Nine Lives watched wide-eyed as the ghost was suddenly crushed under the falling mirror. Immediately after, the Doctor, the suspected culprit, appeared.

Nine Lives opened his mouth, about to reveal himself and urge the Doctor to run. But what happened next made him snap his mouth shut again.

He watched in disbelief as the Doctor nonchalantly grabbed the hair of the ghost on the ground, yanking it out from under the mirror!

In a daze, Nine Lives even thought he heard something like, "What the hell is this thing?"...

That's a ghost!

He was dumbfounded, his eyes wide, staring fixedly at the Doctor who had suddenly appeared.

What was even more terrifying was that the ghost, its hair being pulled, allowed itself to be lifted like a dead pig, motionless, as if the mirror that had suddenly smashed onto it had killed it outright.

Nine Lives felt like he was going insane. He had never seen such a horrifying scene since the game began. A player was lifting a ghost by its hair... and this player clearly had no intention of being gentle!

Gu Mian, still clutching its hair, closely observed the face before him. Its eyes were tightly shut, and he leaned in so close it was as if he were about to press his own eyes against its face.

Fatty, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, arrived to witness this jarring scene.

Gu Mian watched Fatty huff and puff his way over, bumping into numerous mirrors. Clutching his chest with one meaty hand, Fatty looked at the ghost in Gu Mian's grasp and said, "Doctor, hold it tight! This ghost is very cunning; it'll run away the moment you loosen your grip!"

Nine Lives, hiding in the corner, shivered violently again. What did he mean by 'if you loosen your grip, it will run away'?

At this point, he was beginning to question his entire existence. Other Hunters can just openly catch ghosts like this? Is there something wrong with me? Is there actually a proper way to catch ghosts in this instance?

No, that can't be right!

Catching ghosts is supposed to be a trap!

It's entirely because some idiotic Hunters caught ghosts before, leading to an identity swap, that ghosts can now run rampant and slaughter in the instance!

So, catching ghosts is definitely not the way to clear this instance and survive!

Doing so would only lead to self-destruction!

But what on earth is happening right now…

Gu Mian noticed Chu Changge had also entered.

Chu Changge navigated with ease; his keen eyesight allowed him to distinguish the only clear path even in a room full of mirrors.

Seemingly reading Gu Mian's mind, Chu Changge said, "Increasing your spiritual power allows for heightened concentration, enabling you to observe things ordinary people can't. Your eyesight also improves."

As he spoke, he turned his head in a certain direction. "For example, I've noticed someone hiding over there."

Gu Mian turned to look. Sure enough, a figure was squatting there, seemingly trembling.

He recognized him: Nine Lives.

The long-haired young man met his gaze and trembled even more violently, a stark contrast to his previously cocky attitude.

This made Gu Mian wonder if there was something wrong with his own appearance.

Fatty chimed in opportunely, "He's probably scared of the ghost in your hand, Doctor?"

Exactly! Gu Mian nodded in complete agreement. No one would be afraid of a kind and amiable Doctor.

The kind and amiable Doctor showed no intention of comforting the young man. Gu Mian glanced at the time. "It's 11:47. We need to hurry."

We need to ask this ghost the important questions quickly, but definitely not here.

After all, someone else is still watching.

Without wasting any more time, Gu Mian left, holding his spoils.

Only after confirming the three had completely left did Nine Lives, still shaken, scramble to his feet.

"Damn it!" he cursed again. "If anyone ever tells me again that the Doctor is soft, I'll flip out on them!"

Soft? My ass!

By now, Gu Mian had found an ideal dark room for interrogation. This was a good place for an interrogation. Even if this ghost didn't know what he wanted to ask, as the saying goes, "Better to mistakenly kill a thousand than to let one escape."

But the prize in his hand kept its eyes tightly shut, as if it were already dead.

Everyone knew that ghosts don't usually die unless their heads fall off.

So, Gu Mian quickly brandished his Saw.

Half a second later, the ghost, which had its eyes tightly shut, immediately snapped them open.

Fatty, standing to the side, clucked in amazement.

Gu Mian had mentally rehearsed this interrogation countless times. He wanted to ask just one thing: why did he feel so out of place in this world, and why was he the only one who could truly die when they all played the game?

Of course, asking so directly would yield no results.

And Gu Mian couldn't ask something as glaringly suspicious as, "Why is my gender listed as a question mark in my data column?"

So, after a moment's thought, he asked, "Where are you from?"

To understand the true nature of this game, one had to start from its origins.

Gu Mian had realized long ago, especially after the Fairy Tale City instance, that this global game was more than just data.

So the question remained: what was the origin of this game, and how was it connected to him?

The ghost in his hand stared with wide, terrifyingly pale eyes that seemed to glow eerily in the darkness. It just gaped, its sockets looking as if they were about to disgorge its eyeballs.

Heaven knows, Gu Mian hadn't choked it or anything.

Seeing it remain silent, Gu Mian switched on the Saw again as a threat. The roar of the chainsaw echoed in the small room.

Fatty, at the side, saw the ghost's eyes bulge even further.

Chu Changge glanced at his phone. "It's 11:50. There are still ten minutes before this instance ends normally. Plenty of time."

Gu Mian brought the gleaming Saw closer to the ghost's neck, not actually touching it, but making a clear gesture.

The intimidation worked. The previously silent ghost suddenly opened its mouth, emitting a RASPING sound. It sounded like a critically ill old man trying to speak but being choked by thick phlegm.

Gu Mian didn't stop.

As the Saw drew nearer, the ghost's rasping grew more urgent.

"RASP... RASP... RASP... Sev..."

What?

Gu Mian paused. "Seven what?"

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