Chapter 2455: The First Target
Although Xu Huo had consistently stated that he was not a player in this instance, everyone now agreed with Bubble Bean's proposal, so he and the Painting Woman naturally couldn't be exceptions.
They temporarily divided into four groups.
The first group consisted of Bubble Bean, the Yin-Yang Master, and the Eyebrow Stud Man. The three of them had originally been relatively close.
The second group was the Green-Haired Female Player, the Missing Ear Man, and the Gaunt Woman who had been pulled over to their side.
The third group was the later arrivals, Old Chai and his two companions, plus the Burly Man who had saved Yang Tian—a combination of four people.
The fourth group was left with Yang Tian, who had been chased over, and Chi Cai, plus Xu Huo and the Painting Woman.
Yang Tian's legs couldn't walk. He was a burden, and apart from Chi Cai, no one was willing to take care of him. Of course, a player's inability to move well wasn't really a big deal—an automatic wheelchair or a robot could fully take care of him—it was just inconvenient for combat.
Yang Tian had lost his right to speak on the grouping matter. Chi Cai was the only good-natured one, and Xu Huo and the Painting Woman didn't care, so the four of them ended up together.
The distribution was somewhat unfair, and someone made a sarcastic remark: "It doesn't matter. The Hidden Friend's friends all call people over. If he can't walk, isn't that perfect? Maybe he'll even escape disaster!"
Yang Tian's face darkened, and he coldly stared at the speaker. "Don't be so sure. Who gets hit first is still unknown."
Under the pressure of death threats, the players' moods were poor, and the constant heavy fog made the environment feel even more oppressive.
However, since the instance had basically made it clear that random killing wasn't allowed, they just exchanged a few words and let it go.
"Should we still stay in the pavilion tonight?" the Eyebrow Stud Man asked. "I think we need a relatively safe place to rest properly. After all, there are still over twenty days."
"We've split into groups. Everyone handles their own affairs," the Missing Ear Man said.
They looked at the others. No one had objections, so after agreeing on the night shift rotation order, everyone took advantage of the early time to catch up on sleep.
"Now we can finally sleep peacefully," Chi Cai said with a smile as they returned to the wooden house. "As long as we don't attack each other, we're very safe in this instance."
Xu Huo smiled and went back to his bedroom.
Yang Tian and Chi Cai stayed in the outer dining area.
Seeing the Painting Woman pack her backpack until it was bulging and about to head out, Chi Cai quickly called out to her, "Don't go out of the village alone."
The Painting Woman didn't look back. She waved her hand, pulled open the door, and left.
The door closed again. Feeling snubbed, Chi Cai turned back and exchanged a blank stare with Yang Tian.
Yang Tian had been fine before, but ever since he was rescued and found that his legs couldn't walk, he looked at everyone as if they were his enemies, especially Chi Cai and the Burly Man.
Chi Cai could sense his attitude. Except for necessary times when she offered help, she tried her best not to provoke him.
Once the players quieted down, the village seemed to quiet down as well.
Probably because too many outsiders had arrived, the villagers who had previously liked to come out and walk around now tried to stay in their homes as much as possible.
Except for the Painting Woman. Carrying her backpack full of snacks, she walked from one end of the village to the other. Whenever she saw a household with some rare food or interesting item, she would trade things for them. Some villagers were repulsed by outsiders and wouldn't come out even when they heard her knock, but the Painting Woman wasn't one to give up so easily. She repeated her voice messages on the communicator endlessly until they were annoyed enough to come out, and only then was she happy.
She gathered plenty along the way, and soon three children who had sneaked out were following behind her.
Regardless of whether the villagers were happy, the children certainly were. Finally, on Grandpa River's suggestion, they picked a spot in the middle of the village to stop and play.
Their joy was different, out of place in this village, and it seemed to gradually create a rift with the surrounding environment.
"Li Chun..." A voice came from the direction of the woods. The Painting Woman, who was playing, immediately looked up. But aside from the fog, she saw nothing, as if the sound had just been an illusion.
Just as she was about to lower her head, someone called her name from over there again.
"Someone's calling me," she immediately shared with her little friends.
The little girl who was digging for earthworms looked up, a bit nervous. "Is your brother calling you back?"
"It seems so," the Painting Woman said. "But his voice came from over there. He was clearly sleeping when I came out."
"Are you going back?" the little girl asked, still wanting to play with her.
"No," the Painting Woman said decisively. "If he's anxious, he'll come find me himself."
So the group of one adult and five children continued digging for bugs.
But Xu Huo didn't come looking for her. Instead, the voice from the woods seemed to change position, calling her from another direction.
The Painting Woman was getting annoyed by the noise. After saying goodbye to her little friends, she gripped the shovel in her hand and stormed angrily toward the woods.
"Hey, what the hell? She just ran off like that?" The players were naturally keeping an eye on the situation. Seeing her suddenly run off, some were suspicious and some were annoyed. They had just agreed on things, and she completely ignored it. How could anyone cooperate like this?
"Isn't it better that she ran off?" The Green-Haired Female Player leaned by the window of her location item, looking in the direction where the Painting Woman had disappeared. "If she's the impersonator, we'll have an easy day today."
Unfortunately, they were about to be disappointed, because a few minutes later, the Painting Woman returned. She was covered in grass clippings and mud, and in her hand, she carried a small robot that was also caked in mud. The robot was already scrapped, its malfunction indicator light blinking continuously, but its speaker kept repeating her name.
The Painting Woman carried the robot to where the players were gathered, directly stomped it to pieces with her foot, then looked around at everyone watching her from the shadows and the open. She then raised her middle finger equally at all of them.
Several people showed disdain on their faces, while the rest pretended not to see it. Only after she left did someone come out to pick up the robot.
Chi Cai and the Burly Man arrived at the same time. Both wanted to get the robot.
Only the players here knew the Painting Woman's name. Placing the robot nearby in advance, with good signal reception—no one would believe it wasn't one of the players hiding in the shadows.
"There should be an impersonator among us," Bubble Bean said from about ten meters away. "But since the other party dared to release the robot, they most likely left no traces. The robot is probably useless. However, choosing that woman as a target is a bit strange."
Those who had arrived earlier knew that Xu Huo and the Painting Woman weren't instance players. Whether true or false, with the premise that casually killing someone might make you the target of the real Hidden Friend, the players had no need to take that risk. Besides, neither of them was easy to mess with. Targeting the Painting Woman so directly most likely meant it was a later arrival who didn't understand the situation.
Bubble Bean, the Green-Haired Female Player, and the others turned their gazes toward the Burly Man and the later-arriving Old Chai and his two companions.