The incandescent lights above flickered miserably, casting a dim glow. Under the dull light, everyone's expressions were unusual.
Shock, confusion, disdain—no one expected that Jiang Yan’s words wouldn't be his own “crucial clue” but rather a “clue” that the players were supposed to search for.
The very same clue that all the players currently had no leads on.
[Hmm? I’ve been following Jiang Yan’s perspective the whole time, and I haven’t seen him pick up any special items or clues?]
[Didn’t he seem to grab something when he fell into the underground warehouse?]
[But, Jiang Yan’s starting to play now. He’s beginning to provide clues to the players.]
[If he actually finds the right one this time, his ranking will definitely rise!]
[He’s already at the bottom, so it’s not like he can go lower, right?]
“Is he joking?” Cang Rou asked Ding Wanyu, who was sitting next to her.
Ding Wanyu raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure.”
He gazed at the pale, fragile-looking youth stuck in the black monster's body, his gaze deep and contemplative.
In the previous dungeon, he and Jiang Yan had been together, yet this person hadn’t even bothered to mention his own “crucial clue.” How come now he was starting to share clues with the players?
Jiang Yan seemed different in this dungeon.
“Madam, this isn’t the time for jokes. Which rabbit did you catch? There’s more than one rabbit on this table,” Li Yun said mockingly.
Caught the murderous “rabbit”? Don’t joke around! Jiang Yan?
So many veteran players hadn’t found any clues yet. How could Jiang Yan, this NPC who’d been slacking off the whole time, possibly find the side quest’s clues?
Impossible.
Tao Shi also felt confused. He asked Cao Youfeng, “Did Jiang Yan go solo on the map?”
Cao Youfeng thought for a moment. “When we found Jiang Yan in that underground warehouse, it seemed like he was holding a head?”
Tao Shi rubbed his chin. “Could that head be different from a normal specimen?”
Jiang Xiu, sitting next to Su An, still wore a gentle smile, but his gaze had turned much darker.
Jiang Yan had been opening the “new map” with the Dawn Guild. If Jiang Yan knew something, didn’t that mean the Dawn Guild had already gotten a step ahead and snatched the clue?
Whether or not this dungeon could suppress the Dawn Guild didn’t matter, but if Jiang Yan’s attitude started leaning toward the Dawn Guild... that would be problematic.
At this moment, Jiang Xiu spoke, “Oh? I wonder what clue I’ve found?”
The next second, Jiang Yan again said something shocking: “There’s no clue, I just guessed.”
“Wow!” Someone couldn’t help but laugh mockingly.
“What’s going on?” Cao Youfeng frowned, confused.
“Is he joking?”
[Is he trying to earn performance points like this?]
[What a fool! Just say your own crucial clue!!!]
[He might as well give up!]
[Is he playing with the players? If I were a player, I’d definitely give him a few hits!]
[Upstairs? Did you see the monster behind him? Try hitting his wife, see if he agrees?]
Li Yun looked on with a gloating expression, as if watching a show: “I told you, just based on him, a fool?”
He probably just wanted to earn more performance points, though he wasn’t very clear on how the points system for real NPCs worked.
Actually, Jiang Yan wasn’t very sure himself.
He turned to his personal system: “If I do this, my score should be higher, right?”
663: “?? You really don’t have any clues?”
“Did you see me find any special clues from the start?” Jiang Yan asked nonchalantly.
“What the hell?!” 663 was losing patience, “How are you going to explain yourself now? The Dawn Guild and Valen Church both seemed really interested in you. If you seize this chance, you could join a big guild!!!”
Jiang Yan was a little curious: “If I join a big guild, would you get a commission?”
“No.”
“Then why are you so anxious?” Jiang Yan asked.
663: "...."
Amidst the murmurs, Shi Yin, who was sitting nearby, spoke up: “I think Jiang Yan sometimes guesses pretty accurately. Just now, he guessed the information about the hospital’s deity offerings.”
At this, Cao Youfeng’s eyes lit up, “Right! Jiang Yan, who do you think it is?”
“Reminder to all, dinner time is only half an hour. There are 15 minutes left,” Jeff Hunter's voice echoed, reminding everyone.
“Jiang Yan, tell us your thoughts,” Tao Shi said.
Jiang Yan was about to speak, but Li Yun interrupted: “Time is tight! This is not the time for useless talk.”
“Mr. Li, no one has any clues right now. Why can’t Jiang Yan share his thoughts?” Shi Yin asked.
Li Yun had always had things go smoothly for him, growing up in a golden nest. But after these few days of hardship, his nerves were stretched to their limit.
Seeing that Shi Yin, who was just a new player like himself, dared to publicly contradict him—and for Jiang Yan no less—Li Yun erupted on the spot.
With a loud "Bang!", he slammed the table and stood up. "Do we really have to listen to his baseless and illogical nonsense?"
“Oh? Then, I wonder if Mr. Li has any logical and evidence-based conclusions to share with us?” Jiang Yan’s expression remained indifferent as he replied.
“You…” Li Yun was momentarily speechless. Su An tugged at his sleeve, and he reluctantly sat back down, glaring at Jiang Yan with venom in his eyes.
Jiang Yan ignored the gaze entirely. He didn’t understand where Li Yun’s hostility toward him originated.
Sure, people might naturally dislike seeing their ex, but by Jiang Yan’s reasoning, there shouldn’t be any deep grudges between them.
Logically, the one with two partners at the same time was Li Yun. If anything, Jiang Yan should be the one upset with him.
But Jiang Yan wasn’t, so why did Li Yun seem so bitter toward him?
After all, disliking someone is an exhausting task.
Unless it was someone like Yu Xiu, whom Jiang Yan loathed to the core, he didn’t feel anyone else in the world deserved his hatred.
“Madam, please continue,” Jeff Hunter said in his eerie, dry tone.
His withered body swayed precariously, as though it might fall apart at any moment.
All attention in the cafeteria shifted back to Jiang Yan. Even the pitch-black monster stopped bothering its "wife."
It used its tentacles to cradle Jiang Yan, adjusting its body to become softer and more pliable, making the person in its arms more comfortable.
Jiang Yan shifted slightly, getting cozy, then lazily swept his gaze over the players sitting around the table.
“If I’m not mistaken,” he began casually, “the rabbit hiding among us should be…”
A faint crackle of static filled the air as the fluorescent light above flickered.
Even Li Yun, who assumed Jiang Yan was spouting nonsense, couldn’t help but grow tense.
Could he be about to accuse him?
It was clear the veteran players were leaning toward Jiang Yan’s side. If he chose this moment to accuse Li Yun for revenge…
“…should be Shi Yin, right?”
Whoosh!
All eyes turned to Shi Yin in unison.
Shi Yin froze, looking completely bewildered. “Huh? Why me?”
The other players were equally dumbfounded. Shi Yin didn’t show any unusual behavior, and one of the players killed by the rabbit was even his companion.
Jiang Yan seemed to have made the accusation on a whim.
Seeing that Jiang Yan didn’t accuse him but instead turned the blame toward Shi Yin—who had just defended him—Li Yun sneered once more. “Looks like our dear madam accuses whoever speaks up for him.”
When faced with a life-or-death game, human instincts for self-preservation can become extreme. Betrayal, scheming, and deceit are nothing unusual.
However, humans are also social creatures. If someone harms a member of the group, the rest will instinctively reject them.
Under Li Yun’s provocation, the players’ gazes toward Jiang Yan became filled with disdain and resentment, while their looks at Shi Yin carried hints of sympathy.
[Even if you’re just guessing randomly, you don’t target someone who’s helped you.]
[Shi Yin is really pitiful! Helping someone speak up only to get backstabbed in return!]
[If you don’t know how to play, don’t mess around! If you can’t lead, don’t try to lead!]
[I hate NPCs like this! If I were Shi Yin, I’d hate him to death!]
663: “My ancestor! If you’re going to guess randomly, at least don’t guess someone you know! You might as well have guessed your ex!”
“Yu Xiu?” Jiang Yan asked.
“Wrong, your ex-boyfriend, Li Yun,” 663 clarified.
“Oh.” Jiang Yan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “Why would I guess him?”
“Don’t you dislike him?” 663 asked curiously.
“I don’t dislike anyone except Yu Xiu,” Jiang Yan answered without hesitation.
663: “...”
“Ow!”
663 suddenly yelped, as if someone had kicked his chair.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yan asked.
“Nothing! Just the headquarters’ cat,” 663 replied with a hint of exasperation.
“Your system headquarters has cats?” Jiang Yan was intrigued.
“We’ve got dogs too!” 663 gritted out through clenched teeth.
Seems like the office benefits are pretty good! Jiang Yan thought to himself.
“Jiang Yan,” Tao Shi’s voice pulled Jiang Yan back to reality, “can you explain why you guessed Shi Yin?”
[Seems like Tao Shi is trying to throw him a lifeline.]
[Not worth it! Shi Yin just defended him, and he immediately turned around and accused him.]
[Exactly! Who’d want someone like this in their guild?]
[Dawn Guild should pick Shi Yin instead! At least he survived facing ‘God.’]
[Yeah! Shi Yin is the only newcomer who survived an encounter with ‘God,’ right?]
The overhead fluorescent lights flickered again, and everyone waited for Jiang Yan’s explanation.
Jiang Yan, completely nonchalant, said, “Why not ask Mr. Shi Yin himself?”
Shi Yin, his face pale from earlier injuries, managed a harmless smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Suddenly, a piercing shriek came from outside the cafeteria, and the entire room began to shake.
“What… what is this?” The new players started to panic.
“It seems the gods are coming to join the feast,” Su An said lazily, propping his legs up on the table with a faint smile.
The black monster tightened its hold on its “wife,” its soft tentacles gently comforting, “Don’t be afraid, Yan Yan.”
The buzzing of the fluorescent lights grew louder, an ominous static filling the air.
Just then, Jeff Hunter suddenly began flailing, his dry, wooden body moving stiffly in exaggerated motions, like a marionette.
“Ah~ The ritual is about to begin! Which little rabbit shall be offered to the gods?” Jeff Hunter’s shrill voice pierced through the room, blending with the howls of the creatures outside. It was as if the gates of hell had opened.
Jeff Hunter gave an eerie, exaggerated grin. “How about this? My dear madam, this time the sacrifice will be between you and Mr. Shi Yin.”
The howling from outside grew deafening, as if the monsters were ecstatic about this decision.
All the players gasped in unison—
Jiang Yan was doomed.
"This isn't fair!" Cao Youfeng said anxiously. "This is just our speculation. It was made clear from the beginning that Jiang Yan was just making random guesses!"
"Exactly! It's just a joke." Tao Shi smiled.
Su An opened his mouth to say something, but Jiang Xiu, sitting next to him, quietly pressed down on his shoulder, signaling for him to remain silent.
Jiang Xiu turned to look at Jiang Yan, his eyes—always narrowed in a perpetual smile—now carried a cold and calculating sharpness.
Now was the perfect time to see if this seemingly shallow vessel called Jiang Yan was actually full or just empty.
Seeing that both Cao Youfeng and Tao Shi were defending Jiang Yan, Li Yun couldn’t stay quiet any longer. "When someone does something wrong, they should pay the price. There’s still a murderer hiding among us. If anyone can just randomly accuse others without consequences, how do we know the undercover agent in this hospital won’t kill us all?"
The black monster, who had been silently indulging itself by teasing its "wife" with tentacles under the table, found immense satisfaction in watching Jiang Yan endure silently in front of the crowd. However, upon hearing Li Yun’s words, the crude, graffiti-like features on its mask twisted instantly.
Just as it was about to lash out, Jiang Yan spoke. "You’re wrong."
Jiang Yan pulled out the tentacle that had slipped into his shirt without any change in expression and said calmly, "The killer rabbit isn’t the hospital’s undercover agent. It’s probably protecting its companions in a different way."
"In a hopeless environment, to spare companions from something worse than death, it might choose to kill them early. This could be seen as an unconventional act of kindness... right, Mr. Shi?"
Hearing this, Shi Yin’s previously calm expression froze instantly. "I... I don’t understand what you’re talking about."
Jiang Yan smiled faintly. "I’m just guessing randomly. So, are you willing to play this game?"
"This... this isn’t fair to you." A bead of cold sweat slid down Shi Yin’s temple as he forced a stiff smile.
"I don’t mind," Jiang Yan said indifferently. "Because my guess is correct, isn’t it? Whether or not you participate in this game is up to you."
Shi Yin’s smile crumbled. Beads of sweat now dotted his forehead, and his face grew visibly paler.
The other players began noticing Shi Yin’s strange behavior, and a wave of shock and disbelief rippled through the crowd.
[What the...? What’s going on?]
[No way... right?]
[I don’t believe it! How is it possible Jiang Yan keeps getting this lucky?]
Shi Yin clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.
Li Yun, stunned, muttered, "This... can’t be!"
Jeff Hunter, his eyes wide with excitement, grinned maniacally as he watched Shi Yin, waiting for his response.
Shi Yin took several deep breaths before slowly releasing his fists. Finally, he closed his eyes and said with resignation, "I... forfeit this game."
"I... am the killer rabbit."
[Ding!]
[Instance: Private Hospital on Jian She Road, Progress: 50%]
[Side Quest: Identify the Killer Rabbit—Completed]
[NPC Jiang Yan has successfully completed the side quest.]
"Impossible!" Li Yun shot to his feet, shouting in disbelief.
[Amazing!!!]
[Wha—?! What?! He got it right again?!]
[What just happened?! Why is it that Jiang Yan’s random guesses always turn out correct?!]
[This is insane luck! Is he blessed by some divine koi spirit?!]
[You don’t seriously think it’s all luck, do you? Once or twice, maybe. But every single time? No way.]
[Right! Maybe Jiang Yan has been hiding his true abilities all along!]
[Impossible! Even if he was hiding his skills, how could he outperform a top-five leaderboard player?]
[Exactly! Even Tao Shi didn’t detect anything unusual. How could Jiang Yan figure it out?]
Cao Youfeng was equally stunned. He never expected Jiang Yan to actually pinpoint the culprit.
Initially, Cao Youfeng thought that even if Jiang Yan guessed wrong, as long as he explained his reasoning and provided some useful insights, it would already be impressive—especially since they had no real clues to go on.
But to think that Jiang Yan had directly identified the murderer?!
Why?
Jiang Yan had always been with them.
How could this be?
[Ding!]
[Item: Number Concealment Card]
Cao Youfeng quietly used the Number Concealment Card to scan Jiang Yan’s stats.
It didn’t add up…
Jiang Yan was still Jiang Yan, with every stat bottoming out.
This realization made Cao Youfeng uneasy.
If Jiang Yan’s stats had shown some improvement, it might’ve made sense. But…
Why? Why could an NPC with such low stats demonstrate such abilities?
“Boss…” Cao Youfeng turned to Tao Shi with a hint of panic.
Tao Shi merely smiled at him, showing little reaction otherwise.
Su An, on the other hand, stared at Jiang Yan with a dangerous, almost manic smile. “Madam, how did you know?”
Jiang Yan shrugged. “Guessed.”
Then he turned to Cao Youfeng and Tao Shi. “Do you remember when we encountered him in the underground warehouse’s archives? There was another dead player next to him.”
Cao Youfeng blinked in confusion. “I remember. So?”
Jiang Yan elaborated, “Mr. Shi Yin said they were attacked by the god.”
Shi Yin quickly interjected, “We were attacked by the god!”
“Yes, of course, that’s true,” Jiang Yan replied calmly. “The wounds on your body do match bite marks from those monsters. But… the player lying next to you didn’t have those wounds, right?”
“The one next to him…”
Cao Youfeng suddenly realized that his focus back then had been entirely on Shi Yin. He hadn’t paid much attention to the bloody corpse beside him.
Shi Yin froze in shock. “How… how did you notice? You never got close to him.”
“I didn’t need to get close. I was standing off to the side watching while you all were fighting those monsters,” Jiang Yan explained.
Thanks to his ex-husband with disturbingly morbid hobbies, Jiang Yan had been forced to absorb a great deal of knowledge about corpses.
The deceased player brought in by Shi Yin was covered in blood. Even if some of it belonged to Shi Yin, the sheer volume of blood loss indicated a ruptured artery.
The "sea anemone" creature they encountered earlier was composed of human fingers.
Judging by the wounds on Shi Yin’s hand, that creature only devoured fingers.
This discrepancy had aroused Jiang Yan’s suspicions early on.
Later, during the skirmish with the mutated medical staff in the archive room, Jiang Yan glanced a few more times at the corpse discarded nearby and noticed something:
The blood was flowing out from the upper thigh area.
Jiang Yan explained, "At that moment, I started to wonder if someone had pierced the artery near his thigh."
[Such keen observation!!]
[Sometimes being a bit slower can be an advantage—you notice details others miss.]
[Back then, people mocked Jiang Yan for being useless and just watching. Look at him now!]
[Honestly, maintaining composure in that chaotic scene is impressive on its own.]
Shi Yin grew agitated. "So why did you suspect me? It could’ve been an injury inflicted during his fight with the god, couldn’t it?"
"Yes, that’s possible," Jiang Yan replied. "But you mentioned something else—the appearance of the director."
"He did appear!" Shi Yin exclaimed.
"Fine, let’s say he did," Jiang Yan said nonchalantly. "But don’t you think your description was a bit… too detailed?"
"Are you suggesting that this mysterious director introduced himself, shared his entire plan and the hospital’s backstory, and then disappeared into thin air?"
"That doesn’t make sense. The only explanation is that you knew all of this in advance."
Shi Yin slumped, defeated, his head hanging low.
Hearing this, Tao Shi chuckled. "It seems we’ve been too arrogant."
Arrogant enough to believe they couldn’t possibly fail the instance. Arrogant enough to think they could brute-force their way out by destroying the instance. They had overlooked the finer details.
It was true that this world relied on strength.
But if strength led to complacency and blind reliance, then what separated them from mindless brutes?
Tao Shi, who had climbed to his position through careful planning and caution, couldn’t help but reflect. He had once sneered at older players who depended solely on violence. Yet now, he realized he was becoming just like them.
Tao Shi brushed his bangs aside, the blue strands glinting faintly under the dim light like the shimmer of the ocean.
[So this is what they mean by “villains talk too much and get exposed”!]
[Shi Yin probably never expected that trying to advance the game would lead to his own exposure.]
[And by Jiang Yan, no less?]
[Unbelievable! Shi Yin was undoubtedly one of the top players among this group of newcomers. To be taken down by the lowest-ranked Jiang Yan? What a twist!]
Jiang Yan continued, "And another thing—when standing before your companion’s corpse, you didn’t display any grief. For someone killed by the god, your reaction was far too calm."
“Grief?” Shi Yin chuckled bitterly, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. “Do you think this world allows emotions as superfluous as grief for companions?”
Jiang Yan remained silent. He wasn’t in a position to answer because he, too, had never truly felt “grief.”
“Everyone here—when you first saw someone die after entering this game—was your first reaction grief?”
The players sat in silence, their eyes fixed on him, but no one spoke.
Shi Yin covered his face, a pained laugh escaping between sobs. “Were you grief-stricken? Or were you just relieved that it wasn’t you who died?”
“Grief? Ha… hahaha…”
His laughter grew increasingly hysterical. Suddenly, he stood up, tears streaming down his face, pointing a trembling finger at Jiang Yan. “You’re smart, but you’ll die here too.”
“Do you think surviving seven days will solve everything? That not being devoured by the gods means you’ve won?
“Let me tell you! This world will collapse! None of us can escape! This world is unsolvable! Unsolvable!
“I was… I was trying to save you! Better to die than to be disassembled by those monsters… Isn’t that better?”
[He’s broken. This poor guy has snapped.]
[Losing someone close must have pushed him over the edge.]
[Yeah, for most of us, killing NPCs is just like deleting data. This is different.]
[Three days in, and we still don’t fully understand the world’s rules. Strange.]
[Maybe the main system is just pretending to be deep. Big world-building often ends up with plot holes or rushed endings.]
The players remained silent. The cafeteria was consumed by an overwhelming sense of despair, pierced only by the screeches of monsters echoing down the hall and the faint crackling of the fluorescent lights overhead.
A suffocating wave of hopelessness engulfed the room.
“Don’t be afraid, Yan Yan.” His voice was low, soft, and coaxing as he leaned close to his "wife's" ear.
The creature’s tentacles silently slid toward Jiang Yan’s smooth, pale chest…
“Get lost.”
Jiang Yan calmly grabbed the wandering tentacle, yanked it out of his clothing, and tossed it aside without a second thought.
663 interjected, “Aren’t you scared? NPCs might be safer than players, but there have been cases where entire instances were wiped out.”
Jiang Yan’s voice was calm, almost detached, with a hint of dark humor. “But isn’t the outcome of an instance usually determined by the boss?”
663: “You—?!”