"Apart from the serial murders in the city next door, there were also quite a few similar serial murder cases. However, the serial murder cases we’ve found were all horrific events carried out by extrely cruel murderers. They were widely publicized because the victims died in such ghastly conditions."
"Of course, what I’ve said is of little use. The instance doesn’t want us to delve into the ghost’s origin or past events. This instance only wants us to survive here; hence, most useful information and background details are hidden."
At this point, Chu Changge adjusted his glasses. "However, luckily, there’s a Fortune-teller in this instance."
He said this while looking at the black-robed girl.
Gu Mian also turned his gaze to the Fortune-teller. This woman, clad in a black robe, would probably be tied to a stake and burned if she were to travel back to dieval Europe.
The Fortune-teller chuckled, embarrassed. "You all know fortunetelling isn’t omnipotent. Just like how I can’t divine the math paper for this year’s college entrance exam..."
Gu Mian recalled the college entrance exam activity. "Then I suppose there won’t be any math questions in this year’s college entrance exam," he said.
The Fortune-teller cleared her throat and continued, "I can’t divine specific events, but I can divine whether sothing has happened or not. Of course, the failure rate isn’t low. If a divination fails, it doesn’t give a wrong answer; rather, it completely fails to reveal what you want to know..."
"Since the Pendulum is a special item obtained from the instance, my failure rate with Pendulum Divination is currently the lowest," she said, taking out her Pendulum. "When I divine sothing, if it swings clockwise, the answer is affirmative. Counter-clockwise ans negative. If the divination fails, it won’t swing at all."
Chu Changge adjusted his glasses again.
"I had her divine whether the serial killer in Ziyang City was a ghost. The Pendulum swung clockwise.
"Whether the ghost had committed serial killings multiple tis. Clockwise again.
"Whether there were players among the earlier victims. The Pendulum didn’t move... We can basically confirm that the ghost is systematically killing players who enter this instance by committing serial murders."
At this point in his explanation, Caoyuan interjected, frowning with a strange look on his face, "Hold on, doesn’t the instance clear its data and restart after each batch of players? The data for players killed previously should have been erased."
Mingyue, next to him, also wore a peculiar expression.
The Fortune-teller looked sowhat uneasy. "I’m sorry, Mr. Caoyuan, but according to my divinations, the instance chanics don’t seem to work the way you think."
After witnessing Gu Mian’s exploits in the Sweet Lovers instance, the Fortune-teller’s worldview had crumbled. She began to doubt the instance itself and, as a result, perford several divinations concerning the instance’s creators.
Using her profession obtained from the instance to divine the instance’s chanics is like a character created by an author trying to kill the author—basically impossible.
But the Fortune-teller succeeded. Despite countless failures, she finally managed to glimpse the instance’s secrets.
Of course, regarding the instance, her divination only succeeded that one ti. Using the Pendulum for Q&A, she discovered that the instance’s tiline was continuously advancing. It was unbelievable, but she had to accept it.
Caoyuan’s brow remained furrowed; he still seed to disbelieve what he’d heard. Mingyue, perhaps influenced by him, also frowned slightly.
The Fortune-teller looked up. "My abilities are limited; I can’t keep divining. I don’t know why iren Chu’s questions earlier consud so much energy..."
The implication was clear: she lacked the energy to continue, and they could do as they pleased.
Chu Changge looked at her. "I have one more thing about the serial murder case I want to confirm. It should be possible without divination, but it might take so ti."
At this, Mingyue suddenly interrupted, "Isn’t our mission just to survive? Is it really necessary to understand everything from the past so clearly? How does figuring all this out help us survive?"
Without hesitation, Chu Changge answered honestly, "It doesn’t."
"If it doesn’t help, why research it? We should be figuring out how to survive... You’re all acting like you’ve transmigrated to ancient tis, found yourselves frad and in bed with a man, but instead of trying to escape, you’re busy researching what year it is and who the emperor is..."
Gu Mian silently glanced at Mingyue. It seems this female player’s mind has been poisoned by so rather vicious novels.
Fatty, however, sank into deep thought. "What’s so incriminating about lying in bed with a man?"
Chu Changge completely ignored him and looked at the Fortune-teller. "You really can’t continue?"
The Fortune-teller also paid no mind to Mingyue’s vivid analogy, her brow furrowed in thought. "My energy is insufficient... but there is one more divination thod I can use. It barely draws on my energy... but it’s quite dangerous."
Mingyue spoke up, sowhat resentfully, "Are you guys even listening to ?"
The thod she referred to was invoking the Spirit Pen. Gu Mian had never considered such things a form of divination, but the Fortune-teller firmly insisted it was.
A white sheet of paper lay on the table, with a black gel pen on top. Beside it was a white candle, which Fatty had specifically run downstairs to the small shop to buy.
The Fortune-teller sat at one side of the table. "Many people have tried invoking the Spirit Pen, but most attempts weren’t truly successful. After I beca a Fortune-teller, my success rate increased significantly. However, failure is still possible. And by failure, I don’t an we won’t summon anything... but that we might summon... miscellaneous things."
Fatty leaned over. "Is that why you roped the Doctor into doing this with you?"
At this mont, Gu Mian was seated opposite the Fortune-teller, his fingers idly poking the black gel pen on the table.
"If you’re relying on the Doctor, you probably won’t summon anything at all. How about soone else takes over?" Fatty suggested sincerely.
"I’ll try first," Gu Mian said, turning his head to Fatty. "If I fail, you’re up."
Fatty instinctively recoiled a step. "I wish you success."
Caoyuan and Mingyue watched from a distance, thinking the other players were acting strangely—suddenly deciding to play with a Spirit Pen, claiming they wanted to uncover the secrets of the serial murder case.
"Are they nuts?" Mingyue murmured, staring at them from afar.
Caoyuan, beside her, nodded in agreent.
Xiao Tuwan checked the ti. It was already 2:50 PM. Nearly a third of the forty-eight hours had passed, yet no one had died.
As she spoke, she looked at Chu Changge beside her. "You’ve already decided what to ask, right?"
Chu Changge nodded silently.
And just as Caoyuan and Mingyue watched coldly from a distance, with Xiao Qiao crouching nearby and staring curiously, Gu Mian suddenly felt the room grow frigid, the air around him turning iciest of all.
It was as if a refrigerator had abruptly opened its door beside him. Then, sothing cold seed to pierce into their clasped hands. Gu Mian tightened his grip slightly; it felt like an icy hand.
Simultaneously, the candle fla suddenly extinguished. He felt the Fortune-teller’s hand, opposite him, tremble slightly. "It’s here."
"Ask quickly," the Fortune-teller urged, turning to Chu Changge.
Chu Changge stared at the white paper and slowly began, "In the Ziyang City serial murders, the number of people killed by the ghost."
Isn’t it eight? Mingyue looked at Chu Changge, puzzled. Ziyang City was just next door. Whether they searched online or asked others, the reported death toll was eight. Why was he asking this now?
At that mont, Gu Mian felt the intruding icy hand begin to move. It guided the pen, which started to trace a number on the white paper—
"9"
Seeing this number, the others collectively held their breath. Nine deaths?
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