Die Now Episode 4 Recap
> Die Now Recap
Xia Chi and Qing Zhi went basketball shooting; Xia Chi explained various factors and demonstrated the optimal posture, but his shot missed. Embarrassingly, Qing Zhi casually threw the ball and it went in. Later, while they were eating, Qing Zhi tenderly wiped a grain of rice from Xia Chi's lip with a tissue. Xia Chi was lost in thought, feeling immensely happy.
However, when Xia Chi went to pay, he was stunned to discover the card he pulled from his pocket was his game membership card. The service staff informed him the card could be used anywhere and, upon checking, found a balance of 899,700+. This indicated he had scored 90 points in his first game, starting with 900,000. He realized he might still be inside the game. Xia Chi invited Qing Zhi to go shopping after lunch.
They bought various brand-name clothes and shoes, but Qing Zhi suddenly felt disappointed; this wasn't the kind of date she wanted, and she didn't want him to spend so much money on her. Knowing Xia Chi just wanted her to be happy, she took his hand. Xia Chi smiled, recognizing the warmth and reality of her hand in his, wishing it could be like this forever. But Xia Chi abruptly remembered that Meng Qin should be at the game entrance.
He questioned whether he was in the game or reality. If he had successfully returned to the real world because of the game, what about Meng Qin? Just as he was about to make a call, Meng Qin appeared behind him, introducing him to Jia Li, a computer science student. Meng Qin claimed they had gotten very drunk on Thursday night, with Xia Chi being heavily intoxicated. Xia Chi's suspicion deepened, wondering if he was truly dreaming.
It became clear that to find the truth, he would have to re-enter the game. All screens then froze, and the End Brain system reopened. A system voice announced his current balance was 6. 5 points, confirming this was a formal level. Xia Chi stepped through a portal and entered what appeared to be a dilapidated castle, which some might describe as a palace under renovation. Descending a staircase, he saw the other players, including Bo Bian.
The Game Master (GM) cheerfully called Xia Chi "baby" and declared that "time is the best teacher, but he will kill you after teaching you everything." Their main task for this round was for everyone to collectively and safely escape the area. Success would add 10 points, while failure would deduct 8 points. Xia Chi only had 6. 5 points. The GM then whispered to Xia Chi, identifying him as Player #7.
His optional exclusive task was to prevent Player #2 from leaving. Success would add 5 points, failure would result in no deduction, and it would not affect the main task. Xia Chi observed that Player #2 had a weapon. When he asked the GM what "preventing leaving" entailed, the GM feigned deafness.
Player #3, a young girl named Li Meng, a student from Four-Leaf Academy who had performed exceptionally in the first round to reach this formal level, was the first to introduce herself. Other players coldly scoffed, warning that revealing oneself was dangerous and that this game was not a place for making friends. They stated that the game fundamentally consisted of two types: human vs. human, and human vs. system.
Player #6 then recognized a calm and rational woman as a scholar from a TV cultural lecture. Player #2, a journalist from the Southeast Current Affairs Social Edition, then happily called out, "Teacher Li Li!" and asked for contact information, mentioning their newspaper had wanted to interview her for a long time.
Player #2 had also volunteered to follow and protect Li Li, but this behavior, full of excessive, casual amiability, seemed inconsistent with Li Li's known demeanor and suggested Player #2 might be trying to conceal something. With identities exposed, mutual distrust among the players intensified. For safety, Li Li proposed dividing into three teams: Li Li and Player #2 in the front, Player #5 and Player #7 (Xia Chi) in the back, and the women in the middle.
Bo Bian then provocatively teased Xia Chi, calling him "little cutie." Bo Bian, the tall, elegant man Xia Chi had met at the game entrance, possessed a psychopathic personality, enjoying killing. To make the game more "interesting," he bluntly stated that everyone had their own exclusive tasks, and his target was Player #7. His revelation further fractured the team.
Li Li reasoned that the optional tasks were designed to sow discord among them and suggested everyone abandon them, choosing to focus on finding the exit first. Xia Chi, observing the fragile team, insisted on moving alone. He was warned that if any individual was attacked, they would become a common enemy for all. Despite this, Xia Chi still proceeded by himself. Player #3, Li Meng, eventually also chose to go alone, reasoning that personal action might be safer.
Later, Li Meng, a seemingly beautiful and delicate girl, appeared before Xia Chi, pitifully claiming she was scared to walk alone and that two people offered mutual support. Xia Chi, however, saw through her disguise; no one who had survived this long could truly be so timid. He suspected her feigned newbie status was meant to make others drop their guard.
Li Meng admitted this was her sixth game, always pretending to be a newcomer and trying to find a helper. As they walked together, they saw an inscription on the wall: "The path won't narrow because two people walk it." Suddenly, Li Meng heard children's laughter and, with a frightened scream, timidly grabbed Xia Chi. Xia Chi shoved her against the wall, threatening to kill her. Before that, he intended to resolve her issue.
He noted her defenselessness and concluded that Bo Bian had been lying, and she was, in fact, his attacker. Crying, Li Meng knelt, begging Xia Chi for mercy. She confessed to being his attacker but insisted she never intended to harm him or complete her optional task. She pleaded with Xia Chi not to kill her or abandon her there.
Xia Chi was bewildered, wondering if a game truly needed to be so extreme, questioning if it was real or an act. Ultimately, he felt a pang of pity, apologized, and told her to stand up. Li Meng then explained that "death" in the game was merely "elimination." The true horror lay in one's remaining points: if a player's score went negative, they would be "kicked out."
No known eliminated player had survived more than a week in reality, meaning being kicked out of the game was tantamount to death. This, she revealed, was why Ji Lu had been killed. Xia Chi realized he had to complete the main mission first. The game rules, while seemingly ordinary, were incredibly insane; this was a team survival battle, and finding the exit constituted completing the task. They once again spotted the invisible, skirt-wearing little girl and followed her.
The girl led them to a desolate, dilapidated prison covered in cobwebs, exuding an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere. Xia Chi opened the prison door, inside which they found hanging, bloody organs. Li Meng stayed close behind Xia Chi. Xia Chi deduced that the blood they saw earlier was unlikely to be from other players, as they hadn't encountered anyone along their path. Li Meng imagined zombies from American movies. Suddenly, zombies appeared behind her, reaching out with bloody hands.
Xia Chi saved her and fought off the zombies. As more zombies began to appear, in a critical moment, Li Meng betrayed Xia Chi, entering what she believed was an exit. Xia Chi was surrounded by zombies, and Li Meng shut the door, leaving him to fight them alone. Seeing his betrayer, Xia Chi sought revenge and called out, "Labyrinth of lies, are you sure that's an exit? You'll just go in circles!"
After a fierce battle, Xia Chi defeated the zombies. True to his prediction, Li Meng eventually circled back, realizing it wasn't a real exit. Xia Chi now understood the truth of this level: "Labyrinth of Lies." The rules of the perceived world would adjust according to what players said. They then arrived at a warehouse covered in ice and snow. As Li Meng was about to speak again, Xia Chi quickly covered her mouth.
A door in the warehouse was rapidly closing. Xia Chi yelled for them to get out quickly, and they ran at top speed. Just as the door was about to shut, Li Meng's foot became stuck in a hole, trapping her as the door slowly closed.
