The City of Sinful Mist (Black Death), Chapter 138: Prudently Keeping Out of Trouble

The human spirit is easily influenced. Especially now in Dayun City, where everyone's psyche is like a taut string, ready to snap at any moment.

The laughter was like the final pluck of that string.

*Snap.*

It shattered their reason.

It did not drive them completely insane, but rather triggered directed, criminal desires. It made members of the Locust branch jealous of the Spiders and Mantises; it made squad leaders resent the larger organizations.

Such dislike and jealousy surely existed before, but they had no real impact.

Now, things were different.

"Want to kill someone? Then come with me."

Invisible mental energy flowed into their minds. In a place where psychological vulnerabilities were being severely magnified, the role of a mental ability user like Laughing Face was elevated infinitely.

Normally, interfering with or suggesting ideas to players of his own level would be a troublesome task. But now, all it took was a burst of laughter and a few words.

He could seize control of two Level 6 players.

As for Laughing Face himself, he would certainly never get his hands dirty; he only needed to hide in the shadows.

The mask on his face seemed to be mocking everyone in the world.

The style of these masks could be chosen by the user. Super-level players could create games just like a Demon God, though they were limited to one or two. These games produced many items. The masks, military tallies, and temporary battlefields were all products of the Judge’s game, "The Martial Arena."

They were produced in such vast quantities that almost every member of the Tribunal could have one.

Laughing Face, naturally, had his chosen by him personally. High-level players were gifted silver masks, while super-level players received gold ones.

Within the Tribunal, Luno was known for always having a smile on his face. But clearly, this was not a happy smile—it was a sneer.

A sneer at everyone in this world.

Smart people are often narcissistic and conceited; this is a form of overconfidence. The reason is usually that the people they encounter are clearly weaker than themselves, making it easy to develop the habit of looking down on opponents.

Wu Hui was lucky; he had always been surrounded by companions or rivals like Du Ziming and Ren Yin. So, while he was a bit narcissistic, his claims of being handsome and clever were simply facts. It was not true conceit. Both he and Ren Yin were of the cautious type, though their internal temperaments differed.

Facing Guan Shanting, who had come to them for help, the two maintained a wait-and-see attitude, even with Orb-Weaver vouching for him. They seemed rather skeptical of his credibility.

Guan Shanting’s current state was indeed poor; he looked as if he might go mad at any moment, just like the others in the city.

He had been on the front lines fighting criminals, and even with a firm will, it was hard to avoid severe psychological erosion. Now, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Naturally, they would not linger where Liu An had died. Wu Hui had backup lodgings, but for now, they went with Orb-Weaver to an office building under the banner of the Cocoon Company.

Despite their internal suspicions, neither Wu Hui nor Ren Yin voiced them, choosing instead to observe from the sidelines.

Guan Shanting, sitting quietly to the side clutching his blade, looked restless and anxious. Their time was indeed limited; perhaps only one person remained, but that person was incredibly difficult to find.

"There must have been a mole among those left behind at the Tribunal. A Level 6 player is indeed the most suspicious," Ren Yin acknowledged the hypothesis Guan Shanting had brought from Gao Cheng and the others.

Orb-Weaver said, "I checked the records. The Level 6 who remained at headquarters was..."

"Ghost Face Yang Shan."

Wu Hui adjusted his glasses. "Is there any possibility that the records were tampered with?"

Guan Shanting replied, "Theoretically, it’s difficult. But not impossible."

"Then I suggest investigating every Level 6 player other than Gao Cheng and Liao Yuan," Wu Hui said. "Those who can still be contacted and are maintaining order can be considered lower-priority suspects. If there are those whose whereabouts are uncertain, they should be the primary targets."

"We cannot rule out the influence of special abilities like clones or decoys," Orb-Weaver added.

"I know, that’s why I said lower priority, not excluded," Wu Hui nodded.

They discussed the matter and finalized their course of action. Wu Hui refused to participate in the specific operation, citing the fact that he and Ren Yin were only Level 4 and too weak.

Setting aside Ren Yin for a moment, Wu Hui was certainly not willing to risk his life for the people of this city. His life was too precious.

It could be said that those willing to risk their lives are heroes, but there is nothing wrong with playing it safe.

In this regard, Wu Hui was just an ordinary person.

He would take risks, but only for profit or to preserve his own life. The girls around him or his close friends could also prompt Wu Hui to take a risk. If it were convenient, he was also willing to help others.

But from his first game, he had learned the survival rules of the player world.

Stepping forward to sacrifice oneself for the majority was futile and meaningless. Only by calmly preserving oneself could one achieve the most.

"I’m leaving." Guan Shanting suppressed the strange thoughts deep within his mind and turned to leave.

There wasn't much he could actually do, but he had to do it. Orb-Weaver walked directly into the shadows and vanished; he had to arrange for people to root out the final player.

Wu Hui and Ren Yin remained seated, not moving.

"The second residence we prepared, we only considered security, not comfort, right?" Ren Yin asked.

"That's right," Wu Hui nodded. When that residence needed to be used, things were usually already very dangerous, so comfort had to take a backseat. The twins were currently staying there.

They probably had about five minutes left before entering their next game.

To Wu Hui and Ren Yin, it might feel like only an instant, but inside the game, hours or even days would pass. They might even return injured.

In the worst-case scenario, one or both might die.

That was why the twins had proactively expressed their feelings to Wu Hui earlier. As for whether it was about exclusive possession, that hardly mattered in the face of life and death.

Players like them were constantly facing the test of death. No one knew if they would survive their next game. Preserving their lives already consumed all their energy.

But look at this city.

Ordinary people were also falling like blades of grass in the wind.

Many wanted to save their own lives, but very few could. When order existed, everyone was protected; as order collapsed bit by bit and chaos descended, only the strong could protect themselves and those around them.

Even someone like the Judge chose to preserve himself before saving others, let alone Wu Hui.

His survival held a more significant purpose.

Wu Hui and Ren Yin left and headed to their prepared safe house. They watched as Li Xiaojing and Li Xiaoyue entered the game.

This game didn't seem to be one of those "long time inside, instant outside" settings; once the two disappeared, they did not reappear—if they had died, their bodies would have appeared before them.

"I hope they have good luck," Ren Yin wished sincerely, seemingly having completely suppressed the desires stirred up by the black fog.