Chapter 218: Huaishu Road Construction Site Strange Tales 16

Chapter 218: Huaishu Road Construction Site Strange Tales 16

Mi Yang's expression was grave as he carefully considered Qin Fei's analysis, gradually sensing something amiss:

"Wait... According to your logic, even without these convoluted scenarios, if the ghost chose a room with someone inside from a bunch of rooms, wouldn't the result be the same?"

Being chosen by the ghost—refusing to open the door for the ghost—causing the ghost to linger in the corridor—then simultaneously killing oneself and the next round of players.

"Right," Qin Fei said, his gaze cold and indifferent. "That's indeed the case."

Mi Yang grimaced. "Damn!"

Designing the scenario like this is truly shameless.

If one opens the door for the ghost, sacrificing oneself for the benefit of everyone else.

Or not opening the door, delaying death for a while but taking another person down with you.

At first glance, if one is unfortunately chosen by the ghost, it seems that players should choose the first strategy.

After all, from the moment the ghost starts pushing the door, the person inside is doomed to die sooner or later, so there's no need to drag teammates into it.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes. "But... who knows."

Living people are never cold, hard data; specific situations require specific analyses.

Compared to the immediate threat of death upon opening the door, fear might compel players to make the selfish decision.

—As long as they don't die immediately, everything remains uncertain.

Who knows if a miracle might happen? Delaying death by even a second counts.

Moreover, when faced with imminent death, many people's sense of morality tends to plummet sharply.

When truly at the center of the storm, some players might hope the ghost could take more people away at once, making their journey to the afterlife less lonely.

Qin Fei: "Currently, we can confirm that the people inside the room must not make any noise."

The sixth floor is vast, with numerous offices, doors tightly lined up.

And there are only five people combined, players and NPCs.

As long as they remain silent, given the alternating frequency of one person and one ghost per round, the ghost can only knock on four doors.

Thus, it's entirely possible that it might choose four empty rooms.

This way, everyone would be safe.

The core strategy for passing this game is simply one word:

Survive.

"Damn," Mi Yang couldn't help but curse aloud. "Isn't this still just relying on luck!"

It's also... terrifying!

Mi Yang wasn't exactly fearless, but he had a decent amount of courage. Yet, facing such a helpless task, he couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat.

The accounting room was small and dim. Mi Yang squatted between the two desks, heart pounding, seriously contemplating:

If he were unfortunately chosen by the female ghost, which direction should he run to delay his death?

The two-minute break passed in an instant.

When the second round began, the players didn't hear any doors opening, but new footsteps echoed in the corridor.

What made things worse was that the footsteps seemed to be the same sound of women's heels from before.

"Tap, tap."

The sound of heels striking the floor tiles.

Like a sharp axe cleaving through the players' hearts.

Listening to the sound coming back and forth outside the thin door, Mi Yang felt terrible. "Damn, damn, damn! Why is it the same sound again? Could it be that all eight rounds are the female ghost knocking?"

Recalling the rules of the strange tale, it only stated that the people in the room should listen to the footsteps in the corridor and determine whether the knocker is a companion or a ghost.

It did not explicitly state that players and ghosts alternate turns.

If all eight rounds involve the ghost knocking, the rule still holds, merely teasing the players a bit.

However, this small tease brings severe consequences, undoubtedly placing the players in a much more dangerous situation.

The strange tale did not seem to limit the duration of each round, and the footsteps outside circled several times.

Just as Mi Yang was about to go insane from the footsteps, a new message appeared in the guild channel from Qin Fei.

Qin Fei: "Something's off; this isn't the same female ghost as before."

The first female ghost's footsteps, both in weight and frequency, were different from this one.

Qin Fei: "It might be a new, different female ghost. But, I have another suspicion."

Qin Fei: "I think the person outside is Chen Zaocha."

The footsteps outside stopped.

Mi Yang swallowed and, gritting his teeth, typed out a few words: "What do you think?"

Qin Fei: "Although the sound is still of leather shoes, if you listen carefully, this time the knocker's steps are noticeably heavier."

At the beginning of the game, Mi Yang had speculated that if the system had ill intentions, it might change the footsteps outside to confuse the players.

In the previous round, Qin Fei and Mi Yang were able to determine that the one outside was a female ghost rather than a teammate, thanks to an important piece of evidence.

Those light footsteps could not have been made by a man; they belonged to a woman weighing around 90 pounds.

But this time, it's different.

This time, the footsteps are much heavier.

The sound of someone with a lighter weight stomping hard is entirely different from the sound of someone with a heavier weight walking normally.

Among the remaining people on the sixth floor, excluding Qin Fei and Mi Yang, it can be determined that the person outside is not the source of contamination.

The source of contamination is over 1.8 meters tall, and even if he wore women's leather shoes, his steps wouldn't be that light.

Chen Zaocha and NPC Hu Xiao could both be the source of the sound.

Qin Fei: "Chen Zaocha sprained his right ankle at the construction site yesterday. It wasn't serious and didn't affect his normal movement, but from last night until this morning, he has had a slight deviation in his gait."

Moreover, Chen Zaocha's innate skill is in the investigative category.

Although his investigative skills are purely mental and unrelated to his physical condition, it seems either the player himself or their guild has undergone targeted training. In any case, Chen Zaocha walks very lightly.

When stepping on the ground, his toes touch first while his heels remain slightly off the ground, always lifting his foot as quickly as possible.

These characteristics match those of the person outside during the second round.

Mi Yang was stunned.

He truly knew nothing about what Qin Fei had just said.

After all, Cui Wenxuan's team and theirs are separate, and Mi Yang didn't go up to the third floor with Qin Fei and Chen Zaocha last night, so his understanding of Chen Zaocha isn't as comprehensive as Qin Fei's.

Mi Yang: "His footsteps are getting lighter."

Qin Fei: "Everything he does is consistent with human behavior."

The initial rounds of footsteps were to highlight his characteristics and details, making it easier for the players inside to recognize him.

To avoid being rejected if he chose a room with someone inside.

After some time, he concealed his sound.

The purpose of concealing his sound was to prevent the ghost from hearing him.

The person in the corridor is doing everything possible to avoid being analyzed by a ghost hiding in one of the rooms.

Unless the one outside is a new, cunning ghost adept at deception, he must be human.

There was no response in the channel for a long time, and the corridor was silent except for some faint rustling sounds that soon disappeared.

After a while, a message appeared in the public channel.

Mi Yang: "..."

Mi Yang: "It seems like he chose my room."

Qin Fei's breath hitched.

The pressure now fell squarely on Mi Yang.

Mi Yang had to admit that every word of Qin Fei's analysis made perfect sense and was almost convincing.

But when the one facing the ghost's attack became himself, even a 1% chance of being wrong turned into a crushing burden.

Mi Yang pursed his lips and looked towards the door with a complex expression.

The person outside did not immediately turn the doorknob. He seemed hesitant, gently tapping on the door.

The tapping was very light, as if afraid of being heard by the hidden ghost, but to Mi Yang, it sounded clearer than a cannon blast.

"Click—"

A faint metallic sound echoed in the silent corridor.

Mi Yang had locked the accounting office door, so the person outside couldn't open it.

After one failed attempt, both inside and outside the room fell silent.

For the person outside, finding a locked room was also not ideal.

Ideally, he would hope to push open a door unobstructed and enter an empty room.

Unfortunately, after struggling for a long time, he still didn't have that luck.

So...

In the dimly lit corridor, the shadowy figure, obscured by darkness, froze in place.

He had chosen this door and couldn't leave now.

There is someone inside.

Is there really someone inside?

While searching for the room, he had already made an effort to avoid the direction where the female ghost's voice had disappeared in the previous round.

But he still couldn't confirm whether what was behind the door was a ghost or a person at this very moment?

If it's a person inside, would that person open the door for him?

...

In two different live-streaming rooms, the audience was jumping up and down in the chat interface.

"Aaaaah! Hurry up! I'm so anxious!!"

"Fast forward, fast forward!"

"The damn system locked my live stream; I really want to switch perspectives!"

"What are you hesitating about, Yang? Open the door quickly!"

"Ah... Actually, I think it's better not to. What if the one outside is a disguised ghost? Wouldn't you be doomed if you opened the door?"

"But what if it's a person? The chances of it being a person are higher, right?"

"If it's a person..." the spirit standing in the center of the light curtain whispered, "keeping them outside wouldn't cause any loss."

If they die, they die.

After all, Mi Yang's only true teammate could not possibly be the one outside the door.

Although this way of playing is a bit inhumane.

However, in a scenario filled with cold swords and backstabs, it's not uncommon.

...

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the door at the end of the corridor eventually opened.

"Second round game over! Third round countdown: 5 minutes!"

The system prompt echoed in the air.

"Whew—"

A sigh of relief came from the live-streaming hall.

Mi Yang and Chen Zaocha looked at each other, both their backs drenched in cold sweat.

When Mi Yang was in the room, he did struggle, but he ultimately chose to trust Qin Fei's judgment.

He didn't bet wrong.

Xiao Qin never disappoints.