Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Of course Cheng Shan did not understand. He had only participated in a few games, and all of them had been below the fourth floor.
Sun Xingye, however, was different. He had far more experience with the game.
The most dangerous instance he had ever entered had been a collective mission on the fifth floor.
That was the first time he had encountered a collective mission.
He had nearly lost his life in that instance.
When a collective mission was impossible to complete, the side mission became everyone’s objective.
And more often than not… the side mission
was extremely bloody and violent, utterly devoid of humanity.
Killing one teammate was already a mild requirement.
Sometimes, only one person in an entire group was allowed to survive.
The Foxslayer organization had a team dedicated to studying the gods’ horror game.
They had even compiled a system terminology guide. Although their collection remained incomplete, with little content,
one thing was certain: an increase in game difficulty was absolutely abnormal.
The game’s difficulty seemed to be governed by a hidden threshold.
The system had said that too many players remained alive.
That meant the desert journey was supposed to have more than a ninety percent chance of killing someone, and not just one or two people.
Once the number of survivors exceeded some hidden value, the difficulty would increase.
What exactly had caused so few people to die this time?
Sun Xingye had an answer in mind.
He looked at Xiao Huai with scrutiny in his eyes and lowered his voice.
“Cheng Shan, could that NPC have been secretly helping us all along and increasing our chances of survival?”
For the first time, Cheng Shan thought there might be something wrong with Sun Xingye’s head.
Sun Xingye might normally be obnoxious and especially fond of provoking people, but his mind worked quickly. Within the organization, he was considered one of the thinkers.
But this theory? It was too ridiculous.
An NPC helping players? Increasing their chances of survival?
They were complete strangers. Why would an NPC help them?
Cheng Shan said, “You’re overthinking it. Why would an NPC help players? That idea is way too absurd.”
Sun Xingye’s expression remained tense. “I hope you’re right. I’d rather this guy attack us openly.”
The worst kind of NPC was one who acted one way to their faces and another behind their backs.
Yet this one did not seem warm or friendly to them on the surface either. If anything, he seemed malicious and terrifying.
That was precisely why Sun Xingye could not make sense of him.
An oppressive mood hung over them the entire way to the inn, and the players trudged onward with their heads lowered.
Some of them might have participated in only three horror games, but that did not make them fools.
Of course they understood what an increase in difficulty meant.
When a horror game’s difficulty rose, the players were left with few choices.
They could become villains and survive, or die quietly and forgotten.
Ji Yelin was the first to pull herself together. Forcing a smile, she said,
“Everyone, there is strength in unity. We can find the witch’s treasure, and we can escape. None of us had an easy time getting this far.”
The others raised their heads and looked at Ji Yelin.
They had struggled together in the desert. Sharing crow meat was hardly pleasant, but that night, every one of them had been starving and thirsty.
Even crow could be grilled like barbecue.
And so, it had all become a fond memory.
“That’s right. We can do it,” the others answered without much energy.
Xiao Huai walked at the front of the group. He glanced back at them, detached and merciless.
“The witch’s treasure isn’t so easy to obtain. You might as well give up.”
At his words, everyone first felt fear, then panic, but in the end… inexplicably,
they felt hopeful.
If they carefully analyzed what he had just said…
[It isn’t so easy to obtain.]
Did that mean he had seen the witch’s treasure and might even know where it was?
Back in the desert, he had also given them hints, whether intentionally or not, and had even saved one of the players.
Perhaps if they listened to him, he would prove to be the key. Then they really might be able to complete the collective mission.
Xiao Huai turned around and continued forward.
His persona had probably already taken shape in their minds.
Dangerous, yet a little kind.
He sighed softly to himself. So the difficulty had increased.
That was going to be troublesome.
The side mission was designed entirely to test the fragility of human nature.
If even one of them gave up on the collective mission and began slaughtering teammates, then as the Holy Father, Xiao Huai would probably die from the pain.
Among the stratagems of war, provocation could also be used as a form of psychological suggestion.
To control the human heart, all it often took was the slightest hint.
The inn was run-down, and when Xiao Huai pushed open the door, it creaked loudly.
“Cough, cough! Ahem!”
The instant the door opened, a massive cloud of dust billowed into their mouths and noses.
The players behind Xiao Huai were caught off guard and forced to inhale it. They covered their mouths and noses as they coughed, tears streaming from their eyes.
Xiao Huai coughed lightly twice. To maintain his aloof image, he kept himself from coughing much despite being the dust’s first victim.
He merely bit his lip and held back the urge.
As a result, even the rims of his eyes turned red.
Xiao Huai noticed someone watching him from the side, but did not look over.
Even so, he knew it was Lu Yuanshi.
When the dust settled, every player’s pupils contracted, and goose bumps rose all over their bodies.
Dense lines of rules had been written across every surface of the inn in a thick, crimson paint that resembled blood.
The writing was twisted and eerie. Every door and even the ceiling were covered in the grim paint.
Rules had been written across the clock hanging in the center of the lobby as well.
Even players who had never suffered from trypophobia felt close to suffocating in that environment.
[1. Witches are vile, lowly, and disloyal. Do not sympathize with them.]
[2. Witches begin roaming at nine o’clock at night. Do not disturb them without good reason.]
[3. Curfew lasts from three to six in the morning. Anyone who leaves their room will die.]
[4. Treasure-hunting hours are from six in the morning until three the next morning. Anyone who neglects the search will die.]
[5. Soulbugs are beautiful and kind. Do not kill any soulbug in Aledi Village. Violators will die.]
[6. Food and water are unlimited and will be replenished in the dining hall every day. Help yourselves.]
The final rule left everyone stunned.
[7. The children invited to the Witch’s House are all naughty. Every night, the witch will randomly punish the bad children.]
There were seven rules. Three explicitly prescribed death as punishment, while another stated that a punishment would be imposed.
What kind of damned instance was this?
Fear once again shrouded everyone’s hearts.
Would they really survive long enough to find the treasure?
Ji Yelin took out paper and a pen, then copied all the rules into her notebook.
The others quickly recovered and began writing the rules down as well.
Xiao Huai, however, left the group and pushed open the door to one of the rooms.
“Wait… you…” The players had only just tried to stop him when he opened the door.
The room’s layout differed from the stereotypical inn room.
There was nothing particularly bizarre about it, except that hotel beds were not usually surrounded by guardrails.
Bed rails were meant to keep babies from rolling off in their sleep and injuring themselves.
There were two single beds in the room, and both were enclosed by guardrails.
Moreover, the room was spotless and pure white, forming a stark contrast with the filthy disorder outside.