PFRG: Chapter 40

The players were too preoccupied with caring about themselves that they hadn’t paid much attention to this before. Now that Zheng Yan mentioned the curfew time, they all shifted their attention due to the bad association several nights in a row.

The other slaves were just watching indifferently, but they also became vigilant after the players’ reactions.

The interior of the castle seemed to be faintly divided into two camps. The atmosphere of the scene was very subtle for a while.

“I just looked around. There is no place to confine these slaves. If we can’t control them with the command board later, Brother Chi…” Zeng Yan seemed a bit anxious about the approaching curfew. After all, what happened to Huang Xinjue’s group the night before was still vivid in his mind. Now that he had left the Adventurer Hotel and was in the mysterious castle, it made people even more worried about what would happen next.

Chi Ting naturally knew about the command board that Zeng Yan held in his hand. This was used to let the master demonstrate control when the slave tried to disobey the order.

Based on the occasional sightings of explorers using it in the past few days, this seemed to be the controller that controlled the collar. It could activate a powerful force similar to high-voltage electricity to torture the other party until they completely obeyed.

At the time when Yue Ren was taken away from the contract station, the boss also gave Chi Ting one.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to use this type that might make the other party angry on the spot. He didn’t know where it was thrown at this moment. However, since it was the only bargaining chip to control the slaves, the other players obviously always carried it with them.

According to the hotel owner, this was the control method set up by the ancient city against the descendants of the demons.

What made Chi Ting even more concerned was that if these slaves weren’t actually demons, the so-called collar itself might be a big problem.

Chi Ting’s fingers gently tapped the strange stone on his chest. He briefly fell into thought.

Zeng Yan took the initiative to actually seek refuge. After all, judging from the current performance, Chi Ting’s combat power completely crushed those NPCs. Once the slaves went crazy, he was indeed the only support they could find at present. Zeng Yan couldn’t help becoming a bit anxious when Chi Ting remained silent and didn’t make a statement. “Brother Chi, think of a way quickly. If we can’t contain these demons after 8 o’clock, it will be really bad.”

Chi Ting kept thinking about it with lowered eyes until he heard the second part of the sentence. The method he used to ‘contain the demon’ in the last two nights flashed through his mind. Then he subconsciously touched his scabbed lip.

The moment he looked up, he met Yue Ren’s smiling gaze.

Chi Ting was stunned the moment their eyes met. Then he waved casually. “Come here.”

“Huh?”

Yue Ren approached quite obediently. He smiled and blinked. Before he could speak, the words suddenly paused due to a touch on his neck. “……”

The moment Chi Ting stretched out his hand, he directly hooked Yue Ren’s collar with his index finger and pulled the person directly to him with a light touch.

At this time, Chi Ting leaned forward and was examining his neck carefully. Yue Ren only needed to lower his eyes slightly to see the sexy and smooth contours of his neck.

Chi Ting noticed Yue Ren’s throat moving slightly, but he didn’t pay too much attention to it. He was still seriously studying the rough-looking slave collar.

He still remembered what Li Tao had said in the last instance. In this unlimited flow world, unless the designers of the instance didn’t want the players to get out alive from the beginning, there were very few hard indicators of combat in instances other than survival and confrontation type instances.

At this moment, the existence of the slaves was undoubtedly a crisis that ordinary players must face.

Under the unequal conditions of individual skills being restricted, there must be a correct way to solve the crisis according to the normal design logic.

In this way, according to the script that Aleran was the demon city, and these slaves were the victims, the most conflicting existence at this moment was undoubtedly these collars full of shame and bullying around the necks of the slaves.

Chi Ting’s fingers tightened slightly before he neatly used force.

Snap—!

The study collar, made of a special metal, broke into two pieces under his casual action and was easily disassembled.

Yue Ren felt the touch on his neck disappear in an instant.

The removal of the collar brought about a long-lost feeling of freedom. He slowly raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Chi Ting smiled noncommittally. Then with a gesture of raising his hand, the metal collar in his hand fell straight to the ground with a clear sound.

The sharp sound of the metal friction pierced the silent night.

At this moment, even the residents at the door stopped chanting and raised a pair of numb and empty eyes to stare directly.

Zeng Yan was also stunned. “Brother Chi, what are you doing?”

It must be known that from the beginning of entering the instance and establishing a contract, their group of players had been using these slaves to collect treasure chests. At the same time, they were also on guard against the danger of being counterattacked at any time.

After all, the reminder from the rules of the instance was still vivid. The descendants of these demons might become the sword they used to charge into battle, or they might become the poison that made their blood splash.

Due to the existence of this collar, they just needed to hold the command board, and they would have absolute control over the slave. Unless they were brutally murdered due to the complete demon transformation of the slaves like some previous players, they were basically in a safe situation.

Just now, Chi Ting removed the last confinement of the contract in front of them.

It wasn’t just Zeng Yan. Based on the demeanor of other players, it was obvious that they also couldn’t understand it.

“There is no time. I will dismantle them all first. I’ll explain it to you later.”

The moment Chi Ting’s words came out, there was a snapping sound from next to him. He saw that Ji Xingque had already walked up to his slave and quickly removed the collar.

After Ji Xingque completed the operation, he deliberately shouted loudly, “I believe in the captain!”

This absolute obedience as always made Chi Ting feel very pleased.

He knew very well how important choices were at the critical moment. He didn’t hesitate when seeing that there were only two minutes left. He opened his mouth and spoke just loud enough for everyone present to hear. “In any case, I will suggest this first. It is only based on my personal speculation at the moment. If my guess is wrong and I am in danger in a while, I am willing to do my best to protect everyone and apologize.

But if anyone doesn’t believe in my judgment and there are problems because the collar isn’t removed, please use your command board and solve the problem on your own. Don’t expect me to take action.”

At the end, a slight smile appeared on his face. “Okay, there are only one and a half minutes left. I hope everyone can make a decision quickly.”

It was obviously quite an understated tone, but combined with the indifferent arc of his mouth, Chi Ting’s expression seemed particularly cold as his eyes swept over everyone.

If the players were full of hesitation just a moment ago, the thought that they might have to face a monster without any restrictions made them decide on absolute obedience to this strong man almost instantly.

Without much time to think about it, the wise players had already rushed toward their slaves. Once someone took action, the others immediately followed one after another.

It was strange. There was usually no effect, no matter how hard the slaves tried to break free. It seemed to only recognize its owner. This allowed the players to remove it one after another by finding the hidden buckle.

Listening to the sound of the metal collars falling to the ground, Chi Ting showed a satisfied smile.

Behind him, Yue Ren had the ‘shackles’ untied and leaned against the wall with crossed arms. His eyes swept over the busy and lively scene, and he laughed. “You are really good at bluffing people.”

Chi Ting obviously disagreed with this statement. “Who am I bluffing?”

Yue Ren had a knowing expression on his face. “You are so ruthless. If someone is really unwilling to cooperate with your actions, would you really let them die and not save them at that time?”

Chi Ting thought for a moment before replying, “Maybe I really can?”

Yue Ren laughed silently, not exposing the man’s stubbornness.

If he could really be ruthless and do nothing to save others, there was no need to use a rhetorical tone when answering.

When he was gentle, he was extremely soft-hearted. When he was cruel, he seemed to have no mercy at all. He was indeed an interesting and strange guy.

The moment when the last collar was taken off, 8 o’clock finally arrived.

“Dang—! Dang—!”

“Dang—!”

The ancient bells sounded far away at the bottom of the mountain.

It rang again and again until it became more and more somber due to the distance location of the Fountain Square.

The players who were still in a hurry to remove the collars felt their hearts skip a beat. They almost instinctively took a few steps back.

Just as they were ready for the arrival of the demons after the curfew, something strange happened to the slaves.

Everyone’s hearts jumped violently. Just as they were about to feel worse, they saw that the slaves weren’t completely crazy like previous nights. Instead, they curled up with pained expressions on their faces.

It was as if they were enduring some pain. It was as if they were enduring an invisible cleansing, causing the players watching from a distance to exchange looks with each other.

Just as the bell rang, Chi Ting noticed Yue Ren’s body swaying slightly. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Yue Ren firmly.

Everything he did was really just a guess. He wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong. He could only lower his eyes and observe the reaction of Yue Ren.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Until the bell completely fell silent, nothing happened.

This long endurance seemed to drain a lot of strength from the slaves. Finally, they fell to the ground one by one, panting deeply.

After seeing this, the players waited a while to make sure that they were all okay. Finally, someone had the courage to go up and check it out.

During this period, Chi Ting noticed Yue Ren’s eyebrows getting tighter and tighter. This caused Yue Ren to directly lean on him. After a long time, Chi Ting didn’t see any other reaction. Then when he looked down, he happened to meet the dark eyes.

The man even winked at him leisurely.

Chi Ting: “……”

He took a deep breath, and his tone sounded calm. “If you are okay, then get up first.”

Yue Ren’s face was slightly pale compared to before. But other than that, he seemed to be in a good state. He was experiencing the same thing as the other slaves, but he still smiled with an unknown meaning. “I am still very weak. Can’t I lie down for a bit longer?”

Chi Ting didn’t say anything. He remained silent for a moment before directly throwing the person out of his arms.

He heard another chuckle from behind him and looked away silently. It was just in time to hear Zeng Yan’s suspicious inquiry. “So these slaves slowly turned into monsters under the influence of the collar? What exactly is going on?”

Chi Ting could feel Yue Ren’s gaze behind him. He didn’t look back but just drew the attention of the others out the door. “What’s going on? Then we have to ask the real demons.”

Previously, everyone’s attention had been warily focused on the slaves. They didn’t notice what was going on outside the door.

At this time, they heard Chi Ting’s words and looked back. Then the players all gasped. “This is…”

The residents who looked normal during the day had become monsters one by one.

It wasn’t known if it was because they were too close to the castle, but looking at them through the lights in the hall, the distorted faces were obviously more terrifying and ferocious than the hotel employee NPC who appeared at Chi Ting’s door last night.

The hands protruding from the cuffs had dark, dry knuckles. The ears on both sides obviously stretched up a lot. The barbs protruding from their skin seemed to have a downright demonic posture.

However, the confinement of the castle prevented them from stepping even half a foot inside.

They could only look through the door and stare at the players inside.

Many people were stared at and had goosebumps all over their bodies. The repeated movements of looking at the NPCs outside and then at the slaves was enough to reveal their inward confusion.

“So the residents living in the city are the real demons?” Huang Xinjue deserved to be called the boss for a few days. Among this group of players, his reaction speed was relatively quick. The moment he said these words, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, and his expression was a bit ugly.

He obviously realized that if everyone hadn’t removed the collar as Chi Ting said, a more tragic ending couldn’t have been avoided, even if the true colors of the residents were discovered now.

“But if they are really demons, why would they help us find the treasure?” A player recalled the glory belonging to the heroes in those dreams and still didn’t want to believe this reality.

The moment Chi Ting saw this reaction, he knew that this person had obviously been brainwashed from the repeated hints.

However, he did still have a lot of doubts about this instance. For example, the true identity of the contracted slaves, why they were asked to sign a contract, and why the demon transformation was eagerly promoted. Finally, why did the residents want to frantically stimulate the explorers’ inner thirst for treasure?

Chi Ting glanced up at the stairs covered in red carpet. Then he took the lead in taking a step. “The rest of the puzzle should be solved when the treasure is found.”

The demons outside were so terrifying that none of the players wanted to stay longer. They confirmed that the slaves were indeed harmless for the time being and quickly followed him.

Chi Ting walked up the stairs along the moonlight that fell on the ground without looking at the shadow of the inverted cross cast on the ground. Then he walked toward the depths of the castle according to the guidance.

There were footsteps behind him, but he didn’t need to look back to know who it was.

He thought for a moment before asking in the silence, “Are you sure everything is okay?”

Yue Ren, who was walking behind him, glanced at the figure in front of him. “You care about me so much?”

Chi Ting corrected it. “I am concerned about the situation of all the slaves.”

Yue Ren laughed in a meaningful manner before returning to the original question. “It should be due to the demon transformation in the past few days. The castle’s suppression of demons also acts on the slaves. My degree of demon transformation should still be relatively low. The process of forcibly cleansing the blood wasn’t very pleasant, but it was still bearable. Other slaves who were deep in their demon transformation might not be so comfortable.”

He paused before concluding, “It can only be said that the NPCs in the city right now don’t dare to come in. If they really enter the castle, the power to dissolve the demons’ blood and bones will make them skinless.”

Chi Ting nodded. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that even though they were gradually regaining human force, the appearance characteristics of these slaves after nightfall were still quite obvious.

In comparison, the guy next to him looked like a human being.

Perhaps he noticed Chi Ting’s appraising gaze, but Yue Ren laughed softly again. He confirmed it again, as if expecting something, “Are you sure you aren’t caring about me?”

Chi Ting opened his mouth. He originally wanted to deny it. Then after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was indeed okay for Yue Ren to think so.

He had always been very open about spreading kindness. He thought about how this man could be considered a human being and finally nodded. “Yes, I care about you.”

After saying this, he didn’t know why but he didn’t hear the ridicule he imagined. Instead, it made Yue Ren completely silent.

What was wrong with this?

Chi Ting was wondering about this when he heard someone shouting in joy. “Here! We’re here! This is definitely the right place! We finally found the treasure! We can leave this d*mn instance!”

Accompanied by the cheers that suddenly sounded all around them, barrages were scrolling crazily in various live stream rooms that the players couldn’t see.

[It isn’t easy, but it is finally the end!]

[The last time I followed this instance, the group was wiped out here. The overall progress of this group seems to be going well. I hope it won’t be a mess in the end!]

[Yes yes, these are the most well-preserved slaves I have ever seen.]

[This is the first time I’m following it. Can anyone who knows the strategy tell me if this is the end?]

[Well, more or less. It just depends on what type of ‘ending’ it is.]

[So it isn’t over yet? The group can still be wiped out?]

[You can think of it as this being the most deceptive collective instance. There is so much foreshadowing in front just to wait for the last big move.]

Compared with the other players, Chi Ting’s live stream room seemed much quieter.

Silently, an account that had been hidden in advance returned to the live stream room.

Since he predicted the failure of the recruitment, Qiu Ji was depressed and left to rest for a while. Once he came back, he was surprised that even though the number of people in this live stream room was still in the double digits, it was obviously far more viewers due to the set charging amount.

He was wondering why some people were jumping over one after another. Then he finally realized it when he saw the content in the live stream room.

It looked like this was the end of the instance.

Qiu Ji didn’t know the specific strategy for clearing this instance, but seeing that there were still people coming to the live stream room one after another at this juncture, he could probably guess that it wasn’t just clearing the instance and leaving. There was a high probability that there would be one or two waves of problems arranged at the end.

After adjusting the mood of failing to find talents, Qiu Ji was now in a very good state of mind. He made a cup of coffee and sat down comfortably on the sofa, watching it with interest.

In any case, he had already paid a lot of money. It wasn’t bad to pay it for the last little bit.

On the screen, he could see that the door at the end of the corridor had finally been pushed open by the players.

The light behind it spread out in his vision at this moment.