Chapter 287: 287

Chapter 287 Transitional Quest

Ever since Zhang Heng received the analog watch, his 24 hours had increased to 28 . When its hands reached midnight, he would enter a world where time halted no matter where he was . Having tested his theory multiple times throughout the entire month, his extra 24 hours would still apply when he entered the game, thus, accumulated into his total playtime .

Before the NASA quest, Zhang Heng had always played the game himself . From the desolated island to the 18th century Caribbean, all four games were completed by Zhang Heng alone . It wasn’t until this game that six other players were paired with him . This situation was a first for him, and he had no idea what would happen at twelve . This was excatly why he chose single-player mode all the while, hoping to avoid unnecessary complications like this .

Usually, Zhang Heng would enter the game at 11 . 55 p . m . from the real world . There were five minutes until midnight, and according to the game’s time flow, five minutes was equivalent to twenty hours .

It had been almost twenty hours since Zhang Heng entered this world . Immediately, he told his trainer that he needed to head to the toilet . However, his trainer gently reminded him that he could pee within the provided urinary bag in the spacesuit, considering it as a training exercise for the times he really needed to relieve himself in space .

Zhang Heng was desperate . He thanked his trainer and insisted that he had to go the toilet by hook or crook . No matter what would happen after this, walking around inside a seventy-pound spacesuit wasn’t part of his plan . In the end, his trainer relented, having to spend fifteen minutes to help him get out of it . The moment Zhang Heng freed his right leg, he retook a look at his watch . Only half a minute was left before the clock’s hands landed on twelve . It was at that time that Zhang Heng spotted Yin Xiong and tubby looking at him suspiciously . Whether he liked it or not, Zhang Heng having no time to interrogate them, anyway .

The moment the clock’s hands hit twelve, everyone in the training room literally stopped in their tracks, their faces frozen in time as well . The world had completely turned into a giant wax museum .

Zhang Heng had expected this outcome all along . Earlier, he tested this theory with his computer . In the still world, it was possible to enter a single-player game . The only caveat was that he would be unable to play any games that required an internet connection . Although he was unable to scientifically explain the phenomenon, the mysterious quest that he just joined was still considered a game . Every game that he previously joined was still running when it was midnight in the real world . The only thing that changed was that his gameplay had become longer . Since there were other players present in this quest, it had proved that the world would still come to a stop come midnight .

However, before Zhang Heng could move a muscle, he heard a notification from the game’s system .

(Warning!!! Warning!!! Game-time critical error detected . ”

(Submitting critical error…] (Second level clearance has been initiated . Initial analysis: failure to continue . One player suspected of foul play . Contingency plan activated…]

(Parallel quest activated: Apollo Training Camp’s transitional quest . Number of players: 1 . Goals: none; so far . Time: 240 days . Player, please pay attention!)

Zhang Heng frowned and suddenly heard The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ echoing in his ears . At the same time, his surroundings turned pitch black . It wasn’t the same darkness as when the lights were turned off, but rather, a blackout situation where all light was utterly non-existent . Zhang Heng usually experienced this at the beginning of every new quest, where the complete lack of external stimuli helped him pay full attention to the announcement . This, however, was the very first time it occurred in the middle of the game . It felt as if the game’s online server was being rebooted .

Luckily, the darkness did not last too long . When Zhang Heng opened his eyes again, Paul McCartney was already at, “Oh, yesterday came suddenly…” He found out that he was no longer in NASA’s training room . The players around him had disappeared as well . Right now, he was standing on a vast runway . He could hear the deafening roar of jet engines, and suddenly a fighter jet flew over his head with a gust of wind almost knocking him over . From afar, Zhang Heng saw a pretty blond girl waving at him, looking extremely anxious . “Jim doesn’t like the newcomers wandering around the place . Let’s leave immediately when you are done with him . The people from the lab are still waiting for us . ”

“Lab?”

“Yes . Your school’s students are there now, and you’re the only one left behind . Oh… can you please get off the runway? We’ll be in big trouble if the tower spots us . ”

“I’m sorry . ”

Immediately, Zhang Heng moved away from the runway . He had no intention of risking his life as well . Getting hit by a speeding aircraft rumbling down the runway at over 200 miles per hour wasn’t his idea of a good death .

Nonetheless, this wasn’t his first time hearing a warning from the game’s system . When the second level clearance kicked in, the error wasn’t submitted to the system, subsequently removing it permanently from the game’s sequential decision-making algorithm . Zhang Heng suspected that this all might somehow be connected to the mysterious old man . Since the old man had chosen him to play the game, he must have known that such issues would eventually occur . It was evident that the second level clearance was used to deal with the problem, but apparently, it did not work properly in multiplayer mode . Hence, the system determined that he was technically cheating .

In the still world, he was the only one who could move, and it was safe to say that he was invincible . Just like the Zavilcha case, Shen Xixi and her team failed to defeat it even after several attempts . In the still world, however, Zhang Heng used only a rudimentary utility knife to defeat the monster . In other words, he could easily eliminate the other six players in the paused world if he wanted to, as well .

It seemed the system had noticed this anomaly, and to protect the other players, it created a transitional quest for Zhang Heng and placed him in there . Due to the rushed decision, no goal had been set up for the quest at the moment . Zhang Heng was wondering if this quest was as dangerous as the Winter War . “What is the time now?”

“Time? Erm… 10 . 35 . ”

“What’s today’s date?”

“12th February . ”

“Which year?”

“Is this supposed to be a joke? It’s 1955! Hmm . Do all MIT students use weird antics like this to get attention? I should remind you that if you are late again, your internship at Louis Flight Dynamics Lab will be canceled!”