After leaving the hall, the smile on Ren Yi's face faded, replaced by a look of solemnity.
He sent a message in the group chat:
【We need to find clues about the keys as soon as possible. We can't let them beat us to it.】
Zhang Qiuqiu replied quickly: 【I know. What's your plan?】
Ren Yi's gaze darkened, his heart filled with a faint sense of worry.
【We've found a key once before, so we have experience.】
【Looking at the situation with the fireplace earlier, the key is fixed in one spot until it's found. Once found, it definitely changes locations, but the clues likely remain the same as before.】
【Obviously, the other participants will think of this too.】
He paused, a hint of urgency entering his tone.
【If they find the clues first, they might find the keys within a single day. If that happens, we'll be in danger.】
【If they find the keys ahead of time, we can't exactly count on another peaceful night tonight, can we?】
【We've already skipped the kill once. If we skip it again, we won't have any chance of winning.】
Zhang Qiuqiu didn't argue and replied:
【You're right. We need to act quickly. Do you have a target?】
【I do.】 Ren Yi's eyes narrowed.
【Earlier, in the room maze on the second floor, I saw a room at the very end. There was a demon statue inside. When I touched it before, I came away with nothing but a face full of dust. The clue might be there.】
【I'm going to check it out now. Maybe I'll find a key or a new clue.】
【You should also check the room where you found your clue.】
Ren Yi told Zhang Qiuqiu the location of the room he had found. He didn't linger, turning and heading for the stairs. He abandoned his previous leisurely pace, his footsteps quick and hurried.
The room maze on the second floor was as labyrinthine as ever, with rooms packed tightly together. The corridors were narrow and dim, the walls covered in dust, appearing eerie and sinister.
Ren Yi followed his memory, moving rapidly through the maze and making frequent turns.
Along the way, he encountered Player 10, who was searching rooms one by one. Upon seeing Ren Yi, Player 10's gaze instantly turned wary. He stopped and asked, "You're here looking for clues too? Found anything?"
Ren Yi reacted quickly, a look of helplessness immediately appearing on his face as he shook his head.
"No. We checked a few places where clues were found before, but there was nothing, so we came here to try our luck. How about you? Found any clues?"
Player 10 frowned, his tone disappointed. "I haven't either. There are too many rooms here; searching them one by one takes too much time. Most of them are empty anyway, with no clues at all."
He paused, his eyes filled with doubt. "Do you think the keys might not be on the second floor?"
"Hard to say," Ren Yi smiled, his tone natural. "Let's keep looking. Maybe the clue is just up ahead."
With that, he continued deeper into the maze, leaving Player 10 standing there indecisively.
After walking for a few more minutes and attempting several turns, Ren Yi finally found the room at the end.
The door was slightly ajar and covered in dust, looking no different from any other room. But Ren Yi knew that inside was the room with the demon statue he had seen before.
He didn't hesitate, reaching out to push the door open. The door gave a loud creak, breaking the silence of the corridor.
However, the moment he entered, Ren Yi froze. His heart gave a sudden leap, and he instinctively took a step back.
In the room stood the silhouette of a person, their back to the door, perfectly still.
Ren Yi was startled, his chest heaving slightly. He cursed inwardly: "Damn, having my perception sealed is truly inconvenient. How long has it been since I've actually been startled like this? I didn't even realize there was someone in the room."
Just as he instinctively tensed his nerves, preparing for a sudden confrontation, the figure slowly turned around.
Ren Yi looked closely and instantly felt a wave of relief. Clutching his chest, his voice still carried a hint of lingering fear. "You scared the life out of me, class monitor. What are you doing here?"
Zhang Qiuqiu's expression was far from pleasant. Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"The room where I found my clue was nearby. I checked it and found nothing, so I immediately followed the location you posted in the group chat."
Ren Yi was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'found nothing'? Shouldn't there be a clue in the room you went to?"
Zhang Qiuqiu didn't answer directly. She simply stepped aside, gesturing for Ren Yi to look at the scene before her. Ren Yi followed her gaze and was instantly stunned.
Originally, a tall, heavy demon statue had stood in the center of this room, its appearance grotesque and terrifying.
But now, that tall, heavy statue had vanished without a trace. Nothing but dust remained on the floor.
Only a faint mark, matching the size of the statue's base, served as proof that a statue had indeed existed there.
"What's going on?"
Ren Yi's brow furrowed, his tone full of confusion. He turned to Zhang Qiuqiu and saw the same bewilderment in her eyes.
"Where's the statue? How did it disappear? How could a statue that heavy just vanish into thin air?"
Zhang Qiuqiu shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "I don't know. The statue was already gone when I arrived."
"Furthermore, the items in the room I went to are gone as well."
"What does that mean?" Ren Yi muttered under his breath, frowning.
"Are the clues gone?"
Given the size of that statue, it certainly wasn't something that could be moved by human strength alone.
At the very least, Ren Yi knew that with his current body, he would be powerless against that iron-cast statue.
Had the clues changed locations?
It was possible, but Ren Yi had checked many rooms along the way and hadn't seen anything unusual.
There were no markers for the clues in this Instance, so they had to be in specific locations for participants to accurately find and identify them.
The clues pointing to the keys had vanished... so what about the keys? Were they gone too?
He and Zhang Qiuqiu no longer had the means to break through the sealed pods. Perhaps the rules on their side had finally kicked in and gotten rid of the keys.
It was possible. Could it be that the big boss at Anomaly Web, despite his cold exterior, had reported the glitch last night?
Ren Yi stroked his chin.
For some reason, he felt things wouldn't go that smoothly.
The keys might have indeed vanished, but besides the keys, the rules seemed to mention something else that hadn't been used yet.
Rate on N.U.
