With one team on the fifth floor injured, the hunting party became wary. They damaged the curtains and windows, allowing beams of light to stream in.
With the arrival of daylight and the presence of the hunting team members blocking the intersection, Ren Yifei was trapped in the middle of the fifth floor, unable to go up or down.
"These people won't give up until they achieve their goal." Ren Yifei frowned; he was trapped like a turtle in a jar.
"Bang!" Ren Yifei pressed himself tightly against the door. He could already hear the sound of people opening room after room, they were not far away.
Trapping him on a certain floor and then eliminating him room by room is a very effective method.
Escaping from this situation would be impossible without a miracle. However, he hadn't originally planned to escape anyway; fortune favors the bold, and so does opportunity. Ren Yifei wanted to break into the human base again.
They need the Scarlet Witch's blood. No, perhaps there are other motives, but they certainly don't intend to kill him immediately.
But to say there was no danger... he thought of the other test subjects who had died one by one before him. Perhaps it was because they were all dead that they were trying to capture him.
The Scarlet Witch may die, but not here, and certainly not because of her capture.
As long as he doesn't die immediately, he has the ability to save himself.
"Fang Li." Ren Yifei murmured the name. She was very likely the one who gifted him the red cloak, and also a close blood relative of the Scarlet Witch.
Ren Yifei had always scoffed at the idea of blood ties and kinship, but when faced with Fang Li, he couldn't bring himself to be sarcastic.
The person in charge of the experiment said that the test subjects were all transformed from humans, with the Scarlet Witch being even more thoroughly transformed, but he didn't know how it was done; only the base leader knew.
Whether for the Scarlet Witch or for the dead and monsters, he had to go back to the human base to find out what was going on.
The only rule is that he cannot completely lose consciousness or be controlled. He possesses system items, which would expose the player's identity.
"Should we hide here for now?" He pondered, holding the prop card.
This instance has various things designed to target him, and Ren Yifei can't guarantee that he can stay clear-headed and control the entire situation.
In high-level matches, players can carry three items: two ghost cards and one identity card. These will appear beside the player upon waking up.
The identity card and the ghost card are bound together and can be hidden in the player's palm (the identity card drops upon death). Other items can be transferred and exchanged. Ren Yifei originally had six item cards because he confiscated three.
The 'Disguised Potato' has been used; it's a one-time use item. The nail gun has changed maps. Now, the 'Comic Generator' remains. This item can be used on yourself to see what happened from a third-person perspective.
The 'Great Black Eagle Crossbow' has only two arrows left. It also has a 'Hemostatic Bandage' and a 'Ink Bone Painted Fan' remaining.
He wouldn't care about losing anything else, but the 'Ink Bone Painted Fan' was a gift from a friend, and he wouldn't allow it to be lost even slightly.
"Bang, bang, bang." The sound of a door being kicked open came from next door. These people could clean a room in no more than half a minute, so there was no time to think.
The six cards were stuffed directly into the bedside table drawer; he would definitely come back alive to retrieve them, no matter what.
After all the funeral arrangements were completed, Ren Yifei adjusted his gas mask, held a tranquilizer gun, and aimed it at the door.
"Bang!" The door was kicked open, and Ren Yifei pulled the trigger.
He attacked two more members of the hunting party, but he himself was accidentally hit by a tranquilizer dart again.
Two injections of a drug specifically designed for him rendered him conscious, but he was no match for the fully armed NPC.
A strange object popped out of their hands, automatically disintegrating and reassembling into a cage in mid-air, instantly trapping him and locking the edges automatically.
When Ren Yifei was half-conscious and half-asleep, his gas mask was removed from his head: "That's right, it's him."
"Quickly!" A distinctive black cloth was draped over the cage, and a member of the hunting team waved his hand. "Take it away."
Ren Yifei curled up in the cage, his eyes half-closed, but his face was still full of ferocity as he tried his best to resist the effects of the drug.
Like being carried in a sedan chair, Ren Yifei was carried outside. Although there was a black cloth separating him from the cage, the daylight still made him restless. He kept shaking the cage and making threatening howls.
There were many voices outside discussing him. With so many conflicting opinions, Ren Yifei couldn't tell which were valid, so he simply blocked them all out.
After that, a steady stream of truths will be delivered. The monster's identity is the best cover; proud humans rarely pretend in front of monsters, no matter how intelligent they are, or even if they possess higher emotions.
The black cloth covering his wrist was lifted slightly, letting in the sunlight. His wrist immediately turned red, dehydrated, and cracked. He opened his mouth and growled at the light source, his eyes narrowing.
"It's him." After confirming the identity, the black cloth was lowered once more.
The hunting team leader finally breathed a sigh of relief; the moment he saw those eyes, he knew he had made the right catch.
Human eyes are different from monster eyes. It's hard to pinpoint exactly how, but when you look into a monster's eyes, a chill runs down your spine, as if you're being stared at by a man-eating beast.
At this moment, the Scarlet Witch was starving, and humans were ingredients in her diet, so it was only natural that her eyes reflected an unrestrained appetite.
How could eyes like those elicit such a question from the vice-captain?
The hunting team leader recalled the third monster that imitated humans, pretended to have higher emotions, and ultimately fooled the researchers into escaping.
Do monsters have human emotions? No, what monsters possess is only an exceptional ability to mimic.
Just like those born with antisocial personalities, they can only imitate, and imitate perfectly, but their essence will never change.
"Boss, Wenpeng is dead, and so is Jiang Lin." The two dead men were carried out; one had his throat slit, and the other had his heart stabbed. The NPC, who was also a teammate, slammed his fist into the cage.
"What are you doing?" the hunting team leader stopped him.
"Captain, he killed them!" the NPC cried out in grief and indignation.
Ren Yifei, clutching his stomach in the cage, felt like he was being toyed with to death by humans: he'd only eaten a little, and now he was starving; he'd eat a little more, and now he was starving again…
As for the NPCs' resentment, well, those who kill will be killed in return. If someone goes up the mountain to catch poisonous snakes to make wine, and ends up being bitten to death by a snake, that's just karma and retribution.
Ren Yifei's mindset was completely monstrous, and his perspective on problems was also entirely monstrous. That's why he killed two humans without any psychological burden before.
The reason he didn't kill them later wasn't out of mercy, but simply because he didn't want to provoke them and create too many complications for his plans. Two people were just right—enough to warn them without truly enraging them.
I gained a lot of information today, but it's not enough.
He wanted to find out what happened two years ago, and the secret behind the monsters' transformation.
Humans deceive themselves, unwilling to believe that monsters possess higher emotions, and remain arrogant even in their current state.
But how could a monster without higher emotions possibly seek to understand its origins? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
The Scarlet Witch's role and quests say it all.
The cage entered the base, and because it was covered with black cloth, no one could see inside, but their voices kept coming in.
"They say it's an important monster that can be used to make elimination potions. I wish there were more of these monsters so that elimination potions could be mass-produced. Honestly, I'd like to go out and check it out at night; it's so interesting."
"Shouldn't it be possible to breed them artificially? Let's find another one to mate with."
Ren Yifei sat swaying in the cage, gently biting his fingers to relieve his hunger, while listening to the indifferent laughter outside.
After my stance changed, I suddenly felt that it would be better if humanity simply disappeared.
Amidst the lively discussions among all the humans in the base, the black cloth cage was delivered directly into the laboratory that the players had been searching for for so long through a specially opened passage.
Although the process was somewhat tortuous, the result was perfect, and the members of the hunting team were finally able to go back and catch up on their sleep.
The players all went back.
With the Scarlet Witch's situation finally settled, players eagerly await further plot developments and new clues. Ideally, they'd like a direct confirmation that the 'ghost' is indeed the Scarlet Witch.
Several people were already eager to take away the 'NPC' they had their eye on.
"How terrifying." The young lady in the crowd turned pale, her smile forced. "What a hateful and despicable monster."
"Miss, please stop looking." The nanny thought she was frightened by the bloody corpses.
The handsome player was still thinking about the low growl he'd just heard—the call of a young, innocent beast, filled with anger, helplessness, and panic; he could almost hear the myriad emotions in it. To the Scarlet Witch, humans were the truly terrifying monsters.
He glanced at the young lady, who was still trembling and frightened. If he was not mistaken, the Scarlet Witch had some connection with their family, perhaps even a kinship.
In comparison, the flowers grown in this greenhouse are rather unremarkable.
"Mr. Allen, let's go back. I'm not feeling well." The young lady covered her forehead, and she did look unwell.
"I'm sorry, it was my mistake to let you see such a bloody scene." The handsome player walked back, brushing past a tall young man carrying a backpack.
The young man lowered his hat and silently left the crowd, not knowing where he was going.
"How is the Scarlet Witch now?" the office leader asked the hunting team captain for details.
The hunting party's daytime hunt for monsters caused quite a stir, drawing much discussion throughout the base, with many people going to watch the spectacle. This event will likely remain a hot topic at the base for the next few days.
The base leader did not go out; he locked himself in his office until the matter was over.
"He became extremely agitated and aggressive upon seeing the laboratory environment. He's been given a sedative, but it hasn't been very effective. Due to years of experimentation, he's developed resistance to various drugs," the hunting captain recounted.
The leader closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose: "This is the last one, be careful."
"I know, and they know too."
"How are the hunting team members? I heard two of them died? Don't be stingy with the compensation."
The hunting captain remained silent for a long time. One of the dead was his old subordinate, someone he had spent more time with than his own family. He was also the person he trusted most, yet... he was gone forever.
"The compensation has been paid out. The others only had a little blood drawn and were put under anesthesia. They will wake up tomorrow."
For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke. Suddenly, the hunting captain asked, "Haven't you left the dungeon to go up and take a look around in a long time?"
The base leader paused, then asked, "Why do you ask that?"
"I went outside today. But when the sunlight fell on me, I suddenly felt terrified, like a fish out of water. It felt strange. Am I not human?" The hunting team leader fell into self-doubt.
It was a kind of panic about being separated from the group and from society.
Humans are, after all, social animals; it is difficult for one person to survive.
He hadn't felt this clearly before, but this time when he went out, the hunting team leader finally realized the problem: his social circle was being restricted, he was beginning to disconnect from the world, and even... he was starting to get old.
He didn't know who to say these things to; as the second-in-command, it would seem strange to say such things. So he asked the base leader, who was also confined to a small circle.
"We joined forces fifteen years ago, and we've been together ever since. We've lost a lot, but we've also gained a lot. Chief, have you ever regretted it?" The hunting team leader looked at the base chief.
"You're tired, go back and get some sleep," the base leader said.
The hunting captain was somewhat disappointed. He walked to the door, then suddenly remembered something: "Do you want to see him? Perhaps there won't be another chance."
"No need," the base leader waved his hand weakly. "Since this decision has been made, there's no need to meet again. Let's just pretend it never happened."
The author has something to say: I suddenly remembered a joke:
The scumbag father: He abused the protagonist in the first ninety-nine chapters, but failed to do so in the end, so his base of support didn't collapse.
Xiao'er: Although you have regretted it, I will never forgive you again. From now on, all grudges are settled.
*
Scumbag father: Can regret and tears make you forgive?
Ah Fei: Only the collapse of the building and the death of people can ease my hatred.
*
If Ah Fei were a character in a crematorium novel, the story would end in the first chapter—the scumbag seme has been dismembered and used to buil
d walls, and that's the end.