"Counting from when we entered the dungeon, it's already been over two hours."
Kotoko Iwanaga seemed to have grasped some key clue and said with a flash of inspiration.
"I understand now. Actually, that diary at the very beginning was both an important clue providing information to the Player, and also a misleading trap!"
"Misleading?" Asuna Yuuki asked, puzzled.
"That's right, misleading."
Kotoko Iwanaga, who was getting closer to the truth, was very excited and couldn't wait to speak.
"Do you remember? The last information left by the diary's owner was on the sixteenth day after the apocalypse, but according to the spirit of the deceased Doctor just now, the Infected appeared about a month and a half ago... No, considering he didn't even know he was dead, and spirits' perception of the flow of time becomes blurred, the time from when this disaster first occurred to our current time must be more than a month and a half."
Hearing this, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but ask doubtfully.
"But... we observed the corpse in the apartment. Although none of us four are professionals, we should at least be able to distinguish between a corpse that's been dead for a few days and one that's been dead for over a month, right?"
"This is where the misleading part is most severe."
Kotoko Iwanaga raised her fair and tender index finger and spoke slowly.
"The diary's owner didn't lie, but everything he recorded was just based on his own analysis. He said he didn't 'turn into those things,' but was he really not infected with the virus? Zombie viruses in various genres all have one characteristic: even if the infected person's bodily functions stop, they don't excessively rot. In fact, like the Special Infected in this dungeon, their bodies show no signs of decay at all.
"The information written by the diary owner describes the city half a month after the apocalypse arrived. At that time, he would still encounter those things when he went to the supermarket downstairs. However, after we left the apartment, we only encountered one Special Infected, which completely contradicts the scene he described.
"So, if we start organizing the timeline now, it should be: Zomboe Apocalypse Outbreak - The Beginning of the Diary - The Diary Owner's Death - That mysterious army enters the city and starts clearing out ordinary Infected - Doctor Robin Diaz of this hospital died - The virus mutates, causing the evolution of Infected. Special Infected were likely born during this stage. Finally, that army, or possibly another organization, placed implanted inside the Special Infected, turning the entire city into an experimental field."
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's analysis, Asuna Yuuki, who was already quite intelligent, immediately reacted and said with sudden realization.
"The misleading part of the diary is that it makes the Player think they entered the dungeon during the period just a few days after the diary owner died, the first stage of the apocalypse. But in reality, the time point in this dungeon is already the second stage, where the virus has undergone secondary evolution, Ordinary Infected can move quickly, and Special Infected individuals have been born?"
"Exactly."
Megumi Kato, who was beside them, frowned tightly, a complex look in her eyes. She muttered, "Why would they deliberately arrange such misleading information..."
Asagiri Utsunomiya spoke in a calm tone: "Because this Game is like this. Although the information in the diary will mislead the Player, the incorrect information will lead to a correct conclusion: as long as you carefully avoid Special Infected, there will be almost no danger on the road from the spawning point to Mercy Hospital. However, as time passes and the sky gradually approaches night, it's hard to say. The seemingly simple first objective, surviving until the time limit ends, is actually the most difficult. The seemingly difficult second objective is actually the simple one.
"Those who are too cautious and not quick enough are eliminated. Those who cannot think calmly in an unfamiliar environment, have too low information gathering efficiency, and cannot find the route to the hospital are eliminated. Those who dare not face any danger and just want to hide in the spawning point to get through the dungeon are eliminated. After arriving at this hospital, those who are too trusting of the misleading information collected at the spawning point at the beginning, and therefore see the Infected and think they are the slow-moving, non-threatening type and charge straight into combat, are also eliminated."
Following Asagiri Utsunomiya's words, both Megumi Kato and Asuna Yuuki felt heavy in their hearts.
"This Game is neither cruel nor benevolent towards the Player. It simply strictly enforces its own set of standards, filtering out the best Players through one dungeon after another, nothing more."
◆◇◈◇◆
Ten minutes later, in a ward on the top floor of Inpatient Building 2.
"So this is the so-called antibody reagent..."
Kotoko Iwanaga looked at the two rows of glass tube containers filled with light green liquid and tentatively reached out to touch one. Sure enough, the Survival Game app on her phone immediately emitted a notification sound, and a line of text appeared on the screen.
[You have obtained one tube of ?? Virus Antibody Reagent. Do you confirm submission? Upon submission, the mission objective is considered finished, and you will begin returning to the real world for dungeon settlement.]
"We finally cleared the dungeon."
Seeing the notification on her phone screen, Kotoko Iwanaga rubbed her eyes, yawned, and stretched, looking a bit tired already.
The duration from entering the dungeon to completing the objective this time was similar to the previous Haunted Hotel dungeon, but during the Haunted Hotel dungeon, they were mostly sitting and resting, and they didn't move such a long distance like this time.
"1, 2, 3, 4, are there a total of ten tubes of reagent? So, besides us, there are six other Players who entered this dungeon?"
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's question, Asagiri Utsunomiya gave a reply with an indifferent tone.
"Not necessarily. It's possible that antibody reagents are stored elsewhere in the hospital. Otherwise, wouldn't the Player who finds the antibody reagents first have the lifeline of the other Players in their hands?"
"That's true."
Kotoko Iwanaga nodded, then spoke with a smile.
"Then let's start now..."
"You and Phantom go out first. Violet and I will explore for a bit longer."
"Huh?"
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya say he wanted to continue exploring alone with Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga puffed up her cheeks and spoke angrily.
"You're showing favoritism. I want to stay too."
"Do you think we're on a date here?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya reached out, gently patted Kotoko Iwanaga's head, and spoke with a sharp smile.
"Violet can gain speed, agility, and enhanced reflexes by killing Special Infected, so even if delaying the dungeon clearance leads to a lower rating, she shouldn't lose out, and might even profit. As for me, I want to continue exploring to see if I can find other valuable items in this hospital. There's no need for you two to delay with me. The decrease in the rating is one thing, but more importantly, both you and Phantom have consumed some of your energy."
Kotoko Iwanaga, who was originally pouting and wanting to stay, had a blush appear on her fair and cute cheeks after Asagiri Utsunomiya gently patted her head with a gesture like coaxing a child, and she mumbled softly.
"Hmph, are you trying to coax a child? But you have a point. Then Phantom and I will go back first. You two be careful, understood?"
"Okay."
After Kotoko Iwanaga and Megumi Kato each took a tube of antibody reagent, clicked confirm submission option in the app, and their figures instantly disappeared, Asagiri Utsunomiya lay down directly on the nearby hospital bed and spoke in a lazy tone.
"Alright, let's rest for a while, then continue exploring."
Asuna Yuuki first nodded, sat down on another hospital bed, then rested her chin on one hand, looked at Asagiri Utsunomiya lying there, and couldn't help but speak with a small smile.
"What you just said about wanting to continue collecting valuable items wasn't the main reason you wanted to stay in the dungeon, was it?"
"Oh, you guessed it?"
"Of course, don't I know you?"
Asuna Yuuki's tone seemed a bit helpless, but the smile on her face was very gentle.
"You definitely want to see what kind of changes will appear in this dungeon as time passes, what kind of dangers will arise that cause the Players hiding at the spawning point to die, thus preventing them from clearing it, right?"
"As expected, you understand me the best."
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's voice, Asuna Yuuki pursed her lips, her eyes flickering, and finally couldn't help but ask softly.
"Regarding Kotoko... what are you planning to do?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya looked slightly confused and asked back, "What do you mean, what do I plan to do?"
Asuna Yuuki's expression turned a bit displeased as she said, "Are you playing dumb with me here? Don't tell me you still can't see that she really likes you."
Asagiri Utsunomiya smiled and replied casually, "Oh, you mean that. I like her too."
Asuna Yuuki heard this answer, and even though she had been prepared for it, a sour feeling still inevitably rose in her chest. She took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"If that's the case..."
Before she could finish, Asagiri Utsunomiya said something surprising.
"I like you too."
"Huh?"
Asuna Yuuki was stunned for several seconds before finally reacting and asking with brows tightly furrowed: "What do you mean? If I understood correctly... you're saying you like both me and her?"
"Yeah."
Seeing Asagiri Utsunomiya's righteous appearance, Asuna Yuuki was almost going berserk, saying, "Hey, isn't it a bit too much for you to so openly declare yourself a scumbag?"
Facing Asuna Yuuki's accusation, Asagiri Utsunomiya replied, "Hey, look at what you're saying. How can you just slander someone like that? The so-called scumbag refers to men who cannot reciprocate the feelings of those who like them, or who accept the other person on the surface but then abandon them and betray their feelings."
Speaking up to this point, Asagiri Utsunomiya paused slightly, then sat up from the bed, looked directly into Asuna Yuuki's eyes, and continued with a smile.
"And this of mine is a declaration of a harem, out in the open."