Chapter 32: Trapped Players

Bang!

The momentum of the Type-I Long Staff did not diminish in the slightest, but just as it was about to crush the other person’s skull, the move shifted into a parry, launching the figure several meters away.

"Speak," Bai Ming said coldly. "What is going on here?"

It was eerie. In this dense fog, apart from Bai Xiaozhi, who was verified as a "companion," everything else appeared as if veiled, blurred and indistinct. Not knowing whether the figure was human or ghost, Bai Ming treated them all the same under his staff.

"Cough, cough," the person struggled to stand. "I’m a player, just like you, but I’m trapped here."

Following his words, the player ID [A Newbie: LV4] slowly emerged in the fog. Seeing the system-verified ID, Bai Ming relaxed his vigilance slightly. In the current dungeon, player IDs still carried significant credibility.

He asked, "How did you get trapped?"

[A Newbie] gave a bitter smile. "How else? I violated the rules while riding the 444 bus and was kicked off..."

As [A Newbie] recounted the events, Bai Ming gained a rough understanding of the situation. Unlike him and the group that included [Ink-Stained Dust], [A Newbie]’s squad was weaker. Even though they had solved the "companion" theme of the dungeon, their lack of strength rendered it futile. Eventually, while fending off spirits, [A Newbie] was lured by a call from deep within the fog and stepped off the bus.

Many dungeons in the Twilight Game were reused, but due to the game’s own rules, any player who left a dungeon was prohibited from directly or indirectly revealing how to clear it. Bai Ming had never found information about this dungeon on the Player Forum; for every player, each dungeon was a first-time experience.

Bai Ming’s eyes suddenly sharpened. "Wait! If you couldn't resist the call in the fog, how did you even get here? And what exactly do you mean by 'trapped'?"

[A Newbie] smiled bitterly. "I couldn't resist, but there is a special place here called 'Mist Hidden Village.' Thanks to the help of other players, I managed to escape here and survive."

Bai Ming frowned. "There are other players?"

[A Newbie] gave a meaningful smile. "Of course. Why else would we call it being 'trapped'? Do you think you can just wait for the 444 bus to arrive and hop on to leave? Have you ever thought about why it would let you on?"

Bai Ming asked, "What do you mean?"

[A Newbie]’s gaze shifted between Bai Ming and Bai Xiaozhi. "You two are lucky. You had a companion to help you when you got off, so you avoided the influence of Black Mountain. But you are also unfortunate, because since you both got off, your fates are now bound. The cost to get back on isn't just doubled—it's far more complex than that."

Bai Ming thrust the tip of his staff forward, pointing it at [A Newbie]. "Stop with the riddles. You’ve said enough nonsense; get to the point."

[A Newbie] chuckled. "A living person needs 100 Underworld Coins to board; a dead person rides for free. That is the difference between the living and the dead. And without the coins, even if you seize a seat, you aren't a passenger—you’ll be killed by Rule 1. Since your fates are linked, it costs 400 Underworld Coins for the two of you."

Bai Ming was speechless. So that was it; he had thought it would be something much more difficult. In that case, he and Bai Xiaozhi could easily board and leave.

[A Newbie] suddenly shifted his tone. "But just earning 100 coins and leaving is the stupidest thing you could do. Although we are 'trapped,' Mist Hidden Village is a treasure trove. Rare skill cards and specializations that you’d never find outside are sold here. So, even though we’re 'trapped,' nobody is in a rush to leave."

Bai Ming pressed his staff against [A Newbie]’s throat again. "Wrong! If you are players who entered through a dungeon, how did you escape the system’s erasure?"

[A Newbie] gave a mysterious smile. "That question was free. The next one is when you have to pay the price. Besides, why do you think I ran all this way to find you? Isn't it better to just make money in Mist Hidden Village?"

Bai Ming narrowed his eyes. "You can't beat me."

[A Newbie] replied nonchalantly, "True, I can't beat you, but can you kill me?"

As he spoke, his figure suddenly transformed into a paper doll and drifted away. At the same time, [A Newbie]’s voice echoed from all directions: "A word of advice: make your decision quickly. If you wait too long, the system’s erasure will arrive. By the way, I forgot to tell you—I learned this life-saving skill in Mist Hidden Village. Before I arrived here, I couldn't have done that. If I had been able to, I wouldn't have ended up lost here. But then again, if I hadn't ended up here, I wouldn't have had such an encounter."

Facing [A Newbie]’s enticement, Bai Ming sneered, "And how can you ensure you’ll keep your promise? Or how can you ensure I’ll keep mine?"

[A Newbie] said, "It’s simple."

A contract glowing with a ghostly light appeared out of thin air, hovering silently before Bai Ming. "This is a Contract of the Yellow Springs. You can check the attributes yourself."

[Contract of the Yellow Springs]
[Grade: E+]
[Effect: Can be signed with a target player below level 6, creating a binding soul contract (requires mutual consent and both parties to be out of combat). The contents are drafted by the user and take effect after being notarized by the system. If either party violates the terms, their soul will be stripped away and converted into a 'Miniature Fragmented Soul Crystal' (E-grade material), given to the other party, and the contract will be automatically dissolved.]
[Cost: 100 Willpower (paid by the user)]
[Conditions: Intelligence ≥ 10, Willpower ≥ 1, possession of a signed document (including specific terms and consequences of breach), distance between parties ≤ 1 meter, content must not directly involve system-prohibited matters.]
[Note: The weight of a soul? It is merely a bargaining chip in a contract.]
[Note: The wail of the contract-breaker is the most beautiful echo of the agreement. —Notary of the Yellow Springs]

[A Newbie] said faintly, "The price is simple: 50 Underworld Coins each. You can owe it for now and pay me once you've earned it."

Bai Ming raised an eyebrow. "E+ grade items aren't cheap. You got this in Mist Hidden Village, didn't you? You’re willing to use two of them to sign a contract—it seems Underworld Coins are even more valuable than I thought."

[A Newbie] chuckled. "Naturally, they are precious; how else could I afford skills and specializations? But no matter how precious they are, they don't compare to the value of Mist Hidden Village. The Twilight Game will only get harder. Without sufficient strength, even struggling to survive like a stray dog is a pipe dream! And besides... is just living enough? The Twilight Game has never been a mere death game! It is a holy war bestowed upon us by the Supreme Existence to reshape the world! We players are the chosen ones! We are the new gods selected by fate! As long as we possess enough power, we can tear apart the shackles of the old world, step over the corpses of nations, and ascend to the top! We will make the entire Earth kneel at our feet! What does a mere cost of 50 Underworld Coins matter compared to that?"

Bai Ming clapped softly. "Brilliant. A truly brilliant speech."

Then, he sneered, "Too bad—you are far too full of yourself. And I, [Wutian], happen to love saying 'no' to people as arrogant as you."