Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 730 - 728: Separation

The Black Holy Son’s hypothesis sent chills down the spine. If the red-clothed old woman had truly devoured players like Ghost of Hidden Eye and Ω, how powerful could she have become?

"Damn it, why is this happening?" Wanli Fengdao furrowed his brows and cursed softly. "Logically speaking, for mission bosses with growth attributes, players should be able to find related clues shortly after entering the script. This would remind players they need to find ways to weaken the boss while it’s still not fully developed and strangle it in the cradle. Did we collect any relevant hints after entering this scenario?"

"We might have, but we didn’t have time to find them." The Black Holy Son frowned. "The first to encounter the red-clothed old woman were Kafei and Danfei. They were ambushed and might have died without leaving any clues, resulting in our incomplete intelligence. We’re only just now piecing it together."

The Black Holy Son was already using more euphemistic phrasing. Despite all players who entered this scenario being Lv15 and above mid-to-upper-tier, this tier also had its own hierarchy. Players like the Black Holy Son, Bai Haozheng, Liu Wu Dai, and Mule, who relied on major factions or were very wealthy themselves, could afford the best equipment and items and receive the most scientifically sound daily training. Naturally, their strength was a notch above that of small guild members or Lone Wolf players. Intuitively, it seemed very likely that Danfei and Kafei were the two weakest in their group. No wonder the red-clothed old woman targeted them first, starting with the weakest and growing stronger, only moving against 13MARK and Ω after accumulating enough power.

"From the dryness of the bloodstains on the ground, Ω’s death should have been around one o’clock last night, roughly after the red-clothed old woman attacked 13MARK." Bai Haozheng pushed up his glasses and said softly, "Last night, the Bamboo Hat figure didn’t appear around three-thirty... It seems that what triggers their appearance is very likely related to a player’s death. If a player dies before three-thirty, they don’t appear. If no players die before three-thirty, they will start climbing up from the first floor and, according to some yet-undiscovered pattern, kill a player..."

Bai Haozheng paused, glanced around, and noticed the other players looking at him rather strangely.

"What’s wrong?" Bai Haozheng spread his hands and asked casually.

"It’s nothing." The Plague Doctor shook his head and said hesitantly, "I just didn’t expect Mister Bai to voice this theory so casually."

Bai Haozheng’s hypothesis was that each night a player must die; otherwise, the Bamboo Hat figure would randomly select someone to kill from the remaining people. In this case, to avoid being chosen, the surviving players could very well turn on each other, seeking to kill their comrades before three-thirty.

"It’s nothing," Bai Haozheng said indifferently, shaking his head with an easygoing tone. "Even if I didn’t say it, everyone could have guessed. Rather than having everyone harbor their own suspicions and be wary of each other, perhaps even starting to fight and kill each other before nightfall, it’s better for me to address it now and clear up any doubts."

As he spoke, Bai Haozheng’s eyes suddenly sharpened. "What I want to clarify is that the System wouldn’t set up such a purely random, one-way mechanism that leaves players with no room to fight back. Otherwise, what’s the difference from a simple coin toss based purely on luck? There must be a way to counter the Bamboo Hat figure—perhaps through direct combat or by solving a puzzle. Perhaps their constant emphasis on ’one less’ doesn’t just mean taking a player’s life. A player killing the aberrations in a room might also satisfy the Bamboo Hat figures’ requirements, preventing their appearance. Last night, Mule also killed two aberrations in his room."

"...Perhaps." The Plague Doctor nodded hesitantly, exchanging a knowing glance with Yuyi Xinzhong, who stood opposite him. Their eyes met in silent agreement.

Bai Haozheng attempted to stabilize morale through rational persuasion. But how could players who lived on a razor’s edge entrust their safety to the conscience of others?

Liu Wu Dai, Wanli Fengdao, Mule, and others had entered the script as a team of four, forming the strongest faction. In contrast, the Plague Doctor, Yuyi Xinzhong, and 13MARK were all Lone Wolf Players—weaker and isolated. They had to unite...

Perhaps noticing the subtle shift in Yuyi Xinzhong and the others’ attitudes, Bai Haozheng sighed almost imperceptibly and remained silent.

Seeing this, the Black Holy Son coughed and proposed, "To guard against assaults from the Bamboo Hat figures and the red-clothed old woman, we should perhaps utilize the safe nature of the two hotel elevators to maneuver against them. Considering the elevators are on opposite ends of the corridor, I suggest we split into two groups: one residing on the left side of the corridor and one on the right. One elevator can hold a maximum of two people, so two elevators can hold four. Living separately like this could maximize our chances of survival. What do you all think?"

"I think it’s a good idea." 13MARK spoke up first, glancing at Liu Wu Dai, who stood opposite him, and said softly, "Being on different sides doesn’t mean we can’t communicate. There’s a phone outside the elevators on each floor, so we can keep in touch. And even if the corridor floors absorb sound, we can still show each other written messages on paper to pass information. Moreover, if we split into two groups, a single floor can accommodate up to four Patrollers. Then, if anyone is attacked, they can get help from the other four players, increasing their chances of survival—given a player’s physique, it’s entirely possible to cross the entire corridor in a very short time and reach a room on the other side."

13MARK’s reasoning received nods of support from Yuyi Xinzhong and the Plague Doctor. Liu Wu Dai glanced at them indifferently and said nothing.

"Sigh..." Bai Haozheng sighed noncommittally and turned to Liu Wu Dai. "Miss Liu, what do you think?"

"I have no opinion," Liu Wu Dai said expressionlessly. "You need to ask the others."

The "others" she referred to were naturally Mule, Li Ang, and Wanli Fengdao, who had entered the script with her.

After some consideration, Mule and Wanli Fengdao agreed to the idea of splitting into two groups—it indeed felt safer to be with their own people.

Li Ang, however, simply spread his hands. "Based on my decades of horror movie-watching experience—during which I’ve never once needed a diaper change—actively dividing our forces and splitting up in this kind of environment will most likely lead to us literally ’splitting up.’ But since everyone else thinks so, I have no objections. We can always call to regroup if needed."

Since everyone agreed, Bai Haozheng no longer objected.

「On the sixth night,」

Bai Haozheng, the Black Holy Son, 13MARK, Yuyi Xinzhong, and the Plague Doctor would reside on the left side of the corridor, while Li Ang, Mule, Liu Wu Dai, and Wanli Fengdao would reside on the right.