Then, Zuo Lin'an changed the subject.
“But then again, this wuxia world has been in contact with specters for nearly three years now. Plus, with its feudal imperial power structure, a lot of information and intelligence would naturally gather at the top.”
“Even those who aren't players probably know about these secrets. And if these people later become players...”
“In other words, even complete newbies might already know the secrets of the dungeons. You need to be extra careful when using this tactic.”
Xu Youyou suddenly recalled what Instructor An Wen had said earlier. “Do you remember what the instructor said? It's best if we kill those players with our own hands.”
Zuo Lin'an didn't really care.
“A few here and there won't make a difference. Besides, once the dungeon difficulty rises in the future, won't we have as many players to kill as we want?”
Xu Youyou nodded. “True.”
Afterward, they discussed their acting skills, such as how to disguise themselves in front of players from the wuxia world without raising suspicion, or how to maximize the benefits of their disguises.
After a few days of this, Zuo Lin'an finally reached the time to open his dungeon.
【Novice Benefits: Time】
【Main Quest: Survive for a Full Day】
【Consumable Specter Item: A Withered Leaf】
【Number of Players: 10】
He confirmed the application.
【Congratulations, your application has been approved. When Monday midnight arrives, ten players will descend into your dungeon. Please be prepared. We wish you success in wiping out all the players!】
Zuo Lin'an arrived near the white mist of the dungeon's inner ring ahead of time, then walked inside.
There was less than half an hour left until midnight.
He planned to come early to make some arrangements.
He recalled what Xu Youyou had said about needing to practice his acting skills—specifically, his ability to communicate with players—as soon as possible to prepare for the future.
He was absolutely right about that.
Once his dungeon became a Two-Star dungeon, he would need to design a plot, and it would be best if he played the most critical NPC himself.
Only then could he effectively control the players' progress. For instance, he would need to judge which player to kill and when based on their progress in clearing the dungeon.
He could kill players without following a Death Lock, choosing his targets at will. This meant he could prioritize killing whichever player discovered the most clues.
This would allow him to control their progress.
Zuo Lin'an was currently contemplating whether he should try playing an NPC in this run.
If he were to play an NPC, what kind of identity should he adopt to avoid raising suspicion among the players?
After all, this dungeon of his only had one main quest: survival time. Even if there were NPCs in the dungeon, the players didn't actually need to interact with them.
After some thought, Zuo Lin'an ultimately decided to give it a try.
He had to take the first step eventually.
He separated his specter body and stuffed his two phones into it.
Then, he had it leave its concealment while his living body remained at the peak of the tallest mountain.
He sat against a tree for a moment, then looked around.
“This won't do...”
Zuo Lin'an stood up, gathered some firewood from the surroundings, and then set up a campfire just as the previous players had done.
The flames crackled to life, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
Only then did Zuo Lin'an sit back down against the tree, satisfied.
Meanwhile, his specter body hid in the distance, suppressing all of its specter aura while remaining concealed.
While waiting, Zuo Lin'an looked down at his clothes...
To the players, these clothes would look incredibly bizarre.
Should he change?
Zuo Lin'an quickly realized that even if he wanted to change, there wasn't enough time.
However, he felt there was no need to change.
Any player who had cleared other dungeons would inevitably have interacted with some NPCs to varying degrees, so his attire wouldn't seem entirely foreign to them.
In fact, dressing like this was exactly what would convince the players of his NPC identity.
If he were to change into ancient attire and disguise himself as a historical figure, he was certain that the moment he moved or spoke a single line of modern slang, these ancient people would notice something was off.
“This will have to do for now.”
Midnight arrived in the blink of an eye!
The players descended!
Using his God's-eye view, Zuo Lin'an immediately selected the player furthest on the periphery—the one who looked the weakest and most terrified—to make his move.
Unsure if the other party possessed any means to repel specters, Zuo Lin'an decided to knock him unconscious first, just to be safe.
In the next instant, his specter body quietly materialized behind the player, grabbed his head, and slammed it hard against a nearby tree.
The impact instantly knocked the man out cold, leaving his limp body to slump to the ground.
Only after confirming he posed no threat did Zuo Lin'an's specter body begin executing its rule.
This was actually one of the advantages of being a Human-Specter Symbiont. Under normal circumstances, a specter would not attack anyone who hadn't triggered its rule.
But a specter with human consciousness was a different story.
Just like that, Zuo Lin'an's specter body easily killed the first player, then concealed itself once more.
As for his living body...
It remained leaning against the tree, quietly waiting for the players to approach of their own accord.
After all, in this dungeon, his campfire was the only source of light and human presence. Every single player would undoubtedly head in his direction.
Sure enough, before long, he caught the sound of faint footsteps.
Looking over, he saw a man and a woman approaching.
They were a handsome, well-matched pair, seemingly made for each other.
They paused slightly upon spotting Zuo Lin'an, exchanged a quick glance, and then, pretending not to notice anything unusual, adopted an easygoing manner.
The man cupped his hands in greeting toward Zuo Lin'an.
“Excuse me... little brother. The night is dark and the wind is cold, making it ill-suited for travel. Would you mind if we rest here for a moment?”
Zuo Lin'an's expression was aloof, and his tone lacked warmth.
“Suit yourself.”
“Thank you, then.”
Although the couple's clothing looked incredibly exquisite and expensive, they were not fastidious in the slightest, sitting directly on the ground.
“I am Yao Qianhe, the Prefect of Anyun Prefecture, and this is my wife, Lin Deshuang. Might I ask your name, little brother...?”
Upon hearing the name Lin Deshuang, Zuo Lin'an instantly thought of Lin Deyou, the Third Young Master of the Lin Duke's Manor, who had previously died at his hands.
Could this Lin Deshuang also be from the Duke's Manor?
“I'm An Lin.”
Even when facing players, Zuo Lin'an wasn't foolish enough to tell them his real name.
Besides, what was the point of telling a dungeon NPC that he was a prefect?
“So it is Little Brother An...”
Yao Qianhe wanted to say more, but noticing other people gradually gathering around, he stopped questioning.
As for those gathering, without exception, they had all been drawn in by the campfire.
Zuo Lin'an turned to look.
Among them was an elderly man in his fifties or sixties with an upright demeanor. His aura was no weaker than that of Xuan Liu from the Dark Dragon Guard, suggesting he was likely a Houtian Rank expert.
Beside him was another elderly man of a similar age. Although his aura was a notch weaker, it far surpassed that of a Second-Rate martial artist, likely making him a First-Rate expert.
Rate on N.U.
