Seven Days, Seven Nights

Chapter 008 – Precedent

It was quiet around them.

Su Er said lightly, “Calm down.” After saying that, he scratched the back of his head shyly. “I’m not very good at coaxing people, but fortunately, it works.”

“…”

To say a few words(1), Zhang He quite pitied him. Entering this game at a young age, he will lose his life if he is not careful. At least Zhang He was a few years older and had enjoyed a few more years of life. But now… ‘in fact it’s actually good to play games, otherwise with his virtue, I’m afraid Su Er can’t find a girlfriend by the age of forty.’

Li Li was a little scared: “Look around, should we still find a way to kill the monster?”

“You can’t kill it.” Su Er shook his head. “If I guess correctly, the crazy obsessions of these cult members before their death have tangled together to support this separated space.”(2)

That was why when he threw the child out, the Rose Gentleman reacted so heavily. If the other party had died outside at that time, he was afraid this world would collapse in an instant.(3)

A dark gaze fell on himself again. Su Er raised his eyes and smiled at the murderous Rose Gentleman: “We are not born on the same day in the same year, but we die on the same day in the same year.”(4)

The other party was not moved at all and gave a warning look.

“Ghosts have no emotions to speak of,” Su Er turned away and reminded. “In the future, we must not be blinded by the warmth in front of us.”

Zheng He really didn’t see it and forcibly brought the correct topic back: “It’s dangerous to stay longer, but I’m still thinking about how to get out.”

Su Er faced Xuanyuan Aoyu: “I remember you said that you saw a lot of pamphlets promoting cult beliefs, where are they?”

Xuanyuan Aoyu was stunned, turned around and went into the small room where he took out a pile of brochures from the drawer.

Su Er looked flipped through them and finally found the book introducing Nieyan’s theory.

Xuanyuan Aoyu asked “What he wants to hear…could it be this stuff?”

Su Er nodded slightly.

“Isn’t this still too hasty?”

These things were clearly just stuffed into a drawer without any concealment.

Su Er looked at the shadow and suddenly changed topics: “Most names have connectionations. If ‘chinese rose’ represents the flower in his ear, why add the suffix of ‘gentleman?’”

“…” Is this a problem? Maybe it’s just for convenience.

Su Er glanced at Xuanyuan Aoyu: “Reading and comprehension is very important. The teacher said that every word can be picked up separately.”

Xuanyuan Aoyu wanted to say something, but he was stopped by Zhang He who whispered “understand, he brushes five or three years worth of university exam papers every day.” (5)

Xuanyuan cast a sympathetic look.

“Gentlemen have good virtues. They seldom lie,” Su Er turned a deaf ear and looked at the Rose Gentleman. “And every word he says is true.”

Looking at each other, the Rose Gentleman smiled strangely.

Su Er sighed. “As he said, the game is very simple.”

It just takes time to collect clues. If the members are smart enough, then all but the hapless one who told the story can survive.

Speaking of this, he laughed at himself. “Who would have thought of putting the real ‘story book’ in a drawer that anyone can notice.”

“Yes!” the rose gentleman smiled with murderous intention and nodded, “just like who could have thought of such a simple game that I almost died on duty the next day.”

“…” Su Er pretended not to hear, went to the baby crib and waited for the next time the child would cry.

There was a pungent smell of blood from the bedding in the air. Su Er covered his mouth and nose and whispered in a negotiating tone: “You’re just pretending to sleep anyways. It’s better to cry now. If you get off work early, we can leave early.”

“…”

With no response, Su Er was still lobbying patiently. For a long time, the Rose Gentleman stood in the shadow as if watching a noisy crow. Finally, he couldn’t help reminding: “The crying time is set by the rules, and he is not qualified to resist.”

Sur proposed a logical loophole: “But the child was absent from work this morning! He didn’t cry, but he wasn’t punished.”

This system is not perfect!

What he said was like a stone sinking into the sea- the ripples it caused were basically invisible. The Rose Gentleman did not respond to a word, so Su Er could only calm down and wait.

Seeing hope, the atmosphere was more lively than usual, and the others began to discuss more practical issues.

Li Li: “The brochure says that you can leave if you save 10,000 points.”

It sounded like an unreachable number.

“It’s better to have fun in time.” Zhang He looked more open. “I’ll have a good sleep after I get out.” He then turned his head and asked the nearest Xuanyuan Aoyu: “what about you? Do you want to have a drink together?”

The latter shook his head. “I’m going to change my name first.”

He deeply suspected that this arrogant name was what harmed him. (6)

“In addition to saving points, another way is written here.” Su Er suddenly opened his mouth and pointed to the end of the page. “Get 24 achievements.”

As for what these achievements were, it wasn’t written in the brochure. At this time the Rose Gentleman took the initiative to open his golden mouth: “Human power can’t do it.” (7)

Su Er seriously said, “How do you know if you don’t try?”

“Wa-” (8)

They heard the usual life-threatening cry, but this time there was an illusion that it was waiting for them. (9)

As a practitioner, Su Er sighed before reading the brochure: “If you fail tonight, this peony blossom will die.” (10)

Suddenly, he regretted not portraying Pan Jinlian’s image more beautifully when telling the story. (11)

After clearing his throat, he slowly read: “Nieyan will give strength to those who suffer. He always looks for the most pious apostles…”

There was a trace of longing in the child’s hollow eyes, as if they had been bathed in sunlight. When Su Er finished reading half a page, his thin and shrivelled face was deeply intoxicated.

The others were a little uncomfortable watching this scene. Obviously, it was the cult that harmed these souls. However, even when they became ghosts, they did not repent at all. The obsession that had turned them into ghosts was the unwillingness to accept that they could not become the so-called envoy of god. (12)

“Nieyan will always be with you and the world.” After reading the last sentence, Su Er reached out and closed the child’s eyes. He said with a blank face, “You are all the envoys chosen by God.” (13)

This time, the child no longer pretends to sleep, but calmly folds his arms over his abdomen. He dreams for a long, long time and never wakes up again.

“This is probably the case of the so-called death without repentance,” Zhang He said sarcastically.

Su Er took the photo from his pocket: “Maybe there are some regrets.”

Two lines of blood and tears fell from the woman’s eyes without pause. They converged on the ground and flowed towards the crib. As more and more blood poured out, even the photo itself was about to be soaked. Su Er frowned and threw the photo onto the crib. The next moment, the photo was sucked into the child’s body, leaving only a faint blood stain to prove that it existed at all.

Zhang He: “It’s a pity to lose this prop.”

Su Er did not regret it: “It’s unlikely that conscious ghosts will be allowed out of here.”

As a girl, Li Li is more emotional: “She already has regrets, so why choose to be swallowed and sink into a false world of dreams?”

Xuanyuan Aoyu shrugged: “I have invested so much. My family is broken and people are dead. How can I easily admit my mistake?”

Without leaving them time to even sigh, the Rose Gentleman came out of the shadows, bowed and said the closing words: “Congratulations on passing this joyful game.”

It was definitely not an illusion. When he said the word “joyful,” he was gnashing his teeth. As an experienced host, at the end of every game, the picture he saw was the same: the players who worked hard to survive would show expressions of relief.

But now… Su Er sat on the sofa, seizing the time to read the brochure. He studied alone, ignoring the remaining three. In order to survive, he began to absorb the key points like a sponge. (14)

“…”

Feeling someone staring at him, Su Er raised his head: “What’s the matter?”

After all that, the rose gentleman couldn’t help but spit out a word slowly: “Go away.” (15)

Just like when they came, several beams of light enveloped everyone’s bodies, and Su Er could clearly see their forms slowly dissolving. The last thing they saw before their facial features dissipated was the child sleeping quietly in the crib.

The water curtain had disappeared.

Su Er once again stood in the place where he first entered this world, and saw a few new strange faces.

“It’s been a long time since all members survived.” A complicated sigh came.

Su Er looked over and it was the gentle lady who he first met. On her left and right stood two strangely dressed people, one of whom was carrying a long knife.

“To make a long story short, my name is Gu Yan,” the gentle woman spoke.

After saying that, she handed Su Er and the others a leaflet in turn.

It is mentioned in the brochure that when an organization intends to recruit members, it will distribute leaflets containing an introduction to said group. The flyer is also equivalent to the registration form. Su Er received the most flyers, and didn’t have time to look at them one by one.

At this time, a shamate (16) stopped in front of him and stuffed a crumpled leaflet on which only two big black words were printed on it: Return to the grave (17)

“Think carefully.” The shamate yawned.

Su Er: “Is this a threat??”

Shamate: “It’s persuasion.”

He was not afraid of offending others. He said carelessly, “You have good observation skills and calmness, but your ability to make trouble is not small. Conservative organizations will not be willing to recruit people of this type.”

Su Er looked at the stack of leaflets in his hands thoughtfully.

“They gave you leaflets moreso to find out how you came out of the host’s room alive.” The shamate spread out his hands. “Although our boss is also curious, he can protect you.”

“How to win the host’s favor?” Hearing this, Su Er sneered. “It’s very simple. Just put down your body and seduce.”

The shamate narrowed his eyes and suddenly became fierce. “No one is a fool. You can’t hide your little tricks.”

During their stiff confrontation, Su Er found that the dark clouds in the sky were becoming more viscous, like thick ink converging together. A chilling mechanical chime suddenly sounded throughout the whole world. [Congratulations to the player Su Er for unlocking the new ghost exorcism method and obtaining the achievement “Femme Beauty.”]

As the broadcast ended, the badges on all the players changed. In addition to the previous force value and spirit value, a third column was added in the lower right corner: charm value.

When the force value reaches 150, you can slightly distort space. If the spirit value exceeds 80, you can be possessed by ghosts. What is this extra charm value now?!

The shamate took a deep breath and gave Su Er a very complicated look: “…We misunderstood you.”

“…”

The Author has something to say:

Su Er’s Motto: Don’t be afraid of breaking bones and keeping innocence in this world! (18)

FOOTNOTES:

说句不地道的话 – not sure how to translate this ;-;. What I got was “unorthodox words” or something going away from dao (the moral or ethical way)I’m not sure I explained it clearly. Basically, the resentment of the ghosts of the cult members created an isolated space surrounding the villa, so the infant can’t leave the house. This also aligns with the game’s design to keep the infant within the scope of the game and not cause havoc in the world outside of the villa.World referring to the scenario/instance in this villa I’m assuming, not the actual whole worldPreviously, 月季花 in his name was translated as Rosa (thus Gentleman Rosa), but I changed it to Rose Gentleman because I’m more used to seeing it translated as that in MTL… I thought about using the pinyin (Yuèjì huā) but I decided not to change it too much. As was stated previously, the rose in his name is referring to the Rosa chinensis, or Chinese Rose (image below) which is also the type of flower I assume is growing from his ear.This refers to what Su Er told Zhang He in chapter 5: “Year three in high school, doing the past five years worth of university entrance exam papers and the past three years worth of simulated entrance exam papers every single day.” Su Er emphasised, “My willpower is strong.” – Translation by Error404His name was explained in the footnotes of chapter 2, but basically his name is similar to the type of pompous names authors would give their main characters in popular Xianxia/Wuxia novels (according to my understanding) 金口 – It was more specifically translated to Chrysostom – Golden mouth – denotes the celebrated eloquence of Dio Chrysostom (a Greek orator from 1st century AD). I’ve seen it being translated to Buddha’s mouth too but I don’t know if that’s right or notIt translates as wow but “哇” sounds like “Wa-” so i kept it in pinyin  往常催命一样的哭泣声这会儿听在众人耳中却有一种终于等到你的错觉。- I have no idea how to make sense of the second half of this sentence. “终于等到你的” – “finally waiting for you” but I can’t figure out how to make sense of it.I found that peony flowers in China hold a lot of cultural significance that no other type of flower can rival them. It sort of fits Su Er’s personality… to consider himself like that, but I don’t know if he’s referring to himself for sure lol. Also “践者” kept translate to practitioner, but it doesn’t seem to exactly fit. Not sure what else to call it though.Refers to the woman in Su Er’s story in chapter 7 甚至让他们成鬼的执念就是没有变成所谓神使的不甘 – This was another sentence I had difficulty understanding. I originally wrote it as “The unwillingness from not becoming the so-called envoy of god eventually became the obsession that made them ghosts.”涅衍神将与世人同在  – it kept translating as “Nieyan will be with the world.” On an unrelated note, when I was looking this up, search showed me this line: “Matthew 28:20 I [God] Will Be with You Always Even Unto the End of the World.” The beginner’s guide brochure they received before entering the gamehe said “滚.” thus the “spit out one word” – means “roll”, but i saw it translated as “go away” (逃离) as well so *shrugs* 杀马特- the punk character seen in beginning of chapter 2. See 404error’s first note on bottom of that chapter for explanation. I’m not sure whether to keep it as punk though since they don’t seem to be exactly the same 归坟 – return and grave作者有话要说：  苏尔座右铭：粉骨碎身浑不怕，要留清白在人间！