Chapter 706: Chapter 704: Time to Eat (21)_1 Chapter 706: Chapter 704: Time to Eat (21)_1 By creating a classic crisis scenario to attract the attention of the warehouse, and then doing everything possible to ensure the attempt to contain the mission failed.
If all the speculations were true, what would be the purpose of this test, or should it be called a ritual?
Drawing a standardized clock on a whim, Brother Demon Doctor arranged things with a grave expression, while Fu Qian also reflected in silence.
I thought this would be an easy solo mission, but it turned out to be extremely troublesome.
Of course, the warehouse seemed to think so too, even going so far as to voluntarily limit its own items.
It was probably designed this way because having strange items on oneself would most likely raise alarm immediately, causing the target to flee, so it was not considered a good option.
But the problem was that was just the surface; once it became such an elaborate strangling setup, it directly weakened the abilities of Shura Mode.
What was most critical was the complete lack of change after the reset; there was no change to the mission or the limitations after starting over.
Of course, complaining was meaningless. A professional task force cannot be stopped, even if the obstacle comes from the mission itself.
Now, back to the previous question, if the speculation is true, what would be the purpose of this ritual?
It couldn’t possibly be just for fun, right?
Otherwise, the one behind Dimming Pony could be called the god of amusement.
No matter what, one thing was certain: He had a certain concept of the warehouse, or this type of containment attempt.
But for the poor warehouse employees, it was quite tragic, because each attempt consumed SAN Points.
Wait a minute–SAN Points!
The next moment, Fu Qian had a thought.
Everything needs motivation. I hadn’t considered this because, even though it sounds trivial, the warehouse isn’t so easily fooled.
At least from what I’ve seen so far, every time I restart the mission, the reset is quite thorough; the people inside retain no memory whatsoever.
In such a scenario, after numerous cycles, you may have deceived them, but it feels meaningless; the warehouse is unforgiving when it comes to resetting space-time.
Now that I think about it, in this cycle, the only variable that changes seems to be my own SAN Points.
Could it be that the SAN Points spent due to mission failure are the actual purpose of this ritual?
Besides pure enjoyment, it seems like a possible hypothesis.
So the essence of the ritual is to deliberately attract the warehouse’s attention and then make the task force fail with an absurdly high difficulty level, thus “consuming” SAN Points?
Make bold assumptions, but verify them carefully; Fu Qian never limits his imagination.
And at this very moment, his surging imagination rewarded him with a rather interesting speculation.
…
“Doctor, Mr. 9527 has arrived.”
“Thank you for taking the initiative to participate in this test. I am Dr. Cynthia.”
As I pondered, everything proceeded in order as per my memory.
With Fu Qian’s extremely precise control, he was brought to Dr. Cynthia with almost the exact same timing after startling Brother Demon Doctor.
I guess to deceive others, you must first deceive yourself!
Looking at the face before him and listening to the familiar dialogue, Fu Qian quietly reflected.
From the beginning until now, whether it was Dr. Cynthia or Gaya, the manager whom I had killed twice, they had acted perfectly according to their identity until death, showing no signs of anomaly.
Considering the high rank of the warehouse, instead of believing that these individuals had unshakable wills that didn’t reveal any flaws, it was more plausible to believe they had deceived themselves through special means, reaching the pinnacle of deception.
This went far beyond the simple concept of facing death unflinchingly. Once targeted by the warehouse, it became an relentless meat grinder until the bitter end.
After a considerable number of repetitions, until the staff’s SAN Points were depleted, staying in one of the tests, that was when death became a reality.
So, for the participants, the choice they faced was whether to engage in a trial with uncertain effects and unsure if it would draw any attention, and in it, calmly accept self-deception and face death with the most natural attitude.
To be honest, it really resembled a ritual.
A matter filled with unknowns, illusions, danger, and uncertain fate.
It felt that in order to get people to accept this, the reward had to be quite substantial.
Were SAN Points that precious?
Or were they only so precious to the one behind Dimming Pony?
But anyhow, that person should be quite familiar with the containment attempt model of the warehouse.
…
“Mr. 9527, it has been a pleasure chatting with you.”
Dr. Cynthia once again made a professional inquiry to Fu Qian, and after receiving the same exact answer as the first time, she nodded and said,
“Given your situation, you need to enter the testing chamber once more. I hope you will cooperate, and of course, as per the regulations, this will be recorded in your extra contributions, to help you offset past mistakes more quickly.”
Having said the familiar lines, without waiting for Fu Qian to respond, Cynthia immediately signaled the guards.
A moment later, Fu Qian was taken to the testing chamber on the very bottom floor once again.
And as expected, in front of him was still the numb-faced Brother 1349.
After a brief wait, Lady No. 6, Kuraki Rieko, once again stepped forward with confident and composed strides, joining the three-person test project.
…
Within the sound of the metal door closing, Fu Qian once again stood before Dimming Pony in the same position.
The weird wailing noises started assailing the consciousness unexpectedly.
Quickly, Brother 1349 became increasingly silent, while Kuraki Rieko’s smile vanished as she began to look down at the ground.
As time ticked away, the oppressive atmosphere did not last long. With a terrified scream from Kuraki Rieko, a scene from memory appeared once again.
The optimistic participant leaped to the side of the metal door, starting to hit and scream frantically.
Two minutes later, Brother 1349 slowly turned around and then walked over.
“Don’t come over!”
Kuraki Rieko screamed a warning, and after that proved futile, her fingers turned into hooks, and she lunged forward.
Brother 1349’s clothes and flesh were torn apart, and as if he had lost all sensation of pain, he casually tore off a strip of flesh and put it in his mouth to chew.
And all the while, the people outside had no reaction.
The door didn’t open, nor was there any action to stop the conflict, completely ignoring the struggle inside, as if observing bacteria in a petri dish.
Of course, those ignoring them were not just the people outside.
Four minutes in, Fu Qian completely ignored the two struggling at the door and stepped forward, approaching the quietly standing Dimming Pony.
This strangely shaped creature, extremely deceptive to the eye, showed no reaction to his approach.
Such professionalism!
Fu Qian, who murmured in admiration, did not hesitate in his movements; his chest tore open revealing numerous sharp teeth, and his body weirdly swelled.
The next moment, that ferocious, gaping maw opened at a terrifying angle and swallowed Dimming Pony in one gulp.