Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 77: Datura

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Ao Yong, or rather Xu Tuoan, clapped his hands appreciatively. "You’re really impressive. Can you tell me what work you do in real life?"

"I’ve had many jobs," Li Ang said in a melancholic tone. "When I was young, I wanted to become an environmental protector. I deliberately didn’t flush the toilet for a month to save water, but unfortunately, I was criticized by everyone.

"Later, I became an internet live broadcaster, intending to give one hundred yuan in cash-filled red envelopes to twenty lucky viewers every day, but sadly, no one subscribed to my channel.

"After that, I managed to get some money together to start a pesticide factory. But even I wouldn’t dare to drink the pesticides we produced, so naturally, no customers wanted to buy them.

"Heartbroken, I planned to go abroad and become a mercenary. To train my bulletproof abilities, I shot myself with small-caliber bullets every day and ended up covered in injuries and illnesses.

"Now, I’ve become an inventor, focusing on improving common objects in everyday life.

"For example, overturning a normal chair that seats only one person so that it can seat four people at once, though the perineal area might be somewhat painful.

"I believe as long as I persist, I will become a very successful, great inventor."

Xu Tuoan was speechless for a moment, a flood of sarcastic remarks welling up that he couldn’t voice.

"By the way," Li Ang quickly shed his melancholic mood and asked curiously, "I want to know, after you killed Ao Yong and took over as the player, why did you still join us in carrying out the mission?"

Xu Tuoan pushed Li Ang’s nonsensical babble to the back of his mind, took a deep breath, and said with a smile, "...You want to know? Because before you entered the hall and triggered the mission, I only occupied Ao Yong’s body. Ao Yong’s soul was still inside his body with me. In such a state, we were still considered a single entity, a single player. We still needed to carry out the mission ’go to the hall before midnight,’ otherwise, we would be annihilated."

"I see." Li Ang nodded. "No wonder you could still project Ao Yong’s player information at that time."

"Exactly," Xu Tuoan said. "After the mission started, Ao Yong and I were both transported to the third floor. He kept fighting me for control of the body. To get rid of him, I removed this body’s eyes, tongue, and ears, then kicked Ao Yong’s soul out."

With that, Xu Tuoan took off his full-coverage, pig-snout respirator, revealing a bloody, pockmarked face. The fact that Ao Yong’s body lacked a tongue didn’t affect Xu Tuoan’s Ghost, whose own senses were intact, from speaking. "His soul still retains the state of the body—a Ghost that cannot see, speak, or hear. It can only wander this mall, unable to pose a threat to my plans."

"Is that so..." Li Ang rubbed his chin and said to Liu Wu Dai, "The nameless Ghost you encountered on the fourth floor was probably Ao Yong, kicked out by Xu Tuoan. Because he couldn’t see, hear, or speak, he could only follow the vibrations on the floor. You mistook him for a Ghost native to the mall. This explains why the number of Ghosts was off."

Liu Wu Dai considered herself mentally resilient, but seeing Li Ang’s utter indifference to Ao Yong’s horrific disfigurement still terrified her somewhat. Li Ang... he seems even more composed than this Monster...

"So, here comes the question," Li Ang mused, turning to Xu Tuoan. "After you kicked out Ao Yong’s soul, was your mission still to finish drawing the Talisman?"

"Yes and no." Xu Tuoan spread his arms and "looked" at the luxurious, high-end shopping mall, speaking in an ethereal tone. "Eleven years ago, I was indeed a construction engineer. But beyond being an engineer, I was also a member of a secret organization. That organization is called ’Datura’."

Upon mentioning this name, Xu Tuoan fell silent for a moment, then continued, "The Datura organization originates from abroad; its establishment dates back at least to the century before last. It has a long heritage and only admits those who are either wealthy enough or exceptionally talented. As an architect, I was only somewhat famous within my circle and nowhere near meeting their criteria. It was merely by a stroke of luck, after completing a design for a church, that I was accepted into the organization. There, I came into contact with some... special things."

"Supernatural powers?" Li Ang asked.

"Supernatural powers," Xu Tuoan nodded. "They said I had an innate transcendent perception. They taught me a multitude of theological and occult knowledge from different civilizations and eras, some of which could even be applied in real life, although the effects were minimal."

"I kept absorbing this knowledge until one day I received a mission from my superiors. I was to set up an Array in Longheng Square, which I had helped construct, an Array that could gather Yin energy. Longheng Square’s location is special; it can draw Yin Evil Aura from all directions, which is helpful for refining Magic Artifacts and nurturing Ghosts.

"I had long detested the evil and filth deep within the Datura organization. Considering that the completed Array would attract Yin Evil Aura from all directions and cause innocent people to die, I altered the contents of the Talisman issued by the organization that day. I changed the Array meant to gather Yin energy into one designed to annihilate Evil Qi.

"Unfortunately, before the evil-vanquishing Array could be completed, I fell off the scaffolding and died—an utterly ridiculous and absurd accident, not an assassination or murder."

Speaking to this point, the hideous and ferocious face of Ao Yong’s body twisted into a bitter smile. "After my death, I remained bound here. For some reason, the Datura organization never came to handle the aftermath. So, I drifted here as a Ghost, barely maintaining my existence on the scant Yin energy available."

"Later, several more accidental deaths occurred, adding a few more ’residents’ to the mall. Just as we were running low on Yin energy, something else happened."

Xu Tuoan spoke ethereally, "Seven months ago, a massive influx of Yin Evil Aura suddenly filled this place. It not only enabled us Lone Ghosts to maintain our forms but also greatly enhanced our cultivation. I understood then that the ’Divine Revelation’ the Datura organization had always spoken of had finally arrived."

"After regaining our strength, we Lone Ghosts started thinking about how to escape. In my life, I had learned a lot of mystical knowledge, like runes and Arrays. This knowledge could be used to complete the unfinished Yin Gathering Array within the mall, but it required the potent vital energy of a living person as a catalyst.

"As a Ghost, I couldn’t complete the Yin Gathering Array. Possessing an ordinary person’s body wouldn’t work either. After a Fierce Ghost possesses a mortal body, its inherent Yin energy rapidly causes the body to decay, preventing it from generating enough vital energy to complete the Yin Gathering Array."

Li Ang frowned. "And that’s when we arrived, right?"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l