Infinite spooky game

In Shencheng, in an old house of less than 30 square meters.

Lu Zimo opened his eyes on the bed and saw Huang Xiaofei sitting at the head of the bed, smoking a cigarette.

He felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy, and his right hand inconspicuously grasped the thin wire hidden in the crack of the bed.

Huang Xiaofei turned her head to look at him, her eyes blurred by the white smoke and her emotions could not be seen: "Time is running out, I will only say some things once, you can remember as much as you want.

"All the bank cards and passbooks at home are under my bed, along with some other things, a heavy box. You can deal with them yourself when the time comes. The passwords for all the accounts are..."

"I'm dead." Lu Zimo interrupted, "Cheng An killed me."

He found that he was more calm than he had imagined. Maybe there was nothing worth lingering about in life, or maybe it was because he had finally broken up with Huang Xiaofei and had no regrets.

Or maybe... it's just because everyone is equal in the face of death, and being indifferent or hysterical will not help the outcome.

Huang Xiaofei looked at him calmly, showing no surprise, as if she had expected this result.

Two people who only have half an hour left to live sit opposite each other. No matter how much love, hate, and grudges they have, they don't know where to start.

"waste!"

Huang Xiaofei suddenly raised her hand and slapped Lu Zimo.

Lu Zimo turned his head away and said nothing, as if he had turned back into the little brother who always obeyed his sister's words.

Silence spread in the cramped and dark room. After a long silence, Huang Xiaofei said, "Come for a walk with me."

Lu Zimo stood up without saying a word and pushed open the door covered with glue marks.

Outside the door was a busy street with bicycles and tricycles crisscrossing.

In the crowded, sweaty and sour atmosphere, on a modified junk car, an old radio was playing an old song:

"When blood dissolves in water, the red color disappears.
In fact, what should be there is always there.

How I want to see it so much,
The last day you were by my side..."

……

Chuncheng, a small restaurant.

Sun Dekuan woke up from his nap, the fear of death lingering in his heart. The feeling of his throat pierced by the pendulum and the pool water flooding his nostrils lingered for a long time.

He sat behind the counter, staring blankly at the lobby filled with people. The bustling atmosphere could not drive away the coldness around him.

"Boss, a bowl of tadpole soup!" a customer ordered loudly.

Sun Dekuan stood up and shouted, "We're closed today! Everyone go home early and be careful on the road!"

The guests didn't know why the fat boss, who always appeared cheerful, suddenly lost his smile, but no one intended to leave halfway through the meal, so they just pretended not to hear and sat in their seats, enjoying their meal.

Sun Dekuan felt that saying those two sentences had exhausted most of his energy, and the remaining energy was only enough for him to lean back dejectedly and breathe tiredly.

The customer who was ordering the food urged him a few more times, but seeing that he looked so sad and depressed, he decided not to offend him anymore and moved away muttering to himself.

Sun Dekuan took out his mobile phone with great effort, stared at the lit screen in a daze, and began to think seriously.

He only has half an hour left to live. What should he do?

The will had been drawn up long ago, my parents had passed away, I didn’t have any close relatives or friends, and I divorced my wife last year because of a cancer diagnosis, and my daughter was taken away from me…

His wife has a new family and it is hard to disturb her; his daughter is young and will soon forget about him...

Finally, Sun Dekuan entered the game forum and clicked the "post" button.

……

On the morning of April 4, a post about hanging people became a hot topic in the weird game forum.

#Hanging person: I met a ruthless and cruel player who was full of lies in the "Frog Hospital" dungeon#
[1st floor (Original Poster): My name is Sun Dekuan, I am a chef, and I was killed in the "Frog Hospital" dungeon. In half an hour, I will really die. Before I die, I want to expose the bastard who killed all of us.

He used the alias "Cheng An" and claimed to be a college student. He looked weak and gentle, but he was actually more cruel than anyone else. He first pretended to cooperate with a woman named "Huang Xiaofei", but then attacked her from behind and later killed her brother "Lu Zimo". I didn't want to die, so I had to cooperate with him, but I didn't expect that he would kill me in the end to silence me.

His name and appearance are fake, but I know he has an accomplice named "Lin Chen", I'm not sure if that name is real. I also know that his skills are related to contracts, and once you sign a contract, you can't disobey his orders. He also has a weapon that looks like a red pendulum.

If you encounter him when you clear the dungeon next time, be careful. 】

The post was made yesterday afternoon. After half a day, there have been over a hundred replies.

I have to say that Sun Dekuan has good language expression skills and he describes things concisely and clearly.

His observation ability is also very strong. After only one copy, he summarized all of Qis's flaws and put them on the table.

The following reply thread was a heated discussion.

[2nd floor: Thank you for the information! Goodbye, OP (light candles)]

[3rd floor: There are more and more scumbags recently. According to the description of the poster, I think that person is probably not a college student, and the accomplice is probably not using a real name.]

[4th floor: Let’s go, we already know about his weapons and skills. If this person dares to enter a multiplayer instance again, he will be exposed sooner or later (spreading hands)]

[6th floor: @九州guildofficial, there are players who are killing people, please come and deal with it. If you want to be the world police, don't just talk and do nothing! ]

[7th floor reply to 6th floor: If you have the ability, go to the dungeon, don't be sarcastic here. Jiuzhou has done so much, I don't owe you anything. ]

[9th floor replied to 6th floor: You are so active, does it show how capable you are? If you don't work for yourself, you will be punished by heaven and earth. Weird games are always about the survival of the fittest. If you want to blame someone, blame the OP for being too inexperienced. Others are really good.]

[12th floor replied to 9th floor: You are so eager to jump out, are you the scumbag that the original poster is targeting? ]

[13th floor replied to 12th floor: Happy, as soon as I scolded the nosy saint, a clown took it personally (sweating soybeans)]

[16th floor: Contracts and pendulums, these two things don't look simple, I'm afraid they involve the background of the weird game, there's a lot of water in it. ]

[17th floor: From the description, the contract skill has the same origin as the puppeteer's skill "Puppet Thread". Xila has been getting more and more high-profile recently. Is he going to make a big move? ]

[20th floor reply to 17th floor: Nonsense, this skill is not on the same level as "Puppet Thread". Since it is called a contract, both parties must sign it voluntarily, right? If they refuse to sign, won't this skill be broken? ]

[25th floor: I am from the Tingfeng Guild, let me tell you a secret that has just been revealed. "Contract" is the foundation of the weird game before Ragnarok, and it is also the underlying logic and means of constructing most dungeons.]

[29th floor: Can anyone tell me how to make a weapon with a pendulum? I can’t imagine it from this description (covering my face)]

Many people in the post expressed their condolences and gratitude to the late Sun Dekuan, while some people once again started arguing about the three views. The six arts of the Internet still have their place today.

The post was pushed up by new replies from time to time, and gradually people began to pay attention to the contract and pendulum mentioned in the description, and their thoughts diverged in outrageous directions.

The discussion was unknowingly led to the two topics of "the nature of the weird game" and "the Xila Guild", and the heat continued to ferment, and the number of replies exploded like a snowball.

Some people who are used to singing a different tune naturally emerged, created new posts, and vied with each other to make outrageous remarks.

#When a post about someone is so popular, it's hard not to suspect that it's intended to build momentum for someone or divert attention#
#Don’t you think there are many suspicious points in the post about people being accused of cheating on the hot list? Many parts are fake at first glance#
#The Ruins of Sunset did not set a new record for the completion of "Frog Hospital", you have all been deceived#
These people do not really have substantial evidence, nor are they necessarily overwhelmed with passion or a strong sense of justice. They simply want to use this to demonstrate their uniqueness and insights, to become the focus and to attract attention.

But it is undeniable that they did find some details that were overlooked and formed another convincing voice -

In fact, Cheng An, Lin Chen and others did not exist at all, and Sun Dekuan was not dead. The post about people was just someone trying to create a hot topic and draw people's attention to the Xila Guild.

You see, how could a chef with a low level of education have such strong observation and expression skills and provide so many effective clues out of thin air?

Even if the three veteran players were replaced by three pigs, they could still kill someone. How could they be defeated by a puzzle player with low combat power?

If the person being cheated was really a freak, how could he have leaked so much important information that directly pointed to his identity if he was aiming to be wiped out from the beginning? Far-fetched, reasonable, and subtle questions were raised one by one by the dissidents, which looked quite intimidating, and soon accumulated a group of believers who cheered and cheered, and fought against the original mainstream view.

Unfortunately, the post about the person being implicated has been up for a while, and new and decisive evidence probably won’t come out in this lifetime.

According to the main poster, except for the two scumbags who were killed, everyone else in the "Frog Hospital" copy was dead, and now no one can crawl back from hell to respond to the doubts.

Qis lay in bed with his phone in hand for the entire morning, refreshing the page every five minutes on average to follow the latest public opinion.

The thoughts on the forum were as chaotic as ever. He silently peeked at the screen, with no intention of taking advantage of the situation.

He had anticipated the exposure of the soul contract and the cursed pendulum.

After all, it is normal for veteran players to walk around in dungeons without using their real names or true identities, and they can only use their iconic skills and weapons if they want to cheat.

It is not realistic to ask others to agree to keep confidentiality after leaving the copy every time. Take the case of "Frog Hospital" for example. He is at a disadvantage between the two parties in the contract. Adding an inexplicable requirement will inevitably make the other party suspicious.

In other words, unless he never uses his skills and weapons, it is only a matter of time before his cards are exposed.

He has to make a choice, that is, whether to risk exposure in exchange for the successful signing of the contract. In most cases, his choice is about the same.

Although the dissenting remarks in the forum have appropriately blurred the view, the situation is still not optimistic.

The skill "Contract" is special enough. After this experience, it has probably left an impression in the minds of many players. It is easy for similar keywords to trigger their memories and arouse vigilance.

Moreover, there were many smart people in this world, and the possibility of being fooled by a few nonsense words was very small. The suspicious points in the post did not prevent them from taking precautions and conducting research on contract skills.

"It seems that in the next dungeon, I have to reduce the frequency of using soul contracts and cursed pendulums, and try to use other means and props."

Qi Si turned over, exited the game forum, clicked into Happy Match, and started playing the 3507th level.

……

South City, a single apartment.

Liu Yuhan sat at the desk, staring at the tablet in front of her.

On the computer screen, posts on the game forum are being refreshed at a dizzying speed.

Liu Yuhan held the mouse in his right hand, clicking once or twice from time to time to pause the interface, enter a certain post, take a screenshot of the key information, and paste it into a folder named "Siqi Evidence".

The folder is filled with various coded pictures and documents. The pictures are clues and the documents are the analysis of the corresponding clues.

Ever since Qis promised her that he would set her free in advance as long as she could find evidence to identify the former from public clues, she has devoted a lot of energy to the pursuit and investigation of Qis.

At this moment, pieces of information are arranged before my eyes, with vague connections connecting them, gradually forming a complete logical chain.

"According to the research of the Tingfeng Guild, skills are fragments of the authority of the gods in the strange game background and are unique. Although the possibility of similar skills cannot be ruled out, the special nature of the 'contract' makes it unlikely that multiple players can master them together.

"'Cheng An's' style of doing things is reckless and without bottom line. He may kill his allies at any time. This basically fits the personality profile of 'Si Qi'. If we calculate the time, there is no conflict. 'Cheng An' is the alias of 'Si Qi'."

Liu Yuhan took out a pack of plum slices from the drawer, tore a small hole in it, took out a slice and pressed it under her tongue.

After she joined the Jiuzhou Guild, Tang Yu sent her a bunch of snacks as a greeting gift.

It was her first time to receive a gift from someone else, so she inevitably felt it was novel, so she ate a little of each one, and then as expected... she developed the habit of eating while thinking.

Liu Yuhan stuffed a few more plum slices into her mouth, put her hands, still stained with sugar, directly on the computer keyboard, and started typing.

"Si Qi is familiar with a person using the pseudonym 'Lin Chen'. The two should have met in a previous instance and got along well. Unfortunately, there is too little content in the main post, so their specific actions are not known for now.

"If I remember correctly, Frog Hospital is a two-line dungeon. According to Sun Dekuan's description, he, Siqi, Huang Xiaofei, and Lu Zimo are in the same space. Lin Chen is in another space and can provide assistance, which shows that he is quite capable.

"Since he can cooperate with Siqi again and they have a tacit understanding to plot against other players, this 'Lin Chen' should also be a ruthless character, most likely a massacre player.

"Wait... the name 'Lin Chen'... cough cough cough!"

While Liu Yuhan was absent-minded, she subconsciously grabbed a handful of plum slices and stuffed them into her mouth, and started coughing because of the sourness.

She stood up, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it down with a gulp, while at the same time she remembered the origin of this ordinary name.

The Libra Church once published two sentences from a letter, which were said to be the last words of a member who had made great contributions:

[There were some twists and turns in the process. Someone cracked the rules first and killed me in the dungeon. That person was very cautious and I didn't see his face.

If nothing unexpected happens, three players will survive, and they will call themselves Chang Xu, Qi Si, and Lin Chen. The first two of them are suspicious, so I suggest the church pay special attention to them. 】

The cause and effect are unknown, only three names have been added to the list of key concerns:

Chang Xu, Qi Si, and Lin Chen.

"Zisi... Siqi?"

Liu Yuhan put down the cup and sat back at the desk, her hand holding the mouse trembling slightly.

Her brain quickly processed information and constructed models, and her fingers jumped nimbly on the mottled and yellowed keyboard.

“If Siqi is indeed Qis, then this copy should be where everything started, that is, Rose Manor.

"In the Rose Manor dungeon, Siqi met Chang Xu and Lin Chen under the name of 'Qisi', and they worked together to kill the members of the Libra Church, thus completing the TE clearance.

"Among them, Si Qi and Lin Chen have a close relationship and are hostile to Chang Xu, and may have even harmed him. Therefore, Si Qi impersonated Chang Xu and wiped out other players in the "Meat-eating" dungeon.

"In the Frog Hospital dungeon, Si Qi and Lin Chen met again, and naturally formed an alliance to continue harming people."

All the speculations were presented in the document in the form of text, and Liu Yuhan calmed down.

According to the contract between her and Sichi, as long as she submitted this information, it would be considered as fulfilling the agreed terms, and Sichi would have to release her soul.

But given Siqi's personality, would he really be willing to let her go even though she knew so much?

Siqi is a true skeptic who believes in eradicating all crimes. He will not allow anyone who might expose his crimes to survive.

Liu Yuhan knew clearly that she, who held the key evidence, was like a rabbit standing on a tightrope, and would be killed if she was not careful.

What's worse, Siqi might not have intended to let her survive from the beginning.

She doesn't want to die, she must save herself...

"Siqi is still in the human realm and should not be able to control my soul in real time. Maybe I can find a way to circumvent the terms we signed before.

"I can't take the initiative to do anything that is detrimental to him, so...what if I 'accidentally' leaked the information inside the Libra Church?"

Liu Yuhan's breathing became rapid.

She opened a bag of potato chips and quickly grabbed the food inside and stuffed it into her mouth, her brain working rapidly as she thought of a way to respond.

"Ah."

A chuckle suddenly sounded behind my ear, like an illusion.

Liu Yuhan's body froze and she quickly looked back, but she only saw a white wall.

When the voice sounded again, it was close to my ear, like whispers from a dream:
"It's a good job, but it's not enough."

"Libra is best at keeping secrets. They did a good job in the past, didn't they?" (End of this chapter)