Secret Cooperation

With five minutes left before the art exhibition ended in eight hours, Yu Xing opened the door to the lounge under Zhao Yijiu's calm and unwavering gaze.

Zhao Yijiu followed him out of the lounge, practically saying, "I know what you're up to, no need to tell me, I'll just go along with it."

When they came out, there were many more people outside. It seemed that many people had returned from the second-floor exhibition hall to the first floor to rest, as if they were already tired from playing. They sat in twos and threes on the sofas and chairs, chatting, smoking, and admiring the makeup and nail art.

Yu Xing smiled at the pleasant and peaceful scene, said nothing, and walked towards the third floor.

On the way, he encountered Blood Source and Killer Number Thirty-Seven. The way these two looked at him and Zhao Yijiu was like looking at two cakes. They didn't have the desire to eat them immediately, but were full of longing, like wanting to buy them from the cake shop's display case.

Zhao Yijiu originally intended to show Yu Xing that keeping people in suspense was no longer effective, but seeing that look in his eyes, his fingers twitched slightly, revealing a hint of doubt.

He doesn't look quite right; it's like he has some serious illness.

"What are you doing?" Without any hesitation, Zhao Yijiu turned around and coldly asked the two tails following behind her.

"We're here to owe you a favor." Blood Source noticed that the two of them hadn't discussed the possibility of a final boss battle, and he couldn't very well repeat it to Zhao Yijiu at this point. So he jumped straight to the result, explicitly stating that Yu Xing were willing to exchange their help for a favor.

Yu Xing looked behind Blood Source and, finding no one behind them, asked with amusement, "Everyone else went to find the Mad Doctor and the others, why are only the two of you looking for us? Aren't you afraid your fellow experience users will suspect you of rebellion?"

"They actually saw us when we were dealing with the possessed ghost, so they know that you and I are getting along quite peacefully. At this juncture, we came to you to relieve the pressure that the Mad Doctor and the others might be facing. It's good for everyone, and they won't mind." Blood Source answered honestly without using any tricks.

Despite their conversation, the two men didn't slow down. They walked through the corridor outside the lounge, arrived at the lobby, and immediately went straight up the stairs to the third floor without stopping. As soon as they stepped onto the stairs, the people who had arrived on the third floor before them all turned their eyes to them.

Everyone stood in the corridor, their gazes towards Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu varying. Ning Feng's team was the most relaxed and unmoved, with a hint of fear still lingering in the eyes of the person in the container. The other three, who had no contact with Yu Xing, were slightly curious, because they had heard about Yu Xing's terror from the container, but later heard about her friendliness from Blood Source and Killer Number Thirty-Seven.

Even without hearing any prior information about this matter from Yu Xing, Zhao Yijiu could sense from these people's reactions that there would definitely be further dangers targeting all outsiders after this instance.

He stood silently behind Yu Xing, seemingly uninterested, like a shadow.

In contrast to his low profile, Yu Xing was much more high-profile.

"Hey, what are you all doing standing here? Giving us a belated welcome ceremony?" Yu Xing, one of the very few among the twelve, showed no sign of nervousness or caution when facing these people. He met their gazes openly and spoke jokingly in a very unsteady manner.

The chess player ignored his words and reminded him, "There are two minutes left before the exhibition ends. The person in charge appeared at the beginning of the exhibition, and he will probably give the closing remarks. He will be walking through this corridor. If we don't think of a reason to get his permission to skip the closing ceremony in the meantime, we must go to the first floor and listen to his remarks with the other visitors. Otherwise, we won't have enough time to run."

Everyone else was thinking that it would be too late, as it meant that they, a few flesh and blood, would have to walk a long distance surrounded by more than a hundred ghostly NPCs, which was definitely a dead end.

The final step of the process is very time-sensitive. If they arrive early, they have no reason to enter the Art Appreciation Room. If they force their way in, they are breaking the rules. The painters and managers inside are not pushovers either. This is equivalent to actively confronting the ghosts. According to the rules, they can only enter the Art Appreciation Room once if they find a fake. Although this is not written down, it is an obvious implicit rule.

Therefore, only when the person in charge comes out into the corridor can they take the opportunity to use their own quota and rewards to persuade the person in charge to allow them to hide in the Art Appreciation Room. With the person in charge's consent, even if most of the people here have never received a fake, the painters in the Art Appreciation Room cannot do anything to them.

The person holding the chess piece is raising this issue now with a clear purpose: to test how Yu Xing plans to talk to the person in charge.

"What does it matter? There are many ways to get him to agree." Yu Xing looked surprised. "I don't believe none of you have ever fooled an NPC. With your abilities, this should be commonplace for you."

The Blood Source, who followed him up, said, "... That's right, but unfortunately, only the Mad Doctor, the Chess Player, the Prey, and the two of you are qualified to negotiate with the person in charge."

"So we need to think of a way not only to persuade the person in charge to let us into the Art Appreciation Room," Ning Feng pointed to the three of them, then gestured to Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu, and finally looked at the others, "But also to get the person in charge to agree to let us bring these viewers who haven't contributed anything. The person in charge is already hostile to outsiders, and if we make extra requests, he will definitely take the opportunity to do something. Ugh... I'm so nervous."

Yu Xing didn't hear anyone else's reaction to that sentence; he only saw one thing on the faces of the other experience testers. "What are you so nervous about!"

However, he had already realized the reason why the chess player and Ning Feng had kept everyone here. What they said was certainly correct, but they could solve the problem on their own, and there was no need for them to wait for him alone. Now, these words made everyone feel that he was important and that he was someone who could help.

Without realizing it, I started thinking about the concept that "the deducer will also help the experiencer," which I used to ease the conflict between the two systems.

Yu Xing's face remained expressionless, but inside, it was as if a demon was laughing out loud. People tend to think that free things are unreliable, cheap, or even taken for granted. Ning Feng was emphasizing his importance and giving him a way to "ask for" something.

Tsk tsk, this traitor is really something.

If Ning Feng heard Yu Xing internally calling himself a traitor, he would probably give him a very sunny smile before stabbing him in the lung.

The premise of being a "traitor" is that Ning Feng doesn't have the idea that two systems must be in opposition. Therefore, reconciling conflicts is not a betrayal for him, but rather doing something that is good for both sides. Giving Yu Xing the opportunity to be a good person is also to promote this.

"So, Xing, would you like to help me persuade the person in charge?" Ning Feng extended an invitation with a smile. Yu Xing's eyes met his, and she immediately understood that this was the time to make an offer.

Yu Xing tilted her head, giving everyone a chilling look before raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I really don't know why I brought you all along. It's so troublesome. Wouldn't it be better if I just protected myself? To you, I'm an enemy. I even took two of your spots from my companions. Don't you hate me?"

"Could it be... that I just helped you guys, and then I got betrayed?" His cold gaze made those without a spot shudder slightly. Among the three relatively unfamiliar experience testers, the only woman coughed lightly and stepped forward.

"The container has already relayed your stance to us. You don't want trouble, and of course, we won't cause you any trouble either." The woman's voice was calm, carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible, allure that wasn't abrupt and easily left a good impression. "This time, we're asking for your help. Of course, our current strength is suppressed to a very weak state, and any promises we make are empty. You might not believe us."

"But I still want to say that I'm only asking for your help on my own behalf. If you two need any assistance when we meet again, please feel free to contact me. I will absolutely not break my promise." The woman's expression was very serious. "If we are still fighting each other for various reasons, I also promise you in front of so many people that I will be absent from two such battles."

An impeccable request.

He even considered what might happen when the two sides were on edge, which slightly softened Yu Xing's cold expression.

"Quite decisive," Yu Xing commented with a half-smile. "What about the others?"

"We're just like her." The last two experience testers, who hadn't met him before, were quite different in age, almost like a father and son. The older one spoke up, and the younger one nodded in agreement.

The normal progression of this scenario is that those who secured a spot foresee the final danger and seek refuge in the Art Appreciation Room, while those who didn't get a spot must endure an extremely high mortality rate and survive the "riot" on the first and second floors for an unknown duration.

No one can leave this instance unscathed like they're paddling through water. Those who avoid searching for fake paintings because of the dangers will always make up for those dangers at the last minute, and will leave with nothing but relief.

Of course, this might be the fate of those who have been to this island before. This time it's different. They all came in groups. Even if they weren't familiar with each other, they at least knew each other and had reasons to help each other. Therefore, the best solution was for those with quotas to bring those without quotas to the Art Appreciation Room to avoid danger. Compared to a situation where death was almost certain, a favor or one or two times of avoiding battle was nothing.

Ning Feng and his two companions could also lead them away, but both Ning Feng and the chess player implied that Yu Xing's presence would increase their chances of success.

Blood Source, being the most intelligent among them, naturally realized the message Ning Feng's team and Yu Xing had exchanged privately. Although he was frustrated that his comrades were siding with outsiders, he knew it was a "small trap," but he still had to fall into it. To leave a good impression on Yu Xing, he even added an assist, "You've already helped us once before, and this time, you've saved our lives more than once. So even if our people want to harm you and Cold Wine, I will do everything I can to stop them... I'm only talking about the two of you."

Upon hearing this, the others felt a little strange, but they remained convinced that seeking Yu Xing's help at this time was not a bad idea.

Only Yun Si leaned against the wall, seemingly unconcerned, and shook his head inwardly.

The ten of them came to the art museum instance together. Apart from the chef, the father and son weren't exactly good people either, but compared to the other experience testers who went to another instance, they were quite mild-mannered.

Their team was all present this time, eight people in total. Five of them went to another instance through the mirror, and the other experience testers in that instance were undoubtedly radicals.

They were either people who had deep conflicts with the deducers in previous Yugi, or they thought they had guessed the system's intentions and were determined to kill everyone on the deducers' side in order to seek system rewards. They were not only aggressive but also cunning. That's why their team sent five people to watch over others, in order to prevent them from doing something that would completely break the relationship between the two systems while they were doing the dungeon.

Yun Si felt that Yu Xing wanted a peaceful way of getting along, and with the cooperation of Ning Feng and Xiao Jiang, she successfully got the experience enthusiasts in the art museum instance to make a peace promise. It seemed like she had already succeeded more than halfway, but the most difficult part was yet to come. Peace was probably not going to happen.

Just as he was pondering these things, a sudden sound of footsteps came from the corridor, gradually getting clearer as it approached. Everyone stopped talking and turned their heads in unison to look around the corner of the corridor.

Yu Xing also looked over. The lighting in the Art Appreciation Room was too dim, and he hadn't been able to see the person in charge clearly from beginning to end. He was also a little curious about the person in charge, whose voice was deep. Fortunately, the lights in the corridor were a bit brighter.

The sound of leather shoes hitting the ground echoed in the corridor. First, a shadow peeked out from around the corner, a long, silent shadow. Two seconds later, the person in charge appeared in their sight.

His straight back, well-pressed suit trousers, tailored shirt, and even the high-end watch on his wrist all clearly demonstrated the manager's wealth. His gray skin had a sickly red tinge, and upon closer inspection, those red marks were tiny cuts from which thin, nerve-like fibers extended, waving unabashedly in the air.

Yu Xing fell into deep thought.

The reason why the person in charge's face was so blurry in the Art Appreciation Room was because he was naturally dark-skinned?