"You should already know that I am a ghost." Qiu Xin sat on the wooden bed, looked around at everyone, and said calmly.
The old man in charge of the house took a look upstairs and then left. The scholar stood in the lobby downstairs, quietly guarding the food box and wine jar.
Qiu Xin waited for the old man to leave before entering the mansion, and gathered with the players in the room of Mr. and Mrs. Luo Haihua on the second floor.
As soon as she closed the door, the discussion inside could no longer be heard outside.
After a long separation, no one said much nonsense.
Tang Yu told Qiu Xin the information about the scarecrow, the tiger demon and the fire, including some judgments on the world view and the next plan.
Qiu Xin listened quietly, and then continued: "I have obtained more information than you, and many of them are clues that belong to the ghost camp alone.
"First of all It is the relationship between 'ghost', '魙' and 'xiyi' mentioned in the pre-prompt. My preliminary judgment is that the players in the 'Ghost' camp are 'Ghosts', and the players and townspeople in the 'Human' camp are 'Ghosts'. Both of them can turn into 'Xi Yi' in some way.
“Among them, ‘ghosts’ are afraid of ‘魙’, and ‘魙’ is afraid of ‘xiyi’, just like ‘people’ are afraid of ‘ghosts’, and the degree is more serious. If you are frightened, you will immediately lose your mind.”< br>
"This doesn't make sense." Tang Yu interrupted, "We were not afraid at all when we saw you. Teacher Luo and the others transformed into Xiyi in this room, and we didn't see any reaction from you. .
"If the three spirits of 'Ghost', 'Xiao' and 'Xiyi' restrain each other, wouldn't it mean that all the townspeople would be wiped out just by walking on the street?"
"It's not like that. Simple." Qiu Xin shook his head and explained, "You and the townspeople don't think you are a ghost, so you are naturally not afraid of me. Only if I tap your shoulders and shock your soul will you have similar thoughts for a moment. br>
“The reason why I can sit here properly is not because I am not afraid of Xiyi, but because I cannot see them or feel their presence. Once I could see and feel it, I was scared.
"According to what you said, Xiyi usually shows his image in the mirror. I heard a child in the town say that after the townspeople catch the Xiyi, they will ask the scholar to take him to see Mirror, until I'm scared to death."
Tang Yu thought about it based on the known clues, and nodded in approval: "It seems that the scholar is a special existence in this copy. He is responsible for guiding players. He is also responsible for executing demons, so he probably knows a lot.”
This is the consensus of the players. After all, since entering the dungeon, many of the knowledge about Yanghua Town have been instilled by scholars.
Lin Chen thought of something and responded calmly: "If you know too much, you will be silenced, right... The ghosts whose identities correspond to each other are always exchanged. It should be to prevent the same ghost from knowing too much, right? "
"Wrong." Qisi, who had been standing quietly by the door, suddenly said, "The same scarecrow has all the memories of the corresponding identity. Just the transfer of ghosts cannot. To achieve the effect of keeping secrets.
“If it were me, and I wanted to curb the spread of information, I would just weld a ghost to that post as much as possible to ensure that he was the only one who knew the secret. "
Lin Chen thought for a while and asked again: "Could it be because no one can control who is possessed by which scarecrow, so they can only be matched randomly? ”
"Is it random?" Qiss smiled, his meaning unclear, "The scholar spent one night and turned into an old man who was destined to die at the hands of the devil. What a coincidence."
Tang Yu heard his subtext and tsked twice: "This employee is disposable and will be killed after use."
Lin Chen was silent, raised his eyelids and glanced at Qisi with hatred, and lowered his head again. eye.
The scholar's urging came from downstairs at the right time: "Several righteous men, you might as well come down and sit down first. Let's discuss together how to deal with the tiger demon, so that I can know your plans."
The information has almost been exchanged, and there is no new content on the pages on the bedside table. Waiting upstairs will have no other use than delaying time.
Everyone looked at Qiu Xin in unison.
Some NPCs know that she is a ghost, and they will go looking for the tiger demon with other players later. If someone spots her on the way, it will be very troublesome.
Qiu Xin said calmly: "Just mind yourselves. I will go out from the window and follow you from a distance when the time comes, and we will meet up in the bamboo forest. If the townspeople see it, I will have a way to escape."< br>
The ghosts are at the top of the food chain in this dungeon. Even if they are really surrounded by townspeople, they can still escape with their identity effects that can easily kill the townspeople.
The players no longer hesitated, said goodbye to their hatred, pushed out the door, and went downstairs in twos and threes.
The scholar was very talkative this time. When he saw the players coming down, he hurriedly filled several bowls with wine and said with a smile: "We have been suffering from the bitter tiger demon in Yanghua Town for a long time. If a few righteous men can get rid of this serious problem, we can He is a great benefactor to hundreds of us townspeople. I wonder if any of you have any plans?”
“Now that we have all the wine, this is really going to be a tiger hunt in Jingyanggang...” Tang Yu complained in a low voice, Looking at the scholar, "I remember that this is not what you, Mr. Meng, agreed with us yesterday. He only said that we would stay with us for a few days with good food and drink, and then he would send us out when the time comes."
Scholar His movements stagnated, and he said hesitantly: "You guys don't know something. Since the townspeople knew that you could get rid of the tiger problem, they were so happy that they spontaneously made an appointment to come over and help you practice it.
"The words have been passed down. If these people regret it, they don't know how sad they will be. I'm afraid it won't end well. ”
This is a subtle moral kidnapping with an implicit threat.
Qisi didn't seem to hear the underlying message, and just looked at the scholar with a half-smile: "We have been walking all the way and living here for these days. I just feel that you are living and working in peace and contentment. It doesn't look like you can't live without the tiger monster."
The scholar put down the wine jar and sighed: "Having said that, if you can live freely and as you please, who would want to live in the forbidden area of fear and despair?"
Chis stared at it. The scholar's eyes, two seconds later, he smiled brightly: "I understand. Today we will go see the tiger demon."
The scholar nodded, with a bright red smile on his pale face , the straw under it loomed: "Then follow me, don't let them wait too long."
The players had discussed it last night. No matter what, they had to go to the bamboo forest to see the tiger. Demon, make a follow-up plan.
The quarrel with the scholar was just a small episode. It would be great to gain more benefits through bargaining, and there would be no harm in failing.
A few people followed the scholar out of the residence, and the foggy light shone down from their heads, as if the sun suddenly appeared on a cloudy day.
Townshipers wearing various clothes appeared from every corner, poking their heads at the players and casting grateful and eager glances.
The crowd is constantly being joined by new townspeople, and the crowds are crowded together and the players are surrounded by cheers and cheers. The enthusiasm is so intense that it can be seen in the ruins of Zeiss Vision Sunset. Fu Jue's army of players.
“Thank God, someone finally got rid of the tiger problem.”
"That's great, no one will have to die anymore."
"You guys are really righteous people..."
The townspeople talked a lot and did not hesitate to praise them.
The scholar turned to look at Qisi and asked: "Are you guys going to go directly to the bamboo forest to find the tiger demon's lair, or are you going to walk around the town again?"
His The voice was gloomy, as if it was asking the players to take one last good look at the world while they were still alive.
Chiss smiled nonchalantly and said, "Let me walk around the area first."
He walked straight towards the direction in his memory, and the surrounding townspeople moved out of the way, like Sea water broken by ships.
Lin Chen didn’t know why, but he still followed Qisi obediently. Tang Yu also followed suit.
The three of them walked through the streets that stretched from east to west, bypassing the dark alleys at the corners, and stopped in a corner covered by shadows and completely out of light.
A body in black clothes curled up quietly. The exposed skin under the clothes was pale and blue, with the color of moldy straw. It looked like it had lost its voice for a long time.
Tang Yu stepped forward and laid the body flat, revealing a familiar face. It was the scholar from the first day and the old man from last night.
No one from Qi Si or Qiu Xin made a move on him last night, but he still died, as if that was a predetermined ending that was not dependent on anyone's will.
Today, the scholar led a large number of townspeople to follow the player, and also saw the corpse on the ground.
He stood next to the corpse, bowed slightly, and said in a compassionate tone: "He died at midnight last night at the hands of a demon. Logically, he was going to be sacrificed to the tiger demon, but I believe there are There are a few righteous men here, and the rules will change soon." Qisi turned to look at him and asked with a smile: "Was he really killed by a demon?"
< br>
The scholar was visibly stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "It could only have been a ghost who killed him. No matter who it was, it was a ghost."
The two sentences have something to say, it seems. What is being hinted at.
Qisi nodded solemnly and said word by word: "I understand."
"The mourners are here, please give way -"
Screams It resounded from a distance and was gradually transmitted through the responses of the townspeople. The funeral paper figures rode on paper donkeys and floated over.
They swayed to the ground in the same posture as yesterday. After lifting the corpse on the ground, they sat on the paper donkey again and walked away from the town, singing solemn words in a high-pitched tone.
The crowd moved to both sides, stood in the middle of the road, and responded at the top of their voices:
"Everyone has to die, and he must be buried in peace——"
"Cave a way for the dead ——"
In the solemn atmosphere, Lin Chen's voice sounded softly through the soul leaves: "Brother Qi, is the scholar really destined to die because he knows too much?"
"Who knows?" Qisi's eyes wandered among the crowd and fell on an old man also dressed in black - his old face was clearly visible, and he was very similar to the scholar yesterday.
He said with a bit of humor: "Now it seems that all scholars are disposable NPCs. They work as guides during the day and become watchmen the next day. They are killed by prostitutes according to the rules and their remaining value is squeezed out. It must be quite clean."
Lin Chen was silent for a long time and murmured: "I have heard that during the great purges in the early days of the Federation, black crosses were painted on the doors of those who were sentenced to death. , and shoot them with machine guns when they go out.
"The human-shaped scarecrow in this copy should be like a black cross, marking the dying. Players in the 'ghost' camp are driven by camp missions and can easily become executioners without knowing it, killing the townspeople who are possessed by humanoid scarecrows. "
He made a judgment and sighed with compassion: "The people behind the scenes who can control the dungeon mechanism use the hands of players to eliminate dissidents. This is not a conspiracy in a sense..."
After listening to Lin Chen's speech, Qisi narrowed his eyes and smiled: "So now I am very curious, if we really kill the tiger demon, and then that man has nowhere to blame, how will it end."
" Kill...kill the tiger demon?" Lin Chen's eyes widened. He really didn't expect that his goal could rise from "looking at the tiger demon" to such an exaggerated level.
Qisi's smile did not diminish, as if it was just a normal joke: "Maybe we will succeed? After all, your luck has always been good, right?"
While the two were chatting, the mourner The figure has disappeared into the farthest distance of the field of vision, and the shouts are scattered in the wind, and it is difficult to hear the specific words clearly.
The scholar walked up to the players and said, "It's getting late. I'll take you to the tiger demon's lair."
After watching the fun and going through the practical process, the townspeople dispersed one after another, and the streets that were once blocked became wide enough for people to walk on.
The group stopped staying, turned back to the direction of the mansion, passed directly through the lobby on the first floor, and entered the secret door in the back wall.
The vast flat land behind the secret door is covered with mountains of corpses. When viewed from the second floor, the endless mountain of corpses is even more shocking when viewed from the foot of the mountain.
The scholar seemed not to be able to see the corpses, and walked through the pile of corpses with a normal expression.
Players can no longer take a detour like yesterday. They can only suppress the discomfort in their hearts and walk on the aisle between the two mountains of corpses.
The half-rotted bones on both sides are like the scenery of hell, and the corridors welcome players from afar to enter the realm of death.
Qisi slowed down and walked at the end of the team. He picked out two relatively intact bodies and gave them a rough inspection.
One died of a knife wound, and the other died of fire. They both died unexpectedly, but they were not buried in the tiger's mouth.
"It's just ahead." The scholar stopped at the edge of the pile of corpses and pointed at the bamboo forest shrouded in mist.
The white stones extend from the forest path, dragging a small section outside the bamboo forest, as if inviting people to enter.
The scholar was stuck in place, unwilling to take another step forward.
We have come this far, there is no reason to go back home. The players simply bypassed him and walked into the bamboo forest along the winding path.
After the players entered, the already thick fog in the forest became even thicker. The three of them took a few steps forward. When they turned around, they saw white mist blocking the way they came.
The hazy milky white color is sometimes thick and sometimes light, giving the entire picture an illusive sense of dreamland.
Densely packed bamboos cross diagonally, blocking the path and making it confusing. Looking around, you can only see large masses of faint green, and you don’t know what is hidden there.
"I'm here." Qiu Xin's voice sounded far in front.
The players, led by Tang Yu, followed the guidance of the voice and continued deep into the forest, stepping on the fine white stones.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."
The sound of dripping water was heard, and the thick bloody smell rushed towards the face, mixed with the stench of fermented animal saliva.
The players looked up and saw a half-bitten corpse hanging from a bamboo shoot. It was like bacon, moving without wind, with dark red mucus flowing downwards.
Qiu Xin, dressed in purple, stood beside the corpse. He turned around and waved to a few people: "Come over here, the tiger demon's lair is over there."
Tang Yu did not doubt that he was there, and walked to Qiu Xin in a few steps. Beside Xin, look in the direction Qiu Xin is facing.
Human bones with residual flesh residues are scattered here and there, some half buried in the ground, some hanging high on bamboos.
The pale skeleton is pieced here and there, covering a long path, leading to the depths of the mist-steaming bamboo forest.
The cold and biting evil wind brought the sound from the deep forest, echoing in the sky above the rare small open space.
Crunch...crunch...
The sound of chewing human bones is clear and distinct, and creepy.
"Ouch——"
The roar of the tiger caused the earth to tremble, causing the eardrums to swell.
In just a few seconds, the sound quickly approaches the player, accompanied by the "rustling" sound of heavy objects crushing bamboo leaves.
Players each took out life-saving props and were ready to activate at any time.
Lin Chen opened the black umbrella in front of him and stared intently at the trembling deep forest.
Rust, rustle...
The white mist was dispersed by the turbulent airflow, and a huge head poked out of the mist, baring its sharp, bloody teeth.
Belongs to the tiger. (End of chapter)