A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

While Des's attention was drawn to Zhou Ke'er, Priti quietly crept to a secluded spot that was neither too conspicuous nor too shadowy, pondering as she tried to find another place in the hall where she could slip away.

Shi cautiously stepped forward, and seeing that Dais had not been able to control him, he suddenly reached out and pulled the frozen Stein back.

But unlike what he expected, although Steon was indeed released from control the moment he was pulled because of the delay in the shadow, the shadow quickly followed, and Steon remained in a stiff state.

"Oh no! Zhou... Grassis! You guessed wrong. It seems this has nothing to do with the range. Even though Steron was pulled over, he hasn't returned to normal!"

Upon seeing this, Shi hurriedly called out to Zhou Ke'er, but Zhou Ke'er ignored him.

Zhijiansha waved her hand, signaling Shi not to disturb Zhou Ke'er, then fell into deep thought herself: "Is there any point in pretending to be an NPC now? Although at first, after realizing what Zhou Ke'er was doing, I thought, 'Since a player who has cleared the difficult dungeon is doing this, there must be a reason,' so I followed suit..."

But now, no matter how I think about it, there's no reason to continue. Is there something he thought of that I haven't? Or is it that his specific background gives him a reason to do this?

Moreover, given the current situation, is he still insisting on doing this because it will help him survive? If so, what method is it...?

No matter how hard she tried, Zhijiansha couldn't figure it out. She pursed her lips and looked at Zhou Ke'er and Dai Si, trying to analyze the situation.

As for Jin Yi, his presence was as faint as ever, and he had little chance to speak up when there was no suitable opportunity for him to complain.

Plett scanned every corner of the hall, her mind highly focused.

"No...we need to calm down! If this were a normal storyline, we wouldn't be wiped out here! Even on the highest difficulty, we shouldn't die at the very beginning. As long as we stay calm, we'll definitely find a way to survive!"

Even under these circumstances, Priti was able to maintain a calm mindset and hide himself. If he were placed in another module, with the help of his teammates, he might have been able to complete most of the tasks and successfully pass the level.

However... it's a real pity that he encountered Zhou Ke'er, a person who cannot be understood using normal human thinking.

One second he seemed to be seriously negotiating with the other party, and even looked to have the upper hand; the next second this guy...

"So, the reason you failed is because you put the candlestick here!"

Zhou Ke'er suddenly reached out and took out a candle from the candlestick hanging on the wall by the door, not caring about the slightly burning candle wax, and then slowly walked towards Dai Si.

"Heh, you're walking towards me, aren't you? Instead of running away, you've chosen to approach me! It's rare that kid wasn't afraid of danger, dragging that guy back and telling you that my abilities aren't what you expected, and you still walked towards me without a care!"

Dais looked at Zhou Ke'er walking towards him and couldn't help but speak up sarcastically.

"If I don't get closer to you, I won't be able to deal with you."

Zhou Ke'er, leaning on a cane in one hand and holding a still-burning candle in the other, slowly walked towards Dai Si. "Come on, let me see where your limit of acceptable distance is."

Speaking of which, didn't this guy just say something amazing...? Well, never mind, there are so many memes from the old era, who can remember which one is which?

"Hmph, if you want to know, then come closer to me!"

Dess gripped his cane and tapped it on the ground.

"They actually walked towards that guy? A candle... why a candle? Why do they think a candle would pose a threat?"

The sand between his fingers remained motionless as he frowned in thought. "Because the light from the candle can dispel shadows? No... how could that be the reason...? That's too simple, impossible. Then what is it because..."

"There it is! There's a corridor leading to the other rooms!"

Trying to minimize her presence and observing from the shadows, Priddy finally discovered a way to escape. "As long as I wait for Grassis and Des to get entangled in their fight, I can slip away and survive! Sure enough, there's always a way out; this must be the lifeline the plot has left for me..."

Thinking this, Priti subtly glanced at the others present. "That Stern... he probably has no chance. And that lawyer Sandein... judging from her previous behavior, she seems like an NPC, but something about her feels a bit off..."

As for the rest... never mind, no need to remind them. My task... I can handle it alone; I don't need help. More people would only be a burden.

With that in mind, Pride stared intently at Zhou Ke'er and Daisy, secretly preparing to make her escape as soon as a conflict broke out there.

"Oh? You're already this close, and you're still unmoved? Are you so confident that you can't be threatened even if I stand right in front of you?"

Zhou Ke'er stopped less than two meters away from Dai Si.

"Oh? You've stopped here? Are you scared?"

"Daiss scoffed."

Hey... why has this guy been targeting him from the very beginning? Is there some kind of grudge between him and this guy's background? This is so strange... why doesn't he even try to hide his malice and targeting?

Zhou Ke'er's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. "No, it's just that there's no need to go any further. This distance is enough."

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er gently tossed the candle in her hand onto the ground.

The wool carpet on the floor curled slightly under the heat of the candle, and although it was slower than expected, it did begin to ignite slowly.

"Ok?"

Dais frowned upon seeing this. He had assumed Zhou Ke'er was holding the candle to dim the shadow, hoping it would weaken his control. At most... she was just throwing the candle at him, trying to harm him that way.

But... this is now...

"Oh? This seems to be beyond your expectations?"

Zhou Ke'er casually picked up a handkerchief from the table next to her and carefully wiped the candle wax off her hands, glancing at Daisy indifferently.

The fire started to grow larger, and there were flammable materials all around, with the carpet extending all the way to the walls and connecting to the wallpaper.

Zhou Ke'er brought a glass of water from the table and poured it on the fire in front of Dai Si, who looked surprised. "Look, now... this is not something that can be solved with just a little water."

"What...what exactly do you want to do?!"

Dais finally showed a panicked expression.

"What do I want to do? Isn't it obvious? I want to... burn down this manor, and if I can, kill you while I'm at it."

Zhou Ke'er looked at Dai Si with a relaxed expression, "So? Can your ability stop the fire from spreading? Or can it help you escape?"

"Are you crazy?! If this manor catches fire... you won't be able to escape either!"

Dais, completely losing his composure, retreated in a panic, saying...

"So... if the manor hadn't caught fire, would I have been able to escape?"

Zhou Ke'er bypassed the spreading flames and continued to approach Dai Si, "One option is for me to die, the other is for us to die together... Which do you think is better?"

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er suddenly turned to Priti, who had already slipped to the door of the corridor, and said loudly, "Miss Priti, I know you've run to the only exit of this room besides the main door. So, I'd like to ask you a favor. Please close the door. We can't let this guy get away."

"!"

Upon hearing this, Pride turned around in shock, thinking she hadn't been discovered!

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35. The Shadowy Castle (Part 7)

"What?! What do you mean by that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhijiansha looked at Zhou Ke'er in disbelief and asked, "In that case, won't we all die here anyway?"

She thought Zhou Ke'er had some sure-fire way to win, which was why she seemed so confident, but... she never expected it would be a mutual destruction?

If he wanted to die with them, so be it! Why did he have to drag them down with him? This is such a disservice to his teammates! Even Zhijiansha, who could barely keep up with Zhou Ke'er's train of thought before, is completely confused now.

Zhou Ke'er ignored the sand between her fingers and stared at the spreading flames in deep thought. "Destroying this manor couldn't be done with such a simple method, otherwise the reward for this mission wouldn't be so high... This guy, Dais must have a backup plan."

What's the backup plan? If this method can force him to reveal some of his cards, it's still very profitable, essentially getting something for nothing... Does he have other uses for his abilities, or is there some hidden arrangement? That's right! His daughter who appeared at the beginning! Maybe...”

"Hey! Mr. Dess! You don't want to die, do you? Then hurry up and stop this Grassis guy!"

Although Zhijiansha couldn't understand what Zhou Ke'er was trying to do, she still continued to act in her own way instead of sitting and waiting for death. "Although it's true that we are at odds with each other based on your attitude just now, but... in this situation, it would be better if we put aside our prejudices and work together to solve the problem at hand!"

The door to the corridor had now been closed by Plett, who had slipped out. Although the fire was not spreading quickly in the hall, it could even be described as slow... but in an enclosed space, that was enough.

"Ha... What a madman. I knew I underestimated you, Grassis."

The panicked expression on Dais's face suddenly disappeared, and his eyes, gleaming in the firelight, stared intently at Zhou Ke'er. "You, who used schemes and tricks to kill my brother and seize his family fortune, are indeed not someone to be trifled with."

"???"

Zhou Ke'er was stunned for a moment. What kind of background setting was this?! Why didn't the police check the invitee's background when they went to negotiate and get the invitation?! This despicable guy is actually just a middle-class person?!

No wonder this guy has been targeting him, so that's where the story goes... So, what exactly happened to Grassis, you bastard!

[Player "Zhou Ke'er" triggers hidden quest: Grassis's past]

Just then, a system notification sounded.

[Mission Objective: Investigate the past of the "Grasis" you are impersonating]

(Note: Rewards will be given based on the progress of this task)

[Reward: 5/10/15/20 Rational Points]

(Note: A special reward will be given if the completion rate reaches 60% or higher.)

Hidden quest! I can't believe you can trigger a quest like this... According to the official website, hidden quests have an extremely low probability of appearing, and they only appear in modules with a difficulty level of "Hard" or higher. They come with increased danger and generous rewards, especially the "special rewards".

Zhou Ke'er's eyes flickered for a moment, and her expression became somewhat uncertain.

What should I do? To complete this hidden quest, I'll have to overturn most of what I've done before...

Hmm... never mind, anyway, the module mission doesn't stipulate that Zhou Ke'er can't reveal her identity.

“Phew... Mr. Dais, I think you’ve got it wrong.”

Zhou Ke'er composed herself, looked at Dais, and slowly sighed, "I am not Grassis, and I did not know that Grassis had done such a thing."

Hmph... Even though I say that, the other party definitely won't believe me, so... once they say something like, "Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?", then things will turn into a melodramatic mess.

Before Daisy could say anything, Zhou Ke'er continued, "I am a detective sent by the police station to investigate the case. I did not know about Grassis's previous actions beforehand. I know you certainly won't believe what I'm saying, but it is indeed the truth."

If you are only fixated on killing the "Grasis" you perceive in front of you, you will only allow your true enemy to go unpunished.

As for my identity, you just need to take me to the police station to verify it, right? If I'm telling the truth, and I really am a detective... then the police station can help you bring the real Grassis to justice. If I'm lying, I'll just be arrested at the police station anyway, so it won't cost you anything, will it?"

The option Zhou Ke'er is offering is logically sound. Even high-difficulty modules cannot completely ignore logic... If you want to reject Zhou Ke'er's proposal, she must provide at least a valid argument.

"So that's it! Detective, it's you! I didn't expect you to have guessed the target I chose from the beginning!"

Unexpectedly, Dais suddenly revealed a strange smile, "First phase of the mission completed, perfect."

"!"

Zhou Ke'er's pupils constricted sharply. Oh no! Something seems... off! This guy...

Daisy is actually a gamer!

This module... Damn it! How could anyone have thought of this!

Zhou Ke'er completely assumed the other person was an NPC or a boss, without ever suspecting they might be a player...

Huge mistake!

No... wait, there's still a chance to salvage the situation...

At least... the other side probably hasn't realized Zhou Ke'er is a player yet! With a little maneuvering on this point, it's still possible to turn the tide.