Chapter 226 - 226 Eighty-three

Words : 1340 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

226: Eighty-three. Investigator Simulation Event Two 226: Eighty-three. Investigator Simulation Event Two Lu Li: “Be wary of the direction the sound is coming from and continue to carefully observe the stone pillar to figure out what this is.” Inner Strength had already been deducted, there must be something to gain. “The cry for help from the ruins sounded peculiar. You were cautious, not rashly approaching to see what was going on but continued to observe the stone pillar. You discovered a section of a vertebra that could not be discerned as human or animal on the black stone pillar and received ‘Progress (10%/100%)’, ‘a trace of information’.” “Discovering that the stone pillar was indeed as rumored, you let out a long sigh of relief. At this point, the cries for help from the ruins became more urgent. Next, you would have to—” Lu Li: “Use the black stone pillar as cover, and approach the cries for help with caution.” “The cries for help from your own kind did not induce you to act hastily. You continued to be cautious, darting between the black stone pillars, nearing the source of the sounds. There, you found a denser cluster of black stone pillars; they stood slanted like a forest of trees in the pitch-dark soil, reaching for the overcast sky.” “You seemed to have spotted something but due to the dense thicket of black stone pillars, you could not observe the specific situation. You plan to—” Lu Li: “Approach even more cautiously while avoiding making any noise, like stepping on pebbles or fragile objects that might mysteriously appear at your feet.” Although Tesla might not use this method to expose Lu Li’s figure, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. “The more desperate the cries for help became, the calmer you were. You stealthily moved to hide behind a black stone pillar. From here, you could observe the situation ahead. Unexpectedly, you saw a monster about to attack a villager lying on the ground. Looking at the villager, you suddenly remembered the information you had gathered in the village— the village chief’s children disappeared half a month ago, and some villagers had seen them on the black land.” “The cries for help snapped you back to reality. You saw the young villager on the ground, seemingly paralyzed by fear, forgetting to move while the monster slowly approached. You decided to—” Lu Li: “Observe for ten seconds.” “You spent ten precious seconds observing the situation. The villager’s screams became sharp and intermittent. Just as you wanted to examine the monster closely, that indescribable sensation enveloped you, ‘A small amount of Inner Strength disappeared’. You updated ‘Progress (25%/100%)’. Next, you had to—” It seemed that Inner Strength was equivalent to Sanity Value and mental state. Lu Li: “Slowly back off and leave this area.” Tesla raised an eyebrow slightly, it was an unexpected response. Unexpected doesn’t mean that nobody chose it; in fact, there were not a few who chose to leave in this simulation test, but Tesla hadn’t expected Lu Li to make that choice. “Perhaps out of fear, perhaps because you realized there was an issue, or perhaps you prioritized completing the event, you ignored this scene and withdrew from the dense stone forest. Shortly after you left, the cries for help in the stone forest abruptly stopped.” Lu Li: “Circumvent that area and continue approaching the ruins.” “‘I’m sorry, but I can’t save you.’ You thought to yourself as you approached the depths of the ruins. The surrounding scenery began to change, the black stone pillars became thicker, taller, and some half-built ones appeared too. Your gaze moved past the pillars, and at the end of your line of sight, a tall and mysterious pitch-black relic clung to the foot of the mountain. You knew that was the destination of your journey.” “But it’s not going to be easy for you to get past because you see many of the monsters you saw earlier roaming in the tall stone forest ahead.” Lu Li: “Avoid them, approach the building from the side.” “You decide not to go through the stone forest and to detour around it instead. But just as you are about to leave, you suddenly feel something charging at you from behind. You turn around and see a villager who was attacked by a monster rushing towards you, with the monster following behind him. At this moment, you must—” Lu Li: “Dodge the attack and create distance.” “You run to the side, dodging the oncoming villager. As you look back, you are shocked by a chilling scene. The monster isn’t chasing the villager; instead, the villager’s legs have merged with the monster’s tail, almost as if he has become a large tail of the monster. You feel terrified, ‘a small amount of inner strength vanishes.’ ” “The villager on the monster’s tail seems to be controlling the monster. They stand where you were just moments before, and the villager, with a fierce look, roars at you: ‘Why are you running! Why didn’t you save me!!!’ Next, you must—” Lu Li: “Reply, ‘You have been dead for many days, and it wasn’t because I left that you died at the hands of a monster.'” “‘You have been dead for many days, and it wasn’t because I left that you died at the hands of a monster,’ you reply, and the madness on the villager’s face gradually subsides. Just when you think you can avoid the fight, his face distorts again, and he screams ‘But you are still a heartless guy, a coward! You chose to ignore the pleas of a pitiful person, you bastard!!!’ The villager and the monster start to approach you, and feeling uneasy, you decide—” Lu Li: “Reply, ‘When you pretended to be alive asking for help, I knew you were already dead.'” “‘When you pretended to be alive asking for help, I knew you were already dead,’ you say to him. ‘What do you mean you knew I was already dead?’ The villager stops moving, his lips quivering, as he asks unwillingly.” Lu Li: “Reply, ‘It means I didn’t save you not because I am heartless but because I realized you were already dead.'” The sentence was somewhat awkward, so Tesla didn’t repeat it, but continued with the story. “The villager does not believe your answer but he doesn’t continue to attack you. Instead, he remains silent, waiting for you to continue speaking. The monsters in the tall stone forest haven’t noticed anything here yet, so you take the chance to do something—” Lu Li: “Have a conversation with him: ‘Before entering the ruins, I visited the village where you lived, and the villagers told me that the headman’s son and daughter disappeared half a month ago, last seen on this pitch-black land. I guess that son would be you.'” “‘It’s me,’ the villager replies with a dim look in his eyes.” Lu Li: “Besides this, I haven’t heard that the village lost anyone else, so after I heard your cries for help, I realized that you were the headman’s son. There is no food in the ruins, yet you survived here for fifteen days. You survived here for fifteen days, getting frightened by a monster to the point of being paralyzed. Yet you loudly cried for help in the stone forest where only monsters lurk.” “With every reason you state, the villager’s expression grows darker. He lowers his head, disheartened, and says: ‘Maybe you’re right... but I still can’t accept it... why did I have to turn into this monstrosity...'” “Just when you think you can avoid a battle, his voice continues: ‘Why didn’t you come earlier, why am I in this monstrous form while you are still alive, why...'” “You faintly sense something is wrong and plan to—”

Chapter 226 - 226 Eighty-three

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