Chapter 774: Seemingly Simple but Actually Full of Traps
The raincoat man and his companions left, and the three players who thought they had offended Xu Huo also followed. Most of those who stayed were the players originally living on the third floor, along with a red-haired person who lingered and refused to leave, and the only remaining male player who had been traveling with Lu Zhen.
"Brother, thanks for earlier." The male player who had nearly been strangled thanked him again, then sighed. "I didn't expect there were still players like you in the game—strong and capable. I thought..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. Good people die young.
"Words can't express my gratitude. My name is Meng San. If there's anything you need me for, just say the word. I owe you my life!"
The total number of players was now sixteen. Besides the four who died the night before last, the baby-faced player and his companions had killed two more. Now there were eight on the third floor and eight on the second.
Two of the players on the third floor had come with the raincoat man and had already left with him. The current number on the third floor was nine.
No one had been killed last night, but Xu Huo had checked the room where the deaths occurred the night before. The bodies were still in the bathroom, with no signs of searching.
"Who left their room last night?" he asked.
The players exchanged glances. Finally, Liang Chong said, "I know, but it's not convenient to say in front of so many people."
"Into the room." Xu Huo led the way into the adjacent guest bedroom. Lu Zhen, Liang Chong, his roommate Feng Guang, the injured Meng San, and the female player from yesterday, Zhao Xiaojing—undoubtedly on his side—blocked the others outside. Lu Zhen pointed at one of them and said, "I remember you came with that man in the raincoat yesterday."
That player quickly waved his hands. "I have nothing to do with him. We just happened to meet. Didn't you guys meet by chance too?"
"I have a grudge against them!" the red-haired person quickly declared. "You saw those two lunatics attack me yesterday. How could I possibly help them!"
"Everyone, come in." Xu Huo cut off their argument.
Once the group had crowded into the room, he continued, "The temporary host's time has passed. If they haven't left, it means they didn't clear the instance. It's fine to say it now. Only by saying it can we figure out why they didn't clear it."
Everyone stared at Liang Chong, who hesitated before looking at Feng Guang.
Feng Guang gritted his teeth. "The person last night was me. The game had special requirements for the temporary host, but I can't say what they were."
"Why not?" the red-haired person couldn't help asking. "If you say it, we can all discuss it."
Feng Guang clamped his mouth shut. "I don't know why I didn't clear it either. I followed the game's requirements one by one."
"If you don't say anything, no one will know what's going on," Lu Zhen said. "Why not tell Liang Chong? You must trust him."
Since they shared a room, Liang Chong couldn't possibly be unaware. Neither of them had spoken earlier, clearly having reached an agreement.
"Is it a mandatory requirement from the game not to say it?" Xu Huo asked.
Feng Guang paused, visibly hesitating.
"If you don't want to say it, that's fine." Xu Huo got up to leave.
"Wait!" Liang Chong called out. "I know too... Actually, the game's requirements are simple. Come over here, and I'll tell you alone."
Xu Huo rubbed his forehead, gestured for Lu Zhen and the others to step back, then took out the Silent Figure. "Can you say it now?"
Liang Chong covered his mouth with his hand before speaking. "Actually, part of the game's requirements are public—keeping the villa clean and tidy. The second requirement, in the original words, is: as the villa's owner, you must ensure the safety of the villa and the guest rooms at night."
"So Feng Guang went to the second-floor rooms last night to fulfill the second requirement?" Xu Huo thought of the two bodies that hadn't been disposed of and roughly guessed where the problem lay.
One of the temporary host's rules was to keep the villa clean and tidy. Strictly speaking, the bodies were also part of what needed to be cleaned. Additionally, the second requirement—ensuring the villa and guest rooms' safety—might involve patrolling the villa and guest rooms. Of course, there might also be an implicit requirement: ensuring the guests' safety.
The villa allowed the temporary host to kill, but it didn't force them to.
The temporary host was permitted to kill, but at the same time, there was a requirement to keep the villa clean and tidy. These two rules slightly conflicted. That's why the player who acted on the first night killed four people in that particular way—without damaging the villa while completing the kills. Logically, that should have been enough to clear the instance.
But they hadn't succeeded, which meant the third privilege of the temporary host had a corresponding purpose. In other words, killing a player fell within the scope of the privilege, and any damage to the villa or disruption of cleanliness during the killing was also within the temporary host's privilege scope—it was allowed.
Of course, to be safe, it was better not to kill. However, the game would notify the temporary host individually to ensure the villa and guest rooms' safety. So it was highly likely that the temporary host needed to enter the guest rooms, including rooms with occupants. Whether they killed or not was secondary. Basically, if the temporary host stepped into a guest room at night, it was impossible to end with just one kill.
The instance's rules were clearly written. There were more restrictions on players who became guests, leaving the main stage to the temporary host after nightfall. At first glance, clearing the instance seemed easy, but in practice, the rules had many ambiguous areas. This could directly lead to the "temporary host" being unqualified—meaning failure to clear.
Once someone failed to clear, other players might then sabotage others' attempts.
It was impossible to expect all players to cooperate fully. So the earlier this instance was cleared, the lower the difficulty. Later on, those who couldn't clear would inevitably find ways to drag others down. And the method was simple: just prevent others from returning to their rooms at night.
In short, this was an instance that seemed simple but was actually full of traps. If it spiraled into a vicious cycle, either no one could clear it, or they'd have to kill until only one person remained—only then might they clear it.
"So? Have you figured out the reason?" Liang Chong stared at him intently.
Xu Huo glanced at him. "Not yet. Let's wait until tonight to see who it is."
Liang Chong couldn't force the truth out of him, so he had to nod. "Alright, let's set a signal for tonight. Whoever becomes the temporary host should knock on the door. We have to try to figure out how to clear it."
Xu Huo had already put away the Silent Figure. Feng Guang quickly asked, "What about me? I didn't clear it!"
Xu Huo comforted him, "This instance should be cyclical. Everyone has a chance to become the temporary host. After one round, there should be a second chance."