Time gradually passed.
Midnight.
Zuo Lin'an, who was hiding in the withered forest at the top of the mountain, immediately detected the five players descending into the dungeon.
The five were scattered in different directions.
However, one of them happened to appear right near his location.
A perfect opportunity!
Zuo Lin'an immediately locked onto the closest unfortunate soul. Taking advantage of the moment the player opened his eyes, still in a daze of confusion, Zuo Lin'an took a step forward and materialized directly behind him.
The boning knife in his hand flashed with a subtle, cold light as it plunged straight into the back of the player's neck.
The player's eyes widened instantly. He reflexively raised his hands to clutch his neck.
“Ugh...”
The attack had come so quickly that he didn't even have time to scream before the blade pierced his throat, robbing him of any chance to make a sound.
At this moment, because Zuo Lin'an was executing his own rule, his concealment state was automatically deactivated.
Right then, the closest player, likely sensing some movement, warily took a few steps in this direction.
Noticing this, Zuo Lin'an glanced over.
What a coincidence.
He hadn't expected to be spotted by another player.
But it didn't matter.
It was the middle of the night, and they were in a withered forest.
Even with a few scattered stars casting a faint, dim light, the observer would only be able to see that someone was attacking another person.
After all, although his figure had automatically appeared due to the rule's execution, his specter aura remained entirely concealed.
As long as the other party didn't get a clear look at his face or his eyes, they would never suspect him of being a specter.
And indeed, it went exactly as Zuo Lin'an expected.
The player was startled to see an attack happening, but instead of making a sound, he kept as quiet as possible, turned around, and fled.
He likely assumed Zuo Lin'an was an impulsive player who had run into an enemy or someone from a hostile faction and immediately started a fight.
Coming back to his senses, Zuo Lin'an decided to leave the area first.
Having been spotted, staying here to continue executing his rules might lead to unforeseen complications.
Reaching out, he grabbed the shoulder of the player before him, and both figures vanished from the spot.
A few minutes later.
Zuo Lin'an casually flicked his hand, shaking off some of the blood clinging to it.
He had been using his God's-eye view to observe the other players.
“They move fast. The remaining four have already grouped up.”
Zuo Lin'an could actually use his 【time acceleration】 right now.
But there was no need for that.
“I can find an opportunity to probe them first and see if I can bait out their talents.”
He didn't need to bait everyone; he only needed to draw out one talent. Then, when one o'clock in the morning arrived, he would kill the player whose talent he had revealed.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the four players had just met up.
【Dungeon Notification: You have lost your way in the Withered Forest and Barren Mountains. By chance, you discover a household living at the top of the mountain and have come to ask for lodging. However, strange things seem to be happening here...】
【Main Quest: Survive for Three Days, Find the Path of Survival.】
【Novice Benefits: Time.】
They all saw the notifications but showed no expression. After all, none of them knew each other. Although they mostly understood that it was best for players to stick together, they remained highly vigilant.
After observing one another for a long time, a robust, middle-aged man was the first to speak.
“You all know about specter dungeons, right?”
The other three did not answer directly, though two of them nodded.
Clearly, neither this middle-aged man nor the two nodding players were entering a specter dungeon for the first time.
However, the remaining fourth person was a bit different.
He let out a cold sneer.
“Keep acting. Go on!”
“Do you really think I'm an idiot?”
“Don't think that by throwing some illusions at me, I'll believe in some specter dungeon game or completing main quests to clear the dungeon and leave.”
The smile on his face was both sarcastic and disdainful.
“If you ask me, you probably conspired to kidnap me just to use me to threaten my father.”
“Let me tell you clearly: forget about it!”
“Even though on the surface my father favors me the most, I'm just a shield.”
“The successor my father has truly chosen is not me.”
The other three were somewhat speechless.
Just who on earth was this guy?
The middle-aged man sighed. “What do you think? Should we include him?”
The other two shook their heads.
An idiot who couldn't even read the situation. As veterans who had cleared a dungeon before, they had no desire to work with someone like him.
They didn't want to suffer a stupid defeat and give a specter the chance to kill them.
Zuo Lin'an observed from the shadows.
He realized that the one who had witnessed his kill earlier was indeed the middle-aged man who had spoken first.
Moreover, they seemed to be about to kick someone out of the group.
“In that case, let's head out first. The dungeon notification mentioned a household at the top of the mountain.”
“And since it mentioned asking for lodging, that should be a subtle hint. The strange occurrences are highly likely related to that household.”
“Yeah, let's go.”
The other two didn't object. Spotting their direction, the three of them warily scanned their surroundings and began walking toward the mountain peak.
Leaving the fourth man behind just like that.
Huh?
Seeing the three of them abandon him without a second thought, the man was stunned.
By the time he snapped out of it, the trio was already far away.
What was going on?
Did these people not know who he was?
His father had joined forces with several other powerhouses over twenty years ago to establish the Ten-City Joint Auction. Today, he was one of the founding elders behind the scenes!
And as his father's third son, his status had naturally soared.
Furthermore, because his father used him as a shield, he was thoroughly spoiled in his daily life, and the resources poured into his public upbringing were immense.
Therefore, whether it was his clan or the resources he personally commanded, they were not things just anyone could match.
“The three of them must be... trying to lower my guard.”
“Yes, that must be it.”
When he was younger, he had frequently been targeted by kidnappers. Sometimes, when such schemes were used too often and he became desensitized to them, people would change their tactics.
For instance, some would play the kidnappers while others acted as good Samaritans to rescue him.
They thought this would win his favor and allow them to establish a connection with his family.
But they had no idea he was merely a shield. Rescuing him would yield nothing more than a handsome reward at best.
Besides, did they really think the people of his clan were fools?
No matter how well they hid it or how flawlessly they acted, once they made a move, they would eventually be exposed.
None would be spared.
Having experienced so much of this, he naturally refused to believe in some specter dungeon.
“I didn't expect that even with all my caution, I would still fall for it.”
Rate on N.U.
