The Trial Game of Life

It was almost a given that they cleared the game after getting the 6th Movement.

But because Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng didn’t yet rent a house when they levelled up to Zone E, by the time they returned to Yong Ye City, there was temporarily nowhere to return to.

The players here didn’t show any particular reaction to Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo’s sudden appearance, but Jin Cheng still put on a mask and pulled Tang Cuo’s shoulders over, quickly taking him to leave the game hall.

Tang Cuo felt a little bit embarrassed. He turned his head away to look at the street and asked: “Where are we going?”

Jin Cheng smiled: “There’s no need to be nervous. We’ll now go directly to Lin Yandong. The 6th Movement shouldn’t be on our hands for too long.”

Hearing that, Tang Cuo certainly wouldn’t have a mind to think about anything else: “How do you think you’ll use it?”

Jin Cheng: “I have a general idea, but I need to consult Lin Yandong a bit. He’s better than anyone else when it comes to knowing the rules of Yong Ye City.”

After turning over a corner, Jin Cheng casually let go of Tang Cuo and the two headed straight to the center. Tang Cuo glanced at his shoulder and said nothing.

Today, many turbulent undercurrents were still crashing into the central area. As they walked on the road, the eyes that peeked at them from the sidewalk or the dark corners seemed to increase significantly. The place felt like a forest so quiet that it only needed a tiny wind to startle the whole flock of birds.

The news about the emergence of the 6th Movement hadn’t spread. When it finally spread, the forest would definitely burn.

But what Tang Cuo didn’t expect was that the news was exposed much faster than he thought.

Back there, they had already met Wen Xiaoming, who had been waiting in the central area. After exchanging information, they went directly to Lin Yandong’s book cafe. Wen Xiaoming was responsible for finding Lin Yandong, while Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng waited in the cafe.

While waiting, the two chatted about their harvest after this dungeon.

Since it was a special trigger dungeon of Hard difficulty, the system boldly rewarded each of them 50 points. At the last second, Tang Cuo took out the Big Red Flower, doubling this 50 points to 100 points.

Although there were few other rewards, each of them had a note-worthy value.

[Time Manipulation]

Classification: Skill

Quality: High

Description: It takes 50 HP to rewind time to a point in the past. Valid within 24 hours (only usable inside a dungeon).

[Horror Doll]

Classification: Equipment

Quality: High

Description: Throwing the doll at the enemy releases a scream that has a 15-meter range, causing a mental shock that lasts for 5 seconds.

[Golden Scissors]

Classification: Weapon

Quality: Normal

Description: The golden scissors of Yu Mansion’s young miss, which can cut through silk threads but cannot cut off a prolonged tragedy.

Tang Cuo decided to not pay attention to the scissors for now. Both ‘Time Manipulation’ and [Horror Doll] were practical items that he unexpectedly earned, which made Tang Cuo quite satisfied.

About half an hour later, Lin Yandong appeared, bringing them bad news.

“The news that the [Twelve Movements] have been taken has spread.”

“So soon? Is it Rong Yi?”

Jin Cheng frowned. Lin Yandong still looked elegant as ever, as if nothing could make him lose his composure. He gestured to the waiter to serve him a cup of tea, then he said slowly: “After you took away the movement, the special trigger dungeon was closed. At that moment, someone wanted to enter yet the dungeon that he received was an easy fighting dungeon. So by the time he came out from that dungeon, the truth was certainly revealed. “

So that was why.

Jin Cheng tapped his fingers on the table: “When the movement takes effect, the whole city will be informed anyway. They’ll know sooner or later, it’s not much different.”

Lin Yandong was a little surprised: “Have you decided already? Are you going to use it now?”

“Does Mr. Lin think that I’m that kind of man who likes to provoke others?” 

“Not at all. I’d like to call it an act of ― maximising benefits.”

Jin Cheng liked this statement.

But he just gave his commands in Zone F. If he did it again in Zone E so quickly, it would be too wicked. Moreover, the 6th Movement was manifold more attractive than the 11th Movement, so his plan could easily be overturned if he wasn’t careful.

“Does Mr. Lin have any suggestions?”

“My suggestion is: points.”

“Reduce the number of points required for levelling up to speed up the entire process?”

“Yes and no. The difficulty of the tasks rises with each zone, so it might be good for players to level up faster, but if their own strengths don’t keep up with the rise in levels, it will just backfire.”

Jin Cheng pondered for a moment: “Reduce the price of goods?”

Lin Yandong: “The prices in the official medicine stores and for using the training grounds can be reduced by at least half. The points handed over to Yong Ye City every month can also be reduced by one-third.”

“Aren’t you trying to snatch the prey right in front of the tiger’s mouth?”

“The system itself doesn’t rely on points, does it?”

“What else?” Jin Cheng smiled. He leaned on the back of the sofa with his arms folded, his posture leisurely and his tone relaxing. It was as though he wasn’t here to talk about things but to listen to Lin Yandong’s report.

Miao Qi, who had been insistently sitting by Lin Yandong’s side, couldn’t help but glare at him, but Lin Yandong didn’t care: “Improve the ‘red number’ system that you set up last time and re-enact at the rules on imprisonment.”

“You want the killer to go to jail and the victim to get out of jail?

“No, I want them both to go to jail.”

“Cruel.”

“In Yong Ye City, survival is the no.1 requirement. Players are killed if they aren’t strong enough, so sending them to jail is a good lesson. Those who kill indiscriminately regardless of the law must also receive a lesson. There’s no law and order in Yong Ye City, so let’s build one.”

After hearing this, Tang Cuo remembered Jin Cheng had said before that in Yong Ye City, the most difficult thing was to establish order. Unlike Jin Cheng’s commands in Zone F that outrageously sent a great number of elite players to jail at once, the measures Lin Yandong proposed would change the order of Yong Ye City bit by bit.

To give a simile, this was like playing a city building game. These laws wouldn’t have much impact on the elites. It would be the ordinary players that received the most benefits, but the time to see the impact would be rather slow. 

At the end of the conversation, Jin Cheng asked: “I still have the same question I had before. Can Yong Ye City ever be closed down?” 

The first time Jin Cheng asked this question was a year after he entered Yong Ye City. Back then, Yandong smiled but didn’t answer him.

Now, Lin Yandong still kept the same smile and replied: “If you want to know the answer to this question, you must understand the true structure of this world. Does God really exist? “

This was an answer that was actually not an answer.

Jin Cheng raised his eyebrows and didn’t ask any more. He took a sip of coffee and resumed his leisurely posture: “Mind if I call my dear Mr. Crow here? “

Lin Yandong: “Please do.”

The book cafe wasn’t having any guests anyway.

Jin Cheng exchanged a glance with Tang Cuo again. He didn’t ask Tang Cuo’s opinion, for he knew that Tang Cuo was always straightforward. If Tang Cuo had any concern, he would bring it out at once.

Tang Cuo nodded and Jin Cheng understood.

The next second, Jin Cheng firmly took out the 6th Movement. This time, without any obstruction from other players, he didn’t write the laws he wanted in advance. He directly said the word ―

“I command.”

His tone was calm and decisive.

The ethereal yet eerie song came again. Taking the center as the book cafe, the singing quickly enveloped the entire central area then spread to all zones. Countless players raised their heads together, especially those who just learnt that the 6th Movement had been taken, an expression of surprise cast over their faces.

“God, lambs and crow,

Had fun playing on the cliff together.

They sang and danced,

Flowers bloomed in the stone.

The god said, look

It was my flower.

One lamb ate the flower,

Let it go die quickly.”

Mr. Crow appeared amidst the singing and landed on the flower rack inside the book cafe. He held his head arrogantly, and seeing Jin Cheng holding the movement again, his tone became stubborn yet full of excitement: “Player G79081, you really never let me down. What do you want this time? The great Mr. Crow is looking forward to it.”

Jin Cheng smiled and greeted him: “Then can I announce my laws now?”

Mr. Crow flicked his wings: “Of course.”

Jin Cheng: “I command: The number of points that the players in every zone have to hand in will be reduced by one-third each month. The prices in official medicine stores, training grounds and other service-related establishments will be reduced by half.”

Hearing this, Mr. Crow didn’t jump around, but he glanced at Jin Cheng and seemed to find it very boring. But Jin Cheng never violated any rules in using the [Twelve Movements], so he could only reply casually: “Accepted.”

Jin Cheng: “I command: Anyone who kills in Yong Ye City will be put in jail together with their victim.”

Mr. Crow finally got a little interested when he heard the word ‘jail’, so he tilted his head and replied readily: “Accepted.”

The first two were Lin Yandong’s proposals, which Jin Cheng accepted without any complaints. Lin Yandong was a little curious about the next command. 

Tang Cuo and Miao Qi also looked at him, and outside the book cafe, many players were searching for the source of the music. It wouldn’t be long before the entire Yong Ye City placed their attention on this place.

Jin Cheng: “I command: Abolish the punishment for suicide. Those who commit suicide will go directly to the karma serving process.”

Mr. Crow immediately changed his expression: “No! This is impossible! G79081, you are challenging the supreme authority of Yong Ye City!”

“Is it really impossible?” Jin Cheng’s expression remained unchanged. He even looked into Mr. Crow’s eyes and asked back: “This is the 6th Movement. Are you sure it has no such authority?”

“You!” Mr. Crow was lost for words..

Mr. Crow didn’t fancy cowardly players who ended their own life. He also didn’t fancy this nasty 79801 who really liked to do such unpleasant things!

He was so angry he jumped back and forth!

In fact, Jin Cheng was also not sure. Although the 6th Movement had great authority, all the laws he wanted to make this time were aimed at the entire Yong Ye City, thus covering a wide range. The 11th Movement he used last time basically only covered East Cross Street.

Luckily, after hopping around for a while, Mr. Crow nodded reluctantly.

“Accepteddddd!” He just wanted to peck Jin Cheng.

Totally out of his expectation, Jin Cheng still had something else to say: “I command —”

Mr. Crow hurriedly interrupted: “How can there be any more?! You shut up, you’ve already used it up!”

Jin Cheng smiled: “Is it really?”

Mr. Crow: “Whatever the great Mr. Crow says is true. You treacherous, shameless player, you dare to doubt my authority!”

Jin Cheng remained unflinching: “I want two of your feathers.”

Mr. Crow: “In your dream!”

Jin Cheng immediately turned his head to tell Tang Cuo: “He won’t give them to me.”

Tang Cuo: “That means he violates the rules of Yong Ye City.”

Jin Cheng: “You’re right.”

Tang Cuo: “Uhm.”

Jin Cheng: “If he doesn’t give them to me, Yong Ye City will definitely pluck all his feathers as punishment.”

Mr. Crow jumped around even more frantically: “You two damn shameless players! You don’t know your boundary! The great Mr. Crow won’t go bald, it’s you who will go bald! I curse you to be bald in this life and all your next lives!”

Crow was so angry he could die.

So angry his feathers started falling out.

But Mr. Crow’s wings were tied. Jin Cheng’s request didn’t exceed the authority of the 6th Movement. He wanted to scare Jin Cheng away, but Jin Cheng didn’t buy it at all. Jin Cheng was absolutely not afraid of the crow.

If he refused to give Jin Cheng two feathers, the one who violated Yong Ye City’s rules would become Mr. Crow himself, which would be very bad. Worse than him going bald.

“Hm!” Mr. Crow breathed out heavily, but in the end he still plucked two feathers with his mouth and threw them to Jin Cheng. The moment Jin Cheng caught the feathers, Mr. Crow vanished immediately. He didn’t give Jin Cheng a chance to make any more requests, only leaving behind a fierce sentence ―

“You wait and see!”

Lin Yandong looked up with a smile, and at this moment, many players were swarming outside the book cafe. Luckily he had told Miao Qi to close the door ahead of time, so these people could only crowd behind the windows and peek at the situation through the glass. Frightened by Jin Cheng’s infamous reputation, they didn’t dare to get too close.

Like boiling water, the crowd’s noise filled the entire space.

“Jin Cheng, it’s Jin Cheng again!” 

“It really is him!”

“How could it be that he’s using the movement again? There was no sign of it coming at all!”

“Also, there’s Lin Yan Dong. Have they become allies?”

“F**k, this is a big deal…”

“…”

The glass couldn’t block all the sounds. Lin Yandong completely saw through Jin Cheng’s purpose behind choosing this location, but he decided to push the boat along and walk together with Jin Cheng in this muddy water.

Lin Yandong knew Jin Cheng wouldn’t allow him to hide behind the scene forever. This young man was a cunning one who wouldn’t want to stand on the losing side.

“Ding!”

“The 6th Movement has been detected, the holder is G79081.”

“The laws are within the permissible authority. They are accepted and will take effect immediately.”

“An announcement will be made to the entire city.”

The system announcement temporarily suppressed the noise outside. Listening to the new laws, some people were dumbfounded, some stirred up more noise while some were simply excited. All sorts of reactions could be seen throughout the city.

Inside the book cafe, Jin Cheng picked up the coffee cup as though holding a glass of high-end red wine, and he smiled at the players outside the window. He still carried the look of an invincible boss, elegant yet a little devious at the same time.

Sitting by the window was Tang Cuo.

Raising his eyes, Tang Cuo caught sight of Jin Cheng’s smiling face, the scar on his cheek revealing a hint of silent wildness. Tang Cuo suddenly felt thirsty and took a sip from his cup, his expression as calm as usual.

Jin Cheng sat very close to him. Their unconcealed intimacy seemed to give Lin Yandong a few thoughts.

But Lin Yandong wasn’t one who liked to ruin the mood. He naturally looked away from Tang Cuo and said to Jin Cheng: “I didn’t expect your last command.”

Jin Cheng: “Escape can also be a way to solve the problem, can’t it? Between survival and death, I choose freedom.”