Chapter 6: Death Acrobatic Troupe 06

Jian Bumian pondered for a moment and explained: “They’re Blue Fluorescent Contact Lenses. They glow in relatively dim light. I was wearing these contact lenses before entering the Infinite World, and after entering, I couldn’t take them off.”

The truth was because he used to serve as an NPC for the Infinite World.

His signature trait as an NPC had been a faint blue glow.

After turning back into a human, although his appearance was identical to a living person, for some unknown reason, when excited, his eyes would still emit this blue Light.

He didn’t know why he suddenly got excited just then, causing his eyes to…

He hadn’t meant to either. He just turned back into a living person, not very good at controlling his body’s emotions yet.

“Oh…” Qin Yihan scratched his head thoughtfully: “I heard from a player in the last instance that there’s a very famous Malicious Ghost NPC in the Infinite World, one that emits this kind of faint, star-blue Light, like Stars. Very beautiful.”

Jian Bumian: “…”

It… wasn’t talking about him, right?

Before Jian Bumian could even ask, Qin Yihan started chattering away like a machine gun:

“That NPC, I heard from others, is very powerful. It possesses consciousness like a human. It appears in various instances. Many players fear it. Some powerful players have even developed tremendous interest in it, offering high bounties throughout the Infinite World to capture it alive. Some sentient NPCs are also very interested in it…”

Qin Yihan showed a terrified expression and said shakily: “Oh right, that senior specifically warned me: if I ever encounter it, don’t bother trying to survive. Just quickly make your final arrangements with your teammates.”

Jian Bumian: “…”

After he turned back into a living person, some of his Memories from his time as an NPC seemed to be missing.

He couldn’t remember what he had done as an NPC, or what players or other kinds he might have provoked.

Anyway, he felt that back then he must have been a well-behaved, law-abiding NPC, diligently working for the Infinite World.

Jian Bumian thought to himself, the NPC that Qin Yihan heard about from others definitely wasn’t him.

He wasn’t that bad.

He was very obedient, very polite.

But just in case, Jian Bumian still felt he needed to find a way to conceal the blue Light in his eyes, or else suppress his excitable emotions—he couldn’t just get excited randomly!

He wondered if those strange viewers in the livestream room had seen it.

As Jian Bumian was thinking, Qin Yihan tugged at his sleeve: “Jian Bumian, are you listening? You too, if you ever encounter it…”

Jian Bumian didn’t want to listen to Qin Yihan ramble on and frowned: “Yeah, got it. Encounter it and prepare for my funeral, right?”

The two chatted as they unknowingly walked a distance.

Qin Yihan realized they had arrived at an unfamiliar place.

They were in a deep, narrow Hallway. The floor was covered with a thick black carpet. The walls on both sides were a dark red.

The lighting was dim.

Qin Yihan pulled at the corner of Jian Bumian’s clothes: “Let’s leave quickly.”

They had already violated the Acrobatic Troupe’s survival rules by rashly leaving the dormitory after 11:30 PM.

They had narrowly escaped death once just now. Who knew what they might encounter next?

But he found he couldn’t pull the youth along. Looking down, he saw the young man say calmly: “Shh. I noticed a door at the end of the Hallway. Let’s go check it out.”

Qin Yihan: “…”

【Danger!!! Unbreakable law of Infinite Flow! Damned dangerous curiosity!】

【Mianmian is this bold? You’ve already broken the rules, and after barely surviving once, you should quickly hide. Why are you still running around everywhere?】

【Never, ever randomly open doors in the Infinite World!】

【Go back, please, Mianmian! 5555, don’t want to see Mianmian encounter danger again.】

【Just love watching the little beauty frantically court death!】

The viewers frantically warned.

But Jian Bumian didn’t read them at all. He walked straight to the end of the Hallway.

At the end was a dilapidated door, its surface stained the color of blood by an unknown Liquid, imprinted with a line of bright red large characters.

—Acrobatic Troupe Hall of Honor.

Qin Yihan said blankly: “Are we really going to open it?”

“Mm.” Jian Bumian nodded: “The Hall of Honor surely records the History behind this Acrobatic Troupe. It’s very important for us.”

This instance only required the Players to survive until the acrobatic performance on the fifth day.

To filter out those who would pass, the difficulty of survival would definitely escalate as time went on.

By six o’clock this morning, the Players would have to draw lots again for their acrobatic training content.

The training content would undoubtedly become more and more torturous.

Not to mention bizarre events would occur, like the dormitory suddenly starting to crush people in the middle of the night.

If things continued like this, probably no one would survive until the fifth day.

And the acrobatic performance on the fifth day would be the day with the highest survival difficulty.

An indiscriminate massacre might very well occur.

To pass, unless one could find a variable within the situation.

Starting with the Acrobatic Troupe’s background was an excellent method.

Jian Bumian explained his thoughts to Qin Yihan.

Qin Yihan nodded affirmatively: “Jian Bumian, as expected, you’re more capable. Even though you’re a newcomer, you seem like a veteran player… It makes me, someone who’s experienced three instances, feel ashamed.”

Though looking at Jian Bumian’s beautiful, innocent face gave a strangely contrasting sense of dissonance.

Truly, looks can be deceiving!

Listening to Qin Yihan’s words, Jian Bumian: “…”

He certainly wouldn’t admit he’d been around in the Infinite World for a very long time.

At least the equivalent of several lifetimes.

Jian Bumian said: “We need to move fast. It’s already 5:45 AM. At 6 AM, the Acrobatic Troupe will have us draw lots for the new training content. We can’t be sure what the consequences are for missing the draw or being late. Once we’re inside, remember to keep an eye on the time.”

He produced an old-fashioned pocket watch from somewhere, a tiny thing, its cracked glass face smeared with blood.

Perhaps a belonging of a deceased player.

Jian Bumian grasped the door handle and opened the door.

Creak.

The moment the door opened, they heard the grating sound of bones twisting, very brief, barely audible if one didn’t listen carefully.

Could someone be inside?

Jian Bumian thought, but glancing inside, the room was pitch black. The walls were hung with many photos, and beneath the photos were long tables cluttered with many rusted, faded trophies.

No one was there.

He meticulously examined these photos.

There were many photos, framed neatly in rows covering an entire wall.

These photos were all group shots.

Group photos of the members of each iteration of the Acrobatic Troupe.

Every person in these group photos was facing away from the camera; their faces couldn’t be seen.

From the group photos, one could tell that over time, the members of each iteration grew fewer and fewer.

But creepily, the corresponding number of trophies increased, eventually far exceeding the number of troupe members.

As if invisible people existed within the Acrobatic Troupe.

This shouldn’t be…

Qin Yihan was equally puzzled, scratching his head: “What’s going on?”

Jian Bumian blinked, his light, airy tone very innocent and gentle: “Maybe the people in the photos ran out.”

“Damn, don’t scare me like that!” Qin Yihan was so scared he instinctively wanted to jump, but managed to hold it in at the last moment.

Jian Bumian turned his gaze back to the group photos.

He noticed something strange about the necks of the Acrobats in the photos.

Jian Bumian looked up at the taller Qin Yihan, the corner of his lips curving up. He crooked his finger: “I found something interesting.”

“Hm?” Qin Yihan glanced at Jian Bumian’s innocent expression, completely unguarded, genuinely thinking the other was about to share something amusing and joyful. He subconsciously leaned closer.

Jian Bumian lowered his voice, his tone flat:

“Do you know why we heard the sound of bones grating just now? It was the moment we entered the door, the people in the photos forcibly twisted their heads 180 degrees. Their skulls are facing away from us, while their torsos face forward.”

These photos were alive!

Simultaneously.

Qin Yihan suddenly heard the sound of chaotic footsteps in his ear, very dense, like a large group of people walking.

And they were heading straight for them.

He looked up and saw the silhouettes in the group photos had shifted position.

The footsteps were coming from the silhouettes!

The silhouettes’ position had moved very close to the camera lens, crowding in front of it like fleshy, elongated pale worms.

As if about to burst out of the photos any second.

Seeing this scene, Qin Yihan jumped up instantly like a large dog whose tail had been stepped on.

Aaaahh, why had he listened to Jian Bumian’s so-called “interesting thing”!!!

Qin Yihan grabbed Jian Bumian’s arm and pleaded: “My little ancestor, let’s get out of here! Look, there are only five minutes until six o’clock! Let’s leave quickly!”

Too bad he couldn’t budge the youth’s arm at all, despite how slender and frail he looked.

Jian Bumian didn’t make things difficult for Qin Yihan; he nodded: “Okay. But wait for me a moment.”

Somewhere in the room, he produced a large Sack.

The sack was flesh-colored, perhaps made of human skin.

Carrying the sack, he rapidly tore the photos off the wall one by one…

Those “living photos,” crumpled and torn by Jian Bumian, were shoved haphazardly into the large sack at high speed.

One could only wonder how the Acrobat silhouettes inside those photos were being tossed about.

Jian Bumian stuffed all the photos into the sack, which became bulging and full, carried in his hand.

Qin Yihan watched from the side, dumbfounded.

Jian Bumian explained:

“Don’t just stare blankly. Right now, I don’t have enough time to study these photos. I can only bring them back to the dormitory to study them slowly.”

Qin Yihan: “………………”

There were ghosts inside those photos!! And not just one! So many of them, densely packed!

Not enough time, so he just stuffed them all into a bag to take back and study?

Qin Yihan couldn’t help but shudder.

The Bullet Comments exploded at Jian Bumian’s unusual behavior.

【Damn, Mianmian is so bold!! Daring to carry ghosts around with him!】

【Ah… does this little beauty not realize he’s come to the Infinite World? Thinks he’s still at home? Too dumb, right?】

【Mianmian, don’t do that! You’ll die! What if the people in the photos come out! You’ve already broken the rules!】

【A Dumb Beauty frantically courting death—confirmed. More, more, more.】

When Jian Bumian and Qin Yihan arrived at the Circus Hall, the Players were just starting to draw lots.

The number of Players was significantly less than last night.

It seemed those who stayed in the dormitory last night had met grim fates.

The atmosphere was unprecedentedly oppressive.

Everyone was hanging their heads, lining up to draw, their expressions ashen.

Dark circles hung under everyone’s eyes. They had spent the whole night fleeing, not a wink of sleep.

Yet “drowsiness” during acrobatic training was the deadliest factor.

Qin Yihan also felt a bit sleepy, figuring Jian Bumian must be the same.

After watching the line for a while from the side, Jian Bumian sighed: “We missed something important.”

His usual gentle, calm voice was now wrapped in a hint of grievance.

Qin Yihan startled, a bad premonition flooding his heart.

“Wh-what thing?”

Jian Bumian lowered his head, clutching the hem of his clothes, muttering softly: “We missed breakfast.”

Qin Yihan: “…”

A female player, seeing how pitiful Jian Bumian looked, couldn’t help but give him a chocolate bar she hadn’t had time to eat.

On the surface, Jian Bumian appeared very slender, wearing loose Pajamas, holding a large bag, obediently standing at the end of the line. His beautiful features looked very wronged as he mumbled softly about not having breakfast and being so hungry.

His voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing others, but he couldn’t help complaining a little.

A very well-behaved look.

Anyone who saw him would feel a pang of sympathy.

After Jian Bumian dazedly accepted the chocolate from the girl, a young man gave him a piece of bread.

Then another box of strawberry milk was thrust into his arms.

Soon, Jian Bumian was buried under the loving breakfast offerings from everyone.

Qin Yihan watched the youth, who was nibbling on the chocolate and sucking on the milk straw in small mouthfuls, and couldn’t help but facepalm.

Besides him, no one knew what this seemingly delicate and slender youth had done last night.

Violated survival rules, provoked an NPC, fooled the Acrobatic Troupe Leader, etc., etc., that was already a lot.

But he also packed up the creepy photos from the Hall of Honor, ghosts and all, and carried them around with him.

How exactly did Jian Bumian seamlessly switch between terrifying and fragile???

No, Jian Bumian was probably just naturally like this…

It wasn’t just Qin Yihan thinking this; the viewers found it strange too.

【Friends, I’m a bit confused whether this is a Dumb Beauty or not. But all players bound by the 001 Strategy System are definitely Dumb Beauties, right? Could the System have made an identification error?】

【Mianmian is so good and pitiful, wuwu. Hungry Mianmian, who missed breakfast.】

【Help, why do I sometimes think Mianmian is anything but simple, yet other times feel he must be very naive and weak…】

【Mianmian’s livestream, upgrade quickly! Once upgraded, I can tip Mianmian lots of food-related cheats! This A-Rank player has props to spare!】

After Jian Bumian finished his breakfast, his turn to draw lots came.

He flattened the empty milk carton, bread wrapper, and chocolate paper left from his meal and casually stuffed them into the sack containing the group photos.

Can’t litter randomly.

Jian Bumian put down the sack, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to draw.

The marks from the handcuffs left from his last “Underwater Cage” session hadn’t faded yet, red rings around his wrists, stark against his fair, delicate skin.

Somehow, watching the other draw lots, Qin Yihan felt a bad premonition welling up in his heart again.

—Jian Bumian pulled out a paper ball painted blood-red.

Instantly.

A piercing, sharp broadcast echoed through the Circus Hall.

“Congratulations to our lucky Acrobat Jian Bumian, who has drawn the most difficult training content among all today’s selections! He will get to experience the most thrilling, dangerous, and classic acrobatic project in history! Thereby transforming into an outstanding Acrobat!”

The most thrilling, dangerous, and classic acrobatic project in history…?

It was over.

Even the Acrobatic Troupe had said so…

Everyone couldn’t help but sigh towards Jian Bumian.

He definitely wouldn’t be eating tomorrow’s breakfast!

Upon hearing this bad news, Qin Yihan’s face darkened severely. He wanted to find Jian Bumian so they could brainstorm a solution together.

But the other person had already vanished.

~

Jian Bumian shoved the red paper ball into his pocket and hid in a corner, unfolding the slip of paper.

This time, the paper wasn’t damp and blurry like the last “Underwater Cage” slip.

The text on the blood-red paper was very fine, as thin as needle pricks, so thin it made one’s hair stand on end, unlike characters any normal human could write.

【Tightrope Walking】

【The Acrobat cannot carry any items and must wear a blindfold. Under conditions of deprived vision, within 180 seconds, travel from the beginning of the tightrope to the end. Total distance: ten meters.】

【If any extra items are carried, Erasure.】

【If the blindfold is removed before training ends, Erasure.】

【If unable to reach the endpoint within the time limit, Erasure.】

【If accidentally falling off the tightrope midway, Erasure.】

A dense mass of “Erasures” crowded together, making one’s head ache just looking at them.

Jian Bumian could no longer recognize the word “Erasure.”

Jian Bumian continued reading down, and at the very end of the slip, saw a line of bold text.

【Attention! Due to the high danger level of this acrobatic project, Acrobats are not allowed to train alone! Must have two or more people! Tightrope Walking is a multi-person training apparatus! Multi-person! Multi-person! Multi-person!】

【Acrobats may invite a trusted partner to train together.】

Jian Bumian recalled the fourth survival rule of the Acrobatic Troupe.

—【Never stay alone on equipment designed for multiple people.】

If Jian Bumian wanted to survive, he’d have to immediately request another player to accompany him in the training.

…But who would be willing to risk their life entering “Tightrope Walking”?

No one.

Even if Jian Bumian tearfully begged, probably no one would agree.

But the rule had already stated: one cannot enter the Tightrope training ground, which is multi-person equipment, alone.

Otherwise, it equated to violating the survival rule.

Jian Bumian looked coldly at the slip and didn’t move.

He threw it on the ground and stepped over it lightly.

Then he walked alone toward the door of the Tightrope Walking training ground.

He didn’t like having to beg others for such dangerous matters.