Wen Xishu instantly stopped turning the door handle.
It was also at this moment that Wen Xishu realized—
[Prayer successful.] This prompt was fake. Another mental invasion!
It was truly unavoidable...
Wen Xishu was utterly speechless.
At first, Takahashi Fumihiko didn’t seem like a threat in Wen Xishu’s eyes, but now it appeared that this man was exceptionally cunning.
Takahashi Fumihiko stood up, a fierce look on his face, appearing as though he intended to kill the person outside. But this action conveyed to Wen Xishu the feeling that—
The entity outside was indeed human.
Coupled with the fake prompt of [Prayer successful], Wen Xishu almost believed it.
However, if Wen Xishu realized that the entities outside were "them," not humans, then Takahashi Fumihiko’s previous actions could also be explained as "I am trying to protect you."
Ready to attack or defend.
Wen Xishu looked at Takahashi Fumihiko, who wore glasses, and realized something... After Mariko’s offensive ended, it was Takahashi Fumihiko’s turn to attack again.
"Get lost! You are not welcome here."
Wen Xishu angrily shouted at the hunchback outside the door.
In fact, Wen Xishu understood one thing—these monsters were more familiar with the rules than he was.
This time, he wasn’t the only one who could utilize the rules; the monsters could use them too.
They attacked, and he defended.
Thus, any prompts that appeared in his mind were likely mental invasions by the monsters.
Wen Xishu understood this. But the reason he nearly believed, nearly fell for it—it was all because of Takahashi Fumihiko’s acting just now.
"I underestimated this student... At the start, when he was outside the door, he was still releasing bullet comments, which showed his intense desire to come in."
"But after coming in and getting beaten by me, there were no bullet comments... I shouldn’t have noticed this only then. That is to say, during the beating, although he acted very scared... in reality, his emotions were quite stable."
"He was acting the entire time!"
But Wen Xishu wasn’t angry, nor did he consider beating Takahashi Fumihiko. Wen Xishu sincerely said:
"You were trying to protect me just now, right? I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I’m very grateful to you, Takahashi, and Sanshin, you’re all good people."
Wen Xishu’s reaction left Takahashi Fumihiko somewhat surprised.
"This man... is just as scheming as I am. How annoying, I really want to kill him."
Takahashi Fumihiko thought to himself.
Wen Xishu said:
"I will wait for the next visitor, but I still hope you all can sit properly. Your actions just now warmed my heart, and I realized the mistakes I might make. That’s great. This mistake will never affect me again."
Takahashi Fumihiko’s eyes gradually turned cold.
Yes, if that damned hunchback could have controlled itself earlier, it would have been much better. There wouldn’t be a second chance like this.
Additionally... perhaps my acting skills need more polishing.
Takahashi Fumihiko knew very well that Wen Xishu would be on high alert for a short time, even if Wen Xishu could use "Prayer." Now, he probably wouldn’t easily believe any prompt of "Prayer successful" again.
He had missed an opportunity.
...
...
[Your prayer failed, but the probability of success for the next prayer has increased.]
Wen Xishu received this prompt again, but this time, he even wondered if this prompt was also fake?
Could it be that he had fallen for it from the beginning?
He recalled the classic line of a famous anime villain—"From when did you start thinking that I didn’t use Kyoka Suigetsu?"
Since even rule prompts might be mental invasions, it caused Wen Xishu’s nerves to be extremely taut.
Now, he felt like everything was an enemy.
Could it be that everything tonight... from the prayer onward, was all a mental invasion?
Once trapped in this line of thinking, one would descend into madness and anxiety.
Fortunately, Wen Xishu had a strong memory and, through various comparisons and observations, he ultimately confirmed—
"No, I did feel that miraculous sensation after starting the prayer. This is not fake..."
"Moreover, the people in the room can’t invade me. During their latent period, their abilities are greatly reduced."
"Therefore, if a rule prompt appears just as someone knocks on the door, I should be very suspicious."
"Calm down, calm down. This is only the second night. I mustn’t lose my composure."
On Challenge Level 42 in Zone 0, even with cheats, Wen Xishu was under great pressure. This was undoubtedly the most oppressive moment since he began climbing the tower.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door again.
The knock was very light, very light.
So light that the "thump" almost seemed non-existent, as if it barely touched the door before departing.
Wen Xishu looked through the peephole first.
It was a man.
He looked about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, short hair, an ordinary face, not tall... probably around one meter sixty.
Wen Xishu said:
"Who are you?"
"Who are you? So strange... I shouldn’t be here! Who are you! Why is there a room here too?"
Bullet comments floated out.
[Why am I here! Why did I encounter a room again! Hurry and get rid of me! Get rid of me!]
So far, Wen Xishu hadn’t discovered any fabrication in the bullet comments because the comments generated by strong emotions, though not always the truth, were definitely genuine emotional reactions for their owners.
When Wen Xishu saw this comment, he was somewhat surprised.