[Take my salted fish thrust!]

We’re doomed, doomed!

The stealth duration is almost up, so why hasn’t they arrived yet!?

Baba was squatting in a bush, legs shaking nervously, staring at the plaza of Miskatonic University where players and cultists were densely gathered. The good news: the players had regained their senses—looks like the hypnosis spell didn’t last long. The bad news: the players were all tied up and surrounded by the cultists. It really did look like they were going to be used as sacrifices.

At the very center of the crowd stood Soren, the man surrounded like the moon among stars. But compared to the image players had of him, this version of Soren looked younger—his limbs intact, posture straight, and overall he just seemed… stronger.

Baba didn’t dare to observe for too long, afraid of being discovered. Each stealth use lasted at most half an hour, and time was running out.

Crap, crap, could Black Cat and Druid really pull this off? Could they? Why aren’t they here yet…

Speak of the devil—Baba suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps, and at the same time, Soren in the center of the plaza looked up toward the mist.

Out of the mist emerged the players and Miskatonic students and staff. For two seconds, the cultists in the plaza were silent. Then someone let out a mocking snort.

It made sense. Compared to the well-equipped cultists, the players and school faculty really did look like a ragtag bunch. Most of them were visibly wounded.

But Soren didn’t laugh. On the contrary, his expression was heavy.

He had assumed his plan would’ve left them all dead in the auditorium. Did something unexpected happen…?

His eyes landed on the group members who clearly weren’t Miskatonic students. Are these the “volunteers” his subordinates had mentioned? And then…

Soren let out a soft laugh. “Why are you still standing there, Albert?”

He reached out his hand toward the blond boy from afar, his calm smile laced with malice. “Come here. It’s been hard on you all these years.”

The Miskatonic team visibly froze. Then an uproar broke out. Some students who knew Albert looked at him in disbelief:

“Senior Albert, is this true?”

“Senior, he’s lying, right?”

Albert didn’t respond—but his silence said it all.

[Ugh, nooo, Albert’s actually a double agent. He’s still kind of a good guy, okay?]

[But yeah, it’s true that Miskatonic’s destruction was because of him…]

[Ugh, I’m so conflicted. I used to really like Albert, but now I love Miskatonic even more qwq. That auditorium arc moved me so much. Now I can’t help but hate him for being the indirect cause of Miskatonic’s fall.]

[Nooo qwq why… He was such a good boy, a sunshine puppy!]

[He hasn’t been that sunshine puppy in a long time. Ever since he was exposed, he’s just been a two-faced black-hearted character qwq]

Those who were closer to Albert instinctively distanced themselves from him. In just a few seconds, a small space appeared around Albert, leaving only the red-haired young man still standing in place, seemingly unaffected by the external pressure. He tilted his head and looked at Albert, whose expression was emotionless. It seemed that Albert had no reaction to the rejection from those around him, but Ranen could see the suppression and pain in his eyes.

Ranen had seen this state before.

Yes, it was during the previous main storyline. Back then, Ranen didn’t know what had happened to Albert. Now that he thought about it, it was likely that Albert had realized he had been deceived by the Inspection Bureau.

All the sacrifices he had made were meaningless, even aiding the enemy. Moreover, being an undercover agent was an extremely mentally taxing job, which had pushed Albert to his breaking point.

Not good. Ranen thought to himself. Whatever he wanted to do next, the plan’s core would inevitably revolve around Albert, because Albert was the true master of this trial, this dream. If he gave up now, the chances of the plan succeeding would shrink drastically.

Ranen wanted to persuade Albert, but now was not the time. After causing some initial hesitation among the students of Miskatonic University, Soren began his next move.

A student near the front suddenly became dazed, then quickly attacked the player closest to him.

Player: “? Wait, what’s going on?”

No one explained. More and more players and students from Miskatonic University turned on each other, and the once orderly formation collapsed into chaos.

Ranen instantly understood Soren’s intention. First, he exposed Albert’s betrayal, then he started controlling individual students, further dividing the Miskatonic University group.

At this point, the man was still cautious to a terrifying degree.

However—

The more focused you are on what’s in front of you, the more likely you are to overlook the holes behind you!

As his stealth was about to expire, Baba immediately stabbed Soren in the back!

“Take my salted fish thrust!”

Soren’s pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly reacted, grabbing the weapon in Baba’s hand.

[Strength contest: Failure] (The gap between them is too large)

[Dodge: Failure]

With two consecutive failures, Baba’s weapon was seized, and Soren turned the knife around and drove it directly into Baba’s chest.

Baba spat out a mouthful of blood, then was stabbed repeatedly by the cultists who surged up from the side. Surrounded by so many enemies, Baba’s health quickly plummeted, nearing the bottom. None of the cultists around him stopped, their expressions twisted with fury. They pulled out their knives and continued to stab, clearly intending to tear Baba apart.

[Baba——Baba——]

[I really want to say, Baba, you died tragically and pathetically haha. You didn’t accomplish anything before you died, but this time, you actually did!]

Baba grinned before dying: “Screw them!”

Soren suddenly turned around. He saw that all the players who had been tightly bound had broken free. Baba’s backstab was just the final success of the stealth operation, but his real task had already been completed. While Soren was using his hypnosis on the students of Miskatonic University, Baba had already started moving. Taking advantage of Soren’s focus on the Miskatonic University students, Baba quietly bypassed the cultists and headed toward Ye Ye and the others.

The players immediately began to counterattack, switching from defense to offense. As the players broke free from their restraints, the plaza quickly became crowded. Ye Ye and the others grabbed nearby sticks or branches and started attacking Soren.

Due to the excessive interference, Soren could no longer cast spells that required long preparation.

But it didn’t matter, because as for combat power, he had as much as he needed.

While they had arrived early in the plaza, Soren and his group hadn’t been idle. They had inscribed the Dream Entry Ritual onto every part of the plaza.

The mist grew thicker, and the strange creatures, both familiar and unfamiliar, began to emerge from the mist again, indiscriminately slaughtering every human being in sight.

The previously divided battlefield instantly descended into chaos. The first to calm down were the players. Ye Ye shouted in the player channel: “Hurry, get out of the area covered by the Dream Entry Ritual and destroy the ritual!”

Shushu Hao: “Try not to get hurt! Exit without injury! The nature of these Dream Entry Rituals is to make the players see the strange creatures, be killed by them, and absorb energy through that process! Let’s secretly tie up the cultists too, so they can’t use any energy!”

A-Long: “Got it!”

Of course, it was easier said than done, because these cultists were just as mad as the players. They didn’t care about the damage to themselves, and it seemed like they had already received some kind of order to drag the players down with them, even if they had to die in the process.

On the other hand, the players had to be more cautious because they couldn’t afford to die. They were in an awkward position—unable to die easily, while also trying not to accidentally kill the cultists. It was a tricky situation.

Druid was also bravely fighting below, having been slashed by the cultists several times, blood flowing freely. He anxiously thought of ways to break the deadlock, when the viewers in the live stream commented:

[Hang in there, Druid! Black Cat is coming with reinforcements!]

[That’s right, just hold on a little longer, they’re almost here!]

Druid anxiously shouted, “No, tell them not to come so quickly! Soren’s Dream Entry Ritual requires a large number of people to act as energy sources, and also as stepping stones for the second phase. More people right now is not good—it’s actually better if there are fewer people. Sigh, if we had known, we shouldn’t have brought the Miskatonic University students here!”

Druid was starting to regret it. He had known about Soren’s setup and they had already gone through this once before, but still, they ended up in such an awkward situation.

Druid could already vaguely see that the Miskatonic University students were also being entangled by the strange creatures. Fortunately, the area they were in was more on the edge, and it was just a D-level anomaly, so the students could manage to cope with it. However, this distance wasn’t guaranteed to be safe!

[Don’t worry, you think Black Cat hasn’t considered this?]

[Black Cat: Druid, not everyone is as brainless as you.]

[The boss is here, quick, call me daddy! Haha!]

Druid’s mind stirred. At this moment, he heard a noise, and not just him, everyone in the area heard it. Is that the sound of rain?

No, it wasn’t. It was the automatic sprinkler system on Miskatonic University’s plaza!

Green liquid fell from the air, and the spraying area was where the strange creatures, players, and cultists were gathered. A fragrant aroma wafted from the liquid, slowing the movements of those who were red-eyed with rage.

No, it wasn’t that they wanted to slow down, they were being forced to. As the liquid sprayed, a strong drowsiness surged in everyone’s minds, and they could hardly keep their eyes open…

Druid felt the same way, but just before losing consciousness completely, he suddenly understood Black Cat’s plan.

Is he betting that if people couldn’t see the strange creatures, they won’t be harmed by them?

It wasn’t just Druid who understood this. Not far away, Miskatonic University’s students and Aldous’s eyes shone with a sharp light. He quickly looked at Alexis, who nodded heavily and said loudly, “Everyone, close your eyes! Do not look at the strange creatures! No matter what happens, do not open your eyes!”

At the same time, Alexis began to cast a protective barrier spell. He knew this was a big gamble, but since someone had already come up with a solution, why not give it a try?