Chapter 112: Lost in the Snow Mountain 15

Chapter 112: Lost in the Snow Mountain 15

Everything happened in a flash.

Ying Huo was originally lying under the bed with his eyes closed, just like Qin Fei, following Rule No.3 which stated, "If someone enters the house, pretend you didn't see them." But now, he suddenly and instinctively snapped his eyelids open!

Through a layer of shattered snow, Ying Huo first saw Qin Fei.

The exquisite lines of his profile were close at hand.

The young man's raven-like long lashes were tightly pressed down, outlining an elegant contour from the bridge of his nose, to his nose, jawline, Adam's apple, and finally disappearing beneath the high collar of his snow-proof jacket.

Unlike Ying Huo's confusion and helplessness, Qin Fei's expression remained calm. His hand, hanging loosely by his side, showed no signs of the flush that fear or tension would normally bring to cold white skin.

Lying in such a frigid igloo where even breath could freeze, he seemed like a meticulously carved work of art, his emotions inscrutable.

The sudden up-close beauty was overwhelming, causing both Ying Huo and the audience on the light screen to momentarily daze, but he regained his senses much faster than the viewers.

Humans are particularly sensitive to gazes, especially those directed at them.

Ying Huo's attention was soon drawn to something behind Qin Fei. In the pitch-black darkness, a pair of eyes met his gaze.

Borrowing the faint snowlight reflected from the ground behind him, Ying Huo made out the creature's appearance.

A massive body supported by a thin, weak neck connected to an irregularly shaped head, with two eyeball-like orbs embedded in facial muscles.

Without skeletal support, the face's shape was peculiar. Eyes and nose, though positioned similarly to humans, exuded an absurd and chaotic aura. The mouth was replaced by a four-parted orifice, opening and closing as foul-smelling mucus dripped from it.

If Ying Huo had a choice, he'd rather face a genuine monster than encounter this half-human, half-ghost thing.

This was the third time Ying Huo had seen a snow monster.

And it was the most nerve-wracking.

Players, usually backed by physical prowess, were now restrained by the rules, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Ying Huo's fists began to heat up; his heart raced as he silently swallowed.

He knew that another monster was approaching him from behind.

Getting closer.

The monster's breath blasted against the back of his neck, sending shivers down Ying Huo's spine.

Some people's minds go blank when they're nervous; others become more active, flooded with information.

Ying Huo was clearly the latter.

What did the snow monsters want? To eat them?

Didn't they say the space under the bed was a safe zone? Why could the monsters squeeze in here?

Could the rules be wrong? Had they been lying here, digging their own graves?

Ying Huo hadn't seen these monsters devour humans before. He couldn't help but imagine how they might start eating him if they did.

He could have fought back.

Ying Huo was confident in his fists. If Wu Meng could easily deal with these creatures, so could he.

Dying under the bed due to the rules...wouldn't that be too frustrating...

The player's heart pounded incessantly, pumping blood throughout his limbs.

Under the influence of mental pollution he wasn't aware of, an impulse lurked within his veins, waiting for the right moment to strike.

His fingers opened and closed, lifting slightly upward.

Tense fingers had already touched the underside of the bed.

Perfect. Next, all he needed to do was apply force—

"Ahem."

A soft cough sounded by his ear, snapping Ying Huo back to his remaining sliver of sanity.

He froze, quickly retracting his hand.

His elbow knocked against the ground.

Below him, the snow floor had melted and refrozen into a thin layer of ice due to his body heat. Ying Huo hit a nerve, but he didn't care, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

What had he been doing?!?!

In a panic, Ying Huo opened his attribute panel, instantly understanding the situation after a glance. He took out a bottle of mental supplement and poured it into his mouth.

"Calm down, don't panic."

The voice beside his ear was clear yet gentle, seemingly possessing a strange power to soothe the mind.

Ying Huo's dropped SAN value was pulled back, and his intelligence recovered a bit. Astonished, he asked, "We can talk?"

Qin Fei half-lifted his eyelids, his amber irises shimmering. However, there was a hint of disdain in his gaze as he looked at Ying Huo. "I thought we couldn't at first."

The rules only required players to "turn a blind eye and deaf ear" to the monsters entering the house, but they never specified that they had to close their eyes or remain silent.

But the rules stated that when faced with danger, one not only had to hide under the bed but also count numbers continuously.

The reason Qin Fei didn't respond immediately after the snow wall collapsed was because he was still counting in his mind without interruption.

However, he was secretly observing Ying Huo at the same time.

Upon realizing that Ying Huo was about to smash the bed board due to contamination, Qin Fei confirmed something.

Rule number four: "Under the bed is safe. In any special circumstances, you can hide under the bed and count from 0 to 300. If the crisis isn't resolved, start counting again from 0 to 300 until everything returns to normal."

The first part of this statement was correct.

Under the bed was indeed a safe zone.

But the latter part about counting from 0 to 300 was likely unnecessary.

Otherwise, considering how Ying Huo was panting like a bull with a blank stare, Qin Fei didn't believe for a second that he could spare the mental capacity to silently count 1234.

Qin Fei then stopped counting in his heart and started talking to Ying Huo.

Ying Huo's heart was still pounding from fright as he stared dumbly behind Qin Fei.

Through the narrow gap between the bed board and the ground, Ying Huo could see most of the monster's face.

It was trying to squeeze its massive body into the space under the bed, but it seemed to be blocked by some invisible force. The monster could only extend an arm, which kept waving half a foot away from Qin Fei.

Qin Fei kindly advised, "Just look at me. You'd better not turn around."

The rules only said to pretend you didn't see the monster if you saw it, but who knew what the criteria for judgment were.

If making eye contact automatically led to the system judging it as "seeing," wouldn't that be disastrous?

Ying Huo's face turned pale. "T-t-t-t-then I..."

Would there be a problem if he looked at the monster in Qin Fei's room?

Qin Fei blinked. "If there would be a problem, you would have been dead long ago."

However, seeing a monster in someone else's room might not cause trouble, but that didn't mean seeing a monster in your own room wouldn't.

After all, each room was originally sealed off. There were probably few people as reckless as Ying Huo, so perhaps he stumbled upon a bug.

Ying Huo was speechless.

Was it really polite to study the loopholes in the rules based on his missteps throughout the entire process??

Ying Huo considered himself lucky to have survived this ordeal and thanked Qin Fei with a pale face.

Qin Fei closed his eyes again.

He was thinking.

With the two rooms now connected, Qin Fei finally managed to unlock Zhou Li's phone, but he didn't get a chance to look through it. However, this wasn't urgent since figuring out the cause of Zhou Li's death wasn't his mission to clear the level.

Rather, it was the person next to him, Ying Huo.

Qin Fei gently spun the black crystal ring on his finger.

The audience on the light screen had already realized that whenever the streamer was planning something mischievous, he would subconsciously start spinning this ring. They all eagerly pushed forward in anticipation.

Next to Qin Fei, Ying Huo was wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was too cold in the instance, and leaving sweat on his head would freeze it solid.

With the monster lurking behind, no matter how brave someone was, they couldn't help but feel tense. This was true for Ying Huo as well.

Unable to turn around, he could only wipe his sweat while staring intently at the monster in Qin Fei's room, his eyes wide as if trying to glare it to death.

Qin Fei remained with his eyes closed and suddenly spoke softly, "That Diaoming in your team..."

Ying Huo disliked Diaoming and frowned upon hearing his name, eager to defend Dawn Squad. "He's not part of our team, just our employer."

Qin Fei didn't care about Diaoming's affiliation and hummed in acknowledgment before continuing, "Diaoming...he seems a bit off."

This was obvious, and it was within Ying Huo's expectations that Qin Fei would ask about it. He didn't think much of it and chuckled bitterly. "You noticed too, huh?"

"Diaoming has been scratching his face," Qin Fei said.

"When we entered the village today, you left him at the entrance alone. We all saw him scratch his face raw...but when we returned, his wounds were completely healed."

Ying Huo was shocked. "What?!"

Qin Fei asked, "You didn't know?"

Ying Huo didn't.

In terms of communication with Dawn Squad, Qin Fei was the primary point of contact.

He didn't tell them about Diaoming, and Mi Yang didn't think to mention it either. As for Cen San Ya and Ding Li, they wouldn't take the initiative to talk to Dawn Squad.

Ying Huo's face paled even more, devoid of any color.

Dawn Squad realized last night that something was wrong with Diaoming.

He kept reaching out to scratch his face, saying things like "It's itchy," but when others asked him about it, he acted as if he was completely unaware.

But last night, the players were misled by the incorrect map onto the wrong path and chased by the dense forest.

Everyone was fighting for their own survival, hoping that Qin Fei would lead them to escape as quickly as possible. Naturally, they had no time to worry about Diaoming.

This afternoon, they were busy searching for clues in the wooden house, climbing snow slopes, and entering the village. These were all critical junctures.

Diao Ming hadn’t revealed much when asked, so Wen Ren Liming could only secretly issue instructions internally for everyone to keep their distance from him, in case he suddenly mutated or went berserk and attacked them.

This was quite common among players corrupted in the instances.

However, until nightfall, Diao Ming seemed to be barely holding up, making Ying Huo think that he had stabilized,

But hearing Qin Fei’s implication, it was highly likely that Diao Ming had already completely lost it without them noticing.

Moreover, the corruption on his body seemed to be of a high level, capable of even disguising itself.

The current Diao Ming.

Was he really still the same Diao Ming?

Ying Huo’s expression changed repeatedly as he whispered, "Do you think Diao Ming might be the one dead among us?"

There were two main speculations within the Dawn Squad at the moment: one was that Diao Ming was the deceased, and the other was what they heard over the wooden house broadcast—that everyone was already dead.

Qin Fei couldn’t wait for them to believe that everyone was dead, so naturally, he wouldn’t go along with Ying Huo’s suggestion. "I don’t think so."

Ying Huo was still wavering between "one dead" and "nineteen dead."

But even if there was only one dead, Ying Huo didn’t think it would be Qin Fei.

He now trusted Qin Fei greatly, because Qin Fei had saved the lives of their entire team.

It wasn’t that no one in the team had suspected before, wondering how everyone could have been affected in the dense forest, yet only Qin Fei remained so clear-headed?

Could there be something wrong with him?

But after a day had passed, Qin Fei proved his innocence through his actions.

If he was a player from the opposing camp, why would he save them? He could just let them all die, and he would win by default.

So now, the players didn’t doubt Qin Fei’s identity; they firmly believed that he simply had too high a mental immunity, which was why he was unscathed.

Ying Huo wanted to hear Qin Fei’s opinion. "What do you say?"

Qin Fei said, "Diao Ming wasn’t strange from the start. He only started acting weird after entering the dense forest. It must have been due to the corruption of the dense forest, not an issue with his original identity."

Ying Huo said, "Of course I know that, but I’m wondering if his running into the dense forest last night was intentional, to lure us in?"

To complete some tasks for the dead, perhaps.

Qin Fei shook his head. "He’s not stupid. If he deliberately lured you in, he must have been confident he could escape the dense forest unscathed. Does he look confident now?"

Qin Fei wasn’t intentionally lying; Diao Ming had simply been scared witless last night, and Qin Fei knew this well.

After all, Diao Ming wasn’t one of the dead; the dead were currently lying face-to-face with Ying Huo, chatting.

Hearing Qin Fei’s explanation, Ying Huo felt it made sense.

Qin Fei pressed his advantage. "Actually, I have another concern."

In Ying Huo’s puzzled gaze, he slowly began, "Last night, after you entered the dense forest, your sanity points dropped drastically. You may not have realized, but I immediately followed you in right after you entered."

It was just a matter of moments.

And when the Dawn Squad chased Diao Ming into the dense forest, it was also an immediate reaction; the total time wasted wasn’t long. Instead, it was later when Qin Fei found them and led them out of the woods that took a long time.

Qin Fei didn’t elaborate further, narrating in a very ordinary tone.

But Ying Huo tasted something else in his words, and with a heart-pounding urgency, he asked, "Where was he when you found us?"

Qin Fei told the truth. "By your side."

Diao Ming had indeed been by their side; he had even run toward Qin Fei himself.

But where he had gone before that, Qin Fei was unclear.

Qin Fei’s half-truth successfully misled Ying Huo, who interpreted Qin Fei’s words to mean "Diao Ming was at the edge of the dense forest, always with you, and didn’t go anywhere special."

Muttering, Ying Huo said, "If that’s the case…"

If that was the case, if they had never separated from Diao Ming.

Wouldn’t the situation with Diao Ming also happen to them?

The Dawn Squad had always assumed that Diao Ming was hit in the depths of the dense forest, but if Diao Ming hadn’t entered the depths of the dense forest, didn’t that mean that whatever happened to him could also happen to the others in the Dawn Squad?

Their current safety didn’t necessarily mean they would always be safe. Perhaps there was an order to the onset of symptoms, after all, Diao Ming was the first one to run in.

Or perhaps those with lower strength showed more obvious symptoms.

Why did Little Qin specifically mention this… Ying Huo felt he understood Qin Fei’s intentions.

Observing his expression, Qin Fei added fuel to the fire at the most appropriate moment. "Actually, I’m also afraid, since I went into the dense forest too."

He sighed deeply, adding weight to his words. "Let me tell you something in secret—the monster we killed in the wooden house this afternoon was very likely Zhou Li."

Qin Fei didn’t mention Zhou Li’s phone; he only spoke of the black mark on the monster’s body and the tattoo Kong Siming had told him about.

These two points were enough to explain many issues, and Ying Huo’s expression changed repeatedly.

Actually, there was no need for Qin Fei to specifically bring this up, but saying it this way would make Ying Huo panic and fear.

People were most prone to making mistakes in panic, and Qin Fei had already seen through Ying Huo—this person was the type to jump to wild conclusions when anxious.

Qin Fei dropped the third bombshell. "I suspect that Diao Ming’s current condition has something to do with the monsters in the snow mountain."

Zhou Li had entered the snow mountain alone, and it was certain that she had experienced something in the snow mountain that had turned her into what she was like in the wooden house. And now, Diao Ming seemed to be heading in that direction as well.

Qin Fei vividly described how, when Diao Ming clawed at his own face, there was an eerie wriggling under his skin, as if something wanted to burst out of the ground. He also mentioned the strange masses within the monster's body, which were unknown substances.

Qin Fei: "Do you think Diao Ming might turn into someone like Zhou Li?"

Ying Huo heard these words, but his mind automatically translated them into, "Do you think all of us might turn into someone like Zhou Li?"

Ying Huo's skin began to itch.

Qin Fei had described the scene in great detail, allowing Ying Huo to almost imagine Diao Ming's distorted and hideous facial expression.

Ying Huo was agitated, and the information Qin Fei provided was indeed quite disheartening.

Diao Ming wasn't dead.

Diao Ming had been contaminated in the dense forest, which led to his transformation.

The monsters in the snow mountain were also affected by the contamination from the dense forest. Moreover, everyone in their Dawn Squad could have possibly been exposed to this contamination as well.

"Tell me…" Ying Huo suddenly lifted his head. He wanted to ask Qin Fei a question, but he saw the color drain from the other man's face in an instant.

"What's wrong?" Ying Huo was startled.

Qin Fei's lips trembled. "Yo-you, look!"

Ying Huo looked down and realized that his casual movement had already caused his entire body to cross the line between the two rooms, entering Qin Fei's side.

—This was, of course, a sneaky deed done by Qin Fei.

While talking to Ying Huo, Qin Fei had been quietly collecting the snow chunks between them into the black crystal ring.

Now, there was nothing obstructing the space between them, and during their conversation, Qin Fei had intentionally kept his voice low, forcing Ying Huo to lean closer to him.

The live stream chat exploded with reactions.

"Haha, my wife is so cunning! I knew he was whispering for some reason!"

"Ying Huo's face has gone pale."

"Wife: A cunning and venomous beauty—"

Some slower viewers were still confused, pulling on the spirits beside them and asking,

"Wait, what does the streamer want to do?"

In the live stream footage, Qin Fei had already clarified their confusion.

"We've broken the rules!" Qin Fei's complexion was paler than the snow and ice on the ground.

His acting skills were excellent. His beautiful eyebrows furrowed helplessly, and his eyes showed traces of panic.

The young fans on the other side of the light screen had never seen Qin Fei like this before, and they were thoroughly engrossed.

Apart from moments like this where he showcased his acting skills, he rarely displayed any signs of fear during his streams.

Ying Huo's reaction, however, was even more intense than Qin Fei's.

He was completely unaware that he had been manipulated by the person beside him, thinking that everything was his fault. Amidst his despair and fear, he felt immense guilt.

If not for the lack of space under the bed, he would have knelt down right then and there to kowtow to Qin Fei. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault!!!"

It was all because he was too uncomposed and careless.

Now, not only was he endangering himself, but he was also putting Xiao Qin in danger.

This was their savior from the Dawn Squad!

Ying Huo's sincere repentance caused even Qin Fei's remaining conscience to ache slightly.

But just for a moment.

Qin Fei firmly grasped Ying Huo's hand, putting on a brave and self-sacrificing act, as if they were brothers facing death together, and he wouldn't blame him for it.

Then,

one second passed.

two seconds passed.

two minutes, three minutes.

Nothing happened.

The two opened their bewildered eyes, one truly confused, while the other was merely pretending.

Qin Fei's long eyelashes fluttered, and he whispered, "We're okay?"

Ying Huo was also perplexed.

The rule did state that only one person could stay in a room.

Could it be that the rule was incorrect?

But if this rule was wrong, wouldn't it be a bit too advantageous for the players?

Under the bed was absolutely safe, and they didn't need to count to avoid being attacked by monsters. They could even have multiple people stay in the same room.

Players could potentially use Snow Village as their base camp, seeking refuge here every night. After all, staying in tents overnight might result in snow monsters digging tunnels to attack them, whereas Snow Village was absolutely secure.

Ying Huo always felt that something was off, and his sharp intuition, honed from experiencing numerous instances, told him that this rule couldn't be entirely useless.

Qin Fei pondered for a moment. "Actually... not necessarily."

He recalled the content of the rule word by word: "Only one living person can reside in each house."

He emphasized the word "living person."

Ying Huo was taken aback.

Qin Fei deliberately left half of what he wanted to say unsaid, leaving the crucial part for Ying Huo to deduce on his own. After all, Ying Huo excelled at reasoning, and answers one came up with themselves were always more trustworthy than those fed by others.

And Ying Huo did not disappoint. He blurted out exactly what Qin Fei wanted to hear:

"Could it be... we're not living people?"

His eyes gradually cleared. "Yes, we're not living people!"

He had always leaned towards the information provided by the cabin's broadcast, and now with new evidence, the progress bar above his head surged forward:

"Diao Ming isn't a deceased, and none of us seem like the deceased either, so there's only one answer."

"All of us are the deceased!"

64%

82%

99%

A smile slowly spread across Qin Fei's face. "Right, all of us are the deceased."

He nodded with utmost seriousness.

And the progress bar above Ying Huo's head finally reached for 100%.

"Ding dong—"

A system notification sound rang in Ying Huo's ears, audible only to him.

"The indecisive living have been swayed by evil forces and converted into believers of the snow mountain. Player faction transformation successful. Current faction: The Deceased. Faction transformation is irreversible!"

Ying Huo's expression suddenly froze.