What?
Lu Mi turned to look at Ning Zhuangzhuang in disbelief.
It really was strange. After A Jun appeared, all the other players had begun recovering rapidly. Only Ning Zhuangzhuang remained deathly pale, her breathing unsteady.
Ning Zhuangzhuang shook her head. "Don't worry."
"Sorry about that. The item that makes people tell the truth has some pretty nasty side effects." Xu Zhi shrugged. "But you wouldn't tell me where the mirror was, would you?"
Zhang Mei's hand had recovered completely. She leaned over and asked, "Brother Xu, once that man kills 'Mom,' we'll clear the instance, right?"
Xu Zhi lifted his chin in affirmation.
Zhang Mei gave him an admiring thumbs-up. "You really are the best, Brother Xu. I thought I was done for back there. Take me along for the next instance too, okay?"
"Sure." Xu Zhi chuckled, every inch the seasoned pro.
By now, A Jun had driven "Mom" into a corner, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
The nails she had used as weapons had been hacked clean off. She was now a dying fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.
As things stood, all they seemed to need to do was wait for "Mom" to die.
Ning Zhuangzhuang patted Lu Mi's cheek. "Don't look so miserable. You're acting like I'm about to die. Loosen your grip a little."
Lu Mi hesitantly let go of her, only to be caught off guard when she shoved him away. He had to brace himself against the piano to steady himself.
When he looked up again, Ning Zhuangzhuang had already run off.
A wet squelch came from where "Mom" stood.
A Jun pulled out the bloodied kitchen knife and tilted his head in confusion.
Why would a player willingly take a blade for an NPC?
"Ning!"
Lu Mi felt as though lightning had struck him. Even his steps were unsteady as he ran toward her.
Ning Zhuangzhuang clutched her wound, blood gushing between her fingers.
She struggled to lift her head. "The jade. Take out the Buddha Jade."
"Mom" stood behind her. While A Jun was distracted, she sent her long hair snaking toward his neck.
A Jun failed to dodge and was trapped in place. "Mom" said hoarsely, "Attack his heart... kill him."
Watching Ning Zhuangzhuang slowly collapse, Lu Mi felt his heart being torn apart.
A Jun struggled desperately, and "Mom's" long hair had begun to burn.
Lu Mi steadied himself, snatched the kitchen knife, and carved out A Jun's heart without a flicker of expression.
A Jun broke free of "Mom's" hair and roared as he lunged to snatch back the knife.
Lu Mi retreated a few steps, curled his index finger, and swiftly drew the fire out of the fireplace.
After several days of practice, he was already well accustomed to it.
As his heart burned, A Jun stopped half a meter from Lu Mi and let out agonized screams.
Soon, he dissolved into a pool of blood.
Zhang Mei stared, dumbfounded, unsure whether she should be more shocked that Lu Mi had used magic or that he had helped "Mom" kill A Jun.
Only after a long while did she point at him. "Y-you, what are you doing? That ghost woman was just about to be killed!"
Xu Zhi folded his arms with a sneer. "How heroic. Perhaps Lu Mi thinks taking a different approach will help him find a way out."
"But where's the exit?" Zhang Mei clutched her head, pacing frantically. "Say something, Lu Mi! You're a newcomer. What are you doing messing around in here?"
Lu Mi offered them no explanation. Instead, he took the Buddha Jade out of his pocket. "Do you remember this?"
"Mom" examined it carefully, then removed the Buddha Jade around her own neck and placed the two pieces together.
Their contours matched perfectly.
Her gaze gradually cleared, and at last, she cradled Lu Mi's piece in trembling hands.
"My baby, my baby..."
Lu Mi let out a breath. "Now you finally remember your child, don't you?"
"Mom" staggered to her feet. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"
Without a word, Lu Mi lifted the red carpet and pulled the trapdoor open from outside.
"Mom" slowly walked over and peered down. "There's nothing down here. I've searched so many times."
"Maybe the rules kept you from seeing her." As Lu Mi spoke, he looked down as well.
The basement was pitch-black. The Ghost Infant was clearly beyond that stone door.
"Sing that nursery rhyme, and the baby will appear." Remembering the players who had been lured out through the front door by the singing on the first night, Lu Mi added, "Actually, don't. I don't want anything going wrong at the last moment. I'll sing."
"Mom" looked up, and to Lu Mi's surprise, he saw tears glimmering in her eyes.
"I'll sing," "Mom" said softly. "I won't kill you anymore. Don't worry."
With that, she lifted her skirt and descended into the basement, singing toward the stone door:
"Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth"
(I will leave you all behind to face reality's judgment.)
Zhang Mei started sniping again. "Lu Mi, why didn't you let A Jun kill her? Who told you that helping NPCs reunite their family would let us clear the instance?"
She had admired Lu Mi a little before. When they gathered flowers together, she had seen that he had some ability. Even when her brother's death had left her too shaken to flee, he had not abandoned her.
"But now you're going to get us killed!" Zhang Mei sobbed as she leaned against Xu Zhi's shoulder. "Brother Xu, what should we do? Can we still get out?"
Xu Zhi said nothing at first. He offered Zhang Mei a few perfunctory words of comfort, but his eyes never left Lu Mi.
Could this kid really have a way out?
Generally, an instance had only one condition for completion, but there were multiple ways to fulfill it.
He had firmly believed that killing "Mom" was the condition for clearing this instance. But seeing a ghost like her reveal emotions only humans should have made him question his own judgment.
Could A Jun, the husband, be the real boss?
Lu Mi paid no attention to either of them. Right now, he was more concerned about Ning Zhuangzhuang.
"Mom" had already lured the Ghost Infant out with her singing, and the sound of the two embracing and weeping in the basement drifted up.
Ning Zhuangzhuang lay beside the piano, watching them silently all the while.
When Lu Mi ran over, she smiled. "Almost."
"Almost what?"
Ning Zhuangzhuang watched Lu Mi quietly for a moment, then said, "We've almost cleared it."
"Let's hope so. Hurry and check whether there's an antidote in the panel's shop." Lu Mi reached down to help her up as he spoke.
But Ning Zhuangzhuang pushed his hand away. "Lu Mi, don't rush. Once the exit opens, we'll return to a place called the Public Rest Area. There's a dedicated Healing Area there. Let's talk for a bit first."
Lu Mi looked at her and realized she did seem a little more energetic.
"All right." His expression gradually grew serious. "But you're not allowed to just rush over and take a blade for someone again. That was too foolish."
"Aren't you going to ask why I did it?" Ning Zhuangzhuang paused, then teased, "Besides, Lu Mi, you're not much smarter than I am."
She continued, "You'll ignore how much danger you're in just to save someone else."
"Yesterday in the basement, did it ever occur to you that leaving Zhang Mei behind might have bought us time to find a way out? And in Room 208, keeping the protective charm on you would have given you another layer of protection."
Ning Zhuangzhuang blinked and asked earnestly, "Other people can throw away every shred of conscience to survive. Why are you so foolish?"
Before you continue