Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 60, Section 59: Ranking Changes

"Currently arriving at Tsukiji Station. This train is bound for Nakameguro."

In the morning, wearing a sun hat and changing into casual clothes that he rarely wears, Nobita arrived at this station that he had never been to in reality.

Upon landing and seeing the familiar platform, memories of death and fear began to flood his mind, causing his face to turn deathly pale and making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Fortunately, the murky air brought by the constant flow of people saved him.

To help him quickly shake off the lingering effects of the game, he walked stiffly off the stopped train like a robot.

"Let's first take a stroll along the Hibiya Line, especially Hibiya Station. Then go to Yumenoshima to see that monument."

Nobita's schedule for today was planned.

He's currently stuck in the maze at Hibiya Station, which isn't really his forte. If he wastes too many lives here, he's afraid he won't make it to the end.

The game's mechanism of deducting lifespan upon death is like a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads. No one knows if, after dying in the game, their real-life lifespan will also come to an end, leading to their simultaneous death and complete demise.

That's why he came to several places related to games, trying to find some inspiration to beat the game.

Since I have an unexpected day off today, and playing games every day is limited by my mental energy, I might as well think of ways to help myself outside the game and help myself die less often in the game.

"Since we're already here, let's check out the off-site market while we're at it."

With this in mind, he walked out of the subway station and tried to find the commemorative plaque he had searched for online in the off-site market.

The search results still show that the sign is still there, but there is very little relevant information, and hardly anyone pays attention to it.

His original intention was to pretend to be passing by and take a look, but he saw Asano Hiroshi, the senior from the video game club, at the location of the nameplate.

Could it be that Asano-senpai is also a player?!
The moment this thought arose, it was quickly knocked away and replaced by another thought.

Perhaps Asano-senpai was simply intrigued by the mystery he had mentioned when he asked for help, and had become quite interested in it.

"Asano-senpai?"

Nobita thought for a moment, then took the initiative to greet him.

Hearing the sound, Asano turned his gaze and saw Nobi dressed somewhat deliberately. His eyes flashed with thought before he gave a faint smile.

"Is Nobi here looking for inspiration?"

"Yeah, the game is too hard. I was thinking of checking out the real-world locations to see if I could find any new clues." Nobita said a little embarrassedly, "Did Asano-senpai come here because of the riddle I asked earlier?"

Asano did not deny it and nodded: "I am very interested in your game's puzzle-solving method. It is difficult for me to find video games that contain elements of real-world puzzle-solving these days, and they are related to our history. It is rare that they are not just about deciphering deliberate encryption codes."

"Unfortunately, I couldn't find a similar game after I went back that day."

He seemed to be simply interested in the game puzzles that Nobita mentioned.

"Oh, I see. By the way, senpai, I've run into another problem in that game. Are you good at solving mazes?" Seeing Asano's response, Nobita simply continued to seek his help.

"A maze?" Asano said thoughtfully. "My house is nearby, and I'm all alone today. If you don't mind, you can come to my house and we can discuss it together."

"Uh, am I not bothering you?"

"do not bother."

"Then, thank you for your trouble, senior!"

The two left the signboard while talking, unaware that a woman dressed as an office worker was wandering around several nearby stalls, watching them out of the corner of her eye.

"Could these be the other two players?"

"No, they all look like students, while the other one clearly greeted someone he knew."

"So the one with a player identity should be the man who was standing at the nameplate from the beginning!"

As for the other one, he was his classmate; they just greeted each other when they bumped into each other.

“That makes sense.” Uesugi Hitomi (salaryman version) sensed a hint of danger.

If she can discover the other person in this way, it also means that the other person can discover her in the same way.

In cases like the "mystery game," if one of the players is caught by the police and exposed, the area with clues related to the game will likely be immediately placed under surveillance and traced back further.

After all, the rewards in this game are precious medicines that increase lifespan and reshape the body, which cannot be bought no matter how much money is spent.

Although the price is that you have to sacrifice your lifespan to complete the game.

Even if the effects have not yet been verified, its mystery will inevitably attract a lot of attention, and once confirmed, it will definitely drive politicians and tycoons crazy.

If there is hope for increasing lifespan, is there also the possibility of achieving immortality?
Once the official system intervenes, she risks being exposed.

"I should have just stayed home. Anyway, the clues found by the locally deployed AI wouldn't be too bad."

Uesugi began to regret his decision.

The reason she suddenly decided to come and investigate today is because she discovered that the list has changed.

[Ranking List (Subway):]

1. Hao

2. Wisdom

March】

She actually came in last place!

No way! She clearly felt she was progressing very quickly in the game, and in order to finish the game faster, she didn't even search every place, especially the maze. It's impossible for just anyone to have her talent.

That only means that the ranking is not based on speed.

Rather, it might be related to things like collecting everything.

She rarely pays attention to the storyline when playing games. She does everything from looting to speedrunning, figuring out the map, and then livestreaming herself playing as a scared rooster crowing.

Make money, not shabby.

She knew that Tsukiji Station was definitely not fully looted, but in order to compete for a higher ranking, she chose the method that seemed to be the fastest way to complete the game.

Unexpectedly, this caused their ranking to fall behind.

That's why, after completing the modeling of Hibiya Station in the game, she input the monster patrol speed range and the conditions for clearing the level into the AI, letting the AI ​​help her solve the puzzles and come here to find the clues she had missed earlier.

"No, I have to go back quickly and get back to my old lifestyle." Uesugi recalled his lifestyle over the past two years.

Food delivery, live streaming, sleeping, watching videos.
Oh, you're a shut-in, never mind then!

Great, then we can just continue with our usual routine. There's absolutely no need to go out, so no one will know that she's also a gamer.

With that in mind, she found a unique shop and ate there as if she had come specifically to savor the food, but she ate a bland meal and went back without even visiting the Dream Island commemorative stone monument that she had arranged to see later.

"It's all up to you now! You must use your abilities to the fullest, you omnipotent AI god!"

PS.
Recently, many readers have indeed raised concerns about the pacing, but it's difficult to speed things up before the game of "Subway" ends. So, during the new book period, I'll switch to the usual three chapters a day. It just so happens that my old book has also ended (with a bad ending).

By the way, I'm asking for your support at the beginning of the month: please read on, vote for monthly tickets, and recommend this book! It's currently in the second round of recommendations, and if it crashes, I'll have to bite the bullet and put it on sale anyway!
Please leave your valuable comments during our quick survey!

1. The content was too superficial; I didn't feel anything while reading it.

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(End of this chapter)