Samantha was very perceptive and noticed Ren Yifei observing him. However, he had seen similar glances quite often while walking around campus these past two days, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.
His original identity was unusual; his personal information even hinted at the dangerous message that 'I am a ghost.' He knew then that this alternate version of the story was doomed.
Is this just a coincidence of Mercury retrograde, or has the desolate corner secretly made a move?
Fortunately, he did not sit idly by and wait for his death.
"I hope my preparations will be of some use," Saman thought.
"Vice President."
Samantha looked up and saw a boy with a subtle expression running towards him. Behind him were two girls, one looking at him warily and the other looking at him suspiciously.
Without a doubt, the original owner's lawsuit...
"What is it? If it's about the ritual, I'm sorry, I have nothing to say." This was the first thing Saman, who had experience with such matters, said.
In just the last two days, he's been cornered several times. However, the original owner didn't leave much behind regarding the sacrifice.
Samantha searched the entire dorm room, checking every phone and computer, but still found nothing. He didn't know if the item was hidden too well or if the other person hadn't left it at all.
"Vice President, you really have a bad memory. I mentioned my nightmare a few days ago, and you kicked me out of the group. Now, I still have the same question: was that ritual haunted?"
The boy's voice was urgent and fast. Although he was trying to lower his voice, you could still hear the anger and pent-up emotions he was trying to vent.
Feeling like he was being unfairly blamed, Saman offered a half-hearted "Sorry?"
Ren Yifei was stunned, completely unprepared for the other party's nonchalant attitude. His face flushed red within two seconds, showing the extent of his suppressed anger.
"How could you do this?" His eyes even welled up with tears. "You were the one who suggested this, that damned priest, he's ruined me, he's ruined us like this... I'm begging you, please let us go, what will it take?"
However, Samantha was truly at a loss. The original owner had left nothing behind, and he was even more bewildered than the people who came to his door.
"Are you trying to shirk your responsibilities?" Yu Yan suddenly asked, while shielding Zhao Rui behind her.
"I'm not shirking responsibility, but I really have no choice." He shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to do anything. However, this gesture seemed to immediately anger the boy opposite him.
"No way?" Ren Yifei's voice suddenly rose and then fell back down. He stared at Saman with a hint of disbelief. "This was your suggestion!"
"Yes, it was my suggestion, but just because I made the suggestion doesn't mean I can solve it."
The original owner has somehow inhabited someone else's body, leaving behind only a mess and no solution. Saman can only express deep regret regarding the current situation.
"Ha." Ren Yifei's eyes quickly reddened, but he laughed, wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes, and his expression darkened, even becoming somewhat ferocious.
"Zhao Rui, please find the other members of our club who have doubts. I've come to invite the vice president for tea." His emotions were at their peak; he was like a cornered, honest man, but now, as if possessed, he gritted his teeth and said to Saman, "Now!"
"Okay." Zhao Rui immediately lowered her head and sent the message to the group. She could completely understand the pain and anger that Ren Yifei was experiencing at this moment, because she had felt the same anger when she had hovered on the edge of death countless times: Why? I'm not reconciled!
If her friends hadn't been there, there was a moment when she wanted to drag the culprit down with her to hell.
Saman stopped moving; he was also looking forward to this club gathering. Rather than letting these people come to him one by one, it was better to let all the players know at once that the vice president had changed and that coming to him was useless.
Incidentally, the players can also get together, so he can get to know everyone.
Zhao Rui's message in the group quickly attracted the members who had been affected in the past few days. In less than ten minutes, a group of people arrived. Ren Yifei could even smell the fragrance of osmanthus flowers in them, sweet, quiet, and subtle, with a seemingly ordinary calmness and composure.
Among the top ten, there are people with these qualities: those from academies, and those specializing in arts and sciences.
The man who carried the scent of osmanthus was the club president, who was speaking gently to Saman: "We all want to believe you, but there are some misunderstandings between us that need to be resolved."
Saman was surrounded by people, but he remained calm and unperturbed, even wiping the table and ordering a cup of tea.
"There was indeed some misunderstanding between us," Saman said. "You may not believe it, but during that time, I was in a daze, not myself, as if I was being controlled by some other creature. Looking back, I can't remember anything, and even watching videos feels unfamiliar."
At this point, he sighed: "In fact, I want to know more than anyone what exactly happened during that time."
"..." Ren Yifei.
"..." Literature and Literature.
Did your boyfriend teach you to act so well? It's clearly fake, so how can you act it out like it's real? If I didn't know you were a player, I almost would have believed you.
Yes, Wenli recognized Saman yesterday. After all, there are only a few germaphobes among high-level players. In addition, there was that aloof tone and the habit of looking at people's micro-expressions first. It was probably Saman.
However, she did not act immediately. As everyone knows, Saman has many life-saving tools, and without a sure chance of killing him, she would only alert him.
Samantha had already set up the stage, and Wenli twitched his lips, playing along with him: "You don't even know what you've done?"
"But you kicked me out of the group three days ago," Ren Yifei said coolly from the side.
Samantha glanced at him: "Because I don't believe in them. I'm an atheist, I don't believe in these things. But these past two days... several people related to this have died. That's when I started to suspect..."
"I don't believe it," Ren Yifei said, his eyes red with doubt.
Saman looked around and noticed that many people had the same look in their eyes. This group of people who had come were all suffering from severe hallucinations, so of course they didn't believe it, and some even hated it to the core.
"Since things have come to this, I won't hide it anymore." Saman closed his eyes, as if he had made a difficult decision.
Everyone else was watching him, wondering what other fancy things he could come up with.
Then they saw Saman tear down his collar, revealing a brand on his collarbone. It was a symbol that looked like oracle bone script, but what was most peculiar was that the wound also had a golden-red burning effect, like being burned by charcoal.
"These marks started appearing on my body yesterday. I'm also very curious about what happened to me." Saman's tone was calm, but there seemed to be a sense of repression in that calmness.
Looking at the unnatural, seemingly burning wound, and then at Saman's silent face, the classmates, who had initially been quite aggressive, suddenly felt a little guilty: "I didn't expect you to be in such a terrible state."
Ren Yifei followed the crowd with a surprised expression, but inwardly he was applauding. This self-disclosure would salvage a lot of points and also indirectly prove that he wasn't part of the group.
Players knew that Saman's character was definitely the culprit, but they didn't expect that this priest would be so ruthless to himself.
This wound isn't fake; this is a sign that the instance is about to wipe them out.
"Since everyone is a victim, if we unite, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope." Along with this voice came a strong, domineering aroma of alcohol.
Chen Shen also arrived. She didn't come alone; she brought an old woman with her eyes closed.
"I sensed a sliver of remaining power," the old woman said, her voice unusually hoarse, as if burned by scorching coals. "Someone used the power of living beings to create a passage that shouldn't exist."
At any other time, no one would pay attention to this old woman's rambling. But those present were all troubled by mysterious forces, and upon hearing this, they excitedly looked up, eager to ask: Is there any hope for me?
"Is it a demon?" someone asked impatiently.
"It is something that humans cannot pursue or look directly at." The old woman raised her head, opened her eyes, and saw a white film over them. "Control your fear, do not look, do not think."
"Is there no way?" someone asked.
The old woman shook her head repeatedly, her face showing fear: "Find the passage and cut it off; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope."
Then she turned to Chen Shen and said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. I'll pay you back." With that, she tapped her cane and left, leaving behind a group of people who were deeply shaken, each one like a lamb without a direction.
"We must cooperate," Chen Shen said to everyone.
This time when she said the same thing, the members actually nodded subconsciously: "That's right." In times of fear and anxiety, the collective can bring a sense of security.
Ren Yifei: ...
While everyone's attention was focused on the old woman, he used the act of scratching an itch to cover one eye, and a blood-red hue spread deep within that eye, so he also 'saw' that the old woman was just an ordinary person with superb acting skills.
It wasn't just yellowish, it was a dull red all over.
Another actor. Are there too many actors today?
That said, the fact that Chen Shen would think of using a charlatan to achieve his goal shows that these players are not bound by any rules or conventions.
Ren Yifei had to maintain his worried persona, otherwise he would have already taken a sip of milk tea to calm his nerves.
At this moment, Chen Shen, who had arrived in the second batch, had already started talking to Wen Li, who had arrived in the first batch. Although they did not know who the other was, there seemed to be some kind of magical telepathy between expert players, making it easy for them to identify their opponents.
However, Wenli was not the type to necessarily want to be in power, so after a few words of conversation, he handed over the management.
"But what did that fortune teller mean? She said someone opened a passage that shouldn't exist, and I roughly understand what she meant. But then she said it was something that couldn't be looked at directly, and something about fear..." The person speaking was also confused.
"Regarding this, I'm afraid we'll have to go directly to our vice president." Chen Shen turned to look at Saman, who was holding a cup of tea.
Saman responded with a smile, as if to say, "A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water."
"It's a ritual performed by a small tribe in Yunnan." At this moment, Ren Yifei, who had been keeping a straight face, suddenly said. He was holding a warm milk tea in his hand, as if trying to draw some warmth from it, but his face was still pale. "And, and… I dreamed of ruins in the sea."
"Who are you?" Chen Shen looked at him.
"He is Zhang Zhengyuan. Three days ago, he told me he had a strange dream," someone in the commune replied.
Ren Yifei nodded stiffly, then his face suddenly turned even paler: "I also saw... um?"
His eyes widened slightly, and after a few seconds he even shook his head with an incredulous expression: "I can't remember, it seems like there was a huge monster... but I can't remember what it looked like."
"Are you an art student?" Wenli suddenly asked from the side.
"Yes, I majored in sculpture." Ren Yifei was puzzled.
Wenli smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to soothe their tension: "It seems that those who are more sensitive to art can sense that extraordinary power more quickly and deeply. In a way, is this perhaps an affirmation of your talent?"
"Huh?" Ren Yifei still didn't quite understand.
"That means you might be next to die." A scent of poppy fruit wafted in, and four players, each exuding their own fragrance, made their grand entrance.
"So, can I follow you so I can observe how you die?" Ke Bei smiled slowly at Ren Yif
ei.