Players, Please Board the Train

If the task was submitted, the difficulty of subsequent tasks would increase, but without submitting the task, the second task couldn’t be seen.

It was almost impossible to get the second task information from the player ”Concealer”... Xu Huo lightly tapped his fingers on the painting frame a few times before choosing to submit the task.

[Congratulations to player Extra for finding one counterfeit painting, completing the dungeon’s first task.]

[The submitted painting will be collected by the game and cannot be reused in the same dungeon.]

After the game notification, the second task unlocked simultaneously.

[Dungeon Task Two: Restore a counterfeit painting to make it genuine.]

Since found counterfeits couldn’t be reused, to restore a genuine painting meant finding another counterfeit.

But to create a counterfeit required one player.

In the darkness, Xu Huo turned toward the sofa.

On the sofa, Ni Tian, who had her back to him, wasn’t actually asleep. She tried to calm her breathing, tightly clutching her slightly trembling hands, only releasing a silent sigh of relief after that piercing gaze on her back finally shifted away.By the time lights were about to come on the next day, the exhibition hall had quieted down. Exactly at seven o’clock, Ni Tian immediately flipped over and headed for the door.

”There are at most six fake paintings,” Xu Huo said from behind her.

Ni Tian paused her door-opening motion, turning back with a forced smile, ”Brother Xu, are you serious?”

”Would someone as kind-hearted as me lie to you?” Xu Huo stretched his arms. ”If I didn’t want you spreading rumors, I could have dealt with you last night.”

Ni Tian realized this made sense, blinking her eyes as she said, ”Brother Xu, could you tell me then? I’ll give you anything you want!”

”This time I promise complete sincerity. If you don’t trust me, you can even tie me up.”

Xu Huo ignored her exaggerated expressions. ”Stop with the antics.”

Pulling the door open to leave, he happened to see Gao Jun passing by from the next room and greeted him.

The taciturn Gao Jun nodded with slight surprise.

By now, the other players had gathered in the left corridor.

”Both rooms inside have been broken through. Da Xiong and Pan Siming are missing,” Li Weiran said with a grim expression.

”What exactly happened?” Xie Man asked. ”Wasn’t it supposed to be Fan Shiji’s turn last night?”

”Couldn’t you tell? Da Xiong definitely lied—he was the one who tore the portrait,” Fan Shiji said. ”I was ready to fight for my life yesterday, but unexpectedly... tsk tsk!”

”But why did he survive the day before yesterday while Deng Yu disappeared?” Xie Man couldn’t help asking.

”Maybe he had some powerful item that blocked the first attack but couldn’t withstand the second,” the Gloomy Man said.

”So Deng Yu and Pan Siming both suffered for someone else’s crimes. That Da Xiong is truly despicable!” You Huanhuan said indignantly.

Xu Huo glanced at her and suddenly said, ”Do you smell blood?”

The other players turned to look at him. You Huanhuan pointed at the scattered blood spots in the corridor, ”Probably from when Da Xiong and Pan Siming were injured while escaping.”

The Gloomy Man stared at her intently before asking, ”Did you leave your room last night?”

You Huanhuan looked stunned. ”Do you suspect I killed them?”

”Not suspecting you of killing,” Li Weiran said, ”but we need to confirm who left their rooms last night. Among us, two people have completed the first task.”

Her words immediately cooled the players’ expressions. They looked at each other with suspicion, trying to detect any clues.

”It’s possible Da Xiong and Pan Siming cleared the dungeon,” Gao Jun spoke up. ”They were in the exhibition hall when the game notification came yesterday.”

”Would you choose to clear the dungeon if it were you?” Li Weiran stared intently at him.

”Why wouldn’t I?” Gao Jun countered. ”Is it strange to choose to leave a dungeon when being hunted by monsters?”

Li Weiran paused, then didn’t speak further.

”Neither Lu Gang nor I left our room,” You Huanhuan answered the previous question, reaching to tug at Lu Gang’s clothes, but he slapped her hand away before she could touch him. Then Lu Gang charged forward, grabbing the Gloomy Man and Li Weiran by their shoulders and slamming them to the ground!

”Don’t fight!” You Huanhuan screamed.

The Gloomy Man and Li Weiran reacted quickly, dispersing the force on their shoulders from left and right. Together they kicked Lu Gang back and created distance, with the former producing a folding fan in his hand and the latter revealing a giant scissors as tall as a person on her back!

With the three standing in a tense triangle, Xu Huo and the others had already moved aside to give space.

”Lu Gang, don’t fight! They’re not targeting us, they just want to understand the dungeon mechanics!” You Huanhuan rushed over and hugged the tall man. Lu Gang still clenched his fists but restrained himself from attacking further.

The Gloomy Man sneered, ”Looks like no one’s willing to tell the truth. Then let’s assume Da Xiong and Pan Siming left the dungeon, and everyone can search for clues on their own!”

After saying this, he walked straight to the exhibition hall, while Li Weiran glanced at Fan Shiji before leaving too.

”Why look at me? I didn’t leave my room either,” Fan Shiji muttered. ”It’s so dangerous outside, only an idiot would go out!”

But complaints aside, he said with a pained expression to the remaining players, ”Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If anyone knows anything, you can tell me secretly!”

Xu Huo spun his lighter but didn’t light a cigarette.

With twelve players, six players clearing would require six fake paintings, meaning the first task could be completed by at most six people. And for the second day’s genuine restoration, the same number would require the same players.

Under these circumstances, no one would voluntarily reveal the clearance method.

He patted Fan Shiji’s shoulder sympathetically. ”Don’t be discouraged, there’s still one more day.”

”Sorry, we can’t help either,” You Huanhuan said with a guilty expression.

Xie Man walked past her. ”Your hand is swollen.”

You Huanhuan clasped her hands, smiling shyly. ”Thank you for your concern.”

Xu Huo glanced at these three people with their varied expressions, then looked at the aloof Gao Jun before entering the exhibition hall under Ni Tian’s urging.

None of these people were telling the truth.

Yesterday, when Da Xiong and Pan Siming were first attacked, there was a door opening and closing sound in the left corridor. From the outcome, Pan Siming didn’t enter an empty room, and Fan Shiji hadn’t locked his door completely to avoid being trapped inside. At that time, the only ones with opportunity were You Huanhuan and Lu Gang.

Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that this was a false sound and Pan Siming had escaped into the exhibition hall.

This led to two possible conclusions: either Pan Siming successfully cleared and left the dungeon, or he also entered a painting.

That sculpture monster wasn’t very agile. With so many pillars in the exhibition hall, hiding wasn’t difficult. Pan Siming wasn’t the monster’s primary target. If he had obtained a painting, choosing to leave the dungeon wouldn’t be the optimal choice.

Additionally, Gao Jun had deliberately left his door open before lights out yesterday. Judging from when he passed by Xu Huo’s door, it was very close to the first game notification time.

Therefore, Xu Huo leaned more toward Pan Siming having entered a painting, or being killed.

In the former case, there would be a ready-made fake painting in the exhibition hall; in the latter, Pan Siming’s corpse might be hidden somewhere in the art gallery.

Naturally, that undeniable blood scent was also an important clue.

Avoiding the others’ sight, he messaged Ni Tian on his phone: ”Go check the left rooms to see if there’s a corpse.”