Chapter 427: The Method to See Through Ghosts
The two of them were on one side, while Wan Yunrong and Miao Yu followed Wu Xiaonan, and Xu Huo and Chu Yuan were responsible for checking the corridor. Because the laboratory had too many rooms, Zhu Rumin could hide in any one of them.
Chu Yuan used a prop chewing gum to stick a light fixture to the ceiling of the corridor. "This way, if someone passes by, they might be exposed by their own shadow."
Xu Huo made no comment, simply cooperating with his actions.
"How do you think Gan Qing figured out that Zhu Rumin was a ghost?" Chu Yuan said. "The five of us were together and couldn't tell."
"It might be because of the glass window," Xu Huo said. Last night, he and Chu Yuan had seen the ghostly figure through the window, and when Gan Qing chased Chang Chengyong out, he happened to be standing behind the door, separated by a single window.
"What's the principle behind that?" Chu Yuan found it hard to believe. "You have to look through a glass window to see a ghost? You can't see it even with your glasses on?"
Xu Huo glanced at him. In fact, when the players were together, they simply couldn't see it.
"Then do you think what I saw yesterday was Chang Chengyong?" Chu Yuan couldn't help asking. "No, I have to go ask Gan Qing what the ghost he saw looked like."
Before they could go find Gan Qing, Gan Qing found them first. "Did you catch Zhu Rumin?"
"If we had, we wouldn't be here," Chu Yuan said. "What about your side?"
"Chang Chengyong ran too fast. I followed him around twice, and finally saw an elevator go down to the third underground floor. I was afraid of a trap, so I didn't go down. When I turned back, Qiu Xiangdong was gone too." Gan Qing then asked about the others. When he learned they had split up to search, he couldn't help shaking his head. "It's too hard to find someone here, especially at night. Everything looks the same at a glance."
"What did the ghost you saw look like?" Xu Huo asked.
"A shadow without a face," Gan Qing said. "It was right in front of Zhu Rumin... It's really strange. I could see Zhu Rumin but not Chang Chengyong. And he only started to make a move when Wan Yunrong suggested we take turns submitting the task."
That was interesting. Judging from Chang Chengyong's behavior, he had known from the start that he was a "ghost," which was why he panicked and ran. Zhu Rumin, also a "ghost," was caught off guard by Wu Xiaonan. Even if Gan Qing hadn't recognized her, she would still have had to try to complete the task as previously discussed when she returned to the room. She couldn't escape either.
Not taking the opportunity to flee but instead coming back could mean two things: first, she didn't know she was a "ghost"; second, she was confident that the method of trying wouldn't reveal the "ghost's" identity, and she also couldn't clear the instance.
If it was the second case, then she was certain that catching the "ghost" in the game wouldn't clear the instance. Xu Huo had speculated this, but it hadn't been confirmed yet.
The first case also had two possibilities: either the player was randomly chosen as a "ghost" without knowing it, or she was deliberately selected.
His gaze lingered on Gan Qing's face for a few seconds. He pulled open the door beside him and looked at the two people outside through the glass, but didn't see the so-called ghostly figure.
There were still too few "ghosts." If there were more ghosts today, it would be easy to test whether they could only be seen through glass.
Ge Pan and the others returned, but none of them had found Zhu Rumin.
"I have some bad news," Gan Qing said. "Qiu Xiangdong is missing."
The players didn't have much deep affection for each other, but having someone disappear right under their noses was unsettling.
"How did you see through Zhu Rumin's identity?" Ge Pan also asked the same question.
Gan Qing repeated himself and said, "I don't understand the reason either."
Ge Pan thought for a moment and said, "It might be the glass."
"In some movies and TV shows, ghosts that can't be seen with the naked eye can be captured with a camera. Maybe this game works on the same principle."
It sounded absurd, but it was the most plausible explanation so far.
"Chang Chengyong and Zhu Rumin have run off, so the rest of us just have to wait until tomorrow to use the glass to find the two new people who become ghosts," Wan Yunrong said.
"I hope no one runs off directly this time," Wu Xiaonan said.
"We weren't prepared earlier," Ge Pan coughed and said. "It won't happen tomorrow."
The group didn't return to the previous room. Instead, they chose a nearby room and stayed awake until the lights came on.
"The time the lights come on has also been delayed," Xu Huo said, checking his watch.
"The lights here should be controlled by a smart system. There's no reason for a delay. It might be that the laboratory itself has a special schedule from last night," Gan Qing said.
The others didn't say much more. They left the room to search for the three missing people.
Two people stood at the ends of adjacent horizontal corridors, observing the common areas, while the others entered the rooms in the same row one by one to check.
They searched thoroughly, but they didn't flush out Zhu Rumin or find Qiu Xiangdong's body. Instead, they found Chang Chengyong dead in the restroom.
Chang Chengyong had also died of suffocation.
Seeing his body, the players had varied expressions.
Chang Chengyong should have been the one who drew the ghost lot on the first day.
"He ran, which means He Chunsheng wasn't killed by him. Otherwise, he would have reverted to being a human and wouldn't have needed to run today," Miao Yu said. "So the one who killed He Chunsheng was another player. I didn't expect Chang Chengyong to also die of suffocation."
Chu Yuan looked around at everyone. "So did Zhu Rumin kill Chang Chengyong?"
"Not necessarily. Isn't there someone else?" Ge Pan said.
"You mean Qiu Xiangdong?" Wan Yunrong was confused. "If it was him, why would he kill Chang Chengyong and then hide?"
Killing a "ghost" in the game should be considered a legitimate act.
"It might not be him," Mao Wei said. "Last night, someone said Chang Chengyong went to the third underground floor."
Everyone turned their gaze to Gan Qing. Gan Qing said angrily, "I only said I saw the elevator go to the third underground floor. I'm not sure if Chang Chengyong went down there. And even if he did, couldn't he have come back up?"
"Besides, if I killed Chang Chengyong, why would I hide it? He was a ghost!"
"Maybe you're the ghost," Wu Xiaonan said. "Killing Chang Chengyong would turn you back into a human, wouldn't it?"
Gan Qing clenched his fists, but relaxed the next second, putting his hands behind his back.
"It's not him," Wan Yunrong said at that moment. "He wasn't out for long last night. It doesn't match the time of Chang Chengyong's death."
"Can you tell that with your naked eye?" Wu Xiaonan raised an eyebrow.
Normally, determining the exact time of death requires a more detailed examination.
"This is my trait," Wan Yunrong said.
The two stared at each other in silence. After a moment, Ge Pan said, "Then it's still Qiu Xiangdong and Zhu Rumin. If one is a 'human' and the other is a 'ghost,' killing Chang Chengyong, who drew the ghost lot, wouldn't be a problem. But they're still hiding and not coming out."
"After all, they killed someone. If they came back, the others would be more wary of them. And if they randomly become ghosts again, they might become a target for everyone."
That could be considered a reason. It was also possible that both were injured, and coming back would only make them the primary targets of the players who become ghosts next.
Continuing from where they left off, they searched the first floor and then the second floor. In the end, they still couldn't find the two missing people.
"It looks like they went to the third underground floor. Do we still need to go down?" Xu Huo reminded everyone at the right moment.
"Go down, my ass!" Chu Yuan said angrily. "If they don't want to come up, then don't. I'll seal the elevator door and see how they kill anyone!"
"It would be fun if Qiu Xiangdong randomly becomes a ghost today," Wu Xiaonan said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)