Free Web NovelChapter 1443: Chapter 893: Secrets
"Stop dilly-dallying, go home quickly, everyone to their own homes. I’ve really had enough of this ghost place." Hugging himself tightly, Zhang Jianjun was the first to walk through the safety door.
The others immediately followed suit and left.
As night deepened, from outside, only parts of the 17th floor of Rongjin Building were still lit, forming a stark contrast against the rest of the dark building.
Ever since rumors of haunting spread, there were hardly any renters for the high floors of this building. Even in rented office areas, there were absolutely no situations of working overtime at night, which had become an unwritten rule.
But Yang Xiao and his team had no choice; they were "chosen" tonight, three unlucky souls.
At this moment, the three of them were gathered together, seated in the lit office.
It was easy to imagine that just last night, Chen Moting and Su Xiaomin were the same.
The difference was merely that Chen Moting and Su Xiaomin were already dead, while the three of them were still alive.
"Why me?" Wu Zhuo was still complaining unhappily, "I didn’t do anything. I stayed far away from those two corpses. I didn’t touch them." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"You once played Chen Moting." Zhou Mingxiao explained, "Maybe that’s why you were chosen, as it indirectly pushed the plot forward."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuo looked at Yang Xiao, since it was Yang Xiao who forced him to play the role.
"Listen tonight, I’ll do my best to protect you." Yang Xiao didn’t care about Wu Zhuo’s opinion of him, but he truly didn’t want any more unnecessary casualties.
The current trend of the task was clear. Each night requires one more Night Watchman than the previous night, which means they must protect as many teammates as possible. Otherwise, after a few days, they won’t have enough people to watch at night, and the result would be immediate task failure.
As it stands, the reasons behind their selection were apparent. Wu Zhuo had played the deceased, he had led the initial four-person exploratory action, and Zhou Mingxiao had found President Chen’s contact information, gaining a lot of information from it.
What’s more interesting is that during today’s group actions, they were scattered evenly among three groups, perhaps not by coincidence.
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but speculate. If tomorrow everyone is divided into four groups, then the four people for next night’s watch might be chosen from those groups, possibly a hidden rule of the task.
"Chu Xi, what do you plan to do tonight?" Zhou Mingxiao knew Wu Zhuo was a simpleton, but Chu Xi was a good teammate, and he needed cooperation.
"From last night’s encounter of Chen Moting and Su Xiaomin, staying in the office could still lead to ghost attacks. If there’s a chance, I want to leave and check the fire scene on the 18th floor." Yang Xiao revealed his true intention.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuo was in disbelief, this guy seriously thinks about leaving the safety of the office and venturing to the most haunted 18th floor, isn’t he courting death?
"If you want to go, then go, Chu Xi. I might not be able to beat you, but don’t push it too far. In this matter, I’m definitely not listening to you, unless you kill me."
Wu Zhuo straightforwardly expressed his stance, suspecting Chu Xi wanted to use him as a pawn, just like the last time he played Chen Moting; he certainly wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.
"You don’t have to go." Yang Xiao didn’t force Wu Zhuo, because taking him along was pointless; the man wasn’t smart or experienced enough, and would only drag him down.
But to Wu Zhuo’s surprise, the prudent Zhou Mingxiao actually supported Chu Xi’s crazy idea, "I agree. A Taoist once stayed overnight on the 18th floor and survived, proving it’s not a death trap. Besides, I believe there are key clues there."
Zhou Mingxiao, a seasoned player, understood that some risks needed to be taken. If he wasn’t concerned, he could ignore them, but even if he survived tonight by huddling, what about tomorrow during the day?
After all, Chen Moting died during the day, in the office.
Chen Moting wasn’t inept, her caution was rare. Under equivalent conditions, Zhou Mingxiao didn’t think he could do better than Chen Moting, meaning that if he encountered ghosts during the day, he would also likely die.
Now, the wisest choice was taking some risks tonight, paving a way to survive tomorrow during the day.
Both Zhou Mingxiao and Yang Xiao, experienced players, sensed that the night wasn’t particularly dangerous; the task’s true horror lay in the daytime, and the ghost that took Chen Moting was the most frightening, making defense impossible.
"Are both of you really going upstairs? One of you going should be enough," seeing that both of them wanted to leave, Wu Zhuo was also a bit flustered, not wanting to be left alone.
"You can come with us." Unlike Yang Xiao, Zhou Mingxiao extended an invitation.
Of course, this invitation carried a hidden price tag. If Wu Zhuo was around, Zhou Mingxiao wouldn’t hesitate to use him as a Substitute Death in a critical moment, making full use of his presence.
If general danger arose within their capabilities, both Zhou Mingxiao and Yang Xiao would try to save him first, since having one more surviving teammate gives more hope for the future and alleviates team pressure.
Yet, faced with the invitation. Wu Zhuo hesitated, knowing they likely weren’t so kind-hearted; Yang Xiao’s malevolence was written all over his face, direct and straightforward, whereas Zhou Mingxiao’s deceit was what he found most alarming.
This man was a crafty old fox; despite his celestial demeanor, beneath lay a reservoir of tricks surpassing Yang Xiao, misleading and causing fatal traps for many naive youngsters in past tasks.
"Let’s see the situation then, gathering together is also a method, allowing mutual care." Wu Zhuo cunningly sidestepped, giving himself flexibility without committing to anything.
Nonetheless, he internally resolved firmly against leaving, based on last night’s intel that staying presented a high chance of survival.
Earlier this morning upon their arrival, a burnt corpse was discovered by the glass door, later confirmed to be Su Xiaomin’s body, killed for rashly leaving through the door, serving as a grim reminder for Wu Zhuo.
He wasn’t in any position to think about what to do tomorrow during the day; his immediate concern was surviving the night.
In his mind, the ideal plan was staying put in the office, letting Yang Xiao and Zhou Mingxiao go to the 18th floor, with one of them dying and the other returning with crucial clues.
By next day, when everyone gathered, they could deduce key information from last night’s corpse and the living person, potentially revealing background and kill patterns of the daytime ghost.
Once they learned the Fierce Ghost’s killing pattern, everything could be resolved easily; even if the ghost targeted him, he’d confidently survive.
Besides, Wu Zhuo felt the likelihood of the daytime ghost targeting him was slim, as he hadn’t ventured to disturb it on the 18th floor at night.
Hence, the person whom the daytime killer ghost would most likely target was the "lucky survivor" of Yang Xiao or Zhou Mingxiao, leaving him safe and potentially earning him recognition from teammates.
Securing influence within the team is crucial, reflecting peer acknowledgment of one’s value, and once others recognize him, they’d likely risk a bit to save him in danger, greatly increasing his survival odds.
Sometimes luck also signifies one’s strength; if tonight among the three only he makes it, everyone would regard him highly.
