Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Chiba seems to have a special fondness for badminton, but he doesn't join the badminton club at school, nor does he play solo with Higashiyama, who also loves badminton.

Although Higashiyama Doku certainly doesn't want to fight Chiba.

After finishing his morning exercise, when he went downstairs, Dongshan Du had already sent him a message and left early, looking like he couldn't wait.

Higashiyama Shin and Chiba stayed behind for a breakfast for two.

"Thank you for hospitality."

After eating, since there was no school today, the two of them naturally didn't go to school together, and Chiba didn't stay at the Higashiyama house any longer.

After thanking them politely, they left.

Higashiyama Shin watched her return to her room before closing the door.

So, we have three days to make good progress in the game!

Chapter 60: 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 (Office Worker 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.

2. The content is alright; it's fairly smooth to read through in one go.

3. The rhythm is appropriate and feels good.

Chapter 61: The Yamanote Loop

Hibiya Station is under construction but looks dilapidated.

Kosuke Iwasaki held his breath and counted the footsteps of the patrolling demons.

Seven steps, pause, turn around, then seven more steps.

With each step taken, the skeletal soldiers, their feet draped in tattered cloth, scraped against the concrete platform with a screeching sound.

Seizing an opportunity, he nimbly turned around an obstacle and finally successfully reached his destination.

Iwasaki was almost pressed against the back of the small pavilion at the edge of the platform. His fingertips scraped against a layer of rust on the outer wall of the pavilion, and the metallic smell hit his nostrils.

He was completely unaware, slowing his breathing and listening quietly to the sounds coming from inside.

"This is the 8th Independent Underground Communications Engineer Company, Lieutenant Onodera. The entrance to the second transverse tunnel has been successfully breached. There are 9 survivors, located near the second supply depot at the Hibiya underground intersection. Requesting support from headquarters, requesting assistance from the Yoyogi Training Ground."

"here it is"

They were basically all mechanically repeating the same sentence.

So these are soldiers from the Yoyogi training ground during wartime?

However, it makes sense, as these skeletons, though dressed in rags, can still be vaguely identified as wearing old military uniforms.

Iwasaki stood up slightly higher and could see the officers inside giving repeated reports.

His attire was more complete than that of the other ghost soldiers, even tidy. His body was not completely skeletal, but remained somewhere between decay and desiccated corpse.

He was holding a tattered battlefield telephone, the telephone line long since broken, and beside him was a cylindrical metal "handle" about half a meter long.

Clearly, what he needs to do now is distract the officer and steal the handle.

Looking at the ghost soldiers patrolling around him, he knew he didn't have many options.

He took a deep breath and tried his best to imitate the tone of that era.

"The 8th Independent Squadron, this is the Yoyogi Supreme Command." He lowered his voice, trying to create an impression of being vaguely disoriented.

He wasn't sure if he could fool the officer, but it was worth a try.

The officer suddenly fell silent. After a few seconds, he abruptly stood up, his tone slightly fluctuating, and gripped the microphone tightly with his withered skin.

"This is the 8th Independent Underground Communications Engineer Company, Lieutenant Onodera. Requesting support from headquarters!"

"Lieutenant Onodera is hereby ordered to take all personnel to the west side of the Second Food Depot immediately, where they will rendezvous with our task force and execute the Class A demolition plan!"

Suddenly, the officer inside the pavilion made a clicking sound as if his bones were grinding together. He picked up his hat, put down the phone, and rushed out of the pavilion.

"Assemble!"

At a command, the demon soldiers quickly assembled and, led by Lieutenant Onodera, hurried toward one of the tunnel's directions.

Iwasaki's heart pounded in his throat. He tried his best to control every muscle in his body, quickly walked into the pavilion, and picked up the heavy handle with trembling hands.

It felt icy cold, and had a spiral pattern on the outside; this cast iron product was much heavier than I had imagined.

Only at this moment did he dare to breathe deeply.

But he couldn't be careless yet; he still needed to open the round iron gate to complete this stage of the task.

Holding onto the handrail, Iwasaki stepped out of the pavilion and was about to jump off the platform when he heard what sounded like the returning footsteps of the demon soldiers coming from inside the tunnel.

You realized you'd been scammed so quickly?!

Is there something wrong with what he said, or is that how the game is designed?