Chapter 41
Chapter 41
In his previous life, he had Type A blood, so he subconsciously overlooked the fact that this body was Type O.
From the moment they entered the Instance, every single streamer had been male and Type O. This was a hint that they all shared the same identity as the former tenants-they were the Sacrifices for the Eternal Life Curse.
As Sacrifices, they couldn’t escape being offered up.
Doctor Zhuang had initiated a new round of planning. From the subtle clues in the Instance that pointed toward him to the development where Qiao Yu accidentally triggered the Hidden NPC out of curiosity, everything had been guided by Doctor Zhuang himself.
His goal was to reclaim control over the Instance and completely dominate Li Xiaoqin.
Because…
Qiao Yu gazed at Li Xiaoqin, who stood in the black mist with a struggling expression, and said with certainty, “You weren’t sacrificed. You committed suicide before Doctor Zhuang could act!”
Only then did everything make sense.
The Eternal Life Curse hadn’t been fully implemented. Li Xiaoqin had turned into a vengeful wraith, standing on equal footing with Doctor Zhuang and even faintly suppressing him.
However, due to her status as a Sacrifice, Doctor Zhuang could still influence the direction of the Instance on her behalf.
In other words, although Ping’an Apartment was occupied by Li Xiaoqin, Doctor Zhuang was the one who could set the Instance rules in her stead.
Li Xiaoqin couldn’t enter Room 4001; that was a restriction Doctor Zhuang had set to protect himself.
Hunting based on the House Number Plates distributed by the Landlord Ghost was the killing opportunity Doctor Zhuang had established for Li Xiaoqin…
So, it wasn’t that Li Xiaoqin’s hypnosis had been broken by Doctor Zhuang; she had awakened by sheer accident. Furthermore, before Doctor Zhuang could sacrifice her as the Array Eye, she had committed suicide while wearing the red dress.
Without completing the final step of the sacrificial ritual, the curse remained incomplete. As an occult enthusiast, once he caught an opportunity, he would immediately start a second round of experiments.
That meant luring the streamers step by step into the trap he had set, preparing to hold another sacrificial ritual!
And as the Aberration Source, as long as Doctor Zhuang existed, the streamers would never be able to escape the Instance. Sooner or later, they would become Sacrifices under his hand.
What a lunatic!
Over on the other side, Li Xiaoqin seemed to realize that Qiao Yu was a tough nut to crack, so she turned her sights on Man-Eating Crocodile as her next target.
Brother Crocodile was truly about to vomit from frustration. He had finally managed to successfully reconstruct the events, yet he couldn’t leave the Instance. Who was he supposed to complain to?
“Ah! Big sister, don’t-don’t-don’t come at me! I-I-I…” As Li Xiaoqin swung her blade down, Man-Eating Crocodile instinctively grabbed her wrist.
Fortunately, he was quite strong and managed to barely block the attack.
During the struggle, he caught a glimpse of Qiao Yu leaving him behind and heading toward the bedroom. He subconsciously yelled, “Dad, save me!”
Qiao Yu didn’t even turn his head, merely waving a hand. “Just hold on for a bit. Give me one minute.”
The others watched Qiao Yu’s back with curiosity, their faces filled with confusion.
Qiao Yu went inside and came out quickly. The moment he appeared, everyone saw the four House Number Plates in his hand.
When Li Xiaoqin saw this, the hand holding the cleaver trembled slightly. Her gaze followed Qiao Yu as he moved slowly. Once Qiao Yu stepped out of the room, she immediately abandoned Man-Eating Crocodile and chased after him.
“What’s going on?” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after Li Xiaoqin was lured away, though they were deeply puzzled.
Man-Eating Crocodile’s face was covered in tears, and he was sobbing so hard he was hiccuping.
Just now, Li Xiaoqin’s blade had been less than a centimeter away from him. If his strength had been even a tiny bit weaker, he might have been finished.
His newly acquired Blue-Name ID would have gone down the drain with him!
Meanwhile, Qiao Yu ran quickly toward Room 4001. Before Li Xiaoqin could catch up, and ignoring the cleaver about to descend upon his head, he swiftly hung all four House Number Plates onto the doorframe of Room 4001.
The kitchen knife froze in mid-air. A few strands of ink-black hair, severed by the sharp blade, drifted slowly down, finally settling on the hem of Qiao Yu’s clothes, seemingly reluctant to leave.
He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned in close to Li Xiaoqin, his shallow breath brushing against her ear.
His voice held a seductive, manipulative pull: “Go on. Go get your revenge. Go… kill him.”
Almost instantly, Li Xiaoqin charged into Room 4001. Immediately after, Doctor Zhuang’s shrill, agonizing screams echoed from within the room.
-Tsk, Doctor Zhuang is in for it now.
-…Tsk, tsk, tsk. Li Xiaoqin can finally settle her scores and get her revenge (doge_face.jpg).
-Can someone explain what exactly is going on?
Standing outside Room 4001, Qiao Yu glanced boredly at the Live Stream Room. His mood had improved significantly.
“Doctor Zhuang caused the destruction of Li Xiaoqin’s family and her life. Why would Li Xiaoqin want to keep him around?”
“Is it because she didn’t want to kill him?”
“Wrong. The only person Li Xiaoqin truly wanted to kill was Doctor Zhuang. But constrained by the rules, she could only hunt based on the House Number Plate, turning her once again into a ‘knife’ in Doctor Zhuang’s hands.”
Qiao Yu looked down at the blood flowing out from under the door crack, a faint smile slowly spreading across his face. “It’s only polite to return a favor in kind. Since Doctor Zhuang dared to use the rules to play me, why can’t I use the rules to help Li Xiaoqin get her revenge?”
-…….
-Stop it, the streamer is making me scared~
-+1
-+10086
-+3.1415926……
[Ding- It has been detected that the Instance’s Aberration Source has been eliminated by the streamer I’m Your Dad.]
[As the storyline reconstruction has reached over 90%, the Ping’an Apartment Instance has been sealed by the Live Stream Room.]
[Instance closing… Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]
A sensation of weightlessness washed over him. When Qiao Yu opened his eyes, the other four surviving streamers were lying haphazardly around him.
The dilapidated wooden stairs behind him indicated that this was the first floor of Ping’an Apartment, but it didn’t look like the place in his memory.
At the very least, the Ping’an Apartment in the Instance wasn’t nearly as… filthy, messy, and broken as this!
Just as Qiao Yu was considering whether to wake the others, the system notification sounded in his mind again.
[Congratulations to the streamer for successfully eliminating the Instance’s Aberration Source. Streamer I’m Your Dad has been exceptionally promoted to a Blue-Name Streamer. Live Stream Room is upgrading…]
[Rewards for resolving the Aberration Source have been distributed. Congratulations to the streamer for obtaining the Title-Quiet Lone Ranger. (Equipping this title reduces your presence by 70%.)]
[Live Stream Room upgrade complete. Congratulations to streamer I’m Your Dad for becoming a Blue-Name Streamer. The Blue-Name Mall channel is now open…]
[Detected that the streamer has become a Blue-Name Streamer and is now eligible to wear titles. Rewarding one draw from the Title Pool.]
As long as it didn’t involve his money, Qiao Yu was never particularly cautious. He immediately clicked the ‘Draw’ option in front of him.
[Ding! Congratulations to the streamer for obtaining the Title-You Old Sixth. (Equipping this title will make the streamer Lucky God Possessed, becoming the ‘brightest’ kid in the crowd.) Note: This title has both pros and cons. It easily attracts the attention of all Ghosts in the Instance. Please use with caution.]
Qiao Yu: ??
One Lone Ranger, one “Old Sixth.”
I’m so done!
As Qiao Yu drew his title, the ink-colored mist surrounding the perimeter of Ping’an Apartment gradually thinned. A breeze blew past, and raindrops began to fall.
Qiao Yu squinted at the world outside the door. When his gaze landed on the exceptionally eye-catching long-haired man standing in the curtain of rain, his breath hitched.
He subconsciously touched the area over his heart. There was a dense, needle-like prickling sensation there…