Chapter 2243: Collective Amnesia
"You've got quite the ideas." Zhu Xiaojin glanced at him in surprise.
Shen Fu and Shi Meng, the second gatekeeper, were nearing the end of their clearance time limit.
"This instance has a time limit," Xu Huo said. Before coming, he had looked at the instance guide and thought it was an instance without a time limit.
Generally, instances without time limits are considered regular instances. Such instances aren't among the highest risk in B-rank instances. Even if a player clearly fails to clear such an instance, as long as the instance still exists, the player can only remain stranded in the instance zone. Of course, worse off are those who fail to clear and stay behind, only to be brought out later by a player who clears the instance—such people face high-risk random instances upon leaving.
Instances with time limits are relatively high-risk. Even if a player fails to clear, they can still leave the instance zone when the time limit expires. This clearance time mode is the same for C-rank and below instances.
"The instance has a time limit, but we played the One-Third Game," Shen Fu sighed. "I don't know what happened either. I heard from others that anyone who participated in the One-Third Game can't leave this zone even when the 'One-Third City' instance's time limit expires."
"The One-Third Game isn't a random instance, is it?" Zhu Xiaojin and the others had just arrived but had learned a bit about the One-Third Game from other players. "But players can't enter two instances at the same time. Even if there's a random instance layered here, it would have to wait until after the 'One-Third City' instance fails to clear before they can enter."
"One-Third Game, and this place is called One-Third City—no one would believe the instance and the game aren't related," Tang Yu said. "But can they really not leave when the time limit expires? Is that hearsay, or is it true?"
Shen Fu and the other had only heard about it, but they would soon know if it was true, because their instance time limit was almost up.
"Killing wanted criminals—how many people does your instance task require? Why can't you clear it?" Cheng Zhongzhi and the others found it baffling.
"What if I said we forgot? Would you believe it?" Shen Fu said slowly.
"What!" Cheng Zhongzhi and the others found it absurd. What did that mean? Could they forget their instance task?
"What exactly is the One-Third Game you entered like?" Xu Huo asked with a frown.
"Forgotten," Shi Meng said numbly. "Not just past events—I don't even remember current things. Player identity, Dimension Game, items and potions—their existence and usage methods, I've forgotten them all cleanly. If I hadn't run into Brother Shen, I wouldn't even know what I was doing."
"That's right," Shen Fu said. "I'm better off. I've only forgotten some past events, but at least I still remember who I am. But honestly, I don't know what I experienced in the 'One-Third Game.' It's like time was cut off. I don't know when I entered, I don't know how many times I went in—in short, after coming out, I didn't remember how many wanted criminals I had killed before, and most of the instance time had already passed."
"We'd like to try again according to the instance requirements, but there aren't that many wanted criminals in One-Third City for us to kill. Everyone here is a player—we wouldn't dare."
"Besides, what if we enter the game again next time, come out, and forget everything again?"
"Didn't you make a mark in advance?" Tang Yu couldn't help asking. "Write down how many people you killed and put it in your luggage compartment. Even if you forget when you come out, having something there will let you know the progress."
Shen Fu gave an ugly smile. "Maybe there wasn't time. Anyway, there's nothing in my luggage compartment, and most of the clearance time has been wasted."
"Who told you that you can't leave when the time limit expires?" Cheng Zhongzhi asked.
"The bald guy," Shen Fu said. "The one who just escaped. He and two other players have been here for over forty days. They said so themselves."
Xu Huo and the others fell into a moment of silence.
"The One-Third Game—what exactly is going on?" Tang Yu said.
Shen Fu and the other didn't know clearly, but they both remembered the game's win-loss notification to them. It told them they had lost in the previous round of the One-Third Game, and according to the game agreement, their chips would be taken away.
As for what those chips were, they didn't know either.
"When did your memory start disappearing?" Xu Huo asked Shen Fu.
"Everything before age 35 is completely unclear—a blank," Shen Fu replied. "Things after that I remember, but the game segment is forgotten. After that came the notification that I lost the game."
Shi Meng needed no further explanation—his memory began from the moment the One-Third Game informed him he had lost his chips.
"Are the things you brought with you still there?" Xu Huo asked again.
"Aside from some food and daily necessities, some items and potions are missing," Shen Fu said. "I don't know if they became chips."
"Items as chips makes sense," Zhu Xiaojin said. "Forgetting the game memories also makes sense. But why would they forget past events? Could memories also be part of the chips?"
"Regardless, this instance is too strange," Cheng Zhongzhi said. "We can't rule out that it's the work of a local player organization."
"Players can't restrict ticket freedom either." Tang Yu looked at Shen Fu and the other. "In a few days, we'll see if they can leave this zone. That will clarify things."
"Have you found out how to trigger the game?" Zhu Xiaojin asked again.
Shi Meng knew nothing. Shen Fu still remembered, but he didn't know what triggered the game for him. He had killed people who weren't wanted criminals, killed city government players, gone out at night, and stepped outside unlocked areas—in fact, he was no longer clear about the boundaries of his unlocked areas. Each time an area was unlocked, a faint light would appear, but other players could see it too. And as the unlocked areas increased, they couldn't cover such a large range, so over time, they lost track.
"Are you wanted criminals?" Xu Huo suddenly asked.
Shen Fu and the other quickly shook their heads. Going out at night and stepping outside unlocked areas weren't restricted by the legal provisions for clearance players. As for accidental killings, there were no witnesses, and afterward, the city government didn't bother with it. There was no wanted notice, so they couldn't be considered wanted criminals.
"Don't be so desperate," Xu Huo said again. "This city might not only have the 'One-Third City' instance. The bald guy and the others could be stranded players from other instances without time limits. In non-enclosed instances, overlapping areas are normal."
Everyone could only think that way for now.
Zhu Xiaojin and the others asked Shen Fu more details about his daily life since arriving, comparing it with their own to see if they might trigger the "One-Third Game." They also prepared memory recorders and paper and pens in advance, planning a dual approach.
"It's just that we killed those people too fast earlier," Cheng Zhongzhi said with some regret.
"That's not hard. We can just find more people to ask." Xu Huo looked outside. "It's almost eight o'clock."