Tong

A slight difference can lead to a huge error; no one can be absolutely certain of success.

Being surrounded by those dangerous Anomaly, do you really have the spare time to slowly lay out all the evidence bit by bit?

If such a person really existed, then he would surely die a horrible death.

Every choice carries risk; even drinking water can lead to choking, and walking can result in a fall and death, let alone in those Anomaly Incident.

Bai Zhi never definitively determined anything; all he did was choose the most likely possibility from among countless possibilities and implement it.

Geniuses are gamblers; if the probability of success for something exceeds 50%, then it's worth the gamble.

Ever since entering this single-player Dungeon, Bai Zhi has been thinking about this question.

What exactly is their objective in this single-player Dungeon?

Is it to save the town, to save everyone, or to destroy the town, to kill everyone?

... I have no clue.

At least for now, Bai Zhi has no clue whatsoever. He can only take it one step at a time and try to find more clues in the process.

Sitting upright at his desk with his back to the desk, Bai Zhi frowned slightly as he pondered.

A book that slipped out of a mysterious Library, a little Girl who found the book by chance, a single-player Dungeon without any explanation, and the strange choices Player made before entering the Dungeon...

Strictly speaking, although he had obtained many clues, he always felt that he had only seen the tip of the iceberg, and that much more was hidden beneath the surface. Those hidden things that he had not yet discovered were the true core of everything.

Bai Zhi pointed to the paper in front of him, which was covered with strange symbols that only he could understand, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He chose to start as Doctor, and the time he chose was one day before the city was destroyed. According to the information he had obtained from the Hyena, the culprit behind the city's destruction should be the Eerie Catastrophe that wiped out nearly 90% of the hunters in the wild.

The specific time when the disaster will strike is tomorrow.

However, the problem is that, according to Instant's description of what he saw, the Tian Kong was torn apart, the earth was riddled with holes, and countless strange things roamed the world...

From beginning to end, Instant's perspective revolved around that book; in other words, what he saw was the scene of the city after it had been swallowed up by that book.

So, is this situation caused by the book itself, or is it simply the natural trend of the world's development?

While this world is currently in a state of utter devastation, at least the Players there still have the strength to fight back. It's certainly not as tragic as the world of Tombstone Apartment where Moonlit Snow, Dark Clouds Part live. The strange phenomenon caused by this book is only rated A-rank by the system... Bai Zhi doesn't believe that an Anomaly rated A could cause that kind of damage.

So this is the inevitable trend of the world's development?

On the surface, it still seems to have a fighting chance, but in reality, it's teetering on the brink of collapse, and the entire world is on the verge of destruction... Players in this world deliberately hiding these truths?

Thinking of this, Bai Zhi couldn't help but frown.

So far, he has basically deduced most of the details of this Anomaly, but some things are still unclear, like looking at flowers through a fog.

Those who were swallowed up by this book are still alive, but they've become NPCs in one story after another. If we consider it from this perspective, then in a true sense...

Just as Bai Zhi was pondering, a faint, unusual gust of wind suddenly came from behind him.

With a slight sigh and a slight tilt of his head, Bai Zhi raised his hand and grasped the thin, small hand that was tightly gripping the dagger.

"Are you done taking a bath?"

The other person didn't seem inclined to answer his question. Instead, another hand, wrapped in bandages, gripped a pair of scissors and swiftly stabbed towards his neck.

"Hey, that's enough! Can't you just listen to me and talk to me properly?"

Once again, Bai Zhi reached out his other hand and grabbed the other person's hand, his words carrying a hint of helplessness.

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean, I'm actually..."

A fierce and resolute glint flashed in her eyes as she looked at the Girl's neck and bit down hard.

Three minutes later.

"Now you should be able to listen to me obediently, right?"

Clutching his bleeding neck with one hand, Bai Zhi looked at the Girl he had tied up with rope and couldn't help but feel a bit of a toothache.

The Girl's decisiveness almost exceeded his expectations. After her sneak attack failed, she resolutely chose to commit suicide. If he hadn't been quick enough, there would probably be a corpse lying in front of him right now.

--If you can't win, commit suicide. That way you can die with some dignity.

Although this was usually just a joke, Bai Zhi couldn't remain unmoved when this scene actually happened in front of him.

Although he intentionally placed the dagger and scissors where the other party could see them, if his physical attributes hadn't far surpassed hers, the previous sneak attack might actually have succeeded.

--Because he had no idea when the other person had walked up behind him.

"Really, I'm a good person, not like those guys."

Bai Zhi found a bandage and stuck it to his neck. Sitting down in front of the other person, Bai Zhi spoke earnestly.

"I know you find it hard to trust others right now, but how about you trust me for now?"

Bai Zhi's attitude in this scene seemed quite sincere... If the person in front of him hadn't been tied up, it might have been even more convincing.

"They're all the same."

She looked up at him, Girl tone calm as if stating an obvious fact.

I will kill you all, leaving no one alive.

From the moment she emerged from that Underground Prison until she arrived here, the expression on her face remained extremely calm, even frighteningly calm.

"Okay, I'll take you there."

Because the other person had taken a shower and changed into new clothes, Bai Zhi was finally able to see their face clearly. After staring at their face for a moment, Bai Zhi nodded.

"I originally planned to wait until everyone was here before making my move, but it's fine to start early. But before that, you have to tell me your name."

"..."

The Girl remained silent, simply staring at him, while Bai Zhi met her gaze without flinching.

In the other person's eyes, he saw many hidden emotions: pain, despair, coldness, madness... all of which eventually blended into an eerie calm.

It wasn't until much later that the Girl finally looked away, her words devoid of any emotion.

"Hitomi."