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Chapter 96: The Little Mirror’s Encouragement

In front of his other teammates, Xing Ye couldn't afford to show his vulnerability. However, when confronted by the mirror's questioning, he couldn't help but respond, "I already have a sense of what's going on. It's just that I need the cipher key from the department head's office and the test results of the mother and child in the obstetrics and gynecology department. The problem is, both options are highly risky. If I take action tonight, it could potentially lead to a dangerous battle."

The young man in the mirror was practically hopping in anger, "Then just fight! Since when were you scared of fighting? In the campus world, you and Cao Qian, two players with 200 points, dared to confront Di Kuang and others head-on! Since when were you afraid of strong enemies?"

Xing Ye chuckled as he listened to how much the mirror trusted him. He reached out to touch the face in the mirror with his finger. "I'm not afraid of a battle, but if the fight drags on until midnight, I will lose my memory. Who knows what trouble it might bring to everyone.

"We are all parasitized and could potentially become monsters at any time. No one wants to fail or endure that kind of pain. The reason everyone can still be calm now is because they trust me.

"Whether it's Cao Qian, Guan Ling, or Yan Hebi, I've shown them an attitude that implies everything will be resolved by tomorrow at the latest. I do hope things develop that way, but setting such strict time limits is because I know that if we can't resolve it by tomorrow, we're in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" The little mirror patiently listened to Xing Ye break down his thoughts.

Xing Ye rubbed his temples, "The measles patient's fever broke out on the first night, but he was still able to move then. It wasn't until the next morning that he was discovered and sent back to his ward unconscious. On the second night, he turned into a monster. This indicates there is an incubation period from the parasite's first flare up to its complete takeover of the body. Last night, none of us showed symptoms of a flare up, but that doesn't mean it won't happen tonight. If one of us develops a fever tonight, it'll mean we're running out of time. We'll only have 24 hours from the flare up. That's why I need to solve everything by midnight tomorrow."

The mirror said earnestly, "Then solve it! I believe you can do it."

"There's more." Xing Ye shook his head, "I don't remember how we solved the previous worlds. We don't have time to go through it in detail, nor should we waste time on doing so. However, they must've been simpler than this world."

The mirror was bewildered, "Why do you think this world is so difficult? Is it because of your memory loss?"

Xing Ye sighed, "That's just one of the reasons. I feel like there's something big, something terrifying in this world that we're missing. The system warned us about it from the beginning, but its warning was very misleading, so I didn't take any note of it. It wasn't until just now when I remembered the department head asking Guan Ling to stay in the hospital ward overnight, that I figured out the answer to all my questions. It's because I figured it out, that I'm worried about how difficult tonight's battle will be. If I add my memory loss to the equation, our chances of winning don't even reach 10%."

The mirror was fuming, "The Xing Ye I know never had more than a 10% chance of winning. In the first world, when you knew nothing at all, you defeated three following fate players all by yourself. In the second world, with just 200 points, you and Cao Qian defeated Di Kuang's team of five experienced players. In the third world, you dared to trap and kill a reincarnated player even in a situation where your starting abilities were severely handicapped by the system, ending with a flawless victory. Why are you so scared in the fourth world just because you lose your memories? When humans fight against fate, when are the chances ever high?"

Xing Ye listened, somewhat dazed, "Was I that strong before? No, I mean, am I that strong in your eyes?"

The mirror said, full of confidence, "Yes! It's because I know you, that I now have the courage to face everything. Did you really think I wasn't scared when I turned into a prop? I was terrified! But you told me that since the game didn't straight off kill me, I still had a long and difficult road ahead. It wasn't exactly comforting, but you taught me it wasn't over yet. That's why I can still hold onto hope and stay positive. You need to do it too: it's just amnesia! It's not over yet!"

The mirror's words struck Xing Ye. He suddenly felt enlightened. Yes, when humans fight against fate, it's always a fight for survival surrounded in danger.

He laughed mockingly at himself, "It looks like I really can't compare to my pre-amnesiac self. I have less experience, less courage, and hesitate when faced with a difficult situation."

The mirror comforted him, "Not exactly. Rather, I would say that you're more open than your pre-amensiac self. I think your previous self had also been scared, but you've already experienced failure before. You know failure is painful, but pain also fosters growth. You know your limits, and until you reach them, you dare to take risks. Even if you fail, you can endure it.

"The you right now haven't experienced failure, so it's normal for you to be more cautious. There are advanages to it too: with a fresh mind, your plans are better. "

Xing Ye was amazed, "Can you read minds? How do you know all my thoughts?"

Lu Mingze pointed at his eyes, "I have Truth Eye!"

Xing Ye laughed, "Whether its Truth Eye of not, your eyes truly are beautiful. They shine."

The mirror was very happy, then turned a little shy, "Well, tell me your ideas and concerns. I might not be as smart as you, but I can still help you sort out your thoughts."

Xing Ye briefly shared his thoughts with the mirror, whose eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't this world going overboard? Is it playing you guys? Even if you solve it, you might develop mental health problems when you return to the real world!"

"But you're right, it's too early to give up hope." Xing Ye picked up the mirror and revealed a confident smile, "A successful leader's strategy should be able to adapt to all variables, including my amnesia. I'll take the risk with that 10% chance. We'll show the system that no matter how difficult it is, we will beat it."

"Yes!" The little mirror felt the amnesiac Xing Ye was filled with vigor and hot blood. He couldn't help but shout alongside him.

Xing Ye looked at his face and suddenly felt a little frustrated. He said sullenly, "But tomorrow I'll forget you again. I don't want to forget you..."

He felt a little envious of his pre-amnesiac self. He would get to remember all the little details about the mirror and see the mirror's actual body in the real world.

Hmph, maybe he even did something while the mirror was unconscious! Xing Ye secretly thought to himself, although the expression on his face didn't change.

"I'll make you remember me again!" The mirror said, "I already made you remember me twice, what's a third time?"

Seeing Xing Ye regain his fighting spirit, the mirror added, "Come on, let's tell our companions what we're about to face. They can handle it. We must be fully prepared before we fight."

Xing Ye felt his heart warm. He looked at the face in the mirror. In that instant, he felt they were so close, yet so far.

"I'll beat this game and fight to the final level. Then I'll ask the system why it turned somebody as good as you into a prop. I will seek justice for you!" Xing Ye said before quickly kissing the mirror.

"Xing Ye, what are you doing?!"

After the kiss, he ignored the mirror's shout and quickly closed the mirror. He splashed his red face with cold water.

When he left the washroom, he was once again that cold, strong Xing Ye.

Cao Qian's eyes brightened as she watched him walk out with firm steps. It was as if he had let go of a burden, and was now ready to face any challenges that laid ahead.

Sensing the three's gazes fall on him, Xing Ye said solemnly, "We have a hard battle ahead. Before anything else, I have to tell everyone: right now, we're faced with the worst possible situation."

"How much worse can it get?" Guan Ling muttered. He couldn't help but lean a little closer to Cao Qian; this strong lady always gave him a sense of security.

Xing Ye said, "The system told us the hospital has two parasites and every night, there's a new parasite. Because of that, we thought there were only a few parasites in the hospital. However, the actual amount of parasites seem to be far more and Director Wang was even delivering parasites from pregnant women. Earlier, I couldn't get how this could arise from the parasite count given to us by the system. Now, I finally understand. With all our current information, there's only one explaination that makes sense and can explain our situation."

"Little Yiyi, I'm getting a bad feeling." Yan Hebi said.

Xing Ye said, "The plot background said: with every passing day, the number of parasites increases by one. Maybe you or your companions are one of the parasites. Please find those beasts in human skin as soon as possible. The longer it takes, the easier it’ll be for the hospital to become a hell.

"We thought it just meant that players could also be parasitized, but we were misled. The system actually meant that each night, one of the players would parasitized and turn into a monster!"

"What?! It was referring to players?" Guan Ling said in disbelief, "Today's already the third night, so three players have already turned into parasitized monsters?"

Xing Ye said, "I don't think the nights are counted that way. From 12 am of the first day to 12 am the second day is 24 hours, and one day. The first day, the measles patient developed a fever, and the second day at midnight, he turned into a monster. He was the first."

"Therefore, the infected person will likely have a fever at the beginning of the second day, fall into a coma, and three hours later, at the beginning of the next day, transform into a parasitized monster."

"None of us four have a fever." Guan Ling said, "So then it must be the one of the other four players?"

Xing Ye shook his head, "It's not four others, it's two. The two pregnant nurses won't be parasitized soon. They'll likely be the last two. That means its either Ge Kuangyi and Doctor Fei. Out of the two, I'm willing to place my bets on Ge Kuangyi.

"Ge Kuangyi took a CD with important clues from the department head's safe today. The department head can clearly see everything from the surveillance cameras, but didn't do anything. Why is that?"

Cao Qian answered, "Because Ge Kuangyi will turn into a parasitized monster tonight and will likely listen to the department head's orders. Therefore, the department head doesn't need to worry. Ge Kuangyi will return the CD himself tonight."

Yan Hebi recalled Ge Kuangyi's appearance earlier and shook his head, "But Ge Kuangyi hasn't fallen into a coma. The measles patient had a fever and lost conscious the first day..."

Xing Ye said, "Ge Kuangyi doesn't have measles: he's different. Besides, don't forget, when he came to us earlier, he was extremely weak. Fever was one of his symptoms."

"So his abnormalities were concealed by his cancer symptoms, so we couldn't notice!" Yan Hebi suddenly understood.

"But after I treated him, he didn't have a fever." Guan Ling said doubtfully.

Xing Ye explained, "A fever is just a sign that something is wrong with the body. It's not an immediate reaction: there's a delay in falling ill and a rise of body temperature. After you treated Ge Kuangyi, his physical condition was restored to normal, so the fever symptoms were temporarily cured. He didn't stay with us long enough for us to see whether he had a fever or not.

"Plus, I suspect that after Ge Kuangyi tonight, the next one to develop a fever will be you, Guan Ling. That's why we need to find a way to temporarily suppress the parasitized monsters tonight, or reach a perfect ending before tomorrow at midnight."

Guan Ling hugged himself, muttering in fear, "Why will I be infected tomorrow? Isn't it usually the opposing fate players that get infected first..."

Xing Ye explained, "It's because the department head will definitely come deal with you. He gave you the blue liquid and asked you to stay in the staff room. I was wondering why he didn't try to stop any of your actions, even though he obviously didn't believe you. Now I understand. he doesn't need to hurry. The day after tomorrow, you'll become a parasitized monster. You'll likely lose your consciousness as a player, but your body will retain its memories and become the department head's puppet."

"For Guan Ling's sake, and for our own sakes, we need to seize every second!