TEG 3
Chapter 3: Inside and Out
【See? I knew it, it’s definitely a bug!】
【Is this pretty fool scared stiff? How is he even smiling? I’m dying laughing】
【Never seen the system fix a bug—waiting to see how this plays out hahahahaha】
【What’s more exciting than watching the little beauty get tormented to death? A repeat!】
【Do it again!!】
Just then, a hushed voice came from outside the courtyard gate:
“The Spirit-Guiding Box should’ve dropped here. While the Troupe Master isn’t nearby, hurry in and check!”
“Yes!”
It was Diao Xinsha and his group.
Trouble comes in pairs—of all times, they returned now to look for the lost Spirit-Guiding Box.
Zhou Xiangyue quickly scanned the area.
It was a standard siheyuan: four wings of rooms forming a courtyard, and only one exit—exactly where the voices came from.
No escape. He couldn’t play dead again either.
With that small frame of his, even climbing the wall wasn’t an option.
47
46
45
……
“Hurry, hurry! The Troupe Master’s coming soon!”
Their footsteps were fast, the voices rapidly approaching.
【Damn, caught from both sides—this is insane luck】
【Sitting and waiting to die】
No time to hesitate.
Zhou Xiangyue flicked his fingers, revealing the copper coin he had just caught in his palm.
Heads—inscribed on its four corners: Peace and Joy.
His lips curved slightly. He tucked the coin into his sleeve and turned to enter the west wing room.
【!!! There’s nowhere to hide in that room! Are you out of your mind!!!】
Cold darkness rushed out to meet him, sending chills down his spine.
The room was empty except for a dilapidated shrine against the far wall.
The lotus pedestal was thick with dust. Atop it stood a weathered stone statue of Guanyin of Water and Moon, spiderwebs clinging to its folded robes. The prayer lamps on both sides had long since gone dark.
The statue wasn’t large, and there was barely any space between it and the wall—nowhere to hide.
Outside, footsteps stomped into the courtyard.
No chance to leave the west wing now.
【I’m furious! Not watching anymore! You’re done for!】
【Relax, relax. He only has a few seconds left to live anyway. How he dies doesn’t matter—no need to get emotional】
【I just hope he dies prettily. That face deserves it (points at screen)】
【Hopefully this time they rip his clothes all the way off (chin in hand)】
In Zhou Xiangyue’s ears, the countdown seemed to grow faintly mocking:
23
22
21
……
He ignored it. Striding quickly to the Guanyin statue, he bowed respectfully and said, “Pardon me,” placing a hand on the stone.
“Do you want to store the Guanyin Statue in your Realm Traveler’s Bag?”
“Yes/No”
As expected, the option appeared.
Zhou Xiangyue let out a breath. “Yes.”
Poof—the statue vanished silently into thin air.
He lifted his robe, sat on the dusty lotus pedestal, raised his right leg, placed his arm on his knee, mimicking the exact pose the statue had held. Then, he pulled out a pouch of copper coins from his Realm Traveler’s Bag and unhesitatingly dropped all three coins into his hand.
Freezing cold instantly drenched him. Zhou Xiangyue felt as though he’d frozen solid.
The sense of lowered presence intensified—he could barely feel his own existence.
【??? What is he doing?】
【Three coins at once? Is he crazy?! Does he want to die faster?】
【A man facing death will always flail wildly】
The countdown continued:
8
7
6
……
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door:
“This room…”
“Are you blind? It’s just some busted statue in there, nothing else,” Diao Xinsha snapped. “Stop wasting time. Check the other three rooms. Move—if the Troupe Master shows up, we’re screwed.”
The countdown in Zhou Xiangyue’s ears stopped.
The guy with glasses had been about to step into the seemingly harmless west wing, but hearing Diao Xinsha’s words, he nervously followed instructions to search the other rooms.
As he turned away, he didn’t see the statue behind him slowly curl its lips into a strange smile.
In Zhou Xiangyue’s mind, the "corpse" tag disappeared. The newly seen tag, “busted statue,” solidified.
Below it, a tiny note appeared:
[Life Countdown: 10 Minutes]
Then the timer resumed:
09:59
09:58
09:57
……
Though still shivering from the freezing coins, Zhou Xiangyue was pleased—he’d made the right bet.
It seemed those tag lines were exactly how others perceived him.
Earlier, when he successfully convinced the other players he was a corpse, he earned 20 extra minutes—though he broke character quickly and the Realm Nightmare flagged his account as abnormal, instantly wiping it.
Now, Diao Xinsha’s group mistook him for a statue, giving him another 10 minutes.
Playing a statue was risky, but it confirmed his theory.
Since the original Zhou Qing was already dead in the Realm Nightmare and his account deemed nonexistent, if Zhou Xiangyue could get others to believe he was someone—or something—else, he could extend his survival.
Though pretending to be dead wasn’t a high-skill performance, perhaps because he’d played it convincingly, he earned 20 minutes.
This time, Diao Xinsha’s group had barely glanced at the statue. Under the copper coin’s effect, they didn’t inspect it, just retained a vague impression—"there’s a statue"—so he only got 10 minutes.
By that logic, if he could impersonate a more convincing person, maybe he could win even more time.
Zhou Xiangyue smiled.
This Realm Nightmare… was getting more and more interesting.
【Ding! Someone has tipped you 6 Nightmare Coins via the Heaven-Earth Bank!】
【Ding! 10 souls have watched you continuously for 1 minute, leaving 10 soul flames, auto-converted into 1 Nightmare Coin!】
Zhou Xiangyue: “?”
He blinked and looked at his silver badge again—it now showed a new line: Nightmare Coins: 7
And a new label had appeared in his mind: "Bug King"
Zhou Xiangyue: “…??”
Meanwhile, the “Audience Ghosts” count had reached 67 and was still climbing.
【Damn, pretending to be a statue using dead men’s coins to mask living breath? Genius?!】
【Incredible, I had no idea you could use death coins as invisibility cloaks】
【Death coins: Excuse me??】
【Am I the only one wondering why pretending to be a statue lets him extend his life?! What kind of new mechanic is this? Never seen anything like it】
【LOL I think we’ve found a treasure Realm Traveler. I heard he even came back from the dead? Definitely a system bug! Probably about to be patched】
【Whoa that makes sense! This is a limited-time livestream—mark the moment our lucky god was born】
【Lucky god? I’m dying laughing. Just look at him—you think he’s lucky? “Bug King” is more accurate】
In the void, across the livestream interface formed by rivers of silver starlight, a golden comet streaked through countless eerie floating fragments, trailing across countless newcomer screens marked with “Rookie Channel.”
【Newbie Channel Public Broadcast: Come see! The Realm Nightmare boss poked the server and triggered a god-tier system bug! Limited-time only!!!】
