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Chapter 56

This time, after exiting the game, Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t feel as elated as she expected. 

 

She had thought she would be ecstatic, just like the first time she exited the game, almost bouncing on her bed with joy.

 

After all, she had escaped from the clutches of a virus, it could almost be considered a narrow escape from death.

 

But in reality, once she stepped out of the VR pod, she didn’t even want to move.

 

Not only that, but she also felt an inexplicable sadness.

 

She couldn’t understand why she felt this way.

 

Was it because she pitied Xu Bai?

 

But why would she pity Xu Bai? No matter how much he resembled a human, he was still just a string of data.

 

A string of data that had caused her quite a bit of trouble.

 

There really wasn’t any real connection between them, was there?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu wasn't very emotionally intelligent, and her thoughts were usually straightforward: if she liked something, she liked it, and if she didn't like something, she didn't like it.

 

But now, for the first time, she found herself tangled in emotions she couldn’t untangle.

 

She sent two messages to Ye Ming, but he didn’t respond.

 

She opened WeChat and saw that her old friends were all dealing with their own problems and issues.

 

She hesitated for a moment and then decided it wouldn’t be right to bother them.

 

Never mind, it was just something that happened in a game.

 

Since she couldn’t figure it out, she decided not to think about it anymore. It wasn’t something that had to be resolved.

 

With that thought, Jiang Xiuxiu forcibly pushed the strange ideas in her mind aside.

 

Maybe Ye Ming had something urgent to deal with, which was why he hadn’t replied.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t wait for a response. Seeing that it was getting late, she ate a little, watched a movie, and then got ready for bed.

 

After coming out of the game, Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t call to file a complaint right away. She decided to rest and then do it later.

 

After what she’d been through, she was completely done with playing that game.

 

Besides, from her experience with the last two levels, she realized that reporting the issue wouldn’t solve anything.

 

However, by noon the next day, she received an unexpected call from the game company.

 

"We apologize, Miss Jiang," the voice on the other end said. "We deeply regret what you experienced in our game, and we’re reaching out today to offer you some form of compensation."

 

Compensation?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was taken aback for a moment and asked, "What kind of compensation?"

 

"Financial, or something else," the voice replied cautiously. "Whatever you request, we will do our best to accommodate you."

 

Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu instinctively frowned.

 

Something wasn’t right, she thought. The customer service representative was being way too accommodating.

 

She hadn’t had much experience dealing with customer service from big companies, but she knew that even though she was nearly trapped in the game, it was just "nearly."

 

They certainly should have reached out to apologize and offer compensation, but this overly agreeable attitude was too much.

 

It was as if they needed something from her.

 

"What do you want from me?" 

 

With that thought in mind, Jiang Xiuxiu asked directly, "You didn’t just call me about compensation, did you? What else do you want?"

 

"It’s like this," the voice continued. "You successfully cleared the game three times, which is of great significance to us."

 

The customer service representative paused slightly before continuing, "For various reasons, our company has had internal discussions and unanimously decided that we would like to hire you as a game tester."

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was baffled. "What?"

 

What was going on? They wanted to hire her as a tester?

 

"There’s an issue with our game," the representative explained politely. "You’re probably aware of it. To prevent further harm, we need your help."

 

So, they’d discovered the problem with Xu Bai?

 

And what did they plan to do about it? Erase Xu Bai entirely?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu paused for a moment.

 

After a brief silence, she lowered her eyes and asked, "What do you intend to do with him?"

 

"We need to assess the extent of the problem," the representative replied. "Since the situation surrounding him is still of some research value, we aren’t planning to take any drastic action against him just yet."

 

I see.

 

For some reason, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a slight sense of relief.

 

Meanwhile, the representative continued to persuade her, "You’re the person who has gotten closest to him, which is why we need you to participate in the beta test. You can name your conditions."

 

"But I almost got trapped in the game by him," Jiang Xiuxiu pointed out. "You’re aware of that."

 

"We will ensure your safety," the representative said. "As a tester, we’ll provide you with a special game pod. If it detects any abnormalities in your vital signs or if you’ve been in the game for more than five days, the system will automatically scan the game for your location and assist you."

 

This sounded like a pretty solid safety measure.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu thought for a moment and then asked, "If I refuse, what do you plan to do?"

 

"Our internal testers have already tried to interact with him but failed," the representative explained. "If you decline, for the safety of all players, we’ll have to proceed with formatting him."

 

Formatting would mean resetting the data to zero.

 

Formatting Xu Bai would essentially mean deleting the current Xu Bai and creating a new, perfect version that fits the game’s requirements.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu recalled that since the second major update, the game "Fear and Survival" no longer limited the number of players.

 

The forum had over 10 million active players, and even conservatively, there were probably at least a million to two million regular players.

 

The game company couldn’t risk allowing Xu Bai to harm all those people, even if he didn’t seem interested in them at the moment.

 

After a brief silence, Jiang Xiuxiu finally said, "Give me a few days to think about it."

 

This wasn’t something she could decide on the spot.

 

"Alright," the representative said. "If you have any requests or concerns regarding compensation, feel free to contact us."

 

After a few more words and settling on a deadline for her decision, Jiang Xiuxiu hung up.

 

She lay down on the sofa, replaying the conversation in her mind.

 

A game tester...

 

Honestly, the job sounded kind of interesting.

 

Based on what the representative had said, it seemed like Jiang Xiuxiu wouldn’t have to clock in like a regular office worker—she just needed to play the game.

 

As long as her safety was assured, she didn’t mind the idea.

 

But she still needed a reason to take the job.

 

After acquiring over a hundred million in cash, she wasn’t short on money.

 

Even though the customer service agent promised her safety, the events in the game had indeed scared Jiang Xiuxiu.

 

What identity would she use to re-enter the game?

 

There were so many escape games in the world, she didn’t have to stick to this one.

 

She really had no motivation to become a tester.

 

However, the thought of the customer service agent saying they would format Xu Bai made Jiang Xiuxiu feel a bit reluctant.

 

This reluctance was absurd, as if Xu Bai were a real, living person.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu found her mood worsening.

 

She thought about it for a while, but instead of dwelling on it, she went online and downloaded a few other popular escape games to try out.

 

She figured that if she played enough games, she might realize that Fear Survival was just like any other game.

 

But to her surprise, after playing non-stop for three or four days, Jiang Xiuxiu found herself growing increasingly bored.

 

No matter what game she played, it was all meaningless.

 

It didn’t matter whether it was the boss or the NPC, something always seemed missing.

 

It wasn’t due to a lack of difficulty, many of these games had levels that caused Jiang Xiuxiu to die several times.

 

But she still felt these games weren’t good enough.

 

Before exiting the last game, Jiang Xiuxiu even casually joked with a troublesome boss, telling it not to pester her anymore because they would never be together.

 

She clearly remembered that the boss just stared at her blankly, and after a long pause, it replied with a nonsensical, “I’ll be back.”

 

It didn’t interact with her, and it couldn’t even understand what Jiang Xiuxiu meant by that sentence.

 

Technically, this wasn’t a flaw in the escape games.

 

As long as the levels were challenging, the storyline was good, and there were puzzle and escape elements, the game could be considered a success.

 

If escape games started focusing on the intelligence of NPCs and bosses, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

 

But Jiang Xiuxiu just found it all very dull.

 

Facing the bosses really was just dealing with game data, at most, she’d be startled by some gory scenes.

 

She, who was usually rational and quick to calm down, no longer felt the thrill of fear.

 

Nor was there a presence that could make her so frustrated that she’d want to change its clothes multiple times in one go.

 

Faced with this result, Jiang Xiuxiu lay on her bed, not knowing what to do.

 

While she was troubled by this, she noticed that Ye Ming, who had been missing for almost a week, finally messaged her.

 

Ye Ming: Sorry, I’ve had some trouble these past few days. I can only reply now.

 

Ye Ming: Are things okay on your end?

 

Seeing this, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly replied.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: I’m fine, just a bit annoyed.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: Where are you from?

 

 I still don’t know much about your real-life situation. Is the issue serious over there?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was also quite curious about Ye Ming’s real-life situation.

 

Although they were still just online dating, getting to know each other better wasn’t a bad thing.

 

If they happened to live close to each other, they could even meet up for a movie or something.

 

Ye Ming replied quickly to Jiang Xiuxiu’s messages.

 

Ye Ming: My issues aren’t a big deal. What’s important is what’s bothering you.

 

Ye Ming: Why are you annoyed? Can you share it with me? I’m always here for you.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu hadn’t spoken to anyone in days.

 

Seeing Ye Ming’s message, she couldn’t resist and immediately explained her situation.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: It’s nothing much. I’m just wondering whether I should enter the game again.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: Because of some reasons, I’m a bit scared. But for other reasons, I also want to go back.

 

To avoid upsetting Ye Ming, she vaguely described her situation with Xu Bai, only saying that she had offended the boss in the game, causing it to haunt her and even planning to trap her in the game.

 

But since Xu Bai was going to be formatted, she also felt a bit reluctant.

 

She didn’t know how to choose.

 

She didn’t even know what she was hesitating about.

 

After reading Jiang Xiuxiu’s long message, Ye Ming took a few minutes before replying.

 

Surprisingly, instead of analyzing the situation, Ye Ming asked her a strange question.

 

Ye Ming: Xiuxiu, what kind of person do you think Xu Bai is?

 

What kind of person is Xu Bai?

 

Without thinking, Jiang Xiuxiu immediately replied: A big pervert.

 

Ye Ming: …

 

Ye Ming: Why do you say that?

 

Thinking about her recent emotional turmoil, Jiang Xiuxiu grew increasingly angry and quickly typed out a string of words: Moody, capricious, kills at the drop of a hat, always picking on me, always smiling but full of bad intentions, and constantly giving me headaches and trouble.

 

At the end, she didn’t forget to praise Ye Ming: Compared to you, he’s worlds apart.

 

Ye Ming: Is that so?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: Of course! You’re so much better than him.

 

Ye Ming: I’m glad you like me so much.

 

Ye Ming: 😊

 

Seeing that smiley face, Jiang Xiuxiu couldn’t help but smile too.

 

But she only stayed happy for a moment before frowning again: Ye Ming, tell me, what should I do?

 

This time, Ye Ming took a while before responding.

 

Ye Ming: Xiuxiu, deep down, you want to go back into the game, don’t you?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was slightly startled: That’s true, but…

 

Ye Ming: There’s no need for “but.”

 

Ye Ming: My advice is simple: follow your heart.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: But…

 

Ye Ming: Xiuxiu, not everything needs a reason.

 

Ye Ming: If you don’t go now, will you regret it when you think back later?

 

Staring at this question, Jiang Xiuxiu found herself unable to answer.

 

Would she regret it?

 

She didn’t know.

 

Just then, her phone rang.

 

She checked and saw that it was the deadline she had set for herself to make a decision, the people from Fear Survival were calling her.

 

“Hello, Miss Jiang,” said the person on the line. “The game’s situation has stabilized after maintenance, and the boss Xu Bai has been released.”

 

“The next level is about to start beta testing. Have you made your decision?”

 

“I agree,” Jiang Xiuxiu replied after a moment of introspection. “I’ll participate in the beta test.”

 

She knew that she really wanted to go.

 

No matter the reason, she just wanted to go.

 

She didn’t know if she would regret this decision in the future after choosing to enter the game.

 

But she was sure that if she didn’t go now, she would definitely regret it if Xu Bai were formatted.

 

The reason she worked so hard to earn money was to live the life she wanted.

 

As for the danger, with the game company’s assurances, she didn’t believe Xu Bai could cause that much trouble.

 

“However, I have one condition,” Jiang Xiuxiu added after a pause.

 

“If I get attacked by Xu Bai again this time, I will never enter the game again.”