Chapter 146: Chen Ran Cannot Calm Down at All

"It seems you don't know much about Three-Star Players," Long Hui chuckled.

As he spoke, he pulled out his Liar-Slayer. It was a magenta pistol. Under the bewildered and fearful gazes of the crowd, he aimed the gun at the roof of the car.

"Take a guess," he said.

"Can I use my Skill right now?"

Seeing Chen Ran instinctively take half a step back, Long Hui answered his own question, "Of course I... can!"

"Ghost Whisperer: Silent Seal!"

The interior of the car plunged into darkness without warning. The horrified expressions of the passengers were entirely swallowed by the ink-like pitch black. No one dared to make a sound.

When the light returned, the nine people immediately checked their bodies and their surroundings.

Soon, they all noticed a string of constantly shifting numbers on their arms.

4 minutes and 55 seconds.

4 minutes and 54 seconds.

4 minutes and 53 seconds.

Everyone's brain worked in overdrive, desperately trying to deduce the effect of this Skill.

Chen Ran was also calculating.

'First of all, some Skills can be cast directly without needing to vocalize an activation phrase.'

'However, Skills that require a vocal command always offer some sort of hint. For instance, Li Zhitong's Mount Tai Crushing Down makes a tossed Glass Bead expand within a player's mind and vision, much like Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.'

'It gives the illusion of Mount Tai literally crushing down on them, inducing sheer terror.'

'Take Geng Hao's Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back, for example. Skills triggered by spoken commands are usually those whose effects cannot be visually manifested.'

'In that case, Silent Seal must also be a hint.'

'The idiom Silent Seal implies strictness in speech, meaning one is reluctant or entirely afraid to open their mouth.'

'Therefore, his Skill's effect means that before the countdown ends, we either must speak, or we are forbidden to speak.'

'If the rule is broken, there will likely be some sort of penalty.'

'What is the penalty?'

'His gun is magenta, which means it is an Ego-Tier Skill.'

'The Ego controls Common Sense.'

'Could it be that if a player violates the Skill's rule, it will randomly erase the player's...'

'Common Sense?'

'What the hell? Is there really a Skill that forces players to speak? What a coincidence!'

Long Hui seemed to see right through his thoughts and said with great interest, "Do you think it's a coincidence? I actually consider this an inevitable outcome. Hell has existed for so many years. When a Newbie is being hunted down by higher-ranked players, the veterans might not know their exact intentions, plans, and escape routes flawlessly, but they definitely have a pretty good idea."

"Did you honestly believe that an Instance of your own level wouldn't be able to handle you? That as long as you kept your mouths shut, you could safely clear the Instance?"

"How could high-star players not anticipate the very escape routes you brainstormed?"

"Because of this, the Skills of the high-star players tracking you are almost always designed to force their targets to speak."

"Players without such Skills generally wouldn't even accept this kind of job."

"Wouldn't you agree..."

"Diwu Zeyi!"

Being called out by name, Diwu Zeyi dropped his disguise. He shot a sharp glare at the archenemy he had clashed with countless times before.

"Long Hui, your Deceiver's Tongue is truly disgusting!"

Diwu Zeyi then turned his gaze toward the rookies who were keeping their mouths tightly shut, too terrified to make a sound.

"His Skill has two effects. The first is that if you do not speak within the five-minute timeframe, one of your Common Sense concepts will be randomly erased."

"The second effect states that whatever you say must be a logical deduction or a direct conversation with someone. Otherwise, it will be judged as invalid speech, and a piece of your Common Sense will still be wiped away."

"Also, his Deceiver's Tongue originates in The 18th Level and extends into this Instance. I suggest you abandon any hope of breaking it. The only way is if you can somehow shatter the Common Sense he established back in The 18th Level from within this Instance."

"In other words, Long Hui is a true Ghost Whisperer. Players like Li Zhitong, who can only create a Deceiver's Tongue within an Instance, can at best be considered half a Ghost Whisperer."

Having said that, he turned his head and looked at Chen Ran's solemn expression. "For your Star Rating, your plan was perfect. You forced us to step onto the stage early. Dorje and I protect Qiu Yinong, and you stay perfectly silent. This way, both you and Qiu Yinong can sit back and watch the tigers fight, observing us three Three-Star Players engage in Infighting."

"However, you are a One-Star Player. There is a saying in Hell: Everyone below Three-Star is nothing but an insect. This is simply because... you haven't learned the Mental Cultivation Method. Your logic and deductions will never break free from the subjective perspective of a participant."

"Since you are a participant, you will be influenced by your own emotions. Your logic and deductions will naturally lean toward whatever benefits you."

"On the other hand, players who have discarded their emotions rely on logic and deductions that stem from the objective perspective of a bystander. If I remember correctly, the Form you filled out stated your profession in life was a novel author?"

"To use an inappropriate analogy, you people are like the characters inside a novel, while the emotionless Three-Star Players are like the author typing away at the keyboard. There is an insurmountable chasm between us."

"Simply put, Three-Star Players are actually about the same as you in terms of sheer IQ, but when it comes to the dimension of our thinking..."

"We operate on a much higher plane!"

This faulty perception caused Chen Ran's supposedly perfect plan to instantly transform into...

His own freshly dug grave!

Exposing his Skill had instantly made him a prime target for assassination by everyone present, with the sole exception of Qiu Yinong.

Chen Ran took a deep drag of his Cigarette and rubbed his temples. The harshness of the survival environment in Hell had vastly exceeded his expectations.

'I really wish this was just a virtual world. It would be best if it was just some game. The day I finally get out of here, I'll smash this damn game to pieces. This is too fucking malicious!'

After fully indulging in some mental self-comfort, Chen Ran calmed down. He knew very well that this was not a virtual world, nor was it a game.

The only reason Long Hui and Diwu Zeyi had talked so much was to crush his spirit.

'Calm down!'

'Calm down!'

'No, staying calm is useless right now. My opponents' thought dimensions are higher than mine. The calmer I am, the more easily I'll be led around by the nose.'

'Huh? I wonder if that old method will still work?'

He couldn't help but recall the technique he used whenever he suffered from writer's block in his previous life...

A method to get back into the zone.

At that thought, he slowly closed his eyes. His muscles tensed up as he forced his entire being into a state of hyperactive excitement.

This manic rush would send his brain into overdrive. Inspiration would burst forth like a fountain, allowing him to type at blistering speeds, pounding out words with exhilarating ferocity.

'It worked?!'

'Yes, yes, yes!'

'Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!'

'This is exactly the feeling!'

'Watch me completely unravel his Deceiver's Tongue!'

'This son of a bitch Long Hui used his Deceiver's Tongue to build his own set of Common Sense back in The 18th Level.'

'Common Sense? Common Sense my ass!'

'Is there any chance... chance my foot! His Skill obviously works on him too!'

'So what piece of Common Sense did he forget?'

'That his second uncle's third aunt eloped with his third uncle's second aunt?'

'Definitely not realistic!'

'Besides, this forgotten Common Sense is highly likely to be the very Deceiver's Tongue he constructed.'

'Since it can extend into the Instance, it proves that this Common Sense is bound to him personally.'

'Bound to his person... His identity, age, gender, rank, or name? Which one could it be?'

'Is his identity a dog?'

'Is his age three years old?'

'Is his gender female, and he's into men?'

'Is it that he isn't a Three-Star Trickster-Speaker?'

'Is his name Dog's Egg?'

'That's it?!!'

'I see it!'

'I see it!'

'I see it! Hidden deep within this treacherous Deceiver's Tongue is the one and only chance for a massive comeback!'

'Wait! I must wait! Wait for him to forget! Wait for him to make a mistake! Wait for me to use my Skill!'

'Motherfucker! I knew it! This godforsaken Hell doesn't have any absolutely perfect Skills! If anyone dares to say otherwise, I'll slap the shit out of them!'

'I've got you right in the palm of my hand, Long Hui!'

Having returned to his normal state, Chen Ran was startled by his own inner monologue. This wasn't his previous life; he couldn't just throw around curses anymore. Even swearing too much in his own mind was dangerous, because if he wasn't careful, the profanities might slip right out of his mouth.

'I only discovered this manic state in my previous life when I was busy cursing out my teammates in video games!'

'If your typing speed wasn't fast enough, and your thoughts weren't perfectly clear and sharp, you couldn't even defend your own family tree from being insulted.'

'As a result, every time I enter this state, I have an overwhelming urge to hurl profanities.'

'I definitely need to pay attention to that next time.'