"What do you mean it hasn't moved at all?" Youmi voiced the doubt in her heart. "If it hasn't moved, how did we get separated from those we were with, and meet those we weren't? Furthermore, our injuries, and our deaths, were all real, weren't they?"
Jing Minghe let out a bitter laugh. "In this City of Death, whether something is real or fake, it doesn't really matter. Don't forget, this is a world completely controlled by the system. Enter the dungeon game, pass and live, fail and die. How one lives, and how one dies, is all up to the system's design. Therefore, any form of action, death, or survival is possible here."
Youmi paused for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. But most of the important clues we've obtained came from that space. If we don't go in, how will we pass?"
Hearing this, Jing Minghe smiled helplessly. "Sister Youmi, didn't I tell you? That space doesn't exist."
"I know, it's just..." Youmi frowned. "Even if it doesn't exist, whether it's a conscious act or an implanted one, there's still a difference. Can we make this difference disappear?"
"Of course we can," Jing Minghe's gaze passed over Youmi, settling on a direction behind her. "As long as we are all within the same radius, it won't have the necessity to exist."
As Jing Minghe finished speaking, Chi Hao said, "Come out."
Youmi and Qiao Qiao, hearing this, simultaneously looked in the direction Jing Minghe was gazing.
Gao He emerged from behind a large branch, his expression a mix of reluctance and obligation.
Gao He knew very well that his task today was not to steal time, but to find a way to leave the dungeon as quickly as possible. Previously, he had only been thinking about how to successfully steal others' time and had found no clues about passing the dungeon.
The moment Shi Wan saw Gao He, even though he knew Gao He killed Chen Mo due to the dungeon's rules, he couldn't hide his resentment and glared fiercely at him.
Gao He merely glanced at Shi Wan. He knew Chen Mo, who died because his time was stolen, was related to Shi Wan, but he felt no guilt. In a place where survival trumps relationships, anything anyone does to survive is justifiable.
"Still one short," Qiao Qiao took a couple of steps back as Gao He approached, pressing close to Youmi. "That guy named Ding Chang isn't here."
Before Jing Minghe could speak, Chi Hao spoke up, a low chuckle escaping his lips. He raised a hand and gently placed it on Jing Minghe's shoulder, as if answering Qiao Qiao, or perhaps reassuring Jing Minghe. "Don't worry, he won't escape."
"There's still some time before the hunting hour," Jing Minghe added. "Given how much that person cherishes his life, he'll come to us. After all, even if he's not a good person, he's not stupid."
Everything that needed to be explained had been clarified. Now, it was time to focus on completing the conditions for passing.
Just as Youmi felt they were moving forward without direction, Qiao Qiao finally noticed something. "This... this is the direction Du Heng disappeared in yesterday?"
Hearing Qiao Qiao's words, Jing Minghe turned back with a hint of surprise. He remembered how frightened Qiao Qiao had been by Du Heng's death yesterday, and he thought she wouldn't have noticed anything. He hadn't expected this woman to be more observant than he thought.
However, although Qiao Qiao noticed the direction, she was still uncertain about finding the Blood Butterfly Tide.
Everyone, with their own thoughts, followed Jing Minghe and Chi Hao. With no clues about how to pass and time running short, they could only temporarily trust them.
"We've arrived."
Jing Minghe and Chi Hao suddenly stopped. The words "We've arrived" caused those following behind to exchange bewildered glances.
"Arrived? Where?"
Qiao Qiao scanned the surroundings, looking for the Blood Butterfly Tide, or a red pupa that could trigger it. But after searching, she found nothing but giant floral plants.
"Twin."
Jing Minghe and Chi Hao spoke in unison, their minds clearly in sync.
Youmi blinked, then immediately understood. Qiao Qiao also caught on, and as Jing Minghe and Chi Hao finished speaking, Gao He was already making a move.
Thus, including a distracted Shi Wan, the six people immediately dispersed, heading towards the same objective.
Although he didn't really want to separate from Jing Minghe, Chi Hao felt there were some things that would be better if Jing Minghe weren't present.
After separating from Jing Minghe and the others, Chi Hao had only walked a short distance before he suddenly moved rapidly in Qiao Qiao's direction. However, he didn't follow her directly but instead circled around to the other side.
·
After much deliberation, Ding Chang finally decided to make his move. He had thought Jing Minghe, weakened by the dungeon's rules, would perish in this dungeon. To his surprise, not only was he alive and well, but he had also grasped crucial clues for passing.
His conflict with Jing Minghe and Chi Hao ran too deep. Jing Minghe and the others would certainly not be willing to let him hitch a ride to pass the dungeon. If he himself possessed key clues for passing, at least there would be room for negotiation. Unfortunately, he hadn't found any clues in the past two days, his luck so bad that he was beginning to suspect the dungeon was deliberately messing with him.
There was no time to lose; this was his only chance.
Just as Ding Chang prepared to act, a figure flashed before his eyes, and the item in his hand vanished without a trace. As he was about to search for it, his hands were twisted behind his back, and an icy voice entered his ear.
"Seeking death."
"It's you!" Ding Chang struggled to break free from Chi Hao's restraint, but to no avail.
How was this possible?
Ding Chang stared with disbelief, his eyes wide. He couldn't understand how he, a Black Butterfly Imprinter and the most powerful being in this dungeon, could be subdued so easily by Chi Hao and be unable to break free.
Chi Hao applied a little more pressure, causing Ding Chang so much pain that he no longer had the energy to ponder the reason.
"Ah! Chi Hao! You think you..."
"Shut up," Chi Hao exerted more force, interrupting Ding Chang. "If you don't want to die, then truthfully tell me, who gave you this high-level item?"
Ding Chang scoffed. "My things, of course, I bought them myself. What are you asking..." Ah!
The intense pain made Ding Chang cut off his words again. "Chi Hao!"
"I told you, if you don't want to die, then truthfully confess. This item is not something you can afford."
Chi Hao casually glanced at the high-level item he had taken from Ding Chang's hand. It was not something that could be easily purchased; it required an exorbitant amount of points, and upon purchase, a set of evaluations had to be completed. Only when the system deemed them worthy would it be sold to a player.
The evaluation was not for righteousness, but for darkness, as the item itself was filled with malice.
The item's name was the Replacement Needle. If one smeared their blood on the needle and, while the target was not paying attention, fully inserted it into the opponent, they could exchange their and the opponent's outcomes in this dungeon.
If both passed, that would be best. If one couldn't pass, they would use their failure to exchange for another's success.
"You want me to tell you? Dream on!" Ding Chang laughed heartily. "However, I can tell you something else. There isn't only one way to leave the City of Death; you can also trade with it. And I'm definitely not the only one who has made such a trade. Among us, there's another person besides me who has the same item. Guess who he would use this item on?"
"Minghe!"
Youmi's exclamation suddenly rang out, and Ding Chang deliberately laughed even more wildly.