Chapter 230: Frog Hospital (22) One Thousand Tadpoles

At Green Frog Hospital, Lin Chen and the Female Teacher stood in a corner, holding their breath as they watched the female ghost and the frogs battle it out.

The deafening croaks and cries grew louder and louder, then gradually thinned out after reaching a certain peak, the reverberation softening from its initial ear-splitting roar to a quiet murmur.

Lin Chen pretended to be oblivious, secretly observing the Female Teacher’s movements, while also pricking up his ears to listen to the commotion from Qi Si’s side.

He heard that Qi Si first feigned betrayal of Lu Zimo, then ambushed and killed Huang Xiaofei.

Assuming that Huang Xiaofei was an evil person like Yu Kun, Lin Chen was happy for the success of Qi Si’s plan.

But a voice in his subconscious tirelessly reminded him that there were many suspicious points in this matter.

Qi Si’s performance was too smooth, making it hard not to suspect if he was accustomed to deceiving people.

His killing method was also too skilled, likely having been performed multiple times in various instances.

Lin Chen couldn’t help but begin to doubt how much of what Qi Si said was true and how much was false. Could everything shown in Rose Manor also be a persona fabricated for deception?

But if some things really couldn’t be seen by others, why would Qi Si let him know about them?

Just as Lin Chen was racking his brains, he realized the consciousness connection had broken, and the Female Teacher beside him was carefully scrutinizing his face.

“Lin Chen, have you joined a guild?” the Female Teacher asked indifferently, adjusting her glasses.

Lin Chen shook his head: “Not yet. I’ve been running around exhausted this past month, haha, I haven’t had time to pay attention to that.”

The Female Teacher nodded slightly, her light gray eyes still focused on Lin Chen’s face: “I originally wanted to invite you to join my guild, but now there’s a more economical choice for you.

“The ‘Door’ has opened, and the ‘Tower’ won’t be far behind. If there’s a ‘Card,’ it’s better to form a new force from scratch.”

What on earth was all this? Riddle-tellers aren’t popular these days… Lin Chen was utterly confused and mumbled, “Ah.”

Just as he was about to ask, the Female Teacher shifted her gaze to the now calm pond water: “You go into the pond, I’ll stay on the bank to provide support.”

…”You go into the pond, I’ll stay on the bank to provide support.”

At Blue Frog Hospital, Qi Si looked down at the bloody pond water for a moment, then turned to Sun Dekuan and said.

Sun Dekuan naturally had no objections, nodding repeatedly, and jumped into the pond in a few quick steps, splashing water half a person high, as if afraid Qi Si wouldn’t see his eager cooperation.

On one hand, he didn’t dare appear too useless; on the other hand, he didn’t dare be too conspicuous, lest Qi Si casually deal with him.

Searching for a passage in the pond was the best way out, at least to keep a distance from the dangerous person and let everyone calm down.

Sun Dekuan hadn’t had time to take off his shoes and pants, and now his whole body was soaked, clinging wetly to him, making him feel several pounds heavier.

He awkwardly bent down, reaching his hand into the water to grope around, but then heard the young man on the bank suddenly say, “Start searching from under the Statue of the Virgin.”

…Lin Chen took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and stepped into the icy pond, his heels immediately sinking into the soft, wet mud.

Scattered clumps of large and small grease floated on the crimson pond water, reflecting purple or pink hues under the cold moonlight, and frog limbs drifted across the surface like scattered flowers, with a few frog legs still twitching slightly.

The water surface trembled, disturbed by the person entering, and with it, a pond full of minced meat wriggled and swam around, dispersing and gathering.

The viscous, impurity-filled liquid sucked at his skin. Lin Chen bent down, gritting his teeth as he plunged his arm into the water, meticulously feeling inch by inch from the edge of the pond.

Leaving the Female Teacher on the bank and exploring the pond himself was also Lin Chen’s initial thought.

Firstly, searching for the passage was Qi Si’s suggestion, and he wouldn’t feel at ease unless he did it himself.

Secondly, the pond was filled with all sorts of filth, and it wasn’t really appropriate for a girl to go into the water.

But when the Female Teacher stated this division of labor in an arranged tone, with an attitude that brooked no discussion or refusal, it still made him feel very uncomfortable.

“Lin Chen, you search from the outside in, and we’ll search from the inside out. That way, we can save some time,” Qi Si’s calm voice rang out.

Lin Chen replied in his heart: “No problem!”

…”There’s nothing there at all! The entire pond bottom is flat, I can’t find anything!”

The moon had already set in the west, and the eastern horizon was tinged with a deathly gray, gradually spreading across the entire sky.

Sun Dekuan searched in circles starting from the Statue of the Virgin, and straightened up after reaching the pond’s edge.

He was covered in blood, his clothes clinging wetly to his flesh, and his hair was drenched with sweat, sticking to his cheeks.

He panted heavily, and, afraid Qi Si wouldn’t believe him, he gesticulated frantically: “Brother Cheng, I really touched every inch of the ground, there isn’t even a crack!”

“No, I didn’t find anything,” Lin Chen said breathlessly, looking at the Female Teacher.

The Female Teacher gazed at the stone platform in the center of the pond and said, “Go try to move the Statue of the Holy Child.”

The Statue of the Holy Child?

Lin Chen turned to look back; the baby statue on the stone platform in the center of the pond lay facing the sky, its shadow perfectly covering a small area.

He walked over… “The Statue of the Virgin cannot be moved by our strength, and damaging it might lead to bad results. We’ll have to see what Lin Chen finds.”

At Blue Frog Hospital, Qi Si paid attention to Lin Chen’s movements, then smiled at Sun Dekuan: “Come up, the pond is cold.”

You knew that?

Sun Dekuan complained wildly in his heart, but dared not show any dissatisfaction.

He scrambled out of the pond, and large puddles of water immediately appeared on the stone platform and the ground, roughly outlining a human figure.

The smell of blood dissipated in the wind. Sun Dekuan breathed heavily, supporting himself with his hands to stand up, water still dripping from the hem of his clothes.

A cold wind blew, and he couldn’t help but shiver… “It can be moved.”

At Green Frog Hospital, Lin Chen wrapped his arms around the pure white infant stone statue, lifted it, and successfully separated the statue’s base from the stone platform below.

Scattered fragments of stone lay on the platform, which, once brushed away, revealed a flat surface.

Lin Chen tentatively tapped the stone platform twice, and a dull “thump-thump” echoed in the silence.

The stone platform was solid, with no hidden passage.

“No, there’s no passage in the pond,” Lin Chen said unequivocally.

How could there be none?

There were no other visible exits in the hospital, and the only main gate led directly to the pond… The pond contained both blue frogs and green frogs, clearly indicating that one type of frog came from outside… Frogs don’t have strong migratory abilities, so the passage must be nearby… All these clues were so clear, yet why couldn’t they find the passage?

Was something wrong, or was the form of the passage different from what the players expected?

“We still lack some key clues. We have one more day today; we can go check the director’s office.”

Qi Si remained calm and turned to walk towards Lu Zimo.

The main quest had changed, but it didn’t affect the part of the plan related to the side quest.

Ever since getting Lu Zimo’s note, Qi Si had been thinking about how to maximize his profits.

First, Lu Zimo definitely couldn’t be kept alive.

Having acted alone for a whole day, he likely possessed unique information and had a significant chance of betrayal. Such a person would be a huge trouble and hidden danger under any circumstances.

The potential benefits he might bring were far less than the risks he posed. In a game of trust-thin gambles, any hint of doubt was enough to condemn a partner to death.

Secondly, keeping Huang Xiaofei was also of no benefit.

The rewards for clearing a instance were personalized; each player received different items. After learning that each instance would award an MVP in the Ruins of the Sunset, Qi Si vaguely suspected that the quality of reward items was linked to a player’s performance score ranking.

From the rookie rank’s ranking rules, it could be inferred that the Eerie Game valued combat power more than intelligence. Although he rationally felt that Huang Xiaofei’s overall strength wasn’t too strong, Qi Si still believed it was necessary to seize the opportunity to eliminate potential competitors.

Similarly, the Female Teacher described by Lin Chen also needed to be eliminated; of course, that was a matter for later.

Finally, there was the perennial issue of “numerical advantage” in the Eerie Game.

Players’ physical strength couldn’t achieve a qualitative leap through the game; they could only arm themselves with items. This meant that, with the exception of bugs like Chang Xu, most players’ combat power had limits and could be ambushed or overwhelmed by numbers… Initially, Qi Si hadn’t intended to kill Huang Xiaofei and Lu Zimo largely because he thought they were a tacitly coordinated duo, possessing a significant numerical advantage.

But now, since they had dug their own graves and created discord, there was nothing to fear. Qi Si was happy to kick them while they were down, and then reap the benefits after they both suffered losses.

Lu Zimo writhed on the ground for a long time, rolling himself in bits of dirt, but still couldn’t break free from the chains.

He could only give up struggling, kneeling dejectedly on the ground, coldly watching Qi Si approach.

Qi Si squatted down, removed the towel from his mouth, and tossed it to the ground.

Lu Zimo gasped for breath and threatened, word by word: “Cheng An, if you let me go now, I can pretend this never happened.

Otherwise, once we leave the instance, I will definitely post you on the forums, and no matter how eloquent you are, you’ll just be a rat crossing the street that everyone shouts at.”

Qi Si tilted his head: “Who uses their real name if they’re a serious person?”

“I can draw. Half an hour is enough for me to sketch your face and post it on the forums.”

Qi Si scoffed: “Who uses their own face if they’re a serious person?”

Lu Zimo: “…”

He saw a Candy Jar full of tadpoles appear in Qi Si’s hand, and a bad premonition arose in his heart: “Cheng An, what do you want to do?”

“Didn’t I say before, I’m using you to test things out and clear the way?” Qi Si sighed, as if regretting Lu Zimo’s memory.

His tone was matter-of-fact: “Anyway, you’ve already eaten so many tadpoles, a few hundred more won’t make a difference.”

Lu Zimo finally understood what Qi Si was going to do and struggled violently, writhing and rolling on the ground like a maggot.

Sun Dekuan was drawn by the commotion and, regardless of his still-wet clothes, scurried over.

He looked at Qi Si, then at Lu Zimo, with a look of unbearable pity: “Eating hundreds of tadpoles at once, isn’t that a bit much? Lu Zimo’s failure rate is already 60%; this will probably make it skyrocket to 80%, right?”

Qi Si turned his head to look at him, his dark red eyes and the crimson pendulum reflecting a faint light: “He can’t eat that many, so how about you help him share some?”

Sun Dekuan was startled and immediately turned his back to the two: “Uh… my stomach isn’t good, eating random things gives me diarrhea… You two keep up the good work!”

Lu Zimo fell into despair, watching helplessly as Qi Si unhurriedly unscrewed the lid of the Candy Jar, grabbed a handful of tadpoles, and brought them to his mouth.

The freshly retrieved tadpoles still carried a muddy, fishy smell, and the sticky liquid brushed against Lu Zimo’s face. He instinctively turned his head away.

However, Qi Si pinched his chin, forced his head back, and maintained his innocent, pure smile: “Eat it, or I’ll kill you.”

The bloody pendulum flew out from his sleeve, its sharp bob aimed at Lu Zimo’s temple. The throbbing vein on his forehead could almost feel the chill coming from its proximity.

Lu Zimo had no doubt that if he showed any more uncooperative attitude, Qi Si, that sadist, would most likely make him die a terrible death.

He shrank his neck and quickly opened his mouth, allowing Qi Si to toss a handful of tadpoles inside.

He still harbored a trace of unrealistic hope, such as holding the tadpoles in his mouth first, then quietly spitting them out when Qi Si wasn’t paying attention… Who knew that in the next second, Qi Si grabbed his chin and yanked it up, while his other hand pressed against his throat, rubbing it lightly then heavily.

His throat felt sore, and he instinctively swallowed his saliva, along with the mouthful of tadpoles.

Before he could react, Qi Si grabbed another handful of tadpoles and repeated the process.

Only after finishing the entire jar of tadpoles did Qi Si reconnect his consciousness and ask Lin Chen: “How’s your mission progress?”

From a certain point, Lin Chen noticed that the progress of the “One Thousand Tadpoles” quest was skyrocketing, guessing that Qi Si had made a move.

At this moment, looking at the 【Current Quest Completed】 prompt on the system interface, he answered nervously: “The quest to make someone eat a thousand tadpoles is complete. Qi… Brother Qi, what did you do over there?”

His subtext clearly indicated concern that Qi Si had harmed some unlucky player.

“What are you thinking? I’m human too, aren’t I?” Qi Si clicked his tongue lightly and cut off the consciousness connection again.

He put away the Cursed Pendulum, released Lu Zimo, and stepped aside.

Lu Zimo, pale-faced, glared at Qi Si with cold eyes: “Do you really think I can’t do anything to you just because I don’t know your real name and face? Skills are unique; as long as you dare to use the Soul Contract skill in the future, you will definitely be exposed…”

Qi Si tapped his chin with a clean hand, his expression a half-smile: “If you’re quiet, I might spare your life.”

Lu Zimo immediately shut his mouth.

Qi Si walked towards Huang Xiaofei’s corpse, grabbed her hand, and felt along each knuckle, finally finding an invisible ring on her right pinky finger.

Qi Si slipped off the ring.

After leaving her finger, the ring’s invisibility dissolved, revealing a crimson color in Qi Si’s palm.

It didn’t belong to Jiuzhou, nor to Sera.

Qi Si looked at Lu Zimo: “Where did it come from?”

Lu Zimo was silent for a moment, then said: “My sister snatched it from a Sera member and modified it with an Item Appearance Modification Voucher.”

“When?”

“About a month ago, probably March 9th.”

“So much time has passed, and Sera’s people haven’t looked for you?”

“I don’t know.”

The sky was already bright, and the Pocket Watch of Fate’s hand swept past the number 6.

It was six in the morning.

All the blood on Sun Dekuan disappeared, and his clothes, aside from being a bit wrinkled, largely returned to neatness.

He stood far away, watching Qi Si with wary eyes, neither daring to approach nor retreat.

Qi Si casually stuffed the towel back into Lu Zimo’s mouth, and as he stood up, he caught the fear in the tool man’s eyes.

He just smiled indifferently: “Sun Dekuan, take Lu Zimo, let’s go back to the ward.”

“O-okay!” Sun Dekuan reluctantly walked to Qi Si’s side, bent down to help Lu Zimo up, and carried him on his back.

Qi Si led the way, with Sun Dekuan following behind. The two walked along the path they came from, heading towards the hospital building.

Behind them, frogs croaked loudly.