“Hmph… truly worthy of the name…” The Imitation Soul sneered, “… Feng Bujue.”

“Heh… you flatter me… you flatter me…” Brother Jue replied with a smile.

“Why are you being so polite with him?” Zhibu said, “Besides… wasn’t it Uncle Fei Chai who saw through him? You’re just being an armchair general!”

“Speaking of which, I’m also a bit curious, Brother Chai, how exactly did you see through it?” Feng Bujue turned to Uncle Fei Chai. “Although I also sensed some abnormalities about it, I really didn’t think about the ‘imposter’ aspect until you grabbed its neck.”

“Actually, I was about the same as you. At first, I just thought this ‘Tianma Xingkong’ was a bit strange, but I didn’t suspect he was being impersonated.” Uncle Fei Chai’s grip on the Imitation Soul didn’t loosen at all as he spoke. “Until… this guy struck the Tianma Meteor Fist pose.”

“What?” Feng Bujue was taken aback. A series of memories flashed through his mind, and after two seconds, he suddenly understood. “Oh… the stance is wrong.”

“Ha? That’s the reason?” Zhibu interjected.

“Yes, that’s the reason.” Uncle Fei Chai said, “During the Peak Tournament, I watched Tianma Xingkong’s Meteor Fist more than once. His movements are somewhat different from the ones the Imitation Soul made… The real Tianma Xingkong always has his left hand on top, higher than his head, no matter what posture he’s in…”

“Yes, and the angle of his legs is also different. His right leg is further back, and the degree of bending is more obvious than the left leg,” Feng Bujue added.

“Moreover… it’s not just the stance.” As Uncle Fei Chai spoke, his gaze behind his sunglasses refocused on the Imitation Soul’s face. “Tianma Xingkong’s Meteor Fist is unique. Even if you searched the entire game, no one could imitate its essence.”

“Hey, hey… isn’t it just a skill? Everyone uses it the same way, right?” Zhibu didn’t seem to believe it.

“Of course it’s not the same… how can you still be a professional player and not notice this?” Feng Bujue sighed lightly, shook his head, patted Zhibu on the shoulder, and explained, “Most of the attack skills in Thriller Paradise don’t have clear damage values… it’s a very obvious hidden setting.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “Skills may seem the same, but the effects are definitely different when used by different people. Even if you have two players with the exact same level, equipment, and specialization use the same skill, the power will still be different.”

“In fact, even the same person… will have fluctuations in the damage value when using the same move in different situations,” Uncle Fei Chai added. “A subtle movement, an adjustment in breathing frequency, or even a psychological change will affect the final result. Not to mention the effects of physical weakness, injuries, and other factors.”

“I… I see.” Zhibu was enlightened this time. Even if he died in the next second, this script wouldn’t have been a waste of time.

“Don’t think Tianma Xingkong only uses one move, and his tactics seem incredibly monotonous,” Uncle Fei Chai continued. “Actually… he’s meticulous despite his rough exterior. His Meteor Fist can be said to be one of the best skills in the entire game. His application of this skill has reached perfection. From D-level to A-level destructive power, he can unleash as much as he wants.”

“No wonder… when fighting this guy, I vaguely felt his fist getting stronger and stronger…” Honghu adjusted his glasses and murmured thoughtfully, “Can you achieve this level after using a skill countless times…”

“You don’t have to think too much… we can’t learn his method.” Uncle Fei Chai’s eyes changed slightly. “Everyone has their own unique talents… In terms of talent, Tianma Xingkong may not be very high, and his mind isn’t as good as yours either. From the perspective of a professional player, he’s by no means a genius. Because he relies only on intuition, diligence, and a little bit of luck.” He smiled, “But he won the Peak Tournament and outperformed all of us. Heh… this is something no one can replicate.”

“Wait a minute!” The Imitation Soul shouted at this moment (it could still speak normally even after being strangled, the near-death state before was just a disguise). “From the moment you arrived on the island, I’ve been secretly following and observing your words and deeds. Speaking of stance… the stance I struck was the same as Tianma Xingkong’s in the Mocking Forest! What’s the difference? I clearly had my left hand on top, my right leg slightly…”

“The range of body extension and the trajectory of the limbs are all different,” Feng Bujue interrupted. “It’s like two gymnasts performing the same set of technical movements. As long as you observe carefully enough, even a layman can see some differences.” He shrugged. “Of course… I didn’t see through you either.” He pointed to Uncle Fei Chai. “He was the one who saw through you at the first moment and directly attacked… I’m just being wise after the event. You fell to Uncle Fei Chai’s split-second judgment and courage.”

This was true. If it hadn’t been for Uncle Fei Chai’s decisiveness, the Imitation Soul wouldn’t have revealed its flaws so quickly. Even Brother Jue and Honghu would have needed more clues or other opportunities to see through its disguise.

“Okay… now that things have come to this, I can only accept the result.” The Imitation Soul seemed to have admitted defeat. “You guys did well. This is the first time… I’ve been exposed in such a short period of time.” It paused. “Now, can you put me down and talk?”

“That depends,” Uncle Fei Chai said in a deep voice. As he spoke, his hand tightened even more.

“Don’t worry, I won’t resist. Frankly, I don’t think I can beat you,” the Imitation Soul said in a relaxed tone.

“What if you run away?” Brother Jue asked.

“Hmph… if I wanted to run, I would have run already. None of you could stop me.” The Imitation Soul turned to Brother Jue. “You’ve seen my kin before, you should know our abilities.”

Brother Jue pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, “Alden?”

“Yes, that’s him,” the Imitation Soul replied. “Although the abilities are slightly different, I can also do things like teleportation.”

Feng Bujue didn’t say anything more. He took half a step forward and winked at Uncle Fei Chai.

Uncle Fei Chai nodded and immediately let go.

After landing, the Imitation Soul rubbed its neck and pretended to catch its breath. “So… let’s talk about a deal, interdimensional travelers.”

Feng Bujue went straight to the point and said, “Speak, what do you want?”

The Imitation Soul smiled and replied, “Hehe, I only have two requests…” Its gaze swept across the players’ faces. “First, I want a treasure from one of you…” As it said this, a system prompt rang in the players’ ears [“Treasure” refers to an item of Fine quality or higher, but items obtained in this script are not allowed], “Anything will do, as long as it’s an item with magical power.”

Its first request wasn’t for itself, but to help the Engraving Hand return to its original state. The Imitation Soul needed a magical item from another “dimension” to complete the spell and save its colleague.

“As for the second…” The Imitation Soul continued, “I want to hear a ghost story. Anyone can tell it, but it must be scary enough.”

This request was to satisfy its own needs…

Hearing this, Uncle Fei Chai turned to his three teammates and said calmly, “Let’s just kill it.”

“Hey!” The Imitation Soul shouted.

“Don’t be anxious,” Feng Bujue said. “Let it finish speaking…” He paused for a second, “… It’s not too late to kill it then.”

As an NPC, the Imitation Soul was under a lot of pressure at this time, but it still had to finish its lines. “Ahem… as long as you meet my requests, I will naturally provide corresponding rewards. There are three things I can do for you, but you can only choose one…” It paused for a moment before continuing, “The three things are… one, tell you Tianma Xingkong’s whereabouts and open the passage to the next level for you; two, directly teleport the four of you to the altar at the bottom of the temple; three, immediately bring Tianma Xingkong to you.” After saying this, it smiled mysteriously, “Of course, you can also refuse the deal. In that case, I’ll leave right away, and you can fend for yourselves…”

“Well… we need to discuss it before making a decision,” Honghu replied.

“As you wish,” The Imitation Soul stretched out a hand and made a “please” gesture.

Feng Bujue wasn’t worried about it escaping. He immediately waved his hand, signaling his teammates to come over. So, everyone followed him to a corner on the other side of the stone chamber and began to discuss in low voices.

“I feel like there’s a conspiracy…” Zhibu said immediately. “Since it says it can teleport, why is it negotiating with us? Why doesn’t it just disappear?”

“No, I think it’s reasonable,” Feng Bujue denied. “I have indeed seen one of its kin, and although their appearances are slightly different, there’s no doubt that they’re the same kind of life form.” He explained, “The one I saw before could indeed use teleportation and could move with others. Most importantly… that guy also liked to listen to ghost stories.”

Honghu added, “In my opinion… it’s not that complicated. To put it bluntly, this is just a story option. When Brother Chai saw through this NPC’s disguise, the plot was triggered.” He paused slightly for a second and said, “Actually, this deal is generally fair. As long as we hand over a Fine-quality item and tell a cost-free story, we can get one of those three rewards.”

“I also agree to accept the deal,” Uncle Fei Chai said. “But the problem now is… which reward should we choose?”

“The first one…” Zhibu immediately interjected, “Choosing the second one would be like abandoning Little Ma, right? And the third option… although we can reunite with Little Ma immediately, the situation will return to the original point from a few minutes ago.”

“Wrong.”

Suddenly, Brother Jue said the word “wrong” in a confident tone.

“Huh?” Honghu next to him was stunned at first. “What’s wrong? Zhibu’s analysis is quite reasonable.”

“Is it?” Feng Bujue said, “Then I want to ask… after you know Little Ma’s whereabouts, what can you do?”

“Of course, we’ll go find him,” Zhibu replied.

“Do you know the way in this temple? Or have you seen a map of this place?”

“Uh…”

Feng Bujue silenced him with two sentences, and he wasn’t finished yet. “Even if you really have a complete map of the temple, how can you guarantee that Little Ma will stay in place and wait for you to find him?”

“Wait…” Zhibu said, “How do you know that Little Ma is definitely in this temple? Maybe he’s in another…”

“Impossible,” Feng Bujue interrupted. “If he was elsewhere, he would have been killed already, wouldn’t he?”

“Uh… that’s not right!” Zhibu said again, “The five of us entered the temple together. Little Ma wasn’t the first or last one through the active door, and he never left our sight. The Imitation Soul had no chance to switch him out…”

“Because he was switched out outside,” Feng Bujue replied calmly.

“Then why do you say he’s definitely in the temple?” Zhibu was confused.

“Think about it carefully and you’ll understand… there’s only one opportunity to switch him out…” Feng Bujue continued, “That’s the period when the four of you were all turned into Engravings, and I hadn’t returned to the team yet.” He glanced at the Imitation Soul on the other side of the stone chamber. “It was at that time that it completed the switch with the Engraving Hand.” He paused, then continued, “The method is very simple. The Engraving Hand first releases Little Ma from the shadows, and then the Imitation Soul immediately grabs Little Ma and teleports him, sending him to a certain place in the temple. Then it teleports back, uses its transformation ability to disguise itself as an Engraving, and lies on the ground…”

Brother Jue said to this point and snorted coldly. “Hmph… now that I think about it, these guards are much smarter than I thought… they had considered the possibility that the Engraving Hand would lose to me in advance. Even though that probability was extremely low, they still prepared a backup plan…”

At this time, Honghu asked, “Then you mean… choose the third option?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, I feel like the third option is a death option…” Feng Bujue squinted his eyes. “No, to be precise, it’s a team wipe option… If we choose it, the possibility of all five of us being trapped in this stone chamber is very high.”

“Then… are you saying it’s better to choose the second option?” Uncle Fei Chai asked.

“Of course,” Feng Bujue put on a matter-of-course expression. “Remember what happened when the previous task was completed?” Without waiting for his teammates to answer, he continued, “The moment you arrive at the destination, the elimination time limit on the player is immediately lifted, and the task will be considered \[Completed]. And the next task won’t be triggered until the maximum time limit for the previous main quest has been reached, and a buffer period has been left.

“In other words… if we choose the second option, the four of us will immediately complete the current main quest and will no longer be threatened by the time limit. Even if the time limit runs out and the four of us are not near the altar, we won’t be eliminated, because our task has already been ‘completed’.

“Under this premise, we only need to leave one person at the altar to wait, and the others can look for Little Ma’s whereabouts without any scruples.

“The worst-case scenario… we still haven’t found him after more than two hours, and he hasn’t been able to reach the altar on his own. If that really happens, we’ll just lose one person. The remaining people can still return to the bottom and continue to clear the level.”

Feng Bujue finished speaking in one breath, took a breath, and then said, “In comparison, choosing the first option makes no sense. It’s the same as finding a target that is likely moving in an unfamiliar environment, why not start from the end while ensuring your own safety?

“Also, don’t forget to consider the problem from Little Ma’s perspective. He entered the temple earlier than us, but the time he received the second task was the same as ours. When he receives the new task, he will understand by looking at the team bar – the four of us have also arrived at the temple and have not been eliminated.

“At this time, no matter where his position is, he will immediately start moving downwards. Because he knows very well that it is better to go directly to the end and reunite with us than to aimlessly search for teammates in this maze-like place. Maybe… he is already quite close to the location of the altar.

“If we choose the third option… even if it doesn’t lead to a team wipe, it will undoubtedly screw him over. Then, as Zhibu said, we will return to the awkward situation of ‘five people being trapped in a closed space together’.”

After Feng Bujue finished speaking, his teammates were enlightened. After discussing a few more sentences, the four quickly reached a consensus.

They quickly walked back to the Imitation Soul’s side, surrounding the other party again like hooligans harassing a decent woman on the street…

“We’ve discussed it, we’ll choose the second option,” Feng Bujue said.

“Oh?” The Imitation Soul’s tone seemed a little surprised, but it immediately changed to a sarcastic tone, “Hmph… abandoning your teammates, a bunch of heartless guys.”

“Here’s the treasure.” Feng Bujue ignored the other party’s words, took out Mario’s Pipe Wrench from his knapsack, and handed it to the Imitation Soul. “Take it.”

Today, the pipe wrench that Brother Jue used as his main melee weapon in the beginning is finally leaving him. As his level and strength increased, this weapon gradually became useless.

In terms of melee combat, Feng Bujue can now unleash extremely strong moves with his fists and feet alone, not to mention that he also possesses the perfect-grade killer weapon, the Must-Break Defense Blade.

In terms of tool usage, a WJ-308 Military Shovel has almost all the functions of a tool, which undoubtedly includes a pipe wrench.

Furthermore, after the version update, Mario’s Pipe Wrench has become a bound equipment, and it is impossible to sell it at the auction house.

Brother Jue had long intended to let this equipment retire from the stage of history, but because this pipe wrench was quite commemorative (the first Fine-quality equipment he drew with an extra reward), he had been hesitant.

But at this moment, it seems like a good opportunity. Instead of taking this equipment to fill the “Shredder”, it’s better to use it here and make a contribution to the team.

“Hmph… then I’ll accept it without ceremony.” The Imitation Soul took the pipe wrench and stuffed it into its chest, storing it inside its body.

“Then… please listen to my ghost story,” Feng Bujue said immediately.