Even so, Zhou Meng still seized opportunities to look back a few times whenever he changed directions.
However, because of the distance and the pitch-black darkness, he couldn't get a clear look.
Yet, he was certain that something was definitely off about the specter.
It seemed to be... carrying something on its shoulder.
“Forget it, I won't look anymore!”
In any case, all he needed to know was that the specter was chasing him.
Zuo Lin'an had noticed Zhou Meng's subtle movements long ago. Thus, whenever Zhou Meng turned to look back, Zuo Lin'an would conveniently hide behind a tree to keep out of sight.
Meanwhile, he maintained a steady distance from Zhou Meng—neither too close nor too far.
No matter how fast or slow Zhou Meng ran, Zuo Lin'an followed closely.
Until the clock struck 2:00 AM.
Time was up!
At that exact moment, Zuo Lin'an suddenly burst forward with speed. Taking a single step, he materialized directly behind Zhou Meng in the next instant, so close they were practically pressed against each other.
At the same time, Zhou Meng was startled by the sudden, massive spike in the chilling aura behind him. Before his mind could even register what was happening, he instinctively swung his hand backward.
He didn't even look back.
Seizing this opportunity, Zuo Lin'an pulled down one of the people he was carrying and shoved them in front of himself. To be absolutely safe, he even switched his state back to a living body.
Just like that, under his careful scheming, the fist Zhou Meng instinctively swung backward landed squarely on... Yuan Shan.
Zhou Meng had put his full strength into this strike. Yuan Shan's eyes snapped open in shock, trembling as he let out a muffled groan and one final, brief shriek of agony.
Then, he completely drew his last breath.
Zuo Lin'an paused on the spot to conduct a brief inspection.
Only after confirming the man was dead did he put his mind at ease.
He didn't know if using such a trick would truly create an unsolvable specter.
Still, it was worth a try. There was no harm in it for him anyway.
Hmm?
Wait.
No specter item?
Zuo Lin'an had thought Zhou Meng was holding a specter item when he swung backward, but it turned out the man was simply startled and had reacted on pure instinct.
Well, whatever.
That wasn't important right now.
Zuo Lin'an noticed that Zhou Meng, who had run some distance away, had now stopped. Realizing something, the man turned back with a trembling gaze.
What he saw nearly made his eyes burst from their sockets.
The first thing he saw was Yuan Shan!
This was the Heart-Gouging Tiger, Yuan Shan, whose dantian had been shattered by Wang Luoshan and whose limbs had later been broken by Zhou Meng himself to distract the specter.
He remembered that Yuan Shan had been left at the mountain peak, only to be carried away when the specter appeared.
“How is this possible?”
“Could it be...”
He had assumed that anyone taken by the specter was already dead!
He never imagined that not only were they alive, but they would also appear here!
What was worse, it seemed he had just killed Yuan Shan with his own fist.
“No!”
“How could I...”
Zhou Meng was filled with shock. He tore his gaze away from Yuan Shan's corpse and looked behind it.
After all, Yuan Shan was dead.
With his limbs shattered and his life gone, there was no way he should be standing.
Yet, Yuan Shan's limp body remained upright.
It was clear that whatever was actually keeping the corpse standing was hidden behind it.
At that moment, Zuo Lin'an slowly revealed himself from behind the corpse.
Staring at those crimson eyes, Zhou Meng opened his mouth several times to speak, but not a single word came out.
What was there to say?
That the specter actually possessed intelligence?
That it would use a living human as a shield to block a player's attack?
Or something else?
Like how incredibly cunning, insidious, and full of tricks this specter was?
It was useless. Saying any of this was completely pointless now!
All he knew was that he had killed Yuan Shan, and Yuan Shan was a player.
Soon, Yuan Shan would transform into an unsolvable specter and return to seek revenge by killing him.
“I'm going to die.”
Zhou Meng let out a miserable laugh.
Since he already knew his death was certain, what was the point of dwelling on the specter's strange behavior?
He stared blankly at Yuan Shan, whom he had just beaten to death, and then at the specter hiding behind the corpse. A wave of profound desolation washed over him, and his legs gave out, leaving him slumped on the ground.
He had never expected this. He had endured humiliation and carried heavy burdens, remaining undercover in the martial world for decades.
After overcoming countless hardships, he had finally risen to become an Elder of the Martial Alliance. Just as the time to reap the rewards was drawing near, he had run into such an unexpected disaster.
Deep down, he was utterly unwilling to accept this.
Yet, what could his reluctance change?
He simply lacked the power to change his current predicament.
As time slowly ticked away.
With only a few seconds remaining before 2:01 AM, Zuo Lin'an took a step and vanished from the area.
Deprived of support, Yuan Shan's corpse collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, Zuo Lin'an found a secluded spot nearby, casually tossed the woman he was carrying onto the ground, and began executing his rule.
It was impossible to make Zhou Meng kill any more players now, so he couldn't waste his 2:00 AM execution window.
He would kill this female player first, and then take care of the other two later.
This dungeon run would soon be over.
Once Zuo Lin'an finished the execution, he quickly returned to where Zhou Meng was.
He watched Zhou Meng from a distance.
At this moment, a dark, chilling specter aura began to gather above the corpse of Yuan Shan, who had been killed by Zhou Meng.
Gradually, the specter aura grew denser, coalescing into a specter with a ferocious countenance.
Watching this unfold, fear gripped Zhou Meng's heart.
Although he was a member of the Tianlong Guard and had braved life and death in his youth to carve out a future, things had changed.
After being dispatched to the martial world and becoming an Elder of the Martial Alliance, he had lived a comfortable life. Over the years, he had grown soft.
Consequently, he had lost the murderous intent and sharp edge that a Tianlong Guard should possess.
He didn't even possess as much courage as Yao Qianhe, a mere civil official.
Even with disaster staring him right in the face, he could only stare blankly at Yuan Shan's forming specter, completely unable to think of a way out.
Even committing suicide on the spot would be better than standing there waiting to die.
While Zhou Meng was lost in his daze, Yuan Shan's specter fully materialized. Letting out a piercing shriek to the heavens, it immediately lunged at him to kill.
Only then did Zhou Meng snap out of it. Turning on his heel, he fled for his life!
Standing in the distance, Zuo Lin'an watched leisurely as Zhou Meng ran desperately for his life, with the specter of Yuan Shan hot on his heels.
“Zhou Meng is running quite fast.”
After watching for a while, he noticed that the specter of Yuan Shan didn't seem to be trying its hardest. It appeared to chase fiercely, but in reality, it seemed to be playing with its prey.
Was it torturing Zhou Meng?
He felt something was off.
In the previous dungeon, the players killed by Xuan Liu had turned into unsolvable specters that were completely dull and brainless. Why did this one... seem to possess a bit of intelligence?
Thinking of Wang Luoshan and Lin Deshuang, who had been killed by Yao Qianhe, Zuo Lin'an used his God's-eye view to check the situation near the campfire.
At that moment, two unsolvable specters were drifting in that area.
One was formed by Wang Luoshan.
And the other was formed by Lin Deshuang, who had been killed by Yao Qianhe.
Yet, their current state appeared numb and vacant, as they wandered aimlessly around the campfire.
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