Chapter 51: The Holy Infancy Orphanage 18

Chapter 51: The Holy Infancy Orphanage 18

Something more important?

Ripples of voices surged in the live broadcast hall as no one could fathom what Qin Fei was planning to do.

What could be more urgent than swiftly clearing the instance dungeon?

In the center of the screen, Qin Fei blinked and said, "I plan on finding the source of the contamination."

His casual remark left both Xiao Xiao and the audience in stunned silence.

An unusual tranquility settled over the live broadcast hall.

After a long while, a spirit murmured softly, "How can he… how can he…?"

"How can he so nonchalantly talk about finding the source of contamination?!"

On the live stream, Xiao Xiao was just as baffled as the viewers.

Qin Fei's impulsive nature was something he had long been accustomed to, but today's revelation was still rather unexpected.

Xiao Xiao stood rooted to the spot for a moment, struggling to regain his composure and his voice.

There were too many aspects to comment on, leaving him momentarily at a loss as to where to begin. Eventually, he stammered, "Ah, you want to find the source of contamination... But, um, how exactly do we go about doing that?"

It was a completely baffling task.

Qin Fei, however, spoke with remarkable calmness, "I already know how to locate the source of contamination."

Xiao Xiao: "?"

Ah, but how did you know that? ???

Everyone entered the instance together and spent more than a day inside. Despite spending the majority of that time in each other's company, how could it be that while Almighty Qin soared to level 99 and was ready to raid the boss's lair, he was still wandering around the newbie village, utterly bewildered?

Xiao Xiao was speechless.

However,

Never mind.

The fool knew nothing, the fool remained silent, and the fool held himself in a tender embrace of self-pity.

But—

"Even if you know where the source of contamination is, can this really work?" Xiao Xiao's brow was deeply furrowed.

Although he was now an idiot, the common knowledge he possessed before entering this instance still lingered in his mind.

Xiao Xiao was well aware that eliminating the source of contamination was a legendary method of clearing the stage, only found in tales.

Most players wouldn't even recognize, let alone defeat, the source of contamination, even after spending numerous days in the instance until they successfully cleared it. They might not figure out what exactly the contamination source was during the live broadcast.

Moreover, even if one knew the location of the contamination source in this world, what could they do about it?

Players were utterly powerless against such a source.

It was a contamination source capable of tainting the entire world!

No matter how high a player's mental immunity was - not even an A-grade or S-grade player - it was impossible for a mortal body to withstand the corruption from the source.

"Big Shot Qin," Xiao Xiao straightened up and spoke with an unusually serious tone, which was rare in this instance, "Do you know that no one has ever successfully eradicated the source of contamination?"

"Hmm, perhaps someone has succeeded."

Xiao Xiao irritably scratched his head.

"I remember a rumor circulating in Central City. The current guild leader of Black Feathers and his partner supposedly cleared their final live broadcast by killing the source of contamination."

But after that live stream, neither the guild leader nor his partner was seen again.

Those two figures, who once became legends in the Realm of Rules, vanished without a trace.

Some said they had touched upon the core interests of the Rule-Enforced Broadcast and were sent back to their original worlds, forever free from live streaming.

Others claimed they were directly annihilated by the rules within that instance. All the talk was merely a misunderstanding.

In short, they vanished without a trace, leaving no one knowing whether they ascended to divinity or fell into damnation.

That was the president of the largest guild in the entire Rule Realm, once ranked first among all players – a pro gamer that small-time streamers like them wouldn't even dare to dream about.

Something they themselves had failed to accomplish.

Yet Qin Fei declared that he would give it a try.

An E-rank streamer, one who had just been promoted and was currently in the midst of his very first genuine live broadcast after leaving the Experience World.

He said it with such casual ease.

It sounded like a joke.

A very cheap and unfunny one at that.

Yet, incredibly absurdly,

When Xiao Xiao lifted his head and saw the tranquil, serene expression in Qin Fei's amber eyes, he was unexpectedly inspired.

Suddenly, everything seemed less unattainable than before.

"…Are you really sure about this?" Xiao Xiao murmured hesitantly.

"Mm," Qin Fei nodded.

He wasn't overly serious nor was he trying to act casual; his reaction was incredibly composed.

In this life-or-death situation, his calmness surprisingly stirred a sense of excitement in others.

"Don't worry, I have confidence."

Qin Fei wasn't acting on a whim.

In fact, before entering this instance dungeon, he had already made up his mind.

In every live broadcast from now on, as long as there was an opportunity, he must try his best to come into contact with the source of corruption in those worlds.

Qin Fei had already faintly sensed that there was something hidden within him that set him apart from other players.

His extraordinary mental immunity.

The lingering aura left behind by "It" upon him.

And the subtle, intermittent sense of being targeted that emerged within the instances.

What was the reason behind all this?

Qin Fei couldn't ask anyone about it.

He had to investigate on his own, and he needed to do so urgently.

The Realm of Rules was fraught with danger, and life could end at any moment. The sooner he unraveled the tangled web of mysteries, the sooner he might extricate himself from the abyss of death.

It would be difficult for Qin Fei to explain his motives to Xiao Xiao.

Before he fully understood the origins of these unusual occurrences, he wouldn't reveal them to anyone easily.

"Who says an E-Rank player can't eliminate the source of contamination?"

Qin Fei stood by the bed, his tone laced with three parts nonchalance and indifference.

"Every S-class player was once an E-class player. Whatever they can do, we can do too."

He slightly lowered his head, and the dim yet bright room light fell upon his sharp and distinct profile, casting a captivating, almost enchanting glow on his delicately pale face.

Advancing a step, he took Xiao Xiao's hand and declared solemnly, "You can do it too!"

Xiao Xiao was suddenly injected with a surge of motivation, seemingly out of nowhere.

It wasn't as if the mighty Qin had said anything earth-shattering.

Yet, he had a way of infusing extraordinary conviction into the most ordinary words.

Xiao Xiao felt strength surging through every pore of his body.

"Well then, is there anything I can do right now?" The monk's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Suddenly, he felt that what they were about to undertake... seemed pretty cool?

If his fate was to die in one of these instances, then being torn apart by monsters or sliced down by players would be a rather dull way to go.

But to perish in the pursuit of the source of contamination...

That sounded so romantically heroic!

Unfortunately, Qin Fei hadn't given a single thought about life or death.

He released his grip, smiled, and patted Xiao Xiao's head as if petting a puppy, saying,

"It's almost four. Until dinner at 7:30 pm, just stay in your room and don't come out unless there's an emergency. Lock the door behind you. That should be enough."

Xiao Xiao: "....Uh-huh."

He had a nagging feeling that something was off. The way Big Boss Qin was unexpectedly affectionate, like a middle-aged father giving his elementary school-aged son instructions before going grocery shopping, somehow sounded like an insult.

But his current mental capacity couldn't handle such intricate reasoning.

The Taoist priest stood up and stumbled back to his room, dazed.

Silence returned to Room 12, finally granting Qin Fei some solitude.

The young man seemed to feel a hint of fatigue after dealing with so many people at once.

He slowly sat down and gradually leaned back until his entire body was submerged in the soft bed, resembling a lethargic cat with its tail curled around itself.

Extending his hand, he casually swiped through the air, summoning the private bullet screen interface that only he could see.

The bullet screen was barren.

No one was talking; there was nothing but an occasional meaningless character floating by, such as "Streamer, go for it!" or "Hurry up, hurry up!"

The current number of online viewers was 69,504, with a cumulative total of 81,397 unique visitors to the live stream.

With so many people, it was impossible that none of them were speaking.

Undoubtedly, they were discussing something that the system had filtered out.

Yet, Qin Fei seemed to completely disregard the system's precise censorship.

His eyes appeared to pierce through the air, as if he could see the silent cries of the spectators hidden from sight.

The young man's brows slightly furrowed, his tone soft and affectionate, as if he was having an informal chat with close friends rather than decoding the horror for his live stream audience:

"Hmm... I think I have an idea of what you all might be wondering now."

"Are you thinking, since I want to eliminate the source of corruption, why don't I just go out now and stab Player 24?"

Despite Qin Fei having amassed tens of thousands of fans in a short period, these fans, separated by a nebulous screen and unsure if they even belonged to the same species, didn't truly care about his life and death like Xiao Xiao did.

Perhaps they would smirk disdainfully and hurl a few insults, mocking his overestimation of himself.

But they wouldn't dwell too much on why "Player 12 would want to kill the source of corruption."

What they would focus on was how Player 12 intended to accomplish this task.

This was what truly mattered to the audience, something that could make or break the excitement of the live broadcast.

The only thing that could connect with the current context and yet be censored by the system would be Qin Fei's question just now.

"The explanation I'm about to give will shed light on my thoughts," the young man said softly as he sat upright on the bed.

After the live broadcast ended, each viewer would turn into points for Qin Fei, transforming into unexpected weapons in his next challenge against his foes.

Qin Fei was dedicated to every role he undertook, determined to fulfill the responsibilities of a live streamer to perfection.

...

This was the first time that the spectators in the Rule Realm had engaged in an aerial conversation with the streamer through bullet comments.

—It was a genuine "aerial" communication.

The streamer couldn't see anything on his end, only a blank screen, but he seemed to possess telepathic abilities, seamlessly conversing with the audience.

This was too surreal!

In the Rule World's live streaming, it was almost impossible for the audience to have meaningful interactions with the streamer that influenced the plot.

Occasionally, some high-level players with die-hard fans might spend a fortune during crucial moments of the stream to use creative methods of rewarding the streamer and convey new information.

But that was different from the current situation.

"Yes!"

"1111111"

"Oh my god, oh my god, Streamer, you're amazing! How did you know what we were talking about?"

"Is the system glitched? Damn, even though I know the system definitely can't be glitched, I still can't help but ask: Is the system glitched?!!"

"What system glitch? The streamer is the real glitch!"

"Xiao Qin, a human-shaped moving glitch!!"

The young man's gaze swept across the rows of praise.

Compliments could always bring joy, even to someone like Qin Fei, who seemed indifferent to others' reactions in any situation.

His soft, plump lips curled slightly, forming an arc of pleasure.

"I didn't approach Number 24 because Number 24 and Lamb are not the same person."

It was quite clear that Lamb was the dominant personality; this was attested by the doctor's records and the information on the prisoner in Cell 8 of the prison.

However,

"Although they share the same appearance, it's absolutely impossible for Lamb to be Number 24's alternate personality."

This was a simple logic puzzle.

According to the doctor's notes, Patient Lamb suffered from dissociative identity disorder, with 24 alternate personalities branching out from his original dominant one.

Due to some reason—possibly just a setup in this copy—each of these 24 alternate personalities had their own distinct external and internal personas.

Number 24 is one of the alternate personalities, as documented by the psychiatrist:

Number 24 is Lamb's earliest split personality, sharing his appearance but with an entirely contrasting disposition. This is most likely a result of Lamb's psyche creating a defensive mechanism in response to the trauma of early childhood experiences, such as domestic violence.

The primary personality, Lamb, is timid and vulnerable, a child easily broken. Thus, he gave birth to Number 24, a duplicate of himself but with an opposing nature.

Despite his youthful exterior, Number 24 is cold and gloomy, indifferent to everything around him, seemingly impervious to harm.

The psychiatrist's records are filled with observations on Number 24. According to these notes, he mostly behaves normally; however, there are sporadic instances of cruel behavior towards small animals or minor arson, hinting at potential criminal inclinations.

It is explicitly stated here that Number 24 is distinct, an individual entity among the alternate personalities. Lamb, on the other hand, is the primary personality.

How could the primary personality possibly be the hidden persona within an alternate personality?

What the alternate personality of No. 24 would be like, Qin Fei had never witnessed, and thus could not conclusively determine. However, it was highly probable that it related to the sadistic tendencies and excessive coldness mentioned in the notes.

He might transform into a bloodshot killing machine, but he could never turn into an introverted, bashful little boy.

"So it is!"

As Qin Fei narrated his story with a captivating cadence, the air around them gradually filled with an increasing number of bullet comments.

"Wife's explanation is so clear! I understand everything once you put it that way, wife!"

"Aha, I see now. The doctor's handwriting was too scribbled, and I couldn't make out the text following number 24 at all."

"The Host is so adept at processing information! How did you manage to decipher that doctor's illegible notes in such a short time?"

A barrage of meaningless flattery floated across the screen.

"Therefore, even if I wanted to eliminate the source of contamination, killing number 24 would be futile," Qin Fei continued.

"Should Number 24 perish, it would merely result in the birth of an Inverse Version of Number 24 within the Inner World."

Furthermore, this inverse version would likely be extremely ruthless and aggressive.

Hence, it's best to avoid creating such a situation if possible.

"As for how to locate Lamb—"

Upon mentioning this, Qin Fei suddenly sensed something amiss.

The barrage of comments in the air dwindled rapidly within a second, as the empty space seemed to twitch slightly, as though it was bearing some immense pressure.

The shower of flattery vanished abruptly, as if severed at its midpoint.

The young man's eyes narrowed abruptly.

What's going on?

He had explained himself clearly; could it be that the viewers didn't understand?

To achieve such a scene, it would require all the viewers to coincidentally grow tired of his commentary and choose to be silent at the same exact second.

That was too unrealistic.

Moreover, the number of people in the live stream hadn't decreased.

The only possibility was—

Qin Fei suddenly turned around.

...

"Ahhhh, Ahhhh!! There's someone behind the host!!"

"F*ck!! When did that person get in?!"

"It's terrifying! Damn System, you know how to frame a shot. I was fully focused on the host's handsome face, and then you suddenly showed that ugly mug. It's scarier than seeing a ghost!"

"Enough, I thought an NPC resembling a monkey monster had appeared in this dungeon."

Amidst the bustling noises in the live broadcast hall, even the high-ranking spirits seated on the second floor in their premium viewing spots couldn't help but clench their fists at this unforeseen scene.

In the center of the hall, Instance Dungeon 0194, "Holy Infant Orphanage," had been deliberately moved from its original corner to the most spacious and well-viewed central position.

Almost everyone in the hall was focused on the screen.

It was already approaching dusk in the live broadcast. The owner of Room 12 hadn't drawn back the curtains, so the gloomy sunset was veiled by the creamy white sheer curtains, casting a wine-red twilight over the room, like an ominous layer of blood.

Just a few seconds ago, in the live stream of the elegant and handsome Player 12, watched by tens of thousands of viewers, a figure suddenly appeared behind him.

That shadow materialized out of thin air, without any sign of pushing a door, passing through walls, or walking.

The air behind Qin Fei distorted in an instant, and then, without any warning, that person appeared there.

In his hand was a glinting dagger, and he didn't give his target a moment to react before plunging it towards the slender and graceful, yet exceptionally vulnerable neck of the young man.

Was that the person's innate skill?

This was bloody cheating!

The audience was astounded.

At that moment, everyone unhesitantly believed that Qin Fei was as good as dead.

No matter how powerful he was, he was still just an E-Rank Streamer. He didn't possess an indestructible body or an ironclad physique; how could he possibly survive such a close-range attack?

The one who attacked him was Player 8.

From the beginning of the live stream until now, he had shown no signs of any particular prowess. He had concealed his overwhelming talent well.

Not long ago, Player 8, together with Player 11, had gone to meet Player 6.

This unforeseen act of self-sacrifice must have been Player 8's offering to pledge allegiance to Player 6.

All the spirits instinctively flooded the chat with messages in that instant.

However, they all knew deep down that it was meaningless.

Number 12 simply had no chance at all.

In short, in summary.

It was all over.

Be it the beautiful wife, the rare plan to eradicate the pollution source, or the highest plot unlock rate since the Holy Infant Orphanage instance started—it was all meaningless now.

Within that fleeting moment, which was almost like a blink of an eye, some spirits had already switched from Number 12's live broadcast to Number 8's.

But very quickly.

They switched back.

...

For Qin Fei, that brief second before him felt like an infinitely stretchable rubber band, pulled to an unimaginable length.

Behind him, the sudden rush of wind synchronized with the disappearance of the barrage before his eyes.

A nerve in Qin Fei's brain twitched like an electric shock, and before his thoughts could fully register, his body had already reacted instinctively.

With a sharp "swoosh."

The blade narrowly missed Qin Fei's clothing, slicing through the lengthy and intricate hem of the priest's robe, piercing the bedsheet and the soft duvet, finally embedding itself into the resilient mattress like a nail.

Number 8 was a rare kind of ambush predator.

But without a doubt, his skills did not match his talent.

He seemed to have utterly underestimated Qin Fei's ability to evade this deadly strike.

His hand remained on the knife handle, his gaze momentarily lost.

In that fleeting moment of distraction, the situation had undergone a complete reversal.

On the battlefield, even the slightest lapse in focus could prove fatal.

Not to mention in a face-to-face battle where their noses almost touched.

The young man before him casually flipped his palm, and a steel pipe and a brick appeared as if by magic.

Number 8 finally reacted and hastily pulled the knife out from the bedsheet.

A crisp tearing sound of fabric echoed through the air.

The sharp tip of the knife pierced towards him, but the Priest waved his hand to deflect it.

Metal clashed against metal, producing a jarring noise that made one's molars ache.

"Damn!"

The live chat exploded with comments.

"How did Number 12 dodge that?!!"

"What an incredible reaction speed! Even combat players might not be this quick."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, a handsome young priest fighting with steel pipes and bricks! This contrast! Can anyone relate, folks?!"

"Exorcism through physics, hardcore divine intervention!"

The casual banter and flattery that Qin Fei enjoyed were back, but now, he had lost the leisure to appreciate them.

With bloodshot eyes, Number 8, under intense tension and pressure, tightly gripped his knife and began slashing wildly.

Since entering this scenario, Number 8 had been assigned the role of a gay man.

His alter ego in the mirror had given him a task... one that was utterly humiliating to mention.

Number 8 wasn't an attractive man. He was a thin, sharp-faced individual, resembling a scrawny animal, and undeniably heterosexual.

Not only did he struggle to convince himself to complete this mission, but even if he mustered the courage to proposition someone, who would accept him?

Number 8 was deeply troubled.

Especially after the first flip between the outer and inner worlds, when he witnessed Sister Della mistakenly assuming that Number 12 was gay and taking him away for confinement.

It was evident that with the identity he had obtained, even without doing anything malicious, merely divulging a bit of his status information could lead to a fatal crisis.

This absurd instance was simply trying to get him killed!

Number 8 pondered and realized his only trump card was his innate skill.

As displayed in his live streams, his innate skill was Teleportation.

The activation condition for this skill wasn't difficult to meet; as long as he survived in the instance for more than 24 hours, the skill would automatically activate.

Number 8's skill was undeniably very practical.

In nearly ten live streams he had participated in previously, he had unexpectedly clinched the MVP title six times with this skill.

However, there was a drawback to this skill.

He could only use it once throughout the entire live stream, and there was no cooldown, regardless of how long the stream lasted.

In survival instances or puzzle-solving ones where defeating the boss was the key to victory, Number 8's advantage was evident.

However, in a competitive instance like the Holy Infant Orphanage, this condition imposed a particularly notable restriction.

Number 8 once considered using this skill to hunt down Number 6 – or any other player who first reached the full 24 points for clearing the instance.

But then he thought again. Even if he managed to kill a player capable of clearing the instance, he would only gain four points from their elimination, which wouldn't benefit him at all.

Not to mention whether he could survive until that point.

By the time it actually came to that, there might not be many players left to kill in the instance, making his chances of clearing it slim.

Number 8 changed his strategy. He decided to use this skill to surrender to Number 6.

That way, he could first secure four points from the kill, offsetting the Repentance points deducted by Numbers 9 and 12.

Then, Number 6 promised that he wouldn't dominate alone.

Until they figured out the final clearance mechanism of the instance, they would all live in harmony, hunting down other players and sharing their points equally.

Of course, Number 8 didn't believe Number 6's bullshit for a second.

Still, if he could join Team 567, there was a good chance that he could secure one or two more kill points.

That way, even if an internal conflict erupted, his chances of successfully betraying the group would significantly increase.

Unfortunately, Number 8 had been too optimistic, neglecting the most practical factor.

That was the disparity in strength between him and the other players.

The blade sliced through the air with an ethereal sound. Number 8's all-out stab achieved nothing but threw him off balance, causing him to lunge forward.

In that very moment.

Contrary to the dexterous little dagger in Number 8's hand, a brick larger than his face came hurtling straight at him!

Bang!

A searing ache pounded from the top of his head. Something warm trickled down his forehead, slipping into his eyes and dyeing his vision a crimson red.

Number 8's mouth gaped open, yet no sound escaped his lips.

Pain throbbed relentlessly in his head.

The person before him seemed to have gone berserk, relentlessly hurling bricks at him as if his life depended on it.

Again and again.

Consciousness was fading, and Number 8, lying on the bed, could only choke out blood froth from his throat.

...

This was Qin Fei's first time ever killing someone with a brick in his entire life.

As a young man whose physical fitness wasn't exceptional, Qin Fei's advantages lay in his agility and explosive strength. However,

his muscular power had never been particularly impressive. To prevent any unwanted accidents, Qin Fei left no room for mercy.

With utter disregard for his image, he swung the brick fiercely until all signs of life vanished from the other person.

"..."

The corpse's blood still gushed from the back of its head, staining Qin Fei's pristine bed sheets and duvet in a mess.

The young man held a bloodied steel pipe in one hand and a bloody brick in the other, his face and body splattered with blood spatters.

He knelt on the bed, no more than 15 centimeters away from the still-warm corpse.

Just moments ago, he had narrowly escaped death, but not a hint of tension showed on his face.

Not even the slightest sense of relief after surviving a calamity could be detected in him.

He raised his hand, using the back of it to wipe away the grime under his eyes, leaving a crimson, seductive streak of blood across his face.

His handsome visage, always as pure as an angel, was now tinged with an eerie ghostly hue.

Reaching out, he turned the corpse's face over, checking for breath through the nose, then feeling for a pulse at the neck and wrist.

The air trembled, and scorch marks began to spread across the walls and floor like burns. Bloodstains and mold appeared in every corner of the room, and the comfortable bed beneath him transformed into a bare, metallic torture rack.

The youth lay amidst a sea of blood, gently lifting his head.

He gazed into the air.

Into the void, where his eyes met with the spectators in another world.

With a subtle smile, he spoke a sentence that left them astonished and perplexed.

He said,

"Thank you all for your hints just now."