Chapter 33: The Source of Pollution (2) It was watching him, watching...
The story should have begun with a rescue.
If it is in the ghost story copy, the player will encounter human NPCs disguised as pollutants, and thus learn of the existence of the underground shelter, and then officially participate in the side story.
[Main Quest: Survive for nine days. During this period, the player's pollution value must be below the maximum value and the sanity value must be above zero.]
[Side Quest: Find out the cause of the "pollution" and eliminate the real "source of pollution."]
The problem is that there are too many humans in reality, and encountering a guiding NPC is completely a probability event. Players who have participated in this dungeon before are not bad, but ordinary people will find it difficult to find the existence of the underground shelter unless they are lucky.
Underground shelters are makeshift, crowded safety points, and above them are empty buildings where pollutants roam freely.
"...Do we really have to dress like this?"
Fei has changed his appearance to become a guiding NPC. He looks gray and ordinary, so unremarkable that he would disappear in the crowd. The skin on his face is showing signs of decay. He looks at Chen Que who is standing beside him with his arms folded and looks extremely relaxed.
"I'm an NPC?" Chen Que hadn't done what Fei did before. Changing his appearance cost too many points, and he felt a little pained. "Will they be discovered soon? Do you think those who have seen NPCs are fools?"
Fei handed over a bucket hat. Shen Que had already put on a mask before. He pulled the brim of his hat down, thinking there was no need to pretend to be an NPC. "But the people from the executive department saw me last time, so they might have thought it was me."
Fei, who was seriously playing the role of an NPC, changed his voice to a hoarse tone: "No, it's okay if they recognize you."
"Let's go our separate ways. I'll go find Shi Yu and the others, and you go help the Operations Department. We'll meet at the shelter later. If anything comes up, contact me in private. Keep an eye on your pollution level."
They cannot prevent themselves from coming into contact with pollution. There are countless pollutants floating in the air, and the pollution that has seeped into the soil is also spreading, climbing onto water cups, walls, and even human bodies.
The most troublesome part of this strange story is the pollution value. Except for the ability of some people to clear the pollution value, there is no possibility of reducing the pollution value in the field itself. The only way is to kill the main consciousness and leave the strange story field.
The props in the game store cannot clear the pollution value, and there is also a sanity value that needs attention. However, the latter is much easier to deal with and can be restored with props.
After Chen Que left, Fei, who had previously used his ability to cover several people, sensed Shi Yu's situation, turned around and rushed in another direction. He did not intend to waste space to convert props, and he also saved two people along the way.
He didn't expect to meet Xiao Gu. Fei still remembered this game player. The apartment building where he used to live was covered by ghost stories. He was desperate and posted a message for help on the Ninth Day game forum.
Xiao Gu, who had already gone from being a loyal player of the Ninth Day to enthusiastically promoting the producer, had his eyes lit up: "It's really you, brother!"
Fei, dressed as an NPC and covered in dust, said: "...How did you recognize me? You can see through any disguise?"
"I don't know either... It seems like I can find out anything I want to know." Xiao Gu, who was also in a state of panic, wiped the blood off his face. He was a little confused and even gave an example. "I wanted to know how to escape, and then I thought of you."
Xiao Gu had experienced a strange incident before, but that time it was just an apartment building, while this time it seemed to be the entire city. "This time seems very different. Brother, do you have any ideas? I saw some text that said it was a rule that mentioned pollution."
"The rules say that to kill pollutants, you need to eat their remains... Bro, are we supposed to dismember this thing and eat it? What's your pollution level? It seems like this will only worsen the pollution."
Xiao Gu talked a lot, his expression more like numbness than panic. Perhaps he was so frightened by the strange story that he lost his reaction. He closed his eyes and said, "How about I do it? It's like chewing a bone. You saved me, I can't let you get implicated."
Before Fei could say a word, he saw Xiao Gu talking to himself as if he really wanted to eat the pollutants, so he hurriedly stopped him. It didn't matter anyway even if he broke the rules.
"There is an underground shelter here. You should know how to get in. I have other things to do. I have to leave after I take you to the nearby building." Fei casually helped Xiao Gu deal with the soaring pollution value.
The smile on Xiao Gu's face froze instantly after he was rescued. He was terrified. "I'm going alone? I'm going to die on the way! Brother, do you need someone to chat with?"
"...No, nothing will happen to you."
Fei originally wanted to explain a few more words. Even if it was a very dangerous and difficult ghost story, people could not be wiped out in the early stages. The pollutants were restricted, and there were people to support him in the shelter building. He could rest assured, but at this time the barrage of comments popped up.
[Nononono! I'm not really going to eat pollutants, am I?! Ahhhhhh, can't we just ignore the rules? I'll close my eyes first. Is this manga finally going to have a weird eating show?]
[No, the surrounding pollutants are ready to move. If the protagonists don't bite them, they will be chased and bitten by other pollutants. This is the only way to force myself.]
[This isn't just forcing someone, it's forcing someone to their death. If I were to encounter such a situation, I would just chop off the purple sand with my knife.]
The reader and the protagonist's sanity values kept dropping until they were zero. Honestly, it's ridiculous. Whose ghost story rules require chewing on pollutants? How can this be considered mentally healthy? Forget about the pollution value, let's save the collapsed sanity value first.
Fei quickly digested the information, and coldly said "I'm in a hurry" and threw Xiao Gu to the building in the area around the shelter. Then he crushed the conversion ball, and the scene changed the next moment. He stretched out his hand without waiting for the dizziness to completely subside.
"You shouldn't be pollutants!" Fei hurriedly put on a frightened expression, as if he had just escaped from those crazy pollutants. He kicked away the remains of the pollutants and said, "Come with me to the shelter! It will be too late if we don't leave now!"
Su Yang, who was still preparing himself mentally, said: "......?" Where did this person come from?
Wen Tingxu was wondering how this skinny NPC could be so incredibly strong. "...Okay."
Shi Yu watched helplessly as this man not only suddenly appeared but also kicked the pollutant ten meters away. He was so shocked that he swallowed back a cry, "I haven't eaten yet... Is this okay?"
"It's okay, just get back to the shelter! Pollutants can't get into the shelter!" The seemingly weak NPC grabbed Shi Yu, causing the young man to stumble and jog to keep up with his hurried pace. "I know, slow down!"
[Oh my god! I remember this NPC being pretty useless. A-how could he kick the pollutants so far away?! Is he really that brainless, weak, and useless NPC who only knows how to run around?!?]
[So, do you remember to disguise yourself as pollutants? Most pollutants can't speak. The protagonists said so many words and nothing happened. And when the NPC appeared, the pollutants in the background seemed to retreat...]
[I'm reminded of an old friend... the one who kicked high-risk ghost stories with his feet, punched the rebellious U organization, and made the protagonists' operations department obsessed with him, and he was so excited to play Cospree!]
[Fei: Just tell me your game ID, the pre-roll is so long]
[Brother Fei, this is so great! We don't have to be half dead anymore! Who cares if it's an NPC or a boss? Just have fun! Please, please save the sequel!]
“Wait, wait…!”
Shi Yu realized that he couldn't stop the panicking NPC, so he had to speak up and stop them: "Are we just going back to the shelter like this? What about the others?"
"The outbound team of the shelter will be responsible for the rescue. The longer you stay outside, the more serious the pollution will be." The first sentence was not what Fei said. In this ghost story, the human NPCs in the shelter will indeed take the initiative to provide assistance.
He grabbed Shi Yu's arm, found the monitoring bracelet, and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the numbers displayed on it. "People with high pollution levels cannot enter the shelter. You are only slightly polluted now. Going back as soon as possible can slow down the rate of pollution."
It's just a delay, not a stop. Shi Yu tilted his head and looked at his friend. He turned back and asked, "Can't the shelter completely isolate the pollution?"
"Of course not." Fei qualifiedly acted as the patient NPC guide. He explained carefully, "It's just because it's far away from those ubiquitous pollutants, so it won't be assimilated into pollutants so quickly."
He suddenly brought up a topic that was quite obvious: "Do you know what the source of pollution in this world is?"
The unexpected question made Shi Yu subconsciously shake his head, but this did not prevent him and his companions from becoming serious about it. This question was obviously related to the subjective consciousness of the ghost story, and behind it lay the answer to how to end this incident in the end.
Facing the three people's extremely serious expressions, Fei was reluctant to cooperate with a rare sense of humor. He smiled and said, "But I don't know either."
Shi Yu and others: "..." Then what did you say?
[Brother Fei: Oh, I won’t tell you. I’m just teasing you.]
[The poor protagonists were played around by Fei Ge. Oh, and there's also our poor Operations Department and U who deserved to be teased. Thinking about it this way, this man is really scary ()]
"What? I'm so lucky to be played with by Fei () Did you say thank you, kids? This is master-level!"
"I don't know much about pollution either." Fei was extremely humble, as if he wasn't the player who had completed the entire storyline and successfully cleared the dungeon. "But you'd better be careful. Pollution is the most unavoidable thing here."
He raised his hand and pointed towards the sky. There was no distinction between day and night here, nor was there the sun or the moon. There was only a cloudy blood-red pupil looking down upon the struggling tiny life.
It was watching him, watching this fragile life that once threatened the main existence of the strange story.
The smile on Fei's lips deepened because of this. He never gave in. Even the ghost stories themselves were not worthy of making him afraid. "It is no exaggeration to say that this is a world made up of pollution, and the sky is also part of the pollution."
"See that eye?" He said it nonchalantly, as if casually describing a pettable kitten or puppy. "It's ugly, but it pays attention to everything outside. The rule about ingesting pollutants originated with it."
"Disguise yourself well and don't let it find out that you are human, because it will immediately give orders to the pollutants to hunt you down at all costs." Fei reminded them kindly.
Even though his words were horrific, they didn't have any atmosphere at all.
[That old thief is showing off his painting skills again. This composition is amazing... Fei responded with eyes that hinted at pollution, which was both provocative and disdainful. The only player who had cleared the game had every right to be arrogant. He was never the one who should be worrying about winning or losing. I'm so handsome.]
[There is no fear in the face of absolute strength, the sequel is terrible]
"We lost a lot of time."
Fei's footsteps finally stopped in front of a building. He motioned for a few people to go in first, "We've arrived at the shelter, let's go in."
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