That blurry silhouette took a knife wound and slowly crawled across the ground before the butcher slung it over his shoulder and carried it away.
Next, the butcher placed that person somewhere, seemingly tying them to a pillar or perhaps a chair?
Who had been captured?
Wang Fugui or the Gold Collar Elite?
Whoever it was, Tang Yuan did not want to see it. The more players there were on the same team, the more scattered the butcher's attention would be. Once only Tang Yuan remained, the butcher would focus solely on finding him.
That would make it harder for Tang Yuan to find the remaining clues.
However, although that person had been captured, they were not eliminated immediately.
As the dead, they were already dead, so even having their vital points pierced did not matter much. At most, some time would be deducted from the countdown. But based on Tang Yuan's experience from the previous round, although the dead could withstand having their vital points pierced occasionally, if their skulls were continuously destroyed to the extreme,
then even the dead could no longer remain, and their souls could only scatter like smoke and vanish like mist.
The reason the players could "stay alive" now was entirely because the game system had granted them "Prosthetic Bodies." Once a "Prosthetic Body" completely collapsed in the game, the player would truly die.
But the butcher did not kill that person immediately. Instead, he stood beside them and kept watch. Perhaps he was restricted by some rule, or perhaps there was another reason, but one thing was certain—
The person who had been captured should be safe for the time being. Instead, they had tied down the butcher.
Well done, my friend.
Tang Yuan applauded.
"What do we do?" Liu Conghui hesitantly watched the red silhouette over there, still debating whether she should go and rescue him.
"Ah, damn it! Our companion actually made such a sacrifice to buy us an opportunity! I won't let your kindness go to waste!" Tang Yuan clenched his fists.
"You're being way too dramatic." Liu Conghui's face was expressionless.
Tang Yuan grew serious. "He's too far away from us. Rather than going over to save him, we should seize this opportunity to find a few more recordings. As long as we can crack this mission, everyone can clear it."
"So going to save him right now isn't cost-effective."
Brother, hold on a little longer! Protect your head, protect your head!
"What?" Liu Conghui was somewhat bewildered. Out of habit, she pushed up her thick glasses. Could even something like this be measured by cost-effectiveness?
"We've only found one recording so far, which puts us at too great a disadvantage. If we go over now, we'll not only waste time, but we could also be wiped out by the butcher in one fell swoop. It would be more reliable to find a few more clues, see whether this butcher has any weaknesses, and then go save him."
Oh, she understood now. That made more sense. She completely agreed with Tang Yuan's view.
While that person held the butcher up, the other three needed to uncover the secrets of this place as quickly as possible. Only then would they have the best chance of rescuing him.
They moved through the ruins and soon found a second radio. Tang Yuan tuned the station with practiced ease.
"September 11,
It rained today. I could take shelter from the rain in the woods, but I was still soaked through. I have rheumatism, and whenever it rains, my joints feel as though countless ants are gnawing at them.
The steamed buns got soaked, but they're still edible. Luckily, because of the torrential rain, a bird's nest fell from a tree, and I managed to find several eggs. That should secure my food for the next couple of days.
My joints hurt terribly, and there are no painkillers here. Those mushrooms might be able to ease my suffering, but... forget it.
I want to go home."
The voice recording played smoothly. Although Tang Yuan once again felt his soul tremble and sensed that he was being watched, the butcher did not come after him as he had last time. Perhaps he had to guard the person who had been captured.
[Information obtained: Voice Diary, Part 2.] [You have deciphered 20% of the worldview.]
Oh? At this rate, would finding eight more recordings be enough to decipher 100% of the worldview?
Tang Yuan still remained suspicious.
The two voice diaries did not contain anything particularly unusual. They mostly described how someone stranded on this island struggled against nature and managed to fill his stomach and survive.
It felt unrelated to the butcher and the ruins covering the mountain. At least, he could not see the connection yet.
However, both voice diaries had mentioned mushrooms, which piqued Tang Yuan's interest.
He took off his outer shirt, tied the two sleeves together, and made a simple little bundle. Then he gathered some hallucinogenic mushrooms and placed them inside the shirt.
A sudden sense of satisfaction filled his heart. These were new ingredients. ECHO Eye had identified them as hallucinogenic mushrooms, but he did not know what effect eating them would have.
Tang Yuan also observed the situation on the butcher's side. The captured person was still tied to a chair and had not suffered any devastating injuries. Of course, the butcher was honestly standing beside him, "guarding" him.
Good, brother. Nicely done. You've bought us more time.
His right eye flashed with blue light. Once he activated ECHO Eye, the surrounding situation was analyzed with perfect clarity, and Tang Yuan soon found a third radio.
Everything went incredibly smoothly.
Tang Yuan almost could not believe it.
After quickly tuning the station, the third voice diary began to play.
"September 13,
The steamed buns are all gone. I tried to ration them, but the day I finished them finally came. Luckily, the mountain is damp, so I can collect some dew in the morning and avoid dying of dehydration.
I really hope I get lucky and find some bird eggs again.
I'm so useless. Even a little exertion leaves me panting, and my vision has begun to blur. I'm having trouble breathing.
I don't know how much longer I can hold on, but I have to go back. I'm going to expose him. He's the one who abandoned me here. Even if it costs me my life, I can't let him get away with it.
That alone is enough reason for me to stay alive. I will live. I will leave this place. I have to. I will leave."
[Information obtained: Voice Diary, Part 3.] [You have deciphered 30% of the worldview.]
From this voice diary, Tang Yuan obtained an important piece of information: the person who had left the recordings had been abandoned here by someone. This had transformed the matter from a simple case of becoming stranded in the wilderness into something far less innocent. To put it more seriously, it might even have been murder.
The person who had abandoned him here wanted him dead.
Those words also revealed a crucial piece of information: his health was poor. Otherwise, how could he be panting after walking only a few steps? The person who had abandoned him here must have known that too, which was why they had thrown someone in poor health into the wilderness,
hoping he would die on this island.
And that person must already be dead as well. His body might still be found.
He could not let go of his resentment and was unable to reincarnate. Instead, his grievance festered, transforming him into an evil spirit that roamed through the ruins at night! However, it was still impossible to determine whether the butcher was that person. Tang Yuan did not yet have conclusive evidence.
"It's really strange. Why doesn't that butcher kill him?" While Tang Yuan deciphered the information, Liu Conghui kept watching that side. "The butcher attacks us, so he must be hostile toward us. Then why doesn't he kill someone after capturing them, instead of waiting there?"
It did not make sense. Waiting there brought no benefit.
After guarding one person, he had no way to chase the others, and he was wasting time as well.
"Every action is driven by a motive."
Tang Yuan held out a finger and tapped his own head.
"The butcher's goal might not be to kill us. When you look at anything, you have to think about it from the root."
Before you continue