The truth behind the instance grew more and more bewildering.
When Xie De heard there was a lead on a sixth supervisor, he almost failed to process it. Then he abruptly realized that the six survivors had been five supervisors and one boss, not six supervisors.
Speaking of supervisors, during all their time in the instance, they had indeed seen one swearing up a storm that morning. He had been a ghost, perhaps the one who had died in the factory with the workers.
An icy wind howled, and thunder rumbled.
The flames in the factory gradually faded. Xie De wasn't sure whether he was imagining it, but he noticed the moss on the walls turning into indelible black soot. The faint sound of machinery running reached his ears again.
Wei Yanchi glanced at his watch. Whether deliberately or not, he grabbed Xie De's wrist in a tight grip and headed toward the cafeteria in a show of "urgency."
"The instance's quiz game isn't over yet. The scene reenactment is starting now. We have to hide immediately, or things won't be much fun if the NPCs in the reenactment discover us."
Wei Yanchi moved so quickly with Xie De in tow that they had covered dozens of meters before Xie De could react. His grip was strong, and he inadvertently squeezed Xie De's wrist hard enough to hurt.
Unable to stand it, Xie De shook his hand off and said helplessly, "I can walk on my own."
But his tone came out rather harsh, unconsciously carrying a deep sense of distance and an irritation born of his dislike of physical contact.
Wei Yanchi paused. Xie De realized he had just seemed a little disgusted with him, which was awkward. But stopping to apologize and explain while running for their lives seemed even more awkward.
His hopeless social anxiety was beyond saving.
All he could do was hurry ahead as fast as possible. His long silver hair fanned out in the breeze, giving his retreating figure a cold, aloof air that discouraged conversation.
Xie De didn't notice that this only made him look even more disgusted.
Old Eugene chuckled under his breath, glanced at Wei Yanchi with his small eyes, and remarked, "Now that's a rare sight."
Beiwei followed close behind, as expressionless as ever.
Wei Yanchi curled the fingers of the hand Xie De had shaken off. Hints of amusement filled his jade-like eyes, with not a trace of gloom.
Once the instance's scene reenactment began, the Headless Ghost vanished from the cafeteria. Only busy figures remained in the kitchen, where cooking steam rose and the aroma of seaweed and egg-drop soup drifted through the air.
They hid in the cafeteria's storeroom, leaving the door open a crack to look outside.
The scene being reenacted was the morning shift, so the cafeteria was empty, allowing them to remain undiscovered.
Wei Yanchi never made any attempt to hide his gaze. While Xie De peered through the window for clues, Wei Yanchi watched him. Whenever Xie De turned to look back, Wei Yanchi's eyes became especially innocent.
Xie De was speechless. All I did was shake his hand off, wasn't it?
What exactly was the protagonist trying to do?
Wei Yanchi wasn't sure what he was trying to do either. He still remembered his conversation with Yue Xiamo after they had finished sharing their clues.
Yue Xiamo had looked at him expressionlessly.
"Wei Yanchi, what exactly are you thinking? You know that the more people clear the instance, the less you'll get. I don't believe you've suddenly grown a conscience and want to get everyone through. Even if you really do, do you think they'll trust a lunatic like you?"
"And what are you plotting, anyway? That silver-haired man is no saint. He killed two veteran players practically as soon as he entered the instance. He's that bloodthirsty. Even if you show him goodwill, he won't appreciate it."
Wei Yanchi lowered his head, his voice gentle. "I know. But wouldn't bringing someone like that into our camp be a good thing?"
"A good thing?"
Yue Xiamo tilted her head and looked past him.
Wei Yanchi looked over too.
Old Eugene had actually approached 39 to win him over as well, and apparently succeeded.
Old Eugene loved forming cliques among players. He was even rather fond of psychological suggestion, a trick he had used to get plenty of new players killed.
Contempt for Old Eugene surfaced in Yue Xiamo's eyes. She sneered. "There are only five of us left in this instance. Let's see how many actually make it through."
Then she added with schadenfreude, "Looks like Old Eugene has taken a fancy to the same person you have."
Wei Yanchi shrugged helplessly. "What can I do about it? The reenactment is about to start. Aren't you going to disappear?"
Yue Xiamo had always been a bold, meticulous lone wolf. "Watch out for these players stabbing you in the back," she left him with, then nimbly vanished into the factory, even her presence fading to nothing.
The sound of an argument came from outside the storeroom. Everyone immediately crowded around the crack in the door and the window, straining their ears to listen.
But the area outside was a blind spot. They could barely see anything and could only hear the voices.
A woman was crying and cursing.
"They're targeting me. I feel like I can't stay here anymore. Ma Hui, that liar! Why is she doing this? Why?! What did I do wrong?"
Then another woman's weary, comforting voice followed.
"Just bear with it a little longer. Jobs aren't easy to find out there. You've seen how badly those student workers are exploited."
"Bear with it? I'd like to ask how much longer you're going to bear with it! You're beaten so badly. Why won't you get a divorce?"
The weary woman was taken aback. Her voice grew quieter and thick with tears. "I'm doing this for my child! Besides, where could I go if I got divorced? Where could I go?"
Footsteps followed, and the two women walked away.
The scene reenactment would reveal important fragments that could help them deduce the truth. They couldn't keep hiding here, but if they went out and these NPCs spotted something wrong with them, they would be doomed.
Wei Yanchi glanced at Old Eugene and whispered, with no amusement in his eyes, "I need to go out. Stay here. I'll steal a cook's uniform. Mr. 39's appearance is too distinctive. One glance would give away that he doesn't belong here, so I'll go alone this time."
Come to think of it, the protagonist was also a very daring lone wolf.
He slipped through the gap in the door, moving lightly without making a sound.
Xie De didn't have the protagonist's skills, and neither did Beiwei. They could only stand in the storeroom and do their best to keep quiet.
The occasional sound of a cook walking past outside easily sent chills down their spines.
Xie De calmed himself as though easing his nerves before the college entrance exam, asking 455 at random, "Do you think the protagonist will die?"
Sure enough, 455 spared no effort in taking him down a peg. "The protagonist would still be alive even if you died."
Then that's a relief.
Suddenly, however, Old Eugene let out a muffled cry. Beiwei's eyes widened, and she leaped onto the box nearest the door.
Xie De's heart tightened as he looked back. Cockroaches were frantically crawling out from beneath the boxes of food in the storeroom.
They scurried about without any order.
The sight raised goosebumps all over him.
Nothing happened without a reason in an instance. These fleeing cockroaches could only mean that something even more terrifying was inside the box.
Seriously? Of all times, it had to show up right after the protagonist left.
Xie De nervously stared at the box that had stirred up the cockroach nest.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, a meter-long centipede-a sight guaranteed to drain their sanity-crawled out of the box with a nauseating sizzling sound.
Ugh.
Xie De felt like throwing up. This thing was even scarier than the cockroaches! And it was a meter long, half the size of a person! One bite would mean certain death.
He had grown up in the countryside and wasn't afraid of bugs, but a meter-long bug was another matter entirely!
Old Eugene and Beiwei froze. Neither dared make a sound, afraid of drawing the monster's attention.
The enormous centipede raised its head to look at Xie De.
Xie De really fucking wanted to sneer, but all he managed was cold sweat soaking his back. Trembling inwardly, he asked, "455, do you have any electricity left?"
If there was electricity, at least he could put up a little resistance. Getting shocked was better than dying.
"Yes, yes! Stay steady, host! Don't panic."
How could I possibly not panic?
Who knew whether this thing was afraid of electricity?
Besides, that little good-for-nothing 455 was reliable one moment and useless the next.
A sizzling sound rang out.
Sure enough, the centipede lunged at Xie De, vicious and terrifyingly fast, its unnaturally long legs resembling skeletal arms.
Naturally, the storeroom's lights were off. But that terrifying black shape hurtling toward him only made it more horrifying, like a looming specter.
Frightened, Xie De's legs went weak and he lost his balance, almost seeming to take a step forward. The long staff in his hand fell to the floor with a bang.
455 acted in a flash, sending an electric current along the floor that caught the centipede completely off guard.
The enormous centipede crashed to the floor, the impact seeming to knock some clarity into its eyes. Then it slowly shrank from a meter long to the size of an adult's palm.
It was still large, but at least it wasn't quite so creepy.
It scrambled to its feet in a panic and tried to flee, only to run headfirst into the wall.
455 offered a terrible suggestion, declaring arrogantly, "Quick! Host, grab it! My shock left it unable to fight back! Hahaha..."
"You actually didn't shut down."
Xie De's hand was numb from the shock too. He silently watched Little House Centipede wobble around, too dazed to walk steadily, then actually worked up the courage to approach and pinch one of its antennae.
Little House Centipede went still and played dead.
At that moment, Xie De recalled what he had learned in biology class. House centipedes were nocturnal carnivorous arthropods, also known as straw-sandal soles and sesame-oil bugs... They could help humans eliminate venomous bugs, booklice, flies, and other pests, keeping homes clean.
In feng shui, house centipedes symbolized "Money String." Traditionally, their appearance was believed to herald improving financial fortunes and impending wealth.
They were also considered auspicious because their Chinese name sounded like "oil and salt," and so they were thought to bring good omens. In traditional Chinese culture, they also symbolized thrift, frugality, good fortune, and wishes fulfilled.
At the same time, this little fellow was very timid.
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