Eavesdropping

After setting up everything in the second-floor restroom, Zhu Yan activated [Roleplay] and, taking on the appearance of Feng Yaozu, swaggered downstairs.

Tiptoeing silently, he weaved his way through the dense rows of shelves and quickly locked onto the location of Feng Qiang and the others.

Zhu Yan squatted soundlessly behind a shelf, observing their situation through the gaps.

Feng Qiang's face was gloomier than the rest.

The cheerful female voice had thoroughly ignited his fury.

"Player Mission: Hide the fact that you are the heart-and-lung-ripping murderer, steal all supplies from other players, and kill the player in this instance who truly dragged you into the abyss."

What did it mean, the player who truly dragged him into the abyss?

Was someone messing with him?

Who would dare?

He quickly scanned the expressions of everyone around him.

Zhang Ze and Li Ming were deathly pale; their fear and panic didn't seem faked.

Of the other two unnamed middle-aged and elderly men, one had beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead, while the other stood frozen in place, clearly not yet recovered from the shock.

And then there was that honest-looking kid who had survived two instances...

That kid sure ran fast. As soon as they entered the supermarket, he had vanished without a trace.

Thinking of everything that happened on the truck, Feng Qiang gritted his teeth.

Could it be that kid?

But that kid had even told him his ability, and he didn't look like the type to lie.

Li Ming looked at Zhang Ze, then at the others.

He suddenly realized something and immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"I confess, whoever among you is the Boss, don't target me! I'll hand over everything I have in exchange for my life!"

The person's ability was ripping out hearts and lungs; he couldn't fight against that.

Since that was the case, it was better to stall for time.

Where there is life, there is hope.

Afterwards, he could find a way to ask the others for help, discuss a countermeasure, and just kill him!

As he spoke, Li Ming started digging into his pockets.

He placed the [Hall of Mourning] card in the palm of his hand and confessed honestly, "It hasn't been long since I passed the novice instance, and this is my entire net worth. If you don't mind, just take... take it..."

Holy crap.

Zhu Yan was stunned by Li Ming's absurd move, unable to figure out what was going through the man's head.

What the hell was the use of this?

As long as Feng Qiang didn't die, he would ultimately be doomed.

Rather than doing this, he might as well take a gamble, draw a knife, and randomly chop off someone's hands.

Without hands, how could anyone take items?

Li Ming glanced over at the counter, where soldiers were guarding the exit.

Those men in military uniforms looked incredibly formidable.

They would definitely be able to lend a hand, right?

Afraid of being silenced, Li Ming's voice wasn't loud; he spoke with restraint.

However, as soon as these words came out, the other four fell silent.

Feng Qiang took in Li Ming's panicked expression and naturally didn't miss his glance toward those soldiers.

Heh.

Trying to seek help from those soldiers?

A trace of darkness flashed through Feng Qiang's eyes.

"Kid, what are you doing?"

Feng Qiang raised his sleeve, pretending to wipe away cold sweat, and closed Li Ming's hands, making him take his card back.

"Do you really think the murderer is among us old, weak, sick, and disabled folks?"

He moved his pale lips in a forced smile, though there wasn't a hint of mirth in his eyes.

He wouldn't leave a single one of these people alive.

He didn't know who was the one that dragged him into the abyss.

But if he killed them all, he would definitely complete the mission!

"If one of us really was the murderer and had the ability to rip out hearts and lungs, I believe he would have struck long ago."

Feng Qiang lowered his voice.

"How could he have dragged it out until now, giving you the chance to confess?"

Damn.

What a massive load of blame to shift.

Zhu Yan cursed inwardly, resisting the urge to jump up immediately and sarcastically call him daddy.

No, no.

He hadn't had enough fun yet.

Letting Feng Qiang die just like this would be letting him off too easily.

Behind the shelves, Feng Qiang sneered.

He truly had wanted to strike a long time ago.

But he didn't dare make a move right under the noses of those soldiers.

The soldiers chosen to guard the supplies weren't pushovers in terms of their own abilities and levels; they could easily control the situation.

These people basically all had highly aggressive abilities; killing someone from a distance would be a breeze for them!

If he ended up getting killed or caught, the situation would spiral out of his control.

Zhang Ze looked around fearfully, then brought his gaze back to Li Ming and Feng Qiang.

"Then... then what do you mean..."

Feng Qiang's red armband gave off a strong sense of security.

Coupled with his successful performance on the truck earlier, Zhang Ze couldn't help but lean closer to Feng Qiang.

"You mean the murderer is that... that newcomer...?"

Feng Qiang involuntarily looked toward the depths of the supermarket.

The current situation didn't allow him to be arrogant.

His precious son Feng Yaozu's ability hadn't fully developed yet.

He had to lay low.

He was going to secretly kill these people and then, following Zhang Ze's lead, make that young man take the blame!

That guy was going to die anyway.

Dead men tell no tales, right?

"I don't know where he's hiding in the supermarket, but the murderer we're looking for is most likely him."

Feng Qiang lowered his voice, speaking with conviction.

"He revealed his ability so easily; how could he possibly be innocent?"

"And when we came here, he specifically mentioned the death of that resident in Building 15."

"These things don't seem like coincidences."

The other four exchanged glances, all seeing vigilance and agreement in each other's eyes.

"If you deduce it like that, it does make some sense," the elderly man wearing glasses said. "However, I still suggest everyone be as cautious as possible."

Zhang Ze nodded. "If that guy really is the murderer, then he's way too good at acting. Besides, who knows where he's hiding?"

Just thinking about Zhu Yan's words and actions on the truck made Zhang Ze shudder.

Who could have imagined?

Li Ming asked, "If the murderer isn't among us, can we go ask the soldiers for help?"

His face was a bit pale, but it also held the relief of having survived a disaster.

Having a highly trained person tag along would definitely increase the mission completion rate significantly.

Zhang Ze raised his hand in agreement. "Count me in."

The other two older men looked at each other and nodded as well. "That would indeed be safer."

Feng Qiang cursed inwardly.

Damn it, how laughable.

A soldier, huh.

He wasn't afraid of one soldier; he'd kill him all the same!

Feng Qiang's face turned cold.

"Our instance missions should all be the same, right?"

"My... mission is to kill that psychopathic murderer."

Saying this, Li Ming shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"How is that possible? Me?"

Feng Qiang sneered, unconsciously touching the badge on his sleeve again. "Why wouldn't it be possible?"

He would kill these people, one by one.

Anyway, if he managed to kill the right one, that female voice would surely give a prompt.

"We can't all move together in a large group. Let's do this: you two older brothers follow me."

"Li Ming, Zhang Ze, you two young men go explain the situation to those soldiers and see if they can spare one person to come with us."

Kill first.

When questioned later, he would just say he didn't know anything.

After all, this was inside an instance.

Human surveillance cameras couldn't save any footage here.

There was absolutely no need to worry about his crimes being exposed!

"Sure."

The proposal seemed fine, and Zhang Ze agreed readily.

Li Ming waved at the three of them. "Be careful, then. That ability is truly terrifying."

Seeing the two walk away, Feng Qiang smiled at the remaining two, turned around, and led the way toward the supermarket's second floor.

"Let's go. We'll check out the second floor first. I remember that kid running off in this direction."

He actually had no idea where the kid had gone.

However, to reach the second floor, they had to pass through several densely packed aisles of shelves that felt like a maze.

That would be the perfect place to strike!

Zhu Yan immediately stood up and silently slipped behind a few rows of shelves.

Then, adjusting his expression and mimicking Feng Yaozu's gait, he rushed forward recklessly.

"Is anyone there? Fuck, what kind of trash dungeon did I get thrown into this time?"