Chapter 253: The Road is Under Your Feet, Not in the Distance

Chen Ran woke up a few times midway, only simply eating a bit of something before falling back and continuing to sleep. When he was thoroughly awake...

34 hours had already passed.

Sitting on the bed, he felt his head swelling and hurting severely. He eased for a long time before walking out of the ward.

The corpses in the corridor had already been cleared by Qiu Yinong into the Youth's previous room, even the bloodstains on the ground were gone.

"Awake?"

Chen Ran's expression was weird, secretly saying that beautiful Qiu Yinong couldn't possibly have mysophobia right?

Using the not numerous amount of water, after simply washing up, the two sat at the front desk.

"You first?" Chen Ran asked.

Qiu Yinong nodded, organizing her language in her heart for a bit: "Actually I have always had a doubt. The effects of our Skills cannot be casually exposed, therefore we would kill all the matched players. But after players die, they will become an Instance. After they become a BOSS, will they reveal the effects of our Skills to the matched players? This point is very important."

Pondering slightly.

"They cannot. If a BOSS could reveal the Skills of other players, then the Skills of high-star players in the entirety of Hell should be in an absolutely transparent state. For example the Leader, in his process of growing up, definitely killed many players. Logically speaking, after these players became Instances, they would tell the matched players the Skill effect of the Liar-Slayer Alliance Leader."

"But in fact, seemingly no one knows the Leader's Skill effect."

"By the same logic, the Skills of other high-star players should also have been exposed long ago, but look at whether the Alliance has announced them? Even if the Alliance keeps the Skill effects of high-star players a secret, the Skills of players like Li Zhitong weren't mentioned in detail in the bounty missions either."

"Therefore, I speculate that after players become Instances, they are highly likely unable to reveal the Skills of still-living players."

Indeed, if a BOSS could expose a player's Skill, then to a player like Qiu Yinong whose Skill had obvious flaws, it would simply be a nightmare.

Qiu Yinong nodded. Regarding this question, the two people's thoughts were exactly identical.

"Since a BOSS cannot expose our Skills, then we can carry out the review according to our previous line of thought."

"First, our understanding of Hell is still too little. For example Diwu Zeyi's Affective Lie-Judgment. To tell the truth, before the Youth came out, I also didn't notice it. I constantly thought he was a not bad opponent, even having envisaged that if he wasn't the Floor Master's Reserve Teammate, becoming our teammate wouldn't be bad either."

"I didn't expect this was merely his Lie-Judgment method. If it wasn't for him unexpectedly discovering the possibility of extrication in this Instance, we would highly likely all die in his hands."

"Based on this time's lesson, I feel upon returning to the 18th Level, we must properly understand Hell. For example starting from Four-Star, players mostly use physical Skill Lie-Judgment among each other."

"What routines or techniques exist in physical Lie-Judgment, as well as how to distinguish which Secret Room is manufactured by a player's Skill, and which Secret Room is an Instance Secret Room, must all be clarified."

Previously, when the two newly arrived in Hell, based on the principle of caution first, they rarely went out or didn't dare to stay outside for too long. Only this led to their information being blocked.

"Moreover, the ninth stone pillar can only be seen on the 25th day, becoming a Death Row inmate. We have no need to enter an Instance on the 3rd day."

"So, my suggestion is, returning to the 18th Level this time, we can spend five to eight days of time exploring the entire 18th Level."

On the ninth day, one will see the rules on the fourth stone pillar, with too many restrictions. Therefore eight days is relatively reasonable.

"Agreed." Chen Ran nodded.

"Next talking about the second question. I feel, taking me to lay bait this time, was done out of necessity. Three Three-Star Players could all suppress their emotions, not going crazy to Judge me under an absolutely rational state, but..."

"This is only theory!"

Chen Ran understood. Qiu Yinong was giving him a preventive shot in advance, the general idea being: This kind of matter of taking her to lay bait cannot be easily used again.

But in fact, both people knew this kind of matter was unavoidable. After all, the First Floor Master was exactly coming aimed at her Skill.

"The third point is about the words The 9th True Self Player said."

"According to my deduction, this might involve the Alliance Leader inside..."

Just as she was about to tell her own deduction to Chen Ran, she was shouted to a stop by him:

"Stop!"

Chen Ran's eyes had flickering expressions. He couldn't help but recall The 9th True Self Player's words.

[Be careful of Qiu Yinong!]

'Hearing her words just now, she is seemingly attempting to deduce the Alliance Leader's Skill.'

'Be careful of Qiu Yinong...'

'Could it be referring to not listening to the result of her deduction right?'

Chen Ran played with the small Wooden Fish Qiu Yinong placed on the counter, saying heavily: "Regarding deductions involving The 9th True Self Player, as well as derivative deductions, do not tell me now. I also won't go think about it. Wait until before "The Buddha" Instance opens, you can then decide whether to tell me or not based on your judgment."

Hearing this, Qiu Yinong was thoughtful.

'My deduction is: The Alliance Leader's Skill effect is according to the opponent's imagination. Whatever effect the opponent imagines his Skill has, his Skill has that effect.'

'But, what if one doesn't think about it?'

'The Leader's Skill effect: Unknown.'

'Unknown...'

'Unknown is equal to infinite possibilities!'

'In other words, if one goes to think about the Leader's Skill effect, then his Skill will possess the effect you thought of.'

'But if, one doesn't go think about his Skill effect, his Skill effect...'

'Will have countless kinds of possibilities!'

'Either one, or infinity?'

'So, the meaning The 9th True Self Player truly wanted to express is...'

'Letting me lie to Chen Ran!'

'Simply put, letting me tell Chen Ran the Alliance Leader's Skill is... a very ordinary Skill? For example a mental type?'

'So, this is exactly the drawback of the Alliance Leader's Skill? As well as the point of breaking the situation?'

'But the problem is, why did he tell Chen Ran that the Leader's Skill can turn players into Instance NPCs?'

'Is it because this effect can fundamentally do nothing to Chen Ran?'

'And Chen Ran, being reminded by him to [Be careful of Qiu Yinong], realized the conclusion of my deduction might have a problem. He didn't want to be affected, only then letting me not say it first...'

'The words [Be careful of Qiu Yinong] completed a closed loop at this moment?'

Her mind was very messy right now.

Information unable to distinguish true from false, conclusions unable to distinguish true from false, interweaving in her mind, the more she sorted it out, the messier it got.

'Speaking from the Time Paradox.'

'Bright Moon of Qin is highly likely unable to change the already set destiny of the future.'

'But, if my deduction stands.'

'Then, the time before The 9th True Self Player traveled through time, "The Buddha" Instance hadn't opened yet. And his words are to guide Chen Ran to go to "The Buddha" Instance. Further connecting with the deduction just now, one can reach a conclusion...'

'For "The Buddha" Instance, the matched players will definitely have me and Chen Ran, as well as The 9th True Self Player, and also the True Self Player in his lie who was slapped with an NPC label. Finally is the Alliance Leader. This is an...'

'Immortal-Slaying Trap!'

'The 9th True Self Player is guiding several experts to execute the Alliance Leader?'

'At the same time, he definitely also traveled through time to the past, speaking words to other True Self Players similar to what he told Chen Ran.'

'Simply put, it is letting the teammates of these True Self Players tell them that the Alliance Leader's Skill is very ordinary.'

'Then during the showdown in "The Buddha" Instance... the True Self Players really might be able to kill the Alliance Leader.'

'But, if, The 9th True Self Player is the Alliance Leader's person.'

'That will be a massacre! All True Self Players will fall into the trap!'

Just as she was thinking messier and messier, Chen Ran suddenly voiced out: "Don't think that much. With our current experience, it fundamentally cannot match up with our thoughts. Forcibly deducing is unwise. The road is under your feet, not in the distance."

"What we need to do right now is properly review, striving for every choice to step on the correct point."

Qiu Yinong: "..."

'Have to say, when a web novel author talks about principles, it's one set after another. However, how come I feel, he got to act cool again...'