Zuo Lin'an hadn't quite understood from the very beginning why Wang Luoshan and Zhou Meng had insisted on sticking together.
Was it really that hard to pretend they didn't know each other?
Or was it that, from the very start, they never had any intention of letting a single player in this dungeon survive?
Was their bloodlust truly that intense?
“Whatever. Even if there is some secret, what does it have to do with me?”
Zuo Lin'an pulled out his work phone, tapped to request staff to collect the unsolvable specters, and then checked the 1 Contribution point he had earned for wiping out all the players.
“Not bad, another point secured.”
He planned to head back to his quarters to get some proper rest while waiting for Xu Youyou's reply.
But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed something. He whipped his head around, staring toward the highest mountain peak.
He could feel a specter aura emerging from that direction.
Originally, only the unsolvable specters of Lin Deshuang and Wang Luoshan wandered the mountaintop, so a specter aura there wasn't unusual. However, what he sensed was an entirely new specter aura!
“This is...”
Zuo Lin'an's figure vanished instantly, reappearing on the mountaintop at extreme speed.
Completely ignoring the two unsolvable specters drifting nearby, he looked to the other side. There, a familiar, not-yet-fully-formed specter silhouette was actually floating.
“Yao... Yao Qianhe?”
Seeing this, even Zuo Lin'an found it hard to believe.
Yao Qianhe was actually... at this very moment, the exact instant the dungeon ended...
...beginning to turn into a specter!
Zuo Lin'an's gaze locked onto the gradually solidifying figure. His serious expression suddenly shifted, giving way to a strange, intrigued smile.
“How peculiar.”
He had browsed many posts on the forum before, but he had never come across a situation like this.
Zuo Lin'an stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Yao Qianhe had died relatively early, yet he was turning into a specter right when the dungeon concluded.
He could guess the reason to some extent.
Based on the current situation, if conditions had allowed, Yao Qianhe would have definitely begun his transformation immediately upon death. The only reason it had been delayed until now was because the dungeon's properties did not permit it.
Because Yao Qianhe was not an unsolvable specter, but a naturally evolved specter.
While a One-Star Dungeon was active, only one specter could exist within it. Since Zuo Lin'an was already there, a second one absolutely could not appear.
Only after the dungeon ended and its suppression vanished could Yao Qianhe successfully transform.
Still... Zuo Lin'an found it highly unusual.
After all, Yao Qianhe had died as a player, meaning his corpse would disappear after a short while.
Even if he possessed an obsession deep enough and resentment strong enough to sustain his transformation into a specter...
But!
Once the corpse vanished, his obsession, resentment, and lingering regrets should have become like rootless duckweed, rapidly dissipating.
Yet, long after his corpse had disappeared, Yao Qianhe had somehow retained enough obsession and resentment to successfully turn into a specter.
This genuinely shocked Zuo Lin'an.
Soon, however, he noticed something else, and his gaze shifted to the ground.
At this point, all the players' corpses had vanished, so logically, everything they had brought in should have disappeared with them.
Yet, he saw a blood-stained gold hairpin lying quietly on the ground.
“This is...”
Zuo Lin'an could hardly believe his eyes.
“A specter item?!”
He stepped forward slowly and solemnly picked up the gold hairpin.
The moment his fingers closed around the hairpin, its information flooded directly into his consciousness.
【Gold Hairpin Token of Love: Permanent specter item, passive trigger. This was the token of love given by Yao Qianhe to his wife, Lin Deshuang. It was also the murder weapon he used to end both of their lives in a hopeless situation, sparing them from agonizing torture. Together in life, united in death. Can be bound to the most important person in one's life, requiring the other party's consent; once bound, it cannot be changed. Special Effect 1: Shared Damage, Shared Life! Both parties must be killed simultaneously to be truly slain. Special Effect 2: Contains the specter remnants of Yao Qianhe and Lin Deshuang. Lin Deshuang can absorb one fatal strike, while Yao Qianhe can double the damage received and reflect it back. Cooldown: 3 days.】
Zuo Lin'an, holding the gold hairpin stained with the blood of Yao Qianhe and his wife, was momentarily dazed.
This was actually a specter item!
And its effects were incredibly powerful!
Wait, that wasn't right!
Zuo Lin'an snapped out of it.
It was one thing for a player to naturally turn into a regular specter upon dying in a dungeon, but how could a specter item manifest alongside them?
He could understand the specter itself, but this specter item...
Zuo Lin'an could feel that this specter item belonged to him. Unfortunately, his dungeon was only a One-Star Dungeon, which could only support consumable specter items.
This meant that once the dungeon started, he could not enter the dungeon's boundary while carrying the 【Gold Hairpin Token of Love】 on his person.
However, once his dungeon difficulty upgraded to Two-Star, this gold hairpin would have its chance to shine.
Owning a permanent specter item would put him on the level of a top-tier powerhouse among players. It would also give him the opportunity to disguise himself as a player, blending in to fish in troubled waters.
Moreover, if his senses were correct, he could use this specter item even while in his specter body.
In other words, if he found someone similar to himself to bind with—such as a Human-Specter Symbiont, or even another specter—then as long as an enemy couldn't defeat both of them simultaneously...
Furthermore, because of his specter body, no matter how much damage he sustained, it wouldn't affect him at all.
Wouldn't that make him virtually...
“Holy crap, am I invincible?”
Zuo Lin'an could already envision the scene: once his dungeon became a Two-Star Dungeon, absolutely no player would be able to defeat him.
But he quickly noticed a flaw.
If it truly worked exactly as he imagined, the effect would be too game-breaking, which seemed somewhat unrealistic.
Holding the gold hairpin, Zuo Lin'an looked at the two specters in the distance. Even though they were completely mindless and vacant right now, they still instinctively drifted toward each other.
He sighed softly.
“It seems I can only hand over two unsolvable specters this time.”
Zuo Lin'an extended his hand holding the gold hairpin and touched the two specters. Soon, they transformed into two streaks of black light and flowed into the hairpin.
For the gold hairpin's Special Effect 2 to function, it had to contain the specter remnants of Yao Qianhe and Lin Deshuang.
If he handed over Lin Deshuang's unsolvable specter, then Special Effect 2 would become nothing more than a useless ornament.
After housing the two specters, Zuo Lin'an could clearly feel the hairpin becoming significantly colder than before. Fortunately, his constitution was unique.
If an ordinary person were to pick it up, their entire hand would likely freeze and lose all sensation within seconds.
Moreover, this cold was not caused by a drop in air temperature; it was an icy chill that seeped deep into one's bones. Even after putting the hairpin down, it would take a considerable amount of time to recover.
Zuo Lin'an toyed with the gold hairpin, deep in thought as he slowly strolled back.
“The effects are great, but it feels a bit too good to be true. I should find someone to ask about this.”
He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts.
Rate on N.U.
