Chapter 32: Inner Thoughts of “I”

(Your heart stings with pain.)

(This diary seems to possess a certain kind of magic.
Despite its vague language, you can genuinely feel the agonizing emotions of “I.”)

(You overturn all your previous speculations about “I.”)

(The reason you saw the folding bed as a cardboard box is that you haven't fully immersed yourself in the role until now.)

(Since you arrived in this world, you have always approached everything from the perspective of an observer, as an Earthling.
You have never experienced the emotions of the characters in this world.)

(“It” is impossible for “I” to view the natives as pets nor have “I” considered herself a pet.
“I” is someone who harbors serious doubts about her own identity.)

(Put yourself in her shoes.)

(Imagine that on Earth, you are an intelligent chimpanzee.
Your mother teaches you to write and teaches you about “dignity,” “freedom,” and “love.”)

(You begin to think like a human, believing that you are just like your mother, a human.)

(Until one day, your mother sells you.)

(Humans tell you that you're not human, that you're just an animal, a chimpanzee.)

(Chimpanzees don't have “dignity” or “freedom.”)

(You are merely a plaything of humans.)

(You are merely an experimental subject of humans.)

(Your mother doesn't truly love you; she is only interested in finding out if humans can train a chimpanzee to understand and speak human language.)

(In the end, you will grow old alone, used by others, as a tool for showcasing their scientific achievements.)

(Because of you, it's highly likely that your fellow chimpanzees will also suffer the pain you once endured.)

(That's the story the entire dungeon world wants to convey.)

(Humans in the dungeon world are like chimpanzees on Earth.)

(And the native inhabitants are the true rulers of the dungeon world.)

(Just like “I,” in the eyes of the natives, you are nothing more than a slightly intelligent chimpanzee.)

(You finally calm down your emotions.)

(You continue searching in the small box and find a box of pills underneath the diary.)

(There are no labels on the box, only blood-written hints left by “I.”)

(“Eat them.”)

(You open the box and find three red pills inside.)

(You take one pill and swallow it.)

(You feel a burning sensation throughout your body, and in an instant, you transform into a hairy monster.)

(You haven't lost your rationality; you feel that your strength and speed have greatly increased.)

(You run wildly.)

(You encounter a member of the Security Department.)

(You engage in a fight with the Security Department.)

(Astonishingly, you subdue the Security Department member, but you also sustain significant injuries.)

(You remove the Security Department member's mask.)

(Soon, more members of the Security Department appear around you.)

(They punch and kick you, even using electric batons to strike you.)

(You fiercely resist, but it's difficult to fight off multiple attackers.)

(You want to test your own limits.)

(Your body is covered in wounds, but you manage to escape from the encirclement.)

(The Security Department personnel call for the help of the Elephant Repairman.)

(The Repairman raises a large hammer and smashes it onto your calf bone.)

(You fall to the ground, locked in a struggle with the Repairman.)

(You are unable to match the strength of the Repairman, but your power is at least twice what it was before.)

(Suddenly, you feel a wave of weakness and fatigue.)

(You transform back into your human form.)

(The Repairman's hammer comes crashing down, shattering your head into pieces.)

(Your vision turns blood red.)

(You are dead.)

(The deduction is over!)

Gu Yi opened his eyes and quietly rubbed his temples.

On the underground second floor, there is a pill that can temporarily transform him into a monster, but there are only three pills available, and each pill's effect lasts only about three to five minutes.

This is a non-renewable resource, and Gu Yi needs to allocate it carefully.
He used the pill on the spot during the deduction earlier just to test its performance.

“Alright, let's begin!”

Gu Yi's eyes sparkled as he walked out of the toilet.

With so many deductions, it took Gu Yi less than ten minutes to successfully reach the hidden room in the second basement.

After obtaining the bottle of pills and diary of “I”, the system also issued a prompt.

“You have found the important item [Bloody Words Diary].”

“Your plot exploration degree has increased.”

“Current exploration progress is 31%.”

“Your talent skill level has increased.”

“You have gained a new ability, deduction backtracking!”

“You can select any time point from the previous deduction to backtrack and explore.
Mental energy consumption is halved during backtracking.”

Backtracking?

This seems like a nice ability.

Gu Yi didn't have time to experiment with his new ability.
He quickly left the basement and returned to the first floor.

The free roaming time was over, and Gu Yi went to the cafeteria to eat as usual.

Gu Yi glanced at the pig-headed chef, contemplating whether he needed to acquire their mask, but in the end, he gave up on the idea.

The chef had always been on the ground floor, and the pig mask might not be very useful when exploring the two basements.

Instead of focusing on the pig-headed mask, it would be better to concentrate on acquiring the elephant mask and the dog-headed mask.

With these two masks, Gu Yi wouldn't be suspected no matter where he appeared.

Now, Gu Yi had the red pills, so he should have enough power to take the elephant mask from the general affairs room on the third floor.

The best time to obtain the elephant mask would be midnight.

Gu Yi quietly stayed in the ward until midnight, and then he opened his eyes.

“Begin deduction.”

(The deduction begins!)

(You crawl out of bed, startling Xu Nian.)

(Xu Nian expresses concern for you, but you reassure him with a few words and skillfully change into the doctor's attire.)

(You walk through the corridor and arrive on the third floor.)

(The dean's office on the third floor is dark, indicating that the dean isn't at the office today.)

(You make your way to the administration office through the ventilation duct.)

(There are two unattended elephant masks on the table.)

(You take out a red pill and swallow it.
You transform into a monster.)

(You successfully pick up the elephant mask and put it on your face.)

(You feel that the mask doesn't weigh much on your face.)

(Wearing the mask, you search the office and finally find the maintenance worker's manual.)

([Maintenance Worker's Manual])

(1.
Always wear the elephant mask during work to significantly enhance your strength.)

(2.
Sometimes, you may encounter strange creatures on the equipment.
If you do, immediately strike them down.)

(3.
If you come across malfunctioning equipment, strike it twice with a hammer.)

(4.
Behind the crematorium on the first basement, there is a master key.
Borrow it and return it promptly.)

(5.
After work, please leave the mask in the office and do not disclose any work-related information after leaving the workplace.)

(6.
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are payday.
Please go to the dean's office on time to collect your salary.)