Chapter 237 Evaluation

Chapter 237 Evaluation

Ending the Guild Tournament early.

This temptation was simply too great.

In all the historical records of the Guild Tournament, no match had ever ended prematurely.

Apart from Qin Fei and his two companions who had just escaped from the weird tale, everyone else was familiar with what Gala said.

Since the news spread two days ago, it had already circulated throughout the hotel. Both players and NPC participants were all eager to act.

Mi Yang frowned. "Where did the news come from?"

Had someone already cleared that instance?

That was impossible. If that were the case, they should have returned to the Central City by now.

Vice President Gala placed his hands together on his knees and slightly lowered his chin. "The day before yesterday, a player triggered a special instance, and all the known information comes from him."

"As we all know, every contaminated world has a source of contamination. However, the instance of the Association for Weird Tale Investigation is special."

"The background world of this instance is woven together by many different weird tales, large and small. We can call the weird tale where the true source of contamination resides the 'core weird tale.'"

"In three days, we will not be entering the core weird tale but rather a transitional weird tale. Only by clearing the transitional weird tale can we obtain entry into the core weird tale."

Gala spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Fei's heart stirred.

He still remembered what the source of contamination had told him in the Golden Light Building dormitory:

"The last fragment is hidden very deeply; the system won't expose it at the beginning of the team tournament."

The "core weird tale" mentioned by Gala matched the conditions previously mentioned by the source of contamination.

Gala continued:

"The person who released this information is a member of a small guild. After he disclosed this matter, many guilds investigated his background.

So far, it seems there has been no collusion with other guilds for mutual benefit."

In other words, the possibility of deliberately setting up a trap to kill other players is virtually non-existent.

"Furthermore," Gala tapped his fingertips on the table, "we, along with Dark Fire and Star Day, interrogated him, and we can confirm that every word he uttered is true."

The so-called "interrogation" subtly involved some bullying.

The top three guilds jointly conducted a thorough interrogation of that person.

"The condition for entering the transitional weird tale is to board bus number 14 on the road opposite the Weird Tales Hotel. This bus starts operating every three days, and on the day it operates, it arrives at the stop at irregular intervals."

Cen San Ya picked up where Gala left off.

"On each operating day, many buses numbered 14 pass by the hotel, but not every bus triggers the weird tale; it depends on luck."

By calculation, today is an operating day, and the evaluation day will also be one.

Looking out the window of the meeting room, one could see the bus stop across the street.

Lu Cheng glanced outside; only a few people stood under the sign, none of whom looked like players.

"No one will board bus number 14 today," Qin Fei remarked.

The transitional weird tale connects to the core weird tale, and the combined time required for both would undoubtedly be long. Boarding the bus today would mean missing the first phase of the evaluation.

If that player could return intact from the transitional weird tale, it means there is a third outcome besides "clearing and entering the core weird tale" and "dying."

If a player boarded the bus today, failed to trigger the core weird tale, was sent back, and missed the evaluation, they would be stuck in the instance occupying a spot in the Guild Tournament, which would be a significant loss.

Vice President Gala advised them to prepare after the evaluation, precisely because of this concern.

Many asked about the specific details of the transitional weird tale, but no one could get any information.

It seemed the system imposed some restrictions. The player wasn't unwilling to share but couldn't speak about it at all.

...

After the brief meeting, the Black Feather players dispersed.

For the next two days, until the start of the phase evaluation, Qin Fei had a very leisurely time.

The Weird Tales Hotel was equipped with various facilities. Players could not only move around on floors 12 to 14 where the meetings were held but also freely roam other areas of the hotel.

The hotel's rooftop had a revolving restaurant and a roof garden, while the basement had a cinema and a bowling alley. There were also basketball and tennis courts built on the suspended levels. In short, almost all imaginable entertainment activities were available here.

Although Gala had warned everyone to stay indoors as much as possible for safety, after nearly a week, the high-risk zones and individuals within the Weird Tales Hotel had been thoroughly investigated, making daytime outings relatively safe.

Some players even discovered that calling the hotel service desk could get them a personal guide, with waiters accompanying them to ensure security.

Upon learning this, the players suddenly became excited.

The service hotline, which had been ignored for days, was almost overwhelmed with calls over the past two days, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

"It feels more attractive here than the entertainment district in Central City," Lu Cheng sighed, slumped in the soft sofa of the café.

Miyang agreed, "Indeed."

Although there were plenty of places to have fun in the central city, being in an environment full of players inevitably gave one a sense of living day by day, as if there was no tomorrow. Every player passing by had a hint of madness or indifference in their eyes.

However, it was different at the Weird Tales Hotel.

The hotel housed all sorts of NPCs, much like a normal hotel in the real world.

On the open ground in front of the hotel, parents played with their young children. By the windows in the corridors, elderly people with white hair admired the sunset.

Even though this copy of the world had been invaded by weird tales, ordinary people still lived their lives steadily and diligently every day.

This vibrant atmosphere was highly infectious, making even the players who wandered through various worlds stop and reminisce about the normal life they had long forgotten.

Lu Cheng glanced at the wall clock. "It's almost twelve."

At noon, the first round of the Association for Weird Tale Investigation's assessment would begin.

"Let's go," Qin Fei stood up.

At this time, there should already be a long queue outside the assessment hall downstairs.

Beside Qin Fei, the Source of Corruption also stood up.

In the past two days, it seemed as if the Source of Corruption had been glued to Qin Fei's side, not only often following him but even moving into a guest room just a wall away from Qin Fei's.

—Although Qin Fei clearly remembered that another NPC had previously stayed in that room.

However, apart from Qin Fei, no one else seemed to notice anything strange.

Even Lu Cheng and Miyang, who frequently visited his room, ignored the strange fact that "W became Xiao Qin's neighbor."

"Is this really okay?"

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the man walking beside him.

To avoid standing out, the Source of Corruption had changed clothes.

The light-colored trench coat softened his somewhat cold features.

And it matched Qin Fei's outfit perfectly.

Facing this slightly teasing inquiry, the Source of Corruption smiled gently as usual.

Sometimes, Qin Fei felt that when facing him, the Source of Corruption always had only one emotion: joy. It seemed that being close to him was something worth celebrating for the Source.

Qin Fei wanted to say more, but a special notification sound rang in the guild channel.

Someone tagged him in the channel.

Xie Jingtian: "@Xiao Qin, avoid the west elevator; Butterfly has entered the copy."

Qin Fei stared at the message for a few seconds before looking away.

Butterfly had entered the copy.

This was expected.

In the previous construction site weird tale, a guild member couldn't leave, leaving an empty slot for the competition.

Over time, Qin Fei's character appearance had become much more transparent. This appearance was already similar to his original face, and now it was even more alike.

If he encountered acquaintances, being recognized was inevitable.

Lu Cheng didn't quite understand Butterfly's move. "Why is he entering the copy now? How can he participate in the assessment?"

The process for substitute players joining had been thoroughly understood by major guilds since the beginning of the copy.

The Association for Weird Tale Investigation's assessments occurred every ten days and required clues from copies the player had personally experienced.

This meant that sending a substitute member into a copy three days before the assessment was very unwise, as it left too little time to gather necessary clues.

Qin Fei's eyes narrowed slightly. "They're putting all their chips on today."

Between 12:00 and 24:00, players not participating in the assessment could still enter and exit weird tales normally.

Butterfly entering the copy at this critical moment must be aiming for the core weird tale.

If he failed to enter the transitional weird tale today, Butterfly's combat effectiveness in this copy would be severely compromised.

But he probably didn't care.

It seemed they would meet again in the weird tale.

...

As expected, the crowd outside the assessment hall was indeed dense.

Almost all major guilds had arranged players to secure spots early. After squeezing through the crowd for a while, Qin Fei and his companions successfully met up with Xie Jingtian.

The assessment process was calm and uneventful.

Apart from occasional incidents where someone stole others' weird tale clues and was caught and thrown out of the hotel, everyone quickly submitted their assessment forms and left.

After leaving, the players' paths were surprisingly consistent:

Enter the elevator, go downstairs, and wait for the bus across the street.

The gathering crowd gradually shifted from the assessment hall to the bus stop.

The 14 bus route has a very short interval between departures, with a new bus appearing every fifteen minutes, each capable of carrying forty people.

At this moment, the distinct styles of different players were on full display.

Some players rushed forward without hesitation, while others hesitated at the station, trying hard to figure out which bus might be more special.

Unfortunately, the appearance of the buses offered no clues, as they all looked identical.

The driver, wearing sunglasses and a black mask, had his face completely covered.

One of the players near the front shouted to the driver, "Hey, where is this bus headed?"

The driver ignored him as if he hadn't heard a thing.

To increase the chances of triggering a strange tale, Gala divided the Black Feather players into two groups. Qin Fei pushed his way onto the bus with the crowd, and amid the rumbling engine, it drove off toward an unknown destination.