Chapter 2069: A Time-Saving Approach
No one paid any attention to her accusation. In a life-and-death struggle, what mattered was skill. If verbal sparring could decide the outcome, what would be the point of creating weapons? Besides, she had been willing to trade injuries for the kill on the long-coated man. Now that he was dead, she had become the next easy target.
Seeing the subtle expressions of the players who had caught up, the sweet-voiced girl let out a cold laugh. "Thinking of making a move on me? Don't forget what's right next to you."
What else could it be but the exhibition hall? As the group's attention wavered, she continued, "You outnumber me, so winning won't be easy. But this castle is full of puppets. Kill me, fine—but I'll drag a few down with me. Might as well all go together!"
As she spoke, she strapped several explosive items onto her body, giving the crowd ahead a look that said, "Go ahead and try."
This put the others in a bind. If she was truly willing to go all the way, would they really want to be buried with her?
Realizing they wouldn't dare act, the sweet-voiced girl tossed the long-coated man's corpse aside and stripped him of all the items he had been carrying.
"I don't know which of you killed him, but whoever got his legacy items got a bargain. I'm just taking what's available, right?" She glanced meaningfully at Xu Huo.
Items worn on the body were naturally the good ones players were accustomed to using—defense, attack, life-saving gear, all part of a set. Although Xu Huo had killed him, what he could directly inherit were things on the personal panel. The items the player carried became ownerless the moment he died, and whoever grabbed them got them. That was why the sweet-voiced girl had even fought for the corpse.
But arguing over distribution at this point would only stir up greater conflict, so Xu Huo made a gesture for her to go ahead.
Seeing he had no objection, the sweet-voiced girl wanted to pick up the scattered scripture pages on the floor. However, the Painting Woman didn't give her the chance. With a slight movement of her hand, all the pages flew toward her, reassembling into a book. The words on the pages that had been turned into ropes had completely disappeared after being destroyed, leaving only blank paper.
The sweet-voiced girl looked reluctant but didn't press the issue.
She scrutinized Xu Huo and the others. "Is the agreement we made earlier still valid?"
"You really know when to bend." The purple-clad woman said with a hint of sarcasm.
The sweet-voiced girl tossed her hair. "I didn't start the fight. I put in the most effort. Isn't it fair I get something out of it?"
The others couldn't be bothered to argue with her either, because dinner time had arrived.
Now, including the Painting Woman, only thirteen people remained in the instance. Xu Huo, the purple-clad woman, and the short man had all obtained their puppets. The fluorescent powder girl and the sweet-voiced girl, along with the glasses-wearing player, were dinner survivors. The remaining seven had more than enough time over three days to get their puppets.
So, after sitting back down at the dining table, the players appeared much calmer.
Soon, the Puppet Maker arrived. The purple-clad woman's puppet, missing its left leg; the short man's puppet, missing its left arm; and Xu Huo's complete puppet were all placed on the table. According to the puppet rules, the purple-clad woman did not stand up before eating, and the short man never raised his left hand during the meal. Xu Huo could move freely, but to be safe, he had already placed "Three Seconds of Life" in his inner pocket.
Dinner quickly came to an end. It seemed like another peaceful meal. But no one expected that, in the middle of eating, the short man's left hand suddenly lifted. Under the astonished gazes of himself and all the surrounding players, the penalty for breaking the rules was triggered!
"Smack!" The short man was crushed into a pulp of flesh. The splattering blood and gore not only buried his puppet but also sprayed half the dining table.
The nearby players had all used defensive items in advance, so no blood got on them. But watching someone explode into a meat paste on the table time and again was enough to turn anyone's stomach.
"Clatter!" The short man's puppet fell onto the table.
After the meal, the Puppet Maker proactively took away Xu Huo's and the purple-clad woman's puppets. As for the short man's puppet, although it was taken, it was clear the Puppet Maker wasn't very enthusiastic about reclaiming it.
Once the table was cleaned and a fresh tablecloth laid, the purple-clad woman said angrily, "Who! Who broke the agreement!"
Just like with the killing of the long-coated man, no one admitted it.
"Maybe he had a change of heart," the sweet-voiced girl said lazily. "Wasn't he the one who broke the agreement earlier by bringing out a fake puppet? If it weren't for this little sister here, we might still be suspicious of each other."
The Painting Woman, who had been pointed out, realized this was a compliment, so she gave a shy smile.
Everyone's faces twitched, but they had no time to watch her act. The purple-clad woman asked the sweet-voiced girl again, "So, was it you who killed him?"
"So what if it was?" The sweet-voiced girl patted the explosive items on her body.
"You..." The purple-clad woman was furious. "If everyone ignores the agreement, then why don't we just forget about clearing the instance and fight to the last person?"
"It probably wasn't her." The glasses-wearing player offered an explanation. "She was sitting across from me. If she had made a move, I would have sensed it."
That was even worse than if it had been her. It meant there was a player secretly ambushing people, and they had no idea who it was.
"Enough." The slightly older man spoke up at that point. "It was me."
Everyone's eyes turned to him.
"I did it to uphold the rules," the man said. "We set the rules. To clear the instance, it's best if everyone follows them. He not only broke the agreement by bringing out a fake puppet but also stirred up conflict among the players. If I hadn't killed him at dinner, who knows what he might have done tomorrow."
His reasoning made sense, but the fact that he could break through someone else's defensive barrier was something to be wary of.
The other party was also very frank. "Our goal is to clear the instance, not to fight to the death. Since we all have a chance to clear it now, why waste the effort? I admitted to this proactively to prevent everyone from suspecting each other. Cooperation is the most time-saving approach."
The group exchanged glances, essentially accepting his explanation.
Afterward, they moved to the rest area, intending to spend the night there.
To avoid trouble, the players used items to set up a spatial barrier around the rest area. Since no one could leave, whether they slept or went to the bathroom, it was fine.
At Xu Huo's request, the Painting Woman also stayed. She couldn't sit still, and with no housework to do, she asked Xu Huo for a pen and started scribbling on the scripture she had just obtained.
This scripture item was still ownerless, so the Painting Woman had little use for it. After doodling randomly for a while, she tore out the pages and folded them into paper frogs.
The sound of folding paper was a bit grating in the night. Before long, the fluorescent powder girl said, "Can't you control her?" (Chapter End)