156: There is trust between us!

Several Challengers sat in a corner, all lost in thought.

After Purple Tuqi saved Green Tuqi, he returned to the alchemy table, hunched over, and resumed his work.

Their Team Leader Tuqi also left and did not issue any more tasks. So, the Challengers gathered to sort out their thoughts.

"Based on the observation just now, it seems all the NPCs are called Twitch…"

Xiao Tong seemed to want to rub her temples, but her mask prevented her, so she could only hold her forehead with her hand.

Then, the problem arose.

Which Twitch was related to their mission?

Everyone remained silent, seemingly overwhelmed by the inexplicable situation.

"Now, there's no need for us to hide anything, right?"

Cheng Zhen directly broke the silence: "Our five missions should all be 'Help Twitch,' shouldn't they?"

His direct statement surprised the others.

No one responded immediately, seemingly observing each other's reactions.

"Hmm, it seems so."

The first to answer Cheng Zhen was the most honest Rui Jun. His voice sounded noticeably more relaxed than before.

"Gentlemen, as I said, my skill is an investigative one."

Rui Jun straightened up and looked at everyone: "I can 'see' that no one's emotions are showing a high level of tension, so I think what this friend said is correct."

[Skill: Baby, When Are You Most Anxious?]

[Effect: When people nearby show obvious signs of anxiety, it can be recorded as a VCR segment.]

[Note: Please watch the VCR!]

This investigative skill looked ordinary, but it could penetrate the exterior and see into the heart.

"A skill that can see other people's emotions?"

A Dong immediately understood and admitted it straightforwardly.

Everyone immediately unified their front, as if filled with trust in each other.

"Then, let's first confirm what's going on with Twitch."

Xiao Tong directly stated her conjecture: "The first possibility is that 'Twitch' is not a single person's name, but rather the code name of this group, or they all belong to the same family, which is why they call each other Twitch."

"Second, similar to clones, all of them are Twitch."

"In either of these two situations, to complete the mission, we would need to help all Twitch."

They were all veterans, and their minds worked quickly, saving Cheng Zhen from having to be the conductor every time.

However, Cheng Zhen still added a third possibility—

"There's also another possibility…"

"Since alchemy exists in this world, these NPCs could all be like alchemical puppets. There is only one true Twitch, and we need to find him to complete the mission."

"That makes sense." Xiao Tong gave a thumbs-up.

Everyone discussed the various possibilities again, but due to too little information, they still couldn't determine the situation.

"I suggest we first investigate the situation in this building."

Cheng Zhen said: "The information we currently have is really too little; we need more intelligence. Overall, we are relatively safe here, so we can definitely go to the rooms here to look for clues, or try to get some information from other NPCs."

"But don't forget, when we left that alchemy room, the Team Leader warned us not to go to the basement. At this stage, it's not advisable to defy NPCs; everyone should be cautious."

A Dong nodded in agreement: "That makes sense; let's do that. I'll go find those NPCs for information first."

The others also had no objections, assigned their exploration areas, set a meeting time, and then left.

Cheng Zhen watched the others leave, his eyes blinking under his mask.

Then, he didn't immediately head in his assigned direction but returned to the initial assembly hall.

There were still questions to be answered.

Cheng Zhen opened the door to the medicine storage room and carefully stepped inside.

He wanted to figure out who had tampered with the medicine.

The missions were the same, but people's hearts were different. And he couldn't completely rule out the tiny possibility of an insider.

With everyone else dispatched, Cheng Zhen could happily investigate on his own.

The room storing the medicine was filled with boxes and looked a bit dirty. It seemed there wasn't much dust, probably because the medicine was used frequently.

If it wasn't a Challenger who tampered with the medicine, then the NPC would likely have left some clues.

The room was a bit dim; he couldn't see clearly. He pulled out a flashlight from his inventory, wanting to illuminate the place better.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to turn on the flashlight, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Cheng Zhen immediately flashed, hiding inside the wardrobe behind the door.

Could it be that after splitting up, a real insider was lured out?

The footsteps grew closer, and Cheng Zhen listened intently.

Someone pushed open the door, and by the figure… it seemed to be the usually silent A Dong?

Tsk tsk, my brother and I are heart-to-heart, but you're playing mind games with your brother, huh?

Cheng Zhen wanted to see what this guy was up to.

A Dong pulled out a flashlight and shone it up and down a stack of boxes.

Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he squatted down and leaned forward.

Tap, tap…

A Dong: !

Someone was coming.

Hearing the footsteps, A Dong looked at the door, then flashed… and hid inside the wardrobe behind the door.

Cheng Zhen: !

A Dong: ?!

The two were pressed together, staring at each other, as if they could feel each other's embarrassed faces through their masks.

"Uh, is this okay for us?"

A slightly naive voice came, clearly Rui Jun's.

"No choice, we have to do this." Xiao Tong sighed helplessly.

The two in the cabinet exchanged glances, as if they had discovered something.

Could it be this young couple, secretly betraying the organization? (What happened to mutual trust? .jpg)

Cheng Zhen and A Dong observed the young couple's movements.

Rui Jun and Xiao Tong also pulled out their familiar flashlights and started searching the boxes up and down.

"My skill won't be wrong; the others' missions should indeed be the same as ours," Rui Jun said while searching.

"I know." Xiao Tong didn't stop her actions, "But too many people acting together is really conspicuous; it's better for us to investigate privately first."

Were these two also here to investigate the medicine?

Cheng Zhen and A Dong, squeezed together, felt a sense of disappointment, like a sneeze that got halfway out but couldn't be finished.

Unexpectedly, footsteps once again appeared outside the door.

Cheng Zhen: "…" I think I've seen this episode before.

Rui Jun and Xiao Tong were startled, their gaze unhesitatingly locking onto the wardrobe behind the door.

The two rushed over in a flash.

They looked at Cheng Zhen and A Dong, tightly squeezed together, and fell into thought.

Sorry, we came at the wrong time.

Cheng Zhen: No, you came at exactly the right time!

He pulled the young couple in, one with each hand.

The poor wardrobe let out a mournful creak under the strain, finally settling into silence under everyone's efforts.

As the footsteps approached, a somewhat short figure walked in.

Judging by his height, it wasn't A Dong; it seemed to be a regular NPC.

His actions were completely different from Cheng Zhen and the others; he directly lifted a box, then pulled out a small bottle from behind him, seemingly intending to add something to the potions inside the box.

Caught a fish!!!

With conclusive evidence, Cheng Zhen and the others didn't hesitate; they immediately opened the cabinet door and rushed out.

The person clearly didn't expect four 'old kings' hiding inside the wardrobe. After a brief surprise, he tried to run, but the Challengers were hiding behind the door, now completely blocking the exit, leaving him nowhere to escape.

The NPC clenched his fists, intending to force his way out.

Rui Jun and Xiao Tong, who were last in, were first out, directly blocking him. But he was, after all, an NPC from a five-star dungeon; his strength attribute wasn't low, and he immediately knocked Rui Jun flying.

Cheng Zhen frowned, intending to pull out his 'Fat Bodyguard' to block the door.

Unexpectedly, A Dong was a step ahead of him, drawing his sword. A long sword stood before him, blocking the NPC, exuding a handsomeness that even his ugly clothes couldn't conceal.

He used some skill, and when the NPC crashed into him, it was as if he had hit a wall, sent stumbling to the ground by the recoil.

The NPC's protective suit was scratched with several gaps by the sword's light, and the small medicine bottle in his hand shattered on the floor.

"Er ah!"

After the small medicine bottle shattered, the NPC got some of the unknown liquid on him and immediately let out a tragic howl, a strange green light emanating from his body.

All the Challengers immediately watched him tensely, guarding against any strange transformation.

But the NPC had already lost his previous strength, only wailing as he lay on the ground.

Then, right before their eyes, he vanished along with a flickering light!