Chapter 434: Dr. Deng's Group's Purpose
Seeing that it was Wan Yunrong, the anger on Gan Qing's face subsided a bit. "Why are you here?"
Wan Yunrong turned on the light. "Why can't I be here?"
"There's dust in your hair. Want me to wipe it off for you?" Xu Huo spoke up.
Chu Yuan couldn't help but glance at him. Unaware of the situation, Wan Yunrong grabbed her own hair and said cautiously, "No need..."
Before she could finish, Xu Huo suddenly attacked, reaching for her throat.
Wan Yunrong reacted quickly and immediately retreated, but the next second she was caught by a thread. Before she could break free, Xu Huo quickly scratched her arm, then retracted the string and stepped back.
At the same time, Gan Qing, who had also made a move, was shifted ten meters away by Chu Yuan's "Broken Relationship."
The two sides distanced themselves, watching each other warily.
"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to see if catching a ghost would let us clear the instance," Xu Huo said, relaxing his posture.
His words made Wan Yunrong even more tense. She looked at Gan Qing. "I'm a ghost?"
"We both saw a ghost shadow on you just now," Gan Qing explained.
Wan Yunrong's face darkened, and she turned and ran.
"Wait!" Gan Qing quickly called out to her. "We don't plan to hurt you!"
"Since catching a player who's become a ghost doesn't clear the instance, killing you is meaningless to us."
But Wan Yunrong ignored him. Her figure suddenly split into three, each running down a different fork in the corridor.
The layout of the western half of the lab wasn't as rigid as the eastern half, with a more flexible corridor arrangement. They happened to be at a crossroads, and she split into three, each looking real, leaving Gan Qing momentarily unsure which to pursue.
Xu Huo then swung his sword at one of them. The blade's energy sliced through the air, cutting off a decoration placed in the corridor just above Wan Yunrong's head.
Wan Yunrong didn't stop despite the warning. She waved her hand back, throwing out an electrified metal ball. Crackling currents connected to the surrounding walls, forming an electric net that protected her back. By the time Gan Qing knocked the ball down, she had already disappeared.
"She's pretty fast," Xu Huo remarked.
"If you weren't going to kill her, why make a move?" Gan Qing turned back. "Looks like she doesn't even know she's a ghost."
Xu Huo nodded. The ghost shadow appearing on Wan Yunrong meant Gan Qing wasn't lying. He must have seen the ghost shadow on Zhu Rumin.
On the first night, Chang Chengyong drew the ghost lot, so he knew he'd become a "ghost." The second night was Zhu Rumin. Tonight, Wan Yunrong was added, leaving one more slot.
If Zhu Rumin was the one who killed Chang Chengyong, then there were currently two "ghosts": Wan Yunrong and another player whose identity was still unclear.
If it was Qiu Xiangdong, then Zhu Rumin would also be included.
From the current situation, the people who became ghosts didn't know it themselves. The only way to judge was whether the ghost shadow appeared on a person, and the ghost shadow randomly appeared on players who had become "ghosts," able to move freely.
Catching a player who had become a "ghost" didn't clear the instance—Xu Huo had verified this again with Wan Yunrong. If the ghost shadow could only attach to players, then to catch it, they'd need to confirm that only one "ghost" remained among the surviving players.
"Ghosts don't know they've become ghosts. Does that mean we could also become ghosts?" Chu Yuan asked.
"Very likely," Gan Qing said. "If we don't kill all the ghosts today, by tomorrow night, four more people will be added."
He Chunsheng, Chang Chengyong, and Mao Wei were dead. Nine people remained, with at least two "ghosts." Tomorrow, four more would be added, making at least six "ghosts."
A "ghost" killing another "ghost" could regain human status. Although winning the game wasn't necessarily required, the instance task of catching ghosts was likely tied to it. Before finding a way to clear the instance, maintaining a "human" identity was the safest bet.
"No wonder Wan Yunrong wanted to run no matter what," Chu Yuan realized. Once the number of "ghosts" surged, players would inevitably kill each other to ensure they could turn back into humans. Among the three of them, there might also be a "ghost," which was why Wan Yunrong didn't want to take the risk.
The "Humans Catch Ghosts" game was designed from the start to make players kill each other. But even if they killed down to one "ghost," the ghost shadow might not necessarily stay fixed on a player.
In Xu Huo's view, mutual slaughter was largely pointless.
"Have you run into anyone else?" Xu Huo asked Gan Qing. "Ge Pan and Wu Xiaonan."
"Just you guys," Gan Qing hesitated, then said, "I also bumped into a player from Dr. Deng's group."
"Looks like those people really want to kill us all," Chu Yuan said indignantly.
"What do you mean? Dr. Deng's people are targeting ticket players?" Gan Qing pressed. "What else do you know? Were you just fighting with players from Dr. Deng's group?"
"Those people charged in trying to kill us. If we hadn't been quick on our feet, we'd be dead by now," Chu Yuan said. "Who knows what's wrong with them!"
Gan Qing's eyes flickered; he clearly sensed something was off. After two seconds, he said, "Let's stick together. It's safer. Besides them, we also have to watch out for the ghost shadow."
Xu Huo and Chu Yuan had no objections, so the three of them traveled together.
The night wasn't over yet. Using a light in the pitch-black environment was like a glaring target, so all players had chosen to move in the darkness.
On the third underground floor, the Kong siblings sat on either side of Dr. Deng, watching him sort through some inconspicuous containers found in the lab.
"Are these the ones?" Kong Cheng asked.
Dr. Deng shook his head regretfully. "No, none of them. These potions were all phased out a couple of years ago."
"You're not lying to us, are you?" said the player who had used the vacuum cleaner earlier.
Kong Cheng shot him a warning look. "Zhao Bi, you can't talk to Dr. Deng like that."
Zhao Bi shrugged. "I'm just being honest. We've found all the potions we could. The eastern half of the lab is basically empty. If these aren't it, then we're completely out of luck."
Dr. Deng's expression soured, but he didn't argue.
Of the six players the Kong siblings had brought, only three were here now. The other three had gone upstairs with the ticket players. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were doing. He couldn't help but say, "Maybe what the Bolen Clan is looking for was never here."
"Absolutely impossible," Kong Cheng said firmly. "Since the Deep Blue Laboratory instance was created, this island has been under the Bolen Clan's control. Nothing comes in or out without them knowing."
"Couldn't another player have taken it?" Dr. Deng said through gritted teeth.
The Kong siblings glanced at him simultaneously. Kong Hui said, "So far, no ticket player has ever walked out of Deep Blue Laboratory alive."
Dr. Deng was speechless. Zhao Bi, however, laughed and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
"Don't wander off," Kong Cheng warned. "Lou Fu and the others aren't back yet."
Zhao Bi waved dismissively. "Don't worry."
(Chapter End)