Chapter 1212: The Most Suitable Punishment
Lin Sanjiu closed her eyes.
The utility room, already filled with stagnant and oppressive air, began to be pervaded by a strong, humid smell of blood, nauseating to anyone present. Without a word spoken, the sound of blood gurgling within a severed trachea echoed, accompanied by countless bubbles bursting with faint cracking sounds, each one scraping her nerves like blunt knives.
Upon reopening her eyes, Lin Sanjiu saw that Hei Zeji had grabbed Gardenia by the throat with one hand, lifted her off the ground, and pressed her against the wall. His fingers were positioned exactly where the former security guard's windpipe had been severed. Gardenia's face turned rapidly purple, and despite her desperate struggles to breathe, Hei Zeji's iron-like grip firmly blocked the air.
Lin Sanjiu understood that Gardenia couldn't die, despite her recent words not being entirely truthful. However, she didn't mind letting Gardenia suffer a bit longer.
"Just when I was about to figure it out, you killed him," Lin Sanjiu said, wiping her face. As her fingers grazed her skin, she seemed to provide herself with a brief sense of release. "In fact, recognizing this NPC was actually disadvantageous for you. Have you considered that?"
Not expecting a response from Gardenia, Lin Sanjiu turned her attention to Bohemia, who knew that had she not obstructed Hei Zeji's path, the former security guard would not have been killed by Gardenia. Bohemia's lips moved timidly, resembling a silent rabbit.
"Actually, recognizing this NPC was not in your favor," Lin Sanjiu continued, her gaze fixed on Gardenia's purple, distorted face and felt that what she was saying now might not be completely audible to the other party. She had also been in a similar situation before, and the loudest sound then had been the flow of blood in her ears. "They usually infiltrate among players, like water demons seeking substitutes, looking for players to become the next NPC. I was thinking, this NPC is only a fat man when he's on duty at the payment counter. So, if you recognize this fat man, it means you saw him at the payment counter. What can you do there? Either you're exchanging points or deceiving people into going to the hospital's basement. In either scenario, I can't see how the NPC could tell you're a gamer. So, the likelihood of you not being the gamer increases, right?"
After making her point, Lin Sanjiu gestured to Hei Zeji. The muscles on his face tightened for a fleeting moment, a hint of killing intent passing by, but he then released his grip on Gardenia's throat.
"So, what if I don't need any points?" Hei Zeji said, his voice low as he stared at Gardenia. "I can just kill my way out, if necessary."
Lin Sanjiu found it challenging to explain Puppeteer's situation right there and then. She too desired to demolish everything. Ultimately, she simply shook her head.
Gardenia began to cough violently. Her long, beautifully shaped legs stretched and contracted involuntarily, appearing somehow more ordinary than before. "Y-yes," she managed to say after calming down slightly, wiping the corners of her mouth and panting. "I know NPCs do this. So, when I realized they both thought they hadn't seen the NPC, I guessed he had infiltrated them by pretending to be a player. When I thought about how he became a security guard, figuring out who the NPC he met wasn't difficult."
The fat man nodded in agreement. For him, confirming information already known by the player was not against the rules. He avoided looking at the corpse on the ground, his drooping eyelids concealing his gaze as he said, "Yes, when I approached the gamer, he had no idea I was an NPC."
"He thought you were a senior in the club," Gardenia mocked, smiling at the fat man. "Am I right? This guy is the gamer, isn't he?"
The person had already died, and she was only just confirming it — Lin Sanjiu couldn't understand why this infuriated her more than the killing of the former security guard. She clenched her fists, the metal gauntlet squeaking under the pressure.
"Speaking of which, this guy's luck is really bad," the NPC said with a sigh, his plump pale lips moving. "About the Gamers Club meeting, I actually learned about it elsewhere. Did you know? The Lava game team the Gamers Club formed all arrived?"
"Arrived in the general hospital?" Lin Sanjiu was surprised.
"Yes, they all gathered in their meeting place, but this guy went to the wrong place and missed meeting his teammates. It was an unforeseeable misunderstanding, but I guess I don't need to go into detail. I was hiding nearby, watching them wait for a long time without the last player. They eventually left, thinking he hadn't shown up. I decided to try my luck and met him. Two posthumans, a male and a female, had already deceived him into thinking they were gamers. I'm not sure what they planned for him, but eventually, I led all three to the basement. Now, if you want me to identify the male and female from the security guards, I can't recognize them anymore; they've already transformed."
In other words, the former security guard hadn't even seen a member of the club and had been tricked into going to the hospital's basement. Even though her skin had been scorched by anger to the point of burning, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but grit her teeth. In this place, it seemed everyone was a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole lurking behind.
"No wonder you knew he was a gamer," she said after a brief pause, her voice soft. "You were targeting the gamer from the start."
"As for you," Lin Sanjiu said, turning to Red Face, who was now uncomfortably positioned in the middle of the utility room, far from the exit but close to Hei Zeji. Red Face's expression had already become unsightly. "Have you heard of the Gamers Club?"
"I really am a gamer," Red Face insisted. "You don't have to believe me, but let's just say we're all unlucky."
"Don't bother," Lin Sanjiu interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "Even if you're not a gamer, I won't prevent you from leaving with us. As long as you're willing, you can come. Just don't cause any trouble."
Caught off guard by her offer, Red Face fell silent, pondering his options as Lin Sanjiu shifted her attention away from him.
"I don't know if you're lying," Lin Sanjiu said to Gardenia, "but you'd better pray that you really know how to earn points. As you said, we have no choice but to take you with us, gamer or not."
Her tone was calm, devoid of anger, as she had suppressed her rage. Gardenia, leaning against the wall, realized this. "So, what will you do? If you cut off my hands and feet, I would rather die than tell you any information!"
"No need to worry," Lin Sanjiu reassured her, shaking her head. "I had to amputate the NPC's limbs out of necessity. Your limbs and body will remain untouched."
Gardenia pursed her lips, half-believing her words. She realized Lin Sanjiu wasn't finished speaking.
Lin Sanjiu continued, "To prevent you from trying anything funny again, I'll dislocate your shoulder joints." She reached out and pushed the person squeezed next to her aside. She had a better understanding of why Hei Zeji was slower than the others just now; it was too crowded here, and moving to another place without hurting anyone was actually quite difficult. "I promise to reset them later. Of course, you don't have to trust me."
Lin Sanjiu squeezed in front of Gardenia and crouched down, her arm pressing against her as she used her gauntleted hand to grasp Gardenia's thin shoulder. Her fingers dug deep into the depression where the joints met, and as she applied pressure, Gardenia's shoulder dislocated with a soft gasp.
"I said I wouldn't harm you," Lin Sanjiu whispered as she worked. "Do you know why? It's not out of compassion. There's a fitting punishment awaiting you in the near future."
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