“Hmph… indeed, your reputation precedes you…” The Imitation Soul replied with a cold laugh, “…Feng Bujue.”

“Heh… you flatter me… you flatter me…” Brother Jue responded with a smile.

“Why are you being polite with him?” Jibe said. “Besides… isn't it Wastedream-uncle who saw through him? You're just saying that in hindsight, aren't you?”

“Hmm… speaking of which, I'm also a little curious, Brother Chai, how exactly did you see through it?” Feng Bujue turned his head to Wastedream-uncle. “Although I also sensed some abnormalities from it, I really didn't think about the possibility of it being a ‘fake’ until you grabbed its neck.”

“Actually, I was about the same as you. At first, I just felt that this Tianma Xingkong was a bit strange, but I didn't suspect that he was being impersonated.” As Wastedream-uncle spoke, the hand clamping the Imitation Soul didn't loosen even slightly. “Until… this guy struck a Tianma Meteor Fist pose.”

“What?” Feng Bujue was taken aback. A series of memory fragments flashed through his mind, and two seconds later, he suddenly realized. “Oh… the stance is wrong.”

“Ha? That's the reason?” Jibe interjected.

“Yes, that's the reason.” Wastedream-uncle said, “During the Peak Battle, I saw Tianma Xingkong's Meteor Fist more than once. His movements are somewhat different from those made by the Imitation Soul… The real Tianma Xingkong, no matter what posture he's in, always has his left hand on top, higher than his head…”

“Yes, and the angle of the bent legs, the right leg is behind, and the degree of bending is more obvious than the left leg,” Feng Bujue added.

“Moreover… it's not just a matter of stance.” As Wastedream-uncle spoke, his gaze under his sunglasses refocused on the Imitation Soul's face. “Tianma Xingkong's Meteor Fist is unique. Even if you searched the entire game, no one could imitate its essence.”

“Hey, hey… isn't it just a skill? Anyone can use it the same way, right?” Jibe seemed a little unconvinced.

“Of course it's different… How can you still be a professional player and not notice this?” Feng Bujue sighed lightly, shook his head, patted Jibe's shoulder, and explained. “Most of the attack skills in Thriller Paradise don't have clear damage values… This is a very obvious hidden setting.” He paused, and then said, “Seemingly the same skill, but the effect is definitely different when used by different people. Even if you let two players with completely the same level, equipment, and specialization use the same skill, the power will be different.”

“In fact, even the same person… will have fluctuations in damage values when using the same move in different situations,” Wastedream-uncle added. “A subtle movement, an adjustment in breathing frequency, or even a psychological change will affect the final result. Not to mention the impact of physical weakness, injuries, and other factors.”

“I… I see.” Jibe was enlightened this time. Even if he died the next second, he wouldn't have come to this script in vain.

“Don't think that Tianma Xingkong only uses one move over and over again, and that his tactics seem incredibly monotonous.” Wastedream-uncle continued, “Actually… he's meticulous in the rough. His Meteor Fist can be said to be one of the best ultimate skills in the entire game. His application of this skill has reached the pinnacle of perfection. From D-level to A-level destructive power, he can unleash as much as he wants.”

“No wonder… when fighting this guy, I vaguely felt that his punches were getting stronger and stronger…” Honghu adjusted his glasses and muttered thoughtfully, “Can you reach this point after using a skill countless times…”

“You don't need to think too much… We can't learn his method.” Wastedream-uncle's eyes changed slightly. “Everyone has their own unique talents… In terms of talent, Tianma Xingkong may not be that high, and his mind is not as good as yours. From the perspective of a professional player, he is by no means a genius player. Because he relies only on intuition, hard work, and a little bit of luck.” He smiled. “But he won the Peak Battle championship and surpassed all of us. Heh… this is something that no one can replicate.”

“Wait a minute!” The Imitation Soul shouted at this time (it could still speak normally after being choked, the near-death state before was just a disguise). “From the moment you came to the island, I have been secretly following and observing your words and deeds. When it comes to stance… the stance I struck was the same as Tianma Xingkong himself did in the Taunting Forest! What's the difference? I clearly also had my left hand on top, and my right leg slightly…”

“The range of body expansion and the trajectory of limb movement are different,” Feng Bujue interrupted. “It's like two gymnasts performing the same set of technical movements, as long as you observe carefully enough, even laymen can see some differences.” He shrugged. “Of course… I didn't see through you either.” He pointed to Wastedream-uncle. “The one who saw through you at the first moment and launched an attack directly… was him. I'm just a hindsight strategist. You fell on Wastedream-uncle's instantaneous judgment and courage.”

This was true. If it hadn't been for Wastedream-uncle's decisiveness, the Imitation Soul wouldn't have revealed its flaws so quickly. Even Brother Jue and Honghu would have needed more clues or other opportunities to see through its disguise.

“Okay… since things have come to this, I can only accept the result.” The Imitation Soul seemed to admit defeat. “You guys did well. It's the first time… I've been exposed in such a short time.” It paused. “Now, can you put me down and talk?”

“That depends.” Wastedream-uncle replied in a deep voice. As he spoke, his hand actually tightened.

“Don't worry, I won't resist. Frankly speaking, I don't think I can beat you.” The Imitation Soul said in a relaxed tone.

“What if you run away?” Brother Jue asked.

“Hmph… If I wanted to escape, I would have already run. None of you could stop me.” The Imitation Soul turned to Brother Jue. “You've seen my kind before, you should know our abilities.”

Brother Jue thought for a moment, and tentatively asked, “Olden?”

“Yes, that's him.” The Imitation Soul replied. “Although there are slight differences in abilities, I can also do things like instant teleportation.”

Feng Bujue didn't say anything more. He took half a step forward and winked at Wastedream-uncle.

Wastedream-uncle nodded and immediately released his hand.

After landing, the Imitation Soul rubbed its neck and pretended to catch its breath, saying, “So… let's talk about a deal, Interdimensional Travelers.”

Feng Bujue went straight to the point. “Speak, what do you want?”

The Imitation Soul smiled and replied, “Hehe, I only have two requests…” Its gaze swept across the players' faces. “First, I want a treasure from one of you…” As it said this, a system prompt sounded in the players' ears [“Treasure” refers to an item of Excellent quality or higher, but items obtained in this scenario are not allowed], “Anything will do, as long as it's an item with magic.”

Its first request was not for itself, but to help the Tracing Hand restore its original form. The Imitation Soul needed a magical item from another world to complete the spell and rescue its colleague.

“Second…” The Imitation Soul continued, “I want to hear a ghost story, anyone can tell it, but it must be scary enough.”

This request was to satisfy its own needs…

Hearing this, Wastedream-uncle turned to look at his three teammates and said calmly, “Let's just kill it.”

“Hey!” The Imitation Soul shouted.

“Don't rush.” Feng Bujue said. “Let it finish talking…” He paused for a second, “…it's not too late to kill it then.”

As an NPC, the Imitation Soul was under great pressure at this time, but it still had to finish its dialogue. “Ahem… as long as you meet my requests, I will naturally provide a corresponding reward. There are three things I can do for you, but you can only choose one of the three…” It stopped for a moment, and then said, “These three things are… One, tell you the whereabouts of Tianma Xingkong and open the passage to the next level for you; Two, directly teleport all four of you to the altar at the bottom of the temple; Three, immediately bring Tianma Xingkong to you.” After saying that, it smiled mysteriously, “Of course, you can also refuse the deal. In that case, I'll leave right away, and you can fend for yourselves here…”

“Well… we need to discuss it before making a decision,” Honghu replied.

“As you wish.” The Imitation Soul extended a hand and made a “please” gesture.

Feng Bujue wasn't worried about the other party escaping. He immediately beckoned, signaling his teammates to come over. So, everyone followed him to a corner on the other side of the stone chamber and began to discuss in low voices.

“I always feel like there's a conspiracy…” Jibe said immediately. “Since it says it can teleport instantly, why is it negotiating with us? Why doesn't it just run away?”

“No, I think it's reasonable,” Feng Bujue denied. “I have seen one of its kind, although the appearance is slightly different, there is no doubt that it is the same kind of life form.” He explained, “The one I saw before can indeed use instant teleportation, and can move with others. The most important thing is… that guy also likes to listen to ghost stories.”

Honghu continued, “In my opinion… it's not that complicated. To put it bluntly, this is just a plot option. When Brother Chai saw through this NPC's disguise, the plot was triggered.” He paused slightly for a second and said, “Actually, this deal is generally fair. As long as we hand over an Excellent-quality item and tell a zero-cost story, we can get one of those three rewards.”

“I also agree to accept the deal,” Wastedream-uncle said. “But the current problem is… which reward should we choose?”

“The first one…” Jibe immediately interjected. “Choosing the second one would be the same as abandoning Little Ma-bro, right? And the third option… although we can meet up with Little Ma-bro immediately, the situation will return to the original point of a few minutes ago.”

“Wrong.”

Suddenly, Brother Jue said a wrong word in a confident tone.

“Huh?” Honghu next to him was stunned for a moment. “What's wrong? Jibe's analysis is quite reasonable.”

“Is it?” Feng Bujue said, “Then I want to ask… what can you do after you know the whereabouts of Little Ma-bro?”

“Of course, we'll go find him,” Jibe replied.

“Do you know the way in this temple? Or have you seen a map of this place?”

“Uh…”

Feng Bujue silenced the other party with two sentences, and he wasn't finished yet: “Even if you really have the full map of the temple, how can you guarantee that Little Ma-bro will stay in the same place, waiting for you to find him?”

“Wait…” Jibe said, “How do you know that Little Ma-bro is definitely in this temple? Maybe he's in another…”

“Impossible,” Feng Bujue interrupted. “If he were elsewhere, he would have been obliterated long ago, wouldn't he?”

“Uh… that's not right!” Jibe said again, “The five of us entered the temple together. When passing through the activity door, Little Ma-bro was neither the first nor the last, and he never left our sight. The Imitation Soul had no chance to switch him out…”

“Because he was already switched out outside,” Feng Bujue calmly replied.

“Then you said he must be in the temple?” Jibe was confused.

“Think carefully and you'll understand… there's only one time to switch…” Feng Bujue continued, “That's the period when all four of you were turned into shadow projections, and I hadn't returned to the team yet.” He glanced at the Imitation Soul on the other side of the stone chamber. “It was at that time that it and the Tracing Hand completed the switch together.” He paused, and then said, “The method is very simple. The Tracing Hand first releases Little Ma-bro from the shadows, and then the Imitation Soul immediately grabs Little Ma-bro and teleports him to a certain place in the temple. Then it teleports back and uses its transformation ability to disguise itself as a shadow projection, lying on the ground…”

Brother Jue snorted coldly at this point; “Hmph… now that I think about it, these guards are much smarter than I thought… they had already considered the possibility that the Tracing Hand would lose to me. Even though that probability was extremely low, they still prepared a backup plan…”

At this time, Honghu asked, “Then you mean… choose the third option?”

“If there are no accidents, I feel that the third option is a death option…” Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes and said, “No, to be precise, it's a team wipe option… if we choose it, there's a high probability that the five of us will be trapped and killed in this stone chamber.”

“Then… are you saying that the second option is better?” Wastedream-uncle asked.

“Of course,” Feng Bujue put on a matter-of-course expression. “Remember what happened when the previous mission was completed?” He didn't wait for his teammates to answer and then continued, “At the moment of arriving at the destination, the obliteration time limit on the player is immediately lifted, and the mission will be regarded as [Completed]. And the next mission will not be triggered until the maximum time limit of the previous main quest has been exhausted, and a buffer period has been left.”

In other words… if we choose the second option, the four of us will immediately complete the current main mission and no longer be threatened by the time limit. Even if the four of us are not next to the altar at the moment the time limit expires, we will not be obliterated, because our mission has already been ‘completed’.”

Under this premise, we only need to leave one person at the altar to wait, and the others can go to look for Little Ma-bro without any worries.

At worst… after more than two hours, we still haven't found him, and he hasn't been able to reach the altar on his own. If that really happens, we will only lose one person. The remaining people can still return to the bottom and continue to clear the game.”

Feng Bujue finished speaking in one breath, took a breath, and then said: “In comparison, choosing the first option makes no sense at all. It's the same as finding a possibly moving target in an unfamiliar environment, why not start from the end under the premise of ensuring your own safety?

Also, don't forget to consider the problem from Little Ma-bro's point of view. He entered the temple earlier than us, but the time point when he received the second mission is the same as ours. When he receives the new mission, he will understand at a glance in the team bar—the four of us have also arrived at the temple and have not been obliterated.

At this time, no matter where he is, he will immediately start moving downwards. Because he knows very well that instead of aimlessly searching for teammates in this labyrinth-like place, it is better to go directly to the end and join us. Maybe… he is already quite close to the altar.

If we choose the third option… even if it doesn't lead to a team wipe, it will undoubtedly坑 him once. Then, as Jibe said, we will return to the awkward situation of ‘five people being trapped together in a closed space’.”

After Feng Bujue said this, his teammates were enlightened. After discussing a few more words, the four quickly reached a consensus.

They quickly walked back to the Imitation Soul's side and surrounded the other party again, like hooligans harassing a good woman on the street…

“We've discussed it, we'll choose the second option,” Feng Bujue said as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Oh?” The Imitation Soul's tone seemed a little surprised, but it immediately changed to a mocking tone, “Hmph… you're abandoning your teammates, a bunch of heartless guys.”

“Here's the treasure for you.” Feng Bujue ignored the other party's words, took out 【Mario's Pipe Wrench】 from his bag, and handed it to the Imitation Soul, “Take it.”

To this day, this pipe wrench, which was once used by Brother Jue as his main melee weapon, is finally about to leave him. With the increase in level and strength, this weapon has gradually become a burden.

When it comes to melee combat, Feng Bujue can now unleash extremely powerful moves with just his fists and feet, not to mention that he also has the perfect-level killer weapon, 【Must-Break Defense Blade】.

When it comes to tool purposes, a 【WJQ-308 Military Shovel】 almost has the functions of all tools, which undoubtedly includes a pipe wrench.

Moreover, after the version update, 【Mario's Pipe Wrench】 has become a bound equipment, and it is impossible to sell it in the auction house.

Brother Jue has long intended to let this equipment retire from the stage of history, only because this pipe wrench is quite memorable (the first Excellent-quality equipment he drew with an extra reward), so he has always hesitated.

But at this moment, it seems like a good opportunity. Instead of using this equipment to fill the “grinder”, it is better to use it here and make a contribution to the team.

“Hmph… then I won't be polite and accept it.” The Imitation Soul took the pipe wrench and stuffed it into its chest, storing it in its body.

“Then… please listen to my ghost story,” Feng Bujue said immediately.