Chapter 723: Loophole

The girl struggled to turn her head, looking at the man behind her, and fresh blood seeped from the sutures at the corner of her mouth.

She wanted to speak, she wanted to explain.

She wanted to confront them, why they were slandering her.

But besides sobbing sounds, she couldn't say anything.

The shaman responsible for the sutures had sewn her mouth very tight.

There were no tears on her face; her tears had already run dry.

Why?

The crowd behind her were all laughing.

Her foster parents stood up, sighed hypocritically, and the money pouch clenched in their hand was shrunken.

The foster mother and the people nearby explained.

They explained that they didn't know the girl was possessed by an evil spirit, which led her to do such a vile thing.

The foster father furtively slipped his finger into the money bag, calculating how many bottles of wine he could buy tonight.

One silver coin equals fifteen copper coins, roughly a week's wages.

Although it's a pity the girl can no longer bring money home, it's still more economical to exchange for a bottle of wine than to let the girl give birth to that child.

Outside the window, the priest led the believers, coldly staring at her.

No one cared whether she would be sent to the stake.

People even looked forward to it.

They hadn't seen an evil spirit wailing in the fire for a long time; that was a right granted to them by the divine spirits.

The illusion ended.

The scene returned to preparing firewood.

After it ended, everyone present fell silent.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Looking at the pyre erected before the church, Xiong Hanzi seemed to see the girl struggling in the flames.

"Captain Lin, that child is truly pitiful..."

He sighed.

Holding two giant axes stained with flesh and blood, Zhang Tie stood there, displeased.

In the crowd, Fiona came to her senses, quickly comparing the picture book and data she had brought.

"That scene just now should be the prototype of those monsters."

She pointed at a yellowed newspaper portrait.

"Triangular iron helmet, the Arbiter. It represents the lustful malice of the janitor who raped the girl."

"Human-head spider, represents the onlookers."

"Their compound eyes signify watching, while the held head symbolizes that the onlookers, though they did not participate in the atrocity, are watching it unfold with their eyes wide open."

Zhang Yong instinctively looked down at his companion's feet at the sound, seeing the monster's head split in two by Lin An.

Even in death, that shrunken head stubbornly kept its eyes wide open.

Just as the words fell.

Xiong Hanzi voiced his doubt:

"That's not right."

"If the human-head spider represents the onlookers, then why isn't the held head that of a town resident?"

"But rather an Awakened One?"

"We weren't even onlookers.."

He glanced sideways.

Lin An shook his head and simply explained to Xiong Hanzi:

"It's the same."

"The spider monster holding a human head also symbolizes Awakened Ones hunting their own kind."

"Only reversed."

"Perhaps some didn't participate in the mutual slaughter, but that doesn't mean they're innocent."

"At least in this trial, they would still be judged as indifferent onlookers."

"No Awakened One stopped it."

"Thus the spider cradling the head of an Awakened One slain by its own kind symbolizes the monster carrying the dead, wanting to watch us die."

After a simple explanation, Zhang Tie couldn't help but stare.

Fiona unfolded a hand-drawn parchment and glanced at Lin An.

"Exactly."

She thought the same.

All that can be said is that the judgment of the Silent Hill mission is too harsh.

"Logically, there should still be small monsters in a burning state."

"Those children scorched by the flames were once classmates who bullied Rose in the plot, but for some reason."

"It seems no one has encountered them. Perhaps they will appear in the later assault?"

There was some doubt.

"There's also the nurse monster, representing the malice of coldly treating the burned Rose in the hospital."

"They despise this girl whose body is oozing pus and blood."

However, this one did appear.

And the monster that crawls wrapped in wire, with its eyes covered, is the cleaner's second embodiment, representing pollution and uncleanliness.

At this point, Zhang Yong interjected:

"Wire monster, we have encountered it before."

"In the toilet, other war zones also mentioned it in the previous shared intelligence."

"However, looking at it, the monster's appearance order does not match the progress development."

"Maybe..."

"Will the phantom later show Rose's ordeal in the ward?"

Listening to everyone's discussion.

The Awakened One who had broken free from the rock-wrapped state couldn't help but ask softly:

"Even if we find the correspondence between the monster and the phantom."

"Or know what they are."

"But it seems useless, right?"

Fiona was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh:

"It is useful."

"Useful."

Two voices sounded at the same time, the second sentence coming from Lin An.

"Finding the monster's true form correspondence can reveal its weakness."

"For example, the Arbiter's second embodiment had its eyes covered, which actually means this monster's weakness is poor vision."

"You haven't encountered a triangle monster, have you?"

"To escape its pursuit, you just need to hide in a house."

"Based on this trait, this kind of monster is not hard to kill."

A brief pause.

Fiona also followed up, explaining in place of Lin An:

"That's right."

"Like the nurse monster, they are attracted to light sources."

"The human-head spider will only attack if the human head sees an Awakened One; even if you stand behind the spider, it cannot attack you."

"Because its trait is that of an indifferent onlooker."

"I suspect the spider's attack intention is actually determined by the severed human head."

"A deceased Awakened One will go seek the person who killed them."

"There are many more traits like this."

He sighed.

"In theory, if all Awakened Ones had the courage to face the monsters from the start and escaped the first round of pursuit,"

"Later we can completely gather clues to find the monster's traits."

"To target killing."

"When the pressure is not so great, those with strong talent can open the gene lock in the melee."

"Those with weak talent who cannot open the gene lock can safely accumulate points to let the system unlock it."

"I think, the power trial is actually not just a simple power attribute test."

"But rather, the power of the team."

"The power of courage."

"The power to resist temptation."

"Solo entry is lower difficulty, with enough safe time to gather information."

"After all, solo entry also counts as a kind of courage's power."

After hearing Fiona's explanation, everyone felt their hearts sink.

The power trial is actually testing so many things?

Standing apart from the crowd.

Lin An lowered his head in thought.

Fiona, most of what she said is correct.

It's roughly the same as his guess.

This power trial indeed is not just testing pure power attribute.

Just that..

Basically, it certainly isn't just those few items she analyzed.

Otherwise, the monster's order shouldn't be messed up.

The biggest loophole, however, is the phantom that Fiona thinks of.

If according to what Fiona said, the phantom's appearance is to contrast the monster's true form and traits.

Then why is it now in the ninth layer's inner world?

If from the start everyone chose the correct approach, the inner world's progress would not speed up.

Amazingly, reaching three or four layers would end this trial.

Can't touch it, can't see it, so how can we infer?

Looking at the numb residents' phantom, Lin An frowned and muttered softly:

You...

What do you want to tell me?