Everyone was momentarily at a loss, completely unsure of where to start. If it weren’t for the hint from Qi Xiaokui’s card, they might have resorted to interrogating the passengers, thinking one of them must be the culprit. However, after seeing the card, they realized that on this bus, whether it was a person or any other object, even just a chair leg, could potentially be the embodiment of a demon, lurking somewhere and capable of changing at any moment.
Even Dong Xiu was confused, squinting his eyes and scanning the bus interior with a sharp gaze.
Yet Xin Meng had a vague idea. Ever since everyone boarded the bus, aside from the bizarre NPCs who kept repeating the same dialogues, the only significant event that had occurred was Li Yougen’s recent death.
In fact, Xin Meng had gained quite a few insights from the previous game, and his thinking had become broader. He understood that sometimes, the death of a teammate represented not just fear for others, but more importantly, a clue.
Perhaps he could find an entry point from here.
He glanced at Li Yougen, just about to speak, when he saw You Yi walk over to him and whisper, “Look among the passengers.”
Xin Meng was taken aback; he felt that You Yi’s words were very meaningful. The certainty in his tone did not sound like a guess, but rather as if he truly knew who the demon was.
“Do you know who the demon is?” Xin Meng asked, thinking aloud.
You Yi did not answer. He calmly scanned the bus interior, his expression devoid of any fluctuation.
“Can’t you tell me?” Seeing his attitude, Xin Meng felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He always sensed that You Yi carried an aura of detachment, making him feel out of place among the team. Even though he didn’t know why You Yi regarded him differently, allowing him to enjoy special treatment, Xin Meng still felt a distance from this man, not close enough, which occasionally made him feel quite anxious.
Could it be that You Yi didn’t trust him?
He couldn’t help but start to overthink, his expression becoming conflicted. You Yi glanced at him and quietly said, “Every time you clear a level, the difficulty of the game increases, and the players’ situations become more dangerous. I can’t guarantee that I’ll always be assigned to your side; there will be times when you have to face things on your own. While I’m here now, it’s your best opportunity to train yourself. In fact, once you’ve cleared more games, you’ll start to enjoy the fun of solving puzzles.”
Whether he could hold on until that time, Xin Meng had never considered, but You Yi’s words made him feel much better. At least the other party did not treat him as an outsider and was willing to be his strongest support and umbrella. Moreover, he was right; this was indeed the best opportunity for him to train himself. If he made a mistake, with You Yi watching over him, he would still have a chance to correct it.
Thinking this way, Xin Meng tried to walk towards the spot where Li Yougen had just died. He stood in that position, slightly turned to the side like Li Yougen, with the back of a chair holding a rabbit doll in front of him. To the left was the doll, and to the right was a flirtatious woman who had been throwing him glances. The woman wore a super short skirt, her long, white legs crossed and extending out from the side, dazzlingly white and almost blinding. Xin Meng was still young and shy; he only glanced at her before quickly turning his head away.
Looking up, he faced the bus window, where it was pitch black outside, with no light visible. The light from the ceiling cast Xin Meng’s shadow on the glass, his round eyes and troubled expression clearly visible.
Looking further up, above the glass, there was a pink sticky note, looking freshly placed, with two hearts connected and a rose, which seemed out of place in the old bus interior.
Hearts connected? A rose?
A thought flashed through his mind, and just as he was about to ponder it further, his gaze inadvertently fell on the window, and he suddenly noticed something appearing in the bottomless darkness outside!
Xin Meng widened his eyes, trying to see more clearly, his body unconsciously leaning towards the window. He placed his hand on the back of the doll chair, leaning forward, his face almost touching the glass, and his pants accidentally brushed against the flirtatious woman’s leg.
It was white, blurry, appearing bit by bit…
At that moment, Xin Meng suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness, his body losing weight in an instant, the solid feeling beneath his feet disappearing. It was as if he was falling into an abyss, cold sweat instantly soaking his forehead. Xin Meng couldn’t help but scream, and after a flash of darkness in front of him, the scene that reappeared made his heart race!
Just as Li Yougen had said, it was as if he was instantly pulled into another space, but what he saw was not a mountain of corpses or tentacled monsters, but a ground covered in insects!
Those insects had long, worm-like bodies, yet each was as thick as a python, their brown skin covered in disgusting slime, writhing and crawling on the ground. But that wasn’t the most terrifying part; the most horrifying thing was that those worm-like insects actually had human faces!
The faces were twisted and grotesque, with disheveled hair, clearly defined black and white eyes, and all the features of a human—eyebrows, nose, and mouth filled with sharp teeth. They silently roared, like hungry beasts that had suddenly discovered a delicious prey, each face showing a thirst for Xin Meng as they slowly crawled towards him…
Xin Meng wanted to retreat but was horrified to find that his body was completely out of control!
He tried to lift his legs with all his might, but it felt as if he had lost all control; every part of him no longer obeyed his commands, and he even began to struggle to breathe!
As those human-faced worm monsters surrounded his feet, wrapping their slimy, slippery bodies around his legs, raising their human faces to him, almost biting him under his wide-eyed stare, the scene in front of him went black again. When it brightened, he found himself back in the bus, seeing familiar teammates and You Yi, who had already come to his side to protect him.
Seeing him, Xin Meng’s legs went weak, nearly collapsing to the ground, but You Yi pulled him up, wrapping him in his arms. Xin Meng leaned all his weight against him, trembling continuously, his heart racing as if it would leap out of his chest. For a long time, he couldn’t utter a word, his lips quivering, his body drenched in cold sweat.
“I told you, only those who have seen it know how terrifying it is. Those who haven’t experienced it have no right to mock me or us for being cowardly.”
He could vaguely hear Li Yougen muttering complaints. Xin Meng wiped the sweat from his face, his ears buzzing, and it took a while for him to feel a bit better.
“Don’t be afraid. Are you feeling better?” You Yi pulled out a quick-dry towel from his backpack with one hand to help him wipe the sweat, while his other hand firmly wrapped around Xin Meng’s waist, providing him with crucial support and comfort.
“Yeah, I…” Xin Meng was about to speak but was interrupted by You Yi.
“Don’t talk yet, drink some water.”
With the mouth of the water bottle against his lips, Xin Meng took a couple of sips. The cool water slid down his throat, soothing his racing heart significantly.
“No one is mocking him.” The conversation continued over there, with Qi Xiaokui looking at Li Yougen’s damp pants and smirking, “At least he didn’t wet himself from fear.”
“You!” Li Yougen was furious, “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re a woman! I…”
Qi Xiaokui, however, was not afraid at all, still leisurely fixing her bangs, “Oh? Aren’t you a party member? Party members don’t hit people?”
“You, you…” Li Yougen clenched his fist, but ultimately lowered his hand again. “Of course, party members don’t hit people, but you have to remember, party members are leaders. If you dare to speak to a leader like that again, you’ll be punished!”
“Oh? What will you use to punish me?” Qi Xiaokui mocked, “Your wet pants?”
Li Yougen’s face turned beet red, but he was at a loss for words, his body trembling with anger.
Qi Xiaokui, however, ignored him, turning her gaze towards the two men embracing each other, her eyes narrowing slightly.
If marriages between men and women are unreliable, even if they once loved each other, they can eventually turn into hatred and betrayal, then what about two men? In this game where life is uncertain and death can come at any moment, what will such naive and ambiguous feelings turn into in the end?
Her thoughts were complex and hard to articulate. After a while, Qi Xiaokui mocked herself again in her heart, wondering why she was thinking so much. At least two men wouldn’t have children, wouldn’t… bring another innocent life into a tragic existence like her own.
“Illusions…” Xin Meng gasped for breath but didn’t pull away from You Yi’s embrace. He still needed some support for now. That feeling of having nowhere to escape, of being powerless to struggle, and even losing control of his body was far more painful and terrifying than seeing a deformed monster.
“What did you say?” Dong Xiu, who had been looking at the numbers above Xin Meng’s head decreasing, frowned and asked upon hearing this.
“Those are illusions. I… and Li Yougen saw them; they are all illusions,” Xin Meng calmed his breathing, gripping You Yi’s sleeve tightly, and spoke clearly, “They are illusions created by the demon, not the demon itself.”
“Are you saying that the tentacle monster isn’t the demon?” Li Yougen exclaimed in disbelief.
Xin Meng shook his head, “What I saw is different from what you described, and aside from being frightened, I, like you, didn’t suffer any substantial harm. So I believe that it was merely an illusion created by the demon or the game, triggered at the moment of death to increase our sense of fear.”
“Damn, that’s really twisted!” Xiong Jiabao cursed.
“But it’s not without its benefits,” he looked up at You Yi, very happy, “I found a breakthrough and have a rough idea of who the demon is!”
However, You Yi’s expression seemed to grow even colder.
“What’s wrong…” Xin Meng’s voice involuntarily lowered. Why did it feel like You Yi was a bit angry?
“You were too reckless.” You Yi frowned, “If this game still only gives one life, you have already failed.”
“I’m sorry…” Xin Meng realized he had been somewhat careless. Perhaps the sense of having support from You Yi earlier had made him relax. In fact, he should have approached that area more cautiously instead of directly putting himself in danger, ultimately repeating Li Yougen’s fate.
He felt guilty; You Yi had just told him to work hard to train himself, and yet he had recklessly died once…
Thinking You Yi would reprimand him, he was surprised when You Yi finally said seriously, “From now on, keep your distance from Xiong Jiabao.”
Xin Meng: “Pfft!”
Xiong Jiabao: “…”
Xin Meng covered his mouth and laughed. Was he saying that his recklessness was contagious from Xiong Jiabao?
Xiong Jiabao: “…Are you really going to defend him like that?! QAQ”
“I said, you guys,” Dong Xiu said with a dark face, pointing at the clock, “There are only five minutes left! Are you still in the mood to joke around?!”
Everyone looked up, and to their surprise, the black hand had already pointed to 11!
