Chapter 1949: After the Rewind, Love You Again 25

"Cheng Chuan, wake up!" Yun Zaozao shouted from beside him, but Cheng Chuan had lost his reason and could no longer hear anything.

Ruan Fu acted swiftly, taking the other end of the hemp rope Jin Chen threw and quickly looping it around Cheng Chuan's shoulders.

Cheng Chuan's movements stalled, then he let out a sharp, piercing howl, utterly unlike his own voice.

"Don't you all want to kill him?"

The distorted, non-human words clearly reached their ears; Cheng Chuan's body thrashed violently, the rope pulled tight, as if it might snap at any moment.

"What are you stopping me for! Kill him! Do it!"

The bloodlust in Cheng Chuan's eyes grew stronger, while a strange smile curled his lips, as if he were luring them.

Jin Chen, pressing his head, grew weak for a second amid the strange looks of several villains.

"You don't need to lift a finger; honestly, I have a terminal illness—I could die any moment..."

"Shut up."

Ruan Fu cut in abruptly, her voice cold, a dangerous aura spreading silently, "Do you really want to die?"

"Certainly not." Jin Chen shook his head.

The final length of rope was shoved into Cheng Chuan's mouth, gagging his endless, deliberate taunting; Ruan Fu lifted him and glanced at Jin Chen, her expression showing faint impatience, clearly waiting for his decision.

Jin Chen continued to whisper weakly: "First tie him back in the hall; I seem to hear many people shouting their teammates' names—maybe more than just him is possessed."

Ruan Fu frowned: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"A little."

Jin Chen lowered his gaze, his handsome face clouded with worry.

"..." Only a fool would believe it.

Seeing it was an act, Ruan Fu turned and walked away; as she brushed past Yun Zaozao, they exchanged a glance, hiding an emotion others couldn't read.

——

As expected, it was exactly what Jin Chen had anticipated.

In the hall, a few possessed players remained—some bound, some seriously wounded—with only the sounds of struggle and ragged breathing echoing.

Upon seeing the Hope Squad enter, many players revealed greedy and probing looks.

This isn't a beginner's zone; many strong, confident players are here, all wanting the clearance coins, but because Jin Chen previously pulled too many stunts—making even monsters easy to kill—no one wants to be the first to stick their neck out.

Jin Chen realized this, and his sickly expression vanished as he walked in.

"Your people too..." a player remarked, noticing Cheng Chuan's condition, surprise turning to deep helplessness.

"Nobody knows what's happening! He just fell ill out of nowhere—terrifying!" Several players chimed in, all watching helplessly as their teammates suddenly turned inhuman.

In the brief, whether genuine or feigned, exchange, several groups of players found common ground.

"Mirror!" the youngster who noticed this exclaimed, his speech quickening, "We've all seen the mirror and asked the bow‑girl question."

"But… what good is that? We still don't know how to turn them back."

The disheartened players suddenly thought of something and, in unison, looked toward Jin Chen.

Jin Chen, sitting casually and lost in thought, glanced up blankly, "Do you need something?"

"I heard you unconditionally protect your teammates; since your teammate is possessed, you still have to take responsibility!" a man said, forcing himself to speak, utterly convinced of his rightness.

Jin Chen: "You just want to reap the rewards without effort."

"Aren't you that strong? Help a little…" the man hadn't finished when his eyes widened, watching Jin Chen undo Cheng Chuan's bonds.

Then coins were pressed into Cheng Chuan's palm, and the panel confirmed it.

As team captain, this is Jin Chen's privilege.

As players, they were all dumbfounded.

Only those who had shared a beginner's zone with Jin Chen clutched their chests and shook their heads—indeed, picking a good captain really matters.

"He's left the game; now this has nothing to do with me." Jin Chen's eyes narrowed coldly.

Ji Luo was unfazed by such scenes, darting back and mysteriously exchanging clues with a few teammates.

"I asked other players who had seen the mirror; most asked the same thing—'How to leave the inn'—but the girl's answers varied."

"Unsolvable, death, vengeance."

Yun Zaozao, rarely failing to understand, said, "Is the answer really that abstract?"

"This is clearly just not wanting us to leave." Gao Kai muttered under his breath.

Jin Chen staggered, and locking eyes with Ruan Fu, he could basically confirm their earlier guess was correct.

As long as they complete the collection task of slaying fierce ghosts, they can successfully leave the inn.

This is definitely a test of strength.

Even if Jin Chen isn't entirely sure why the notice is for a solo panel, it doesn't stop him from not wanting to kill ghosts alone.

This is what the protagonist should do.

He is not that.

But just as Jin Chen was about to share this clue with the other players, he suddenly spotted a small line at the bottom of the solo panel.

An individual player who achieves 100% progress in collecting fierce ghosts for this stage can obtain the holographic death game's operational secret and seek a way to terminate the game.

Jin Chen: "..."

How did I miss it last time?

This isn't the first time I've doubted it.

Why do I keep feeling the game is targeting me?

Ruan Fu quietly gazed at Jin Chen, then suddenly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Jin Chen said nothing, bowed his head in dejection, and buried himself in Ruan Fu's shoulder, "I'm truly ill‑fated."

"I'll tell you a secret later." Jin Chen whispered again in his ear.

"……Hmm." Ruan Fu's eyes twitched slightly; it was rare that she didn't retort.

【Detected villain Ruan Fu's Blackening Value -5, accumulated 80!】

The boss again silently floated to the doorway, making all players instantly fall silent, staring at him sitting behind the front desk, like rotten wood, not moving a muscle.

Under such pressure, nobody could stay any longer in the lobby.

So far no one has gotten any genuinely useful clue; they've exerted all their strength just wanting to rush to snag the pass coins.