In Virtual Reality 64☆ The Gap between Reality (1/3)

While Xu Jin Yi continued playing the game, the website suffered repeated crashes and recoveries.

The website's forum was inaccessible for an extended period, with a 404 error message displayed. All posts regarding the new game had been purged when it eventually resumed operation.

The players refused to tolerate this. If there was an issue with the game, they should discuss it together, but why silence the players? Wasn't this just repeatedly leaping into a minefield with this group of people?

With ninety-nine kg of stubbornness in a one hundred kg person, a group of stubborn players began shouting and cursing loudly while banging on their keyboards.

However, soon enough, some players realized that something was amiss.

Not only were the posts missing, but even the official production team of «Red Stairwell» had deleted their account, and there was no record of the game.

The game had only been available for a few days before it was forcibly removed and disappeared from public view.

**

Within the VR headset, Xu Jin Yi could not locate any trace of the new game she had downloaded earlier. Despite searching through her PC and mobile devices, she found no evidence of 《Red Stairwell》 Without the official's message to her phone, she might have even thought she was hallucinating.

The game's website had silenced all players and seemed to want to handle the situation quietly. Although players were complaining incessantly, there was no outlet for their frustrations.

Xu Jin Yi couldn't find any related news or fan groups online. With no available channels, she had no way of acquiring additional information.

Nevertheless, there might still be other clues beyond these online messages...

She paused for a moment, pondering.

--Perhaps there were still additional clues.

If 《Red Stairwell》 had the "suspect" of inciting and provoking gender opposition, it shouldn't have been completely banned from the internet, right? Instead of allowing players to discuss it, it only made people want to explore the reasons behind it even more.

Summit's Second Gate High School High School and Sunflower Primary School...

These were the clues that Xu Jin Yi latched onto. She dared to make a bold conjecture. Could the plot of 《Red Stairwell》 have based the game on a real event?

Making an even more daring conjecture, could the "truth" depicted in the black-and-white world be the actual truth of this murder case?

A game was only a game. Once it involves reality, it will always be taken down due to various factors.

This was also why Xu Jin Yi did not frequently play popular games.

She propped up her chin, her right wrist slightly moved, and the black signature pen left traces on the white paper. Her fine handwriting connected these scattered fragments. Xu Jin Yi lowered her gaze, contemplating the connections between these events.

Fang Xiao Hong — a female student from Summit's Second Gate High School.

Murdered bride Qing Qing (青青), an applicant from Sunflower Primary School.

When it came to these two schools...

Prior to Xu Jin Yi's high school years, Sunflower Primary School had been situated in the city centre of Jiang city. However, due to the city government's land planning, the school was forced to relocate to the opposite side of Jiang after she enrolled and could barely be considered a neighbouring school to Summit's Second Gate High School.

As for the plot of "Black and White World", the advertisement posted by bride Qing Qing was probably for her to earn extra money as a tutor during her pregnancy. Fang Xiao Hong from Summit's Second Gate High School likely discovered the advertisement's content.

The two people who previously had no connection may have become linked at that moment. And this connection became the thread of death.

However...

Is the story described in 《Red Stairwell》 based on a real event?

She placed her right hand against her lips, and her eyebrows furrowed. Xu Jin Yi examined the densely written words on the white paper and contemplated.

Online, there had been no mention of any murder cases in Jiangshi in recent years. As for the two names, Fang Xiao Hong and Qing Qing...

Neither of them was particularly remarkable, and the information retrieved from the vast ocean of the internet was disappointingly limited for individuals who left their names.

Could they be aliases? Even if the game development team wished to use real cases, they would not use real names out of respect for the deceased.

However, the names of Summit's Second Gate High School and Sunflower Primary School were genuine.

Are they real or fake? Xu Jin Yi could not be certain.

Moreover...she did not know whether anyone else on the gaming website had noticed. Was it a coincidence? Summit's Second Gate High School and Sunflower High School were located in Jiang.

Xu Jin Yi unlocked her phone and saw that there were still a few days left until the end of the holiday. She put down her pen, stretched lazily, and her arms and legs emitted a comfortable crack sound after sitting for a prolonged time. These two places were pretty close. She considered it a holiday trip and decided to pay them a visit.

**

Before the game with Old Attorney, Xu Jin Yi recorded and saved the video's first half. Unfortunately, the second half was completely deleted.

However, from that small video segment, Xu Jin Yi still found many important details.

For instance, if this game was adapted from real life, then based on the continuous sound of thunder in the background, it can be inferred that the story probably took place during the rainy season in Jiang.

The rainy season in southern cities typically occurs in June and July. Since Jiang is near a river when the rainy season starts, so does the flood season. Therefore, when the background music was amplified, even water hitting the wall could be faintly heard.

Thunder was heard a few times in the game, and each sound precisely covered the victim's cries for help.

However, the thunder sounds were different.

For instance, in the black-and-white world, the thunder heard in the living room was muffled thunder without rain, which was also when the bride Qing Qing died. After the clock turned eight laps, four days had passed, and the day when Li Dong and Fang Xiao Hong met was already thunder and rain.

Therefore, June is more likely compared to the continuous rain in July.

Based on the weather forecast for June and July in Jiang in recent years...

The time can be shortened from the end of May to the beginning of June.

Due to the expected demolition and the old residential buildings that have not yet been demolished, the surrounding residential buildings were likely empty.

She still recalled her school days and the Sunflower Primary School that was changed due to land planning in Jiangshi. The buildings were expected to be demolished but were not due to certain engineering reasons still standing...

Stirring her memory, Xu Jin Yi slowly recollected. About five or six years ago, the city of Jiang was planning to construct a cross-river tunnel. Consequently, a fencing plan was implemented at a specific location on both sides of the river.

Some individuals included in the fencing plan took the initiative and calculated where they would settle. However, they only realised their land had not been expropriated once the policy was implemented. Nonetheless, they had already relocated their belongings, and most people found it too much trouble to return.

There were people like this on both sides of the river, but more so on the other side. According to her knowledge, the unoccupied residential area on the opposite side of the river and Sunflower Primary School were only separated by two streets.

Donning a baseball cap to shield her from the glaring sunlight, Xu Jin Yi boarded the bus, clutching her mobile phone. Fallen leaves were swirling everywhere in the autumnal Jiang City, and through the not-so-spotless window pane, she could see sanitation workers tirelessly sweeping up after these unruly leaves.

Today's weather had improved, and autumn had finally shown compassion towards these heat tortured humans. Adjusting her black and white letter baseball jersey, Xu Jin Yi leaned against the backrest of her seat and then opened her phone. Since graduating, she had rarely passed by her alma mater, let alone the fact that Sunflower Primary School had relocated to the other side of the river, and even the building was no longer familiar to her.

Despite the bus's jolting, it finally arrived safely at its destination. When she stepped off the bus, Xu Jin Yi took a deep breath, relishing the unique aroma of fried skewers around the school. "Sunflower Primary School," Xu Jin Yi looked around with her hands in her pockets, "it's larger than when I was here before."

During the National Day holiday, the school was perhaps the quietest place in the vicinity. No teachers or staff were visible on the campus roads, but an elderly man was taking a nap in the school gatehouse.

Xu Jin Yi pondered for a moment and approached him. She knocked on the gatehouse window, startling the old man inside. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, grumbled something, and looked at the person outside.

As soon as the window was opened, a long, melodious opera tune eagerly escaped from inside, reaching Xu Jin Yi's ears. She blinked and smiled at him, gently gesturing for him to open the window more.

As the glass window opened, she asked the old man, "Excuse me, sir. I'm looking for our school's art teacher, Qing Qing. Do you happen to know which building her office is in?"

The old man paused his opera and blinked at her. "What? Qing Qing teacher?"

"Yes, our school's art teacher!"

"There is no such person." The old man waved his hand.

"How could that be? Sir, please think carefully," Xu Jin Yi blinked her eyes and gave him a pleading look. "Qing Qing teacher told me to come to the school and find her."

Seeing the girl's sincere expression, the old man thought again. "I'm telling you the truth, there is no such person," the old man furrowed his brow and tried hard to remember. "I've been working here for over a decade, and I'm familiar with all the teachers! Even if she's just come for an interview, I've only met her once, but I can tell you exactly when she came and when she left!"

The elderly man gazed at Xu Jin Yi with a sense of pity. "Miss, you may have fallen victim to a scam. Perhaps you should attempt to contact this Qing Qing teacher by phone?"

Xu Jin Yi smiled apologetically. "Let me send her another message, then."

The old man nodded but then hesitated, eyeing her up and down. "Miss, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but have we met? You look quite familiar."

Xu Jin Yi remained silent.

Of course, she looked familiar. During her middle school years, she had been caught over ten times smuggling breakfast into the school.

She quickly smiled and responded, "Uncle, I suppose I just have one of those common faces." She then pretended to receive a message, swiftly disappearing from the security guard's sight while saying, "Sorry, wrong place. See you later, Uncle!"

Once she reached the main street, Xu Jin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Sunflower Middle School had no art teacher named "Qing Qing."

She opened her phone map. Summit's Second Gate High School was close by, just cross a street and keep walking; she should be there.

**

"Hmm," a young man clad in a white hooded sweatshirt stood on the side of the road, observing the passersby, lost in his own thoughts. "I reckon it should be easier here," he mumbled, raising his hand to glance at his watch.

It was precisely 12:04.

Summit's Second Gate High School would let out for lunch in one minute.

As the bell sounded, the once-deserted school road was filled with bustling footsteps. The clamorous noise grew louder and louder, thumping against the young man's heart, causing him to furrow his brow and appear solemn. In under two minutes, a group of unrestrained students sprinted past him, and with his eyes closed, he could even perceive the sound of the wind whistling by.

The young man's eyesight was as sharp as an eagle's, deftly scanning the group of free-spirited students like an experienced hunter.

Eventually, he fixed his gaze on a girl in a blue and white school uniform. A slight smile crept onto his lips, and his eyes glittered with determination. He briskly stepped forward and stretched out his long arm to snatch the girl's arm-- "Hello, I'm from this shop, ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"What on earth do you think you're doing?!" Xu Jin Yi, aware of his ogling for a while, seized the young man's wicked hand and swiftly twisted it. "In broad daylight and under clear skies, who gave you the gall to act so recklessly?!"

——— Translators Notes ———

Qing Qing (青青) = green / blue / black / youth / young (of people)