Chapter 256 Crimson Mirror

Shell, premium lounge top floor.

The huge projection screen in the conference room was divided into multiple parts, each of which displayed a live broadcast room, except for the one in the lower right corner, which showed the game screen.

When Xu Yan pushed the door open, the only soundtrack in the huge space was the classic soundtrack of video games. A cartoon character was jumping up and down in the lower right corner, appearing to be busier than the players on other screens.

Cen Jinyue was sitting in her seat, staring at the last grid intently, her fingers moving quickly on the game console's handle.

The entire conference room was no longer as quiet as it was during a meeting. Potato chips, cola and snacks were piled on the table. It looked like someone had been playing here for a long time.

Xu Yan walked in and casually pulled out the chair at the end of the long table.

"Why did you ask me to come here?"

The sound was too abrupt. Cen Jinyue, who was concentrating, paused for a moment, and then a "game over" sounded.

Putting down the handle, he turned around with a slightly ferocious expression.

"Can't you wait until I'm done before you speak?"

"cannot."

Xu Yan answered coldly, but his eyes fell on other grids on the screen.

After the dungeon is reopened, the guild needs to accumulate 100,000 points. Yan Chengfan rarely entered the dungeon before, and now the time is up, he has to enter. The affairs of the entire guild are handed over to Vice President Cen Jinyue.

"No more nonsense."

Cen Jinyue picked up a box of strawberry milk from the table, inserted a straw and took a big sip.

"I called you here this time because I need you to deal with someone."

"We found the guild that Mad Dog belongs to. Like the Joker, he is also in Endless Cards, but this guild is more...strange."

As he said that, he closed the game and called up a panel with only four names written on it.

Word has spread about the Joker's battle with the Astrologer.

Almost everyone knows that Endless Cards and Utopia are in opposition.

"Currently, there are only four players in Endless Cards, the Joker, Mad Dog, and two low-level players. It seems that the Joker invited them casually in order to make up the number of people for the guild mission." Cen Jinyue introduced.

Xu Yan pushed the monocle on his nose, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Mad Dog has already entered the dungeon this morning. These four people are currently in the dungeon. Do you want me to deal with the air?"

Cen Jinyue shook her head.

"There are too few people in Endless Cards. I don't think Joker alone can fund Mad Dog with so many props. I think there must be other people who also belong to a third party force."

As the vice president, he is conscientious enough.

But unfortunately, the person Cen Jinyue was talking to didn't seem to have that much patience.

Xu Yan's fingers were casually placed on the table, tapping quickly.

"Kill who?"

"Han Shi is third on the list."

"good."

There was no asking of reasons and no questioning. Under Xu Yan's urging, the conversation became much simpler.

Seeing that the collector nodded and was about to leave after hearing the name, Cen Jinyue turned around in her chair twice and explained a few words to Xu Yan's back.

“It is still uncertain whether he is a third party force.”

"But his guild is called 'Resurrectionists'. The sense of déjà vu is a bit too strong, so it's better to kill him to be safe."

He has deep facial features and a high nose bridge.

A pair of eyes filled with green, even though she wasn't smiling, her smile made people feel as if bathed in spring breeze.

Cen Jinyue was holding a box of milk with cute strawberries printed on it. With his handsome appearance and friendly temperament, people who didn’t know him would probably just think that he was a handsome big brother next door.

But the words that came out of his mouth were completely different from his gentle appearance.

"I think it's cost-effective to kill the top-ranked human warrior. If I had killed the Joker earlier when I met him, Alves wouldn't have encountered the accident he is facing now."

Xu Yan did not look back, as if the astrologer's life or death had nothing to do with him. He walked to the door and then stopped because of Cen Jinyue's next words.

"Currently, the only person who is anonymously investigated is Han Shi. You can ask him when you kill him."

"Okay, I'll ask."

…

In the copy, time passes little by little.

Not long after Xu Zhiyan and Jin Sheng found a place to sit down, a sarcastic waiter came over with packed food.

"Sir, here's what you wanted."

Just as the waiter was hesitating and wanted to say something, Xu Zhiyan immediately raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Thank you very much. Could you please send me to room 3021?"

He didn't want to face the slicing, but he couldn't do nothing. He just found an excuse to refuse the waiter. He didn't really want to go back.

Hearing this, the red waiter raised his eyebrows.

He looked at Jin Sheng, who was sitting opposite Xu Zhiyan and eating with big mouthfuls of rice, and suddenly laughed, with hints in his words.

“This hotel does not discriminate against guests based on their sexual orientation.”

Xu Zhiyan lowered his head and picked at his fingernails, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

If all the NPCs in the hotel knew about his personality, then there would be no shortage of such sarcasm in the future, and he didn't intend to argue about it.

"Ah? What's wrong, Brother Xu?"

Jinsheng paused holding the spoon, raised his head with a confused look on his face, with rice grains hanging from the corners of his mouth.

There is nothing wrong with the food in this copy, you can take it at will.

Perhaps it was his not-so-bright appearance that reassured people, the waiter didn't say anything more, quickly took the food, said hello and prepared to leave.

“Enjoy your meal.”

"Thanks."

Xu Zhiyan squinted his eyes and looked at the waiter's back as he left, then took a bite of the sandwich in his hand.

Soon, Jinsheng finished a bowl of rice.

He checked the time, feeling somewhat confused.

"Why haven't Brother Jiang and Yu Xiu come yet?"

That shouldn’t be the case. We had just agreed to meet at the restaurant.

Now no one has seen it and no messages have been sent in the chat box.

In the live broadcast room, the audience saw much more than what the two of them saw.

[It seems that it is not easy to get rid of the companions. After looking around, I found that only the three of them appeared. 】

[The astrologer also came out, but she seemed unable to shake off her companions at night. ]

[I laughed so hard. Alves is set as an astronomy enthusiast. Every night she and her fellow enthusiasts go to the astronomical telescope on the top floor to observe the sky.]

[…Pfft, that’s too bad. Doesn’t that mean they can’t be separated at all?]

[Not bad? Actually, it's not that bad. Although her companions will hinder her mission, as long as they are there, she doesn't have to worry about being attacked by the clown. ]

[So, are the companions ready? ]

[Is it possible? If you go to the male mother’s live broadcast room, you will see a fight already! ]

Hotel room 4112.

Jiang Huaique was hiding in the bathroom when he heard a loud banging on the door outside.

"Who are you! Where did you take my friend? Tell me! You damned fellow! He won't go out to eat..."

A shrill roaring voice came from the crack in the door.

The wooden door of the bathroom was shaking slightly after being hit, and coupled with the strange cry, people could quickly judge that the guy outside the door was most likely not a human.

Jiang Huaique held the door tightly, feeling a little panicked.

Just now, he returned to the room and met his companion. He didn't do anything, just said a few words casually, and then pretended to leave for dinner. Unexpectedly, his companion suddenly stood up and punched him, shouting that he was fake...

Damn it, although I know that it’s caused by the collapse of the character, isn’t it too harsh to judge the collapse of the character based on just a few sentences!

After being punched in the face, Jiang Huaique subconsciously fought back.

But who would have thought that after his punch, his furious companion suddenly opened his eyes wide, his entire body was instantly covered with bloody cracks, and he attacked even more fiercely, with much greater strength than before.

Jiang Huaique blocked a few punches and found an opportunity to counterattack.

Since the character collapse only affects fellow travelers, does it mean that if we knock this NPC unconscious and tie him up, he will be able to move freely?

The opposite happened.

Something even more terrifying happened.

Every time he struck a fellow traveler, more bloody cracks appeared on the other party's body, and his physical strength and power also began to gradually increase...

Jianghuai Partridge is in a dilemma.

It's too cramped here. His room is also a twin room, and the space is small and cramped, not suitable for drawing weapons and fighting.

In desperation, he took the opponent's attack and fled to the door, intending to leave directly. Worried that the door would not open, he even prepared a master key.

As a result, I received a system prompt before I even reached the door.

[The player's character setting has been deviated. 】

[Before the character setting is corrected, the player cannot leave the current area. 】

Damn! I can’t open the door!

Seeing his companions chasing him, he could only hide in the bathroom nearby, but surprisingly, he just locked the door and actually stopped the monster outside?

His companions just roared and banged on the door...

Something is wrong! How could this guy outside not be able to break open the door with his strength?

As my thoughts were in disarray, the guild dialogue panel popped up.

【Xu Zhiyan: @江槐鹧, baby, where are you? Daddy misses you very much. 】

The situation was urgent, Jiang Huaique's mouth twitched, and he could only briefly recount what had just happened.

[Jiang Huai Que: ...I plan to try to beat it up again later. As long as it's alive, I should be able to kill it. You guys go explore yours first.]

He didn't think that there was anything in this copy that was completely unkillable. Even if he wanted to revive it, there should be a few seconds of CD in between, and then he could find other ways to escape.

After a few seconds, Jiang Huaique got the idea from the idea master Xu.

[Xu Zhiyan: Stop fighting!! The rules that restrict us also restrict our companions. They should not be able to destroy the buildings. Next, you have to restore your character.]

When Jiang Huaique saw his teammates speaking calmly, he gradually had an idea in his mind. It was a pity that the plan provided by the other party made him unable to hold back his expression.

[Xu Zhiyan: The door will probably be knocked open soon. Find a corner in the toilet and squat down with your head in your hands. If your companion comes in, don't move or fight back no matter what he does. If you really can't help it, slap yourself in front of him. I'll be there soon.]

【Jiang Huai Que: So you are here to collect my body? My f*cking character is a social phobia, not a psychopath! Do you want to stab me twice in the arm?】

【Xu Zhiyan: Fight back if you feel like you’re about to be beaten to death! 】

“Boom—Boom—”

There was a banging sound at the door, and the bolt was in a precarious position, as if it would soon be broken.

"Grass."

Jiang Huaique took a deep breath, and although he cursed, he did not hesitate. He jumped into the bathtub, squatted down, hugged his head, and waited for his companions to come in.

Two minutes later, the bathroom door was kicked open.

"Bang--"

□□'s wooden door hit the wall and bounced back violently without any damage. It was of very good quality.

"Who are you! Who are you…"

There were angry roars from fellow travelers.

Jiang Huaique felt that he was shrouded in a shadow, but he did not look up. He was still thinking about Xu Zhiyan's words. Just as he closed his eyes and prepared to face the first round of attack, a familiar voice rang out outside the door.

“Knock knock knock—”

"Is anyone there? Open the door, please."

It’s Xu Zhiyan.

The attack with the wind of fist stopped above Jiang Huaique's head. The furious companion heard the sound, hesitated for a moment, turned around and walked towards the door of the guest room.

“Squeak—”

As soon as the door opened, Xu Zhiyan saw clearly the monster that Jiang Huaique had mentioned.

The other person's outline was still human, but the skin on his body was all cracked, and blood that was sparkling with crystal light seemed to be flowing under these wounds.

"You, what's the matter?"

The mutated companion spoke slowly.

Although the voice was strange, it sounded quite polite.

Xu Zhiyan coughed lightly, put a smile on his face, took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over.

"Hello, I am a doctor in the psychiatric department of Mikang Hospital."

"I originally wanted to go on vacation this time, but I was late due to an accident in the evening, and I happened to meet Xiao Jiang in the car."

There were more cracks on the companions' bodies.

"He can't make friends in the car!"

Xu Zhiyan endured the other person's roar and continued as if nothing had happened: "I think you should believe in the power of science. After I met Xiao Jiang in the car, I found that he seemed to have more than just social phobia. It was more like a disease called Jean-Marie syndrome... Oh, by the way, his name was told to me by the driver, but I don't know his full name..."

In order to make his words more convincing, he put on a white coat before coming.

The companions inside the door were stunned.

Confusion gradually appeared in its cloudy eyes.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiyan discovered that it was effective, so he began to expand on this symptom he had made up with a serious face.

"This is a rare disease. I've only read about it in books before. He usually behaves like a person with severe social anxiety. He doesn't like to socialize, doesn't like to talk, and even eats alone in his room. But as time goes by, his disease gets worse, and he becomes anxious and violent..."

The symptoms that were exactly the same as Jiang Huaique's just now intimidated the companion monster. As the new character was completed, the cracked skin on the companion's body began to heal gradually and gradually returned to its original appearance.

"...But you know the situation now. I'm just on vacation. I was surprised to encounter this rare case. In fact, I didn't want to come here, but doctors are kind-hearted. I thought he was traveling alone. Fortunately, you are here. I feel much more relieved when I see you. I hope you can wait until the trip is over and go back to take him back for proper treatment."

Xu Zhiyan kept talking for more than twenty minutes. His companion also completely turned back into his normal self, with a nervous look on his face. He grabbed his hand and started talking.

"Doctor, can my friend still be saved?"

"Yes, but he has entered the middle stage and his condition may be different from before..."

Xu Zhiyan continued his efforts.

He planned to change Jiang Huaique's personality directly and rescue him from his autistic and socially anxious personality, but the system panel that popped up crazily forced him to give up the idea.

[Tip: The character setting of player Jiang Huaique must not conflict with the basic character setting. Please pay attention when improving your own character setting to avoid causing backlash. ]

Helpless, Xu Zhiyan could only change the subject.

"Although he will be a quiet and socially anxious person most of the time, he may show his crazy side at certain times. At that time, you must not be nervous. Remember to give him some free space, don't ask him anything, and don't follow him to avoid being hurt by mistake."

The companions obviously cared about Jiang Huai Partridge.

"Doctor, is there any way to cure this disease now?"

Xu Zhiyan touched his chin, his expression somewhat hesitant, as if he had encountered something very difficult.

"I can take him to talk therapy every day. It will be effective after a few times. But I came here to travel and relax. And at this price..."

Upon hearing this, before his companions expressed their opinions, a quarrel broke out in Xu Zhiyan’s live broadcast room.

【Hahahahahahahahahaha, Xiao Baiwan, do you want to listen to what you are saying! 】

[It’s so funny, hah, they even took the NPC’s money! 】

[Devil! Naked devil! Hanging street lamp! ]

[Mikan Hospital? Fuck! Isn't it the hospital in the previous instance? ]

[I thought Xiao Baiwan would keep the white coat that the hospital gave him, but I didn't expect this guy, who wanted to keep his friends, would even take the business card printed by the hospital! ]

[But there is nothing wrong with this, hahaha. The system prompt only says that you cannot fake your identity to deceive players, but it does not say that you cannot fake your identity to deceive NPCs. ]

[Looking at the NPC's expression, I laughed so hard that I fainted. ]

[Traveler: It's over. My friend is going to die! Doctor, please save him! ]

[Damn, I heard the waiter's sarcastic tone and thought all the NPCs knew that Xiao Baiwan was a scumbag.]

[It should be because of their different identities. NPCs must also abide by the Basic Law. 】

In the bathroom, Jiang Huaique was so upset after hearing what he said.

But looking at the pop-up panel, he deeply felt that Xu Zhiyan was really a capable guy.

[Personality information completion detected]

[New setting: Social phobia is just your appearance. You actually have other diseases (this disease is not detected in the setting library). So although you are silent, timid and quiet most of the time, you will show abnormal behavior from time to time every day. (The cumulative time of abnormal behavior shall not exceed 90 minutes)]

Thank God.

Jiang Huaique breathed a sigh of relief. Social phobia was totally incompatible with him.

At the door, Xu Zhiyan had already fooled Jiang Huaique's companions to the point of dizziness. They could not say a word and could only nod.

"Doctor, what you mean is that I should open another single room for you to use for talk therapy, right?" The companion who had returned to his normal appearance spoke cautiously.

Xu Zhiyan smiled and took out a notebook and pen from his pocket. He wrote and drew as he spoke: "Well, we medical students all value conscience. I will do a good deed for the day and will not charge you any extra money. Here, these are the symptoms that Xiao Jiang might have when you communicate with him later."

The companion immediately took out a dozen or so banknotes from his wallet and exchanged them for the note in Xu Zhiyan's hand.

After the transaction was completed, Xu Zhiyan and his companions went to the bathroom together.

Jiang Huaique had already huddled back into the bathtub when he heard the footsteps. Listening to Xu Zhiyan's voice like coaxing a child, he couldn't help but twitching the corners of his mouth.

"Come to Xiaojiang, Doctor Xu will take you to have a chat. I promise you will recover soon~"

"Yeah, get up soon."

“…”

The three people had different tones and completely different mentalities.

The Jiang Huai Que collection activity went exceptionally smoothly, and Xu Zhiyan quickly brought his unlucky teammate away from his fellow travelers. He probably wouldn't need to go back in the next few days.

Before leaving, Jiang Huaique took a close look at his companions.

Everything just happened so suddenly that he only had the chance to see the other person clearly now. This unknown companion was a rather thin young man who smiled shyly. In the setting, they were each other's only friends, so they came to the Mirror Museum together this time.

After turning a few corners and completely losing sight of their companions, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Your companion is absolutely sincere to you!"

Xu Zhiyan spoke very sincerely.

He saw clearly that the other party didn't have much money in his wallet, and most of it was given to him.

Jiang Huai Que rarely refuted.

To them, this entire copy was a death game, but the companion who could transform into a monster just now showed rich emotions when in human form.

Fortunately, he won't continue to contact the other party.

For monster NPCs, staying away from players is good for both sides.

Xu Zhiyan glanced at the panel and found that it might take a little more time to pick up Yu Xiu's Jin Sheng, so he and Jiang Huaique went to the lobby downstairs and paid to book a room again.

Currently, everyone's room has companions, and they need an extra room for rest.

The new room is on the fifth floor, 5068.

Xu Zhiyan paid extra money and asked for a room facing the Mirror Museum.

Although they can only explore the museum tomorrow and it will be pitch dark inside, they have props like telescopes and might be able to get some clues in advance.

Swipe the card to open the door, turn on the light and close the door.

After the two came in, they looked at the bright, warm, clean and empty room and both breathed a sigh of relief.

It's similar to the room downstairs.

Although the area here is not large, it has everything needed. The whole room is covered with mirrors, and the entire wall opposite the bed is also covered with mirrors. Only on the wall opposite the door is there a large wooden frame, which seems to have a red painting inside.

"I'll send Jin Sheng a room number and ask him to come directly here to find us after he helps Yu Xiu finish the test paper."

After saying that, Jiang Huaique leaned against the shoe cabinet, touched the bruise at the corner of his eye caused by his companions, took out the medicine from his bag, raised his head and drank it, and his injuries were relieved.

Before he could send a message to Jin Sheng, Xu Zhiyan spoke in a low voice to stop him.

"Wait, don't let them come yet."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Jiang Huaique was a little confused. He looked up and found that his teammate's posture seemed to have not changed since he entered the door. He was staring straight in one direction with a bit of tension.

Following Xu Zhiyan's gaze, he found that the other person was looking at a painting.

Painting? What's so good about it? Shouldn't this kind of decoration be very common in hotels... No, that's not right!

After staring at it for a while, Jiang Huaique also discovered the problem.

The wooden frame facing the door is not a painting, it is clearly a window...