Chapter 53: The Orphanage 20

Chapter 53: The Orphanage 20

The players in the corridor were sequentially escorted by Sister Della into their cells. Under Qin Fei's privilege aura, Sanzu, Ghost Fire, and Xiao Xiao were spared from the electric batons and granted permission to stay with Qin Fei.

The moment the cell door closed behind them, Sanzu's brow immediately furrowed.

"What's going on with Number 8?"

She spun around swiftly, her sharp gaze fixing onto Qin Fei.

The incident had happened too abruptly, especially after Qin Fei's chaotic behavior in the corridor. Sanzu's judgment was now in disarray.

With her high ponytail, the woman crossed her arms, her eyes inspecting him closely.

For most ordinary people, even if they had done nothing wrong, being under such intense scrutiny would still make their hearts skip a beat.

But this was not the case for Qin Fei at all.

He seemed oblivious to the gaze directed at him, walking casually over to the iron bed and sitting down with ease.

"Mm-hmm."

Qin Fei nodded.

The young man's face held a clear and gentle smile as he lifted his head, looking at San Tu with an open expression. "I'm not lying. He was the one who attacked me first."

He really, truly wasn't lying.

Why didn't they believe him?

San Tu's expression was tense.

One could tell that every vein in her head was working hard to ponder the rationality of the situation.

Xiao Xiao, on the other side, nodded vigorously.

In fact, he had no idea what was going on, but all his body language was supporting Qin Fei:

"That's right, that's right! Boss Qin really didn't intentionally kill that person! He just told me he had other things to attend to."

San Tu raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What is it?"

Could Number 12 have another plan to clear this instance?

How deep was his understanding of this dungeon?

Xiao Xiao hesitantly glanced at Qin Fei.

Though the poor Daoist was now foolish, he was not foolish enough to directly reveal Qin Fei's plan to eliminate the source of contamination.

Noticing that Qin Fei didn't seem intent on explaining, he vaguely brushed off the question, "Oh well, it's just something important... Right! He also asked me to give you guys something."

The abrupt change in topic was clumsy but effective. Ghost Fire couldn't help but probe further, "What kind of thing?"

Xiao Xiao blinked, his distinct black and white eyes revealing an innocent naivety, "I can't tell you now."

Ghost Fire & San Tu: "......."

If the two of you just want to tease us, can you at least be straightforward about it?

"Never mind." The Sanzu River gazed at Qin Fei and Xiao Xiao for a while, somewhat disheartened.

She gritted her teeth and enunciated each word with deliberate slowness, "I suggest you don't lie to me."

Qin Fei didn't hesitate for a moment. He smiled warmly and assured, "Of course not. I never deceive people without reason."

The Sanzu River really wanted to roll her eyes.

"Thud... Thud..."

Fingers tapped against the rusted iron door, producing a dull thud that interrupted their conversation within the room.

Sister Della's voice echoed from outside, "Mr. Preacher!"

Upon hearing the nun's voice, the other three in the room trembled simultaneously, but Qin Fei's eyelashes didn't even flutter.

"Please come in," he said leisurely, still sitting by the bed and even adjusting his robe.

The nun pushed the door open slightly and slipped into the room, "There's something I believe will pique your interest."

She winked mysteriously at Qin Fei. "The Confessional is all fixed up. You can go there anytime."

As she finished speaking, both Qin Fei and San Tu's eyes lit up.

Ghost Fire excitedly slapped his thigh. "It's really fixed!?"

Then, his expression changed, and he looked at Qin Fei with a worried frown. "So, I...?"

Didn't that mean he had to fulfill his promise and reveal his innate skill to Qin Fei?

Though, in reality, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he did share it.

However, Qin Fei had first deceived Ghost Fire's alternate personality, then effortlessly obtained knowledge of his innate skill.

Now, whenever Ghost Fire saw Qin Fei, he felt as awkward as if he were running around without underwear.

...It was an itchy, uncomfortable feeling all over.

Qin Fei wasn't in a rush to pry into Ghost Fire's secret. Under the latter's hesitant gaze, he stood up and said to the nun, "Let's go. We'll check out the Confessional first."

San Tu and Gui Huo looked at Qin Fei's departing figure with a mix of envy and disappointment.

They also wanted to go to the Confessional.

They had obtained two new clues but had yet to receive any Confessional points.

That score was like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey, taunting them relentlessly until they could finally taste it.

How did Qin Fei manage to do it?

What exactly did he do to gain the allegiance of an NPC in such a tense scenario where NPCs and players were at odds?

...

In the long, dark corridor, only the sounds of the nun and Qin Fei's footsteps echoed.

As they walked, Qin Fei observed his surroundings while casually engaging the nun in conversation:

"What a lengthy corridor between the resting area and the church!"

The nun completely missed Qin Fei's subtle hint but, without realizing it, she began to talk about what he wanted to hear:

"Oh, Mr. Missionary, your exclamation is so apt!"

She seemed to have a strong desire to express herself on this subject and started complaining incessantly.

"This corridor is truly endless! It's like a vast maze; I've been in this cathedral for over a decade, yet I still occasionally get lost."

Qin Fei nodded. "With such a large corridor, it must be quite troublesome when something like this morning's incident occurs, right?"

He was referring to the escape of Prisoner Zero earlier that morning.

At that time, almost all the guards had been mobilized, rushing around the corridors in a chaotic frenzy.

The nun sighed. "Indeed, even now, there are still a few elusive mice scurrying through these halls."

Sister Della spoke thus, suddenly realizing that the young man beside her had recently been one of those "mice" she mentioned.

She glanced at him cautiously, relieved to see no sign of displeasure on his face. Only then did she continue:

"It's truly difficult to catch them!"

She wore an exasperated expression, as if a homemaker had just discovered numerous cockroaches lurking beneath the kitchen stove.

"Someone as devout and pitiful as Aila, if she doesn't wish to stay in confinement, then let her be! But there are others who should naturally be sitting in an electric chair for their punishment!"

"I feel like I've betrayed the Lord's trust whenever I think of them still breathing the free air of this corridor!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fei's smile deepened. "Why would that be? It's not your fault. The Lord will surely understand."

"So..."

After much effort, he finally asked the question that he was most eager to know.

"Who else is on this corridor?"

Sister Della promptly provided an answer. "There are quite a few."

The nun sounded somewhat weary as she counted on her fingers,

"Besides Aila, there's also that utterly loathsome Peter Warren – the one with eyes resembling grotesque tumors all over his body."

"And Bobby, who spends each day immersed among corpses, along with the repulsive Eldred," the nun continued, her expression worsening with each word. She eventually paused.

"Is that all?" Qin Fei probed further.

The nun nodded. "Yes, just these for now. I fear I couldn't bear any more new pests."

Qin Fei let out a soft "hum," finally content with the answer he sought.

Having reached this point in the live broadcast, Qin Fei had thoroughly untangled the complex relationships between the 24 Holy Infants' inner and outer personalities, as well as their reversed worlds.

The individuals that the nun had just mentioned were:

The peeping tom, number 1, who had mutated into a monster in the inner world due to the pendant being filled;

And the necrophile, number 4, whom number 6, driven by inner turmoil during Qin Fei's successive whistleblowing in the confessional, had murdered.

It seemed that if one was killed in the Surface World or, in the Inner World, their mental breakdown due to the full pendant led to their alter ego's manifestation.

Player 20, for instance, had been killed by Player 6 in the Inner World, and his alter ego never appeared.

This suggested that if one died in the Inner World while still in their Surface persona, their alter ego would also dissipate.

Considering this, if they were to eliminate Players 16 through 23 later in the broadcast, it would be best to do so within the Inner World.

According to the doctor's notes, Players 16 to 23 were personalities that emerged after Lamb arrived at the church, influenced by the prisoners in the dungeon.

In other words, upon these players' deaths, there was a high likelihood that they would transform into the second batch of prisoners.

Recalling the embarrassing scene earlier that morning when he was being chased by Prisoner 0 through the corridors, Qin Fei couldn't help but twitch an eyelid.

There were six players left among Players 16 to 23, excluding the deceased Players 20 and 22, San To.

What if a few of those remaining six underwent mutation...!

One could only hope for the mercy of a higher power.

May the Lord bless us and spare us from such calamity.

Qin Fei's head was slightly lowered, his thoughts already wandering far away.

Before him, the endlessly looping path seemed as though it would never come to an end.

But, after a long while, the two finally reached their destination.

"We've arrived, Mr. Preacher," the nun said, bowing her head slightly to Qin Fei.

Standing before the restored confessional, which had been put back in its original place, she had repaired every shattered wooden plank and stone. It was impossible to tell that just half a day ago, this had been a ruin.

One had to admit that Sister Della's execution skills were top-notch.

Having successfully guided Qin Fei, she hurriedly turned around and retraced her steps.

Ever since their conversation about the wandering alter egos on the balcony, the nun had appeared deeply troubled.

"No, no, I have to hurry back! I need to find and confine those entities…."

Muttering to herself, she disappeared down the corridor.

Qin Fei watched the nun's retreating figure vanish around the corner before turning and pushing open the door to the confessional.

...

This was Qin Fei's third visit to the basement.

In the entire church, this small and dark dungeon might be the place hiding the most clues.

In the cell closest to the entrance, Prisoner Zero greeted Qin Fei with the same enigmatic grin as during their previous encounters.

"You're back, my friend."

His gaze, both fervent and peculiar, met Qin Fei's. "This is our fourth meeting."

"Any two people who meet four times should become friends, don't you think?"

"That's not necessarily true," Qin Fei disagreed, not sensing any correctness in the statement. He smiled, averting his gaze from Agent 0. "In fact, meeting four times could also turn them into enemies."

As he spoke, Qin Fei's gaze swept across the nearby wall.

The materials the nun had used to repair the Confessional must have been taken from this dungeon.

During Qin Fei's previous two visits, one side of the corridor was piled high with debris. Now, much of it had been cleared, revealing the wall behind.

Under the flickering, dim candlelight, several lines of blood-red text stood out starkly against the stained and worn wall.

"Do not look directly into their eyes."

"Do not speak to them."

"Do not listen."

"Do not touch."

The robust and powerful words, as if they could seep through stone walls and permeate to the other side, sent a chill down one's spine merely by looking at them.

Why?

Why leave such a warning?

Why can't there be any communication with them?

Could it be that...

A myriad of terms flashed through Qin Fei's mind.

Seduction?

Hypnosis?

The young man stood before the cell without revealing any sign of nervousness.

In the real world outside the instance dungeon, Qin Fei had attempted countless psychological therapies to address his sudden emotional abnormalities.

None of it worked.

This statement might be a bit too extreme.

But perhaps in this world, no one could hypnotize him at all.

The viewers burst into laughter in the live chat.

"My hubby just pops out with such words!"

"Hubby, keep talking! I love listening to everything you say!"

Everything that was happening in Qin Fei's live stream was something they had never seen before.

The system didn't focus on the rules displayed on the wall, so the viewers couldn't read them clearly.

A spirit stood in front of the light screen, recalling past live streams related to Prisoner 0:

"I remember that this Prisoner 0 was quite capable. Apart from using an ax to attack, he seemed to have some sort of mind control ability."

Just like Hannibal in "Silence of the Lambs," he could subtly manipulate others with his body language and rhetoric, leading them to comply with his wishes without their realization.

"The bottom line is, don't engage him in conversation," the spirit entity concluded.

"Once you start talking to him, those with weak willpower won't be able to resist his influence for more than three sentences."

In one of the previous live streams, Player 0 even managed to manipulate a gamer. On the brink of completing a dungeon, the player turned around resolutely and threw himself onto Player 0's axe.

He committed suicide.

"D*mn!"

The viewers who were unaware of the situation couldn't help but display looks of shock.

"Is it that terrifying?"

"What did that streamer just do..."

"The Host will definitely be fine."

The analytical spirit entity waved its hand dismissively, unfazed by the situation.

"Was that the Host's way of conversing? That was more like provocation, wasn't it?"

At these words, the surrounding audience burst into an uproar.

"Hahaha, my spouse, Qin Fei, is a rebellious beauty with an unyielding spirit!"

The lively scene piqued the curiosity of those spectators standing on the periphery or at a distance, who craned their necks to catch a glimpse eagerly.

Meanwhile, on the live broadcast screen, Entity 0 also clearly froze upon hearing Qin Fei's response.

It seemed he hadn't anticipated such an answer.

Staring intently at Qin Fei for a moment, he then erupted into a fit of laughter, clutching his belly.

There was a chilling madness embedded within that laughter, making one's heart skip a beat.

Qin Fei paid no attention.

Despite standing directly opposite Prisoner 0, his thoughts were entirely detached from the individual.

Qin Fei was contemplating something of great significance.

Time was almost up, and he needed to devise a plan to lure the Bird-Beaked Doctor over.

But...

Now that he knew the so-called 24 Holy Infants were merely Lamb's 24 alternate personalities,

Would injuring himself truly attract the Bird-Beaked Doctor?

Alter egos within the Inner World weren't considered independent entities.

Qin Fei even suspected that if he were to commit seppuku right there in the dungeon, to the Bird-Beaked Doctor, it might merely register as "Personality fragment of Prisoner 8, Lamb, has vanished."

That's all there is to it.

Otherwise, why hadn't the Doctor appeared even once with so many players having died previously?

The only person who had truly received the Doctor's attention was—

Qin Fei lifted his head.

He looked at Prisoner Zero in the cell.

In those clear eyes that seemed out of place in this filthy dungeon, a hint of inexplicable contemplation flashed by.

"I was wondering if you could come over here for a moment?"

He suddenly spoke, his tone completely different from the confrontational one he had just moments ago. His attitude was unusually amiable.

The young man smiled warmly, his attractive brows and eyes curving into a pleasant arch. His expression was gentle and approachable.

"I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."

...

When two Puppet Kings gazed into each other's eyes, who would come out on top?

In any case, Zero, ten minutes later, expressed:

If he had known what Task Twelve had asked him to do, he would never have agreed at first.

Qin Fei didn't explicitly reveal his plan to Zero.

However, Zero had already deciphered Qin Fei's intentions from his actions.

Because after beckoning Zero closer to the prison bars, Qin Fei swiftly pulled out a small knife and stabbed at him with ferocity.

Zero covered his bleeding ear, a rare expression of surprise flickering in his eyes.

Soon, he understood that Twelve intended to use him as bait to lure the doctor back to the dungeon.

Despite this, he wasn't overly enraged.

Ever since that morning in the Corridor Labyrinth when Qin Fei had toyed with him and manipulated him into becoming the blade that took out Number 2, Prisoner 0 had always shown a subtle indulgence whenever he faced Qin Fei.

This was because he perceived Qin Fei as an adversary worthy of his equal admiration.

It was the anticipation and tolerance that came with encountering a worthy opponent.

Warm blood trickled down Prisoner 0's neck and between his fingers.

He raised his hand to his eyes, extending his thumb and index finger to gently pinch the skin.

Soon, his fingertips became blurred with the color of blood.

"What a beautiful hue," Prisoner 0 murmured softly.

He stared at the crimson stain for a moment before suddenly turning his head to meet Qin Fei's gaze.

"Since you've asked for my help, shouldn't you offer me some incentive?"

Prisoner 0 couldn't fathom why he had actually approached Qin Fei as instructed, merely due to the latter's casual remark.

The young man stood there, effortlessly captivating.

Each trailing note of his speech, the slightest curve of his lashes when he blinked, and the gentle tremors his breath brought to the air – they all seemed to carry enchanting hooks.

Hooks that ensnared one completely, drawing people towards him without their realizing it.

Still, it was too late to change anything now.

Qin Fei had no objections to this.

He nodded appreciatively. "Indeed."

Otherwise, wouldn't that make him a freeloader?

He wasn't someone without shame.

After some contemplation, Qin Fei gave a serious response to Entity 0, "You'll surely have another chance to come out, right?"

Though phrased as a question, it was stated with an affirmative tone.

Given Qin Fei's current state, escaping from prison would be an incredibly daunting task.

His legs were bound tightly by chains, with heavy iron balls hanging beneath them. His hands were shackled with wooden manacles, and a sharp, spiked rope was even tied around his neck like a leash, completely restricting his mobility.

If he had been kept in such conditions all along, there was no way he could have escaped this morning.

Number 0 must have seized an opportune moment.

Perhaps when the guards entered to deliver food, or during some other interval – did this cell have a designated time for exercise?

Qin Fei speculated aloud while sharing his theories.

The live stream chat immediately flooded with praise.

"What, exercise time? I remember someone mentioning that the prisoners get to come out for some fresh air at midnight, right?"

"Oh ho! How did my wife guess again!"

"My beautiful and intelligent wife."

"Xiao Qin, you're a god! The Prophet Qin is none other than you!"

"Detective Qin Sherlock!"

...

The audience had already descended into madness.

Qin Fei skillfully summoned the live chat window, seeing the floating words in the air. He wore a bashful and innocent smile.

"You guys are exaggerating too much."

He blinked, turned off the live chat, and refocused his attention on what was in front of him.

"When you come out next time, I'll help by luring Number 6 and his two friends over to your side."

Qin Fei's smile was pure and bright, revealing a row of delicate white teeth, making him appear naively innocent.

—His words, however, were anything but innocent.

"Don't you like blood? Aren't you fond of slaughter and destruction?"

He spoke in a low, alluring tone, "Those few individuals are full of excitement. You'll surely be satisfied."

What an intriguing plan!

Number 0's eyes lit up.

Indeed, compared to that damned Number 6, he found Number 12 far more interesting.

But the scene described by Number 12 had indeed stirred up the thrill-seeking elements in his blood.

Through the dimly-lit air of the dungeon, Number 0 seemed to see the Christmas tree he had yearned for every year as a child.

Beneath that tree, gifts always piled high, each brightly wrapped present hiding exhilarating and delightful dreams within.

"If I'm not around, I'll entrust this task to my teammates," Qin Fei continued with his plan.

"You can rely on me," he assured, gently tapping on the bars of the cell.

"I always keep my word and won't go back on my promises."

The priest chuckled meaningfully, a tiny, sweet dimple appearing at the corner of his lips.

As Qin Fei finished speaking, the previously vocal audience fell utterly silent.

...?

His ears were itching. He scratched them, probably hearing things wrong, right?

Ah, but he didn't mishear?

Audience: "..."

speechless, indeed!

How could there be such a person, using other people's lives to gain favor??

And he even says he's not shameless.

Clearly, there's no one more shameless than you!!