Replacement

The flowers spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, wrapping around its chest like living vines.

The rust-red patterns grew denser, bearing a striking resemblance to the patterns that had previously sealed Lord Cha.

The monster's body suddenly stiffened. It slowly lowered its head to look at the rust-red flower on its chest, then took a few rigid steps forward.

Seeing this, Player 11's expression shifted. She warily retreated several paces, widening the gap between them.

She gripped the hem of her shirt tightly, her eyes locked onto the monster, terrified that it might still be capable of a counterattack.

To her surprise, however, the monster did not pursue her or launch any attack. It simply stopped and stared at her in silence, its blue-lit eyes remaining cold and hollow.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded. The blue-black monster's body began to shrink and contort. The thick skin slowly receded, and the metallic mask fell away, revealing the form within.

It was a young face—none other than Player 8, Lu Zihan.

He looked at Player 11, but showed no intention of attacking. Instead, he walked back to his seat at Table 8 with a void expression and sat down.

The rust-red flowers continued to spread rapidly across his chest, creeping up his neck and down his arms, gradually covering his entire body.

His frame grew rigid and cold. His skin lost its vital luster, becoming coarse and heavy.

Just as when Lord Cha had been sealed, he slowly solidified into a stone statue.

The only difference was his eyes. They did not turn into dull stone orbs; instead, they continued to flicker with a ghostly blue light. His gaze remained cold and devoid of emotion, fixed squarely on Player 11.

Even though his body had been petrified, that icy stare was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

Player 11 watched as the monster transformed into a human before her eyes, and then watched as he was completely enveloped by the rust-red patterns, turning into a cold stone statue.

The fear in her heart receded slightly, but her nerves remained taut. She didn't dare relax for a second.

Only after confirming the Anomaly could no longer move did she force her stiff legs to stand, wanting to flee the area as quickly as possible.

Though she didn't know why only one Anomaly had come out to hunt tonight, who would choose death when they could live?

She had to return to her room before the Anomaly's companions arrived.

However, just as she stood up and before she could take a single step, she felt a wave of dizziness. Her head grew heavy, and the strength seemed to drain from her body instantly, leaving her unable to even stand steadily.

Her heart tightened. She forced herself to stabilize and looked up at the stone statue, only to find that its pale blue vertical pupils were still staring at her, bright as ever.

In fact, they were even more piercing than before. That frigid gaze made her entire body turn cold.

They were a pair of vertical pupils with pale blue irises. The gaze was pure, emotionless ice—undisturbed by any ripple, carrying a suffocating pressure.

It was as if she were being viewed as an object rather than a living human being.

In that moment, the vertical pupils twitched. It was a minute movement, but Player 11 caught it clearly.

What? Did the poison not work?

Player 11 felt her heart leap into her throat as an overwhelming surge of terror swept through her.

She had clearly used the poison. She had seen Lu Zihan turn into stone with her own eyes. How could his eyes still move?

Terrified, she opened her mouth to scream, to turn and run, only to find that her body was held fast by an invisible force. She was paralyzed.

She couldn't even open her mouth; only faint whimpers escaped her. She couldn't utter a single coherent word.

Then, the gaze from those vertical pupils suddenly became substantive. No longer just a hollow look, they were like two cold venomous snakes slowly extending from the stone statue's eye sockets.

Player 11 could feel that gaze. It carried a bone-chilling cold like freezing water and felt like the sharp fangs of a snake. It slithered through the air, twisting as it drew closer to her, inch by inch.

They had no fixed form, yet they carried an intense pressure. Wherever they passed, the air seemed to turn viscous and cold, and even the night wind ceased to blow.

Player 11's pupils contracted violently, her eyes filled with despair.

She could clearly feel those two materialized gazes inching toward her own eyes. They carried a bizarre suction that made it impossible for her to look away.

A second later, those two pale blue gazes bored ruthlessly into Player 11's eyes!

There was no sharp pain, only an indescribable sense of suffocation, as if her very soul had been locked tight by those two gazes, unable to break free.

Player 11 wanted to cry out in pain, to close her eyes, but she could do nothing.

She could only watch. She watched as those pale blue vertical pupils floated out of the stone statue's sockets and flowed along the substantive gazes, slowly drifting toward her face.

They finally embedded themselves into Player 11's face, replacing her original eyes.

Player 11's body convulsed violently. The fear in her eyes gradually faded.

In its place was a brief moment of confusion followed by an emotionless void.

A long time passed before "Player 11" slowly blinked. The pale blue vertical pupils rolled in their sockets, scanning the stone statue before her. She looked down at her hands, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

She was no longer Player 11. She was Zhang Qiuqiu.

Just now, Zhang Qiuqiu hadn't been hiding in her room. Instead, she had nested her True Eyes directly onto Lu Zihan's face.

When Lu Zihan transformed into the blue-black monster, her eyes were hidden behind the monster's mask. Using Lu Zihan's body as a medium, she had maintained eye contact with Player 11.

Once Player 11 had looked into them long enough to satisfy the conditions of her ability, she activated her power and carried out the Possession of Player 11's body.

As for her original female student body, Lu Zihan had killed it before setting out and faked the scene.

Zhang Qiuqiu raised a hand, gently stroking her cheek. Her fingertips brushed the corners of her eyes as she felt the texture of this new body.

Memories of their group chat earlier that evening surfaced in her mind—the conversation about the decision of "who to kill tonight."

At the time, Ren Yi had been the first to suggest that tonight's target should be Player 11.

The reason was simple: Player 11 was very likely the Poison Apprentice. She had sharp observation skills, her disguises were sophisticated, and she even dared to take the initiative to test others. She was too great a threat.

But everyone knew that if Player 11 truly was the Poison Apprentice, any attempt to kill her would inevitably be met with a counterattack from her poison.

The poison granted by the rules of this game to the Poison Apprentice was a guaranteed hit. Even Anomalies could not resist it. Once struck by the poison, they would be sealed without exception.

Consequently, the conversation in the group chat quickly shifted to "how to kill Player 11."

There was no doubt in the minds of the three Anomalies—Ren Yi, Zhang Qiuqiu, and Lu Zihan—about one thing.

To kill the Poison Apprentice, Player 11, tonight, a certain price would have to be paid.

Lu Zihan had been the first to message, volunteering to go "online."

At the same time, Zhang Qiuqiu suggested that it was time for her to use her ability tonight.

She would discard her original identity as Player 7 and replace Player 11.

And so, the plan was set.

Lu Zihan would transform into the blue-black monster and head to the hall to bait Player 11 into acting;

Zhang Qiuqiu would nest her eyes on Lu Zihan's face, observing in secret and waiting for the right moment;

Once Player 11 used her poison, Zhang Qiuqiu would take advantage of the girl's moment of lowered guard to trigger her Possession and seize Player 11's body.