Shin continued to observe his surroundings and quickly found another surveillance camera, which led him to another path.
Thirty minutes later.

Shinichi Higashiyama, who had died again, opened his eyes in bed.

A strong visual distortion followed the death of his character and even affected his physical body, but it was quickly suppressed by his powerful physique, and he returned to calm.

He glanced at the digital clock next to the bedside table.

12:19
The room lights had been off when he last entered the game, and Ueda Yoshi had already returned to the Soul-Gathering Umbrella to rest.

The room was pitch black and silent, with only a few rays of moonlight filtering in through the window, illuminating the Soul-Gathering Umbrella hanging behind the chair, which helped replenish the umbrella's spiritual energy.

He is now clearly exhausted, and he will probably have to wait until he wakes up before he can try the remaining few times.

But at least this time he saw other beings.

The platform on the right was not a static, modern decoration, but rather seemed to extend infinitely. The further you walked along the surveillance cameras, the more it felt like traveling through a time corridor. Everything around you, including the trains that were parked, would slowly become ancient. There were many branching paths and surveillance cameras along the way, but he kept walking along the main path.

As he went deeper, he could slowly see some dark figures standing on the platform near the train. They were just pure black silhouettes, but if you focused your attention, they would disappear, as if it were an illusion.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that they were of varying heights, hunched over, carrying briefcases as they stood on the platform. They seemed no different from ordinary people, showing no aggression whatsoever, as if they were waiting for the train to go home.

Like millions of other office workers.

The deeper you go, the stronger the stench becomes, accompanied by an unsettling rattling sound.

Finally, the lights almost completely disappeared, and a simple stone tablet stood quietly at the end. It was quite far away and very dark. Even with a mobile phone camera zoomed in, the words on it were not clear. Because there were no surveillance cameras, he had no way to get close.

Then, just as he was about to retrace his steps and explore the fork in the road—with a crash, the monitor above him fell to the ground. Instantly, the cracking sound that had been ringing in his ears intensified, followed by a chilling sensation identical to before, and an added illusion as if something had been swallowed.

The presence of the flowers made him run a few more steps, and then they withered and died at a visible speed, falling onto the wet and cold ground along with his life.

"Individual players' abilities are ultimately limited." Higashiyama Shin sighed softly, gazing at the moonlight outside the window.

Although he was a transmigrator, he wasn't exactly a big shot in his previous life. He was just an ordinary person from a small town who excelled at exams and enjoyed tinkering with food in his spare time. He played a lot of games, but occasionally he still needed to consult walkthroughs to achieve all the achievements.

In addition, inviting players brings positive rewards, which is equivalent to making others work hard for him. This is even more unscrupulous than a black-hearted boss and is a clear violation of labor laws. All he needs to do is squeeze a little bit out of the profits that they work so hard to earn for him.

Why not do it.

He clicked the "Invite Players" button again, and following the instructions, selected items from the shop to set rewards for the invited players, encouraging them to play the game well and make the most of their skills.

[Please set the invitation text] (Note that invited players have the right to refuse the invitation, but once they accept the invitation, they no longer have the right to cancel their player's qualification. Only you can cancel their qualification.)
After careful consideration, Dongshan decided that the text should ideally achieve these three points.

First, do not reveal his existence.

Second, maintain a certain degree of mystery and avoid appearing overly eager to curry favor.

Third, make the invitees feel special.

He quickly edited the invitation text.

"Then, I invite you."

[Refreshing nearby players for you. Please wait.]

[Refresh successful!]

Currently, the maximum number of new players that can be invited in the game "Subway" is 3.

[Remaining refresh attempts: 2/3]

List:
Kosuke Iwasaki (Talented Type): 83 points

Rei Mizuno (Cautious Type): 66 points

Takashi Otomo (Hamster type): 60 points

Is this still a choice?

Shinichi Higashiyama was the first to send an invitation, and then refreshed the second round.

[Remaining refresh attempts: 1/3]

[Nanjo Kazuyuki (Normal Type): 68 points]

Mizuki Kawasaki (Seeker): 61 points

Mezuki Ito (self-entertainment type): 60 points

Dongshan Shen frowned as he looked at the scores. What kind of rubbish were these?
How come there isn't a single player with a score above 80?
Now, Shinichi Higashiyama has two choices: either go all in on the last round of refreshes, or choose the best among the worst.

But don't forget, players have the right to refuse.

If no one is chosen in this round, then if two players refuse in the next round, it means that one spot will be vacant.

Kosuke Iwasaki accepted the invitation.

"The quality of players is more important. If they are not talented, then inviting more players is just a waste of their lives, my quota, and rewards. They won't even get the extra points. It's completely unnecessary. So, players should be of high quality rather than many."

This is not a gambler's mentality, but a rational analysis.

At least one player with a score of 80 or higher has joined, which is a safety net.

Shinichi Higashiyama knew very well that this game was extremely demanding for ordinary people. If it were given to players who had little gaming experience and couldn't keep up with the game's mechanics, it would only cause them to waste their lifespan.

If they are afraid and don't play, it's the same as wasting a spot, which is no different from getting a bye.

Decided.

Higashiyama Shin pressed refresh.

(End of this chapter)