Ren Yifei thought that once he had found the suspect, things would be much easier to resolve.
However, he later discovered that many people had chosen to stay outside because they were frightened at the police station, and some who lived nearby even chose to go home. Yu Huijun was one of them.
Nobody knows where she went.
Ren Yifei guessed that she went to a nearby hotel.
NPCs can go anywhere they want without restrictions, but players cannot. The 'ghost' is also a player, but its movement is restricted; it can only find a hotel near the school to stay temporarily.
We don't know where she is now, how can we lure her out?
"He's jealous." Yu Yan's words came to his mind. Of course the vice president would be jealous. He was projected into a dream by a mysterious being, dreaming of ancient priests, but he was not a susceptible person and had never even seen the true form of the evil god of the priests.
As the saying goes, the best way to punish an ambitious person is to stop them forever when they are on the verge of success, unable to retreat or advance.
The vice president is in this situation; he's just one step away from success, but he can't take that final step. The delicious fruits of success are so close, yet so far away.
"What kind of person does he hate the most? Is it someone like Yu Xueming, who perceives a higher level of art between life and death, or...?"
"Gurgle." Ren Yifei's stomach started pounding. He was startled and realized that he hadn't even had lunch yet. No wonder his stomach was protesting.
"I'm too hungry to think. Let's eat first."
The canteen has been closed for a long time, as have many other restaurants on the street, but some noodle shops and 24-hour fast food restaurants are unaffected.
He went into a noodle shop where students were still eating noodles. The air conditioning was on inside, and the temperature was two degrees lower than outside. When he first came in, the hairs on his arms stood on end.
"Hello, what would you like to order?"
"Bone broth noodles, with a fried egg." Ren Yifei ordered the restaurant's signature noodles directly. He then sat down, checking his phone for messages in the group chat while waiting for the noodles to arrive.
"Hey, do you think this acute epidemic is serious or not? If you say it's not serious, then I heard dozens of people have been hospitalized because of it. But if you say it's serious, then there hasn't been any other news from the school."
The people at the next table are talking about the school lockdown and the pandemic.
This was the hot topic of the past two days, and Ren Yifei wasn't surprised to hear about it in the noodle shop. He listened to the discussions around him while keeping an eye on the group messages.
Yu Xueming was the vice president's girlfriend; Yu Xueming was the culprit; Yu Xueming carved wood carvings; Yu Xueming died...
This usually low-key girl made a big splash before she died, and everyone is talking about her.
Because they didn't know the details, the NPCs all thought she and the vice president were both crazy and a pair of toxic lovers, and they kept tagging the vice president: "Stop playing dead, come out and give us an explanation!"
However, Saman is currently missing, so there will naturally be no response.
Therefore, the suspicion against him as the "vice president" has increased, and he might end up in jail singing "Tears Behind Bars" when he gets back.
Furthermore, members of the group are jointly demanding 'protection' from the school. This incident occurred at the school, so whether it's a public or private matter, the school cannot escape responsibility; the school has this obligation.
A teacher who had joined the group at some point was reassuring everyone. The group leader, Chen Shen, took the opportunity to suggest a coordinated response: gather the survivors together so that they could be stopped in case anything happened.
Another group of members, who are not considered vulnerable, started gossiping about Xueming and the vice president's relationship. Those who got into trouble are all from vulnerable groups. They are particularly calm now, with a mysterious confidence that it will never be their turn.
After learning that Yu Xueming and the vice president were a couple, these NPCs found many clues in their memories about their secret affair.
"I always knew there was something between him and Yu Xueming. I've never seen him get that close to a girl before. He wouldn't admit it then. But what's the point of hiding it? They're both single and there's nothing wrong with them."
"Because he was just using Yu Xueming," Ren Yifei answered in his heart.
If someone is unwilling to introduce their partner to their friends or openly admit it, then there's definitely something wrong with them. It's just that Yu Xueming's upbringing was complicated, and even knowing it was a trap, she still jumped in.
"But why would Yu Xueming do that? Was she possessed by a demon? And her death was also very suspicious."
The group chat suddenly fell silent when Yu Xueming's death was mentioned.
The horrific death remained etched in their memories, like a nightmare.
"Can we not talk about this? It's terrifying," a member said timidly, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
Upon seeing this, Ren Yifei began typing: "What happened to Yu Xueming? What's wrong?"
"Oh, Zhang Zhengyuan, you can see from the previous message history. Hey, haven't you been paying attention to the group messages today?" The NPC found it strange.
"I went to the library after the physical exam, and I don't know why, but I've been sitting here until now. I only remembered to eat when I got hungry." Ren Yifei sent a wry smile emoji.
"What's going on?" the man asked, even more curious.
"I saw that sea again, and it..."
After he said that, the group was silent for two minutes, as if no one was there.
All susceptible individuals have seen 'it'. Some people went insane after just a glimpse of 'it' in their dreams. Others stared at 'it', and unable to defeat it, joined it, becoming its followers.
But regardless of which one it is, they still tremble when they talk about that deep blue, that existence.
"I also saw an ancient ritual in the dense forest. The priestess had the heads of the sacrificial offerings cut off and thrown into the campfire, while she roared and made a madman's sound."
"But that voice had a strange rhythm, and everyone obeyed her commands; even the swaying of the grass and trees followed her. For a moment, I felt..."
"It is teaching me."
Ren Yifei looked at the text he had typed and clicked "Start".
How can you drive the 'ghost' hiding in the shadows mad, making him lose his mind due to jealousy?
Competing for what he values most and what he cherishes most poses a huge threat to him, turning him from the chosen one into a loser who is about to be abandoned.
"Hello, here's your noodles." The waiter brought his noodles over, a big bowl full of noodles, topped with bright green scallions and a golden, crispy fried egg.
"Thanks."
Ren Yifei took out chopsticks and a soup spoon from the chopstick holder. He scooped out a little noodle soup. The soup was pork bone broth, not milky white, but it had a rich meaty flavor.
While sipping the smooth bone broth, he looked at his phone, imagining the 'ghost's' reaction on the other end.
"After years of planning and so much effort, it all fell apart at the last minute, but now a new chosen one has emerged. What will you do, Vice President?"
The 'vice president's' reaction is unknown for now, but the others are going crazy.
"Don't joke with me, teach you to be a priest and perform another sacrifice?"
"I'm not joking," Ren Yifei replied seriously. "I myself can't understand it at all. Anyway, by the time I realized it, it was already afternoon, and my stomach was growling loudly."
Seemingly somewhat embarrassed, Ren Yifei recounted many details of the ancient sacrificial ceremony in his dream.
His description was so detailed and so real, as if he had witnessed it firsthand. Through his words, they seemed to see that strange, absurd, and terrifying ritual themselves. It's hard to imagine that all of this could have been fabricated out of thin air.
Ren Yifei initially planned to paint a portrait of 'it', which would be more convincing. However, since Yu Xueming and Jin Yu had already done something similar (wood carving), his work wouldn't have the same impact or generate as much buzz.
He also worried that if he didn't do a good job, it would trigger negative emotions in others and lead to a higher death toll.
While others found the mention of sacrificial rituals unbelievable and shocking, none of them felt as deeply as those who talked about 'ghosts'.
They had all been speculating that the 'ghost' was performing this ritual to become a woman, to get closer to a mysterious being, or for some other reason. They never expected it to be a ritual for taking office as a priest.
In ancient times, taking on a job was quite exhausting.
It can be said that Ren Yifei wrote this story specifically for the purpose of becoming the 'vice president'.
He did indeed witness a ritual, but not because he had been recruited as a priest, but because his true identity had been recognized.
In that distant... no, not so distant place, the ghost was indeed anxious and angry, his anger almost burning away his reason due to jealousy.
"Is it giving up on me because I've dragged it out for too long, or because the other's inspiration is better?" The ghost made excuses for the 'mysterious creature's' choice.
He was different from everyone else; he was the chosen one, while the other humans were merely disposable commodities to be used at will. —Ever since he was occasionally projected into dreams as an ancient priest, this had always been his thought.
The fact that "someone else witnessed the sacrifice and became a successor priest" enraged him, burning away all his reason.
If this person were a mysterious and unpredictable 'player,' he might have to restrain himself to avoid messing things up and not being able to get back, but this is just an NPC.
NPCs are much more endearing than players; at least they don't constantly steal skills, items, or money from various pockets. The fact that the 'ghost' suffered a great loss at the hands of its current owner speaks volumes—these flamboyant players are not to be trifled with.
Ren Yifei appeared pitiful and helpless online, but in reality, he simply ate a bowl of noodles and returned to his dormitory.
My roommate, unusually, sat down in a chair and stared at Ren Yifei by the door.
Ren Yifei didn't greet him warmly, and even forced himself not to look at him, not to be influenced by him, and not to accept his presence. He muttered, "It's fake, it's all an illusion," and then put down his schoolbag and tidied his desk.
His roommate didn't seem to notice his coldness and just kept staring at him, making Ren Yifei feel extremely uncomfortable.
He stayed downstairs until 11 o'clock before climbing up to the second floor. As he pulled the covers over himself, his roommate across the bed suddenly said, "You're doing something very dangerous. I hope you're prepared."
Ren Yifei, who was on the bed, was so surprised that he immediately sat up and looked towards the 'yurt' on the opposite bed.
He had always thought that his 'roommate' was a part that had split off from the original owner of the body, a kind of NPC, but he actually knew what Ren Yifei was about to do and even gave him a warning.
"You..." Ren Yifei hesitated, unsure how to face this situation.
"I will leave once you are sure you have let go." The roommate looked at Ren Yifei on the bed, still expressionless, even a little stiff, and said, "I'm glad that I see another shadow in your heart."
Ren Yifei's eyes widened slightly: "I just..."
Suddenly, the sound of bronze drums rang out from inside the house.