Read Novel Full Chapter 619
Chapter 619
Song Yuantian noticed that it had become quiet around him. He subconsciously looked up and saw that the players who had been discussing just moments ago had stopped talking, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on them.
“What’s going on?” Song Yuantian blinked. “Why is everyone looking at us?”
A player spoke up, “Isn’t the player in the pink down jacket among the ones that haven’t been found?”
Another quickly added, “Oh, that player? I remember him clearly—bright pink ‘shamate’ hairstyle, very noticeable.”
“I remember him too, but I think those three didn’t make it back to the safe point in time. Maybe they froze to death on the way.”
A player suddenly pointed at Bai Lixin and his group, “I know them. They didn’t return to the safe point either. Since they could enter the second stage, that Pink Hair’s group of three probably did too.”
Before they realized it, the players’ attention had all shifted to Bai Lixin and his group. Most of the people present had shared a life-and-death experience, working together to fend off the extreme cold at the last moment. After such a successful experience, a stable group structure had formed in their minds. For those not in this group, the members would instinctively feel rejection, scrutiny, and doubt.
Now, Bai Lixin and his group found themselves in this unfavorable situation.
Indeed, it was true that during the snowstorm, they hadn’t returned to the safe point but still managed to survive.
This alone was enough to arouse the players’ curiosity.
Bai Lixin observed these players; they were visibly tense and nervous.
The negative emotions were not like a giant beast baring its fangs, but more like a seemingly harmless quagmire.
People would fall into it unknowingly, and by the time they realize and try to struggle free, they are already covered in sticky mud, making it nearly impossible to extricate themselves.
It was like running a marathon—there is no pressure at the start, then you adjust your breathing and pace in the middle, but become increasingly tense toward the end.
Afraid of all efforts going to waste, afraid of ending up with nothing.
Tension and anxiety could cause originally calm and rational people to have psychological vulnerabilities, and this was also the best time for others to take advantage of the situation.
A skilled PUA scammer would first approach the target, then attack their psyche to break down their mental defenses, and finally control them, all based on this principle.
From their eyes, Bai Lixin could roughly guess what was going on in these players’ minds.
They suspected that his group had some secret weapon, worried that they would monopolize resources, and feared they wouldn’t find the final answer and would die here, losing everything.
The atmosphere in the yard grew increasingly heavy, and even the air seemed to freeze.
“Everyone, calm down,” Mr. Li, who was standing at the front of the crowd, cleared his throat and spoke up, “Even condemned prisoners get a final statement before execution, let alone our comrades who completed the copy task together. Give them some time to explain what really happened that day.”
Mr. Li’s words acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly relaxing the players’ tense bodies, and the air returned to the light and cheerful state it had at the beginning.
When everyone was at a loss, an excellent leader could often change the course of fate and lead the group to victory.
Just like Li Li.
“Yes, yes, tell us, how did you survive? We used all the resources in the snowfield, but several people still died.”
“Did you find some secret base?”
“Or did you discover some special props?”
“Is it inconvenient to tell us? Even a rough explanation would do. The more people, the greater the strength. Maybe we can find some clues from it.”
Everyone chimed in, and the pressure unknowingly shifted to Bai Lixin’s group.
“There’s nothing we can’t tell you.” Bai Lixin winked at Song Yuantian and the others, then took two steps forward with a friendly smile like the boy next door, “On the contrary, I really wanted to find a chance to share my discovery with everyone to brainstorm. But unfortunately, the game rules didn’t give me the chance before throwing us into the second stage. If Mr. Li hadn’t found me, I wouldn’t even know where to look for everyone. The reason we survived is indeed somewhat related to the second stage. I’ll tell you everything from the beginning now, and I hope it will be helpful to everyone.”
Hearing Bai Lixin say this, the atmosphere became even more relaxed. Everyone’s facial muscles relaxed, and smiles formed at the corners of their mouths.
“I’ll make it short. When we were patrolling Goose Feather Mountain, we found that black wooden house. Inside it, we found that charred humanoid monster. Just as we were about to attack the humanoid monster, it suddenly spoke. It said it was once a villager of Chenjia Village, and many years ago, a fire engulfed the entire village in flames.”
Song Yuantian and Lin Jue glanced at each other, a flash of surprise in their eyes.
Song Yuantian glanced at Bai Lixin again. The tall young man raised his chin slightly, his expression serious and full of conviction, showing no signs of lying.
Mixing truth with lies, it really sounded believable.
If they hadn’t been there themselves, he might have actually been fooled by Bai Lixin.
‘Bai Lixin, you’re really wasting your talent by not becoming a motivational speaker!’
Everyone listened intently, and a player couldn’t wait to ask, “And then?”
Bai Lixin frowned slightly, as if trying hard to recall, “Then that humanoid monster said it wanted to be freed. It asked me to set fire to the largest banyan tree in the middle of the snowy forest, so it could be released.”
Someone questioned, “Isn’t fire prohibited on Goose Feather Mountain?”
“Yes, that’s what I thought too. No flames can be used on Goose Feather Mountain, so how could I set the banyan tree on fire? Then the humanoid monster gave me a bundle of firewood. I don’t know what kind of prop it was, but it actually ignited.”
Someone asked, “So you set the banyan tree on fire?”
Bai Lixin: “Yes, the ice crystals on the outside of the banyan tree started to melt, and red flames began to flow inside the tree.”
The person continued to ask, “And then what happened?”
Bai Lixin: “Then it was as if the banyan tree was blooming, producing countless “banyan flowers”. The banyan flowers floated into the sky and scattered, and then the temperature began to rise.”
“Later, I received a system notification that the copy was collapsing. The first stage ended prematurely, then I was sucked into a vortex and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I had become Chen Erniu, the second son of the Chen family.”
“Pfft.” Someone in the crowd laughed, and it wasn’t just from one direction.
“Brother, what’s wrong with Chen Erniu?” A player in the corner grinned and pointed at himself, “My name is Chen Gousheng.”
“What do you mean? My name is Chen Gouwa.”
“Haha, you guys are so miserable. My name is Chen Damei.”
*Chen Gousheng—Chen the leftover dog. Chen Gouwa—Chen, the dog child.
Chen Damei—Chen, the Great Beauty.
The simple name “Chen Erniu” resonated with many players, and the last bit of tension lingering in the air completely dissipated.
“Erniu’s account matches with our experience in the first stage. During the first stage, the temperature kept dropping rapidly. Several players couldn’t withstand the cold and lost their vital signs one after another. The temperature had already dropped to over -200 degrees, and just when everyone was desperate, the temperature suddenly stopped falling and began to rise.”
“Yes.” A player suddenly jumped up from the ground, “I was peeking through the tears in the animal skin, and at that moment, countless red flames floated across the sky mysteriously. I thought I was hallucinating from the cold.”
“I saw it too!”
“Does that mean the banyan flowers released by the unsealed banyan tree stopped the temperature from dropping?”
“There doesn’t seem to be any other explanation.”
“Then Erniu unknowingly saved us. If it weren’t for those banyan flowers, I would have frozen to death in the first stage!”
“But that doesn’t mean unsealing the banyan tree was the right thing to do. What if unsealing it was a trap?”
“Who cares if it was a trap? I’m alive, and that’s what matters!”
A burly man with a thick beard and broad shoulders slapped Bai Lixin on the back. “Brother, I wronged you. I thought you were secretly doing your own thing behind our backs, but it turns out you were quietly saving us.”
“And what Erniu just said also gave us an important clue—the big banyan tree.”
“Indeed.” The players nodded in agreement. Someone complained, “The system is getting more and more tricky. This time, there was almost no introduction to the copy background; it only told us that Chenjia Village relied on Rong Mountain for its livelihood. Then we were given 93 hours to find out the cause of the fire. How the hell are we supposed to figure that out? I’ve been running around the village so much these past two days that my legs nearly gave out. If I keep asking, the NPCs in the village might start thinking I’m crazy.”
Bai Lixin seized the opportunity, “So did you find out anything?”
“A little bit.” A girl with a high ponytail sat on the platform, swinging her legs, “Late at night, a group of mysterious people came to the village and caused trouble. It sounded like they were searching for some treasure in Chenjia Village. At first, I asked the family I was staying with, and they told me there was no such treasure. But I didn’t believe it so I asked every household. Eventually, I got some information.”
“There’s a rumor that Chenjia Village is descended from an ancient royal family. During a time of war, they fled the palace to save their lives. After wandering for a long time, they found this place that’s surrounded by mountains and rivers, and had excellent feng shui. So they decided to settle here, establishing Chenjia Village.”
“The ancestors of Chenjia Village brought a treasure with them when they escaped from the palace. It’s said to be the Imperial Jade Seal, which is priceless.”
Someone echoed, “It’s said?”
The girl with the high ponytail nodded, “Yes, that person said it like that. He said he had never seen the Imperial Jade Seal, and only heard it through rumors.”
“So those people came to Chenjia Village looking for the Imperial Jade Seal? But what does that have to do with the fire two days later? Could it be that they couldn’t find the Imperial Jade Seal and in a fit of rage, burned down the entire village?”
“Quite the opposite, I think,” someone immediately refuted. “If they hadn’t found the treasure, the village would have been safe. Because they wouldn’t want to risk destroying the Imperial Jade Seal with a fire. But what if they did find it?”
Someone in the crowd gasped, “Then Chenjia Village would be worthless. If those mysterious people were cold-blooded killers, they might have destroyed the village.”
“So, the reason for the fire in Chenjia Village was that those mysterious people found the Imperial Jade Seal?”
“It still doesn’t make sense. A whole village of eight hundred people—what kind of people would be so ruthless as to kill and rob like that? It feels like there was some deep-seated grudge.”
“Could it have been to silence witnesses? Maybe the Imperial Jade Seal held other secrets, and the people of Chenjia Village just happened to know about them?”
Someone in the crowd spoke in a deep voice, “Have you ever considered that we’re trying to understand the mindset of a group of robbers using a normal person’s moral standards? Robbers are robbers because they’ve long since abandoned the ethics and laws that normal people follow. They wouldn’t go through the mental gymnastics we do to justify murder; they might kill simply because they want to.”
The crowd fell silent.