Chapter 15 Our Promise 7 The City Flooded
Xu Long was the first to question her: "Fu Mei! How could you do this? Do you know that you randomly accused someone and ultimately couldn't find out the truth!"
Wu Wangwang remained silent for a moment, thinking about how to say something that would garner more information. It was pointless for players to speculate among themselves; only then could the NPCs provide details about what happened back then.
Soon, a girl said, "Wait a minute, Fu Mei, have you forgotten? Your bed was connected to Chu Ping's back then, so you would have known if there was any noise."
After the first one spoke up, all the girls in the dorm started to chime in.
From them, Wu Wangwang gleaned a very special piece of information: Fu Mei was a kind-hearted person, and a very reliable one at that, so everyone liked her quite a bit, and would confide in her about any unspeakable troubles they had.
This kind of person can't be a good friend; she's too ordinary. But she's perfect as a confidante or dumping ground for others; you can pour whatever you want into her without worrying about anything going wrong.
Chu Ping was an ordinary girl from a poor family in the class. She didn't need financial aid, but her poverty was obvious.
Wherever there are people, there are cliques and hierarchies. Chu Ping was the kind of person who was ignored in class. She was either isolated or ostracized, or it was difficult for her to play with others. Usually, only Fu Mei, who was in the bed next to her, would be nice to her.
Because Chu Ping and Fu Mei were close, everyone thought that Fu Mei should know the most about Chu Ping's affairs.
But now Fu Mei says she was lying back then, which is very strange. Was their good relationship fake? Or is Fu Mei related to Chu Ping's disappearance?
With the testimony of his roommate, Xu Long calmed down a bit. He tentatively asked, "Fu Mei, don't joke around. You used to go to get out of class and eat with Chu Ping. Just because the news got to you doesn't mean it's fabricated. Are you covering for someone?"
Before Wu Wangwang could explain, a girl at the same table suddenly pointed at Jiaojiao: "Who else could it be? Huajiao!"
Jiaojiao was completely bewildered. She pointed to herself, looking utterly lost. She wasn't the NPC herself at all and had no idea about the conflicts among her classmates. Now, she couldn't find any evidence to refute the accusation against her.
A female player at the next table, unaware of what was going on, chimed in, "That's right, it's her! I saw it back then. Before Chu Ping disappeared, Hua Jiao grabbed Chu Ping's hair at the entrance of the women's restroom and slapped her hard. Afterward, she even tried to slam Chu Ping's head against a nail, but Fu Mei stopped her."
"What nonsense are you talking about? What did you see?" Du Luo questioned sharply, startling the female player.
We're all players, and unless we explicitly agree to cooperate, we're competitors. If we're on opposing sides, we'll have to fight each other, and we can't trust anyone.
The female player wasn't scared at all. She repeated with great certainty, "Hua Jiao hit Chu Ping. I saw it. At first, I thought it was just a normal conflict, but now I realize something is wrong."
This time, there were only five female players in the dungeon, including Wu Wangwang. When they voted, they were divided into two camps. Excluding Wu Wangwang, the female player who identified Jiaojiao seemed to have voted with Du Luo to not share information.
Jiaojiao's personality may be very different from that of the NPCs. After reading the warning in the note, she did not choose to hide it. Instead, she hoped to share the information and work together.
Wu Wangwang carefully examined the expressions on each player's face. She noticed that these eight people had actually divided themselves into factions according to the original voting.
Of the four people who voted not to share information, excluding Du Luo, the other three remained very calm about the female player identifying Jiao Jiao; they seemed to have anticipated this day would come.
Meanwhile, the four people on Jiaojiao's side were very confused, seemingly unaware of what had happened, and dared not utter a sound.
There's a problem.
Wu Wangwang finally realized that it wasn't that the male and female players handled the secrets on the note differently, but that the details of the oaths on the note were different from the beginning. The oaths of three people definitely involved the truth of the murder case. When the three of them first received the note, they probably already knew what happened back then.
As for the five people on Wu Wangwang's side, the oath they held was the one that protected them.
The three people possess the truth, which connects them all. They must keep it a secret for the rest of their lives, and no one is allowed to surrender.
The other six people hold a shared oath to protect each other.
But something still doesn't make sense. Where's Du Luo? She should have been on that side. Was the note she gave a fake?
Wu Wangwang could only temporarily exclude Du Luo. She began to think that the victim's ghost's method was simple: point the finger at the person who was protecting her.
Once the person being protected is accused, those who know the whole truth will naturally panic. They once conspired to kill two people, and now they can also push out the so-called person who swore to protect them to shield them from gunfire.
But these three players didn't know that if they did that, the oath of the protection mechanism would be broken, and they would all die.
This is a perfect crime caused by information asymmetry, and it will ultimately face retribution because of information asymmetry.
Wu Wangwang understood the ghost's methods, but there was still one thing: Du Luo. Ever since she and Jiao Jiao became roommates, and both of them were players, both Jiao Jiao and Wu Wangwang trusted her very much. But did she trust them?
After all, Du Luo had voted against it from the very beginning.
With the player's identification, the teachers stood up in shock. They didn't even know about this. Chu Ping didn't say anything, and Jiao Jiao and Fu Mei didn't show any unusual behavior. In front of others, the three of them treated each other the same.
Xu Long rushed down and asked Jiao Jiao, "Hua Jiao, tell the teacher the truth. Even if you did something, the teacher won't blame you. There are so many people here today. We just want peace of mind. No one will tell anyone, right?"
Others echoed that it was true, but their voices and tones varied, making it sound unbelievable.
Jiaojiao panicked. She had no idea about the details. She only found out she had attacked the missing person just now. What if the words she casually uttered were still lies, and the NPCs exposed them, triggering the death condition?
Unable to think of an excuse, Jiao Jiao burst into tears. She looked at Du Luo and then up at Wu Wangwang, pleading for help with her eyes.
Du Luo patted Jiao Jiao's back with great tenderness, but said nothing.
Wu Wangwang is now starting to suspect Du Luo. After thinking about it carefully, she said, "We can't just blame Jiao Jiao like that. I really don't remember. Why don't you investigate Guo Tianyin's whereabouts?"
The classmate who pointed out Wu Wangwang was taken aback. He said, "But you were the one who told me where the two of them went."
Then Wu Wangwang pointed at the female player who had switched sides and said, "I really don't remember the details. She accused me of helping Jiaojiao cover it up. Does that mean that I originally only knew about Chu Ping, and that Guo Tianyin's information was passed on to me by her?"
The female player was stunned for a moment, then immediately panicked. She hurriedly stood up: "Hey! Fu Mei, don't make false accusations! You're the one with the problem! We've investigated what happened back then again and again. We can't possibly forget it. If you've forgotten, then you're the one with the problem!"
"You haven't forgotten? Then tell me, who was the one who passed the message to me?" Wu Wangwang asked calmly. Once she found the next person, she could take the blame.
Regardless of whether the female player has any information to identify her, Wu Wangwang could have survived for one more night. However, given the current situation, it seems that the vow has been broken, and it will be difficult to resolve this amicably.
Players have no way of knowing the details. If they knew everything, the players from the other faction would have figured out a way to complete the game long ago. They wouldn't have suddenly sold Wu Wangwang and Jiaojiao now. It can only mean that they themselves only know the most crucial parts and are unaware of the other details used as evidence.
Looking at it this way, it's clear that many people don't remember, so it's not fair to blame Fu Mei and Hua Jiao alone.
Xu Long sighed, "Ten years have passed, and we still don't know the answer. The classmates don't remember. It seems that their whereabouts will remain a mystery."
It was a perfectly good gathering, and everyone wanted to find out the truth, but it turned out like this. They also learned about the conflict between Hua Jiao and Chu Ping. Although they pretended to be amicable on the surface, they had already formed a small group in private to exchange information and see if they could dig out more information.
Hua Jiao couldn't hold back her tears for a while, but gradually recovered with Du Luo's comfort. Then she asked Wu Wangwang, "Fu Mei, are you alright? Aren't you sad?"
Wu Wangwang wanted to say something, but seeing Du Luo beside her, she just casually said, "It's alright, there are many such things."
Everyone had almost finished eating. According to the plan, they should go back to the school for a visit. It was summer vacation, and only the senior high school students were studying hard at the school. School had not officially started yet, so they could move around freely as long as it did not affect the senior high school students' review.
Some students were already parents and couldn't stay away for too long, so they said goodbye. In the end, only about thirty people went to school, including players, teachers, and some students.
The squad leader arranged for a bus in advance, estimating that only half the people would remain, and one bus would be just the right number.
On the bus, everyone sat together according to their familiarity. Jiao Jiao sat with Du Luo, and Wu Wangwang sat with the class monitor.
Everyone was quite happy, chatting about their high school days.
Amid the noise, the class monitor greeted Wu Wangwang with a smile: "Fu Mei, you seem to be less popular than before. I remember when you were in high school, everyone wanted to hang out with you. Did you offend someone?"
The "who" refers to the female player who has stepped forward. She openly identified Jiaojiao and Fumei, aiming to ruin their reputations.
Wu Wangwang appropriately feigned a blank expression: "I don't know. I've been living alone all these years. The company doesn't offer holidays, and I haven't seen anyone outside of the company in a long time."
The class monitor then pretended to suddenly realize something: "Oh right, right, you said that your company doesn't have holidays, not even time off in lieu, and that you're never on full attendance if you take leave. No wonder you're so distant from everyone. It seems that it's Hua Jiao's problem. She's always had a bit of a spoiled princess attitude."
Wu Wangwang had a feeling that the class monitor knew something. His purpose in coming to chat was unclear. She was determined to find out, so she didn't care whether she would be suspected: "Really? Jiaojiao has a pretty good temper. She just doesn't like to say what she wants to say."
"That's for you, that Du Luo. I heard they can still live together now, they're quite tolerant. They used to be childhood friends, right? Hua Jiao treated Du Luo like a servant a lot." The class monitor whispered in Wu Wangwang's ear.
Wu Wangwang could roughly guess what happened. Du Luo and Jiao Jiao came from very different families. Jiao Jiao did nothing but be pampered by her parents, while Du Luo had to ask Jiao Jiao to take him in because he had failed the civil service exam repeatedly. One can imagine what kind of life Du Luo lived in Jiao Jiao's house before the player took over his identity.
What does it matter to the players if Du Luo falls?
Why is Du Luo's situation so strange?
The class monitor talked about a lot of gossip along the way. He probably had been holding it in all the way, and he had to be a good guy at the party, so he only dared to talk when he met Fu Mei.
This seems to be Fu Mei's character setting. She is a good-natured, kind-hearted person. You can vent all your trash talk to her without worrying about her telling others. Even when Jiao Jiao was accused like that just now, she didn't say anything. She is obviously still the reliable trash can she used to be.
If we don't gossip now, we might never have another chance. This ten-year reunion wasn't pleasant, and we probably won't be coming again next time, so we have to take this opportunity to tell all the gossip we can.
This involves many people, including three special players. The class monitor said that the three of them seem inconspicuous, but they are actually a close-knit group in the class. They are two boys and one girl who have been childhood sweethearts and have very good family relationships. They can visit each other's homes and have meals together.
Just like in the TV series, there are three people, and in the end, the two men will fall in love with the only girl. Even if they don't like her, they will still make her the center of their lives. They have long been used to treating each other as family.
In high school, everyone's gender awareness and impulses reached their peak, so the three of them broke up and got back together on and off. The girl dated both of them, and then broke up again for some unknown reason, but in the end, the three of them lived together and even got into the same university.
The class monitor found this gathering strange because he felt that the three of them no longer had that close bond they had developed from childhood.
The class monitor said, "Maybe all the college boys and girls have fallen out with someone else they like. Isn't that what childhood sweethearts are all about? They're always the second choice. They only go back to marry the other person when they haven't met someone better. But look at the three of them now, they're not doing very well either."
Jiaojiao is another wild girl in the class. She is the recognized class beauty, the richest and the most beautiful. Both boys and girls like her. She has a bit of a princess complex, but given her family background, it is only natural for her to have a princess complex.
This affection led Jiao Jiao to have many suitors. Some of them would only be for a short time before she broke up with them because she was unhappy. Moreover, both men and women were involved. When Jiao Jiao chose someone, she only looked at whether they could become her best servant. If the servant did not take good care of her, she would throw them away.
Although this behavior was not good, Jiaojiao was rich. During his impoverished childhood, dating Jiaojiao meant receiving many expensive gifts from her.
As they approached school, the class monitor, who had been talking the whole way, suddenly changed the subject: "Hey, I've noticed you've changed a lot. You didn't seem this quiet before."
Wu Wangwang had already come up with a reason for the personality difference: "Oh, my company is going to do a live broadcast, and I talk a lot. I don't like to talk much normally, I just want to space out and sleep."
The squad leader suddenly realized: "Oh, I see. You've worked hard. Your kind of work is not easy."
Upon arriving at the school, everyone was easily led by their teachers and passed through the gatekeeper to enter the campus. Everyone was very happy to be back in a familiar place. The campus had changed a lot, but we also missed it very much. It felt like we had returned to our teenage years, when we were so happy and carefree.
After passing through the previous classrooms, Xu Long led them to the two classrooms where they used to have classes. Those two classrooms were reassigned to the first year of high school this year, so there were no students. The classrooms were filled with empty desks and chairs, and apart from the dust, everything else was very clean.
The inspirational quotes, college entrance exam countdowns, and college application maps that used to adorn the classroom are all gone. New first-year high school students will redecorate the classroom according to their own habits, until they return to their senior year, when those items that have been used by generation after generation will reappear.
While watching, a classmate suddenly said he felt dizzy, as if he had drunk too much, and wanted to go to the bathroom to vomit.
Wu Wangwang, mingling in the crowd, heard the commotion. She looked over and knew that language was about to become a reality.
Worried that something might happen to the other person, the class monitor asked two of the more sober male classmates to accompany them. The three of them went to find the restroom and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The remaining students and teachers reminisced about the past. A class representative pulled the class monitor onto the podium to recreate the morning reading and reading of report cards from back then. Everyone laughed together, and it all looked so wonderful.
About ten minutes later, the three people who went out to vomit returned. They all had strange expressions. When they saw the people sitting in the classroom, they felt as if they had been transported back to their high school days.
Back then, entering the classroom was like this: familiar classmates sat in their seats, teachers would come to answer questions, and class leaders would say something on the podium.
There is only one thing that cannot be ignored—in this class, a group of people conspired to murder two classmates for unknown reasons.
In other words, they are now sitting with a group of murderers.
The students who returned late got goosebumps. After being called by the class monitor, they came to their senses but did not come back to sit down. Instead, they made an excuse that they had drunk too much and wanted to go to the hospital.
The teachers were a little nervous and wondered if they should take them to see the doctor, but they were refused. They were told that it was already late and that they had to say goodbye after catching up, so they should do it now.
It's always a bit melancholic to part ways at any time. But watching the students they've taught grow up and now lead different lives brings teachers a sense of satisfaction, perhaps a little sadness, but mostly joy.
We parted at the school gate, everything was just like back then. We waved goodbye, and it had been ten years since we last met.
The students went their separate ways, each using different methods of transportation. Wu Wangwang silently went to the nearby bus stop, choosing this method to get home.
Jiaojiao had a car. She and Du Luo drove away. When they passed the bus stop, she wanted to give Wu Wangwang a ride, but Wu Wangwang refused. She was too afraid to sit with someone whose identity was unknown.
Even when sitting together, there can't be any outsiders, otherwise it will be troublesome if our identities are exposed.
After waving goodbye to Du Luo, Wu Wangwang waited a long time for the bus to arrive. She scanned the code to board the bus, found a seat at random, and the bus continued to move forward.
After passing through the city's dazzling night lights, Wu Wangwang leaned back in her chair, watching the scenery outside the window gradually transform from city to wasteland.
A broken vow will come back to haunt you sooner or later.
While Wu Wangwang was still thinking about how to survive in a logically sound way, she discovered that the bus had driven to a river on the outskirts of the city. After the bus stopped, the driver suddenly fell down, hitting his head on the steering wheel. It was unclear whether he was dead or alive.
According to previous reports, Wu Wangwang believes that the murderer drowned the person by holding them underwater. It is unknown how the body was disposed of; perhaps it was simply tied with stones and sank to the bottom of the water, never to resurface.
So when she saw the river outside the window, Wu Wangwang simply got up, got out of the car through the open back door, and slowly walked to the riverbank. She looked around and felt that the river was calm and didn't seem very wide or deep.
As she was about to change her position to observe, someone suddenly shoved Wu Wangwang. As she fell forward, she instinctively turned around and saw Du Luo's ferocious face.
The next second, Wu Wangwang was slammed into the water. It was pitch black all around, and the river water rushed into Wu Wangwang's mouth, eyes and nose. She sank down, and then something pressed her down, making her sink in the water and unable to get up or touch the riverbed.
The man held her down for a full hour, but instead of throwing Wu Wangwang to the bottom of the river, he pulled her up again and dragged her to a nearby pond. On the other side was the surging sea.
Du Luo threw Wu Wangwang's lifeless body near the pond sluice gate, and then opened the sluice gate himself.
Changing the water in a pond is similar to opening a dam in a reservoir. The surging water can wash the contents directly into the deep sea. Combined with the issue of seawater, they will be washed away very quickly. If it happens to be monsoon season, it can drag on for seven or eight hours, and the body will never be found again.
Moreover, there are large fish in the sea, and the bleeding corpse will be completely devoured by sea creatures, erasing all evidence.
After Du Luo drained the water, she restored the entire pond to its original state. She was already a ghost, so she didn't need any extra cover-up. Without the protection of an oath, and with the most crucial person dead, the rest was much easier to deal with.
After Du Luo left, Wu Wangwang surfaced from the water. Since she was a ghost, she wouldn't drown. After confirming that no one was around, she waded back to the shore and sighed. If Wu Wangwang had come to this instance by herself, she probably would have died here.
This type of dungeon is the most difficult. The ghosts are already in the party from the beginning. They work with the players to solve puzzles and survive countless near-death experiences, but they conceal the most crucial secret. When the game is about to be completed, the other players are given false information and are naturally unable to complete the game and are killed.
When Wu Wangwang walked back to the river, the bus was gone. In this desolate wilderness, she still had to find a way to get back.
When she was pushed into the river, Wu Wangwang was afraid of being discovered, so she took no precautions at all. As a result, her phone is now damaged from being submerged in water and she can't open the map.
Fortunately, she could barely remember which roads she had taken, and Wu Wangwang slowly walked back.
After walking a few steps, she worried that if she went back, she would be identified by the referee. After thinking it over, she realized that she should actually be like Du Luo now, a missing person. Being missing does not mean being dead.
So Wu Wangwang didn't go back, but returned to the sea to find the fishermen returning home. She wasn't very good at calculating the monsoon and the water season, but fishermen always came back after going out to sea, and she would meet them.
After soaking in the sea for a long time, Wu Wangwang finally waited for a passing fishing boat. He moved to make the fishermen notice him.
Sure enough, the kind-hearted fishermen noticed something and quickly turned their boat around to rescue Wu Wangwang with their nets.
The fishermen were very knowledgeable about first aid. When they found that Wu Wangwang was still breathing faintly, they quickly gave her antibiotics and first aid supplies, barely keeping her alive before sending her to the nearest hospital.
Coastal cities are good at treating related symptoms. Wu Wangwang went to the hospital and experienced what it's called surgery. The anesthesia didn't work on her, and she didn't feel any pain when the scalpel went in. She just felt strange, like someone was cutting her body, and she felt like she was going to be eaten.
Wu Wangwang was treated in the hospital afterward. She still had all her cards, and even though her phone was broken, she could still use her own cards to receive medical insurance treatment.
Upon hearing about this, the company confirmed the matter and took away Wu Wangwang's perfect attendance record, but gave her a compensation payment, which was considered to be returning the perfect attendance record to her in another way.
She spent five days in the hospital. Wu Wangwang put on a convincing act, only returning home after the hospital check-up confirmed that everything was alright.
The first thing she did when she got back was to contact Jiaojiao, but she found that the group had been disbanded and she couldn't get through on the phone.
Du Luo is clearly the boss, but we don't know why it's Du Luo. Jiao Jiao's accident was actually expected.
It is now August 22nd, and there are still nine days left until the end of the dungeon. However, there are still many questions about the entire dungeon, and Wu Wangwang still doesn't understand the death mechanism.
With Jiaojiao missing and unable to be relied upon, Wu Wangwang could only break the printer after arriving at the company and call the player to fix it.
This repairman player is probably in cahoots with Jiaojiao. The note he's holding is likely a pledge, so logically he should know more. Whenever they meet, he and Wu Wangwang exchange information, and no one knows how the ghost managed to defeat them one by one.
But the repairman who came today was a different person; he was an NPC.
Wu Wangwang paused for a moment and asked, "What about the master from before?"
The NPC replied with a smile, "He's going back to his hometown to get married, so he resigned. I'll be doing the repairs from now on. Don't worry, I'm very skilled too."
Going back to one's hometown to get married—what an excuse!
Wu Wangwang felt that the other party must know something, and that his note was definitely not simple, so he asked the NPC male player for his home address, saying that he was his classmate and that he had suddenly lost contact with him and was a little worried.
The NPC didn't think much of it, after all, Wu Wangwang had taken out a graduation photo, which had quite a few people in it.
“You two are classmates, it’s really fate that we met here. Let’s exchange contact information, and I’ll ask around at the company and let you know when I have the results.” The NPC generously added Wu Wangwang as a friend.
As they were leaving, the NPC suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, there's someone in your graduation photo who I think I've seen before."
Wu Wangwang was taken aback, then quickly pulled up the photo again and enlarged it to show the NPC: "Which one?"
The NPC looked at him carefully for a while, then pointed to one of the boys and said, "This guy came to the company to see him before he resigned. I was supposed to rest that day, but because this guy came, he asked for leave and switched shifts with me. Then the next day he submitted his resignation and said he was going back to his hometown to get married. I was angry, but he gave me a red envelope later, and that was the end of it."
The man pointed out in the photo is one of the male players holding other information. Did the three of them know something?
That's why you went to find a repairman?
Wu Wangwang smiled and said, "Thank you. We were classmates and have a good relationship. It's normal for us to look for each other. I just haven't been able to contact him for a long time. I don't know if something happened to him. I want to go and see him to make sure he's safe. If he really is getting married back in his hometown, I'll go and join the wedding banquet."
The NPC chuckled, not taking it seriously. He figured it must be some messy affair. Marriage would probably end it all. He wasn't trying to upset her, but since this had happened, who knew if Wu Wangwang would go crazy if he didn't tell her? It was better to quickly shift the blame.
In the afternoon, Wu Wangwang received the address from the NPC. The NPC said that the address might not be occupied anymore, since it was the address she filled in when she joined the company, and the address might have been moved to another place long ago.
Just like Fu Mei, these people who killed their classmates would not stay in one place for long.
Unfortunately, this was the only clue. After getting off work, Wu Wangwang rushed over and found the place after dark. It was a residential building in a dilapidated alley. This kind of house was similar to where Fu Mei lived; they were all rental houses that the landlords had converted themselves.
The password for the door is usually one, two, three, four, five, six. Wu Wangwang tried it casually and the door opened. After going inside, she found the door number and hurriedly knocked on the door.
After knocking for a long time, a voice finally came from behind the door: "Who is it?"
Wu Wangwang felt that the voice didn't sound like a repairman's, so she cautiously replied, "I'm Fu Mei. I'm looking for a classmate from July 9th. Are you there?"
"I don't know him, get out of here." The voice behind the door answered urgently.
“I know the truth, but I don’t know the death mechanism. If we exchange information, we might find a way to pass the level.” Wu Wangwang was certain that there was a player behind her, so she immediately used key information to lure him. Anyway, her vow had already been broken, and Du Luo might sense that she was still alive and come to continue his attack at any time.
You might not be so lucky to run into fishermen the second time, so you have to seize every opportunity.
The person behind the door remained silent for a long time, almost half an hour, before the door slowly opened.
The man who appeared before Wu Wangwang was a gaunt man with dark circles under his eyes. Wu Wangwang remembered that he was impersonating another player in Jiaojiao's faction. He was very inconspicuous, just like the original design of this instance. She almost forgot that he existed.
The man urged, "Come in quickly."
After Wu Wangwang entered the house, the man locked the door and then began to frantically search the small rented room, leaving no corner unchecked. Only after confirming that there was not a drop of water or a speck of dirt in the room did he breathe a sigh of relief and lie down on the bed.
At this moment, Wu Wangwang noticed that the rental house was very clean and new, and it had no kitchen, no bathroom, and not even a water bar. It was even more basic than the house that the original owner rented when she was working.
Wu Wangwang walked to the bedside: "I know that the nine of us players are the murderers. Back in high school, we worked together to kill two classmates. This instance is because the two classmates came to take revenge, which is why the safe zone is set up in the police station. If you turn yourself in, you can get protection."
The man gave a mocking laugh after hearing this: "Nine? No, it's seven."
This really shocked Wu Wangwang. She never expected that the number of players she counted would include two ghosts!
No wonder it looks like a 50/50 split. Du Luo should clearly be on the other side, but he always stays by Jiao Jiao's side, so Jiao Jiao's side ends up with an extra person.
But that's not right either. If Du Luo is a ghost in the opposing camp, then there should be a male ghost in Jiao Jiao's camp, so that it matches the genders of Guo Tianyin and Chu Ping.
Wu Wangwang took a step back warily, assuming a defensive stance: "The repairman has disappeared. You wouldn't happen to be the ghost, would you?"
The man gave Wu Wangwang a strange look: "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you know something else?"
"Don't play dumb. Guo Tianyin and Chu Ping are victims. We all found out at the party. They are a man and a woman. So far, Du Luo is definitely Chu Ping, and the repairman should be a cautious player. So you must be Guo Tianyin." Wu Wangwang clenched her fists, wondering whether she should eat this man's memories to protect her identity.
However, the man shook his head: "I don't understand what you're saying. I only know that there are two female ghosts, one is Du Luo, and the other is... Shi Rong. Do you remember her? Shi Rong is the girl who always keeps quiet."
Wu Wangwang slowly matched the names with the players' appearances. She took out her phone and looked at the list again. Finally, she found the girl named Shi Rong, and... she was standing right next to Fu Mei.
When taking graduation photos, close friends who are not too far apart in height will stand together, holding hands, capturing their friendship in that moment.
Fu Mei's best friend is not Jiao Jiao, nor the deceased Chu Ping, but Shi Rong!
In the shadows of the photo, the two were subtly pulling their sleeves together, very well hidden. Without careful observation, they would be mistaken for ordinary classmates. Once inside the instance, Shi Rong was as if invisible, and never appeared at the same time as Fu Mei.
Even the NPC class leader said that Fu Mei's interpersonal relationships have deteriorated a lot; she wasn't like this before.
"...How did you figure that out?" Wu Wangwang asked in astonishment.
The man was silent for a moment, then took out a crumpled piece of paper and held it up for Wu Wang to see: "This is my paper."
【I, Fu Mei, I, Hua Jiao, I… We swear on our lives that today's events will be buried forever, that nothing happened today, that we know nothing, that we will remain true to ourselves and never betray our principles.】
There are seven names in total, including Fu Mei and several other players, but Du Luo and Shi Rong are not among them.
Wu Wangwang was so shocked that she couldn't speak. There was actually a player who knew who the ghost was from the very beginning. Since they already knew the answer, why didn't they say it?
"You knew all along, so why didn't you tell us?" Wu Wangwang asked.
The man touched the note in his hand: "To be precise, we only didn't tell four people: you, Jiaojiao, Duluo, and Shirong. Before we could contact you, you met with them on the 19th, which means you trusted Duluo's identity. We would rather be on guard than trust you."
Logically, it makes sense. After all, this is a checkpoint that exploits information asymmetry. The information on the note is the only way to break through it. The fewer people you tell, the less danger you face.
Wu Wangwang expressed her understanding: "You did the right thing, but why did you suddenly believe me again?"
The man looked terrified: "We were very careful, but... but... I don't know why, we're still being chased. You can see this house. I'm not the repairman. He used to live here. You can see it's very clean. We never went to any water or muddy places, but he's dead."
The time of death was three days ago. The other five players shared information and knew how dangerous Du Luo and Shi Rong were. They originally planned to kill Hua Jiao and Wu Wangwang, who were in the way, at the gathering that day. If the two of them died, it might buy them some time and delay the ghost's revenge.
Unexpectedly, Wu Wangwang was so eloquent that she turned the situation around in a few moments, leaving the others with no choice but to continue pretending according to the original script.
They parted ways that evening, but soon went to a police station to gather information and figure out what to do.
The only remaining female player suggested that, after what happened at the party, she felt that Wu Wangwang was capable, and she noticed that Wu Wangwang never spoke a word to Du Luo again afterward, perhaps she had already realized that something was wrong with Du Luo.
Then Wu Wangwang can win over the situation; more people mean more strength.
Anyway, now that we know where Wu Wangwang works, the repairman went to Fu Mei's company to find her the next day.
As a result, the company announced that Wu Wangwang had disappeared. The repairman was shocked and realized that the ghost was going to kill people according to the death conditions. He summoned the players again and told them the news.
Wu Wangwang maintains Fu Mei's persona, being a loner and dying is normal. The man thinks he should check on Hua Jiao's condition. Du Luo lives with Hua Jiao, so as long as Hua Jiao is alright, it's not their turn yet.
They contacted Hua Jiao with high hopes. Hua Jiao said that everything was normal and that Du Luo had been painting at home and had not gone out. She said that the two of them were being very careful. Hua Jiao also asked Wu Wangwang what was wrong and why she couldn't contact her.
The players didn't dare tell her, so they just brushed it off and then discussed that they had to move to a different place, just like the previous murderers had done, constantly moving to avoid her.
So the players went back to deal with things, changing jobs and houses whenever possible, and trying to avoid places with water or mud.
The next day, Hua Jiao disappeared. The man asked another male player to find the repairman and tell him to move out as soon as possible. However, they never came back.
The man became alert and, after searching several places without finding a satisfactory one, finally hid at the repairman's place. He reasoned that since Du Luo and Shi Rong had already killed the repairman, they probably wouldn't come back looking for him, so he was probably safe here for the time being, at least to buy himself a few days and think of other options.
He barely slept for the past three days, constantly on guard against the water in the room, and tried to contact the remaining two players, but to no avail. Just then, Wu Wangwang returned.
Before opening the door, the man hesitated, wondering what if Wu Wangwang was actually Du Luo in disguise, trying to deceive him.
Until Wu Wangwang said she knew the truth and wanted to exchange it for death, the man, having been trapped for so many days, couldn't help but hold onto hope. He still wanted to live. This instance was almost driven mad by the killing, and he wasn't a particularly skilled instance-clearer, so he tried to find a clue to survive from Wu Wangwang.
Unexpectedly, Wu Wangwang's clues didn't seem to match his. The two were talking at odds, and for a moment the man didn't know whether to believe her or himself.
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Author's Note: [End of Chapter]
Wu Wangwang: Is this dungeon supposed to be a spy game? Which game company designs their dungeons like this? [Shrug]
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A super long chapter of 10,000 words! Thank you all for your support! Mwah! [kissing emoji]
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