“Does this game really kill people?”
Hearing this, Solo Stan’s legs finally stopped shaking.
He tried to put on the air of a veteran player, but feeling like he couldn’t quite pull it off, he shook his head and looked at Yi Mo seriously.
“Brother Kirito, since the game has already begun, don’t harbor any doubts about that point.”
“Otherwise, you will definitely die!”
“At least among the rookies I met in my first two matches, not a single one survived!”
Yi Mo looked at the serious Solo Stan, thought for a moment, and asked, “How… did you survive?”
Solo Stan closed his eyes and remained silent for a while before saying, “I got lucky…”
“And… you should know that term, right?”
“I have a bit of chuunibyou.”
“From the very beginning, I treated all of this as reality. By relying on my simple and honest appearance, I wasn’t targeted by anyone, and I managed to survive in the end.”
Yi Mo nodded.
“Is it impossible to just not participate?”
Solo Stan opened his eyes and patted Yi Mo on the shoulder.
“Brother, if you can survive, you’ll find out.”
Yi Mo’s gaze suddenly became serious as he looked at Solo Stan.
“In this game, probably only one person can survive.”
“Either you or me, or someone else.”
“You and I… are opponents.”
Solo Stan suddenly laughed upon hearing this.
“Brother Kirito, I knew you weren’t simple from the moment I saw you, and now I think you’re incredibly smart.”
“You’ve actually seen through a lot of things; you just didn’t say it.”
“Rest easy. Until we are the only two left, you can trust me.”
Yi Mo thought about it and said, “Actually, there’s no need to ask, but I want to anyway.”
“Is the reason because our interests are somewhat similar?”
Solo Stan waved his hand.
“No, it’s because you’re wearing slippers and your body is relatively weak.”
“Compared to the others, if the last person I have to face is you, my chances of winning are much higher.”
Yi Mo felt a bit bitter and didn’t continue the conversation, but he actually felt a sense of relief.
What Solo Stan said was the truth.
That was how Yi Mo saw it.
Ding-ling.
**[The Killer has struck the player holding the Exorcism Talisman. The Killer has died, and a new Killer has been born.]**
[Players Remaining: 8]
[Deaths: 3]
Right at that moment, another person died.
Currently, aside from the Killer, there were only the four people hiding in the factory left.
Solo Stan didn’t have much of a reaction this time.
He just turned to look at Yi Mo.
“Is it with you?”
Yi Mo shook his head.
It seemed his luck was quite poor.
“Who do you think the Killer is?”
Yi Mo couldn’t help but ask.
Solo Stan said indifferently, “I just hope it’s someone weak, but weak people don’t survive this long.”
“Let’s go. We have to stop them!”
As Solo Stan spoke, he stood up and shouted toward the young woman and the high schooler who had stepped out from the steel piles and seemed to be planning to leave.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
The high schooler seemed a bit hesitant, but the young woman was very firm.
She pulled him along, not letting him speak, and then said to Solo Stan, “It has nothing to do with you!”
“Don’t follow us!”
Solo Stan grit his teeth and roared, “How does it have nothing to do with us!”
“If you hadn’t followed me over here, you might be dead by now!”
“Now, excluding the Killer, there are only the four of us left alive. The Exorcism Talisman is in your hands!”
“And you actually want to leave on your own!!!”
“Don’t you understand? The four of us staying together is the best way to deal with the Killer!!!”
The young woman snorted coldly.
“Hmph, so you can kill everyone all at once?”
“You can only fool those young kids.”
“You fat pig, don’t follow us. Otherwise, if I become the Killer, I’ll kill you first!”
Solo Stan wanted to snap back angrily, but he ultimately lacked the confidence.
He watched as the young woman and the high schooler left.
“She’s very biased against you.”
This time, it was Yi Mo’s turn to pat Solo Stan’s shoulder comfortingly.
“Sigh… I’m used to it.”
Solo Stan spread his hands, not taking it too seriously.
“It was the same at school and work. I barely managed to get by through working a bit harder so people wouldn’t hate me.”
“Unlike you, you’re clean-cut and lean.”
“Even if you’re a bit short, your type seems to be popular these days.”
Yi Mo didn’t get angry.
He shrugged and said, “Your standards for height are just too high. 174 centimeters isn’t tall, but if I wear elevator shoes, I’m not that short.”
“I didn’t eat well when I was a kid; there was nothing I could do.”
“Anyway, what do we do next?”
Since the game started, Solo Stan had been leading him, and he intended to continue listening to Solo Stan’s advice.
Solo Stan replied, “What else can we do? We stay here and wait to die!”
Yi Mo looked at Solo Stan’s expression and knew he was joking.
“That doesn’t sound like you. I don’t think you’re the type of person who gives up.”
Solo Stan nodded.
“Of course I won’t admit defeat easily.”
“I reckon the Exorcism Talisman was taken by that woman.”
“Based on her attitude, she isn’t the type to stay quiet. She definitely wants to meet the Killer and try to kill them back.”
“After all, no matter who dies, the Exorcism Talisman will change hands. She won’t be satisfied if she loses this chance.”
After saying that, a glint flashed in Solo Stan’s eyes.
“So, we just need to wait for them to kill each other.”
“No matter who wins.”
“We wait here for the final showdown with the Killer!”
“The Killer has a huge advantage when there are many people, but when there are fewer, they aren’t that powerful anymore!”
“In a certain sense, this game is still fair. Nothing is a guaranteed win.”
“I just don’t know what will happen when there are only two people left.”
Yi Mo nodded and silently opened the game rules interface.
‘When the time comes, the final undisclosed rule should be revealed…’
Just like that, Yi Mo and Solo Stan became much more relaxed than before, chatting about anime and manga.
However…
This brief moment of relaxation did not last long.
About 10 minutes later.
Two consecutive system notifications broke the peace.
The Killer had not changed.
The young woman and the high schooler…
Were both dead…
***
When the young woman and the high schooler died respectively, the Exorcism Talisman passed through Solo Stan’s hands again.
But just like last time, before he could even get a steady grip, it was gone.
[Ding-ling! Congratulations, you have obtained the item: Exorcism Talisman.]
**[Item Description: This is a peach wood plaque protected by the gods. Rather than protecting you, it loathes cold and Yin energy and will prioritize attacking things that it finds repulsive.]**
Yi Mo discovered that this item could be stored in or taken out of the system.
Since there was no point in hiding it from Solo Stan now, he simply took it out.
“It’s in my hands.”
“What do we do now?”
Yi Mo had already noticed that as the game progressed, the nicknames displayed above their heads had disappeared.
Even though he hadn’t interacted much with the dead high schooler and young woman, he still remembered that they were called My Baby is the Handsomest and Strolling Afar respectively.
Solo Stan suddenly laughed.
“Although we don’t know who the Killer is, it’s ultimately not the woman or the high schooler. There’s no point in staying here and letting the Killer choose between us anymore.”
“Let’s take the initiative and attack!”
“By the way, give the Exorcism Talisman to me.”
“Don’t misunderstand. The effect of this Exorcism Talisman should still only work for you since it belongs to you. I’m taking it to trick the Killer.”
Yi Mo had already read the game rules countless times.
He didn’t say much and expressionlessly gave the Exorcism Talisman to Solo Stan.
Solo Stan carefully untied the red string of the jade pendant around his neck, threaded the Exorcism Talisman onto it, hung it around his neck, and hid it under his T-shirt.
To be honest, because he was quite fat, one could see a bulge on the chest area of his shirt.
If one observed closely.
Solo Stan thought for a moment, held the Guanyin Jade Pendant in his palm to pray for a moment, and then gave the pendant to Yi Mo.
Yi Mo asked, “Aren’t you keeping it for yourself?” Solo Stan said, “Someone like me feels uneasy if I don’t give something back after taking someone else’s thing.”
“I’ve already untied this pendant that I’ve worn for over ten years. I guess it probably won’t protect me anymore, so I might as well give this blessing to you.”
“Keep it. It’s only worth a few hundred bucks; it’s not expensive.”
Seeing that Solo Stan had put it that way, Yi Mo didn’t refuse further.
He took the Guanyin pendant and placed it in the small pocket on the chest of his shirt.
“If you feel bad, why don’t you give me that T-shirt of yours instead?”
Solo Stan’s eyes lit up, and he patted Yi Mo’s shoulder.
“Good lad, you have an eye for quality!”
“Sorry, even though I enjoy talking to you, this is my faith and my waifu. I can’t give it to you!”
Yi Mo made a gagging face and looked at him.
“Brother, you’re hopeless!”
“Hahaha!”
Solo Stan gave Yi Mo a thumbs-up, looking quite proud of himself.
“Let’s go and meet that Killer.”
“By the way, if you’re the one who lives, remember to give Shuichixing a follow after you get out.”
“Watching her is pretty good for stress relief when you’re tired.”
Solo Stan, who had already stood up, had his back to Yi Mo, and his tone carried a hint of sentimentality.
“Yeah, don’t worry… Your chances of surviving are better than mine.”
Yi Mo used the transparent plastic rope he had found in the room earlier to tie his slippers tightly to his feet, making it easier to run.
He looked up at Solo Stan’s broad back.
“By the way, is that SR Card of yours powerful?”
Solo Stan paused.
He didn’t turn around, but he shook his head and sighed.
“Heh, just like the claim that I’ve participated in over ten games, that was a lie I told on purpose to recruit people.”
“How could I have the luck to pull an SR Card?”
“It’s just a useless N Card. A deluxe hamburger set. It’s completely useless in this game…”
“Shall we go?”
Yi Mo looked at his tied slippers and didn’t look up, his eyes hidden under his messy bangs.
A moment later, he looked up with a smile.
“Let’s go!”
***
In the pitch-black Mine Tunnel, Twilight dragged a wood-cutting knife.
She looked at Solo Stan and Yi Mo, who were crouching at a corner chatting as if they were waiting, and said nothing as she walked toward them step by step.
Clack… clack…