June 11, 2023 by Wyrd
It seemed that hypnosis was ineffective for the people in this world.
It was only useful to those few outsider players.
That’s why Ruan Qing became more certain that the people in this world had all been contaminated by the black mist.
It’s like the kind of hypnosis used by Wen Li, disregarding all scientific methods of hypnosis.
It’s as if he could freely implant thoughts in people’s minds, making everything seem reasonable.
For example, livestreaming murder.
Wen Li definitely had a deep connection with that enormous eye.
After all, he was the most unique, and only he could see the livestream room, even possessing hypnotic abilities that other hunters didn’t have.
It’s as if he was the master of that enormous eye, just like the master of the livestream room.
Whether or not he was the owner of the livestream room was uncertain, but Ruan Qing didn’t believe Wen Li was the master of the eye.
Because the sense of danger given by the eye was not on the same level as Wen Li.
In front of that eye, not even a hint of resistance could arise.
It was more likely that Wen Li used some means to steal the eye’s power, or perhaps the eye hypnotized Wen Li to help him achieve a certain purpose.
Ruan Qing leaned more towards the first speculation because the feeling given by that eye was too dangerous. If it really wanted to manipulate people, it wouldn’t only single out Wen Li as special.
Regardless of which speculation was true, destroying the eye might be the key to ending this instance.
Ruan Qing looked at Su Xiaozhen, who seemed to have fallen asleep, and snapped his fingers.
Su Xiaozhen instantly opened her eyes, but this time her gaze appeared somewhat vacant, as if she was a manipulated puppet.
Ruan Qing looked at Su Xiaozhen and extended his hand to her, speaking softly, “Do you have a prop that can block the livestream? Can you give it to me?”
He was surprised that Wen Li hadn’t arrived yet.
This was very abnormal.
Unless Wen Li couldn’t find them.
After Ruan Qing finished speaking, Su Xiaozhen indeed took out a ring from her pocket and handed it to Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing accepted it and said in his mind, ‘System, can you detect the function of this item?’
The system did not respond but directly displayed the information of the item.
[Item: Forbidden Zone of the Gods.
Function: When the item is used, it creates a forbidden zone of the gods with a radius of one meter, isolating all forms of surveillance.
Limitations: Consumable item, can only be used once in an instance, can be used a total of three times.
Times used: 3/3.]
After carefully reading the information, Ruan Qing was somewhat surprised. ‘...This item should be of a high level, right?’
It was completely different from the previous one that immobilized the target for three seconds. Three seconds couldn’t accomplish much, but this item had a duration of thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes was enough time to do many things.
Moreover, it was a completely isolated thirty minutes, almost capable of reversing the outcome of a game.
The system answered Ruan Qing’s question, [S-grade item, only obtainable in specific high-level game instances.]
Obtainable only in high-level instances, which meant it could not be exchanged using game points.
Ruan Qing silently looked at Su Xiaozhen. Was she really an advanced player?
And to use the last time of the S-grade item for something unrelated to the game...
She must be seriously ill.
Wait a moment, Ruan Qing took out the pocket watch that Su Xiaozhen gave him from his shoulder bag. ‘System, help me analyze this pocket watch.’
[Item: Chronometer (S-grade item).
Effect: When the prop is used, time is frozen for three seconds.
Limitation: Disposable prop.
This prop is only obtained in specific advanced instances.]
Ruan Qing was astonished. Time frozen for three seconds...
He retracted his previous thought that this prop was mediocre. Stopping time, even if it’s just three seconds, was incredibly powerful.
Ruan Qing looked at the pocket watch in his hand and then glanced at Su Xiaozhen. In his mind, he murmured, “Your horror game players are quite generous...”
System: [...No, they’re not.]
This situation clearly had a problem.
High-level players were prohibited from entering this promotion-based instance.
However, after scanning several times, Su Xiaozhen was just a novice player.
How could a novice player have two S-grade props?
Could it be that someone... gave them as a gift?
Originally, the system thought it was impossible for someone to give away S-grade props, but when it looked at the pocket watch in Ruan Qing’s hand, it fell silent.
Ruan Qing put away the prop, and no longer wasted time.
After all, the prop had already been used by Su Xiaozhen, so there was no need to waste the remaining time.
Ruan Qing grabbed Su Xiaozhen and ran directly, searching for the explosive devices installed by players in the hospital building.
However, he searched for a long time and couldn’t find anything. Either the explosives had already been cleared, or they were in a form he didn’t recognize.
Just as Ruan Qing reached the fifth floor in his search, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light on the opposite building’s rooftop.
Ruan Qing immediately rushed towards the rooftop of the opposite building.
This building had seven floors, and even before reaching the top floor, Ruan Qing heard voices coming from the rooftop. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make out the words clearly.
Ruan Qing picked up the pace.
The door to the rooftop terrace was open, with the lock broken and lying on the ground, along with several bloodstains.
The previously indistinct sounds became much clearer in an instant.
On the rooftop, several figures were colliding and fighting. Some moved so fast that they were difficult to see clearly, and the flashes of light were the result of the clash between their knives.
They were the surviving players, but it was hard to say for how long.
The players were covered in blood, and two of them were lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, on the verge of dying.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat as he witnessed the horrifying scene. He immediately moved to the dark corner beside the rooftop and instructed Su Xiaozhen to go up and help.
Su Xiaozhen was indeed exceptional. Even under hypnosis, her attacks were extremely fierce, not inferior to a hunter’s.
Even when surrounded and attacked by Jiang Sinian and several others, she managed to hold her ground.
Wen Li, who was leaning against the rooftop railing and not participating in the fight, felt a hint of darkness in his eyes upon seeing Su Xiaozhen appear.
He quickly scanned his surroundings but couldn’t find the figure of the young boy.
He kicked away the man with the broken arm next to him and headed toward Su Xiaozhen.
Su Xiaozhen’s strength was indeed formidable; several people couldn’t defeat her in a short amount of time.
Ruan Qing looked at the two people lying on the ground, their fate unknown, and then glanced at the two people groaning in pain not far away.
Su Xiaozhen was holding off several people alone, engaged in a fierce battle and they basically paid no attention to the four players.
Ruan Qing silently emerged from the shadows and quietly dragged each person to the corner of the staircase.
Fortunately, the rooftop was filled with bloodstains, and the traces left by dragging the bodies didn’t attract any attention. Coupled with the intense fighting, no one noticed anything unusual.
So Ruan Qing’s dragging went relatively smoothly.
Two players were still conscious and able to walk on their own, but the other two had completely lost consciousness. It took a great deal of effort for Ruan Qing to drag them.
Although these four individuals were in a miserable state, they were still holding on.
However, the person with the severed hand seemed to be in a critical condition. At this point, he was exhaling more than inhaling. If he wasn’t treated quickly, he probably wouldn’t last another hour.
The two individuals who hadn’t lost consciousness yet thought they were doomed, but unexpectedly, someone came to their rescue.
One of them was in better condition. He gasped for breath and spoke silently, but bloodstains accompanied his words. Nevertheless, he managed to finish his sentence, saying, “Thank you.”
Ruan Qing took out some painkillers from the bag and handed them over. “What about the explosives?”
The man struggled to swallow his saliva and took the medicine, then passed it to another person. “The hunter dismantled some of them, but there should still be some remaining. However, I’m not sure if it’s enough to destroy everything.”
Because a small portion of the bombs were obtained through game exchanges, they didn’t resemble typical explosives.
They had very few points and couldn’t exchange for much.
Installing explosives right under the hunter’s nose was equivalent to seeking death. They had to avoid the livestream and focus on escaping.
In reality, whenever they found an opportunity, they would place the explosives, regardless of whether it was on the fourth floor or not.
In this situation, they couldn’t guarantee whether the fourth floor would be destroyed.
Ruan Qing also understood that this was likely their limit. “Can you still move?”
The two conscious players nodded.
“We can, but we might be a bit slow.”
Ruan Qing took out his phone, checked the time, opened the timer app, set the time, and pressed the start button. Then he handed the phone to the man. “You need to leave now. Once the countdown reaches zero, detonate the explosives.”
The phone didn’t make any sound, but the time started decreasing second by second.
The man looked at the countdown time and once again struggled to swallow his saliva, holding back the question, ‘What about you?’
Because the displayed time showed only ten minutes.
This meant they had to leave the hospital within ten minutes, which would have been more than enough in normal circumstances.
However, they had damaged the power supply, rendering the elevator unusable. In addition, they were now covered in injuries and burdened with two extra people, so ten minutes might not be enough.
The two of them didn’t waste any more time and didn’t ask any more questions. They immediately lifted the two unconscious people from the ground and started walking.
They didn’t care if it would worsen their injuries; they wanted to descend the stairs as quickly as possible.
The four of them dragged and carried each other and soon disappeared on the stairs.
Ten minutes was too short for them, but for Ruan Qing, it felt too long.
He didn’t have the confidence to hold on for ten minutes.
Although Su Xiaozhen was indeed impressive, she was alone, and her strength would be greatly reduced after being hypnotized.
Three minutes was already the limit.
The remaining seven minutes...
He would have to handle it himself.
The “forbidden zone of the gods” would expire in one minute.
Ruan Qing leaned against the wall at the corner, quietly watching the starry sky. If it weren’t for the ongoing battle on the rooftop, this scene would probably be beautiful and tranquil.
After all, the moonlight tonight was beautiful, and one could faintly see the stars filling the sky.
Even the wind felt gentle.
Since entering this instance, he had been on high alert the whole time, so it was rare to relax like this.
Unfortunately, one minute quickly passed, and the people on the rooftop easily noticed that he was also there.
Wen Li took a step back, disengaging from the fight, and slowly approached the young boy by the wall.
However, on his way, he was intercepted by Su Xiaozhen.
Su Xiaozhen’s posture clearly expresses that she would stop him, unless she died.
Wen Li sneered coldly and immediately struck back, much faster than the previous attack.
Due to the proximity, there was a risk of being affected, so Ruan Qing stood over by the rooftop.
Not even two minutes passed, and Su Xiaozhen was already struggling to hold on.
She hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, just a few torn clothes.
But if the fight continued, it wouldn’t be certain anymore.
In fact, Su Xiaozhen could have held on for ten minutes at the cost of getting injured.
However, Ruan Qing thought it over and gave up on that idea. After all, she was a girl, and he assumed she would care about having scars.
The most important thing was that Su Xiaozhen had at least given him an S-grade item, so he reluctantly forgave her for her previous unreasonable behavior.
Ruan Qing lightly tapped the railing on the rooftop and gave Su Xiaozhen a final command.
Upon hearing the sound, Su Xiaozhen immediately gave up the fight and swiftly retreated, disappearing from the staircase leading to the rooftop.
The few people on the rooftop didn’t pursue her, but instead looked at the young boy standing on the edge of the rooftop.
Wen Li put the surgical knife into the pocket of his white coat and then took out a piece of paper to wipe away the bloodstains from his hands.
After cleaning up, he slowly approached the young boy.
June 11, 2023 by Wyrd
It seemed that hypnosis was ineffective for the people in this world.
It was only useful to those few outsider players.
That’s why Ruan Qing became more certain that the people in this world had all been contaminated by the black mist.
It’s like the kind of hypnosis used by Wen Li, disregarding all scientific methods of hypnosis.
It’s as if he could freely implant thoughts in people’s minds, making everything seem reasonable.
For example, livestreaming murder.
Wen Li definitely had a deep connection with that enormous eye.
After all, he was the most unique, and only he could see the livestream room, even possessing hypnotic abilities that other hunters didn’t have.
It’s as if he was the master of that enormous eye, just like the master of the livestream room.
Whether or not he was the owner of the livestream room was uncertain, but Ruan Qing didn’t believe Wen Li was the master of the eye.
Because the sense of danger given by the eye was not on the same level as Wen Li.
In front of that eye, not even a hint of resistance could arise.
It was more likely that Wen Li used some means to steal the eye’s power, or perhaps the eye hypnotized Wen Li to help him achieve a certain purpose.
Ruan Qing leaned more towards the first speculation because the feeling given by that eye was too dangerous. If it really wanted to manipulate people, it wouldn’t only single out Wen Li as special.
Regardless of which speculation was true, destroying the eye might be the key to ending this instance.
Ruan Qing looked at Su Xiaozhen, who seemed to have fallen asleep, and snapped his fingers.
Su Xiaozhen instantly opened her eyes, but this time her gaze appeared somewhat vacant, as if she was a manipulated puppet.
Ruan Qing looked at Su Xiaozhen and extended his hand to her, speaking softly, “Do you have a prop that can block the livestream? Can you give it to me?”
He was surprised that Wen Li hadn’t arrived yet.
This was very abnormal.
Unless Wen Li couldn’t find them.
After Ruan Qing finished speaking, Su Xiaozhen indeed took out a ring from her pocket and handed it to Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing accepted it and said in his mind, ‘System, can you detect the function of this item?’
The system did not respond but directly displayed the information of the item.
[Item: Forbidden Zone of the Gods.
Function: When the item is used, it creates a forbidden zone of the gods with a radius of one meter, isolating all forms of surveillance.
Limitations: Consumable item, can only be used once in an instance, can be used a total of three times.
Times used: 3/3.]
After carefully reading the information, Ruan Qing was somewhat surprised. ‘...This item should be of a high level, right?’
It was completely different from the previous one that immobilized the target for three seconds. Three seconds couldn’t accomplish much, but this item had a duration of thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes was enough time to do many things.
Moreover, it was a completely isolated thirty minutes, almost capable of reversing the outcome of a game.
The system answered Ruan Qing’s question, [S-grade item, only obtainable in specific high-level game instances.]
Obtainable only in high-level instances, which meant it could not be exchanged using game points.
Ruan Qing silently looked at Su Xiaozhen. Was she really an advanced player?
And to use the last time of the S-grade item for something unrelated to the game...
She must be seriously ill.
Wait a moment, Ruan Qing took out the pocket watch that Su Xiaozhen gave him from his shoulder bag. ‘System, help me analyze this pocket watch.’
[Item: Chronometer (S-grade item).
Effect: When the prop is used, time is frozen for three seconds.
Limitation: Disposable prop.
This prop is only obtained in specific advanced instances.]
Ruan Qing was astonished. Time frozen for three seconds...
He retracted his previous thought that this prop was mediocre. Stopping time, even if it’s just three seconds, was incredibly powerful.
Ruan Qing looked at the pocket watch in his hand and then glanced at Su Xiaozhen. In his mind, he murmured, “Your horror game players are quite generous...”
System: [...No, they’re not.]
This situation clearly had a problem.
High-level players were prohibited from entering this promotion-based instance.
However, after scanning several times, Su Xiaozhen was just a novice player.
How could a novice player have two S-grade props?
Could it be that someone... gave them as a gift?
Originally, the system thought it was impossible for someone to give away S-grade props, but when it looked at the pocket watch in Ruan Qing’s hand, it fell silent.
Ruan Qing put away the prop, and no longer wasted time.
After all, the prop had already been used by Su Xiaozhen, so there was no need to waste the remaining time.
Ruan Qing grabbed Su Xiaozhen and ran directly, searching for the explosive devices installed by players in the hospital building.
However, he searched for a long time and couldn’t find anything. Either the explosives had already been cleared, or they were in a form he didn’t recognize.
Just as Ruan Qing reached the fifth floor in his search, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light on the opposite building’s rooftop.
Ruan Qing immediately rushed towards the rooftop of the opposite building.
This building had seven floors, and even before reaching the top floor, Ruan Qing heard voices coming from the rooftop. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make out the words clearly.
Ruan Qing picked up the pace.
The door to the rooftop terrace was open, with the lock broken and lying on the ground, along with several bloodstains.
The previously indistinct sounds became much clearer in an instant.
On the rooftop, several figures were colliding and fighting. Some moved so fast that they were difficult to see clearly, and the flashes of light were the result of the clash between their knives.
They were the surviving players, but it was hard to say for how long.
The players were covered in blood, and two of them were lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, on the verge of dying.
Ruan Qing’s heart skipped a beat as he witnessed the horrifying scene. He immediately moved to the dark corner beside the rooftop and instructed Su Xiaozhen to go up and help.
Su Xiaozhen was indeed exceptional. Even under hypnosis, her attacks were extremely fierce, not inferior to a hunter’s.
Even when surrounded and attacked by Jiang Sinian and several others, she managed to hold her ground.
Wen Li, who was leaning against the rooftop railing and not participating in the fight, felt a hint of darkness in his eyes upon seeing Su Xiaozhen appear.
He quickly scanned his surroundings but couldn’t find the figure of the young boy.
He kicked away the man with the broken arm next to him and headed toward Su Xiaozhen.
Su Xiaozhen’s strength was indeed formidable; several people couldn’t defeat her in a short amount of time.
Ruan Qing looked at the two people lying on the ground, their fate unknown, and then glanced at the two people groaning in pain not far away.
Su Xiaozhen was holding off several people alone, engaged in a fierce battle and they basically paid no attention to the four players.
Ruan Qing silently emerged from the shadows and quietly dragged each person to the corner of the staircase.
Fortunately, the rooftop was filled with bloodstains, and the traces left by dragging the bodies didn’t attract any attention. Coupled with the intense fighting, no one noticed anything unusual.
So Ruan Qing’s dragging went relatively smoothly.
Two players were still conscious and able to walk on their own, but the other two had completely lost consciousness. It took a great deal of effort for Ruan Qing to drag them.
Although these four individuals were in a miserable state, they were still holding on.
However, the person with the severed hand seemed to be in a critical condition. At this point, he was exhaling more than inhaling. If he wasn’t treated quickly, he probably wouldn’t last another hour.
The two individuals who hadn’t lost consciousness yet thought they were doomed, but unexpectedly, someone came to their rescue.
One of them was in better condition. He gasped for breath and spoke silently, but bloodstains accompanied his words. Nevertheless, he managed to finish his sentence, saying, “Thank you.”
Ruan Qing took out some painkillers from the bag and handed them over. “What about the explosives?”
The man struggled to swallow his saliva and took the medicine, then passed it to another person. “The hunter dismantled some of them, but there should still be some remaining. However, I’m not sure if it’s enough to destroy everything.”
Because a small portion of the bombs were obtained through game exchanges, they didn’t resemble typical explosives.
They had very few points and couldn’t exchange for much.
Installing explosives right under the hunter’s nose was equivalent to seeking death. They had to avoid the livestream and focus on escaping.
In reality, whenever they found an opportunity, they would place the explosives, regardless of whether it was on the fourth floor or not.
In this situation, they couldn’t guarantee whether the fourth floor would be destroyed.
Ruan Qing also understood that this was likely their limit. “Can you still move?”
The two conscious players nodded.
“We can, but we might be a bit slow.”
Ruan Qing took out his phone, checked the time, opened the timer app, set the time, and pressed the start button. Then he handed the phone to the man. “You need to leave now. Once the countdown reaches zero, detonate the explosives.”
The phone didn’t make any sound, but the time started decreasing second by second.
The man looked at the countdown time and once again struggled to swallow his saliva, holding back the question, ‘What about you?’
Because the displayed time showed only ten minutes.
This meant they had to leave the hospital within ten minutes, which would have been more than enough in normal circumstances.
However, they had damaged the power supply, rendering the elevator unusable. In addition, they were now covered in injuries and burdened with two extra people, so ten minutes might not be enough.
The two of them didn’t waste any more time and didn’t ask any more questions. They immediately lifted the two unconscious people from the ground and started walking.
They didn’t care if it would worsen their injuries; they wanted to descend the stairs as quickly as possible.
The four of them dragged and carried each other and soon disappeared on the stairs.
Ten minutes was too short for them, but for Ruan Qing, it felt too long.
He didn’t have the confidence to hold on for ten minutes.
Although Su Xiaozhen was indeed impressive, she was alone, and her strength would be greatly reduced after being hypnotized.
Three minutes was already the limit.
The remaining seven minutes...
He would have to handle it himself.
The “forbidden zone of the gods” would expire in one minute.
Ruan Qing leaned against the wall at the corner, quietly watching the starry sky. If it weren’t for the ongoing battle on the rooftop, this scene would probably be beautiful and tranquil.
After all, the moonlight tonight was beautiful, and one could faintly see the stars filling the sky.
Even the wind felt gentle.
Since entering this instance, he had been on high alert the whole time, so it was rare to relax like this.
Unfortunately, one minute quickly passed, and the people on the rooftop easily noticed that he was also there.
Wen Li took a step back, disengaging from the fight, and slowly approached the young boy by the wall.
However, on his way, he was intercepted by Su Xiaozhen.
Su Xiaozhen’s posture clearly expresses that she would stop him, unless she died.
Wen Li sneered coldly and immediately struck back, much faster than the previous attack.
Due to the proximity, there was a risk of being affected, so Ruan Qing stood over by the rooftop.
Not even two minutes passed, and Su Xiaozhen was already struggling to hold on.
She hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, just a few torn clothes.
But if the fight continued, it wouldn’t be certain anymore.
In fact, Su Xiaozhen could have held on for ten minutes at the cost of getting injured.
However, Ruan Qing thought it over and gave up on that idea. After all, she was a girl, and he assumed she would care about having scars.
The most important thing was that Su Xiaozhen had at least given him an S-grade item, so he reluctantly forgave her for her previous unreasonable behavior.
Ruan Qing lightly tapped the railing on the rooftop and gave Su Xiaozhen a final command.
Upon hearing the sound, Su Xiaozhen immediately gave up the fight and swiftly retreated, disappearing from the staircase leading to the rooftop.
The few people on the rooftop didn’t pursue her, but instead looked at the young boy standing on the edge of the rooftop.
Wen Li put the surgical knife into the pocket of his white coat and then took out a piece of paper to wipe away the bloodstains from his hands.
After cleaning up, he slowly approached the young boy.
