《The Wolf Is Fierce and Cautious》 Chapter 1 – We are ", find us on google. *** The blinding white light slowly brought Zhao Yi back from unconsciousness. Opening his eyes, he saw the operating light of a surgery room. His nostrils were filled with the heavy scent of dust and rust. He slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings, and immediately realized he had been pulled into the real-life horror game "Hell" that had descended upon the world three years ago! This game continuously drags humans into terrifying worlds to perform various horror tasks, and broadcasts them live on the virtual platform "Eternal Night Camp"! Those who succeed are rewarded and grow stronger! Those who fail have their life permanently deducted until death! The life displayed above is not the life bar of the character the player is playing. It is the player''s own life bar! After confirming that there was no immediate danger around him, Zhao Yi opened his quest board. "Hell difficulty beginner dungeon... Seems dangerous, better be careful!" Zhao Yi muttered to himself. He got up from the broken iron bed and stretched his muscles. Everything was intact. His state was currently manic. Approaching the shattered vintage glass window, Zhao Yi observed the outside scene, his gaze falling on the hospital''s outer wall. Deep in his eyes, a faint dark red bloody glow flickered! Immediately, Zhao Yi received some unstable data. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Access card?" Zhao Yi rubbed his chin. These mysterious data revealed important information! To escape the hospital, an access card is needed. It seems this is his ultimate goal. Carefully pushing the door open. The corridor was pitch black. In the distance, a stark white light flickered, unstable! A gust of eerie wind blew into his bones. Such a scene would be enough to scare an ordinary person into paralysis. *** [Eternal Night Camp Streaming Lobby] : Strange, this batch of newcomers actually has someone with a spirit value of 101?! : WHAT? Isn''t the max spirit value for players in this game 100? : I remember it is, the highest player currently is 100, called Dragon Emperor Demon God, not from our Bone Zone, heard he''s from the Blood Zone, top of the Blood Zone leaderboard. : Could the system have a bug? : Damn! Look! This unlucky kid''s beginner dungeon is actually Colossus Hospital? : He''s done for, this newbie is going to die right from the start! : What? Another newbie entered Colossus Hospital? Let''s go watch the stream! : What''s his name? : Zhao Yi. In Eternal Night Camp, many players shouted, clicking into Zhao Yi''s live streaming room. They were eager to see how this unlucky guy who entered Colossus Hospital would meet his end. *** Fourth floor. Zhao Yi continued forward, along the mottled walls. Paint peeled off with the wall skin, scattered all over the floor, mold spots everywhere. Clearly, the hospital had been abandoned for years. 401... 402... 403... The door plates were barely hanging on. Finally, Zhao Yi stopped at room 409. He saw an elderly man lying in the ward, emaciated, with a head full of white hair. The old man was connected to many tubes keeping him alive. With a pleading look, the old man slightly moved his lips. "Young man... help me... I want to use the bathroom, can you help me get up?" Zhao Yi carefully examined the old man. Those unstable strange data appeared again. Zhao Yi''s mind raced, then he entered the room, step by step approaching the old man. The old man on the bed watched Zhao Yi approach, a trace of resentment and a sinister smile flashed in his eyes, but he gratefully said: "Thank you, young man!" *** In the live streaming room, players watching Zhao Yi enter the room showed regret and mockery on their faces. :Tsk tsk tsk, he actually dared to go in! In a place like this, even using your butt to think, there can''t be any living people, right? : Dying at the hands of Old Liu, there must be at least fifty if not a hundred! : I thought a newbie with a spirit of 101 would be impressive, but he''s just an idiot, even worse than the last one with 78. : Let''s disperse, this newbie is too weak! The audience in the live streaming room discussed heatedly. However, they soon noticed Zhao Yi stopped about three meters away from the old man. The old man''s cloudy eyes were filled with urgency and impatience. Come on! Come touch my hand! It screamed frantically in its heart! Unbeknownst to anyone, a rusty scalpel appeared in Zhao Yi''s hand hidden behind his back. He took another step, but sidestepped the old man''s front, coming to the back. The old man''s smile froze. "What... what are you doing?" Zhao Yi stared at the back of the old man''s head for a long time, calmly saying: "I''ll ask you a question, if you answer correctly, I''ll take you to the bathroom." "And... if I answer incorrectly?" "Then I''ll cut off your head." Old Liu was stunned! The audience in the live streaming room was also stunned! Goodness, this is a complete reversal! This newbie seems to be a bit... fierce? "Okay... okay." Due to the system settings, Old Liu couldn''t turn around, and now, as fierce as it was, it became a lamb to the slaughter. Zhao Yi pressed the scalpel''s tip against the back of Old Liu''s head and asked: "How many leg hairs do I have?" Old Liu: Live streaming room: ??? Squelch! The sound of the scalpel entering flesh echoed. The scalpel in Zhao Yi''s hand had successfully pierced Old Liu''s brain! Old Liu''s face was filled with terror, he shouted:"Don''t kill me! Ask another question! Ask another one!" Zhao Yi was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. Then I''ll ask another. Where is the hospital''s access card?" Old Liu let out a breath, hurriedly saying:"There are three access cards in the hospital, one in the logistics department, one with the director, and another..." As he spoke, his eyes suddenly widened, his body convulsing! The old man struggled a few times, then his head drooped. Zhao Yi withdrew his scalpel, noticing that some of the rust on it had faded. He glanced at the iron window, noticing a slight lift at the corner of the bed, something that would be impossible to spot without careful observation. After some searching, Zhao Yi found a property deed. At the same time, the system''s voice sounded. With the system message, the old man''s corpse had somehow turned over, quietly watching Zhao Yi, no longer fierce. His figure was fading. "Young man, thank you for freeing me. This property deed is the only savings of this old man. My daughter once..." In his final moments, he recounted his story. It turned out that Old Liu''s daughter, Liu Xue, had secretly had an affair with the director of Colossus Hospital to obtain this property deed, planning to conspire to kill him! But later, Liu Xue died in an elevator accident in the hospital. So the matter was left unresolved. Old Liu entrusted Zhao Yi to help kill the director of Colossus Hospital, in exchange, the property deed would belong to Zhao Yi. *** In the live streaming room, hundreds of players watching the stream were stunned. For a full three seconds. Then suddenly, it became noisy! Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 2 – The Female Ghost in the Colossus Hospital Elevator "This newcomer actually triggered the hidden quest in Colossus Hospital!" "Impressive!" "So Old Liu can''t move at all! But how did he know?" "Who just called this newcomer an idiot? Stand up and speak!" Everyone was discussing when suddenly a special framed message appeared in the live streaming room. Yang Tao: "Although it was somewhat accidental, among the new players added to the Bone Zone this year, his performance is quite good. The outcome of the newbie dungeon isn''t very important; what''s important is his mindset, judgment, and reaction ability." "??? Isn''t this the vice president of the Call to Arms Guild, Boss Yang Tao?" "It''s really Yang Tao! Let''s take a photo together!" "Why does Boss Yang Tao have time to visit a newbie''s live stream?" "Is your guild short on people? Boss, look at me! I''m already level 12!" Yang Tao: "We''re not short on people. I just happened to have some free time, so I came to check out the newbies'' dungeon situations." Yang Tao: "Given the current situation, Zhao Yi''s best approach is to resist the temptation of the hidden quest and focus on completing the main storyline. The map of Colossus Hospital isn''t large, and there aren''t many monsters, but there are many restrictions on the exit. You must obtain an access card to leave." Yang Tao: "But the two known access cards in the hospital, one is with the director, and the other is in the logistics department. The former is extremely difficult to obtain, and the latter might be challenging to explore. Let''s see how this newcomer performs." Yang Tao: "Moreover, Old Liu has subtly hinted to Zhao Yi that his daughter died in the elevator, which means the hospital''s elevator cannot be used." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the live streaming room, Yang Tao was analyzing with reason when he suddenly stopped. Because he saw Zhao Yi heading straight for the elevator with a property deed in hand... *** The wood paneling in the elevator was very worn. There were many dark brown spots. Those were dried bloodstains. Clearly, something had happened here before. Zhao Yi rubbed his chin, staring at the elevator for a long time. The annotation appeared again. Seeing this, Zhao Yi smiled. The one who died in the elevator was most likely Old Liu''s daughter! Her strength and resistance were severely diminished. Good, Very good. He stepped forward boldly. Zhao Yi walked into the elevator. And his hand reached into his pocket, pulling out a pitch-black object, placing it under the property deed. "Are you Old Liu''s daughter, Liu Xue?" *** "Brothers... why do I feel like Zhao Yi''s expression is... a bit off?" "He doesn''t seem scared, maybe even a little... excited?" "Can he really handle this?" "Stay true to yourself! I call him... a true warrior!" In the live streaming room, the crowd initially frightened by the sudden appearance of the female ghost, found their fear dissipating by half upon seeing Zhao Yi''s expression. *** Seeing the man in front of her completely unafraid, Liu Xue was dumbfounded. What''s going on? Am I not scary enough? "I am Liu Xue... are you here to avenge me?" Her face was drenched in blood, her black hair wet and sticky... Her skin was deathly pale, her voice eerie and ghostly... Zhao Yi wasn''t scared, he even wanted to perform a craniotomy on her. "Your father, Old Liu, has a special gift for you." Liu Xue was stunned. Zhao Yi nodded slightly. "He left it for you alone, said it''s very important, and asked me to make sure you get it. It seems to be related to a property deed. But first, tell me your story, weren''t you killed in an elevator accident? Why seek revenge?" Upon hearing the words "property deed," the female ghost Liu Xue realized Zhao Yi was indeed sent by Old Liu. Because only three people in the entire hospital knew about this matter. Her, Old Liu, and the director. Liu Xue''s eyes were cold, hanging outside her sockets filled with resentment, her aura growing increasingly unstable. "Accident? Yes... everyone thinks it was an accident... Do you think it was an accident too? Do you think so!!" As she spoke, she suddenly thrust her terrifying, rotten face in front of Zhao Yi! Her resentful eyes stared intently at Zhao Yi! Zhao Yi blinked and asked:"And then?" The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds. Ghosts scaring people is a terrifying thing. But failing to scare someone is quite awkward. Liu Xue coughed twice, slowly retracting her face, and said coldly: "It was the director. He murdered me, pushed me off the rooftop! Then had my body collected, claiming it was an elevator malfunction!" Zhao Yi suddenly understood. "So, you want me to help you kill the director?" Liu Xue nodded. "If you help me kill the director and bring his head back to me, I''ll give you a generous reward!" There was no system prompt. This meant the female ghost was lying to Zhao Yi. She had no intention of rewarding Zhao Yi. She might even plan to kill Zhao Yi afterward! "Does he have any weaknesses?" Zhao Yi seemed unaware, asking on his own. "He is the strongest ghost here... but also the weakest. Unlike other ghosts... he doesn''t know he''s dead! If you can make him realize he''s dead... his obsession will vanish, and his power will drain!" After the female ghost finished speaking, Zhao Yi handed the property deed and the object beneath it to her. "I understand. These are the things your father wanted you to have. I''ll find a way to help you get revenge, you take a look first." Liu Xue''s cold gaze fell on the property deed, casually accepting the two items Zhao Yi handed her. The process was so smooth. So smooth that the female ghost didn''t even suspect a thing. Zhao Yi exited, turned right. Stopped. Covered his ears. A strange pull ring was looped around his middle finger. After a brief wait¡ª A violent explosion sound followed, accompanied by countless pieces of flesh and wood flying out, scattering everywhere, covering over ten meters! A blown-up, round head rolled out from the elevator, the fallen eyeballs filled with extreme unwillingness and terror... Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 3 – The Fierce Ghost Scared Away from Inside the live streaming room, everyone was dumbfounded. "Damn... isn''t he a psychologist? Why does he carry a grenade when entering a dungeon?" "Is he a battlefield psychologist from Syria?" "This physical exorcism deserves full marks!" Yang Tao: "Brilliant! He used his words to divert the female ghost''s attention, making her focus entirely on the property deed, which was her obsession in life, subconsciously lowering her guard against Zhao Yi... After all, most players think only of escaping when facing ghosts. Who would expect a human to attack a specter?" Yang Tao: "Moreover, Zhao Yi is clearly exploiting a loophole in the game system. Normally, physical means have negligible effects on specters, but because Zhao Yi is currently in a beginner dungeon at hell difficulty, the system significantly reduced the specter''s resistance to give players a fighting chance. That''s why the grenade could cause such severe damage to the female ghost!" "That makes sense!" In the live streaming room, Yang Tao stared intently at Zhao Yi in the dungeon, his eyes gleaming. In just a short time, he already had the urge to make an exception and recruit Zhao Yi into the guild. This newcomer''s performance was simply outstanding! Even many players who have completed numerous tasks find it hard to be as calm and decisive as Zhao Yi! *** The head on the ground, blown to a pulp, looked increasingly hideous and ugly. Liu Xue glared at Zhao Yi with intense anger and resentment! "You dare... to scheme against me?" Zhao Yi ran to the blood-soaked female ghost''s head, as if discovering a new toy, and patted it like a ball. It bounced high. "Hey! Your head is quite bouncy, isn''t it? Uh... just a bit sticky." Female ghost: "???" The next moment, a sharp, rust-stained small knife appeared in Zhao Yi''s hand. It was his soul weapon. *** Seeing the scalpel in Zhao Yi''s hand, immense fear appeared in the female ghost''s resentful eyes! "No! Don''t kill me!" The female ghost let out a piercing scream! "Shh¡ª My knife is quick, it won''t hurt." Zhao Yi gently extended his left hand to comfort the female ghost. Then, amidst the female ghost''s shrill screams, he slowly stabbed the scalpel into the back of her head. And stirred it around. The female ghost stopped screaming. *** Footsteps echoed from the corridor not far away. Zhao Yi stood up and slowly turned around. In front of him was an old man with half his head sliced off. A strange smile hung on his face. But when he saw the female ghost''s head, with its terrified expression, in Zhao Yi''s hand, his smile gradually disappeared. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Zhao Yi asked politely. The old ghost''s hair stood on end, and he turned to flee, not looking back! Damn it, this guy is too damn scary! The crazy woman in the elevator actually had her head cut off by him! I hope he doesn''t chase after me! No, I need to run faster! *** Watching the specter''s panicked retreat, the entire live streaming room erupted. The original few hundred viewers had now turned into tens of thousands. Many large guilds send representatives to newcomer live streams every year to spot promising talents. "???" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m fucking impressed! This newcomer is so fierce! He actually scared the ghost away!" "He treats the female ghost''s head like a ball. Is he really a psychologist and not a psychopath?" *** After scaring away the old ghost, Zhao Yi looked down at his scalpel. The rust had disappeared. But the blade kept oozing blood. Zhao Yi clenched his fist, clearly feeling much stronger. His strength value had increased from 2 to 5. It felt great. A bit insane. In the hospital''s first-floor lobby, Zhao Yi found the map he was looking for. He glanced at it. Memorized it. And continued exploring. Following the map north, he avoided several highly dangerous unknown shadows. Zhao Yi didn''t head straight to the director''s office but chose the security room instead. He needed proof to inform the director that he was already dead. The security room had surveillance and possibly a printer. Unlike the large hospitals in the city center, Colossus Hospital was built in a remote area, so for safety and convenience, the security room was equipped with networked electronic devices and printing materials. Dim lights flickered ahead. Several corpses lay scattered on the floor inside. As soon as Zhao Yi entered the security room, the first thing he did was take out his scalpel and cut off each corpse''s head! Then he placed them neatly on the table! *** Zhao Yi''s actions sent chills down the spines of many players in the live streaming room. This guy... He must have some psychological issues, right? Yang Tao: "Although it''s quite twisted, it''s a very safe approach. In beginner dungeons, some specters have their powers severely restricted, so they might play dead to ambush players." Yang Tao: "Soul weapons are among the few weapons players have that can significantly harm specters, so doing this eliminates any worries." "Boss makes sense, but is this really something a newcomer to the hell game can do?" "In future team-ups... will he get so carried away that he kills his teammates too?" "This guy is a psychologist? Allow me to mourn for his patients for three minutes!" *** After finishing his task, Zhao Yi calmly washed the blood off his hands in a corner of the room. Then he went to the desk to log into the computer. He opened a webpage and searched. Zhao Yi finally found some old news about Colossus Hospital, took screenshots of key images, put them into a WORD document, and printed them on a sheet of paper. After carefully reviewing and confirming everything, Zhao Yi folded it up and kept it with him. Then he left the room. But not long after, he returned, took out his scalpel, and gave each ghost head on the table another stab! After doing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew I forgot something... Now you shouldn''t be able to come back to life..." He muttered to himself. Everyone: "???" Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Chapter 4 – Upon entering the central hall, the shadows around painted an eerie scene. The sky was already quite dim. The air was cold and damp as Zhao Yi paced forward, a strange black fog spreading ahead! *** For the full version, visit [ ]. : Here it comes! The Ghostly Fog Corridor! : Tsk tsk, this fog has claimed many players. It reduces their spirit value, so you can''t linger too long! : I remember, deep within the fog, there''s a room with a Weeping Ghost. Seems like there''s some side quest there. : Right! But it''s not just one ghost there; there''s a Door-Opening Ghost too. Newbies can easily die there! : Hiss¡ªlast time Old Zhang told me he died in the Door-Opening Ghost trap at Colossus Hospital! *** Without hesitation, Zhao Yi stepped into the Ghostly Fog Corridor. As soon as he entered, he felt his vision obscured and concealed. Whispers began to echo around him. Mysterious, cryptic. These voices had a certain mental pollution. But clearly, they were useless against Zhao Yi. Because, Long ago, Zhao Yi could hear countless terrifying whispers every day! From the moment he woke up until he fell asleep. Never a moment of peace! Those voices were far more extreme than the whispers he heard now! Each carried intense malice! Zhao Yi calmly walked through the fog. It felt familiar. Like returning home. The narrow corridor twisted, about three hundred meters long. At the end was a staircase. But as Zhao Yi reached halfway, a faint sobbing sound echoed in his ears... Zhao Yi followed the sound, a scalpel somehow already in his hand. He arrived at Room 1007. The sobbing came from inside. The paint on the wooden door was peeling, leaving mottled marks. Zhao Yi reached out, grasped the doorknob, and tried to turn it. It wasn''t locked. *** Everyone in the live streaming room held their breath. They knew that once Zhao Yi opened the door... He would die! In those few seconds, they felt like years had passed. Holding their breath, fully focused. : Huh? : Why didn''t he... open the door? : Wow! So cautious? *** In the end, Zhao Yi chose not to push the door open. He stepped back a few paces, his gaze falling on the door. Simple data. Gave Zhao Yi an idea. He took out his scalpel, gestured at the door a couple of times. Then suddenly plunged the knife into the wooden door! A piercing scream erupted from behind the door! The sound overwhelmed the Weeping Ghost''s cries! One stab after another... No one knew how many times he stabbed. Zhao Yi''s hollow expression, combined with the perfectly timed shadows and his precise, ruthless stabbing motion, sent chills down the spines of the players watching in the live streaming room. *** : Damn... Is this newbie a bit too fierce? : I''m even starting to worry about the hospital director... : Motherfucker, if I ever meet him, I''d better be careful... I think he''s a madman! Yang Tao: There''s something odd about this newbie. Under the dual stimuli of the Ghostly Fog and the Weeping Ghost''s cries, his spirit didn''t drop at all! : Holy shit? Really! His spirit value is still 101?! *** Finally, Zhao Yi received another notification. Zhao Yi looked at the scalpel in his hand. No obvious changes. Clearly, the enhancement was minimal. But even a little is better than nothing. Blood seeped through the cracks in the door, and the door before Zhao Yi had shifted from dangerous to neutral. Only then did he push it open and enter. The Weeping Ghost was a little boy. He cowered in the corner, trembling as he watched Zhao Yi enter with a knife in hand! He had seen everything just now! "Don''t kill me... don''t kill me!" The Weeping Ghost screamed in terror! His proudest attack method was completely ineffective against Zhao Yi! Zhao Yi approached the Weeping Ghost with the knife. Squatted down, Reached out, Gently patted the Weeping Ghost''s head. *** In the live streaming room, players saw this heartwarming scene and couldn''t help but sigh. Even someone so decisive and ruthless has a gentle side! Hong Ying: His approach is correct. First intimidate the specter, then soothe it, to establish a trust relationship with the specter, which is crucial for completing the side quest! : Whoa?! Goddess Hong Ying is here too! : Goddess, can I have your autograph? Hong Ying: Many skilled newbies have entered the Bone Zone this year. I just came from another live stream of a newbie Chubby Kid, who cleared the "Hunter''s Game" in just forty-six minutes, breaking a three-year record! Hong Ying: This newbie named Zhao Yi is not simple either. Let''s see what this side quest is about. *** The Weeping Ghost, whose head Zhao Yi was patting, gradually calmed down. He was no longer as afraid as before. "You''re not here to kill me, right?" The Weeping Ghost muttered to himself. "I''ve been here so long, and finally someone has come to help me." Zhao Yi smiled warmly, continuing to pat his head. The Weeping Ghost completely relaxed, starting to ramble about his story¡ª "Back then, my mom fell seriously ill..." Zhao Yi gripped the scalpel tighter, slowly applying pressure. "This hospital told me they could save my mom, but it required a huge medical fee..." Zhao Yi shifted slightly, adjusting his posture. Perfect for exerting force. "We''ve always been poor..." The Weeping Ghost rambled, lost in past memories. At that moment! S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi suddenly struck! Crushing! With just one strike, he severed the Weeping Ghost''s head! Immediately, Zhao Yi continued to stab the Weeping Ghost''s head frantically! Blood splattered! He wiped the blood off his face and exhaled. "It''s safe now." He said to himself. Everyone: ??? *** In the live streaming room. : ...I''m stunned! : Skipping dialogue through physical means, impressive! : But now, without key information, he can''t complete the side quest! : Goddess Hong Ying''s analysis was in vain. This guy doesn''t play by the rules! *** While everyone chattered, Zhao Yi remained focused. The Weeping Ghost was a medium-level threat. This meant the ghost had some means of inflicting significant harm on him. To ensure his own safety. Zhao Yi decided to kill the Weeping Ghost directly. As for the side quest, it wasn''t within Zhao Yi''s consideration. The Weeping Ghost died by Zhao Yi''s hand, and the blood on the scalpel became noticeably thicker. Now, blood dripped from the tip every two or three seconds onto the floor. After killing the Weeping Ghost, Zhao Yi searched the room. He found a diary. Flipping through it briefly. It was the Weeping Ghost''s diary. Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 5 – The Director of *** The diary ends here. Besides the misery, there''s no useful information. Zhao Yi tossed the diary aside and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. He reopened the Weeping Ghost''s diary, carefully reviewing it, his gaze deepening. "Mother... surgery..." Zhao Yi seemed to understand something. He took the diary with him, left the room, and re-entered the ghostly fog. In his mind, the entire map of the hospital appeared. Indeed, the map was quite complex, but for Zhao Yi, who could easily remember the symptoms of hundreds of patients without confusion, it was no challenge. The hospital building was not safe, with specters of varying combat strength wandering around. Zhao Yi avoided conflict with them, cautiously making his way to the densely populated inpatient rooms. The conditions in these rooms were extremely poor, even filthy, clearly not meant for the wealthy. This matched the Weeping Ghost''s description in the diary about himself and his mother. ¡ªPoor. Zhao Yi had no intention of completing this side quest. He was looking for the female ghost for another reason. His gaze swept over the corridor. Both sides were filled with low-level dangers and neutral entities. Zhao Yi stepped on the damp, raised floorboards, his footsteps light, checking each room through the glass. *** : What is he doing? : Not sure... maybe exploring the map? Yang Tao: He''s eliminating options. : Eliminating options? Boss Yang Tao, please explain! Yang Tao: Didn''t you notice? In that diary, the Weeping Ghost often worried about his mother. It''s likely his obsession is also his mother in the hospital bed. The side quest is probably related to this, so if Zhao Yi finds the Weeping Ghost''s mother, he can naturally continue the side quest. Yang Tao: Zhao Yi is now eliminating which rooms have women and which don''t, narrowing down the range before exploring, saving time and ensuring safety! : Wow, makes sense! : As expected of Boss Yang Tao, seeing through Zhao Yi''s plan at a glance! A group of people flattered Yang Tao, while other silent players focused all their attention on Zhao Yi! This newcomer... is ridiculously strong! Although his strength is still weak compared to others, his judgment, decisiveness, and adaptability are beyond what many veteran players can achieve! Yang Tao: Look, now he''s found his target. Next, he''ll interact with the target to extract useful information and continue the side quest. *** After a brief elimination process, things went unexpectedly smoothly. Of all the rooms on this floor, only room 3004 had a female ghost lying in the bed. So, Zhao Yi could almost confirm that the Weeping Ghost''s mother was this female ghost lying in bed. Despite her frail and pale appearance. Like the Weeping Ghost, she was classified as ''medium danger.'' In contrast, the fierce-looking old ghosts in the previous rooms were ''neutral'' entities. Zhao Yi arrived at the door of room 3004, placed a hand on the doorknob, and slowly pushed the door open, asking politely with a smile: "Hello, are you Xiao''s mother?" Xiao was the signature in the Weeping Ghost''s diary. The female ghost turned her head, her eyes emitting a deathly aura, staring at Zhao Yi at the door. "I... am... Xiao''s... mother... what... do you... want..." Zhao Yi''s face lit up with joy. "Great! Finally found you! Um... may I ask, is your husband or any relatives in the hospital?" The female ghost was silent for a moment, not answering. "No... Why are you... looking for me... what... do you... want..." As she spoke, her hair began to grow eerily, like a ghost reaching for the door! Clearly, she wasn''t planning to let Zhao Yi go easily. Of course, Zhao Yi wasn''t planning to let her go either. "Good, then. That way, I don''t have to run around... running around looking for people is quite troublesome..." Zhao Yi muttered to himself. Then he tossed in a dark object. The female ghost caught it precisely with her ghostly hair. The next moment, Zhao Yi slammed the door shut! A massive explosion of fire erupted, accompanied by the female ghost''s screams! The whole building seemed to shake! After the aftermath subsided, Zhao Yi opened the door to see the room, and the female ghost was dead beyond doubt. A complete mess. The specter''s resistance had been severely reduced, resulting in firearms being effective. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. *** The audience in the live streaming room grew, but no one spoke. This newcomer made them feel a chill down their spines! Yang Tao was also silent. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This newcomer, his thought process was truly abnormal. Wouldn''t a normal person continue the unfinished side quest by finding the female ghost? But Zhao Yi, upon meeting, gifted a grenade! And from the conversation just now, it was clear... Zhao Yi intended to kill Xiao''s entire family! Apparently, after killing Xiao, Zhao Yi was worried about Xiao''s family seeking revenge... after all, the hospital was only so big, and specters could easily find him... So, he made a decision. ¡ªTo kill Xiao''s family first! Is this person... really not insane? At that moment, Yang Tao''s eyelid twitched slightly. Zhao Yi finished his task, turned, and continued towards the rooftop. All the nearby specters hid, trembling, fearing Zhao Yi would kick open their doors and deliver them a blast. After some twists and turns, Zhao Yi arrived at the director''s office door. Data appeared before his eyes. Even before entering, Zhao Yi felt a wave of deathly aura! He touched his chin, pondering for half a second. Then he took out a printed paper from his belongings. He found a pen in a nearby room and circled a section with a thick red frame. He looked at it carefully, very satisfied. Then he taped it to his face with transparent tape. Holding a blood-stained scalpel, he kicked open the director''s office door! A loud crash! The crisis of death and the director''s gaze arrived simultaneously! A pair of pale hands, without warning, grabbed Zhao Yi''s neck from an unknown angle! Zhao Yi had no chance to resist! The opponent was too fast! Moreover, these cold hands drained all of Zhao Yi''s strength! The director''s mouth split to his ears, opening wide, ready to devour Zhao Yi! At the critical moment. Its gaze fell on the newspaper covering Zhao Yi''s face. On it was a section of text and image specially outlined in red. In the image, The director''s corpse was coincidentally hanging from the rooftop, swaying like a tattered newspaper. His tongue was long, face bluish-purple. His hollow eyes gazed into the distance, mouth torn open, faintly dripping blood. Seeing this image, the director seemed to recall something. The grip on Zhao Yi''s neck weakened rapidly. The coldness retreated, strength returning to Zhao Yi''s body. This was the moment! He wielded the scalpel, using all his might to deliver the fastest strike possible, stabbing straight into the director''s forehead! Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 6 – End of the Dungeon, Invitation from the Guild This strike was the fastest Zhao Yi could deliver! It accurately hit the director lost in his own world. As the scalpel''s tip pierced the director''s forehead, an unforeseen change occurred! The director, whose strength hadn''t completely faded, suddenly widened his bloodshot eyes! Blood vessels swam in his eyes like centipedes crawling. The pale claws gripping Zhao Yi''s neck were drained of all strength in that moment of near-death. Zhao Yi fell awkwardly to the ground, pulled off his newspaper mask, coughed a few times, and found several bruised claw marks on his neck! The director was still hanging from a rope, but his head had drooped. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Chaos damage... is it some kind of advanced attribute?" Zhao Yi silently noted this special attribute. After killing the director, Zhao Yi carefully looked at the hanging ghost in front of him and pulled the scalpel out of its forehead. Blood dripped continuously from the tip of the blade. Zhao Yi went to the director''s office, rummaged through the place, and found a letter and the director''s access card in a cabinet. He took the card and carried it with him, then opened the letter to read it. The Weeping Ghost''s diary had piqued Zhao Yi''s interest in this world. Colossus Hospital and the town had clearly been invaded by mysterious forces, leading to their current state. Although the beginner dungeon didn''t give Zhao Yi much chance to explore the world view, he still wanted to gather whatever materials he could find. It''s hard to say he wouldn''t enter a dungeon in this world view again in the future. The letter was sent from the outside world. The ink on the paper was sparse, and the handwriting was quite sloppy. Just four lines in total. There wasn''t even a signature on the envelope. The sender clearly knew what was happening in Hanging Valley Town. But things still went beyond his expectations. The director, known as ''Old Chen,'' ultimately died in the hospital! A gruesome death! Zhao Yi squinted, folded the letter neatly, and put it back in another drawer. Turning around, he left the director''s office and locked the room. With the access card in hand, Zhao Yi carefully avoided some extremely dangerous unknown shadows and reached the hospital''s entrance. The security guard''s corpse was shattered into pieces, scattered on the ground. In an instant, Zhao Yi felt something, his gaze locking onto a twisted humanoid figure in the shadows! The figure remained motionless, its back facing him! Seeing this red warning, Zhao Yi''s hair stood on end! He couldn''t clearly see the eerie twisted humanoid figure. But both the data warning in front of him and his instincts told him this thing was not something he could handle right now! Zhao Yi calmly walked to the door and swiped the access card. Beep¡ª The black iron door emitted a harsh grinding sound, like a machine that hadn''t operated in hundreds of years, slowly opening. The world outside was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring everything from view. Clearly, this beginner dungeon didn''t want to reveal more information to Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi kept his eyes fixed on the twisted figure in the darkness, slowly retreating, disappearing bit by bit into the thick fog... As the fog completely enveloped Zhao Yi''s body, a white light appeared before his eyes, and his body suddenly vanished from the fog. After Zhao Yi disappeared, the twisted humanoid figure in the shadows suddenly turned around, freezing like a puppet, coldly staring at the spot where Zhao Yi vanished... *** *** The live streaming room erupted in excitement. A newcomer. In the hell-level difficulty dungeon ''Colossus Hospital,'' managed to achieve an S+ rating! Many witnessed everything firsthand, thrilled as if they had cleared the dungeon themselves! And Zhao Yi, upon returning to the safe zone, received over 99 friend requests! Eternal Night Camp is a safe zone where players can interact with each other. In fact, it''s not a traditional real location. It''s a virtual platform. Inside, there are live streaming rooms for all players in the area, and they can trade items with each other. Within the camp, there''s a forum for players in a specific area to exchange dungeon insights and discuss challenges in their region, as well as share experiences in expanding territories. Zhao Yi looked around and found himself in a special environment. In front of him was a white circle. Inside were two different options. One option was to join, the other to create. Zhao Yi opened his system panel, and among the friend requests, many were marked with a noble gold. These individuals had extraordinary identities. They were key personnel in major guilds. They didn''t make any extra moves, wanting to recruit Zhao Yi into their guilds, openly stating they would provide resources for his development, significantly increasing his survival rate in dungeon and world quests! Among them were top guilds like Five Tigers, Call to Arms, and Skywatch! These major guilds have strict recruitment standards. And they rarely accept newcomers! Their invitation to Zhao Yi was already an exception! It''s known that ordinary players, even if they try their hardest, find it difficult to jump into these top guilds in the Bone Zone! A good guild, with its rich resources, can quickly advance in world quests, expand the guild''s scale, and gain more benefits! Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 7 – All Freeloaders In one corner of the system, there was a shop and a leaderboard. The shop was filled with various items, including incense, bronze mirrors, and talisman paper used for warding off ghosts, as well as mysterious potions to enhance one''s abilities. However, the best items were in the advanced shop, which required special conditions to unlock! Shop points couldn''t be earned in beginner dungeons; they had to be obtained in subsequent dungeons, with higher scores at the end of a dungeon yielding more points. After closing the shop, Zhao Yi opened the leaderboard beside it. There were five leaderboards in total. They were: Newcomer Leaderboard, Guild Leaderboard, Leveling Maniac Leaderboard, Wealthiest Leaderboard, and World Renowned Leaderboard. Currently, Zhao Yi had secured the top spot on the Newcomer Leaderboard with an S+ rating. As the top newcomer, Zhao Yi naturally received the corresponding title: Rising Star. The Newcomer Leaderboard recorded the comprehensive scores of newcomers within level 5. Besides the points on hand, the most important factor was the score given by the system at the end of a dungeon. Zhao Yi glanced at the Leveling Maniac Leaderboard. Currently, the highest level player in the Bone Zone was level 63. It was Xue Daozhi, the leader of the Call to Arms guild. After getting a general understanding of the situation, Zhao Yi looked into the guilds. It turned out that after entering the game, players could no longer return to their original world but were instead placed in the outskirts of a new chaotic world! It was dangerous, barren, and desolate. There was no sunlight. Players needed to deal with various dangers, build homes, expand territories, store resources, and move towards the center of the world! Zhao Yi carefully reviewed the current world map that had been explored and found that the location of the ''All Freeloaders'' guild was closest to a familiar area! Hanging Valley Town! Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi''s eyes lit up slightly. He was very interested in everything happening in Hanging Valley Town. He clicked on the ''All Freeloaders'' guild and submitted a request to join. Now, it was just a matter of waiting. It wasn''t long before he received a message. Clearly, the other party was surprised by Zhao Yi''s choice to join their guild. Zhao Yi wasn''t angry at their rejection. He replied: [I''m very interested in Hanging Valley Town.] Just a few simple words. *** In the chaotic world. In a remote corner, inside a dilapidated apartment building, a mature woman with a seductive demeanor looked at the message in front of her, slightly surprised. She turned her head to the teammates sitting on the messy sofa and said: "Interesting, the top newcomer this year actually applied to join our guild." We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. A middle-aged Taoist with a rosy complexion was busy sorting through the treasures he had ''dug up'' in the last dungeon, smiling as he said: "Infinite Heavenly Sovereign! Didn''t this guy receive invitations from a few top guilds? Or are this year''s newcomers so bad that even the top ones can''t impress those old ghosts?" The mature woman lazily flicked her long hair and said:"A newcomer who scored S+ in a hell-level dungeon like ''Colossus Hospital,'' what do you think?" The Taoist''s smile faded slightly."Then why would he choose our guild?" The woman replied:"He said... he''s very interested in Hanging Valley Town. Uncle Quan, any thoughts?" The woman''s gaze fell on the middle-aged man with black-framed glasses reading a book in the center of the sofa. He looked up slightly, adjusted his glasses, and smiled:"Hanging Valley Town seems to be related to our world mission, right? You guys never do the world missions, always fighting and causing trouble. After all this time, the guild is still in this state, and newcomers are almost all gone." The woman sneered. "Isn''t that what we learned from you? The upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. Don''t blame us; you set the example." Uncle Quan awkwardly touched his nose. "Let him in. It''s rare for a newcomer to want to join our guild. You guys better not bully the newcomer." The woman licked her red lips, a glint flashing in her eyes, and smiled:"Alright." *** The news of Zhao Yi joining the ''All Freeloaders'' guild quickly spread throughout the Eternal Night Camp. Many people didn''t understand Zhao Yi''s choice. "Tsk tsk, such a good hand, played to pieces." "Why go to such a trash guild? It''s been established for two years and hasn''t even opened a path to the abandoned city!" "What a pity for this guy. I heard the big shots from several major guilds had high praise for him, but he chose to mess it up himself!" In the abandoned city of the chaotic world, inside a bustling skyscraper. Yang Tao sat in front of a computer, curiously examining Zhao Yi''s profile. He was very interested in this person. Outside the door, a woman in a black silk professional outfit knocked and entered, handing a stack of documents to Yang Tao. "Vice President, someone dug up his information from the original world. The information has been uploaded to the Eternal Night Camp. Here''s the original manuscript for your review." Yang Tao picked up the document and carefully read through it. His expression turned serious. "Is he well-known in the industry?" The woman nodded. "He has cured nearly a thousand patients with severe psychological disorders, and completely cured them! Whether it''s depression or violent tendencies, severe psychological distortions... Anyone treated by him always recovers. However, all the patients he treated forget the treatment process. They only remember that Zhao Yi cured their illness, but all memories related to the treatment mysteriously disappear. So in the industry, no one calls him by his real name; instead, they gave him a special nickname¡ª" Yang Tao was silent for a long time, suddenly remembering something. "Go, call Bal!" The woman hesitated:"Vice President, Bal killed all the other players in the last dungeon. Now, due to his high kill count, he''s been locked in the Slaughter Arena by the system and won''t be out for three days." Yang Tao glanced at the calendar. "I have time, I can wait." *** Gale, torrential rain. No sun, the surroundings were in ruins, as if they had gone through a world war, leaving only debris. That lone old building stood before Zhao Yi. There were lights inside. "Welcome, Zhao Yi." A voluptuous mature beauty stood at the door, wearing cool sunglasses, greeting Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi curiously asked:"Is this the territory of the ''All Freeloaders'' guild?" The woman smiled sweetly:"Why? Do we not look like freeloaders? Oh, I haven''t introduced myself yet. I''m Liu Ruoqing, the guild''s reviewer. You can call me Sister Liu." She graciously led Zhao Yi back into the old building, where many people in the first-floor lobby looked at him with strange smiles. Liu Ruoqing introduced Zhao Yi:"The man with black-framed glasses is our guild leader, you can call him Uncle Quan.That ice-cold beauty is Meng Jiao, also our vice president. Try not to talk to her; she won''t respond to you. As for that damned charlatan Taoist, his name is Jiang Xiao. He loves to trick people, so be careful not to fall for his scams!" Jiang Xiao protested:"Liu Ruoqing, if you can''t speak properly, don''t speak at all! I, the Taoist, am knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and I never overcharge for fortune-telling. How am I a charlatan?" Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 8 – New dungeon opened, Haunted School Horror ### Chapter 8: New Dungeon Unlocked, Haunted School Horror As soon as he opened his mouth, the old Taoist''s charlatan demeanor was unmistakable. "I''ve arranged a room for you. We usually stay on the seventh floor, while newcomers stay on the first, second, and third floors. Your room number is 404. I specifically applied for it for you¡ªvery auspicious!" Zhao Yi nodded politely and said, "Thank you, Master!" Jiang Xiao chuckled mischievously. "No worries, once you''re here, you''re family. You''ve managed to top the newcomer list among millions, we have high hopes for you!" Liu Ruoqing rolled her eyes and led Zhao Yi to room 404, saying, "Once you bind with the room, it will become your safe house." "No one can enter without your permission." The peephole at the door emitted a light, collecting Zhao Yi''s soul information. The door opened. Inside, the decor was clean and tidy. Eighty square meters, two bedrooms, one living room, independent bathroom, with 24-hour hot water supply. "Food and water need to be taken from the abandoned train station two kilometers away... I mean, you need to be at least level three to enter there. Since you''re not high enough level, I can provide some for you first." Zhao Yi sweetly replied, "Thank you, Sister Liu!" Liu Ruoqing waved her hand, flipped her hair, and sat on Zhao Yi''s soft sofa, opened a bottle of ''82 Cola, and said, "Come to the living room tomorrow night, I''ll give you and the other newcomers a rundown of the ''Hell'' game process. Also... don''t go anywhere outside the apartment for now, those places aren''t safe!" Zhao Yi nodded slightly. Liu Ruoqing drank the cola, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the glass, then got up and swayed her hips as she left. *** After waiting quietly for a day. This world has no sun, only some faintly glowing stars. The only way to confirm the passage of time is the big world time in the game system. The next day. Zhao Yi, wearing a robe, came to the hall. The murals were mottled, the wall paint old, and the lamp cast a warm yellow glow. About forty to fifty people were gathered here. Men and women alike. Some had anxious and worried expressions, while others seemed excited. "Everyone''s here, so... let''s keep it brief." A steady man sat on the sofa, legs crossed. In his hand was a black leather book with strange symbols. "I''m the president of the ''All Freeloaders'' guild, you can call me Uncle Quan. The world we''re in now is a world of chaotic rules¡ª''The Chaos Realm.'' It''s very dangerous here, only this guild building is absolutely safe. So don''t wander around unnecessarily. As players of the ''Hell'' game, there are two tasks you need to complete. One is the dungeon task, the other is the big world task. The former must be completed once a month by each player, at most twice. After the dungeon ends, you''ll be rated based on your performance, and you''ll earn points based on your rating and difficulty, which can be exchanged for items in the mall. Note that you might be matched with other players in the same dungeon, and killing and looting are common, so don''t trust anyone easily!" Uncle Quan adjusted his black-framed glasses. A hint of obscure excitement flashed in his eyes. "After you enter the dungeon, there will be a live streaming room for you at the Eternal Night Camp. Try to perform well to attract more players to become your fans. When you finish, the popularity and gifts will be converted into extra points for you. Although not much, it can help big guilds notice you, making it easier to switch guilds in the future." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He never minded whether newcomers stayed or left the guild. "As for the world tasks, they are simpler. They are displayed in your system. If you''re interested, follow them; if not, or if you''re afraid of dying, don''t do them. The guild doesn''t force you." Now, do you have any questions?" Many newcomers raised their hands, their faces flushed. Uncle Quan glanced around. "Good! Since there are no questions, let''s adjourn!" With that, several of the veterans got up and left. Everyone: "???" "Damn! Are the veterans in this guild really so irresponsible?" "Shit... why does it feel like we''ve boarded a pirate ship?" "You applied to the freeloader guild yourself, don''t blame others!" "I joined because the top player applied to this guild, so I followed!" "..." The group muttered among themselves, while Zhao Yi sat on the sofa, drinking water. In fact, everything about the game can be found in the system. Whether they explained it or not made no difference. The only thing that left Zhao Yi speechless was... this guild''s world task hadn''t progressed at all! The guild was established two years ago, and the world task interface was still stuck on the ''Guide Task''! Those guild members weren''t even pretending. Collectively doing nothing. But in a way, this was also good. Zhao Yi could experience the storyline from the beginning and see what really happened in Hanging Valley Town back then. *** Zhao Yi glanced at the map. The abandoned train station was only two kilometers from the apartment. The distance wasn''t long. But it was enough for accidents to happen. Moreover, according to the map markings, the abandoned train station was large, with 80% in shadow. This meant that those areas unrelated to the task could have dangers exceeding levels 1-3. Hmm, it''s not the right time to go yet. Anyway, the guild''s storage warehouse still had a mountain of food, enough for now. The most urgent thing now was to quickly improve his level and points. To exchange for the necessary items in the mall. With this in mind, Zhao Yi opened the system. Dungeon matching. *** A burst of intense white light flashed, and Zhao Yi disappeared from the guild, leaving a group of bewildered people behind. "Whoa, who was that guy?" "Already entered a dungeon?" "Is this the legendary dungeon maniac?" Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 9 – Warm sunlight streamed through the glass windows into the classroom, illuminating the delicate profile of Yang Linlin. A beautiful woman with an impressive performance was enough to attract a multitude of fans, especially male fans. So, not long after Yang Linlin entered this dungeon, the live streaming room quickly gathered over a thousand viewers. Although she had only experienced four dungeons, her growth was evident to them. From a useless rich girl to a newbie player who knew how to think and empathize, her progress attracted many fans. Upon awakening at the dungeon''s spawn point, Yang Linlin''s face turned extremely pale! The words "Hell Difficulty" on the system screen made her entire body go weak! This was only her fourth dungeon! How could she be so unlucky to encounter Hell Difficulty? The previous dungeon on normal difficulty had already tormented her to death, and she couldn''t even imagine what would happen this time! She was now Level 4, with a total of 25 Life points. Having died three times in previous dungeons, she had lost 15 points, leaving her with only 10. If she died again, the pressure of entering the next dungeon would be immense! It was known that once a player''s Life points hit zero, they would no longer revive at the guild''s base! Stunned for a few seconds, Yang Linlin frantically turned her head and saw that only half of the people in the classroom were sitting crookedly. Among them, three had obvious markers above their heads. They were the players matched with her. Looking at these three guys, Yang Linlin felt a bit hopeless! Their levels were even lower than hers, they were newbies through and through! She couldn''t rely on them at all! Were they really going to fail today? And that guy named Zhao Yi seemed completely unaware of the dungeon''s terror, still having the leisure to look around! Yang Linlin painfully closed her eyes and exhaled. At this point, they could only take it one step at a time. It was now lunchtime. The students in the classroom were either whispering or sleeping. She glanced at the timetable and the large clock. There were ten minutes left until the first math class in the afternoon! Find the original at ". A good opportunity! They could just discuss and exchange information with each other! So, at Yang Linlin''s invitation, the four of them went to a lawn outside the classroom. "Listen, we are now facing unprecedented difficulties and dangers! In the next seven days, we must work hard to unite and cooperate if we want to survive! Now, do you have any thoughts on this dungeon?" Zhen Tao and Lu Bai shrugged helplessly. Just entering the game, what thoughts could they have! Zhao Yi, with one hand in his pocket, stood outside the window, carefully observing the classrooms on the first floor. None of the classrooms were full. And in all the classrooms, the number of people was less than half the number of seats. If a classroom had forty-six seats, then there would be no more than twenty-three people in it. Eight classes in a row, all like this. An interesting phenomenon, but... what did it signify? Zhao Yi became alert. "Hey¡ªZhao Yi, why aren''t you talking? Didn''t you hear me say we need to unite? We must communicate more now, exchange useful information, to have a chance to survive!" Yang Linlin watched Zhao Yi walking by himself, not paying attention to them, and couldn''t help but feel anxious. The dungeon was already difficult, and if teammates didn''t cooperate, the difficulty would increase! "Zhao Yi... this name seems familiar..." Zhen Tao muttered, suddenly raising his head. "Aren''t you the newbie who scored S+ in the Hell Difficulty dungeon ''Colossus Hospital'' and topped the newbie leaderboard?" The other two were also stunned upon hearing this. Quickly, they learned about Zhao Yi through the system. Top of the newbie leaderboard! Impressive! This was a big shot who emerged from millions! Zhao Yi looked at the three with their fervent gazes, stroked his chin, and said:"Do you remember your seats?" Yang Linlin replied:"Of course, why?" Zhao Yi didn''t answer, instead glancing meaningfully at the classroom on the third floor. "Nothing. Class is about to start, let''s go back to the classroom. If nothing unexpected happens... quite a few people in our classroom should die today. Oh¡ªby the way, remember to sit in your own seats... don''t sit in the wrong place!" The tone of that last sentence made one''s hair stand on end. The three exchanged glances, Zhen Tao''s face gradually turning pale. "Zhen Tao, what''s wrong?" "I... I think I forgot my seat!" He looked at Zhao Yi. "Brother Zhao, is this... is this important?!" S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi rolled his eyes and said: "I''m not sure if other seats are dangerous, but our spawn point is definitely safe for a short time. If you really can''t remember, try recalling any reference points you remember." *** Live Streaming Comments: : As expected of the top ranker! Clear thinking! : After leaving the newbie recommendation platform, Brother Zhao Yi''s popularity dropped, only three hundred people in the live room. : Come on, which newbie''s live room has this kind of popularity? Three hundred is a lot, okay? : Wow! Another Hell Difficulty dungeon, Zhao Yi is really unlucky! : For those with ability, the higher the dungeon difficulty, the better. It''s impossible to score S or above in dungeons below Nightmare difficulty. : This time, without the system weakening the specters, he can''t rely on tricks! Let''s see how he dies! : No way, does anyone really think you can top the leaderboard with just tricks? *** The class bell rang. The music was still familiar, but with too much static, vaguely mixed with a wailing sound, sending chills down one''s spine! All the students in Class 8, Grade 1, sat up straight, ready to welcome the teacher. It was clear they were very nervous. Zhao Yi''s gaze swept over all the students in the classroom. In that instant, his pupils turned a terrifying scarlet, spinning like a kaleidoscope. He took in all the data of the students. In this classroom... They were all ghosts! Not a single person! But fortunately, these students were in a neutral state and wouldn''t harm them without reason. The door was pushed open, and a female teacher in formal attire walked into the classroom. Trigger-type neutral? Zhao Yi seemed to understand something, glancing at the test papers in her hand. Was the trigger point related to the test papers in her hand or their seats? Or... both? "We have a test this class." The female teacher said calmly. After she spoke, Zhao Yi clearly noticed the fat ghost in front of him... trembling! The female teacher explained the exam rules and then personally distributed the test papers. From the first on the right to the last on the left. Even if there were empty seats without students, the female teacher patiently placed the test papers and scratch paper on those seats. Zhao Yi glanced at an empty seat near him. The test paper and scratch paper on it were pure white. The test paper... had no words. But some of the empty seats had test papers with words. Zhao Yi looked at his test paper, which had some very basic and simple math problems. For example¡ªprove the Goldbach Conjecture. Great! No idea. Zhao Yi quickly wrote his name and student number. The rest, he left to the eraser. The exam discipline was a mess, with many people looking around, and some even taking out their phones to search for answers, but the female teacher didn''t seem to care. She opened the roster on the podium, carefully checking the students in the classroom. But Zhao Yi keenly noticed that the ghost sitting in front of him... was trembling even more! Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 10 – Zhao Yi''s seat was towards the back. Yang Linlin could only catch glimpses of him from the corner of her eye. Upon learning that Zhao Yi was currently ranked first among the newcomers, she suddenly felt invigorated, as if she had seen hope! Since the game started bringing in new players, the number of entrants over the past three months had reached hundreds of thousands, even millions! To rise to the top among so many people, it couldn''t be just luck! He must have some extraordinary skills! But from the corner of her eye, Zhao Yi, who was idly tossing an eraser, made Yang Linlin anxious again! This guy... could he really not even handle high school math? She looked down at her own test paper. A system of quadratic equations. Multiple choice. Simpler than simple. Did he really need to rely on tossing an eraser to decide on an answer? She began to doubt Zhao Yi''s intelligence. Suddenly, the voice of the female teacher came from the podium. "Stop looking around!" Instantly, a bone-chilling cold enveloped all the students present! The female teacher stood up. A wave of pressure swept over, and all the students sat up straight in their seats! Zhao Yi also stopped tossing the eraser in his hand. He began to seriously calculate with his fingers. One times one is one, one times two is two, three times seven is twenty-one, four times six is twenty-four... Soon, he finished all the questions on the paper. Unexpectedly smoothly. And the female teacher, with her hands behind her back, stepped down from the podium, starting her patrol from the first seat on the right. Proctoring... quite common! What wasn''t common was that she was holding an axe stained with blood and flesh! As she passed by Zhen Tao, she stopped. The shadow of the axe fell right on Zhen Tao''s test paper! Zhen Tao kept his head down, gripping his pen tightly, cold sweat pouring down! At this moment, he dared not look up. His heart was nearly jumping out of his throat! Did I... sit in the wrong seat? That shouldn''t be! It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from ". Only my pencil case is blue around here... Please... Don''t kill me! He screamed internally, his spirit nearly leaving his body. At this moment, his mental strength was depleting at a rate of two to three points per second! It quickly dropped below 70! *** In Yang Linlin''s live streaming room: : Zhen Tao is done for, at this rate, he won''t last the first day. : Most newcomers are like this, even Linlin Goddess''s spirit is starting to drop... sigh, worried for my goddess! : Motherfucker, is Zhao Yi a monster? His mental strength is as steady as an old dog, still at 101! : I admire Zhao Yi''s mental fortitude! But his math... I''m speechless! : Haha, just came from Zhao Yi''s live stream, I took a look at his paper, not a single question is right! *** Zhen Tao''s mental strength continued to plummet, quickly falling below 50! At this point, he was already in a semi-conscious state. And the female teacher standing beside him walked out of his range, causing Zhen Tao to collapse onto the desk, eyes vacant. Then, she stopped by Zhao Yi''s side. The familiar pressure came again. Zhao Yi even distinctly felt a hint of murderous intent. He looked up. Meeting the gaze of the female ghost. The ferocity in her eyes was blocked by a grayish veil, even though it was filled with considerable malice, it still remained neutral. Zhao Yi guessed that this was the rules at work. Even if the female ghost really wanted to kill him, as long as Zhao Yi didn''t trigger the female ghost''s killing point, she couldn''t make a move. In a way, the female ghost was actually the safest ghost in this classroom. But being safe now didn''t necessarily mean being safe later. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi touched the scalpel in his hand. Then put it away again. Not sure if he could kill this female ghost yet, he decided to hold back for now. "What are you looking at? It''s exam time! Hurry up and do your questions!" The female ghost glared at Zhao Yi with her axe in hand, her words filled with killing intent! Whether it was the audience in Yang Linlin''s live stream or Zhao Yi''s, everyone''s hearts seemed to be in their throats! The expression on the female ghost''s face was becoming increasingly exaggerated! But Zhao Yi kept staring at the female ghost, clicking his tongue. The female ghost''s face came closer, viciously saying:"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" Zhao Yi replied:"No, I just think you look quite nice, teacher. I just met a female ghost who was pushed off a building, her face was all smashed, yet she shamelessly appeared in front of me, leaving a huge trauma on my young heart!" Hearing Zhao Yi compliment her looks, the female teacher''s expression returned to its peak, showing a surprised and shy look. "Really? Teacher really looks good? No way! It''s exam time! Stop trying to get close to me! Do your questions!" She pressed one hand on Zhao Yi''s head, forcing him to look at the test paper. Her pale hand was cold, but indeed did not harm Zhao Yi. But the student in front of Zhao Yi wasn''t so lucky. From the beginning, he was scared. And now, his body was shaking like a sieve. When the female ghost teacher passed by him, the axe in her hand was raised for the first time! "No... teacher... give me one more chance... I beg you! I promise... I promise next time I definitely won''t..." He suddenly knelt on the ground, hugging the female teacher''s leg, crying bitterly. His words stopped at the critical point. The female ghost''s axe had already swung down! A round head rolled to Zhao Yi''s feet, eyes wide open, staring at Zhao Yi with resentment and unwillingness. Zhao Yi slowly extended his leg. Bang! He kicked the head away. Coincidentally, it landed on Zhen Tao''s desk! Zhen Tao, having just recovered from the fear given by the female teacher, looked up to see a bloody head staring back at him... His eyes rolled back, and he fainted again. Foaming at the mouth. Everyone in the classroom looked at Zhao Yi in unison, the atmosphere indescribably eerie. *** Live stream comments: : Laughing to death, everyone is showing off, only Zhen Tao is getting beaten! : Zhen Tao: Are you polite? : Luckily Zhen Tao fainted, otherwise, with his mental strength continuing to drop, he might not even have the chance to die, directly becoming a dungeon monster! *** The female ghost, holding the blood-stained axe, turned coldly to Zhao Yi. Without hesitation, he handed his paper to her. "Teacher Li, I''m done." The female ghost took the paper Zhao Yi handed over, glanced at it, and said coldly: "Get out! Disturb the exam again, and I''ll cancel your exam qualification!" Zhao Yi chuckled. "Alright!" He happily ran out of the classroom. Once outside, the smile on Zhao Yi''s face disappeared. His eyes flickered. "I think I understand a little now." Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan Chapter 11 – Haunted School Horror: Death Point Chapter 11: "Haunted School Horror" Death Trigger S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The viewers in the live streaming room had no idea what Zhao Yi was contemplating. Most of them thought that this newcomer at the top of the leaderboard might have some mental issues. That kick just now¡ªhow could any normal person do something like that? And in such a situation, wasn''t it too reckless to act so irrationally? After the exam, there was a half-hour break. Yang Linlin and the others found Zhao Yi. "Let''s just say, when tackling a Hell-level dungeon, can''t you be a bit more cautious?" "What you did just now was way too dangerous!" "We''re in a Hell-level dungeon, where a single slip could cost us our lives. The death of any team member is an immeasurable loss!" Zhao Yi shook his head. "I was just testing that teacher." "The fact is¡ªunless you trigger a death point, those NPCs are quite tolerant of us!" Death point, a key term. It immediately caught the attention of Yang Linlin and the other two! "Bro, please explain!" Zhao Yi glanced at both sides of the corridor, ensuring there were no teachers around, and then whispered: "Haven''t you noticed?" "That female ghost teacher kills according to a set of rules." Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" The three were dumbfounded. Rules? What rules? Isn''t it just randomly picking a lucky one to behead? Zhao Yi led them to the playground, a spacious area with a wide view, and more importantly, lots of people around. "During the lunch break, Yang Linlin took us to the lawn on the first floor, and I observed eight classes in total." "The number of people in each class didn''t exceed half the seats, and the further forward the class, the fewer the people!" "Just now, I handed in my exam early and checked the second floor, finding that the fourteen classes there were in the same situation as the first floor." "Our class is the first one by the stairs on the third floor, and the classes behind us have the same number of seats and people, but our class already has quite a few empty seats!" "Suppose... just suppose." Zhao Yi analyzed: "The students'' deaths are caused by some curse, spreading from the first floor like a virus, infecting each class one by one, and now it''s reached our class." "This curse creates a certain rule, and anyone who breaks this rule... will die!" "Think about it, I was loud and kicked my classmate''s head, disrupting the exam room''s order, yet the invigilating teacher didn''t touch me... instead, the chubby kid in front of me was inexplicably beheaded!" "He must have done something... all those dead students must have done the same thing, meeting the same condition!" "And if you''re observant enough, you''ll notice that the test papers and scratch papers on the empty seats are blank, with no writing, and just now, some students'' papers were also blank... and those with blank papers were all killed." Although Zhao Yi didn''t see the female ghost invigilator kill, he was confident in his deduction. Yang Linlin looked at Zhao Yi in surprise, then surveyed the surroundings, finally expressing a bit of admiration: "I noticed that too!" "The ghost invigilator killed those with blank test papers!" "Seven in total!" "Could it be... that the test paper is the death trigger point?" Zhao Yi shook his head. "You''re still too naive." "The test paper isn''t the death trigger point." "From my experience with the last dungeon, even in a Hell-level dungeon, simply completing the main quest isn''t too difficult. The real challenge lies in exploring side quests, hidden quests, and the world view!" "So since the difficulty of the main quest is limited, it means players can control it." "If the test paper were the death trigger point, wouldn''t players be left to fate?" Yang Linlin was speechless. Zhen Tao''s lips turned pale, and he spoke with a sobbing tone. "You''ve said so much, why not just tell us the death trigger point?" "I don''t want to die..." "I really want to get out of here!" Even now, his spirit hadn''t fully recovered, still hovering around 60. Clearly, the bloody head Zhao Yi kicked onto his desk had caused severe trauma to his young mind! Zhao Yi touched his nose. "I don''t know what the death trigger point is yet, but it''s likely related to the test paper." "Maybe it''s the score, or maybe... something else." "And there''s something I need to tell you in advance..." At this point, his gaze turned frightening. The other three were startled by his expression. "Wha... what is it?" Yang Linlin swallowed. Zhao Yi: "No joke... this school... it''s highly possible..." "That only the four of us are alive!" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhen Tao''s legs gave out, and he fainted on the ground. Zhao Yi: "..." Everyone: "..." ... Live Stream Comments: : Haha! Poor Zhen Tao, he''s having such a hard time... Please stop scaring him! : This seems a bit personal! : Hey... do you think Zhao Yi might be telling the truth? : How could it be true? Look at those students on the playground, so lively and jumping around, they don''t look like ghosts at all! : Exactly! If the classroom were full of ghosts, wouldn''t it be ghosts biting ghosts? ... Yang Linlin rolled her eyes helplessly. "Stop scaring him!" "He''s already timid!" "By the way... what should we do next?" This dungeon left her feeling at a loss. Time wasn''t tight. The pace seemed loose. Zhao Yi gazed at the distant teaching building. "Wait." "Wait for what?" "Wait for nightfall." "Why wait for nightfall?" Yang Linlin and Lu Bai were puzzled. Zhao Yi asked in return: "Do you think, as students, we have extra time during the day to investigate what we want to know?" Yang Linlin was stumped again. Damn it! Why didn''t I think of such a simple question? With so many people watching the live stream, will I look stupid? No, I have to find a way to act smart! Otherwise, the viewers will all leave soon. Speaking of which... is this what being number one is like? It feels like there''s something to it! "Alright then, let''s set a time and place for tonight to go for a stroll?" As soon as Yang Linlin finished speaking, Zhen Tao, lying in Lu Bai''s arms, raised his hand, staring blankly at the white clouds in the sky. "Can I say something... um, can I not go?" "I''m afraid of running into ghosts." Zhao Yi nodded. "Of course you can." "But let me remind you, if you hear or see something at night, don''t scream!" "No one will come to help you, we won''t be around." Zhen Tao shivered and said with a bitter face: "Bro, stop scaring me, I''ll go!" "I''ll go, okay?" Chapter 12 – Haunted School Horror: world After the evening self-study ended, the students returned to their dorms one by one. Zhen Tao, feeling heavy-hearted, also carried his backpack back to the dorm. Due to the school''s excellent discipline, there was no dorm supervisor present. During morning reading, if a student was absent, they received a warning. Absent twice, and they had to go home for reflection. More than three times, and they were expelled. As the most prestigious high school in City A, the school''s approach was indeed somewhat harsh, but the high admission rate made everyone eager to get in! The dorm environment was decent, with six people per room, beds aligned, and sturdy iron frames. Below were desks with lamps prepared by the school for students to study all night, quite considerate. Zhen Tao returned to his dorm, tossed his backpack onto the bed, and collapsed into the comfortable covers! The exam that afternoon had nearly drained him! And during the evening self-study, the old man who came was terrifying, with a cleaver stuck in his head, still bleeding! If the math invigilator, Teacher Li You, still had some humanity, then their homeroom teacher, this old man with a cleaver in his head, didn''t hide the fact that he was a fierce ghost at all! Discover the complete story on There were three classes during the evening self-study. The old man stared at him the whole time, grinning eerily. Zhen Tao''s spirit was constantly teetering in a dangerous zone. He barely made it to the end of class, dragging his heavy steps back to the dorm. On the way, Yang Linlin kept giving him psychological counseling, making him feel a bit better. As soon as Zhen Tao lay on the bed, he was overwhelmed with sleepiness, his mind foggy, and he lost consciousness as soon as he closed his eyes... He had a dream. In the dream, a roommate stood pale-faced and hollow-eyed at his bedside, looking at him with a creepy smile! "You''re doomed!" He cursed viciously. Zhen Tao woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat! The dorm was pitch black. Outside, the stars cast a faint light, sprinkling into the dorm, and as Zhen Tao, accustomed to the darkness, suddenly saw, the entire dorm... He was the only one left! ... At the same time, Zhao Yi was facing the same situation. All four players had suddenly fallen asleep due to a mysterious force, and when they woke up again, they found they were the only ones in the entire dorm building! Zhao Yi checked the time on his phone. 11:57 PM. Only three minutes left until their agreed time at midnight. Zhao Yi quickly headed to the agreed pavilion, but under the pavilion, only Yang Linlin was there. The surrounding scenery had drastically changed, desolate and dilapidated, with a bleak view everywhere. The walls even resembled rotting corpses, oozing foul-smelling slime! Yang Linlin, anxious from waiting, cautiously looked around, stamping her feet and clenching her hands. Seeing Zhao Yi, her spirit lifted! "You''re finally here!" "Where are the others?" Zhao Yi shook his head. "Haven''t seen them." "Everyone''s disappeared, I even thought you weren''t here." Yang Linlin was stunned by his words. "How could this happen?" "Could it be they..." Zhao Yi: "Don''t overthink it, we probably haven''t triggered any death points yet, they''re likely still alive." "Judging by the surroundings, we''ve probably entered a place similar to the ''inner world''." "This is a good thing, at least when exploring the school, we won''t be as restricted as during the day." In their daytime identities at the school, they couldn''t possibly delve deeper into the school''s matters. Now the system had opened previously restricted areas for them, giving them a chance to explore the school. Zhao Yi headed towards the teaching building, and when Yang Linlin came to her senses, she realized Zhao Yi had already walked far away! "Hey! Wait for me!" She hurriedly caught up with Zhao Yi. Such a straightforward guy, at least take care of the young lady beside you, hey! She stayed close to Zhao Yi. Not leaving his side, as if that was the only way to feel safe. As they entered the teaching building''s vicinity, they immediately saw a vague black shadow in the distance. It was too far to see clearly, but it seemed to be standing there, watching them. "What... what is that..." Yang Linlin''s voice changed. Zhao Yi strode towards the shadow, replying: "Don''t know, but it''s definitely not human." Yang Linlin shrank her neck at his words, hurriedly grabbing Zhao Yi. "And you''re still going?" "Are you crazy?" Zhao Yi turned back to explain: "If it''s a neutral entity, it might help us gather information." "And... and if it''s not?" Zhao Yi pulled out a scalpel that was continuously dripping blood, smiling faintly: "Then I''ll make it a neutral entity." Yang Linlin was speechless. She took a serious look at Zhao Yi, and under the moonlight, Zhao Yi holding the scalpel... seemed scarier than a ghost! Especially his smile, which gave Yang Linlin a creepy feeling! Bullet comments: S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. : Damn, this guy''s got some real guts! : I''ve been following Brother Zhao Yi since the last dungeon, this guy is ruthless when he acts! He killed six ghosts in Colossus Hospital! One of the little ghosts was even a side quest NPC, but because Zhao Yi suspected it was dangerous, he not only chopped its head off but also took out its mom! : Hiss¡ªreally? : Absolutely true! Even Yang Tao, the boss in the live streaming room, was stunned! Chapter 13 – Haunted School Horror: Terrifying Shadows, Life and Death on the Line Chapter 13: "Haunted School Horror" - The Terrifying Shadow, A Thin Line Between Life and Death Zhao Yi strode towards the shadow, and as expected, the figure bolted into the teaching building upon seeing him approach! The distance was too great for Zhao Yi to activate his special ability, making it difficult to discern the shadow''s nature. However, judging by its behavior, it likely wasn''t a highly dangerous specter. Zhao Yi chased the shadow into the pitch-black teaching building, with Yang Linlin following closely behind. To be honest, she would never have had the courage to enter such a place on her own, especially knowing there were ghosts inside. She wouldn''t dare take another step! S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Luckily, with someone by her side, her spirit didn''t plummet into madness from fear! "Are you always this brave?" Yang Linlin quipped. Zhao Yi thought for a moment. "No, I''m always very cautious." "Cautious? You disrupted the exam right in front of the invigilating female ghost today!" Zhao Yi continued down the corridor without looking back. "That''s because I was 100% sure the female ghost wouldn''t harm me." "Even at hell-level difficulty, the dungeon''s level isn''t high, and the specters are heavily restricted." "Didn''t you pay attention during the exam this afternoon?" "Several ghosts... several students were cheating right under the invigilating teacher''s nose, and when the teacher noticed, she just gave a warning." "This shows that breaking exam discipline and violating rules doesn''t trigger a death penalty!" Yang Linlin pondered for a moment and scratched her head sheepishly. "I really didn''t notice that!" Bang! As she spoke, she bumped into Zhao Yi''s back! "Hey! Why did you stop suddenly without saying anything..." Yang Linlin rubbed her sore head, complaining, but before she could finish, she instinctively fell silent! In the darkness, it was hard to see anything clearly. The two cautiously approached the back door of a classroom and peered inside through the window. These classrooms were the ones below theirs, near the windows. During the day, the four of them had conspired outside the window, and Zhao Yi had observed each one. Starlight seeped in, its faint glow bright enough in the darkness to illuminate everything inside the classroom! They saw that the dilapidated classroom, which should have been empty, was filled with dense shadows! Yang Linlin was terrified! She shivered involuntarily, and if Zhao Yi weren''t beside her, she might have bolted already! What the hell are these shadows? Zhao Yi glanced around and continued to the next classroom. Neither of them spoke as they checked all eight classrooms on the first floor. Without exception, each was filled with dense shadows, sitting in different positions, reading intently. There were shadows on the podium as well. "What are these shadows?" Yang Linlin asked cautiously, keeping her voice as low as possible. "Not sure." A glint flashed in Zhao Yi''s eyes. His answer was "not sure," not "don''t know." "Let''s go to the third floor." "Huh? Why the third floor?" Zhao Yi didn''t answer her question but instead headed up the stairs at the end of the corridor to the third floor, arriving at the back door of their classroom. Inside, there were only a few shadows. Zhao Yi stared at the shadows inside, contemplating seriously. "Zhao Yi..." Yang Linlin suddenly spoke, her voice trembling. Zhao Yi frowned. "What is it?" Yang Linlin extended her hand, pointing through the back door glass at the podium inside the classroom, too nervous to speak! Zhao Yi looked and found that the shadow on the podium had noticed them! It was staring at Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin with its eerie green eyes! Instantly, a chill rose from their feet, shooting up to their heads! "Run!" Without hesitation, Zhao Yi grabbed Yang Linlin and ran downstairs! "Ke ke ke!" However, a terrifying, eerie laugh echoed from the bottom of the stairs! It was a shadow! [Chong: Low-level Danger] [Note: A deceased student from Rockridge High School.] Seeing the ghostly figure not far ahead, Yang Linlin''s spirit value plummeted! This was terrifying! Yet Zhao Yi wasn''t fazed at all! This level 2 entity dared to block him, and when they were about ten steps away, a subtle stream of light flew from Zhao Yi''s other hand! Thud! The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh echoed! The eerie laughter ceased abruptly. The shadow lay on the ground, a blood-stained scalpel embedded in its forehead! [You have slain the unfortunate ghost ''Chong'' who came out to use the bathroom] [Your Soul Weapon has gained a slight enhancement] Glancing at the ghost on the ground, Zhao Yi pulled the scalpel from its forehead and immediately led Yang Linlin out of the teaching building! "Hurry!" "It can''t leave the teaching building!" Zhao Yi reassured the fear-stricken Yang Linlin, giving her a sense of security. Hearing Zhao Yi''s words, Yang Linlin''s eyes lit up, and she dashed madly with Zhao Yi, ignoring the terrifying footsteps behind them! Ten steps... five steps... This novel is available on "pawread dot com". Zhao Yi had already exited the teaching building, and she was close! Almost there! Just one more step! Yang Linlin''s eyes were filled with the joy of survival, her heart pounding wildly! But the next moment, a pair of terrifying black hands suddenly grabbed her neck from behind! Her smile froze, and the joy in her eyes turned to horror and despair! Coldness spread through her body in an instant! It''s over! Just as the black hands were about to drag her into the darkness, a sharp scalpel whizzed past her ear, slicing off her earlobe! And it hit the shadow behind her accurately! "Ah!" A piercing scream rang out, and the black ghostly hands released her. Yang Linlin''s adrenaline surged, and she scrambled out of the classroom! She stumbled in front of Zhao Yi, feeling a warm stream down her legs. The smell spread, but she didn''t care about embarrassment, screaming and pulling Zhao Yi to run away! "Alright, alright!" "It''s gone now!" Zhao Yi comforted her, and Yang Linlin gradually regained her composure, sitting on the ground and wiping her tears. Then she felt warmth by her ear and touched it. Oh no! Her left ear was gone! "My... my ear..." Her voice was tearful, the pain slowly spreading. Zhao Yi rolled his eyes. "Come on, it''s just an ear. It''ll grow back when the dungeon ends." Yang Linlin pouted, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you." She still whispered. Although Zhao Yi had cut off her left ear, he saved her life. If he hadn''t acted in time, she would have had to start over! Chapter 14 – Haunted School Horror: Your Own Death Date ### Chapter 14: "Haunted School Horror" - The Date of My Death **Comments:** - Damn! My goddess almost didn''t make it! - Haha, Yang Linlin peed herself again. Last time, it was in a death factory when a ghost face suddenly appeared, right? - No wonder he''s the top guy. Zhao Yi''s reaction was so quick. If it were me, I''d probably run without looking back. But he actually thought of saving someone! - That flying knife was vicious! Just a bit off target. If it had been a little more to the side and hit Yang Linlin''s forehead, Zhao Yi would have been punished! - Hurting a teammate results in punishment, but Zhao Yi''s rescue this time should boost his score significantly! ... While everyone was amazed by Zhao Yi''s quick reaction, he made another jaw-dropping decision! After helping Yang Linlin stop the bleeding, Zhao Yi decided to enter the teaching building once more! "Are you crazy?" "You''re going back in?" "What if it ambushes you? Wouldn''t you be walking into a trap?" Yang Linlin looked at Zhao Yi with a gaze that suggested he was an idiot, her tone anxious. Zhao Yi glanced at the darkness inside the teaching building and replied with interest: "No." "The specters in this school don''t move freely. They''re bound by certain rules, just like us." "Like the ghost chasing us is an invigilating teacher, so I bet it won''t follow us out of the teaching building. Otherwise, it would break its own rules and face unimaginable punishment!" Hearing this, Yang Linlin lowered her head, only now feeling a chill between her legs. Damn, peed again! So embarrassing! Her face turned red, and she changed the subject through gritted teeth. "Is there some important information in that building?" "Is it worth the risk?" Zhao Yi replied: "I need a roster. The one with the invigilating teacher is too dangerous, so we won''t consider it for now. But generally, teachers don''t keep just one roster, so there should be one or two backups in her office." With that, he stood up to go inside, but Yang Linlin spoke up: "Can you take me with you?" Zhao Yi was surprised and turned to look at her. "Are you sure?" Yang Linlin took a deep breath. "Yes." "I won''t be a burden. If we encounter danger, just run, don''t worry about me." "If we do nothing, even if we clear the dungeon, our score and points will be low." "If I go with you, maybe I can help at some point?" Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow. "Alright." The two entered the teaching building again. This time, with experience, they avoided the corridor with the restroom and went directly up the stairs on the other side to the fourth-floor teacher''s office. "By the way, Zhao Yi... why did you go to the third floor to check our classroom earlier?" "To verify a suspicion of mine." "What suspicion?" "The shadows in the classroom... are the students who died during the day." Zhao Yi stood on the fourth floor and found their homeroom teacher''s office. The sticker at the door had simple information about the internal teachers, with photos. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The old man with a cleaver in his head was among them. But in the photo, the old man looked kind. Carefully, he pushed the door open. There were no shadows inside, it was safe. The two tiptoed in and carefully locked the door. While searching for the roster, Zhao Yi explained. "During the day, there were eight classes on the first floor, with a total of 472 seats and 121 students, scattered randomly. I memorized their positions and general postures." "And just now, in the first-floor classroom, the shadows were sitting in the exact empty seats from the day!" "If this happened in one class, it might be a coincidence, but if all eight classes are like this... I think it''s enough to establish a rule." "But I''m still not confident... I''m always very cautious, so I went to the third floor, where I saw the chubby kid in front of my seat¡ªhe was killed by the invigilating teacher during the day, and sure enough, a shadow appeared in his seat." "So, now we can draw a basic conclusion¡ªthe shadows are the students who were killed during the day." Zhao Yi calmly explained his theory, leaving Yang Linlin stunned! "You just said... you memorized all 472 seats and 121 students'' positions in the eight classrooms on the first floor?" "Yes." "But... but you just glanced at it?!" Zhao Yi looked up, puzzled: "Isn''t that enough?" Yang Linlin was speechless. At this moment, she no longer doubted Zhao Yi''s intelligence but started doubting her own... Why is there such a big gap between people? She began to question life. "But what use is this knowledge?" Zhao Yi continued to explain: "It''s very useful." "Based on this rule, we can make a hypothesis about the rules¡ªduring the day, people are ''alive,'' and at night, the shadows are ''dead.'' The living and the dead cannot sit in the same seat, or it will be considered a ''rule violation'' and result in execution." Yang Linlin felt her brain couldn''t keep up. "Haven''t those shadows already died once?" "Can they die again?" Zhao Yi found a roster and a letter in the cabinet. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. He tossed the letter aside and opened the roster, which not only had the names of everyone in the class but also marked their assigned seats. Zhao Yi recalled the calendar under the alarm clock from the day and quickly cross-referenced it with the roster. September 14th. "Look." Zhao Yi pointed to the seat in front of his name. There was no name there. This meant that seat shouldn''t be occupied. But the chubby kid sat in front of Zhao Yi, and in fact... he realized he was in the wrong seat, but he didn''t know which one was correct! So, he was scared! He knew sitting in the wrong seat meant death! After realizing their lives were tied to their seat positions, Yang Linlin suddenly got excited! "Then we can just take this roster, and for the next few days, we''ll know where we''re supposed to sit?" "We''ll clear the dungeon!" Zhao Yi calmly said: "No, it''s not that easy." He flipped through the roster, turning six pages past the 14th. They had to survive in the school for seven days, so theoretically, if the daytime was continuous, they should leave the dungeon on September 20th. But the roster in Zhao Yi''s hand only went up to the 19th. After that, it was all blank. "Huh¡ªwhy is there no seating arrangement after the 19th?" Yang Linlin tilted her head, filled with confusion. Zhao Yi''s eyes were deep, and his words sent chills down Yang Linlin''s spine! "Because on the 20th, all of us... will die!" Chapter 15 – A Letter from Haunted School Horror ### Chapter 15: "Haunted School Horror" - A Letter "Don''t scare me, I''m easily frightened!" Yang Linlin shot Zhao Yi a glance, but deep down, she was already starting to accept Zhao Yi''s explanation. Zhao Yi quickly skimmed through the information on the roster, then placed it back in its original position and opened the envelope. Inside, apart from a thick stack of cash, there was a brief letter. ... [Principal, I''m really sorry!] [The (crossed out) incident has caused you trouble, I will definitely be more careful about such matters in the future!] [Regarding (entire section crossed out)] [I heard his mother is his only relative, and now that things have blown up like this, he probably won''t let it go easily. Please communicate more with the mayor!] [This money isn''t much, just a small token of respect for you!] ... Clearly, this letter hadn''t been sent out yet. There were many corrections, with a lot of ink marks crossed out, and it was evident that the crossed-out parts contained quite crucial information! "This letter is meant for the principal..." Zhao Yi''s eyes lit up, and the next moment he said to Yang Linlin: "Let''s go to the principal''s office." He and Yang Linlin quickly tidied up the office, putting the items back in place. As they were leaving, Zhao Yi took some of the cash. Yang Linlin asked curiously: "Why are you taking the money?" Zhao Yi replied meaningfully: "Just in case." Yang Linlin was puzzled. Although she had been with Zhao Yi the whole time and saw everything he saw, she had no idea what Zhao Yi was thinking! It felt very much like when everyone watched Conan gather clues and have an epiphany, while they themselves understood nothing. The only thing on Yang Linlin''s mind now was that after the dungeon ended, she definitely needed to get an IQ test! The two of them left the office, carefully closed the door, and continued upstairs. A quick look at " will leave you more fulfilled. "Can you explain?" "I still don''t understand why you took that money!" Zhao Yi asked in return: "Why did I dare to go to the office to look for clues?" "Because you''re brave!" "And why am I brave?" "I... I don''t know why you''re brave!" Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow: "Because I knew no one was in the office." "That''s why I took you in." "As I said, whether it''s people or ghosts in this school, they''re all following their own rules." "Teachers are invigilating exams, and without special circumstances, they can''t leave the classroom for long." "But the principal is different." "You need to understand, the principal isn''t as busy as the teachers most of the time." "If it''s in the office, we need to find a way to lure it out!" "Got it?" Yang Linlin''s eyes lit up. "I got it!" "But... what does this have to do with the money?" Zhao Yi gestured for her to be quiet. They reached the top floor and walked along the dark corridor, keeping to the right, until they arrived at the spacious principal''s office. Carefully peeking through the window, they indeed saw a shadow inside! Moreover, those unstable data points reappeared at this moment! ... [Principal: High-level Danger!] [Note: This is clearly not an entity you rookies can confront directly, but its mobility is greatly restricted, forcing it to run in a peculiar way.] ... The data of the entity appeared before them. The principal was indeed sitting in the office, and its actions revealed Zhao Yi''s real intentions to Yang Linlin. The principal of Rockridge High School was counting money at this moment. Clearly, the entity was a complete money-grubber! Zhao Yi intended to use money to lure the principal away! "You stay here and keep an eye on it, I''ll go lay out the money!" Zhao Yi instructed in a low voice and began laying out the cash on the floor. He planned to use the cash to draw the principal away, giving them time to investigate matters related to the past in the principal''s office. Zhao Yi moved quickly, returning in less than ten minutes. Then they took off their shoes, knocked on the principal''s office door, and quickly ran to the stairs leading to the rooftop! Before long, the door opened, and a sinister shadow stood at the entrance. Its head rotated 360 degrees. Seeing no one, it seemed to detect a strange scent in the air... like a stray dog had urinated at its doorstep. The shadow was puzzled and looked down. A bright red bill appeared before it! It paused for a moment, as if its DNA couldn''t resist, and it picked up the money involuntarily. Then, as it bent down, it saw a second bill not far away! S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The principal was dumbfounded. What the heck! What''s going on today? Did I hit the jackpot? Why is there so much cash on the ground? Hmm, the urine smell is stronger here too. Curious, the principal looked towards the stairs leading to the rooftop, but after thinking for a while, it chose to go downstairs to pick up the money. Stray dogs aren''t as important as money, right? Once it was a bit further away, Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin reappeared at the entrance to the principal''s office. "Yang Linlin, I hope next time before we act, you can use the restroom." Zhao Yi seriously advised, as they had almost been exposed earlier due to the smell of urine on Yang Linlin. The darkness hid the burning blush on Yang Linlin''s face, her toes gripping the floor, wishing she could dig a three-bedroom apartment at the principal''s office door! "Got it!" The two wasted no time, knowing the principal wouldn''t be gone for long, and quickly searched the office! "The previous letter indicated that a student''s mother had a conflict with the school, and the school caused her significant harm." "Possibly even... killed the student''s mother." "So what we''re looking for now is the records." Yang Linlin, rummaging through the cabinets, was puzzled. "If it''s really as you suspect, such a scandalous event wouldn''t be recorded in the school''s files, would it?" Zhao Yi, seriously examining a file record, replied casually: "But a student''s withdrawal would be." "A major conflict between the school and a student''s family doesn''t have many motivations." "Parents causing a scene at the school is usually about the child''s safety, health, or academics." "Rockridge High School is a military-style closed school, with students going home once a month. The school rules strictly prohibit fighting, and as the top-ranked school in City A, the chance of campus violence is almost zero!" "So, the motivation for a major conflict, even a physical altercation, is likely related to a student''s withdrawal!" Yang Linlin''s eyes lit up. Right! Why didn''t she think of that? Comments: : I must say, I''m impressed by Zhao Yi! : As a newcomer, he''s really outstanding! : I''m a rookie too, and I''d love to be matched with Zhao Yi so I can just ride to victory! : I''m going to follow Zhao Yi, I feel like I can learn a lot from him! ... Chapter 16 – Haunted School Horror: A Hairs Breadth from Disaster Chapter 16: "Haunted School Horror" - A Hair''s Breadth Zhao Yi quickly found an interesting person in one of the files. ¡ªChen Qiong. He was the top student in their Class 8 of Grade 10, consistently ranking first in the grade. Until the week before he was expelled, he was still the top of the grade. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The reason for his expulsion was a teenage romance. "A top student who would have brought great honor to the school, expelled for a teenage romance." Zhao Yi''s tone was meaningful. Yang Linlin, standing beside him, glanced at the file with a peculiar expression. "Does the school have a rule expelling students for teenage romance?" Zhao Yi replied: "I''ve roughly gone through all the disciplinary files here, and he''s the only one expelled for a teenage romance." "Such an outstanding student wouldn''t normally be expelled for that, unless¡­" Zhao Yi paused, as if something occurred to him. "Unless what?" Yang Linlin was curious. "Unless, during the romance, he provoked someone he absolutely shouldn''t have." "Perhaps his romantic interest, or maybe a rival, but I personally lean towards the latter. After all, someone with such excellent grades likely has a strong sense of pride. If he were directly rejected by his romantic interest, he probably wouldn''t persist." "Moreover, a teenage romance involves both parties. Look at these files¡ªany disciplinary action always involves both people, not just one." "Chen Qiong from our class is the only exception." "This suggests that his rival has a powerful background, not only pressuring the school to expel Chen Qiong but also protecting the girl he liked." "We need to investigate Chen Qiong''s case; there might be valuable clues." Zhao Yi found what he was looking for, tidied up the files, and put them back in place. "Where do we investigate?" "Our phones are issued by the school, so we can''t connect to the internet, only set alarms." "If we must connect, we have to go to the computer lab." Zhao Yi replied: "To the computer lab." As he finished speaking, Yang Linlin''s eyes widened, staring intently behind Zhao Yi. A murderous aura permeated the air, piercing through Zhao Yi''s bones! With his back to the door, Zhao Yi instantly understood what had happened from Yang Linlin''s horrified expression! The principal¡­ had returned early! In an instant, the walls of the room began to peel, revealing a bloody red beneath! Countless black beetles crawled out from the wall, swarming towards the door, sealing it completely with flesh! In no time, the two were trapped like fish in a barrel! "You¡­ all¡­ deserve to die¡­" "Deserve¡­ to die!" "Die!" A venomous voice came from the principal''s mouth, but it wasn''t the voice of a middle-aged man; it was¡­ a young boy. Without thinking, Zhao Yi pulled out a property deed from his inventory, turned around, and shouted at the principal''s shadow: "Are you Chen Qiong?" "We''re here to uncover the truth!" "What happened back then with you and your mother?" At the mention of ''truth'', the shadow clutched its head and howled! The piercing, terrifying sound made the two dizzy, their eardrums bleeding! At this moment, Yang Linlin''s spirit value plummeted, while Zhao Yi, though his spirit remained steady, could clearly feel his life slipping away! "I¡­ I am¡­ I am¡­ I''m not¡­" "Chen Qiong¡­ Mother¡­ Zhang Ya¡­ Pang Xiao¡­" "Ah!!!" Finally, the shadow let out a long wail, its head exploding, revealing numerous spiked tentacles! Twisting like eels, the sight drove one''s sanity value to plummet! Having just pulled out a shotgun from her inventory, Yang Linlin sat down on the ground, unable to hold the gun steady! What the hell is this monster? The principal''s shadow advanced towards them step by step, cornering them. Yang Linlin''s mouth hung open, her legs shaking like a sieve. "Zhao Yi, run! I''ll hold it off!" She raised the gun to shoot, but Zhao Yi kicked her in the chest, sending her sliding several meters away like a slippery chicken! At the same time, Zhao Yi dodged in another direction! The next moment, sharp spikes struck where they had just been! The spikes oozed black pus, sizzling with smoke, clearly highly corrosive! Whoosh! Almost simultaneously, a thick, spiked tentacle whipped towards Zhao Yi, moving so fast it caused a sonic boom! If it hit, Zhao Yi would be dead on the spot! With Zhao Yi''s current reflexes, there was no way to dodge this attack! At the critical moment, a gunshot rang out, and the principal howled, forced to halt the attack and retreat two steps! It was Yang Linlin! Her hands shook like a sieve, biting her lip hard, clutching the shotgun tightly! Ordinary guns couldn''t effectively harm specters, but the impact of the bullets helped Zhao Yi avoid a fatal blow! "Run!" "I''ll cover you!" Yang Linlin screamed, like a madwoman, firing two more shots at the principal, causing it to stagger! Zhao Yi watched the principal, slightly staggered, his eyes flashing red, and he rolled towards it, closing the distance significantly! This reckless move left Yang Linlin stunned! Is he crazy? She risked her life to create an opportunity, and instead of escaping, he''s charging in! Isn''t this a waste?! Zhao Yi approached the principal, quickly pulling out a property deed and thrusting it towards the principal! At the same time, the tentacle swung down again, hovering just a centimeter above Zhao Yi''s forehead! One more centimeter, and Zhao Yi''s head would burst like a rotten watermelon! But at that moment, the principal stood frozen like a wooden figure, immobilized! ¡­¡­ [Item: Old Liu''s Property Deed (Unsealed)] [Quality: Green] [Description: The lifelong effort of an old worker.] [Effect: Forcefully seals a monster within five meters for ten seconds, cooldown: 1 day] ¡­¡­ As soon as the principal''s shadow froze, Zhao Yi turned and grabbed Yang Linlin, and they frantically fled outside! Ten seconds. They only had ten seconds! Every second determined their life or death! Still in shock, Yang Linlin glanced back at the motionless principal. As Zhao Yi passed the door, he didn''t forget to stab the monster! The knife pierced the principal''s shadowy heart. But it couldn''t kill this powerful monster! Of course, Zhao Yi didn''t expect to kill it with one stab, just collecting some interest along the way! Reaching the door, Yang Linlin raised the shotgun and fired two shots at the lock wrapped in black bugs! The door opened. Without looking back, they dashed into the darkness of the corridor¡­ Chapter 17 – Haunted School Horror: A Terrifying Discovery The two of them sprinted down the corridor, with a twisted specter hopping after them. Fortunately, the specter moved awkwardly, its limbs uncoordinated, allowing Zhao Yi to quickly lead them away from the principal. "Why didn''t you use that earlier if it''s so powerful?" Yang Linlin asked, panting and clutching her chest. Zhao Yi replied, "Because it has a long cooldown." "And why are you holding your chest?" he added. Yang Linlin shot him a glare. "What do you think!" Earlier, Zhao Yi had kicked her Winnie the Pooh plush to save her. Though it wasn''t a hard kick, in a life-or-death situation, Zhao Yi had used considerable force, leaving Yang Linlin in pain. "Sorry, special times call for special measures... Want me to rub it for you?" "Get lost!" Zhao Yi rolled his eyes. Women are such strange creatures. He offered to help, and she told him to get lost. The computer lab was in another building, and with three hours left until the next day''s morning class, Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin decided to try their luck there. Who knows what they might find? "By the way, where did you get that shotgun?" "In the last dungeon, I was in a survival scenario. Worried I''d encounter something similar again, I stocked up on guns, knives, tents, firewood, ropes, fishing lines, sunscreen, waterproof bedding..." Seeing the array of items in Yang Linlin''s inventory, Zhao Yi praised, "I didn''t expect you to be so prepared. It''s a good thing you brought guns this time; otherwise, we might have had to escape through a window and leave someone behind." Hearing Zhao Yi''s compliment, Yang Linlin lifted her chin proudly and said, "Of course! I''m no rookie!" She paused, then pulled a shotgun from her inventory and handed it to Zhao Yi. "Here, take this shotgun. When the domain system opens, using it will increase your proficiency in firearms." Zhao Yi accepted the shotgun from Yang Linlin with thanks. This wasn''t an ordinary shotgun from the outside world; it was an item exchanged from the game store. Though it wasn''t very effective against specters, it could stun them and had a decent silencing effect, making it a valuable item for newcomers. Live Stream Comments: : "The ''Crusher'' costs 2000 points in the store, and my goddess just gave it away?" : "Damn! Is Yang Linlin falling for this nutcase Zhao Yi? I''m unfollowing!" : "Zhao Yi saved her twice. Regardless of personal feelings, it''s only right to return the favor with a gift." : "My goddess... my goddess... But it''s okay, I''ll still like you!" : "Such a simp!" ... They found the computer lab, and Zhao Yi shot the lock with his gun. The door opened. Computer labs in high schools are often underused, with students mostly playing games rather than studying. However, in schools with special programs, a computer lab is a necessary public facility. It might not always be used, but it must be there. Yang Linlin kept watch while Zhao Yi used the school''s network to search for information on Chen Qiong. "How''s it going?" Yang Linlin asked, unable to resist as she watched Zhao Yi''s fingers fly over the keyboard. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Zhao Yi, eyes fixed on the screen, replied, "The person has a significant background. All online information about him has been blocked and erased!" "But no worries, I can check the ''Black Sea.''" Yang Linlin was puzzled. "Black Sea, what''s that?" "The internet''s junkyard," Zhao Yi explained. "Typically, information on the internet isn''t completely deleted. All data that once appeared is dumped into the Black Sea when cleaned up." "But accessing the Black Sea requires a complicated key, involving compiling, trial and error, modification, and then logging in." His explanation left Yang Linlin dumbfounded. "Were you a hacker before? How do you know so much?" Zhao Yi''s expression was serious. "No, I''m a psychologist." "I once had a patient who was a hacker with severe paranoia. He''d tell me he could inject his spirit into the internet and roam the endless sea of code..." Yang Linlin rolled her eyes. "You believe a madman''s words?" Zhao Yi continued, "At first, he wandered aimlessly in the virtual world. After some treatment, we could finally explore together." Yang Linlin: "???" Live Stream Comments: : "LOL, so the one being ''treated'' was you!" : "I knew this guy had some mental issues. Maybe he got infected by spending too much time with the mentally ill?" : "Haven''t you seen his profile? Zhao Yi must be joking. He''s treated over a thousand severe mental illness patients!" : "I was a med student too, and though I''m not in psychology, the name ''Forgotten Angel'' is really famous in the field!" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... "And then?" "Then I was the only one left." "Why?" "Because I cured his paranoia." Yang Linlin rolled her eyes. "So you''re saying you have paranoia too?" Zhao Yi successfully logged into the Black Sea and snapped his fingers. "Paranoia?" "No, this isn''t paranoia." "My spirit can truly communicate with data." Yang Linlin laughed, thinking Zhao Yi was just teasing her, and didn''t give it much thought. But if she had walked to the front of the computer, she would have been shocked to find... Zhao Yi''s computer wasn''t running any programs at all! The keyboard wasn''t even plugged into the computer. "Found it." Zhao Yi squinted, focusing on the computer screen. The light cast shadows on his face. "Chen Qiong''s mother had an argument with the homeroom teacher of Class 8, Grade 1 at Rockridge High School, resulting in an accident. She fell from the third-floor corridor and died on August 13, 3032, after failed resuscitation." "Cause of death: severe brain damage." "A week later, Chen Qiong infiltrated the school, wielded a cleaver, and split his homeroom teacher Liang Ming''s head in half before escaping." "Since then, Chen Qiong vanished without a trace... and the teachers and students at Rockridge High School began mysteriously disappearing within a month, with no survivors..." "During this period, City A dispatched numerous police officers to search Rockridge High School, but found nothing..." Zhao Yi''s account left Yang Linlin in a daze. "August 13, 3032... A week later is August 20, and another month is... September 20, 3032!" "Isn''t that... the day our main quest ends?" Yang Linlin suddenly realized, as if uncovering an important clue! During the day, she saw an electronic calendar under the classroom''s large clock. The date marked was 3032! Which means... They''ve returned to... a past timeline! Back to the last seven days of the curse! "No wonder... no wonder the seating arrangement on that roster... only goes up to September 19!" "Zhao Yi, your guess was right!" "On September 20, everyone... will die!" Chapter 18 – Haunted School Horror: Mysterious Thick Fog Yang Linlin felt a chill in her heart. Having obtained the roster, she thought she was just one step away from surviving this hell-level dungeon. However, at this moment, she suddenly realized... she had underestimated the difficulty of the hell-level dungeon! The real challenge was surviving the seventh day! Yang Linlin exhaled and smiled bitterly to herself. She was such a fool. How could a dungeon of this difficulty be so easily cleared? Fortunately, today was only the first day, and they still had plenty of time. From the current situation, as long as she followed Zhao Yi, her chances of survival were high! After the series of dangers they had just faced, Yang Linlin clearly recognized that Zhao Yi was the true powerhouse in their group! Sticking close to Zhao Yi not only increased her chances of clearing the dungeon but might also earn her a decent rating! It was important to know that high ratings were extremely valuable in the ''Hell'' game! Just to unlock the intermediate dungeon store, you needed three S-level ratings! Without ratings, no amount of points could buy items from the intermediate store! With these thoughts clear, Yang Linlin felt much more relaxed. She would face whatever came her way! She continued to cautiously observe the shadows that might appear around her, tightly gripping a handgun. This handgun was far less powerful than the ''Crusher'' she had given Zhao Yi, but having something in her hand made her feel much more at ease! The starlight was dim, and the moonlight was faint. A light mist suddenly rose from nowhere. It gradually thickened. The already dim visibility in the night was further reduced! Yang Linlin keenly sensed something was wrong and immediately called out to Zhao Yi in the computer lab: "Zhao Yi... it''s getting foggy!" Zhao Yi looked up, countless data flashing in his eyes, which were then quickly erased. He swiftly shut down the computer, reset the keyboard and mouse, walked out of the computer lab, looked at the fog outside, and grabbed Yang Linlin''s hand! "Run!" Yang Linlin was pulled by him, directly fleeing into the white fog! By this time, the fog had become quite dense, limiting their visibility to about twenty meters, and it was still shrinking! The most terrifying part was that this mysterious fog was continuously draining Yang Linlin''s spirit! She felt dizzy, then suddenly alert, quickly biting her tongue. The sharp pain and the taste of blood in her mouth barely kept her rational! sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Live Streaming Room: : Damn! This fog has a Silent Hill vibe! : Are we going to see a pyramid head wielding a big knife soon? : Just the fact that this fog drains spirit points is terrifying enough, isn''t it? It drops five or six points a minute; no one can withstand that! : Why isn''t Zhao Yi''s spirit dropping at all? This guy is definitely suspicious! ... "Is the SAN dropping that fast?" Seeing Yang Linlin''s increasingly vacant eyes, Zhao Yi quickly made a decision and ran towards the distant tall water tower! He originally wanted to return to the dormitory, but it was too late now. The first floor of the water tower was locked with an iron gate. Fortunately, Yang Linlin had given Zhao Yi a shotgun, and he shot at the water tower''s door handle! Entering the first floor of the water tower, Zhao Yi slammed the door shut and moved some dusty wooden crates to block it! Luckily, the fog didn''t seep in. Zhao Yi stood up and looked outside through the peephole. The fog was getting thicker, reducing visibility to just five meters! At the same time, data related to the fog appeared before Zhao Yi. ... [Fog: High-Level Danger] [Note: There are many strange things inside. If you don''t want to encounter them, you''d better find a shelter quickly.] ... Indeed, there were unimaginable dangers in this fog! Without the influence of the ghostly fog, Yang Linlin''s spirit began to recover. Her face was still pale, but her eyes regained their sparkle. Find the original at "pawread dot com". "Thank you, you saved my life again." Yang Linlin looked gratefully at Zhao Yi, only to find Zhao Yi pointing a gun at her! Before she could understand what was happening, she heard Zhao Yi say: "Come out." "I''ll only say this once." Yang Linlin was stunned for a moment, then heard rustling sounds from the darkness behind her! She turned around in shock and discovered a disheveled man behind a pile of debris! The man raised his hands, his face full of smiles: "Please... don''t shoot, I''m not a bad person!" ... [Human: Low-Level Danger] [Note: Congratulations, you''ve found a living person in a haunted school! But there''s no reward.] ... Zhao Yi slowly lowered his gun and asked: "Who are you?" The man smiled wryly: "It''s a long story. This place isn''t safe. Something terrifying will come in soon. Let me take you to the basement first." Zhao Yi nodded slightly. The man moved a large brick under his feet, revealing a light below! The two followed the man into the basement, where he carefully restored the entrance and checked it several times before exhaling. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Sheng, a mysterious event investigator from the former City A police department. Here''s my ID." Li Sheng handed his ID to Zhao Yi, and they exchanged brief information. "Did you come alone?" Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow, his fingers brushing the corner of a lamp on the cabinet. He rubbed them together. No dust. Li Sheng sat on a worn-out sofa and sighed. "No, about three months ago, we started investigating Rockridge High School... Students and teachers inside were mysteriously disappearing one by one, as if they vanished into thin air. The police in City A deployed a large number of personnel to investigate, but found nothing. Under pressure from public opinion, the mayor had to turn to us." "After some preparation, I led a special task force to this school to investigate, but we encountered strange events..." Li Sheng slowly recounted his experience. It turned out that their task force consisted of twenty-seven people, but that day, the school was shrouded in fog. Li Sheng and his team were attacked by terrifying unknown creatures in the fog. Despite being fully armed, they barely saw their attackers before almost being wiped out! In the end, the severely injured Li Sheng, along with the remaining six team members, escaped into a dormitory building, barely surviving. When the fog cleared, they found they couldn''t leave the school. Outside the school gates, there was nothing but terrifying thick fog! The seven of them could only struggle to survive in the eerie school! "May I ask, what happened to the six teammates with you?" As Zhao Yi finished speaking, he noticed Li Sheng''s expression turn grim. "They''re dead." Zhao Yi asked again: "According to you, you''ve been in the school for at least three months. What have you been eating?" Li Sheng''s face turned even grimmer. "Can we not talk about that?" Zhao Yi pondered. At this moment, strange noises came from above them. Creak¡ª Like a machine that had been idle for decades, it emitted a grating sound. Then came the sound of chaotic footsteps. The three held their breath, not daring to make a sound, listening intently to the footsteps above. They could hardly imagine what kind of creature would make such a hair-raising sound while walking. It wandered back and forth for a long time before finally leaving. "I only discovered this refuge recently; otherwise, I''d be dead by now!" Li Sheng lowered his voice and approached the two. At this moment, their systems suddenly displayed a message. [Player Zhen Tao has been assimilated into a dungeon monster due to low spirit.] [Player Lu Bai has been killed by an unknown creature.] [Congratulations to players Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin for triggering the hidden quest¡ªInvestigate the truth behind Rockridge High School!] [Quest Reward: S Rating *1.] Chapter 19 – Haunted School Horror: Chen Qiongs Past After the hidden quest was triggered, news of the deaths of the other two teammates arrived simultaneously. Compared to Zhen Tao, Lu Bai seemed to find relief quickly. As for Zhen Tao, although his life value hadn''t hit zero, the severe loss of spirit turned him directly into a dungeon monster! This seemed even more unbearable than death! Looking at the man beside him, Zhao Yi curiously asked, "You''ve lived at this high school for three months, haven''t you encountered anything terrifying?" Li Sheng gave a bitter smile. "How could I not have?" "Though I don''t know how you got in here, I can tell you haven''t been here long." "The dangers of this high school far exceed your imagination!" "Most of the people you''ve seen in the school... aren''t alive!" As his words fell, Yang Linlin nearly jumped out of her skin! Earlier in the day, Zhao Yi had already told them that they might be the only four living people in this high school, and back then, they thought Zhao Yi was joking! Now she realized Zhao Yi was telling the truth! "Rockridge High School is trapped in a terrifying cycle of curses, repeating every seven days." "These zombie-like people on campus will all die within seven days, then be reborn, only to repeat the cycle of death again!" "The further the curse progresses, the more terrifying things will happen!" "I once saw with my own eyes, on the seventh day of a previous cycle, all the teachers and students carrying their bloody heads, patrolling every corner of the school..." "If they find you..." At this point, Li Sheng shuddered involuntarily. Clearly, the experience had left a deep psychological impact on him! He was unwilling to recall or describe it further. "Then... how did you manage to hide safely?" Yang Linlin asked with a hint of urgency. Since this man had survived three months in this high school, helping them survive seven days should be no problem! Li Sheng patted the sofa beneath him. "Well¡ª" "I escaped to the water tower at that time and accidentally discovered this basement, which is how I survived!" Hearing this, Yang Linlin excitedly grabbed Zhao Yi''s arm! "I got it!" "The water tower must be a hidden safe zone. As long as we stay here and don''t wander around, we can survive the seven days!" Zhao Yi''s face showed no sign of joy. "Sigh..." Seeing Yang Linlin''s jubilant expression, Li Sheng couldn''t help but sigh. "Miss Yang, things might be more complicated than you think." The smile on Yang Linlin''s face gradually faded. "What... do you mean?" Li Sheng looked troubled. "The power of the school''s curse is expanding!" "Previously, the water tower was indeed safe; the specters outside would ignore this area, not even glancing at the water tower..." "But later, they began to linger outside the water tower, even knocking on the door to see if anyone was inside, and eventually... they forcibly entered the water tower, searching everything here..." "On the seventh day of the last cycle, I was hiding in the basement and almost got exposed..." "So I suspect the curse''s power has spread here. If we hide in the basement again during this cycle, I''m afraid..." Li Sheng suddenly stopped talking. Footsteps above them had started again at some point, and this time... they were even more frequent! The three of them were on edge! Even the viewers in the live streaming room felt incredibly tense! They held their breath, not daring to make a sound! Clearly, there was more than one specter upstairs! If they were exposed, they''d be sitting ducks, doomed to die! Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, there were thuds from above! It seemed a clever specter was checking the ground! A chill ran down their spines, reaching the top of their heads! Zhao Yi''s mind raced, and he quickly moved a ladder from the pile of junk behind him, then stood on it, using his back to support their entrance! Seeing this, Yang Linlin and Li Sheng understood what Zhao Yi intended to do, and they carefully stepped forward to help stabilize Zhao Yi''s body! The sound of tapping on a special brick, whether connected or not, was completely different! The specter was still suspicious, not yet certain there was a secret room below. As long as they handled it properly, they could completely avoid the specter''s inspection! Before long, Zhao Yi felt tapping on his back! The specter was strong, and even through a thick brick, the force from above made their muscles spasm! They gritted their teeth, holding on tightly, not daring to relax for a moment! After tapping for a while and confirming there was no issue, the specter moved on to tap elsewhere. Only then did the two relax, and Zhao Yi immediately gestured to them, prompting Yang Linlin and Li Sheng to continue holding Zhao Yi''s legs tightly! Sure enough, after a while, the specter returned to the same spot, stomping heavily! The intense force made the legs of the two below tremble. Finally, the specter seemed to confirm there was no issue, stopped probing, and left the water tower for another location. Yang Linlin and Li Sheng collapsed to the ground, their bodies weak! "See, I told you, the water tower is no longer safe..." Li Sheng''s face was full of worry. "To survive this cycle of the curse, we either find another shelter or... break the curse!" Zhao Yi glanced at him nonchalantly, saying nothing. But Yang Linlin''s eyes lit up at his words. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" "Break the curse?" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You know how to break the curse?" Li Sheng was silent for a long time. "I know the method, but it''s extremely difficult to execute!" "I can''t do it alone; I need help!" Yang Linlin said, "We can help you!" Li Sheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded resolutely after a while. "Alright!" "I''ll trust you this once. After all, dragging it out any longer is a dead end!" "Might as well take a gamble!" "...Based on our previous research and investigation, I can now confirm that the cycle of curses at this high school began with a student." As he finished speaking, Yang Linlin instinctively blurted out: "Chen Qiong?" Li Sheng looked at the two in surprise. "You know?" Zhao Yi replied, "Not much, just that Chen Qiong''s mother had an accident at Rockridge High School..." Li Sheng sighed, rubbing his head. "That''s right." "It''s a long story." "Chen Qiong was originally from a poor family in the city. Life was manageable until his father was buried in a mining accident back home. The mine owner, fearing criminal charges, fled abroad with the money, leaving no compensation. Life became increasingly difficult for his family, with only a disabled seamstress mother left. Fortunately, Chen Qiong was a diligent student, always excelling academically. He not only got into the best high school in the city¡ªRockridge High School¡ªbut also received a substantial scholarship for his top ranking." "This place should have been the cradle of his dreams, but then something unexpected happened..." "To stimulate student competition, Rockridge High School held exams twice a month, determining seating arrangements for the following week based on results. Chen Qiong, with his outstanding grades, always sat at the front near the podium, leaving other top students from all over the place trailing behind!" "Besides, there was another student in their class, a girl named Zhang Ya, who was both academically excellent and beautiful." "She consistently ranked second in the class and was Chen Qiong''s deskmate... You know how it is with high schoolers, full of youthful vigor, hormones running high. Spending so much time together, Chen Qiong fell madly in love with Zhang Ya." "It could have been a perfect match, but then a transfer student named Pang Xiao arrived, the son of the Mayor. Despite always ranking last in tests, he also took a liking to Zhang Ya and directly had the homeroom teacher, Liang Ming, switch his seat with Chen Qiong''s." "Liang Ming, of course, didn''t dare refuse his request." "So suddenly, the top student was sitting in the last seat, while the last-ranked student took the top seat." "Every weekly test result, those glaring perfect scores, seemed to slap Chen Qiong in the face!" "He knew his family was poor and couldn''t compete with Pang Xiao, so he endured... But one day, he saw Pang Xiao slip his hand into Zhang Ya''s clothes during class, and Zhang Ya didn''t dare resist. That was the last straw for his anger." "He secretly bribed some classmates from similarly poor backgrounds with his scholarship money, and one night, they covered their faces with scarves and dragged Pang Xiao into a small grove to beat him up!" "However, the school''s surveillance caught it all, and after severe questioning from the grade director, one student finally cracked under pressure and exposed Chen Qiong." "As a result... Chen Qiong was expelled." "Afterward, Chen Qiong''s mother came to Rockridge High School, found his homeroom teacher Liang Ming, and knelt in his office, begging for mercy. But Liang Ming couldn''t care less. In the end, during a scuffle, Liang Ming accidentally pushed Chen Qiong''s mother, Ren Fang, from the building. She landed headfirst, her brains splattered everywhere..." "You can probably guess what happened next. Chen Qiong''s mother died from her injuries, but the incident was covered up by the school and the Mayor''s office..." "The situation was too deep for anyone to intervene. Days later, Chen Qiong snuck into the school alone, hacked his homeroom teacher Liang Ming to death with a cleaver, and then escaped the school''s security pursuit, disappearing without a trace..." At this point, Li Sheng paused, looking at the two who were listening intently, and lowered his voice. "That''s the official story." "But in reality... Chen Qiong never ran away..." "He... died in the school." Chapter 20 – Haunted School Horror: Zhao Yis Terrifying Insight "He died in the underground parking lot of Zone B. His deep resentment has affected the entire school. Our goal is to destroy his corpse!" "Only by destroying his corpse can we possibly end the curse!" "Coincidentally, when we first entered the school, we brought a very powerful weapon... But that item was left behind in a vertical shaft labeled ''Contaminated Fire'' in the underground parking lot of the West Zone after being attacked by Chen Qiong''s spirit." "That special weapon requires identity verification, but it won''t take long. As long as you can distract Chen Qiong''s spirit, I can quickly activate the weapon and destroy Chen Qiong''s corpse!" Yang Linlin bit her lip. "How long will it take?" Li Sheng replied: "About three minutes in total!" Yang Linlin looked at Zhao Yi, her eyes questioning. Zhao Yi reached out and shook hands with Li Sheng. "When do we take action?" Li Sheng pondered: "Tonight is too late. Tomorrow night, come back here to the water tower, and I''ll take you to the West Zone''s underground parking lot!" Zhao Yi: "Can we scout the area first?" Li Sheng scratched his head: "Almost forgot... You''re not familiar with the terrain, so scouting the perimeter first is a good idea!" After making their plans, the three sat quietly for about four hours until the ghostly fog outside dissipated. Only then did Zhao Yi lead Yang Linlin away from the water tower and head to the dormitory building. The next day, they sat according to the seating chart. A few people in the class sat in the wrong seats and were beheaded on the spot! The blood was cold and foul-smelling. But in the blink of an eye, Both the blood and the bodies vanished completely. The two managed to survive the day without incident. While eating dinner in the cafeteria, Zhao Yi shoveled food into his mouth and asked Yang Linlin beside him: "Do you have any fishing line?" "Thread will do... It needs to be thin, long, and strong." Yang Linlin was still preoccupied with the night''s events, not interested in eating. "I do." "But... what do you need it for?" Zhao Yi replied: "To kill." Yang Linlin froze. "Kill who?" S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi: "Li Sheng." Yang Linlin continued to watch Zhao Yi, who was eating nonchalantly, as if he were discussing something trivial. But only those involved knew how crazy this sounded! "Are you insane?" "If you kill Li Sheng, who will help us break the curse?" Yang Linlin didn''t understand what had gotten into Zhao Yi, but from his tone, he didn''t seem to be joking! He really intended to kill Li Sheng! After finishing the last bite of his meal, Zhao Yi elegantly opened a bottle of ''82 soy milk and said seriously: "If you''re still counting on him to help us break the curse, then you''re not far from death." Yang Linlin glanced at the noisy cafeteria around them, leaned in, and whispered: "What do you mean?" Zhao Yi drank the soy milk in one go. "He lied." Yang Linlin frowned. "Lied?" "How do you know?" Zhao Yi tapped his finger lightly on the table, recalling everything from last night, and explained: "First, he''s just an investigator, not a student of Class 8, Grade 1. Don''t you think his description of Chen Qiong was too detailed?" "So detailed that he even knew about Chen Qiong seeing the mayor''s son, Pang Xiao, putting his hand inside class beauty Zhang Ya''s clothes during class." Yang Linlin''s body stiffened. "Second, three people are missing from the roster." "Chen Qiong, Pang Xiao, Zhang Ya." "These three are not on the roster." "If everything happened as Li Sheng described, then I think Chen Qiong, who has the power to plunge the entire school into a strange force, wouldn''t let Pang Xiao and Zhang Ya go¡ªat least not Pang Xiao." "Because Pang Xiao is the source of his tragedy!" Yang Linlin fell into deep thought. Zhao Yi continued: "Third, that water tower''s basement wasn''t discovered by him by chance... I even suspect he built that basement." Yang Linlin looked up at Zhao Yi, her face full of confusion. Discover the complete story on pawread dot com. If she could understand the first two points, this third point made her think Zhao Yi was talking nonsense! "The school''s curse has spread to most corners, affecting all the teachers and students inside. How could he have had the time to build such a large basement in front of so many evil spirits?" Zhao Yi''s gaze was deep. "No dust." "Huh?" "I said, there''s no dust in the basement." Recalling last night''s events, Zhao Yi explained: "Last night, I deliberately checked many corners." "The lampstand, the sofa, even... those miscellaneous items, almost no dust, very clean." "Generally, no one cleans a basement." "Unless someone lives there regularly." "As you said, after the curse occurred, it''s almost impossible to build such a basement in front of evil spirits, so the basement could only have been built before the curse." "The entrance is so hidden, there''s no light, and the mechanism is hidden behind bricks where no one would think to look... Do you think it''s more likely he stumbled upon the basement while being chased by evil spirits, or that he knew about the basement''s existence all along?" Yang Linlin was stunned. Zhao Yi''s observational skills... were terrifying! "But if he''s deceiving us, what''s his motive?" Zhao Yi explained: "In psychology, purposeful lies are usually a mix of truth and falsehood." "To make the lie more logical and believable, some real elements are often added." "For example, in the West Zone''s underground parking lot, even if there''s no evil spirit version of Chen Qiong, there''s definitely a danger we can''t imagine." "And Li Sheng genuinely wants to enter that vertical shaft labeled ''Contaminated Fire.''" "It''s just that once he goes in, he won''t come out, so he lied to get me to distract the specter outside." Layer by layer, the analysis unfolded. Yang Linlin now believed that the seemingly harmless Li Sheng was actually a liar! ... Live Stream Comments: : Damn, this level of observation and judgment is incredible! : Honestly, I also felt something was off about Li Sheng! : This unlucky guy actually tried to outsmart Zhao Yi, the madman. He''s probably in for a bad end! : But since Zhao Yi discovered the problem, why didn''t he kill Li Sheng last night and wait until today? : It''s normal for you not to understand. After all, we''re normal people, and he''s a madman! ... Yang Linlin took out the fishing line and handed it to Zhao Yi. After Zhao Yi put it away, Yang Linlin asked: "What do I need to do tonight?" Zhao Yi said: "You don''t need to do anything." "Whether we succeed depends on tonight." "If we''re lucky, we can break this curse tonight!" Chapter 21 – Haunted School Horror: A Brilliant Counter-Scheme The night was cold with clouds, and the moonless sky was as dark as a tide. Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin met at the agreed location, both fully prepared, and headed towards the water tower. "Zhao Yi, I still don''t quite understand." "Why do you need the fishing line?" "Are you planning to strangle Li Sheng with it?" Zhao Yi raised a finger to his lips. "Silence." He didn''t want to explain to Yang Linlin. Though she was obedient, she talked too much. Zhao Yi was cautious around her, in case she messed up and exposed him. Faced with Zhao Yi''s mystery, Yang Linlin said no more. They reached the basement of the water tower, where Li Sheng had been waiting for a while, appearing somewhat... anxious. "Why are you so late?" Li Sheng complained. "Let''s hurry and scout the area; we don''t have much time. Once midnight ends and the third bell rings, the ghostly fog will spread across every corner of the campus again!" Zhao Yi nodded. "No problem." The three of them left the water tower and cautiously headed to the West Zone''s underground parking lot under the moonlight. There were three entrances in total. They followed Li Sheng around the perimeter, listening to his detailed escape route plan and how to distract the specters... As Li Sheng spoke, there was an unnatural excitement in his demeanor. Yang Linlin, who was observing him intentionally, became more convinced of Zhao Yi''s suspicion. This guy was up to something! They entered from the east, which was the planned entrance where Li Sheng would be lurking. Li Sheng led the way, so he didn''t see Zhao Yi quietly take out a similarly dark green, round object and wedge it onto the iron rod on the side wall of the entrance. The loop on it was connected to a fishing line almost invisible in the darkness. The other end of the line was hidden in Zhao Yi''s school uniform sleeve. Li Sheng hid in a corner and said to them: "Chen Qiong''s vengeful spirit is wandering in the C Zone ahead. After you go over, make some noise to attract its attention, then split up and run, one to the north exit, one to the west exit." "Then follow our planned route to evade it!" "It won''t stray far from here. As long as you can lure it out of the underground parking lot, I can grab the weapon, destroy its body, and break the curse!" Zhao Yi glanced towards the C Zone. "No problem, wait for us to lure it away before you act. We only have one chance, don''t rush!" Li Sheng nodded. "Alright!" Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin crouched and moved towards the C Zone, carefully sticking to the walls and using vehicles as cover, observing for any sign of Chen Qiong''s vengeful spirit. A cold wind blew in from the entrance, making Yang Linlin shiver in the darkness. She was scared to death. She could even hear her heart pounding in her throat! In fact, she wasn''t the only one nervous. Li Sheng was equally on edge. Ever since that incident went awry, he had been barely surviving in this haunted school for months, and now he was out of resources. He was getting hungrier. His companions were dwindling. Whether he could survive depended on whether these two could help him lure away that terrifying evil spirit today... ... As Zhao Yi explored towards the C Zone, he maintained a high level of mental focus. The red bloody glow in his eyes grew stronger. It even faintly emitted a slight red light. His pupils were no longer round, turning into a strange and eerie pattern! In his eyes, all inanimate objects were gradually fading. Areas that were dark and invisible became increasingly clear to Zhao Yi! [Player Zhao Yi''s source code error disorder...] [Attempting to repair...] [Repair failed...] [Repair failed...] [Repair failed...] ... The annoying system voice kept ringing in Zhao Yi''s ears, but he ignored it along with those strange whispers. At this moment, he seemed to be in a god''s-eye view! He saw everything in the underground parking lot! Including the twisted humanoid figure hidden in the corner! ... [Rampant Quantum State: Extremely Dangerous!] [Note 1: Extremely fast movement, can pass through most obstacles!] [Note 2: Extremely strong attack, you cannot resist!] [Behavior: Slaughter all living things it sees! Prioritizes attacking loud units!] [Weakness 1: Schr?dinger''s Cat.] [Weakness 2: The body.] ... Having obtained this data, the crimson in Zhao Yi''s eyes slowly faded, returning to normal. He was dazed for a few seconds before his eyes regained focus. Zhao Yi carefully led Yang Linlin around the twisted humanoid and out of Li Sheng''s line of sight. He turned back and gave Li Sheng an ''OK'' gesture. Li Sheng returned the gesture. In the darkness, his face was filled with a sinister and twisted smile! Die... die! Once you''re dead, I can survive! Blame your bad luck! How could you trust a stranger so easily? Li Sheng''s mouth curved into a shocking arc. The next moment, Zhao Yi grabbed the fishing line in his sleeve. He pulled it sharply! In the darkness and silence, the sound of the grenade pin being pulled was abrupt. Ding! The pin hit the ground. The sound was crisp. The twisted humanoid in the corner turned around. And Li Sheng''s body tensed at that moment. He was puzzled, What was that sound just now? He turned his head, Firelight exploded! Brilliant flames spread like a phoenix spreading its wings, and the violent explosion echoed throughout the underground parking lot! The terrifying impact slammed Li Sheng hard against a nearby car door. He barely had time to think about what had happened before he vaguely saw, in the blinding firelight, the terrifying shadow drifting towards him from afar! Doomed! Li Sheng was terrified! The shadow of death loomed, adrenaline surged! No time to think, he fled immediately! If he didn''t leave now, he would surely die! As he neared the exit, he instinctively glanced back and saw¡ª Zhao Yi standing in the underground parking lot, waving goodbye to him! By now, how could he not realize that Zhao Yi had outsmarted him? His fists clenched, eyes blazing with fury! Li Sheng was almost coughing up blood from anger, but there was no time to think! The twisted humanoid was chasing him at high speed! He had to get away from this place immediately! Li Sheng fled with the shadow trailing him, while Zhao Yi quickly led Yang Linlin to the vertical shaft marked with ''Contaminated Fire''. "Damn, you actually carry a grenade, such a massive weapon!" "Isn''t the beginner dungeon supposed to have no points?" Yang Linlin''s face was full of shock as she took out a crowbar to help Zhao Yi pry open the manhole cover, listening to Zhao Yi say: "I once had a patient who was an arms dealer." "I cured his bloodlust, so he gave me a box of custom-made ammunition as a reward." "I usually carry a few grenades with me, just to fiddle with when I''m bored." Yang Linlin: "..." Live comments: Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. : Crazy! Who the hell fiddles with grenades for fun! : I''m more and more convinced that Zhao Yi has become a lunatic from dealing with too many mental patients! Explore the extended edition on : Putting aside his eccentric behavior, Zhao Yi''s counter-scheme was truly brilliant! : Indeed! From seeing through the plan to setting it up, what seemed like the simplest operation had such a devastating effect... :... Chapter 22 – Haunted School Horror: Mysterious Experimental Base With ease, the manhole cover was pried open. At this moment, the number of viewers in Zhao Yi''s live streaming room had surged from a few hundred to sixty thousand! Among the newcomers, his popularity had already skyrocketed to the top ranks. His impressive moves in the earlier waves had garnered him quite a few fans. Especially those rookies who were also new and wanted to enter the dungeon but were too timid to do so, they had already started to see Zhao Yi as their big brother! Down the vertical shaft, it was pitch black. Yang Linlin took out a flashlight, handed it to Zhao Yi, and grabbed one for herself. Turning on the flashlight, the light illuminated the shaft wall. No filth, no dust! The smooth alloy wall reflected the flashlight''s beam. In the center of the shaft wall was a button, etched with strange patterns. After a simple inspection, the two discovered it was actually an elevator leading underground! "Aren''t these places usually for drainage... how come there''s an elevator?" Yang Linlin covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment! Zhao Yi glanced back. The pitch-black underground parking lot, the deathly still wind. The feeling was not good. "Let''s go, there''s no time to waste, who knows when it will return!" The two quickly entered the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator operated smoothly, a slight feeling of weightlessness enveloped them as they began to descend... This process lasted a full three minutes before stopping! The alloy shaft wall in front of them suddenly parted, the intense light blinding them momentarily until their vision returned. Ahead was a long, narrow, pure white corridor. The lights illuminated every corner of the corridor, leaving no trace of darkness. Stepping out of the elevator, the alloy door automatically closed behind them. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What is this place?" Simple shock couldn''t describe Yang Linlin''s feelings at this moment! Who could have imagined that hundreds of meters beneath a university, there was such a sophisticated underground structure! "Perhaps it''s some kind of strange experimental base." Zhao Yi stroked the stubble on his chin, his eyes flickering with a glint. Ever since he met the principal, he had felt something was off. Having tentacles growing from one''s head didn''t seem too ghostly. In the previous dungeon, he encountered several specters, especially the director of Colossus Hospital. That was a typical example. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. The more powerful the specter, the more their attacks leaned towards the metaphysical, making them hard to counter with ordinary means. Yet, the principal in this dungeon, though powerful, had attacks that were entirely physical. This indicated that the principal wasn''t a specter. But rather some kind of... monster. Clearly, "Haunted School Horror" wasn''t purely a supernatural dungeon; its world view was broader than he had anticipated! Perhaps the school''s current state was a result of some human intervention? As the two walked through the corridor, they found the ground covered with a lot of bloodstains! Though dried, the air still carried a faint scent of blood and decay. The trail of blood led to several men in special clothing, their faces masked, appearing to be some kind of lab personnel. Their bodies were mangled and grotesque, as if torn apart by a large beast, making Yang Linlin''s scalp tingle! "What on earth happened to these people?" Zhao Yi cautiously surveyed the surroundings. "One thing''s for sure, this place isn''t safe either." He stepped forward, turning a corner. Ahead was a heavily encrypted alloy door. Zhao Yi approached the control panel, finding that entering required facial recognition. "Looks like we can''t get in." Yang Linlin frowned. If they couldn''t get in here, it meant they would have to turn back, risking an encounter with the terrifying shadow outside! Even someone as daring as Zhao Yi wanted to avoid that shadow, indicating just how dangerous it was! "Hey?" "What are you doing?" Yang Linlin watched as Zhao Yi suddenly pulled out a scalpel and walked towards the corpses, her eyelid twitching for no reason! Zhao Yi didn''t answer her, but the next scene nearly made Yang Linlin throw up! [800 million words of mosaic omitted] It wasn''t until Zhao Yi finally picked up a decayed, pus-filled, maggot-ridden head and brought it to the alloy door that Yang Linlin barely managed to control her churning stomach. Live Streaming Comments: : Holy crap! Just when it''s getting good, why censor it?! : How can this be censored? Who do you think you''re underestimating? : Are you all psychos? My sister can''t handle this! : Frankly, this is way too heavy; I can now understand why there are so few forensic experts... : My brother Zhao is amazing, doing this without even blinking! ... [Beep¡ª] [Facial recognition successful.] Click¡ª The massive alloy door cracked open, and Zhao Yi casually stored the head in his inventory. ... [Item: Hedi''s Head] [Quality: White] [Description: Hedi never imagined that even after death, he''d encounter a psychopath who wouldn''t even spare his only intact head!] [Effect: Opens doors] ... Seeing the system''s jab at him, Zhao Yi couldn''t help but roll his eyes. Dragging all of humanity into such a terrifying (fun) game, you''re the real psychopath! Beyond the alloy door, there were three square branching paths, with more bloodstains and fragments of flesh and bone scattered about. Yang Linlin had already drawn her gun, her palms sweaty. Clearly, this underground lab held immense danger! The two cautiously explored the rightmost path, picking up a special manuscript from a blood-soaked severed hand along the way. [My dearest Lina.] [I''ve heard the Babel Amusement Park is finally built, and I promised to come back and take you there.] [Work is nearing completion, just another half month at most, and Daddy will be home.] [Don''t worry, this time... Daddy will definitely make it back!] After reading the manuscript, Yang Linlin sighed. Zhao Yi, however, disdainfully tossed the paper aside. "That''s why pigeons are so annoying!" "Always cooing when something comes up." Yang Linlin sighed: "He was just a father who loved his daughter, thinking of her even in his final moments!" Zhao Yi replied nonchalantly: "Yeah, he was a good father." "But aside from that, he was likely a murderer; the deaths of thousands outside the school are probably linked to him!" Yang Linlin was taken aback. With Zhao Yi''s words, she suddenly felt no sympathy for the man. Serves him right! Scumbag! Screech¡ª From a distant corner, a grating noise echoed! The sound resembled someone dragging a heavy metal object, its sharp edges scraping the ground, even sparking as it moved! Only such a scenario could produce this teeth-gritting sound! The two stared tensely at the distant corner, their muscles tensing in an instant! Chapter 23 – Haunted School Horror The two quickly hid behind a wall, peeking out slightly to check the situation around the distant corner. As the sound grew louder, a giant white leg appeared before them! Hundreds of tentacles extended from its body, each ending with a human head the size of a fist. However, these heads looked simplistic and were all grotesquely deformed, with faces covered in blood and flesh. At the top of the giant leg hung a certain male private part. The terrifying noise they heard was the sound of those heads'' bones scraping against the ground! "What the hell... is this thing?!" Seeing this monster, Yang Linlin felt utterly disturbed! However, Zhao Yi beside her seemed entranced, with a hint of excitement in his eyes. "What a beautiful creation!" He exclaimed in admiration. Yang Linlin: "???" Audience: "???" Live chat: : Damn! Zhao Yi, what kind of aesthetic do you have?! How is this thing beautiful?! : It seems Zhao Yi not only has some mental issues but also aesthetic problems! : Brother Zhao''s taste, I can only say I''m impressed! : I suddenly understand why he got excited seeing the female ghost in the elevator in the last dungeon! ... "What do we do next?" At this moment, Yang Linlin was at a loss. This sanity-draining thing couldn''t be stared at for long; after all, not everyone was like Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi replied: "There must be important clues in this underground experimental base, but it''s also fraught with dangers. We need to proceed steadily and cautiously." Yang Linlin nodded solemnly. Then she watched in bewilderment as Zhao Yi picked up a scalpel and charged toward the monster in the distance! Damn it! Is this guy losing it again? What happened to proceeding steadily? Is being so aggressive really okay? After a moment of hesitation, Yang Linlin gritted her teeth, picked up her small handgun, and followed Zhao Yi, charging at the monster! She thought she must be crazy! But she had unconditional trust in Zhao Yi! The opponent was clearly not easy to deal with. After spotting Zhao Yi, the monster turned abruptly and ran toward him in an incredibly bizarre manner, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground! Just as they were about to collide, Zhao Yi suddenly pulled out Old Liu''s property deed and locked the bizarre monster into a small dark room! Ten seconds! That''s enough! This monster looked terrifying, but it was far inferior to the Principal! It was only a mid-level threat and had a fatal weakness! ... [Rampaging Mutant: Mid-level Threat] [Note: Just a semi-finished product, not even close to the Quantum State outside] [Weakness: Hemorrhoids on its butt] [Note: Apparently, those madmen didn''t consider that the mutant would develop hemorrhoids from sitting too long during their horrific experiments.] ... Since his data got scrambled in the underground parking lot earlier, Zhao Yi''s annotations on things he saw became more detailed. The most significant and useful information, of course, was the weakness. Zhao Yi decided to kill this mutant for two reasons. First, although Old Liu''s property deed had a cooldown of one day, its refresh time was actually at midnight. In other words, if he used it once at 11:59 PM, he could use it again at midnight. Second, this specter was easy to kill. Zhao Yi didn''t even need to deliberately find its hemorrhoids, as they were right on its butt. He struck¡ª Whoosh! Precise and ruthless, the minimally invasive surgery was successfully completed. The monster''s body collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud. [Congratulations on killing the Rampaging Mutant] [Your Soul Weapon absorbed the fragmented Evil Deity Meme inside the mutant and is attempting to reconstruct the meme...] [0.01%... Insufficient strength... Unable to continue reconstruction, reconstruction paused.] [Your Soul Weapon gained a special ability¡ªEntangle.] [Units harmed by your Soul Weapon will have ''Devourers'' continuously grow from the wound until the unit dies. The strength of ''Devourers'' is related to your power and level.] [Your attributes have been enhanced!] ... [Character: Zhao Yi] [Life: 15/15] [Strength: 16] [Spirit: 101 (100+1)] [Luck: 0] ... After killing the Rampaging Mutant, Zhao Yi unexpectedly absorbed part of the ''Evil Deity Meme'' from it! Although he didn''t know what the ''Evil Deity Meme'' was, just reconstructing one ten-thousandth of it increased his strength by 8 points and granted him a special passive skill! It felt pretty awesome! Yang Linlin cautiously approached from behind and looked at the completely motionless mutant on the ground, exclaiming in surprise: "Is it dead?" "Yes." Zhao Yi stared at the corpse on the ground, his eyes filled with intense interest! "It should have been a perfect creature, but its creator wasn''t up to the task." The scalpel in his hand gleamed with a cold light as Zhao Yi skillfully removed its outer muscle tissue, revealing the spinal nerves and internal organs. "This guy actually has eighteen kidneys. That''s something." Zhao Yi was speechless. Just from the appearance of its elongated head, Zhao Yi knew this monster must have some exceptionally powerful functions. But even Zhao Yi, with his abnormal mindset, couldn''t have guessed that the monster had eighteen kidneys. Who knows what those mad scientists were thinking when they modified and bred this monster? Shaking off the blood from his knife, Zhao Yi led Yang Linlin deeper along the path the monster had taken. At the end of the corridor was a massive petri dish, covered with a disgusting moldy placenta. The nearby control instruments were stained with blood, and many experimental data sheets were scattered around. Zhao Yi bent down and picked up an experiment log from the hand of a corpse whose head had been half-eaten. ... [8.17] [X-163 is in good condition, with all organs growing according to plan. Interestingly, when the experimenter Xiao Hei accidentally injected it with three times the usual dose of male hormones, its kidneys grew even healthier and more robust!] ... [8.24] [The Mayor came to inspect and highly praised our progress. Soon, everyone will receive millions in bonuses, and we might even benefit all of humanity... My name will be recorded in history!] ... [8.26] [The lunatics in the inner courtyard reportedly succeeded in shaping the Quantum State. I don''t know what that is, but I feel uneasy...] sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... [9.3] [During lunch, I asked Alex if they could stop the monster if it went berserk, but Alex seemed to ignore me. He boasted about how perfect their creation was and how it might even allow humans to achieve immortality. When I repeatedly asked about the monster going berserk, he got angry, cursed at me, and knocked over my tray...] ... [9.12] [...Look at what these damn lunatics have created?] ... [9.13] [We paid a heavy price for our stupidity. Everyone will die... including me!] ... ¡¯¡¯~=@¡¯wYb¡¯? Chapter 24 – Haunted School Horror draped in a Human Skin Coat "An unknown riot occurred in the laboratory. The experimental subject they created seems to have gone out of control and then... killed everyone?" Yang Linlin leaned in closer, carefully reading the lab journal in Zhao Yi''s hand. Hmm, she seemed to have gotten quite used to this man by now. Zhao Yi tossed the book to her and started flipping through some data on the instruments. "Neither the riotous quantum state outside nor the bizarre creature we just encountered could have appeared out of thin air." "They must have a ''ground state''." He slowly restored the data on the instruments, while Yang Linlin, holding the lab journal, was lost in thought, not understanding what Zhao Yi meant by ''ground state''. The instrument vibrated gently, restoring much of the data to its initial state. "Can you understand it?" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the complex data, Yang Linlin felt overwhelmed! "No, I can''t." "But it doesn''t matter." "I just need to restore this data to its original operational state and then see what the most primitive ''ground state'' is..." Zhao Yi muttered to himself, his hands constantly at work. The instrument displayed the image of a monster, and as the data was gradually stripped away, its bizarre appearance was slowly restored... First the head, then the private parts, then the feet... After completely restoring the monster to its original ground state, the two of them were shocked to discover that the monster''s former self... was actually a human! And it was a woman! "Holy crap!" Yang Linlin was stunned! She couldn''t accept that the disgusting monster, with its reproductive organs on its legs as a head, was actually transformed from a cute girl! "The cells of that monster are highly active and adaptable, which means this girl was very young..." "If we dare to speculate further... then this girl might be a student from the high school..." Zhao Yi stared at the projection on the screen, lost in thought. His speculation sent chills down Yang Linlin''s spine and the viewers in the live streaming room! A massive secret experimental base built beneath the high school, with the purpose of transforming students into monsters? Are these people criminals or madmen? "That little girl we saw earlier had eighteen kidneys, each very young... Now it seems this lab is responsible for selling human organs." "If their experiment succeeds, and this girl''s cells can continue to cultivate new monsters, they would have an endless supply of kidneys to sell, especially on the black market..." "That means they''ve created a money-making machine!" As Zhao Yi spoke, he looked down the corridor leading further in, his gaze distant. "This experimental base clearly has more than just this one project." "The lab journal mentioned that the researchers inside seemed to be creating some kind of quantum state construct..." "And they succeeded!" "The shadow we encountered outside might be the riotous monster described in the lab journal!" Zhao Yi had seen two weaknesses of the monster when his data was disrupted in the underground garage. One of them was its true form. Yang Linlin angrily said: "These bastards, building a human experimentation base under the school, turning children into such monsters, it''s utterly inhumane!" Zhao Yi shook his head to correct her: "NONONO." "You''re wrong." "I need to correct you on one point, they didn''t build a human experimentation base under the school." "They built the school on top of a human experimentation base." He pointed to the instruments, speaking to the utterly shocked Yang Linlin: "The complexity of this underground experimental base far exceeds that of the school by tenfold. If they waited for the school to be completed before secretly building the underground base, it would be impossible!" "Clearly, the experimental base was built first." "And in their plan, Rockridge High School is also a part of it." "They need young, vibrant subjects to test various experiments." "Besides the public security bureau, what organization could more legitimately gather statistics on young people and their families than a prestigious high school?" As Zhao Yi finished speaking, Yang Linlin felt a chill run through her body. "Let''s go, we just need some evidence to prove our speculation, and we can complete the hidden quest." The hidden quest required them to investigate the truth behind Rockridge High School. Since it''s an investigation, evidence is needed; mere speculation is not enough to complete the quest. Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin turned back, and along the way, Zhao Yi did something that almost made everyone vomit¡ªhe skinned the monster with eighteen kidneys. "Do you really have to do something so perverted???" Yang Linlin watched as Zhao Yi, as if he had found a treasure, placed the bloody skin into his item inventory, beginning to question life. Live streaming comments: : I''m stunned! I''ve seen all sorts of weird hobbies, but never a skinning fetish, today is truly eye-opening! : So disgusting! I can''t take it, guys, I''m going to puke for a bit... : This is too much to handle! : I often feel out of place for not being twisted enough! ... The two continued down the other end of the corridor. In this maze-like complex experimental base, without a strong sense of direction, one could easily get lost! Passing through the corridor, they unexpectedly arrived at a massive white cafeteria. Apart from the chairs, everything was predominantly pure white. Amidst the glaring white, there was also a mix of scarlet. Peeking through the door crack, they saw countless monsters wandering and feeding inside the cafeteria, and their food... was shockingly the rotting bodies of the experimental staff! "There are... so many monsters?" "How many students is this...?" "Didn''t they investigate when so many students went missing?!" The scene before them was a massive shock to both of them! In this enormous cafeteria, there were at least a thousand bizarre monsters! This meant that at least a thousand students from Rockridge High School had gone missing! Yet none of this had been reported. Not even a trace could be found online! "The person behind the construction of this lab... must have incredible means." Zhao Yi''s expression was grave. "All signs point to the Mayor of City A." "But a mayor alone couldn''t achieve all this." "Behind him, there must be a massive team!" The twisted bodies of these monsters contained the memetic traces of the Evil Deity, and just that was enough to let Zhao Yi''s imagination run wild. "What do we do now? If we go any further, I''m afraid..." Yang Linlin''s voice trembled. The thousands of terrifying creatures behind the door crack made her weak in the knees! Zhao Yi took out the skin he had peeled from the monster from his item inventory, grabbed a scalpel, and his fingers danced like butterflies, quickly cutting the skin and crafting two eerie human skin coats! The coats were adorned with numerous grim, bloody little heads! Zhao Yi''s coat even had a withered tube hanging from the back, making Yang Linlin''s eyelids twitch. "You''re not thinking..." "No, that''s too disgusting..." Yang Linlin, seeing Zhao Yi''s mischievous look, vaguely understood his plan. She turned to run, but Zhao Yi grabbed her by the collar! Come back here! With Yang Linlin''s face twisted in disgust, Zhao Yi directly draped the crude and foul-smelling coat over her. Then he put on the human skin coat with the tube himself. Live streaming comments: : I''m dying of laughter! I''ve already taken a screenshot, Linlin goddess''s meme is going viral! : Wearing something like this is truly anti-human! : Is Zhao Yi trying to blend in with the monsters? This is very risky! : It should be fine, since it seems the monsters aren''t attacking each other... Big brother is indeed big brother, though it''s a bit disgusting, his clever ideas are truly abundant! Chapter 25 – Haunted School Horror: Goodbye Hanging Valley Town At this moment, the two of them looked like wolves in sheep''s clothing... or rather, sheep in wolves'' clothing. Yang Linlin knew that once those monsters discovered their disguise, they would be torn apart in an instant! The strong scent of blood and monster skin masked their body odor. The moment the cafeteria doors opened, thousands of grotesque demons turned their twisted faces toward the sound. They were bizarre and flamboyant. Under the gaze of so many terrifying eyes, Yang Linlin''s legs nearly gave out beneath her! She clung to Zhao Yi''s arm just to stay upright. Some monsters looked at them with confusion, as if they were unsure whether the two were one of them or not. They began to approach slowly, wanting to test them. Seeing these demons approach, Yang Linlin''s legs trembled even more! Unlike Yang Linlin, Zhao Yi seemed unusually excited. He even dragged Yang Linlin forward, right up to the monsters, and mimicked their breathing. These artificially created horror monsters were highly aggressive, but only towards humans. They were quite tolerant of their own kind. "&¡­¡­%@##£¤." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A girl with bone spikes on her head and half her face rotten made strange sounds, gesturing as if asking Zhao Yi something. "&¡­¡­%@##£¤." Zhao Yi mimicked her sounds and gestures perfectly. After a few exchanges, the girl and her ''friends'' seemed to understand that this fellow was a soulless parrot, and they lost interest in Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin, dispersing. Once they left, Yang Linlin realized her back was drenched in cold sweat! That was truly a close call! Zhao Yi, this guy... he never takes the usual path! She had imagined many ways Zhao Yi might resolve the crisis, but she never expected... Zhao Yi to pretend to be a parrot! And the crazy thing is, he actually pulled it off! It''s just absurd! In some ways, Zhao Yi does have a knack for languages. Being able to memorize and repeat those strange sounds after hearing them once is indeed a skill! With no monsters blocking their way, Zhao Yi led Yang Linlin around the cafeteria for a while. He deliberately observed the monsters'' behaviors and quickly noticed that there were 16 doors in the cafeteria, but one door in the corner was never used by the monsters. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Moreover, the other monsters seemed to avoid that door, deliberately steering clear whenever they passed by! These actions piqued Zhao Yi''s interest in that door in the cafeteria! What could be behind that door? What could make these fierce monsters afraid? However, given the current situation, he didn''t approach the door for now. There was still key information in the cafeteria that hadn''t been explored. His gaze locked onto some rotting corpses that had been gnawed on, and Zhao Yi noticed some scattered manuscripts in their clothing. He intended to gather these manuscripts. Some monsters, thinking he wanted to eat meat, kindly made space for him. Zhao Yi didn''t eat human flesh. But to show some respect, he picked up a few maggots and swallowed them. This scene nearly made Yang Linlin vomit from a distance! The audience in the live streaming room was thrilled! Seeing Zhao Yi eat something, the monsters'' remaining suspicions about him vanished, making it easier for Zhao Yi to collect the manuscripts! Most of these manuscripts recorded experimental data, which held little value for the two of them. But Zhao Yi keenly noticed a sheet of paper tucked inside a pink manuscript. It mentioned Hanging Valley Town. Hanging Valley Town again! Zhao Yi''s eyelid twitched as he quickly unfolded the letter. ... [X-2 fusion failed, the department received orders to destroy it.] [Everyone is unwilling to accept this, after so many years of effort, this is the result!] [No one is willing...] [The theoretical data fits perfectly... why... why!] [Could it be... the Rockridge Experimental Base will repeat the tragedy of Hanging Valley Town from years ago?] [We are not afraid of death!] [But... we cannot tolerate failure!] [The Mayor instructed us to evacuate the Rockridge Experimental Base with the experimental data, and they will find a way to destroy everything related to Rockridge.] [But we are unwilling...] [Tonight, we will make one last desperate attempt!] ... As soon as Zhao Yi discovered this paper, a system notification sounded in their ears. [Congratulations to players Zhao Yi and Yang Linlin] [Hidden Quest - Investigate the Truth Behind Rockridge High School Completed!] [Rewards will be distributed after the main quest is completed!] ... The note confirmed Zhao Yi''s suspicion¡ªRockridge High School was built for the experimental base, and those outstanding students gathered from all over City A were merely experimental subjects for the base! Having completed the hidden quest, the two would receive generous rewards. Even if they died and returned to the guild''s base now, it would still be a huge gain! In the past, Yang Linlin would have been so excited she''d be dancing. But now, she only felt cold and numb! The monsters in this cafeteria were once vibrant students, full of dreams, who worked hard to get into this high school, only to find themselves in a terrifying man-made hell! She couldn''t imagine the despair those students felt when faced with cruel experiments! Zhao Yi stared at the note, lost in thought for a moment. He remembered seeing a twisted shadow under an eave just as he was about to leave the dungeon in Colossus Hospital! Based on the note, that shadow might have been X-1? But... why was it in Colossus Hospital? Could Colossus Hospital also be... As Zhao Yi pondered, Yang Linlin leaned in close and whispered almost inaudibly: "Zhao Yi, what about the curse?" She was almost certain now that if they continued to blend into the experimental base, they could easily complete the main quest! But knowing Zhao Yi, this restless guy wouldn''t be content with the status quo. He wouldn''t stop until he turned this dungeon upside down! Moreover, she also desperately wanted to destroy this place filled with sin and blood! Chapter 26 – Clue of the Curse in Haunted School Horror, is it man-made? "The curse and this underground laboratory shouldn''t have much of a direct connection." Zhao Yi spoke with certainty. After wandering around the cafeteria a couple of times, the two of them had become somewhat familiar to most of the monsters. Zhao Yi then led Yang Linlin out of there and back to the outside laboratory. "How can you be so sure?" Yang Linlin pursed her red lips tightly. Every time Zhao Yi spoke, it made her feel like a fool. Even though they were always together and saw the same clues, she could never guess what was going on in Zhao Yi''s mind. "If this were the source of the curse, then why aren''t the monsters here affected?" "Compare it to everything in the teaching building. Don''t you think this underground laboratory is too harmonious and normal?" Yang Linlin''s face was expressionless. Damn it, How is this laboratory harmonious and normal? It''s full of terrifying monsters! Zhao Yi continued: "Based on the current information, the black shadow outside is likely the ultimate creation of this experimental base, [X-2]. It can pass through walls, fly, and its state is quite unstable. I believe you noticed these traits when it was chasing Li Sheng earlier..." Yang Linlin nodded. But her mind was actually blank. The abilities of the shadow... She hadn''t noticed at all! It seemed like it could fly? ...Forget it! If Zhao Yi says it has them, then it does! After all, she''s just a tag-along; following Zhao Yi is the right choice! "It has such abilities, yet it stays by the entrance without wandering around. Don''t you find that strange?" Zhao Yi leaned against the door, fiddling with the human skin coat''s siphon at the back, showing an innocent smile. He looked just like... a pervert. "Maybe it can''t find anywhere to go, so it just lingers outside?" Yang Linlin didn''t bother to speculate on a specter''s motives. Zhao Yi shook his head: "Rather than saying it can''t find a place to go, it''s more like... it''s guarding the entrance." "The monsters inside the base are so terrifying, with combat power comparable to a small army. Ordinary threats are nothing to them." "The only thing that can threaten them is... the curse!" Yang Linlin was shocked: "They''re... afraid of the curse too?" Zhao Yi: "Remember what Li Sheng told us before?" "On the seventh day of the curse, all the teachers and students at the school carried their own heads, searching every corner for their prey..." "Those specters are the real hunters in this dungeon!" When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. "And they''re the problems we need to solve in our main and side quests!" Zhao Yi paused, seemingly thinking of something. "Last night, the school was shrouded in ghostly fog." "And besides lowering the spirit of living beings, there are many extremely terrifying ''things'' inside the fog!" "I think the black shadow outside is guarding the vertical shaft to prevent these things from entering the experimental base!" "It''s protecting the monsters inside this experimental base!" Yang Linlin swallowed: "Are those specters even more terrifying than the monsters down here?" Zhao Yi said seriously: "Theoretically, yes!" "And they''re much more terrifying than the monsters in the experimental base!" "These monsters, after all, are just modified creatures. No matter how bizarre and powerful, they''re still within the realm of ''humans.''" "For example, the owner of this human skin coat, its combat power isn''t actually high and it has fatal weaknesses. Even without using that sealed item, we could take it down if we''re willing to pay a price!" "But those specters... are a different story!" At this point, Zhao Yi quickly took out the key note from earlier, spread it on the table, and pointed to a line: "Look¡ªThe Mayor of City A instructed the experiment personnel to evacuate Rockridge Experimental Base with the data, and they would ''find a way'' to help destroy everything here." Yang Linlin covered her mouth, her eyes showing shock! "Are you saying... this curse was also man-made?" "The purpose is to... erase everything here?!" Zhao Yi nodded slowly, his face showing an increasingly eerie excitement. Yang Linlin, seeing his strange expression, couldn''t help but take a step back. Damn, this dungeon is so dangerous... why are you excited?! "The conflict is now established¡ªA group led by the Mayor of City A wants to use the curse to destroy everything related to the experimental base and Rockridge High School, while the experimental base''s rebellious entity X-2 wants to preserve it all." "It clearly has self-awareness." "This is good for us, after all... the enemy of our enemy is our friend!" "If we can find a way to communicate with it, we might obtain key information about the curse from it, and even help us take a shortcut to complete the side quests!" Zhao Yi became more and more excited, his brain working at high speed. Clearly, under normal circumstances, they would need to survive the death trials in the school over the next few days, analyze the source of the curse from the loopholes in some rules, and then find a way to break it! But now, they might be able to take a shortcut and complete the side quests ahead of time. That reward, the substitute doll, just by its name, indicates its preciousness. In such a dangerous and terrifying world, what''s the most valuable thing? Of course, it''s life! Anything that can save a life is extremely precious! Yang Linlin was silent for a while, then suddenly reached out her small hand to touch Zhao Yi''s forehead, muttering to herself: "No fever... why are you talking nonsense today..." Zhao Yi rolled his eyes and slapped her hand away. "You really lack imagination." Yang Linlin pouted, hands on her hips, and said seriously: "This isn''t about imagination. You saw how dangerous that thing outside is... it wants to kill on sight, it''s so fast, let alone communicate, you can''t even finish introducing yourself before..." Zhao Yi was speechless. "Who said I want to communicate with that thing?" Yang Linlin: "Huh???" Zhao Yi: "Forget it, it''s too troublesome to explain to you. Just follow me later." Yang Linlin puffed her cheeks, making an adorable angry face, but didn''t retort. Whether they can complete the side quests now depends entirely on Zhao Yi''s performance. She still wants to tag along with Zhao Yi to get the substitute doll reward! The two waited in the laboratory for a long time. Zhao Yi kept an eye on the time displayed on the instruments. With X-2 guarding the entrance outside the experimental base, neither the ghostly fog nor the specters within it could come in. It was safe here. He occasionally peeked through the door crack to observe the monsters in the white cafeteria. Since these things were created by humans, they would get tired, and when tired, they would return to their rooms to sleep. He wanted to enter the door at the very edge but didn''t want to attract the attention of other experimental subjects. If they all stayed away from that door, and Zhao Yi approached it, it would easily expose him as an outsider. Around 2 a.m., all the experimental subjects left the cafeteria and returned to their experiment chambers. Apparently, they had already claimed those as their territory. Zhao Yi observed for another ten minutes. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he carefully led Yang Linlin out of their experiment chamber. They groped their way towards the door at the very edge. On the door, it read X-2. "Sure enough... behind this door is the experiment chamber of the most powerful experimental subject!" "No wonder the other monsters didn''t want to approach here during the day. With their territorial instincts, they must be afraid of X-2 attacking them, right?" S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi mused to himself, stroking his chin. Then he pushed the door open. The scene inside made Yang Linlin and many viewers in the live streaming room shiver! Chapter 27 – Haunted School Horror: Curse Origin Before the two of them lay a giant tank filled with a transparent green liquid. Inside the tank was a human-shaped network of nerves and blood vessels. Densely packed. At the top of the nerves, it connected to a brain and numerous syringes! The sight was overwhelmingly shocking! Far more terrifying than mere flesh and blood! "This is..." Yang Linlin''s eyes widened, pointing at the giant tank, unable to utter a word! Zhao Yi stroked his chin, looking on with admiration, and said: "This thing is truly a work of art!" "Stripped of all bones and most of the flesh, leaving only the most crucial blood vessels and nerves, maintained with nutrient solution and a suitable environment to keep the cells active, and using external stimuli to replace the heart in completing circulation, channeling all energy to the brain." "Such a full nerve stripping surgery, among the patients I knew before, only one person could complete it." Live Streaming Comments: : Damn, what kind of patients does Zhao Yi have! : Is he bluffing? How could such a surgery be possible in real life? : I graduated from ChuanX Academy, and I can responsibly tell everyone that this surgery is indeed possible in reality, but the academy only used cadavers, never live subjects... : Indeed, I''m also a surgeon, practicing for twenty-three years, and for nerve stripping of this degree, anesthesia is completely ineffective, the process is almost done while the patient is awake, it''s just too cruel! : This is too inhumane, damn it! ... Yang Linlin cautiously approached the cultivation tank, shivering involuntarily. "Zhao Yi... do you mean... it''s still alive?" Zhao Yi nodded. "Yes." "The cost of these nutrient solutions and machines is extremely high, those mad researchers wouldn''t go to such lengths for a dead person!" Yang Linlin turned her face, her expression stiff. The thing inside the tank... is actually... still alive? What kind of feeling would it have now? Cold? Painful? Desperate? Zhao Yi moved to another side of the lab table, where a notebook was placed, recording the related experimental process. He glanced over it, which was nothing more than how to use various inhumane methods to torture this experimental subject, bringing endless pain, yet not letting it die. The first page of the notebook read: [The God Above Says¡ª] [Focus is a necessary quality for concentrating the spirit.] [Kindness is the lock that seals strength.] [Anger and fear are the keys to unlock it.] It seemed to be some theological and philosophical quotes. "Zhao Yi, come quickly!" Yang Linlin exclaimed from the other side of the cultivation tank. Zhao Yi walked over and saw the back of the tank in the direction Yang Linlin was pointing. There was an electronic label stuck on it. ... [X-2] [Original Subject: Chen Qiong (16 years old)] [Adaptability: 96%] [Activity: High] [Brainwave Compatibility: 92%] [Spirit Concentration: Excellent] ... The name displayed made the two of them suddenly freeze. Chen Qiong? The top student expelled from school for teen romance, actually... turned into this mess of nerve endings and blood vessels before them? Yang Linlin felt a wave of nausea, retching a few times, her face turning pale! "Interesting... Chen Qiong was actually used to create X-2." Zhao Yi stroked his chin, his gaze deep. As he turned around, he glanced at the list of experiment participants and suddenly found a few familiar names! "Zhang Ya... Pang Xiao... Li Sheng?" Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow. His mind started racing! "So that''s it... I understand now!" "Pang Xiao isn''t the mayor''s son, and Zhang Ya isn''t the goddess of Class 8, Grade 1!" "They''re experiment personnel disguised as students, helping to select experimental subjects in the school!" "These two deliberately approached Chen Qiong one after the other, aiming to unlock Chen Qiong''s kindness and release the demon within him, as recorded in the notebook!" "Generally speaking, the better a student''s performance, the higher their focus naturally is. It''s hard for someone who is distracted to achieve academically!" "This city''s best school... its real purpose is to screen for those with extremely high focus as experimental subjects!" "No wonder their names weren''t on that roster." "Those two bastards... might have fled long before the curse occurred!" As Zhao Yi finished speaking, a cold voice suddenly came from behind. "You''re basically right." "But those two bastards didn''t run away; they became sacrifices too." The two quickly turned around, only to find Li Sheng, covered in blood and missing an arm, pulling out an MP5 and aiming it at them, his face twisted with rage! There was even a hidden passage under the table behind him! "Didn''t expect that, did you?" "Through all the hardships, I still made it in!" "I''m not meant to die, you little brats... the game ends here!" Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the ]" Li Sheng''s eyes were bloodshot, somewhat hysterical. But his dark lips indicated his current condition was dire! With the black muzzle pointed at them, Yang Linlin immediately raised her hands, while Zhao Yi continued to move nonchalantly. "Stop!" "If you move again, I''ll shoot you dead!" Li Sheng was in poor condition, but he didn''t forget to threaten Zhao Yi, who remained unfazed, shrugging his shoulders. "Go ahead and shoot?" "If you had bullets, you would have shot already; I don''t believe you can hold it in." Bang! Li Sheng fired, hitting Yang Linlin''s left leg! Yang Linlin groaned, falling to the ground, clutching her leg, and said tearfully: "I wasn''t even provoking you, why shoot me!" Li Sheng, somewhat flustered, said: "Ah, sorry!" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He aimed at Zhao Yi again, his expression ferocious. But his vision was already doubling due to blood loss. Bang! Another burst of blood erupted from Yang Linlin''s leg! "My leg!" Yang Linlin screamed. Li Sheng: "..." Zhao Yi: "..." Live Streaming Comments: : I''m dying of laughter, this shooting is definitely personal (dog head). : Is this gun called ''The Woman''s Woe''? : Although, I admit I laughed so hard I snorted. : A moment of silence for Goddess Linlin three... hahaha sorry hahaha. ... "Alright, you tricked us once, we tricked you once, rounding it up, you owe us a favor now." "Tell us, what can you do to help us?" Zhao Yi spoke eloquently, his shamelessness almost suffocating Li Sheng. Damn it, rounding it up, I owe you a favor! If it weren''t for the fact that you might still be useful, I''d really want to give you a burst of bullets! "Since you''ve made it here, it proves you already have a general understanding of what happened." "Yes... we did it!" "Including the curse on this school!" "To leave here, you must find a way to close the curse!" Li Sheng dragged the gun to the front of the tank. The material of this tank was very special; even armor-piercing bullets couldn''t leave a mark on it! He was about to operate the instrument, but Zhao Yi stopped him! "If you shut down the instrument, X-2 will lose its energy supply, and the specters in the fog outside will soon flood into the experimental base. Do you think you can withstand their attack?" Li Sheng''s eyes darkened, his face turning ashen. "As long as X-2''s life chamber is shut down, the riotous X-2 will die, and the remaining mutants will pose little threat. The organization will soon send people to close the curse and clean them all up!" "I participated in this experiment, holding secret data they don''t have, making me highly valuable. The organization won''t easily abandon me!" Zhao Yi replied: "You''re deluding yourself." "If you were really important to them, they would have sent someone to rescue you long ago." "You''re in the curse, even able to contact them, yet until now, you''re still alone." "Hoping for your organization to save you is less reliable than trusting us." "At least for now... we''re reluctantly on the same boat." Li Sheng was enraged, pressing the MP5 firmly against Zhao Yi''s forehead, his eyes bloodshot, gritting his teeth: "Shut up!" "Say another word, and I''ll blow your brains out!!!" Zhao Yi showed no panic, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "Being abandoned feels terrible, doesn''t it?" "You were loyal like a dog, yet ended up like this!" "They painted a rosy picture when they used you, but discarded you like trash... don''t be foolish, do you want to live or not, just say the word." "Right now, only we can help you... if you kill me, it''s the same as committing suicide!" Li Sheng''s hand holding the gun trembled, his breathing heavy, making Yang Linlin and the live streaming audience extremely tense, fearing he might accidentally fire and blow Zhao Yi''s head off! This dungeon was about to be fully cleared, many mysteries were about to surface, it would be a real shame to lose it here! Finally, Li Sheng closed his eyes in pain. He lowered the gun. Due to exhaustion, Li Sheng slumped to the ground, his ferocity turning into despair. He slowly pulled out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter. The smell of tobacco eased some of the tension in the air. "Do I look pitiful now?" Li Sheng exhaled a puff of smoke, laughing bitterly. Yang Linlin, clutching her injured leg, walked over, gritting her teeth and scolding: "Do you even have the nerve to call yourself pitiful?" "Those students you tortured and transformed, those families you destroyed, and this heap of nerve endings in the tank... aren''t they more pitiful than you?" Li Sheng sighed deeply, his head slowly leaning against the cabinet, his eyes vacant. After finishing one cigarette, he lit another. In just a short while, his face aged considerably. "My daughter is in their hands." "Seven years ago, my wife died of cancer, and before she passed, she asked me to take care of our daughter." "I failed my wife." "And now... I''m failing my daughter too." Saying this, he laughed maniacally as if he''d lost his mind. Yang Linlin, seeing his pitiful state, felt most of her hatred dissipate, suddenly recalling the letter they saw on the severed hand outside, addressed to his daughter, and asked: "All of your wives and children, are they controlled by that organization?" Li Sheng closed his eyes, his breathing gradually weakening, the gun discarded to the side. "What else?" "Killing a pig is just one cut, but those young students outside, here they''re not even as good as pigs..." "You think we''re unforgivable, but where do we have the right to choose?" "If you had to choose between your family or a stranger to die, would you choose your family?" Yang Linlin fell silent. She despised Li Sheng, seeing him as a heinous villain. But if she stood in Li Sheng''s shoes, she might make the same choice he did. People are selfish. "You managed to infiltrate this school, so you''re probably not ordinary people... if you''re willing to do me a favor, I''ll tell you how to close the curse." Zhao Yi, hands in pockets, smiled: "You''re not asking us to save your daughter, are you?" Li Sheng shook his head, sarcastically saying: "With you guys?" "Save my daughter... if you approach the organization, you''ll be discovered and dealt with in no time." Pausing, he glanced at Yang Linlin. "Of course, if you don''t bring this silly woman, with your little cleverness, you might live a bit longer." Yang Linlin retorted angrily: "You''re the silly one!" "Your whole family is silly!" Li Sheng ignored her. Zhao Yi locked eyes with Li Sheng, hesitating for a moment. "What do you want us to help with?" Li Sheng struggled to get up from the ground, staggering to an inconspicuous corner of the lab, and opened a cabinet. He tore off a wallpaper that was the same color as the rest of the cabinet. Behind it was a small hole. Inside was a metal safe. Li Sheng opened the safe using fingerprint verification and handed a peculiar green reagent to Zhao Yi. "What is this?" "Another project''s product, the method is still immature, but its danger level is no less than... X-2!" Li Sheng handed it to Zhao Yi, his lips growing darker. "The organization won''t let this thing go, maybe in a few months, maybe a few years, once this place becomes a complete ruin, they''ll definitely send someone to search for it!" "This kind of thing, once it falls into the organization''s hands..." He didn''t continue. The dizziness from excessive blood loss was becoming more severe. Li Sheng shook his head, trying to stay awake, breathing heavily: "Regarding the curse... everything comes from a magic box." "As long as you close that box, the curse will disappear!" "That box... is in... the center of the fog..." "The ominous things in the fog... won''t attack things that seem dead, if you can minimize your emotional fluctuations, maybe you can... reach there!" "They... have no eyes, no noses, no ears... they judge their targets through the brainwaves emitted by emotional fluctuations of living beings..." "Remember... no matter what you see in the fog... don''t be surprised... don''t be afraid..." "Once you have significant emotional fluctuations... the nearby demons will... smell the scent of flesh..." Li Sheng, muddled, managed to finish his last sentence before passing out. Yang Linlin hurriedly approached, taking out some bandages to try to stop his bleeding. Zhao Yi shook his head and said: "Don''t waste your effort." "Long-term hunger has already weakened his body to the extreme, and during the escape just now, adrenaline further exhausted his body... now with such blood loss, unless there''s a proper hospital nearby to give him a blood transfusion, not even Hua Tuo could save him." "Put away the bandages, they''re useless now." Chapter 28 – Haunted School Horror: Pandoras Box "Do you think what he said is believable?" Li Sheng, lying on the ground, was gradually losing his vital signs. His body temperature was growing colder, and his face was turning pale. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The blood flowing from his broken arm had already coagulated. Yang Linlin stood beside the giant vat, feeling uneasy. Li Sheng was undoubtedly a villain, but his story made him seem so real that Yang Linlin almost forgot he was just an NPC in the dungeon. Zhao Yi''s attention was still on the pile of nerve endings inside the vat. "From a psychologist''s perspective, I think he''s telling the truth." "But this is clearly not the way the system intended for us to survive." "There must be a simpler way to break the curse. Otherwise, if we follow Li Sheng''s method, even if new players learn this way, ninety-nine out of a hundred would die on this path!" Yang Linlin fell silent at his words. The SAN drop in the ghostly fog was indeed a deadly move! This continuous method of reducing players'' spirit was far more terrifying than any potential ominous presence inside! "So, should we look for another way to break the curse?" Zhao Yi pondered over the events that had transpired and said: "There''s no need. Taking a shortcut is good for us." "A shortcut means fewer unexpected occurrences." He eyed the secret passage Li Sheng had entered with eagerness. Ordinary players couldn''t stay in the fog for too long. But Zhao Yi didn''t mind. Firstly, he wouldn''t lose SAN value due to the mysterious power in the fog. Secondly, as a psychologist who had treated thousands of mental illnesses, Zhao Yi could perfectly control his emotions. "I''m heading out now." Yang Linlin didn''t follow Zhao Yi. She knew she couldn''t maintain her spirit value as steadily as Zhao Yi could. Although she was tempted by the side quest rewards, as a seasoned player, she knew when to take risks and when not to. Following Zhao Yi now would only cause trouble for him and be suicidal. She didn''t want to end up like Zhen Tao, with her spirit value dropping to zero and becoming a specter in the dungeon! Securing an S rating on a hidden quest was already a huge win! Now, all she needed to do was stay in the experiment chamber and wait for Zhao Yi to complete the side quest, and she could clear the dungeon! After navigating the secret passage for a while, Zhao Yi finally saw a glimmer of starlight ahead. This secret passage was deep underground and operated via a vertical shaft elevator, but unlike the one guarded by X-2, this shaft required member authorization, so the specters outside couldn''t enter. After all, they wouldn''t foolishly dig through hundreds of meters of earth. Even as specters, they had a clear sense of self-awareness. They were killers, hunters! Not excavators. Zhao Yi entered the elevator, took out Hedi''s head, and held it up to the facial recognition scanner, which promptly activated the elevator! "What an advanced facial recognition system. It''s so decayed that even its own mother wouldn''t recognize it," Zhao Yi quipped, putting Hedi''s rotting head back into his inventory. The elevator reached the top. As the doors opened, a strong malevolent aura greeted him! The starlight here was particularly dim. Outside the elevator, a blood-soaked woman in red stood with her back to him, head lowered. She was gnawing on something with both hands. Scattered on the ground were numerous bloody finger bones. This must have been Li Sheng''s arm. Zhao Yi wasn''t surprised by the scene before him. Li Sheng had preferred to risk provoking X-2 rather than using this secret passage, likely because something terrifying lurked here! Feeling the bone-chilling cold emanating from the fierce ghost, Zhao Yi remarked on the autumn chill and stepped out of the elevator, sticking closely behind the female ghost. He wasn''t trying to become a ghostly knight. He had no choice; she was blocking the way. As a man with a robust physique, Zhao Yi had to brush past the red-clad fierce ghost to move forward. Sensing the warmth on her back, the fierce ghost turned her head in confusion, her terrifying visage sending shivers down the spines of the live streaming room audience. After a few seconds of eye contact, Zhao Yi gave an awkward but polite smile and slowly walked away. ... [Red-Clad Fierce Ghost: Extremely Dangerous!] [Note: A terrifying spirit cursed by evil, it feeds on fear!] [Weakness: With its senses obscured by rules, it can only feed on the emotional fluctuations of living beings. But encountering someone as indifferent as you, it will only see you as a rock.] [Addendum: Such a beautiful ghost, aren''t you tempted?] ... Zhao Yi sniffed. Damn. Since the strange data update, the notes he saw were becoming increasingly frivolous. This was the storage room of the school''s gymnasium. Opening the door, shadows as terrifying as the red-clad fierce ghost were everywhere in the gym. There was no fog. But a strange nursery rhyme was softly being sung. [August 8, cut your hair, cut your hair and then cut your mom, sew mom into a doll...] Zhao Yi walked up to the child singing the nursery rhyme and patted its head. Hmm, a bit greasy. This ghost must not have washed its hair for days. "Little one, can you tell me how to get to the center of the fog?" The little girl stopped singing and looked up, stunned. She remained silent for a long time before pointing numbly in a direction. Zhao Yi thanked her and walked in the direction she pointed. After he left, the little girl stopped singing and stood there, lost in deep thought... Why would a rock talk? She didn''t understand. Deprived of their senses by the rules, they couldn''t judge living beings by sound, smell, or light. Only emotional fluctuations like fear, horror, and excitement could capture their attention. Even if Zhao Yi attacked them, they likely wouldn''t retaliate. It''s like being hit by a rock; your first reaction is to find the person who threw it, not to pick up the rock and punch it. Last night at the water tower, whether Zhao Yi blocked the basement entrance or not, the outcome wouldn''t have changed. The specters were just patrolling the water tower according to the rules. Of course, Zhao Yi didn''t want to take that risk. Caution was always his top priority. Outside the gym, the thick fog was pervasive. Specters were becoming more numerous. In the depths of the fog, there was a headless female corpse in a ballet dress dancing ballet, a demon playing a piano made of human bones, a butcher dragging a giant cleaver chopping bodies, and a slit-mouthed woman with a mouth torn to her ears... They lurked behind the fog, possibly appearing suddenly, or even colliding directly with Zhao Yi! But no matter what happened, Zhao Yi''s spirit value remained at 101, completely stable. The deeper he ventured into the fog, the more ferocious and terrifying the specters he encountered. A crying infant corpse caused Zhao Yi to bleed from his orifices, nearly killing him! A pitch-black moose merely glanced at Zhao Yi, and his leg began to rot! A paper figure with bright face paint breathed on Zhao Yi, and ghostly flames erupted on his body, burning him beyond recognition! Throughout, Zhao Yi showed no emotional fluctuation, not even a hint of pain on his face! Explore the extended edition on . The live streaming room audience was so tense they barely dared to breathe, fearing Zhao Yi might accidentally perish! Finally, the fog ahead began to slowly dissipate. Dragging his heavily injured body, he reached a clearing where two corpses lay twisted like pretzels! Zhao Yi stopped to examine them, deducing from their clothing that one was likely a woman and the other a man. He suspected they might be Zhang Ya and Pang Xiao. But their identities no longer mattered. Zhao Yi squatted down, pulled a long worm from his rotting leg, and then took out his scalpel, poking the worm''s belly. Soon, black tendrils sprouted from it, tightly wrapping around it! This was a passive ability derived from the Evil Deity Meme¡ªThe Glutton. The worm soon died, its tendrils blooming into vibrant flowers before withering away. Without the worm, Zhao Yi''s leg stopped rotting. He staggered to a fist-sized box on the ground. The box was intricately crafted. Opening it, a small ancient tower slowly rose and rotated inside. The tower emitted music as brilliant as the stars, beautiful and elegant, noble and dignified, captivating the listener. In the midst of this music, Zhao Yi''s gaze was momentarily lost but quickly returned to normal. He grabbed the box and slammed the lid shut. The runes on the box''s surface emitted black mist, gathering slowly in the sky to form a giant, menacing ghostly face. Its eyes, burning with black flames, coldly surveyed Rockridge High School before inhaling sharply, swallowing all the ghostly fog and the ominous presence within, making them vanish. [Congratulations to player Zhao Yi for completing the side quest¡ªBreaking the Curse of Rockridge High School.] [Rewards will be settled after the main quest is completed.] ... [Congratulations to player Zhao Yi for obtaining the hidden item¡ªPandora''s Box] ... Chapter 29 – Task completed The desolate and dilapidated buildings stood in stark contrast to the bustling surroundings, with many of the shops constructed in peculiar ways. For example, between two streets, there was a restaurant with entrances on both sides, allowing pedestrians to walk through the middle while diners sat on either side. Another example was an internet cafe set up in a half-demolished mud villa, with many parts looking precarious, relying on a wooden ladder for access, making it quite challenging. It always made people worry about potential safety hazards while surfing the internet there... The style of the Wasteland City was bizarre. But this was precisely the characteristic of the Chaotic Realm. In a skyscraper hundreds of floors high in the distance, a man in a suit sat, gazing longingly out the window. This man was Yang Tao, the vice president of the Call to Arms guild. He had gone through many hardships, barely finding a job in the Wasteland City, and was now employed here. Of course, finding a stable and decent job in the Chaotic Realm was quite an achievement, bringing enormous benefits to players! There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Yang Tao adjusted the wrinkles on his clothes in front of the semi-transparent glass. He turned around to see his beautiful secretary leading in a disheveled man with a sinister smile. "Vice President, you wanted to see me?" The man spoke, and the secretary left the room at Yang Tao''s signal. "Sit." Yang Tao gestured, not minding the man''s dirtiness. "I called you here to learn about someone." Bal sat on the sofa, crossing his legs. "Who?" "Zhao Yi." A hint of confusion flashed in Bal''s eyes. "Who?" Yang Tao tossed a copy of a report onto the coffee table in front of Bal. "Forgotten Angel." Bal''s sinister smile vanished as he focused on the information in the report copy. The lighting cast shadows on his face. "He''s here too?" Yang Tao nodded. "Yes." "Do you know him?" After a long silence, Bal seemed reluctant to talk about Zhao Yi. He felt uncomfortable. "Vice President, you know our family... has a kind of illness." "But I prefer to call it a talent." "Our blood carries an insatiable thirst for slaughter, unchanged for generations." "That''s why my father became an arms dealer." "Because arms are accompanied by blood and sin!" "His talent was the best I''ve ever seen, involved in numerous battlefields, with his shadow behind many wars. The number of people he killed, whether women or children, was in the tens of thousands..." "Since childhood, surpassing my father has been my ultimate goal in life!" "Until..." Bal''s voice grew somber. Sitting across from him, Yang Tao raised an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee and continued: "Until your father, the arms king Kapal, met the Forgotten Angel, and his bloodlust was cured, right?" Bal''s face remained expressionless. To him, it was a disgrace! Slaughter was ingrained in their genes! How could such a thing be cured? Yet his father Kapal was indeed cured of his bloodlust by the Forgotten Angel. And because of this, he killed his father Kapal! Bal couldn''t accept that the once arms king, the dark hand of war, standing at the top of the world''s food chain, suddenly turned into a kind old man who spent his days fishing and playing chess. He would rather not have such a father! "How much do you know about his treatment of your father?" Yang Tao asked, and Bal pondered seriously for a moment. "Their treatment was conducted in secret." "And although they spent a long time together, the actual treatment time was very short..." "The person cured my father''s bloodlust in about a day, maybe even within an hour... It was because of the short time that I could clearly feel my father had become a different person!" Yang Tao squinted his eyes. "You haven''t had any contact with him?" Bal seemed to recall something shameful, his fingers trembling slightly. "Once." "What was it like?" "Fear." As a murderer, considering himself at the top of the food chain, an extremely cruel madman, he actually admitted to feeling fear! Yang Tao was very surprised, his interest in Zhao Yi growing stronger! "Is he very cruel, making you fear him like this?" Bal clenched his fists tightly. After a long time, he exhaled a breath of foul air. "Vice President, where is he?" Clearly, he didn''t want to recall the various encounters with Zhao Yi. And those not-so-distant memories were strangely becoming blurred. Everything about Zhao Yi was dissolving. The only thing deeply ingrained was the fear that clung like a shadow! "Currently in the ''All Freeloaders'' guild, you know... although this guild has few people and its development is abysmal, but..." Yang Tao stopped halfway, smiling at the contemplative Bal: "Alright, go rest, prepare well, in a month the ''Tide of Demon Spirits'' will appear, hold back your level, and perform well in it, maybe you can make a fortune from the Tide of Demon Spirits..." "I understand... If I have the chance, I will definitely wash away the family''s disgrace with my own hands!" A fierce killing intent appeared in Bal''s eyes! ... Inside the experiment base at Rockridge High School. Zhao Yi sat in the X-2 experiment chamber, trying to operate the instruments. After completing the side quest, he retraced his steps back to the X-2 experiment chamber, using some medical measures there to simply disinfect his wounds and amputate his rotten leg. Yang Linlin, watching from the side, exclaimed that it was quite an appetite booster! Performing a limb amputation on himself without anesthesia, not blinking an eye throughout, was truly ruthless! After finishing these tasks, Zhao Yi began learning how to use the machines. He learned quickly. Especially with the ''God''s Perspective'' activated, even more so. Yang Linlin brought back a meal from the secret passage; there was still plenty of reserve food in the school cafeteria. "The quest is over, why are you still risking communication with it?" Zhao Yi replied while wolfing down his food: "There''s an old saying, ''courtesy demands reciprocity.''" "They laid such a curse on me, if I don''t return the favor with some gifts, it would be too impolite!" Yang Linlin seemed to understand a bit, but not entirely. "You want to use X-2 to deal with the organization behind Li Sheng?" "I think it''s unlikely." "The other side can create such a terrifying curse, the force behind it must be enormous, just a mere riotous experiment subject..." Actually, Yang Linlin hadn''t finished her sentence. X-2 had a fatal weakness. That was its physical body. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No matter how powerful the riotous quantum state outside was, as long as Chen Qiong in the experiment chamber died, it would die too! Zhao Yi operated the machine, revealing a smile that sent shivers down one''s spine. "Yeah, that''s why I want to... teach him." "Teach... what?" "Teach some very ordinary knowledge!" Zhao Yi grinned. ... Three days later, just before the main quest ended, X-2 returned to the experiment chamber! Yang Linlin was almost scared to death, quickly pulling out her small pistol, aiming at the riotous experiment subject, but it completely ignored her, turning to bow respectfully to Zhao Yi! Yang Linlin was dumbfounded. The live streaming room audience was also dumbfounded. Holy crap! Did he really teach the dungeon boss to be a student? Is this for real? This isn''t logical! But it indeed happened. The two figures gradually turned into white light and disappeared, while the corners of X-2''s mouth slowly lifted. Turning around, it revealed a bright smile. This smile was taught by Zhao Yi. "No matter what happens, don''t forget to keep smiling!" ... Outside Rockridge High School, a large group of fully armed troops arrived, carrying a lot of special equipment. After getting off the vehicles, a soldier saluted the officer. "Sir, preliminary investigation shows that the curse at Rockridge High School was indeed deactivated early." "However, according to our equipment, there are no living people inside." A quick look at /2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. The officer standing on the truck''s cargo box took off his sunglasses and gestured. "Very well... have Team A scout ahead." "Once inside the laboratory, report any situation immediately!" "Yes!" Soon, a group of armed personnel moved towards the interior of Rockridge High School. However, they didn''t know what kind of terrifying existence awaited them... ... ¡¾Congratulations, Player Zhao Yi!¡¿ ¡¾Main quest ''Survive Seven Days in the High School'' completed!¡¿ ¡¾Hidden quest ''Investigate the Truth Behind Rockridge High School'' completed!¡¿ ¡¾Side quest ''Break the High School Curse'' completed!¡¿ ¡¾Plot exploration rate 60%¡¿ ¡¾World view exploration rate 100%¡¿ ¡¾Rating: SS¡¿ ¡¾Rewards: 75 Experience, Substitute Doll, 8000 Points (including 544 points from live stream popularity discount)¡¿ ¡¾Items obtained: Pandora''s Box (Fake), T-202 (Solution State)¡¿ ¡¾Titles obtained: Rule Breaker, Mentor¡¿ ¡¾Evaluation: Your every move reveals an extraordinary perversion. Although you took a shortcut to clear the quest, your outstanding performance still earned you a high rating. As for you, Fing Hell (¡ª¡ªdata deleted¡ª¡ª), take care of yourself!¡¿ Chapter 30 – Attributes and Domains [Eternal Night Camp] : An SS rating? No way! : Huh? What''s going on? : A newbie just scored an SS rating! : Damn! Who''s that awesome? : It''s the top newbie on the leaderboard, I think his name is Zhao Yi. This is apparently his second time entering a dungeon! : I watched his live stream. He''s indeed impressive. Getting an SS rating is normal for him; he completed the main quest, side quests, and hidden quests. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. : But wait, why is his world exploration at 100% while the plot exploration is only 60%? : Because he took a shortcut in the side quests, technically ending the dungeon early. : Is that even possible??? ... After Zhao Yi cleared the dungeon, his name quickly spread by word of mouth, and the exciting video clips of the [Haunted School Horror] dungeon were posted on the Bone Zone forum. The video''s views and likes grew exponentially, and Zhao Yi''s name started gaining fame. Yang Linlin browsed through posts about Zhao Yi at her guild''s base, a wry smile on her lips. There''s no denying the gap between people can be quite vast. Both newcomers, yet in the hell-level dungeon, Zhao Yi was at ease while she was just a deadweight. If it weren''t for Zhao Yi, the bug-level monster teammate, they would have likely faced a team wipe! The huge gap stung Yang Linlin''s heart, and she secretly vowed to become as strong as Zhao Yi! ... The light and shadows were weary. Zhao Yi opened his eyes once more, finding himself in the familiar dilapidated world. Everything around was shrouded in darkness, the twilight cold and eerie, with only the distant rundown building emitting light. Zhao Yi walked to the entrance of the guild base and found Liu Ruoqing leaning against the door in a thin silk nightgown, holding a wine glass, her demeanor lazy. Behind her, many people gathered in the small square, seemingly watching something in the center. "Congratulations on successfully completing the dungeon, Zhao Yi." "I watched your live stream, and you did great!" She threw a flirtatious wink at Zhao Yi, making some of the nearby newcomers swallow hard. Without a doubt, Liu Ruoqing''s looks, figure, and aura were all perfectly captivating, making her incredibly enticing to men! Many newcomers were drawn to this mature enchantress. They wanted to conquer her. But they knew they were useless, both in strength and guild power, so they only dared to sneak a peek from behind. Seeing her actively flirt with Zhao Yi, many were green with envy. Zhao Yi gave a completely insincere humble smile, waving his hand: "Oh, come on, such a simple dungeon, anyone can do it." Liu Ruoqing rolled her eyes at him. This brat, always so pretentious. "By the way, Sister Liu, what''s happening over there?" "Why are so many people gathered?" Liu Ruoqing took a sip of red wine, the faint red liquid staining her lips, glistening under the moonlight. "Nothing much, someone died." "Died doing a world quest... You''ll find out eventually, this kind of thing is quite common." She seemed indifferent to the loss of life. They had seen too much of this before. As they grew stronger, their friends dwindled. Strength often comes with loneliness. It''s almost a rule. She stepped aside, making way for Zhao Yi, who walked into the guild base, entered the small square, and squeezed through the crowd, only to see a bizarre male corpse lying on the ground! All ten of his fingers were cut off, his body twisted like a pretzel, with his limbs not only tied but also stretched several meters! One glance and it was clear this wasn''t a normal death but caused by some eerie force. Zhao Yi squatted down, turning over his head. The corpse''s face wore a creepy and eerie smile, making many newcomers shiver and step back! Zhao Yi reached out, pinching various parts of the body, his eyes flashing with intense interest! "There¡¯s a smooth wound on the back, all bones removed without any residue... But interestingly, the other tissues are intact... Such exquisite technique, either a doctor or a butcher, but judging from the bold and broad knife marks, it seems the person is..." He grew serious as he spoke. Turning his head, he asked a young girl beside him: "Do you have any carbonated drinks?" The girl nodded, not knowing what Zhao Yi needed it for, but quickly fetched it for him! "Just carbonated drinks won''t do..." Zhao Yi''s gaze deepened. "Get me an egg, preferably boiled." Another person volunteered, went to their room, and brought a boiled egg to Zhao Yi. Liu Ruoqing seemed curious about what Zhao Yi was up to, so she came over to observe closely. In front of everyone, Zhao Yi opened the carbonated drink and placed it aside, then skillfully peeled the egg. Everyone grew more curious, wondering what special help an egg and carbonated drink could provide in solving a case? Zhao Yi slowly turned the peeled egg in front of him, confirmed there were no shell fragments, and then... popped it into his mouth! He chewed a few times, then grabbed the carbonated drink and gulped it down! S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gulp, gulp, gulp¡ª Swallowing the egg, Zhao Yi stood up, and under everyone''s watchful eyes, left with a clear conscience. "Damn... After eating potatoes for days in the dungeon, that idiot Yang Linlin can''t even fry potatoes properly, making them taste like pangolin! Boiled eggs are still the best!" Everyone: "..." Damn! We thought you were solving a case. Turns out you were just here to scam food and drink? Everyone sighed at Zhao Yi''s shamelessness. Zhao Yi returned to his room, locked the door, and collapsed onto the bed. He opened his system panel. ... [Character: Zhao Yi] [Level: 3] [Experience: 25/100] [Items: Old Liu''s Property Deed, Pandora''s Box (Fake), Substitute Doll, T-202, Crusher (Shotgun)] [Life: 20/20] [Strength: 16] [Spirit: 101 (100+1)] [Luck: 0] [Title: Ghostbane, Sharp Edge, Rule Breaker, Teacher at Heart] [Soul Weapon: Bloodstained Scalpel (Entangled)] [Points: 8000] [Rating Achieved: S+, SS, S] [Domain: Not Activated] ... "System, I have some questions." "Why doesn''t leveling up increase strength?" Zhao Yi looked at his attributes, feeling puzzled. Every time he leveled up, only his life increased. [Player''s level only affects the unlocking of different dungeons and does not increase strength] [Strength attribute encompasses the player''s physique, self-healing, combat, stamina, speed, and other aspects] [If the player wants to increase their strength attribute, there are three ways¡ªfirst, complete major world quests to gain talent points and add them to your attributes; second, unlock the mid-tier store to exchange for bloodlines, specter limbs, abilities, techniques, etc.; third, receive special gifts in dungeons, like the T-202 in your hand.] Zhao Yi realized. So level doesn''t correlate much with strength. "What about domains?" With this level-up, Zhao Yi noticed a new ''Domain'' update in his character info. [Domains are specialization types used to increase the player''s limit in a certain aspect] [Currently, primary domains include Spirit Domain, Firearms Domain, Elemental Domain, and Body Strengthening Domain] [Domain levels are divided into F, E, D, C, B, A, S, Z] [More advanced branches can be unlocked after reaching D-level in a domain] Chapter 31 – Extremely dangerous guiding mission About Domain Specialization. The Bone Zone forum has many posts with comprehensive analyses. Newbies can''t view the later domain branches due to permission restrictions, but the posts still provide some basic summaries for newcomers to reference. The firearms domain is at the forefront of mechanics and is also the most suitable choice for newcomers. After all, early-stage newbies can hardly access the mid-tier store, and the most powerful weapons in the low-tier store are mostly firearms. Firearms, of course, require accuracy. Without accuracy, a gun is no different from a stick. Moreover, the firearms domain can eventually evolve into mechanical mechas. It can be said that although not very strong in the later stages, it is definitely not weak. Because of this, a large portion of newcomers choose the firearms domain. [Detected high spirit level, would you like to choose the Spirit Domain?] The system eagerly recommended a match for Zhao Yi. The Spirit Domain can later evolve into telekinesis. This domain becomes harder to advance as you progress, but like the Body Strengthening Domain, once you reach above S-level, your power will far surpass other domains of the same level! Zhao Yi didn''t rush to agree but instead asked the system: "Can a player only choose one domain?" [Yes.] [With your spirit level, you will surely excel in the Spirit Domain!] Zhao Yi nodded slightly. "Sounds good!" "In that case, I''ll choose the Body Strengthening Domain!" [¡­] In the eyes of the system, Zhao Yi was completely squandering his talents! Wasting his exceptional gift. It seemed that ever since Zhao Yi chose his guild, he had been wasting the great opportunities before him! If he had joined one of the other major guilds, with his SS-level rating this time, he would surely be nurtured as a core member and receive abundant resources! However, now, even though he is so outstanding, the bosses of the ''All Freeloaders'' guild have no intention of nurturing him. A rough gem, thrown to the ground, left to fend for itself. But Zhao Yi didn''t mind. He successfully activated his Body Strengthening Domain, which meant he could start increasing his strength attribute through training and combat! After activating the domain, his strength reached 18 points! Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" Clenching his fists tightly, Zhao Yi clearly felt an explosive power that didn''t belong to his frail body! He threw a punch into the air, even hearing a loud whooshing sound! Bang bang bang! As Zhao Yi was furiously punching the air, there was a knock at the door. Zhao Yi put on his clothes, went to the door, and opened it to see a cute Chubby Kid dressed simply, carrying a small worn cloth bag. "Hello, are you Brother Zhao Yi?" His mouse-like eyes were filled with shrewdness. Zhao Yi stepped aside and invited him in: "Please come in." Chubby Kid walked into the room, sat on the soft sofa, and extended his hand to Zhao Yi. "Hello Brother Zhao, my name is Fang Bai, I''m a newcomer like you, and I''m now level 3." After shaking hands, Zhao Yi took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Fang Bai, asking: "What brings you to me?" Fang Bai''s small eyes darted around. "Nothing much, just wanted to ask if you could lead us in a major world quest." Zhao Yi didn''t respond. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So Fang Bai quickly added: "We will pay you a certain reward!" "Players can trade with each other, and the trade items can be points, items, or player promises!" "If Brother Zhao is willing to help us complete the main guiding quest, we will pay you points!" Zhao Yi squinted: "How many points?" Fang Bai gritted his teeth: "1000 points per person!" Zhao Yi was surprised: "There are others?" Fang Bai gulped down two sips of water, closed the cap, and patiently explained to Zhao Yi: "It''s like this¡ªthe bosses of the ''All Freeloaders'' guild don''t care about anything, and the middle group is always thinking about jumping ship. The guild''s cohesion is very poor, and everyone basically forms their own factions." "And more and more newcomers are joining, with more likely to come later. A leaderless chaotic group in an environment without clear laws can be extremely chaotic, as you can imagine." "To survive better, I had to form a small group for mutual support." Zhao Yi curiously asked: "Isn''t internal guild killing prohibited?" Fang Bai chuckled: "It''s only prohibited if it''s obvious." "You know, if you really want to kill someone, there are countless ways." "And even if the strong can''t directly kill the weak, it''s easy to suppress them." "We came to you partly because we think you can strengthen our team, and partly because we hope to complete the world quest together... After all, the rewards for world quests are very generous, and the difficulty is high. We don''t want to let others have it." Zhao Yi unscrewed the cap of his drink: "I''ve been back for three hours since entering the dungeon. Shouldn''t many people have already attempted the world quest?" "Why is the world quest still stuck at the guiding quest?" His system panel showed that the current world quest was still the guiding quest. ¡­ [World Quest: Guiding Quest] [Quest Objective: Gather food and water at the train station] [Recommended Level: 1-3] [Quest Reward: 3 Free Talent Points (only for participants)] [Description: ...Suddenly, you wake up and find yourself in the terrifying land of eternal night, and your goal is to escape this dangerous place. But before that, you need to find a way to survive...] [Attachment: Map] ¡­ Fang Bai''s face showed slight embarrassment. "The first quest is absurdly difficult. So far, six groups have attempted the guiding quest, totaling 27 people... none survived!" They checked some strategies for the world guiding quest on the forum. Most guilds have relatively simple quests, but the rewards are almost negligible. A guiding quest with 3 talent points like the ''All Freeloaders'' guild is extremely rare. Naturally, with generous rewards comes extraordinary difficulty! "Originally, we thought no one was doing the guild''s world quest because everyone was slacking off, but now we know that many people probably attempted this guiding quest, but they all died." Zhao Yi put down his drink, his eyes filled with interest. "Was that guy outside killed during the guiding quest?" Fang Bai nodded. "The guiding quest requires us to gather food and water, and to complete this quest, you need to play two games with the Clown Ghost and Butcher Ghost at the train station''s General Store and Butcher Shop." "If players win, they can unlock these two scenes, and the Clown Ghost and Butcher Ghost will become allies of the guild, and the General Store and Butcher Shop will provide unlimited food and water to players." "The guy outside lost the game and was turned into soup by the Butcher Ghost. His teammates brought his body back." Zhao Yi rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming. "How many people do you have, and when are you planning to set off?" Fang Bai: "Our small team currently has five people." "Besides you and me, there''s a cute girl named Tian Tian who''s a bit mentally unstable, a former underground prostitute beauty Bai Shuiji, and an honest middle-aged man Liu Han." "As for the quest, they can set off anytime, depending on when you''re available." Zhao Yi: "Then notify them, let''s head over now and check out the situation." Fang Bai nodded: "Alright!" Chapter 32 – Clown game, Rock-Paper-Scissors? It''s not uncommon for guilds to have internal factions. Chubby Kid Fang Bai might seem ordinary, but he''s actually quite skilled at interacting with people. And that honest-looking middle-aged man... his face appears calm, but his eyes reveal a hint of unease, as if he''s not yet fully adapted to this place. After a brief introduction among the group, they left the guild''s base. Outside was a long winding mountain road. Since the guild''s base was established on a flat area in the mountains, the environment here was particularly desolate and cold. Occasional streetlights lined the dilapidated road, but their dim, yellow light only added to the eerie atmosphere. In the distant mountains and forests, unknown shadows occasionally flickered by. Clearly, these dangers were beyond the current players'' reach. However, bound by the rules, they wouldn''t deliberately enter low-level areas, so players were relatively safe on this road leading to the abandoned station. In the mist at the end of the road, a few figures could occasionally be seen, all players attempting to complete the world quest. After walking two kilometers along the road, a shabby and desolate small platform appeared in the distance. The canopy overhead was full of holes, surrounded by wild grass and mold, and the walls at the entrance were covered with sinister scratches, as if they had been given special attention by some unknown, ominous force. The mist was cold and damp. Players arriving here felt anything but comfortable. On the green stone steps at the entrance stood a young man with multicolored dyed hair, smoking a cigarette, his gaze gloomy, surrounded by several underlings. These people looked pale, some clearly having just vomited, with the ground still showing traces of it. "Xiang Weishan, how''s the situation inside?" Fang Bai stepped forward with a sly expression. The dyed-hair man with a murderous aura glanced at him but ignored him. However, when his gaze landed on Zhao Yi, his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Oh, isn''t this the top-ranked player?" "What? You want a piece of the action too?" Zhao Yi''s presence heightened the alertness of many nearby, drawing them closer. After all, Zhao Yi''s reputation as the top player was well-known here. Some had seen highlights of his live streams and knew this guy was not only strong but also somewhat... crazy. Having someone like him competing for rewards made them nervous. "I know the reward is generous, and no one wants to give it up... but have you considered that this is just a guiding quest? There are many more quests and rewards ahead. If everyone gets stuck here, no one will get anything later." "Are we going to get rich together or starve together?" Zhao Yi flashed a friendly smile. His words about getting rich together or starving together subtly shifted the mindset of many. Xiang Weishan flicked away his cigarette butt, his expression changing slightly. "Alright." "If you want to go, I''ll give you a chance." "But let me remind you, many people have already died inside." "Also... I can tell you the rules of the clown''s game ahead." "The clown''s game requires at least three people to play rock-paper-scissors with it, taking turns. Each person plays ten times, and the loser has to cut off a finger. Winning three times out of ten is considered a victory, otherwise, the player will be thrown into the storeroom behind it, where something terrifying lurks. No one who has entered has ever come out." "After a player fails and is killed by the clown, the next player in line continues the game, resetting and starting over!" "Additionally, we''ve discovered that the clown''s third and sixth moves are fixed. It will definitely play scissors on the third move and paper on the sixth." Fang Bai curiously asked: Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "[pawread.c????m]" "If that''s the pattern, shouldn''t the ninth or tenth move also be fixed? Why haven''t you completed the task yet?" Xiang Weishan sneered, looking at Fang Bai as if he were an idiot. "So, are you willing to risk your life to figure out the fixed moves for others to benefit?" Fang Bai fell silent. Indeed. If the initial trial and error gave people hope and made many eager to try, the final trial and error would leave no one willing to do it. Their initial excitement had cooled, and they were unwilling to risk their lives for others. People are selfish. Why should they take the hit while others enjoy the spoils? At Xiang Weishan''s signal, the underlings made way for Zhao Yi and his group. After all, someone had to take the risk. Whether Zhao Yi succeeded or not, they would benefit. It was just a matter of how much they would gain. After entering the station, a young man with a nose ring and earrings approached Xiang Weishan and asked: "Boss, did you tell them the wrong thing?" "I remember the clown''s fixed moves aren''t..." Xiang Weishan glanced at him, and the young man''s face twitched slightly, but he obediently took out a cigarette and lit it for him. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xiang Weishan took a drag and looked inside the station with a sinister and vicious gaze. "Mo Yao, are you stupid?" "Who is he?" "The top of the newcomer rankings!" "Didn''t you notice the way Liu Ruoqing was looking at him in the lobby earlier?" "As long as he''s alive, do you think the guild''s management will let us rise?" Mo Yao suddenly realized, looking at Xiang Weishan with a hint of fear. This guy is truly a twisted killer, so cunning! It''s better if Zhao Yi dies! That way, there''d be one less strong competitor for rewards and women in the future! Heh heh... Those rich women in the guild are strong and beautiful. If he could win their favor, wouldn''t that be a meteoric rise? ... Inside the station entrance, the darkness was filled with a pungent smell of blood. Tian Tian hugged her ragged teddy bear, curiously looking around, while the slightly gaudy Bai Shuiji walked over to Zhao Yi and kindly reminded him: "Brother Zhao, that guy''s eyes were off. I think he might have lied." Zhao Yi replied: "There''s something off about him." Seeing Zhao Yi was aware, Bai Shuiji said no more. Soon, they headed towards a brightly lit, exquisite general store not far away. Scattered around the entrance of the store were blood-stained... fingers. Like crawling insects, they were a chilling sight. A clown, dressed in a comical and eerie manner, waved enthusiastically at Zhao Yi and his group. "Welcome to the Clever Ghost General Store!" "Are you here to shop or play a game?" The clown was short, about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a large floral cotton jacket sewn by a grandmother, with a very friendly smile on its face. Zhao Yi approached the counter, placing a hand on it, and asked: "What are the benefits of playing the game?" The clown clapped its hands happily and said: "Oh! My dear guests, if you''re willing to play rock-paper-scissors with me and win three out of ten rounds, I will provide you with unlimited free access to everything in the general store." Zhao Yi nodded, speaking slowly: "And if we lose?" The clown smiled politely and said: "If you lose, you''ll have to pay a small... price." "After all, you know¡ªif a game loses its stakes, it becomes too boring!" It explained the game rules, which matched Xiang Weishan''s description. "Additionally, I must emphasize... do not attempt to disrupt the game by killing me or cutting off my fingers, otherwise..." The clown paused, revealing a chilling smile. The door to the storeroom behind it slowly opened a crack. Inside, countless pairs of terrifying green eyes stared greedily at the group... Chapter 33 – Game Start "Players who win the game will receive three talent points, while others who join the team but do not get the chance to participate will receive one talent point." "If you all decide to join the game as a team, please sit at the round table inside the shop. Our game is about to begin." Zhao Yi stepped into the general store. The space was actually quite large, almost like a medium-sized supermarket. In the middle were some entertainment facilities, and the shelves were filled with various cards. Those cards were unopened, clearly showing that no one had played with the clown. After all, those who played with him ended up dead. Zhao Yi sat down, and the cute girl Tian Tian, holding her teddy bear, sat next to him, looking around curiously at everything. The remaining three in Fang Bai''s group exchanged glances, hesitating. Participating in the game meant that if they didn''t win... they would die! And it would be a complete death, with no chance of revival! But if they joined the game and Zhao Yi happened to win, they could gain a talent point for free. These points were precious, especially in the early stages, where every point of strength brought visible improvement! To go, or not to go? That was the question. Fang Bai took out a bronze fate disk and did a divination. "How is it?" Liu Han asked. Fang Bai replied, "The worst omen." Liu Han''s face turned pale. Bai Shuiji glanced at Zhao Yi, gritting her teeth, "I''m going to take a chance!" Fang Bai scratched his head, "Are you sure?" Bai Shuiji raised her willow-like eyebrows, "For a woman like me to stand firm in this place, I must make some investments." "That''s obvious." "Besides, I''ve already spent 1000 points. If I don''t go, wouldn''t it be a huge loss?" She also stepped to the round table, took a deep breath, and sat down. Fang Bai and Liu Han exchanged a look, a fierce light flashing in their beady eyes. "Damn it!" "Let''s go for it!" "Whether to be the master or the underdog, this is the moment!" In the end, all five of them sat at the round table, and the clown came to face them. At this moment, people outside could no longer see the inside of the general store, as everything was shrouded in darkness. They knew that either everyone inside would complete the game, or they would all die. Only after the game ended would the general store reopen. Moreover, this process... wouldn''t last long! ... In a quaint and elegant room. The warm yellow light was dim, with surveillance cameras in the corners. On the round table, a strange machine stained with fresh blood appeared at some point, resembling a sewing machine, but instead of needles, it had blades. No need to guess, it was clearly a tool for cutting fingers. The clown took off his grandmother''s floral cotton jacket and put on a very formal suit, resting one hand on the back of a chair, smiling at everyone: "Well, gentlemen, the game is about to begin." "To prevent you from doing anything foolish, I''ll repeat the important game rules." "During the game, you have three minutes each round to think about what to play, and you can discuss among yourselves." "But during the game, do not attempt to escape this room, or try to cut off my fingers or kill me, or it will be considered a violation of the game rules, and you will be executed." "Also, you can only decide on one hand to play rock-paper-scissors, no matter how many fingers are left on that hand, you cannot switch hands midway." "If we play the same move three times in a row, then I win." Saying this, the clown took out a remote control from his pocket and turned on the surveillance. On the hanging TV, it played the tragic deaths of players who previously violated the rules, with piercing screams echoing in their ears, sending chills down their spines. The spirit values of the other three were slowly decreasing, while Zhao Yi and Tian Tian''s spirits remained stable. In fact, the cute little girl Tian Tian even giggled after seeing the players on TV being dismembered alive! Zhao Yi glanced at the girl in surprise but said nothing. "Alright, now... who wants to play with me first?" The clown extended an invitation to everyone, but after what they saw on TV, Fang Bai and the others were too psychologically scarred to take the lead. Tian Tian seemed completely unconcerned, just continuously squeezing her teddy bear. So, in this situation, Zhao Yi raised his hand and smiled: "Mr. Clown, I''ll play with you." The clown let out a joyful laugh. "You are truly a straightforward person. To be honest, I like you." With a wave of its hand, the seats of the others naturally moved to the sides, while Zhao Yi sat directly across from the clown at the round table. "Then... the game has begun." "For the next three minutes, you can discuss among yourselves to decide what move to play." "Once decided, you can place your hand in the black bag in front of you, and then the machine will simultaneously open the bag... Of course, I can assure you, there are no surveillance devices in the bag, and I disdain doing such things." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi nodded, "I believe you." Then he looked at Fang Bai beside him and asked: "What should I play?" Fang Bai didn''t react for a moment, stunned for a few seconds. "Huh?" "You''re asking... me?" Zhao Yi nodded slightly. Fang Bai fell into silence. Starting by asking for outside help, this wasn''t Zhao Yi''s style, was it? Could he have some special meaning? It couldn''t be just to confuse the opponent, right? After hesitating for a moment, he stammered: "I''ll tell you, but if you lose, don''t blame me!" Zhao Yi: "Of course!" Fang Bai glanced at the clown with a strange smile on its face, gritted his teeth, and whispered: "Play scissors." Zhao Yi put his hand into the black cloth and said to the clown opposite: "I''m ready." Hearing this, the clown also put its hand into the black cloth. They decided on their rock-paper-scissors. The mechanical arm above descended, gently grasping the black cloth on their hands, and lifted it sharply! Zhao Yi played scissors. And the clown played rock. Everyone''s face turned pale, and the clown said to Zhao Yi with great regret: "I''m sorry, sir, you seem to have had a bit of bad luck." "Then..." Zhao Yi said nothing more, directly inserting the index finger of his left hand into the cutting machine beside him. A flash of blood, and Zhao Yi''s finger, which had accompanied him for over twenty years, picking his nose and scratching cats, bid him farewell! "Fang Bai, what should I play for the second round?" Zhao Yi turned his head, smiling at the Chubby Kid, whose face trembled with soft flesh. He was already dumbfounded! The teammates beside him also had no idea what Zhao Yi intended to do. "I-I-I don''t know, you decide for yourself!" Fang Bai was completely at a loss and dared not speak further. Zhao Yi nodded and said to the clown with a smile: "Next, I''ll play rock." The clown looked at Zhao Yi with a hint of curiosity. To be honest, it felt that this man in front of it was different from its usual prey. Zhao Yi gave it a feeling of... unease. The clown certainly knew Zhao Yi couldn''t harm it, and precisely because of this, it was even more curious about where this unease came from. The two were ready. In the second round, Zhao Yi played rock, and the clown played paper. Once again, Zhao Yi cut off his own finger. Throughout, Zhao Yi didn''t even blink. Clearly, Zhao Yi never intended to win against the clown in the first two rounds. A faint red light flickered in his eyes. To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ]. No one saw it. Not even the clown sitting directly across from him. Chapter 34 – Zhao Yi... victory [Clown: Touch-Activated Neutral] [Note: If you lose a game to him, you will die... unless he can''t beat you!] [Weakness: Not obvious.] [Objective: Wants to revive his family business.] [Known Ability: Has wallhack when eyes are open.] ... This is the data on the Clown. Zhao Yi understood why the Clown could always perfectly predict others'' rock-paper-scissors moves. He wasn''t relying on guessing at all. He was cheating with his ability. Zhao Yi didn''t expose the Clown because it wouldn''t help to do so. The third round of rock-paper-scissors began. According to Xiang Weishan''s information, this time, the Clown would definitely choose scissors. So if Zhao Yi wanted to win, he had to choose rock. The teammates beside him clearly knew this too, but none of them voiced their opinions. They knew very well that words from Xiang Weishan''s mouth weren''t necessarily reliable. Maybe Xiang Weishan was telling the truth, but it was also possible he just wanted to get Zhao Yi killed, so he casually gave false information. Since they couldn''t be sure, they couldn''t speak up and influence Zhao Yi''s judgment. In the eyes of the four, Zhao Yi was their greatest survival guarantee in this game. If even a freak like Zhao Yi couldn''t figure out the Clown''s weakness, then they were basically doomed! Zhao Yi didn''t rush to play rock-paper-scissors but instead stared at the Clown Ghost across from him and said: "Someone told me on the way here that you''ll choose scissors in the third round, is that true?" The Clown Ghost smiled and said: "I wasn''t supposed to tell you the rules of this game." "But I like you, so I can give you a little hint." "In the third and sixth rounds, I will choose a fixed move, and it won''t change, but I can''t tell you exactly what it is." Zhao Yi nodded. "That''s enough." He placed his hand into the black cloth. The Clown also placed his hand into the black cloth. Everyone held their breath, focusing intently on the situation on the field. They were so tense that they could even hear their own heartbeats! This was Zhao Yi''s perfect opportunity to defeat the Clown Ghost! So, what did Zhao Yi choose? Was it rock? The mechanical arm slowly descended, gripping the two pieces of black cloth. And it gripped everyone''s hearts. Suddenly, the black cloth was yanked up! The Clown chose paper, while Zhao Yi chose scissors! Zhao Yi wins! "Congratulations, Mr. Zhao Yi!" The Clown seemed very happy and extended his left hand''s fingers, placing them into the cutter. The blade fell, and his fingers, along with black blood, splattered out! "It seems... the guy outside deceived you." This novel is available on ". The Clown took out a handkerchief from his pocket and elegantly wiped the blood from his hand. Zhao Yi nodded and said: "Yeah! I''ll definitely repay... him later." The few people beside him couldn''t help but roll their eyes at his words. You let it slip, big brother! The Clown curiously examined Zhao Yi, and even now, with two fingers cut off, Zhao Yi''s face showed no sign of panic. "Are you so sure... you can walk out of here alive?" Zhao Yi shook his head and asked in return: "And how are you so sure that I can''t walk out of here alive?" The Clown chuckled. Zhao Yi extended his right index finger, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Mr. Clown, you like gambling, don''t you?" The Clown hesitated for a moment and nodded. Zhao Yi continued: "Why don''t we add a new twist to this game?" "What kind of twist?" "Well... I''ll tell you in a bit." The two continued with rock-paper-scissors. In the fourth round, Zhao Yi lost. In the fifth round, Zhao Yi lost. In the sixth round, the Clown lost. In the seventh round, Zhao Yi lost. In the eighth round, Zhao Yi lost. In the ninth round, Zhao Yi lost. By the tenth round, Zhao Yi had only his middle finger left on his left hand, and his right hand had only the index and middle fingers remaining. Looking at Zhao Yi''s bloodied and miserable hands, the Clown showed a regretful expression. "Mr. Zhao, it seems you''ve made a mistake in choosing which fingers to cut." "With the fingers you have left, you can only choose scissors or rock." Everyone looked at Zhao Yi''s hand and fell silent. The Clown wasn''t wrong. If Zhao Yi had chosen to keep three fingers on his right hand for rock-paper-scissors, he could still choose paper. But now, his right hand only had the index and middle fingers. When Zhao Yi spread his fingers, it was scissors; when he clenched them, it was a fist. He had lost the option of paper. This meant the Clown was now invincible! According to the rules, if the two players tied in rock-paper-scissors three times in a row, the Clown would win. In other words, as long as the Clown chose ''rock'' three times in a row, Zhao Yi would definitely lose! Fang Bai and Bai Shuiji, sitting beside him, were pale, and Liu Han was sweating profusely! If Zhao Yi died, the next one... would be them! Tian Tian was still playing with her ragged teddy bear, occasionally letting out some laughter. She hadn''t looked up the entire time, seemingly unconcerned about the outcome of the game. Zhao Yi''s face still bore that same smile, showing no sign of panic. Only his face was a bit pale from blood loss. He leisurely said to the Clown: sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mr. Clown, do you remember I said... I wanted to add some fun to this game?" The Clown: "Of course I remember!" "Mr. Zhao, this is the last rock-paper-scissors game. Although I like you very much, rules are rules... However, if you have an idea that doesn''t break the rules and adds fun to the game, I will let you choose a way to die that you like after the game!" Zhao Yi spoke slowly: "Let''s make a bet." "What bet?" "I bet I''ll win the next round." The Clown chuckled. "Sorry, Mr. Zhao, I think you may not understand your current situation..." "In your current state, it''s impossible for you to win against me." Zhao Yi continued: "This bet comes with a condition... I want you to close your eyes." "If I win... you owe me a favor and have to do something within your power for me." "If I lose, not only is my life yours, but I''ll also give you something!" With that, Zhao Yi took out Pandora''s Box from his inventory, which he had brought from the previous dungeon! ... [Item: Pandora''s Box (Fake)] [Quality: Blue] [Description: Ta-da! This is a Pok¨¦ Ball, you can use it to capture your own little Pok¨¦mon... Haha, I''m just kidding! This is actually a gift, and although it''s just a replica, many specters still love its craftsmanship. If you give it to a non-human entity, it will greatly increase their favorability towards you!] [Note: The specter inside has been cleared by the system, and reopening the magic box will have no effect.] ... Seeing this box, a glint of possessiveness flashed in the Clown''s eyes. After a moment of silence, the Clown replied: "No problem, Mr. Zhao." "I''m willing to take this bet with you." Zhao Yi smiled and tapped the table, saying: "You can only open your eyes after the black cloth is lifted." "Is that okay?" The Clown nodded. A free treasure, why not take it? Given Zhao Yi''s current situation... even without his wallhack ability, he couldn''t possibly lose. "Then Mr. Clown... please decide your rock-paper-scissors move first this time, then put your hand into the black cloth and close your eyes." The Clown didn''t hesitate and immediately clenched his hand into a fist, placing it into the black cloth. Then he closed his eyes. After waiting quietly for three seconds, Zhao Yi''s voice sounded again. "I''m ready too, Mr. Clown, please have your machine lift the black cloth." The Clown snapped his fingers. The mechanical arm lifted the black cloth covering their hands. Then, the Clown slowly opened his eyes. His gaze fell on Zhao Yi''s hand, and the eerie smile on his face froze. "Sorry, Mr. Clown." "I won." Zhao Yi grinned. The three teammates beside him shivered. The hand lying quietly on the table, covered in blood... had no fingers left! Because there were no fingers, Zhao Yi''s move was paper! And the Clown''s move was rock. In the tenth round, Zhao Yi... wins! Chapter 35 – Nose picking The room was silent. Strictly speaking, Zhao Yi was cheating. But he hadn''t broken any game rules. Outside the window, shadows seemed to be stirring, but without the clown''s command, they couldn''t come in. After a long pause, the clown slowly placed his left hand into the guillotine. With a crisp sound, his finger was cut off! Everyone''s faces were filled with excitement. The clown''s action meant he admitted defeat in the tenth round of rock-paper-scissors! They... didn''t have to die! Looking up, the clown watched Zhao Yi, who was wrapping his bloody hand with gauze, with great interest. "Mr. Zhao, I want to know... when did you start plotting against me?" Zhao Yi shrugged. "From the moment I cut my third finger." "As everyone knows, rock-paper-scissors is a game of luck." "Since it''s a game of luck, there can''t be a constant winner. Your continuous victories over me clearly indicated you had your own cheating method." "So in the fifth, seventh, and eighth rounds, I deliberately changed my hand sign inside the black cloth." "But I still lost, as expected." "That''s when I guessed... you must have wallhack." These were actually fake moves Zhao Yi made to cover up his ability. He wouldn''t reveal his ability to see NPC data. "At that moment, I suddenly realized, to win the last time, I had to set a trap, strip you of your wallhack ability, and force you to make a fixed hand sign... Do you understand what I''m saying?" Zhao Yi explained his thoughts, and the clown couldn''t help but clap in admiration: "So, when you cut your seventh finger, you deliberately chose the thumb of your right hand for rock-paper-scissors, making everyone think¡ªyour last move could only be scissors or rock." "So when I closed my eyes and couldn''t use my wallhack ability, to ensure a win, I would definitely choose rock." "In the end, you cut off your own finger in advance, turning your scissors and rock into paper..." "I have to say, Mr. Zhao, your maneuver was truly brilliant!" "This was the most interesting game of rock-paper-scissors I''ve ever played!" The clown stood up, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed to the group. "I will keep my promise." "From now on, this general store will provide unlimited free supplies to you and your guild." "And I owe you a personal favor..." "Additionally, after you leave the general store, I will grant Mr. Zhao three talent points according to the game rules, and one talent point to each of the others... this is also personal!" A personal gift, meaning these three talent points are not part of the world quest. Everyone clenched their fists in excitement! The clown went to the door and personally opened it for Zhao Yi and the others. As they left the room, they were enveloped in a warm, pure white light! ... [Congratulations to Zhao Yi, Fang Bai, Bai Shuiji, Liu Han, and Tian Tian for successfully unlocking the guild''s new scene¡ªthe General Store. The area within a ten-meter radius inside the station will be a safe zone, where players will not be harmed!] ... The announcement caused a stir among all the players in the guild! "Someone actually unlocked the General Store?" "Damn! Wasn''t that place said to have killed thousands?" "Yeah, I remember you had to play some rock-paper-scissors game with the clown... and everyone who went died!" "Are this year''s newcomers that impressive? They actually took down that damn clown?" "Damn... that Zhao Yi is this year''s top newcomer, no wonder he''s so awesome!" "Finally, we don''t have to eat the stuff from the guild warehouse anymore... I was sick of it!" "..." Outside the station, Xiang Weishan stared at the General Store inside, his expression extremely cold! He clenched his fists tightly, unable to understand. Why didn''t Zhao Yi die?! He had given him false information... so how did he win?! Could it be... he saw through his scheme? For a moment, all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. After hesitating for a moment, Xiang Weishan immediately called over an underling, whispered a few words in his ear, and the underling nodded and headed towards the distant crowd. Zhao Yi and the others reappeared inside the General Store. Bai Shuiji touched her body, trembling with excitement! She... had won the gamble! Not only did she survive, but she also gained an extra talent point for no reason! She didn''t hesitate to add it to her strength attribute! Don''t underestimate that one point of strength. It enhances all attributes related to constitution! Liu Han and Fang Bai were equally excited, having latched onto Zhao Yi, it was like flying high! "Brother Zhao, shouldn''t we head back to the guild base now... your hand injury is serious!" Fang Bai wasn''t someone who forgot kindness for profit. His first thought wasn''t to complete the butcher game but to have Zhao Yi return to the guild to heal his injuries. Whether from world quest injuries or dungeon injuries, as long as they weren''t accompanied by some mysterious forces, they could be healed at the guild base. However, Zhao Yi didn''t seem to mind his hand injury. He stood at the General Store''s entrance, looking at a butcher shop in the distance on the second floor, marked by a dim red light, appearing eager. "It''s just a bit of blood, it''s not a big deal." The clown appeared beside Zhao Yi at some point, watching the butcher shop with him, his tone somewhat meaningful. "A madman lives there." "He''s not as rule-abiding as I am." Zhao Yi pondered. "Does he have something he wants to do?" The clown smiled slightly at the question, patting Zhao Yi''s shoulder. "The butcher is looking for his daughter." With that, the clown turned and went back into his shop, sitting at the counter and greeting a few players who came over. Zhao Yi headed towards the butcher shop, with Fang Bai and the others following closely. Having tasted the benefits of the clown''s game, they had more confidence in Zhao Yi and naturally wanted to follow him. But as Zhao Yi approached the elevator to the second floor, he was blocked by a dozen players. "Zhao Yi, you''ve already completed one game and received the rewards. Shouldn''t this task be left for others?" A young man with green hair spoke with a provocative tone. To be honest, he didn''t dare to take on this task himself. After all, more people had died in the butcher game than in the clown game! So the butcher game''s danger level was only more terrifying! But they didn''t want to do it themselves, nor did they want others to do it. After all, everyone was still on the same starting line, with no significant gap. Once the snowball started rolling, it would be harder for them to catch up with the leading players in the future. The leader of the idle guild didn''t care about anything, which led to fierce and cruel competition within the seemingly chaotic and loose guild! Not long ago, they had seen a lone player get his leg broken and thrown to the butcher! sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In this world of rampant specters, humans were no kinder than ghosts! "What nonsense are you spouting?" "If we don''t go... will you?" Fang Bai wasn''t intimidated by the number of people on the other side. His usually round face was now full of ferocity! He knew that without the constraints of law, people had no bottom line. These guys, unable to strive for strength themselves, wanted to weaken others to gain an advantage, truly selfish and disgusting! "Heh, the world quest is for everyone, and you want to hog the rewards, how selfish!" This Green Hair wasn''t easy to deal with either. He pulled out a sharp dagger, his face fierce, and the group of players behind him gathered around, pulling out some cheap weapons from their inventory, clearly not planning to let Zhao Yi pass. Zhao Yi didn''t retort, just raised his remaining middle finger on his left hand towards Green Hair, flashing a bright smile. "You know, I only need one finger to take your life." Green Hair was infuriated by Zhao Yi''s smile. After all, he was a small leader, with many subordinates watching. Zhao Yi''s words left him with no face! "WCNM!" Green Hair angrily charged forward with his knife, wanting to teach Zhao Yi a lesson, but he didn''t know Zhao Yi''s strength had reached 21 points! And he... was still in the single digits! As he raised his knife, Zhao Yi had already used a swift step to appear in front of Green Hair, turning and bending down to deliver an elbow strike to Green Hair''s liver, turning him into a bent shrimp, his eyes bulging! The next moment, Zhao Yi executed a rising dragon punch, accurately inserting his middle finger into Green Hair''s nostril! Splat! Blood splattered, and in an instant, Green Hair experienced a bizarre and wonderful sensation. Sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy emotions surged in his heart in a flash. It felt like when he was a child, his beloved grandmother, wearing a bright floral cotton jacket, carried a basin of feces looking for him, wanting to feed him. The mystery of it was indescribable to outsiders. He instinctively dropped his knife, covering his face, trying to pull Zhao Yi''s middle finger out! However, the next moment, he found himself lifted into the air, thrown far towards the stairs by a tremendous force! His large, bleeding nostril suddenly felt an unprecedented emptiness. Bang! He crashed hard onto the ground, dazed, and only then did the excruciating pain spread from his nasal cavity to his brain. He clutched his nose, wailing, looking at Zhao Yi with eyes full of fear! The others who had gathered couldn''t help but take a few steps back! Zhao Yi looked at his blood and snot-covered middle finger, unable to resist wiping it on Fang Bai''s clothes. Fang Bai was stunned for a moment, then finally reacted, jumping up and shouting: "Damn! That''s too much, Zhao Yi!" "I respect you as the top player, but you can''t just wipe such disgusting stuff on me!" "I have tissues!" Zhao Yi looked at his middle finger and chuckled: "No worries, I''ve already wiped it clean!" Fang Bai: "..." Chapter 36 – Butcher Game "We''re all in the same guild, so we know what each other is thinking." "Even if you stop us from doing the guiding quest now, can you stop us forever?" The one speaking was Bai Shuiji, who had always been cautious and prudent. Having been through the ups and downs of the social scene, she was used to seeing disgusting people and things. Unlike the Chubby Kid, Fang Bai, her calm demeanor intimidated many. The people blocking their way were already showing signs of retreat, but a cold gaze from afar forced them to surround Zhao Yi again. "Stop talking nonsense. If you don''t want to die, get lost, or we''ll break your legs and feed you to the Butcher!" Someone in the crowd shouted loudly! As the standoff continued, a voice came from a distance. "What are you doing?" Zhao Yi and his group turned to see Xiang Weishan approaching with a group of about thirty or forty people. Seeing this, Fang Bai and the others'' expressions changed! If Xiang Weishan decided to join forces with the others against them, they wouldn''t be able to participate in the Butcher''s Game today and would have to stay in the safe zone near the Clown''s General Store! S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Xiang Weishan''s next words surprised them. "Is this how you handle things?" "Not doing it yourself and not letting others do it either?" With a righteous expression, Xiang Weishan suddenly turned into a justice advocate, helping Zhao Yi and his group. If he hadn''t tricked them before, they might have believed he was a good person! Seeing Xiang Weishan''s large group, the opposition lost their momentum and silently made way. "Brother Zhao Yi, don''t be afraid." "I''ll take you to the Butcher''s Game. They won''t dare stop you!" Xiang Weishan patted his chest with a heroic expression, as if saying, "You''re under my protection now." A disdainful and disgusted look was cast at him. It came from Bai Shuiji. She knew this was just one of Xiang Weishan''s clumsy tricks. First, he incited trouble, then appeared to resolve the conflict, gaining favor, and finally volunteered to take Zhao Yi to the Butcher''s Game, thus joining Zhao Yi''s team. Clearly, Xiang Weishan had seen Zhao Yi''s skills and was eyeing the quest rewards! She tugged at Zhao Yi''s sleeve. Though she also wanted to follow Zhao Yi for rewards, at least she felt she wasn''t being hypocritical. She despised people like Xiang Weishan, who wanted to play both sides. Moreover, this person... could stab you in the back at any moment! Perhaps her tug was too gentle, as Zhao Yi seemed completely unaware, and he gratefully grasped Xiang Weishan''s hand with his bandaged and bloody hand, saying: "Brother Xiang is the best!" "Come with us, Brother, so we can look out for each other!" Xiang Weishan was delighted, thinking Zhao Yi was easy to deceive! The others exchanged glances, constantly wary of this cunning and treacherous guy! He enthusiastically led them to the butcher shop on the second floor, already plotting how to deal with Zhao Yi after getting the rewards! This guy indeed had some skills, but precisely because of that... he couldn''t be left alive! After they left, the gangster Mo Yao spat in the direction of Xiang Weishan''s back. Pah! What a piece of work! Risking life and limb together, but hogging all the benefits! The group arrived at the butcher shop, where a tall man stood at the entrance, wielding a cleaver and furiously chopping at a human leg! He had antelope-like horns and terrifying red eyes. His muscles were as solid as rocks, and with each swing of the cleaver, bones were severed, the sound making one''s scalp tingle! "Hello, Butcher." "We''re here to participate in the Butcher''s Game." Zhao Yi stepped forward to face the Butcher''s devilish eyes. The Butcher glanced at them, his mouth stretching to his ears, revealing rows of sharp teeth, with glimpses of flesh and hair inside. It was unclear what creature''s remains they were. "My game has three options." "The first is to deliver food for me. I have a few orders from customers... whoever''s the fastest wins, and the winner will receive a bowl of my exclusive meat soup. The loser... hehehe..." The Butcher''s laughter almost lifted their skulls! "The second... is to cook a dish for me. If I''m satisfied, the game is passed. If not, I''ll personally teach you how to cook..." "The third game is to collect ingredients for me from the Valley of Hundred Graves deep in the wilderness." "So, what game do you want to play?" After hearing this, they looked at each other, seeing the apprehension in each other''s eyes. The bloody smell in the air and the corpses hanging on hooks in the butcher shop reminded them that this Butcher was an extremely dangerous character! Especially Xiang Weishan, who had witnessed the Butcher skinning a player alive, a scene so brutal it became a lifelong psychological scar for many! Since they were already a team, they had to choose the same option to start the game. "How about... we go for the second game..." Fang Bai hesitated for a moment and suggested. "We can help each other, and there''s no need to kill each other!" His reasoning was simple: the first game clearly had only one survivor, and the third game, judging by its name, was a place of certain death! So the second game seemed most suitable for them. Xiang Weishan, however, sneered from the side: "The second game?" "Taste is subjective, and we don''t know what it likes. Besides, if it wants us dead, it''s an impossible game to complete!" Fang Bai frowned. "Then what do you suggest?" Xiang Weishan replied: "Of course, the first task is the simplest!" "Delivering food is just a race of speed. If you''re slow, you can only blame yourself, not others!" In Xiang Weishan''s view, this was the most advantageous game for him. First, he was physically fit. Second, he had learned close combat and fought in underground boxing matches, with rich combat experience. He could easily call on his underlings to deal with others once the task began! They didn''t need to kill; just incapacitate or hold them back. Once he completed the task, the Butcher would naturally deal with the other players in the games! After all, the Butcher only specified rankings, not a specific time! In an instant, a malicious plan had taken root in his mind! A meaningful smile played on Xiang Weishan''s lips... Chapter 37 – Game? Ill just trade directly "Zhao Yi..." Fang Bai looked anxiously at Zhao Yi, hoping he would make a decision. Among their group, Zhao Yi was undoubtedly the man with the most authority. Zhao Yi glanced at Xiang Weishan, who was determined to win, and said, "I think Brother Xiang makes a lot of sense." "Let''s play the first game!" "Delivering food isn''t so bad." "In such a cruel world, competition is inevitable. Let''s leave it to fate!" As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Bai and the others were stunned, looking at Zhao Yi with inexplicable expressions. Could it be that there was no special way out of this Butcher''s game? Even someone as calculating as Zhao Yi decided to leave it to fate? Only Xiang Weishan was secretly delighted. Everything was proceeding as he had planned... Perfect! Next, as soon as the Butcher confirmed the game started, he would immediately betray them! Zhao Yi and the others would have nowhere to go! They would die in this dark, sunless butcher shop, hung on iron hooks like pork! "Alright." The Butcher turned and walked into the shop, bringing out six dishes from the steamer and placing them in front of everyone. Next to the dishes were packaging materials and the specific delivery locations! "Go quickly and come back... I only recognize the first person to complete the task!" The Butcher''s deep voice rumbled in his chest. The group quickly packed their meals, except for Zhao Yi, who didn''t move. He only had one finger, making it impossible to pack his delivery. The others saw this but were racing against time, so no one helped him. Fang Bai, who was quick with his hands, hesitated for a moment after finishing his own and then clumsily helped Zhao Yi pack his share! Bai Shuiji and Liu Han watched without saying anything, but secretly mocked him in their hearts! Fang Bai clearly hadn''t adapted to the survival rules of this place! Helping Zhao Yi at this time was harming himself! By then, Xiang Weishan had already rushed out with the food! Liu Han and Bai Shuiji followed closely behind! Fang Bai watched the figures of Xiang Weishan and the others running away, feeling a bit anxious, and said to Zhao Yi: "Damn it! Zhao Yi, you''re on your own now, I''ve helped you as much as I can!" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He grabbed his delivery and dashed towards the station! Zhao Yi looked at the messily packed delivery in front of him and then at Tian Tian, who hadn''t moved and was just holding her teddy bear, and curiously asked: "Tian Tian, aren''t you going to do the task?" Tian Tian shook her head, her cute ponytail swaying. "No, Tian Tian doesn''t want to do the task." Her eyes had a certain sparkle, making her endearing. "Not doing the task... means you''ll die, you know!" Zhao Yi made a ghostly face, trying to scare the girl. But Tian Tian was unfazed, pouting: "Hmph! You''re lying to me!" "Winnie said I''ll be fine!" Zhao Yi stroked his chin, his eyes filled with interest. "Oh? And who is Winnie?" The girl raised the teddy bear in her hand. "Winnie is the first friend I made in this world!" Zhao Yi reached out, gently stroking the teddy bear in the girl''s arms, a strange light flashing in his eyes. ... [Winnie: Touch-activated Neutral] [Note: It will be alert if you try to harm the girl; if you leave a wound on her, it will go berserk!] [Weakness: Unknown.] ... "What a cute teddy bear, I''ve never seen such an adorable teddy bear!" Zhao Yi said with delight. The girl also showed a bright smile and her white teeth. "Thank you, Brother Zhao Yi!" "You''re praising it so much, Winnie''s a bit shy!" Zhao Yi smiled slightly, walked into the butcher shop, sat down, and said to the Butcher: "Do you have beef?" The Butcher turned around, his devil-like eyes icy cold! "Get out!" "You''re not my customer!" Zhao Yi didn''t mind. "The Clown told me you have a... daughter." The Butcher stopped chopping meat. He turned around and walked towards Zhao Yi. Suddenly, a bone-chilling shadow completely enveloped Zhao Yi! Zhao Yi remained calm, crossing his legs, examining his remaining middle finger under the shop''s red dim light, as if admiring a piece of art. "How long have you been looking for her?" The Butcher coldly asked: "What does that have to do with you?" Zhao Yi smiled: "I have a deal, concerning your daughter." "You obviously can''t leave this butcher shop for long. Even a madman like you who doesn''t like rules has to follow some, right?" The Butcher was silent. He gripped the boning knife tighter! "I can help you search for your daughter in places farther away... like Hanging Valley Town." "I can go to many places you can''t, maybe find some clues." The Butcher: "Do you think that way, I''ll spare you?" Zhao Yi lazily said: "Of course you''ll spare me." "I completed the Clown''s game, proving my ability to you." "Killing one more person or one less, what difference does it make to a Butcher like you who''s washed your hands in a sea of blood?" The Butcher''s hand holding the cleaver trembled slightly. That was a sign of too much force. A momentary lapse seemed to remind him of something long ago. About three to five breaths later. His hand holding the cleaver relaxed. Turning around, he went into the kitchen, soon bringing out a large bowl of steaming braised beef, specially sliced. "Find my daughter, bring her back to me, and you''ll receive a handsome ''reward''!" The Butcher said flatly. With that, he turned back to the bloody counter, chopping bones fiercely! ... [Congratulations on accepting the Hidden Quest of the Big World¡ªFinding the Butcher''s Daughter] [Quest Reward: ???] ... Seeing this quest, Zhao Yi knew that his other guiding quest in the big world was also secured! The Clown had mentioned not long ago. The Butcher was different from it. The Butcher didn''t like following rules. This meant that even if they completed the Butcher''s game according to his rules, he could still kill the player who completed the game if he was in a bad mood! Therefore, Zhao Yi''s first thought was to ask the Clown about the Butcher''s weakness. Zhao Yi just asked in a different way. From the Clown''s mouth, Zhao Yi learned that the Butcher''s weakness was his daughter. Rather than gambling on a possibly meaningless game, Zhao Yi preferred to make a deal with the Butcher. Next, he would quietly wait for the task-doers to return. Across from him, Tian Tian picked up a piece of beef and fed it to Zhao Yi''s mouth, her big eyes forming little moons. "Hehe!" "Brother Zhao Yi, Winnie said your hand is inconvenient, so let me help you eat the beef!" Zhao Yi liked her teddy bear. She also liked her teddy bear. So now... she liked Zhao Yi too. Chapter 38 – Why are you bothering me if you said youre fine? At the entrance of the station, Fang Bai and his two companions were blocked by a group of men. They looked fierce, with cruel and malicious smiles on their faces. Find the original at "pawread dot com". Holding weapons, they trapped the three of them tightly within the safe zone of the General Store! Seeing this, Liu Han, usually so honest and simple, showed a face full of anger! "Xiang Weishan!" "You fucking dared to set us up!" Xiang Weishan, holding a takeout in his hand, stood behind the crowd and sneered coldly at the three of them: "What else?" "Wait for you to complete the task first, and then I die?" "If you want to blame someone, blame Zhao Yi. After all, this Butcher task was approved by him!" Liu Han clenched his fists tightly, wanting to rush forward, but was held back by Fang Bai. "If you rush over now, you''ll just get your legs broken!" Fang Bai was also furious, but he still managed to keep his composure. With so many people on the other side, they had no way to pose any threat to Xiang Weishan! "Stop them, don''t let them leave the station!" Xiang Weishan ordered his underlings, then leisurely left the station himself. Looking at the players around them, who were eyeing them like tigers watching their prey, Bai Shuiji glanced at the terrifying Butcher on the second floor, who was crazily chopping human bones with a knife. Her smooth forehead was covered in nervous sweat. "Are you all idiots?" "Helping Xiang Weishan do his dirty work!" "Can''t you see what kind of person he is?" "Today he can stab us in the back, tomorrow it''ll be you!" She tried to provoke the crowd with her words, her gaze sweeping over many faces. Bai Shuiji could tell that these people weren''t genuinely willing to follow Xiang Weishan. They were helping Xiang Weishan out of fear! This man was ruthless, vicious, and had connections in the Guild, so no one dared to betray him! They had seen Xiang Weishan kill many players before, and naturally, they feared him! So even though they knew Bai Shuiji was telling the truth, no one was willing to make way. Bai Shuiji was desperate and suddenly dashed towards a gap in the crowd, trying to break through the encirclement while they were in a daze. However, she was quickly caught by the hair and subjected to a flurry of punches and kicks! Among them were some perverts who tore off her clothes and groped her. At first, Bai Shuiji let out a piercing scream, but soon she couldn''t scream anymore, collapsing to the ground amidst the beating, her food spilling everywhere! She desperately protected her head, letting out weak whimpers. Her clothes were tattered, her body covered in bruises and bloodstains, blood oozing from her mouth and nose. "Enough! Stop it!" "Don''t kill her!" "You''ll increase your slaughter points, do you want to end up in the Slaughter Arena?" Seeing that Bai Shuiji was almost done for, the kind-hearted Fang Bai shouted angrily, and the crowd surrounding Bai Shuiji suddenly woke up from their trance and quickly dispersed. Looking at the bloody and miserable woman on the ground, they broke out in a cold sweat! They had been so focused on venting their frustration and fear that they almost beat Bai Shuiji to death! Fang Bai stepped forward, carefully dragging Bai Shuiji back to the safe zone under the watchful eyes of the crowd. "Th-thank you..." Bai Shuiji said weakly. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing her in such a state, Liu Han sat down on the ground, muttering in a daze: "It''s over..." "We''re all going to die..." "Xiang Weishan was right... it''s all Zhao Yi''s fault... if he had insisted on the second or third game, maybe we wouldn''t be dying..." Fang Bai frowned at his words: "What nonsense are you talking?" Liu Han turned his head, his eyes bloodshot! "Am I wrong?!" "If he hadn''t said to leave it to fate, would we be in this situation now?!" "If he hadn''t agreed to let Xiang Weishan join our team, would we have been set up by him?!" Fang Bai replied coldly: "You''re fucking crazy!" "Used to bullying the weak?" "Xiang Weishan wronged you, and you don''t dare to touch him, so you take it out on your own people?" "Forgot who led you to get rewards in the last Dungeon?" As if his sore spot had been hit, Liu Han suddenly erupted, grabbing Fang Bai''s collar and shouting maniacally: "Say that again?" Fang Bai looked at the murderous intent in Liu Han''s eyes and shut his mouth. "I''m going to kill Zhao Yi... as long as I kill Zhao Yi, Xiang Weishan will definitely let me leave here... he will definitely!" "Then, I''ll use the excuse of delivering takeout to escape back to the Guild''s base... even if the Butcher is powerful, he can''t kill me in the apartment... yes... I''ll go kill Zhao Yi now!" Driven by fear and having lost his sanity, Liu Han muttered to himself and stumbled towards the second floor. The others, seeing that Liu Han hadn''t left the station, didn''t bother with him, and many even followed him to watch the spectacle! "Zhao Yi!" "Zhao Yi, come out here!" Liu Han took out his Soul Weapon¡ªa crowbar made of bone¡ªand stared crazily at Zhao Yi, who was enjoying his meal in the Butcher Shop! He wanted to kill Zhao Yi but lacked the courage to enter the Butcher Shop! The tall, terrifying Butcher exuding a menacing aura made Liu Han''s limbs weak! Zhao Yi looked up at Liu Han and smiled: "Want to join me for some beef?" At this moment, Liu Han was a stark contrast to his usual honest self, his expression twisted and ferocious, clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown. He pointed the crowbar at Zhao Yi and growled: "Come out here!" Zhao Yi, seeing Liu Han''s state, knew exactly what he was thinking. After chewing slowly, he said to Liu Han: "I''ve talked it over with Mr. Butcher, I can take a few people with me." In an instant, Liu Han''s rage subsided. He was stunned for a moment, appearing somewhat at a loss, but his eyes were filled with immense joy! "Are you... are you serious?!" Zhao Yi: "Of course, I''m serious." "Otherwise, how could I be sitting here eating so leisurely?" "Oh, right... you were looking for me earlier, was there something you needed?" Liu Han hid the crowbar in his hand, stammering: "Uh... I wanted to ask if you had any ideas on how to complete this task..." Zhao Yi squinted and smiled: "Is that so!" "I thought you wanted to kill me to curry favor with Xiang Weishan!" Liu Han''s expression stiffened, but he quickly put on a smile. "How could that be... you''re my benefactor, how could I do such a thing?" "I''m counting on you to get me out of here later!" He awkwardly put away the crowbar in his hand. From the distant staircase, Fang Bai helped the weak Bai Shuiji up to the second floor. Seeing Zhao Yi unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief. "Want some meat?" Zhao Yi asked loudly. Fang Bai glanced at the terrifying Butcher at the door and quickly waved his hand, but then seemed to think of something, so he braced himself and dragged the half-dead Bai Shuiji towards the Butcher Shop. In fact, many players were lingering at the second-floor staircase, but they didn''t dare approach the Butcher Shop or any of the other dark specialty stores. In the pitch-black darkness inside, it seemed as if there were pairs of sinister eyes coldly watching them! Passing by Liu Han, Fang Bai gave him a disdainful look and brought Bai Shuiji to sit across from Zhao Yi! "Zhao Yi... have you found a way to complete the Butcher''s game early?" Seeing Zhao Yi eating so calmly, Fang Bai asked in a low voice. Zhao Yi shook his head. "No." Seeing him like this, Fang Bai''s heart sank. So... is Zhao Yi just waiting to die now? Looking at the meat in front of him, Fang Bai felt a wave of sadness. This might very well be his last meal! Even at Jesus'' table, there were a few dishes, but here he could only have some braised beef. Thinking of this, Fang Bai grabbed a piece of braised beef from the table and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing fiercely! Damn it! If I''m going to die, so be it! I''ll die a full man! Outside, Liu Han saw that Fang Bai and Bai Shuiji were fine after entering the Butcher Shop, yet he still hesitated. After about half an hour of this stalemate, a hoarse laugh echoed from the first floor of the station! "Hahaha!" "I won!" "I won!" "You''re all going to die!" "Die, all of you!" Fang Bai and Liu Han turned around, their faces turning pale. It was Xiang Weishan! He was back! The disheveled figure appeared at the staircase a hundred meters away, missing an arm, his body covered in bloody wounds! Clearly, the process of delivering the food wasn''t easy! With a face full of blood and a sinister grin, he stumbled into the Butcher Shop, looking at the people eating inside, and sneered: "What kind of bullshit rookie ranking number one?" "Competing with me, Xiang Weishan?" "Do you fucking deserve it?" "I just used a little trick, and you really fell for it, you stupid pig!" "Do you think trash like you deserves to be my brother?" Zhao Yi nodded, indicating that he agreed with what Xiang Weishan said. "Indeed." Xiang Weishan snorted coldly. For some reason, seeing Zhao Yi''s calm demeanor made him particularly annoyed. Facing death, and still pretending to be calm? Let''s see how long you can keep up the act! "Butcher!" "I''ve successfully completed your game and was the first to deliver your food. Now... give me my reward!" The Butcher, who was chopping bones, bent his head slightly, holding a cleaver full of minced meat, and slowly approached Xiang Weishan. At the distant second-floor staircase, a group of Xiang Weishan''s underlings watched this scene with excitement! Although they didn''t have any particular fondness for Xiang Weishan, they worked under him, and if he became stronger, their status among the newcomers would naturally rise! Xiang Weishan looked up, staring at the Butcher, a wicked and exaggerated smile forming on his lips. He knew that once he completed the task, the NPC wouldn''t harm him! At this moment, he felt like the Dragon King returning! Come on! Come on! Announce it to the whole district! I, Xiang Weishan, will be the brightest star among the newcomers! I want everyone to know that what you can''t achieve, I, Xiang Weishan, can! And that flirt Liu Ruoqing... haha, she''ll definitely look at me differently, right? In the future, when we get into bed, won''t she just become my plaything? ... In this brief moment, countless scenes of his future glory flashed through Xiang Weishan''s mind, and his smile grew more and more wanton! Until a piercing pain spread from his stomach to his internal organs, jolting him out of his daydream! He slowly looked down. His gaze landed on a massive iron hook that had pierced through his flesh, entering his abdomen! Blood stained his clothes. Fear spread. "No..." Xiang Weishan''s lips trembled, his eyes vacant. He couldn''t understand. He was the first to complete the task, he had done everything the Butcher asked, so why did the Butcher choose to kill him? The ones who should die were Zhao Yi and the others! It was them! They should be the ones to die! Not me! Why? Why! All these questions flowed through his mind like streams, eventually converging on a single point. ¡ªZhao Yi. Xiang Weishan slowly turned his head. Zhao Yi, who was eating beef, was also smiling at him. Polite, elegant. Charming. But it filled Xiang Weishan with an overwhelming sense of despair! He understood that he had ultimately been outsmarted by Zhao Yi! Xiang Weishan reached out towards Zhao Yi, his eyes wide, struggling to utter two words: "Save me..." Zhao Yi approached the Butcher, looking at the dying Xiang Weishan, lazily flicking his remaining middle finger through his bangs, and said: "Why did you have to mess with me?" "Regretting it now?" Xiang Weishan had long lost his previous ruthlessness, the fear of death spreading through every corner of his body, making him look utterly pathetic! He trembled, begging like a dog: "I... I didn''t recognize greatness..." "Please... spare my life..." Zhao Yi didn''t answer, raising his hand to give him the middle finger, his smile radiant! In the next moment, under Xiang Weishan''s horrified gaze, the Butcher''s cleaver came down! The world lost its light. Chapter 39 – Using a knife to kill, Liu Han is in danger The butcher''s knife was swift. From top to bottom, it sliced Xiang Weishan''s upper body in half, blood gushing out violently, the internal mess making one''s whole body go weak! The most terrifying thing was¡ªeven like this, Xiang Weishan wasn''t dead! He made strange noises from his mouth, his hands clawing at the air like seaweed, and a bizarre smile gradually appeared on his face. This smile was identical to the one on the boneless corpse everyone had seen earlier at the guild''s headquarters! Finally, the butcher tossed the chain he held, and Xiang Weishan was immediately hooked and hung upside down from the butcher shop''s ceiling! The body swayed without wind. Xiang Weishan''s underlings stood frozen in place, their faces pale! "What happened?" "Didn''t Xiang Weishan complete the game?" "Why is he dead?" They were too far away to know exactly what happened; they only saw Xiang Weishan shouting, then suddenly attacked by the butcher, and then... he died. At this moment, the three people inside the butcher shop looked equally grim. The butcher... had started killing! Who would be next? Would it be Zhao Yi, standing beside him? They held their breath, their minds blank with fear. But soon, they realized... the butcher didn''t seem to have any intention of continuing the slaughter. He turned back into the butcher shop, brought out a bowl of soup from the kitchen, and handed it to Zhao Yi. "You completed my task, this is your reward." Zhao Yi took the soup from the butcher, a flash of information about the soup appearing in his eyes. ... [Item: The Butcher''s Carefully Cooked Soup] [Quality: Consumable] [Description: Though a butcher, his culinary skills are impeccable, yet for some reason, his food always contains resentment and anger!] [Effect: Overdraw part of your life in advance to gain immense strength, falling into a frenzy where you recognize no one, lasting five minutes. After the frenzy ends, you will lose all combat ability for twelve hours!] [Note: Do you want to be a coward for a lifetime or a hero for a moment?] ... "Thank you." Although this item had significant side effects, its effects were remarkable and could be a lifesaver in certain situations! He accepted the butcher''s soup, and the system began broadcasting news about Zhao Yi. [Congratulations to player Zhao Yi for unlocking a new guild scene¡ªthe Butcher Shop. This scene remains neutral, and players can purchase meat food from the butcher shop, but there is no protection near this scene. Also¡ªdo not attempt to anger the shop''s owner, the butcher.] [World guiding quest completed. Based on participation, player Zhao Yi receives three talent points, players Fang Bai, Bai Shuiji, and Liu Han receive 1 talent point each.] [The world quest has been updated to ''Unravel the Resentment on the Train.'' Please check the system for details.] ... [Guild Chatroom] S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. : The butcher shop is unlocked too? : Damn, this guiding quest that hasn''t been completed in three years is finally done, my youth is over! : Damn, this newcomer really has something! : In the last dungeon, Green Wolf was talking about wanting to recruit Zhao Yi into the guild! : Unfortunately, this world quest is now marked with Zhao Yi''s tag, and even players with higher levels can''t do this map''s world quest... unless he dies. : The person above, your thoughts are dangerous! : If we don''t kill him, we can only wait for him to open the next big map, and the world quest is fully released with NPC side quests, then we have a chance to do it. : Just wait... although the bosses above don''t really care, I think if you really try to kill someone like Zhao Yi, they probably won''t sit idly by, because the value of such a person to the guild is hard to measure! ... The chatroom was filled with various discussions. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the ]" They were all envious of the rewards, but due to some special rules, they couldn''t take on some recent tasks. So, some had sinister thoughts. They wanted Zhao Yi dead. The All Freeloaders guild was different from other guilds because there was no clear prohibition against players killing each other, so they had many ways to kill each other. The brutal competition made many newcomers in the guild want to switch guilds. But changing guilds was troublesome. It required passing a deadly assessment. The terrifying death rate of that thing deterred many players who wanted to switch guilds. Meanwhile, Zhao Yi, after the system announcement, didn''t leave immediately to heal at the guild''s base but instead asked the butcher about his daughter. "Do you have any information about your daughter?" The butcher paused his work, stood in place thinking for a few seconds, then turned back to a resting room, took out a key, opened the door, and brought out an old recorder and a damaged ID card. "I can''t remember much about things before I died." The butcher said. The recorder was stained with fresh blood, never drying, never to dry. The love the butcher had for his daughter in life turned into endless hatred and murderous intent after his death, attached to the recorder! One could imagine something must have happened back then. Zhao Yi took the ID card from the butcher''s hand and glanced at it. The butcher''s daughter''s name was Sun Baibai. She was a very beautiful, slender girl. Putting these two items into his storage space, Zhao Yi said: "I''ll do it as soon as possible." "Also... I need to take a few people with me." The butcher coldly replied: "You can take them all." The guiding quest was complete, and now it was a neutral entity, no longer holding obvious hostility towards players. Moreover, Zhao Yi was going to help it find its daughter. So the butcher had no reason to refuse Zhao Yi. The few people in the shop were overjoyed upon hearing this, trembling with excitement! The butcher''s words clearly meant he wouldn''t kill them! Not only did they survive, but they also gained two talent points for free! Bai Shuiji, who was initially weak, could now walk without Fang Bai''s support after gaining a point of strength! Zhao Yi glanced at the people inside, showing his signature smile. "No... actually, I didn''t plan to take them all." "There are some things I can''t do, but you can help me with." "After all, you''ve done this many times before." The crowd''s expressions froze upon hearing this, then they suddenly realized, Zhao Yi was going to borrow a knife to kill! The butcher straightforwardly asked: "Who do you want to kill?" Zhao Yi''s gaze fell on Liu Han, whose face turned deathly pale! "No..." "Zhao Yi... you have no reason to kill me!" "I haven''t done anything to wrong you... I''m just like them!" Liu Han, sweating profusely, frantically explained. Zhao Yi gently flicked his hair with the middle finger of his left hand, smiling as he replied: "I never mind sharing meat with others." "But there are two things I can''t tolerate..." "First is someone eating the meat from my bowl." "Second is someone who relies on me to eat meat... wanting to eat the meat off my body!" "I have no interest in killing, but that doesn''t mean I won''t kill." "You should have understood this long ago... but it''s okay..." "Be careful in your next life." Chapter 40 – Butchers recording The Butcher, in front of everyone, skinned Liu Han alive. With one hand, he grabbed Liu Han, and with the other, he tore at Liu Han''s face. Amid Liu Han''s piercing screams and terrified eyes, he ripped off Liu Han''s skin entirely! Blood splattered everywhere. The hellish scene almost made Fang Bai and Bai Shuiji vomit! Even some guild members in the distance, though obscured by the dark curtain, could vaguely make out the scene, sending chills down their spines! Under the dim red light, Zhao Yi suddenly turned around and smiled at them. Half of his face hidden in the shadows looked as terrifying as a fierce ghost! They shivered and stumbled as they fled downstairs! "The guiding quest is completed. Do you want to go back?" Looking at the terrified Fang Bai and Bai Shuiji, Zhao Yi said earnestly: "Don''t worry, I''m not the kind of ruthless person. Killing is quite difficult for someone as kind and soft-hearted as me." Fang Bai cautiously glanced at Zhao Yi. Kind? Soft-hearted? Killing is difficult for you? Are you kidding me? If he hadn''t seen Zhao Yi casually kill two people just now, he might have been fooled by Zhao Yi''s harmlessly handsome face! "Anyway, these two attribute points are thanks to you, so I must thank you!" "As long as it''s not my life, everything else is negotiable!" Fang Bai gritted his teeth as he spoke. The situation had developed to this point, and he roughly understood that Zhao Yi was no ordinary person! He should have realized it earlier. How could the strongest person who emerged from thousands be someone kind-hearted? But Zhao Yi''s previous dungeon live stream, where he always brought along Yang Linlin, made all the viewers think he was a pushover. The four of them headed towards the guild''s base. On the way, they saw many players already starting to transport supplies. Fang Bai and Bai Shuiji walked behind Zhao Yi in silence for a while. Fang Bai looked up at Zhao Yi and Tian Tian ahead and suddenly said: "Zhao Yi..." Zhao Yi turned back. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What''s up?" Fang Bai''s expression was a bit conflicted. "You killed Xiang Weishan, and that might... cause some trouble!" "I heard from a friend before that Xiang Weishan has an older brother, also a member of the rogue guild. He joined early and is part of the core group. Although no one saw you personally kill Xiang Weishan, you completed the Butcher''s game, so his death is inevitably linked to you!" "I''m worried he might retaliate against you... In this matter, we really can''t help you, so be careful!" Fang Bai''s small team didn''t have much backing. Precisely because of this, someone like Zhao Yi was a rare find for them! Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com. Having gone through the Clown quest and the Butcher quest together, he saw Zhao Yi''s abilities and showed Zhao Yi his sincerity. Fang Bai, even under competitive conditions, helped Zhao Yi pack his food, proving he was completely different from ungrateful, cowardly people like Liu Han. "I''ll be careful." He wasn''t surprised that Xiang Weishan had a backer. Anyone with a bit of sense could guess that. In a world without legal constraints, gathering a group of people in such a short time couldn''t rely solely on not-so-impressive strength. Zhao Yi returned to the guild base, entered his room, turned on the computer, and began searching for the name Sun Baibai. The Hell Game forum recorded many things about the Chaotic Realm, so maybe he could find some clues in the posts! But after going through almost all the posts about ''Sun Baibai,'' Zhao Yi found nothing. Those named Sun Baibai were either NPCs from other places or players. Rubbing his temples, Zhao Yi fell into deep thought. Thinking is the fastest way to solve his doubts and calm himself down. Tasks issued by NPCs are usually designed. This means the Butcher''s daughter couldn''t have died inexplicably in an unknown gutter. Even if she did die in a gutter, she would definitely turn into a fierce ghost causing chaos! Zhao Yi pondered for a while and took out the recording device given by the Butcher. He clicked play. A noisy conversation came through. [Baibai, has the train arrived at Hanging Valley Town?] [Dad... it''s so cold here...] [Cold? Baibai, are you in Hanging Valley Town now?] [I''m... I don''t know... I can''t see, sob sob...] [Baibai! What happened? Don''t cry, tell Dad, Dad will figure something out!] [Sob sob Dad... I... they... I don''t want to go to Hanging Valley Town...] [What''s going on, Baibai, tell Dad clearly.] [Dad... Baibai is so cold... can you come and take Baibai home?] [Okay, Baibai, where are you? Dad will come get you now!] [I''m at... at...] [Hello? Baibai? Where are you? Baibai! Speak up! Don''t scare Dad! Baibai?!] [...] The two voices were urgent. Even from the recording, a few useful pieces of information could be gathered. 1. Sun Baibai boarded a train to Hanging Valley Town. 2. The Butcher wasn''t with his daughter, Sun Baibai. 3. Something must have happened during the train''s journey. Zhao Yi opened the system map. Most of the map between their guild area and Hanging Valley Town was undeveloped and blacked out. Those areas needed to be unlocked through quests. So he couldn''t go there now. It seemed the Butcher''s quest had to be put on hold for now. Thinking of this, Zhao Yi opened the system again to check the latest world quest. There were still a few days until the next month''s dungeon update, so he decided to see if this quest was something he could get involved in. ... [World Quest: Liberate the Resentment on the Train (Dungeon)] [Recommended Level: 3-6] [Recommended Players: 6] [Quest Reward: 2 Free Talent Points (only for participants)] [Description: You''ve arrived at an abandoned train station. After some searching, you discover a small train with six short carriages and a locomotive. Excited, you enter the train to inspect it, hoping to see if it can be started, only to find some strange figures in the carriages...] ... Chapter 41 – Trouble comes to the door This quest is marked for levels three to six. And Zhao Yi is currently at level three. The quest is in dungeon mode, which means once a player decides to take on this quest, they must complete it! Either complete the quest... or die! This isn''t like the previous Butcher game, where players could run back to the guild headquarters and act like a coward while helping the Butcher deliver takeout. There, players were absolutely safe. Even if the Butcher really wanted to kill the players, it was impossible! But this quest is different. Any quest that appears in dungeon form will inevitably transport the player into an independent space-time! Players have no way to escape! Liu Ruoqing had already warned Zhao Yi that the world quests in the Chaotic Realm are far more dangerous than dungeons. Moreover, since players only have one life in the world quest, unless they have special items like a substitute doll, death means real death, with no chance of revival. He wasn''t in a hurry. Zhao Yi closed the computer, leaned back in his chair, and gently rubbed his hands. His hands, which had lost fingers, itched intensely. Tearing off the bandage with his teeth, he saw his severed fingers regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye! First the bones, then the nerves, capillaries, and finally the muscles. In about three to five minutes, his hand was as good as new! It was miraculous, but in this bizarre world, it didn''t seem so hard to accept. Bang! A heavy knocking sound came from outside the door. To be precise, it sounded more like a kick. Zhao Yi went to the door, opened it, and found a group of menacing-looking people standing outside! They looked fierce, with cold and mocking eyes fixed on Zhao Yi. "Who are you looking for?" This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Zhao Yi asked knowingly. "For you." The tattooed man leading the group, smoking a cigarette, had his nostrils flared arrogantly. If the situation weren''t so inappropriate, Zhao Yi would have liked to ask him what brand of shampoo he used to make his nose hair so shiny and robust! "Although I know saying this might make me seem childish, not styling your lush and flowing nose hair into an interesting hairstyle is really a disservice to your nostrils, which are bigger than dermatitis." As soon as Zhao Yi spoke, the tattooed man''s blood rushed to his head! What a sharp tongue! He clenched his fists, wanting to enter Zhao Yi''s room, but it was clearly futile. Not even Uncle Quan, the guild leader, could get in if he wanted to! "You''ve caused a big mess and don''t even realize it, yet you dare insult me here?" "I think you''re tired of living!" The man pressed against the air wall at the door, eyes blazing with anger! Seeing the man look like he wanted to tear him apart, a light bulb went off in Zhao Yi''s head. He immediately grabbed a large durian from his coffee table and placed it on the floor by the door. "This thing was a gift from Sister Liu. I wanted to eat it, but couldn''t find the tools. Since you''re all just standing around, why not help me open the durian?" The people outside paused in their breathing, looking at Zhao Yi as if he were an idiot, wondering what was wrong with him. Anyone with eyes should know they were here to cause trouble. And this guy actually wanted them to help him open a durian? "You don''t seem to understand your current situation... but I can be merciful enough to tell you..." The tattooed man pressed against the air wall tried to make his expression as fierce as possible to intimidate Zhao Yi. "No need." Zhao Yi decisively interrupted him, took a step back, and revoked the permission. The air wall disappeared, and the tattooed man, caught off guard, stumbled forward onto the floor! "Shit!" He yelped, eyes wide as he watched his forehead slam into the spiky durian! Splat! The durian split open. With a bit of blood. Zhao Yi squatted on the floor, looking at the durian smashed into pieces, and patted the tattooed man''s head like he was petting a dog, praising: "Your forehead is impressive!" "Have you practiced Iron Head Kung Fu?" The tattooed man, lying on the floor, had never been humiliated like this by a rookie. He trembled all over, his anger clouding his mind! "I practice your mom!" He roared like a mad beast, slapped the ground, and jumped up, ready to punch Zhao Yi to vent his anger. However, in the next moment, he was thrown out of the room by a terrifying force! Like throwing out the trash. It turned out Zhao Yi had closed the room''s shared permissions! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Thanks for opening the durian for me." Zhao Yi took a bite of the durian fruit and smiled at the tattooed man outside, whose eyes were ablaze. The tattooed man hammered the air wall at Zhao Yi''s door, sneering: "If you have the guts, stay inside forever..." Bang! Before he could finish his threat, Zhao Yi had already closed the door, leaving him with a large 404 room number. The smile on the tattooed man''s face froze as he looked at the room number, feeling like his lungs were about to explode! This rookie... this rookie named Zhao Yi... Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How dare he? How dare he be so disrespectful to him?! As his face turned dark and stormy, inappropriate laughter came from the side. "Pfft!" The tattooed man turned his head slowly at the sound, facing a skinny underling with his durian-covered face. "What are you laughing at?" He asked coldly. The underling immediately wiped the smile off his face, shivering all over. "I... just thought of something happy!" The tattooed man approached step by step, his presence so oppressive that the thin underling couldn''t breathe. "What happy thing?" "Speak!" The underling wore a mournful expression. "Before we came in..." "My wife... died in childbirth!" "Old Wang next door cried harder than I did!" "Do you think he''s stupid?" Everyone turned to him with a look of brotherly solidarity. The tattooed man no longer blamed him, choosing to forgive, and walked downstairs with a belly full of anger. "Keep an eye on this brat 24/7 for me, I don''t believe he won''t come out!" "This guy is someone the boss wants, don''t be sloppy or careless!" "Yes!" A group of underlings bowed, holding their weapons and keeping a close watch on Zhao Yi''s door. ... That evening, as usual, Zhao Yi was caught while going out for a walk after dinner and taken to room 511 of the guild headquarters. A middle-aged man, who looked gentle and refined, sat in the room, slowly brewing tea. He exuded a strong aura of authority. "Was Weishan with you during the Butcher game?" The middle-aged man asked slowly. Zhao Yi replied: "Yes." The middle-aged man put down the purple clay teapot, glanced at Zhao Yi, and said calmly: "How did he die?" Zhao Yi: "I killed him." "Why did you kill him?" Faced with the middle-aged man''s question, Zhao Yi fell into thought. After a long time, he looked up with a chilling smile. "If you ask me who killed Xiang Weishan, I''ll honestly tell you it was me." "But if you ask me why I killed him, I really can''t answer right away." "Maybe because... it was fun?" As he said this, the people around him instinctively took a small step back. Even though they were all players above level ten, they shouldn''t have reacted this way to a rookie like Zhao Yi. But at that moment... they inexplicably felt a chill down their spines! Chapter 42 – Liu Ruoqings visit In extreme survival environments, it''s not uncommon for people to kill each other out of selfishness, and such occurrences have become routine. But there''s a small group of people whose killings aren''t for survival. Clearly, Zhao Yi is part of this small group. And he''s a particularly dangerous part. He kills because he finds it fun, which isn''t a suitable reason¡ªor rather, there''s no reason at all. That''s why such people are extremely dangerous. One moment he might be joking with you, and the next, he could pull out a shotgun and blow your head off like a watermelon. You never know when you''ve landed on his hit list. Unlike the other underlings, the middle-aged man drinking tea appeared very calm. He looked at Zhao Yi seriously and asked: "Do you know who I am?" Zhao Yi replied: "No idea." "Let me guess... you''re Xiang Weishan''s brother?" The middle-aged man nodded. "That''s right. Since you''ve heard of me, you should understand what kind of person I, Xiang Babang, am..." Before he could finish, Zhao Yi interrupted him. "No, actually, I haven''t heard of you." "And I seriously doubt you''re your father''s biological son... If not for Old Wang''s interference, your father really shouldn''t have given you such a personally vindictive name." Zhao Yi said this very seriously, not just slandering. If it weren''t for Old Wang''s meddling, how could a father give his son such an outrageous name? The underlings in the room turned pale, occasionally casting sympathetic glances. Having served Xiang Babang for so long, they knew well how ruthless he was! And they understood that as the leader of the Fierce Charge Gang, Xiang Babang hated people making jokes about his name the most. Zhao Yi was courting death! "You think you''re funny?" Xiang Babang''s eyelids drooped slightly, a hint of murderous intent in his tone! "Not bad, I do consider myself quite humorous." "Describing me with just ''handsome'' seems a bit lacking." Zhao Yi boldly sat on the sofa in Xiang Babang''s room, crossed his legs, and opened a bottle of water. Xiang Babang had been navigating this bizarre world for years, finally climbing to his current position, barely becoming a local tyrant in the guild. Usually, rookies would go to great lengths to flatter him, but Zhao Yi was a bold and audacious maverick. The tattooed man from earlier pulled out a gun and aimed it at the back of Zhao Yi''s head, his gaze sharp. As soon as Xiang Babang gave the order, he would blow Zhao Yi''s head off. Although players wouldn''t die in the guild''s base, precisely because they wouldn''t die, they had countless ways to torture Zhao Yi until he went mad! "You dare kill the boss''s brother, you should pay the price!" The tattooed man''s face was extremely ferocious, vividly recalling Zhao Yi''s earlier humiliation! As a veteran in the Hell game, being humiliated by a rookie, how could he hold his head high in front of his underlings in the future? "I understand, he can kill me, but I can''t kill him." Even with a gun to his head, Zhao Yi remained unfazed. "Because he has a good brother, and I don''t." Xiang Babang squinted his eyes, coldly saying: "Since you understand this principle, you shouldn''t have killed my brother!" Zhao Yi drank some water and placed the bottle on the coffee table. Then he made a gun gesture with his hand, aiming at Xiang Babang. "Do you know what I''m thinking?" Xiang Babang coldly replied: "I don''t need to know a madman''s thoughts, but soon... you''ll know what I''m thinking..." Zhao Yi interrupted him, his expression suddenly becoming extremely fierce and unwilling! "I''m thinking, if I had a shotgun right now, I could blow your head off with one shot!" Seeing Zhao Yi''s expression, Xiang Babang wasn''t angry but pleased, feeling like he had regained some ground, his demeanor returning. He brushed off the dust from his clothes, lit a cigarette, and sneered: "Look at you, pathetic like a worm, so poor you can''t even afford a gun!" "I..." Bang! Before he could finish, a shotgun appeared in Zhao Yi''s hand, and he pulled the trigger, blasting Xiang Babang''s head to pieces! Blood and flesh splattered everywhere! A wisp of smoke slowly rose from the dark muzzle of Zhao Yi''s gun. Everyone in the room was stunned, silent as the grave! In the guild''s base, even if a player was burned to ashes, they could resurrect, but that wasn''t important... What was important was that a level-three rookie player had just shot a level-twenty-two player in his own room! "Did you think he should have dodged that shot?" Zhao Yi smiled, putting away the gun under the shocked and hostile gazes of everyone. He had done what he needed to do. Zhao Yi knew it would be difficult to leave this room on his own today. But before these people could kill him, he decided to do something first. He knew that with the other party on guard, he had no way to harm Xiang Babang. So, he once again used his words and acting skills to divert Xiang Babang''s attention, creating the illusion that he didn''t have a gun, and finally, unexpectedly, pulled out the gun and took him down. Perhaps Xiang Babang''s strength was high, but clearly, he hadn''t exchanged for any powerful bloodlines or strong ghostly limbs, so his body couldn''t withstand the shotgun Yang Linlin had given Zhao Yi. He shattered Xiang Babang''s head. The next moment, the tattooed man, who had come to his senses, also shot Zhao Yi''s head to pieces! ... Zhao Yi was no stranger to death. Not long after he lost consciousness, he found himself in a familiar dark cage. Inside were thousands of bizarre and terrifying monsters, chained tightly to bronze pillars, roaring madly at Zhao Yi! Zhao Yi was a regular here. He wasn''t afraid of these terrifying monsters; on the contrary, they were afraid of him. Because they were the ones Zhao Yi had captured from the outside world and imprisoned here. ¡ªFrom Zhao Yi''s patients. In their eyes, Zhao Yi had no form. He was an unknown secret. An unreadable truth. The master of this unknown edge! Anger, jealousy, obsession, brutality, bloodlust... Zhao Yi could clearly call out the names of these monsters he had locked up here. As soon as he approached, those monsters that roared angrily at him would bow their heads and play dead. As Zhao Yi patrolled his world, a crack suddenly appeared in the gray sky, letting out a beam of light. Zhao Yi looked up. "Revived so soon?" He sighed. ... When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Yi was tied to an electric chair. The bright light made Zhao Yi somewhat uncomfortable. In front of him was a group of vicious people, looking at Zhao Yi with mocking and cruel smiles. Xiang Babang had already cleaned the blood off himself, changed into a clean and tidy suit, his face so dark it seemed like it could drip water! To be honest, Zhao Yi''s shot earlier hadn''t harmed his body, but it had severely damaged his spirit! With so many underlings watching, a level-twenty-two veteran player being shot in the head by a level-three rookie in his own room¡ªwhat a humiliation! What a disgrace! If word got out, where would he put his face? Xiang Babang couldn''t accept it! He decided not to waste words with someone like Zhao Yi and went straight for the torture devices! First, let Zhao Yi experience extreme pain, make him scream and beg for mercy, regain his dignity, and then, once Zhao Yi left the guild''s base on his own, they''d find a way to deal with him! "Do you know what this is?" Xiang Babang raised his right hand, holding the controller, and asked fiercely. "Ah, the electric chair... Well, for ordinary people, it''s indeed a hard-to-bear punishment. However, for me... it''s obviously not very effective." Zhao Yi''s face still bore that creepy smile. Seeing this smile, Xiang Babang was suddenly infuriated, veins bulging on his neck, the cultivated demeanor disappearing, replaced by madness! He slammed the button on the controller, and a strong electric current instantly coursed through Zhao Yi''s body! S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zzz! Zhao Yi convulsed violently, his hair exploding into a mess, his skin sparking under the strong current, quickly turning white. Within seconds, everyone could clearly smell the aroma of cooked meat in the air... Zhao Yi hung his head, motionless. About a minute later, Zhao Yi''s injuries began to heal, and he gradually regained consciousness. "How does it feel?" Xiang Babang sneered. Zhao Yi replied: "Not bad. Strong electric shocks can bring immense pain in a short time, but if you can get used to it... it''s actually quite pleasant." "Why don''t you give it a few more tries?" Xiang Babang''s smile froze. Everyone felt their breath catch. Pleasant? This Zhao Yi... could he have a masochistic tendency? Damn! How do you deal with this? The group, at a loss, looked to Xiang Babang for guidance. Xiang Babang stared at Zhao Yi, bloodshot eyes. "You must be in pain... why pretend?" "If it hurts, scream!" "Don''t hold it in!" Zhao Yi lowered his eyes, glanced at the controller in his hand, and said: "Can I have that?" Xiang Babang, hearing this, mocked: "What?" "Acting tough earlier, now you''re scared?" Zhao Yi replied: "No, I think the product experience was pretty good. If you don''t press it, I can do it myself." Xiang Babang: "???" The group stared at Zhao Yi, speechless for a moment. This guy... definitely has some issues! Seeing them silent, Zhao Yi continued on his own: "Actually, just playing with the electric chair is a bit dull. You could add some variety!" "Like boiling a frog in warm water, roasting quail eggs... Do you know what''s the most extreme?" The group shook their heads numbly. Zhao Yi shook the electric chair violently, moving forward a few steps, startling Xiang Babang! He quickly drew his soul weapon, a large electric baton, aiming at Zhao Yi, tense all over! In the past, he would have found his behavior shameful. A level-twenty-two veteran player, facing a rookie, yet still on high alert! But now, after Zhao Yi had blown his head off, he was worried Zhao Yi might pull another trick and kill him again when he wasn''t looking! If that happened again, he''d truly lose face! But this time, Zhao Yi clearly had no intention or ability to harm him again. Seeing Xiang Babang''s wary expression, Zhao Yi excitedly said: "The most extreme method was told to me by a patient before¡ªskinning!" "You prepare a pot of mercury, then cut a cross on my head, and pour the mercury in. The weight of the mercury will separate my skin from the muscle tissue, all the way down... Finally, a complete human skin is made!" "Usually, at this point, I should still be alive, and I can jump out of my skin... and dance for everyone, for entertainment!" As Zhao Yi spoke, he became more and more excited, animatedly! The group watched Zhao Yi, saliva flying, feeling a chill, instinctively moving away from him... This guy... is he even human? Seeing him like this, Xiang Babang slumped into the chair behind him, lighting a cigarette with a troubled expression. This was probably the first time he had been so troubled about how to torture someone. In the guild''s base, a safe zone, they couldn''t kill Zhao Yi, nor could they drag him out of the guild''s base. So torture and threats were their only way to make a player quickly admit their mistakes. But now... this method was completely ineffective on Zhao Yi! This guy... might not only be a masochist but also an extremely twisted madman and pervert! After a long time. Xiang Babang extinguished the cigarette. Before he could speak, a crisp knock came from the door. An underling, under Xiang Babang''s signal, opened the door. A beautiful and enchanting figure appeared. Fiery red lips, eyes full of allure. "Zhao Yi, come with me." Liu Ruoqing spoke lazily. Zhao Yi shook the electric chair violently, trying to turn around, then, while tied up, used his gluteal muscles skillfully to inch like a snail to the door. None of the fierce underlings dared to stop him. Their eyes, filled with blatant desire, held an indelible fear when looking at Liu Ruoqing. "In my territory, taking someone without notifying me, isn''t that against the rules?" Xiang Babang, already in a foul mood today, had his day ruined by Zhao Yi, losing face! Now Liu Ruoqing came and directly ignored him, wanting to take Zhao Yi away, almost as if throwing his face on the ground and stomping on it. How could someone as arrogant and domineering as him tolerate this? As Zhao Yi moved out of the room, Liu Ruoqing flicked her fingers, and the ropes on Zhao Yi fell off! Then Liu Ruoqing looked up at Xiang Babang, a hint of confusion in her beautiful eyes. "And who are you?" Those three words froze the air. Xiang Babang clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, but he still tried to keep his expression from collapsing. He wanted to rush out and kill Liu Ruoqing. But he knew... he wasn''t a match for Liu Ruoqing! The difference in their strength... was too great! This seemingly seductive mature woman was one of the top combat forces in the Bone Zone! No matter how angry he was... he had to endure! Chapter 43 – World Quest Dungeon Opened "I haven''t seen you on the seventh floor." Liu Ruoqing''s tone carried a hint of indifference. The seventh floor was where the top-tier veterans of the All Freeloaders guild resided. Only those recognized by these veterans were qualified to move in. This created a stark contrast in status between players on the seventh floor and those below, a gap that became more pronounced as players grew stronger. This was why many newcomers coveted Liu Ruoqing''s beauty, but the longer they survived and the stronger they became, the more they feared her. "Also..." "I can''t control what happens in the dungeon, but if you dare to cause trouble at the guild''s base..." Liu Ruoqing flashed a playful smile at Xiang Babang. His face turned from anger to pale in an instant, his clenched fists trembling, and cold sweat broke out on his back. Liu Ruoqing turned and led Zhao Yi away. Xiang Babang sat in silence for a long time before instructing the tattooed man beside him. The latter''s expression was peculiar, a sinister grin hidden beneath his icy demeanor. We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. "Go, and keep it clean. Don''t cause me any trouble," Xiang Babang said coldly. The tattooed man nodded and left the room. ... Bang. The woman closed the door, rolling her eyes at Zhao Yi, who was peeling a mandarin on the sofa. "You''re quite at home." Zhao Yi replied, "The view from the seventh floor is nice." Liu Ruoqing plopped down on the sofa opposite Zhao Yi, crossing her legs. Her silk robe slipped, revealing a tantalizing pair of long legs. "What''s so great about it? It''s the same as below." Zhao Yi ate the mandarin, wiped his hands with a tissue, and looked at Liu Ruoqing, who was studying him with interest. "You saved me. What do you want me to do for you?" Liu Ruoqing propped her delicate chin with one hand, her tone playful. "Can''t it be that I just wanted to stand up for you?" Zhao Yi laughed. "It could be, but I don''t like owing people favors. Besides, I think a woman like you must be more ruthless and cunning than most, which is why those scoundrels fear you so much." Liu Ruoqing covered her mouth and laughed. "You''re interesting... So, guess why I saved you?" Zhao Yi thought for a moment. "I don''t know, but it''s definitely not because I''m handsome." Liu Ruoqing rolled her eyes, poured herself a small glass of red wine, and sipped it. "You look like someone I know." Zhao Yi chuckled, "An ex-boyfriend?" Liu Ruoqing blinked her big eyes, "Exactly." Zhao Yi was taken aback. Liu Ruoqing continued, "I still have some unresolved issues with him." "Then why not just find him?" "He''s dead." "How did he die?" ... "Is Sister Liu your informant?" Fang Bai smiled wryly, opening a beer and handing it to Zhao Yi. "I saw you being taken away and got worried. I don''t have any connections or abilities, so I went to the guild''s top brass. Uncle Quan and the others seemed busy, so only Sister Liu and an old player who wouldn''t open his door were on the seventh floor. Luckily, Sister Liu is kind-hearted, or you''d be in trouble!" Zhao Yi smiled without saying anything. After a few bites, he changed the subject. "How many died in the new quest?" "Six teams went, six teams died. Six people per team, thirty-six in total." Fang Bai explained to Zhao Yi, looking a bit hesitant and worried. "I''m not sure I dare take on this quest. It might be beyond our capabilities!" Zhao Yi bit into a spicy lamb intestine, oil dripping from his mouth. "How will you know if you don''t try? If you guys don''t go, I''ll go alone." Fang Bai glanced at Zhao Yi, feeling increasingly conflicted. He wanted to be as bold and reckless as Zhao Yi, but he couldn''t bring himself to gamble with his life. Two talent points. One life. They couldn''t afford to lose! "The bodies of the dead were left to rot at the station, in a horrific state, almost unrecognizable. It seems they suffered immense fear and pain before dying." "The most troublesome part is that no information has come from the dungeon, and no one knows what it''s like inside." Bai Shuiji also coveted those two talent points, but the terrifying death rate of the quest made her hesitate. Zhao Yi turned to Tian Tian and asked, "Are you going, Tian Tian?" Tian Tian, who was busy eating, seemed not to understand what Zhao Yi was saying but agreed anyway. This girl, like before, seemed indifferent to everything around her, including her own life. After dinner, Fang Bai and Zhao Yi clinked bottles and drank two beers. During this time, Bai Shuiji changed her mind and decided to go with Zhao Yi. The events of the Butcher game made Bai Shuiji realize the importance of strength in this world. "Good luck!" Fang Bai saw them off at the guild''s base. The three of them headed once more to the abandoned station. Entering through the station entrance, they greeted the Clown and proceeded to the platform through the ticket gate. The dim platform was littered with broken bodies, but fortunately, many players were around to help clean up. Otherwise, the gruesome scene would be enough to scare off some timid newcomers! Beside the platform stood a short train on the overgrown tracks, its rusty exterior bearing the marks of time. Not far from the locomotive''s door, a mysterious glowing circle shone. Most players kept their distance, seemingly wary of it. It appeared to be the dungeon''s entrance. "Don''t run away! Just because many have died doesn''t mean you shouldn''t do the quest!" "Two talent points!" Four people stood near the circle, trying to recruit others. The dungeon required a minimum of five and a maximum of nine players to open, but no one was willing to join them. Zhao Yi and his group approached, introducing themselves briefly. The four were a greasy middle-aged man with a receding hairline named Wang Xu, a quiet girl named Li Miaomiao, a muscular young man named Wen Long, and a white-haired old lady leaning on a cane named Qin Xiufang. When they heard Zhao Yi was in the team, their expressions changed subtly. The middle-aged man even warmly chatted with Zhao Yi. Li Miaomiao shot a look of disgust at the greasy man, seemingly repulsed by his clumsy attempt to cozy up to Zhao Yi. "Since everyone is ready, shall we go in?" The first to speak was the old lady, Qin Xiufang. The others exchanged glances. Wang Xu said, "Alright, given how many have died, there must be unimaginable dangers inside. We must stick together!" He extended his hand in the middle, signaling everyone to join in. Li Miaomiao hesitated but reluctantly placed her hand on top. "Good luck, everyone!" Wang Xu shouted, rallying them. Then, they stepped into the circle, a white light enveloping them, and they lost consciousness... ... Boom¡ª A loud thunderclap sounded, and after being shrouded by dark clouds for so long, the rain finally unleashed its fury on the ground! Zhao Yi opened his eyes to find himself in the sixth carriage of the train. He surveyed his surroundings. Outside, it was dark and stormy. The platform was in ruins, devoid of life except for raindrops, and the players'' fragmented bodies were nowhere to be seen. The carriage was filled with a mix of dust and rust. It was vast and empty, the lights flickering incessantly. The atmosphere was cold and deathly silent, with no other players in sight. It seemed they had been scattered. Slowly rising, Zhao Yi moved to the aisle, ready to explore, when a creepy laugh echoed behind him. "Hee hee hee..." Zhao Yi heard the laugh but didn''t turn around. Instead, he continued to explore ahead, collecting important items like a box of scattered pencils and an old, graffiti-covered metal pencil case. Since the dungeon''s task was to unravel these grievances, Zhao Yi needed to understand what had happened here. "Hee hee hee..." The eerie laugh sounded again, closer this time. It was a little girl''s voice, but Zhao Yi still didn''t turn around. He examined the pencil case carefully. It was sturdy, not easily deformed by a single hand... but the one Zhao Yi held was twisted from side pressure. Zhao Yi glanced to the corner of the carriage, where a tattered backpack and a small black suitcase lay. He pondered for a moment. Putting away the pencil case, he approached the backpack. Inside were elementary school textbooks and notebooks, covered with children''s colorful doodles. They held little value. The notebooks were neatly written, with a parent''s signature on every page, indicating the child''s parents cared about their child''s... academics. Zhao Yi''s gaze shifted to the small black suitcase in the corner. ... [Luggage: High-level danger] [Note: You have enough curiosity, but... never try to open it!] ... Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Yi seemed to understand something and walked directly to the suitcase. As he reached it, the eerie laugh came right behind him, almost whispering in his ear! "Hee hee hee... Open it..." "Open it!" "Open it!!" "Open it!!!" Chapter 44 – It will keep staring at you The voice lingering in Zhao Yi''s ear possessed a magical power. It seemed to have some control over the player''s actions. Zhao Yi''s fingers involuntarily touched the zipper of the suitcase. The eerie voice kept urging Zhao Yi to open the black suitcase, but his hand remained still on the zipper. Gradually, the voice grew impatient, but Zhao Yi was as stubborn as a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. Eventually, Zhao Yi even stood up, ignoring the voice entirely, and walked towards the fifth carriage. Behind him, a small, twisted black shadow watched Zhao Yi''s back with extreme resentment in its eyes! Its shadow slowly dissipated, but before long, Zhao Yi unexpectedly returned to the carriage in reverse! His hand, once again as if guided by some unseen force, touched the black suitcase. The eerie shadow reappeared as expected, a delighted smile on its pale, cold face, standing behind Zhao Yi, tilting its head and shouting: "Yes, just like that! Open it!!!" "Op¡ª" The voice abruptly stopped mid-sentence. The development of the situation seemed to differ somewhat from its expectations. In front of it, Zhao Yi''s left hand gently caressed the black suitcase, while his right hand suddenly pulled out a gleaming scalpel! He flashed a bright smile and then stabbed fiercely into the suitcase! Squelch! With the first stab, he clearly felt it sink into a pile of sludge, and then putrid blood began to seep out through the seams! The black suitcase thumped and struggled violently! Zhao Yi gripped the scalpel tightly and began to stab precisely and frantically along the small gap! With a strength of 21 points, his hand speed was faster than many homebound novelists'' phase rush, and each stab of the scalpel hit the same spot accurately! For other players, this kind of attack would have little effect on specters or monsters with strong vitality. But Zhao Yi was different. His Soul Weapon had slight chaos damage! Although he didn''t know the exact value of this damage, judging by the amount of blood splattering with each attack, this slight chaos damage was already enough! Since this specter couldn''t come out on its own... Zhao Yi had no reason to hold back! After over a thousand stabs, Zhao Yi finally heard the system notification in his ear! [Congratulations on killing the Vengeful Ghost, Soul Weapon has been enhanced] [Attempting to reconstruct Evil Deity Meme... 0.02%... Reconstruction failed, insufficient energy, please keep trying...] [From this meme reconstruction, you gained 4 Strength, and your Soul Weapon acquired a slight chaotic power] "Is it finally dead?" From the black suitcase, a large amount of putrid blood seeped through the seams, staining Zhao Yi''s body and face. The eerie voice in his ear had disappeared at some point. The ghostly shadow close to him cautiously retreated, seemingly afraid of disturbing the silent Zhao Yi... However, it accidentally made a small noise. The ghost shadow instantly tensed up! It held its breath, not daring to exhale. Yet Zhao Yi, holding the scalpel, slowly turned around. His blood-stained face bore a strange smile, and his eyes glowed red. He looked like a fierce ghost crawling out of hell! The floating black shadow was so frightened by Zhao Yi''s expression that it fell to the ground, scrambling backward! "You... you, don''t come any closer!" The ghost retreated frantically, its heart leaping to its throat as Zhao Yi approached step by step! Damn it! What kind of person is this? Damn it, why is he so fierce! Is he going to kill me? Finally, it was cornered by Zhao Yi into a dead end of the sixth carriage, its back pressed tightly against the wall, trembling! As Zhao Yi got closer, he finally saw the ghost''s appearance. It was a little girl. She looked very cute, but also a bit not cute. "Woo woo woo..." She curled up in a corner, sobbing softly. "I didn''t mean to harm you, I was forced..." Zhao Yi stepped forward, put away the scalpel, and patted her head, comforting her: "Don''t be afraid, I''m a good person." The little ghost girl looked up with tearful eyes, her pale, decaying face appearing so aggrieved at that moment. "Really, uncle?" A vein popped on Zhao Yi''s forehead, and he suddenly grabbed the ghost girl''s neck. "You damn... call me brother!" The little ghost girl quickly corrected herself. "Brother!" Zhao Yi immediately wore a loving expression, released his grip, and gently patted her head. "That''s better. Let me ask you, what happened on this train before?" The little ghost girl bit her lip, her face pale. "I... I can''t say!" "It... it watches me, if I say anything, it will sense it immediately!" Zhao Yi squinted his eyes. "Who is ''it''?" The little ghost girl shook her head, trembling violently! "The textbook on page thirty-eight of ''Teacher''s Talk'' taught us that secrets shouldn''t be casually told to others." "I''m a good child, I can''t speak ill!" Zhao Yi glanced at the graffiti-covered textbook beside the suitcase, patted the little ghost girl''s head. "Brother understands, if you don''t want to say, brother won''t ask." He turned around, approached the black suitcase, tossed the textbook into his storage space, and packed other items into the tattered backpack, placing scattered pens into the pencil case. Then Zhao Yi stood up, returned the backpack to the little ghost girl, and smiled: "Don''t throw your things around, or you''ll cry when you can''t find them later." The little ghost girl froze for a moment, awkwardly accepting the worn backpack Zhao Yi handed her, hugging it to her chest. She lowered her head, her hair covering her face, lost in thought. Zhao Yi turned to leave for the fifth carriage, the little ghost girl called out as she watched his back: "Thank you, brother!" Zhao Yi turned back, smiling slightly. "You''re welcome." The little ghost girl looked conflicted, but finally gritted her teeth and said: "Brother, go to the first carriage!" Zhao Yi paused for a moment, then waved at the little ghost girl. "Got it!" Watching Zhao Yi leave the sixth carriage and enter the black mist of the fifth carriage, the little ghost girl''s gaze returned to the black suitcase, hugging her worn backpack tightly, tears of blood streaming down... ... Between the sixth and fifth carriages, there was a short walkway. Old green trains were like this. After leaving the sixth carriage, Zhao Yi took out the little girl''s textbook and turned to page 38. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sure enough, there was an article titled "Teacher''s Talk." Support us at . It was covered with dense notes in four different colored pens. At first glance, it seemed like nothing, but after scanning it several times, Zhao Yi discovered the hidden message. The circled words in the same color could be pieced together to form a sentence. ... [The control room has the latest morning paper and map.] [Starting the train requires diesel.] [Do not go to the driver''s cabin.] [It will keep watching you!] Chapter 45 – Do you long for freedom? As Zhao Yi stepped into the pitch-black fog, his vision blurred for a moment before it cleared again. Inside the fifth carriage, the players were a greasy middle-aged man named Wang Xu and a pale, cold woman named Li Miaomiao. They were huddled in a corner by a pot of eerie blue flames, shivering and whispering to each other. The sudden appearance of another person in the carriage naturally drew attention. The two players and three specters all turned their eyes to Zhao Yi, staring blankly. The two players were visibly thrilled and excited! Clearly, they had encountered some insurmountable difficulty, and Zhao Yi''s arrival instantly gave them hope! "Great! Zhao Yi, you''re here!" "Come save us!" Wang Xu waved at Zhao Yi, his face covered in sweat. His hand was trembling, whether from excitement or fear was unclear. Zhao Yi approached the three specters. They had pale faces, devoid of any color, and their gazes were icy cold. "Outsiders are forbidden from participating in the game!" It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". "Unless you''re willing to wager your life!" As soon as the specters finished speaking, the expressions of the two players changed dramatically! Seeing Zhao Yi hesitate, Li Miaomiao frowned and said: "Zhao Yi, what are you hesitating for?" "We''re all in the same boat now. If you just stand by and watch, isn''t that a bit too selfish?" The middle-aged man hurriedly waved his hand upon hearing this: "This game isn''t difficult. With your abilities, you should be able to complete it easily." Zhao Yi glanced at Li Miaomiao and raised an eyebrow. "Playing a game, huh?" "Alright, what''s the game?" Seeing Zhao Yi agree, Wang Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Li Miaomiao, this woman, who knows which family princess she is from, raised to be so delicate, always acting superior when talking to others. A simple sentence could be said nicely, but she had to stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at others. He was really afraid that Li Miaomiao would offend Zhao Yi, and Zhao Yi would just leave them behind! Luckily, this rookie ranking leader seemed to have a good temper... quite easy to get along with. While he was lost in his own thoughts, Zhao Yi had already joined the game. The specters reiterated the rules to the three of them. "This game is called Guess Guess Guess." "Within ten minutes, you must find out how we died." "You can ask a total of three questions. We won''t lie in response, but you can''t directly ask about our cause of death." "If you fail the task, we will take one arm from each of them." "And you... will die!" After the evil spirit finished speaking, Zhao Yi glanced at the two players. Li Miaomiao maintained her aloof and arrogant demeanor, arms crossed. In her eyes, it seemed only natural for Zhao Yi to risk his life to save her arm! The middle-aged man also showed no shame, wearing a sycophantic smile. "Moreover, they''ve already used up their questions, leaving only one." "Think carefully before you ask." The three specters wore greedy smiles, their ghostly green eyes examining Zhao Yi''s flesh. This was like a piece of pork falling from the sky¡ªwhy not eat it? Zhao Yi stroked his chin, pondering seriously for a moment. "Well... since I have to ask a question..." "Alright, let me ask you... do you long for freedom?" As soon as Zhao Yi opened his mouth, everyone, human and ghost alike, was stunned. Damn it! Who the hell told you to ask such a useless philosophical question at this time? Li Miaomiao finally couldn''t suppress her displeasure, her eyes blazing. "Great, the only good opportunity wasted." She was so angry she threw up her hands, her expression as if she had eaten something foul. "First, Wang Xu wasted two questions, and now you''ve wasted one. Ha, with your attitude, I really don''t know how you got to the top of the ranking!" "Men are indeed useless breeding tools. If this were a matriarchal era, you wouldn''t even be fit to handle our waste!" Zhao Yi ignored her, looking seriously at the three specters, repeating his question. "Do you long for freedom?" "Answer me." The three specters fell silent. They had said they would answer any question truthfully, without lying. The word "freedom" seemed to be a distant past for them... a precious thing they could no longer hope for. "We long for it." "Desperately long for it." "But freedom is beyond reach!" One of the specters even sighed. But it was only for a moment before its expression returned to its icy state. "Alright!" "You''ve asked your questions!" "Now, it''s time to guess our causes of death." "Guess correctly, and you''re temporarily safe. Guess wrong, and you''ll be dealt with according to the rules!" As the specter finished speaking, Wang Xu''s shiny bald head glistened even more, cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he swallowed nervously. He was scared. Li Miaomiao was equally pale, her fear momentarily silencing her sharp tongue. Under the watchful eyes of the three specters, her body shook like a leaf, inching towards the corner! Their hearts pounded loudly, and at this moment, besides stalling for time, they had no idea what else to do! At the critical moment, after sneaking a peek at the data of the three specters, Zhao Yi suddenly spoke. He pointed at the fat specter on the far left, which had obvious strangulation marks on its neck and pieces of flesh hanging from its body, and said: "You were murdered. Someone strangled you to eat your flesh." Then, he turned to the hunched, thin specter in the middle and said: "You died of asthma, suffocating to death on the train without medication." Finally, he looked at the closest specter, the one with the most twisted body, the most ferocious face, and the greatest resentment, and said: "You died by suicide." A strange silence ensued. The three specters scrutinized Zhao Yi for a long time before slowly speaking: "You have completed the game." "For now, you are safe." Zhao Yi extended his hand to the three specters, shaking each of their hands, and smiled amidst their cold stares: "I am like you. I also long for freedom." "And... I''m willing to give everything for it!" The three specters exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with a faint light. In the corner, Wang Xu and Li Miaomiao were basking in the joy of surviving a disaster, not fully recovered yet. Wang Xu habitually echoed: "Yes! Yes!" "I like freedom too!" "We''re actually all the same!" "There''s no need to tear each other apart!" But no one paid him any attention. Zhao Yi looked at the path leading to the fourth carriage, as if he had thought of something, and tentatively asked the three specters who had returned to their seats: "What happened on this train?" The three specters'' expressions were subtle, and they said nothing. Zhao Yi had already anticipated this outcome. He just wanted to confirm his suspicions. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a brief silence, the specter who had died by suicide suddenly spoke: "There are no answers for you on this train." "You have to go outside to find them." "But the outside world is dangerous. You need to find a Ghost Candle to survive out there..." ... PS: 1. Thank you all for reading. 2. I''m a merciful author. Some characters you may not like, but I''ll still give them a good (complete) ending (corpse). 3. The author is a slow writer, sorry! Chapter 46 – The first carriage When the Ghost Candle was mentioned, the first thing that popped into Zhao Yi''s mind was the first carriage. It was also the carriage that the little ghost girl, Xuanxuan, had directed Zhao Yi to. Xuanxuan was a name from the textbook. Zhao Yi thanked the three Evil Spirits and headed towards the third carriage, only to have his arm grabbed by a middle-aged man. "Hey, hey, hey!" "Brother Zhao Yi, where are you going?" Zhao Yi replied earnestly, "To pursue my freedom!" Seeing Zhao Yi determined to leave, the middle-aged man hurriedly said, "I''ll go with you!" Although the three Evil Spirits had promised they were temporarily safe, Wang Xu still believed that following Zhao Yi was the safest option. Even if it meant he had to do something, as long as it wasn''t too dangerous, he had no problem with it. But Li Miaomiao wasn''t having it. "If you all leave, what about me?" A flicker of displeasure flashed in Wang Xu''s eyes, but he didn''t voice it. "You can come with us." Li Miaomiao glanced at the two of them and sneered. "Go with you to court death?" "I finally found a temporarily safe place, do you think I''m stupid?" To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com. At this point, Wang Xu couldn''t hold back anymore and frowned, "We''re all in the same dungeon task, do you really think you can just sit back and reap the benefits without lifting a finger?" Li Miaomiao retorted sharply, "Oh, oh, oh, the old oil field is getting anxious!" "I''m telling you, you brought me in, so you have to take me out!" "Besides, since Zhao Yi is so capable, can''t he complete the task on his own? It''s not like you''re doing the task for me!" "If the task isn''t completed, everyone will die!" Even Wang Xu, as smooth and cautious as he was, was truly infuriated by Li Miaomiao. But since they were all in the same boat, he didn''t want to stir up trouble for himself. He couldn''t afford to burn bridges. "We have no obligation to protect you. If you want to follow us, then come. If you don''t, you can stay here and wait for us to finish the task. It''s up to you!" He left those words angrily and went after Zhao Yi. Li Miaomiao''s face, which was somewhat pretty, was filled with coldness and resentment as she watched their backs for a moment before reluctantly following. She didn''t want to do this, but she knew that staying in the fifth carriage would be even more dangerous! The safety promised by the three Evil Spirits was only temporary. There was no specific time. When the two men she considered lowly and insignificant left, she would be left to face the danger alone. So, even though she was unhappy, she followed behind the two. Entering the fourth carriage, the scene before them was quite eerie. Unlike the others, the fourth carriage seemed to have no trials. In the flickering light of the chandelier, six Evil Spirits huddled in a corner, trembling as if they were afraid of something. In front of them, on a hard seat, sat a cute girl humming an unknown nursery rhyme. As the three of them approached, they realized it was Tian Tian holding a worn-out teddy bear. Seeing Zhao Yi, Tian Tian happily jumped off her seat and threw herself into his arms. "Brother Zhao!" "Winnie just told me you''d come to save us, and here you are!" Zhao Yi patted her head and glanced at the corner where the Evil Spirits were. Their eyes were filled with fear when they looked at Tian Tian. It seemed that Tian Tian had done something to frighten them! "Ha, let me introduce you. These uncles are passengers of this carriage. They were so enthusiastic earlier, wanting to play games with me... but they stopped halfway, how annoying!" Tian Tian made a face at the trembling Evil Spirits in the corner. This scared one of the female ghosts so much that she wet herself! The scene was shockingly intense! If Zhao Yi hadn''t pulled Tian Tian away quickly, they would have been sprayed all over. Behind them, Li Miaomiao looked at the ghosts and said sarcastically, "Lucky you!" "Ran into a bunch of cowardly wimps." She felt particularly unbalanced. Why did she encounter vicious ghosts while this seemingly delicate girl ran into a group of scaredy-cat ghosts? But still, no one paid her any attention, as if she were invisible. Zhao Yi scanned the area and confirmed there was no way out of this carriage. The door was covered with a membrane that couldn''t be broken by force. It seemed the task didn''t want them to take shortcuts. Or perhaps the system rules were protecting them. The outside world was filled with unimaginable dangers, and they needed to get the Ghost Candle before considering leaving the train! So, they had to go to the first carriage. "Alright, stop trembling. I''m taking Tian Tian to the first carriage. You guys can play here." Zhao Yi spoke, and the six Evil Spirits immediately kowtowed to him in gratitude. "Woo woo!" "Great benefactor!" "We bow to you!" These guys were clearly terrified of Tian Tian. Zhao Yi ruffled Tian Tian''s hair and led her towards the third carriage. Wang Xu followed closely behind Zhao Yi, staying cautious and deliberately avoiding the Evil Spirits as he passed them. Even though these Evil Spirits seemed quite lowly, he remained vigilant. As for Li Miaomiao, who was walking at the back, she even spat at the six ghosts. She looked smug, as if she had finally turned from a victim to an aggressor, but when the ghost she spat on raised its head, its icy green eyes made Li Miaomiao''s legs go weak! She shivered in fear and stumbled towards the third carriage, accidentally twisting her high heel and taking a big fall, her cold face landing right on Wang Xu''s sweat-soaked and mysteriously scented backside. The bizarre smell almost made Li Miaomiao vomit. She pushed Wang Xu away and leaned against a seat, dry heaving, her face turning green and white. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what had happened. Li Miaomiao''s face was pale, and her gaze towards Wang Xu was filled with increasing disgust. The second and third carriages were the starting points for Wen Long, Bai Shuiji, and Qin Xiufang. By the time Zhao Yi arrived, they had successfully completed their ghost games in their carriages. From their accounts, the ghost games in the carriages weren''t too difficult and didn''t pose a deadly threat. Except for Zhao Yi''s sixth carriage. But as a player with a luck stat of 0, Zhao Yi didn''t have high expectations for himself. All seven of them were still alive, with no losses. They entered the first carriage one by one. Here, there were no seats. Only a blood-stained wooden table blocked the path to the driver''s cabin. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On it were six bloody human heads, their expressions eerie, with their scalps and skulls sliced open, and six green-glowing candles burning in the center of their brains! The crew member turned around, her neck broken, hanging by a layer of skin, and she cackled at them: "Welcome, everyone... to the D19 train!" Seeing this woman, Zhao Yi realized that the task had finally reached its main point... Chapter 47 – Elementary mistake "So, what game are we playing?" The muscular young man, Wen Long, seemed eager to prove himself. He was the first to speak and took a step forward. He cast a provocative glance at Zhao Yi, as if wanting to see who was better suited to survive in this harsh world. But Zhao Yi didn''t notice his provocation; he simply scratched an itch inside his pants. Then he sniffed his hand. Time for a wash, he thought. "There are no games in this carriage." The train crew member gave a smile she thought was charming, unaware of how terrifying it appeared to everyone else. "Earlier, you were all separated into five carriages. Once you complete the game, you''ll be able to uncover some hidden clues." "Next, you can use the clues you''ve gathered to do more." "There are six Ghost Candles here. Each candle, once removed from the ghost''s head, can burn for an hour. During this hour, the holder of the Ghost Candle will not be attacked by other specters on the train." For the full version, visit [ ]. "Moreover, the Ghost Candle can disperse the darkness outside the train to some extent, making the aggressive specters in the dark see you as one of their own... Of course, that doesn''t mean they won''t attack you!" "When all the Ghost Candles burn out... the seal on the driver''s cabin behind me will be opened!" At this point, the crew member''s lips curled into an eerie smile. "What happens if the seal is opened?" Wen Long asked. The crew member shrugged, her decaying head wobbling on her shoulders, making everyone''s skin crawl. "Nothing much, just that the conductor and another... unspeakable passenger will come out." The players present felt a chill run down their spines. Though they didn''t know what the conductor and the unspeakable passenger were, it was easy to deduce that once they came out, the players would face extreme danger! "Additionally... I must remind you all that the door of the first carriage is the only door on the G19 train that can be opened." "Once you choose to open it, you can go out... but those things outside can also come in." After saying this, the crew member stood quietly, smiling at all the players present. Bai Shuiji looked at the six Ghost Candles on the table, suppressing her fear and disgust: "There are seven of us, but only six Ghost Candles. How do we divide them?" As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere became subtly tense. Seven people, six candles. Those with a Ghost Candle could enjoy its protection, while the others could not. In other words... they had to abandon one person. Many eyes quietly turned to the oldest among them, Qin Xiufang. The kind-faced old lady seemed to have guessed what they were thinking. She slowly pulled out a small handgun from her clothes and took a few steps back to create some distance. "I want a Ghost Candle. If I don''t get one, I''ll kill everyone who has one." Straight to the point. Though her body wasn''t as strong as the other players, the power of the gun and her fierce determination made everyone wary of her. As the saying goes, beyond seven steps, the gun is fast. Within seven steps, the gun is both fast and accurate! At this distance, no one dared to risk provoking the old lady! "What are you doing... Aren''t we all discussing this together?" "Even though you''re older, you''re still part of this team. How could we abandon you?" Wen Long, seeing the gun pointed at him, quickly waved his hands to change the subject. If it came to close combat, he was confident he was better than most players present. But the small, black gun in the old lady''s hand deterred him from confronting her. However... no one wanted to give up a Ghost Candle. The team gradually fell into a stalemate. Everyone was wary of each other, harboring various malicious thoughts. At this moment, Bai Shuiji gently nudged Zhao Yi: S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Zhao Yi... do you have any good ideas?" Seeing everyone''s eyes on him, Zhao Yi shrugged: "Why are you looking at me?" "Do you expect me to magically produce another Ghost Candle?" Bai Shuiji rolled her eyes. "I''m asking if you have a good way to distribute them." Zhao Yi clicked his tongue: "No matter how you divide them, someone will end up without a Ghost Candle." "But if we do it the other way around, it''s much easier." "No matter how the remaining Ghost Candles are distributed, those who leave the carriage to search for clues must each have one." His suggestion immediately gained Wang Xu''s support. "I think Zhao Yi''s suggestion makes sense," "Those who contribute to the team should have priority in getting a Ghost Candle." Li Miaomiao crossed her arms and sneered: "Who knows if he''s contributing to the team or just taking a candle to hide outside?" "I think he just wants to take a candle for himself and is making excuses!" Zhao Yi nodded. "Indeed." Without warning, he pulled out the Crusher and fired six shots in front of everyone. He broke both of Li Miaomiao''s legs on the spot! Everyone watched Li Miaomiao writhing in agony on the ground, feeling a chill run through them! Zhao Yi... had a gun too! And it was a shotgun! Did he buy it from the store? That thing must cost thousands of points, right? "Oh dear!" "My goodness!" "Look at you... so careless, you broke your own legs!" Zhao Yi hurried forward, under the horrified gaze of everyone, and with a face full of concern, pulled out his... scalpel. Li Miaomiao''s face turned pale with fear. She screamed and pointed at Zhao Yi: "He wants to kill me!" "He wants to kill me!" "Aren''t you going to stop him?" However, those behind Zhao Yi remained unmoved. From another perspective, even if Zhao Yi really killed Li Miaomiao, they wouldn''t intervene. With one person dead, the Ghost Candles... could be divided! "Shh¡ª" "Don''t scream, I''m just going to perform a little surgery, not kill you... If you struggle too much and I accidentally cut something else in your mouth, and you bleed to death, don''t blame me!" Hearing the words "bleed to death," Li Miaomiao struggled even more, but her feeble strength was no match for Zhao Yi. He pried open her mouth, knocked out her teeth, and cut off her tongue. Smooth and swift, all in one go. Zhao Yi was disturbingly skilled at these tasks. Skilled as if he were eating or drinking. It even possessed a kind of breathtaking beauty! In the eyes of everyone, it seemed as though he was completing a piece of art, rather than mutilating a woman. Without a tongue, Li Miaomiao could no longer speak. Of course, she wouldn''t die. The neurogenic shock caused by excessive pain was resolved by Zhao Yi''s exquisite massage techniques. Though the blood loss left Li Miaomiao utterly exhausted, it wasn''t enough to kill a healthy woman. Looking at the woman sobbing on the ground, Zhao Yi smiled and elegantly put away his scalpel. Turning around, he noticed the subtle change in the way everyone looked at him. It was fear. "What a pity, just now, a lovely young girl accidentally lost her tongue, teeth, and legs." "Such a simple mistake, don''t make it, everyone!" Zhao Yi winked at the crowd, sending shivers down their spines! Chapter 48 – Alright, lets give it a break today Everyone felt an indescribable sensation, and at that moment, they even had the urge to stay far away from Zhao Yi! This guy is damn dangerous! When others make a move, there''s usually some warning, some reasonable buildup and release of emotion. Even if you''re going to pee, you at least have to unzip first, right? But Zhao Yi just silently pees his pants. And only tells you after he''s done. Who can handle that? God knows what someone might do next to displease him, and while happily chatting, their head might suddenly get blown off! Behind him, the old lady, Qin Xiufang, looked at Zhao Yi with a complex gaze, recalling the message she received at the guild''s headquarters earlier. A hint of murderous intent flashed in her eyes but was quickly suppressed. In front of everyone, Zhao Yi walked up to a head and picked up a Ghost Candle. As soon as the Ghost Candle was pulled from the person''s brain, it began to slowly drip blood-red wax tears! The countdown had begun. Seeing Zhao Yi about to open the door and leave, Bai Shuiji hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly stepped forward to grab a candle. "I''ll go with you!" She took a deep breath. Even though she knew the outside world would be dangerous, Bai Shuiji didn''t want to hide in the carriage. She firmly believed that being by Zhao Yi''s side was the safest! Wen Long, not wanting to be outdone, also picked up a candle. "Let''s explore the three of us, the remaining three candles... you guys can distribute them yourselves," he instructed. The adorable young lady crew member opened the door for them, and a bone-chilling wind immediately blew in, making everyone in the carriage shiver! The outside world was... exceptionally dark. Without the Ghost Candle, they couldn''t even see a meter ahead. Now with the Ghost Candle, their vision barely extended to about ten meters. Even so, the eerie environment made them shiver involuntarily. "Brother Zhao, what do you think about this mission?" Bai Shuiji followed behind Zhao Yi, completely unsure of what she should be doing. Zhao Yi, while observing the surrounding environment, said: "Didn''t you find any clues in the carriage?" Clues? What clues? Bai Shuiji carefully recalled. She was just playing jump rope with a bunch of little ghosts, and in the end, she used her wits to win, and the little ghosts spared her organs, but it seemed... there were no special clues. "Ahem..." Wen Long coughed lightly beside her, glancing at Bai Shuiji, hinting that he actually knew some clues. Bai Shuiji turned her head, curiously looking at Wen Long. "Is your throat uncomfortable?" Wen Long: "..." Failing to show off, he seemed a bit frustrated, but still said: "I do know a useful clue... it seems we need to go to some... control panel." Zhao Yi corrected him: "It''s the control room." "Inside is the full map of the train station... Our Chaotic Realm train station is an abandoned station from who knows how many years later, many places have long collapsed and changed." "Moye Village isn''t a small village, there are many people, so the train station isn''t small either. Our Ghost Candle only lasts for an hour of burn time, so to avoid wasting time, we must first find the map." The little ghost girl in the sixth carriage left him several key pieces of information. Besides the map, there was also the Moye Village morning newspaper. It might record something. The road was shrouded in thick black fog, and occasionally, some inexplicable eerie shadows flickered in the distance, disappearing in an instant. They were tense all over, carefully avoiding them, exploring the station platform for the exit. It wasn''t much different from when they entered. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. "But once we find the map, what can we do?" Bai Shuiji tried to learn something from Zhao Yi, constantly speculating on Zhao Yi''s intentions. The Clown Game and Butcher Game made her trust Zhao Yi completely. "I think the way to complete the task should be outside the station." It was Wen Long who spoke. He cautiously observed the surroundings, as if afraid something would suddenly rush out from the darkness! Zhao Yi added: "The task requires us to resolve grievances. Since we need to resolve grievances, we first need to understand what grievances exist on the train and where they originated." "Only by understanding what happened here back then and the conflict relationships can we possibly complete the task." "I''ve asked several specters inside the carriage, and they all seem to be afraid of something, unwilling to mention the past." "This indicates that somewhere on the train, there''s an invisible, terrifying presence watching them and us!" "So, we can''t learn anything from inside the train; we can only come out to find clues... like recordings, notes, newspapers, or direct accounts from specters..." Zhao Yi laid out his thought process simply, and the two immediately felt enlightened and clear. Even at this moment, part of Zhao Yi''s attention remained on the information the little ghost girl in the sixth carriage left him. ¡ªIt will keep watching you. Who is this ''it''? Is it a hidden specter on the train? If so, where is it hiding? If not, then what is watching them? They ascended the stairs, returning to the station interior. The station in the dungeon was complete. It was even larger than they expected. Some specters wandered within, seemingly not very aggressive. Upon seeing the Ghost Candles in Zhao Yi and the others'' hands, they continued to roam indifferently. They arrived at the control panel, a large office mostly enclosed by glass, with a burly security ghost standing outside the door, its eyes wide like copper bells, holding a meter-long baton, staring dead ahead! Its body was conveniently obscured by the corner of the wall, so it wasn''t until they approached from the side that they discovered it! Wen Long and Bai Shuiji, being close, were almost scared out of their wits! ... [Security Ghost: Extremely Dangerous!] [Weakness: None!] [Note: Don''t be fooled by its open eyes; it''s actually asleep. Unless it suffers a significant impact or injury, it won''t be forced to wake up. Most specters nearby are very afraid of it! If it discovers you... run as fast as you can!!!] ... Zhao Yi looked at the information about the security ghost and surprisingly showed a bright smile. Seeing Zhao Yi smile, Bai Shuiji''s heart skipped a beat. This guy... what is he planning now? "Careful!" "This ghost is very fierce and might attack us!" Seeing Zhao Yi walk towards the security ghost, Wen Long warned. Although he saw Zhao Yi as a rival, they were all in the same boat now, and someone like Zhao Yi was definitely a valuable ally. He didn''t want Zhao Yi to get into trouble. Zhao Yi casually replied: "No, it won''t." Bai Shuiji cautiously followed behind Zhao Yi, asking: "How do you know?" Zhao Yi raised his hand and plucked a nose hair from the security ghost: "See, it''s asleep." Achoo! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as Zhao Yi finished speaking, the security ghost suddenly sneezed, scaring Bai Shuiji and Wen Long into retreating several meters, rolling and crawling, until they confirmed the security ghost hadn''t moved, then they tiptoed back. Seeing Zhao Yi''s calm demeanor, Wen Long couldn''t help but say: "How the hell are you so brave?" Zhao Yi seriously examined the terrifying fierce ghost before him: "Don''t talk nonsense, I''ve been timid since I was a child, that''s why I''m so cautious." Wen Long almost choked on his own saliva. How are you cautious?! Who just plucks someone''s nose hair like that?! Sighing, Wen Long approached the control room door. He tried to open it. Failed to open. The door was locked. He turned to Zhao Yi and said: "Zhao Yi, the door is locked... what the hell!" "What the hell are you doing?!" Wen Long was dumbfounded as he watched Zhao Yi... frantically stripping the security ghost''s clothes! "Can''t you see? I''m taking off its clothes!" Zhao Yi said excitedly. Wen Long panicked. He quickly stepped back a few paces, ready to run at any moment. Zhao Yi was going all out, truly unafraid of waking up this fierce and evil ghost! Bai Shuiji was dumbfounded. Initially, she tried to learn from Zhao Yi''s thought process to become stronger. But now she suddenly realized... she couldn''t understand what Zhao Yi was thinking at all. Zhao Yi stripped more and more enthusiastically, his eyes shining, tossing the Ghost Candle aside, stripping the security ghost''s clothes and then its pants. In just a minute, the security ghost was left with only a pair of floral boxers. Embroidered with a sparrow. Seeing Zhao Yi had no intention of stopping, Bai Shuiji grabbed Zhao Yi''s waist and pulled him back, panicking: "Brother! Brother! That''s enough! Let''s spare it!" "We still have important things to do!" Even though it''s a ghost, the sparrow must still be sensitive, and with Zhao Yi being so heavy-handed, she was really afraid the security ghost would wake up! Zhao Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up the Ghost Candle beside him, and panted: "Alright, let''s spare it for today!" Not far away, Wen Long cautiously approached, looking at the security uniform on the ground, and said with a wry smile: "We only needed the key; you didn''t have to strip it completely!" Zhao Yi chuckled, his eyes shining, and kicked the security uniform to Wen Long''s feet. "Put it on." Wen Long''s expression froze. "What... what?" "Put it on." Zhao Yi retrieved the key from the security uniform. "Put it on!" "From now on... you''re the security ghost!" Chapter 49 – Zhao Yis ominous premonition From some other new players, it was already known that Zhao Yi was quite the twisted player, but seeing it firsthand was a whole different story! No matter how hard Wen Long tried, he couldn''t imagine Zhao Yi would strip a sleeping fierce ghost of its clothes. And he was damn excited about it! This guy had no limits! Yet, the ghost security guard was quite carefree, snoring and blowing snot bubbles even after being stripped naked. As Zhao Yi peeled off the clothes, the ghost''s face even showed a lewd smile, dreaming of who knows what. "That''s what you call sleeping like a baby." Wen Long sighed. For a moment, he didn''t know whether to be envious or jealous. Picking up the security uniform from the ground, the stench of decay made him gag twice. "Why don''t you wear it?" Wen Long complained discontentedly. After seeing Zhao Yi''s performance on the train, he didn''t dare to offend him too much. After all, Zhao Yi not only had a gun but was ruthless and crazy. While unlocking the door, Zhao Yi replied: "I''m too skinny, it won''t fit, and I''d be spotted immediately." "You''re about the same size as the ghost security guard. Wear its clothes, and with its smell... Here, take this baton and hit whoever you see!" Zhao Yi snatched the baton from the ghost security guard''s hand and shoved it into Wen Long''s hand. The baton was heavy. ... [Item: Foul-Smelling Fierce Ghost Baton] [Quality: ¡ª] [Description: It was just an ordinary baton, but this ghost security guard loved using it to poke other specters'' butts. Every time it saw their pained expressions, it felt immense satisfaction, as if it alleviated its inferiority complex about its small size.] [Effect: 500% damage bonus when hitting the buttocks, guaranteed tenfold critical hit when striking the rear!] [Note: A serious warning to some mentally unstable players, do not attempt to store such a foul item in your inventory and take it out of the dungeon.] ... Wen Long saw the system''s item identification and showed a disgusted expression. Damn, such an awe-inspiring weapon... turned out to be a shit-stirring stick! Creak¡ª Wen Long put on the security uniform, grabbed the ghost security guard''s baton, and the three of them pushed the door open. Under the light of the Ghost Candle, they saw over a dozen specters in station staff uniforms staring at them menacingly in the control room! "What are you looking at!" "The boss is here for inspection, all of you squat in the corner, pants down, butts up!" Just as Wen Long was considering whether to make a run for it, Zhao Yi was already fiercely shouting at the specters in the room. Wen Long and Bai Shuiji, thinking this guy must be crazy, watched in disbelief as the specters actually lined up against the wall, took off their pants, and raised their butts! "Holy crap..." Wen Long''s mouth hung open, dumbfounded. "What are you staring at! Hurry up and smack their butts!" "Don''t blow our cover!" "Remember, hit hard and aim steady!" Zhao Yi gave him a push and then started wandering around the control room with Bai Shuiji. Wen Long looked at the row of dark, shadowy butts against the wall and couldn''t help but swallow. This... doesn''t seem right? Hitting a ghost''s butt? Wen Long''s hand trembled as he gripped the baton. After a pause, he gritted his teeth and swung hard at the first staff member''s butt! Smack! "Ah!" The staff ghost''s brow furrowed slightly, letting out a sound that was hard to tell if it was pain or pleasure. All the other specters turned to look, with expressions of anticipation on their faces. Wen Long felt a chill under their gaze. Damn it! What are you all expecting! What''s enjoyable about this! ... Meanwhile, Zhao Yi and Bai Shuiji quickly found the station''s map on a running computer. A top-down view. With detailed height data of different building interiors marked. But surprisingly... the electronic map couldn''t switch to a frontal view. "The designer of this map must be crazy." "Preferring to mark a dense string of numbers rather than make a frontal map." Bai Shuiji couldn''t help but complain. Beside her, Zhao Yi squinted, memorizing all the values on the station map and within the facilities. But one underground warehouse''s data was missing. That underground warehouse was the only building at the station without marked data. And it was the only place with a basement level, as if the basement was specifically built for this warehouse. But this seemed completely... unnecessary? "Something''s not right." He muttered to himself. Hearing this, Bai Shuiji immediately perked up. "What''s not right?" Zhao Yi was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Go find some newspapers, all of them." Bai Shuiji nodded, didn''t ask further, and quickly ran off to search for newspapers. Zhao Yi sat in front of the computer, studying the map intently, his expression growing serious. He had a bad feeling. It seemed he understood where the real danger in this game lay... Bai Shuiji was quite reliable, soon gathering all the newspapers from the office. Zhao Yi then got up and headed for the door. "Let''s go." He patted Wen Long, who was immersed in the thrill of beating specters, signaling him to leave quickly. But Wen Long was clearly on a high. After being bullied by these ghostly things for so long, today he finally got to turn the tables, he had to savor it a bit more! Thinking of this, he set his sights on the last butt. With a fierce expression, he raised the baton high! Screw you! He swung down with all his might, using his strongest move ever! Splat! ... Feeling the stench all over him, for a moment, Wen Long wanted to restart everything. That''s right, he hit the ghost so hard it pooped. No exaggeration, it really pooped! Sprayed all over him! He kicked the ghost, stumbled towards the door, gagging, and said to Zhao Yi and Bai Shuiji: "I''m filthy!" Looking at the poop-covered Wen Long, Zhao Yi gave a thumbs up, praising: "Quite the haul today!" Wen Long, suppressing his nausea, cleaned the filth off himself and asked: "What about you guys?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I sacrificed so much, did you find any useful clues?" Zhao Yi nodded. "Let''s discuss it somewhere else first..."