Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

It looks like it's working very well.

Ueda and Muto are both spirit beings, but their strengths are worlds apart.

Without the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, Ueda dared not even expose himself to much sunlight, fearing he would be reduced to ashes. The worst that could affect him in reality was that it might make someone shiver when it passed through a human body, or affect some subtle electrical currents, such as causing lights to flicker.

Muto was not only able to create widespread illusions and block out internal sounds, but he could also manipulate students to make them die as if they had committed suicide.

This may be because Muto's soul merged with the incomplete array of the old school building, causing a mutation that transformed him from an ordinary earthbound spirit into an array spirit.

"Brother, brother, this world is so wonderful now." After spending more than a day with Higashiyama Shin, Ueda Yoshi was no longer so reserved and dared to speak up.

"Yes, it's a good era, but don't jump to conclusions so easily. It's never too late to observe and learn more." Higashiyama Shin remained noncommittal. It's not surprising that someone who came from an era where people couldn't even get enough to eat would have such feelings when they came to a modern world full of abundant resources and dazzling sights.

Ueda Hiroshi nodded as if he understood, but his attention was quickly drawn to Tom the cat sawing a tree with his crotch, and he chuckled.

Dongshan picked up a book, leaned against the headboard, and started reading.

Time passed little by little.

It's eight o'clock.

He closed the book and opened the system interface that only he could see.

[New games updated monthly]

[New player benefits have expired: trophy rewards no longer increase player level; player stamina is depleted upon character death or reaching the official ending.]

[New Game This Month (Small): Subway]

Difficulty: Moderate

[Additional number of supported players: 3]

[Points cap: 500]

The game store now allows purchases of mini-shop items, micro-shop items, and mini-games.

[Would you like to spend 30 points to refresh? Refreshing is not possible after playing.]

Higashiyama Shin didn't rush to start the game. This time, the refresh not only showed the game, but also a lot of other information.

The game is called Subway, and the story takes place in a subway.

Since this game is labeled as "small," was the "Switch" game he played before, which wasn't labeled as such, also a "small" game?

If so, he would have a rough estimate.

If "Soul Swap" is a mini-game, it means that "Subway" is a larger-scale mini-game. It will most likely need to use the player invitation function because after a perfect completion of "Soul Swap", he only has two days of spare time. If there is more content, it will be difficult for him to achieve a perfect completion.

Not to mention that this time we can no longer afford to make endless mistakes, as each attempt will drain our energy.

Points are a minor issue; as seen in the game "Soul Swap," only those who obtain the Platinum Trophy can unlock the most generous rewards.

If he had almost failed to achieve platinum status, given his relatively easygoing nature, he would probably have been heartbroken to the point of being unable to breathe.

Of course, a large game size does not necessarily mean more playtime; Shin Higashiyama was simply making a prediction in advance based on the literal meaning of the words.

The free game refresh feature is rather useless; it only has a name and no game description. However, you can decide whether to refresh based on the difficulty level.

If you encounter a Hell difficulty level, you can try to get through it as appropriate.

And, quite importantly, the game store is open, where you can buy games. This means that if he completes the game quickly, he will have time to play other games and get more rewards even faster.

After processing the information, Higashiyama Shinsuke opened the game store.

[Current store type: Small store]

Most items and abilities redeemed in the game store can be used in both the game and real life.

[Substitute Red Paper Doll: 10 points - negates one instance of normal physical damage]

[Substitute Yellow Paper Doll: 10 points - offsets one instance of regular spirit damage]

[Health Pill: 20 points - Strengthens the body, enhances immunity, and cures a few diseases (ineffective with repeated use)]

[Short Life Pill: 30 points - Extends lifespan by ten years, but does not grant immunity to injuries or illnesses (Player-only)]

[Seven-Star Longevity Pill: 30 points - Extends lifespan by twenty years, but does not provide immunity to injuries and illnesses (multiple uses are ineffective)]

[Reconstruction Pill: 30 points - Heals all diseases and injuries except those involving damage to the soul or near-death experiences.]

[Random Knowledge: 50 points – Who knows what it will be, but it definitely won't be up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B]

There were quite a few items inside, including defensive, healing, and knowledge items, but offensive items were relatively scarce. Moreover, they were cheaper than he had expected; the pill that could extend one's life by twenty years only cost thirty points. Although each person could only use it once, it was clearly not a bad deal. Wasn't there also a player-exclusive short-lived pill?

Suppressing the urge to immediately switch to another game, he looked at the available games for purchase.

[Escape from the Other Shore (Mini) - 50 Points] (Unlocks only this unique reward)

【Heart of Patience (Small) - 250 Points】(Unlocks a unique reward)

【Peach Blossom Village (Special) - 2000 Points】(No rewards for this special game)

Currently, only three games can be purchased, and it seems that the purchased games do not have the same rewards as free games, such as a set of trophies. There is only one reward for completing the game. It is as if the paid games are treated worse than the free games?

Or perhaps the unique reward is quite special, even more generous than a set of rewards?

Why is there no reward for that special game that requires 2,000 points, and what makes it special?

Since there weren't enough clues, he temporarily gave up the pursuit. He left the game store without buying anything, looked at the game icon for "Subway," and clicked to start the game.

Chapter 27: 01:00

A blinding white light flashed, and Higashiyama Shin involuntarily closed his eyes.

In just a moment, the intense white light seemed to disappear, replaced by the normal white light of LEDs.

The light was so familiar that I could sense it even with my eyes closed.

The sounds of cat and mouse that Ueda Hiroshi had been watching were no longer in his ears, but the sound of a train moving along the tracks, and he could smell the cold metallic scent and faint residue of industrial cleaning agents.

He opened his eyes and confirmed that he was on a moving train, with the dark scenery outside the window occasionally interspersed with emergency lights flashing by in his vision.

The scene that came into view was not as dark and bloody as the game thumbnail showed. On the contrary, it was clean and bright, not much different from the Namboku Line subway he usually took. In fact, it seemed to belong to the same Tokyo Metro company.

Subway trains are typically replaced every thirty years or so, which suggests that this game is not from a very recent era.

At least the time between controlling this character won't be too long.

Looking around, he realized he was all alone in the carriage, while the passageways to the other carriages were blocked off, making it impossible to see anything.

I glanced up at the station schedule and realized I was heading from Hatchobori towards Tsukiji.

"This is the Hibiya Line."

The Hibiya Line is a subway line that runs between Nakameguro and Kita-Senju, passing through a very busy area of ​​Tokyo.

He glanced at the reflection in the car window and could vaguely make out that "he" was a man in his twenties, wearing what appeared to be an office worker's suit, with a briefcase, a bouquet of flowers, and a cell phone in his pocket.

The document bag contained several printed and bound proposals, but the details were vague.

The bouquet of flowers was a bunch of pink calla lilies with a card attached. Judging from the message, it was a gift for his wife on their first wedding anniversary.

My phone showed 1 a.m. At this time, the train should have already stopped running, and even if I was asleep, I would have been woken up at the terminal station.

The phone cannot be unlocked with facial recognition; a six-digit password is required.

However, he has no memories of his predecessor, nor any hints, so he doesn't know the password yet.

The lock screen image is a close-up photo of the two people, with their eyes blurred. The notifications show that there are many LINE notifications, the last one from sixteen minutes ago.

Check the signal; none.

That is, the earliest time the signal was disconnected was at 00:44.

I'm not sure if this information will be useful, but I can write it down for now.

"As expected, you can't use your real-world abilities in the game; you can only use the performance of the character you're controlling." He clearly felt the Spirit-Infused Fire Eye's abilities disappear, and even his physical energy suddenly weakened considerably.

This is not surprising, otherwise it would be tantamount to cheating.

However, not all games are like this; some games may directly call upon the player's own data.

As I pondered, a pleasant melody rang out from the loudspeaker, but it seemed so out of place and strange in the empty train where I was all alone.

[We are approaching Tsukiji Station. The exit is on the left. Passengers heading towards Tsukiji Market, please exit through the left door. Please take your valuables with you when you disembark.]

The train slowly pulled into the station, and Tsukiji Station came into view for Shin Higashiyama.

The platform is currently deserted, but unlike the train, it is not clean. You can see a lot of debris and garbage scattered around, and the decorations look particularly old, unlike the era it belongs to. It looks like it has been left unmaintained for more than ten years, but it can still keep running.

The doors slowly opened, and the train stopped at the platform. There was no further movement or announcements, as if this was the final stop and it had no intention of moving forward.

But the strangest thing is that the right-side door of the train was also open, and there was also a platform, which was quite modern, obviously cleaner, and more logical.

So, the first question is, which platform should he get off at?

Judging from his character's background, he is just an ordinary person who took the last bus home today because he was working overtime. He brought the flowers he had ordered and was going to give them to his wife on their first wedding anniversary.

So he had only one goal: to escape this subway station, which was no longer a normal one, and go home.

But it's clear that once you enter this place, it's difficult to leave; certain conditions must be met.

He picked up his briefcase and flowers, which occupied one of his hands—the briefcase in his hand and the flowers between his fingers.

He's unsure if these things are useful, so it's best to keep them for now.

The first time, he decided to follow the announcement and get off at the messy station on the left.

The moment he stepped out of the car, he caught a faint smell of fish, and the car door slammed shut, giving him no chance to back out.

The train didn't leave; it remained quietly parked at the station, but none of the doors were open.

Higashiyama carefully examined the clutter on the ground; it contained almost everything, from briefcases to helmets, from glasses to coats.

It's like a sudden, massive panic event has broken out on a platform or train, and people are running away in a panic, forgetting their belongings in the crowd.

When he thought about the Hibiya Line railway, the first thing that came to mind was the 95 sarin gas attack.

There was nothing around to indicate the date or time, but the decor certainly resembled that era.

"Is this a single-person handheld ground drill? Is it normal for a subway to have something like this?"

Higashiyama Shin discovered this thing that shouldn't be there. He picked it up and shook it a couple of times; there was even a lot of oil inside.

Higashiyama Shin frowned and re-examined the scattered items on the ground: a helmet, a hammer, and a tool bag.

Is this something that caused chaos even among a construction team?

No, look at these things. Although many of them are covered with signs of use, some are still noticeably newer than the other miscellaneous items.

so.

咕噜 咕噜

Higashiyama Shin heard a strange, subtle noise. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw one of the tattered backpacks making a sound like water seeping from a pipe, with some clear, watery liquid flowing down from the gap in the backpack.

Suddenly, a faint, sweet, fishy smell filled his nostrils, like rotten almonds mixed with rust, or a slightly spoiled fruit smell, causing his throat to twitch involuntarily.

However, the moment he swallowed, the gas suddenly became intensely irritating, as if a pile of ice shards had been poured into his chest cavity—the chill exploded in his alveoli! It shot down his spine to the back of his head, and his fingers began to spasm uncontrollably. His briefcase and flowers crashed to the platform floor with a thud.

"Damn it."

Higashiyama Shin clutched his chest, his vision suddenly shrinking into a narrow tunnel-like opening, like the black circle vision of someone on the verge of death in other games.

Pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and the LED signs around the platform were blurred into blinding spots of light, as if someone had focused a magnifying glass onto the retina.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through his shirt, the fabric clinging to his skin. He gagged violently, gastric juices mixed with bile splattering onto his shoes, but the feeling of suffocation continued to intensify, as if every bronchus was contracting wildly, as if being roughly twisted into a pretzel by an invisible hand.

Finally, he knelt on the ground, clutching his throat as if he couldn't breathe with one hand, and with the other he struggled to pull out his phone, his blurred vision desperately trying to memorize the last time displayed on the screen.

It was still 1 a.m.

Time here is frozen at a single point.

Chapter 28: Inviting Players

"call"

Higashiyama Shin opened his eyes, covered in cold sweat and with a headache. The scene before him was back in his room, where the cat and mouse game was still going on. Ueda Yoshi was curled up in a chair, watching intently, occasionally chuckling, completely unaware of his strange change.

"Even the feeling and details of death are reproduced one-to-one, making the experience of 'Switch' much more realistic."

He was subjected to slow slicing by Tetsuro Muto in the Soul Swap Game, but the pain should have been reduced, unlike in Subway, where the pain was fully experienced and the near-death experience was so real it was horrifying.