Chapter 775: Privileges and Obligations
A second chance... Feng Guang's expression didn't improve much. As an E-rank player, he couldn't possibly kill off the other players to reduce their numbers, nor did he have enough food and water. How many days could he last on just those nutrient supplements?
This was a problem many players would face, so the longer time went on, the more people would lose their judgment.
Xu Huo didn't suspect that Liang Chong hadn't told the whole truth. What he said basically matched Feng Guang's actions the previous night, and the game's requirements were simple enough that there wasn't much to hide.
The situation now was simply a matter of who was lucky enough to be randomly selected as the temporary owner first.
But he said to the other players, "Two people in a row haven't cleared the instance. Everyone knows the surface rules, so the problem must lie in the details. Whoever's turn it is tonight should go find Feng Guang. The temporary owner can open the door at night, so you can compare notes. But I have one piece of advice: it's best not to start an internal conflict."
The group looked at each other, then all expressed willingness to join forces—they had no choice. The Raincoat Man's side clearly didn't care about anyone else's life or death. If the weaker ones didn't band together, they'd only die.
After going downstairs, Xu Huo returned to the first floor to take another look.
The furniture that had been broken yesterday and the contaminated carpet had been cleaned up by Feng Guang and placed in designated trash bins, but obviously those two bins couldn't hold several dead bodies.
He had checked the third-floor rooms. Since the rules weren't clear, most players didn't dare to damage the furniture casually, so there was nothing that needed cleaning.
Then he went to knock on the doors of the remaining second-floor players. When inviting them downstairs to eat, he took the chance to glance at the interior of their rooms. Aside from the two male players' rooms, the others hadn't been damaged either.
"Would he be so kind as to treat us to food? It couldn't be poisoned, could it?" the two muttered.
By the time everyone had gathered on the first floor, Lu Zhen had already laid out the food Xu Huo had provided. Though it was just some dry rations and water, it showed sincerity, especially since some people were still hungry.
"To clear the instance, I suggest no one makes a move on anyone else," Xu Huo said. "The instance doesn't force players to kill, so following the surface rules, everyone should be able to clear it."
"Two nights—one night someone died, one night no one died. Neither day saw a clear. How can you be sure not killing will let you clear?" the Raincoat Man countered, then swept his gaze over the group. "Besides, the two who didn't clear aren't willing to reveal the truth either."
"The rules of this instance are actually designed to separate the players. The temporary owner and the guest seem opposed, and the guest is at an absolute disadvantage, but once the temporary owner enters the guest room, who lives and who dies isn't certain. Not interfering with each other is good for everyone."
"Of course, this is just my personal suggestion. Whether you follow it is up to you."
"You're putting on such a high horse, and you still care about our wishes?" the Baby Face sneered. "If anyone dares to say no, you'd probably kill them first!"
"Exactly," Xu Huo said, looking coldly at her. "When you kill others, you don't ask for their consent. I operate on the same principle, so you'd better keep your mouth shut and comply. Otherwise, I'll have to help you out."
The Baby Face gritted her teeth, but the impact of her item being cut earlier was too great. After two seconds of eye contact, she unwillingly looked away.
The Raincoat Man and his two companions didn't say anything either, though their expressions grew even more sour.
The living room fell into dead silence.
Xu Huo was satisfied. After scanning everyone one by one, he said, "I'll put it out there: none of you here had better get in the way of my clearing the instance."
After a moment, the Raincoat Man stood up. "We'll do as you say. As long as no one picks a fight, I won't make a move either."
With that, he led his people away, not taking any of the food on the table.
The Red Hair asked, "Brother Xu, why don't you ask who the temporary owner is today? If it's not with us, it must be with them."
"Know when to stop," Xu Huo said. "If you need the food, split it among yourselves. Ration it."
"Thanks, Brother Xu!" the Red Hair said without any psychological burden.
Lu Zhen also got a share. She carefully followed Xu Huo back to the room, once again sticking close to the wall as she walked.
Xu Huo spoke up then. "That Dong Qiu—do you know him?"
"Not really. We only ended up on the same path after entering the instance, but I've seen him once somewhere else before. He probably doesn't remember," Lu Zhen said. "He's the only one left from the group I came with."
The others had been killed by the Baby Face and her group.
"Is there something wrong with him?" Lu Zhen asked, puzzled.
"Better if there isn't," Xu Huo paused. "I hope he's not today's temporary owner."
Lu Zhen's expression shifted, and she immediately understood his meaning, but she didn't rush out to confront Dong Qiu. With a hint of frustration, she said, "Wouldn't it be better if everyone cooperated to clear the instance?"
This instance only allowed one person to clear at a time—it didn't give players any chance to cooperate.
Soon, evening came again. Fortunately, this time the player emerged from the right side. Judging by the footsteps, it seemed to be the Raincoat Man. He went to the rooms with bodies, paced back and forth, then stopped next to Xu Huo's room and knocked on the Red Hair's door.
As a guest, the player couldn't open the door, so after two polite knocks, the door opened.
No sounds of fighting came out. After a moment, footsteps emerged from the room and stopped in front of Xu Huo's door, but then knocked on the door across the hall.
The door opened halfway before stopping abruptly, followed by the sound of heavy impacts mixed with the clash of blades and the shattering of furniture. It lasted about ten seconds before the close combat paused and items came into play. A faint burnt smell wafted out, and Xu Huo, who had been relatively calm, frowned.
The commotion of the fight was too loud.
"Bang!" A sudden loud crash—without even looking, he knew a wall had been broken through. At the same time, a woman's sharp laughter rang out: "Want to clear? No way!"
Two more screams followed, and the fighting gradually subsided. After a long while, the Raincoat Man withdrew from the room.
Another quiet night passed. When Xu Huo opened his door, the first thing he saw was the cracked wall across the hall. The Seductive Female Player opened her door and stepped out, throwing him a smug wink.
It wasn't surprising she was still alive. Xu Huo turned to look at the Red Hair, who seemed a bit cowed. "Last night, the one in the raincoat came in and moved the bodies away. I didn't dare stop him."
Xu Huo nodded. Just then, he received a game notification:
[Congratulations! You have been selected as today's temporary owner. As the owner of the villa, you must maintain the villa's cleanliness and hygiene, striving to create a warm and comfortable environment for your guests. Similarly, ensuring the safety of the villa and guest rooms at night is also your duty—for example, making sounds to help guests sleep peacefully, checking the villa's doors and windows to prevent thieves from taking advantage, and reconfirming that the guest room bedding is soft and comfortable for the guests.]
[Privileges and obligations go hand in hand!]
(End of Chapter)