novelraw Chapter 113: A Tricky Situation
Chapter 113: A Tricky Situation
Eerie calls seemed to echo in his ears, sharp and mournful like a bleak elegy, yet so gentle they could easily lure one into drowning within them.
Xu Zisheng made no response. Cloaked in that strange human skin, his expression remained even somewhat indifferent as he waited for the perfect moment to arrive.
He was also waiting for the existence behind him to make its final reaction.
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While in his mist form, Xiao Gui'an would have liked to rest, but the reality of the situation didn't permit him to stop thinking.
He had already realized just how sharp Xu Zisheng was. Like a cheat code existence, this Chosen One of Fate should be able to detect some differences in the Writer.
He was currently in a soul state, possessing only an imposing Hierarchical Status without any substantial power.
Even if he used his soul power to mimic the Writer's form, it would definitely differ from the Writer within the Horror Game World.
Moreover, just like during the previous emergency mission, he was almost completely cut off from the outside world.
Being in the Void Realm, he didn't know when he could contact Zero, and the Chosen One of Fate's destiny had also undergone a 'butterfly effect' due to his presence—he didn't know if it had accelerated or deviated.There wasn't much he could do—find a reasonable explanation for his current state, inform Xu Zisheng about their current location—that was about it for information.
A Doppelganger wasn't the Main Body. If something truly uncontrollable happened, having laid this groundwork now would give him opportunities to make adjustments later.
'No physical form,' 'mist state,' 'requires dormancy'—these were the phenomena Xiao Gui'an wanted to present to Xu Zisheng regarding the Writer's Doppelganger.
Unstable abilities and such were all perfectly understandable.
Without a sufficiently powerful backstop to oversee everything, he had to proceed with caution, repeatedly calculating possible scenarios.
Couldn't Zero be more reliable?
If it were here, he could focus entirely on acting without worrying about other problems.
When Xu Zisheng mentioned his speculation about official personnel, Xiao Gui'an truly felt like he was about to crack.
He never expected that the bespectacled boy and the girl holding the doll weren't ordinary players!!
They might actually be official personnel!!!
Xiao Gui'an immediately thought of Li Qiwen.
He didn't believe those two players who entered this eerie instance had no connection whatsoever to Li Qiwen.
That guy Li Qiwen, even if he wasn't official, definitely had ties with relevant departments.
And once the instance activated, all members of their former Pyramid Scheme Organization who had swallowed the 'Admission Ticket'—
One after another showed abnormal phenomena, falling into comas.
The authorities would definitely focus their attention, eventually tracking everyone down.
Perhaps in the real world right now, his Gui Yi physical body had already been taken over and monitored by official departments.
Actually, the official side wasn't too bad—they didn't know Gui Yi's true identity. When the time came, he could just pretend to be a victim and think of some excuses to slip through.
The real tricky situation was how to explain things to Xu Zisheng.
After the instance ended, who would return to the real world first—him or Xu Zisheng?
What was the actual situation in the real world?
If the authorities really took action, there was no way to hide it from Xu Zisheng.
He would know that Gui Yi had also entered this eerie game instance after him.
But where could Xiao Gui'an produce a Gui Yi from right now?
That incomplete rule power belonging to this place had been watching covetously from the shadows all along.
The Proxy System had only gained a slight advantage and was still doing its best to suppress that power.
If he divided his soul power to create another Doppelganger as Gui Yi, given Gui Yi's characteristics, would it be judged as a Player again?
Or would it be directly expelled from this Orphanage?
With no safety net, Xiao Gui'an didn't dare attempt it lightly.
Another thing that made him uneasy was whether Xu Zisheng could actually perceive Gui Yi.
What kind of abilities did that eerie Blood Book possess? Even systems like Zero couldn't investigate it.
Now that they were in this 'lawless land' with twisted rules, could the barriers originally set still block Xu Zisheng's detection?
If he interacted more with those two official personnel and learned about the 'Admission Ticket' or the Pyramid Scheme Organization, then Gui Yi would have nowhere to hide.
But Zero's work was relatively reliable.
Since Zero said so, when he fully immersed himself in acting as the Writer, Xu Zisheng shouldn't be able to detect anything unusual.
What worried Xiao Gui'an was that the only possible exposure point was right when they arrived in the Void Realm.
His soul aura was unstable, and the Proxy System was distracted fighting the instance's rule power.
If the Blood Book had any reaction during their weakest moment, that would be disastrous.
Sensing Gui Yi's possible presence one moment, then the Writer appearing the next—
No one would believe there wasn't some connection between these events.
Then Xu Zisheng would directly link Gui Yi and the Writer together.
With his meticulous nature, how could he not suspect such coincidental timing?!
Maybe Xu Zisheng had already noticed.
But why hadn't he said anything?
Was he intimidated by the Writer's Hierarchical Status and identity?
Or was he unwilling to think too deeply about it, or perhaps had other concerns?
Xiao Gui'an's brain was working overtime, and he could only tentatively ask one question, preparing for all possible future scenarios.
When the other mentioned his speculation about official personnel, the blurry human figure finally spoke faintly, "Apart from this, does the Young Friend have nothing else to say?"
The thin young boy paused, his eyes flickering, before finally shaking his head, "No..." He hesitated, then continued discussing his observations.
Excellent! Xiao Gui'an mentally clenched his fist in triumph!
That question wasn't superfluous!
The Writer must 'know' everything—this question conveyed the feeling of being completely in control.
Though seemingly casual, he had given the hint—it was your own decision not to ask—
After this, Xiao Gui'an listed all the acting details and possible future scenarios, pairing each with corresponding solutions, then didn't speak much more.
Until nearly 11 o'clock, watching Xu Zisheng obediently get into bed, his spirit finally relaxed slightly, unable to maintain the blurry human figure any longer, directly reverting to mist form.
But he had only lightly dozed for a short while when the Proxy System's voice called out to him like summoning a spirit.
[...Ho...st...]
The Dark Mist churned, attempting to block out that stuttering mechanical voice.
[What is this, Proxy System? Don't you know disturbing someone's peaceful sleep is like killing their parents?]
[Cho...sen...One...of...Fate]
[What about Xu Zisheng? He doesn't want to go out, does he? I know it, he definitely wants to go out...]
The dark mist drifted lightly, a pair of colorless eyes appearing as Xiao Gui'an watched the thin young boy before him showing no trace of sleepiness, his gaze calm and rational.
He first rolled out of bed, then moved silently to the door, leaning close to listen for any movement outside.
Then he glanced up at the clock on the wall, consciously tapping his finger twice as if calculating the time.
Next, as if performing magic, he produced a human skin cloak from his hand and directly draped it over his head, his entire aura immediately diminishing.
The series of actions flowed seamlessly—what Xu Zisheng intended to do was quite obvious.
Xiao Gui'an struggled internally—should he follow along or stay behind?—already knowing which option he would choose.
He attempted one final attempt at persuasion, partly to comfort his own conscience that he had at least fought for 'resting on time.'
"In the deep of night, has the Young Friend decided to go investigate?" the Writer's extremely soft voice sounded.
"Apologies, sir, did I disturb you?" Xu Zisheng slightly turned, showing some regret in his expression, though how genuine it was remained unclear.
"..."
"Is that so?"
The Writer didn't express a clear stance.
But ultimately, the untouchable Dark Mist still drifted over, continuously shrinking until it resembled a wisp of smoke settling on Xu Zisheng's shoulder, making no further movement.
The Cursed Child's heart slightly tightened, his expression softening somewhat as he, cloaked in the human skin mantle, gently pushed open the door.