4: Chapter 4 begins the probing

The expressions of the two were panicked and hesitant, also carrying a bit of impatience.

These were all reactions that normal people should have.

Thoughts were racing in Chu Xuan's mind.

According to normal logic, Chu Xuan felt that he should believe Tang Zheng, after all, if the other party hadn't sent a message to remind him just now, he might have already died.

But the other party actually asked him to kill Chen Qing!

Looking at Chen Qing's expression full of terror and fear, with no abnormalities, a barrier that was difficult to cross rose in Chu Xuan's heart.

That was the normal outlook on life and values formed over more than twenty years, the compulsory education received since childhood, and even more so, the years of classmate friendship with Chen Qing.

In his past life, when Chu Xuan was penniless, Chen Qing had once financially supported him for a period of time, and this kindness was always engraved in his heart.

At this moment, Chen Qing's panicked expression could not be more normal, matching his usually somewhat timid personality. Could this really be a monster?

Besides this, there was an even more important reason.

That was the voice heard every time he woke up three consecutive times tonight——

"Never trust anyone!"

Could this be some kind of premonition?

Or was it the Talent ability of his "Precognitive Dream", prompting him that he could not believe the information sent by Future Tang Zheng?

Unable to make sounds, making sounds could attract monsters, turning on the lights would make monsters disappear, unable to leave the dormitory...

All of this verified that Tang Zheng's prompt was real.

Yet lies are often hidden within the truth.

Chu Xuan was willing to believe Tang Zheng. Although the other party always did unreliable things, he was very passionate and loyal, and as childhood friends who grew up practically sharing a pair of pants, their relationship went without saying.

However, was this Tang Zheng who kept messaging him really Tang Zheng?

Could this be related to the monster?

Was there some special trap hidden behind the other party's reminder to him?

Chu Xuan even boldly guessed that the real-world Tang Zheng was related to the monster, but because of some reason, such as the "Killing Rules"?

The other party wanted to deceive and induce him to kill Chen Qing?

Thoughts were countless in his mind, but actually, these thoughts flashed by in only about ten seconds. Chu Xuan found that his thinking seemed to have accelerated, involuntarily spawning all sorts of ideas.

"Calm down! Calm down! I cannot preemptively assume that I cannot trust anyone; perhaps this sentence itself is the trap! At least until now, this Future Tang Zheng has been helping me..."

Chu Xuan took continuous deep breaths, pinched his thigh hard, and forced himself to calm down.

Time——

2:36.

The phone popped up a message from Tang Zheng again:

"Chu Xuan, I know you may still doubt my identity. Perhaps you need me to constantly prove myself or tell you the cause and effect before you will believe me, but in reality, I cannot transmit messages to you without limit."

"This is not only because the transmission of every message will cause consumption to me, but also because your current level is not high enough. Especially for some matters involving rules and secrets, the more you know from my side, the faster you will die."

"You must remember, we have already violated the rules!"

Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and raised a question: "If you really are Future Tang Zheng, how did you back then survive?"

Sent successfully. Chu Xuan did not foolishly wait around for the other party's reply; he already had a clear train of thought in his heart.

Tang Zheng's words could not be completely disbelieved, but neither could they be fully trusted.

If Tang Zheng's message was deceitful, then naturally he could not do as the other party wished and rashly kill Chen Qing like this.

Conversely, if Tang Zheng's messages were all true and Chen Qing had indeed become a monster, then killing the other party before 3:00 would likewise ensure safety.

Chu Xuan put down his phone and saw that Chen Qing still had a headless-chicken, extremely panicked expression, constantly muttering "What should I do", while Tang Zheng was still trying various methods to leave the dormitory.

Chu Xuan decided to begin probing.

"You guys calm down first!"

Chu Xuan had a clear understanding in his heart.

Regardless of whether Tang Zheng's words were true or false, he had to find the real monster, and also make the other party expose obvious flaws; only in this way could he win over the help of the other person.

Chu Xuan had self-awareness; without absolute force, even a sneak attack would not allow him to instantly kill either person.

Acting rashly would inevitably be met with obstruction from the other person!

Under this tense atmosphere, it was highly likely that he would be suspected, or even mistaken for the murderer who killed Wang Hua, and by then he would fall directly into a dead end.

Seeing that the gazes of both Tang Zheng and Chen Qing were attracted over by him, Chu Xuan said with a solemn expression: "There is something I must tell you guys now."

Chen Qing was trembling all over, his eyes filled with panic and terror.

As for Tang Zheng, his spirit perked up: "Do you have some way? You were the first to wake up and turn on the light just now, did you discover something?"

Chu Xuan did not talk nonsense and went straight to the point: "There is a monster in our dormitory, Wang Hua was eaten by the monster! After I turned on the light, the monster disappeared, but it is very likely still in the dormitory. I haven't spoken just now because I was thinking about where the monster could possibly be hiding."

"Ah?"

Hearing Chu Xuan's words, both of them were stunned, thinking they had misheard.

"Im... Impossible, right? How could there be monsters in this world?" Chen Qing's expression became even more panic-stricken, and his whole body shook even more severely.

"Monsters?"

Tang Zheng frowned and said: "Speaking of which, it really is a bit strange. It is one thing that emergency calls cannot be made, and even these shoddy doors and windows cannot be opened or smashed, but you saying it is a monster... isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"

"Yeah, even if there really are monsters, but... but our dormitory is only this big, there is simply no place to hide!" Chen Qing's face turned pale, and he was almost on the verge of crying.

"Chu Xuan... could there be a possibility that you were too scared seeing this bloody scene, and then your brain produced a self-protection mechanism, making you think you saw a monster? Perhaps... that was just your hallucination?"

Tang Zheng said thoughtfully: "Rather than saying monsters eat people, I would actually rather believe this is an Immortal Master show, or perhaps filming a prank video! I guess..."

Tang Zheng clapped his hands heavily, looked around and said: "The doors and windows of our dormitory must have been secretly replaced by someone long ago, and this room also hides a special signal jammer and pinhole cameras, recording us right now. Who knows where Wang Hua is hiding right now watching us make fools of ourselves..."

Chen Qing's complexion relaxed slightly, and he tentatively asked: "So, these blood and severed limbs are all props?"

"That is right, exactly! We all study clinical medicine, cannot we even tell this? Besides, my dad is a forensic doctor, and I used to go out to crime scenes with him often. This little trickery cannot fool me."

The more Tang Zheng spoke, the more vibrant his spirit became, as if he had discovered the truth. His eyes were gleaming, and he walked straight under Wang Hua's bed, reaching out to grab half of a lower leg, which was still attached to a sole and stained with blood and filth.

Chu Xuan observed the changes in the two people's expressions.

Tang Zheng and Chen Qing obviously found it difficult to accept the existence of monsters. Compared to the cruel fact that Wang Hua was eaten by a monster, they seemed more willing to view this as an absurd prank Immortal Master show.

"This should be pig blood or some kind of artificial blood, the smell is similar. Also, the texture of this model feels way too realistic..." Tang Zheng pinched off a shred of flesh from the broken edge, observed it carefully, and even put it in his mouth to taste.

The next second, he suddenly let out a startled cry, threw the severed leg back onto the bed, and then spat wildly in succession.

"Th-This... Could this be real?" Chen Qing widened his eyes, full of terror.

"Really dead? Wang Hua is really dead?" Tang Zheng just stared blankly at the remains on the bed, his terror mixed with sorrow and indignation.

Time——

2:40.

"Alright! Stop guessing wildly!"

Seeing that neither of their expressions seemed fake, Chu Xuan took back the right to speak:

"I did indeed see the monster; this point is unquestionable and definitely not my hallucination! Have you guys noticed, no matter how much we quarrel here, there is not a single sound from the neighboring dormitory? If it were in the past, the neighbors would have been howling long ago. Do you guys not find this strange?"

"Th-Fine! Chu Xuan, just say whatever thoughts you have directly, I will listen to you now." In the past, Tang Zheng had a fearless disposition, but facing the current situation, he was also obviously somewhat at a loss.

"I... I will listen to you too." Chen Qing's legs felt weak, his teeth kept chattering, and he could not even speak clearly.

"Alright then! Regardless of whether you guys believe it now or not, let us first assume that a monster exists in the dormitory. Then the most important question next is, where did the monster go?"

Chu Xuan paused his voice and suddenly made a startling statement: "I suspect that the monster is hidden among us, and someone's body has actually been occupied by the monster!"

As soon as these words came out, the complexions of both Tang Zheng and Chen Qing changed drastically, and strong disbelief leaked from their eyes.

Chu Xuan stared fixedly at the two people's expressions, not letting go of even a single trace.