Playing an NPC to this extent made Bai Ci feel as if she had returned to her board game cafe.
Facing players who constantly engaged in metagaming and personal vendettas, she had to work hard to stay in character and restore order so that the main storyline could progress smoothly.
Bai Ci paused for a moment and began to ad-lib, adding, “Look, my surname is Bai, and the owner of this Magnolia Theater is also surnamed Bai.”
“Although I don't remember my name or having such a relative, isn't that how horror novels and mystery stories usually go? An ancestor went astray, turned into a ghost, and then tricked a distant relative from who-knows-how-many generations later to complete some kind of sacrifice.”
After hearing Bai Ci's words, Sun Hao asked in surprise, “So, you're really a relative of the Magnolia Theater's owner?”
Bai Ci shook her head gently and denied it. “I don't know.”
In truth, she wasn't. She just happened to share the surname Bai. As for her ad-libbing just now, she was merely patching up the loopholes in her identity to cover for herself.
If they really found evidence that Fu Liu was a player from the Ninth Round, then what would she, as his girlfriend, be?
If they didn't even give her a chance to explain that she was actually a player and attacked her directly, it would be troublesome.
Therefore, she needed to lay the groundwork in advance so that when she made up excuses later, they wouldn't sound so fabricated on the spot.
Although Bai Ci could ride on other people's evaluations due to her class, meaning dying early or late didn't make much of a difference, she didn't want to rely too heavily on this passive.
If she grew lazy and slack because she could ride on others' evaluations, what would she do when she entered a solo instance?
She was determined to collect ten S-rank evaluations to return home; this goal had always been firm.
Good teammates were hard to come by. If she relied purely on luck to match with excellent random teammates, who knew how long it would take to gather ten S-rank evaluations? Thus, Bai Ci planned to join a reliable team later on.
But to forge iron, one had to be strong oneself. If she lacked strength, how could she expect a reliable team to willingly carry a useless slacker just to let her ride on their evaluation?
“I really don't know. In fact, before entering this theater, I had never even heard of the Magnolia Theater. What I said just now was only a hypothesis.”
“Or maybe I just happen to be surnamed Bai. Or perhaps I don't even have this surname, and it was modified by some kind of power.”
Looking at Bai Ci's frank yet helpless expression, Cheng Xi couldn't help but sigh in her heart, what an obedient NPC.
She pulled a jade pendant from her pocket and stuffed it into Bai Ci's hand. “I'll lend this to you. It's my protective amulet. Take it, it will keep you safe.”
The jade pendant was pure white, with a simple character for “peace” carved on it. It felt warm to the touch, clearly not some ordinary item meant just for psychological comfort.
This must be some kind of protective item, Bai Ci thought as she held the jade pendant in her hand.
Unfortunately, she couldn't use it.
The description of her passive class skill explicitly stated that she could not hold or use any items other than “gifts.”
In other words, she couldn't even view the item's information, as she had to hold an item to see its details.
Even though she knew the jade pendant was useless to her, she still clenched it with a look of gratitude and nodded at Cheng Xi. “Thank you, Sister Cheng Xi.”
Seeing this, Sun Hao also quickly spoke up, his tone solemn, “Don't worry, Bai Jiu. Tonight, I'll guard your dormitory door and won't leave your side. I definitely won't give the third party a chance to hurt you.”
Fu Yan pulled out two small bronze bells from his pocket. The bells were glossy all over, with fine patterns carved on them, but they seemed to have no clappers, making no sound when shaken.
He handed one of the bronze bells to Bai Ci and the other to Sun Hao. “According to the order of death, the one who should die tonight is Zheng Ba. Bai Jiu won't be in danger for the time being.”
“I'm lending these to you. Sun Hao, you need to search for clues tonight. If anything really happens on Bai Jiu's side, the bronze bell will alert you, and it won't be too late for you to rush back then.”
Sun Hao took the bronze bell, glanced at it, and a trace of understanding flashed in his eyes before he solemnly put it away.
Similarly, Bai Ci couldn't tell what the item's exact effect was, but she figured it was likely something for warning or warding off evil.
Then again, real NPCs can't see item details either, so there's no need to worry about giving myself away, she comforted herself in her heart.
Time flew by. The group discussed a bit longer at the stairs, finalizing their plans for the night.
Soon, the bell announcing the start of the nighttime phase rang out.
According to the nighttime movement rules for Madmen, Sun Hao's dormitory door was always the first to open. He stepped out of his room, confirmed there were no anomalies around, and then quickly walked downstairs.
This time, he was determined to head straight for the pamphlet in the study. Once he finished reading its contents, if there was still time, he would go to the prison.
As for Zheng Ba, he was leaving him to his own devices, absolutely refusing to waste any more time on him.
But just as he reached the first-floor lobby, Sun Hao froze.
In the center of the lobby, Zheng Ba was standing there, holding something. He was looking down and lighting it. The fire spread rapidly along the paper, quickly turning the object into ashes.
Sun Hao quickly stepped forward. Taking a closer look, he instantly trembled with rage and couldn't help but shout, “Zheng Ba, what are you doing!”
He saw that what was burning in Zheng Ba's hand was the exact same kind of pamphlet they had previously found in the study and prison scenes, which recorded the game logs.
From the looks of it, it was highly likely not just the same kind, but those very two booklets themselves.
Those were the only clues they had found so far related to the Ninth Round, and their only hope of beating the game.
Zheng Ba didn't answer Sun Hao's questioning. He just quietly watched the ashes in the fire, his expression so calm it bordered on deathly.
“Are you crazy?” Sun Hao grabbed Zheng Ba's arm, his voice filled with anger and confusion.
“This is the only clue we've found! Why did you burn it? Do you have any idea that without these clues, all of us could die here!”
“Useless things recorded and reconstructed by Liu Ziwei,” Zheng Ba remarked.
He slowly raised his head. There was no expression on his face—neither anger nor guilt. He simply stared at Sun Hao with calm eyes, a faint smile even playing on his lips.
He broke free from Sun Hao's grip, his tone terrifyingly calm. “Do you know why I stepped out earlier than you tonight? According to the usual order of doors opening at night, you should have been the first.”
Sun Hao's voice was filled with doubt. “What do you mean?”
Zheng Ba spoke to himself, his tone carrying a hint of obscurity. “Because now, I no longer have to follow the Madman's movement rules.”
Rate on N.U.
