Chapter 702

If that is the case, then I think we have already found the answer.

"I said I didn't misread her either."

"No, the next sentence. What do you mean by 'when she was in your line of sight'? You two separated?"

"Uh, that's right. I thought she was fine. The Ash-Extinguisher wasn't an unstable factor at first, but I didn't expect that as soon as she left my line of sight, she..."

At this point, Li Wufang stopped himself, his expression suddenly becoming serious as well.

It wasn't just him; the expressions of everyone present changed.

!!!

There wasn't a single fool among those present. When Cheng Shi displayed this demeanor and so seriously pursued the wording in Li Wufang's statement, a flash of inspiration struck every player's mind, and they suddenly realized where the key to this trial truly lay!

They looked at Cheng Shi one after another, marveling at his keenness and shocked by the complexity of the trial, then furrowed their brows, each lost in their own recollections, and for a time, the scene fell into silence.

A moment later, it was Cheng Shi who broke the silence.

Although Li Wufang hadn't answered his question, some questions no longer needed answering; he had figured it out.

Just now, with the Investigator's unintentional reminder, he had suddenly understood everything.

He was wrong; he himself had been wrong.

All the 【Time】 discrepancies occurring in this trial had nothing to do with the Abyss Colored Crystal capable of extracting divinity, because what caused the players to change wasn't any specific entity, but a certain state related to their existence!

Fine, fine, I knew the trial of 【Time】 wouldn't be simple, but I didn't expect it to be trying to trap me to death!

But now, I've figured it out. I'd like to see how else you can trap me!

Cheng Shi scanned everyone with his gaze, and after taking in all their expressions, he suddenly curled his lips and said sincerely:

"I know everyone here has already thought of something, but you are still one step away from verification. To help everyone find the answer in their hearts, I will throw out a brick to attract jade today, using my own experience to resolve your doubts.

Of course, I am not a generous person, I am just homesick and do not want to get lost in the labyrinth of 【Time】, so I hope to exchange this sincerity for everyone else's."

The Clown's desire to exchange for others' sincerity was genuine, but as for how much sincerity he himself was offering, that remained to be seen.

Although it was disadvantageous to be the first to speak of one's experience for others to verify in a situation where everyone had already guessed something, it wasn't entirely disadvantageous. At the very least, Cheng Shi could prevent others from lying in front of him and could confirm whether his deduction was correct by observing everyone's attitude.

Of course, lying here did not refer to outright falsehoods, but to partial truths.

Peak players who have dealt with liars for a long time always have some means of dealing with them. Cheng Shi was confident he could deceive everyone, but he couldn't ensure he wouldn't be deceived himself.

So, as the Blind Man said, the Clown had never given his own trust, yet he was always coveting the trust of others.

"I have been searching for the reason behind the appearance of 【Time】 discrepancies. At first, I thought it was the mine, and later I locked my suspicion onto the Abyss Colored Crystal. But after Qin Xin and I found evidence to negate this deduction, I fell into a dead end.

The appearance of the discrepancies seemed to have no pattern at all. Even realizing we had been caught was a conclusion reached by observing other teammates. I once thought this was a trap set by Him, intended to keep us... trapped here.

Until just now, when the Investigator suddenly enlightened me, I realized the answer was actually so simple.

I don't know your experiences today, so I will only speak of my own.

The Doctor's discrepancy appeared during the first exploration. He was replaced, and at that time he was in the mine, and for a period of time, he was alone in the mine, because during that time, Qin Xin had already turned back to the Inverted Gate to set up 【Memory】 countermeasures, and went to find me and An Shenxuan along the way.

Of course, this also meant that for a certain period of time, there was no one around Qin Xin either.

Remember this point; it is very critical.

Next, were the Investigator and the Ash-Extinguisher.

They also showed discrepancies during the first exploration."

Cheng Shi paused, looked at Li Wufang, and continued with a strange expression:

"You and Wu Cun were both replaced. I never knew the details of this until you just said... she left your line of sight. Hmm, very good, this shows that there was a period of time when you and she were out of each other's sight."

"But that time was extremely short."

"I certainly know that time was extremely short, but this perhaps has nothing to do with the length of time.

Let's continue. After that state, both you and she changed. So Wu Cun became a manic Ash-Extinguisher who couldn't suppress her desire for destruction, and you became an Investigator who didn't believe in fate.

Of course, there was another detail after the 【Annihilation】 disaster. When Qin Xin asked you to set up countermeasures against Wu Cun, the Doctor disappeared from all our lines of sight for a short while. This period is also very important; it will be on the test."

Next was the second outbreak of discrepancies.

In the afternoon, after everyone gathered to discuss, we split up to investigate again. The Investigator and the Doctor went to the mine again. It was this behavior that made me always feel there was a problem at the mine, but this was actually a misdirection, or perhaps a harmless joke of 【Fate】.

In later exchanges, we learned that the Investigator and the Doctor had briefly separated for a moment, and then both were replaced again. The Investigator started believing in fate again, while the Doctor stopped believing in luck.

As for the other team, I, Qin Xin, and An Shenxuan were investigating the shanty area when Qin Xin changed, because we did indeed separate halfway through.

But the problem is, we were clearly separated for so long, why did only Qin Xin change, while An Shenxuan didn't?

Because..."

Just as he said this, Cheng Shi took out the watch in his hand and showed the time to everyone.

The second hand on the dial ticked away, and the time reached the point where it was only ten minutes away from the hour.

But Cheng Shi's hand pointed to the hour.

"The hour!" the Blind Man said with a solemn face.

Cheng Shi smiled. The meaning contained in this laughter was extremely complex: there was exasperation, self-mockery, sarcasm, and relief.

"Correct, it is the hour!

I remember clearly that at the hour when I separated from those two, out of caution, I called An Shenxuan over and instructed her face-to-face to be careful. She responded to me, but by then, Qin Xin had already disappeared and walked far away.

So later, Qin Xin changed, while An Shenxuan remained the same An Shenxuan.

I believe that by now, everyone should have an idea. Of course, this doesn't prove anything, but what happened next is enough to provide strong evidence for my conjecture.

When Qin Xin and I went down the mountain again to look for clues, we encountered the resurrected Ash-Extinguisher and had a fight with her.

She was very strong, so much so that it took us a great deal of effort to kill her again, but the power of 【Annihilation】 still destroyed the current reality, casting me and Qin Xin outside of 【Existence】.

Fortunately, An Shenxuan had foreseen the danger in advance and came down the mountain in time to save us.

But the moment I was rescued, I saw the hour arrive again, and in the very next second, Qin Xin, who had followed me out from outside 【Existence】, turned into another Qin Xin.

Everyone, once is a coincidence, twice is luck, but what about three, four, or five times?

My experience today has already explained many things. Please think about all the anomalies today, think about whether every time you discovered the other party was acting strangely, there was always a period of time when you were separated from the crowd, away from each other's sight, and experienced the hour?

If that is the case, then I think we have already found the answer."

Cheng Shi finished this sentence with a smile, and then his eyes darted across everyone's faces.