Jian Qingrong asked, and Song Yan answered, repeating the conversation with the True Spirit word for word.
Wen Shi: "…"
Sometimes he really doubted whether Song Yan had the appearance of a glutinous rice dumpling and the inside of sesame filling.
It is still uncertain which monsters in the game want him dead, but Wen Shi is sure that Song Yan must want Zhen Ling to die, because he emphasized that Zhen Ling did not come in its original form last time, and may change its mind at any time and continue to deal with Wen Shi.
Wen Shi completely understood the meaning of the contradiction.
The spear not only attacks the shield, but is also trying to divert conflicts.
Jian Qingrong's eyes no longer held the softness they once had, his drooping eyelashes temporarily masking the heavy murderous intent within. Much of the malice he harbored towards Song Yan was now transferred to his True Spirit.
Song Yan said at the right moment: "When I become stronger, perhaps I can sense the existence of more true spirits."
Before they could delve deeper into the topic, Wen Shi promptly returned to the topic of changing roommates: "If there's any risk in the dormitory at night, remember to move to bed number one."
He clearly expressed his intention to use the rules to deal with Xiao Li or A Zhuang.
Jian Qingrong did not suggest directly poisoning the person, and Wen Shi's silence meant that he did not approve of such a simple and crude way of killing.
This is indeed the case. It is incredible that the game allowed Jian Qingrong to come here, and the shadow is still missing. Wen Shi is worried that he will harm the players too much, which will cause dissatisfaction in the game and thus create other twists and turns.
Restraining the murderous intent in his eyes, Jian Qingrong added water to the cup while saying:
"Blood testing is just one way to find mermaids. It's not accurate. We'll definitely have to explore more avenues."
Wen Shi was stunned for two seconds before realizing that he was helping him predict the questions.
"Human evolution has a long history. You may not be a mermaid, but you could be the offspring of a mermaid and another species. The fine line between mermaids and humans lies only in whether this gene is activated. Animal bites, eating contaminated food, injections, and other methods can all potentially revive the gene."
The dormitory building was very quiet and everyone was listening to him attentively.
As expected, they are all mutants, and what Jian Qingrong said is the closest to the story background.
Jian Qingrong handed Wen Shi a small bottle filled with his blood. "Besides finding mermaids, you also have to prevent them from 'creating' mermaids. The creator could be a human or a mermaid. If you encounter a mermaid tonight, spill its blood on yourself. Most marine creatures will be afraid of the virus and won't attack you first."
It was fine to arrange everything in an orderly manner. Jian Qingrong said, "Go get some sleep. There's still more than an hour left."
"...oh."
The little octopus is so contagious, and Wen Shi is still a little uncomfortable with having the intelligent Jian Qingrong around.
He was about to climb the ladder when Jian Qingrong pointed to his bed and said, "Just sleep here. It won't be long before it becomes inconvenient to climb up and down."
He originally wanted to decline politely, but Wen Shi caught a glimpse of the cold light in the dark pupils. It was obvious that Jian Qingrong had not yet let go of the matter of resurrection, so it would be better not to continue to provoke him at this time.
He closed his eyes and his breathing quickly became even. With Jian Qingrong around, Wen Shi didn't have to bother setting the alarm.
I slept until half past nine, and when I was woken up again, the night outside the window was as dark as ink.
It takes at least a quarter of an hour to walk from the dormitory building to the library. After Wen Shi washed his face with cold water to wake himself up, he said goodbye to everyone and left early.
A chill crept in, and Wen Shi unconsciously wrapped himself tighter. He pondered Jian Qingrong's words the entire way, and the more he thought about them, the more plausible they became. On the way to the Mermaid Coast, they'd pass through Sunset Town, home to the orcs. It also involved mutation and evolution; perhaps the True Spirit had inspired the creation of the half-orcs with reference to mermaids. The difference was that this time, it wasn't evolutionary fluid, but genetic mutation.
Wen Shi suddenly thought of the saying: The poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology.
"I wasn't born to be rich."
Once it gets dark, there are very few people still active on campus. After passing Quhe Building where classes were held during the day, there are no old students to be seen at all.
The only people still wandering around like ghosts were a group of unlucky people who were called to study.
The further you go, the heavier the wind becomes. The library is built in the center of the wind, and behind it is the Nianwen Building, where construction stops at night.
When Wen Shi thought of the name of the donated building, the uneasiness in his heart was covered by silence, so that he was not disturbed by the gloomy environment at all.
The library felt completely different at night than during the day, emanating a dead atmosphere from both inside and out. The door was unlocked, and the security guard who had stopped people from overheating during the day was nowhere to be seen. Before ascending the stairs, he stood below and looked up for a moment.
The lights on the second floor were on, but there seemed to be something wrong with the wiring. Every once in a while, they would suddenly flash. In the moment when darkness and light alternated, a black shadow appeared on the second floor.
Half its face was covered in scales, its jaws protruding forward, its jagged teeth jutting outward, and even from a distance, one could smell the fishy odor. The shadow briefly lingered at the second-story window, and the next time the lights went out and on, the monster vanished.
A disembodied singing voice came from above, proving that what he had seen before was not an illusion.
The song created an atmosphere of sadness and pain, and was so penetrating that Wen Shi's brain nerves were pricked for a moment.
"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" A player called out to Wen Shi from behind. "It's almost study time, why don't you hurry up and leave?"
Wen Shi turned around and saw two players, a man and a woman, rushing inside in a hurry.
There were less than five minutes left, so Wen Shi didn't waste any more time and entered the library.
The door faces the stairs and the elevator next to it is not in use.
I walked straight up. The two players I was with seemed very nervous, their chests heaving violently. Of course, it could also be that it was difficult to breathe in here, the humidity was too high, and the air I inhaled was mixed with a lingering chill.
There are three study rooms on the second floor, and only the first one is occupied. No player will choose to be alone at this time.
The side near the door was entirely lined with bookshelves, and the walls, bulging and cracking from the excessive humidity, resembled shed fish scales. The players around them all grabbed a random book from the shelves; since they were studying, they definitely had to put on a show.
Studying by lamplight on a desk covered with graffiti at night, with the curtains fluttering in the night wind, it feels like I'm really back in my school days.
Wen Shi was not interested in reminiscing about his youth. He stood quietly in front of a bookshelf. Most of the books here were about music, and some introduced the life stories of performers. He quickly scanned the books, trying to find one or two books related to mermaids.
The two players who came in with Wen Shi did the same. The female player started looking from the most unvisited location and pulled out a thick book from the bottom. Because no one had read it for a long time, the pages inside felt like they were stuck together.
"Here." She whispered.
The cover of the book is branded with a portrait of a dried-up mermaid, and the first page inside records the great medicinal value of mermaids.
Slow-cook one pound of dried mermaid for three hours and drink it along with the medicinal residue to restore vitality and nourish the kidneys.
Next to it is a colorful illustration, showing a little mermaid stewing in a large pot, with the shadows of dissected internal organs swaying under the waves.
The female player couldn't bear to watch it and sighed: "It's a bit pitiful, right?" Wen Shi didn't answer.
"Don't you feel sorry for him?" the female player approached him and asked again.
Wen Shi hummed twice perfunctorily.
The radio suddenly started, and the prelude was as sad as the accompanying picture.
The female player turned another page, lost in the text description, with a sad expression.
Realizing that something was wrong with this person, Wen Shi frowned and considered whether to knock her out. However, the female player was in an excited state, and this situation might cause a violent backlash.
"Is it pitiful?" After reading two pages in a row, a fanatical look emerged in the female player's eyes. On the other side, the male player also approached Wen and deliberately lowered his voice, and even his voice line was very tense.
They stared at Wen Shi's throat, eager to see him tremble and utter the word "pitiful".
The disjointed song on the radio became coherent, and the singer began to sing: "On a quiet and peaceful night, young boys and girls in the study room look forward to the future..."
The scene described in the lyrics can be completely compared to the present.
"But their healthy bodies are about to be dismembered. Twenty-two of them..."
"Twenty-one." Wen Shi interrupted coldly.
You Shi didn't come to learn theoretical knowledge tonight, he only made free music.
The singing subtly paused for a second.
The light turned dark red, and the frequency of the flashing suddenly increased.
The singer seemed to realize the mistake in the lyrics and stopped singing. In the study room that had obviously become silent, the slightly bulging speaker seemed to express a kind of anger.
About a dozen people stood up at the same time. Wen Shi ignored the man and woman approaching him and found that there were still five or six players who did not stand up immediately.
He felt a little relieved, at least not everyone was affected.
Taking advantage of the moment when the lights dimmed again, Wen Shi put his hands behind his back, pulled out a book from the bookshelf, threw it hard at the female player, and then seamlessly kicked the male player.
"run!"
He shouted.
The five sober players who were originally planning to wait and see the situation, saw someone rushing out first, so they no longer hesitated and followed suit.
The air was too humid, making it difficult to breathe. Seeing that the people in the classroom hadn't caught up with them, the players stopped and gasped for breath.
"Were those people controlled?"
There were three men and two women. The questioner was a petite girl, her hands braced against the wall, then retracted at the sticky sensation. She had arrived early, and at first, everyone was normal. But within ten minutes, the atmosphere in the study room suddenly took a strange turn. First, the person in the front seat kept repeating, "It's so tragic, so tragic!" Then the muttering became more frequent. By the time it died down, at least half the room was in a state of turmoil.
Wen Shi wiped his forehead, not knowing whether it was sweat or moisture, and said, "Let's change the study room."
The little girl's eyes widened. Was she crazy? She was still studying at this hour.
Wen Shi frowned. Players with problems in their blood tests were generally the weakest among the group, so they were more likely to be infected.
There are considerable risks in doing activities with them.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" the short girl asked viciously.
The two male players nearby hurriedly pulled her over, and one of them explained to Wen Shi, "Xiao Zhu's skill is [Divination]. Based on the results of her divination, we have temporarily erased part of her memory."
This time, when changing the temperature, he glared at me. Can this be done?
"I just blocked my knowledge reserves," the male player said, "I have been unable to read or write for the past two days." Wen Shi looked at the other two. One of them had a cruel personality and was thinking about how to use the rules to kill the troublemaker in the previous study room. The other one was also ferocious.
These two people are obviously output players with brutal and high attack power.
"Players shouldn't kill each other. Those in the study room can't pose much of a threat." Noticing Wen Shi looking at him, the ferocious man said, "Let's just take care of ourselves and not become like that."
"That's if they've always been a player."
The ferocious man wasn't too stupid. He frowned and crossed his arms: "If they all died and turned into monsters, it would be a bit troublesome."
Wen Shi didn't say anything and walked towards the second room. The task required him to study in the study room for three hours, and standing in the corridor did not fall into this category.
The five players also followed in. The short girl at the end closed the front door and blocked it with a desk, leaving only the back door as an exit to prevent any unexpected accidents.
" Books ." Wen Shi finally spoke. "Players' inertia of thinking will definitely lead them to look for information related to mermaids after entering."
The short girl's divination result is: There are advantages to being illiterate.
He nodded in agreement when he heard Wen Shi's words: "Books may be a medium for causing mental disorders."
Illiteracy makes them have no desire to read books.
The ferocious man sneered: "I saw it too, how come nothing happened?"
"Because you lack empathy," Wen Shi said coldly, "Normal players subconsciously believe that mermaids are the weaker party or have been persecuted."
"Isn't it?"
"Of course," Wen Shi said, "but they are not prey to be slaughtered at will. Legends sometimes regard sirens and mermaids as the same species. They are both famous for their singing."
Use song as a weapon to confuse prey.
Before entering the library, a song is heard. Once you have a subconscious feeling of pity for the mermaid, the song will invade your mind. Words have a similar effect. In the novel, normal people will have some sympathy for the mermaid's past.
"Spiritual pollution?" The petite girl frowned.
In order to be completely illiterate, they also used props to block their aesthetic and appreciation abilities. She originally thought it was unnecessary, but her teammates insisted on spending a large amount of points to do so considering that it was an S-level copy.
Wen Shi: "Probably. This kind of pollution is hard to prevent. You sit together and supervise each other. If you see anyone who is not right, knock them out directly."
After saying that, he walked to the bookshelf.
I thought this tone of command would cause conflict, but the petite girl noticed that the other two troublemakers sat down very politely and didn't object.
The ferocious man said, "You didn't listen to him. Any normal person would sympathize with him."
It is obvious that this young man who seems to be the easiest to control is not normal.
Wen Shi carefully selected books related to mermaids . Since these books are channels for spreading pollution, the content must be more valuable.
The first thing he opened was a very thin book with no pictures, only densely packed documentary text.
Wen Shi's empathy is not strong either. He clearly remembers the brutal scene of the mermaid killing people on the first night. In addition, the complete transformation of his body gave him an innate hunting instinct for fish.
Skipping over the tragic descriptions, Wen Shi focused entirely on the habits of this creature.
One book after another, the two study rooms were not far apart. A hoarse wail was heard from one side, and the smell of blood covered the salty smell of sea water in the air. Wen Shi was still reading peacefully here.
The sharp howling made one player's fingers tremble, and he couldn't help but walk to the back door to wait and see. Just then, someone in the study room collapsed and frantically scratched at his skin: "How pitiful, how pitiful..."
Tiny droplets of moisture condensed from the ceiling and dripped onto the wound. A layer of white mucous membrane grew over the bleeding area, which continued to darken and discolor, spreading inch by inch. His skin grew rougher and rougher, until patches like wall paint appeared on his body.
The players tried not to make any noise and retreated to the study room, praying that the three hours would pass quickly.
The smaller girl asked her teammates, "Are they killing each other?"
The player shook his head. "The wound is infected, and it's turning into a mermaid."
The only sounds in the study room besides the discussion were the turning of pages.
Wen Shi's back, as he studied attentively, looked like a young college student, which made the other five people feel uncomfortable. They didn't understand how he could concentrate on studying in such an environment.
"Estrous season..." The information obtained by Ji Yuanzhi from the investigation was indeed reliable. There was also a related description in the book, which explained that mermaids have the habit of eating their mating partners.
Key point: Go ashore and look for the target.
Because their population is so small, to prevent extinction, mermaids will expand outward. Their mating season is generally from late September to mid-October, when the weather is cool and suitable for reproduction.
"You eat me, I eat you," Wen Shi's mouth twitched, "Everyone is having a great time."
His phone suddenly vibrated. He looked down and saw a message from Jian Qingrong: "Are you okay?"
He sent the message to be on the safe side. Wen Shi wasn't in danger right now, so he called back. After the call went through, he said, "Everything is going well for me."
While he was speaking, his other hand was still turning the pages of the book.
His cervical spine was aching. If he hadn't just read the news, he wouldn't have realized that the three-hour time was almost up.
Jian Qingrong: "Shall I pick you up?"
Wen Shi: "No, it's almost time for evening study. I can handle it."
As I was speaking, the prompt sound came:
You discovered the mermaid's habits.
[You are the only qualified self-study student tonight]
Compared with his bottom-ranked peers who couldn't even pass the blood test, Wen Shi's mouth curled up. The game praised him so much, so he should give him a reward.
[Your excellence attracted a low-quality mermaid]
You corrected the mistakes in his singing.
He came to mate with you.