Chapter 19 An Hour Ago...

An hour ago...

Kuangzong Jianying was standing five meters away from the headless corpse, keeping watch for Feng Bujue.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kuangzong Jianying looked at Feng Bujue, who was squatting beside the corpse, busying himself. His expression seemed to say, "You're really a pervert."

"I'm already doing it, aren't I? What? Don't want to waste the grenade?" Feng Bujue retorted.

"Ah... to be honest, I'm more concerned about your mental state than whether or not the grenade will be wasted..." Kuangzong Jianying eyed him askance.

"What does this have to do with my mental state?" Feng Bujue replied, "I'm just using a corpse to set a trap in a virtual game. Any sane person, as long as they can think of this strategy, would execute it without hesitation."

"Heh... whatever you say..." Kuangzong Jianying didn't want to argue with him. At this moment, he understood somewhat why this guy's ID was "Madness Doesn't Awaken" (Feng Bujue).

Feng Bujue tied a metal wire through the grenade's pull ring, held the grenade in his hand, rolled up his sleeve, and crudely shoved it down the corpse's esophagus all the way into its stomach. On the front of the corpse, he only needed a small wound, allowing the metal wire to pass out of the stomach and emerge from under the skin.

Next was to carve the words and use a question mark to decorate the place where the metal wire protruded, waiting for the other party to take the bait.

"Why did you leave a message, but cover up half of it?" Kuangzong Jianying asked, watching Feng Bujue's arrangement.

"If I didn't cover it at all, they could see what I wrote from a distance," Feng Bujue said. "But if I covered it all, they might not even notice the message." After finishing, he wiped his hands on the deceased's clothes and stood up. "Half-covered, they'll crouch down, lift the clothes, and see what it is. At that time... as long as their eyesight is normal, they'll notice the end of the metal wire."

"And what makes you sure they'll touch the wire?" Kuangzong Jianying asked.

"Who said I was sure they'd touch the wire?" Feng Bujue replied.

"Huh?" Kuangzong Jianying seemed not to understand.

Feng Bujue continued, "Does this look like a trap?"

"Um... not really."

"Why not?"

Kuangzong Jianying tried to follow his train of thought: "Traps should be placed in a sudden place on the opponent's inevitable path, such as behind a door."

Feng Bujue nodded, "That's the point."

"That's the point?" Kuangzong Jianying still didn't get it.

"I'll give you another example," Feng Bujue said, "Remember the safe we got the side quest for earlier?"

"Of course, I remember."

"If we opened the box, it would trigger an explosion, so wouldn't we have been tricked?"

"The system wouldn't set it up like that," Kuangzong Jianying replied, "That way, players wouldn't be able to dodge it at all. If the box really would explode, there would definitely be some clues before opening it."

"Oh," Feng Bujue said, "So, am I the system?"

"Um..."

"Do I seem like someone who would kindly give the other party a hint?"

"This..."

"Besides, there's another reason why you'd unthinkingly assume that the box isn't a death flag," Feng Bujue added.

"Because... that room is an optional quest, we can not open the door and leave directly from another path. Even if we kill all the monsters later, we can choose not to open the box in the room," Kuangzong Jianying recited, catching on.

Feng Bujue pointed to the corpse: "This corpse is lying on the ground, they can ignore it, not look at the remaining half of the message, and even if they do, they can choose not to touch the metal wire."

Kuangzong Jianying scratched his head, seeming to understand: "Is this some kind of... psychological suggestion?"

Feng Bujue had already started walking, signaling the other to follow. He said as he walked, "To get someone to do something that seems harmless but is actually detrimental to them, you must first make them feel that it is optional and that they are not being forced to do it. Then, the matter must appear 'normal' on the surface. By 'normal,' I mean it can't be too difficult, because if it's too hard, they won't do it. But it also can't be too easy, because if it's too easy, they'll become suspicious.

"For example, when you kill someone, the victim resisting is 'normal,' but excessive resistance will make you back down, while completely calm acceptance will make you suspicious.

"Or, for example, if you want to plant a bomb in a facility, too strict security will force you to give up, while too lax defenses will make you feel incredulous..."

Feng Bujue licked his lips and coughed twice: "So, I hid the grenade in the corpse, with the triggering metal wire in a place they can touch or not, and my message isn't carved on the surface, nor is it carved on the corpse's ass so they won't find it." He exhaled. "Finally... I'll give them an unexpected surprise."

"What if they don't find the metal wire, or even leave without taking a close look at the corpse?" Kuangzong Jianying asked.

"They're professional players, right?" Feng Bujue said.

"Yeah..."

"If you were them, would you just walk away without caring about anything?"

Before Kuangzong Jianying could answer, Feng Bujue added, "Of course, the worst-case scenario is just losing a grenade."

"Anyway, you didn't lose anything, right..."

"Right," Feng Bujue replied shamelessly.

They talked for a while and walked for about ten more minutes. After rounding a corner... suddenly, a metal object the size of a basketball came whistling from the front, grazing Feng Bujue's left cheek as it flew past.

Feng Bujue's first reaction was to bend down and draw his gun to return fire. He looked ahead and saw a figure standing in a dimly lit area far down the corridor. It was clear that this person had launched the attack.

Kuangzong Jianying also noticed the attacker. His movements were incredibly fast. Without a word, he charged forward, his long sword already in hand.

Regardless of who or what launched the attack, as long as he got within range of *Huiying Zhan* (Shining Shadow Slash), Kuangzong Jianying was absolutely confident that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

The figure seemed stunned by Kuangzong Jianying's actions, freezing in place for two seconds before turning to run.

At this moment, Feng Bujue was also running forward. He noticed the other party's reaction and shouted to Kuangzong Jianying, who was running ahead, "Leave him alive!"

Kuangzong Jianying didn't have time to reply, but he heard the words.

Feng Bujue was also very fast when running at full speed. As seen in the script where they fought one-on-one, Feng Bujue's full-speed running was roughly equivalent to Kuangzong Jianying's speed at seven or eight points of effort, and after activating *Lingshi Jushen Shu* (Spirit Gathering Technique), Kuangzong Jianying couldn't catch up with Feng Bujue even at full speed.

At this moment, the two were chasing at about the same speed, quickly closing in on the fleeing person. The person was also wearing an orange protective suit, and their running speed was not in the same league as the two players. They were also holding an *anti-gravity catapult*. Seeing these, Feng Bujue was basically certain that this person who tried to attack them was an NPC, so he shouted again, "Take him alive."

Before long, Kuangzong Jianying finally reached the distance where *Huiying Zhan* could be activated. With a teleport, he appeared directly in front of the other person. The person was shocked to see this but couldn't stop, and Kuangzong Jianying swept an elbow across his collarbone, causing him to fall flat on his back.

Although the person was dazed from the fall and was groaning on the ground, Kuangzong Jianying didn't hesitate to twist his arm, press his face to the ground, and seize the catapult from his hand.

Feng Bujue arrived at this time, but he wasn't as calm and composed as the expert. Seeing that the situation was under control, he supported his knees with both hands and began to pant heavily.

"Speak, who are you?" Kuangzong Jianying said to their captive.

The person was already out of breath from running and had been knocked to the ground by an elbow, so he couldn't speak.

Feng Bujue said, "You can let him go, it's okay."

Kuangzong Jianying released his hand, took two steps back, and continued to watch the attacker on the ground vigilantly with his sword.

The person turned over, face up, his chest rising and falling sharply, unable to catch his breath for a long time. From the transparent mask, he was Caucasian, looked very young, about twenty years old, very small, about 1.6 meters tall, and thin, with black hair like instant noodles.

After recovering a bit, the person sat up, supported himself with his hands as he backed away, all the way to the wall, and looked at the two people in front of him with a look of horror.

"Let's talk," Feng Bujue squatted down, bringing his line of sight to the same level as his, and said, "What's your name?"

"Outsider! You demons! Heretics!" The person shouted, holding his helmet with both hands, "Don't think you can use your 'magic words' to hypnotize my brain! Don't even think about it!"

Kuangzong Jianying looked at Feng Bujue: "I... this seems to be getting more and more complicated. Isn't this a sci-fi script? How come there's a religious magical setting?"

Feng Bujue hesitated slightly, then showed a cold smile: "No, I think this is definitely a future science fiction setting." As he said that, he pulled out a steel knife from his knapsack.

The person began to roar wildly upon seeing this.

"Shut up..." Feng Bujue first said in a normal voice, but the other person was still shouting. Feng Bujue immediately picked up the steel knife and held it to the guy's neck, shouting violently, "Shut up!"

The person was frightened by him and immediately stopped talking, but his expression was still horrified.

"You... what... is... your... name," Feng Bujue asked, one word at a time.

"Hank... Hank," Hank replied.

"Hank, it doesn't matter what you think I am. I don't need your trust, and I don't need to explain anything to you. But you must answer our questions truthfully, otherwise, you will die very... very painfully," Feng Bujue said.

"No... don't..." Hank said, "Don't kill me, I still have a mother at home... my brothers are all dead... I can't..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Feng Bujue interrupted, "I ask, you answer."

Hank nodded. At this time, his emotions were slightly calmer than a minute ago, like a child whose crying had been stopped by a scare.

"What do you do? Why did you come here?" Feng Bujue asked.

"I... I'm a 'Scavenger.' Our team... received instructions to come here to search," Hank replied.

"How many people are in your team?" Feng Bujue said.

"Five..." Hank replied, "But I lost contact with the others... a few hours ago." As he said this, he looked at Kuangzong Jianying with a strange look in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, I haven't killed any of your companions," Kuangzong Jianying naturally noticed, and he had already put away his sword, casually saying, "We saw one of your companions, but when we saw him... he was already dead, killed by a monster." He was referring to the person who had been parasitized by the octopus.

"What... mon... monster? Oh, God... damn it." Hank's body was trembling constantly, and he looked like he was about to cry, "No wonder they said they saw something strange..."

"What kind of transportation did you use to get here?" Feng Bujue asked again.

"'Transportation'?" Hank didn't seem to understand the word.

"What did you ride to get here?" Feng Bujue changed his wording.

"'Sandfish Pods,' that's what scavengers ride," Hank replied.

"Is it something like a boat or a car?" Kuangzong Jianying interjected.

"Car?" Hank looked blank again.

Feng Bujue shook his head, sighed, and continued to ask: "You were originally staying on the 'Sandfish Pod,' and your other four companions came down to this laboratory to explore, and since you lost contact with them, you came down as well, right?"

"Yes," Hank nodded in reply.

"Why did you attack us?" Kuangzong Jianying asked.

"You... you..." Hank looked at them, trembling, "Because you are outsiders..."

"Can you explain what an outsider is?" Feng Bujue said.

Hank replied, "Demons! People from outside the village!"

"Then how did you know we were outsiders?" Feng Bujue asked.

"Your clothes..." Hank said, "I've never seen clothes like that before, and you can survive here without protective suits."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue raised an eyebrow, "What? Do you die if you breathe the air here?"

"Of course! Only the village has clean air to breathe! The air outside is deadly! It's poison gas spread by outsiders!" Hank said loudly.

Feng Bujue stood up and moved closer to Kuangzong Jianying: "Do you remember what the beginning of *Friday the 13th Part X* was like?"

"Just say what you want to say..." Kuangzong Jianying said, "Anyway, whatever you say is whatever..."

"So that's a no," Feng Bujue said.

"Nonsense, who would remember the details of an old movie they saw who knows when?" Kuangzong Jianying said, but after saying that, he realized something and immediately added, "Okay, not including you..."

Feng Bujue said, "I remember it very clearly. At the beginning of that movie, the members of the research team from the universe could take off their protective helmets to breathe in this laboratory. Of course... the premise was that they first tested the air quality and bacteria situation in the surrounding environment."

"Get to the point," Kuangzong Jianying said.

"The point is that the guy in front of us, as I predicted earlier..." Feng Bujue said in a low voice, while watching Hank, who was curled up against the wall, "...should be a descendant of survivors from Old Earth, but for some reason, he has not only failed to adapt to the environment and become stronger physiologically, but he is also showing signs of degeneration. Even those immigrants from the universe have no problem breathing the air in this laboratory for a short time, but he can't."

"Is that strange?" Kuangzong Jianying said.

"Is Darwin a charlatan?" Feng Bujue asked rhetorically.

"Uh..." Kuangzong Jianying said, "Okay, I'm not very good at biology, but... I suppose you're implying that this situation doesn't conform to the laws of species evolution, right?"

"A group of humans living in a man-made environment like a spaceship have lung capacity and heart functions that are almost identical to those of humans four hundred years ago," Feng Bujue said, "But this group of survivors living on Earth with such poor air are acting like they're going to choke to death from secondhand smoke." He paused. "Also, do you remember the guy who was killed by the octopus monster earlier?"

"You mean the one you beheaded, forcibly stuffed a grenade down his esophagus, and carved words on his stomach?" Kuangzong Jianying squinted his eyes. "Ha... it's so easy to forget him..."

"That guy was about the same height and build as Hank and was also very thin," Feng Bujue said.

"So?"

"They're Caucasian... let me remind you that in our time, the average height of men in Western European countries is generally around 1.8 meters, and nearly 1.9 meters in Northern Europe," Feng Bujue said.

"Don't you think malnutrition is the prevailing phenomenon on a planet like this?" Kuangzong Jianying said, "Besides, this is just a game, why are you dwelling on these details..."

Feng Bujue shook his head: "I don't know how many humans are left on this Old Earth, but what is certain is... there must be something wrong with Hank's 'village.'"

"Madness, do you remember that we're here for a 2v2 killing game, not to save a village where some NPC lives."

Feng Bujue held out his hand, raised three fingers, and listed three reasons in a serious manner: "Their village has air quality that doesn't consume survival points, technological strength to create *anti-gravity catapults*, and their villagers are pushovers."

"Oh... you're not going to save the village, you're going to burn, kill, and loot it, right?" Kuangzong Jianying understood.

Feng Bujue replied, "Whether it's saving or plundering, we'll talk about that later... as long as we first find a way to board Hank's 'Sandfish Pod' and leave this laboratory, we will be invincible. Before Shidou and the other two run out of patience or healing methods, we have multiple strategies to choose from, and the initiative is completely in our hands."