Still Missing One Piece

The moment the old security guard's hand was severed, two things happened simultaneously.

The severed hand that fell to the ground began to rapidly rot and fester. The thick stench of decay and bodily fluids, which had been suppressed for three years, could no longer be contained. It erupted instantly, making it almost impossible for Gao Tian to open his eyes.

At the same time, the old security guard, having lost his severed hand, no longer had a reason to exist as a puppet carrying corpse pieces. He began to rot at a speed visible to the naked eye. Pieces of flesh fell from his body, turning into a pool of pus. Only a skeleton remained, clinging to a few scraps of flesh, still standing there, struggling to hold on. But even this skeleton couldn't last much longer.

"I... remember now...

"Everything... I... remember now... the scene... I saw that day...

"That thing... was a monster... with four faces of men, women, old, and young... superimposed on each other...

"And a man in a trench coat... who was stabbed to death..."

The skeleton stood in place, as if still unable to accept its fated end. The jaw of the skull moved, opening and closing with difficulty as it spoke, "The man in the trench coat... left his severed hand... on me...

"From that day on... I was already dead..."

The reality was exactly as Gao Tian had predicted.

The man in the trench coat was, naturally, Xu Yuan.

The vengeful ghost that killed him was an aberration with four faces stacked together.

Before Xu Yuan died, he saw the old security guard. Since the guard had witnessed the vengeful ghost committing murder, he was doomed anyway. So, before his death, Xu Yuan turned him into a temporary human vessel for the corpse pieces, making him live in a daze, repeating his former actions.

After uttering his last words, his life flashed before his eyes as he recalled what had happened to him. The skeleton that was all that remained of the old security guard instantly crumbled into a pile of ash. A living, breathing person had just vanished before Gao Tian's eyes.

Carrying the only remaining rotting left arm, Gao Tian didn't know what to say.

Although the real old security guard had died three years ago, it now felt as if he had personally killed the old security guard.

There was no time to waste here. Time was ticking away. Only one of the six corpse pieces had been found. If the remaining five weren't located before the doors closed, the punishment for the Green Text Mission would soon arrive.

Gao Tian hid the arm under a machine in the arcade, planning to retrieve it after finding all the corpse pieces. Then, he closed the arcade door and, circling through the corridor, returned to the mall.

The huge glass ceiling above showed that the sky outside was beginning to darken. Time waited for no one. What Gao Tian found strange was that the white mist hadn't dissipated; it had only thinned slightly and still lingered on every floor of the mall.

At first, he thought it was a product of temporal distortion. But Little Xu Yuan had already returned to his original timeline, and their connection had been severed. Not only had the white mist not vanished with him, but it had actually spread.

Ahead, countless tourists who had entered the mall were gathered together. The few at the front looked agitated, engaged in an intense discussion with mall staff members.

Gao Tian reopened his walkie-talkie and switched to Xia Ta and the others' channel:

"I've solved the mystery of the hidden corpses and successfully found one corpse piece.

"The true mystery of the Green Text Mission lies in the fact that the six corpse pieces are hidden within six individuals. And these six individuals must be mall personnel, so they can appear in the mall normally every day without arousing anyone's suspicion..."

He explained the origin of the first corpse piece in the simplest terms possible.

"Classmate Gao, you're truly a genius."

Jiangyang's unreserved flattery echoed in his ears.

Boss Jin and the other two newcomers also praised Gao Tian profusely. After all, as time passed and they hadn't found a single corpse piece yet, they were all anxious. No one was unhappy to find a breakthrough with Gao Tian.

Just then, Shata's calm voice came through:

"I've also found two corpse pieces here.

"But the situation doesn't seem very good.

"Everyone, please pay attention. The entire Sapphire Mall seems to be surrounded by a strange white mist. Everyone inside the mall can't get out, and no one from the outside can get in. More and more people are feeling panicked."

As expected of Shata, her efficiency was astonishingly fast.

Currently, the corpse pieces she possessed were the left leg and the right arm. Adding the piece Gao Tian hid in the arcade, there were still three parts left to find: the head, the torso, and the right leg.

Furthermore, the news Shata brought was definitely not good. The mall's lockdown meant that the customers inside would become increasingly terrified. Fear would lead to gatherings and chaos, making it even harder to find the remaining corpse pieces disguised as people.

As Gao Tian passed by the gathered crowds, he heard a middle-aged man at the front speaking excitedly:

"My Dad's heart isn't feeling well, and I want to leave the mall now. What right do you staff members have to detain us here?

"If we're late getting to the hospital and any accident occurs, I will absolutely not forgo pursuing your legal responsibility!"

Two mall staff members were sweating profusely and desperately trying to explain:

"Sir, it's not that we don't want to let you leave. We don't know why strange white mist has appeared at all the exits, blocking them all. Ordinary people who enter the mist will return to their starting point no matter how far they walk. This has been proven countless times.

"We've already called the police and are waiting for external rescue personnel to enter. Please remain calm; staying here is for your own good..."

Gao Tian's gaze shifted between the mall managers.

He didn't find any trace of corpse pieces on them. Looking at their intact bodies and clear minds, it shouldn't be them.

He wandered through an entire floor on the third floor, even checking the restrooms and emergency exits. The tourists trapped on this floor were clearly becoming more anxious. People were constantly making calls, complaining about something to the outside.

As the sky outside grew darker, it was unconsciously six in the evening. He hadn't expected time to pass so quickly. There were less than three hours left until the mall closed.

"Found it!

"I found a corpse piece here too...

"Hey, you scoundrel, why are you running? Where do you think you can run to!"

Jiangyang's excited voice suddenly came from the walkie-talkie, along with the panting sounds of the two newcomers. It was clear that after discovering the staff member, a small chase had ensued. In the end, Jiangyang's group had managed to subdue the other party with their numerical advantage.

Just then, Shata's ever-calm voice sounded over the walkie-talkie:

"I found one here too.

"A part of the body."

Boss Jin's hearty laughter echoed in the background, "Everyone who finds a corpse piece gets a reward of one hundred thousand!"

He couldn't be in a better mood. Gao Tian had one, Jiangyang had one, and Shata had three. Together, they already had five. At this rate, finding the last remaining piece was only a matter of time.

Left hand, right hand, left leg, right leg, and the body – all had been gathered. The only thing still missing was the head.

The voices of the two newcomers were also very optimistic. With three hours left, there was more than enough time to find the last head.

This was only the second Green Text Mission, and it wasn't difficult. Plus, with two administrators who had experienced five missions joining in, dealing with a Green Text Mission of this level should be a piece of cake, right?

Among everyone, the only one maintaining basic composure was Shata. Her voice over the walkie-talkie carried no hint of joy. Instead, she calmly warned everyone:

"Don't relax too early. As long as the last corpse piece isn't found, this game isn't over.

"And the last piece is the head, which won't be easy to find. The other corpse pieces were hidden in the staff members' clothes and pants. But where could a rotten head be hidden? There's definitely something fishy going on, think about it carefully."

Gao Tian pondered in his heart. The hiding place for the last head should belong to a mall staff member who wore a mask or a disguise. Otherwise, carrying a highly rotten head, they would have been discovered by the mall tourists long ago.

Moreover, the image of this staff member wearing a mask must have been perfectly reasonable, attracting no attention or suspicion. To the point that even after Shata and the others had been in the Sapphire Mall for so long and collected five other corpse pieces, they had completely "ignored" a perfectly plausible existence.

Who could such a person be?

Just as Gao Tian was about to voice his thoughts over the walkie-talkie to seek the opinions of the others, Shata's voice rang out again. However, for the usually calm Shata, her voice was unusually anxious:

"Something's wrong.

"This Green Text Mission is wrong!"

Jiangyang's lazy voice chimed in:

"What's wrong? Sister Ta?

"Did you find some wordplay in the mission?"

Shata:

"Take another look at the participants in the Green Text Mission. There were originally only three people...

"While we were searching for the corpse pieces, another name was added to the list, making it four people now.

"I'm certain there were only three people when I received the mission. That fourth person was added later. My memory wasn't affected by any supernatural events, was it? You guys can check too, cross-confirm."

Hearing Shata's words, a bad premonition arose in Gao Tian's heart.

Indeed, the first time he saw this Green Text Mission, the participants listed were Boss Jin and two newcomers.

Shata, Jiangyang, and himself were all observers who joined in.

Who would be the person whose name was temporarily added to the mission?

Shata and Jiangyang were both veterans who had completed five Green Text Missions. Their names naturally couldn't appear on the list for two missions.

Then there was only one possibility left.

That extra name...

Gao Tian took out his phone and opened the photo of the wall that Shata had sent him on WeChat--

Gao Tian.

The fourth name, printed on the wall by the green text, was none other than his own.

"Gao Tian, your name has also been added to the Green Text Mission.

"Now, you are no longer a mere observer, but a teammate who will share life and death in this mission."