NOVEL NEXT Ch. 16
Chapter 16: Evil Spirit Followers
The game rules stated it very clearly, “Every 2 days the Evil Spirit will kill 1 surviving player.” That meant excluding today, tomorrow would be the second day.
Everyone who knew this clearly felt uneasy and fearful, because they had no idea when or where the Evil Spirit would strike.
Only the second hint beneath the rules mentioned it slightly:
Hint: 2.
When the Evil Spirit attacks, if there are multiple people present at the scene, it will kill the player closest to it.
And the speculation that Lu Feng was about to raise was directly related to this hint.
“Exactly because the Evil Spirit will begin its first kill tomorrow, there is a question we must make clear—”
Lu Feng once again pointed to the first rule.
“Will the Evil Spirit attack Evil Spirit Followers or not?”
As he spoke, Lu Feng quietly observed the three others besides Yu Mo.
Hearing this question from Lu Feng, the expressions on all four faces grew strange.
“Of course it will. Evil Spirit Followers are still players, and the Evil Spirit kills players indiscriminately.”
Lin You spoke without thinking, but beside him Yu Mo shook her head thoughtfully.
“…No, that doesn’t make sense.”
“Why not?”
Yu Mo reached out and pointed to the second rule:
Out of 37 people, 5 have been chosen as Evil Spirit Followers.
They will assist the Evil Spirit in killing other players.
Their victory conditions are the same as the Evil Spirit’s.
“It’s obvious. The Evil Spirit and Evil Spirit Followers are on the same side. Think about it—in games that divide into factions, have you ever seen players from the same faction kill each other?”
Hearing Yu Mo’s explanation, Lu Feng nodded silently, his trust in her growing firmer.
“So that means… the Evil Spirit won’t attack Evil Spirit Followers?”
Lin You scratched his head.
“But… why isn’t this rule written among the game rules?”
Zhang Tong muttered in confusion, then suddenly realized something.
He looked at Lu Feng in sudden comprehension.
“This—this must be one of the three hidden rules!?”
“That’s right.”
Saying this, Lu Feng picked up the pen and wrote on the section marked “Visible only to Evil Spirit Followers”:
The Evil Spirit will not attack Evil Spirit Followers.
“Even though this rule is just speculation, in fact, from the perspective of fairness in the game, this rule is absolutely necessary.”
“Huh? Why do you say that?” Lin You grew even more puzzled.
Lu Feng pointed to the third rule:
Other than Evil Spirit Followers, players must complete the following two tasks to achieve victory:
First, through limited hints, learn the Evil Spirit’s name in life and uncover its cause of death;
Second, find all five Evil Spirit Followers.
If even one follower is not found, the Evil Spirit wins.
“Leaving the first task aside for now, the second task would be almost impossible without this rule.”
Glancing at the still-confused group, Lu Feng explained further,
“If the Evil Spirit, during one attack, kills a follower whose identity has not yet been exposed, how could the non-follower players ever confirm that he was an Evil Spirit Follower?”
As he spoke, Lu Feng tapped the second task again.
“Don’t forget, the second victory condition is ‘find all five Evil Spirit Followers.’ That means even if the person is already dead, you must still identify them.”
Hearing this explanation, everyone immediately understood what he meant.
If the Evil Spirit killed an undiscovered follower, then that person’s identity as an Evil Spirit Follower would forever remain a mystery.
It would be nearly impossible for others to discover, and ordinary players who couldn’t figure it out would have no chance of winning.
From the standpoint of fairness in the game, such a setup was clearly unreasonable.
“So, although this rule is still just my speculation, it very likely exists. Otherwise, the ordinary players would be doomed to defeat.”
After hearing this, everyone nodded blankly, their gazes toward Lu Feng changing greatly.
“You’re amazing, Feng Feng! I always knew you were smart, but I didn’t think your logic would be this sharp!”
Lin You slapped Lu Feng’s shoulder hard, eyes filled with admiration.
“Brother, I’ll rely on you from now on. If you say go east, I’ll never go west!”
“You don’t even know my identity, yet you trust me so much. Aren’t you afraid I might actually be an Evil Spirit Follower deliberately tricking you?”
Lu Feng said slowly.
“Tch, if you were a follower, would you deliberately expose such an important rule to us?”
Lin You said carelessly, but in his heart, Lu Feng was a little surprised.
Lin You looked careless on the surface, but unexpectedly he also had a sharp side.
“Of course. I’ve trusted Xiao Feng from the very beginning.”
Yu Mo revealed a faint smile.
“I trust Lu Feng as well. And I think, among us, there shouldn’t be any Evil Spirit Followers… right?”
As Zhang Tong spoke, his gaze involuntarily shifted toward Liuli, who had hardly spoken at all.
Honestly, Zhang Tong didn’t know where this girl came from, and he couldn’t bring himself to trust her.
But since she was part of Lu Feng’s group, he hadn’t said much.
“Ahem, let’s not draw conclusions so soon. Right now, none of our identities can be defined. It’s better to stay somewhat cautious.”
Sensing the atmosphere shifting, Lu Feng immediately diverted the topic.
“There’s also one more thing. From Wu Fan’s death today, we’ve also learned an additional piece of information. It’s not very important, though.”
Lu Feng pointed once more to the fourth rule:
During the game, only the Evil Spirit can kill players.
“My earlier thought was that aside from the Evil Spirit, players couldn’t kill other players. Or even if they did, the victim would revive. As for suicide, I wasn’t sure. But Wu Fan’s accidental fall today just happened to give us an answer—”
Saying this, Lu Feng wrote a small line above the rule:
Suicide results in death.
“Since his fall was an accident with no external cause, it can only be judged as suicide. Which means—”
Lu Feng wrote in his notebook:
The Evil Spirit will only kill ordinary players, not Evil Spirit Followers;
Players can commit suicide;
Players cannot kill other players.
Laying the notebook open before the group, Lu Feng’s expression wasn’t pleasant.
Thinking of what would happen tomorrow, Lu Feng felt a chill run through him.
“Tomorrow… the Evil Spirit will kill someone. But we know nothing about it—not when or where it will appear, nor what method it will use to kill. So…”
Lu Feng smiled bitterly at them.
“Tomorrow, we can only rely on luck. From tonight at midnight, absolutely no one should sleep.”
Watching their faces gradually show fear and unease, Lu Feng suddenly remembered something, his voice lowering.
“There’s one more thing—”
His expression grew several shades darker.
“Once you find someone who’s closest to the Evil Spirit yet isn’t attacked… even if it costs one for one, don’t let them go!”