After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 27

The two didn’t dwell too long on the topic of who was luckier and who was a “jinx.” After all, having a debate between the second-to-last and the dead-last in terms of luck seemed ridiculous no matter how you looked at it.

What was even more ridiculous was that after Xia Shibai received her so-called “toy bow,” she looked at the nearby guiding staff member in confusion.

“If I steal a bow from Cupid, will I get reported to the teacher?”

Holding a toy bow and arrow that didn’t even weigh as much as a baby bottle, Xia Shibai fell into a silence.

This thing… for a Great Escape? Why not just tell her to lie down on the spot and wait for death?

“Not at all. There are many ways to use the toy bow; it mainly depends on the player’s performance.”

“Then you perform one for me.” Xia Shibai held the bow out to the staff member, asking her to demonstrate with it.

The staff member didn’t take the bait, only smiling without a word. “Every tool has its use. We hope players can fully explore them, work hard to figure out the rules of the Great Escape, find the right path, survive, and reach the finish line.”

Qin Zhijin unfolded the map. The drawings on it were the same as the ones on the promotional poster. When she looked closer, she realized that the paths on the map only showed the middle section—there was no beginning and no end…

In other words, once they entered the venue, they wouldn’t know which path corresponded to which part of the map, nor would they know which direction the finish line was in. Everything depended on them.

“Once you’ve confirmed everything, please follow me this way. Change into your pagers, and then you can set off.” The staff member handed them the pagers. “The device will announce the start and end of each round, as well as the rest periods.”

“Good luck to both players. Keep it up.”

Xia Shibai looked at the slowly opening iron gate, feeling uncertain. She had previously worried about being awkward in front of the camera, but now it seemed she had overthought it.

If the rules for the actual show were like this, one’s temper would flare up instantly. The desire to win would take over, leaving no room to care about the cameras.

The gate opened. Xia Shibai walked at the front to scout the way. Once inside, she found it was just an ordinary forest, but the trees were tall and lush. The leaves blocked the sun, and combined with smoke machines hidden in the bushes, it created an eerie and terrifying effect.

Xia Shibai didn’t find it particularly scary; the more important task right now was to quickly find the corresponding path to get out.

Qin Zhijin handed the map over. “This map only has the starting point, the end point, and the middle section. How to get from the start through the correct middle section to the finish isn’t marked. It’s incomplete; I guess we need to find the missing pieces ourselves.”

“But I don’t see any obvious props around here to find?” Qin Zhijin stepped on the slightly moist soil with difficulty.

Just as Xia Shibai was about to speak, a mechanical creaking sound came from the pager, followed by a cold, low-pitched female voice.

“The first wave of flight is about to begin. Survival time is five minutes. Hitting a pursuer with a powder ball eliminates them. Similarly, if a survivor is marked with color by a pursuer, they are eliminated. As a penalty, you will stay in the forest for fifteen minutes before returning to the starting point to restart the challenge.”

“Countdown: ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

The mechanical voice counted down coldly, and the artificial fog around them grew thicker.

The two, who had been standing one behind the other, slowly moved closer until they were side-by-side.

Xia Shibai watched her surroundings vigilantly. As soon as “one” was called, she heard the sound of rustling bushes. The next second, about a dozen staff members in professional makeup emerged from the fog. Their faces were a terrifying pale green, and each had a large, realistic-looking cyst on their neck. From a distance, the cysts looked alive—breathing.

Qin Zhijin’s eyes widened. Terrified, she didn’t care about paths anymore; she turned and bolted.

Why do things that are so deathly ugly exist in this world?

Xia Shibai, feeling a gust of wind pass her, looked at Dr. Qin running ahead with surprising agility. She didn’t linger either, chasing after her along a path.

It was hard to speed up on the water-soaked ground; a slight misstep would lead to a fall.

Qin Zhijin had the fastest initial burst of speed, but as someone who rarely walked on mountain paths, she couldn’t control her sliding soles. Seeing that she was about to step on a wet patch of dirt and crash head-first into a tree trunk, Xia Shibai acted quickly, grabbing her by the waist from behind.

They didn’t hit the tree, but the momentum forced them both to roll on the ground. Their previously clean clothes were now filthy beyond recognition.

To create a realistic horror atmosphere, the photographers only used a crane for wide shots from the perimeter; all close-up footage was captured by the sports cameras on their chests.

Xia Shibai felt like her waist had never suffered such an indignity. With the “monsters” closing in, she helped Qin Zhijin up first, not even stopping to check where she was hurting from the impact.

The two scrambled through the forest in a state of unprecedented dishevelment.

“The first wave is about to end. Entering the safe rest period. Players, please find the emergency kits scattered around to upgrade your equipment. Entering safety period in ten seconds.”

For the first time, Xia Shibai felt ten seconds was longer than a lifetime. As the fog dissipated, the staff in special effects makeup gradually scattered, no longer fixated on the two.

Qin Zhijin looked at the limping Xia Shibai, her heart full of guilt. “Thank you. I made you fall with me just now.”

Seeing Xia Shibai’s pale face, Qin Zhijin remembered that she had practically landed on top of her while Xia Shibai shielded her. The one underneath had slid backward, hitting either her waist or back—both critical spots.

“Are you hurting anywhere? Should we stop and find a doctor?”

Xia Shibai waved her off. “It’s nothing, just a cramp in my calf. No big deal.”

“This stretch of road is a bit slippery, no need to rush.” Xia Shibai half-bent to rub her calf. She was covered in mud, so she didn’t care that her dirty hands were leaving marks on her pants. “I noticed just now that the staff also slow down in slippery areas.”

“We don’t need to be too anxious.”

Especially after they fell; at a normal pace, the staff should have eliminated them long ago. However, despite the short distance, they took longer to reach them than before, only brushing past their clothes.

This meant the staff playing the monsters also considered the environment and the players’ gaming experience.

“The more important thing now is to find an emergency kit to get survival items, and see how this map is used and where the missing fragments are placed.”

“Okay.” Qin Zhijin nodded, frowning as she glanced at the slightly hiked-up leg of Xia Shibai’s pants. She couldn’t see any obvious injury from the outside. After a moment of worry, she quickly followed Xia Shibai, who was leading the way, asking in confusion: “Is winning more important than your health?”

“Not exactly.” Xia Shibai shook her strained calf and ankle. The dull pain was manageable; it was noticeable when walking slowly, but fine when running or jumping. She grinned. “But winning against my daughter is very important.”

“Is it really worth it?”

“To give a child a complete childhood, you have to start by teasing them.” Xia Shibai pulled Qin Zhijin along as they searched the area urgently.

They happened upon a large red-and-white wooden crate. When they opened it, there was only a bag of small balls. It was heavy to the touch.

“These must be the ‘powder balls’ the staff mentioned? So plain?” Xia Shibai took two out and held them, giving the rest to Qin Zhijin.

“You take this bag for self-defense,” Xia Shibai said. “Even though the staff aren’t very aggressive, those mangled faces are quite scary. If you look at them too long, you’ll have nightmares.”

“Okay.”

Qin Zhijin carried the bag, following closely behind Xia Shibai. Theoretically, the two of them would likely be inseparable in this game.

Xia Shibai wouldn’t abandon her, so regardless of who held the bag, they would both end up using the contents.

More importantly, the leg was the most obvious place showing Xia Shibai’s injury. As for anything else, based on Qin Zhijin’s recent understanding of her, she would likely brush it off with a nonchalant “it’s fine.”

That was Xia Shibai’s specialty.

But Qin Zhijin wasn’t buying it.

As a doctor, she firmly believed that once a body had a problem, one should see a doctor—be it Traditional Chinese Medicine or Western medicine. Focusing on health was being responsible for one’s own body.

Yet Xia Shibai didn’t care. That lack of concern was as if she had always been this way; her regard for herself never seemed as high as her regard for others.

Qin Zhijin watched the woman carefully bend the branches of tall bushes so she could follow behind easily, and she bit her lip.

How could someone be so contradictory? Her expression said, “I don’t care about strangers in this world,” yet her body’s actions were like helping an old lady cross the street.

Altruistic to the extreme.

Qin Zhijin felt that even for a neighbor she got along with, no one would rush to a blind date to “save the fire” just because of a phone call where she didn’t say a word.

Yet Xia Shibai had done exactly that. Call her stupid, and her business instincts were clearly visible; call her smart, and Qin Zhijin was just a suspended doctor who couldn’t bring her much profit—Xia Shibai could have easily ignored the matter.

People are complex. Qin Zhijin found it hard to summarize Xia Shibai’s actions accurately.

She felt like someone stuck in a marsh carrying a heavy weight; struggling would make her sink, but not struggling would lead to submerging.

She could only wait quietly for a reaction from Xia Shibai, then grab that straw to poke her head up and breathe.

“Found it!”

Xia Shibai pulled a small piece of paper from a red-and-white box. Before she could celebrate, as she handed the paper to Qin Zhijin, the familiar female voice began the countdown again.

“…Once I get out, I’m going to smash that broken machine sooner or later.” Xia Shibai grit her teeth.

She had never found a voice more unpleasant than this; she even felt she would hear it in her dreams tonight.

In the confusion, Xia Shibai stuffed the found paper into Qin Zhijin’s hand, took the bag of powder balls, and stuffed the two she had in her jacket pocket in as well.

“Climb this tree and study the map. Don’t make a sound.” Xia Shibai tightened the drawstring, reached out to help Qin Zhijin climb the tree, and after ensuring she was safe, moved away stealthily.

There were more staff members in the second round than the first. The dark mass of people combined with the thick fog created a bizarre and terrifying sense of oppression.

Xia Shibai weighed a powder ball in her hand, picked the nearest “monster,” and threw it with a quick motion.

The next second, the staff member cooperatively fell to the ground as if “dead.”

“Impressive…” Xia Shibai suddenly felt the combo ticket was worth the price. At least the experience of this Great Escape was great. With the first hit successful, subsequent breakthroughs became much easier. However, Xia Shibai couldn’t be sure she would find more weapons in the next safe period, so she had to use the powder balls sparingly.

While running, she also had to keep track of her distance from the tree where Qin Zhijin was hiding and whether there were monsters under it. She was practically looking in all directions.

About twenty people chasing Xia Shibai alone almost made her faint from exhaustion. Her strained calf throbbed. Just as a monster was about to reach out and grab her, Xia Shibai dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the touch.

Hiding in the tree, Qin Zhijin looked at the map. She pieced together the fragment they found, frantically aligning it with the beginning of the path. Her heart beat wildly; she was terrified this wasn’t the beginning, but the end.

That would mean Xia Shibai would have to endure several more waves of these attacks while injured. Even if nothing went wrong, she would be in agony from lactic acid buildup the next day.

“Please, please, let it match.”

Qin Zhijin felt she had never been this nervous, not even the first time she stepped onto an operating table.

It wasn’t until the edges of the gap on the map fit perfectly with the fragment that her heart relaxed slightly.

The always-clever Dr. Qin used their current environment to find their exact location on the map, leaning against the thick, wet tree trunk and comparing it with the landmarks.

But it was a futile effort. The camp seemed to have anticipated they would do this; looking out from the tree, there was nothing but tall trees.

Qin Zhijin sat on the branch as time stretched on. She wanted to climb down several times but feared running into a “monster” and causing Xia Shibai to have to start over.

Just then, the piercing mechanical voice sounded for the third time. Qin Zhijin instinctively held her breath, afraid the pager would announce Xia Shibai’s elimination.

“Entering the second rest period. Time extended to fifteen minutes. Players, please prepare for the next escape.”

Hearing the announcement, Qin Zhijin ignored her numb and aching hands and legs. She hugged the tree—it didn’t matter if it was dirty—and slowly climbed down, step by cautious step.

The bark was fragile and soaked with rainwater. No matter how careful she was, gravity was still there and could not be defied. she slid down the tree for a distance, and her chest, abdomen, and palms hurt terribly. She blinked, and tears instinctively welled up in her eyes.

“Why did you climb down on your own? This thing is so slippery, you really aren’t afraid of falling.” With the rest period extended, Xia Shibai didn’t dare rest too much and followed her remembered route back.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Qin Zhijin sliding down the tree, which scared her so much she dropped her bag.

She was terrified something had happened to Dr. Qin.

They couldn’t both go back as casualties from an escape game.

The image of them lying in side-by-side hospital beds would be too funny.

The last short stretch of the way was handled by Xia Shibai climbing onto a lower section and half-supporting, half-carrying Qin Zhijin down from the tree.

Once down, Xia Shibai’s sharp eyes saw Qin Zhijin’s hand instinctively trying to hide behind her back.

Like a teacher catching a child about to lie, Qin Zhijin’s gripped hand tightened as she tried to pull back. But when her hand—covered in moldy wood chips with a layer of skin peeled from the palm—was presented before them, Xia Shibai was forced into a frustrated laugh.

“Maybe before we go to record the variety show, we should each buy a massive insurance policy? How long has this game been going, and we’re already looking like we’re heading for the hospital?”

“Do you know if you had let go just now, you would have landed on your spine first, then your head? If either of those got injured, do you not want a future?”

Qin Zhijin felt a bit aggrieved being scolded, but she also knew she had done something stupid. She wanted to argue, opened her mouth slightly, and then closed it.

This was because Xia Shibai was standing beside her, patiently cleaning off the wood chips and moss from her hand. She didn’t dare tear off the partially curled-up skin, fearing she would pull on the flesh.

Xia Shibai could only clean away what was visible.

By the time she finished, most of the rest period had passed.

“Our current position doesn’t match the map. To find the right path, we still need to find the fragment for the end of the route. Only by piecing them together will we know which one leads to the finish.”

Qin Zhijin told Xia Shibai her conclusion. “After collecting the fragments, we have to go back to the starting point and set off again.”

“No need.” Hearing this, Xia Shibai arched an eyebrow. “I have a simpler way.”

“What?”

“Once we find all the fragments, we’ll memorize the route and then let ourselves get caught. After being eliminated, don’t we automatically return to the start to restart the challenge?”

Xia Shibai said, “At that time, the monsters we encounter will be back to the first wave—fewer people and less pressure. I reckon this path out is less than three kilometers. If we jog, we can reach the exit in about twenty minutes.”

Qin Zhijin, who had been calculating in the tree how many waves they would have to endure to get everything done: “…”

Sometimes, being too law-abiding made her look like a ditz.

The two unlucky souls didn’t stay put. Although the second safety rest lasted fifteen minutes and they had wasted some time, there was still time left.

Perhaps because there were more monsters later on, the number of emergency kits dropped also increased; they could see three on the same path.

Xia Shibai opened two; one was empty.

Qin Zhijin opened the box nearest to her and didn’t find anything even after searching the bottom. She looked up from the box with a face covered in dust.

The squatting Dr. Qin felt she was in a state of ultimate dishevelment today. She looked at Xia Shibai, who was walking toward her carrying items, and said stubbornly: “It’s the box’s fault.”

Xia Shibai: “?”

The box felt aggrieved.

Walking further ahead, there were many upright and lying coffins along the road.

Qin Zhijin was frightened by the eerie atmosphere and instinctively moved closer to Xia Shibai, reaching out to grab her jacket hem, only to find the bottom of the jacket was covered in mud.

That was from when Xia Shibai had served as her cushion during the fall.

Looking at the dried mud marks, Qin Zhijin reached out with her index and middle fingers and pressed lightly on them. Her flesh and blood began to feel burning hot.

“What do you think is inside?”

“Plastic mannequins.”

Qin Zhijin looked up, thinking her answer was probably close. After all, stuffing NPCs inside would be somewhat like employee abuse. Making props was more convenient than buying them.

Xia Shibai opened the door. Inside was a skeleton, which looked quite frightening at first glance.

Qin Zhijin took a step back imperceptibly, creating some distance.

The next second, Xia Shibai pulled the skeleton out of the coffin and roughly stuffed it into another one.

“A single room has become a shared apartment. Anyway, I’m not charging you rent, so don’t mind too much, brother. I have an emergency use for your ‘home,’ I’ll return it to you later.”

Xia Shibai sincerely bowed to the skeleton, then closed the door. She stepped toward the coffin. Seeing Qin Zhijin still standing there dazed, she said quickly: “What are you doing? Come in quickly.”

Qin Zhijin: “…”

Thanks for the invite, but I don’t really want to join the crowd in there.

They can have three skeletons in one room; can we have one each?