PFC Chapter 262 The Neighbor with a Mourning Face
Chapter 262 The Neighbor with a Mourning Face
Shu Fan had just put down the teapot when he saw Duan Songen looking at him somewhat nervously.
"You discovered that?" Duan Songen asked. "I have a feeling that Lin Wen might be an NPC."
Shu Fan nodded. "I think so too."
"Should we...?"
Shu Fan understood what she meant; she was hesitating whether to tell the other players about this discovery—especially Fang Shuo, who lived with Lin Wen.
Shu Fan pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"We can't alert them," she told Duan Songen. "What if these NPCs are on guard?"
Duan Songen nodded, leaning against the sink and tossing an apple around. "Looking at it this way, those two roommates with buzz cuts are also NPCs." She then said to Shu Fan, "So, doesn't that mean he's the most dangerous?"
"Living with two NPCs."
“Yan Xun is also living with three NPCs,” Shu Fan said.
“That’s different,” Duan Songen said. “His three NPCs are all out in the open; their identities are known.”
“And Lin Wen…” Duan Songen thought for a moment, “she’s a bit too unlike an NPC.”
Compared to Shuangshuang or even the somewhat clumsy bamboo pole, Lin Wen seemed far too shrewd, unlike an ordinary NPC.
This also made Duan Songen a little puzzled: Could NPCs be so intelligent and so close to players?
"Forget it," Shu Fan said finally. "Let's take it one step at a time."
"Our main mission hasn't even started yet, so let's not think about that for now." With that, she picked up the teapot and left the kitchen, with Duan Songen following behind her.
As soon as the two returned to the restaurant, they found Yan Xun and Lou Yanchuan whispering to each other.
Hearing their footsteps, he immediately stopped talking and turned to look at them.
Shu Fan casually put down the teapot in her hand. Duan Songen sat down beside her, looking at Yan Xun and Lou Yanchuan with some wariness.
"You should have already discovered that Lin Wen is an NPC, right?" Yan Xun asked directly, getting straight to the point.
Shu Fan hadn't expected Yan Xun to be so direct... She glanced at Duan Song'en, then looked at Yan Xun, thought for a moment, and decided to nod, "Yes."
This clue is too simple. Since Yan Xun has already entered the instance six times, it's impossible that he wouldn't notice it.
At this point, there's no point in denying it.
"We've discovered that Lin Wen might be an NPC," Shu Fan said cautiously, not ruling out any possibility. "What about you?"
"Why did you suddenly bring this up...?"
She felt it was impossible for Yan Xun to suddenly remind them that Lin Wen was an NPC (non-player character).
It's not that they thought badly of Yan Xun, but there was no need to.
Although players enter the same instance, they are competitors rather than partners in a certain sense.
“I suspect Lin Wen is a player disguised as an NPC,” Yan Xun said.
Shu Fan's expression froze for a moment—she felt like she was hearing a tongue twister. She looked at Yan Xun, somewhat confused, "What's the reason?"
Why did Lin Wen choose to play an NPC in the dungeon?
Do you want to hear the truth?
"The truth."
"The truth is..." Yan Xun thought for a moment, "Do you remember the player who gave me the map?"
He briefly recounted the story of the old man from the previous instance, saying that he was a player who inexplicably detached from his original body and parasitized another body, "He was parasitizing that person's body at the time."
"It's not surprising that they know more detailed information."
Upon hearing this, Shu Fan exchanged a few glances with Duan Songen.
Duan Songen hesitated, "...Are you serious?"
"Is it true that a player has possessed another player's body?"
“I have no reason to lie about this,” Yan Xun said. “What benefit do you think I could gain from this?”
Duan Songen thought about it and realized that there really wasn't any benefit to it.
"Then what do you want us to do?" Shu Fan asked. Yan Xun couldn't have brought this up suddenly; if he had told them, it meant he needed their help.
Yan Xun expressed his concerns, "So I think it would be better if you went to test the waters."
"Let's see if she's a player disguised as an NPC, a real NPC, or... a player parasitizing an NPC."
Players who are parasitic on NPCs?
Shu Fan wanted to ask why the old man could possess people so easily, but she felt that Yan Xun wouldn't tell them the truth, so she didn't speak.
Shuangshuang was happily scooping up cake at the corner of the table, showing no interest whatsoever in their conversation.
“Indeed,” Duan Songen said. “We also think Lin Wen is a bit strange.”
"As an NPC, she behaves too much like a player, but as a player, her profession is a bit strange."
The two made a quick decision: "We'll try to find some clues."
Shu Fan then asked a new question, "In exchange, can I ask you a question?"
Yan Xun nodded.
"On your way here, you encountered a thick fog and returned home... Did you discover a pattern?" Shu Fan asked.
"Pay attention to the color of the roof," Yan Xun said.
He pushed back his chair and stood up. "Let's go, Shuangshuang."
"Go back and do your homework."
Although Shuangshuang was dissatisfied, she still pushed back her chair and stood up. She looked at Shufan and asked, "Sister Shufan, can I still come to see you in the future?"
Shu Fan didn't sense Shuangshuang's malice, so he nodded, "Okay."
"That's great." Shuangshuang nodded in satisfaction. "The cake you made, sister, tastes just as good as the one Grandma bought for me back then."
Shu Fan: "...Thank you?"
Yan Xun walked over, "Grandma?"
Shuangshuang nodded absentmindedly, "Mmm." She looked up at Yan Xun, "You forgot, Grandma used to buy us cakes all the time." She then looked at Lou Yanchuan, "Uncle had some too."
Yan Xun and Lou Yanchuan exchanged a glance.
Shuangshuang didn't notice their conversation. Instead, she ran briskly to the wheelchair, pushed the empty one, and called to Yan Xun, "Hurry up."
Yan Xun walked behind Lou Yanchuan, said goodbye to Shu Fan and the other person, and then pushed Lou Yanchuan away.
……
Shu Fan's home is not too far from Yan Xun's home.
Not long after leaving Shu Fan's house, Yan Xun saw a neighbor and immediately smiled, but the neighbor did not respond with a smile.
He just stared at Yan Xun—
Are you all happy?
Why are you laughing?
Yan Xun cursed under his breath and immediately pushed Lou Yanchuan away. Shuangshuang seemed to sense that something was wrong and didn't dare to speak, but just stayed close to Yan Xun.
However, the neighbor seemed to be angered by Yan Xun's evasive attitude.
Why aren't you speaking?
He walked towards Yan Xun and the others, "Are you all happy?"
Yan Xun remained silent, merely estimating the distance—
The rules only state that if you encounter a neighbor with a long face, you should leave without attracting their attention.
But it didn't say what to do if they had already noticed it?