Chu Changge glanced at the two collapsed figures on the ground. "It seems like two types of energy are fiercely colliding in this instance, producing this lethal sound. One type of energy wants to shut down the game, while the other wants to keep it running."

As he spoke, he lifted his hand slightly.

At that moment, Gu Mian, dressed rather flamboyantly, also noticed a constantly flickering mobile phone screen.

Meanwhile, Fatty and Zi Liang beside him looked ashen, as if they might pass out at any moment.

Gu Mian looked at them, thought briefly, then pulled a pair of earplugs from his white coat pocket. "I'm not sure why only you two are affected but, as a doctor, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Chu Changge glanced at the object in Gu Mian's hand. He remembered Gu Mian's white coat pocket hadn't contained such a thing before they entered this instance.

He raised his eyes and asked, "A special item found in this instance?"

Seeing Gu Mian take out the earplugs, the other two cast hopeful glances his way.

However, Gu Mian shook his head. "This item was indeed found in this instance, but it doesn't seem to be anything special. In short, if I'm the one opening boxes, don't expect anything useful."

[Ordinary Earplugs]

[A second-hand item, apparently used many times. The quality is dubious; it can't even block faint sounds. Perhaps wearing it in a noisy environment offers a sliver of psychological comfort?]

This item was almost as useless as the [roll of paper towels] Gu Mian had drawn the first time.

Since there were no trash cans nearby, Gu Mian couldn't simply toss this useless special item.

He squatted down, looked at the pale-faced Fatty and Zi Liang, and extended his hand. "One for each of you."

Fatty clearly wanted to complain, but his physical discomfort made him clamp his mouth shut, leaving him no energy to utter a sound.

Gu Mian continued, "These things are useless even if you wear both, so take one each for psychological comfort."

Zi Liang just wanted to roll his eyes.

At that moment, Gu Mian, holding an earplug in each hand, was already stuffing them into their respective ears.

These things were even less effective than cupping their hands over their ears.

However, neither Fatty nor Zi Liang had the strength to cover their ears right then.

Chu Changge's voice came from behind them. "If I'm not mistaken, this sound won't last long. It should stop in a few minutes."

While speaking, he looked up, as if considering something.

Chu Changge seemed to have figured something out, but this fellow disliked sharing his analyses, always maintaining a taciturn demeanor.

Sure enough, not long after he finished speaking, an even more intense sound reverberated, shaking the entire building they were in.

The moment this intense sound hit, Zi Liang, who had been struggling to stay conscious, finally passed out completely. Fatty, still somewhat conscious, even reached out to check Zi Liang's breathing before sighing in relief.

It seemed Zi Liang was still alive, just unconscious.

Shortly after the sound echoed, the entire corridor suddenly fell silent.

One moment, a deafening, lethal sound; the next, an eerie silence, as if every sound in the world had vanished.

Chu Changge beside them showed no reaction, but Gu Mian could practically read 'Just as I thought' on his face.

The stark contrast left Fatty momentarily unable to react. The moment the sound stopped, he even thought he had gone deaf.

The two forces seemed to have ceased their struggle, perhaps now signing some kind of peace treaty.

It was unclear which side had been the first to wave the white flag.

Not long after the terrifying sound ceased, the instance, as if conceding, suddenly made an announcement.

A panel popped up before everyone present; even Zi Liang, unconscious on the ground, was no exception.

Moreover, Gu Mian found the format of the panel's content somewhat familiar.

[Warning!]

[Critical unit shutdown detected in 'High School Ghost Story: Mystery Game' instance. Instance can no longer operate.]

[Player Instance Evaluation will now commence. Upon completion, players will be forcefully ejected from the instance...]

Even though Zi Liang had passed out, the Instance Evaluator was still methodically analyzing his performance data from this instance.

Gu Mian paid little attention to Zi Liang on the ground, instead turning his gaze to his own panel.

[Instance Evaluator No. 10065 at your service. First and foremost, we sincerely wish you a pleasant life...]

Gu Mian stroked his chin, reading the line. Why does that ID number seem so familiar?

It was the same last time: a sincere wish for a pleasant life before the evaluation. Gu Mian guessed that if Fatty had any strength left, he'd probably be cursing up a storm by now.

[Game Nickname: Undetectable]

[Game ID: '1'. Current Instance: 'High School Ghost Story: Mystery Game']

[Evaluating performance in instance. Please wait...]

[Player: ???

Role-playing (Student): Poor. Instance Score: -50 points.

Located 'Boundary Point' between real and game worlds in student dormitory. Instance Score: +56 points.

Opened 14 chests in-game. Instance Score: +140 points.

Provided minimal aid to two other players. Instance Score: +2 points.

Participated in cracking the game's secret (34% contribution). Instance Score: +59 points.

Violent intimidation of game NPC: Behavior not rated (marked as '?').

Pursuit of NPC disrupted game progression: Behavior not rated (marked as '?').]

[Player ??? Total Instance Score: 207 + '?' + '?']

[Instance Evaluation Level: S]

[At this evaluation level, player will receive all special items obtained by game characters within the instance.]

So, this means I can take all the stuff I found in the chests?

However, it seemed Gu Mian hadn't found anything particularly good.

Either ordinary earplugs or expired Vitamin C tablets...

If Zi Liang and Fatty had the strength to see his evaluation panel now, they'd surely be jumping up and down, exclaiming something like, "Utterly terrifying!" Unfortunately, neither of them could muster the energy to even twitch.

Gu Mian sneakily glanced at Chu Changge's panel, but he only saw one line before Chu Changge closed it.

[Successfully verified conjecture using existing resources. Instance Score: +50 points.]

That was the only line Gu Mian saw. He stroked his chin. Had Chu Changge used something in this instance to verify a conjecture?

Just then, the farewell message finally appeared on the panel.

[Instance Evaluation for all players complete. This instance will now enter a dormant period. All players will be ejected from the instance shortly. Please prepare.]

For some reason, Gu Mian detected a hint of eagerness in that line...

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