Xu Huo’s thoughts were interrupted by Chi Cai, the man who looked honest and sincere continued, "You’re not a dungeon player, there’s no conflict between us, we won’t have any disagreements, and it’s better than staying with other players or being alone."

"There’s no room," Xu Huo said.

Chi Cai seemed genuinely eager to gain a sense of security from this and proposed to pay rent in exchange for the chance to live together.

His attitude surprised even the Girl in the painting, who deliberately walked over to him and asked, "Aren’t you afraid we’ll deceive you?"

Chi Cai smiled with assurance, "I might not be able to beat a few people, but I’m good at running for my life and it’s tough for others to kill me."

The Girl in the painting was immediately intrigued, "Show me!"

Chi Cai hesitated, "Unless it’s a critical moment, it’s better not to waste props..."

Before he could finish his words, he shot from his place like a cannonball, moving so fast that the naked eye couldn’t track it, breaking several trees in succession before being stopped by the defensive barrier of two suddenly appearing players.

The next second, this person bounced back the way he came and was standing once more in front of the Girl in the painting.

Originally, the Girl in the painting was just trying to scare him with a Little Knife, but upon seeing this performance, she clapped in applause. Chi Cai knew why his passive defense had been triggered but he didn’t have time to argue with her as all his attention was focused on the two players who had appeared later.

"We’ve been looking for you for a long time, didn’t expect to run into you here." The two players, a man and a woman, looked about forty years old. The man’s right ear was partially missing, and the woman had striking green hair, but what was even more astonishing were her pupils, which weren’t perfectly round; the edges looked faded as if bitten by insects, indistinguishable from the whites of her eyes.

"You’ve actually come together!" Chi Cai said mournfully. These were the two players he had previously encountered separately, and in such a vast forest, the two people wanting to kill him had come together.

The newcomers did not rashly attack but instead looked at Xu Huo, "Are you his companions?"

Xu Huo pointed back towards the village, "That’s Zhongmu Village up ahead, let’s head over there first. Some players have already arrived."

The two hesitated, and seeing this, Chi Cai said, "Even if you kill me, what good will it do? Apart from getting more props, it won’t help in clearing the instance, and you might even be targeted by the real Hidden Friend. Maybe nothing happens for a day or two, but can you ensure it won’t come for you over the next twenty-some days here?"

"You called for me in the grove," the green-haired female player said, "Disguiser or actor, pick one."

When players regroup after dispersing, it can easily lead to these misunderstandings. Some players worry that the person calling them is a real actor, while others fear unknown consequences once they are targeted, so they opt for the simple and brutal choice of killing.

Chi Cai took two steps back, "I choose neither."

Having said that, he turned and ran towards the village without looking back.

The green-haired female player wanted to chase, but Bubble Bean and several others had already noticed the commotion and approached with a crowd, leaving her to give up.

A group of people gathered, but apart from worsening the atmosphere, there was no other outcome. Intent on keeping an eye on each other, they decided to crowd into two wooden houses, and if there was not enough room, they used props to stay nearby to prevent a "Hidden Friend" from taking advantage of the chaos to kill someone.

But unexpectedly, while nothing happened among the players, trouble brewed in Upper Wood Village.

Three villagers from Upper Wood Village came looking for someone, saying Granny Yi’s granddaughter was missing, and they had traced her all the way to this place.

Upon hearing this, people from Zhongmu Village gathered immediately, leaving behind children and elders, while the young adults prepared to team up and search.

"Are you so sure she got lost?" the green-haired female player asked coldly, "Maybe she was called away by the Hidden Friend."

"Impossible!" The villagers immediately refuted, "No child has ever been taken away by the strange entity!"

Indeed, all the stories’ protagonists are adults.

"Let’s help out together," Xu Huo proposed, "If the child is indeed lost, it’s too dangerous in the grove."

Bubble Bean and the others saw his expression and hesitated for a moment before deciding to join the search party.

The green-haired female player and player with missing ear also followed suit, however, like Yang Tian and Chi Cai, they chose to join Xu Huo’s team.

With several players forming a team, there was no need for as many local villagers, and they only left a young lad to guide them.

As they walked, everyone continued to make markers despite roughly dividing the search areas, agreeing to use these marks to confirm places already checked, to prevent missing any area.

Xu Huo carved marks on tree trunks with a Little Knife and casually asked the young lad if he knew "Toto."

"Toto?" The young lad thought for a moment, "Wasn’t little Toto married? I even attended her wedding; she lives in Xiamu Village, which is far from us."

"I stayed at Granny Yi’s house for two days before, and her granddaughter mentioned Toto. She seemed to miss Toto a lot and wanted to see her. Is it possible she secretly went to Xiamu Village to find her?"

The young lad immediately dismissed this possibility, "In a grove like this, if one doesn’t have stamina and isn’t familiar, whoever you are—forget visiting relatives—even venturing far from home can lead to getting lost. Granny Yi’s granddaughter is so young, how could she dare go to Xiamu Village alone? I reckon she might’ve gotten lost while picking wild mushrooms and wandered too far, unable to find her way home."

He reassured himself aloud, "It’s okay, the villagers are very familiar with the area, and there’s such a large group together, they should be able to find her soon."

The young lad led the way, while Chi Cai, following behind Xu Huo, spoke softly, "The child disappeared yesterday. Upper Wood Village couldn’t find her, most likely it’s the Hidden Friend."

Xu Huo glanced at him, "Are you so sure the Hidden Friend exists?"

"It certainly exists. If it were merely rumors, it wouldn’t form an instance here," Chi Cai said, "Have you noticed, Zhongmu Village has very few elders, mostly young adults and children. Generally speaking, the more life experience someone has, the easier it is to fall into certain past emotional states, including past relationships with close people. Older people often have more lost relatives and friends."

"The young folks in Zhongmu Village seem mostly unaware of the Hidden Friend. Their first reaction to the child’s disappearance was that she got lost, rather than suspecting that strange figure. Doesn’t this match what I’ve said?"

"The friends taken by the Hidden Friend should mostly be older people."