Chapter 111: Your Method Is Good, But I Can Kill Faster!
Sometimes, the world of supernatural tales is like this—even when the chosen ones know there’s a trap, they still have to step into it.
Surviving within the trap is what the chosen ones must do.
The first and second floors seemed to have some tourists quietly reading, all focused on their books.
But the tourists on the third floor were different. While pretending to read, their eyes kept darting toward the newly arrived chosen ones. Rather than reading, they were more like predators waiting for prey to walk into their den.
The most absurd part was the design of the third floor. It was pitch black, with only motion-activated lights. If no sound was made, the lights wouldn’t turn on. But if the sound was too loud, it would attract supernatural attacks.
In short, the third floor was one giant trap.
Eddison was considering how these creatures might attack him later.
Having gained some experience, he was now more cautious.
Would they suddenly startle him like in the cinema, forcing him to make noise?
Thinking of this, Eddison felt that he might need to focus entirely on reading—only then could he avoid being attacked.
But focusing too hard might blur his vision, which would require him to shred the book.
If that was the case, he shouldn’t stray too far from the shredder. Otherwise, if his vision failed him, he’d be in serious danger.
He remembered Rule 3: Do not read children’s books. If someone asks for the book in your hand, remember—never give it to them!
Perhaps reading children’s books or having a book snatched away were conditions that allowed supernatural entities to attack him.
The rule was already clear enough—no chosen one would be foolish enough to hand over their book.
Eddison didn’t consider himself the smartest chosen one. If he could figure this out, surely others could too?
To clear a supernatural scenario, relying solely on the most basic literal interpretation of the rules wouldn’t be enough.
As he pondered this, Eddison began to reflect:
Was there a way to predict danger in advance?
Or better yet—had any chosen one ever managed to predict danger before it happened?
Suddenly, Eddison thought of someone. This particular chosen one had repeatedly neutralized threats before they even emerged and always prepared countermeasures for future dangers while clearing scenarios.
Everything he did seemed effortless. He even completed hidden tasks.
That’s right—this person was none other than the man hailed as the strongest scenario-clearer from Dragon Country.
Eddison had watched recordings of this top clearer before.
Just yesterday, he had reviewed them several more times.
He had never understood how Zhang Yangqing’s judgments were always so accurate. Others might have assumed Zhang relied purely on brute strength, making guesses without fear of being wrong. At first, Eddison had thought the same.
But now, he realized his mistake. Strength alone wasn’t enough. If details were overlooked, even a powerhouse like Zhang could only barely clear the scenario—never with a perfect score.
Now, Eddison was trying to think: How would Dragon Country’s chosen one approach this situation?
Because only by approximating the mindset of the strong could one clear these seemingly incomprehensible challenges.
In the world of supernatural tales, information was paramount. Many things could be deduced from clues.
“When there are no explicit hints, what does that top player do?”
Eddison stood motionless on the first floor for nearly five minutes, deep in thought.
He kept replaying Zhang Yangqing’s clearing process in his mind.
Then, suddenly, his pupils dilated—as if he had finally understood something.
The environment!
Yes, the environment!
In the wax museum scenario, Dragon Country’s chosen one had examined every detail of the surroundings, combined it with the rules, and identified traps in advance.
That was how he knew the female entity in the lounge was trying to deceive him.
So, instead of rushing to read, Eddison carefully observed every corner of the library’s third floor again.
After his inspection, he had a clear mental map of the library’s layout.
The positions of the tourists, the librarian, the bookshelves, the shredder—he memorized them all.
Then, he cross-referenced them with the rules.
Before long, the corners of Eddison’s lips curled upward.
He nearly cheered out loud—he had figured it out!
He had deduced the two biggest traps in the library.
The sense of achievement from cracking the hidden meaning of the rules made his heart soar.
“So this is how the top players think!”
Eddison felt as if a fog had lifted from his mind.
It was like a sudden epiphany.
The experts and audience from Football Country had no idea why their chosen one was standing on the first floor, grinning like an idiot. Had he already fallen into a trap?
Or had he discovered some exploit?
But if he didn’t read, he couldn’t leave.
Just as everyone was puzzled, Eddison sprang into action. He began reading on the first floor.
Because the third floor was too dark, reading there wouldn’t count toward the required time.
While reading, Eddison also started identifying misplaced books.
From the rules, he inferred that organizing books might earn the librarian’s favor.
Since there was a librarian here, this NPC likely had some ability to assist him in critical moments.
When he found a philosophy book misplaced in the history section, he didn’t immediately move it.
Instead, he asked the librarian where it belonged—perhaps only the librarian knew the correct placement.
Here, the first small trap appeared.
The librarian said: “Just hand me the book. I’ll put it away for you.”
If a chosen one carelessly handed over the book, they would undoubtedly be attacked—because this violated Rule 3: If someone asks for the book in your hand, never give it to them.
Even if it was the librarian, this rule applied. That was the first small trap.
Very few failed here, since everyone knew not to surrender their book.
Eddison didn’t hand it over. After confirming the correct location, he placed it there himself.
This was already a solid performance.
After reading for thirty minutes, Eddison’s vision began to blur. The words on the page grew indistinct—he knew the second trap had arrived.
This one was deadly, yet something many hadn’t anticipated.
When chosen ones cautiously made their way to the third floor, relying on faint light to avoid tourists lurking behind bookshelves, and finally reached the shredder—they were already on the brink of death.
Rule 4 stated: If you hear noise in any area, stay away from it.
While reading, chosen ones had been avoiding sections where books fell—which wasn’t wrong.
If any area had noise, that area became a zone where supernatural entities could attack.
But the noise didn’t necessarily have to come from others. The chosen ones themselves could also create it.
Operating the shredder would inevitably produce noise.
Thus, the third floor would become a hunting ground for supernatural attacks.
Football Country’s chosen one had been ambushed the moment he turned on the shredder.
There were two standard solutions here.
The first was the life-risking approach:
Find an escape route before using the shredder, then rely on bookshelves for cover while fleeing supernatural assaults.
This tested the chosen one’s skills, but ordinary superhumans could manage it.
If they couldn’t hide, they could at least run.
The second solution was what Eddison employed.
He realized the rules could be interconnected. By simulating the library’s structure, he predicted that the shredder’s noise would turn the third floor into a danger zone.
Thus, Rule 2 was the key to Rule 4’s solution.
If he helped the librarian organize books, the librarian would return the favor.
Some chosen ones were still confused: How could they get the librarian to shred the book without handing it over?
The answer was simple.
Eddison walked to the third-floor shredder, placed the book inside—but didn’t press the button. No noise was made.
Then, he returned and asked the librarian to go upstairs and activate the shredder for him.
This way, he remained on the first floor, far from the danger zone.
These were the two major traps in the library.
By repeating this process a few times, he could simply wait for the timer to expire and leave.
If Dragon Country’s Zhang Yangqing or Eagle Country’s Miller had pulled this off, no one would’ve been surprised.
After all, these two were terrifyingly adept at deciphering rules.
Zhang Yangqing could foresee future traps and take preemptive measures.
Miller could exploit rules to escape desperate situations.
Both were exceptional chosen ones.
But for Football Country’s Eddison to remain so calm and effortlessly sidestep these traps? That was downright shocking.
No offense to Eddison, but the experts from Football Country never thought someone of his intellect could devise such a strategy.
Even Eagle Country’s Miller—a two-time scenario clearer—praised Eddison’s performance:
“This guy’s improving way too fast. Look at his expression—it’s like he’s mocking the supernatural. That means he’s probably already deduced the conditions for their attacks!”
Many could guess the traps and hidden rules.
But deducing the conditions under which supernatural entities could attack? That was on another level.
In his first wax museum run, Zhang Yangqing had already figured out the attack triggers.
In a way, Eddison was just replaying Zhang’s old strategies.
By his second run, Zhang no longer bothered deducing—because it was unnecessary.
In the first run, he didn’t know how strong his opponents were, so he treated it as a trial.
Afterward, he realized: No matter how strong they were, they were never stronger than him.
So did it even matter under what conditions supernatural entities could attack him?
Of course not.
These creatures should be worrying about the conditions under which I can attack them.
Eddison had recalled Zhang’s approach in the wax museum and applied it here. He had learned a fraction of Zhang’s methods—and that was already impressive.
Even this small fraction was a massive leap for a first-timer like him.
Let’s not forget—every nation’s experts were still studying Zhang’s clearing footage, trying to dissect and learn from it.
But no matter how much they researched, Zhang’s strategies had already evolved beyond their comprehension.
And now, Zhang was about to show them what a truly incomprehensible clearing tutorial looked like.
Pay attention—I’ll only demonstrate once!
While Eddison cleared this stage with ease, Zhang strolled through it.
Unlike the Red Robe Archbishop Gregorio’s brute-force approach—where he simply killed every attacker after turning on the shredder—Zhang’s method was on another level.
Eagle Country’s Miller went through eight packs of cigarettes trying to grasp how Zhang had deciphered the rules so thoroughly.
Zhang’s method was something Miller wouldn’t even dare imagine.
In the previous stage, Zhang had convinced the two female tourists to invite him to the library.
They had accompanied him there.
Then, instead of picking up a book himself, Zhang had the women fetch books for him to read.
This way, he accumulated reading time without ever touching a book.
After all, the rules never specified that the chosen one had to hold the book themselves.
When his vision blurred, he simply ordered one of the women to take the book to the third-floor shredder.
Because from the second stage, he had realized: Supernatural entities only attacked the chosen ones.
The female tourists and the library’s other entities were of the same type.
So in this stage, Zhang sat at a first-floor table, not moving a muscle, and cleared it effortlessly.
In short, from the moment Zhang entered the library, he had exploited its biggest loophole—one even the supernatural and rules couldn’t penalize him for.
Dragon Country’s audience was equal parts envious and exasperated.
[Damn, he’s playing way too dirty!]
[Good lord—luxury cruise, beautiful companions… Is he really here to clear a dangerous scenario?]
[I think I see someone vacationing, but I won’t name names!]
[At this point, I’m convinced Zhang could clear this whole scenario just by flashing his smile.]
[Who knows? If the captain’s a woman, he might already be prepping for the next round.]
Zhang had no idea what the audience was thinking. He was simply interpreting the rules logically.
Why else would I bring those two along?
Since they had a favorable impression of him, putting them to work was just efficiency.
Zhang was a chosen one who constantly improved.
In his last run, he had tested whether supernatural entities in this world could be manipulated.
By manipulated, he meant used to do his bidding.
To him, supernatural entities were beings that could be negotiated with.
As long as you didn’t violate their rules and raised their favorability, they could assist you.
This time, he took full advantage of that.
If I encounter mobile supernatural tourists, why not make them work for me?
At this stage, Zhang and Gregorio’s playstyles had diverged drastically.
Gregorio favored bloody suppression—killing the unruly and beating the rest into submission.
Zhang preferred recruitment—sparing the obedient and eliminating the rest.
Without knowing the exact clearing conditions, both were still holding back.
Inside the scenario, Zhang checked the library clock. Once the reading time was met, he prepared to leave.
But at the exit, the librarian handed him a box.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the clearing reward.
Outside, he found a seat and opened the box. Inside were a card and a key.
The labels read: [Access Card] and [Master Key], with accompanying instructions.
Access Card: Holders may use the elevator alone. Currently unlocked: Floors 3, 4, 10.
Master Key: Can enter any passenger’s room. Note: Invading privacy will anger them.
From the descriptions, Zhang deduced that the Access Card unlocked floors as the chosen one visited them.
Since he had been to the 10th floor, it was now accessible.
In other words, once chosen ones cleared the remaining floors, they’d never need to beg passengers for invitations again.
Other chosen ones would’ve been overjoyed—no more tedious tasks!
But for Zhang, this was redundant. After all, his two supernatural fans were still around!
They were too useful—he couldn’t bear to let them go.
When he left the library, he brought them along.
The second reward from clearing the library was the Master Key. With it, chosen ones could inspect passengers’ rooms.
But the warning was clear: If they were caught intruding, the passengers’ rules would activate, allowing them to attack.
Chosen ones had their own plans—as long as they could get inside.
After questioning the two women, Zhang obtained some exclusive intel:
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Passengers could only access Floors 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10. The others were off-limits to them too.
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The two women couldn’t detect the scent from the three silver-masked passengers.
With this, Zhang’s understanding of the rules deepened.
Information and rules were mutually illuminating.
He was starting to grasp his role’s purpose.
As a crew member, his duties were: Protect himself. Protect the ship. Protect the passengers.
This scenario had granted every chosen one a special hidden ability—their sense of smell.
This could be inferred from the rules and intel.
Rule 12: Some passengers emit unpleasant odors. If you notice, do not react.
This rule’s meaning likely wasn’t literal.
On the surface, it just warned against disrespecting passengers to avoid retaliation.
But combined with intel, it meant: When you detect passengers with unusual scents, don’t let them realize you’ve noticed.
These scent-marked passengers were the target entities—the ones he needed to eliminate.
The scenario accounted for most chosen ones being outnumbered and outgunned.
Specifically, it provided two methods to deal with target entities:
Rule 13: If you find bloodstains in a passenger’s room, report it to the guest services manager immediately. This is crucial!
Rule 14: Passengers who waste food may be thrown overboard by the crew. This is within your rights!
The guest services manager and other crew members were thus allies chosen ones could leverage to eliminate targets.
But their activation conditions were specified: bloodstains in rooms and food wasters.
If target entities violated these, chosen ones could call for backup.
This was Zhang’s interpretation of the crew member role—based on all current intel and rules.
Other chosen ones would reach the same conclusion with more information.
Many had already sensed the hidden clues but lacked confirmation.
Zhang, with slightly more intel, had pieced it together earlier.
If these target entities weren’t eliminated before nightfall, the ship and passengers might be in danger—even if he was safe.
After all, the scenario had already provided the methods to neutralize them.
Whether chosen ones could identify all targets in time was up to their skill.
But for Zhang?
If I already know who to kill, why bother with these methods?
I can kill them myself—way faster.
Since I’m here, don’t question how I do it.
The scenario’s methods were good, but he had a better way.
Zhang now understood why this scenario was titled “The Mary Celeste.”
It was destined to be a voyage of bloodshed. To survive, every chosen one would have to walk a path paved with carnage.
Without blood, how could it be the Mary Celeste?
