Chapter 253: Ghost in the Mirror (Part 16)

Chapter 253: Ghost in the Mirror (Part 16)

After this statement, several voices immediately echoed in agreement.

"Right, if we impulsively kill Qiao Qiang for momentary satisfaction, what will happen to our mission?"

"What's the point of killing Qiao Qiang? To vent? Grow up!"

"Everyone despises Qiao Qiang, but he's a vital NPC, let's just endure a bit longer..."

"Even if Qiao Qiang is at fault, doesn't Guan Qing also share some blame?" Someone scoffed, "If she hadn't taken advantage of others and accepted that lamp, would Qiao Qiang have even had a chance to photograph her?"

Jie Fangcheng's fists were clenched, but it was Guan Yingying beside him who softly said, "I've heard such words before."

Later on, she had seen similar comments on a cold, bleak screen.

Many, many comments, many more hurtful than what this player had just uttered.

The first blow was dealt by Qiao Qiang, and these callous and cruel words were the second.

Because of Guan Yingying's words, Jie Fangcheng's actions paused momentarily, and soon the next words from that player reached his ears.

"As for Guan Qing, she had just graduated and moved into a new complex. She's a woman and with all these advantages, she still wasn’t cautious. After arguing with the boss in the afternoon, she didn't suspect anything when Qiao Qiang gave her a lamp? She's so naive that even if it wasn't Qiao Qiang, it could be Li Qiang or Wang Qiang who would eventually..."

There was a loud "thud."

It wasn't Jie Fangcheng. Although he was at the forefront, he was still a step behind.

Hot-tempered Flameblooded Ares' massive fist left the player's face as he stared at him expressionlessly.

The player on the ground covered his face, cursing loudly, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Ares' strength was relatively weak among these players. Everyone had already sized each other up on the bus the day before. He was just a tad stronger than Guan Yingying from the previous day.

At this moment, the player who had fallen to the ground rose to retaliate, only to see Zhu Ping already drawing her weapon, positioning herself in front of Ares with an icy glare.

Following suit, two or three other figures also took out their weapons from their bags. Even those who had previously voiced that "Qiao Qiang shouldn't be killed" now wore grim expressions.

The player on the ground opened his mouth but, facing these stern faces, he dared not say another word.

Jie Fangcheng turned his attention to Guan Yingying first.

In the surrounding dark mist, wisps of fog swirled around Guan Yingying. Her pupils were pitch black, her complexion ghastly pale, making her look less like a player and more like a malevolent spirit.

However, as Jie Fangcheng appeared even more spectral, her transformation wasn't overly noticeable.

Jie Fangcheng had already noticed that Guan Yingying was undergoing a transformation into a ghost.

The surrounding dark mist wasn't borne from sinister or ghostly energies. Guan Yingying's transformation had nothing to do with them; it seemed more like she was naturally turning into a ghost over time.

Now, her eyes scanned the players before her, seemingly deep in thought.

Initially, Jie Fangcheng, who wanted to chase off the mocking player, reconsidered and refrained, standing alongside Guan Yingying to observe the unfolding situation.

On the other side, suppressing her disgust, Zhu Ping was the first to restrain the still-fuming Ares.

"Don't kill him."

At the end of the day, they were still in a game scenario, particularly one populated with ghosts and specters.

Despite having a powerful player like Jie Fangcheng around, Zhu Ping felt that he exhibited a subtle distance from them. He seemed more like a detached observer, showing warmth only towards Guan Yingying.

When a powerful player like him chooses to assist others in completing a level, the rest can only be deeply grateful. However, if he decides not to intervene, there's little the others can do.

Thus, distinct power dynamics were apparent within this game scenario.

The game's NPCs represented one major faction, Jie Fangcheng and Guan Yingying another, and the rest of the players formed a third.

Zhu Ping, with her clear-headedness, had also discovered the clues that Guan Yingying shared with Jie Fangcheng.

The "Ghost in the Mirror", where "Mirror" refers to a camera.

The phone number "4#44444" acted like a play button. Once connected, playback began, and various "people" would appear throughout the residential area.

Hanging up the phone was equivalent to pressing the stop button.

Those NPCs exist "within the mirror", making them ghosts of the mirror.

The players are human—at least for now.

The win condition "Become one with the mirror" is somewhat misleading.

It's not about "becoming one with the mirror", but rather, remaining alive once everything settles, which defines "one with the mirror".

In other words, this is essentially a survival scenario, but the exact survival duration is not explicitly stated.

If Zhu Ping's suspicions are correct, only after Qiao Qiang's death and the camera's playback ends, will the scenario truly begin.

By then, they might confront the ghostly remnants of Qiao Qiang, and perhaps even Guan Qing.

So, preserving as many players as possible is essential. Even the most despicable among them still count as allies; they remain a force to be reckoned with.

Moreover, in her heart, Zhu Ping felt... while what that player said deserved a rebuke, it wasn't deserving of death, was it?

There are plenty of players far worse than him. If they dwelled on every slight, barely any would remain.

They aren't from the Elf race.

Elves, governed by the Elf King, uphold a higher moral standard. But a glance at Zone C reveals that players value strength over nebulous morality.

However...

"Don't spout such distasteful remarks in the future," Zhu Ping said coldly.

With their numerical advantage, the player who was punched lowered his head and stayed silent, clearly still holding a grudge but not daring to voice it.

Zhu Ping didn't say more, letting the matter rest.

The players present shared her mindset, thinking Qiao Qiang despicable but not deserving of death.

Standing at a distance, Jie Fangcheng noticed Guan Yingying appearing to have realized something and asked, "What do you think of how this was handled?"

Zhu Ping, after all, is a player. She views situations from a player's perspective. Her actions may not be the most decisive but are aligned with players' interests.

And what about Guan Yingying?

From whose perspective is she viewing the matter now?

Upon hearing Xie Fangcheng's question, Guan Yingying remained silent for a moment, only to ask him in return, "How do you perceive the Guan Yingying you know?"

"I don't know her personally. A friend of mine does," Xie Fangcheng briefly mentioned Ronghua and Nie Shuangshuang.

Guan Yingying listened silently, uttering not a word throughout the journey. It was only after they reached the hotel that she spoke softly with a smile.

"If it truly were 'me'... that would be quite something!"

But it definitely isn't.

The Guan Yingying in Ronghua is intelligent and kind-hearted, but the one in this copy now—

Guan Yingying had just thought of strangling that player who mocked her... no, not just then.

The only reason Guan Yingying hasn't acted yet is due to the rules of this copy.

But come tomorrow, those rules will change.

Then she can choose to act freely, be it against other NPCs or those players.

As time has passed, she's begun to recall something.

As for the Guan Yingying from the Ronghua guild that Xie Fangcheng speaks of — a vengeful spirit who'd want to annihilate an entire community, it certainly isn't the Guan Yingying from Ronghua.

Yet Xie Fangcheng beside her scratched his head, "Huh? I believe it is you."

"Why?"

"People have different boundaries and take different actions depending on their environment. In modern society, killing is forbidden, but in ancient times of relentless wars, slaying with a sword wasn't a big deal," Xie Fangcheng elaborated. "Just as in this copy, I might think Qiao Qiang deserves death, but in my own world, I'd merely have to send him to his destined place."

Xie Fangcheng doesn't know what Guan Yingying has been through in this world, but looking from outside the copy, this world seems on the brink of collapse.

In a world facing its end, order can easily crumble. If the environment has drastically shifted, Xie Fangcheng can comprehend why Guan Yingying's character and choices might have also greatly altered.

After all, she had friends in "Do Not Respond", so her actions and thoughts from then being different from her present self in this collapsing world is only natural.

A brief flicker of bewilderment crossed Guan Yingying's face.

Xie Fangcheng was deep in thought.

He wasn't unfamiliar with Guan Yingying's amnesiac state — does she resemble the NPCs in "Do Not Respond" whose souls were fragmented and inserted into copies?

It's possible she's not a player but an NPC of this copy.

If that's the case, could Xie Fangcheng extract her from the copy? After all, it seems the game's NPCs are system-generated.

And now, Guan Yingying is gradually turning into a malevolent spirit.

If this were any earlier, Xie Fangcheng would have nipped this malevolent transformation in the bud.

However, now, he hesitated for a moment.

If he can't take Guan Yingying with him, her remaining in the game and turning into a malevolent spirit might be a favorable option.

Not all malevolent spirits lose their sanity; like the eight hundred spirits under Xie Fangcheng's command, each one is a malevolent spirit, including Xie Fangcheng himself.

It's just that malevolent spirits typically have endured inhuman torment in life, filled with resentment and intense hatred.

And these spirits are generally quite powerful.

Think about it: a person with superhuman strength, harboring deep resentment towards their surroundings, would find it hard not to seek revenge.

That's why incidents of malevolent spirits causing harm frequently occur.

But in the case of Guan Yingying, she inherently has a good nature. Even if she were to become a malevolent spirit, she likely wouldn't harm the innocent, right?

She needs strength; lacking power in such a game is quite horrifying.

Maybe... he should observe a little longer?

Xie Fangcheng was torn inside.

Guan Yingying seemed to notice his hesitation.

By now, all the players had entered the hotel. The atmosphere was heavy among them. Everything that happened today was unsettling, so they didn't converse much and retreated to their individual rooms to rest.

Guan Yingying looked at Xie Fangcheng, her eyes eerily ghost-like: "What are you thinking about?"

Xie Fangcheng straightforwardly asked, "Are you turning into a malevolent spirit?"

Guan Yingying paused briefly before nodding.

"What do you intend to do once you become a malevolent spirit?" Xie Fangcheng decided to ascertain her intentions first.

"I plan to kill," Guan Yingying answered candidly.

— In other words, she felt no need to hide this from him. The power of a malevolent spirit surpasses that of ordinary players. Even if Xie Fangcheng was formidable, he was still just a player in her eyes.

That was her line of thinking.

Hearing her say this, Xie Fangcheng asked, "Who will you kill?"

"Qiao Qiang. I couldn't kill him when I was alive; only managed it after my death," Guan Yingying said calmly. "And not just him, many others too... those who drove me to my death."

Xie Fangcheng's brows furrowed, then furrowed again.

"You're..."

"If you try to stop me, I won't hesitate to kill you too," she declared.

Xie Fangcheng was taken aback, "Let's not go there, shall we?"

Guan Yingying looked at him earnestly, "But I think highly of you, I don't want to harm you."

Hearing this, Xie Fangcheng sighed, "I feel the same way."