Meanwhile, the human players are unlocking the second clue: the sacrifice.
Because the monsters are all straightforward and unpretentious, players generally believe that only humans would be capable of such a sacrifice. And since we're talking about humans, the location is probably the base.
"Are there any illegal experiments or anything like that in the base?" The three laid-back gamers gathered together again.
Players who could easily achieve a grand slam with just a little more effort and dedication, but choose not to, are content with simply completing the game smoothly and have no ambition for first place—these are what are commonly known as "Buddhist players."
It's not that they don't try, it's just that they don't try 'that' hard.
"Well..." Natural Curly said mysteriously, "The base has conducted genetic experiments on humans and monsters, and it may still be continuing."
The girl with twin tails and the feather shears looked over at the same time. The girl with twin tails leaned in and said, "Tell me about it, let's exchange information."
The feather shears didn't speak, but they looked at him.
The claim of genetic experiments is a persistent rumor circulating at the base and has never been verified. Like the urban legends of yesteryear, most people believe it exists, but no evidence can be found; it's largely based on hearsay.
However, players all know one thing: there are never any meaningless rumors in dungeons. So this matter may actually exist, or it may have actually happened.
Genetic experiments, as always, involve experimental subjects, who are, to some extent, also sacrifices.
"These kinds of highly classified experiments can't be conducted in residential, entertainment, or living areas. The chances of exposure are too high, and it would easily attract attention." The player with naturally curly hair shook out a piece of paper—a map of an underground base.
"The base above our heads is a perfect circle, but the base underground is an irregular shape. Doesn't everyone find that strange?" The girl with twin ponytails asked this question while resting her chin on her hand after seeing the map.
"So what if it's strange? They depend on the base for survival, so how can they question the base?" Natural Curly replied.
"If you push them too far, they might not only question you, but overturn your claims," the girl with twin ponytails rolled her eyes. "Don't you even look at how big the wealth gap is here?"
"We've gone off-topic. Let's get back to the map. Look," said Natural Curly, pointing to a spot, "the government office area is different from other areas. It has two entrances, one for regular use and one for emergencies."
"This side of the emergency exit is an area enclosed by a perfect circle, yet it's shown as blank on the map. If there really is a secret laboratory, this area would be the most suitable."
Natural Curl even obtained the original architectural drawings to demonstrate that the government office area had a special building structure, with its load-bearing pillars capable of supporting three or four underground floors.
The girl with twin ponytails exclaimed in amazement, "How did you get these blueprints? Did you sell yourself to a rich woman?"
The girl with naturally curly hair looked annoyed and slammed her hand on the table, demanding that she hand over the information: "What information are you going to exchange?"
"The official hunting team's hunting list in recent years. Hmm, maybe it's the legendary list of experimental subjects." The girl with twin tails also had her own sources of information; she was always popular with NPCs and very good at extracting information.
However, to obtain this list, they must have used some methods that the base did not allow, but that the players considered perfectly acceptable.
The two looked at Feather Scissors. Their relationship seemed harmonious, but harmony was built on fairness. If Feather Scissors couldn't produce enough valuable information, she would be kicked out of the next gathering.
Feather Clipper was aware of this situation, so she took out a folder.
"The real formula for odor eliminator."
The progress of the laid-back player is still a bit slow. This Saman has already infiltrated the base's network and recovered a batch of deleted files.
He was looking for information about the 'Scarlet Witch'.
After meeting him last night, Samantha felt increasingly uneasy; it was an almost instinctive intuition.
"As expected, he still cares a lot."
The Scarlet Witch spent over a decade in the lab, where many of her records remain.
A small monster resembling a human child was strapped to an operating table, where they were experimenting on his self-healing abilities. They started by pulling out his nails, cutting open his skin and muscles, and later even cut off his little finger and injected him with small doses of poison.
The little monster let out a terrible scream, and he began to cry.
"So monsters can cry," the researcher said.
No matter how they treat her, the Scarlet Witch's wounds will slowly heal, and even her severed fingers will grow back. Unlike other monsters, her only ability is self-healing; her attack power is very low.
Humans began to act recklessly.
In later experimental videos, Scarlet Witch stared blankly at the camera, letting the cold blades cut into her body, as if she had become numb from experiencing it too many times.
Saman knew that the copy was just a projection, and no matter what he did, he couldn't reverse or change what had already happened.
But his fingers still clenched into a fist.
The Scarlet Witch's face kept flashing before his eyes. Elves born of nature are only beautiful in their natural environment.
The Scarlet Witch is the Scarlet Witch in public, but in the laboratory, she is just a numb shell.
Samantha didn't want him to be captured, regardless of whether the Scarlet Witch was him or not.
"Ding." The sound of the computer completing the file repair woke Saman up. He immediately opened it and sped up all six video sections.
The restoration of the experimental records spans Scarlet Witch's ten years, from age three to thirteen.
"What about the records before she was three years old?" Samantha frowned, but he searched everywhere and couldn't find the record of the Scarlet Witch's first entry into the laboratory that should have existed.
In addition, no record of the Scarlet Witch escaping the laboratory was left, as if someone had deliberately and completely deleted them.
"Looks like I'll have to try accessing the base leader's computer."
There were other records in the lab, which Saman examined one by one. He found that they were all small monsters similar to the Scarlet Witch, which would grow little by little and even learn human language and behavior patterns, becoming almost indistinguishable from humans.
The researchers at the institute began experimenting on the monster's emotional components, and a researcher specializing in psychology emerged.
They used lies to verify their claims, and the final result was naturally not what they expected.
The monsters harbor a ferocity, and because of their experiences, they have an almost intuitive sensitivity to humans; none of them have truly let their guard down towards them.
So people say, "Monsters are born with cold hearts; they are just disguised as humans."
During this period, roughly every two years, one of these small monsters would die. Number one, number two, number three... the time of their deaths coincides exactly with the time the base existed.
"A sacrifice." Saman realized this clue.
The handsome player is on a similar progress to Saman. He has already obtained partial access through the young lady, knowing not only the existence of the laboratory and the special monsters, but also the conditions required to enter the laboratory.
Of course, he also knew that he had attracted the attention of the base leader.
"The previous interactions were all good, but I don't know why they suddenly became wary. The bodyguards' expressions also changed. Oh well," the handsome player chuckled, "You don't have to take a friendly approach to get NPCs' help."
He doesn't care what means he uses as long as he can achieve his goal.
"I heard you were almost attacked by the Scarlet Witch yesterday?" The young lady looked at the handsome player with a pained expression.
The handsome player shook his head apologetically: "I'm sorry to have worried you, I'm fine."
"Have you seen him, Scarlet Witch?" The young lady looked into his eyes, as if trying to see someone through them. "What is he like? Is he the same as the rumors say?"
The handsome player didn't want to discuss this with her, but seeing how curious the young lady looked, he asked, "What are the rumors? I don't know much about the monsters here."
"He…" The young lady looked down at her fingers, "It is said that he is a bloodthirsty monster with sharp teeth and claws."
The handsome player once again recalled that beautiful killer, with a pair of beautiful red eyes, a perfect combination of purity and evil, a human appearance, and a beastly core.
His eyes seemed to darken, and he murmured, "Yes, a bloodthirsty monster that you can't forget after just one meeting."
"When you saw him, was the Scarlet Witch trying to attack you? Red cloak, long black hair, and sharp teeth? Just like the rumors?" The young lady was still curious.
"yes."
The young lady's expression was a little strange, and the handsome player was puzzled: "You seem to care a lot about this monster."
"I do care. Two years ago, the Scarlet Witch escaped from the base." The young lady raised her eyes, smiling, but tears rolled down her cheeks.
She wiped away her tears: "So many people died that day. My mother died that day."
The handsome player's information antenna was triggered, and he gently comforted the young lady: "I'm sorry, it was my fault, I shouldn't have brought it up. It's all in the past now."
After a while, the young lady seemed to calm down a bit, and the handsome player asked in a low voice, "Your mother was killed by the Scarlet Witch..."
"Perhaps. That's what they told me."
The young couple sat together for a long time. With the comfort of others, the young lady's mood gradually calmed down. She wiped away her tears and said, "In a couple of days, Allen, you will also be leaving here."
"What's the outside world like? It's huge, isn't it? Is it completely different from this base?"
Junmei raised his head and recounted the stories outside, how each season had its own unique beauty, and concluded by saying, "Every base has a different appearance. This base, though small, is very stable and well-managed; no one will forget it."
"You too?" the young lady asked him.
The handsome player's words were like a piece of candy mixed with shards of glass; he seemed to be saying: "Although this base is small, I don't mind it too much."
Even though you're poor, fat, and stupid... I don't mind. A very typical PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactic.
If a young lady lacks even a little confidence, she will immediately become self-conscious, just like a country gentleman's daughter facing a noble young man from the city, her emotions are subtle.
The young lady was clearly not someone who easily lacked confidence; she simply sighed, "This base is too small and too isolated."
The handsome player was silent for a few seconds, using those seconds to confirm the young lady's guess: this base was indeed too small. Only then did he offer a perfunctory consolation.
"Although it's a bit small, such a stable base is rare."
Handsome players rarely complain about the base outright; they only occasionally reveal their discomfort at the decline in their quality of life, which is enough for others to automatically imagine a background of a 'noble young master' and a 'powerful and wealthy base' in the distance.
"Speaking of which, the monsters around here all seem to ignore the base. Could it be because of the odor-eliminating agent?" The handsome player naturally brought up this topic.
The young lady thought for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know either."
It seems this young lady doesn't know much. That makes sense; after all, she's a pampered princess, she doesn't need to know much about reality, the handsome player thought.
"I wanted to see more of this base before I left. It's a pity there are always so many areas here where 'non-residents' are prohibited from entering." The handsome player's tone was tinged with regret.
The young lady immediately smiled and said, "If you don't mind, my father gave me a VIP pass, which is in my house."
"Is it okay?" The handsome player was tempted, but hesitated.
"What's the point? It's useless to leave it here." The young lady turned and walked back. "Please come with me."
The handsome player watched her retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly: things were going smoothly, but he still felt something was off.
The author has something to say: Using falsehood to verify falsehood only yields falsehood.
Monster: Human, do
n't be so arrogant.