Chapter Four: Evidence Collection Stage

The other person didn't speak, keeping the blade pressed against him.

"If you're going to kill someone, better be decisive and cut right here," Su Ming'an pointed to his own neck and then pressed the perpetrator's dagger, noticing the other trembling noticeably, he smiled, "—You see, hesitating to kill only gives chances."

He let go, and the sharp part near the neck had already been turned into nothingness by the Condensation skill.

Lv.1 Condensation was still too mana-consuming. Just that brief act had drained the blue bar in his vision.

But the other person remained pressed against him, their legs tightly clamping down on his, not letting go even though they had lost the means to kill him.

Su Ming'an's eyes adapted to the dark, searching for the opponent's head and neck to possibly use Condensation to strike a lethal blow.

But just then, a harsh electrical "crackle—" sound suddenly came from the side.

The wall-screen lit up, becoming the sole source of light in the place.

The screen showed a news anchor reporting the news in a weird tone of green, even the anchor's face shone with a paint-like green glow.

"Last year's unknown disease raging in Henggang City has been effectively controlled this year. According to the Observation, elements in fungal products can help prevent the disease effectively. Major hospitals have started producing vaccines from fungal extracts…"

The news anchor articulated clearly, and the background displayed busy doctors in white coats. Su Ming'an was temporarily certain that this world's setting was in Dragon Country, intently watching it, when suddenly he heard a voice from above.

"—How long are you going to watch TV?"

Su Ming'an shifted his gaze from the TV and saw the appearance of the woman on top of him. She had beautiful phoenix eyes, extremely bright, with a tidy long ponytail on her shoulders, strands of hair framing her pale skin.

...She was the white-collar who had suddenly left the team.

Striking him out of nowhere, perhaps out of her cautious nature.

But he remembered the killing intent she had shown.

He could choose to strike her now, directly killing her, but he noticed this was an escape-room type setting, and having one more decoy could mean a better chance at survival for himself.

Su Ming'an looked at her, "Unless you get off me first."

"…" The woman paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that the dagger in her hand had dissipated into nothing.

She shifted awkwardly, her eyes growing more vigilant.

Su Ming'an stood up, his attention consistently on the news until now.

"Residents are advised to maintain personal hygiene and avoid large gatherings as much as possible... we will... please believe... the government will definitely... "

Suddenly, the screen flashed with static.

The harsh crackling sound grew louder, and then, the anchor's voice started to break up, his ordinary face slowly morphing into a mosaic, features twisting and distorting into something quite frightening, until finally, the screen flickered out, everything returning to silence.

In the dark, only the crisp sound of a ticking clock filled his ears.

Su Ming'an took out a flashlight from his backpack, turned it on, and then pulled out another.

"For me?" the woman asked, surprised.

"This room seems complex; I need your help for now," Su Ming'an slapped the item into her hand. "Hold this for starters."

He did this mainly because he noticed the woman's motion to draw a gun. She might be a paramilitary officer in reality, surely skilled, and at least for now, he was not in a position to contend with firearms.

Of course, since he had the ability to rewind, his margin for error was higher. If she made any suspicious moves, he would not hold back.

The woman glanced at him peculiarly, grabbed the flashlight, and started searching the room.

...

Perhaps because the route here was too dark, others might have chosen another path; no one else had come here, and as Su Ming'an lit his flashlight, he discovered that this was a room resembling a laboratory.

"You have discovered an item (Petri Dish)"

"Petri Dish: It's empty inside, maybe smashing it can be used to kill someone."

"You have discovered an item (Empty Test Tube)"

[Empty Test Tube: If lacking a wine glass, it can be used as a romantic tool for drinking grape wine.]

[You have discovered an item (Worn Wooden Rack)]

[Worn Wooden Rack: A perfect item to lean on as you fall asleep at night.]

[*You have discovered Clue Eight: Tube containing liquid]

[Clue Eight: Tube containing liquid: Inside is a suspicious liquid, perhaps it will help uncover the truth. (Note: The nature of the liquid can be identified by using the hidden skill "Identification Technique" or possessing a chemistry-related skill.)]

[Clue has been recorded in the clue column, available for review at any time.]

[You have gained Exploration Points: 10*1]

The number following the clue is "Eight."

This means that there are at least eight clues.

Su Ming'an picked up the bottle and looked at it against the light, the swaying purple liquid inside shimmering like beautiful amethyst, sparkling enticingly.

"No useful discoveries here, how about you?" The woman walked over, her eyes fixating on the bottle, "Do you know what this is?"

"Potassium permanganate solution."

The woman's eyes brightened, "I'm not familiar with chemistry. Are you in a chemistry-related occupation?"

"No, I guessed." Su Ming'an set down the bottle, "Unfortunately, I have not met your expectations—I'm just an ordinary student."

"You do look the age," the woman said.

...So the implication is that he didn't seem like it in other aspects?

Su Ming'an offered no opinion; the flash of light in his hand scanned deeper as if hinting at hidden depths.

The woman stumbled as she passed by him.

"What trash tripped me..." She frowned, looking down, and reached into her chest pocket for the battery-saving flashlight.

Just as Su Ming'an looked her way, he heard her scream, "...Ah!"

"Bang—!"

The woman's voice suddenly grew sharp, and the flashlight made a loud noise as it fell to the ground, its light bouncing around the room.

Su Ming'an swept the light over, firstly seeing a decayed severed hand on the ground. Following the small circle of light, he could see the corpse's shredded clothes and scattered black spots of decay, the dry tar-like congealed black blood on the ground.

The corpse's remaining hand stretched out forcefully, fingernails blackened and fragmented from the agony it must have endured.

Even more bizarre were the mushrooms sprouting from the corpse, as if thriving in human flesh as soil, their appearance still fresh and succulent contrasting starkly against the dead body.

Su Ming'an adjusted the light well and pulled out a wooden stick from a nearby table to turn the corpse's face, revealing hollow eye sockets with fresh mushrooms growing between the parched orbits, looking as pretty as tiny umbrellas.

"You, you still want to look?" A sharp voice came from behind him.

"It seems this situation cannot be separated from the mushrooms..." Su Ming'an straightened up, gradually directing his light towards the wall.

As he saw a streak of black mixed with blood on the wall, his flashlight flickered for a moment, then abruptly went out.

...

[You have entered the TE Route: The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms]

[You have attracted the attention of a key NPC in this world]

[Perfect Completion Progress: 5%]

...

[World Game: Current Players: 1,046,580,632 people]