Chapter 55: I Have No Idea

Terrifying!

This was the first thought that flashed through Ye Yinyi’s mind.

The young man before him, dressed like a medieval Western scholar or a mage from a video game, along with the hulking brute standing behind him, both exuded an aura of spine-chilling dread.

Merely relying on that presence was enough to freeze an ordinary person's heart with terror, rendering their legs numb and immobile, leaving them stranded on the spot to await slaughter like lambs to the slaughterhouse. Even the most fundamental survival instincts of a living creature were crushed, entirely stripped of their function.

Could such a person truly exist in this world?

Unless...

"Urgh-urgh—"

The sound of the Famished Ghoul rang out once more.

Not from within the room, but from outside.

"Interesting."

Qian Gu pushed up his glasses and smiled faintly.

Within the radius of his "Detect Good and Evil," one glowing point of light after another flickered into existence, each representing the presence of an enemy.

The number of them—over a hundred!

Indeed.

Outside this two-story building at this very moment, there were a full hundred Famished Ghouls present, surrounding the place tightly and advancing steadily like a pack of hunting wolves.

Only, they were not a pack of wolves, and the trapped weren't mere sheep.

"Arnold."

A soft call escaped his lips, and Arnold, standing behind Qian Gu, moved.

Still as a virgin maiden, swift as a startled hare.

In the past, Ye Yinyi had never quite grasped what that phrase truly meant, but now, he finally understood.

The massive man practically vanished from his field of vision in an instant.

Following that came the teeth-gritting sound of shattering masonry.

The adjacent wall was smashed straight through. Arnold tore open a man-sized breach in a single motion, leaped outward into the courtyard beyond, and landed with a heavy impact that cratered the ground.

The next second, the slaughter began!

Beneath sheer, unadulterated brutality, the monsters were crushed one by one like mere ants.

Arnold's strength was terrifyingly immense. With a gentle pinch of two fingers, he could shatter a human skull to powder or twist a thick piece of steel rebar into a slender strand of noodles.

These Level 3 Famished Ghouls might possess strength surpassing that of ordinary humans, but that strength was still far from enough to contend with this purest and most extreme form of violence. They could only die a wretched death beneath those massive hands.

Hiss—

Ye Yinyi drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

'Is he a player from Genesis of the Void? Or could it be...?'

This kind of power.

The Undead are simply no match for it yet!

"Ye Yinyi, one of the five lead designers of the Undead Game."

Qian Gu pulled over an esports chair, sat down upon it, and looked down at Ye Yinyi, who was cowering on the floor.

"Y-Yes, that's me."

Ye Yinyi’s voice trembled slightly.

"A murder took place here last night. Are you aware of that?"

Just as expected!

"I have no idea."

Ye Yinyi immediately played dumb and feigned ignorance. "I haven't stepped out all day, I've just been busy designing games, so I don't know anything about it."

"Heh."

Qian Gu chuckled softly.

"I happen to have the pre-mortem video footage from the victim's phone here." Casually, he produced a notebook. "The Famished Ghoul—a monster from the Undead Game. That victim was killed by it."

Ye Yinyi let out a hollow laugh and offered no response.

Or rather, he didn't yet know how he ought to speak so as not to betray any flaws.

"Moreover..."

Qian Gu’s expression grew cold. "I've already checked your phone logs. Prior to this—specifically after the murder was made public by the media—you made four phone calls to the other four designers of the Undead Game, asking who among them had turned the Undead Game into reality."

This...

Ye Yinyi’s smile gradually faded as well.

"My eyes won't deceive me either. Just moments ago, how that Famished Ghoul behaved toward you gave it away completely—that was the attitude of a cat or dog toward its master.

"As a designer, your level of control over the Undead Game is far greater than I anticipated."

"I don't know."

No matter what was asked, the final answer remained a steadfast "I don't know."

Ye Yinyi was no longer playing along with hollow laughs; his expression had turned dead serious. He looked at Qian Gu as if gazing upon an incomparably terrifying enemy, having already prepared himself to lay down his life at a moment's notice.

Qian Gu tapped his fingers lightly against the armrests, the sound less than pleasant against the wooden surface.

'This is somewhat troublesome.'

Just a moment ago, he had attempted to cast "Alter Memory," an Enchantment spell, but failed the saving throw check.

The young man before him seemed shielded by an invisible barrier of the mind, one that insulated him from all forms of psychic and mental interference. Unless it was a condition explicitly permitted by the target, breaching his inner world was utterly impossible.

Aside from that, this person named Ye Yinyi showed nothing unusual.

He was just an ordinary man.

In fact, due to spending long years working in front of a computer, his physical fitness was slightly below average—he couldn't possibly compare to a muscle-bound giant.

However, it was entirely logical for the suspected mastermind behind the game's intrusion into reality to possess a few tricks up their sleeve. Qian Gu wasn't surprised, nor was he surprised by the other's ready-to-die attitude; for all he knew, the guy might have already backed up his data elsewhere.

It was just that...

[Survive for 24 hours to reach the anchor point and return to the Main God Space. Reward: One Grade-A horror-tier side quest, 8000 reward points.]

"Damn it!"

The quests issued by the Main God were truly the heavy hitters.

If the entire Zhongzhou Team were present, being faced with a Grade-A side quest difficulty could only mean one thing: a near-certain total party wipe.

And for a solo trigger, it spelled four unmistakable words.

Nine deaths, one life!

'I just came back to take a look, was all this really necessary?'

Qian Gu’s mouth twitched slightly. Looking at Ye Yinyi before him, he felt a sudden impulse to slash him to death with a blade.

Yet, it was already too late for regrets.

After all, judging by all the signs pointing to the impending descent of the Undead Game, the thing that truly threatened Qian Gu's life was most likely this very game. Keeping this man alive would likely prove beneficial to him later on.

Therefore, the next step would be...

"Mr. Ye Yinyi, as of this moment, you have been kidnapped by me."

The words barely faded when Arnold leaped back inside, blocking the breach completely and trapping Ye Yinyi squarely between the two of them—front and back, flanked by trouble.

"I suppose I don't have the right to refuse."

Ye Yinyi stood up, shrugged, and offered no argument, calmly accepting the reality of his situation.

"As for—"

"Xiao Yi!"

The youthful, energetic voice of a young girl rang out from behind Qian Gu.

Simultaneously, a bullet was intercepted by his Mage Armor, failing to pierce his arm.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that suddenly opening fire is terribly impolite?"

"Who are you!"

The newcomers were two women—one youthful and vibrant, the other with fiery red hair and the polished bearing of an elite professional. At that moment, both raised their handguns, glaring warily at Qian Gu.

"Me?"

Qian Gu had intended to state his real name, but paused for a fraction of a second before replying calmly, "Dragon Valley."

This was the alias he had decided upon.

Considering the possibility of encountering horror films involving true-name curses in the future, it was always safer to travel under a false name.