Chapter 133: Infinite Cannon Fodder (23)

As the sole survivor of a monster attack, Mu Bai had gained crucial information about the creatures.

Although players were supposed to be on the same team and share intelligence, who was willing to freely divulge knowledge bought with their own life? At least Mu Bai wasn’t. He’d already used his most valuable life-saving props, and if attacked again, he would surely perish. He needed some protection—something that could… save his life.

How could Zhuang Wu miss Mu Bai’s intentions? From the moment he saw that “corpse” in the morning, any information about monsters from Mu Bai had been perfunctory at best. To get his teammate willingly to share details about the creatures, he’d have to offer some incentive.

“What we know for sure now is this: every day, the monster kills one person, using different methods each time,” Zhuang Wu summarized after analyzing several days’ worth of data. “At first, the monster waited until we split up before striking. Later, even when we stayed together in a room, it found ways to target someone while putting the other into a trance.” He continued, “I believe there’s only one monster specifically targeting us players. As long as we don’t provoke the others, we should be able to survive the day without issue.”

Mu Bai looked slightly surprised. “How can you be sure that it was the same monster doing all the killings?”

Zhuang Wu replied with a cryptic smile, “You’ve already come into contact with him. If it were anyone else, you wouldn’t be so calm.”

Mu Bai hesitated before shrugging. “Fine, I admit that what I encountered last night was indeed Bai Bei.”

“Don’t you find this whole scenario quite peculiar?” Zhuang Wu asked, her brow furrowed in thought. “We should have been facing a B-rank dungeon, but for some reason, it escalated to an S rank. I highly doubt the Main God would make such a mistake.”

This observation caught both Mu Bai and Yuan Ju’s attention simultaneously; it had also been their point of contention.

“Xiaomu, could you tell us more about exactly what kind of monster Bai Bei is?” Zhuang Wu zeroed in on the key issue. “I have a theory—if we can confirm it, we might just clear this dungeon tonight.”

“Tonight?” Mu Bai clearly didn’t believe Zhuang Wu’s claim. “What kind of joke is that?”

Was she trying to trick him into revealing crucial information?

Zhuang Wu retrieved a prop card from her System inventory and placed it right in front of Mu Bai.

“This is a rare item card I possess,” Zhuang Wu said. “It allows me to predict fortune or misfortune once each day. I’ve already checked this morning, and today is… extremely auspicious.”

Mu Bai picked up the item card and examined it.

The words Great Fortune were prominently displayed at the bottom of the card.

Zhuang Wu continued, “Last time I received a great fortune reading, I successfully completed an A-rank dungeon. My premonitions have never been wrong before. Tonight would be an excellent opportunity for action.”

Mu Bai stroked the item card thoughtfully. “This card only reveals your own fortune. We don’t know anything about Yuan Ju’s or my own luck.”

“That’s why I’ll be primarily responsible for taking action today,” Zhuang Wu said with a confident smile. “If I can unravel the mystery behind the dungeon, all of us can escape together. It just depends on how willing you are to cooperate with me.”

“You’re going alone?” Mu Bai raised an eyebrow, his impression of Zhuang Wu instantly improving.

Zhuang Wu nodded. “I’ve decided to leave at night.”

Mu Bai thought for a moment. “If we’re moving, let’s move together. I’m definitely not staying in the room by myself.” He turned to Yuan Ju. “Yuan Ju, what do you think?”

Yuan Ju replied firmly, “Against Bai Bei, I’ll participate.”

Zhuang Wu gave Yuan Ju a thumbs-up. “That’s decisive.”

Seeing Mu Bai still hesitating, Yuan Ju flipped his wrist, causing a card to appear in his hand. He tossed it directly in front of Mu Bai. “For you.”

Mu Bai looked at the card—it was another rare item card called [Defense Shield]. Its function was simple yet clear: defend against all types of harm… for three minutes, with a skill cooldown time of half an hour.

Don’t be fooled by the short duration; these three minutes could often mean the difference between life and death. Combined with its reusable nature, this card could practically be considered god-tier.

Mu Bai’s eyes lit up as he put away the card and said gratefully, “Thanks, boss! I’m with you guys now.”

Both Zhuang Wu and Yuan Ju were very strong, so even if Mu Bai did nothing, they would likely all die together. Better to go all out and try their luck.

Mu Bai began slowly, “Bai Bei is…”

The players were discussing how to clear the dungeon, while Tong Ling finally had some serious business to attend to.

After changing her dress, she went to find Qiao Qian. In her dream, Qiao Qian hadn’t obtained any further clues, which left her somewhat disheartened.

Tong Ling, however, wasn’t disappointed. The hints Qiao Qian had provided were more than enough for her purposes. She wasn’t in a hurry to complete the dungeon; after all, she hadn’t played around with it enough yet.

Last night, Yuan Ju had been clinging to her incessantly, preventing her from visiting Arnold. She wondered if he’d stayed put in his room as instructed.

How long will this religious fanatic hold out? I’m eager to see how he’ll react.

As for Miyah and Medius, neither could endure for too long. Miyah was prone to fits of rage, so even if Tong Ling avoided seeing him for a while, he’d eventually come looking on his own accord. As for Medius, with his shattered self-esteem, he would undoubtedly devise schemes to prove himself…

All that remained was waiting.

Despite these thoughts, Tong Ling preferred to keep control firmly in her grasp.

This morning, Mu Bai and Zhuang Wu hadn’t sought her out, leading Tong Ling to sense something amiss.

Their failure to ask for help meant there wouldn’t be any deaths today.

Those who survived Christmas Eve often received crucial information. Perhaps the players might even uncover the “truth” behind this instance.

Tonight was bound to be lively; Tong Ling didn’t mind letting it get even livelier.

“Hey, m,” Tong Ling called out to the system, “how much longer will you need to fully analyze this little world?”

Ever since witnessing players willingly deliver themselves last night, m577 had begun doubting its own existence.

Tong Ling smiled. “There you go again, blurting out such truths.”

Having grown accustomed to being undermined by its host, m577 quickly regained its composure.

“Two days…” Tong Ling acknowledged with praise, “That’s quite swift.”

“It seems I shouldn’t rush through completing the game too quickly,” Tong Ling remarked.

Was its host mocking it? Surely not!

Tong Ling continued lightly, “Two methods of completion are laid before me.”

“First, find the basement with Qiao Qian and destroy the formation before the ritual begins, stopping the ceremony.”

From Tong Ling’s tone, m577 sensed that its host had little interest in this method of completing the scenario:

The corners of Tong Ling’s mouth curved upwards. “Second, let the ritual proceed as normal. I want to see firsthand this ‘god’ who wishes to make me a sacrifice.”

m577’s eyes widened, its data streams crackling with static:

Tong Ling spoke to the system, “Don’t you want to try… what it feels like to trap a god?”

m577 fell into an unprecedented state of confusion:

m577 desperately hoped for a safe escape with Tong Ling; it didn’t want any harm to befall its host!

“Have you ever considered why the main storyline of this scenario would become ‘the divine descent ritual’?” Tong Ling asked.

m577 was silent for a moment:

“In His script, we’re merely tools for His amusement,” Tong Ling said softly. “He’s the lofty Main God, while we’re pawns and sacrifices. It’s simply unfair.”

m577 struggled to speak. 【What must I do?】

“Simple: Do unto others as they have done unto you,” Tong Ling said with a soft laugh. “Once you’ve analyzed this little world, surely you’ll have the power to pull off something like that, right?”

What could m577 say? If its host wanted to play, it had no choice but to accompany him.

After all, it was m577 who had chosen this host.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you ample time,” Tong Ling assured him. “We’ll perform the ritual only when you’re ready.”

Before that, Tong Ling decided to first find the basement and see exactly what this seance entailed.

When Tong Ling and Qiao Qian descended the stairs, Bai Bei had already set out the congee on the table.

“Lingling, come try some.” Considerately pulling out a chair for his girlfriend, he noticed another person accompanying her. He cast a fleeting, indifferent glance at them without saying a word.

Qiao Qian didn’t care for anyone in the castle besides Tong Ling—especially not Bai Bei, whose presence felt utterly revolting to her. But since Tong Ling treated Bai Bei so warmly, she respected her friend’s choices and remained silent as well.

Bai Bei had always been attentive to Tong Ling, cooking a pot of congee that was perfectly creamy and delicious.

Tong Ling first handed a bowl of congee to Qiao Qian, then gestured for Bai Bei to serve her another bowl. Perhaps because Qiao Qian’s presence was too low-key, and also being a woman herself, Bai Bei didn’t show any hostility towards her. The three sat at the table and finished their breakfast relatively peacefully.

After breakfast ended, Bai Bei spoke up, “Do you need my help?”

“Do you know what we’re supposed to do?” Tong Ling asked curiously; how well did Bai Bei understand this scenario?

Bai Bei gazed deeply into his girlfriend’s eyes, “Whatever you want to do is fine…”

As long as she doesn’t leave me, nothing else matters.

“Qianqian, can I let A-Bai join us in our search?” Tong Ling winked at Qiao Qian.

Qiao Qian still couldn’t shake off her unease about this man, but…

“If it’s okay with you, I have no objections,” Qiao Qian said while clenching her hands nervously.

Tong Ling gently patted the back of Qiao Qian’s hand, took hold of Bai Bei’s hand, and asked, “A-Bai, there’s a basement in this castle. Can you find it?”

“If you can’t, I won’t want you anymore from now on,” Tong Ling declared stubbornly.

The corners of Bai Bei’s mouth twitched upwards, his smile carrying an enigmatic meaning, “I’ll find it.”