“Simon?” Mouse couldn’t understand what the doctor’s current state had to do with Simon. Previously, both parties had gone their separate ways. Simon stayed with them in Pripyat to continue the investigation while the doctor left with the maintenance worker. Although he sympathized with the doctor’s current state, no matter how he looked at it, he could not place the blame on Simon.
“It seems that your condition has been deteriorating.” The doctor wasn’t in a hurry to explain. Instead, he first looked around. His gaze swept past the teenager’s swollen arm and Mouse’s legs. Then, there was also Master Kui’s slightly pale face.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Master Kui’s expression changed.
“Do you still remember what I said? With Coconut’s condition back at the nuclear power plant, she shouldn’t have deteriorated so quickly. Even if her palm came into contact with the graphite on the ground, it only took less than a day for her from passing out from a high fever to almost losing her life. Such rapid progression does not conform to medical knowledge at all.”
“You suspect that someone could’ve done something to her?”
“The first person who found out that something was wrong with her that night was Simon,” the doctor said coldly.
The teenager shook his head. “But that doesn’t mean that Simon did something to her. Besides, Simon isn’t some omnipotent God. How could he aggravate Coconut’s condition?”
“It’s graphite.”
“What?”
“I’m answering your question. How did he aggravate Coconut’s condition? Because he secretly placed the graphite core next to her.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?” Kui asked.
“Of course, because he treated me and the maintenance man the same way. He warned us not to leave Pripyat, but we didn’t listen to him. So before he left, he put a piece of graphite in our backpacks,” the doctor cried in grief and indignation, “We only found out two days later that the maintenance man had been carrying that bag the whole time. When we arrived at the hospital, he was directly sent to the emergency room… and you saw my situation.
“I wasn’t hospitalized because I knew that since Simon would make a move on Coconut and us, and he would definitely not let you go. So, I rushed back to Pripyat overnight to warn you, but I didn’t know where you were, so I could only stay by Scherbina’s side and wait for you to come over.”
After the doctor had said what he wanted to say, the stairwell fell into silence.
The main reason for that was the explosive piece of news they received. Everyone had always thought that the deterioration of their physical condition was due to the radiation they had received, but they did not expect that a human factor could actually be involved.
Moreover, the players who dared to choose a single row were basically not fools. After careful consideration, they realized that the doctor’s words were very credible. It was not just because of the two things he had said, but the most important thing was that up until now, only Simon had remained in relatively good physical condition.
If someone was really playing tricks in the dark, Simon was undoubtedly the most suspicious one among them.
However, the uniformed teenager still found it difficult to accept it. “Simon… why did he attack us? Even if you don’t trust his character, isn’t this dungeon a one-on-one mode? Players are teammates and not enemies.”
“We’ll have to ask him that,” the doctor said.
Master Kui’s mouth dropped open to say something.
“What do you want to say?” the youth asked.
“You all saw the post that Flo posted on Simon’s behalf. Simon offered 200,000 points as a reward, but he clearly didn’t have that many game points on him. He could only use a B-grade item as collateral,” Master Kui said. “He’s very short of points right now.”
“Are you saying that he plans to kill us and steal our items to make up for a portion of his points?”
“You have to admit that it is indeed the fastest way to earn points.”
“What about the main storyline quest? Up until now, we haven’t had any leads. Doesn’t that just lower his hopes of killing us and completing the main storyline quest?” Mouse said weakly.
“You’re right. However, we don’t have any leads. Perhaps he already knows how to complete the main storyline quest. That’s why he’s starting to deal with us. Once he kills all of us, he’ll be able to complete the main storyline quest by himself. After that, he’ll return with a full load,” the doctor suggested.
As soon as he finished speaking, another voice came from upstairs.
“That’s a good suggestion.”
The players’ faces darkened when they heard that because they recognized that it was Simon.
Zhang Heng slowly walked down the stairs from the third floor. He looked at the players who looked like they were about to face a great enemy, and then said to the doctor, “You played a good diversionary tactic.”
“No, I can’t compare to you,” the doctor said with a sneer. “Who would’ve known that the great Simon is actually someone who plays a game of hide-and-seek on the surface?”
Zhang Heng shook his head. “I’ll correct you on two points.”
“What?”
“First, I don’t need to act in a superficial manner and hide behind the scenes. If I really had the intention to kill people and steal their items, then all the other players in this dungeon would not be able to stop me even if they joined forces.”
Zhang Heng did not purposely use a threatening tone in his words. He only said it in a normal tone, but everyone felt a strong sense of oppression. Even the doctor opened his mouth but failed to say anything in the end.
Simon had always been very easygoing and had kept a low profile in this dungeon. Whenever he took action, he would ask for everyone’s opinion in advance, never once using his position as the team leader to force anyone to do anything. After some time, everyone even forgot that he was the number one player that suppressed the experts of the three large guilds to take the number one spot on the leaderboard.
“Second,” Zhang Heng looked at the doctor and continued, “I sympathize with your plight, but unfortunately, you’ve found the wrong person.”
The doctor did not seem to believe Zhang Heng’s words. He said, “Let’s not talk about me and the maintenance worker for now. How are you going to explain the fact that everyone else’s condition is deteriorating at a faster rate than normal?”
“You may have picked the wrong person, but there is one thing that you’re right about. Someone is secretly increasing the amount of radiation we’re exposed to. However, that person is not me. As for why I’m in better condition than you guys, it’s just because I’m more alert.” Zhang Heng waved the thing in his hand.
“What’s this?”
“A portable radiation measuring device. I got it from a militia sprinkler earlier. The measuring range is very small, and the upper limit is only 3.6 roentgen. However, it’s enough to help me get through dangerous places and items,” Zhang Heng explained. “After Coconut was sent to the hospital, I took the meter back to her room. I found that the radiation in her room was indeed abnormal. In many places, my meter was off the charts. This means that someone planted a strong radiation source in her room.”
The uniformed boy was startled. “At that time, you asked me to go with you to snatch the clothes. Was it really to get the meter?”
