Chapter 18: Deceiving the Ghost

As the voice fell, the images in the memory began to distort. The entire hospital also trembled slightly.

Bai Wu guessed that perhaps Little Pitiful's emotions were fluctuating?

But Bai Wu wasn't worried about being broken by a single sentence; the pain Evil Fallen had endured was far more dreadful than mere words.

"Why did you choose the comb?"

Unlike the mix of many voices heard before, upon entering the memory and seeing Little Pitiful in the red dress, her voice always remained that of a young girl's.

"It was just intuition. The key might be the key to the cage that locks you up, and the files record all the cruel things done to you by the hospital staff. They would bring back unpleasant memories."

Bai Wu told a lie.

Of course, he knew the key had nothing to do with that cage. The key was very likely an item needed in Building 4.

But in that moment, it wasn't necessary to show how clever he was, but rather to show his views on Evil Fallen.

"Of course, it's not just by elimination. The comb isn't a torture device, and its material can't hurt you. Against the backdrop of littered syringes, the wall-mounted cameras, the sturdy cages and chains, the comb seems out of place here. By comparison... it's existence is too gentle, maybe it never belonged in that room to begin with."

When Lin Wurou hurried Bai Wu to leave the room, his initial intention was to choose an item that would allow him to obtain the Sequence.

The most likely item was the key, and Bai Wu had indeed planned to take the key.

He didn't doubt the content of the notes; Evil Fallen's favor, Talent Sequence, and loathing—amongst these, the Talent Sequence should have been the most useful to him.

But just at the moment of making a choice, years of gaming intuition and caution suddenly made Bai Wu realize that the best outcome wasn't necessarily the safest one...

Some things, you may have the life to take but not the life to enjoy.

The remarks didn't mention that his life would be in danger, but if he didn't win the great boss's favor, maybe his teammates would also be in danger.

In the end, Bai Wu chose the comb.

He recalled the content mentioned in the notes in the underground passage; things that can't be seen can't be analyzed, and naturally, things that don't exist cannot be analyzed either.

This comb... could just be a tangible form of resentment.

"Maybe when you were very small, you once had someone you loved the most, who would gently comb your hair, speak softly to you, treat you with extreme care, and love you. When people encounter things that are inevitable and cannot be resisted, they tend to recall those relatively beautiful things in their memories."

The world within the memory distorted again, and Little Pitiful was clearly moved by these words.

"So I was thinking, maybe this symbolizes an obsession of yours. I don't know what you've been through, but I can feel from the previous medical records that it must have been an inhuman torture."

"At that time, you must have been desperate... You were longing for that person who brushed your hair, but she never appeared. There's no such person in this hospital; there are only monsters, and humans who are crueler than monsters…"

Bai Wu wasn't sure if he could keep talking his way through...

But since Elijah had rationality and used it to suppress the urge to attack, maybe Little Pitiful also had rationality.

"You're lying..."

It was the same sentence, but the tone had changed markedly.

Bai Wu's face was expressionless:

"Lying? You think that all I want is to survive, that I instinctively fear you, and that everything I just said is made up, correct? Humanity's attitude towards Evil Fallen couldn't possibly be like mine."

Little Pitiful was somewhat surprised; this human seemed to know her thoughts.

The world inside the memory gradually stabilized.

Bai Wu continued his strategy:

"I'm not afraid of you, nor do I dislike you. The reason I came here wasn't to kill you, but to investigate the truth about some past events. You can feel that I have no fear at all."

Having not witnessed the tragic history of the war between humans and the Evil Fallen over seven hundred years, and not having been indoctrinated with the concept from childhood that Evil Fallen are unforgivable, Bai Wu came from another reality, so at least in one respect he was sincere—

He did not loathe Evil Fallen. On the contrary, he had a strong interest in them.

"My name is Bai Wu. You may not know that we humans have moved into the tower; it is difficult for us to survive outside the tower. And not long ago, I was also thrown out of the tower, where the temperature once reached seventy degrees... I almost died; maybe if I had died, I would have been just like you."

Of course not.

Bai Wu was very clear that outside the tower, it was an exaggeration to say he almost died.

Even if he had died, with no negative emotions, he probably would have just become a roast meal for some Evil Fallen.

But this piece of the conversation was still necessary.

This is a technique often used in communication and persuasion. First, make it clear that you understand the other person's situation, and then express that you have been through a similar experience. It's best if these experiences were caused by the same enemy.

Sure enough, the rational Little Pitiful slowly approached Bai Wu.

Bai Wu couldn't move, so he kept trying to get Little Pitiful within his line of sight.

Now he could see her face.

She was probably a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with long hair and wearing a red dress that enveloped her petite frame. Her face wasn't particularly beautiful, but it gave off the feeling of the girl next door.

Only on her neck, there was a Cursed Rune similar to the one on Elijah.

Looking at the Cursed Rune, Bai Wu suddenly had another question...

"If you think I'm like the others and want to kill me, I can't resist, but at least let me die with some understanding. Can I ask you some questions?"

"I am called Hong Yin." Little Pitiful revealed her name.

She's starting to believe me... at least she won't kill me right away.

"What's the deal with the Cursed Rune on your neck? I saw someone with the same Cursed Rune in the second building."

Hong Yin looked at Bai Wu curiously; her eyes were much more expressive than Elijah's, which even gave Bai Wu the illusion—

Could it be that the transformations of Evil Fallen are actually about people turning into monsters, and ultimately returning to their original nature, turning back into humans?

The higher the level of Evil Fallen, the more they resemble humans?

But very soon, Bai Wu knew how ridiculously wrong he was with this thought.

"Do you want to know why I didn't kill him? Do you also want to know what happened to the others?"

He naturally meant Elijah, while the others included doctors and those test subjects.

Bai Wu blinked.

There are too many mysteries in this hospital, and up until now, he had found four puzzles.

But he hadn't found a single answer.

"You will fear me, and I will prove that everything you've said is false, that you're deceiving me. You're not afraid of me only because you haven't seen the real me!"

Hong Yin glared fiercely at Bai Wu. Only, that girl-next-door face really couldn't express enough venom.

Bai Wu also knew that the real show was definitely Hong Yin's own memory.

Actually, those medical records, where the Evil Fallen were differentiated as A, B, C, D, without even having names, all of their experiences were very painful.

It wasn't just about enduring the physical pain brought about by the serum, enduring the agony of bodily transformations; there was also all sorts of despair on a mental level.

However, Bai Wu couldn't empathize, couldn't feel their pain as his own.

If it were someone else, they might have gone mad by now.

"Then let's perform a check. If you're right, then I'm not worth keeping alive, am I?"

Doubt flashed again in Hong Yin's eyes and, after a few seconds, the images in the Evil Fallen's memory changed once more.

The blinding light made Bai Wu instinctively close his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was back in that room on the eleventh floor of the first building.

Cages, chains, syringes, monitors.

All these cold instruments exuded a red aura, and the objects on the table had changed.

Gone were the files, keys, and comb, leaving only one medical record.

That caused Bai Wu a bit of regret.

Returning here didn't mean reloading a previous save. The plots related to the other two items were now unattainable.

Files and medical records aren't the same thing. But there was still something gained.

Among the four puzzles, the part about Little Pitiful might just lie within it.

Picking up the medical record, Bai Wu didn't hesitate and flipped it open.

From that moment on, he heard countless wails in his ears.

(There will be more tonight, but I have a dinner party, so the second update will be late.)