While it didn't seem like there was a better way, fortunately, remaining calm in the face of supernatural phenomena wasn't particularly difficult for them.
The situation Zhu Xi Ning had discovered was a vital clue, completely altering Nan Yue's previous perspective on the mission and her planned purification method.
"We must be more proactive in searching for clues, even if it means taking a bit of a risk."
As for things like a persona, as long as one could provide a suitable reason, any discrepancy could be smoothed over.
After all, they now knew that the natives were people truly living in a polluted world; they wouldn't easily jump to bizarre conclusions like someone's soul taking over a body.
Of course, the safest route was to live exactly according to the deduced personality of the original host, but that efficiency was far too slow.
Today was already the third day, and the hauntings everyone encountered were beginning to manifest. They were already terrifying enough to cause a scavenger to make a fatal error in judgment.
They could no longer afford to take things slowly.
Zhu Xi Ning agreed with Nan Yue's view. From her current perspective, Zhong Guochao was the most important person.
She let out a sigh.
If there were any other way, she truly didn't want to deal with a psychopath like Chi He!!
Zhu Xi Ning went to find Chi He.
Zhao Mingming's infatuation with Zhong Guochao was common knowledge, and since her personality had changed drastically after her face was injured, everyone was quite tolerant of her and tended to keep their distance.
Approaching him during working hours wasn't a major issue.
When Zhu Xi Ning arrived, only Chi He and Jiang Siyan were in the factory office.
Jiang Siyan was writing a notice for tomorrow's movie screening, while Chi He sat on a desk, lost in thought.
"Yo, Comrade Zhao Mingming."
Chi He greeted her with a smile. Jiang Siyan looked up, exchanged a glance with Zhu Xi Ning, and then lowered his head to continue his work.
"Comrade Zhong."
Zhu Xi Ning spoke sarcastically, "I'm here to ask you for a walk after dinner tonight, to strengthen the bond between comrades."
Chi He let out an exaggerated sigh. "I'm afraid that won't do."
"The women who like me and pursue me all seem to meet very strange ends."
Zhu Xi Ning knew immediately that this guy was hiding more clues. Her expression shifted as she prepared to speak, but Chi He cupped his hands in a salute.
"I usually hate sharing clues, but Comrade Zhao's tongue is sharp enough to wake the dead, so I'll make an exception and tell you."
It took everything Zhu Xi Ning had to suppress the urge to curse him out.
"You know about Yang Xufen?"
Seeing Zhu Xi Ning nod, Chi He cupped his face in his hands with an exaggerated expression.
"Comrade Zhao is far too sharp!! Actually, I like comrades like you—brisk, clever, a fine role mod..."
Chi He was cut off as a thick dictionary slammed squarely into his face.
Moments later, with scraps of paper stuffed into both nostrils, a weakened Chi He laid out the relevant clues to Zhu Xi Ning.
"I noticed Yang Xufen's situation yesterday. She loved beauty. Although her family was well-off, she didn't need to support them, so all her money went toward clothes and vanishing cream. She was quite famous in the factory for it."
"Her love letters always smelled like vanishing cream."
"She used to write me a love letter every three days, but I didn't receive one for the past two days. That's when I knew some poor soul hadn't discovered their persona yet."
"I waited and waited. Today, when I asked around, I heard she's been missing for two weeks. When I went back to check the love letters, guess what?"
Chi He spread his hands. "The love letters that existed up until two days ago vanished. The last one became one from two weeks ago."
Chi He put on a terrified expression. "Isn't that like seeing a ghost!"
Zhu Xi Ning rolled her eyes at him. He was just pretending; if a ghost actually appeared, Chi He would probably be the happiest one there.
Others would be scared to death, but the ghost would likely be played to death by him.
"You said four people liked me. One became a vegetable, and one is missing. Although the factory says she eloped with a man, we both know she's long dead."
"There are two left: you and Song Chunhua."
Chi He shook his head with a click of his tongue. "I wonder which of you will be next?"
Zhu Xi Ning looked at Chi He. "I also think it's strange that everyone who likes you is meeting with misfortune one after another. Could it have nothing to do with you?"
Chi He looked at Zhu Xi Ning with a smile. "Who knows?"
Seeing that Chi He was holding back, Zhu Xi Ning thought for a moment and shared some of the clues she and Nan Yue had deduced.
Chi He raised an eyebrow. "So that's how it is. We're all already dead!"
He patted his chest, looking troubled as he frowned.
"Tsk. So the supernatural phenomena we see are the entities that killed us?"
"Then was the original host killed by a ghost, or by a person represented by that ghost?"
Zhu Xi Ning froze, then gave Chi He a deep, meaningful look.
This guy...
"Thanks."
Zhu Xi Ning dropped the word coldly and turned to leave.
Once she was gone, Chi He pulled the paper wads from his nose.
The paper was perfectly clean, without a trace of blood.
"Ah, really, deducing things so quickly... What a pity. No matter how fast Little Yueyue deduces things in this mission, it's useless if there are idiots dragging down the progress."
Chi He looked distressed. "And I can't just kill the others; killing them would only slow down the progress even more."
He was truly troubled. He enjoyed watching the ugliness of human nature in missions; he loved seeing the various choices made in the face of desperation and death.
Then, he would leisurely watch them die before him.
He wouldn't lift a finger; the rules and ghosts would do the work.
He certainly wouldn't reach out to help; there were no saviors in these missions.
He was merely a spectator.
Unfortunately, in this mission, he couldn't be a spectator; he had become an actor as well.
Chi He shook his head and glanced at Jiang Siyan, who had been ignoring him the entire time.
A flash of wariness crossed his eyes. He stopped talking to himself and returned to his daze.
Zhu Xi Ning returned and told Nan Yue about her conversation with Chi He.
"He discovered a problem we hadn't noticed before."
Nan Yue pondered for a moment. "Is what we're seeing related to the original host's death?"
Zhu Xi Ning nodded.
Chi He's mind was indeed fast. His lead was relatively simple—just the four women who liked him, two of whom were already dead.
But Nan Yue was favored by pollution, and her leads were dense and tangled; she hadn't thought of it while being wrapped up in all the loose ends.
But as soon as Chi He mentioned it, she spotted the issue.
Taking Li Hui as an example, the supernatural phenomenon she saw should be related to Xiang Guang.
Did this mean Li Hui was actually killed by Xiang Guang? So even if the timeline was altered, she was still haunted by the nightmare of the person who murdered her.
This deduction held true for Li Hui. Xiang Guang's control over her had reached a twisted level; it was only natural for him to eventually turn on her.
It was only a matter of time.
But for the others, it didn't quite fit.
Take Zhao Mingming for instance. What Zhu Xi Ning saw was a long-haired female ghost. Regardless of which person in the factory that ghost corresponded to, why would that person want to kill Zhao Mingming?
And as for Tang Yu, whom Jiang Siyan had replaced... could it be that Tang Yu was killed by Li Hui?
Rate on N.U.
