Danger on the Other Side

The difficulty of this Mandatory Quest, called "Life Save Disk," increases progressively.

So far, they have reloaded their save files twice. The first time was due to objective reasons, and the second time was caused by Bai Zhi himself.

Unlike the first time when nothing unexpected happened, the second time Bai Zhi loaded the save file, a terrifying change occurred, Bai Zhi him completely off guard.

Just as the Traveler said, when the number of Anomaly in this scene accumulates to a terrifying level, their final fate, while not exactly the same as utter ruin, is not far off.

Worse still, because of the plan Bai Zhi devised in the previous cycle, the difficulty of this mission has increased by more than one level. If Bai Zhi is still determined to find the mole hidden among the seven Player, it will very likely lead to a third save/load.

As the saying goes, plans are no match for changes, and man proposes, God disposes. Bai Zhi felt quite helpless about the current thorny situation. This was probably the epitome of internal and external troubles.

Aside from the Anomaly that already existed within the Orphanage, they not only had to contend with attacks from the Anomaly that had transformed from those who died in the previous cycle of reincarnation, but also had to be wary of the potential traitor within their own ranks.

--As for the identity of the mole, Bai Zhi still has no clue whatsoever.

Besides these, what Bai Zhi cared about even more were the things that had happened in this Orphanage... things that were closely related to his Previous Self.

The Diary he found on the sixth floor contained numerous entries describing his Previous Self's appearances, and each Previous Self was almost always accompanied by a heated argument with the Old Director.

However, these scenes do not exist in the memories he inherited from books. In those inherited memories, the Old Director who raised him and provided for his education was a very kind and amiable old man.

Although he was essentially a usurper, he didn't inherit all of the original owner's memories. If he could recall all those things, Bai Zhi felt he might be able to find the reason why the original owner became self-destructive and gave up on himself after starting university.

--If we're talking about who knows the truth about what happened inside this Orphanage, Bai Zhi thinks his Previous Self definitely counts as one of them.

"Unfortunately, due to an unexpected event, my plan went slightly wrong, and I still haven't found that Fallen Species member of the team..."

As he pondered these things, Bai Zhi couldn't help but frown.

As the saying goes, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Without more clues, he couldn't deduce much. Even if he had made some prior arrangements to guard against the mole, it was hard to say how effective those arrangements would be...

"How is it? How long will it take to recover your fighting strength?"

Looking at VerdantRipple, who had sat up from the ground, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly and asked her a question.

"... between one and two hours."

VerdantRipple tried clenching her fist with her bandaged hand and spoke quietly.

"However, my weapon was destroyed by the acid from that Monster, so my strength will be greatly reduced if I fight bare-handed."

What weapon are you using?

As he spoke, Bai Zhi turned his head to look at the Corrosion, pitted area on the corridor floor.

That area was clearly the main battlefield where the Traveler had fought the Monster. Although they eventually managed to kill the Monster, they were both severely injured in the process.

Faced with those small, Xenomorphic Monster, all they could rely on was their own raw strength, and their newly formed team desperately needed a main attacker.

"Swords, my Skill are related to swords."

After several unsuccessful attempts to stand up, VerdantRipple gave up on the futile idea, then looked up at Bai Zhi in front of her and spoke frankly.

"Given that Traveler and I are essentially incapacitated, my personal advice is to find a safe place to rest and avoid further conflict with those Anomaly. The battle that took place in the corridor earlier caused quite a commotion, and I'm worried that other Anomaly roaming this building might be attracted here. Like the Sulfuric Acid Monster we dealt with before, it was attracted by the noise of the Explosion."

"That's true, but my personal suggestion is to find Iron Blood and reunite with them first. We can't afford to reload another save."

The Traveler reached up and adjusted his half-broken gold-rimmed Glasses, letting out a sigh.

"Every time we reload a save, the number of Anomaly we encounter increases, and our memories are completely reset due to the reload... This will only create a vicious cycle."

Let's go inside and talk about it.

Looking up at the stairwell not far away, Bai Zhi's expression was one of nonchalance.

"VerdantRipple is right. We need to rest now, at least to regain your ability to move freely. Otherwise, if we encounter Anomaly tales again, you might be the first to die, and that would make the situation even worse."

"..."

Looking down at the numerous wounds on his own body and the glaring bandages on VerdantRipple's body, the Traveler then looked up at the two almost unharmed people in front of him and unconsciously gave a bitter smile, tacitly agreeing with Bai Zhi's statement.

On the Third Floor, they found a room that was basically intact. After confirming that there was nothing strange inside, Bai Zhi and his group of four all entered the room.

The room was simply furnished with a bed, a desk, a few wardrobes, and a few chairs. The bright sunlight streaming in from the desk through the window temporarily dispelled the gloom in their hearts.

VerdantRipple was helped to bed by Temperance Gentleheart, while Bai Zhi and the Traveler stood guard at the door and the window, respectively.

Just as Bai Zhi carefully closed the door, he suddenly felt a chilling Yin Energy envelop his entire body, as if the whole world had darkened, and a sudden sense of danger enveloped him.

"!!!"

As if realizing something, Bai Zhi suddenly turned his head and looked towards the window.

Just as he had predicted, the sunlight disappeared and the sky darkened.