CH 40

"Backtracking."

Gu Yi decided to give it another try.

(Backtracking begins!)

(You hide next to the dean's office.)

(You think carefully.)

(Maybe the dean didn't discover you because you touched the urn, but because he noticed you as soon as you entered his office or the secret room?)

(This time, you decide to explore carefully to avoid missing any important details.)

(The dean leaves.)

(You enter the dean's office.)

(You stay there for two minutes and notice that the dean hasn't returned.)

(Evidently, you weren't discovered just by entering the office.)

(You open the door to the secret room and enter.)

(You wait for two minutes, but the dean still hasn't come back.)

(You terminate the deduction!)

Gu Yi touched his chin and took a deep breath.

It seems that the dean can discover him not because he entered the office or the secret room, but because he took the ashes.

As long as he touches the ashes, the dean will immediately rush back to the office.

The dean has an inexplicable ability. Rushing back to the office within two minutes is just a matter of moving his fingers.

As long as he carries the ashes, no matter where he hides, the dean will immediately find him.

This is an almost unsolvable situation!

A drop of cold sweat ran down Gu Yi's forehead, and the pain in his chest intensified, deepening his transformation.

Gu Yi looked up at the ceiling. Drops of blood fell like rain, and the illusion lasted for three minutes before finally disappearing.

"Phew... Stay calm."

Gu Yi took a deep breath.

The lower his mood, the lower the possibility of clearing the dungeon. He must remain calm to eventually complete the mission.

Let's think carefully. I must have missed some important information.

"Backtracking."

(Backtracking begins!)

(You hide next to the dean's office.)

(Your current situation is terrible, and you can't think calmly in reality.)

(You can only rely on your talent to think of countermeasures.)

(As long as the ashes leave the office, the dean will immediately appear, and you won't have time to deliver the item to Toto's mother.)

(Could it be that you've been set up by Toto's mother? Does stealing the ashes trigger a fatal ending?)

(You ponder for a while and find it unlikely.)

(The progress of the dungeon has completely stopped for now, and the only clue is Toto's mother. Only by connecting with her mother can the progress continue.)

(If you try to force the progress with brute force, it will only lead you to a dead end.)

(You carefully think about every detail, afraid of missing any step.)

(You remember what Toto's mother said.)

(She needs you to find the "physical body," not the "ashes.")

("Ashes" and "body" are clearly two different things.)

(You discover the blind spot.)

(When you entered the dean's office, you were always wearing the elephant mask.)

(If you wear a different mask, you might see different scenes.)

(You feel enlightened.)

(The dean leaves the office on time.)

(You enter the office.)

(Before opening the door to the secret room, you put on Toto's handmade mask.)

(You enter the secret room.)

(At this moment, the entire room turns blood-red, with the floor composed of wriggling flesh.)

(Amidst this sea of flesh, you find Toto's mother's body.)

(You hide the body in your kangaroo pants.)

(You leave the dean's office and return to your ward.)

(You silently wait for a while, and the dean indeed does not appear.)

(Feeling mentally exhausted, you can't help but want to sleep.)

(You terminate the deduction.)

"Finally, I found the correct way to clear the customs."

Gu Yi clenched his fist in triumph. This time, it only took him 20 points of mental energy to successfully deduce the correct method to progress. Backtracking greatly improved his efficiency.

Following the route from his deduction, he successfully hid in the room next to the dean's office.

When he actually entered the secret room wearing Toto's mask, he was still shocked by the scene before him.

The walls of the secret room were constantly pulsating, emitting a chilling "thud" sound that resonated with his heartbeat.

Gu Yi felt chest pain and suffocation. After enduring the discomfort, he quickly took out Toto's mother's body and swiftly left the office.

He returned to his ward and exhaustedly closed his eyes.

...

The next morning, Xu Nian woke Gu Yi up.

As Gu Yi opened his eyes, he saw the doctor and nurse looking at him with anger.

Gu Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively reached into his pants to take out the red pill.

"What are you doing, Gu Yi?" Dr. Li asked. "Did you forget to take your medication again this morning?"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Gu Yi immediately realized his mistake and obediently took his morning medication.

Dr. Li and the nurse briefly inquired about Gu Yi's condition and then left the room.

Gu Yi sat on the edge of his bed, panting heavily. Even now, his heart was still pounding in his throat.

Xu Nian walked up to Gu Yi, patting his shoulder with concern.

"I'm fine now."

Gu Yi grinned and retreated into the restroom.

When he looked up at the mirror, he saw his face transformed into a hairy monster with blood and chunks of flesh hanging from his mouth. He covered his mouth in horror, barely stopping himself from screaming.

After a while, his reflection in the mirror returned to normal.

Multiple deductions and the Unspeakable's mental erosion made Gu Yi's symptoms increasingly apparent. He immediately forced himself to vomit the pill and then grabbed a razor, shaving off all the black hair on his chest.

"I was lucky this time. The doctor didn't perform a full-body examination during rounds, or else I would have spent this morning in the operating room."

Gu Yi shook his head helplessly.

The human mind has its limits. Under such high-pressure circumstances, Gu Yi was becoming exhausted and even making mistakes.

However, this was also due to the intense mental shock he experienced in the dean's office last night, which caused him to oversleep inadvertently.

Gu Yi had his meal as usual.

During his free time, he hid in the toilet and began another deduction.

(The deduction begins!)

(You put on Toto's handmade mask.)

(You smoothly make your way to the cafeteria's kitchen and take the staff elevator down to the second basement level.)

(You arrive in the secret room in the office on the second basement.)

(The woman looks up as she sees you.)

(Woman: Who are you? Why do you have my daughter's mask? What do you want?)

(You have only encountered the woman during the previous deduction, so she doesn't recognize you.)

(You: It doesn't matter who I am. I have your physical body here, and I can return it to you. But what can you offer me in exchange?)