Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Escape

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

Lin Qin is quite irritated.

X Beijin is inexplicably out for the count again, just like that time in the labyrinth in his Nightmare.

Lin Qin knows hes probably dealing with something serious, but this is still worrying.

With X Beijin in his lap, he carefully lays him on the bed.

Xie Zhijin, meanwhile, quite the astute observer that he is, has gone downstairs to spend time squeezing together with the unresponsive madmen.

Lin Qin sits at the bedside quietly, watching over X Beijin, noting his pale face, and the scars left on his mostly healed wounds. The massive loss of blood still left its impact on him.

Lin Qin is unhappy. He touches X Beijins lips gently.

He hates thisHe hates it when X Beijin is lying on the bed, looking all silent and lifeless.

Please wake up.

Before this happens, though, Lin Qin has to welcome the Missiontakers and Actors who are returning from the Ultimate Nightmare.

And many more, too those who headed to the Ultimate Nightmare from the grey fog, who succumbed in the past.

They appear outside the Tower, where the grey fog once covered.

Once, because the grey fog has dissipated entirely.

No one knows when it did, but before anyone knew, the grey fog was gone.

The ground is bare, barren, blighted. It hosts countless crowds of people on it, squeezing together like ants.

Lin Qin gave it a dispassionate glance before retracting his gaze.

Outside the bookstore are yelps, possibly because the madmen whove exited the Ultimate Nightmare in the first wave have already exhausted all the space on the bottom floor.

Meaning theres nowhere for those returning from the Ultimate Nightmare to stand.

Never mind Respawn Avenue, which cant even host dozens of people without overcrowding.

They just appeared wherever on the bottom floor, falling right into the midst of the madmen.

Its chaotic, but as some people manage to squeeze into their residences, and open their doors to accommodate some of the madmen, the situation is improving generally.

Not that thats anything to do with Lin Qin, as he is still waiting for X Beijin to wake up.

Looking at X Beijins lips, after a long, long period of waiting, Lin Qin is entertaining the idea of using a true loves kiss to wake up his beloved.

Before he can put it into practice, though, X Beijin suddenly wakes up.

It was a moment when everyone felt like there was suddenly life anew in the entire Tower, feeling like even the stains of mould on the walls are gone for a second.

Though nothing seems to have changed when they look more carefully.

The Tower has definitely changed, though, with people having left the Tower and discovered all these madmen inside

It makes them expectant.

Was the choice they made in the Ultimate Nightmare correct? Is the game finally coming to an end? Are they going to leave this true nightmare that has imprisoned them for countless years?

Everyone is hopeful, waiting for a result, an announcement, or any form of feedback

People are holding their breath after the initial excitement. Did they succeed?

As soon as X Beijin wakes up, he hugs Lin Qin. Then, he immediately gets to contacting the contacts and Guarantors of each floor, to inform the public that they have all done what they needed.

Now, they simply have to wait.

Wait?

Some people are still expectantly holding their heads high, but some appear to worry. There are even some who appear to feel betrayed and angry.

The general mood is starting to go downhill, but X Beijin no longer cares.

He looks back at his stream.

Lots of comments are still floating past, but X Beijin doesnt have the time to read them carefully. He gets in touch with the Maerton delegate, who soon replies that theyll take action as soon as possible.

Then X Beijin also starts waiting, anxiously.

His plan is for the Maertons to use this opportunity of NE being downed, to pretend to be it and access then attack the Fyecan network via the data ports.

Now that the game Escape has lost its game Server entirely, it is practically a defenceless fortress. The Fyecas enemies will be invading from here.

Then, war will be waged across the virtual world.

Of course X Beijin is worried. There is no telling that this war will definitely end up the way X Beijin wants it to.

Even though hes confident.

He defeated NE, and had control over all four data ports in this game. He will let the Maertons use them to attack the Fyecan network; he knew from the very beginning that, despite the massive amount of useless data generated because of Missiontakers and Actors succumbing, it is nowhere near enough to cause damage to the Fyecan network.

His whole purpose has been to simply gather the four data ports leading directly into the network which is something that the Maertons have always wanted. Theyve never been able to secure a route to initiate an attack where it mattered, and X Beijin is here to provide.

With NE downed and X Beijin as NE, he will permit all Maerton traffic towards the Fyecas. He is the one letting them through to attack.

Its almost like working with a dangerous animal.

Humans really are too weak and insignificant. If it werent for the Maertons having prisoners of war held by the Fyecas and locked up similarly in arenas like Escape, he isnt sure if the Maertons would have ever found him credible enough to work with.

Why would the Maertons want to save humanity? Only when there are strategic gains to be made, thats all.

X Beijin takes another deep breath. He is still restless.

He doesnt know whats happening outside, what the Maertons will actually do. He doesnt even know if there is a war in the Fyecan network going on like the one hes imagining.

A war. Its really only really dawned on him that this is a war. The Fyecas are their enemies, and the Maertons are erstwhile allies

Perhaps not even allies, since humanity is nowhere near equal footing to these giants of the universe.

Though that said, humans have become a significant factor that could have turned the tide of this war.

A tiny, weak, imprisoned, despised subordinate species of the Fyecas.

X Beijin is smiling rather coldly right now.

Though Lin Qin then puts his finger on his lips.

So X Beijin decides to just relax and let his weight onto Lin Qins lap. With his eyes half shut, he mumbles, little apple

Yeah?

Im getting nervous from all this waiting.

Youve done everything you can.

Yes, but Im still wondering X Beijin explains, if the humans trapped in this game can really survive, and even live outside, in the universe.

But you did not make the choice for them, Lin Qin replies, they made their own choice in the Ultimate Nightmare already.

X Beijin stays quiet.

Lin Qin already understands what was happening in the Ultimate Nightmare and the Tower all along, now, because X Beijin has told him after everything is set in stone.

Those people who made their choice in the Ultimate Nightmare, were the ones still awake and conscious.

This means, they must also understand the choice theyre making.

They do not want to stay in the Tower any longer, to stay in this safe but isolated quarter of the world and live forever. They want out from the AIs protection.

X Beijin doesnt know if this game has a good and bad ending, but he has lived to see the choice of all the players.

The endings actually gave them plenty of hints, too. The Tower is certainly safe, and at least the game is, because the Fyecas arent going to intrude on their lives here anymore; theyve probably forgotten about them altogether.

So they can, just as the games plot says, to continue living here.

To forget about the people outside the TowerNot just those inside the grey fog, but also any humans that may have remained outside of the game.

Maybe theyve forgotten about them, too.

They had a real alternative choice, and escape wasnt the only option on the table.