Chapter 1 Anonymous NPC
[The new world needs order. Congratulations to everyone for becoming the managers of the new world. ]
Xiang Liangyu was shaken awake. She felt extremely dizzy and her body was never steady. She subconsciously reached out and touched the cold watch on her wrist.
A cold and harsh mechanical sound with a noisy electric current exploded in her ears, pulling her back to her senses.
【Name: Xiang Liangyu
Identity: Anonymous NPC
HP: 10%
Xiang Liangyu suddenly woke up, his heart skipped a beat at the sound, and he looked around calmly.
The dim, narrow room was packed with people. The light bulb hanging overhead flickered and swayed all around, as if it was about to explode.
The air was filled with a salty, fishy and smelly smell, which swayed from time to time. A scene flashed through Xiang Liangyu's confused mind.
She is at sea. This should be the cabin.
The voice above my head kept sending out a piercing electric current, and then it returned to calm. The next second, an even crazier and more excited voice came:
[Congratulations to everyone on becoming the masterpiece of the century! The anonymous NPC of the holographic escape game "No Turning Back"! ]
Anonymous NPC refers to an NPC that has no presence in the game, no name, and can only speak fixed words at designated locations. They are usually NPCs that give directions or issue unimportant tasks, or NPCs that tease players.
No turning back? What?
Xiang Liangyu frowned, and suddenly a piece of colorful paper flashed through his mind.
It was painted with rich, horrifying patterns, very flashy. The words "Can't Turn Back" were written in blood on the top layer, giving people a sense of weirdness that hits the heart, and there was a contact number below.
This piece of paper that looked like a small advertisement was posted on the front door of her house. Naturally, Xiang Liangyu tore it off and threw it into the trash can without thinking. When she turned on her phone, she was flooded with messages about "the masterpiece of the century", "internal beta qualification", and "escape game".
Coincidentally, her class nemesis Chu Li also sent her a message at this moment, using American-style verbal bullying to mock her from head to toe, and also showing off the invitation she had received. The three hundred photos taken from different angles kept her phone ringing for ten minutes.
Only then did Xiang Liangyu realize that "No Turning Back" was actually a highly anticipated large-scale escape game, and the small advertisement on the door was an invitation to the internal beta test, which was extremely rare and hailed as a priceless treasure.
However, her invitation letter was not a player invitation letter, but an NPC invitation letter.
When she took out the crumpled invitation letter, her thoughts suddenly became heavy, and then she came here.
[Level 1, [Return to the Island]. You need to help the players reach their respective mission points according to your own fixed scenes. Please note that except for the players, everything else on the ship is your companion.]
[Friendly reminder, please do not communicate excessively with players. ]
[[Return to Zero Island], the game begins. ]
The sound of the electric current stopped abruptly, and an eerie silence filled the small cabin, with only the sound of Xiang Liangyu's own breathing remaining.
She didn't dare to move, her eyes rolling wildly, she realized that there was not only her in the cabin, but also her "colleague" seemed to be there.
The next second, the cabin shook violently. Xiang Liangyu was momentarily unsteady, and subconsciously reached out to grab something hard and slippery to stand firm.
She looked up and saw a creature beyond human aesthetics appearing before her. Xiang Liangyu's pupils trembled and her heart twitched briefly.
The anonymous NPC here seems to be the only human being.
For example, the thing she had just held was covered with hard scales and barbs, and had five bulging eyes covering its entire face. Slippery mucus was left along its contours, and it was now squinting, as if smiling at her.
Xiang Liangyu had a strong tolerance for stress, but he still silently withdrew his hand.
“Boom boom—”
The wooden cabin door opened and the salty sea breeze instantly rushed into the cabin, making Xiang Liangyu shiver with cold.
This is a 10,000-ton cruise ship. As soon as Xiang Liangyu came out of the cabin, he was shocked by the deck in front of him. The sun was high in the sky, shining on the deck, and there was no end in sight. Not far away, tourists on beach chairs were enjoying a relaxing sunbath.
Obviously, they are three-no NPCs, empty shells and pure background boards.
Xiang Liangyu has calmly accepted the fact that he accidentally became an NPC in an escape game.
Before, she had recalled this game completely. Like a regular escape game, players have only one life. They need to investigate the truth and escape from various worlds. If they die, they will start from the beginning, or die.
When the game cg was released, the first world was the current "Zero Island".
[The remarkable global cruise ship started its journey around the world, but encountered a cloud storm that has not been seen in a century. They were pushed into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean and landed on an island. ]
[Abandoned cruise ships, food that is about to run out, indigenous people holding lanterns, strange and ever-changing island forests, and bewitching songs. When the sun rises directly above our heads and the mystery of the island is revealed, we can peek into its hidden routes and look for the dusty vehicles.]
[When time returns to zero , when the island returns to zero. ]
【Escape, escape, escape! 】
Xiang Liangyu was not interested in these games, but was deeply impressed by the scene that flashed in the CG.
Dusk turns the sea horizon into a huge cross-shaped aperture, with light extending infinitely to the left and right, and the remaining light shining brightly on the sea.
In this sunset that symbolizes hope, a golden-tailed mermaid leaped out of the sea, forming a graceful arc in the air, and then sank into the horizon again.
So beautiful that it leaves you speechless.
The cabin is magnificent, with a crystal chandelier that can be seen every few steps. High-quality floors cover every corner, and valuable paintings and sculptures can be seen everywhere. There are an astonishing fifteen floors alone.
Xiang Liangyu's fixed scene is at the stairs on the third floor of the cabin, and his task is to guide players to their respective residences.
Three sentences in total.
"Your room is on the right."
"Your room is on the left."
"Please don't tease me."
Xiang Liangyu listened to the task summary and immediately found the third sentence a bit puzzling. Coming to an unfamiliar environment, it was good enough that he wasn't scared to death, but he still had the mind to tease the NPC?
This is purely redundant, it would be better to say something mysterious to scare the players.
The crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, shining on the tiles and reflecting white light. Xiang Liangyu was wearing the uniform black and white outfit of the NPCs, with her long hair braided and hanging quietly in front of her chest, looking well-behaved and docile. The gold watch on her wrist flashed a dazzling light under the light. She stood at the fork of the stairs with a perfect smile on her face.
Not long after, she saw the first player, a lazy man with tattoos. Behind him were several players with timid expressions, but their eyes were warily scanning the surroundings.
【Name: Zhang San
Identity: Vigilant Peeper
HP: 100%
Xiang Liangyu: “?”
The player's personal information was clearly hanging in his mind. Xiang Liangyu glanced at it and was slightly surprised.
The man with the tattooed arms walked up to Xiang Liangyu and said in a loud voice, "Where is my room?"
Xiang Liangyu softened his voice: "Your room is on the left."
The man with tattoos had a frown on his face, as if he was listening to something patiently. Xiang Liangyu knew that he was listening to the initial system's task announcement.
But she was just an NPC who gave directions and had no right to eavesdrop on the player's system. She could only put on a decent smile and quietly pretend to be dead.
The tattooed man turned back impatiently: "Come here quickly, you have to form a team for this stupid mission, a bunch of weaklings will only hold me back."
When the four players who were hesitating at the bottom of the stairs heard his words, they hurried over to him and asked Xiang Liangyu where their room was.
Xiang Liangyu told them one by one, with a smile on his face.
The man with tattoos was looking at Xiang Liangyu from the side, and asked the system in his mind: "You just said a developmental world escape game, how developed is it?"
The system is emotionless: "Very open."
The tattooed man grinned, forcefully pushed aside the men surrounding Xiang Liangyu, squeezed next to her, pulled Xiang Liangyu into his arms, touched her smooth skin with his fingers, and smiled obscenely: "NPCs should serve players, right?"
Xiang Liangyu kept smiling: "Please don't tease me."
The tattooed man laughed loudly, and his big hand was about to touch Xiang Liangyu's chest: "This is the same as the 18 I played before..."
"Bang--"
Blood splattered all over the ground, and an arm fell at Xiang Liangyu's feet. She gently raised her leg and kicked it away with the tip of her shoe. Her tone was still so gentle, but it sounded eerie and cold, which could not be ignored: "Please don't tease me."
The tattooed man was shattered into mud at the stairs, blood was everywhere, and the worst was the four players next to him, their bodies were splattered with blood, even their eyes were stained red with blood. They looked at Xiang Liangyu in horror, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
Xiang Liangyu told them their room number again, and then the four players crawled upstairs.
She looked up at the anonymous NPC stuck on the top. It was only wearing a black cloak, hiding its scaly and barbed body, leaving only a face full of five eyes. At this moment, it was squinting at Xiang Liangyu, as if smiling.
Thinking that it was helping him, Xiang Liangyu smiled at it and said, "Thank you."
The anonymous NPC's eyes widened instantly and he ran around on the roof.
Xiang Liangyu looked at the blood on his body, shook it off with some disgust, and then muttered to himself in distress: "My clothes are all dirty..."
She hinted at something, and the NPC that had just been clinging to the roof fell down quickly, but turned into a human shape the moment it landed.
Xiang Liangyu looked at the "Xiang Liangyu" in front of him who looked exactly like himself, and his lips twitched.
She just wanted it to get her a new set of clothes.
However, Xiang Liangyu looked at himself in front of him thoughtfully, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind: "Do you want me to clean it up?"
"Xiang Liangyu" put on a decent smile and nodded.
Xiang Liangyu smiled happily and asked like the players: "Excuse me, where ?"
"Xiang Liangyu" turned around and stood where she originally stood, and a hoarse and low voice that did not belong to a girl sounded: "Your room is on the right, 315."
Xiang Liangyu smiled even more happily and waved to himself in front of him: "Thank you, I'll be there right away."
The retro corridor was endless, with long carpets with complex patterns and crystal chandeliers emitting dim light, complementing each other. The doors on both sides were staggered, and facing each door was a portrait - either a half-length portrait or a landscape painting.
Xiang Liangyu thought this should be related to the player's mission, and she even felt that these portraits were moving.
After all, this was the eighth time that Xiang Liangyu saw that familiar golden color out of the corner of his eye.
She stopped, turned around and looked at the wall in front of her, frowning slightly.
This painting is a half-length picture of a mermaid.
In the light blue water, dazzling golden light occupied her sight. The white and strong abdominal muscles were gradually covered by scales, and the golden fish tail showed a beautiful arc.
The unique side fins have a deep and beautiful luster like silk, floating with the water, and the caudal fin is as soft as gauze and curled naturally, which is enough to be amazing just by looking at it.
If this is true, it will shock the world.
Unfortunately, this is a game. Even if the mermaid portrait in front of him came to life, Xiang Liangyu would not be shocked for a second.
She looked away and began to concentrate on looking for her room. Coincidentally, as soon as she turned around, she saw "315" on the doorplate in front of her.
Xiang Liangyu frowned and turned to look at the portrait. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that the mermaid in the portrait seemed to have moved downwards, and the curvature of the tail seemed to be a little different.
But Xiang Liangyu didn't think much about it. The blood on her hands had already coagulated and it was sticky in her hands, which made her feel a little disgusted. She just wanted to wash herself clean quickly.
After pushing the door open, the corridor returned to silence.
When the footsteps sounded again, the bloodstains remaining in the corridor disappeared out of thin air, along with the mermaid portrait opposite Room 315.
Replace it with a picture of sunny sunflowers.
