Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 754 Challenge Dungeon 10

Throughout the day, the five investigators were exhausted and demoralized by a series of minor but extremely annoying "accidents."

They began to suspect that the dungeon's "misfortune" mechanic had been triggered, or that the damned player had mastered some kind of sinister skill that manipulated "probability" or "luck".

After exchanging information, we discovered that everyone had encountered similar situations to varying degrees, which sent a chill down our spines.

The dungeon time limit is approaching on the last day.

Two consecutive nights of direct attacks left the investigators exhausted and suspicious, creating a tense atmosphere within the unit.

Yun Chu decided to give her one last "farewell gift".

She used a rarer and more peculiar elixir—the [Mirror Flower Water Moon Bewitching Pill] (low-end version).

This elixir does not directly control the mind, but rather amplifies certain emotions, suspicions, or preconceived notions within the target's mind, and distorts their perception of specific people or words in a short period of time, causing them to misunderstand and have illusions.

The pills were ground into an extremely fine powder and carried by several fire-iron flying ants. They were secretly introduced into the ventilation system while the investigators were in the command center for their final debriefing meeting, when they were relatively focused but also most exhausted. The pills were then inhaled in small amounts when the investigators drank energy drinks or breathed.

The effects of the medicine take effect slowly.

During the meeting, Night Owl was summarizing the setbacks of the past few days, his tone inevitably carrying a hint of frustration and doubt about internal efficiency.

Under the influence of the elixir:

Silver Fox grew increasingly impatient with Falcon's excessive analysis of the "abnormal events" over the past few days (which she considered somewhat nitpicky), feeling that Falcon's overly cautiousness was a waste of time.

When Falcon proposed a new hypothesis about the residual energy of the "maze," she felt that the hypothesis was full of loopholes and almost like an attempt to excuse her previous "mistakes." She couldn't help but refute it, her tone much sharper than usual.

Arclight was in a very bad mood because of yesterday's "unlucky day trip" and found everyone annoying.

He felt that the cipher machine was busy calculating all day but couldn't come up with any reliable conclusions, that Night Owl's command was somewhat rigid, and that the argument between Falcon and Silver Fox made him feel that the team was disorganized.

His face was gloomy, and he occasionally threw in a sarcastic remark, making the atmosphere even more tense.

The cipher machine, already shaken by its computational setbacks, became even more withdrawn upon sensing Arclight's disdain and the oppressive atmosphere within the team. Feeling its value was being questioned, it simply lowered its head in silence, secretly brooding.

As the team leader, Night Owl tried to suppress the disagreements and clarify his thoughts.

However, under the influence of the elixir, he saw the disputes and negativity among his four subordinates and felt more and more that the team was difficult to lead and had problems with execution.

The thought even crossed his mind that "someone might be secretly not cooperating or lacking ability," but he quickly suppressed it with reason. However, his attitude inevitably became more severe and autocratic.

What should have been a meeting where everyone worked together to make a final push turned into an inefficient and wasteful affair filled with mutual suspicion, complaints, and arguments, all thanks to the "Mirror Flower Water Moon Bewitching Pill."

Although the effects of the drug do not last long (about two hours), and they may notice something amiss afterward, it is crucial at the final moment of the dungeon.

The wasted two precious hours and the resulting internal rifts could significantly hamper their final investigation efforts, and they might even miss their last chance due to poor communication and a decline in trust.

When the notification sounded to signal the end of the seventh day, the five investigators may have already caught one or two other unlucky or weak players.

But they were never able to touch even a glimpse of the "fog maker" who was hiding behind the convenience store and had been playing tricks on them for a whole week.

---

Yun Chu returned to her personal space, recalling the five investigators' disheveled state in the trap during the last three nights, their comical misfortune, and the heated and misunderstanding-ridden arguments at the meeting. The smile on her lips deepened.

Although she had used up some talismans and pills, seeing the expected results, especially the sense of control that completely disrupted her opponent's rhythm, made it all worthwhile.

[The role-playing dungeon 'Starry Night' has been successfully cleared. Rewards are being calculated...]

[Hidden mission 'Undetected by investigators throughout the entire process' completed, bonus points awarded...]

[Hidden achievement 'Mist Dancer' unlocked (Successfully use three or more different methods to outmaneuver and disrupt all enemy units for an extended period). Bonus reward: Special item [Thousand Machine Mask (Imitation)] x1, 5000 points.]

Basic rewards for clearing a dungeon: Points, Skill Points x2.

"The Thousand Machine Mask?" Yun Chu examined the newly acquired item. [Thousand Machine Mask (Imitation): Can slightly adjust the wearer's appearance and demeanor, simulating no more than three non-biological material appearances (such as wood, stone, and metal textures). Has a certain interference effect on reconnaissance skills of medium to low intensity. Uses: 3/3.] It seems like a decent concealment aid.

She happily put away the reward, then turned her gaze back to the "1/6" progress of the "Defeat the Male Lead" quest.

"Xia Wanqi, our first meeting was a rude awakening. Next time, you should try a more 'sincere' way of greeting him."

Yun Chu began to plan and prepare for the upcoming second instance, where she would first encounter "Bai Yun Chu" and Xia Wan Qi in the original storyline.

This time, she has no intention of playing the naive and ignorant rich girl who is waiting to be "rescued by a hero."

Three days later, Yun Chu entered the second instance.

[Player Bai Yun Chu has entered the Misty Forest Survival Challenge instance. Mission: Survive for 15 days. Remaining attempts during the newbie protection period: 3/3.]

The scene before her eyes suddenly changed; it was no longer her warm and luxurious room, but instead an endless, dense primeval forest that blocked out the sky.

The air was thick with humidity, the faint scent of decaying leaves, and a strange, indescribable, pungent, and dangerous aroma that belonged to the wilderness.

Thick vines coil around towering ancient trees like giant pythons, and strangely shaped ferns layer upon layer. Light filters through the extremely dense canopy, casting dappled and ever-changing shadows on the ground.

In the distance came the low growl of an unknown beast, while nearby came the sharp, piercing chirping of insects and birds, interspersed with the rustling sound of some creature sliding through fallen leaves, sending chills down one's spine.

With the disguise of the role-playing instance removed, Yun Chu regained her original appearance.

Her hair was as black as clouds, her skin as white as snow, and her peach blossom eyes seemed to automatically absorb the faint light in the dark forest, exuding a natural charm as they moved. Her red lips were slightly pursed.

Even in such a perilous situation, her stunning beauty and alluring charm remained captivating, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding primitive and rough environment.

She did not use the newly acquired [Thousand Machine Mask].

Firstly, she wanted to test how her appearance would elicit a reaction in a real survival environment; secondly, she had enough confidence in her trump card.

Her true strengths lay in the four arts, her stone-casting skills, and the countless tiny yet ubiquitous fire-iron flying ants that swarmed everywhere.

With a slight thought, thousands of tiny fire-iron flying ants, as small as dust particles, silently surged out from her personal space, spreading in all directions like an invisible tide.

They climb to the highest treetops, burrow into the deepest humus layer, and attach themselves to the fur and scales of birds and beasts.

In an instant, a three-dimensional map of the forest within a radius of dozens of miles, showing the distribution of organisms, topography, potential dangers, and resource points, centered on Yun Chu, was fed back to her consciousness in real time, like a high-definition image.

“There is a small water source three kilometers to the southeast, but there are also venomous spider nests nearby.”

"The terrain is higher five kilometers to the northwest, and there is a natural stone cave that can be used as a shelter, but it is occupied by a giant bear."

"Due north... player density is starting to increase." Yun Chu processed the information quickly, already having a preliminary plan of action in mind.

She casually took a picture of herself with a low-level poison-repelling amulet; a faint golden light flashed and disappeared, lingering around her.