Chapter 88: Meeting an Acquaintance Again, the Dragon's Targeting

Chapter 88: Meeting an Acquaintance Again, the Dragon's Targeting

Due to the nature of the Supernatural Game, the heart was still beating even after being torn out.

The Monkey Player's face was flushed, veins bulging beneath his skin.

He stared fixedly at the Mysterious Patient behind him—the one who had just ripped out his heart.

Damn…

What the hell?!

He clearly had a Strategy Guide for this patient NPC! Why would it attack a player?!

According to the rules of the Supernatural Game, if a player had progress in a Strategy Guide for an NPC in an Instance, the NPC would unconditionally obey any matching command.

Let alone betray its Master like this!

The Mysterious Patient pulled out its blood-soaked hand, tilting its head as it examined the heart.

The Monkey Player spat blood, his voice hoarse and ragged: "This makes no sense…"

As the heart was crushed into pulp, the Monkey Player collapsed to the ground, instantly logging out.

Ji Yan stood up, wiping the still-warm blood from his face, and looked at the Mysterious Patient. "I remember your face now."

"That night in the Morgue, the corpse that had half of the Blood-Stained Paper Figure left on it."

What baffled Ji Yan was— How could that corpse become such a terrifying NPC in this Instance?

Had it stumbled upon some Hidden Easter Egg?

At that moment, the Blood-Stained Paper Figure leaped out from Ji Yan’s hair.

The other half of the Blood-Stained Paper Figure was spat out from the Mysterious Patient’s mouth.

The two halves merged back together, then gestured at Ji Yan as if to say: "Didn’t I tell you? The cause you planted back then has now borne its fruit!"

Don’t ask how Ji Yan understood the Blood-Stained Paper Figure’s meaning—some things couldn’t be put into words, only sensed.

In cruder terms, those who got it, got it.

But Ji Yan didn’t get it.

Back then, he hadn’t made any progress in a Strategy Guide for this patient. So why had it turned around and killed the Monkey Player?

Just then, the Mysterious Patient stepped forward again.

Though not tall, it exuded a terrifying aura that made one shudder.

Ji Yan’s instincts screamed caution, but his feet felt glued to the floor, refusing to move.

The bloodstained hand—still warm from the Monkey Player’s life—rose and landed on Ji Yan’s head.

As an inexplicable suffocation gripped him, the Mysterious Patient’s deathly pale face leaned in.

Though her hair was disheveled and caked with blood, her delicate features were unmistakable—just unnaturally pallid. A female patient.

Then, she curled her lips into a smile…

That smile froze Ji Yan in place at first, then made his expression twist in shock as he pointed at her.

"You—you’re Miss Xu?!"

The female patient brushed aside the blood-matted strands of hair and smiled. "Even like this, you recognized me."

"How did you know it was me just from my smile?"

"Could it be… my smile is just that captivating?"

Ji Yan fell into a baffled silence.

He wanted to say her smile wasn’t captivating in the slightest.

The only reason he recognized her was that her smile alone could unsettle him so deeply, striking straight into his soul…

Now he understood why the Blood-Stained Paper Figure hadn’t saved him—it was because she was its original Master.

"But how were you able to cross into this Instance?" Ji Yan asked, stunned.

Xu Xin wasn’t a player—she was an NPC, a Supernatural Entity.

Yet she could break free from the Rule Order of the Crimson Apartment and dart into the Undead Hospital. The absurdity of it was akin to...

Your game character suddenly leaping out of the screen and slapping you across the face!

Miss Xu didn’t offer much explanation, only a simple reply: "Why not? I’m special."

Special Free NPC.

Ji Yan recalled Miss Xu’s original setting.

The meaning of "free," it seemed, was the ability to jump into any Instance at will.

As long as Ji Yan carried the Blood-Stained Paper Figure and matched into a new Instance, he could tear the figure in half and leave it with any NPC in that Instance—and that NPC would become Miss Xu...

This setting was just too damn "free."

Staring at Miss Xu, Ji Yan felt dazed.

Once again, he couldn’t tell—was Xu Xin an NPC or a Player?

"So, the reason you came to this Instance is..." Ji Yan spoke, his eyes locked onto the Blood-Stained Paper Figure, afraid she might take it back. Rebellious as it was, its usefulness was undeniable.

"Just wandering around."

"Got too bored in the apartment, so I came out for a stroll."

Miss Xu idly flipped through the trinkets on the table, answering crisply.

But Ji Yan knew better. Every NPC or Supernatural Entity in an Instance had its own role.

The question was—what kind of reaction would Xu Xin trigger in the upcoming Instance plot? One thing was certain: it would involve him.

"Don’t worry. The Blood-Stained Paper Figure was just a means for me to enter this Instance. Once given to you, it’s yours."

Miss Xu saw right through Ji Yan’s thoughts and smiled.

Ji Yan: "Even if it’s given to me, this paper figure..."

He didn’t voice the word "rebellious."

The Blood-Stained Paper Figure was currently tugging at his hair roots.

"As a patient in this Instance, I can provide you with some information you might want."

Miss Xu casually perched on the table, her rough, dirty hospital gown failing to hide her alluring figure.

The moment he heard about exchangeable intel, Ji Yan perked up.

"I want to ask—which Zodiac is targeting me?"

"Dragon."

Miss Xu answered without hesitation.

"Why?"

"I don’t even know him, do I?" Ji Yan frowned. The Player of the Dragon Zodiac had the highest progress in this Instance’s Strategy Guide and had long held the position of Chief Doctor.

Miss Xu pinched her slender chin, pondering before speaking. "He wants a certain piece of equipment on you."

"He’s stuck in a certain Instance checkpoint. Only with your special Supernatural Artifact can he clear it."

Special Supernatural Artifact...

The Lies Parchment?

That was the only artifact Ji Yan could think of. If so, what did the Dragon Player need it for? What lie was he trying to tell?

"What kind of Supernatural Artifact did he use to make the other ten Zodiacs come after me?"

Miss Xu: "Not an artifact. A Wish Privilege."

"What kind of Wish Privilege can forcibly alter the Rule Order?"

Ji Yan looked stunned.

Miss Xu hopped off the table and said lightly, "That’s all I know. Any further information, you’ll have to find yourself."

"This Instance has existed far longer than the Crimson Apartment. That Dragon Zodiac Player has survived since the very first batch of the Twelve Zodiac Players."

"Survived until now?!"

"The Dragon Player hasn't been replaced?"

Ji Yan's expression shifted.

Miss Xu: "No."

Ji Yan was stunned. If the Dragon Player hadn't been replaced, just how long had they survived in this Instance?

Moreover, if they’d never been eliminated, the plot should have progressed. By all logic, they should have completed the Instance by now. How could they still be stuck on a single stage, even needing to plunder his Supernatural Artifact to clear it?

Too many things didn’t add up, but one thing was undeniable—this guy was a major thorn in his side!

"The Dragon Player modified the Elimination Reward Rules. As long as the Zodiac Goat is eliminated, the Instance’s plot will advance by 40%, and the eliminator will assume the position of [Chief Doctor]."

Miss Xu added another piece of information.

Hearing this, Ji Yan’s lips twitched.

Advance by 40%?!

Well, it seemed he really was a prime target.