novelraw Chapter 296: We’ve been going wild all night. You’re not planning on another round, are you?
Chapter 296: We’ve been going wild all night. You’re not planning on another round, are you?
Alexander was completely bewildered!
Never mind that he wasn’t the real Thaddeus; even if the real Thaddeus were here, he wouldn’t know how to handle a person who looked and acted so identical in appearance, memory, and even personality.
"You guys keep talking, see if you can find any inconsistencies. I need to go to the restroom and splash some water on my face, clear my head," Alexander said, walking towards the restroom.
He wasn’t actually going to freshen up; instead, he wanted some time to gather his thoughts. This Mist Instance was off to a strange start, and it was clearly no ordinary matter.
Fortunately, before arriving, Alexander had specifically consulted with seasoned Ghost Imperials like Kassadin and Abigail.
He had learned a secret known only to Ghost Emperors: the Mysterious Cycle.
The Mist system’s existence far predates the Thriller system, and as a result, many ghosts have conducted deep studies on Mist Instances.
Before coming here, Alexander had intentionally sought advice from various individuals: Abigail, Kassadin, several Ghost Emperors of the Ghost Alliance, and even a few Ghost Emperors from Undead City and Nether World.
He had thoroughly gleaned whatever information he could about the Mist Instance. Now, his understanding of it was nearly on par with those seasoned Ghost Emperors.
This included knowledge of some more covert areas and cycles—like the Mysterious Cycle!
Contrary to Alexander’s initial assumption, the natives of Horror World were not as ignorant about Mist Instances as he had thought. On the contrary, many had studied them in great detail.
Discussions had even taken place among the Ghost Emperors of Horror World about cycles being a result of ghosts’ obsessions, including the role of "Ghost Lamps" after the end of cycles.
The conclusion was that Mist Instances created these cycles to trap the obsessions of the dead, gradually eroding them over multiple loops.
They even purified collected Ghost Energy from all around Horror World by leveraging these obsessions.
An obsession is the last stronghold of a person after death and also the original force that transforms them into a ghost. However, obsessions are not constant.
Take Tony, for example. His initial obsession was vengeance.
Later, with Alexander’s help, Manager Charles was killed, thus shifting Tony’s obsession to leading the Fierce Ghost Association and assisting Alexander in conquering new territories.
Now that the Fierce Ghost Association has become the most powerful force in Dark Hell, so much so that it has become inseparable from Dark Hell City, Tony’s initial promise has long been fulfilled.
His current obsession has transformed into standing beside Alexander for one final, frenzied assault on the Mist World.
The same goes for others; all their obsessions changed after arriving in Horror World, making them display strength beyond normal limits even if they’re not in a Rampage State within these cycles.
This type of cycle is known as a "Mysterious Cycle," the most famous of which is the "45th Bus Route."
A girl on the bus discovered that she was stuck in a cycle, and her obsession became getting out of it. This created an unsolvable Instance.
To complete the cycle, one must fulfill their obsession; however, her obsession was to break the cycle itself, thus forming an irresolvable paradox.
Another equally infamous and highly mysterious cycle that no one dares to enter is the Cangshan Mental Hospital.
Yes, it’s the very invitation card that Alexander once received but never used, opting to postpone with the aid of an item.
The Cangshan Mental Hospital is also a Mysterious Instance, located at the very heart of Cangshan City.
There have been participants who risked their lives to escape and returned with comprehensive information.
According to them, Cangshan Mental Hospital was initially a normal mental health cycle. However, the sudden intrusion of one individual awakened all the patients.
By "awakened," it means they are not in a Rampage State but have regained their original strength.
Such Mysterious cycles are the most terrifying. In regular cycles, like those Alexander had visited before, as long as you don’t reveal your identity, you are relatively safe within the cycle.
However, these Mysterious Instances are different—take Cangshan Mental Hospital for example. The moment you step in, you could unintentionally provoke a patient who then releases Ghost Emperor-level power.
Faced with such a situation, do you counterattack or not?
If you don’t, a single punch from them could kill you. If you do, revealing your strength beyond that of an average human, you’re immediately identified as a participant.
The patient enters Rampage State, and again, a single punch could be fatal.
Therefore, these cycles pose extreme danger to the participants. Alexander’s entry is clearly into such a Mysterious Instance.
On his way to the restroom, he fell into deep contemplation. Should he... eliminate these two Zoes first?
The key difference between Alexander and other participants is that he also wields forbidden powers.
While others are helpless against the natives in these Instances, for Alexander, these beings with neither talent nor Ghost Skills aside from their forbidden powers are practically easy kills.
As long as he isn’t outnumbered, even a Ghost Imperial would be no match for him. Zoe, with merely soldier-level strength, is too weak for Alexander to be concerned about.
Now, Alexander had two choices. The first was to kill Zoe and quietly leave this Mysterious cycle.
Unlike the last time he broke free from a cycle, he had plenty of identity-disguising tools at his disposal. He could pick and choose among cycles without worrying about being caught by hell warriors.
The second option was to stay and attempt to break the cycle.
"Better to find a way out. This cycle is too strange and makes it too easy to blow my cover. It’s not worth it," Alexander thought.
After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head decisively, planning to find an excuse to leave first and figure things out later.
However, before he could even concoct a plan to exit, a surprise awaited him as he opened the bathroom door.
The room was filled with mist, and standing there was a young woman, naked, her body captivating. She looked at Alexander, her lips tinged with a beauty mark, opening in surprise.
"Big brother, we’ve been going wild all night. You’re not planning on another round, are you?" she said, astonishment filling her voice.