The Chapter of Barbed Words

Shafuri had just turned and left the ward when the alarm went off.

Upon hearing the altered, monotonous, and repetitive alarm that was likely to trigger anxiety, Yu Xing felt a sense of relief wash over him. He walked out of the ward and saw Shafuri's back a few steps away, but he didn't see the Dark Thief.

The Dark Thief really left? Shouldn't he have been waiting outside the door after being controlled?

At that moment, Yu Xing vaguely felt that something was wrong, as if he had forgotten something.

The feeling wasn't urgent, but it became increasingly undeniable as he walked up the stairs to the first floor.

Yu Xing lowered her eyelids. This feeling only came after she saw the Dark Thief disappear. Was it related to the Dark Thief?

He ran into Ren Yi on the stairs. Ren Yi nodded to him, slowed his pace, and walked alongside him.

Yu Xing glanced at Ren Yi. Ren Yi had been playing the single-player Yugi smoothly, and his clothes were clean. Yu Xing wondered if he had encountered any danger.

His expression remained unchanged, his three-dimensional and deep features were filled with an incongruous indifference, and his face was somewhat thin.

This was Yu Xing's second time conducting a deduction with the Research Institute's star predictor. Ren Yi gave him an extremely composed impression. Even though Ren Yi seemed to be a reserved person, at least from the outside, Ren Yi and Zeng Lai were two completely different individuals. He really didn't know how they became good friends.

Yu Xing suddenly asked, "Has the poison that Shafuri gave you taken effect?"

Ren Yi's complexion was relatively good at this moment. Shafuri was not far in front of them, and their conversation could easily be heard by the woman, but Ren Yi did not try to hide it, clearly showing that he was not afraid of Shafuri: "I don't know. Judging from the facts, it shouldn't have taken effect yet. The poison in my body is probably latent, like it might affect my mind at a crucial moment."

"Is her poison really that potent? Even you can't defend against it?" Yu Xing raised an eyebrow, seemingly very curious.

In terms of ability, Ren Yi is far superior to Zeng Lai. Zeng Lai joined the Research Institute late. It is said that when the name of the gambler was just becoming known, Ren Yi was known for his blood-stained pen, was already the head of the Research Institute.

Therefore, Ren Yi and Zeng Lai were not only friends, but also senior and junior colleagues.

"Yes, Shafuri's poison is her core ability. As far as I know, some of her poisons are close to the rule level; they're indeed very powerful." Ren Yi shifted his gaze with a blank expression. "Don't be careless."

Hiss...

Yu Xing tapped his fingers casually in his pocket as he recalled everything he had just witnessed. It seemed he had indeed been careless.

When he arrived in the hall and looked at the gradually gathering crowd, he suddenly realized something: the Dark Thief was dead.

He was killed by Han Yan before the first identification.

He saw Qu Xuanqing standing there alone again, still covered in blood. She was very close to Han Yan, but showed no sign of discomfort.

A faint blue mist enveloped Zhao Yijiu, Zhao Mou's wheelchair was being pushed by Zhao Yijiu. The two of them sat quietly beside the waiting chairs.

Shafuri and Yu Jing were talking. Yu Jing's face was extremely pale, as if he was about to suffocate. He struggled to control the urge to retreat and run away, and after a long while, he begged for mercy, "Please spare me, beautiful lady, I'm so socially awkward, I really can't take it anymore..."

Having received this answer, Shafuri's mischievousness was satisfied. She generously let the poor Yu Jing, who suffered from social anxiety, go, and gave Yu Xing a very interesting look, as if to say...

See that? Remember now? Although I don't know who you were referring to when you said "just like him," you should realize it now, right? There's no such person.

Why am I so lenient with you, even ignoring all your actions that hint at rejection? Because you can't escape anyway; you're already deeply poisoned.

At that moment Yu Xing realized what kind of poison she had been given.

It must be a hallucination.

It was the same hallucinogenic toxin that Ren Yi mentioned, one that was close to the rules. This toxin caused him to see the figures of Dark Thief in his retina, which even led to something as unthinkable as closing the door.

He had been poisoned sometime earlier, because he saw the Dark Thief before Shafuri approached him and rubbed the poison on the back of his neck.

Looking back now, the footsteps he heard from the corridor in the room were only from Shafuri's high heels. As for the Dark Thief, he clearly appeared to him as an ordinary person, having become less noticeable due to the poisoning, yet he didn't hear the Dark Thief's footsteps, which surprisingly didn't arouse his suspicion.

He was already affected by the poison, to the point that his logic in certain aspects was disrupted, and he was unaware that something was wrong. It was only when the poison was unpredictable and he didn't see the Dark Thief after leaving the ward that he realized something was amiss.

The look of delight on Shafuri's face when he exposed that she had smeared poison on her legs wasn't just because his excellent insight made her Shafuri he had been poisoned by her hallucination toxin. Moreover, as time went on, the poison was becoming more and more potent, which meant that her control over Yu Xing was also deepening.

Imagine if, during a battle, Shafuri caused Yu Xing to hallucinate and see things that didn't exist. The distracted Yu Xing would instantly be at a disadvantage.

To avoid detonating this time bomb, Yu Xing had to cooperate with her, and even obediently join the night shift.

It's important to understand that her poison operates under different rules than those of the Fear Hospital. Even if she fails twice in the Fear Hospital, or returns to reality, her poison will not disappear.

Having figured all this out, Yu Xing narrowed his eyes silently.

Alright, I shouldn't underestimate Shafuri just because of my curse power.

His black mist also failed to detect the presence of the hallucination toxin, indicating that this poison was truly invisible, and even with the power of a curse, it would take a considerable amount of time to dispel it.

The main problem is that he has little control over the power of his curse. If only we could find more Ghost Tree... ideally, we could establish direct contact with them.

The Ghost Tree can greatly revive or even enhance his abilities. His initial psychic abilities and partial control over the power of curses were due to a single glance at the Ghost Tree in the abyss.

If he can now control the power of curses at will, then under the shroud of the "immortality" rule, even a true rule-level poison cannot invade his body.

Yu Xing smiled at Shafuri, indicating that she "conceded defeat" in this encounter.

Shafuri's behavior in the morning mode was so silly that Yu Xing unconsciously lowered his estimate of Shafuri's strength. It turned out that this woman was much smarter than she seemed.

Everyone is an actor.

Before long, all the surviving people had arrived, the only one who was not present was Rubik's Cube.

Yu Xing didn't have time to comfort Ren Yi, only to tell Ren Yi that his disciple was really too easy to kill and that it was time for him to lose weight, before quickly walking towards Qu Xuanqing.

He approached Qu Xuanqing with great concern, frowning as he asked, "Are you alright?"

The viewers in the live stream who were just a second ago discussing "Why is there only one person missing? Did they accidentally vote for the Siren by mistake, or was the other perpetrator too weak to complete the murder?" perked up their ears.

The desperate candidates are Ren Yi, who has been live-streaming the whole time; Shafuri, who entered the haunted ward and turned on the fixed camera midway through; Yu Xing, who asked Ren Yi for help; Rubik's Cube's Cube; and Qu Xuanqing himself. The only four people whose itineraries are unknown are Zhao Mou, Cold Wine, Han Yan, and Yu Jing.

Zhao Mou and Cold Wine seem to have a good relationship with Qu Xuanqing, so they have no reason to launch a sneak attack. Therefore Han Yan and Yu Jing... are highly suspicious!

Qu Xuanqing looked at Yu Xing with some confusion. "I'm fine, why do you keep asking me that?"

Yu Xing remained calm; Yu Xing was eager to stir things up.

Perhaps, at this moment, Han Yan is the one most dissatisfied with Qu Xuanqing's performance.

He knew very well that he had failed to affect Qu Xuanqing. What else could she be doing in this state? Of course, she was digging a pit for him to fall into.

Those viewers will always believe the truth they uncover through Silk Drawing and Unraveling, even if that truth is actually fabricated by someone else.

"Everyone... sit down." The dean's extremely tired voice came from the loudspeaker, the fear and trembling in his voice could no longer be concealed.

After entering night mode, the dean rarely spoke on the radio, occasionally letting out a sound, which was usually a sudden scream or something meaningless.

All eight survivors were silenced. Except for Zhao Mou, who didn't need to move, the others sat down in their chairs in silence.

"Another death. I don't have the energy to do anything else. I'm sorry... You'll have to find the culprit yourselves. The only thing I can do is provide you with a completely safe place to identify the perpetrator. I'm a useless hospital director, unable to shoulder the burden of this hospital. Perhaps I'll die soon too."

This time, the broadcast system was unusually quiet during the dean's speech, allowing his words to flow smoothly.

The period before the next identification takes place is the time when the dean is being chased by ghosts.

If the guests intend to save the headmaster, they should be prepared, because the ghosts attacking the headmaster are merciless. If they're not careful, the defenseless headmaster will die. The broadcast will then switch back to the voice of the little girl from the beginning.

The dean in the dark is truly pitiful.

The dean gave a brief "last words," and then allowed them to speak according to the order in which they entered.

This time, in addition to describing their respective movements, Ren Yi and Yu Xing both mentioned the existence of a guest at the "despair level".

Ren Yi deduced this purely from Qu Xuanqing's appearance. The Despair Level was a hidden danger, and the other party must have some ideas that were detrimental to this simulation. Otherwise, why would they hide their identity? He also invited Yu Xing to investigate the truth together. Qu Xuanqing was an ally, and the one who harmed Qu Xuanqing was undoubtedly on his opposite side.

Yu Xing spoke more, and in the eyes of the audience, he recounted Qu Xuanqing 'Qu Xuanqing unusual behavior in front of her, which prompted Qu Xuanqing to fall into deep thought.

Besides the potential upheavals caused by the "Despair Level," some people have also become opposed. After listening to everyone, Yu Jing discovered that this "Despair Level" could only occur between him, Han Zichuan, and Zhao Mou, which raised many doubts.

That's not right.

Everyone else thought he was the most likely candidate, but he already knew that he was far from being in despair!

Could it be some cunning old fox trying to use him as a shield, deliberately shifting suspicion onto him?

Just as Yu Jing was pondering this in his heart, it was Qu Xuanqing's turn to speak.

Qu Xuanqing's first words were. "I went to the morgue to find the quest item for Xing, and nothing happened during that time... Of course, according to you, I was actually brainwashed by the Despair Level, to the point that I forgot that experience and also forgot who the Despair Level is."

Her brows furrowed deeper, her gaze shifting uncertainly between the group. "Since I've already fallen for their trap, what I say is of no use. In fact, what I thought I saw—like handing the corpse over to Yu Xing and then going about my own business, and seeing Yu Jing doing a mission on the third floor—might just be a false memory?"

Yu Jing:... Fuck your grandma's leg.

At this point, if someone uses Qu Xuanqing's eyes to obtain evidence of their actions, doesn't that mean they are suspected of manipulating Qu Xuanqing?

Sure enough, someone was trying to frame him, shifting suspicion onto him at every turn. Was this an attempt to quietly label him as hopeless, making it impossible for him to move forward in the future?

Fortunately, due to his social anxiety, he dawdled and was the last to enter the hall, so his speaking order was after Qu Xuanqing's.

As soon as the restrictions were lifted, he argued under the suspicious gazes of everyone. "It's true that I was doing a mission on the third floor, but I didn't see Qu Xuanqing. Everything Qu Xuanqing saw could very well be memories implanted in her by that Despair-level being, but if it were me, wouldn't it be too obvious? Am I afraid others won't know something's wrong with me?"

Even though he said that, others still didn't really believe him.

The audience pondered, offering a variety of opinions.

Zhao Ruru brewed Xu Shu a cup of his favorite bone ash tea, then smiled and typed on the screen:

Xu Shu noticed her actions and expressed his doubt with his eyes.

Zhao Ruru chuckled, "Since you're here, don't just sit around. Here, send one..."

A few seconds later, everyone saw several comments on the screen.

Everyone thought about what he said.

The first question refers to Han Zichuan.

The second question points to the Fallen Path.

Xu Shu had one more message to post, and he was just about to publish it when an unexpected name beat him to it.

Sarcastic and unsettling.

Suddenly I realized.