The Seeds of Suspicion

As for Xiang Qi, she was not currently counted among the combat units. Xiang Ke merely hoped she could assist them without causing any trouble.

In short, she was just making up the numbers.

The few who remained were certainly not idle; they tidied up a nearby house, unearthing quite a few interesting trinkets.

If all went as planned, this would serve as their temporary base for the next few days. Specific arrangements, however, would have to wait until the three exploration teams returned.

After all, plans were always subject to change. Should they encounter a Hunter, they would have no choice but to abandon this location.

Seizing the moment while Ji Hua was in the restroom, Xiang Ke approached Xiang Qi.

“Don’t you think this place is strange?”

Xiang Ke’s opening question made Xiang Qi’s heart skip a beat. She wondered what this woman meant by suddenly bringing this up to her.

“A newcomer’s first game is usually a Hunter mode. I imagine you’re quite familiar with it, aren’t you?”

Xiang Ke’s expression was calm, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

‘How would I know that?’ Xiang Qi mused inwardly, yet she skillfully feigned confusion, striving to act in a manner befitting her supposed identity.

“I know that, but what about it? Is there a problem?”

This was a practical little trick: answering a question with another question. It cleverly allowed her to bypass things she didn’t know or wasn’t proficient in.

Unless the other person was already wary of you, it could often help deflect many inquiries.

Perhaps not considering Xiang Qi a threat, Xiang Ke harbored no suspicions. She continued to voice her conjectures.

This was an unavoidable situation. The blue-haired team had seven members, while her own team only had six, three of whom were women. This compelled Xiang Ke to unite all possible forces, and Xiang Qi, being a “veteran” after all, naturally became her target.

“Because of time constraints, the maps for Hunter mode are generally not very large. According to the intelligence summarized by the teams, they usually fluctuate between five and ten square kilometers.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qi understood the crux of the problem.

At the very beginning, the Survivor faction had simply chosen a direction at random. According to probability, the situation would be much the same regardless of which way they went.

The distance traveled should remain consistent. Having walked for over an hour now meant they had covered a significant stretch. If they factored in the potential distance in the opposite direction, they were essentially already within the typical range for Hunter mode.

Yet, this was still far from the boundary. The intricate network of alleys in the distance was no illusion.

If this were a modern metropolis, such a vast area would be normal. However, the architecture, reminiscent of a rural small town, ruled out that option, making the sheer scale highly problematic.

An unusually large escape area implied two possibilities, which the system essentially hinted at. Either the Hunter was exceptionally powerful, leading the system to deem such a vast area necessary to ensure a balance between the Survivor and the Hunter, or the size of the area was irrelevant, with other factors establishing a balance between the two factions.

Neither scenario was good news.

This meant the originally straightforward game would become far more complex, and much of the intelligence they had gathered could potentially be rendered useless.

Xiang Qi’s judgment stemmed from her speculation about the system’s rules. First and foremost, this was a game, and most PvP games emphasized balance between factions.

Through subtle probing, Xiang Qi still managed to glean some interesting information from Xiang Ke.

For instance, most game modes placed great importance on game balance. If players had a weakness in one area, they would be compensated in another, ensuring a situation where death was never inevitable.

Of course, balance only existed at the very beginning of the game. If players later actively sought death and broke that balance, that was an entirely different matter, one not managed by the system.

“So, I suspect there’s something fishy about the rules this time,” Xiang Ke said, oblivious to the thoughts swirling in the young woman’s mind, stating her conjecture.

“Be careful.”

Leaving that single warning, she went to find another person.

‘Fishy? Of course it’s fishy.’ Xiang Qi’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.

She had suspected it for a long time, even thinking further ahead than others. The linguistic loopholes left in the system’s rules were evident. While without other contributing circumstances, it might not have been certain, now she was over eighty percent sure.

From a young age, Xiang Qi possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to danger. This inexplicable intuition had, on numerous occasions, allowed her to avert peril, honing her ability to make precise judgments in crises.

This ability was further amplified after entering the game, perhaps what the two veterans referred to as a talent.

Immediately upon entering the game, she felt a subtle, almost imperceptible pressure, which instantly put Xiang Qi on high alert. She began to analyze every possible situation she might encounter, hoping to pinpoint the source of this premonition.

Regrettably, before she could uncover the reason, the feeling vanished.

It was as if it had all been a mere illusion.

This, however, did not make her drop her guard. Instead, she became even more attentive to her surroundings. She even employed a series of disguises, conducting extensive analysis based on the available information.

Indeed, Xiang Qi did not constantly maintain this state. She only adopted it when she deemed it necessary, thereby preserving her mental energy.

Unfortunately, Xiang Qi suffered from a touch of paranoia. The slightest anomaly would make her suspicious, prompting her to try and unmask the hidden figures plotting mischief in the shadows.

This was not a good habit, yet it had helped her immensely.

In essence, Xiang Qi deeply trusted her premonitions.

After the system rules were revealed, that feeling resurfaced. This time, it was clearly directed at the rules themselves. She initially believed it pointed to the ‘one must die’ aspect, and indeed, she analyzed it based on that premise.

The subsequent events were quite clear: logical information led Xiang Qi to modify her code of conduct, attempting to integrate into the team and leverage collective strength to deal with the yet-to-appear Hunter.

But her consistently cautious nature compelled her to consider more, and then that subtle sense of unease intensified. It finally erupted, pushing her thoughts to another extreme.

‘What if… I mean, what if… the Hunter was among the team from the very beginning?’

The moment this thought emerged, it spread like wildfire, an unstoppable torrent of ideas. Xiang Qi cast a slightly wary glance at the team ahead, realizing she could no longer fully trust them.

Or perhaps, she had never truly trusted these temporary teammates to begin with.