This villain is too popular.

Chapter 389 Kindness Engraved in the Bones
In the lounge, Tiandao seemed to sense something. He straightened up slightly from the sofa, looked up at the old residential building on the holographic screen, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if responding to the little raccoon's 'expectation'.

Meanwhile, the raccoon on the screen had already started walking again on its short legs, heading towards the direction where Chen Kong and the others were hiding.

Its steps remained slow, but with each step it took, the surrounding black mist thickened a little more.

The test, ostensibly a game of 'hide-and-seek' but actually an 'eternal nightmare,' has only just begun to reach its true core.

Those being assessed must either confront their inner fears or be consumed by an eternal nightmare.

Only those who can overcome their fear can stay away from the raccoon keeper, the 'hunter'.

Conversely, they will get closer and closer to the raccoon manager.

In other words, the raccoon administrator didn't teleport to the other examiners' side.

Those who were taking the test, due to their fear of a natural disaster and the pressure of fearing failure as time passed, teleported themselves to the side of the raccoon administrator.

Similarly, this explains why Mi Yao was able to pass the assessment.

Perhaps it's because he wasn't afraid of any natural disasters from the very beginning.

They are not worried about whether they will succeed in the assessment.

For him, it was all just a 'game'.

As long as it's a 'game', it's normal to have wins and losses.

All he had to do was try his best, using his skills and a bit of luck, to pass this game called "Explorer Qualification Assessment," nothing more.

This mindset is the real reason he was able to get rid of the raccoon keeper.

At the same time, this fearlessness of death is an excellent quality that an explorer needs to possess.

After all, in the life-or-death situation of occupied areas, fear will only make people panic and misjudge the time to escape.

Only by remaining calm can one find a glimmer of hope amidst the fangs of the star beasts and their bizarre rules, and grasp at that one and only 'lifeline'.

As the plot unfolded to this point, the viewers on the 13th station finally understood what the raccoon administrator's trump card was, and the barrage of comments rolled like a tide.

'It turns out the so-called spatial jump didn't happen at all; the examinee simply approached the raccoon out of fear!'

The truth is out there! Fear amplifies your presence! The more afraid you are, the easier it is to be found! Staying calm is key!

'Mi Yao was able to pass the test because he treated it like a game! He wasn't afraid of losing or natural disasters! His mentality was incredibly stable!'

'No wonder Liu Ma and his team lost so quickly! They panicked from the very beginning! How can you play when your mentality collapses!'

During the discussion in the live chat, the camera briefly focused on Caroline.

At that moment, she was looking down at her tactical tablet.

What appeared on the tactical tablet was none other than the ability analysis of the Little Raccoon Administrator.

[Eternal Nightmare Rule Verification: The intensity of the examinee's fear is positively correlated with the 'probability of being perceived by the pursued'. When the emotional fluctuation exceeds the threshold, a 'spatial anchoring' effect is triggered, meaning the examinee subconsciously moves closer to the pursuer, manifesting as 'teleporting to the pursuer's side'.]

After all this was over, the anime switched back to Chen Kong and the others in the assessment area.

So, what do we do now?

Chen Kong squatted on the ground, looking at the four children huddled together in front of him, his brows furrowed.

The little boy in the lead, about seven or eight years old, had several dark green scales on his arms. He was carefully holding the chocolate, taking small bites, with chocolate sauce stuck to the corners of his mouth, looking like a frightened little animal.

The little girl next to him had milky white eyes, yet she was able to accurately grab the cookie her companion handed her, her movements displaying a caution beyond her years.

Even though they knew it was just an assessment and these children were just dispensable 'NPCs'.

But looking at the little boy's satisfied expression as he ate his chocolate, the little girl's clenched little hands holding a biscuit, and the faint smell of rust and the strange odor of star energy radiation emanating from them, Chen Kong couldn't bring himself to abandon them.

But if I don't abandon them, how should I conduct the assessment?

Let alone having four burdens, even without them, he might not be able to escape the raccoon keeper's pursuit.

In the end, Chen Kong made a decision.

"How about we take them and hide first?"

The dust swept over the children, making some of them seem unsure of themselves.

After all, his decision was undoubtedly too 'foolish', as it would not only drag himself down, but also his two teammates.

To Chen Kong's surprise, the cameraman next to him nodded and said, "I think it's fine."

Chen Kong glanced at him with some surprise.

Anqin, who was standing to the side, then made a rebuttal.

“Bringing them along will slow us down, and I don’t recommend doing so.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong and the cameraman both looked at her.

Finally, Chen Kong spoke again: "It's alright. If you have any concerns, you can leave on your own. We'll try to buy you some time."

Hearing this, An Qin was stunned.

Because she couldn't understand how Chen Kong could say such 'foolish' things.

In her view, it is perfectly normal for the weak to be eliminated.

These children are undoubtedly the 'weak ones' right now.

For a moment, Anqin fell silent.

Just then, the little girl with milky white eyes suddenly raised her head, looked at Chen Kong with her cloudy eyes, and whispered, "Brother, we don't need to bother you. We know a place where we can hide, and the 'Shadow' can't find us."

"Dark Shadow?"

Chen Kong's heart skipped a beat. Could the 'shadow' these children were talking about be the raccoon keeper?

Before Chen Kong could figure out what was going on, the little girl tugged at his clothes.

"It's in the basement behind the factory. There's a basement there; we used to hide there and escaped many 'shadows'."

Looking at Chen Kong on the screen, who seemed unable to make a decision, the comments on the 13th station started scrolling again.

"Prison life is too tough! Whether you bring your kids or not is a trap!"

'It would be cruel not to bring it! But bringing it would slow us down!'

"Don't forget what you've said before! The core of this test is 'fear'! Perhaps the child is also part of that 'fear,' testing whether Chen Kong will fail due to fear and abandon his 'kindness'!"

Ultimately, Chen Kong, the protagonist, demonstrated the responsibility expected of a protagonist at the crucial moment.

He stood up, looked at the four children in front of him, and said with a smile, "Alright, then take us to see your basement."

"Ok!"

P.S.: I made a small mistake before and forgot about Rin Yagami's team. Fortunately, it's not a big problem and has been corrected. It won't affect the previous or subsequent plot.

(End of this chapter)