Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Zhao Peng still felt that something was off. He recalled what Yu Lingling had said earlier, but did not bring it up. Lowering his eyes slightly, he asked, “Do I need to go in and quit?”
Yu Lingling answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “It would be best if you didn’t.”
Zhao Peng considered it for a moment, then ultimately chose to trust Yu Lingling’s judgment.
It was now their third day in the instance. Of the twelve players who had entered, only seven remained.
However, only two players had actually died – Liu Qian and Chen Xue – and both had been killed by other players. The death rate in this instance really was not that high.
But by the same token, its clear rate was frighteningly low.
The remaining players each had their own thoughts. After a moment of hesitation, Xu Chao still chose to stay with Yu Lingling and Zhao Peng. Wang Hao and Zhou Ming did the same.
Although there was still one empty spot in their tent, they all refused to let Li Na or Wu Bin join them. As a result, the other tent was left with only Wu Bin, who had no animal, and Li Na, who did have one but was clearly not long for this world.
At noon, the Circus provided another meal. It was even more lavish than the day before.
But now that Wang Hao and the others knew the true nature of this instance, there was no way they would eat it and risk sinking even deeper into debt.
Whether Li Na and Wu Bin were starving or had simply given up, both of them took a meal and ate it all right in front of Wang Hao and the others.
The pigeon perched on Li Na’s shoulder ate most of the food before it finally settled down somewhat.
Once they were finished, the two of them turned around and went straight back into their tent.
Wang Hao and Zhou Ming were eating too, but only the supplies they had brought into the instance themselves.
Players generally had larger appetites than ordinary people, but the amount those two were eating was still excessive.
Zhao Peng had shared a tent with Wang Hao and the others on the first day, so he knew how much they normally ate. Today, they had already eaten several times their usual amount over the previous two days.
Wang Hao and Zhou Ming were the type to only eat when they felt hungry. They ate frequently, but never very much at once.
Given how perceptive they were, they should have noticed the change long ago. Yet they truly seemed completely unaware of it.
It wasn’t just the two of them. The tiger and leopard were eating more and more as well. The elephant meat they had acquired earlier was probably almost gone by now.
Xu Chao scratched himself. “Are we taking the animals with us when we leave tonight?”
Yu Lingling silently counted how many times she had seen Xu Chao scratch himself that day. His movements were becoming more and more like those of the monkey beside him, yet Xu Chao had not noticed at all.
Zhao Peng sat beside Yu Lingling. At her prompting, he glanced over. At first, he did not notice anything unusual. But then he happened to see the monkey beside Xu Chao scratching itself in the exact same way. A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively looked at his own parrot.
The parrot was even more lively and expressive than it had been over the previous two days. When it saw Zhao Peng looking over, it rubbed its head against his cheek and let out an affectionate cry.
Zhao Peng went completely rigid, every hair on his body standing on end.
Yu Lingling was already cradling her kitten in her arms. She lowered her head slightly and said nothing.
After a moment of thought, Wang Hao asked, “Could we visit the Black Tent during the day?”
The question was clearly directed at Yu Lingling, but she did not answer.
Irritation welled up inside Wang Hao. The tiger beside him also lashed its tail impatiently, its eyes fixed on Yu Lingling.
Zhou Ming and his leopard reacted the same way.
Before he had noticed anything, Zhao Peng had not been so sensitive. But now that he had become aware of the people and the animals…
Everything he saw made his skin crawl.
Zhao Peng remembered a saying: when you spot one cockroach, it means an entire colony is already hiding nearby.
The same logic applied to their current situation.
By the time he noticed that the people and animals were becoming increasingly alike, the resemblance between them had already passed fifty percent.
The viewers in the Livestream Room hadn’t noticed at first, but after carefully scrutinizing Zhao Peng’s point of view, they quickly sensed that something was off.
“That Xu Chao – his sitting posture, the way he eats, even how he scratches himself every so often… It’s all just like that monkey.”
“The tiger and leopard seem completely in sync with Wang Hao and Zhou Ming. They’re hostile toward Yu Lingling too.”
Yu Lingling looked calmly at Wang Hao. “What kind of item is your guild searching for? You don’t have to tell me exactly what it is. Just tell me what general category it falls under.”
That information was confidential within the guild, and Wang Hao had no intention of telling Yu Lingling.
Seeing this, Yu Lingling thought for a moment before saying, “If it’s related to animals, then there’s no way it’s inside the Black Tent.”
Since she didn’t know what the item was, that was the only clue Yu Lingling could offer.
Wang Hao frowned. “Why?”
Zhao Peng composed himself, then couldn’t help sighing as he explained, “Because that’s where animals are brutalized. The place itself terrifies them.”
Zhou Ming already resented Yu Lingling and Zhao Peng, so he deliberately nitpicked. “Then if we’re looking for an item the animals are afraid of, shouldn’t that be exactly where we look?”
Zhao Peng lost his patience. “Then go.”
With that, he ignored them.
Zhao Peng knew perfectly well what the Abyss Guild was searching for. He added another warning for Yu Lingling’s benefit. “Trust me, you’re better off not knowing exactly what it is.”
As long as Yu Lingling remained ignorant, then even if she ended up obtaining the item, it would simply come down to who was more capable. Not even the members of the Abyss Guild would have any right to complain.
But if she knew, speaking up would make Wang Hao and the others refuse to let the matter drop. Staying silent, on the other hand, would be the same as knowingly watching members of the Abyss Guild march to their deaths.
Yu Lingling didn’t ask any further questions. She hadn’t slept all night and planned to get a little rest.
A thunderous rumble suddenly erupted outside, sounding completely different from the explosions Yu Lingling had caused.
Yu Lingling opened her eyes.
Wang Hao and the others had already pulled open the tent flap and were looking outside.
A brand-new tent now stood where Yu Lingling had previously reduced everything to rubble. This one looked even larger and more luxurious.
Ah Bu stood outside, smiling at Wang Hao and the others. “There will be even more spectators tonight. You’d better be prepared.”
If they wanted to leave tonight, that meant they would have to deal with even more monsters. Their resentment toward Yu Lingling immediately intensified.
They knew full well that even without Yu Lingling, there would have been no shortage of monsters tonight. Even so, they instinctively directed all their resentment and hatred at her.
As the sky gradually darkened, Wang Hao and the others ultimately gave up on searching for the item. Their anxiety only continued to mount.
This time, their guide wasn’t the dwarf who had led them for the previous two days. He had been replaced by a masked figure. The figure’s body was stiff, their skin a bluish purple, and their gaze sinister as they regarded the players.
Though otherwise human in appearance, a pair of goat horns sprouted from the figure’s head.
At first sight, Yu Lingling recognized the figure by her build. It was none other than Chen Xue, who had been killed.
Yu Lingling wasn’t the only one to recognize Chen Xue. The moment the others saw those goat horns, they also began to suspect her identity.
“Chen Xue” led them into the tent containing the stage, then swept her gaze over everyone.
“I’ll be waiting for you to join me.”