Chapter 23: Big Sister, Don't Come Looking for Me
The first daylight yielded considerable gains, not only clearing the three brothers of National Football from suspicion but also suppressing Alice's actions.
Alice's clones appeared powerful, but in reality, she had to be very cautious. Everyone present was a seasoned contractor who had survived life-and-death situations, including hunters skilled in tracking. If she showed even the slightest flaw, even a wrong look, she would be caught on the spot. For example, when the third brother of National Football had pretended to be profound earlier, it immediately aroused everyone's suspicion.
The first daylight was about to end, and everyone headed toward their respective rooms.
"I have a feeling I might be the one to die tonight."
The little detective girl murmured softly. She had been too active during the first daylight, which might have drawn Alice's attention.
Was that really the case? No. If Su Xiao were Alice, he would never kill the little detective girl on the first night. The reason was simple: during the second daylight, the little detective girl would use her right to challenge. Without that right, although she was skilled at reasoning, she couldn't directly accuse someone. As for ordering others to challenge, that was impossible. Even the relatively easygoing three brothers of National Football wouldn't follow her orders alone unless it was a decision agreed upon by everyone.
The most likely to die wasn't the little detective girl, but the cat girl.
During the first daylight, the little detective girl was just speculating about who Alice was, which was something Alice actually enjoyed. She was savoring the game.
The cat girl, on the other hand, deliberately created a stalemate to bait Alice. For Alice, this was bad behavior. If someone was going to die tonight, there was a 40% chance or more it would be the cat girl.
The three fools of National Football were the safest, followed by Fatty Pi, then the glasses-wearing man, and then Su Xiao.
Of course, this was Su Xiao's personal judgment. What Alice was thinking, he didn't know.
Closing the door, Su Xiao locked it. Although this measure wasn't very effective, it could at least serve as a warning.
Bubu Wang crawled under the bed, poking his head out to observe the room.
[Darkness is about to descend.]
[3... 2... 1... Night falls!]
The light in the room gradually dimmed, and soon it was pitch black. This darkness would last for two hours.
Su Xiao took out a glow stick as thick as a finger. Applying force, he twisted and deformed it in his hand, causing it to emit a faint yellow glow that illuminated the room. The darkness in the room could be dispelled by a light source.
Crack, crack, crack...
A gnawing sound, like that of a rodent, came from somewhere. If an ordinary person were in this environment, reminiscent of a horror movie, they would definitely be terrified.
However, Su Xiao remained calm. Even if a real ghost appeared before him, his first reaction would be to study its structure, then consider how to kill or capture it. Besides, if there really were ghosts, his blood aura would keep them far away.
Next door, in Room 1, the little detective girl's room.
At that moment, in Room 1, the little detective girl had her head covered with a blanket, her big round eyes vigilantly observing her surroundings.
"Could it be... there are mice in the castle?"
The little detective girl shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought.
Click, click...
The lock on the door opened automatically, and the little detective girl shuddered.
"No way, it's really me. Shouldn't it go after the cat girl first? Big Sister Alice, you're in the room."
In the little detective girl's somewhat desperate gaze, the door slowly opened, revealing an old woman in a tattered black robe standing at the entrance.
"Little girl, do you want to buy a candle?"
The old woman wore a loose black hood. She looked up at the little detective girl, revealing a smile and a gold tooth.
"A... candle?"
The little detective girl squinted, as if considering something. A few seconds later, she gave her answer.
"What do I have to pay?"
"Your soul."
The old woman let out a hoarse laugh.
...
In Room 2 next door, Su Xiao held a glass cup against the wall, pressing his ear to the bottom of the cup.
"Candle? Soul?"
The soundproofing in the room wasn't great, so he could hear the conversation next door.
Su Xiao had initially thought the little detective girl next door was being attacked at night, but it seemed that wasn't the case. The person she encountered might not be Alice.
Crack, crack...
While Su Xiao was eavesdropping on the next room, the lock on his own door opened automatically.
"Such an aggressive sales pitch."
Su Xiao muttered as he drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist.
Creak~
The door opened automatically, revealing complete darkness outside.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
The sound of high heels striking the floor came closer. Soon, a tall, dark figure stood at the doorway.
The figure was shrouded in black mist, making its features unclear. Su Xiao tried to sense its aura, but surprisingly, it had none.
This caught Su Xiao off guard. Aura was something everyone possessed. Although an ordinary person's aura was faint, it was never identical. Among 1000 trillion people, two might have identical fingerprints, but their auras would never be the same—at most, they would be similar.
This dark figure had no aura at all, even though Su Xiao could clearly sense it was made of flesh and blood.
The dark figure and Su Xiao stared at each other in silence.
Tap, tap, tap.
The figure stepped into the room in high heels. It lifted its foot, took off the high heels, and placed them by the door. A transparent barrier enveloped the room, turning it into a sealed chamber.
Su Xiao recalled that the little detective girl didn't wear high heels, nor did the cat girl. When he had seen Alice on the second floor earlier, she had been wearing high heels.
The identity of the dark figure was obvious—it was Alice's clone.
With this information, Su Xiao became even more puzzled. He had sensed its flesh-and-blood body. Could it be that Alice's clones were physical entities? That wasn't impossible; in fact, it was highly likely.
The Apostle's Eye floated in midair, beginning to scan Alice's information. Although the Apostle's Eye was a perception-type piece of equipment, it didn't conflict with Su Xiao's instinct. Equipment skills and personal abilities never conflicted.
[Comparing intelligence attributes... Comparison complete. Your intelligence attribute matches the enemy's.]
[The King's Supreme Arm Guard's ability: Supreme Alone (Passive) activated. This judgment receives a +10 point modifier.]
[Note: The hunter's intelligence attribute has not broken the extreme value. The modification effect is reduced by 80%. Obtained 70% of the enemy's data.]
Data as follows:
Name: Alice
Category: Clone (3% of original body's strength)
Health: 100%
Pseudo-Divine Power: 960/960
Strength: 80
Agility: 80
Stamina: 80
Intelligence: 80
Charm: 80
Skill 1: Melee Specialization Lv.40 (Passive)
Skill 2: Elemental Specialization Lv.40 (Passive)
Skill 3: Magic Specialization Lv.40 (Passive)
Skill 4: Summoning Specialization Lv.40 (Passive)
Skill 5: Castle God's Will Lv.40 (Active). Can consume "Pseudo-Divine Power" to manifest weapons/armor. Manifestation level ranges from Light Gold to Gold. If the number of manifested items exceeds 5, their quality will drop to Light Gold.
Note: This skill is only effective within the Demon Castle.
Skill 6: Nightmare Eye Lv.40 (Passive). While inside the Demon Castle, ignores any control skills.
Skill 7: Demon Castle Queen Lv.40 (Passive). While inside the Demon Castle, health recovery speed +1000%.
Skill 8: ???
Skill 9: ???