On the ground lay several human corpses that had died at the very beginning. Several of them were invited from Hub Town to ride in, members who had come with Morri to help their own group.
Without exception, they had all turned into withered bodies.
–In the Lost Frequency Land. When humans attack and kill each other, the killer does not gain the lifespan of the victim, unless it’s a beast.–
Yang Zicang raised his hand and pointed at the withered bodies on the ground.
–And they have the aged appearance of having lost all their lifespan. That’s what they believed, isn’t it? People who have just entered the Lost Frequency Land from Hub Town don’t know some of the information here, so when they ‘die’ here, they subconsciously think they will become aged, and Chronos will enter the other’s body.–
Everyone took a deep breath.
If before it was just a panicked speculation, somewhat unrealistic, then with Yang Zicang’s explanation and the descriptions of a few who had indeed –seen things,– everyone now believed they were likely trapped in a psychic field.
Young Master Wang said, –So what do we do? If we’re really in a psychic field, does anyone who dies here actually die in reality as well?–
That was exactly what everyone was worried about. The abilities in this world are incredibly strange and unpredictable. If it were just an incomplete postal emblem thought realm in the city, like a reward for those who meet the daily Chronos quota, then it would be relatively safe.
But not every psychic field is safe.
–Zicang, you need to find a way to wake up quickly. You’ve experienced the complete postal emblem world; do you have any ideas?–
Yang Zicang furrowed his brows:
–Every psychic field has an anchor point. Without that point, the entire field has no energy to sustain itself, and that anchor point is usually us humans. So…-
He glanced at the thirty-plus people in front of him.
–So, the anchor point is hidden among us. It could be anyone—anyone using another person’s identity. He is the killer, he is the bandage, he is… the very existence propping up this psychic field!-
The thirty-plus people, who had just been cleared of suspicion, were instantly thrown back into the suspect pool.
The Moxel on Yang Zicang’s chest spread outward, and sure enough, he couldn’t reach anyone else.
He opened his eyes.
–There’s no effect from the Quiet Place; it’s only natural that the psychic field cuts off contact with the outside world.-
The crowd was briefly stunned, then realized they had been tricked. That liar had actually concocted a pretty elaborate excuse to fool them all.
Yang Zicang raised his Silver Lance, pointing it forward.
–Whether in the Incomplete Postmark World or the Postmark World, there’s one common trait: the one who enters fully awake—the so-called anchor point—recovers quickly from injuries.-
–What do you plan to do?!-
–No, don’t just kill people indiscriminately,- one person said nervously. –Dying here might mean real death.-
–You can’t experiment on psychic bodies casually; mental trauma is the hardest to heal. After all, this isn’t the Postmark World.-
Even so, a few understood Yang Zicang’s dilemma.
–If it’s just a small wound, it should be fine. Mr. Zicang, go ahead and stab me with your lance,- someone offered.
–Aren’t you afraid of going insane once we get out?-
–Compared to greater dangers, this level of injury is still within acceptable risk. Right, brothers?-
–I agree with the idea.- Captain Qin sighed, then rolled up his sleeves first. –Who’ll give me a cut?-
–Me too. Which brother will cut me?-
–I will. I’ll cut you first, and then you cut me.-
The crowd grew restless—since it had come to this, everyone felt it best to get it over with. Every extra minute spent here meant one more minute of danger outside.
The sound of swords and daggers clashing and stabbing suddenly rang out.
The girl closed her eyes, extended her arm, and let someone slash across her skin. Blood gushed out.
–I’ll do it too.-
Yang Zicang raised his spear, quickly slid it across his own wrist, and blood quickly seeped out.
Wang Gongzi stared at the wound on his hand and suddenly said,
–What do you think—if that so-called ‘linchpin’ person can manipulate the psychic field, could they accelerate one of our recoveries?-
The busy people all froze in unison.
{Aha, your suggestion makes sense. Frame someone else—why didn’t I think of that?}
The sound of bandages being wrapped rang out.
More than thirty people exchanged bewildered glances.
Boboli, who had rolled up his sleeves, looked at Yang Zicang standing frozen in place and Morri stroking his chin, then glanced down at his own snow-white arm.
–S-still… just give me a cut.-
Everyone looked at the yellow-haired youth. Morri took out his short Chronos weapon and made a cut on his skin, where blood quickly seeped out since it wasn’t protected by Chronos defense.
They all examined each other’s wounds in this way, with no signs of rapid healing.
–What do we do? We can’t find that person.-
Feeling the gazes turned toward him, Yang Zicang furrowed his brow.
–What’s the purpose?-
–What’s the purpose?- Everyone listened to Yang Zicang’s muttering, –Clearly, it’s your invisibility Moxel, isn’t it?-
Yang Zicang glanced at the bandages covering the hall, then sat cross-legged again.
–Mr. Bandage, I’ll still call you that. Since we already know this place is nothing but a psychic field, you might as well stop your tricks for now. I have two questions.-
{Ask away. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer as I see fit.}
Yang Zicang said: –Is your target the invisibility Moxel ability sphere?-
{Hand over the ability sphere, and I’ll let you out. Ah no, wait… that rhetoric doesn’t work anymore.}
A buzzing sound arose.
Surrendering the ability sphere in the psychic field is as futile as treating someone to a meal in a dream. Sure enough, Bandage is just wasting everyone’s time here.
Yang Zicang remained silent. After two or three minutes, Bandage’s voice sounded again.
{What’s your second question?}
–I already posed the second question, and you’ve roughly given me the answer. That is, stalling for time shouldn’t be your primary mission.-
{You’re being cryptic.}
Yang Zicang said: –I just waited almost three minutes. The first one to break down and ask was you, Mr. Bandage. So even if your aim was to stall, it wasn’t just about stalling—it was something else.-
{Just based on that? How can you be so dogmatic in reaching that conclusion?}
–Because you’ve been throwing us into panic and anxiety. Now that I think about it, handing over the ability ball sooner would’ve played right into your fake goal, wouldn’t it? What would you have done if you’d succeeded then? Kept toying with us? Or just walked away?-
The more than thirty people in the hall were stunned. After a moment’s thought, it did seem exactly like that.
One person asked in confusion: –Then if it wasn’t to stall for time, what was it for?-
–Yeah… what for? Could it be…-
Yang Zicang’s eyes lowered slightly. A possibility crossed his mind, though the likelihood of that purpose was very slim.
Morri said beside him: –Zicang, don’t fall into his trap. He might really be buying time. If the invisibility ability sphere is lost, the consequences would be unthinkable.-
Yang Zicang lifted his head.
–Everyone, to verify a hypothesis of mine, I need to run an experiment. The result will determine how to break this psychic field. So the goal of the experiment is to ensure that method is safe and effective.-
–What experiment?- Everyone turned to look at him.
Yang Zicang let out a cold laugh.
–To confirm whether the anchor point of this psychic field is actually a person! Or more precisely, a person from Earth.-
–You mean a monster has infiltrated?- The crowd was startled. –An Enightmare?-
Rose Creek is a gathering place for the Red Moxel.
The associated Enightmares of the Red Moxel, besides having bizarre abilities, are also prone to losing control at any moment.
–Now, three meters to my left—which is your right—behind that tile line, is Point A. Three meters to my right, at that tile line over there, is Point B. Directly in front of me, where you’re all standing now, is Point C.-
Everyone looked at Yang Zicang in bewilderment.
–I’ll ask questions and give you two answer options: A or B. If you think one is correct, go to that point. If you think neither option is correct, stay where you are.-
–What? What kind of experiment is this supposed to be?-
The crowd exclaimed, and a few of the foreigners frantically added:
–Don’t ask any weird questions, okay? We come from different cultures—we might not know the right answer to some things!-
–Exactly, Mr. Zicang. Are you so worked up that you’re slipping?- Xiao Yushan said, glancing at the perpetually tense red-haired youth beside him. –Even if we confirm it’s an Enightmare, this is just a waste of time. And for the foreigners, it’s especially tricky.-
–No, Captain Xiao, this is actually a viable method. If someone can’t answer, they’re likely the one the Enightmare has taken the form of, aren’t they? As for your concern about the foreigners, we’ll conduct the questioning in batches.-
–Right, right, right! A few more rounds and we’ll be able to pinpoint that abnormal one!-
The group finally began to grasp Yang Zicang’s intention.
Ask questions, have them move between points A and B. Those who think the options are misleading stay put; eventually, the one who can’t answer is the demon.
–Let me ask a domestic question first. All foreigners can stay where you are.-
–Who is the First Emperor? A, Fuxi, B, Ying Zheng.-
The crowd shuffled to the other side of the floor tile gap at point B. Everyone glanced at each other, none showing any hesitation.
–Looks like even Enightmare knows quite a bit about us Earthlings now,- someone remarked.
Yang Zicang nodded, –Normal. The very first Enightmare I encountered was reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so it’s pretty common for them to know Earth’s cultural history.-
The crowd suddenly felt the weight of the challenge.
Even using questions about Earth’s history couldn’t weed out the Enightmare hiding among them?
–Since we’re on the topic of the Three Kingdoms, I’ll ask one from that story for the second question.-
People in the crowd tensed up.
–I haven’t read the Three Kingdoms,- several people raised their hands.
Seeing the raised hands, some in the crowd let out a sigh of relief.
–This one’s easy: which is NOT a character from the Three Kingdoms? A, Sun Wukong, B, Zhang Fei.-
With a rustle, the crowd began to move. Such a simple question—there was no way they’d get it wrong.
Seeing all the locals run to point A, Yang Zicang thought a bit and continued:
–In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu’s weapon is: A, a missile, B, the Fangtian Huaji.-
The crowd strode without hesitation toward point B. One person, who seemed slightly hesitant, saw the movement around them and followed along.
Everyone quickly steadied themselves and turned their gaze to Yang Zicang, waiting for the next question.
–Mr. Zicang, is this test even useful?-
–It’s fine, I’m watching everything. Some of you hesitated when faced with the question—maybe you were just following the crowd. So, everyone needs to respond quickly. Time is tight. Listen to the next question…-
He continued in a clear voice: –Who was the mastermind behind ‘Borrowing Arrows with Thatched Boats’? A, Yue Fei; B, Newton. Quick, answer!-
The crowd shuffled and began to move.
–Not Newton.-
Muttering under his breath, Xiao Yushan followed the fast-moving crowd as they surged past the brick line toward Point A on the opposite side, but the crowd quickly collided with him.
After taking two steps forward, Xiao Yushan suddenly halted.
He turned to look—none of the people around him had followed him. They had all returned to their original positions before the question, which was Point C directly opposite Yang Zicang!
–Ah, it’s not Yue Fei either!-
Xiao Yushan immediately pretended to have been bumped, pivoted, and headed toward a few people. Luckily, Points A and B were some distance apart, so he quickly walked back and took his stand on the right side of the chaotic crowd.
Few noticed his odd behavior, as the crowd was quite disorderly. But Yang Zicang spoke up anyway.
–Captain Yushan, why are you standing so far to the left?-
Everyone’s eyes fell on Xiao Yushan.
Just as he was about to squeeze behind the crowd, Xiao Yushan turned his head and said with a sheepish smile: –I didn’t go over there—I just got jostled and lost my footing. You don’t think I’m Enightmare, do you?-
Xiao Yushan looked toward the foreign team waiting behind the crowd to be questioned next, his gaze settling on Morri.
–Morri, that teammate of yours sure is sensitive, isn’t he?-
Morri, in the crowd, forced a strained smile.
At this critical moment, no one could genuinely laugh.
–Next question, Captain Yang Huo.-
–Alright,- said Yang Zicang, –The world’s highest peak is, A, Mount Everest, B, the Alps.-
The crowd surged toward point A with a clamor. Xiao Yushan walked briskly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation. Before they could even steady themselves, Yang Zicang’s voice continued.
–Next question, which province produces pearls? A, Sichuan, B, Qinghai! Quick!-
Xiao Yushan immediately headed for point B, only to find that everyone else had moved to point C. Some people collided right into him.
–You, you…-
After taking two steps forward, Xiao Yushan’s face showed a hint of anxiety. He turned to look at Yang Zicang.
Yang Zicang said with a cold sneer:
–Mr. Xiao, you haven’t gone the wrong way again, have you?-
Xiao Yushan’s face twitched.
–Not at all. I just wanted to enter from this side. Fewer people here, right?-
The looks everyone gave this person were now filled with suspicion.
–Could it be you!- some people shouted, pointing at him.
Xiao Yushan met their gazes, tugged at his collar, and let out a cold snort.
–To be safe, one more question,- said Yang Zicang, staring at Xiao Yushan who stood at the edge of the crowd.
–This question is very simple, Mr. Xiao. If you show any further suspicious signs of possibly getting it wrong, I’ll have to be rude.-
Xiao Yushan said coldly, –Ask away.-
–Now, everyone,- Yang Zicang raised his eyes to look at the crowd, –the name of the Lijiang shed master is: A, Yuan Kun, B, Yuan Long. Please answer quickly!-
The crowd stirred. Xiao Yushan, standing on the left side, unhesitatingly stepped to the brick gap at point B.
Just as he was exulting, certain that he had not answered incorrectly this time, he suddenly heard several voices from behind.
–Hey, Mr. Zicang, we don’t know any Lijiang shed master!-
–Exactly! Who is Yuan Long?-
–Wh-what!-
With his foot still in mid-step, Xiao Yushan froze on the spot.
He turned around in a daze and found everyone’s eyes all fixed on him.
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