Chapter 74
Curly looked up and saw a huge six-pointed star array on the ceiling, with dense lines piercing through the walls and extending throughout the floor via ventilation ducts in the ceiling.
He jumped onto the round table, carefully examining the lines, preparing to complete the final details.
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the door, and Curly-haired guy put down the chalk, somewhat annoyed.
It's that woman again.
He brought Hayasaka Ai along for two reasons. One was to have her as a backup plan, since if they failed to fool Dean Fukawa after going deep into the third floor, it wouldn't be so dangerous if the two of them teamed up.
The second step is for the purpose of clearing the level. By completing the alchemy herself and then using her Chaos Item, the chances of clearing the level will be greatly increased.
"They keep interfering with me, making it impossible for me to finish drawing the transmutation circle." Curly-haired grumbled, but still put down the chalk and went to open the door. He couldn't turn his back on them after the contract was signed.
Drop.
Swipe your employee card on the wall, the door opens, and Hayasaka Ai, like an ice sculpture, stands in the doorway, her right hand gripping the handle of a gun.
She remained silent, waiting for an explanation from the other party, while she and Mai Sakurajima honestly compared the floors. However, the person stayed hidden in the monitoring room and refused to come out.
"Miss Hayasaka, I should have said this is a necessary preparation for getting through the instance." The man rubbed his short hair at the front of his forehead, like a frenzied artist.
"It's been two hours, and I don't know what you've been doing. This is not good."
"As I just said, the final boss of the dungeon is Dean Fukawa. We must have the strength to fight him, or at least escape safely!" Curly-haired man emphasized, patiently saying:
"My power is beneficial to both of us. With the binding force of the contract item, I have no way to harm you and Miss Rabbit."
A well-planned, powerful escape?
These words flashed through Hayasaka Ai's mind, and she could roughly determine what the curly-haired girl wanted to do.
He plans to use this hospital to enhance some of his abilities, and then use that as a foundation to fight the final boss.
'Another cunning old fox, but he's incredibly attractive to me personally.'
Hayasaka Ai seemed to be deep in thought, because Curly had somehow tricked Dean Fukawa, and their team had safely reached the third floor, almost standing in front of the Boss's door. All that was left was to use their strength to rush over.
Of the three player teams, their approach was the simplest and most direct, essentially skipping most of the puzzle-solving steps.
"You're right, but I'm still worried."
Smack
Curly-haired man clutched his head in anguish. He hadn't expected this ice-cold beauty to be so stubborn. He'd already revealed the plan; wasn't this the best Left 4 Dead?
Wait a minute, is there something wrong with her stance?
"I don't want to explain too much to you. The Tyrant and that Thomas are already upstairs. If they go to the third floor, I won't be able to hide it from Dean Fukawa anymore, and the plan will completely fail."
The mastermind behind the scenes is focused entirely on dealing with Yuki and his group; if the two sides meet, he will only have two options left.
We must either confront them or cooperate.
As soon as he finished speaking, he stared intently at every micro-expression of Hayasaka Ai. Because of the Fool's Mask, he couldn't see clearly, but he didn't detect much emotional fluctuation either.
"You can work with them and get all the way to the fourth floor, which is enough to prove your value."
"Because it's hint six, miss. How am I supposed to know if there are wolves among so many people?"
"It can be bound by a contract."
"But you can't control the characters in the story. Do you know how to write 'using someone else to do your dirty work'?"
Curly was amused and exasperated. Why split up the troops? It was because there were too many people, and it was impossible to control everyone's actions. Besides, the fact that they managed to fight their way up to the fourth floor proved that Thomas and the Tyrant were in great danger.
Even if we are to cooperate, it will have to wait until I complete my plan and use my power to control their Destiny.
"That applies to us too. Just as Yuki said, the best way to ignore hint six is to leave only one player. Then, use the instance to eliminate me and Mai Sakurajima, and you'll be absolutely safe."
Hayasaka Ai knows perfectly well who is more reliable, Yuki or Curly-haired girl; there's no need to choose.
She seemed not to have considered this point, and nodded slightly. "How much more time do you need?"
"Two hours at most, how about it? Help me out, and everyone's survival rate will increase several times over."
"There's some truth to that. What are you going to tell me to do?"
"Don't bother me anymore. Then block them, whether they are demons or players, no one can come near here." Curly breathed a sigh of relief. This woman finally realized who was 'on their side'.
"Alright, finish your work as soon as possible." Hayasaka Ai didn't waste any more words, pulled out Death Knell, and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute, you just stay at the door and call Miss Rabbit over using the Walkie-talkie."
She had only taken two steps when Curly suddenly spoke, causing the girl to turn around.
She didn't ask any nonsense like "You don't trust me," but simply nodded, readily pulled out her Walkie-talkie, and called Mai Sakurajima, who was still searching for details on the floor.
The room door was open, meaning he was under surveillance without even asking. Others weren't fools; this intelligence came at a price.
There's Sekiro lurking among the players. Who dares let Curly get the upper hand? What if he's the wolf? We'll all just become stepping stones.
After saying a few words, Hayasaka Ai put down the Walkie-talkie, turned around, and her lips moved silently.
Mai Sakurajima- kun, did you hear that?
Chapter Twenty-Three Killing Spree (Second Update)
Yuki stepped into the lobby, and after discovering that players were causing trouble, he actually relaxed.
This proves that Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima- senpai are most likely safe and sound. Even if they can't contact each other, he believes that the two of them will definitely make the right choice.
Moreover, with Shiina Hiyori's help this time, it saved a lot of trouble.
He quickened his pace, pried open the nearest door with a knife, and looked inside. His face immediately twitched involuntarily.
A cold mist blew into the corridor, making it feel like a freezer. The densely packed cabinets and shelves were filled with special glass containers containing fresh entrails.
Even players who have seen all sorts of bizarre or brutal scenes were speechless with shock.
"Is this a hospital or a slaughterhouse?" the Tyrant muttered to himself.
"A hospital for demons, a slaughterhouse for humans." Yuki the door shut and pried open another door with his knife.
Inside was still a cold storage room, but this time it resembled a slaughterhouse even more, with glass containers removed and human remains hanging from densely packed iron chains.
Corpses dressed in oversized hospital gowns swayed with the chains, making a rattling sound. They looked like a forest of flesh and blood made of leather tunics, stared at by pairs of empty eyes, which was chilling.
Gurgle.
Yuki suppressed the urge to vomit, thinking to himself, "Why is the hospital putting on this kind of performance art? Could it be that the demon, after swelling up to its full potential, can actually come into reality and then feast on me?"
Judging it as murder for money seems too crude; this fourth level is like a food warehouse prepared for demons.
"They deserve to die. The sins of this hospital are far greater than we imagined." The Tyrant exuded intense killing intent, Abomination he couldn't feign.
Just as they were getting a little excited, they saw Yuki walk into the room, use his knife to pry open the swaying corpses, and then stop.
The Tyrant started to get nervous, thinking the other party had been mentally corrupted. He went over to take a look, but then froze on the spot.
One male corpse and one female corpse, neither of them had their heads or left sides missing, except that the tattoo on the male corpse's arm looked somewhat familiar.
"It's Jack." Tyrant recognized the big tattoo on his arm at a glance. Veteran players have keen observation skills and wouldn't miss such an obvious physical feature.
"Then this one is the female college student named Jenny." Yuki quickly looked around, frowning, and said, "I don't see the body of that boy with the uneven eyes. Where did he go?"
These words caught the Tyrant's attention, and he quickly looked around. There were hundreds of corpses, densely packed together. If Shiina Hiyori were nearby, he could have distinguished them by their special abilities.
"We didn't see it; it might be in another room. Even if there's a problem, we don't have time to search each one."
Yuki nodded, agreeing with what he said. He exchanged a glance with the Tyrant, both of them looking very serious.
Both of them had encountered the 'Head-Connector Overlord' on the abnormal floor. Demons with the intelligence of players are not easy to deal with. Moreover, Jack and Jenny have awakened their special abilities, and the former has even gained an enhancement point.
"Jack drew a machete; he concealed his ability, while Jenny has a defensive ability." The Tyrant, who was leading the raid, immediately revealed all the information.
Have you ever encountered a monster that possesses player-like abilities?
"Yes, possession, control, and corruption are all possible." The Tyrant raised his head, revealing a look of nostalgia and pain in his eyes. "When I was doing the newbie quests, the final boss I encountered was a veteran player with experience in two dungeons who had been parasitized. It was only through everyone working together that we were able to defeat him."
Damn, isn't that Li Dan?
Yuki was somewhat frustrated. Li Dan's situation was much more complicated and had nothing to do with the BOSS, which was why it seemed so thrilling.
A group of new players with awakened traits working together to take on a veteran player is difficult, but not hopeless.
"There's a problem. This instance is very obsessed with the player's mind. What do you think this is, and what consequences will it have?"
Yuki stumped the Tyrant; how would he know? It seems he's given the demon an intelligence buff, making him much harder to deal with.
Possession, control, and erosion each have different consequences. Yuki was filled with doubts and speculations when he suddenly heard a muffled thud.
Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the loud noise was so sudden that it almost sent people flying.
Thump! Thump!
Cracks appeared on the wall and widened with the sound of the impact. Without even looking back at the Tyrant, Yuki grabbed his sword and ran outside.
It's finally starting. I'm curious to see how big a welcoming ceremony they've prepared.
He ran out the door and looked to his left. Sure enough, the entrance hall was blocked by several Butcher Doctor wielding giant swords, cutting off their way back.
On the right side, deeper into the floor, shadowy figures flicker, yet no enemies are visible, seemingly enticing players to fight their way out.
"But you're wrong. I originally planned to kill your puppet here, so things wouldn't be too difficult later."
"Hold on for now, wait for the Comfort Pills to take effect." The Tyrant was equally determined; they had planned this battle long ago.
Start with the difficult parts and then move on to the easier ones, trying to weaken the dean's trump cards as much as possible.
[Deep into the Wrong Path: 4/4 times, the player will be punished, the number of demons will increase, and the player cannot enter the elevator to leave the floor until they retreat]
Strange murmurs and the Roar rang out simultaneously, but Yuki and the Tyrant remained unmoved, instead displaying expressions of ecstatic joy.
With three more floors to go, punishment is inevitable. So why not use a tactical approach like shuffling the deck in a football match, and proactively bring about the punishment at the most opportune moment and place?
At least this punishment is still within the acceptable range.
"Kill! Kill them until they're terrified!"
Yuki the Roar with unbridled fighting spirit, unleashing a fierce will to survive amidst the overwhelming encirclement of demons.
Ugh--
The Chainsaw Sword was activated, slicing open the door next to them, and they crawled inside with the Tyrant. It turned out to be a warehouse, with densely packed shelves filled with the victims' clothes and jewelry.
Their movement was like the firing of a starting gun; the demons swarmed forward.
At this moment, the demons surged forth like Living Corpse. If this were on an abnormal floor, it would be a fatal blow, as the endless stream of monsters could bury any player, leaving them no chance to retreat.
But now, neither Yuki nor the Tyrant have any intention of backing down.
Bang!!
The gun was fired with the muzzle pressed against the Twisted Nurse's forehead, smashing her head open like a watermelon.
The door frame was crushed and shattered, and the headless corpse was pushed forward by the surging tide. The Tyrant put his two guns together, transforming them into a jetpack.
Burning.
A fire dragon shot out from the door frame, burning the monsters in front of it to ashes. These demons were huddled together, so he didn't need to aim for any vital points.
"Use the terrain to kill as many as you can!"
"I know," Yuki. He stood guard inside the warehouse, watching the walls crack from the impact. Soon, a giant sword pierced through the wall.
Without a word, Yuki jumped over, raised his Chainsaw Sword, and chopped off a forearm as minced meat flew everywhere.
Bang!
This was of little use. The warehouse shook, and a huge hole was smashed through the half-meter-thick wall, through which a terrifying figure bent over and stepped.
Before the Butcher Doctor could even see where his target was, he suddenly raised his right arm to grab behind him, only to find a Chainsaw Sword in his palm, severing several of his fingers.
Without a swordsman, Yuki lunged forward as he threw his greatsword, aiming for the opponent's lower abdomen before the opponent could lower their arm to block.
Bang--
The sudden burst of power freed the figure from the retina's lock-on. The longsword, forged twice, pierced through muscle and shattered the demon's core. The massive corpse tilted forward, actually plugging the hole that had just been smashed open.
Yuki drew his sword, gripped the greatsword, and quickly surveyed the warehouse. The hospital was a den of demons, but players could still use their wits to gain an advantage.
One side is a corridor, the other a window, and both the upper and lower levels are floors. In the instance rules, the floors cannot be broken, and the windows are impassable, meaning --
They can only enter from three sides.