Chapter 36: The Disappearance of the Props

"I can sense his aura. Listen to me: keep going straight, and when you reach the fork ahead, turn right."

"Okay, okay!"

Duoduo nodded and obediently headed forward. However, just as she took two steps, the countdown suddenly ended. The lights overhead flickered with a buzzing sound and then went out.

"Hee hee, the countdown is over. Are you hidden? I’m starting the hunt now!"

A bizarre, chilling laughter echoed through the dim corridor. The young girl who had just parted ways with Duoduo turned pale with fright. She hadn't found any items yet, and the countdown had already ended. If she were caught by the ghoul, wouldn't she be dead for sure? What should she do? Where could she hide?

Of the other players, only Duoduo had obtained an item during the first round of refreshing—a useless trinket at that. Seeing the lights suddenly extinguish, the players all became tense and scrambled to find places to hide.

In the darkness, the watch on Duoduo’s wrist flashed with a constant red light. She didn't pay it any mind and kept walking forward in the dark.

"Big brother, I’m coming to find you!"

Only her voice filled the empty corridor.

Zhang Yangfan’s ears twitched, and he began his hunt. It was pitch black in Room 1. The livestream channel, being quite user-friendly, activated night-vision mode.

"Wow, what did I just see? The moment the lights went out, someone's heart rate exceeded one hundred. She hadn't even seen the shadow of the ghoul and was wiped out just like that!"

"There were 44 people in total, and now there are only 39 left. If they are this easily frightened, why even come to a Hell-tier dungeon?"

"Oh no, I just caught a glimpse—Duoduo’s heart rate reached 99."

"What child isn't afraid of the dark? It looks like she won't be so lucky this time!"

In the livestream, many voices of pity and sympathy appeared. Yet, a small number of people still blindly believed that Duoduo would be able to leave the Hell-tier dungeon alive.

Ling Yun, sitting behind the monitor, stood up abruptly upon seeing the watch on Duoduo’s wrist. The ghoul beside him was startled. Before he could recover, Ling Yun’s icy voice suddenly came through.

"Make arrangements; I’m going to Room 1!"

"But... but there is no precedent for this!" the ghoul said, looking troubled.

Ling Yun knit his brows, his expression darkening. The ghoul, knowing how to read the room, immediately changed his tune.

"There was no precedent before, but there can be now! I’ll go arrange it right away!"

***

As soon as the ghoul left, Ling Yun hacked into Duoduo’s watch via his equipment. The pulsing red heart on the watch was suddenly paused, the number fixed at 99. Still uneasy, Ling Yun hid his presence and quietly snuck into Room 1.

"It’s so dark, why can't I see anything? Big brother, where are you?"

Duoduo raised her small arms, hands feeling the way in front of her. At the thought that she was about to see her big brother, her little heart pounded with excitement.

Chouchou had originally wanted to warn her that a heart rate too high would result in being wiped out. However, before the words could leave its mouth, a familiar pressure crushed it, making it unable to breathe.

It was the old villain Ling Yun!

Chouchou seethed with hatred. No matter where it went, it ran into Ling Yun. If it had known this would happen, it would have been better to urge Duoduo to stay in the player base camp the whole time.

Zhang Yangfan, who was rushing toward them, suddenly felt the pressure appearing ahead and was so scared he turned and ran. Aside from the old ghoul Ling Yun, no one else could possess such a terrifying aura! But he was the NPC for this dungeon—why was the old ghoul Ling Yun causing trouble here? Forget it; he couldn't afford to provoke him, but he could at least run away, right?

As if he had seen a ghost, Zhang Yangfan bolted. He had just turned a corner when he ran into the girl who had abandoned Duoduo. Seeing the ghoul suddenly appear, the girl turned pale, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. No way—she couldn't be this unlucky, encountering a ghoul right at the start of the game, could she?

"Hehe, found you!"

Zhang Yangfan closed in quickly, opening his blood-filled maw to reveal a row of sharp fangs. The girl shrieked, instantly dissolving into a mist of blood.

"A player has been found by the ghoul. The countdown is restarting. Items in the scene have been refreshed; players may begin treasure hunting."

"Eighty-nine, eighty-eight..."

As the man's voice faded from the broadcast, Zhang Yangfan stood where the girl had disappeared, facing the wall and beginning the countdown. At the same time, the lights in the corridor all flickered to life. The players let out a sigh of relief and began searching for items.

"Congratulations to the player for obtaining the item: Knife. The knife has been soaked in black dog blood and is capable of destroying ghosts."

The emotionless broadcast voice came from above once again. It was the yellow-haired man from earlier who had found the knife. Holding the dagger, his eyes were filled with a smirk.

"You’ve got decent luck, kid, actually finding a knife."

The man beside him smiled and patted the yellow-haired man’s shoulder. The latter shot him a glance, immediately becoming guarded.

"Don't you even think about this knife."

"How could I? You found it; it belongs to you."

A flash of greed crossed the man’s eyes. He exchanged a look with another muscular man. The muscular man understood immediately and said with a smile, "This knife has been soaked in black dog blood? Let me see how it's different from an ordinary knife."

As the muscular man spoke, he reached out to snatch the blade. The yellow-haired man quickly dodged, looking at the two of them with suspicion.

"What’s there to see? Let’s just hurry up and find other items!"

"Don't be so stingy, fine, we won't look!" The muscular man waved his hand, then suddenly lunged at the yellow-haired man, gripping the knife in his hand. The yellow-haired man was no match for his strength and was pinned down.

"What are you staring at? Why aren't you coming to help?"

The yellow-haired man looked toward the other man, pinning all his hopes on him. However, the man only offered a cold smirk and picked up a card that the yellow-haired man had dropped on the ground.

"From the moment a player discovers this small card, whenever a player dies in the game, the countdown will restart."

"What?" Hearing this, the muscular man turned his head to look at the man behind him. The yellow-haired man seized the moment of distraction and plunged the knife into the muscular man’s chest. The muscular man let out a muffled groan of pain, his eyes widening in disbelief.

The yellow-haired man kicked him to the ground. "Damn it, you think you can kill me?" He spat, then bent down to retrieve the knife. The previous murder had clearly been plotted by the muscular man and the other man. With the muscular man dead, the next turn would be the other man's.

However, when he moved the muscular man’s hand and looked at his chest, he found that the knife was gone.

"The knife, where is my knife?"

The muscular man glared at him fixedly before dissolving into a mist of blood before his eyes.

"Ten, nine..."

"Uh-oh, you’ve discovered the secret of the Hell-tier dungeon! How annoying, the countdown has to restart again."

"Seventy-nine, seventy-eight..."

Zhang Yangfan’s voice echoed through the empty corridor. The other confused players, hearing the countdown restart, were filled with bewilderment.

"What’s going on? Why did the countdown suddenly restart?"

"Does anyone know what secret the ghoul was talking about?"