"No matter what your current identity is, killing someone is equivalent to sending it a friend. Are you sure there won’t be any adverse consequences?" Chi Cai’s reasoning is quite solid, "Like I said before, killing may be a violation, you don’t need to do this."

Everyone here has a brain; this is indeed a matter that needs consideration, but they want to know more whether Xu Huo has truly mastered some definite information.

"We just came to confirm whether that girl named Toto is really dead." The green-haired female player stared at Xu Huo with peculiar eyes, "If the little girl wasn’t lying, then it must be the real hidden friend pretending to be Toto calling her. We want to know more about the hidden friend’s activity patterns."

Players can be wary, but the real hidden friend is hard to say.

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, "You want to dig up the grave?"

"No need for that." The green-haired female player pulled out a small device, "We can directly scan the underground to see if there are any human bones."

This is also the most convenient method; instead, Xu Huo’s large-scale endeavor seemed ostentatious, which made them think he had found some valuable evidence.

The green-haired female player walked to the mound, scanned it with the device, and slightly raised her eyebrows, "There’s no skeleton underneath, not even animal bones."

They did not doubt the villagers’ truthfulness; they dared not and could not. The only possibility is that the buried corpse was consumed by plants, after all, some plants secrete highly corrosive liquids, which can cause a buried body to disappear naturally.

Then she checked the soil to confirm that it contained bone remnants.

"This is peculiar," said the green-haired female player, "Logically speaking, the hidden friend treats humans as prey. Since it can devour living humans cleanly without a trace, it would likely do the same with corpses. But the person buried here has been well dissolved; could the hidden friend only eat the living?"

After hearing the villagers’ stories, players naturally associate the emergence of a forest-related instance boss here, which indiscriminately attacks living persons; understanding its habits is one of the ways to enhance survival before it reveals its true face. Charging in recklessly would be unwise.

"Perhaps it only eats the living?" Chi Cai remarked, "Many mutated animals will avoid spoiled food."

"So far, among the players we know, none has gone missing because of the real hidden friend." The green-haired female player stated, "Maybe it’s like he said, killing someone could be a way to attract the hidden friend."

She glanced around at everyone, "It’s simple to verify this method."

She didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood; to test whether this method works, choose someone to commit murder. If the killer gets summoned, they naturally abide by the rule not to attack each other. If not, then there is room for maneuver.

Hmm, to save costs, let the locals kill each other.

"What do you want to do by attracting the real hidden friend?" Xu Huo asked, "Do you intend to capture it or kill it?"

"Whether capturing or killing, it won’t interfere with our exploration of the hidden rules of the instance." The middle-aged man standing with the eyebrow piercing player gave him a cold look, "Aren’t you trying to provoke us into killing each other?"

This proposal best serves the players’ interests; what’s more, if they indeed attract the hidden friend, they may glimpse its true face and gain unexpected rewards. Normally, this method wouldn’t be used to draw out the instance boss, but now they’ve gathered so many people they might as well take a chance.

"No, don’t forget one thing." Chi Cai quickly said, "The hidden friend only needs one friend per day; if it kills the person doing the killing, when will we get the chance to impersonate it?"

"Seven people have been lost in this instance so far, and no one knows whether they were killed by players or the hidden friend. Imagine if it follows a sequence?"

Several people on site were somewhat skeptical, and the player with missing ear frowned, "It only needs one friend, but there’s no mention that the hidden friend can only kill one person per day."

"The instance description doesn’t say... can you guarantee?" Chi Cai asked.

It’s unthinkable; who knows if this instance boss has rigid requirements?

"Killing one person isn’t a big deal." The green-haired female player stood up from the tomb mound, shaking off dirt from her boots, "If it really kills people sequentially, it only delays a day."

But Chi Cai’s remarks still made the eyebrow piercing player back off, "I’m not participating; you guys do as you please."

He left after speaking, directly abandoning his previous companions.

The green-haired female player turned her gaze to the remaining people and those three hiding in the distance.

The three also hesitated; only the middle-aged man and the player with missing ear were keen to try.

"Do you want to recklessly kill people?" Chi Cai couldn’t help but say, "Others are alive and well, why should they die to test the instance rules?"

The green-haired female player gazed at him with a contemplative look, "Why don’t you die instead?"

Chi Cai stepped back but said firmly, "Don’t forget, this instance only lets one person clear it; think about why others might fail to clear it!"

The green-haired female player glanced at him teasingly, "Maybe because the hidden friend player couldn’t find a friend!"

"That certainly might be a reason, but the greater possibility is that the instance boss has its likes, dislikes, and judgments. You can’t say there’s absolutely no chance of that. Are you willing to gamble? Are you sure forcing or compelling villagers to kill their loved ones won’t come back to bite you?!"

The green-haired female player glared at him, then suddenly chuckled, "I was just joking; why so scared, Pretty Boy?"

The last three words were less an insult and more flirtation.

After she left, Chi Cai sighed in relief and wiped his forehead, "I really am not used to reasoning with these unreasonable people."

"Not at all," Xu Huo praised, "You spoke quite well. If I had been in your place, a fight might have broken out."

Chi Cai smiled and added, "We should go back and check things out; lest they really take action."

Using a prop to travel, they arrived mere seconds behind those who had left earlier; Zhongmu Village was peaceful, and those searching were yet to return. Meanwhile, villagers easing due to learning the girl had safely returned appeared relaxed.

Once back in the wooden house, Chi Cai told Xu Huo that he used to be a teacher and since childhood had a lot to say, his mouth couldn’t be idle, so he asked for some understanding.

Xu Huo didn’t say much, only the Girl in the painting disturbed by his interference in her gaming, handed him a bag of sour berries to remedy his talkativeness.

Being teased, he wasn’t upset, even nodding in agreement, "This is a good solution... slurp..."

The forest on the fifth day gradually descended into darkness.