"Not too long ago, a player named Ji Bie Li witnessed a ghost chasing an Evader from the top of the hotel building, until both the ghost and the Evader vanished from her view. The ghost disappeared shortly before 9:15."

"And around 9:15, I saw a figure standing on the roof of the school building. Undoubtedly, it was a ghost."

No player would be idle enough to run to the top of the school building in this terrifying instance just to take in the view.

The ghost that appeared later also confirmed that the figure standing there previously was indeed a ghost.

"If there were multiple ghosts in this instance, that would be one thing, but… if there aren't many ghosts, and there's only one…"

Gu Mian paused as he spoke.

He looked at the two people in front of him.

Bai Qiong and Keke clearly understood what Gu Mian was implying.

Bai Qiong furrowed his brow. "The distance from the hotel to the school roof must be at least several hundred meters, right?"

Gu Mian shook his head. "I observed the school's surroundings carefully. There are no hotels nearby, at least not within sight."

Bai Qiong's frown deepened. "If there's only one ghost in this instance, and you saw the ghost at almost the exact same time Ji Bie Li saw it disappear, does this mean… the ghost can teleport?"

As he said this, Bai Qiong himself drew in a sharp breath.

Keke, standing beside him, was clearly taken aback as well. She gritted her teeth and hesitated before asking, "Teleport?"

This was more terrifying than having multiple ghosts in the instance.

A ghost that can teleport could appear anywhere, anytime.

Whether one hid in a cupboard or under a bed, one might look up at any moment to be confronted by a terrifying face.

This would then be the most frightening instance she had ever encountered!

Gu Mian said, "Of course, the idea that there's only one ghost in this instance is just speculation, although the timing is somewhat coincidental… But taking a huge step back, even if the ghost really can teleport, it hasn't used this ability to do anything malicious so far, at least."

If suddenly popping out from some unknown corner to scare players counted as doing something malicious, then Gu Mian would already be an arch-villain, his evil deeds overflowing.

Gu Mian put away his phone. "I speculate that a Hunter and an Evader are encountering each other right now. I need to go check the situation immediately…"

As he spoke, he glanced towards the office building. The flashlight beam that was visible before was gone; Manjusaka, who was chasing the Evader, had turned off their flashlight.

Bai Qiong nodded. "Then let's first find the location where the other party answered the phone. The sound of flowing water every seven minutes is a very specific condition; it shouldn't be too difficult to find."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Moreover, Doctor, you said the ghost in this instance is controlled by the Hunter. But if it can truly teleport, it will be very difficult for us to catch it if we really try. I suspect the clues this instance has given us are to help players capture this ghost."

Only by finding the location indicated by the clues can more critical clues be discovered there.

Gu Mian didn't linger. He simply said, "Be careful," and strode off towards the office building.

In the pitch-dark office building, Ji Bie Li was hiding under an office desk. This was an office not far from the staircase on the twenty-third floor. It was extremely cluttered; so much so that when she entered, she almost knocked over several chairs. Thankfully, her phone screen's low brightness provided some illumination. She wouldn't dare use a flashlight.

Ji Bie Li didn't dare to continue upwards, afraid the pursuing Hunter would catch her on the stairs, so she had to find a floor to hide on first.

There really weren't many good hiding places in the office building. Fortunately, the building had many floors, so the Hunter chasing from below had no idea which floor she was hiding on.

As she thought this, she quietly sighed in relief. Thankfully, she knew in advance that a Hunter was following her; otherwise, if she were eliminated, who knows how much she would lose.

After sighing in relief, Ji Bie Li paid close attention to the sounds from the staircase. As long as the Hunter didn't search this floor after a little while, she would immediately run out and leave the building.

She had originally chosen this place for the convenience of observing the situation, but a lookout point haunted by a ghost was hardly a good place.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet perhaps it hadn't been long at all.

Footsteps came from the stairway.

Ji Bie Li held her breath.

Someone's coming up!

In the darkness, the sound of someone ascending the stairs grew louder, closer. Her heart pounded in sync, the heavy thumping echoing in her ears as if it would burst through her eardrums.

Not long after, the footsteps stopped at the landing of the stairs.

Ji Bie Li silently prayed to the heavens, but it seemed the heavens weren't buying her act.

The somewhat heavy footsteps started again, advancing down the corridor!

Someone's started searching the rooms on this floor!

Ji Bie Li's heart pounded wildly. At the same time, she was filled with regret. Why did I choose a room so close to this staircase!

If I had known that person would stop and search this floor, I should have stayed far away from the stairs and rushed to the opposite staircase to escape while they were searching other rooms.

But it was too late for regrets now. Even the omnipotent game supermarket didn't sell regret potions.

All Ji Bie Li could do was secretly pray that this Hunter wouldn't find her.

This office was exceptionally messy; if she hid well, there was a chance she wouldn't be discovered.

She clutched her heart, suppressing her gasps for air. Within a few minutes, the footsteps stopped right outside the office door.

Ji Bie Li held her breath. The night was profoundly silent.

It was so dark and quiet here, it made one suspect they had become blind and caged.

Therefore, a peculiar sound of a door being pushed open seemed exceptionally eerie.

"CREAK—"

The sound of the door opening was piercing, making her ears ache, but Ji Bie Li couldn't be bothered with that now.

She ducked her head, holding her breath, intently focused on every move the person outside made.

The footsteps were infinitely amplified in the dark and silent environment.

She heard the footsteps advance a few paces without any hesitation, then a chair was pulled out, as if someone was checking if anyone was crouching behind it.

Of course, there wasn't.

Then, the footsteps continued, accompanied by the constant sound of chairs or desks being moved.

Ji Bie Li's eyes widened as she listened to the sounds of tables or chairs being shifted outside.

It was still pitch black in front of her, without a sliver of light.

Wait!

No light!

Without light, how could the person outside move through such a cluttered room unhindered!

At this thought, her body couldn't help but tremble violently.

No… the person outside might not be a Hunter at all, but a ghost…

The footsteps continued, without a single stumble or collision.

The mechanical dragging sounds filled Ji Bie Li's ears. This terrifying sound made her brain tremble.

No, I have to run!

By now, the footsteps had reached the desk she was hiding under.

Even in the darkness, Ji Bie Li could imagine a pair of blood-drenched feet standing before her. Looking up, there would be a face, bending down, slowly approaching the underside of the desk.

If I don't run now, I'll die!

She suddenly slammed into the chairs behind her. The mountain of chairs piled there was heavy, but Ji Bie Li, as if by some superhuman strength, violently scattered them and then scrambled out.

Run!

Ignoring the pain in her body, she didn't dare pause after crawling out. She quickly switched on her flashlight to get her bearings, stood up, and dashed towards the door.

Run! Run fast!

The footsteps behind her resumed, but they were more hurried now.

Ji Bie Li ran frantically, wishing she could just jump out of the window on this twenty-third floor to escape the ghost's pursuit, but she knew jumping from here meant certain death.

She desperately ran to the staircase and then flew down the stairs.

She didn't know how long she ran. By the time she was completely out of strength and had to stop, the sounds from behind had vanished.

Ji Bie Li didn't dare to stop where she was. She glanced around, quickly hid behind a large door, and only then allowed herself to catch her breath.

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