Chapter 264: Online Dating Scam Record (Twenty-Seven)
As the name suggests, ghouls generally only appear under one condition, that is, when someone dies in the university town and the corpse appears.
"Ghouls don't have their own bodies. They can't store their energy, nor can they naturally recover or evolve. They can only devour other bodies to survive. But then... Anyway, the rules of the university town were reset, and most of the ordinary ghouls were naturalized as students. Only a small number still exist."
Shi Qingqing explained the meaning of the word in the context of the university town. Whether intentionally or not, her explanation seemed overly detailed, inevitably including a few words about the university town itself.
"This small group of ghouls has evolved into a more powerful ability, from simply [devouring] to [replication]."
"copy?"
Catching the key words, Guo Guo sensitively repeated them aloud.
"That's right." Shi Qingqing nodded gently. "All students, residents, teachers, even buildings... As long as they have enough energy, there's nothing they can't copy. Because of this, they've greatly disrupted the order of the university town. Therefore, this semester, they've been placed on the Education Bureau's banned list, banned from the university town and all exams."
"--To put it simply, there aren't many prohibited items in the university town, and ghouls are one of them."
Since it is a prohibited existence, why is it still here?
How did she copy Tang Xin Jue, and what happened to the real Tang Xin Jue now?
There was so much information and questions that Zhang You and Guo Guo didn't know how to start for a moment.
The counterfeit didn't argue. After all, it had never anticipated Shi Qingqing's mishap. It simply sneered and shoved itself into the corner, looking like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.
Shi Qingqing continued, "After a successful cloning, the ghoul will possess 100% of the clone's appearance, memories, items, and at least 90% of their abilities. If the clone dies, the ghoul can even completely replace her identity and escape the university town's control."
Guo Guo felt his throat tighten. "Is there no way to deal with it?"
"At least as far as I know, there aren't any tools or abilities that can target a ghoul's true form." Shi Qingqing shook her head. "The only way to deal with it is after it's cloned. It's very simple: defeat its clone, and you'll naturally defeat it, too. Kill it and throw it away. That's the easiest way."
...the easiest way?
Zhang You and Guo Guo looked at each other in silence, then at Shi Qingqing, who looked a little puzzled, as if asking why the two hadn't taken action yet.
The fake grinned. "Yes, that's right. As long as you can kill me within five minutes, I won't even fight back. Why don't you try it quickly?"
She even threw the toilet plunger to the ground and crossed her arms in defiance.
Guo Guo: “…”
Shi Qingqing hadn't expected this ghoul to be so arrogant in front of a crowd. She sized it up for a moment before exclaiming in surprise, "No wonder you discovered the truth so quickly. This one's been trapped with so many restrictions. Not only can it only mimic 60% of its abilities, but there are also many limitations I don't understand... Who did this? Did you call for help from the university town in advance?"
The fake one interrupted with a forced smile, "I'd rather it was a foreign player. It's better than being forced to be a good roommate here."
Shi Qingqing: “?”
She blinked slowly, and when she finally realized what was happening, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, almost to a somewhat eerie level: "Is... is it her? Hahahahahahaha, a ghoul is controlled by its own copy?"
Shi Qingqing's laughter grew louder, and she nearly wiped tears from her eyes. Although only two pools of blood finally emerged from the corners of her eyes, she remained unconcerned. Turning to Zhang You and Guo Guo, she said, "Actually, there's one thing I haven't told you. As ghouls replicate, they also devour. When the replication process is long enough, the original owner will completely disappear. I didn't want you to lose control due to worry, but now it seems that's no longer necessary."
But from another perspective, the strength of a candidate who can trap the zombies in turn, even if it is only half, is not something that can be easily imagined.
Zhang You said frankly, "We don't know what specific restrictions the Heart Sutra has left behind. We only know that within the dormitory building, this... ghoul can't attack us. But equally, if we actively attack, our chances of success are not great."
In reality, they had already suspected it. Whether it was the imposter's reluctance to act, or the strange state of being able to remain peaceful even after the falling out, it was likely a backup plan Tang Xinjue had already prepared.
Even though their roommate was missing, they still had this stubborn trust. It was as if Tang Xin Jue was still by their side, helping them through the game in some invisible way.
"No, the odds are very good on you."
Shi Qingqing wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and whispered, "In addition to killing the replica, there is another way to restrain the ghoul - that is to find out its real name."
"Even in the university town, a ghoul's identity can't legitimately remain above ground. Their true names are one of their few weaknesses, temporarily revealing their true form and depriving them of their ability to attack or defend. Especially after the new screening regulations, the remaining ghouls are all well-known and powerful top-tier. Let me think... who could this person be?"
After hearing this, the fake's desperate expression finally changed.
It stared at Shi Qingqing, as if sizing her up, and asked in a sinister voice, "Who are you?"
Shi Qingqing: "As you can see, I'm just an ordinary student who is miserable, pitiful, cowardly, and crazy. It's just a coincidence that I happen to know the names of several zombies, such as Bo Wen, Hong Deng, Xie Dian, Ma Liang..."
The imposter knew she was testing him, but couldn't stop him. He glared at her fiercely with Tang Xin Jue's face, then simply continued eating, trying not to let the other party notice anything unusual.
Guo Guo couldn't help but ask, "Is there any ghoul who particularly likes to eat?"
Shi Qingqing corrected him, "They don't eat because they enjoy it. Maintaining their replication state consumes a lot of energy, so they have to keep eating. If there's no food, they eat people. If there's no people, they eat tables and chairs. If there's no material at all, they'll even eat part of themselves."
"By the way," she suddenly changed the subject and asked Guo Guo and the others, "There's one thing I still don't quite understand. With your roommate's strength, common sense suggests it's impossible for him to be the primary target of the ghouls. According to me... according to my understanding of them, once they discover a restriction, they will decisively give up even if they successfully replicate it. There must be a reason for it to persist. So, have you ever offended any special beings before? Or experienced any unusual circumstances?"
A special existence that has been offended ?
The air suddenly fell silent again. Zhang You and Guo Guo did not say a word. They looked as if they were thinking and recalling seriously.
After a moment, Guo Guo also responded sincerely: "I'm sorry, but can you narrow the scope a little bit? We've offended too many people."
