Chapter 113: Infinite Cannon Fodder (3)

Who exactly was that woman?

The players seated in the castle’s grand hall exchanged glances, having observed the interactions between the NPCs with keen interest. They became immensely curious about the NPC referred to as “Lingling.”

It was evident that this woman had emotional entanglements with several men, and such a character appearing within a dungeon did not seem ordinary by any means.

Apart from Lingling, the players also didn’t overlook the woman lying on the sofa, almost blending seamlessly into the background.

If Lingling represented a bold and assertive presence impossible to ignore, then the woman with long light gray hair on the sofa was her polar opposite.

Like Lingling, this woman was drenched by the rain, but she remained silent, ignoring anyone who tried to engage her in conversation.

She resembled a detached ghost, observing everyone indifferently. If it weren’t for the occasional drips of water falling from her, one might suspect she wasn’t even breathing audibly.

Perhaps fittingly for an S-grade dungeon, every NPC encountered seemed remarkably peculiar.

The players knew they couldn’t remain foolishly idle any longer. Every minute and second after entering a dungeon was precious; without investigating the NPCs’ information to uncover their identities and weaknesses, survival would be challenging.

Typically, the first day of a dungeon is considered a “safe day.” Players could use this time before dusk to explore more of the area and gather information. Once night falls, they must find ways to protect themselves and endure through the most perilous darkness.

As experienced players, the division of tasks proceeded swiftly. Those skilled in socializing engaged with others, while those less adept focused on mapping the surroundings. At designated times, everyone shared their gathered clues.

Mu Bai excelled in interpersonal skills, and earlier Bei Bo had approached him for information about the castle. Now, Mu Bai walked over to the redheaded youth, casually striking up conversation on non-sensitive topics.

Similar to Mu Bai’s approach, two other players separately moved towards the man with seaweed-like long hair and the individual in Daoist attire. The man with seaweed-like hair was not very talkative; after exchanging a few words, he ascended upstairs. In contrast, the refined cultivator proved an excellent listener, making conversations with him highly enjoyable for the players.

Before long, several players gathered together.

Mu Bai began, “The man with ‘Lingling’ is Bei Bo; he’s on a mountain-climbing trip with his girlfriend. You can tell that he dotes on her completely, and from appearances, he seems to be the most ordinary among the NPCs.”

A cute short-haired girl next to Mu Bai asked, “What about the handsome redheaded youth? Who is he?”

“Chu Yue, you’re only focused on eyeing those attractive NPCs?” The tall, sultry woman beside Chu Yue teased, “Watch out, or they might mutate and come for you at night.”

“Woah, A-Sis A-Wu, don’t scare me.” Chu Yue rubbed his arms, saying, “It’s not my fault though, I mean, in real life, I never get to see such beautiful young men.”

“All right, enough with the jokes.” Zhuang Wu, whom they called A-Wu, gave Mu Bai a meaningful look. “Little Mu, continue your explanation.”

Zhuang Wu and Chu Yue were the two female players in their group. Being experienced survivors in this survival game required considerable skills, so Mu Bai held great respect for Zhuang Wu.

“Mu Bai, the redheaded youth is named Miya,” Mu Bai continued. “He mentioned being deeply interested in this castle’s history and came here for a visit. As for ‘Lingling’ and his relationship with her, he seemed reluctant to discuss that woman, so I didn’t press further.”

Li Yun, who had entered the dungeon alongside Mu Bai using a binding item, added, “The long-haired man is called Medes. He claimed to have arrived here guided by ‘dream revelations,’ stating he has mysteries he wishes to unravel, but provided no further details.”

Zhuang Wu twirled a strand of her hair, sighing softly. “It seems none of us managed to gather any crucial information…”

“A-Wu, weren’t you having quite a good conversation with that cultivator?” Mu Bai observed from the side; Zhuang Wu had chatted with the cultivator for a significant time. Given her abilities, it was unexpected that she hadn’t gleaned anything.

“Arnold is indeed charming,” Zhuang Wu said with a hint of regret. “If he weren’t an NPC within this dungeon, I might have fallen for him.”

“But…” Zhuang Wu’s gaze turned slightly colder, “he’s remarkably guarded. Despite talking with him at length, I couldn’t extract even a shred of useful information. Instead, I nearly gave myself away.”

“He’s definitely no ordinary monk.” Zhuang Wu’s survival in the game thus far owed much to her intuition. “I believe he holds a special status, and his purpose for entering this castle is not simple.”

“Could he be the person God wants us to eliminate?” Chu Yue analyzed, “The mission tells us not to trust █████‘s words, which implies they’re quite persuasive.”

“We can likely rule out Medes and the woman on the sofa; they’re so silent it seems they don’t even want to speak. The most suspicious ones remaining are Lingling and Arnold.”

Mu Bai agreed, “What you say makes some sense.”

“The hints for this quest are too vague,” Li Yun furrowed his brow. “We don’t even know how many strange creatures there are. With six NPCs present, who can tell how many of them might be monsters?”

“If the dungeon is rated S-level, the number of monsters won’t be small, and…” Zhuang Wu’s gaze quietly scanned the players present, “who knows if there could be any ghosts among us players as well?”

Chu Yue shuddered again with fear, “Doesn’t that mean we can’t trust anyone?”

“I suggest that we players come up with a passphrase or gesture to conveniently verify each other’s identities when meeting,” Zhuang Wu emphasized. “It must be information only players would know. For now, let’s first check if there have been any changes in our roles.”

Mu Bai was the first to respond, “Everyone should use the player forum; I have a fixed ID there. You can search for my posts and ask me about their contents, thereby confirming my player status.”

Zhuang Wu nodded, “This method is good. Does anyone else have any suggestions?”

Seeing no objections, everyone sequentially stated their forum IDs and briefly described the dungeons they had experienced along with their post content. Zhuang Wu then turned towards the last player who hadn’t spoken much.

The final player was a youth wearing a baseball cap and a black T-shirt. His hat brim was pulled down low, obscuring his eyes, leaving only his delicate jawline visible. His lips were pale, and his frame appeared very slender. From his outward appearance, not only did he lack intimidation, but he also seemed quite… fragile.

Zhuang Wu only knew that the youth’s name was Yuan Ju; she had no other information about him. Similar to Mu Bai, she preferred taking charge of the overall situation, and without thoroughly understanding this “teammate,” she couldn’t feel at ease.

Under everyone’s gaze, Yuan Ju slowly spoke up, “Magician.”

“My ID is Magician.”

Upon hearing this alias, Chu Yue’s eyes instantly lit up. “Are you really a magician? The one who survived an S-rank nightmare dungeon?”

The baseball-capped youth raised his hand, revealing slender, pale fingers with neatly trimmed nails, clean and elegant like works of art. Between his fingertips rested a playing card. With a flick of his finger, the card seemed to flip nimbly as if guided by an invisible thread. When he stopped, the card abruptly transformed into a piece of chocolate.

He opened the wrapper, broke the chocolate, and popped a piece into his mouth. “Is this enough proof?”

Zhuang Wu raised her eyebrow slightly. It appeared the youth had discerned her intentions. From suggesting they confirm each other’s identities, her goal was indeed to gather information on him. Mu Bai complemented her well, and with a few reliable teammates, tackling this S-rank dungeon might just be feasible.

“Perfect. Since our identities haven’t been temporarily swapped yet, the focus should be on interacting with the NPCs,” Zhuang Wu inadvertently became the leader issuing commands among the players. “The castle’s kitchen has some ingredients; during tonight’s gathering, let’s find ways to engage more with the NPCs. If possible, we should first identify the person God wants us to locate. The monster’s killings follow certain rules, but that individual is an unpredictable factor and needs to be eliminated as soon as possible.”

“This is an S-grade dungeon, so I don’t need to emphasize it—everyone wants to survive.” Zhuang Wu looked at the group and said, “Sharing information is the most basic requirement. I hope, if I die, it’s at the hands of the monsters, not from ‘our own’ people. Do you all understand what I mean?”

“Here…I have…” Chu Yue pursed her lips, then determinedly spoke up, “I possess a rare one-time use item that can reveal any NPC’s identity.”

Zhuang Wu’s red lips curved slightly, smiling at Chu Yue, “Xiao Yue, such items are incredibly valuable. Your willingness to share this will be a tremendous help!”

Mu Bai and Li Yun also expressed their gratitude together, “In this dungeon, what we lack the most is information.”

“Then… whom should we investigate?” Chu Yue asked.

She retrieved the item from her system inventory and showed it to everyone.

Item Name: Prophet Card

Quantity: 1

Quality: Rare

Type: Single-use Item

Description: A prophet who cannot verify identities is not a good prophet. You can examine any NPC within the dungeon, gaining knowledge of their abilities and preferences. You may uncover ordinary individuals or even major bosses, so please choose carefully.

Usage Method: Input the NPC’s name.

Caution: Heh heh, prophets are notoriously short-lived. Does receiving this card signify good luck or bad? Need I say more?

Every time Chu Yue saw such item warnings, she wanted to roll her eyes. These malicious descriptions clearly demonstrated how distressing this survival game truly was.

Since it was a single-use item, choosing whom to investigate became crucial.

“I’m quite interested in that Lingling,” Zhuang Wu said. Initially, she had considered mentioning Arnold, but her intuition guided her decision instead.

Mu Bai and Li Yun echoed, “Lingling.”

In a soft voice, Chu Yue suggested, “Miya.”

Yuan Ju, unusually speaking at length, stated, “I don’t believe Lingling poses a threat to us. Instead of checking on her, it would be better to investigate Bei Bo; my gut feeling about him… isn’t good.”

As a player with experience in S-grade dungeons, Yuan Ju’s opinion held weight. However, the other players clearly had their own ideas, making it difficult to reach a consensus immediately.

“How about waiting until after the gathering? We can discuss further once we’ve talked with everyone,” Chu Yue proposed.

With no better alternatives, they could only patiently wait for the opportunity.

Guided by Bei Bo, Tong Ling reached the second floor of the castle.

This abandoned fortress was indeed massive, with numerous rooms spread across the second and third floors. Tong Ling didn’t rush to explore the third floor; instead, she leisurely strolled around the second floor and chose the most spacious room to enter.

As the best room, it naturally had an essential bathroom included.

Without needing Tong Ling’s instruction, Bei Bo thoroughly searched the room. Upon discovering several intricately designed luxury dresses in the bedroom wardrobe, he promptly took them out and placed them before Tong Ling, seemingly seeking her approval. “Lingling, look at these dresses… Are they suitable?”

Bei Bo imagined his girlfriend wearing such lavish gowns, his eyes filling with anticipation and adoration.

With his girlfriend having such high standards, how could ordinary dresses suffice for her?

Tong Ling wasn’t one to be easily satisfied. She lifted the dress hem critically, still displaying displeasure in her gaze. “Are these dresses clean? I want new dresses, not something others have worn!”

Bei Bo’s ingratiating expression instantly turned awkward. “I-I don’t know…”

Tong Ling flashed a mischievous smile. “Seeing all this ‘material’ here, can you perhaps create a brand-new dress for me, A-Bai?”

Tong Ling took Bei Bo’s hand; it was very cold. Her fingers slid from his fingertips to the back of his hand, gently caressing until faint blue veins became visible beneath his pale skin. “Use your hands to personally make me a dress.”

As if seared by sparks, Bei Bo felt a sudden discomfort. He knew his girlfriend was intentionally challenging him, yet even her demand seemed to carry a sweet undertone amidst this situation.

“Don’t you want me to wear a dress made just for me by you?” The woman tilted her head, exuding a childlike cunning and innocence. “Surely you can manage it, right?”

Under Tong Ling’s gaze, Bei Bo stumbled over his words, feeling helpless, “I… I can give it a try.”

He had never engaged in any handicraft work before, let alone making a dress. But for her, he would attempt it.

“Then I’m going for a bath now. Hopefully, when I come out, you’ll have the dress ready for me.” Tong Ling imposed a time constraint on Bei Bo’s task. Such a request was unreasonable, but she voiced it with sheer capriciousness. “I’ll be waiting.”

When Bei Bo lifted his head, he saw the graceful silhouette of the woman walking away. Despite appearing delicate and frail due to the rain, there remained an elegant aura about her.

Bei Bo couldn’t help but think of cats again - sometimes affectionate and pitiful, other times aloof and mysterious. He found himself wanting to decipher her thoughts, longing to understand everything about her…

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the woman glanced back at him, “You don’t have much time left.”

Bei Bo’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as if he had been gently scratched by a cat - not painful, yet slightly tingling.

She was urging him, pushing him to accomplish something outside his expertise for her sake.

Without further delay, Bei Bo swiftly picked up the dress and stepped out of the room to find cutting tools.

Bei Bo couldn’t recall why he pursued this woman in the past; those memories seemed distant, shrouded in shadows. Instinctively, he resisted confronting that person from his recollections, perhaps solely because she remained unattainable.

Human nature often played its part here: the allure of what one cannot have extends their patience indefinitely. Once obtained, however, that patience gradually diminishes. It should have been this way…but when did it change? Her unpredictable nature was even more infuriating than the woman in his memories, yet he found himself powerless against it.

Bei Bo touched the hand where she had made contact, then lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on his own palm.

She was right; he should indeed make her clothes by hand so that his scent… could linger on her as well.

Tong Ling entered the bathroom alone.

Having sent Bei Bo away, she wondered if any paranormal events might occur while she was here by herself.

Although the castle was abandoned, both the rooms and bathrooms still exuded remnants of their former opulence.

Inside the bathroom, there was a large bathtub. As soon as Tong Ling saw it, she thought of Medes. She imagined her pet would have liked this place.

Tong Ling turned on the shower faucet, attempting to adjust the water temperature, but alas, only cold water flowed without any hot option.

Undeterred, she quickly rinsed herself, found a bath towel to wrap around her, then filled the bathtub with cold water. With her hands, she began splashing playfully at the surface.

“Drip.”

“Drop.”

Clear water cascaded through her fingers, falling back into the tub. The bathroom gradually became damp, with icy mist rising from the walls and floor.

The humidity seemed to suddenly increase, carrying a faintly sweet, musty odor from outside the door.

Tong Ling heard knocking.

Accompanying the knocks was the youth’s captivating voice, “Lingling, may I come in?”

Tong Ling responded with a light laugh, “Of course. Please enter, my… Medes.”