Chapter 228: Sudden Changes

Words : 1466 Updated : Oct 4th, 2025

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Sudden Changes"It’s not that I saw through you, you brought this on yourself," Xu Huo tossed a piece of bread to her, "stick to vegetarian for these two days." Ni Tian had no choice but to pick up the bread and swallow it under his cold gaze. After eating, Xu Huo took off his coat, lay down, and closed his eyes to rest. Octopus Card Bear’s words obviously carried some uncertainty; not seeing what the monster looked like might be true, but it was unclear who the monster was after. Deng Yu had disappeared, and it was unknown who first damaged the painting between the two of them. Regardless of who it was, damage to the paintings or an attempt to do so would definitely invite the monster’s retaliation. This fit the identity set for them by the scenario; they were there to authenticate the artworks, and protecting the pieces was a necessary precondition. This meant that it was impossible to create fakes by altering the paintings. The scenario introduction had also made it clear that the curator would close the gallery only after confirming that all the paintings were authentic. Therefore, there should have been no fakes in the gallery at the start of the scenario. Thus, the appearance of forgeries needed a separate catalyst. He thought of "The Time of Stillness". Yesterday, when he picked up the painting, the eyes of the person in the painting moved. From a certain perspective, a "live" painting could also be considered a forgery, and the paintings had come to life only after the players entered the gallery. There must have been more than one live painting that he saw; whether the portrait of the old woman was damaged by Deng Yu, as Big Bear said, or by someone else, it might be due to them witnessing movement in the painting, which is hard to dismiss as merely a careless slip of the hand. If forgeries appeared after they entered the gallery and couldn’t be obtained during the day, what remained was related to time. If a player saw a moving painting during the day, it would be normal to choose the cover of night to try their luck, away from the other players’ view. Deng Yu had disappeared; he could have been killed or might have completed a task and left the scenario. If it was the latter, the forgeries were most likely obtainable only at night. Moreover, the difficulty of retrieving the painting while avoiding the roaming monsters fit the game’s demands. However, Xu Huo didn’t plan to test the live paintings for the time being, firstly, because their authenticity couldn’t be determined, and secondly, because Deng Yu’s disappearance was a bit strange. "Brother Xu!" Fan Shiji knocked and entered, beaming, "Do you have enough to eat? I’ve got some jerky in my room, do you want some?" Xu Huo opened his eyes and stared at him before getting up and inviting him in. "Brother Xu," Fan Shiji said with a wry smile, "that monster will definitely come looking for me tonight. My evolution rate isn’t high, and I don’t have many items. Can I stay in your room tonight?" Xu Huo didn’t speak. He continued, "I know I’m asking for a lot, and I came to you because I truly had no other choice. At least, you have two players here..." "Even if he agrees, I don’t!" Ni Tian, who had left for a while and now returned, appeared at the doorway, "Aren’t you just dragging us both into trouble?" "Big Bear was fine last night," Fan Shiji said, "which shows the gallery’s monsters won’t attack others besides those who damage the paintings. You just have to buy me some time, give me a chance to escape!" Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I can give you potions and items, anything I can get my hands on for you!" Ni Tian was somewhat swayed and looked towards Xu Huo. But Xu Huo said, "How long can two Level E players really hold off? Lights out at nine, and they won’t be back on until seven in the morning. That monster won’t stop until it kills someone. With the gallery so large, can you really run all night?" Fan Shiji, frustrated, grabbed his hair, "Then what should I do? I can’t fight it, and I can’t escape. Do I just wait to die?" "It’s the same method I mentioned earlier," said Xu Huo. "There may not be fake paintings in the art gallery during the day, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any at night." "If you can find the fake painting before the monster chases you down, you might get through this." Fan Shiji was on the verge of despair, "With so many paintings, where would I have the time to search?" But Xu Huo shook his head, "Why would the monster want to kill those who damage the paintings? It must be against the game rules. If players can’t break the rules, why should the monster be allowed to?" A light shone in Fan Shiji’s eyes, "You’re right, as long as I escape the room and get to the exhibition hall first, I have a chance to win!" "Brother Xu, thank you," he said, leaving a potion behind as he left. "Is that all he’s taking into account?" Ni Tian struggled to comprehend. "Even if he escapes to the exhibit hall, there’s no guarantee he’ll get away from the monster." "By that time, other players will also be out looking for paintings; what’s his hurry?" Xu Huo said indifferently. There would surely be those who muddied the waters, which wasn’t only an opportunity for the other players but also for Fan Shiji. Ni Tian let out an "Oh." Having found nothing during the day, the players set their sights on the night. Since no fake paintings were found by daylight, they had no choice but to search at night. The timing of the search was crucial too—they had to wait until the monster came over to attack Fan Shiji. Fan Shiji persuaded Pan Siming to switch to the first room on the left, and Big Bear, not daring to stay in the room from the previous night, suggested they swap rooms together. However, Pan Siming didn’t agree, instead choosing the innermost room by himself. As a result, the arrangement of the rooms on the left side became Fan Shiji in the first, the second and third rooms empty, Yu Huanhuan and Lu Gang unchanged in the fourth, Pan Siming in the corner fifth room, and Big Bear in the sixth. "Let’s hope the monster only recognizes the room, not the person," Xie Man said as she watched the shifting around. The brooding man then turned and said, "Get some rest now, we’ve got a busy night ahead of us." The rest of the players returned to their rooms. At nine o’clock sharp when the lights went out, Xu Huo woke the Girl in the painting, turned his back to Ni Tian, and let her slip out through the crack under the door. Before long, the sounds of hard objects scraping against the floor echoed from the exhibition hall, just like the previous night, quickly moving towards the mural wall before turning to the left. However, the sound didn’t stop at the first room but continued inward. All the players were attentively listening to the noises, confused about the unexpected change, but the subsequent knocking on the door made it all clear. With Pan Siming being right next to Octopus Card Bear’s room, the knocking was especially distinct, and he immediately realized that Octopus Card Bear had lied—the monster hadn’t been after Deng Yu the night before, but him! But just then, the wall by his side was suddenly broken through, and as Big Bear burst into his room, he caught sight of the door panel being kicked flying by the monster! Pan Siming didn’t hesitate, he bolted out of the door, with Big Bear close on his heels! The monster that had just entered Big Bear’s room turned back and followed them. They had barely run a few meters when they felt a cold draft sweep across their backs. Instinctively, they crouched down and looked up just in time to see the mural across the corridor slashed open! Pan Siming, who was in front, rounded a corner immediately, while Big Bear, slightly behind, only heard the sound of a door opening and closing up ahead. By the time he made it out, all the doors were firmly shut. Not daring to take sanctuary in an empty room, he made a dash for the exhibition hall!

Chapter 228: Sudden Changes

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