If they didn't hear it, it only meant they didn't want to hear it.
Everyone in the factory knew about Yang Hua’s habit of taking small advantages. Zhao Dayong, a man with mediocre relations with everyone and a quiet disposition, shouldn't have lived next door, yet he did.
When the truth was revealed, everything became far too deliberate.
Xiang Guang’s arrangement was too intentional.
Unfortunately, those who didn't notice didn't believe it.
And those who did notice were unwilling to speak because of their own interests.
Nan Yue assessed the situation. In such a life, Li Hui would likely go mad.
The increasing amount of rain on the calendar could now be explained. It wasn't the weather; it was her mood.
As for the circles, they were likely a record of when she was beaten.
But what did that red X mean...
Nan Yue thought of the blood-stained clothes that had appeared in the wardrobe last night.
Zhu Xi Ning ran to the warehouse, leaning on the desk to catch her breath. Since no one else was around, Nan Yue handed her a cup.
"Something happened."
Zhu Xi Ning had been preoccupied with Yang Xufen’s situation all day. After getting up, she had tried to coax information out of Zhao Mingming’s mother, wanting to know Yang Xufen’s current status to see if she could salvage their friendship.
Zhao Mingming’s mother thought her daughter was being too solitary and was quite happy for her to reconnect with her old friend.
Unexpectedly, while she was busy wiping down Zhao Mingming’s father, she turned to look at her daughter in shock.
"Mingming, are you okay? Why are you asking about Yang Xufen? She’s been missing for two weeks. Everyone in the factory is saying she ran off with a man from outside."
"Don't ask about Yang Xufen anymore. The factory’s attitude is very serious. This is considered bad behavior—irresponsible and indecent."
At first, Zhu Xi Ning thought the mother was confused, but after seeking out a few other people she could still talk to, the information was consistent.
Yang Xufen had gone missing two weeks ago.
Her belongings were still in the dormitory, later packed away by the factory. Her disappearance was sudden; she hadn't returned to the dorm one night, and no one had seen her since.
"I went to find her former roommate."
Zhu Xi Ning’s expression was grave. "She said Yang Xufen never mentioned knowing anyone outside, though given Yang Xufen’s personality, she probably wouldn't have said anything even if she did."
Zhu Xi Ning was certain that Zhao Mingming’s mother’s emotions had been normal last night and her words logical.
At that time, Yang Xufen was alive, living right beside them. The mother had even advised her that it was better to settle a feud than to keep it going.
But upon waking up this morning, Yang Xufen had become someone who had been missing for a long time.
Zhu Xi Ning and Nan Yue locked eyes. Both suspected that Yang Xufen had been a scavenger.
Nan Yue unraveled the tangled mess of thoughts. "So, the original host of Yang Xufen might have gone missing long ago. But because a scavenger arrived, everyone’s memories were altered, and Yang Xufen continued to live a normal life."
"Once the scavenger violates certain rules and meets a fatal end, the scavenger dies, and the persona they represented reverts to the true timeline."
Both of them felt a chill as Nan Yue finished her analysis.
If this were the case, the mission would become incredibly difficult in the later stages.
As scavengers died, the character clues they represented would be completely severed.
Not only would they be unable to find out what had happened to the original residents, but even the timeline and spatial lines would shift.
More importantly, if that was the case for Yang Xufen...
Nan Yue bit her lip, her expression solemn. Could the other scavengers be in the same situation?
Was it possible... that the people they represented were actually all dead already?
It was the arrival of the scavengers that briefly altered time, space, and the memories of the people in the factory.
And all for the purpose of letting the scavengers find the so-called secret to complete the purification mission?
Nan Yue exhaled a long breath. If her theory was correct, she might know what the mission's secret was.
Zhu Xi Ning was also clever; she realized it the moment she heard Nan Yue’s analysis.
Her face looked pale.
"What we’re looking for is the secret of our own deaths?"
How the people they were portraying died—that was the subject of their purification.
If they couldn't find it...
They would also die because of that secret.
Nan Yue smiled bitterly. Setting aside the fact that the complex web of character relationships hadn't been fully cleared yet, just looking at Li Hui, there were several suspects who might have killed her.
Xiang Guang went without saying, but could it be Huang Ya Nan?
What about Zhao Dayong?
Even that university student, Tang Yu, who had a somewhat twisted obsession with her.
Nan Yue felt a headache coming on.
Zhu Xi Ning was equally troubled. Given Zhao Mingming’s temperament, she hadn't been mentally stable since her face was ruined. There were too many people who disliked her.
Anyone could have killed her.
"There’s another problem."
Zhu Xi Ning’s face was full of worry. She finally understood why her intuition hadn't triggered until now.
There were problems everywhere; her intuition couldn't just ring incessantly.
"Besides worrying about this secret, do we also need to be careful of the person who originally killed our host?"
That person was a murderer. Even if their memory was altered, it only changed from "I already killed them" to "I haven't killed them yet."
So they had to guard against both humans and ghosts.
They also had to watch out for rules that hadn't surfaced yet.
"Regarding the rules, I have a few ideas."
Nan Yue hadn't interacted with the scavenger who played Yang Xufen, but yesterday was only the second day; the situation shouldn't have been that dire.
Nan Yue leaned toward the theory that she had met her end during a supernatural event.
Hauntings seemed to be something all scavengers would encounter. Before the mission difficulty reached an extreme level, these weren't just for scares; they were hints.
For instance, Nan Yue had noticed something wrong with Xiang Guang during several supernatural events.
So what did Yang Xufen do to die within a supernatural event?
The two looked at each other.
"She might have performed an action that didn't match her original persona."
Zhu Xi Ning tapped the desk. "That’s the biggest rule of persona missions. It’s normal to act out of character under extreme fear."
Although scavengers were trained at the academy, fear was a human instinct. Not everyone could remain calm during a haunting.
Especially when their lives were on the line.
Not to mention that as soon as a purification mission began, a scavenger’s psychological value would fluctuate. Even the most powerful high-level players were vulnerable when their psychological value was fragile.
Nan Yue nodded. "There’s another possibility."
"She was afraid."
This seemed like an unrelated comment, but Zhu Xi Ning understood.
Nan Yue’s meaning was essentially the same as hers. The supernatural phenomena the scavengers saw must be related to the original host.
Once they showed fear and did something they shouldn't, it would accelerate the supernatural killing.
"So when encountering a supernatural event, the only way for now is to stay calm."
Because it was uncertain if the dead Yang Xufen was killed for violating her persona, rashly using an awakened ability or resisting with force might backfire.
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