After I leave here, I will definitely warn all other players not to enter this dungeon, and I won't respawn it myself."
Deng Kai said this in a sad tone.
Shen Bai's face turned grim as he said, "Even if you restart the dungeon, the dungeon settings will be changed. Our current experience is completely useless."
In Smiley City, players can replay the same dungeon as long as there is a month between the two times.
But the routine is different every time the same copy is opened.
The identity and abilities of the main monster may not change, but the dungeon map will change, the secondary monsters will change, the clues will change, and the way the monster kills will change.
This is also the reason why all players have complicated feelings about the "game guides" in Smiley City - each guide is the experience gained by a player in a single game. Is it really useful to read such a guide?
——Maybe it's useful. If it's not useful, it's just a pity. In the worst case, there was a player who read the guide and was misled, and jumped into a pit and died at the beginning.
At this moment, Deng Kai was lying on the ground, speechless and choked.
Everyone was covered in blood and the scene was extremely tragic.
After verification, their hearts are all intact, and the last secondary monster should not be among them.
After Song Yang finished spraying the medical spray and treating the wound, Chai Feng came over and discussed, "If the UFO's energy is really almost full, then this instance is almost reaching its final stage. Shouldn't we search the west and north again before dark?"
Deng Kai's face turned green when he heard that they still had to search the mountain. "I still don't understand. Brother Xia said that the main monster will get impatient and come up on its own, so why do we have to go into the mountains?"
"Because we don't know the main monster's true identity, we have no way of knowing what form it will take when approaching us," Song Yang said calmly. "If the original 'Zhang Yan' had disguised herself better, and if we had killed the real Zhang Yan on the slope, how long do you think it would take us to discover that she had been replaced?"
Zhao Mingjing and Zhao Leya are mother and daughter, so Zhao Mingjing can sensitively detect anything wrong with Zhao Leya.
But if there was no precedent of "Zhang Yan", no matter how strange Zhao Leya behaved, how could Zhao Mingjing easily think of the angle that "her daughter is no longer herself".
Zhang Yan was even worse. None of them knew her before. No matter how weird she became, they would just think that this might be Zhang Yan's nature.
After Song Yang said this, the others were speechless.
Indeed, if the first robot "Zhang Yan" had not revealed his true identity, they might still be kept in the dark and replaced one by one without knowing it.
Deng Kai couldn't help but shudder when he thought of that situation.
Chai Feng nodded and said, "Then everyone take a break. We will regroup and set off in an hour."
At this moment, everyone's face looked as ugly as a ghost. After all, they had been stabbed three times in a few hours, two of which cut off their limbs and one cut open their chest. Who could bear it?
Zhao Mingjing leaned under the shade of a tree with her eyes closed, her brows slightly furrowed, and her face covered in sweat.
Tang Yi sat silently in the corner, pursing his lips.
Not to mention Shen Bai and Deng Kai, Chai Feng's own face was also very pale. The only person present who looked normal was Xia Jing.
It was already 3:30 in the afternoon, and clouds began to gather quietly in the sky that had been scorching with sunshine.
Xia Jing looked up at the scene.
When Song Yang walked up to him, he whispered, "It might rain later."
Once it rains, many clues may be buried.
Everything is clear, this copy has come to the most critical moment.
Xia Jing looked at the open space on the top of the mountain again.
The UFO stood alone in the huge pit, and NPCs came and went, looking very busy.
Each player found a shady place. Some closed their eyes to rest, some were in a daze, and everyone looked normal.
Xia Jing suddenly said, "Song Yang, do you think that when the main monster ordered the robots to attack both of us at the same time, he was determined to kill us?"
Song Yang laughed and said, "If you don't have this kind of determination, you wouldn't be able to send out six robots."
The main monster knows very well which players will definitely lose the game if they kill certain people.
So the question is -
Why did the main monster leave behind a robot?
Now the remaining seven players are very alert, and each person will act with at least two others and will never separate again.
If the main monster had been able to observe them through the robot's eyes before, then it should have been able to infer at this time that it was difficult for the robot to blend in with them.
The role of the secondary monster is already difficult to play.
When it was encircling Xia Jing, Song Yang and the others, it should have gone all out, sent out all the robots, and exhausted their value.
But why did it leave one behind?
Xia Jing pondered for a moment, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper: "...Or perhaps, it actually didn't leave any robots behind in the first place."
Song Yang's eyes moved slightly.
——It was just that one robot that was ignored by them.
At this moment, Shen Bai's voice came from not far away: "Hey, are you okay?"
The two turned their heads and saw Zhao Mingjing suddenly covering her chest with her hands, her lips turning pale.
Chai Feng frowned and looked towards Song Yang: "Song Yang, can you come and take a look?"
The only person present who knew something about medicine was probably Song Yang, a medical student.
Song Yang paused and stood up.
Xia Jing watched him walk over there and several people surrounded him.
One could faintly hear murmurings such as "the wound has worsened", "the medical spray isn't working", and "is it not bandaged properly?"
Perhaps they wanted to remove the bandage Zhao Mingjing had wrapped herself to check the situation, but Zhao Mingjing was a woman and it was not convenient for her to expose herself in front of so many people. Shen Bai and Chai Feng helped her into the bushes behind them, and Song Yang followed in.
Tang Yi, Deng Kai and Xia Jing stayed outside.
The first two looked a little worried, but Xia Jing was the only one staring straight at the bushes, expressionless.
On the other end, Deng Kai whispered, "We won't lose a companion just to prove ourselves, right?"
Tang Yi bit her lip: "It's all because of me. Auntie was actually injured three times today, one of which was because I doubted her..."
Deng Kai kept silent for a while, then muttered, "But it's very strange. The medical drugs in Smiley City are quite effective. They can save anyone who is still alive. Why is the condition worsening now..."
The two of them thought about it for a moment, and seemed to realize something, their faces suddenly changed.
The next second, the sound of fighting suddenly came from behind the bushes!
——Something happened to Zhao Mingjing and the others!
Tang Yi wanted to rush in immediately, but Deng Kai quickly held him back and said in a trembling voice, "You little kid, if you have any props, just rush in!"
Tang Yi: "But——"
Xia Jing stood up and walked over step by step.
Seeing him coming, Deng Kai asked for help: "Brother Xia, something seems to have happened inside!"
Tang Yi asked anxiously, "Did the last robot manage to get in?"
Deng Kai was confused, "But we just proved it ourselves. Isn't it said that the bottom line of a robot is its heart? After proving it, no one left our sight!"
Or maybe——
They both looked at Xia Jing.
Could it be that Xia Jing's previous speculation was completely wrong?
In addition to the heart, robots have other ways to quietly transform humans!
At this time, the movement behind the bushes stopped, and the battle lasted for a very short time.
Tang Yi and Deng Kai immediately tensed up and swallowed.
The grass was quiet from behind.
It was so quiet that it was a little eerie.
Deng Kai called out weakly, "...Song, Song brother? Chai brother? Are you all okay...?"
The next second, Chai Feng staggered out, supporting Zhao Mingjing.
Chai Feng's shoulder was injured and there was a large stain of blood.
Deng Kai and Tang Yi were shocked.
Song Yang then pushed aside the bushes and followed out, his body also splashed with shocking red.
Xia Jing narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Song Yang said: "This is not my blood."
Chai Feng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
The blood splattered on Song Yang was his own, but Song Yang himself remained unharmed.
Chai Feng was filled with rage. Facing the nervous and puzzled looks of Deng Kai and Tang Yi, he had to take a deep breath and explain, "Xiao Shen suddenly attacked us just now. We couldn't catch him, and he escaped."
"Brother Shen?! It's Brother Shen?!" Deng Kai was shocked. "Then what happened to Sister Zhao's injury?"
Zhao Mingjing tried hard to open her eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "I just fell asleep leaning against a tree... When I woke up in a daze, I found Shen Bai pressing on my wound. I was in so much pain that I couldn't speak..."
Deng Kai and Tang Yi were stunned.
When the incident happened, Shen Bai was standing in front of Zhao Mingjing.
Shen Bai was tall and strong, and he could easily cover Zhao Mingjing with his whole body, blocking the view of others, so they didn't know what little tricks he had done.
I didn't expect him to be so presumptuous!
"So the last robot is indeed Brother Shen? When was he replaced?!" Deng Kai exclaimed in astonishment.
Chai Feng frowned and said, "I'm afraid it was when we were attacked by the robots in the mountains just now. Song Yang and I really couldn't take care of him the whole time. There might be a fourth robot lurking there."
Deng Kai immediately asked, "Who checked his heart just now?"
Tang Yi: "It's me."
Chai Feng: "I was watching from the side at the time, and there was indeed nothing wrong with his heart."
So everyone's attention was focused on Xia Jing again.
Shen Bai is a robot, but there is nothing wrong with his heart. This is enough to prove that Xia Jing's previous speculation was completely wrong.
According to his speculation, they proved their identities in an extremely terrifying way, but it was completely useless!
At this moment, although he didn't say anything, Deng Kai's expression had become very subtle.
Chai Feng's eyes flickered slightly, and he coughed lightly and said, "Xiao Xia is just an ordinary person, so it's natural that she might make mistakes in her assumptions. Now that it's happened, let it go. But Xiao Xia, if you have any ideas in the future, you should think them over carefully before speaking them out loud. After all, this concerns everyone's lives."
These words seemed to be trying to smooth things over for Xia Jing, but in fact, He was pointing the finger at Xia Jing.
Suddenly, even Zhao Mingjing, who was so gentle, cast a hesitant look at Xia Jing.
Song Yang was about to speak with a cold face, but Xia Jing blocked him without leaving any trace and said calmly: "Sorry, maybe I really made a mistake in my guess."
When he said this, Chai Feng was choked.
He didn't expect Xia Jing to apologize so straightforwardly.
After Xia Jing apologized, he still had the mood to ask Zhao Mingjing gently, "Have all the wounds been treated?"
Zhao Mingjing paused and said hoarsely, "Not yet. I was in so much pain that I couldn't speak. Actually, I can just spray some medical spray on myself."
Suddenly, Deng Kai seemed to think of something, turned around and ran towards the UFO.
Several people were stunned by his move, and after they came to their senses, they hurried to catch up.
When they entered the UFO, they saw Deng Kai standing in front of the control panel, pointing at it in horror and saying, "Look, another button has been pressed!"
Everyone's eyes were directed towards the control panel.
In the center of the dusty chocolate control panel, an inconspicuous button lit up.
There is much less dust on this button than on the other buttons, and a fingerprint can be vaguely seen on it - it was pressed by a human!
Everyone's face changed.
Deng Kai explained excitedly, "I just suddenly remembered that when we left the UFO just now, wasn't Brother Shen the last one to leave? I was afraid that he had done something to the UFO, so I wanted to come over to check it out. I didn't expect that I was right!"
Chai Feng was stunned: "...This...but what does this button mean?"
This button looks ordinary and does not have an icon appearing when it lights up like the energy button.
"Whatever the specific function of this button is, the monster must be gradually turning on the entire aircraft," Song Yang examined the control panel for a moment and said, "We don't have much time."
The monster was closing in on them step by step.
Song Yang looked at everyone and said, "Shen Bai has escaped, and the main monster is missing. We only have six people left. It's too dangerous to split into three groups and act in pairs. I suggest that we leave two protective gear here and everyone go into the mountains."
This proposal is very risky.
Tang Yi hesitated and said, "But in this case, the main monster..."
"If the main monster can really make it to the top of the mountain, it will take time for it to break through the protective equipment. In this final stage, it depends on who is faster between us and it." Song Yang bluntly stated the essence of this strategy.
Deng Kai said uncertainly: "But the premise of this plan is that once we know the identity of the main monster, we can solve it, right? This is also Brother Xia's speculation, but Brother Xia's speculation has already..."
I've already made a mistake once.
He glanced at Xia Jing and didn't dare to say the next words.
Xia Jing stood aside and said nothing this time.
The young man put his hands behind his back, lowered his eyes, and looked obedient, as if saying, "Let you decide, I will cooperate in any way."
Song Yang stood in front of him and said calmly, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to. Xia Jing and I will still go into the mountains anyway."
The others froze.
This is actually a sign that cooperation between players is crumbling.
Once the relationship between players collapses, the dungeon may fall into complete chaos, and no one dares to take this step.
Several people looked at each other, and the atmosphere was like a taut string.
Tang Yi took the lead and walked to Song Yang's side, whispering, "I'm with Brother Song and the others."
Deng Kai moved his lips and looked at Chai Feng again.
Apart from Xia Jing and Song Yang, the only one they can still rely on is Chai Feng.
Chai Feng and Song Yangxia Jing don't get along, so they might come up with other strategies at this moment.
But to everyone's surprise, Chai Feng lowered his head, his expression changing as he thought for a moment, then said, "I agree with Song Yang, but I think we shouldn't split into two groups. How about we just act together?"
Deng Kai and Zhao Mingjing looked surprised.
This is even bolder than the strategy proposed by Song Yang!
Combining the operations into one group means that they will need to spend more time to search West Mountain and North Mountain again, but what is the point of wasting time like this?
Xia Jing moved at this moment.
He raised his head and looked at the man.
Chai Feng spread his hands and explained in an orderly manner: "There are six of us left now. Tang Yi is a child, Zhao Mingjing is seriously injured, and each of us is actually seriously exhausted."
"If the main monster really has a trick up its sleeve, then even a team of three like us might not be able to defeat it. While it's still early and daylight, let's set out quickly. We should be able to search both West Mountain and North Mountain thoroughly."
This sounds reasonable.
Song Yang's eyes swept across Chai Feng's face, and he finally responded, "I have no objection."
The plan was finalized and several people took action.
Zhao Mingjing wanted to treat the wound herself, but she couldn't even stand steadily, so Song Yang went over to help.
They all had protective props, and after setting them up, the group walked out.
It's already half past five.
Thick clouds covered the entire mountain and the wind began to blow on the mountain.
The group threw down their backpacks, took their guns, and planned to start searching from the west mountain.
Before leaving the top of the mountain, they looked back at the UFO for the last time.
A huge silver machine stretched across their vision.
Success or failure is about to be decided. Once the UFO is stolen by the main monster, all of them will die in this copy.
They pursed their lips, turned back at the same time, and walked into the mountains resolutely.
The figures of the group were gradually hidden by the dense shadows of the trees.
…
In the forest, there was a team of neither long nor short, with Song Yang and Xia Jing falling at the end.
Song Yang's voice was so low that it almost rang in Xia Jing's ears.
"Although Chai Feng was injured, I can be sure that Shen Bai's target was me."
Xia Jing walked quietly beside Song Yang.
The wind gently ruffled his black hair.
"Besides that, there's something else that's very strange—Shen Bai used props to attack and defend the entire time, and he ran when he escaped."
If the main monster sent robots to attack their two groups, it was to kill the three most powerful players, Xia Jing, Chai Feng, and Song Yang.
So why did it suddenly set its target on Song Yang at this moment?
What was it about Song Yang that attracted it?
It's not surprising that the robots gradually learned the offensive and defensive modes of human players and learned to use props through repeated attacks.
——But why didn't Shen Bai use jumping, which is the most effective way for robots to escape?
Something is not right.
Xia Jing followed Song Yang slowly, stepping over the fallen leaves one step at a time.
He didn't see the entire battle process just now, but before that, he had already noticed something unusual.
Xia Jing couldn't figure out where this abnormality came from yet. The only thing he could be sure of was—
This strange atmosphere enveloped all the players.
This is why he didn't say much and just "apologized" directly.
At this moment, Xia Jing raised his eyelashes slightly, and looked with his dark eyes at the backs of the four people walking in front of them, of different heights and in different conditions.
Chai Feng took the lead and explored the way carefully.
Deng Kai supported Zhao Mingjing.
The former looked around nervously, while the latter was panting, his face pale, trying hard to keep up with them.
Tang Yi walked behind the three of them, occasionally turning back and looking at Song Yang and Xia Jing with an uneasy look on his face.
Xia Jing slowly raised the corners of his lips: "The situation is more interesting than I thought."
As the pace of the dungeon became more and more intense, something seemed to be revealing itself.